Pogo and Morris

Habitues of Sunday comic supplements are well aware of Pogo's plight. They know that for week atfer week he has had to listen to a story about Hadle & Gristle, furry godmommas, alligator-shaped princesses and whatnot. They also know that Pago tried to escape yesterday--pleading an appointment in Lapland but that he could not because his interlocutor his shirt to the seat.

But they are probably less aware of a very similar plight enmeshing a far less sympathetic figure, Newbold Morris who has been tied down by a bevy of Congressmen ever since he first trumpeted his President blessed intention to crush governmental corruption. These Congressmen have been telling him a long dull story about a handful of war surplus tankers whose trails were more tortuous than any Handle and Gristle have yet negotiated.

Because Congress has nailed him to the tankers, Morris has received neither subpoena power nor the privilege to immunize certain witnesses from prosecution. The investigation has dragged on for so long that it looks as if Morris' chances to tackle the Internal Revenue Department are as remote as Pogo's fulfilling his "date in Lapland to trim a reindeer."

Meanwhile the President has taken excellent advantage of these proceedings by propelling his Revenue Department reorganization through Congress. Republicans looked up from their tanker investigation just soon enough to begin protesting, but not quickly enough to salvage what might have been a fine campaign issue.

The only genuine issue of corruption left, then, is Newbold Morris' plight, and that need hardly concern the President. It involves, to be sure, the government's handling of war surplus material, but this is of far less political consequence than the Internal Revenue case. The only one who really stands to lose is Newbold Morris.