Evening star., 1950-03-20

Ne Matter How Member
Votes His Motives
Will Be Misconstrued
By David Lawrence
The hottest potato at this
session of Congress hasn't a thing
to do with the vegetable kingdom
but is related to what may hap
pen at the polls of those members
of Congress who vote either
"aye" or may" on the Federal
to-education bill-if they are
given a chance to vote at all.
For no matter whether a men,
ber feels that the Federal Govern
ment should aid the States or
whether he thinks educational
appropriations should be left
solely to the States, his motives
are bound to be misconstrued by
the opposing candidat,;, if not
by his constituents. Republicans
and Democrats are to be found
on all sides of the question.
The issue, moreover. has many
sides. A member of Congress
who doesn't want any Federal aid
extended is readily accused OF
being in league with those reli-
gious groups which don't want
money appropriated by the Fed
eral Government unless it goes
to all schools. including parochial
schools.
A member who wants to have
Federal aid applied only to public
school children is likely to find
himself accused of being opposed
to religious schools and to the
relief of the burdens Of those
parents who pay taxes to support
public schools and also pay separ-
ately to defray the cost of reli-
gious schools.
Once Considered Radical.
For a long time the issue didn't
arise because it was considered
radical to put the Federal
Government into the field of edu-
cation. This was supposed to be
the traditional province Of the
States. But now. with the Federal
Government extracting so much
money from the States and giving
back taxpayers money in unequal
amounts to projects in the States
even as the sources OF taxation
are also drained by the Federal
Government, leaving fewer and
fewer categories of taxation to the
States to utilize-a demand has
arisen that the States be aided.
There is one school Of thought
which wants to provide aid te
education only in needy States
so-called backward areas where
there aren't enough tax revenues
to give the requisite education
This approach is attacked also as
the pressure for Federal money
Is exerted to include various kinds
Of aid for all States.
Thus the Federal Government
already has helped to provide
school lunches everywhere, and 1t
does this in all types Of schools,
religious institutions included
Also the policies of the States
themselves differ in permitting
use of public funds to furnish
textbooks, transportation and
health services in parochial and
private schools. ..
Sidestepped by Senate.
The Senate at the last session
sidestepped the ticklish questions
by voting to provide Federal
money and letting the States dis
burse it as they do their State
school funds. This ran into
trouble in the House. Cardinal
Spellman and Mrs Roosevelt got
into a controversy last year, the
echoes of which are still heard
here in Congress. In fact. the
controversy served to underline
the political risks involved in the
legislation, and that's why 1t is
not improbable that nothing at all
will be done about it at this ses-
sion.
Some day Americans will be in
terested in seeing that there is
more attention paid at least to
ethical teachings in the public
schools, and perhaps all people
will look with far more tolerance
than they do today on the Catho.
lie parents who have, in effect
paid double assessment to make
sure their children have some kine
Of religious education instead o1
none, which is too often the case
with public school children. But
these are subjects that are
wrapped up in deep-seated pref
udices and emotions, and there
will have to be sympathetic un.
derstanding on all sides before {
solution can be worked out.
1t is probably just as well thai
the national legislature hesitate.
for when the debate become:
more thorough, a truly compre.
hensiye program of education fol
Americas school children may be
the constructive result.
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