Evening star., 1950-02-17
Truman Finds Himse|
On Defensive Over
Big Federal Deficit
Jackson Dinner Speech
Indicates He Realizes
Extent of VuInerobiIity
By David Lawrence

ASoAetSiO IL uil1dll SSeIllS u
have found himself on the de-
fensive in the political arena
His speech at the Jackson-J -Jeffer-
son dinner reveals for the first
time that, while the leader of the
Democratic Party doesn't like to
admit it, he realizes how vulner-
able his administration is on the
big Federal deficit.
The President implied that it
would be easy to dispose of the
new cry Of socialism" by a simple
denial that any Democrats are
Socialists. He pointed to the
prosperous-looking diners, init
mating that those who pay $100 a
plate for dinners aren't believers
in socialism but rather the ex-
ponents of "a firm faith in the
strength of free enterprise"
What the President omitted to
mention was that the diners were
for the most part, job holders on
the big Federal payroll or persons
directly or indirectly benefiting
by the largess or the Democratic
administration.
Republican "Scare Words"
Mr.. Truman revealed that he
felt somewhat the sting of the
recent Republican platform with
its liberty or socialism" slogan
which he referred to as scare
words He went back to 1888, as
all Democratic stump speakers do
nowadays, to remind his hearers
about the unemployment of those
days and the reconstruction job
done by the New Deal in the '30's.
Unfortunately, the unemployment
figures have just reached new
postwar high and the deficit is the
largest in any peacetime year.
Mr.. Truman devoted a large
part of his speech to explanations
as to why expenses couldn't be
cut and accused the economizers
of being willing to weaken the Sc
curity as we'll as the domestic
economy of the Nation. The group
in Congress which is demanding
economy includes many Demo-
Gratis. So, in that sense, Mr.. Tru-
man was perhaps more nom
partisan than he realizes.
The speech undoubtedly will be
regarded as a keynote. 1t will,
unless circumstances change be-
fore the autumn elections, furnish
the main line of political cam
paigning.
Mr.. Truman's words, which
were directed at the status of the
deficit, sound as if he knows al
ready the attack that is coming
from the Republicans. He says:
"At the present time. they are
spreading the mistaken idea that
we can save money by going back
ward. They advocate slashing our
expenditures for peace and for
our domestic programs. These
people are blind to the problems
that confront us.
Working to Balance Budget.
ut is true that our present ex-
penditures are large. But the
Democratic administration is
working toward a balance in the
Federal budget. I wish we could
balance the budget Immediately
by the simple expedient of cut
ting expenses. But that is out of
the question
Mr.. Truman then repeats the
old wheeze about 10 per cent of
the expenses being for past wars
and for peace in the future. He
says: Il would like to cut expen-
ditures further, and I intend to
do so at every opportunity"
But the answer to this is that
the administration has recon-
mended increases in spending
nearly every year since the war
and. Notwithstanding severe
decline in receipts due to a bus
mess recession, the expenses for
this year and next are scheduled
at high level.
The Republicans have a real
chance to influence the whole
course of Government policy by
fighting it out on the economy
issue, showing the proposed cuts
that the Hoover Commission rec
commended and economy proposals
that Democrats like Senator Byrd
of Virginia have offered.
Maybe the Republicans hope to
blend the word socialism" with
something akin to communism
but "isms" are rather abstract
things to understand, whereas a
government running in the red by
billions is something everybody
can understand. Much more de-
scriptive than a welfare state"
or "socialistic state" is the
bankrupt state" which develops
when political spending becomes
habit.
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