Evening star., 1951-08-14
The Political Mill
The Political Mill z
Truman 'WhistIe-Stop'
Tour IS Unlikely Now
Congress Hos Voted the Funds
Asked for National Defense
By Gould Lincoln

The Democratic 82d Congress has
nearly run its course and President
Truman is holding over It's head the
threat Of "whiStle-Stop" tour OF the
country, in criticism Of the legislators.
if it does not give him the legislation
he wants. Presumably, at this late date.
this has reference to appropriations and
taxes, and possibly to some further
controls.
There has been no chance at any
time, since the 82d Congress first met
in January, 1949, that the Fair Deal
Civil Rights Truman program, including
"socialized" medicine, the Brannan plan
for agriculture, and the repeal of the
Taft-Hartley labor law, would pass
that body.
The Congress. on the other hand.
has up to date given the President much
of what he has asked for national de-
fense and for the prosecution of the war
in Korea.
Better Save His Breath.
If the President is going to the people
to complain because Congress has not
placed heavier tax burdens on them, has
not spent more Of the peoples money
and has not clamped drastic controls
There will be a lot of them who will
disagree with his thesis. The prospects
are that the appropriations sought for
foreign aid, military and economic, will
be cut by Congress to some degree, but
not enough to injure the Eisenhower
NATO effort.
The President might. of course, seek
again to arouse interest in his plans
FNt ond b. AFsAA
legislation, for the Brannan farm plan,
for repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, and
for compulsory health insurance. II he
runs again next year, these items will
all be a part of his platform. He can
complain to the voters that the 82d Con-
gress, which was elected in 1948 along
with himself, has failed to give approval
to such Fair Deal measures. 1t appears.
however, that the people generally are
more interested in the Korean war-and
no peace-and in the threats of general
war. They are going to be more in
tereSted. as soon as they begin paying
them, in the higher taxes which Con-
gress will impose and they will be particu-
larly interested in the high prices they
have to pay and in the huge expenditures
which the Government is making, not
Ullly IOI HdClOIldl uCACASC OuC nloO AoA
the Government agencies for domestic
activities.
End of Scandals Is Not Yet.
There Is another angle which has
forced itself on the atteption of the
American people-scandals IN the Tru-
man administration. The end Of them
is not yet in sight, for several congress
sional committees are still at work. 1t
won't help Mr.. Truman to claim that
the Republicans are scandalmongerS.
Too many members Of his own party
have been instrumental in barring the
embarrassing facts.
Peace in Korea, should 1t come, would
help bolster the Truman administration
If the terms Of such peace are sccept
able, the United Nations would be res
If the war, however, continues indefi-
nitely, the administration may be forced
to 60 even further in adopting the mill
tary program advocated by Gen. Douglas
Macarthur. The Macarthur followers
among the people will demand the rea-
son for the removal of Gen. Macarthur,
and probably in bitter terms. Since not
and probably in bitter terms. Since
very little progress has been made in
the current negotiations at Kaesong, it
seems unlikely that any real peace terms
will be reached in time to benefit the
President on a whistle-stop tour in the
next few months.
Perhaps Mr.. Truman will make such q
tour. but it does not seem promising at
this writing.