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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Truman's 'Flon-FoIificaP Tour Breaks Precedents, Hits Snags; Senate Fights to itecover Aid Slash By Bill Schoentgen, WNU Staff Writer (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are cxpresied in these column, they ar thoie of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.) MINE TALKS: More Snags As usual John L. Lewis was mining min-ing the channels of possible agreement agree-ment In the latest series of contract con-tract discussions between him and representatives of the soft coal mine operators. The explosive the UMW chief planted this time was a demand that the operators first guarantee welfare wel-fare aid for distressed miners before be-fore they can expect his union to sign a new contract. Thus, the "Lewis situation" in the United States was being brought to the fore again. Already the possessor of enough government injunctions to paper the den of his Springfield, 111., home, Lewis received another one before he would consent to bargain with the operators on a new 1948-49 contract. con-tract. (The old contract expires June 30.) U. S. District Judge T. Alan Goldsborough issued the latest injunction in-junction ordering Lewis to bargain with the Southern Coal Producers association. The mine chief previously pre-viously had refused to bargain with the association because the 14 mem- - $ i f i r .w r ODDS ON SECURITY . . . Seeking to end what he termed a "desperate "des-perate gamble" with the nation's security. Sen. Chan Gurney (Rep., S. D.) (left) opened senate debate on the measure to draft youths aged 19 through 25. Chairman of the senate armed services committee, Gurney here Is discussing the draft bill with Senators Leverett Sal-tonstall Sal-tonstall (Rep., Mass.) and Richard B. Russell (Dem., Ga.). ber groups were being represented at the contract talks by just one man. However, Lewis bowed to the injunction in-junction and agreed to talk. In the course of this talk one of the first things he did was .to call the mine operators "fat cats" and then wave an arrogant club at them with these words: "We assume that you would deplore de-plore any Impairment of your abnormal ab-normal income after July 1. Such an assumption would seem to be a logical predicate for the making of a new wage agreement before that date." Briefly, it looked as though Lewis was determined to strike again. Deprived De-prived of one snag, he immediately grasped another. As a result the first round of contract talks was fruitless. out over a period of 15 months. The administration had asked $6,-533,710,228 $6,-533,710,228 as the minimum fund needed for a 12-month period. Secretary of State George Marshall, Mar-shall, fighting hard against the cut, had asserted that the smaller appropriation ap-propriation would mean putting Europe Eu-rope on a relief dole, rather than helping it to its feet. But Rep. John Taber (Rep., N. tf.), chairman of the house appropriations appropria-tions committee, went right ahead and swung the ax. He said the funds his committee rjroDosed were NON-POLITICAL: Truman's Tour President Truman's "non-political" swing through the West could be described as non-political only in the sense that Mr. Truman, as a candidate for Democratic re-nomination, re-nomination, had jettisoned many of the rules of standard party politics. poli-tics. It was a lone wolf fight he was waging going over the heads of party leaders to talk directly to the people. And most of what he had to say to the people concerned the Republican congress and what he termed its inaction. In Chicago, speaking before the Swedish Pioneer Centennial association, asso-ciation, he hammered out a platform plat-form upon which he can be expected expect-ed to base his chances for re-nomination. re-nomination. It was a platform for "more and better democracy." From Chicago the President, with his entourage, headed for the heart of the farm belt, Omaha, Neb., and it was there that he was set sharply sharp-ly back on his heels. He continued his lambasting , of the Republican congress this time concentrating on GOP farm policies in a speech at the Ak-Sar-Ben coliseum in Omaha. Fantastically, in the coliseum which has a capacity ca-pacity of 10,000, fewer than 2,000 persons were present to hear Mr. Truman talk. This phenomenon was variously Interpreted. Some said the President's Presi-dent's box office appeal had wilted. Others claimed the Nebraska Democratic Demo-cratic machine had done a miserably miser-ably inadequate job in promoting his appearance. Probably closer to the truth was the plain fact that the "non-political" label of the presidential trip had backfired seriously. He made a political speech and had expected to get a crowd of friendly Democrats Demo-crats to fill the hall for the occasion. occa-sion. But the White House previously had told the Democratic organization organiza-tion in Omaha to lay off the political po-litical hoop-la, and the organization acted in compliance with those instructions. in-structions. Payoff came when nobody no-body else showed up to fill the aching ach-ing void which the Democrats created cre-ated by staying away. It was an unpleasant blow for the campaigning Mr. Truman and one that might produce grave political po-litical repercussions. But the President was resilient. And in a more or less happy frame of mind he left Omaha on hi, train and rode away Into the setting sun in search of happier hunting ground,. all that could be spent with any degree of prudence. Paul G. Hoffman, head of the European Eu-ropean recovery program, said he "certainly hoped" congress would restore the cuts. ERP was hardest hit in the fund cut. Whereas congress previously had authorized up to 4.245 billion dollars in 12 months for that 16-nation 16-nation recovery project, the appropriations appro-priations bill as passed by the house knocked that figure down to 4 billion bil-lion dollars for 15 months. Other reductions: Assistance to Greece and Turkey was cut from 275 million to 200 million dollars and aid to China cut from 463 million to 400 million. DRAFT: Debatable In the waning days before adjournment ad-journment of congress the senate had buckled down to the task of producing action on a limited revival re-vival of the military draft. The house was waiting only for the senate to dispose of the question ques-tion before its members waded into the tricky currents of a similar measure. Legislators in both houses were treading gingerly about on the issue, throbbing with the knowledge that this 1, an election year and furthermore further-more there are any number of American parents ready to offer material objections at the ballot box if their boys are called up for military mili-tary service. In the face of all this the senate, nevertheless, was trying to do some kind of a job. Its measure provided pro-vided for the drafting of men 19 through 25 in sufficient numbers to bring the armed services up to their authorized strength. The bill would permit 18-year-olds to volunteer for a year's training, thua disposing of a universal military training act for the present Among the side issues that arose during the senate debate wa, the old bugaboo of civil right,. After an abortive two-hour filibuster by southern Democrats, the senate voted 37 to 35 to outlaw the poll tax as a requirement for voting In federal elections so far as member, of the armed force, are concerned. Actually, It was a minor Issue, Inasmuch In-asmuch a, most of the seven southern .poll tax states still have In effect wartime suspensions of the tax for members of the armed services. Under the senate measure the draft would be authorized for five years, but the program i, left flexible flexi-ble enough so congress each year could raise or lower both the regular regu-lar and reserve forces to meet shifting world conditions. Drafted men, after completing two years of service, would have to serve in the reserve for five -years or, as a matter of choice, volunteer for an additional year in the regular services or two years in the national guard. LATEST: In Bombers Army air force is developing another an-other new long range jet bomber which will use propellors driven by jet turbines. It Is called the XB-52. XB-52. The experimental plane represents repre-sents another effort by designers to overcome the high fuel consumption consump-tion and resulting limited range of jet bombers but still retain the jet's high speed. Jet-driven propellor, miy provide a partial - iswer. GERMANY: New Plan Pivotal point of a healthy and prosperous Europe, Germany long has been under scrutiny by the Allied Al-lied powers who have been searching search-ing for a way to return it to the world family of nations without starting another squabble. Zonal partition of Germany perhaps per-haps has been the biggest hindrance hind-rance to the formulation of such a plan, and Russia consistently has objected to re-establishing an autonomous auton-omous German government. Now, however, a new plan was afoot. The U. S. and five other friendly powers Britain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands revealed a ,cheme for self-government in western Germany. Ger-many. At the same time notice wa, served on Russia that occupation troops will remain there "until the peace of Europe Is secured." The plan call, for international control of the Ruhr and for step, toward convening a German constituent con-stituent assembly in the three western west-ern zone, "to prepare a constitution constitu-tion for approval of the participating participat-ing state,." That wa, the skeleton of a program pro-gram which might put Germany back on its feet. Reaction in the U. S. was favorable. favor-able. The state department hailed it as a major step toward recovery In Europe, and it also was regarded regard-ed as a body blow to Russia in the cold war. But. although the plan asserted with some vehemence that "Germany "Ger-many must not again be permitted to become an aggressive power," there was some worry as to whether France would approve it. Does the decision to go ahead with the political rehabilitation . of western Germany to the exclusion of Russia's eastern zone mean that the defeated nation Is finally and irrevocably split? U. S. officials don't think so. The theory is that although it was Russia Rus-sia Itself which forced the western power, to act without Russia, the new program does not preclude the participation of the rest of Germany in the new self-governing federation if and when the people of the Soviet Sov-iet gone want in. AID SLASH: 'Less Recovery' ? Sen. Arthur Vandenberg was fighting mad at what the house of representatives had done to hi, political po-litical baby, the world recovery program, pro-gram, by slashing nearly a million dollars from the appropriation, for the Europe-Asia aid bilL On the Republican foreign policy leader from Michigan rested the administration's ad-ministration's hope of reclaiming the appropriations cut in senate action ac-tion on the measure. Certainly, Vandenberg has a more than usual affinity for global aid program since it was he who labored to steer the Marshall plan to congressional approval last April. What the house-had done was to approve a total foreign aid expenditure expen-diture of $5,980,710,228 to be spread |
