Evening star., 1944-01-28
Letters to The Star
Complains About Congress
And Pressure Groups.


And Pressure Groups.
To the Editor Of The Star:
Our most evident danger in this war
Is that Of the passive "home front"
The heart Of the danger is the complete,
blatant and defiant incompetence OF
Congress to understand and feel the
pulse OF the Nation. A bankruptcy of
congressional wisdom and a paucity of
constructive ideas from this body of
supposed servants of the people are
manifest. The miserable self-assertion
OF Congress during the last ignominious
session Is not the laudible self-assertion
OF enlightened elected representatives
1t Is the defiant elf-assertion Of little
men prodded by desire to show that
they are the bosses" (not the servants
as they should be- Of the people:
prodded also by special interests which
rapidly are gaining control Of the Ma
ton through this servile Congress.
Take the labor situation. Congress
apparently considers the millions OF
miners, steel workers, railroad men and
other laboring people as an alien
population, something apart from
Americans. Proceeding from this stand :
lions Of men and their families a
hidden enemies" and legislates ac-
cordingly. The shameful spectacle of
/ organized labor throwing down its tools
In time OF war while its sons are dying
away from home is completely and
definitely traceable to this attitude on
the part OF Congress. Organized labor
has no excuse for its outrageous con-
Duct, Tor 1t helped send these men to
congress. 1t has become fashionable
to blame the labor crises on the ad-
ministration, and surely it bears great
part OF the blame. But in this easy way
out, 1t generally Is overlooked that Con-
gress makes the laws, and the execu-
tive department must administer them.
This contemplate Congress produced
the mith-Connally law, which does
nothing constructive for either capital
or labor.
During the last session Congress
brazenly and openly aligned itself on
tho side OF the big war profits. Con-
gress went all out to protect profits at
time when the life blood of our men
Is poured out for the principles op-
posed to unholy war profits. Our men
went into the service with the solemn
promise that profits will be taken out
OF war" Yet, what happens? As soon
as they are In uniform, the Congress
which should represent them shells out
billions IN war profits to the war vul-
lures.
Our men on all fronts are maintain.
ing their citizenship not by votes in
Congress, but by blood and sweat and
misery under the guiding light of our
Constitution wherein their votes are
guaranteed. Yet this body of little men
strives to rob our soldiers of their
most sacred right Of franchise. War or
no war, partisan and sectional politics
must 60 on as usual.
Our men in the service, sons of the
poor and the rich, Of Republicans and
Democrats, equally share the dangers of
war, equally sacrifice their lives on the
feld OF battle. Are not these men en-
Titled to the equal protection of their
families here at home? Yet Congress
does not care whether the soldiers or
sailors salary. such as 1t Is, is worth its
iuIl amount or not. The listening posts
OF Congress are not on the bAttlefields
OF land or sea, but In the lobby con.
claves OF the pressure groups Every
group OF self-seekers gets a listening
ear-but not our soldiers and sailors. If
a subsidy will help the family Of a SOL
dier or sailor, but will not furnish ex-
cuse to the pressure boys to raise prices
higher than kite. then Congress for
gets the soldiers and the sailors but
sharpens its memory in its sinister work
Tor the pressure groups.
The country is Inundated by the ex-
hihition Of ignorance and inability of
congress to pass decent wartime tax
bill. The pressure boys are on the ioh
again; there Is no escape. Last wear
congress produced a tax nightmare.
This year 1t produced a monstrosity
It rejected insolently the recommenda-
ions OF the Secretary Of the Treasury.
But let Congress be reminded that it
cannot fool all Of the people all of the
time, that it cannot draw nice fat SAL
aries from the people, betray the people
ana eternally get away with it.
VERITAS.