Evening star., 1939-12-23

vehemently for David Lawrence.
many months, with the Nations
doctors plainly suspicious that Fed
eral plans were merely an entering
wedge for Government control of
medical facilities as whole to the
detriment of private initiative and
talent. The doctors. through the
American Medical Association, have
recognized that the problem of pro-
Viding health facilities for the Ma
ton needed governmental co-opera-
ton with the physicians, but that
1t was important to prevent bureauc-
racy and politics from entering the
picture.
Having already established what
are known as social security" laws.
1t was inevitable that grandiose
schemes would be hatched for the
enlargement of governmental bu-
reacuracy and for the collection Of
additional pay roll taxes. The sub
ject of health being one that lends
itself to popular approval, the bu-
reaucratically inclined have been
concocting all sorts of subjects which
meant more and more jobs. more
red tape, and plenty of other ex-
crescences such as have followed
in the wake of the so-called social
security laws.
Sign of Cooperation.
So strong, however, was the op-
position of the medical men to Fed
eral control of health facilities that
1t looked as if the whole problem OF
getting an improvement in medical
care might come cropper. Presi-
dent Roosevelts readiness to give
right of way now to a simple plan
for about so hospitals to be located
in some of the Southern States and
in areas where counties are too poor
to borrow or raise funds for capital
investment is sign that there will
be cooperation between the Gov
ernment and the medical men of the
Nation.
The first comment of Dr. Morris
Fishbein. spokesman of the Ameri-
can Medical Association. was one
of spontaneous approval because the
idea is one that has been sponsored
by committee of the association.
Presumably this first evidence of
getting together between the Gov
ernment and the medical leaders of
the country will be regarded as an
encouraging sign, for where matters
of health are concerned, the Nation
does have confidence in the leader
ship of prominent medical men
rather than politicians.
The principle involved in the new
plan is characteristic of a growing
trend in recent years, namely, to
bring the financial resources of the
Federal Government to bear to
assist certain poorer areas of the
United States where the population
cannot meet the necessary expenses
of community facilities such as the
large cities can provide. This is
particularly true of rural districts,
where distances are great. The fact
that there are spots in the United
States where the nearest hospital
facilities are 80 miles away and the
tax collections are too meager to
build any such medical centers is
not widely appreciated. But the
mere existence of such exceptional
areas is no justification for embark
Ing upon eXtravagant plans to build
hospitals everywhere.
Mr.. Roosevelt has been wise in
permitting modest beginning. But,
on the other hand, once the princi-
pie is accepted, there can be no
doubt that pressure will come from
Congress to build an array of Gov
eminent hospitals. Many small
community has been having hard
time taking care of its hospitals,
and the opening up of the Federal
Treasury to this form of aid is a
step of unprecedented Importance.
Supports Old Concept.
The belief that local committees,
through community chests, can best
take care of hospital needs and
supervise expenditures is in line
with the concept of local govern
ment from the early days of the
Republic. 1t is a concept that has
had hard shedding recently because
OF the Federal Governments huge
outlays through relief agencies.
The plan which the President now
Is sponsoring is one that should long
ago have been introduced. for it ap-
plies not only to health care, but to
educational facilities. The United
States is not an aggregation of 48
equally wealthy States The wealth
of America is concentrated in few
States. The President told the press
that he would try to keep political
pressure out of the matter of select
ing medical centers. by appointing
local committees of doctors to rec
ommend where such clinics and hos
pitals should be erected. The i'm
mediate outline of the plan will
doubtless meet congressional ap-
proval. but the execution of it in the
future will bear watching. Mean
while, Mr. Roosevelt scores again in
his effort to be regarded as the
President who does care about the
responsibility of the Federal Gov
ernment for social welfare.