Evening star. [volume], June 08, 1948, Image 9

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Congress Should Keep
'Word' on Funds for
European Recovery
Foreign Relations Would
Suffer With Rescinding
Of 'Moral Commitment'
By David Lawrence
Sometimes there are advantages
In the fact that a presidential cam
paign coincides with the time for
deciding an important international
policy. Again and again it has been
argued that presidential politics in
terferes with the formulation of gov
ernmental policies, but the prompt
manner in which Senator Vanden
berg, Harold Stassen and Gov.
Dewey expressed their oppoeition to
the cut in the appropriations for the
European Recovery Program could
not have been more salutary.
Obviously the House Republicans
voted their desire to cut down the
moneys to be spent in European
aid because they felt the sums could
be curtailed and that Europe showed
signs of recovery of its own motion
and should not require as much
money as previously anticipated.
But this has largely been due to
the encouragement and support
given the western democracies by
the announcement that Congress
had by overwhelming vote com
mitted itself to the European Recov
ery Program in general and to the
$5,300,000,000 plan in particular.
"Moral Commitment.
When Congress passes an "au
thorization,’’ it is true, a later meas
ure must be passed actually making
an "appropriation” of the sums au
thorized. There is plainly a legal
opportunity for Congress to cut
down when it comes to the actual
appropriation, but Senator Taft, of
Ohio, another Republican aspirant
for the nomination, in speaking to
the Senate at the time the authori
zation was made, called it a "moral
commitment.” That's what legis- j
lation of “authorization” usually is.
The reason for the two types of
legislation is that one sets forth in
a statute the authority to spend the
money and the general purposes
therefor while the "appropriation” j
actually furnishes the money, as is
required by constitutional procedure.:
The whole country would have a
right to argue that Congress does
not keep its word if one day it votes j
by a substantial majority to au
thorize the program and then a few
days later doesn’t vote the funds
necessary to carry it out. Histori
cally it has often been contended, j
for example, that while the Senate j
may by tw'iythirds vote ratify a !
treaty, both Houses of Congress by!
a majority vote may refuse to ap- j
propriate any moneys needed to
fulfill a treaty. Historically also,!
constitutional lawyers have argued 1
that such a failure would be an
Immoral act.
To a certain extent the European
Recovery Program is a kind of in
ternational agreement. Since the
passage of the statute by both
houses, certain plans have been
made internationally by other gov
ernments. For Congress now to
rescind its action, however wise such
a step might be from a simple1
standpoint of economy, would be to j
create psychological and political re- !
suits of an unfavorable nature in j
the foreign relations of the United j
States. It is far less expensive in
money to cut the appropriation!
down but it Is far more expensive ;
in good will and morals to do so. j
“Isolationism” Shown.
The Republicans in the House who
went along with the demand of its j
Appropriation Committee for a cut j
were the same who recently ap- j
propriated much more money than
the Department of Defense asked!
for. The threatened unbalancing of i
the budget through acts of this kind ■
may trouble the conscience of the
House members and they may have
thought the place to effect an econ
omy was in the European Rocovery
Program. j
There is also, to be sure, a certain j
“isolationism” in the House which ;
expresses itself every now and then
by action on appropriation bills. It
will be noted that the authorization ■,
for the European Recovery Program I
was put through by a voice vote in ;
the final roll call in the House and
there was no opportunity for the
anti-European-aid members to re
cord themselves. The same thing
happened last week when no roll
rail was recorded on the "appropria
tion.”
The Senate will restore all or
nearly all of the $2,000,000,000 cut |
but, the conference committee of
both houses may try for a com-1
promise. It is here that the in
fluence of Speaker Martin will come
into the picture again, and he will i
have a chance to line up with Sena
tors Taft and Vandenberg, and !
Messrs. Dewey and Stassen, who feel j
that r moral commitment has been
made by Congress that should be
kept. The issue has in it some real
possibilities for splitting the Repub
Mean Party and the bi-partisan for- !
eign-policy program. President Tru- j
man w'ould like nothing better than |
the ERP program as a campaign
Issue if the Republicans hand it to
him on a platter. j
Reproduction Rights Reserved )
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This Changing World
Russians Expected to Try to Undermine
Western Allies’ Proposals for Germany
By Constantine Brown
When the Moscow conference col
lapsed In the spring of 1947, unable
to agree on a peace treaty for Ger
many, it became apparent that in
tne absence of
Soviet willing
ness to make any
concessions the
Western allies
would have to
seek their own
solution for Ger
many within the
copfines of their
own occupation
zones.
The western
powers have now
reached the first
milestone on the
road to their
own settlement
Constantine Brown.
in Germany and tne announcement
yesterday of the five-point proposal
for creating a separate, federal gov
ernment in Western Germany was:
the first fruit of the decision to go
ahead without Russia in creat'r.g the
new Germany.
The Russians do not like this abil
ity of* the western powers to make
their own arrangements for world
peace and security, and particularly
do not like to see the rest of the
world compromising its differences
and arriving at agreements which
meet the needs of all. That is con
trary to Soviet practice, which has
for its aim complete satisfaction of
Russian demands without regard for
the requirements of other peoples.
Subject to Russian Will.
Defeated though they were in a
war which their own Nazi regime
provoked with its aggressions, the
German people are entitled—just as
any criminal is entitled—to know
what its fate is and what it must do
to wdn its way back into respectable
society.
The Germans in the Soviet zone
have no prospect of anything better
in life than to be hitched to the
Soviet star and harnessed to the
Soviet industrial machine, whether
it be producing for war or peace.
They have no real Independence and
no responsibility for the conduct of j
their own administration. Every
thing now is and will continue to be
subject to the will of the Russians.
The Germans in the western oc
cupation zones, however, have the
prospect of reestablishing their
national life with a German gov
ernment which will be responsible
for the future life of the Western
German state. The Allies went to
recede from the German picture,
while retaining only those controls
which will assure that Germany
never again becomes a threat to
the world’s peace and security.
The Russians are being given an
opportunity to join in this effort to
establish a new Germany, but the
handing of a copy of the six-nation
agreement to Marshal Vassily D.
Sokolovsky in Berlin can be little
more than a pro forma performance,
since the Russians have been, and.
apparently still are. dead set against
any just settlement for Germany.
French Assembly Must Act.
The, Communists will have their
best opportunity of defeating the
agreement in France, where anxiety
over the passible resurrection of
Germany is greatest. Although the
French national assembly will have
to act on the agreement, such is not
the case in the United States and
the British cabinet's speedy approv
al is likely to be followed by similar
action here.
As the two parts of Germany are
drawn farther and farther apart by
the differing directions in which
the occupation powers are going, an
irredentist movement certainly is
going to develop, in both Western
and Eastern zones of Germany.
If the Western Allies can pursue
now to a successful conclusion the
projects thev have begun, if a peace
treaty can be negotiated with the
new German government when it is
established and functioning success
fully, and if the terms of that
treaty do not serve to keep Germany
in a condition of helpless enslave
ment, the Germans of the Eastern
Zone will find themselves yearning
for Incorporation into the Western
German state and will reject any
puppet administration Soviet Rus
sia creates for them.
The Western Allies are setting a
standard of democracy in Western
Germany, a standard against which
neither Soviet Russia nor its satel-,
Sites dares measure itself. Russia
may be expected, however, to at
tempt to undermine the new state,
by propaganda, by subversion and
bv all the methods it has used to
fasten its rule on Eastern Europe.
Sympathy Won’t Pay
Truman Now Must Prove Omaha’s
Poor Turnout Was Merely a Mishap
By Doris Fleeson
CHICAGO, June 8—The Chicago
Democratic organization, the moth
er-house, so to speak, of anti-Tru
manism outside the South, is sur
v e y 1 n g with
quiet satisfac- ?
tion the spec
tacle of Presi
de n t Truman
publicly demon
s t r a t i n g his
tepid box-office
appeal.
They think it
must soften his
own stubborn
d e fi a n e e re
vealed in such
phrases as “you
are looking at
the next Presi
dent.1’ It could
DOrli FlfMon.
be that he will drop that line now;
a few more fiascos like that at
Omaha with deadly empty-chair
pictures going over the country and
it might provoke the derision fatal
to a politician.
But whether or not President
Truman rationalizes his reception,
confidence is expressed that the
effect on the western State leaders
will be profound. These men have
the responsibility of electing their
own State and local tickets; they are
now seeing with their own eyes why
Illinois and New York want to
cancel the Truman name at the top
of their slates.
Nebraska State Chairman Wil
liam Ritchie acted entirely on his
own In declaring that he would
no longer support the President and
that the State delegation would
be split at Philadelphia. There was
personal pique in the action as
Democrats felt neglected in the ar
rangements the President's friends
made in Omaha. Nevertheless,
there are also convention votes for
the resistance movement.
Similar Moves Seen.
Nothing new in that looms con
cretely at the moment; the view is
taken that more moves like Mr.
Ritchie's will occur spontaneously
and nothing needs to be done.
The President voluntarily decided
to go to the people over the heads
of ^Congress and the dissidents of
his own party. Now he has got
his show on the road after denuding
it—again a personal decision—of
party brain trusters and tried cam
paigners. ‘‘Let it roll," say his de
tractors.
| Cook County (Chicago! Chair-1
' man Jack Arvey, the first influential
, city leader to suggest a Truman
withdrawal, has no comment on
present events. He stands on his
statement Friday night after Mayor
Martin Kennelly entertained the
White House party at dinner : “No
comment. No change." Mr. Arvey
and the President exchanged polite
greetings, nothing more.
Pivotal State leaders and Senate
Democrats alike have been increas
ingly apprehensive that Mr. Tru
man's lucklessness would hurt their
personal fortunes. They had natur
ally expected some kind of verdict
eventually out of his present trip—
either a public showing that the
folks were stronger for him than the
polls showed or an apathy that
would alter his own self-confidence.
That a misfortune like Omaha
would so soon puncture the jaunty
facade of the Truman meet-the
folks enterprise was not expected
Considerable sympathy is expressed;
for him but not the kind that will
pay off for him.
Harm Has Been Hone
It Is felt that the President, In the j
light of his peculiar handicaps, has
worsened his position materially.
When he left Washington the bur
den of proof was still on the dis- j
senters. The prestige, curiosity and
friendliness naturally accruing to
the presidency, plus proper manage
ment and showmanship in connec
tion with the President's appear
ances, might have carried him
through, averted a showdown. Cer
tainly his people expected that it
would: he himself departed with
high hopes. Now his weakness has
been glaringly displayed and whether
the amateurishness of his personal
staff and friends is responsible is an
academic question. The harm has
been done. ✓
Now the burden of proof rests on
the President to show that this was
merely a mishap, only that and
nothing more. It will take many
constructive, colorful impressions to
obliterate the present dismal ones.
There is little to encourage hope
that he can so produce. He still mas
sacres a prepared speech: he was
bad In Chicago, and under that
Omaha icy shower, his performance
wrung the heart. Off the cuff he
lacks resonance and depth.
And hostile California is still to
come.
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On the Other Hand
Senators Reach Back to the Days
Of Woodrow Wilson for Things to Undo
By Lowell Mellett
It has happened before in our
history and, no doubt, it will happen
again. But it will never be easy to
explain. Republican politicians—or
statesmen, 11
you prefer—con
fidently expect,
to take over the
Government
next January
and there seems
to be full Justi
fication for their
; confidence. It is
: hard to explain
for the reason
that the present
Republican
, Congress has
made and is still
making just
about as bad a
Lowell Mellett.
record as could possibly be maae. n
is the sort of record that, in logic,
should wreck the party’s hopes.
The Democratic National Commit
tee is preparing the record for use
in the campaign. All the sins of
commission and omission are being
set down. They make a lush list,
out of which speeches almost write
themselves. Those speeches, giving
chapter and verse, should make the
country sit up and take notice.
But the Republican Congress isn’t
worrying. Observing the disintegra
tion of the Democratic Party—the
Wallace wing’s withdrawal and the
Southern mutiny—it sees little to
worry about. It not only continues
whittling away at the social gains
made during the Roosevelt period,
but has begun reaching back into
the Woodrow Wilson days for more
things to destroy. The latest in
stance occurs in the case of the
Federal Trade Commission.
A Rough Going-Over.
The Commission is now receiving
a rough going-over in the Senate;
Interstate Commerce Committee. I
Senators Capehart, of Indiana and
Hawkes. of New Jersey object to the
commission's efforts to enforce the,
Federal statutes against price-fixing.
The cement industry has complained
of the commission’s behavoir in this!
respect and the sympathetic Sena
tors are now carrying on an “in
vestigation.” The commission is
being required to appear and justify
itself for enforcing the law in line
with decisions of the U. S. Supreme
Court.
The Commissioners, with the ex-!
ception of one, Lowell Mason, seem
determined to stand their ground.;
The chairman, Robert E. Freer, a
Republican, vigorously defends the
law and the Commission's pro
ceedings under it.
The point at issue is the cement,
industry's use of the "basing point
system” in fixing prices. This makes
competition between the various
companies little more than a pre
tense.
Since the high court has sus
tained the Commission, the next,
move in Congress, after Senators
Capehart and Hawkes have given
the manufacturers an opportunity
to air their grievances, would seem
to be clearly indicated. A way will
be sought to cut the ground from
under the Commission and the
court. The Bulwinkle bill, recently
enacted to protect the railroads
against the anti-trust laws, fur
nishes the precedent.
Sin of Commission.
This, if accomplished, will clas
sify as a sin of commission. It will
belong in the same category as the
action of the House on the Recip
rocal Trade Agreements Act—just
one of those things done to please
particular business Interests, regard
less of the national interest.
Some of these things are not done
openly, of course. The private
power interests, who have found
this Congress a happy hunting
ground, are able to gain their ends
in various ways. Defeated in the
Senate when they Eought to force
up the selling price of power devel
oped by Government reclamation
projects, they are about to accom
plish the same purpose by a well
hidden clause in the Interior De
partment appropriation bill. Burled
in a section of the bill entitled
“Alaskan Investigations,” this
clause forbids the use of interest
collected from irrigation water
users, as has been done in the past,
to extend irrigation and keep water
and electric rates low. It would put
reclamation power users — every
where, not merely in Alaska—at the
mercy of the private companies.
The end of the session is near.
It will be difficult for the President
to veto the Interior Appropriation
bill. That's the idea.
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AUCTION
OVER 200 BEACH LOTS. ‘
Including 25 Water Fronts At
BEACH HAVEN
MORGANTOWN, MD.
(Formerly Old Cedar Point)
Saturday, JUNE 12th-3 P.M.
ON THE PROPERTY_
Electricity, Phone,
Community Water on the
Property.
Within Sight of New
Morgantown Bridge.
Paved Roada Direct to
Reach.
Unsurpassed Bathing.
Boating, Fishing, Oyster
ing. Crabbing and
Duck Hunting.
Fine Community Spirit,
Many Attractive Homes.
Here are the lot* you'll like, where the beach i* a pleasure
filled with comfort and interest. Easy terms: % cash day
of sale. Balance in 2 years. Semi-annually. These lots must
go. Here’s youf opportunity to buy a beautiful beach lot at
perhaps a fraction of its real worth.
WW A look tells the story. Drive down before sale day,
see for yourself, with your own eyes. Attend the auction
Saturday, June 12th at 3 p.m.
DIRECTIONS: From Washington—Across Sousa Bridge
V on Penn. Avefnrn right at traffic light at Branch Ave.,
follow Route 5 to Waldorf. Straight through Waldorf on
S' Route HOI vast LaPlata JO miles, and at NEWBURG turn
left, follow straight ahead to beach. Watch for signs.
rpCC. Delicious hard shell crabs, swimming, picnic
ground* and bathing. All free day of sale.
Enjoy properly cooked crabs as our guest.
Property Office and Phone, Wayside 2146.
. Zed L. Williams & Zed L. Williams, Jr.
AUCTIONEERS: PHONE NA. 2620_
McLemore—
Knows All Answers
To Mystery Tune
By Henry McLemore
Today’s mall brought another
batch of letters from people want
ing to know if I had any way of
finding out for sure if the “Stop
the Music” radio
program really
has a listing of
all the telephone
numbers in the
United States.
Without ex
ception. all of
the letters came
from residents
of small towns.
One from Zap,
N. Dak., is typi
cal of the scores
that have come
in. Zap, if my
atlas is up on
births and
Henry McLemore.
deaths in that section of the coun
try, has a population of six—one
half dozen. The Zappite expressed
doubt as to his chances of hearing
his phone ring of a Sunday evening
and getting an opportunity to guess
the mystery tune.
"When the announcer gets ready
to put in the call,” his letter reads,
"he ain’t likely to find a Zap tele
phone book handy, because there
ain't such a thing. Ever since the
program started my wife has kept
us glued at home, waiting for a call
that something tells me ain’t got
i snowball’s chance of getting put in.
Sure would appreciate it if you could
And out if those radio folks up there
In New York ever heard of Zap."
Has Qwn Worries.
I snrelv would like to help the
zentleman from Zap, as well as those
who have written me from Social
Circle, Ga.; Forked Lightning,
W. Va.; Skillet Lick, Tex.;
and Pump Handle. Me., but I
have my own worries. I have
broken out in a rash from fret
ting about whether or not there is
a Daytona Beach phone directory
in that studio. Ill be in New York
in a week or 10 days, and I'm going
to the studio and show those people
some real, honest-to-goodness root
ing around. And to be on the safe
side, I am going to take along one
of our directories. Even if they al
ready have one, it wouldn't hurt to
have an extra one within reach of
the man who does the phoning.
And the Daytona Beach directory
I am going to take up and leave in
the studio won't be the drab, gray
colored regular one. I am going to
paint it a brilliant yellow and then
daub it with purple, crimson and
green. In addition, I am tying a b.'g
cow bell to it, so that when the an
nouncer starts grabbing for a phone
book it will clang and bang. Fur
thermore, there won't be but one
name and number in it. All the
others will have been inked out.
And that's not all. On top of the
directory I am going to leave, all
tied up in satin, all sorts of presents
for the announcer. Half a dozen
Jars of pickled peaches, a pair of
homemade sleeve-holders, a pen and
pencil set complete with penwiper, a
quart of blackberry wine and a crisp
new $1 bill. I don’t want to bribe
him, mind you. I Just don’t want to
be overlooked.
Make It “Nature Boy.”
You know what the mystery tune
is, of course. If you don't, you are
the only one who admits not know
ing. Most of the folks I know have
half a dozen answers. Here are a
few of them: "The King's Army,”
"The King's Navy," “The King’s Air
Force," “The Old Mauve *Mare,"
“Song of the Rickety Rickshaw
Boys,” “Take Me Out to the Cricket
Match,” "The Sub-Post Office
Blues.” “Why Can’t Minors Buy
Marijuana Rag,” “The King’s Rifles,”
“The King's Pistols" and "The
King’s Hand Grenades.”
Some one had better win all that
mystery tune loot right soon, though.
Seriously, this country will be in the
hands of a psychiatrist if all that
stuff keeps piling up. If it isn't won
soon, I would suggest that a tuna
every one knows be substituted.
Something like “The Star Spangled
Banner.” No, better make it “Na
ture Boy.” While there are some
Americans who might possibly misa
on the national anthem, there can’t
be one who is not familiar with that
asthmatic whiner who only wants to
love and be loved back.
(Distributed by McNautht Syndicate, Inc.)
.. .a
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Then whot hoppens? TheWdump Wooly II ond me" (undeoned, mind you!) in a
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We stood it os long as we could and then one hot night Wooly II hod a wonder
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our owners while they were fast asleep.
You con guess whot hoppened. They squirmed and tossed and then sleepily
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"How did they get there?" they exeloimed in unison.
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