Evening star., 1953-05-07
The Political MM
BIG Government Wino
Goes Out Of Character
They Don't Like Sontu Claus
II He's in the Other Purty
The Political MiII
BY Gould Lincoln

0y SOulO Lincoln
The issue Of Big Government. as op-
posed to State and local control and
private operation is building up for the
political campaign of 1854. It was in
evltable that this should happen, with
the Eisenhower administration stand
ing out against greater Federal con-
troll OF the affairs of the American
people and in favor of decentraliza-
ton of governmental powers.
But the pack in favor of more and
more Big Government is now in full
cry. It's members have adopted a slo-
gan-"the give-away Eisenhower adj
ministration"-and hope to cash in on
1t in the congressional elections next
year. The incongruity of such cries
from group which has for the last
20 years supported Federal grants and
gifts OF the taxpayers money-run-
ming into the billions of dollars-is ap-
parent. Almost. 1t seems they resent
the Santa Claus garb which they
wrapped about themselves to win elec-
tion after election.
Supported by President.
The ''give-away" slogan comes out Of
the debate in the Senate over the tide
lands" bill, which has now passed both
the House and the Senate-with some
differences to be settled. In their
speeches the opponents of the bill, which
leaves the States in control of the
submerged lands off their shores as far
as the historic boundaries" claimed
that this was giving away" Federal
rights and property to the States Not
until very recent years had any claim
to these rights and property been made
by the Federal Government. On the
contrary, Federal officials had recog-
nized the rights of the States to these
lands. The discovery of oil under the
offShore lands, however, changed the
tune. Former President Truman was
strongly opposed to the possession and
control of these lands by the States, and
he twice vetoed bills similar to the
present measures - measures which
President Eisenhower supported in his
campaign and is expected to sign.
Jenner Replies.
The contention that the "tidelands"
legislation seeks to give to three States.
California, Louisiana and Texas, vast
properties at the expense of the other
As States, brought many replies from
both Republican and Democratic Sena-
tors voting for the bill. Senator Jenner.
Republican, of Indiana called the issue
false" The real issue" he contended.
"is the loosening of the grip of tho
Federal Government on our land and
our wealth. In voting for the right Of
our coastal States to keep their own
lands, I am voting for a principle
cherished by the people of Indiana.
Opponents of the bill say that il
Congress votes to return the submerged
land to the States, then Congress will
want to return Steam-poWer generating
systems and other Federal enterprises
to private hands. The collectivists
know that, if they want to block the
cleanup of this whole mess. they must
block the first attempt to disgorge
their gains"
Implicit in many of the criticisms
of the offshore-oil bill is the thought
that the give is not alone to
the States but to private oil companies.
There is no truth in that. The title
to the lands remains in the States.
under the bill. They may be leased for
they would be leased under Federal
ownership. unless the Government
itself undertook to go into the oil
business. The difference lies in the
fact that the States will get the royal
ties from such leases instead of the
Federal Government. The Big Gov
ernment advocates would like to have
the Federal Government get it's hands
on these royalties. Senator JennerS
contention is that the first line of de-
fense of private property "is the right
and power of the 48 States to resist
Federal encroachment."
Broad Estimates.
In order to bolster their "give-away"
argument, opponents of the bill gave
chimerical estimates of the value Of
the deposits in the submerged lands.
One was that between $50 billion and
$500 billion was at stake. The wide
difference between the minimum and
maximum figures discloses the wild
guessing going on. Senator Holland,
Democrat, of Florida, sponsor of the
Senate bill, using an estimate Of the
Geological Survey as to the amount Of
oil and gas in the submerged lands
within the historic State boundaries,
figured that the royalties over a So
year period would not exceed $575
million.
Politics is politics-and the New
DealFair Deal Big Government wing
of the Democratic Party is expected to
seize upon every move made by the
Eisenhower administration to resist
further Federal encroachments upon
the affairs of the people. and to break
some that already exist 1t is all in
line with the subtle suggestion of Adlai
Stevenson, Democratic presidential
candidate in 1852, that the Eisenhower
administration will turn out to be the
big Deal"