Evening star., 1947-07-16
Senate Liberals Fight
. May.KiI| House-Vo
Rees Loyalty Measure
By Joseph Young


The fate of the Rees loyalty
bill remained in doubt. today,
despite the overwhelming ap-
proval it won in the House last
night.
The time element involved and
the expected opposition from the
liberal wing in the Senate are two
hurdles the bill must surmount If it
is to become law by the time Con-
gress goes home next week.
With only little more than week
remaining before Congress adjourns,
almost immediate Senate action is
needed. With this in mind, Chair
man Laager of the Senate Civil
Service Committee said today he
will call his group into session "as
quickly as possible to consider the
bill
LANCER Uncommitted.
Senator LANCER, however. did not
say whether he would support the
measure.
IT haven't studied it closely
enough he declared.
Tie North Dskotan has intro
duced his own loyalty bill. which
calls for Congress to conduct the in
yestigations of Federal employees,
rather than leaving the job to the
executive branch of the Govern
iment.
Republican leaders in the Senate
have promised to try and find time
for the loyalty measure before Con-
gress goes home. 1t is reported
however. that opposition to the bill
will come from liberal group in the
Senate, including Senators Taylor
Morse, Pepper and Downey. Any
stalling tactics may well prove fatal
to the bills chances.
The Rees bill was resoundingly
approved by the House last night
by a vote of 319 to 81. Sponsored by
Chairman Rees of the House Civil
Service Committee, the bill would
provide for thorough loyalty in
vestieation of all Government en-
ployes and Federal job applicants.
Amendments Beaten Down.
Time after time, the House beat
down amendments by a number of
Democrats and several Republicans
which would have given greater pro-
lection to Federal employees accused
of being disloyal or subversive. The
House also defeated an amendment
which would have subjected legis
lative and judicial employees to the
same sort of loyalty investigation
that Federal workers would have to
undergo.
Those opposing the bill charged
1t would result in Witch-hunt
against liberal minded Federal en-
ployes, and that accused workers
would not have the right to defend
themselves adequately before the
proposed Federal loyalty board.
Representative Kefauver, Demo
crat. of Tennessee, one of the lead
ers in the fight against the measure
asserted it's enactment will drive
out of Government any employe
who may have an original thought
and would make robots out of Gov
ernment officials
Bill Protective, Rees Says.
He charged the bill violates more
civil liberties than any bill I've
ever seen"
Answering these charges, Mr.. Rees
denied the bill would injure inno-
cent Federal employees.
"On the contrary, it will protect
rather than hurt the vast majority
of Government employees" he said
The Kansan assured the House
that this will be no witch hunt OF
anything smacking of the Gestapo.'
Representative Vursell, Repub-
lican, of Illinois, said the bill seeks
to clear the names of more than 81
per cent of all Government en-
ployes.'
He said the Overwhelming per-
centage of Government employees
are loyal and that it is to the ifl-
terest Of these employees "and the
good name of the Federal service
that subversive workers be removed
Representative Norton, Democrat
of New Jersey, said the bill woulo
be unavoidable She asserted the
proposed five-man loyalty boarc
could not handle the estimated CO.,
600 cases that would come before
it the first year The Civil Service
Commission has estimated that, OF
the basis of preliminary investl-
cations, enough derogatory evidence
would be found to warrant the full
fledged investigation of $4,000 en-
ployes now on the Federal payroll
and about $4,000 persons seeking
Government jobs.
Provides Preliminary Check.
Here Is how the Rees bill woulc
operate:
The Civil Service Commission
would conduct preliminary in
vestieation of all Government en-
UlOy6S anu Tcucldl JOD oCShSAS -
based on names and fngerprin
checks in its own files, the FBI, tn.
Army and Navy military intelli.
gence, the House Committee on Un'
American Activities, local law-en'
forcement agencies and othel
sources.
If this preliminary check turned
up any derogatory Information
about an employe, the name woulo
be certified to the FBI which ther
would conduct a full-fedged In.
vestigation of the person.
The result of the investigation
then would be turned over to the
five-man Federal Loyalty Board
appointed by the President. The
board would operate as an indie
pendent agency The board then
would decide whether or not the
employe or applicant was disloya.
and would notify the Federal de-
partment or agency employing the
person of its decision. If the de-
psrtment or agency head did not fire
oxo r,lox,o fo,,y,J n hc HiclnyG1 the