Evening star., 1939-12-27

~ will be final. He
is 78 years old.
Charles G. Ross. He has been in
Congress for 81 years-the last q
of them in the Senate. my friends
understand" he says, land they
won't ask me to run again"
The passing of George Norris from
public life will leave a lonesome
place against the sky.
He says his work is done. But
three years Of service lie ahead Of
him, and who can say that some
cause close to his heart-some battle
to be fought for the underdog-will
not bring him again into the firing
line? So long as there is breath
within him, he will fight for the
truth as he sees it.
Able Warrior.
There has rarely been such an
unf1agging warrior in the Senate,
rarely one so able. Never has there
been a man more transparently sim
cere. 1t has been said of him that
at times, in his zeal for the welfare
of the common man, he has let his
heart outrun his head; but it ,as
never been said by any one who
knows him that he lacks sincerity.
The quality of sincerity has
clothed him like shining armor.
George Norris has made a deep
and lasting imprint on his times.
This would be true if he had done
nothing more than prevent the ac-
quisition of Muscle Shoals by private
interests. Singlehandedly he won
that fight in the Senate by his
parliamentary skill when defeat
seemed certain. This victory and
his subsequent unremitting labors
to set up governmental measuring
rod for the rates charged by electric
utilities are full warrant for the title
which has been given him-"the
Father of T. V. A."
Book of Accomplishments.
But the creation of this far
reaching project is only one of the
achievements which he has put
through or made possible for others.
To recite them all and tell their
background and their implications
would be to write a large section Of
the history of the progressive move
ment in the United States since the
turn Of the century. Outstanding
are the successful fight which Norris
helped to lead against "czarism" in
| the House, his collaboration in the
exposure of the Teapot Dome and
other scandals of the Harding
regime, the adoption of the consti-
tutional amendment ending tho
Tame duck" session of Congress,
after a fight which Norris carried
alone for many years: more re-
Gently, the establishment in Ne.
braska of the one-chamber Legisla-
ture-a result again achieved by
what in the beginning was one
man crusade
Less tangible but perhaps equally
important is the part that Norris
has played in the political education
Of the American people For long
time an insurgent Republican, now
officially an Independent, he has
been an example and an inspiration
to independent voters. Typical Of
long record of standing by his
basic convictions, regardless of infu-
ences pulling the other way. was his
support of AL Smith for the presi-
dency in 1923. Alfred Lief in his
recent excellent book entitled de-
mocracy's Norris: The History of q
Loneley Crusade" recalls the state
ment of Norris forcasting his atti-
tude in the Smith Hoover campaign.
Il am Protestant and a dry"
said Norris" yet I would support a
man who was wet and a Catholic
provided I believed he was sincerely
in favor of law enforcement and
was right on economic issues"
Reviled for Anti-War Vote.
Here was the same quality of inde-
pendence which Norris had shown in
his anti-war vote in April, 1917.
Reviled then as traitor, threatened
with physical violence when he re-
turned to his home State to defend
his position, he has lived to see his
Judgment approved by great por-
tion Of the American people. Norris
stand in 1917 had caused many to
believe that he would join the isola-
tionists who opposed the repeal Of
the arms embargo at the last session
of Congress. To the contrary, his
deep-seated hatred of Hitlerism,
with all other forms of oppression,
led him to support the repeal meas
ure. His expressed conviction that
the bill would aid the democratic
cause and at the same time safe
guard the peace of the United States
was large factor in lining up popu-
lar and congressional support for
repeal.
Washington newspaper correspond
ents have repeatedly picked Norris,
in polls, as "the most useful Sen.
ator.' Lief recalls a testimonial
dinner given Norris in 1927, at
which were present, among many
others, so newspaper writer's of all
shades of political opinion, repre-
senting papers equally diverse. One
Of them, chosen as spokesman for
the group, referred to the black
moods Of pessimism that sometimes
come upon Norris But" he added.
mo man has right to feel more
buoyant." Concluding his tribute he
said that in the career of Norris OBJ
servers of the Washington scene
could find an antidote for cyni-
cism-a reason for steady faith in
democracy.
This was the judgment of the
great majority Of Washington news
paper writer's IL years ago, and 1t
remains their Judgment today.
CT IL r..