Evening star., 1953-05-23
House Restores
Part Of Howard,
Freedmen 'sCut
Committee Stund
Beaten Down in
Lengthy Debate

Appropriations Committee. has
restored to a budget bill for next
year some of the money cut
from appropriations for Howard
University and Freedmen's Hos
pital.
The university had suffered a
cut of 81 per cent in the funds
in its budget. It had
been allowed only $2.4 million in
the supply bill for the Depart
ments of Labor. and Health,
Education and Welfare.
This amount was raised to
So. .535 900. an increase of $685.
600. after lengthy debate on the
House floor. Action was on a
motion by Representative Mar
guerite Church. Republican, of
illinois. Three votes were taken
by the House on the amendment.
The first was a voice vote; the
second, a standing vote of 80
to 10. and the third, a teller
vote of 1l3 to 101. - ..
Supported by Powell.
Mrs. Church made a plea for
support of the historic institu-
ton. and was strongly supported
by Representative Powell, coll
ored, Democrat, of New York,
who had attacked the fund
SlasheS bitterly Thursday on the
House floor.
He told the House yesterday
that to adopt the lower figure in
the appropriations bill would re-
suit in dismissal of one-third Of
the faculty of the Liberal Arts
School. The Church amend
ment also was supported by Rep
resentatives Holifield, Democrat.
of California, and Sieminski.
Democrat. of New Jersey.
Representative Taber, Repub-
lican. of New York. and Repre-
sentative Busbey. Republican, of
Illinois, defended the cut ny the
committee, of which they are
members.
Enrolment Drop Cited.
Committee Chairman Taber
insisted the issue was mot
question of maintaining Howard
University" The budget re-
quest. he said, was out of pro-
portion to the decrease in en-
rollment of the school, which he
said had dropped from 1921 in
1948 to 4,506 in 1853.
Mr.. Bushey denied previous
charges by Mr.. Powell that he
was "anti-Negro" or "anti-mi-
nority" and contended the cut
made in funds would not affect
the work of the university.
The House debate over the
slash in funds for Freedmens
Hospital was raised by Repre-
sentative Powell, who won a
victory by getting the House to
strike a proviso of the bill he
had bitterly attacked as dis
criminatory and inhuman. The
clause would have required resi-
dents of nearby counties to make
arrangements for paying their
bills before admission to the hos
.pital.
Representative Busbey, han
ding the appropriation bill on
the floor, defended the proviso,
He explained it was intended to
make nearby counties pay for
INDECENT patients in the hos
pital. The District Government.
for years. has been reimbursing
the hospital for care of WASH
ington INDECENT patients. he
pointed out, but efforts to get
such reimbursement for indi-
gents from nearby States had
not been successful.
Would Shift Load.
Appropriations for the hos
pital had been reduced, he said,
with prospects that the financial
load for nearby indigents would
be shifted from the hospital it
self to patients. or to nearby
jurisdictions responsible for
them.
Mr.. Powell's first move to in
crease the bills $2,750,000 to
So, $50, 900 for the hospital stirred
lengthy debate. Mr.. Busbey Of
fered Mr.. Powell a compromise
to strike the INDECENT proviso
and increase the fund to $780,
600. After further debate, Mr..
Busbey raised the figure to So
100000. Mr.. Powell agreed. and
the House approved his revised
amendment, by voice vote. The
accepted figure had been ap-
proved by the Eisenhower adj
ministration in its own budget.
Mr.. Powell urged the Approp-
riations Committee to bring in
next year a similar INDECENT
proposal for all Washington hos
pitals.
Mr.. Busbey declared the COM
mite still will continue its ef-
forts to get nearby communities
to carry the INDECENT patient
load costs in Freedmen's.
Negro Society Protests.
Meanwhile, the Medico-Chi
rurgical Society, a local organ
iZation of some $50 Negro physi-
clans, formally protested the ac-
ton of the Appropriations Com
mittee. In a resolution sent to
Congress, the society said budget
cuts would seriously impair the
quality and quantity of medical
care for patients"
The House action on both the
university and hospital Is sub
ject to another vote later, when
the entire appropriations bill
comes up for action onthe floor.
Items for st. ElizabethS Hos
pital were not reached yester-
day. as the House put over fur
ther consideration of the big