Evening star., 1951-08-26
As Senator Moody Sees 1t
As Senator Moody Sees It
Short Stay on Rubbing Table
Is Brief Respite in Hectic Day
By BIoir Moody

41lc OuIl1O1 OClIdIOI SG1cbG1ICu
out on the rubbing table and
closed his eyes. The skilled mas
Seur slapped on some oil and went
after the muscles in his back.
1t was a moment I had been
looking forward to for four
months. In my old athletic days, a
generation or two ago, I acquired
a great fondneSS for rubbing ta-
bleS. The Senate gym, with swim
ming pool slightly larger than a
bathtub. and steam room tailored
to the taste and antiquity of it's
patrons, had been the top target
for my first spare moment.
Here was, at last, playing
hockey from what promised to be
a long and boring speech, the
sense of which, if any, knew in
advance anyway. Literally, it was
the first good chance, with moth
ing pressing that had to be done
10 minutes ago, that I had had
since being sworn in in April.
Then the buzzer sounded. A long,
demanding, single buzz. For once,
a colleague had stopped speaking
too soon. One buzz means the
clerk is starting to call the roll.
Before I could get off the table,
he had already called Aiken" and
Anderson"
Puts Shirt On Oily Back.
1t was a question of throwing
my shirt on an oily back and
rushing down to the subway lead
ing from the Senate Office Build
ing back to the Capitol. Object:
to reach the floor before the clerk
reached the ms"
AT that point, I decided Larry
Winship was right. Larry, in my
book one of the country's top edi-
tors "a plug which. I trust, need
not be considered self-Serving,
since he runs my column anyway i,
bosses the Boston Globe. He had
been insisting for months that I
quit writing about weighty issues,
occasionally, and do a piece about
just being a Senator.
AS an old newspaperman, even
older than myself, Larry thought
that a fresh look at the inside
Senate, through the same eye that
had been appraiSing Senators from
the gallery for 18 years, might be
useful. and even amusing, but,
somehow. to a columnist accus-
toned to writing seven q week,
currently turning out only one,
there has always semed at least
one important issue that could
not be ignored. AS / felt the oily
shirt. however, decided Winship
was right.
I don't know no wit will be when
Congress recesses, Larry, though
suspect I'll be busy seeing con-
StltutentS, because certain citizens,
who have always been pretty good
friends OF mine personally, are now
out after my political scalp. But,
in session, do know that this
job Of being a Senator is in
teresting, stimulating, but rough.
Much rougher, even, than being
a correspondent who always tried
to make up in effort what he might
lack in other departments.
No Desire to POach.
I have no desire to poach on
the My Day" concession of one
OF our most distinguished CO.
professionals, but perhaps the best
way to describe the job of being a
Senator is just to tell what one
does.
A few days ago, returned from
Europe, after a seven-day. 1734-
hours (by actual COUNT a-day
sizeup of the situation relating to
the mutual security doreign add
bill. One can find out a lot in a
week, as any Senator who works
at it knows. when he talks with
such widely variegated leaders as
Gen. Eisenhower and British
Chancellor Of the Exchequer Hugh
Gaitskell, Pope Plus XII and
Marshal Tito, Gems. Gap Gruen-
ther and "Laury" Norstad, and
Ambassadors such as Milton Katz,
Jack McLoy and David K. E.
Bruce, provide wide sweep Of
viewpoint and information.
Naturally, I learned much on
this trip worth reporting to the
Senate, which I intend to do this
week.
That meant debating q speech.
That meant a heavy nlghtwork
load for my staff, which is the
best I've ever seen on the Hill.
That led to a heavy job next
morning Of reading copy" chang
ing words, pointing up emphasis,
after testing it out on Bob Ball,
Detroit's top reporter, until he
came with me as administrative
assistant; on Senators Brien Nc
Mahon, Democrat, of Conn, and
Paul Douglas, Democrat, of nli-
nois; on Ed Cooper, another keen
former newsman now right arm
of Majority Leader Kenneth Nc
Farland. Democrat, of Arizona,
and a couple of others.
81 Callers at Office.
The morning, except for inter-
ruptions, was taken up fixing the
speech. but there were 81 callers
In the Office, most of them from
Michigan. They came from De-
troit, Dearborn, Manistique, st.
Ignace. Kalamazoo. Pontiac, Ap-
plegate. Grand Rapids, Jackson.
Sunf1eld, and Lansing. saw as
many Of them as I could.
In addition, two new Michigan
members of the Renegotiation
Board. Lawrence Hartwig and
Frank F. Roberts, paid courtesy
visits. Dick Neustadt, one Of the
Presidents administrative assist
ants, called to say that q message
on the BOBBY trapped anti-inf1a-
ton bill would be up within a few
hours.
There were calls from two assist
ant secretaries of state, Edward
Barrett and Jack McFall; from