Show 1 A Th OHU ame Ta foam w wg g R in WASHINGTON By Walter Shead M Correspondent Bureau I 1616 Ere Er St. St N. N N W W. Wj I I j Congress Lacks Courage I I To Solve Our Problems I T WALKED ACROSS the broad beautiful ul lawns of Lafayette park parl with its old century-old trees toward the White House The fountain play play- playing playing playing ing in the foreground beyond the high iron fence flowers in bloom sun bright peaceful as traffic rolled leisurely up and down Pennsylvania avenue I flashed my pass at the gate and the guard waved me up the paved driveway toward the White House press room It wasn't a good press conference I felt sorry for the President a little embarrassed For here he was heading the worlds world's most pow pow- powerful powerful powerful erful nation the worlds world's big big- biggest biggest gest gent government the worlds world's only great Democracy and he was figuratively wringing his hands Why was he wringing his hands There is only one an an- Because the worlds world's most powerful nation the worlds world's big big- biggest biggest biggest gest government and the worlds world's only great Democracy is not united behind him Our power vcr is beiner dinned clipped and hacked un un- til other who stood shoulder to shoulder with us are fearful Our legislative branch of 01 the government is cringing cringing- supine and there is not a aves ves vestige tige ge of 01 leadership apparent on either side of the political fence What little legislation that is enacted enact d is shot-gun shot legislation worse than none And our great Democracy under est at this moment as never before n history watched by the rest if the world is apparently fu- fu fulle lie ile running in circles seemingly rudderless without unity tack- tack ng rig this way and that with every gust of a wilful wind Selfishness in hi Saddle Why Because personal selfish selfish- selfishness selfishness selfishness ness is rampant because arro arro- arrogant arrogant arrogant gant labor leaders grasp at mo mo- moments moments mo- mo moments ments of national opportunity to seek more power because mem mem- members members members bers of congress are afraid to face facts because farmers refuse to sell grain at parity prices even when their government offers a bo bo- bonus bonus bo- bo bonus nus to feed starving fellow human beings because ranchers and cattle raisers sell meat to the black market so they can get more than ceiling prices because every mothers mother's son of us will buy from the black market or any place else in our scramble to get what we want when we want it because manufacturers withhold goods from market waiting for inflation prices because industrial and business leaders grab the opportunity creat creat- created created created ed by selfishness of labor leaders to penalize all labor because congress stung as John L. L Lewis single-handed single defies the govern govern- government government government ment and slows up the sion program in his grab for power and money fiddles and deliberates deliberates deliberates ates because business men in their mad grab for more money would tear away the last vestige of controls for a shibboleth they have named free enterprise and which is not freedom but license license and and so sowe sowe sowe we are quarreling and squabbling and stumbling and staggering st and the world which looked toward this nation as the hope of the world I the one great firm rock now gasps with amazement and horror their hopes rapidly fading I And We Jitterbug We have wealth the productive productive productive tive capacity in field and fac fac- factory factory factory tory the raw materials the manpower the know-how know the consumer demand the world demand we have everything in in- including including including the amputees the soul weary veterans the lame and wounded halt-wounded the hospitalized victims of a world war and we have the ideal for lor which they fought and a quarter of 01 a. a million of 01 them died We have havethe havethe havethe the atomic bomb with which a wavering wavering- congress is afraid to todeal todeal deal deal and all humanity fears a craven man with a gun un In his hand and we jitterbug We are deadlocked everywhere along every front our secretary of state makes commitments and our congress knocks the props from under him and from under our vet vet- veterans veterans veterans erans and members of the armed forces If congress had deliberately set out to sabotage and hamstring our foreign policy they could have done nothing more injurious than what they did do by voting their own personal selfishness on the se se- selective selective service bill responding to t o election year pressures At this particular time in the th e I worlds world's history there is no substitute e for strength and this most powerful I nation is showing nothing but weak weak- weakness weakness ness all brought about by per per- personal personal personal I selfishness and intolerance And when you watch this thing thin g first hand as it is unfolded herin here her herein e in Washington it is not a pretty prett Y thing to see nor to contemplate Are we going to let the rest of the tin world down are we going to let Ie t ourselves down for what is i s happening is there for all to see its it's in your town and on your farm farmand far farand and its it's herein here I in Washington |