Evening star., 1952-09-04
The Political Mill
Democratic Techniques
Now Stund Revealed
Truman Ignores All Chorses.
Stevenson Tries Pleasing All
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

Campaign techniques of the two prin-
cipal Democratic spokesmen-and who
shall say which is the No. / man?-now
stand revealed, after their Labor Day
invasions of Wisconsin and Michigan.
President Truman's is familiar-ignore
all charges brought against the Demo-
cratic administration and damn the
Republicans, particularly those in Con-
gress. He uses club.
Gov. Stevenson. Mr.. Truman's heir
presumptive- inheritance Is still
not quite apparent-uses more subtle
weapons. One of them is to promise
just enough to every one-to business.
to labor. to Southern Democrat and
Northern Fair Dealer. to keep them all
in good frame Of mind. It's a good
trick, provided something doesn't slip.
Reverses His Direction.
Stevenson has promised-or so the
Southern Democrat thought-that he
would not press unduly for q Federal
compulsory FEPC. and that they really
had little to fear. To the Northern Fair
Dealer and the Negro voter. the Cover
nor reversed his direction. He said, in
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States should handle these civil rights
matters. If any of them didn't, then the
Federal Government should crack down
and put Federal law into effect. Any
candidate for President who can get the
avowed support of Mississippi Democrats
and Representative Powell of New York
at the same time Is smooth operator.
In his Labor Day speech. Gov. Steven
son told organized labor he proposed to
repeal the Taft-Hartley Labor Act. In
almost the same breath. he told man
agement that he believed in many of the
things contained in the Taft-Hartley
Act and promised his substitute law
would contain them. He took shot at
court injunctions to halt strikes and at
the same time proposed that the Presi-
dent of the United States be given power
to seize struck plants, If there was a
threat to the welfare Of the American
people.
If labor is stupid enough to fall for
such proposition, they need new lead
ers. A dictatorial President could tie
labor into bow knot. if he wished, with
such powers. Fair Dealers. however. are
notorious for preferring executive action
to court action. Gov. Stevenson's ex-
pressed desire was to protect the public
but his plan doesn't appear a good way.
Congress, not long ago, took strenuous
exception to the exercise of inherent
powers" by Mr.. Truman to seize the steel
companies.
Peace Is Prime Issue.
Gov. Stevenson. like Gen. Eisenhower.
his Republican opponent, insists that
peace is the prime issue Of the day. He
is entirely right. Seven years have passed
since the close Of the fighting war in
which this country was engaged against
the Axis powers-and the Democratic
administration. with Mr.. Truman at its
head, has failed to produce Q stable
peace, or any peace at all.
In the light of such failure, why should
the American people give the same outfit
four more years in which to control this
countrys foreign policy? Failure doesn't
appeal to the ordinary voter-especiall
as his son or her son is being taken by
the million into the armed services, not
for training. but for actual war-a war
which might never have been were it
not for the bungling Of the administra-
tion.
FTeSluenC truman recognizes no mess
IN Washington-except. as he sees 1t, the
failure of Congress to back up all his
Fair Deal proposals. Mr.. Truman, how
ever, cannot pull the wool over the
peoples eyes-not when new and bigger
scandals are breaking every few days.
The Internal Revenue Bureau, the De.
partment Of Justice and the Reconstruc.
ton Finance Corporation have all been
under fire. Indictments of high officials
in the first have been many. Some are
now in jail. High officials in the other
two agencies have had to be removed or
given chance to resign. The President
accuses the Republicans of conducting
smear1ng campaign. The smears. how
ever. come from unclean hands in the
Democratic administration. All the cam
paign speeches in the world cannot cover
this up.