Evening star., 1939-07-14
Roosevelt Library
AT Hyde Park Gets
House Approval
Short Coils President
MeeoIomonioc' in
Bitter Attack
BY the Associated Press.

AS SOOll dS Vic OcIldCc dCIS on
House amendments, Congress will
have authorized acquisition of
library at Hyde Park, N. Y, as
repository for President Roosevelt's
papers.
The big Democratic majority in
the House passed the Senate
approved bill on a 221-to-124 vote
late yesterday. Preceding the roll
call were three hours of debate, dur
ing which Representative Short, Re-
publican. of Missouri, shouted: 1
"Only an egocentric megalomaniac
would have the nerve to ask for this
legislation"
Representative Coffee, Demo-
crat, of Washington, jumped up to
reply, II am ashamed of my COL
league"
The bill provides permanent, safe
place for Mr. Roosevelt's papers on
a corner of his family's Hudson
River estate. The President would
donate the land and the Franklin D.
Roosevelt Library, Inc. would pro-
vide funds for building by private
subscription. The Government would
maintain the institution thereafter.
Mr. Roosevelt announced he would
be donor to the library corpora
ton by giving his earnings from
writing while in office.
Republicans Assail Plan.
House Republicans, assailing the
proposal, said the library would be
inaccessible in the small Upstate
New York town, that it would set a
bad precedent to build memorial
to a living man and that Presi-
dents papers should be kept in
Washington.
Representative Treadway, Repub-
lican. of Massachusetts,, with the
support of Democratic Leader Ray
burn, put over the only amendment.
1t eliminated a 25-cent fee for en-
tering the library grounds, but an
other fee up to 25 cents for going
inside the library was retained.
IF we're going to have this Ii
brary," Representative Treadway
said, lets have it with dignity.
Let's not make it a dime museum"
Before that, Representative Short,
a former preacher from the South
west Missouri hill country, criticized
Mr.. Roosevelt for the library pro-
posal
rs he afraid" Mr.. Short asked,
ito have his documents in the Con-
gressional Library where the Con-
stltution and the Declaration of
Independence are housed? Is he
afraid to have them in the Archives
Building for fear they might be pol
luted by contact with the farewell
address of Washington and the
Gettysburg address of Lincoln?"
Coffee Answers Short.
Then, taking issue with the idea
OF memorials to the living, Mr.. Short
said:
The greatest of all men. The
Simple Carpenter from Nazareth,
lett no libraries. but, of course, He
possessed modesty and humility
Franklin D. Roosevelt possesses
neither.
The President needs no memorial
He has already left a monument
The monumental public debt will
painfully remind generations to
come OF Franklin the First-and I
hope to God the last"
Representative Coffee said in re-
buttal:
"All the vindictive attacks on the
President will not justify opposition
to this bill. Franklin D. Roosevelt
will go down in history as a great
humanitarian.
Democratic Leader Rayburn ac-
cused the Republicans of opposing
the bill because Franklin D. Roose-
velt is Franklin D. Roosevelt and
because he is a Democrat"
Turning to Representative Fish,
Republican, of New York, leader
in the fight against the measure,
Mr.. Rayburn said:
Franklin D. Roosevelt is the most
distinguished individual who ever
came or Is likely to come for some
time from that congressional dis
trict."
Mr.. Fish represents the Presi-
dents district.