The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1949-03-17
Along the Potomac
TO Washington
IN ]. Glenn Reall


The signing of the North Atlantic
Pact is now scheduled to take place
in Washington the first week in April.
The Pact will not be submitted to
the Senate for ratification as treaty,
as required by the Constitution, until
after it has been signed by the ma
tons entering into it. Last week
Secretary of State Acheson submitted
a rough draft of the Pact of the
Foreign Relations Committee Of the
Senate in executive session. Other
members of the Senate who must
vote on ratifying the Pact will not be
a lvised as to what it contains until
after it has been signed.
While the provisions of the North
Atlantic Security Pact are still con-
sidered a top secret" it is rumored
the signatories thereto will be bound
by the Pact for period of ten years;
that the Pact may be extended an adj
dtional ten years; that signatory ma
tions will be bound to defend any
Pact nation attacked by an agrees
scr; that an attack on occupation
troops of any nation will be con-
sidered an aggression against such
nation; that the United States will
furnish certain military supplies and
other aid to its allies; and, finally the
Constitutional requirement that only
Congress can declare war will be
recognized, altho actually American
entry into the Pact will bind this ma
ton morally to go to war to protect
the other signatories in case Of at
tack.
President Truman spent last week
mentioning at Key West, Florida,
while tired and angry members of
the Senate continued the famous fill
buster against a proposed change in
the rules which would permit early
consideration of the Administration
civil rights legislative program. Be
fore leaving Washington he submitted
to the Congress two messages in
which he called for reorganization of
the National Defense Establishment
and of the State Department along
tie lines recommended by the Hoover
Commission. Under the reorganiza-
tim plan for the National Defense
Establishment the Secretary of Ma
tional Defense would become in fact,
IN, hn in
our national defense setup, while the
Secretaries Of War, Navy and Air
Forces would become secondary of
ficials acting as assistants to the De
Tense Secretary.
HR 2945, bill introduced by
Representative Murray of Tennessee,
at the request of the Postmaster
General, is attracting a great deal of
attention both in and out of Congress
sional circles. Under its provisions
most postal rates would be heavily in
creased. While first class mail and
air mail rates would remain the same,
cost of postal cards would be in
Second class mail rates would be from
two to five times higher than at pres
ent. Third class mail would be in
creased from so percent to 200 per
cent. Fourth class mail rates would
also increased If the proposed new
postal rates are put into effect many
small newspapers and magazines will
probably be forced out Of business,
while others will have to heavily in
crease subscription and advertising
rates. 1t is charged the proposed in
creascs in third class mail rates will
seriously injurc business which must
depend upon direct mail advertising,
and will interfere with sale and distri-
button of books. The Postmaster
General insists the new rates are
necessary to make the Post Office De-
partment self-supporting The postal
service, however, has actually been