Evening star., 1945-09-11

that vo,1np Sem Lowell MelIett.
ator Morse may have anticipated
his Republican colleagues, Aiken
and Tobey.
The only reason apparently that
the bill doesn't have any more au-
thors is that Senator Murray de-
cided that seven is enough. When
he had the signatures Of four DEM
ocrats and three Republicans he
quit offering the opportunity to his
friends.
Truman in on 1t Too.
And probably the only reason that
either the first or the second name
isn't that of Senator Harry s. Tru-
man is that Truman was elected
Vice President before the bill was
actually drawn. He and Senator
Murray, with Senator Revercomb
Republican, of West Virginia, were
members of a subcommittee Of the
Senate Military Affairs Committee
engaged in studying the problem
of contract termination. In that
capacity they made a report recon-
mending consideration by Congress
of legislation very much in line with
what is now the full employment
bill. Senator Revercomb did not
sign it.
This was some time last fall, be-
fore the election. After the elec-
ton Murray took up the task of
drafting a bill. He consulted with
Truman and with many others, in
cluding the six who joined him in the
authorship of the present measure
after it had been written and re-
written to meet all views.
The authorship of the bill is in
teresting and perhaps significant
apart from the role played by the
man now President. Senator Muir
ray, whose age is SO, came to the
Senate from Montana to fill out the
unexpired term of Thomas j. Walsh
in 1884 and has since been twice re-
elected. He is a lawyer. Senator
Wagner, age So, likewise a lawyer
became a member of the Senate in
1927 after long legislative and
judicial career in New York. He
is the author of much labor and
social legislation, both State and
national. Senator Thomas, age g.
member of the Senate from Utah
since 1882, is an educator, a pro-
fessor of political science. Senator
O'Mahoney, age 81, former news
paperman, appointed from Wyo-
ming to fill an unexpired term in
1888 and twice reelected, has beer
pushing congressional studies OF
economic questions ever since he
reached the Senate.
Sources Not Radical"
Of the Republicans, Senator
Tobey, age IS, is New Hampshire
businessman who served in the
State Legislature several years anc
as Governor before being elected
to Congress in 1882 and to the Sen
ate in 1888. Senator Aiken, age SO
calls himself a farmer, but has spent
much OF his life in public service
including two terms as Governor OF
Vermont. He has been in the Senate
since 1910. Senator Morse, age IS
is lawyer and educator who hac
given SOOd zeal OF MS Time tC
labor law and administration before
coming to the Senate last year.
If the bill represents the radical.
ism of youth, the Republicans must
take the blame. Their average age
Is 54; that of the Democrats, IS.
If geography has bearing, it il
to be observed that four of the
authors come out of the far North.
west, which used to" be noted fol-
new ideas, while two come from the
far Northeast, upper New England
which has not been noted for any.
thing of that kind. New York con-
tributes one, making the entire
group products of the upper tier Of
Northern States.
Out of the South there is none
Interesting in view 0f the new me-