Evening star., 1951-04-08
Democrats Lost Chance
For Moral Stand
Writer Says Party FoiIed
To Profit by Exposures
By Fronk R. Kent

If it were not for one thing the Dem
ocrats in Washington would be giving
an inspiring and almost unprecedented
performance-to wit, that of a great
national political party cleansing itself
before God and all the people"-as
they would say on the Eastern Shore of
Maryland Nothing like it has hap
pened in the memory of living politi-
clans.
The almost invariable custom has
been for the minority party to accuse
the majority of corruption and wrong
doing while the majority vigorously de-
Tended, Indignantly denied and rigidly
resisted. This practice has been reversed
in the recent exposures of the Fulbright
and Kefauver committees. Both Sena-
tors Fulbright and Kefauver are not
only Democrats but strong Democrats
with long and impeccable party records.
And, the majority of each committee
was Democratic. The Fulbright investi-
cation revealed Scandalous situation
within the RFC involving various White
House aides and administration officials
all Democrats. It showed complete
absence among them Of moral and ethi-
cal standards.
The Kefauver committee exposed the
evil link between the criminal gangsters
and the politicians in several great cities
all of which are politically dominated
by the Democrats. 1t is almost unani-
mously agreed that these two Demo-
cratic Senators have rendered notable
public service. In some ways 1t has
been a party service as well. But. if
President Truman had co-operated, it
could have been a very great party
service indeed. Also, it would have been
of very great service to Mr.. Truman.
For. it seems reasonable to believe it
would have thrilled people generally to
have seen, following the exposures Of
these unsavory conditions in a Demo-
cratic administration by two Democratic
Senators, the Democratic President
promptly leap to the support of these
Democrats. 1t would have warmed them
to have him commend the conscientious
and constructive work accomplished and,
to the limit of his very great power,
vigorously act to clean up the whole
revolving mess.
Think of the position of the Demo-
cratic Party if that had happened: think
also of the position of the Republican
Party! The former truthfslly could as
sert that certain amount of corruption
and wrongdoing is inevitable in any
party that has been in complete power
Tor l9 years-and that such should exist
IN this immensely expanded Government
under this administration after one
great war had been fought and won and
now when we are in the midst of a
great national emergency involving the
expenditures of uncounted billions. was
natural and inescapable. Nevertheless.
with a presidential election little more
than year off, Democratic Senators had
uncovered the hidden corruption in their
own party and Democratic President
had swiftly moved to root it out and
punish those responsible.
1t seems pity it did not work out that
way. 1t is even more pity that the
sole reason it did not work out that way
is because Mr. Truman, personally an
honest man, did not throw his weight
against the malefactors in his own party
and join with the Democratic Senators
IN big Democratic cleanup. Instead.
the Democratic President, after first de-
scr1oing the Fulbright committees re-
port as "asinine," then sought to white
wash the officials upon whose sordid acts
1t had thrown the light by describing
them as honorable men" of whose
moral and ethical standards" there was
no reason to complain.
Certainly, too, it did not help the
Democratic situation that his chief COM
ment about the Kefauver committee.
whose work genuinely-and deeply
stirred the Nation, was to claim that he
had moved against crime before it did
claim impossible to sustain. Beyond
question. he spoiled the Democratic
show 1t is probable this will stand out
as the classic example of a muffed op-
portunlty. Not in generations is the
party likely to have another such.