Evening star., 1951-09-01
President Is Causfic
in Note 10 Capeharf
On Controls Issue
By Cecil HoIIond

another blast at the new contro
law that went into effect only &
month ago-this time in another
one Of his free-swinging type ol
letters.
The letter was written to Sena.
tor Capehart. Republican. Of In.
diana. In it Mr.. Truman tartly
said that he doubted the Indiana
Republican himself understood ar
amendment he sponsored in the
revised control bill.
The President said with his
Missouri bluntness that the So
called Capehart amendment anc
two others the administration is
driving to have repealed are
wrong" and had no business" ir
the law.
Joins ImmOrtals.
Senator Capehart read the letter
to the Senate last night and said
with something Of wry grin:
II now join the immortals in
that I've received a letter from
the President of the United
States" ea
He referred to letters Mr.. Tru-
man has written to a music critic
who panned the singing of the
Presidents daughter, Margaret
and to others who have aroused
the presidential ire and received
in turn a bitter personal letter.
The Presidents letter was in
Ispired by one written last Monday
by Senator Capehart raising a
question of whether Mr.. Truman
was not trying now to "use the
Congress as a scapegoat for poor
Judgment" in falling to put the
1850 control bill in effect soon
after its passage last September
as means OF preventing price
increases.
Capehart Letter Brushed Of.
Mr.. Truman brushed off the
ICapehart letter as "a political doc
ument intended to offset the ter
,rible Capehart amendment to the
Production Act"
Senator Capehart. in curn. re-
Joined that Mr.. Truman has made
lit clear that he will not guara ntee
any lessening of the cost of living
even If Congress gives him every
thing he wants. He added that
since Congress had approved all
the disputed amendments "sny
criticism he directs against me is,
|of course. applicable to all mem
Ibers of the House and Senate
The administration is seeking
repeal of these amendments writ
ten into the new law:
/. The so-called Capehart
amendment allowing the seller tc
pass on to the consumer all cost
increases between the start of the
Korean war and July rs, 1851. II
was actually written by six Sena.
tors of both parties during a SEN
ate House conference on the con-
troll legislation.
2. The Herlong amendment by
Representative Herlohg, Democrat
of Florida prohibiting price CELL
ings which do not allow whole
salerS and retailers the same mar
gin Of profit they earned before
the outbreak of the Korean war.
2. A ban on Federally imposed
livestock slaughtering quotas.
Any action to repeal or modify
the amendments has been put of
until later this month. The Sen
ate Banking Committee yesterday
recessed for 10 days after two
days Of public hearings, and the
House is in recess until Septem-
ber IL.
Chairman Maybank Of the Sen
ate committee indicated some
clarifying" amendments likely
will get through before the ad-
journment of Congress, possibly
around October l. Such an
amendment prepared by the Office
of Mobilization Director Charles
E. Wilson was submitted yester-
day and was promptly introduced
by Senator Maybank. It's general
aim was to place the accent on
rises in materials and labor costs
and de-emphasize overhead cost
factors which also may be con-
sidered under the Capehart
amendment.
Senator Maybank said the
amendment would be given prior
consideration when the committee
resumes its work.
Price Index Rise Cited.
Senator Capehart and other
Republicans have argued that the
administration is seeking change.
lin the law without first trying tt
lsee If it will work. In his letter
Ito the President, Senator Cape.
hart recalled that although Mr.
Truman signed the original contro
bill into law September 8. 1850
he did not invoke price controls
until last January, In the mean
time. Senator Capehart said the
consumer price index had riser
1915 per cent.
He continued:
Just last Thursday, Mr.. Pres
Iident. you admitted in your mes.
sage to Congress that the act you
signed on September 8. 1850. wa:
SUFFICIENT to meet the situation
although it was not what you ha6
asked for.
Nov we find, Mr.. President.
that you contend the amendments