Show Unfair Criticism o orest of President rest Truman In his bis column on this page Thursday Drew Pearson attacked President Truman Truman Truman Tru Tru- man in connection with the governments government's sale of the Geneva steel plant to the United States Steel corporation Pearson Pearson Pearson Pear Pear- son noted that in a campaign speech the president had assailed an alleged steel monopoly saying that three steel companies companies companies com com- own 59 per cent of the U. U S S. S ingot capacity The columnist then went on to censure Mr Truman by citing the fact that his own administration had helped to increase this steel monopoly by selling the owned government-owned Geneva steel plant to U. U S. S Steel This is unfair criticism of President Truman Mr r. r Pearson may not know it but the sale of Geneva to the United States Steel corporation was not carried out on behalf of the Truman administration tion but on behalf of the people of Utah Almost irrespective of political affiliations or of any partisanship whatsoever what what- whatsoever this state favored U. U S. S Steel own own- of Geneva The reason was ous We Ve cared nothing about any steel monopoly monopoly and and as a plain matter of fact there is no such thing as a steel monopoly in the west We Ve only wanted a Geneva operator who had the know-how know the marketing connections the finances and the will to make Geneva go There was no other bidder for Geneva who offered anything like the firm guarantee guarantee guarantee guar guar- antee of stable successful operation of the plant which came from United States Steel Utah felt the choice was not between between between be be- tween monopoly or independent operation operation operation opera opera- tion but between U. U S. S Steel operation or Geneva failure For that reason every Utah effort was concentrated on persuading persuading persuading per per- the government to change its U. anti-U. S. S Steel policy That effort was successful and were we're glad of it But there was nothing political about it it itt one way or another and we protest any effort to drag the Geneva sale issue into the present present present pres pres- ent campaign |