Milford chronicle., 1948-10-29
ernnent.

PLOPSILy OF JIle gov"
ernment.
DURING THE PAST 12 or more
years many nationally circulated
periodicals have been literally filed
with contributions by policy-making
government officials. The informa-
tion contained in these contributions
comes from what are claimed to be
the private papers Of the contribu-
tors.
TONS OF SUCH PAPERS have
been carted away from Washington
by retiring officials. Largely they
constitute the behind the scenes ac-
tlvities Of the department, or the
official who presides over it. Much
OF interest and value in writing the
history of the nation could be found
in the papers if they were avail
able to all historians.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT re-
moved great quantities of such pa
pers, containing, presumably, in
formation of great value, to the
memorial library at Hyde Park.
Much of it has not been made avail
able to the public, and will not be
until such time as he provided. Then
it will be available to those who he
selected as historians. In them there
may be details that would clear
up many an Unsolved riddle.
THE PRIVATE (?) PAPERS
of Harry Hopkins were left for
a naturally prejudiced friend to
interpret, and not made avail
able in the raw state for all his
tOrians writing of the mOmen-
tOUS events in which Hopkins
participated. Many, including
the commentator, Fulton Lewis.
who knew Hopkins intimately,
refuse to accept the friends in
terpretatiOns seriously.
FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS
the policy-making officials have
picked up many dollars, running
into the hundreds of thousands. The
publications have paid extremely
high prices; more because of the
byline than because of the quality
of writing. But the greatest harm
to the American people lies in the
taking of such papers out of the
reach of those who would write an
unprejudiced history of these times.
Out of them the historian would
have dug many an Illuminating fact.
THERE is A LAW that provides
penalty for removing from gov
ernment files any papers or docu-
mentS that are government prop
erty, but there is no law that clear
ly defines what is government and
what is private property. That has
been left to the judgment of each
policy-naking official. Senator Fer
guson, of Michigan, proposes to
change all that. He will introduce
bill in the next session Of congress
that will definitely specify what are
public and what are private records.
The public records will be !.
those that in any way have a
connection with the public ac-
tivities of the official, whether
it be a Scribbled memorandum.
a letter, or an official document.
Should Senator FergusOn's hill
become law it would put a seri-
Gus Crimp in the side revenues
of many a public official, and
give to the writer's of the nation
a new opportunity. It is too late
now to aid the historian i'm re-
COrding and evaluating the
events of recent years.
AFTER LISTENING to both ma
jor party candidates interpretations
of their farm programs, the farm
ers did not see much difference in
the width of the opening to the
vaults of the treasury.
IT is A LONG and hazardous trail
between ambition and realization.
Those who succeed carry on to the
end, as did the Pilgrims.
THERE CAN BE NO valid rea-
son, other than an over-supply Of
subversive minded teachers and
professors in our schools and col
legeS, for the growth Of communis- /
tic tendencies among American
school and college students.
TO THE AMERICAN FARMER
the collective farm is not a desir.
able institution. He wants none of it.
THE SO-CALLED RICH MAN is I
temporary custodian Of
wealth.