Reagan Courts Democrats, Businessmen

Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan courted union members and small businessmen in Boston yesterday, less than 24 hours after he officially announced his candidacy.

Reagan, who stressed in his speech that he will attempt to appeal to Democrats in his bid for the presidency, said party labels will not matter in the 1980 election because the contest will "be a battle of philosophies."

Accusing the Carter administration of bungling the nation's energy and inflation problems with too much government interference. Reagan told his Dorchester audience that the burden of these failures falls on the middle class.

Charging that the nation has an ample supply of oil. Reagan said poorly-run government allocation programs has kept the fuel in refineries, not gas stations.

"Remember when they promised us a car in every garage? Well now we've got it because we haven't got the gas to get out of the garage," Reagan said.

Reagan said the inflation problem is "simply a problem of too many dollars chasing too few goods."

"The government causes inflation by printing money and the government can stop it," he said.

"The government is telling us that we will never be able to live as well as Americans have in the past. I don't believe it and I don't believe any American does," Reagan told the crowd.

In a room decorated with hand painted "Sink with Ted. Swim with Reagan" and "Reagan Forever" posters, the smiling candidate said that he had been a Democrat most of his life and that when elected, he will be the first president to hold a lifetime membership to the American Federation of Labor.

Reagan attacked the "Vietnam syndrome," saying reaction to the U.S. involvement in Indochina has led some liberals to oppose confronting "Communist aggression" ever again.

"What they should be saying is that never again will we allow men to fight and give their lives for a cause that we're not intending to win," he said.

Reagan reiterated his opposition to the SALT II treaty, adding he would negotiate with the Soviets until both countries agreed to reduce arms.

Young' Uns

After thanking the Quincy High School majorettes and marching band, who played during the rally, Reagan said that the coming election is "really all about young people."

"I want young people today to know the freedoms I enjoyed while I was in high school," he said.