Evening star., 1951-09-16
Scores Administration
For Ties With BIocs
Writer Blumes Politicians for
Continual lnflution
By Fronk R. Kent

Some hypocrisy seems lnSepafaDle
from the practice of politics and perhaps
complete candor upon the part of aspir-
ing candidates and insecure officials IS
too much to expect. However, in a
great national emergency it does seem
there should be limit to the bunk and
hokum with which the people are stuffed
regularly.
Certainly the present situation is grave
enough to evoke desire even among
the smallest of the elected governmental
wielders of power to cease being politi-
clans and become patriots-at least for
a while. But have any such emerged
since more than a year ago the Soviet
threat became really clear? The answer
to that is: Very few. indeed. The
indisputable evidence is in the behavior
of these small elected power wielders
toward the vital matter Of imitation. In
dealing with it they have sunk to lower
levels Of fraud, fakery, deceit and hum
bug than ever before. To be sure, these
little rulers of ours have fiercely beaten
their breasts and loudly Shrieked about
the awful danger of imitation. Yet in
stead of doing obvious things to avert
the danger, actually they have encour-
aged and promoted it.
X
That has been said before, but it can
not be said too often because it Is abso-
lutely true. Look at the facts. The chief
factors which make for increased costs
of living and imitation are repeated wage
raises forced by organized labor under
threat of or through strikes and artificial
Government support of food prices for
the benefit of the farmers. No one really
disputes that Though fully aware Of
this, at no time have our power wielderS
attempted to grapple with these factors.
And at no time have they been honest
about them. On the contrary, they have
consistently evaded and avoided the
obvious action to avert the calamity or
which they warn. The reason, of course,
is politics Organized labor and the
farm bloc represent the two largest vot-
ing groups in the country With the
leaders of both. the Truman administra-
tion is politically allied and upon them
it politically depends.
From the start the President and his
political aides have been subservient and
obSequious to the labor and farm politi-
clans. With full knowledge that prices
cannot be kept down and imitation con-
food and with full authority from Con-
gress to act, they have not dared do so.
Instead, the administration not only per-
mitted the labor bosses to frighten them
away from action but actually supported
their demands for further wage in
creaseS. With these inevitably came
higher prices and more initiation. And
as prices went UP still other wage de-
tSI,
further hiked prices.
1t is a state of affairs not only humili-
atlng but damaging to the national in
tereSt. Considering all the facts, it was
slightly sickening on the first Monday
of this month-Labor Day--to read the
greasy eulogistic messages sent to the
individual labor bosses by the Presi-
dent of the United States and various
members of his Cabinet, congratulating
them upon their "inspiring patriotism"
and "unselfish co-operatioa" in the de-
fense program. One of these officials
went out of his way to repeat the labor
propaganda bureaus figures minimiZ-
ing the effect Of strikes and defending
the repeated wage demands.
On the day these laudatory messages
were printed the labor bosses re
buked" the Congress for it's failure to
enact adequate price-cohtrol laws"
This comes close to setting a precedent
in insolence and hypocrisy. At the mo-
ment this "rebuke" was administered,
with the approval of these bosses. there
were in. progress strikes. the effect Of
which was to raise prices and add to
imitation.