Mr Truman Confident

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26917, 1 November 1948, Page 5

Mr Truman Confident

Rec. 8 p.m. NEW YORK. Oct. 29. Crowds estimated at 1,800 000 heartily greeted Mr Truman as he made a two and a-half hour motor tour through New York streets. The journey was enlivened by confetti and paper showers in the garment district and by red fireworks on the East Side. Mr Truman said, in all the five speeches he made, that “everyone is against us but the people,” and predicted that he would be returned to the Presidency. For the first time since the election campaign began, Mr Truman reaffirmed his stand on the civil rights programme that split the Democratic Party at the Philadelphia convention Addressing a rally in Harlem, New York’s populous negro district, he pledged “ resolute and unwavering support ” for the programme. “ Democracy’s answer to totalitarianism is its promise of equal rights and equal opportunity for all mankind. The fulfilment of this promise is among the highest purposes of the Government. I intend moving towards the goal of equal rights and equal opportunities with every ounce of the strength and determination I have.”

Until to-day, Mr Truman had made only vague and guarded references to (he civil rights issue. At Madison Square Garden, Mr Truman reiterated to-night that he stood by the Democratic Party’s platform on Palestine. The platform endorsed the United Nations resolution setting boundaries for the State of Israel. “ I refused to play politics with the Palestine issue, first, because it is my responsibility to see our policy regarding Israel fits in with our worldwide foreign policy, and secondly, .because it is my desire to help build in Palestine a strong, prosperous, free and independent State.’” In an election speech in Brooklyn Mr Truman said a Republican victory would end the hopes of people yearning for peace in a world where the minds of the Soviet leaders hold vast “ misinformation and misunderstanding.” This was regarded as an indirect reply to Mr Stalin’s charge that the United States had been a party to unleashing a new war. Mr Truman declared: “ I do not believe war inevitable,” and promised to explore every means to reach international agreement.