The Lincoln times., 1955-04-21
SENATOR
SAM Erwin
* SAYS *

WASHINGTON - After the
Senate returned from the Easter
recess. it found that many COM
mitteeS had held sessions during
the recess without taking any time
to go home.
1 was unable to get to North
Carolina except for an enjoyable
meeting in Davidson County on
Easter Monday.
Senator Hayden. Chairman of
the Senate Appropriations Com
mittee, brought out the Second
Supplemental Appropriation. for
action on the Senate floor last
week. Among the amendments
that were adopted before final
passage was the Kerr amendment
which provided S7.000,000 addi-
tional funds for the school lunch
program.
SOMETHING NEW
For some time now there has
been before. the Congress a bill to
permit the mailing of live scor-
pions. The Post Office Department
had been reluctant to give IA
vorable report on this proposal.
but there has been developed a
plastic bag which is supposed to
remove all danger to postal en-
ployeeS. Sounds rather far-fetched
to the average person just as 1t
did to me, but Senators from the
Southwestern part of our great
country where scorpions are plen-
tiful (and very poisonouS) pointed
out that live scorpions can save
lives. How? Serpent serum is used
in treating people who have been
the victim of a scorpion bite, The
Senate passed the bill Thus medi-
cal research work can now go on,
aided by the poStman carrying the
live scorpion in a plastic bag!
I kept my ears open around the
Senate to see the reaction to the
most welcome news of the validity
of the Salk polio vaccine. The ma
tion's leading lawmakers were very
happy that another of mankinds
great ScourgeS has virtually been
conquered. The feeling seemed to
be that this is an outstanding eX-
ample of progress in a field that
really means something and that
everybody has cause for JOY. Per-
haps cancer will next be the vic
tim of unending research.
During the week the hearings on
| the FOA grain storage project IN
Pakistan was carried on by the
Government Operations Commit
tee. 1t is nothing short of punish
ment to have to sit until SIX or
seven o'clock at night on COM
mittee with the fine spring wealth
er we're having now in Washing
! ton.
SAM RAYBURN
On last Saturday night I attend
ed the dinner honoring Speaker
Sam Rayburn. This gave me an
opportunity to see many North
! Carolinians who were in town for
| the affair. We were all looking
/ forward to seeing former Vice
President John Nance Garner who
had planned to come here from his
home in Uvalde, Texas, but his
arthritis was bothering him too
much. or so his doctor advised,
for him to make the trip to Wash
ington.
The Army invited a few Senators
to the Pentagon for briefing on
some secret weapons our country
has. I went along. 1t took about
two hours for the briefing and l
found it very helpful as member
of the Senate Armed Services
| Committee.
Senator Lyndon Johnson OF Tex
as sent a bag of Texas onions to
nv office last week. They we're
very fine specimens. Some of the
high school boys and girls Spled
them sitting beside the entrance
to my office. I told them that they
were more than welcome up here
and if they got hungry we would
be glad to furnish them onions.
There we're no responses favorable
| to the suggestion. Secretly. l am
confident that most people wish
they we're in position where on
ions could be eaten without caus-
| ing social CONSERVATION.