Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-02-28
Up and
Down -
Broadway
by Walter
Wincheu
PRIVATE PAPERS
OF A CUB
REPORTER

NOuS TCoSuCh hAoSAo1Aos
fumbling, timid aggregation
OF political trimmers and pan
handlers" He also called
them "a sorry counterfeit OF Q
legislative body" u. AL Of them.
mind you. Not q handful. a.
this corner has attacked q few
because of their doo-daddling
with indicted subversiyes =.
But In spite Of the above men
toned coiyumer's contemptuous
language. no Congressman has
tried to have him investigated
nor has any legislator attempted
to have him gagged :. The rea-
son none Of them has tried TO
get" him Is that he and they
have one thing In common.
Both hate the Administration
In other contemptuous
wordage, when Mr.. Pegler fights
for property rights nobody In
Washington attacks him =.
But when this broadcaster fights
for human rights - they want
him court-martialed.
ONE Washington newspaper
which has been egging on some
legislators to even matters with
this colyum (sincc II criticized
them) printed the following on
Feb. II, ip42: "Congresmen are
conscienceless politicians" who
are exploiting the people Of the
u. g.. The very same Con-
gressmen fawn on that paper
and now echo its sentiments.
Add irony: When those indicted
tsone convicted OF alleged sedi-
tion) had their stencil sheets
banned from the mails. q few
legislators yelled about the in
dicted ones freedom Of speechl"
Yet the same Congressmen tried
TO suppress freedom of speech
OF those who fight the alleged
seditionists Another who has
criticized congressman via the
networks Is Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.
WE THANK 90 per cent Of
the broadcasters who spoke up
for those OF us In the recent
Misunderstanding. But only
a small section Of the press
came TO our defense IN that
quarrel. What makes Us laugh
when II doesn't make Us groan)
is the disregard Of most news
papers. Many are crying their
little hearts out at the Govt
litigation on the APP. where they
have stake. but when a genu.
inc case of freedom hrottlinE
hits them straight In the eye.
they can't see II. That reminds
us Of Halle Selassie. When the
MusSolinazis snatched his little
country. SelaSSie cautioned:
What they are doing 10 me 70.
day--they will do to you-when
they get Strongerl"
ANOTHER item We want 10
get off our typewriter. Some
Congressmen still hope 10 stop
us from spotlighting them. +.
The fact is this: Much Of the
material used here against them
originally was used against them
by their own colleagues In the
House Of Representatives. We
merely added to the circulation
OF a public record-the Conc.
Record-where some Of our at
tacks we're found. The reason
the Cong. Record Is printed land
taxpayers money is spent for
it, Is that It is part Of ths
duties Of q certain citizen In .
democracy to learn what goes
on In both Houses. Being I'M
able TO criticize q legislative
body is nothing new In this
world. In Germany, you prob
ably know. you cannot criticize
the Reichstag.
II YOU couldn't criticize
CongreSsmen. wouldn't that also
mean you couldn't vote against
them2 Wouldn't that be q form
OF criticism7
This column has never at
tempted to discredit Congress
as a whole. We have often
boosted many Congressman In
print and over the air We
have saluted the ideals Con-
greSS stands for, and supported
everything that would safe
guard those ideals We have
boosted Cong. Martin Dies on
occasion when we believed he
was sincere and right-and we
have attacked him when We be-
lieved he was insincere and
wrong II those who claim
j. we have smeared Congress had
their way - democracy would
now be dead and Congress
would now be O corpse We
have supported Congress as an
institution because we know 10
is a vital segment OF our de-
mocracy We have attacked
certain Congressmen because
their ideals would undermins
the very ideal that Congress
stands for Some In Con-
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