| Show Stassen at Best BestOn BestOn BestOn On Labor Issues WHERE I STAND STANDBy STANDBy STANDBy By Harold Darold E. E Stassen Doubleday Doubleday p. p p 2 p. 2 By Bill Dill In an age of quasi-literate quasi politicians politicians clans Mr Stassen the determined candidate for Republican presidential nomination has tugged at the bootstraps of his social consciousness conscious conscious- ness and raised himself above the hurly-burly hurly of ot the vote-getting vote mob to the rare level of a forthright political political political po po- thinker who takes as his ken his own national society The former governor of Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota Minne Minne- sota attempts no probing into the Intricacies of foreign policy polley and makes no bones about admitting it His thesis is that once a sound forward for for- ward ward looking looking domestic organization has been achieved an equally constructive constructive constructive con con- foreign policy polley may be worked out from that basis This is not to say that the lack of an expression expression expression ex ex- on foreign policy is not felt feltin feltin feltin in Mr Stassen's book It is one of the shortcomings More important Stassen's lethargic lethargic lethargic lethar lethar- gic estimate of foreign policy his relegation of it to a secondary position position position tion his failure even to touch upon the voluminous subject of foreign aid all would seem to indicate a preference for a kind of ot tolerant elastic nationalism Whether or not this Is the right time for the emergence emergence emergence emer emer- gence of a strong nationalistic philosophy philosophy phi phi- in hi the United States Is a topic which watch is being subjected to universal debate The man from Minnesota consistently refrains In his book from entering the discussion discus discus- sion It is an omission which undoubtedly undoubtedly undoubtedly un un- un- un will be brought piercingly to his attention by his more mote antagonistic antagonistic antagonistic colleagues But it is in the area of ot labor problems problems problems lems and labor legislation that the writer is most confident of his ground In a single monolithic chapter chapter chapter chap chap- ter he dissects and analyzes the varying status of the United States labor movement from 1920 to 1947 and nails down with a hammer of realism its inevitable relation to the prosperity and soundness soundness soundness sound sound- ness of the entire economy Stassen offers his theories on la labor labor labor la- la bor in the form of the testimony which he presented before the senate senate senate sen sen- sen- sen ate labor committee In February of this year during the period when congress was preparing the legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion which resulted in hi the Taft Hartley act That law he believes will be the foundation for tor a fair just and well- well balanced labor policy in America In total Stassen approves of the act Specifically he is opposed to three portions of the law as it stands 1 The provision making It unlawful for a labor organization to contribute to election funds 2 the non-Communist non affidavit rule 3 the ultimatum stipulating that existing exIsting existing ex ex- union shop contracts cannot be renewed unless s and until an election election election elec elec- tion is held and a majority of all employees votes in hi the affirmative For the rest of his platform Stassen Stassen Stassen Stas Stas- sen turns to the issues of taxation with which he deals from the standpoint standpoint standpoint stand stand- point of dynamic capital housing housing housing hous hous- ing survival of small business and the paucity of medical care and hospital hospital hospital hos hos- pital facilities To each of these he brings an application of the classic Republican theory of ot laissez fa faire ire and damns heartily all efforts to give the federal government greater control in those fields |
