Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-05-19
New Code Of Ethics
To Guide Uherances
In House and Senate
Recording Of Speeches
Made in Congress Urged
For Historical Purposes
By David Laurence

It's an Ill wind that blows no
good. and this happens to be true
Of the Mccarthy fracas in the
Senate In one respect that really
has nothing to do with the merits
Of the controversy itself.
For hereafter Senator'S and Rep
resentatives will be guided pre-
sumably by a new code of ethics.
Whatever they say orally will
have to be reported exactly and
explicitly as they utter every
word. and there will be no more
editing or revising or correcting
Of extemporaneous remarks.
For years the stenographers
who report committee hearings or
debates in Congress have fur
nished transcripts to members of
Congress or to witnesses, and the
understanding always has been
that corrections and editing
changes could be made before
printing. In some instances this
has amounted to the deletion of
paragraphs. and sometimes it has
given members a chance to alter
the severity of their remarks after
sober second thought.
New Rule Advanced.
Now all this is to be changed.
The new rule which has, in ef-
feet, been advanced by Democratic
leaders requires that there be no
changes from oral utterance to
written record. 1t will be interest
ing to see how closely the self
denying ordinance is followed.
The new approach may be ex-
pected as q direct result of the
position to which Senators Lucas,
of Illinois, and Kilgore, Of West
Virginia, Democrats. committed
themselves in the Senate debate
on May 3 when a general attack
was made on Senator Mccarthy
Of Wisconsin, Republican, in con-
nection with a speech he had de-
livered in Wheeling, w. Va, on
February 8 last. This address
was broadcast over a Wheeling |
radio station and allegedly diff
fered on one point from the
speech made by the Wisconsin
Senator on February 20 in the
Senate.
The point at issue related to a
list of 205 persons which Senator
Mccarthy is alleged to have told
his West Virginia audience were
Communists known to the Secre-
tary Of State. whereas on Febru-
airy 20 the Congressional Record
quotes him as having said he
knew of "57 cases of individuals
who would appear to be either
card-carrying members or Ger
tainly loyal to the Communist
Party. but who nevertheless are
still helping to shape our foreign
policy"
. Senator Mccarthy said today
the radio station was given in ad-
vance an uncorrected script but
that over the air he referred toll
the 81 cases. His attention was
called to the affidavits of station
employees alleging that there was
a tape recording Of the broadcast.
He says If there was a tape re-
cording. it should be produced
and that he was confident it
would show that he said 81 and
not 205.
Good Idea For Congress.
The real issue, however, isn't
whether he did or did not use
the figure 1905" The implication
in the Senate debate is that, even
If he had made q slip of the
tongue-which he insists he did
mott would not be permissible
to revise his remarks for insertion
in the Congressional Record.
Hereafter any member who
makes a speech outside of Con-
gress presumably cannot revise it'll
for the Congressional Record
without being subjected to al
charge of untruthfulness. If he
makes an error, he probably will
have to make a record of his COR
rection as well as the original
statement.
The idea Of tape recordings is
also o good one for Congress. It
would simplify matters for every
body If hereafter there were a
recording Of everything spoken in
committees or on the floor of
both houses. Certainly for his
torical purposes this is the only
record worth while and, If the
outcome Of this small part of the
Mccarthy controversy in the Sen
ate is to abolish the editing" or
revising" of committee or debate
records, it could prove a salutary
development,