Evening star., 1945-02-02
Wallace Controversy
Has Strange Factors
Active Campaign for Presidency
Begun During War, Says Writer
By David Laurence


By David Laurence
Two strange factors in tse Wallace
controversy appear to Ec taken for
granted among many members of Con-
gress.
One is that it is all right for Henry
Wallace to begin an active campaign
for the presidential nomination of 1948
now in the midst of war and to use the
Department of Commerce as a vehicle
for political publicity to that end.
The other is the curious notion that,
because only few times in American
history has cabinet officers nomina-
tion been rejected by the Senate, it is
a violation Of some sacred precedent
to do so now.
Actually the parliamentary system
of government in Canada and Britain
has many advantages over our system,
because in this country there is no way
ESto fix responsibility for the acts or
policies of cabinet officers. There is no
check once nomination is confirmed
and the Senate has, to its sorrow, again
and again confirmed public oflcials
who later proved disappointment.
The obvious remedy-to remove pub
lie officers who have once been con-
firmed-has been denied to Congress by
Supreme Court decision which says
that, while the advice of the Senate Is
needed to confirm a presidential ap-
pointment, no power exists for Con-
gress to bring about removal if the
| public off1cial defles the wishes of the
national legislature.
Decision Few Years Old.
This decision is only few years old
and was rendered by the late Chief
Justice Taft during the Hoover ad-
ministration after the opposite impress
sion had prevailed in Congress for more
than 100 years. Since the Congress,
| therefore, is now helpless to- remove an
ofncial except by impeachment for a
misdeameanor, the power to confirm
becomes tremendously important.
1t would not be surprising II here
after all nominations for executive
posts, including cabinet officers, were
subjected to closer scrutiny, especially
In these days when a mans views have
much to do with how he will interpret
the vague phrases of existing law or
the broad grants of discretionary power.
Most surprising is the political aspect
Of the Wallace nomination Mr.. Roose-
welt gives Mr.. Wallace the post as a
political reward and makes no pretense
ABOUT using political ONCE as a means
of advancing the spoils system in Amer
lean politics. Liberals and reformers
are strangely silent about this issue.
Mr.. Wallace would have been better
| advised to refrain from accepting any
post because it would have left him free
| to attack or support the Roosevelt
regime whenever, in his Judgment and
in the opinion of the CIO-PAC. the
administration was veering away from
or toward the left-wing policies that
organization espouses.
Wallace Outmaneuvered.
But with Mr.. Wallace in the cabinet
! the President can, in a sense, control
| activities of the Secretary of Commerce
| as he does any one else in his Official
family. If the supporters of Mr. Roose-
welt want to line up for a fifth term,
Mr.. Wallace must presumably refrain
from doing anything to interfere with
that purpose. But Mr.. Wallace, outside
the cabinet, would have no such strings
attached.
Plainly the President has thus far
| outmaneuvered Mr.. Wallace. 1t is not
likely that Mr.. Roosevelt relishes the
premeditated plan for 1s48 campaign
on the left-wing side. The left-wingers,
however, have had their heart set on
| building up radical as a successor to
Mr.. Roosevelt. They didn't know much
about Henry Wallace till the 1914 Demo-
cratic convention, but after the speech
in which Mr.. Wallace went all out for
the CIO-PAC point of view they have
been backing him enthusiastically.
1t is said that the CIO-PAC really
forced the Presidents hand and that
the fight against the six State Depart
ment nominees was merely a fire built
up under the President to compel him
to give Mr.. Wallace the post of lending
or spending billions.
Even if the Congress passes the bill
separating the RFC from the Com
merce Department, the CIO-PAC will
not be content but will expect Mr.. Wal
lace inside the cabinet to bring pressure
on any one who Is finally appointed to
the RFC job.
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