Evening star., 1949-07-05
The Political Mil
Welfare State Program
Suffers Two Body Blows
Defeat of Taft Act Repeal and Budget
Deficit Point Way to Congress

Defeat of Taft Act Repeal and Budget
Deficit Point Way to Congress
By Gould Lincoln
The Truman program-Fair Deal and
Welfare State-has just taken a couple Of
body blows-from the present session of Con-
gress. The first was the defeat in the SEN
ate of the Administration proposal to re-
peal the Taft-Hartley labor law and 60 back
to the lopsided Wagner Labor Relations Act.
The second was Government deficit Of
nearly two billion dollars at the close Of
the fiscal year. June 80. And these two
blows are likely to have a decided effect
on the remainder of the first session of the
8lst Congress.
It has been demonstrated that the Fair
Dealers and their political appendages, the
labor leaders, cannot force this Congress to
lie down and permit the return of organized
labor to its former position of being above
the law. 1t further has been demonstrated
to the CongresS-that 1t would be sui
cidal to go ahead with new Federal social
lied projects which might run the country
many more billions of dollars into debt.
Under such circumstances, it seems probable
that Congress will now complete its work
on appropriation bills-which need drastic
cutting-and after passing bill to continue
the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act on the
North Atlantic Security Treaty, tackle farm
legislation and then adjourn.
Issues Taking Shape.
This Is quite program in itself-but 1t
does not take into consideration the de-
mands of the Administration for a lot of
other legislation-like extension of the So
cial Security Act giving greater benefits and
more extended coverage national health
insurance, and civil rights bills Ito ban the
poll tax. give the Federal Government the
power to punish lynching in the States and
to set up Federal FEPC).
Although the congressional campaign is
a year away, the issues between the Fair
Dealers and the Republicans are taking
shape. The Fair Dealers claim they are
entirely satisfied to have Taft-Hartley repeal
again major issue. They hope also to
have the farm price support issue to work
on. And this may be possible. too. The
Fair Dealers are backing repeal of the Re-
publican Hope-Aiken Farm Act of 1948. In
its place they wish to substitute the miracle
performing Brannan farm price support pro-
gram (Which is designed to keep farm prices
at 100 percent Of parity" and at the same
time give the consumer lower prices for food
stuffs). 1t may be they will be able to re-
peal the Hope-Aiken Act whose flexible
scale of price supports is due to 60 into
operation in January 1850, and in It's place
keep most Of the present farm price sup
ports cat 80 percent of parity, while giving
the Brannan production payment plan for
supporting prices of perishable farm crops
partial try out.
More Subsidies Pledged
One thing is certain-in the matter Of
Government subsidy offerings to farmers, the
Fair Dealers are going the Republicans ono
better. But this Is nothing new. The Fair
Dealers-who have supplanted the old Roose-
velt New DealerS-are promising more SUBJ
sidies to be paid out Of the Federal treasury,
to more groups Of people than any major
political party in the history of the country.
So far the Fair Dealers are figuring that the
farmers. who were Republican for the most
part until they were lured away by Truman
promises in the 1948 campaign. will stick to
the Fair Deal Party in the congressional
elections
Seemingly the only chance the Republicans
have to hold on to the farmers is to convince
them that il they take the Brannan program
they viii be hopeleSsly regimented The
Brannan bill makes the Secretary of Agricul-
ture car over the farmers Only reading
OF the measure is needed to understand that
he will be authorized to tell the farmers
what and how much to grow, not to mention
what prices they are to have for their crops,
Under the Brannan program it appears that
farmers can get top prices for their produce.
even though they have to sell them for far
less, for the Government will take money out
OF the Treasury to make up the difference.
II no limit Is put on production under such .
program. then the farmers could roll up for
tunes fast with the Federal Government
paying out billions to them. That would
mean national bankruptcy So the Secretary
Of Agriculture would have to put limit on
production-and that is where the screw
would be turned-on the farmers Maybe
they will fall for the Brannan program. It
certainly looks like easy money-for a time,