Evening star., 1951-06-24
Aroused Public Opinion
Needed in Crisis
Writer BIumes Both Sides
For Prevailing Troubles
By Frohk R. Kent

By Frohk R. Kent
A very wise old man who a good
many years ago amassed great deal
of money largely through his ability to
judge what was going to happen in this
country a little bit better than most,
recently said: "This is the first time
in my life I have not been able to see
at least little way ahead
That is true today of all of us not
only in finance but in Government, in
politics, in journalism and in everything
else. No one knows. The state of the
world is such that chaos threatens and
civilization. itself. is imperiled. This
we are told day in and day out
by the so-called international ex-
perts and economic authorities. AS
OF now, these are extremely gloomy,
indeed.
The more optimistic concede that the
present crisis undoubtedly is the gravest
we have ever faced. But, they point
out. the ITS years of our existence have
been marked by long series of acute
crises, some Of which have threatened
our national existence" Yet, somehow.
we have survived all these crises, even
grown stronger and greater. Whether
this Is because Of the inherent strength
and intelligence of the American people
or because in the past Providence always
has been on our side is debatable-but
the fact of survival obviously is not.
These optimistic experts contend we will
survive this, our worst crisis, for the
same reasons we survived the others
and they may be right.
At any rate, there can be no argument
about the reality and gravity of the
crisis. That being the case, it does seem
clear that the one thing we cannot now
afford is politics as usual" The situa-
ton surely calls not only for non -parti-
sanship in the governmental machine
but for the presence in Washington as
advisers and administrators of the best
and strongest men in the country. No
one will contend that we have either Of
these. On the contrary. there has rarely
been time when politics and partisan
ship so deeply saturated the Govern
ment.
It is shown in every vote in the Senate
and House and in the various congress
sional committee Investigations and re-
ports. No pretense of unity Is made.
Republican votes with the Democratic
majority you find that that is his normal
political trend. The garrulous Senator
Wayne Morse of Oregon is an example.
When a Democrat votes with the Re-
publican minority he is easily identified
as an anti Truman, anti-New Deal
Democrat.
On the executive side the political
saturation is just as clear and fully as
deep. The man who has readiest access
to the President. who sees him more
often than any cabinet member and
with whom he is more at ease, still is
Chairman William M. Boyle Of the
Democratic National Committee. Mr..
Boyle's two subjects are politics and
patronage. These he discusses every
week-several times-with Mr.. Truman.
whose favorite subjects they also are.
They both enjoy it. Their enjoyment is
reflected all the way down the line Of
the great Federal machine.
1t is this sort of atmosphere that in
creases the power Of the pressure groups
particularly the labor and farmer
groups. Both Mr.. Truman and the Re-
publican leaders are obviously unwilling
to insist upon the same sort of sacrifice
from them as is required Of the rest Of
us. This flinching makes false and
hypocritical the anti-inflation pro-
nouncements on both sides. Also, this
atmosphere is the chief reason MI.
Truman has so few first-class men
either in the White House circle or in
the defense organization. It is why, in
this our gravest crisis, we are in the
hands of confused and feeble medioc-
rites. The only remedy is a thing
which at the moment we completely lack
Ito wit, an aroused and aggressive
public opinion which will force an
abandonment Of politics, real reduction
in all nonessential expenditures and the
putting of the national interests Con
both sides) ahead of all else.