Evening star., 1939-12-18

~ ~ COuIlGIy has d
right to know.
Charles G. Ross. 1t is virtually
certain that because OF this senti-
ment Congress will vote funds for
another year of the committees in
vestigation.
This being true, the questions
which have been raised as to the
committees methods assume new
Importance.
That the committee, at times, has
indulged in outrageous practices any
fair minded observer of its work will
affirm. A recent notable case in
point was the broadcasting Of
charges that various consumer or
ganizations are tarred with the
Communist stick-this before any
hearings on the subject had been
held or any opportunity had been
given the organizations in question
to state their case to the public.
There have been other acts by the
committee, or individually by men,
bers or attaches, which have Of
Tended ones sense of fair play and
gone against the very Americanism
which the committee is charged
with upholding against subversive
elements.
Investigating Is Important.
Now the investigating function Of
Congress is supremely important.
Woodrow Wilson, in his "Constitu-
tional Government" said it was
the most important of all the powers
and functions Of Congress. The late
Senator James Couzens of Michigan,
whose instincts were generally
sound, once declared-with pardon
able exaggeration-that the country
would be better of if Congress
would devote only one-tenth of its
efforts to legislating and nine
tenths to investigating.
To congressional investigations
the country owes debt for long
list of salutary results that could
have been obtained in no other
way The famous Teapot Dome in
quiry, for one outstanding instance,
uncovered series of noxious scam
dals and stopped the looting Of the
Government oil domain; it saved
the people enough to pay for its
cost thousands Of times over. The
Wheeler investigation of the De-
partment of Justice under Daugh.
erty cleaned out poisonous mess.
The Caraway lobby investigation Of
10 years ago spread on the record
vast amount of useful informa-
tion. High financial practices that
needed the light Of day were dis
closed, with useful results, by the
well-conducted banking and stock
exchange investigation under the
Craftsmanship of the late Senator
Fletcher, with Ferdinand Pecora as
counsel
Disciplining for Dies Unit.
These are but a few examples Of
the serviceable work that has been
done by congressional committees
of inquiry in recent years. They
are enough, however, to show how
essential it is to good Government
in the United States that the in
vestigating function shall not be
allowed to fall into disrepute
through the use of unfair methods.
For clearly, if justified antagon-
isms are aroused by the abuse Of
the investigating power it will be-
come difficult to get even the most
necessary inquiry authorized by the
Senate or the House.
The spotlight of public criticism,
then, needs to be kept on the Dies
Committee. It must not be allowed
to lower the good repute of the in
vestigating power, and, by extension,
all the processes of our democratic
Government. AS the late Mr.. JUS
tlce Holmes said in a great dissent
ing opinion in a wire-tapping case
an opinion from which stems the
present ban on evidence obtained by
wire tapping-there is no proper
place in Government for dirty
business" no matter how desirable
may appear the end to be served.
Particularly Important Now.
1t is particularly important at
present that the work of the Dies
Committee be kept within the
bounds set by common fairness and
the bill OF rights. Our emotions
have been deeply engaged-and
properly so-by the brutal Russian
assault on Finland. There are no
words too strong for that detestable
proceeding. But we must not per-
NIT our emotions, either those
aroused by the Russian invasion of
Finland or by any other manifesto
ton OF the workings Of a foreign
"ldeology," to betray us into viola
tlon OF guaranteed minority rights.
We want no witch hunts" in the
United States. That one by A..
Mitchell Palmer at the end of the
last World War, when q Red was
supposed to be lurking under every
bed in America, was enough. It
would be good idea II all those
who might be tempted to emulate
Palmer would get out and read the
excoriating opinion OF the late SEN
ator Tom Walsh-certainly no Red
or Pink-on the Palmer raids,
If all this about the bill of rights
sounds stufiy, translate 1t to read
simply that a duty rests on the Dies
Committee to use its great powers
with the most scrupulous regard for
individual rights. BY the same
token, a duty rests on Congress to
bring the committee up short when
1t starts to get out of bounds. Its
methods up to now show how greatly
1t needs watching.
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