Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The voice. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1946-195? | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1953)
THE VOICE Published Weekly “Dedicated to the promotion of the cultural, social and spiritual life of a great people ” ELBERT SAWYER Publisher and Editor Business Address 2226 8 Street. P.O. Box 2023.2-4086 Burt F. Newton... Executive Editor Maxine Sawyer.Advertising and Business Manager JamM Sawyer . .Circulation Manager I Member of the Nebraska Press Association Entered as second class matter, June V 1947. at the Post Office at Lincoln. Nebraska, under the Act of March 3, 1879. ^ 1 year subscription . *2.50 Single copy ..TTTlOe _Out of State 1 year Subscription *2.60- Single Copy 10c EDITORIALS rhe views expressed in these columns are those of the writer and not necessarily a reflection of the policy ‘ of The Voice.- Pub. » i _ I Economic Highlights “Congress shall make no law • . . abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assem ble and to petition the Govern ment for a redress of grievances.” So states the First Amendment to the Constitution. This is the guarantee that we may say and print what we believe to be true,; and that in addition we Have the right to attempt to convert other j people to our ideas—in other words, to influence public opinion.! Even so, a general statement of principle no matter how unequiv ocal is subject to interpretation! when a specific instance is in-^ volved. A case which was just I,, decided by the Supreme Court— ^ and which may have historic sig nificance—is in point here. 5 In 1950, a House of Representa- •; tives committee conducted an in- j vestigation of lobbying. Among < the witnesses summoned was Dr. ( Edward A. Rumely, executive sec- j retary of an organization known . as the Committee for Constitu- , tional Government. This organiza- t tion had published and sold books ( which were extremely critical of \ New Deal philosophies, policies, and acts. Dr. Rumely was ordered < to disclose the names of people who had bought books.to the value of $500 or more. He refused. The * House, by a narrow vote which generally followed partisan lines, cited him for contempt of Con gress. He was found guilty in a Federal District Court and sen tenced to a $1,000 fine and a six - months prison sentence, the latter being suspended. Dr. Rumely appealed, and the1 U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals re-! versed his conviction, citing the First Amendment. The Govern ment then took the case to the Supreme Court. A short time ago this court of last resort held, by a 7 to 0 vote! with two Justices not participat-j ing, that Dr. Rumely was not guilty, on the grounds that the resolution under which the lobby ing committee acted did not em power an investigation into pub lishing activities. But Justice' Douglas, with Justice Black con-! curring, went much farther in ai separate opinion. He dealt withj the constitutional issue involved. Here, in part, is what he said: “If the present inquiry were sanc tioned the press would be sub jected to harassment that in effect might be as serious as censorship. ... A requirement that a publisher disclose the identity of those who buy his books, pam phlets, or papers is indeed the be ginning of surveillance of the1 press .... “The finger of government lev eled against the press is ominous. Once the government can demand of a publisher the names of the : purchasers of his publications, the free press as we know it disap pears. | “Then the spectre of a govern ment agent will look over the shoulder of everyone who reads. | The purchase of a book or pam phlet today may result in a sub poena tomorrow .... The books and pamphlets that are critical of the administration, that preach an unpopular policy in domestic or foreign affairs, that are in dis repute in the orthodox school of thought will be suspect and sub ject to investigation. . . . “If the lady from Toledo can beiJ required to disclose what she read ^ yesterday and what she will read * tomorrow, fear will take the place 1 of freedom in the libraries, book- | stores, and homes of the land. ‘ rhrough the harassment of hear tngs, investigations, reports, and 1 subpoenas government will hold a 1 club over speech and over the 1 press.” j • Justice Douglas’ opinion did not * make many headlines. But it may oe remembered long after some of the best-publicized events of today are forgotten. Crass Roots Opinion ELY, NEVADA, RECORD. “ ... ; the foundation for genuine indi- ’ vidual security lies in the owner- '< ship of a house and land free from confiscation by taxation. This is i provided for under the Law of1 the Lord and the result is de-j scribed by Micah: ‘But they shall] sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree (typifying the personal security of a privately jowrted homestead); and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth |of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.' (Micah 4:4.) This is the basis for true social security.” HAGERSTOWN, MD., MORN ING HERALD: The fact that most needs to soak in upon all of us right now is this: If we look to our government for security, then we have no security—for what the government can give us the government can also take away.” WALDOBO.RO, MAINE, PRESS: “Government is made up of serv ices as required by the people of the State. Such services should always be ample but not more than ample. Government expen ditures should be made in the II Your City 11 Light Department Capitol News By MELVIN PAUL Statehouse Correspondent The Nebraska Press Association LINCOLN—The L e g i s 1 a t ure continued its efforts this week to hammer together some kind of highway program for Nebraska. Supporters of a penny-a-gallon increase in the state tax on gaso line decided last week end to “go for broke” and shunned a proposal by Sen. Arthur Carmody of Tren ton to halve the increase. The vet eran Trenton lawmaker warned his colleagues that it is doubtful the penny boost can muster the 29 votes necessary to pass with the emergency clause. Bills with the clause become effective as soon as they are signed by the governor. Those without it require only 22 votes to pass and become effec tive three months after the Legis lature adjourns. Right now, it ap pears the session will end about June 1, so non-emergency meas ures will become law about Sept. 1. Carmody stressed that if the gas tax bill, LB 258, passes without the emergency clause, Nebraska’s heavy vacation traffic this sum mer will be fueled with gas tared at only a nickel a gallon. A half cent increase probably could com mand 29 votes, he said “and we’ll get this money this summer.” But his motion was defeated, 27 to 7. The showdown on final pas sage of the bill probably won’t come until next week. * Hi * Commission In arguing for the half-cent pro posal, Carmody said he had found that it was often necessary to com promise. This was a reference to ais LB 4, the bill to create a state lighway commission. Though the neasure still bears his name, here’s not too much of the orig nal bill left. Instead of a full ime commission with administra ive powers, as the un-amended neasure proposed, the bill now jrovides for a part-time, advisory commission, a good deal more like he highway “committee” which' Jen. Karl Vogel, a longtime enemy' >f commission bills, suggested. Sen. Terry Carpenter attempted o make the bill stronger but was lefeated. The colorful Scotts aluff lawmaker cried, “Let’s give :he commission some authority, md some responsibility!” He wanted a fulltime commission of seven members, each to be $6,000. [ Vogel himself lost a battle to re quire the advisory commission to submit a road program which would be approved by the Legis lature. Carpenter scoffed that this would simply mean a 43 member commission instead of one with seven members. Whether the bill in its present form will meet the objections raised by the Nebraska Farm Bu reau Federation, kingpin in the 1950 battle against revenue meas ures, is doubtful. The FB, like several other groups, has insisted on the formation of a highway same way as business expendi tures are made, that is, always with an eye to economy and the Government should make certain that a dollar’s value is received for every dollar expended.” FRANKLIN, IND., REPUBLI CAN: “. . . virtually all college administrators are leery of wider government aid, feeling that in evitably it will mean federal con trol of education.” — BEAL'S GROCERY ' Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Meats 2101 R TeL 2-6933 ! commission before any more money is made available to the Highway Department. License Fees * * * Yet to be debated by the Legis lature as a whole is a bill in creasing vehicle registration fees, LB 259, a companion to the gas tax bill. With certain exceptions, the bill is pretty much like the one killed in the 1950 referendum. The new bill raises the fee for passenger cars from $5 a year to $6 a year. The 1949 act raised the fee to $8. A State Highway Department spokesman estimated the amended measure would bring the state about $400,000 a year, or about one-fourth what had been ex pected. Including federal match ing funds this would amount to about $4.8 million less than if the ! original bill had been voted out. Multiplying the $400,000 by 2 I to get the income for the bien ! nium and then multiplying that I figure by 2 to get the federal ! matching funds gives a figure of ,$1.6 million the license fee change j would bring if ' .the Legislature | passed it as it was voted out by , the committee. The figure would .have been an estimated $6.4 mil lion under the bill as originally written. The spokesman said this would knock the contemplated construc CLEANING an| SANITATION SUPPLIES All Types Broom*—Furniture Polishes Mops—Floor Seal and Wax Sweeping Compounds Mopping Equipment Kelso Chemical 117 North 9th St. 2-2^34 tion program for the next two years from $36 million to around I $30 million. This will require a 'revamping of the highway pro gram as outlined to the Legisla ture by former State Highway Engineer H. L. Aitken. Diversion1 A quick decision of life or death for the diversion bill was being sought by legislative leaders thsi week and they had the support of senators on both sides af the issue. Because it is far and away the most controversial measure before this session, the legislators fear that e binge of vote-swapping will be based on the diversion bill. The measure came out of the Public Works Committee last week on a 5 to 4 vote after three members of the committee said (Continued on Page 3) For Everything in Baker Hardware HARDWARE 101 No. 9th 2-3710 FOR HOME. SCHOOL OR OFFICE USE ROYAL TYPEWRITERS Maaaal—Electric—Portable A. B. DICK MIMEOGRAPH DUPLICATORS Oompie'e Duplicator SappUet DICTAPHONE CLARY ADDERS SALES—SERVICE—RENTALS Coll, Phone or Write NEBRASKA TYPEWRITER CO. 125 Mo. Utb 2-7285 Opea Thursday Kvealngs until 9 W. Oh* MH OtM Stamps '52 Plymouth Club Coupe One Owner Car—11,000 Actual Miles *1695"° See it at PARRISH MOTORS 120 No. 19th Vine Street Market 2148 Vine Street 2-6583. 2-6584 Free—Fast—Delivery - THURSDAY—FRIDAY—SATURDAY U.S. Grade A Roast Beef..Lb 49c Hills Bros. Coffee r^mp.Lb 89c Yellowstone Tomato Juice.46.0Z. 29c ■ .. .. / Blackbird Salad Dressing ..49c