Evening star., 1945-01-05
Dies Committee Reborn

14ASAS wall NC a 4Ot VI SAJldlldllOIlS
offered for the vote to give the Com
mlttee on Un-American Activities
permanent status as a standing
committee of the House
1t will be said that in this first
poStelection test of sentiment the
House indicates a determination
spite of the President - to keep a
little to the right of center 1t will
be said that the vote was robbed of
Its significance because Representa-
tive Rankin of Mississippi, with a
political coalition of Southern Demo-
Gratis and Republicans, was able to
take ShreWd advantage of an un-
usual parliamentary situation. 1t
will be said that even with this coali-
ton vote the margin of victory was
relatively narrow. And it will be
said that many of those who voted
against Mr. Rankin'S motion to give
the committee permanent status
would have voted in favor of con-
tlnuing the work of the committee
as a special group, and the result
would have been an even more con-
vincing show of confidence in the
committee.
But if the vote defies p1s.ise
explanation, so does the record of
the Dies Committee since its
creation in 1888. 1t has achieved
unique distinction in several fields.
1t lasted longer than any special
committee ever created by the House.
1t spent more money, with more
overwhelming votes of approval. 1t
incurred more bitter criticism from
the administration, in a House
usually. compliant to the wishes of
the administration. 1t was more
obviously unfair, in it's indiscrimi-
nate attack on individual reputa-
tions, than any other committee. 1t
probably has less in the way of con-
Structlve result to show for it's efforts.
And to such records it now has
added the crowning achievement,
attaining the dignity of a standing
committee of the House by a vote
which broke, according to House
Leader Mccormack, a House tradi-
ton of $50 years.
All in all, the many House votes
on the Dies Committee" activities
probably reflect a public state of
mind, willing to condone abuses
amounting almost to persecution of
innocent citizens in the belief that
they may be necessary to achieve a
popular objective. That this is a
dangerous and undesirable state of
mind goes without saying. But if
there is just criticism of the methods
pursued in the past by this commit
tee, many of the critics have only
themselves to blame for the futility
OF their attacks For they have shown
the same tendency to unrestraint in
dISavowing, by abuse and ridicule.
the need for the committees exist
ence that individual members of the
committee showed in their depend
ence on blanket indictments through
innuendo to justify the committees
existence. The former chairman, Mr..
Dies, thrived on abuse. The more of
1t, the stronger he and his committee
became. Many votes in favor of
continuing the committee probably
were due to the nature, outside the
House chamber, of the opposition.
But under Mr.. Dies the committee
was pretty much of a one-man show.
Now that he is gone, there may be a
different story. Even a new chair
man, possessing his zeal, still may
lack his singular abilities to attract
attention by making noise. A Judi
ciouS and conscientious chairman, on
the other hand, might find real
opportunity for constructive work in
supporting the various agencies of
Government engaged in the sup
preston of un-American activities
while leaving the definition of "un-
American" to the laws of the land.