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Show MERRY-GO-ROUND Truman Spcs Backing of Liberal Wing By DREW PEARSOX WASHINGTON In various confidential talks with congressional congres-sional leaders recently President Truman has said he was stOl hopeful of retaining the strong support of the liberal wing of the Democratic party. - Last week he had another such conversation this time with retiring Congressman Herman Her-man Kopplemann of Hartford, Conn, and the president stuck to his liberal hopes for next year. Kopplemann first urged that more displaced persons be brought into this country, which caused Truman to remind the congressman of his own earlier statements urging refugee Immigration. Im-migration. "I'm sorry to say," he added, "that I can't see much hope for any liberal approach to the immigration im-migration policy from the next congress." Changing the subject to taxes, Kopplemann took issue with the 20 tax cut promised by Republican Re-publican house leaders and since disclaimed by senate Republicans. Republi-cans. The 20 cut promised by Mr. Knutson (new chairman of the next house ways and means committee) looks good on paper, Mr. President" said the Connecticut Con-necticut congressman. "But when you look at It carefully, it means that the man who pays $100,000 in Income tax will save $20,000, while the man who pays $100 In Income tax will save only $20. "I won't be here next year to help you fight It through." continued con-tinued Kopplemann, "but X think you should suggest a different dif-ferent sort of rate cutting. I would suggest a 20 cut for the man making under $9000 and a 6 cut for those making more than that" Baak Deposits Lees The president listened carefully while Kopplemann added: "When the public has less net income, all forms of business suffer. I found that to be true In the 1930s In my business. X am a newspaper distributor and my volume dropped off when people's incomes dropped off. I found they were even anxious to save the few pennies it cost them for papers." "I'm, worried about that, too," the president replied. "I know of a bank in my state where the deposits have gone from $8,000,-000 $8,000,-000 just a couple of months ago to only $3,600,000 today." "That's the sort of thing I m e a n," said Kopplemann. That's why I think It is important im-portant that we try to give the man making less than $3000 a real break on his federal taxation. taxa-tion. If there's going to be a tax cut X think It should be mainly In the lower brackets." "That's not the way I've been thinking about It" the president said. To me It seems that the best thing we could do would be to raise the exemptions. They should be raised to exempt heads of families making less than $5000." "Do you think the Republicans would go along with that?" Kopplemann asked. "Not by a darn sight" replied Truman emphatically. Message to Congress The president's vital opening message mes-sage to a hostile Republican congress con-gress is being whipped into final ahape this week. At this writing writ-ing he is still debating several Important issues, chiefly as to how far he should go In recommending recom-mending labor legislation. Regardless of the final decision, deci-sion, Truman will warn' congress against drastic legislation that would endanger the right of collective col-lective bargaining and other gains labor haa chalked up In the last 12 years. The message also may contain con-tain a proposal for legislation to end the war emergency. The resident thinks it is now time declare the war over by act of congress, despite the fact that some of his advisers contend It la too early for such action. White House advisers are urging urg-ing the president to recommend the extension of emergency controls con-trols on tin, crude rubber, lead and other scarce materials. Capital Chaff Joe Dubois, former assistant to Henry Mor-genthau, Mor-genthau, will fly to Germany to help prosecute the Nazi Industrialists Indus-trialists the men who financed Hitler and in some respects the guiltiest criminals of alL Incidentally, Inci-dentally, army-navy brass hats are pulling wires backstage to get the Nad Industrialists off . . . One reason Ambassador James Dunn has been in the United States Instead of his post In Rome is to finish his book on Spain and Franco. Dunn was Franco's best friend In the 8tate department during the Spanish civil war . . . President Truman held a private meeting with Allen Al-len Soroul, president of the Federal Fed-eral Reserve bank of New Tork, last week to ask Sproul to become be-come president of the world bank. Copyright 1948, Bell Syndicate. |
