Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-01-18
Hebet Sees Purge
In His Removal From
Un-American Probers
By Robert K. Welsh

Inc house Is expected 10 give
routine approval today to the Dem.
ocratic roster Of committee assign.
ments and majority leadership
moves that dropped two States
Rights Southerners from the Com.
mittee on Un.American Activities.
As the Democratic caucus late yes.
terday ratified the week end decision
of the party's Committee on Com
mittees in the House, Representative
Hebert of Louisiana declared he had
been "purged" from the Un-Amer-
lean Activities Committee because he
exercised political independence"
Mr.. Hebert and Representative
Rankin of Mississippi were blocked
from reappointment by adoption OF
resolutions limiting membership tc
lawyers and banning major commit
tee chairmen from serving on other
committees. Mr.. Hebert is not q
lawyer. Mr.. Rankin will head the
Veterans Committee.
Not q New Art.
1.-THE practice of the political
purge Is not a new art" Mr.. Hebert
said. ut has always been INDUCED
in as q means of liquidation by those
who refuse to recognize the right OF
an individual to think and act for
himself. I shall continue to say
what 1 think and do what I say.
There is political axiom that you
can do anything you want to do
when you have the votes. That
axiom has been obviously applied
to me because I exercised political
Independence in Washington and
Louisiana"
Recalling that as member OF
the Committee on Un-American Ac-
tivities he had refused ito partici-
pate in any plan or scheme which
would either smear or whitewash
individuals" Mr.. Hebert asserted he
had "displeased some individuals
when I refused to play politics"
Democratic leaders have ex-
planned that the changes were made
only to strengthen the committee
by appointing lawyer-trained men,
bers who know the rules Of evidence
and court procedure.
G. o. p. Must Name Two.
Republican leaders have not yet
filled their party's two vacancies on
the committee. The followers are
Representatives Thomas of New Jer-
sey and Nixon of California.
Minority Leader Martin said Mr.
Thomas has expressed q wish to
remain on the committee he headed
during the last two years. Mr..
Thomas is scheduled to go on trial
in District Court here next month
on charges Of conspiracy to defraud
the Government and filing false
claims in connection with his con-
gressional ONCE payroll. He has
been q patient at Walter Reed Hos
pital since January 3.
Representative Wood, Democrat,
of Georgia will head the Committee
on Un-American Activities. He was
one Of IL chairmen selected on the
basis of seniority. Assignment Of
1852 House Democrats to the 10 regu-
lar committees was made by the
Ways and Means Committee ma
jority members, sitting as the Com
mittee on Committees, and was rati-
fed at the majority caucus yester-
day.
Should Push to CONCLUSION.
Representative insolvency, Demo-
crat, of Ohio, one of the new men,
bers of the Committee on I'm
American Activities, said today the
194s Communist spy hunt should be
pushed to a logical conclusion"
But at the same time I shall not
permit innocent men and women to
have their names and character be-
smirched by unfounded and unsup-
ported accusations"
Mr.. McSweeney, a 5S-year-old vet
eran of both World Wars, served
previously in the House In 1923-1929
and 1937-1939.