Evening star., 1948-08-10
Ferguson stalk Called
Service 10 the Cause
OF Good Government
American People Dislike
Any Attempt Of Officials
To Cover Up Facts

Any Attempt Of Officials
To Cover Up Facts
By David Laurence
Senator Homer Ferguson Of
Michigan. one Of the ablest Of the
younger men In the Senate, made
q historic speech In the closing
hours Of the special session Of Con-
gress and performed a great service
to the cause of good government.
If there is any one thing that the
American people dislike. 1t Is an at
tempt Of pubic officials, who are
paid with taxpayers money, to cover
up their work and hide from the
people the facts about the operations
of their own government.
Mr.. Ferguson did not criticize the
President Just for withholding in
formation from confidential sources
relating to the loyalty OF certain Of
ficials but he did ask for an ex-
planation as to why individuals who
were under scrutiny by the FBI
should have managed to get trans
ferred from one top confidential
position to another, high up in the
Government, without any evidence
that anybody in the Government
took the trouble to check up on the
loyalty record itself. This Is a
pertinent inquiry and one that can
not be obscured by drawing red
herring" across the problem, charg-
ing that loyalty records are con-
fidential.
Spoke of Impeachment"
It is Mr.. Truman's refusal to let
the facts come out concerning ad-
ministrative inefficiency rather than
the loyalty details themselves that
was the subject of Mr.. Ferguson's
comprehensive speech.
The Michigan Senator spoke OF
"tmpeachment" but he did not say
he was advocating such a course
now, or that he was referring to Mr.
Truman personally. He was arguing
In impersonal terms that the con-
fiict between the executive and leg
tslative branches Of the government
as to the disclosure of Information
In the executive agencies files was
growing to such an extent that he
feared some day impeachment would
be the only answer.
Mr.. Ferguson pointed out that
gradually over the years Presidents
have been refusing to give Con-
press needed information about the
work of their subordinates. The
Michigan Senator was promptly
criticized by some who didn't read
his speech for suggesting the i'm
peachment method. Actually no i'm
peachment of Mr.. Truman need be
contemplated because the American
people will do their own impeach-
ing in November and decide whether
Mr.. Truman should be continued IN
or removed from office.
The tendency to regard the WORD
Impeachment" as something highly
offensive is mistake which Is not
made in parliamentary democracles
where a vote of no confidence" by
the legislative body leads to removal
of the executive overnight.
The constitution gives the House
of Representatives the power by
q majority vote to impeach Presi-
dent OF the United States, but II
gives the Senate alone the power
to try an Impeachment case and
stipulates that judgment must be
by a two-thirds vote. The Chief
Justice presides.
Need for Clearer Method.
The Constitution specifically says
that Impeachment shall be fol
treason, bribery, or other high
crimes and misdemeanors. The
refusal of President to tell what
he does with public money or what
is happening inside the executive
agencies Of the Government, par
ticularly from the standpoint Of
administrative efficiency, could be
construed as a disregard of the
oath of office and a case begun or
that basis. But there is need fol
q clearer method Of removal when.
ever the executive and the legls'
lative branch are in disagreement
thus opening the way to a system
Of responsible government such al
Canada and other democracies en-
Joy.
Mr.. Ferguson, far from advocating
Impeachment, thought it was poo
way out of the present dilemma
He said:
There has always been blur II
the line between the claims of con-
gressional jurisdiction and the
Presidents claim to executive mde
pendence. But I should like u
point out that under the patterr
of executive domination now de.
veloping, Congress is rapidly being
pushed into the intolerable position
of having either to legislate through
q blind spot or compel the President
to answer for his conduct in an i'm
peachment proceeding. Those are
the only two remedies We do moi
want representative government re-
duced to such ridiculous position
1T does not seem reasonable tt
me that the American Government
should be forced to function IN thi!
dilemma. What Is more, am sure
that there is nothing in the presl-
dental office, his powers or the
historical precedents which by any
latitude Of free construction justifie'
the placing of Congress in such ar
extreme position
tReuroduction Rights Reserved.
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