Evening star., 1946-05-24

an important incident but it does
offer opportunity to pay tribute to
one of the finest public servants in
the United States.
His country, as we'll as his State,
should be proud of Senator Byrd
When to courage, character and
candor are added ability and tenac-
ity, you come pretty close to having
an ideal combination. There are
few, indeed, even among his enc
mics, who would deny these attri-
butes to Senator Byrd. Some, both
at home and abroad, do not like the
Vrginian. And there are plenty
who disagree with him. And the
labor bullieS, whose threats he has
consistently disregarded and whose
excesses he has moved to curb.
detest him. But there are extremely
few who do not respect him.
Byrd Doesn't Lie.
He makes mistakes, of course, and
he is not-and certainly does not
pretend to be-perfect. But he does
not tell lies. He does keep his word
He neither trims, trades, hedges,
equivocates nor evadeS. He does
not dodge votes nor espouse causes
In which he does not believe. Be-
cause Of party necessities, he has.
on occasion. voted for candidates
whom he neither liked nor admired.
But he has not disguised his feel
ings on those occasions. And he is
the least demagogic man imagi-
nable
There is nothing spectacular
about Senator Byrd. He does not
beat his breast nor advertise his
own virtues. Yet his sincerity is as
unmistakable as the curl in his
hair. And, while it is easy to dis
agree with him, it is impossible tc
conceive of him doing mean, a
little, an unkind or discreditable
thing. Take him altogether, and
here is a Senator who helps ones
faith in the American political sys-
tenn. If it can produce and keep in
high public Office a man like this.
it must be sound at bottom. This
argument, of course. would be more
convincing if there were more Byrds.
1t is interesting that Senator Byrd
is not only a practical politician but
a machine boss, the recognized lead
er in his State of the Democratic
organization. Usually these things
are linked with political or personal
corruption. Not his most virulent
enemies-and he has some of eX-
traordinary virulence-ever use that
word in connection with Senator
Byrd A strong supporter of Mr.
Roosevelt in 1882, he began to dis
sent when the magnificent platform
upon which Mr.. Roosevelt first stood
was thrown out the window and the
New Deal fiscal policy was really
disclosed.
Promises Not Fulfilled.
It shocked Senator Byrd as it did
many others, that, after campaign
in which We vehemently denounced
deficit financing. promised to bal
ance the budget and reduce govern
mental costs, we should Immediately
embark upon the greatest spending
orgy in all history. The twin ideas
that we could spend our way back
to prosperity and that the size of
the national debt is immaterial be-
cause I'VE owe it to ourselves"
seemed to him almost criminally
silly. The reckless waste of the
taxpayers money and the calculated
effort to expand the Federal bu-
reaucracy by loading the Govern
ment payrolls with thousands upon
thousands of useless employees ap-
peared indefensible
For 13 years he has been fighting
those policies. Most of the time he
has had to fight alone. All the time
it has been an uphill fight. While
Mr.. Roosevelt lived he had his ac-
tive and somewhat vindictive op-
position. Since Mr.. Truman has
been President he has had friendly
but passive approval. No effective
reduction in the swollen Federal
payroll can possibly be made with
out presidential support and leader
ship.
No one knows that better than
Senator Byrd. But, despite White
House opposition and inactivity, he
has achieved great deal. But for