Change of Mind

Strong of mind and limb is John Taber, Republican Congressman from Auburn, N. Y. Tall, grey, fierce Mr. Taber bellowed so loud one afternoon last year that he jarred loose the stopped ear canals of Representative Leonard Schuetz of Illinois, restored Mr. Schuetz's hearing (TIME, May 20). On that day, as on many a day before and since, earnest, thrift-minded John Taber was snorting his wrath at Franklin Roosevelt, whom he always denounced as the wrong man to trust with a taxpayer's dollar. One day last week Republican Congressmen burst out of a party caucus as if they had seen a ghost, blurted to reporters: "John Taber's in there making a speech for Roosevelt." Mr. Taber calmly confirmed the rumor, furthermore gave notice that he didn't want any unnecessary strings tied to the $7,000,000,000 Lend-Lease appropriation for the President. Mr. Roosevelt was the very man, implied Mr. Taber, to trust with $7,000,000,000, especially if the money was to fight Hitler.

With Economizer Taber talking thus, only 55 Congressmen mustered nerve to vote against the appropriation, second biggest in all U. S. history (336 voted for the bill). The Senate folded up, too, passing the bill in jigtime, 67-to-9. On the subject of aid to Britain, there were no party lines left in Congress.

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