Show 1 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS ANALYSIS' Deep Freeze Gifts Chill Demos Senate Kills Welfare Set p Plan Pan Taft Is Target of AFt Vote Drive ive are expressed In these theu columns they arc aro those of or EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE When when opinions Western Vestern Newspaper Union s new news analysts sad and Dd not Dot necessarily of or this newspaper DEEP FREEZE Capitol Chilled To paraphrase an old tune It was January in June in Washington as the story of the gifts of the home freezer unit units unfolded and expanded Finally the sordid angles of the 5 per centers operations operations op op- reached to the White House WITNESSES before a group probing the e extent and results of at influence obtainable by the theS S 5 per centers testified that of ot several deep freeze units given away by the manufacturers one went to Mrs Harry Truman wife wile of the President of the United I States Others who apparently received received received re re- re- re a similar gift were Chief Justice Vinson of ot the US U.S. supreme court James K Vardaman Maj Gen Harry H. H Vaughan Mr Truman's Truman's Truman's Tru Tru- mans man's military aide In fact General General General Gen Gen- eral Vaughan got two so the witness witness witness wit wit- ness said In connection with that development development development develop develop- ment there was a question which It seemed should have been answered answered an- an long ago by the man most concerned The man was President President President dent Truman The question was Why hasn't the President declared that White House influence and prestige are not for sale cannot be wheedled by favorite hangers- hangers on and cannot be swayed by anything anything anything any any- thing except the best interests of the people of the United States ANY MINDED FAIR-MINDED citizen will concede that there is no reason to think the acceptance of the gifts mentioned involved any law viola vIola- tion Even though the company which paid the bills for the home freezers is linked with the ubiquitous ubiquitous ubiquitous ubi ubi- John Maragon and the inquiry inquiry inquiry in in- into the activities of 5 per centers the mere fact of receiving receiving receiving ing personal g gifts ts does not constitute constitute constitute tute legal offense In any sense of the llie word it seems to be an offense against propriety It is further evidence of ofa ofa ofa a downward trend in political morals moraIs morals mor mor- als aIs a not too new development in hi these changing times On the evidence evidence evidence evi evi- evi- evi dence at hand thus far the deep deepfreeze deepfreeze deepfreeze freeze affair is not important it it itis I is merely symptomatic ELECTIONS Taft Is Target The American Federation of Labor Labor Labor La La- bor looking to the 1950 congressional congressional donal elections set plans for raising raising raising rais rais- ing a million dollar war chest with which to knock off candidates obnoxious obnoxious obnoxious ob ob- noxious to the organization THE MILLION DOLLAR figure was the minimum officials said with a voluntary contribution of 2 a head to be asked of the federations federation's federations federation's federations federation's federa federa- tion's members for work in the 1950 campaign It was no secret that Ohio's Senator Senator Senator Sen Sen- ator Taft was the main target of efforts with the second target target target tar tar- get being Senator Donnell R. R Mo who was described by William William William Wil Wil- liam Green as more like Taft than anyone in the senate The per capita contribution double that of the organization for forthe forthe forthe the 1948 elections will be split evenly with willi the state federations whose share is to be used in working working work work- ing at the precinct level election activity will have an important bearing on the future of the Republican party in the na na- na- na tion For instance if Taft should be knocked off in his race for reelection reelection reelection re re- re- re election to the senate it would mean that Dewey would remain as asa asa asa a top figure in the GOP hierarchy On the other hand if it Taft should win and Dewey were defeated in ina ina ina a bid for his third term as New NewYork's NewYork's NewYork's Yorks York's governor the party would be he all Tafts SYRIA New Cabinet The fighting the letting blood-letting I were over Peace of a sort reigned I in Syria after a lightning like army coup that overthrew and executed President The army committee which took things into its IUS own hands was replaced b by bl a anew anew anew new coalition cabinet which was organized by Col Sam Sami who headed the revolution IT APPEARED that civilian rule would predominate inasmuch as the new cabinet was composed mostly of civilians The new government government government gov gov- represented three political political political cal parties and various independent ent groups that opposed both and the constitutional regime which fell last March The premier is Hashim El EI Atas- Atas sy head of the national bloc and anda a former president of Syria Slim Pickings a u un n i s n t ti irlY do suT p t r rp as cc cuc c L a I It will be slim pickings for tor holdup men who go after Frank B. B Tippins' Tippins store in Miami Twice within one month holdup holdup holdup hold hold- up men came and got a total of Smartened up now Tippins will wiIl no longer be a lure for robbers WELFARE No Cabinet Status The senate was having none of at President Truman's proposal for creation of a federal department of welfare with cabinet status A coalition of Republicans and southern southern southern south south- ern Democrats dealt the project a pulverizing blow by a vote of 60 to 32 WITH a constitutional majority in either house able to veto any such plan the senate action meant complete and final defeat of the plan to transform the federal security security security rity agency which handles the nations nation's nations nation's nations nation's na na- na- na tion's education health and social security functions into a department department department depart depart- ment of welfare This proposal stemmed from the recommendations of the Hoover I I commission spent two years seeking ways and means to make government more efficient and eco eco- OHIO'S Republican Senator Taft denying the Republicans were repudiating repudiating repudiating re re- re- re Hoover in opposing a aplan aplan aplan plan they believed ran counter to the Hoover commission recommendations recommendations recommendations declared I believe very strongly that Mr Hoover was misled This led Senator Lucas Illinois Democratic floor leader to state that he was both shocked and surprised surprised surprised sur sur- that the good Republican from Ohio would deal with Mr Hoover in this manner THOUGHT LAW Held too Broad The fallacy of attempting to deal with ideologies through laws has been highlighted by a Maryland circuit judge The judge Joseph of Baltimore ruled that the state cannot punish a person for what that person thinks The opinion was given in a case involving a state law against people people people peo peo- who join or work with subversive subversive subversive sive organizations It was the first courts test of the new law that required required required re re- re- re loyalty oaths by public employees employees employees em em- and candidates for office The supreme court Judge i said in his opinion has made It clear that laws may punish acts and conduct which clearly seriously and imminently threaten substantive evils They the laws may not intrude intrude intrude in in- trude into the realm of ideas religious religious religious re re- and political beliefs and opinions The law deals with overt acts not thoughts It may punish for acting but not for or thinking The law which Judge tossed out did not specifically ban the Com Communist party Its preamble said communism is a dangerous world-wide world conspiracy that fits the definition of subversive activity Anything that aims at the overthrow overthrow overthrow over over- throw of this government by force was deemed subversive Justice said the law was too general Declaring it violated the first fifth filth and amendments amendments amendments amend amend- ments to the constitution and Maryland's declaration of rights he added As stated by Justice Jackson in a West Virginia case before the supreme court If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation it itis itis itis is that no olli official ci aI high or petty can prescribe what shall be orthodox orthodox orthodox ortho ortho- dox in politics nationalism religion religion religion ion or other matters of oP opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein BARKLEY Much Ado Ado Although he had declared it wa way much ado about nothing the nation wasn't dismissing Vice- Vice President Earkley's Barkley's seeming romance romance romance ro ro- ro- ro mance with a pretty year 37 old widow so lightly RECEIVING almost as ns much publicity as the Rita Hayworth Hayworth- Aly Khan love story Barkley's attentions attentions attentions at at- to Mrs Carlton S. S Hadley St. St Louis was second only to tho the 5 per center probe as a topic of national speculation The Veep Veep ns as Barkley likes tobe to tobe tobe be called called didn't didn't seem too distressed distressed distressed dis dis- dis- dis by all the furore He was smilingly posing with the widow for pictures he had taken her to meet the folks in his home town of Paducah Ky and he had squired her to some baseball games and social affairs WOULD HE and the widow get married Most folks seemed to think so And If that were current opinion it was touched off oU by the Veep himself Newspaper readers readers readers read read- ers would remember that crowning crowning crowning crown crown- ing a beauty queen at Culpepper Virginia Barkley had declared that one day he would crown a queen of his own The fact that later at he referred to his granddaughter as being the queen to whom he referred few people believed him MacARTHUR ac ARTHUR Problem for Truman No matter how the Truman administration administration administration ad ad- ministration plays it Gen Douglas MacArthur is a tremendous public relations problem THE GENERAL has twice declined declined declined de de- the invitation to appear before before be be- fore senate committees the second refusal being in connection with a abid abid abid bid to come home and tell a probe group what he thinks about the Chinese situation The general replied replied replied re re- re- re plied that he thought he could do better staying in Japan Of course President Truman could order the gener general l home but if he did so and MacArthur accepted accepted accepted ac ac- ac- ac the order both the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House and the state department would be in a constant case of ot jitters over what the year old prima donna might say in speeches throughout the country If It the President chooses not to order the general home then his critics will have fuel for added clamor that fuat MacArthur is IB being isolated and persecuted APPARENTLY no one seems to know the fue procedure in the event MacArthur refused to come home if ordered There seems to be a prevalent conviction that MacArthur Mac Mac- Arthur can stay in Japan forever if he so chooses There are those who say for the general to make that decision would be a typical MacArthur gesture and that it would fit in superbly with his fine tine sense of the dramatic STALIN Very Courteous The delayed report on how U. U S. S Ambassador Alan Kirk made out with Russia's Joe Stalin in a talk in Moscow held nothing more important important important im im- than Kirks Kirk's report that the Soviet ruler was very courteous and pleasant However anyone who might have expected anything else was indulging in wishful think think- ing SOME EXCITEMENT was stimulated stimulated stimulated by Kirks Kirk's refusal to comment comment comment com com- ment Immediately upon his interview interview interview inter inter- view with Stalin He told reporters following the conference that hed he'd have something to say later The ambassador a retired admiral admiral admiral ad ad- miral and former envoy to Belgium Belgium Belgium Bel Bel- gium held the first meeting with Stalin that any American official has had in nearly a year He described described described de de- de- de scribed his visit to Stalin as a courtesy call In for or Year ear w Seeking to win a bet of or 1000 against Don Haynes Ashland Ore is to spend a year in this deluxe car De lie Be made the bet with rancher D D. D M M. M Mauldin a neighbor Tb The year will be up next February Haynes holds a girls girl's picture he found in the road and she was to tobe be given a new car Ushe if U she identifies herself SAILORS i Pockets Mac The navy has relented at nt last Harkening to a complaint stemming stemming stemming stem stem- ming from 1797 the seagoing branch of Uncle Sams Sam's forces has promised sailors they'll have pockets pockets pockets pock pock- ets In their pants pants but but not until June 1952 But having waited this long sailors could wait walt two more years Arid that wasn't all Promised Promised Promised Prom Prom- too was elimination of the button 13 front on sailors' sailors trousers to be replaced with a zipper |