Show I ROUND MERRY ROUND Liberals Eye Problems Of Recession I IBy By DREW V PEARSON WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Ever Ever since Franklin Roosevelt died some gome of at his ardent senate followers follower have talked about organizing to carr carry on J his s left of left center center pro pro- gram Finally encouraged by bythe bythe bythe the British ele elections and worried over what would happen to our domestic economy If it the war ended overnight 17 Democratic i senators gathered ga at a private luncheon last week Practically ever every senator present present pres pres- ent was a personal friend and booster of at Pr President Truman Yet behind their luncheon was wasa a a. veiled threat that If it Truman I became too much Influenced by the tho reactionary wing of the Democratic party he would have trouble real trouble real trouble from the liberals The luncheon was called by Senators Pepper of or Florida and Kilgore I of at West Vest Virginia They brought with them a mimeographed mimeo graphed page five-page document la- la Full Employment Employment Objective tive of of- Domestic Policy In Inthis Inthis this carefully written document th they y proceeded to point out that A American mer I can economy has never provided stable full employment employment employment em em- under modern conditions conditions condi condi- ot of high labor productivity and mass maM production A review of ot economic conditions between n World War I and World War II makes this thia clear In 1939 th though ugh we wc reached the production tion Uon level of 1929 there were more unemployed There are some ome of ot short memory who today urge on the federal government a do nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing policy toward I Insuring rum ring full employment We believe that extensive federal action Is 13 es essential es- es at this time Ume 12 PoInt 12 Program The Program The federal federal federal fed eral action proposed by Kilgore and Pepper was outlined to the theother theother theother other 15 senators Immediately after the luncheon in the form of ot a 12 point program Each senator then discussed ed the program The comment was WB deadly serious most ot of them worried worried- over what will happen In in our economy after Ute the war One of or the most mot Interesting Interchanges took place between l Maryland's dS d'S S Senator e n a to 10 r Radcliffe and Connecticut's Connecticut Senator McM McM Mc- Mc M a h o 0 n. n Radcliffe expressed general approval of at the program but added that he knew of at atno no unemployment problem In the nation Whereupon McMahon interrupted to say that there was a 8 growing unemployment problem in Connecticut Were Vere in fn for a bad time if It the war In the Pacific should end before belore adequate legislation has hM been passed to provide for tor additional additional additional ad ad- employment McMahon said aid It seems seem to me the administration administration administration adminis adminis- is on the horns horn of a a. di di- di lemma If It we dont don't spend to provide employment well we'll be In Ina a bad way it If we d do spend our huge huge- public debt will continue to pile pileup up Bilbo Senator Senator Bilbo Bilbo Bilbo Bil Bil- Bil- Bil bo also threw in hi his two cents' cents worth on I am not a politician he opined but from irom a practical standpoint we Democrats Democrat had better do something damn quick or the Japanese war will end and well we'll have five or ten million people looking for Jobs There will be r riotous i lot o t o 0 U s conditions throughout the country and when we come back here forthe forthe for forthe the next congress congress there wont won't be enough Democrats around farour for far Jr our own funerals Weve We've got to todo todo todo do something damn quick t to provide provide provide pro pro- vide Jobs Bilbo however couldn't accept accept accept ac ac- ac- ac all the 12 point program Raising the minimum wage level was too much for him The other items on the 12 point program which apparently met with Senator Bilbo's okeh oleh follow 1 I Gearing of at to full fulI employment 2 Continuing stable and profitable profitable prof prot- agriculture at high level levels 3 Creation of ot expanded opportunities op op- for tor business 4 Expanding foreign trade 5 N National a t i Ion o n a 1 housing program pro pro- gram 6 Stabilization of ot community community community construction 7 A broad national health program and social security ays- ays tem tern 8 S Increased education and training for all 9 Greater development of natural resources resource 10 Gearing a fiscal policy to full employment 11 II Adequate security trainIng training training train train- ing and Job opportunities for veterans The 15 senators senator present In addition ad ad- to Kilgore and Pepper were Thomas and Murdock of ot Utah Thomas of or Oklahoma Mead of or New York Stewart of Tennessee G Green r e e n of ot Rhode Island Luc Lucas of Illinois Johnston Johnston Johnton John John- ston ton of South Carolina Johnson of ot Colorado Taylor of at Idaho Magnuson and Mitchell of ot Washington Wash Wash- ington McMahon of Connecticut Radcliffe of Maryland and Bilbo of ot Mississippi Copyright t 1915 Bell Syndicate |