Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-12-04

the Senate decided to leave the
whole thing to the 48 States to
arrange. This means that where
the legislatures do not meet this
winter or spring-many States re-
quire meetings once every two years
the Governors will have to con-
vene special sessions.
The reason for the switch I'M
doubtedly was related to the atti-
tude of Southern Democrats and
States'-rights Republicans on the
subject of the antipoll tax bill. If
Federal control of elections were
deemed proper for the purpose of
handling the soldier votes, the ques-
ton naturally would arise as to
why the allegation of unconstitu-
tionality could be passed over with
respect to I he balloting overseas and
yet made the basis of vehement OBJ
lection with respect to the poll tax.
So some of the members of the
Senate decided to cure the incon-
sistency by putting the soldier bal
lot question up to the States, where
they feel the antipoll tax problem
should also be left.
Bond Ads VS.. Subsidies.
Inconsistency will be bothering
various members of the House of
Representatives soon. Many of
them voted against farm subsidies.
Now they are being confronted with
a bill to appropriate many millions
of dollars for paid advertising in
newspapers to help sell war bonds.
The Treasury opposes the BILL feel
ing that the war bond campaign
has been handled satisfactorily by
the present methods. The Ameri-
can Newspaper Publishers Asso-
citation has announced its opposi-
ton to the measure, too So if
members of the House who recorded
themselves against farm subsidies
now vote in favor of the appropri-
alton to pay for newspaper adver-
Using, the charge of inconsistency
will be voiced
Basically, of course, the subsidies
have been defended on the ground
that they were not really subsidies
in the usual sense of the term. Farm
subsidies are designed as an equali-
zation factor, and agriculture has
had plenty of subsidies since 1888
So it is hardly the principle of
subsidy which is always criticised |
It's because the farm groups fear
the subsidy plan will hold down |
their incomes that they oppose it.
In a sense, therefore, the farm
minded Congressman who oppose
the subsidy are doing so because it
isn't financially as helpful as they
think the alternative plans might be-
In the World War the farm groups
felt that fixed prices did not give
them sufficient reward, and history
is repeating itself this time.
Arguments in Case.
AS for the sums sought to be
appropriated for the smaller news
papers, especially the weeklies in
small communities, the defenders
of the plan insist it isn't subsidy,
but strictly business proposition.
They argue that the Government
should pay for white space in the
press just as it pays for food or ma
terials or just as businessmen pay
for advertising space when they have
anything to sell. The same groups
declare that a Government appro-
priation for advertising would not
be subsidy, especially since some
equitable plan for ALLEGATION divorced
from politics could be devised.
The opposition, however, insists
not only that the plan imperils the
relations between a large and in
f1uential section of the press and
the Government, introducing con-
troversies that ought not to be al
lowed to arise, but that the volun-
tary system whereby companies and
businesses allow their space to be
donated for the sale of bonds has
proved very productive of bond sales.
1t may be that if the measure is
passed, the President will veto it.
Certainly, if it is passed by the
House, as it already has been by the
Senate, Mr.. Roosevelt may have the
chance of lifetime to say a few
things about consistency in Con-
gress, especially if he wishes to quote
from the recent debates on the sub
ject Of farm subsidies.
Reproduction Rights Reserved.)
Mrs. Frank |. Hatch