The Wilmington morning star., 1946-02-18
MORE ABOUT
LIPPMAN
FROM PAGE ONE

AAAO4'J VI AAi' ASASS, l1C 1llQSI C1tl1CA
complete the defeat of the Pauley
nomination or destroy his own
REPUTATION as a public official.
This is an ugly business, and
there is no way out of it that is
mot painful and costly. But the
least painful and costly way out
is for Mr.. Truman to admit his
mistake and withdrew the nomina-
ton. The next best way out is
to give up the fight and let the
Senate defeat the nomination. The
worst way would be to fight it
out and to win. For then the coun-
try would know that this was not
just the mistake of a busy, pre-
occupied and trusting man who
was imposed upon by his friends,
but the capture Of the administra-
ton by the political bosses.
Nothing like this has occurred
in national politics for more than
20 years-not since the death of
Harding. Most Of the voters today
are too young to remember the
tremendous struggle for good gov
eminent which was agreed in the
early decades of this century: it
was in that struggle that Theodore
Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
Bryan and the elder LaFollette
George Norris and many others
first made their regulations. Mr..
Ickes belongs to that generation,
and he responds, like an old fire
horse, when the alarm bell rings.
His generation established the ele-
mentary standards of public trust
which, when they were broken
down under Harding, caused a
tremendous popular revulsion, the
Indictment and trial of several
members Of Harding's official fam
lily, and the utter discrediting OF
his administration.
Since then, first under the Re-
publicans and then under the
Democrats, we have had many
|hotly contested issues. But the old
tissue Of boss rule-of national
politics dealt with in the style OF
the old fashioned city machines OF
the Tammany and Prendergast
type-this elementary issue Of good
government has been well-nigh
forgotten in our generation. We
had come to suppose that at least,
whatever other troubles we had to
deal with, we were through with
that one.
Mr.. Truman, Mr.. Hannegan and
Mr.. Pauley have revived it-have
gone back avowedly and un-
ashamedly to the politics OF the
Tammany-Prendergast era in Its
crudest and nakedest form. A rich
and successful oil operator, heav-
ily interested in oil lands where
the government has a high inter-
est GOES into politics. He becomes
the party treasurer, that is to say
the collector and disburser OF cam
naign funds. Having made him
self a power in the party which
Governs the country, he then asks
for and is given the nomination
~ an office which is concerned
not only with oil at home and
ahroad but is the office
- above all others to which the
people must look with complete
confidence, since upon 1t depends
80 nation's primary defense.
w When the property of this nomin-
o+;an ;s challenged, conflict of
testimony develops in which either
cabinet officer, known Tor his in
ccorr,,ntibility, or the new cabinet
off;cer has perjured himself. In
this conflict the President chooses
to stand by the new nominee and
to make it a test of party loyalty
that Senators and cabinet officers
should ignore the question of
properiety and Of veracity.
What will be the public stand
ing of the Truman administration
If it becomes established and ac-
copied that this is how the highest
otflces in the land are now being
1lned? What will be the position
OF the other members of the cab
lnet-most of them excellent men
III the cabinet is invaded by the
posses in such a ruthless and ag-
gresslve way? How is the country
70 know that the power of these
'OoSses, exercised in the Navy. is