Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-04-05
Washington Digest
Fossils Intrigue Bright
Young Scientist Farmer
One of 40 Talented Youth Honored With Trip
To Washington; Many Ponder Careers
As Atomic Researchists.
BY BAUKHAGE
Ne.os Analyst and Commentator.

- NOUN"bCHtuIOs
fossils under the bed SO long as they
don't interfere with Jim's cooking.
Yes, Jim does most Of the cooking,
but he's deprecatory on this score,
saying his culinary exploits depend
largely on can-opener.
Likes Collector
OF Brains
Girls? Well, to appeal to Jim,
they'd have to be as smart as Lise
Neither. The little gray-haired femi-
nine scientist whose research led di-
rectly to the development Of the
atomic bomb, impressed him most
of anything or anybody he saw in
Washington, with the exception of
the cyclotron at the bureau of stand
ards. However, there was one girl
he met at the Science Talent insti-
tute who he admitted was interest
ing" She collected brains.
He knows all about running a
farm and he keeps bees as part of
his All club work, but Jim Gibson
isn't keen about farming as a liv-
ing. He prefers fossils. And he's
casting a speculative eye on the
field Of nuclear physics as are
well over half of the scientific
minded youngsters who came to
Washington this year.
incidentally, at the same banquet,
Science Service Director Watson
Davis mentioned few "firsts" this
fifth group Of young scientists had
chalked up. They ate broiled buf-
falo steak without a qualm after
viewing the live variety at the
Washington zoo; they prepared a
talk back" report Of their opinions
on the atomic energy and Kilgore
bills to be submitted to congression-
al committees and among the
group was one Missourian, said Mr..
Davis /. the first Missourian, he
added, who had ever gone into the
White House and had not come out
with federal appointment.
There is a strange paradox in con-
gress and it may cost the Demo-
Gratis the protein presidency of the
senate. It's the exact reverse of the
"unholy alliance" of today-the
coalition between the southern
Democrats and the northern Repub-
icans-and this is the way some of
the crystal-gazers on Capitol Hill ex-
pound it.:
There have been no real issues be-
fore the country over which the
voters could tear their hearts asun-
der. But there have been some Bit
ter ones within congress and among
the Democrats in the senate espe-
cially, which have caused incendi-
airy intramural political friction.
Senator Mcclellan, Democrat Of
Tennessee, has been, in the eyes of
some OF his more progressive col
leagues, brake on the wheels of
what they consider their progress.
Senator Mcclellan has sturdily and
steadily bucked administra tion
legislation, not merely the Fair
Employment Practices bill, but
other measures which the Glib
erap' element on both sides of the
aisle have supported. Nobody denies
that after the next election the Re-
publicans are going to get some of
those II seats in northern and west
ern constituencies away from their
Democratic opponents. They may
get enough of them so the parties
will be at least more evenly bal
anced even in the opinion of the
more conservative prognosticators
That is half of the proposition. The
other half is the growing wrath of
some of the liberals on the Demo-
cratic side who are very sore at
Mcclellan for deserving the party
line.
It is not out of the picture that
enough of these liberals will be will
ing to kick over the traces and vote
for a Republican president protein
or at least. vote against Mcclellan
and thus produce the strange but
possible phenomenon of a represent
alive of the minority party presid-
ing over the senate. .,
This is not prediction, but it
Is the presentation of paradoxi-
cal possibility, granted the trend of
the times becomes the course of to-
morrow.
The FEC must decide whether the
new telephone recorder destroys
the telephones privacy. It might
keep people from wasting telephone
time, and think Of all the things you
wouldn't say if you knew they were
going to be on the record! For one
thing, it might make people more
sympathetic toward radio common
tators. H.. -