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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 24, 1947)
Morse Explains Veteran Biff For nearly three hours last month I talked with Wayne 1,. Morse, Oregon’s storm-center senator, who was dean of the Uni versity’s law school before he went to Washington in January 1945. I asked Senator Morse to tell me the story of veteran's legislation in the first session of the 80th congress. The story, substantially as he told it to me, follows:) By BOB FRAZIER Senator Morse was chairman of a veterans’ subcommittee of the committee on labor and public wel fare. His committee was charged with framing senate legislation on veteran affairs, and in this connec tion called committee hearings, which Morse conducted “in the same manner I conducted hearings in West Coast labor disputes.” After interviewing dozens of vet erans’ organizations representa tives, psychologists, educators, and other "experts,” the committee realized it would have to write its own legislation, since so much of the legislation suggested by the “experts” was "too extreme” to get through the ful) committee, much less the senate itself. Even the veterans’ representa tives told the senator they didn’t hope to get it all, but wanted as much as they could. Morse said he refused to beat his head against the wall in seeking what he knew was impossible. He said he tried to settle for measures that would “do equity,” and still get through the congress. The School Bill Of primary interest to Univer sity students is the measure which would have increased the subsist ence allowance to $75 and $105 a month for single and married men, and allowed the student veteran with one or more children an ex tra $15 a month. Some proposals, the senator re vealed, provided for a full living allowance. However, he insisted, the original intent of congress was not "full cost,” but “substantial aid.” This is borne out by tran scripts of testimony and debate at the time the original bill was passed. The first problem facing the committee, then, was whether to write a new “full cost” purpose into the bill. Such a provision, Morse felt, was “hopeless.” So he concentrated on what he believed were fair adjustments in the exist ing laws. Had he been in congress at the time the original bill was passed, the senator said, he would have supported the “full cost” idea, as a “good investment” from a business point of view. “They will return it to the treasury in taxes.” ' Beyond that there Is a moral obligation, he added, since “In the midst of war we said we’d make it up to these boys.” He said he told his committee that “we sit here as free men” be cause of veterans. At the same time Senator Morse warned that the veteran must not overlook his responsibility to the home front, and that he must real ize there is no foundation for "class conscious attitudes,” which might be stirred up by demagogues. Many Already Quit In their preliminary hearings the committee learned that many vet erans had used up their savings and war bonds, and in some cases had exhausted their borrowing power, too. Winter term last year, veterans began dropping out of school for financial reasons. The “opposition” pointed out that nonetheless the veteran en rollment was going up. Senator Morse, however, argued that “we get our money back only if they finish,” He felt that attention must be directed to students who had been dropping out. Further study by the committee revealed that the cost of living had climbed about 15 per cent since the last increase in subsistence al lowance was made. That adjust ment had also been made on a cost of living basis. It was this factor that fixed the amount of increase in the new bill, and Morse believes it was this factor that enabled him finally to get the bill through the senate. He said he regretteed not being able to get more, but he felt the bill stood a better chance of pass ing if the increases were more mod erate. He said he was especially concerned with the $15 increase for married veterans with children, be cause this group is usually the hardest hit since the wives most often can’t work. It Reaches the Floor In the subcommittee the bill passed with only one dissenting vote—that of Senator Joe Ball (R., Minn.) In the full committee Sen ators Ball and Robert A. Taft (R., Ohio) opposed it, although on the floor of the senate Taft later an nounced himself in favor of the bill. For six weeks, the senator charged, the bill was blocked in the senate because the “leader ship in charge of thei calendar stalled, delayed and used dilatory tactics” because the bill was “not a part of the ‘must’ legisla tion of this session.” He spoke for his bill whenever he could gain the floor, and urged the senators to vote on it, telling them that -“Full responsibility rests on the leadership of the 80th congress.” Nonetheless the leadership of the senate refused to recognize him when introduction of his bill was in order. Tuesday night of the week pre ceding the week of adjournment “they finished an appropriation bill which was the pending business of the senate.” A motion to consider his bill was now in order. Morse grabbed the floor first, but Vandenberg didn’t recognize him. He recognized Senator Ho mer Ferguson (R., Mich.) But Senator Ferguson wasn’t in the Senate. He was in the cloakroom. “So,?> Senator Morse related, he “caught ’em flat footed.” For 30 seconds he demanded the floor, and finally Vandenberg recognized the senator from Ore gon who immediately moved con sideration of his bill. Senator Taft then asked Morse to withdraw his motion, telling him that his bill was further down the calendar; Senator Morse refused, telling the senate that while his bill was on the list, the leadership of the senate “doesn’t intend to take it up until Thursday or Friday of next week,” which would not al low time for action by the house of representatives. Again he told them that if the bill “fails, the sole responsibility rests on the Republican leadership of this session of congress.” Majority Leader Wallace White (R., Me.) then left his chair and Senator Owen Brewster (R., Me.) took his place and moved adjourn ment. This Morse explained as “a par liamentary move to wipe the slate clean.” An adjournment puts pend ing business (in this case the vet erans’ school bill) off the slate, whereas a recess would have kept it alive. Morse then forced a roll call on the adjournment, but was beaten 35 to 29. All the Democrats on the floor at that time, and some of the Republicans voted with Morse against adjournment. The ‘Minority Leader’ At that time Minority Leader Alben Barkley said he wished “to congratulate the new minority lead er who had just done something he couldn’t do,” (get all the Demo crats to vote together.) A procedural rule provides that after an adjournment, the senate must begin a “new'legislative day,” at the beginning of which there iy a two-hour period known as the “morning hour.” A five-minute rule is in effect during this period, and in the latter half of it motions are not debatable. Senator Morse lined up 12 other senators who offered to make his motion for him if he were unable to obtain recognition from the chair during the latter half of this period. Since no debate is allowed, the senator reasoned that his meas ure would have to be voted upon then and there, and all the sena tors would have to go on record. Senator Taft got wind of Sen ator Morse’s plan and came around to him and asked him to lay off. He said if Morse would agree not to press the issue at that time, Taft would see that the motion reached the floor Fri day or Saturday of that-week (the week before adjournment.) Senator Morse agreed. At the end of the morning hour, he rose and announced to the senate the deal he hid just made with Senator Taft, j The bill was brought ud^Satur day of that week. Morsp spoke briefly, telling the senate that the “full expenses” idea was more than he could hope for, but that he be lieved this bill was fair and equit abe under the intent of the con gress which passed the original bill. Senator Taft. then announced that he was in favor of the bill. It passed the senate overwhelm ingly by an oral vote. “ In the house of representatives the bill didn’t even come to the floor, but lay buried in the rules committtee until adjournment. House leaders Objected to the bill on the grounds that it was not in line with the President’s program of “no more veterans’ legislation this session.” Scoffing at this reasoning of the house leadership Morse point ed Out that it is “Not up to the Re publican leadership to determine what the President’s views are. The Taft-Hartley bill is an example. He also said he believed “The merits of this bill are so sound the President would have to sign it.” "Now the leadership of the house is responsible” for the bill, Morse declared, although he admitted that the house hardly had time to con sider the bill, because of its long delay in the senate. The responsibility for the long delay in the senate is Taft’s re sponsibility. It should have come up six weeks before it did,” he charged. f Oregon 1$ Emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald, official publication of the University of Oregon, published daily during the college year except Sundays, Mondays, and final examination periods. Entered as second-class matter at the postoffice, Eugene, Ore. Member of the Associated Collegiate Press BOB FRAZIER, Editor _ BOB CHAPMAN, Business Manager Once and for All At first look, the $4 per student asked by the newly organi zed Campus United Fund drive, running September 29 through October 4, appeals to, be cpiite a sum to casually leaf into the waiting palm of a solicitor. Before glomming on to their pockets, however;'-'stuefents should review the purpose of the drive which is to consolidate the Red Cross, Community Chest, World Student . Service Fund and March of Dimes into one. Each organization will'be apportioned the equivalent amount they have received in previous years. The desirable and impor tant result is that there will he no more campus drives the re mainder of the year. After C.U.F. has made the rounds, students can relax for three terms without fear of being pounced on by eager solici tors working for harried campus chairmen trying to make a quota. The drum beating will all be over in one act. But that one act will have to be a success. Nickel and dime contributions aren't going to do it. If the majority of students do not give $4, the funds will not be adequate to apportion to the four organizations, and there is only one horrible alterna tive. The national groups will he allowed on the campus and all during the year students will constantly be nagged by nioney for-something drives. m The Campus United Fund is a campaign promise that has bee me a working plan, and it's a good plan. It's success de* pen Is on whether or not every student is wearing a yellow "O" j tag by October 4. MosmbUf Matinee By BERT MOORE The. Australian soldier was bend ing his energies towferd making time with a little native girl when the company bugler blew a call back to camp. At the first note the Aussie’s head jerked up, he lis tened intently, and then, with in finite digust on his face he said, “What the hell do they want now?’’ The theater audi&ice roared. It was a real and humorous situation, made doubly humorous,'I’m sorry to say, because most of the audi ence had been brought up on a diet of namby-pamby filmfare. The audience hadn’t expected to be exposed to a (horrors!) swear word. The laughter was a little ner vous, as if the theater patrons ex pected Eric Johnston or the Legion of Decency or the P-TA to raid the place at any moment. This realistic bit of dialogue is definitely not from a Hollywood picture. “40,000 Horsemen” was made by a British company. As is the case with so many foreign films, it had the brand of realism that much of our home-produced stuff lacks. Don't get me wrong. Realism on the screen doesn't demand that all the characters swear fluently at each other on the slightest provo cation. But realism does demand (Please turn to page three) f WATCH BOX J?£ArUR£S For you students who must carry your lunch, we have a wide variety of tasty foods * at ELLIOT’S ONE-STOP GROCERY 13th & Patterson Phone 95
