The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-11-16
Nation Now Faces
Uncertain Future,
Says 'Machinist'

Il VII tAII liC CiCC
ton victories of the Tafts, the
Dirksens, the Capeharts, and the
Nixons mean that America face.
an uncertain future. So declares
the Machinist weekly organ of the
international Assn of Machinists
in front-page editorial in it's Nov
16 issue.
Americas future now hinges OF
the aims and acts of Taft and his
Republican and Dixiecrat friends
in Congress, the Machinist says.
"What happens to us now" says
the editorial, "will depend in large
measure on their wisdom-whethel
or not profiteering and prices are
checked, whether or not our indi-
|vidual freedoms are strengthened
whether or not we continue oul
successful fight against Commun-
list Imperialism"
Clearly apprehensive, The Mach.
mist recalls that: "After their 194t
victory, Taft and his coalition saw
as their principal enemy the Pres
ident of the United States, Harry
Truman. There is real danger
that they will make this mistake
again when in fact their real enemy
is not Harry Truman but Marshal
Stain, overload of the Kremlin. II
Taft and his victorious coalition
repeat their mistakes Of 1916, il
will be Stain, not Truman, who
benefits. All America will lose."
Trouble is, the paper points out
it is Impossible to judge from the
campaign how Taft and his friends
propose to govern the country. The
ft-Dixiecrat coalition which has
gained outright control of Con-
gress has been once negative and
self-contradictory.
eve know they are against gov
ernment spending, but for stronger
defense forces" says the lam
paper. "They have talked both for
and against controls on prices.
"They have opposed an excess
profits tax on corporations. And of
course they have opposed strong
union organization. They oppose
perpetual wars-such as Korea
but they are also against 'codd-
ling the Chinese Communists.
They are against Communism, but
Taft himself has voted for every
bill to reduce Marshall Plan appro-
priations which finance our fight
against Communism in Europe.
"Up to now, opposition to Pres
ident Truman has been enough for
Taft and his reactionary colleagues
in both parties. Now that they have
won the power to dictate our gov
ernment's policies and to control
its purse strings, they have far
greater responsibility"
The lam paper considers the
elections themselves in another
editorial in which it says: "Plain
people went to the polls and voted
against their own interests. They
voted for men who condone pro-
-fiteering, excuse high prices and
hold down wages. They voted for
men who are opposed to every pro-
gram to make life a little easier
for plain people"
The Machinist concludes that big
money does affect elections: Eat
campaign chests for state commit
tees, for county committees, for
ward and precinct committees, for
Congressional campaign commit
tees, for special groups-like the
Minute Women of America who
paid for McCarthy's broadcasts-
plus rich propaganda lobbies like
the Committee for Constitutional
Government, plus tight corporation
control of 80 percent of the ma
tion's newspapers, plus commercial
sponsorship of most radio com
mentators, plus propaganda in the
plants, all piled one on top of the
other, do have an influence"
The paper also wonders why Me-
Carthyism took hold, offers sever
el explanations: Truman's "strong,
sane" voice was heard only once
in the campaign. The labor press
has not been sufficiently develop
ed to offset the commercial press.
Everybody is against Communism,
but few are ready to make the sac
rifices the fight against Commun-
ism requires. Consequently, too
many clutched at McCarthy's pro-
posal: "Clean out a few officials in
the State Department and the war
against Communism will be won"
II would be "a cut-rate, painless
victory"
Moreover, says the Machinist;
"Last weeks election showed that
we still have not convinced our
friends and neighbors, or even all
our members, of the justice of our
cause. In its present stage of de-
velopment at least, labor alone can
not win a national election in the
United States. We need friends
and allies among the farmers, the
school teachers, the unorganized,
among all groups in the commun-
itv Wa can win n lot of friends ha