Dulles, Humphrey Clash On Budget, State Rights

Two ardent spokesmen for the Democratic and Republican Parties, Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn.) and former Senator John Foster Dulles, locked horns over three crucial issues of the "Welfare State" last night: balancing the national budget, federal government vs. states rights, and material security vs. individual freedom and individual social responsibility.

A Law Forum crowd of approximately 1200 people at Rindge Tech first heard Humphrey outline the whys and where-fores of Democratic policy. After Dulles had methodically attacked these philosophies from three points of view, above, the Minnesota Senator adroitly tried to break down his Republican foe's arguments.

Surprise Expressed

Humphrey expressed surprise that the "Welfare State" was still an issue. "The only issue now," he claimed, "is whose welfare." Pointing out that business has always received "lavish assistance" from the government, such as the present subsidies for newspapers and magazines, he asked: "If it is desirable for these subsidies to help profits, is it not desirable for them to help the 'little' man achieve a decent standard of living?"

"The major threat to our economy," he continued, "is not the unbalanced budget, but the trend toward monopolies. From 1940 to 1948," he said, "over 2,450 small firms disappeared by merging with larger corporations. I can remember the days when we had a balanced budget under the Republicans in the '20's: it recent unbalanced diets, unbalanced lives."

Dulles replied that the main reason small firms were disappearing was their is ability to accumulate capital under the present high taxes. Humphrey asked, "How can we cut taxes and still balance the budget?"

Fall Responsibilities

On the question of states' rights, Dulles pointed to the fact that New York had not been allowed by the federal government to develop cheaper power from its natural resources of the St. Lawrence River.

"Instead," he declared, "we must spend a great deal more money getting our power from John L. Lewis, while Washington tells us that they will develop the St. Lawrence projects themselves--someday."

Humphrey rebutted by claiming that state governments failed to carry out their responsibilities when they had them and it ill behooves them to complain now."

Besides accusing the Democrats of incredible waste," Dulles said the "Welfare State" placed material wealth before spiritual considerations.