| Show Marquis Childs House Probe Covering Wrong Field WASHINGTON One thing about the house un American activities committee is certain The new congress will see a bitter bitter bitter bit bit- ter and probably prolonged struggle over the form the tho committee committee com com- is to take with a Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic majority in control of the house The discovery of the secret documents and the indictment of or Alger Hiss put a different light on the work worle of oC the tile com com- Tho The tactics of the committee committee committee com com- are arc all that its critics have said said bumbling bumbling crude sensational headline seeking often working grave injustice on innocent persons But the overwhelming fact is that secret documents have been taken from the governments government's governments government's governments government's govern govern- ments ment's files and the transmittal of oC these documents to a foreign power could have worked great harm to this country If it had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been for the persistence of the committee followed by the Hiss libel suit against Whittaker Whittaker Whit Whit- taker Chambers the documents would riot have come corne to light Canada Contrast In this column there have been frequent criticisms of the methods of the committee The methods of the committee have been contrasted with the procedure procedure procedure pro pro- of the royal commission in Canada where thoroughly and effectively without any publicity whatsoever a Communist Communist Communist Com Com- espionage ring was exposed exposed exposed ex ex- posed and the tho guilty persons punished Representative Richard Nixon Nixon Nixon Nix Nix- on of California a Republican and perhaps the most conscientious conscientious conscientious member of the committee committee committee com com- is well aware of this contrast as he is also aware of the sins of the house group But he points out that the method method meth meth- od of the royal commission was possible only under Canadas Canada's wartime espionage act Under that act the hearing could be held in secret Perhaps even more important witnesses could not escape testifying by pleading pleading- that in so doing they might incriminate themselves Dislikes Loophole Nixon believes that government government govern govern- ment or former government government government gov gov- should not be allowed allO to use this loophole when the questions asked di directly directly directly di- di concern their government work and status In other words government servants would have a special responsibility responsibility to respond in connection connection connection tion with their work in govern govern- ment Among the changes in procedure procedure procedure dure that Nixon will suggest Isone is isone isone one that would modify the right of witnesses to escape testimony on the ground of self tion Whether that one can be bedone bedone bedone done under the constitutional guarantee against self is one thing Whether enough Democrats would join the Republican minority to put It over is quite another matter On the Democratic side Representative Representative Representative Rep Rep- Chet Holifield also of California has drafted a lengthy amendment to the rule of the house under which the committee now operates Many of the provisions are in intended intended intended in- in tended to correct flagrant abuses of procedure Separate Search Thus majority vote ote would be required to compel witnesses to testify at a secret h hearing aring or orto orto orto to produce documents This would end the absurd and dangerous business of individual individual individual ual committee members going off on their own individual searching expeditions as Representative Representative Representative John McDonald of Pennsylvania a lame duck Republican Republican Republican Re Re- publican now is doing in New York Under the amendment proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed by Holifield one of the leaders of the liberal wing of his party in the house witnesses would have the right to reply to charges made against them and even to submit questions to to tobe be asked of those who had testified testified testified fied against them All witnesses witnesses witnesses wit wit- nesses would be advised of their con constitutional s tit uti 0 n a I right against self This last runs directly counter counter coun coun- ter to Nixons Nixon's view It would seem to encourage witnesses tn to use a constitutional r rig right i g h t to balk the committee Not Equipped What all this inevitably suggests suggests suggests sug sug- is that a legislative body is not under a any n y condition equipped or constituted to expose expose expose ex ex- pose the criminal activities of spies and saboteurs To attempt to do so Is to pervert pervert pervert per per- vert the legislative process and that is true even when the effort happens to be successful Enforcing Enforcing Enforcing En En- forcing the law Jaw which includes catching spies is the function of the executive branch of the government Attorney General Tom C. C Clark has said he would recommend changes in the es espionage espionage espionage es- es laws which are obviously obviously obviously inadequate With better safeguards the department of justice can pr prevent vent or detect espionage The un-American un activities committee must first of oC all seek to restrict its activity to what should be possible now that the time for political headline linc hunting is almost over Copyright 1948 United Feature Feature Feature Fea Fea- ture Syndicate J iL s. s |
