Evening star., 1946-06-09
Unjust Criticism Strikes
At Confidence in Congress
Flood of Unwarranted and Unsupported Attacks
Resented by Legislator Who See Danger to
Welfare of Country
By Clarence Cannon
Chairman, House Appropriations Committee

climbed to autocratic power in any
country, their first care has been to
strike at the representatives of the peo-
pie in the legislative branch of the
Government. Oliver Cromwell, in pro-
roguing= the English Parliament, pointed
his sword at the mace lying upon the
table of the House of Commons and
cried, Take away this bauble." When
1t was carried out there went with it
representative government in all Eng
land.
Again, Napoleon, stalking into the
French Chamber of Deputies at the
head of his grenadiers, cried, Follow
me. I am destiny. I am the divinity of
the day." AS his bayonets drove out the
representatives of the people, some of
them climbing through windows to es-
cape, they drove out civil and religious
liberty.
From that day until the end of the
Napoleonic dynasty, France, and all Eu-
rope controlled by France, was without
representative government.
Again, so recently, Hitler, endeavoring
to seize the reins of government in Ger
many, as the first step toward world
domination. burned down the Reichstag
Building, so that Germany's House of
Representatives, unable to meet, was
scattered in confusion, and before it
could reassemble, large number had
been prescribed or were in concentra-
tlon camps, and free government In
Germany had been destroyed and free
government was in peril throughout the
world
Pressure Groups Hit Congress.
Here in America, whenever any man
or group of men have sought to estab-
l1sh autocratic control, whether political,
economic, or industrial, they have
struck, either directly or by innuepdo, at
the influence of the representatives of
the American people in Congress. OF
course. the American people have long
ago advanced beyond the stage of
armed interference with the legislative
branch of the Government by military
authorities. That would be impossible
in America today.
Our state of civilization does not
countenance the political prison or the
concentration camp. But there are
other ways of undermining the stand
Ing and influence of the Congress in the
regard and confidence of the people,
which, whether with or without sinister
motives, can be just as effective when
carried to their ultimate conclusion.
hoc
crltlcism-as it should be-ever since
the establishment of the Republic. One
OF the most priceless prerogatives of
every American is the right to criticize
Congress and the members of Congress-
and that right has been widely and
fully exercised from the First Congress
down to the Seventy-ninth Congress
now in session. At times that criticism
has been more virulent and more un-
deserved than at others. And that is
as it should be. Better that Congress
and Congressman be uniustly accused
on many occasions than that they
should escape merited structure on any
single occasion.
Flood of Unwarranted Abuse.
But in the last two years such a
flood of unwarranted and unsupported
abuse and castigation has been loosed
against Congress and its procedure as
has no equal in the annals of congress
sional condemnation.
Newspaper columnists and radio
broadcasters have Wed with written and
spoken jereniads delivered before the
House to an extent that at times trans
scend even the bounds of truth and
good taste. The abuse of Congress,
criticism OF the Congress and its mem
bership and its procedure, has been
without precedent since the stormy
days of the Sixtieth and Sixty-first
Congresses when the House rules were
national, political issue
Effort has been made to convince the
American people that something is SO
wrong with congressional procedure
that dire disaster menaces the country,
its form of government, and its demo-
cratic institutions, unless immediate
and drastic action is taken to save the
Nation and its democratic practices
from onrushing ruin and destruction.
In order to foster this propaganda a
campaign of abuse and disparagement
OF Congress individually and collectively
has been waged.
Bitter SummarizatiOn Cited.
Let me quote from just a few of
many such castigations Here is sum-
marization of such criticism epitomized
by one of the distinguished members of
the other body and published in the
Pageant magazine:
The trouble with Congress is, briefly.
Congressman. Their two main inter-
ests have been getting reelected and
lining their pockets. Short of every
thing elsef they are lazy and overpaid
They have it SOFT The lobbyists write
our laws, and in way that is fortunate
for Congressman are numbskulls, they
are windbags, obstructionists, and worse.
Only vigiant press deters them from
raiding the Treasury"
Here is a quotation from a statement
made on the House floor:
THE people think we are bunch of
clowns"
Here is a statement from a national
magazine, Life:
Like the American people they rep
resent, they are indeed often ignorant,
provincial, and greedy"
Here is another statement appearing
In Readers Scope:
"Washington's great Capitol dome
covers lot of craftsmanship and lot
of skulduggery and bungling ineff1ci-
ency"