CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE

the progress and competence of Oklahoma's youth over the years, rendering

them by that much, less able to meet

the demands of the future. Who can

calculate the detrimental influence this

would have on families yet unborn?

Who can say how much this knifing of

the education of America's youth would

render them less useful in emergencies

of national or international import that

might strike our security in the coming

years?

Economy? Of course we believe in

economy. But not the purblind economy that dwarfs the education of the

future citizens of America, citizens of

a democracy in which education is as

indispensable as the air we breathe, to

say nothing of the old axiom that knowledge is power. And power is what we

shall doubly be called upon to provide

against the ugly enemy that faces us

from the Kremlin. That is why I plead

with all the earnestness I can command

that vocational education be amplified

through additional Federal aid and not

shrunk. In Oklahoma, my studies show,

there is a need for an increase of 100

percent in vocational units in agriculture; 75 percent in distributive education; 100 percent in home economics;

and 75 percent in trades and industries.

There are advantages to the Nation

as a whole that do not show up in a

budget and that are derived, I am sure,

directly from the money we spend on

vocational training.

We live today in a tragic consequence

of our neglect of education in the past.

What a false and visionless frugality

that was. The consequences that have

grown out of that neglect can be counted

in the limited capacity of many of our

citizens to earn a living, in their vulnerability to the influences of depression,

their incapacity to work themselves out

of their difficulties. Search through the

army of the unemployed and see how

many are nearly unemployable, or altogether unemployable, because of a lack

of skills that vocational education would

have prevented. The dollar we save in

a Federal budget on vocational education today comes back to haunt us with

thousands of dollars lost, with family

tragedy, with relief and other evil consequences a decade later. It has its effect, too, on juvenile delinquency and

touches the whole Nation in almost every

part of its economic, political, social, and

community life.

It is good to economize, but not on

America's youth-not on America's future-and not on America's security. - Mr. Chairman, I would like to read a

wire which I just received:

WASHINGTON, D. C., June 7,1954.

Hon. VICTOR WICKERSHAMa,

House Office Building,

Washington, D. C.:

Strongly urge your vote and utmost efforts

to pass Abbitt amendment adding $6 million to funds for vocational education. Even

this is almost 20 percent short of GeorgeBarden Act authorization and more than 50

percent short of needs of high-school students for vocational education services.

JAMES G. PATTON,

President, National Farmers Union.

Mr. Chairman, I feel the amounts

voted for administration expenses and

building costs under Public Laws 815 and

874 are worthwhile, but insufficient.

Mr. Chairman, the members of the

Oklahoma delegation who intended to

attend the West Point graduation today

stayed over in order to vote on this bill.

Mr. BUSBEY. Mr. Chairman, I have

no further requests for time and ask that

the Clerk do now read.

The Clerk read through line 2, page 2.

Mr. BUSBEY. Mr. Chairman, I move

that the Committee do now rise.

The motion was agreed to.

Accordingly the Committee rose; and

the Speaker having resumed the chair,

Mr. NICHOLSON, Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on the State

of the Union, reported that the Committee, having had under consideration the

bill (H. R. 9447) making appropriations

for the Departments of Labor, and

Health, Education, and Welfare, and related independent agencies, for the fiscal

year ending June 30, 1955, and for other

purposes, had come to no resolution

thereon.

LIGHTHOUSE SERVICE-VETO MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF

THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC.

NO. 429)

The SPEAKER laid before the House

the following veto message from the

President of the United States:

To the House of Representatives:

I return herewith, without my approval, the bill, H. R. 1026, "to amend

the Public Health Service Act, with respect to the provisions of certain medical

and dental treatment and hospitalization

for certain officers and employees of the

former Lighthouse Service, and for dependents and widows of officers and employees of such Service."

From 1910 to July 1939, the Lighthouse

Service was manned by civilian personnel. On July 1, 1939, under a reorganization plan, the Lighthouse Service

was absorbed by the Coast Guard. The

Coast Guard put into uniform those employees of the former Lighthouse Service who were willing and qualified to accept military appointments. Those employees who wanted to remain civilians

were allowed to do so.

This enactment would extend entitlement to medical care and hospitalization

at Public Health facilities under certain

circumstances to a number of categories

of former Lighthouse Service employees,

their dependents, and widows. The bill,

however, by according such benefits to

one group of Federal employees alone,

would discriminate against the vast body

of Federal workers. In fact, under the

enactment, situations would arise in

which former Lighthouse Service employees working side by side with other

Federal employees and doing exactly the

same type of work would enjoy benefits

to which their fellow civil servants would

not be entitled. H. R. 1026 would also

discriminate against uniformed personnel of the Coast Guard, the Coast and

Geodetic Survey, and the Public Health

Service. It would establish a statutory

entitlement to benefits for the widows of

former Lighthouse Service personnel

which are not provided generally to the

widows of the uniformed personnel

enumerated above.

Moreover, the enactment would constitute an unfortunate precedent. Other

groups not now entitled to the benefits

which would be granted by H. R. 1026

would justifiably consider themselves entitled to benefits comparable to those

which would be accorded to the former

Lighthouse Service personnel.

I wish to reiterate my strong support

for a program of contributory medical

care and hospitalization insurance, on

a voluntary basis, for Federal employees

generally. Such a program would aid

Federal employees in meeting their medical and hospital needs and would be

fair and equitable to all concerned.

Moreover, it would be consistent with my

objective of combining the best practices

of progressive private employers with

the special demands of the public service,

thereby improving our Federal career

employee system and the efficiency of its

administration.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HousE, June 8, 1954.

The SPEAKER. The objections of the

President will be spread at large upon

the Journal.

Mr. DONDERO. Mr. Speaker, I move

that the bill and message be referred to

the Committee on Interstate and Foreign

Commerce and ordered to be printed.

The motion was agreed to.

ANOTHER AMENDMENT PROPOSED

IN SENATE TO CHANGE THE

CONSTITUTION AFFECTING THE

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESCHANGING TRADITIONAL POLICY

THAT ALL ITS MEMBERS MUST BE

ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE

Mr. PATMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask

unanimous consent to address the House

for 5 minutes and to revise and extend

my remarks.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from

Texas?

There was no objection.

Mr. PATMAN. Mr. Speaker, Members

of the House of Representatives are

proud of the fact that they are elected

to a body of the United States Congress

that only Members elected by the people

are eligible to sit. It is all right for a

governor to fill an unexpired term in the

Senate-no one objects to that. In the

House it is a different situation. It is the

one body that is very close to the people

and every Member of the House of Representatives must be elected every 2

years. Frequent elections make it responsive to the will and the wishes of the

people. The framers of our Constitution

properly provided that certain laws like

revenue measures must originate only

in the House of Representatives-the

body that is so close to the people. It is

the House of Representatives that also

has the exclusive power to impeach and

to elect a President when a candidate

does not receive sufficient votes in the

electoral college.

Now, it is proposed to change the Constitution by Senate Joint Resolution 39,

7878 'June 8