The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1950-01-05
I'hOny

Sometimes the ardent praise Of a
Presidents friends constitutes a more
deadly Indictment than any his enc
mics can frame. An interesting in
stance Of this is afforded in the eX-
PLANTATION of the Legislative strategy"
fashioned by his intimate advisers,
which Mr.. Truman brought back with
him from Key West and which is eX-
pected to be become the party line in
the session of Congress about to
open.
According to those who reliably re-
fleet the views of the White House
"insiders," this strategy proves that,
though he may not always seem so,
Mr.. Truman really is an extremely
clever man and is just about to tie
the '1igidly stupid Republicans in a
knot they will be unable to unite in
time to put up even a respectable
fight in 1850. In this advisory group
there is considerable -adulation
and congratulation over the~smart-
ness Of the presidential program. APP
palently, there is no appreciation that
it makes Mr. Truman appear a hypo-
critical and unprincipled man who
calculatingly plans a particular low
species Of deception upon the Ameri-
can people.
Yet, that Is precisely what it does
and the aforesaid journalistic refec-
tors, though they may not themselves
see it, make no effort to disguise the
fact. Here is the ''strategY' as they
somewhat shamelessly present it.
The purpose OF the President at this
session is to present himself as the
fighting champion Of the three great
voting groups-organized labor, the
farmers and the Negroes. At the
same time the stupid" Republicans
are to be made to seem the enemies of
these groups, which then are expected
to show their gratitude to the Demo-
Gratis at the polls. But all this is to
be accomplished without the passage
of any helpful legislation whatever
for these groups before the election.
True, in his soon-to-be- delivered
state of the Union message the Presi-
dent will strongly insist again upon
repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, the
enactment of his so-called civil-rights
program and the passage of the
Brannan farm bill, the cost OF
which even its author has not been
able to estimate
These are the three pieces of leg
islation which Mr. Truman will de-
mand in his message. But, say, those
who framed this strategy" and are,
curiously enough, proud of it, not one
Of these measures will be passed.
Nothing" wrote one of the more
outspoken of the Fair Deal com
mentators, could more upset the
White House than for the lawmakers
to bow to the Presidents expressed
will in this session" In brief, the
demand" will be wholly insincere.
The message will be phony. The
presidential recommendation will be
frauds. The whole idea is to beat the
drums for these three pieces of legis-
lation, to put up grand show in
their favor but in all three cases re-
frain from putting enough Admins
tration weight behind any one of
them to permit its passage Success
Of this scheme, it is pointed out, will
not only preserve all three as live
issues for the 1850 campaign but will
enable the Truman Administration to
blame failure of its phony program
upon the Republicans and Dixiecrats,
whom they will indict as enemies of
organized labor, the farmers and the
Negroes.
There are several things to be said
about this Strategy" One, of course,