The Wilmington morning star., 1947-01-14
As Pegler Sees 1t
BY PEGLER

BY PEGLEh
Copyright by King Features Syndicate, Inc.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. Is Investigation Of
scandalous and often criminal situations N
public affairs is now a major occupation o.
many members of both houses OF Congress-.
The legislative arm of the government has
become in effect. though not a legal fact, a
national grand jury. Although this sort OF
work produces much dramatic publicity for
the political benefit of statesmen thus en-
gagged and some genuinely good regulations,
men of serious mind in both the House and
Senate would be willing to drop Investigations
entirely and devote themselves to their real
business OF studying the need for legislation
and molding laws into shape, if they felt that
the administrative departments of the gov
eminent could be trusted to police themselves.
That confidence they lack just now and this
distrust is a continuing sentiment. passing
from one administration to another. The dem
ocrats investigated the republicans and had
a gaudy time of it, as when Ferdinand Pc
cora was needing ]. P. Morgan and some
press-agent planted a female midget on the
old mans knee. Out of that the people got
the SEC. to restrain the larcenous tenden-
cies of some types Of SWindlers. and Pecora
got a job on the bench in New York.
AS could have been anticipated when the
new deal came in, the temptation to steal.
whether feloniously or by means of clever
little schemes having the color of legality,
was certain to conquer the weak moral re-
sistance Of many of the impostors who came
bouncing into Washington to the tune of
Happy Days are Here Again in 1888. Now,
at the end of a cycle, the republicans are in
charge, with authority to investigate the ras-
Gals whom they have just turned out, and
loud times are ahead. If President Truman
permits the committees, and particularly his
oWn old war investigation committee, to ex-
anime income tax returns, as President
Roosevelt allowed democratic committees to
examine and flaunt the returns OF others, the
contrast between the public professions and
the private operations of many eminent bleed
ing-hearts will be revealed. Not even
the late Presidents own returns would nee
essarily be exempt.
The principal failure which may be held
responsible for the continuation Of these in
vestigations by Congress is chargeable to the
Department Of Justice. Attorneys General, be-
ing politicians and appointees OF their respec-
tive Presidents. instinctively shrink from the
painful duty Of exposing r~ascality by their own
political kin, to the discredit of their own
parties. There have been exceptions, but that
is the rule. Under the new deal the situation
in the Department of Justice has been the
worse because the department ITSELF has
grown Sc large and so many men nave held
the job o. Attorney General under Roosevelt
and President Truman that it has been very
difficult for them to know all the people under
them and keep aware of what they were
doing. Assistants Of many degrees are dump
ed into the de~partTen to serve dubious pur-
poses, if only to get information.
When Thurman Arnold was an assistant at
torney general running the antitrust division,
he impatiently denied one day that a COM
munist could get a job in the department. He
then was given the name OF an impudent
young Bolshevik who had boosted that he was
a member OF the party, and inquiry showed
that he was working under Arnold himself.
Arnold had never heard Of him
Two years ago the Treasury sent a report
to the Department of Justice indicating that
an intimate associate of President Roosevelt
had cheated on his income tax. Nothing hap
pened, however, until a few weeks ago, when
a reporter needed the Attorney Generals Of
flee, revealing an aggressive interest in the
piece. Then quickly, a case that had been
holed away for further study" went to a
grand jury and an indictment came down.
That, Of course, needn't mean that the case
will be sincerely prosecuted. 1t still would be
possible to give a pal a break by assigning
in court some clown guaranteed to boot the
case right out the window or commit a rever-
sible error every day.
It is even possible, for it has happened, as
in some notorious new deal tax fraud cases,
FOR a federal district attorney to walk into
court with a straight face and move the dis
missal Of his own indictments. A grand jury
might be offended and gather again informal
ly to pass a harmless resolution of regret.
But that would be only a 24-hour news story
and a minor one at that.
The departments simply will not investigate
The War Department will not
publicize startling incompetence or dishonesty
in the War Department and it would be like
wise foolish to expect the Department of labor
to produce a strong condemnation of the
faults which moved Mr.. Roosevelt to take i'm
away from labor and hand it over
to justice. And, just so, if there is to be any
clear public understanding of the immigration
and refugee figures, that can be had only in
spite Of the Department of Justice and only
through a congressional inquiry.
A preliminary study of these puzzles by
Senator Chapman Revercomb, of West Vir-
committee produced only enough information
to suggest that the Department of Justice is
deliberately hiding the truth, for many uues-
tons were simply ignored in the departments
responses. The result now probably will be a
rousing senatorial investigation. accompanied
by shrill charges OF fascism against men
whose legitimate interest in an important pub
lie matter will be construed as evidence that
they hate all the unfortunates who have come
here, legally or illegally. and all who want to
come.
The cost Of these investigations in money is
not great, but thew do consume the time of
men who were better occupied at other work.
In som cases the committees have been
vestigators. on the order of the private de.
H..