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Truman and Steel
Having been thwarted in his seizure of the
steel industry, President Truman is now resolved
that it shall be seized by others. Having failed.
to use the Taft-Hartley act, he is intent that it
shall not be used at all. His message to a
hastily summoned session of the Congress yes-
terday was a stubborn defense of his course
to date, with a strong note of resentment run-
ning through it. Every argument that he
could contrive to justify his mistaken and un-
constitutional acts he read out solemnly before
the lawmakers. It is no wonder they are not
impressed by his plea.
To expound the difficulties in the way of in-
voking the Taft-Hartley act at this juncture is
easy enough. Those difficulties Mr. Truman
compounded by his deliberate and repeated in-
sistence that a Taft-Hartley injunction would
"quite possibly be ineffective" in restoring pro-
duction. There may well be question as to the
advisability of another fact-finding investiga-
tion, and even the eighty-day cooling-off period,
imposed by injunction on top of the voluntary
delays already accepted, might be the cause of
injustice. But if the law is to be side-stepped
in the present unusual conditions, the sugges-
tion came with ill grace from a President who
has done everything possible to discredit and
distort it and failed to invoke it when entirely
applicable.
A strike in a time of national emergency,
renewed after the processes of Taft-Hartley had
been exhausted in vain, could properly be met
by a special law authorizing seizure. President
Truman laid down three objectives which such
a law should meet: the resumption of produc-
tion, the encouragement of a settlement and
the assurance of fairness to all parties in the
dispute. These are excellent objectives. What
is unfortunate is that they should be proposed
by a man who has SO fatally misled the nation
and who now seeks to draw self-justification and
partisan advantage from the confusion of his
own making. Congress will affirm the dignity
and authority which the Supreme Court reserved
for it if it goes ahead on its own, deliberately
and carefully framing the law whose powers may
be necessary in the deepening emergency.
Meanwhile, whether the President likes it or not,
the Taft-Hartley law is on the books. Congress
intends him to use it.
yes indeld (
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"ocrText": "Truman and Steel\nHaving been thwarted in his seizure of the\nsteel industry, President Truman is now resolved\nthat it shall be seized by others. Having failed.\nto use the Taft-Hartley act, he is intent that it\nshall not be used at all. His message to a\nhastily summoned session of the Congress yes-\nterday was a stubborn defense of his course\nto date, with a strong note of resentment run-\nning through it. Every argument that he\ncould contrive to justify his mistaken and un-\nconstitutional acts he read out solemnly before\nthe lawmakers. It is no wonder they are not\nimpressed by his plea.\nTo expound the difficulties in the way of in-\nvoking the Taft-Hartley act at this juncture is\neasy enough. Those difficulties Mr. Truman\ncompounded by his deliberate and repeated in-\nsistence that a Taft-Hartley injunction would\n\"quite possibly be ineffective\" in restoring pro-\nduction. There may well be question as to the\nadvisability of another fact-finding investiga-\ntion, and even the eighty-day cooling-off period,\nimposed by injunction on top of the voluntary\ndelays already accepted, might be the cause of\ninjustice. But if the law is to be side-stepped\nin the present unusual conditions, the sugges-\ntion came with ill grace from a President who\nhas done everything possible to discredit and\ndistort it and failed to invoke it when entirely\napplicable.\nA strike in a time of national emergency,\nrenewed after the processes of Taft-Hartley had\nbeen exhausted in vain, could properly be met\nby a special law authorizing seizure. President\nTruman laid down three objectives which such\na law should meet: the resumption of produc-\ntion, the encouragement of a settlement and\nthe assurance of fairness to all parties in the\ndispute. These are excellent objectives. What\nis unfortunate is that they should be proposed\nby a man who has SO fatally misled the nation\nand who now seeks to draw self-justification and\npartisan advantage from the confusion of his\nown making. Congress will affirm the dignity\nand authority which the Supreme Court reserved\nfor it if it goes ahead on its own, deliberately\nand carefully framing the law whose powers may\nbe necessary in the deepening emergency.\nMeanwhile, whether the President likes it or not,\nthe Taft-Hartley law is on the books. Congress\nintends him to use it.\nyes indeld ("
}