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Show GRASSROOTS Officials Should Be Legally and Morally Honest By Wright A. Patterson IT MAY BE within the letter of the law, but it is not within the spirit of the law for those holding government positions or having government influence to use their influence on behalf of people or corporations seeking government loans from R.F.C. It is very possible that the man holding the position of head of the Democratic party could not be convicted con-victed for indicating to officials of the R.F.C. that he might have a hand in keeping them on the job, or naming someone for the job of director of R.F.C. What he did was undoubtedly legal, but it represented represent-ed a lack of morality the people expect ex-pect from those holding positions of public trjist. Had the same thing happened during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, Boyle would have continued on the job he held for just the few minutes min-utes it took the President to fire him. But we have degenerated morally since the days of Theodore Theo-dore Roosevelt and are doing now what was done during the days of Harding. But the Harding Hard-ing crew was not wise enough to violate only the spirit of the law. They violated the letter of the law, and were caught In the toils of justice. Abraham Lincoln said "the republic re-public cannot live half free and half slave." Today he would say, as others are saying, "the nation cannot can-not live half legally honest, but half morally dishonest," and moral dishonesty should not be countenanced. counte-nanced. There can be no place in American public life for either those who exert influence through holding places of power, or for those who demonstrate that they are susceptible to influence, whether that influence be paid for in the form of deepfreeze units, mink coats, free hotel bills, free vacations, or as attorney fees. All such rewards are but bribes, and both the bribetaker, bribe-taker, and the bribe-giver should be summarily discharged from any form of government service. Our public officials must be both legally and morally honest, whether they be cabinet officers or clerks. To the men folks of the nation it seems hardly fair that they should have to pay the present exorbitant charges of the barbers and at the same time must collectively pay for the "prettying up" of the members of the United States senate. But the recent action of the senate forces them to do just that. The senators will get their hair cuts, their shampoos, their shaves, and all the other items the barbers can suggest as something needed at public expense. The tickets will be handed to the tax payers. Each hair cut will be the same $1 charge whether the senator be a baldy, or one having a luxuriant crop. The tax paying public will pay the $1, plus the charges for all the extras. The cost to the people for the tonsorial needs of the senators sen-ators will be more than $1300 more for this year than for last. But the senators will pay their own tips, if any. At about the time of the starting of the Korean war, living costs were going up faster than at any time since then. At that time, congress con-gress gave the President control legislation which he then said he did not want, did not need and would not use. Now the President is condemning congress for not giving him the control legislation he did not want, and did not use, and now living costs are leveling off at about the point they reacned at the start of the Korean war. Congress feels the President is inconsistent. Instead of raising the postage rates, which the people must pay, congress might well cut out better than three billions of cost for the propaganda services that are of no benefit to any one unless it be the heads of departments who wish to justify their existence. It does not present factual information regarding regard-ing the operations of government. Because it is propaganda, not factual, fact-ual, reputable publications will not use it. The some 30,000 people employed em-ployed in its production and distribution, dis-tribution, costing more than three billions a year, is an entirely unwarranted un-warranted expense. Saving that three billion would represent a real economy that would mean far more than the adding of a few hundred millions in an increase in postage rates. |