Evening star., 1951-01-09
Mr.. Trumon Bids for Unity

Those who scan the Presidents message on
the State of the Union for an insprational
theme, for something comparable to Winston
Churchills blood and tears" appeal, will be
disappointed. 1t is not there Nevertheless, in
The Stars opinion, Mr.. Truman's message to the
new Congress should serve good and useful
purpose.
1t was in its essence, an appeal for unity
for unity among ourselves and with our neigh
bors in what is left of the free world. To this
end Mr.. Truman refrained from any provocative
language and from any new legislative proposals
which could reasonably be expected to antag-
onize Congress already hostile to the Fair Deal.
His definition of unity was sensible one
when I request unity" he said, what I am
really asking for is a sense of responsibility on
the part OF every member of this Congress- Let
us debate the issues, but let every man among
us weigh his words and deeds" That, surely is
not asking too much of the Congress or OF
anyone else.
The "or else" demand for the Fair Deal
program, with which the President had be-
labored other Congresses was missing from this
message. 1t would not be accurate to say that
the Fair Deal was ignored by Mr.. Truman, but
he was wise enough not to precipitate fight
for program which, in any event. he certainly
could not push through this Congress- The
keynote on this score sounded in the fol-
lowing paragraph: I'm the months ahead, the
Government must give priority to activities that
are urgent-like military procurement and
atomic energy and power development. 1t must
practice rigid economy in its on-defense activi-
ties Many, of the things we would normally
do must be curtailed or postponed"
The reasonableness of this becomes evident
when one looks at the 10-p point program which
Mr.. Truman did lay before the Congress. 1t is
preponderantly program of preparing for war,
If war should come, and of footing the bill
through what the President speaks of as "a
major increase in taxes. 1t is program which
presents legislative program in proper order,
program which excludes those things over
which we can safely fight among ourselves ia
time of peace. 1t is a program that will strain
our resources, and keep the new Congress busy,
but The Star does not see anything in it which
should not receive the earnest and sympathetic
attention of every member
The President also undertook a defense of
his foreign policy particularly with respect TO
Korea Korea, he said is SYMBOL symbol
standing "for right and justice in the world
against oppression and slavery. The free world
must always stand for these principles-and
we will stand with the free world"
Mr.. Trumans critics, of course will not sub
scribe to his views on Korea But they can
hardly dissent from the Presidents larger thesis
that all free nations are in danger, and that
therefore they must band together, that mo
one nation can find protection in selfish search
for safe haven from the storm"
AS Mr.. Truman pointed out the free nations
are bound together by more than ideals. We
must not overlook the ties of elf-interest and
self-preservation If Allies need us, we also
need them. One has only to think for moment
of the points the President made-of our need
for materials which come from abroad and
of the hopeless situation in which we should
find ourselves if those resources, human we'll
as material, should fall into the hands of the
Communists-to realize that this is true.
The new Congress should consider this mes
sage with care For it sets out truths which
cannot be denied, and it carries an implicit
invitation for the burying of old political
hatchets. This conciliatory effort may prove to
have been in vain and the S2d Congress may
yet fall into the self-deStructive errors of dis
sension and narrow partisanship. If this should
happen, however, it will not be possible for
anyone to say that Mr.. Truman threw the first
stone.