Evening star., 1938-04-03
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

oeHute' ana opponents are putting
up bitter battle in the House.
By J. A. OLEARY.
One of the hottest parliamentary
battles in recent years-that over the
Government reorganization bill -ap-
peared likely to continue unabated in
the House this week, despite the COM
promises offered yesterday by admin
istration forces.
During the week end lull in verbal
hostilities on Capitol Hill, further
strategy to get the measure through
may be considered at the White House,
where the President is expected to
confer with congressional leaders on
his return from Warm Springs. Ga.
House leaders took the initiative yes
terday in proposing two amendments,
reliably reported to be acceptable to
the White House. One would enable
a majority in Congress to disapprove
reorganization orders by concurrent
resolution. and the other would leave
the Bureau of Education in the In
terror Department.
For five hours, however, the debate
went on, with members disagreeing
anew over the compromise amend
rnents. until adjournment shortly be-
fore pm. brought an armistice until
Monday.
Final Vote Seen This Week.
The House is expected to reach a
final vote before the end Of this week,
and, while odds favor passage of the
measure, 1t will face barrage Of
other amendments that may further
change it in various details.
One individual amendment to ex-
empt the Veterans Administration was
suggested yesterday.
House leaders said they were con-
fident the bill will pass, but they
avoided any prediction as to how
much longer the debate will run
Some opponents agreed the two modi-
f1cations proposed by administration
forces had increased the bills chances,
but they warned that the final draft
of the legislation will be written by
conferees, who will have before them
the wide range of language in both
the House and Senate bills.
Representative Otter, Republican,
OF Pennsylvania described the COM
promise amendments as bait" to in
duce the House to pass bill which,
he said, conferees would later Tut in
hnal form and Jam down our throats :"
He urged opponents to stand where
we did before" Representative Gif-
ford, Republican, of Massa chusetts
issued similar warning.
Many Amendments Indicated.
Representative Smell of New York,
Republican leader, indicated many
amendments will be proposed by the
opponents, but expressed belief its
passage in some form is likely
Belief that the bills chances for
passage were improved by the COM
mittee concessions also was expressed
by Representative Mapes Republican.
of Michigan.
Throughout yesterday. the House
chamber resounded with Democratic
appeals to their colleagues to stand to-
gether in support of the President,
while opponents belittled the amend
ments the Special Reorganization
Committee had offered by suggesting
they were intended to get the bill into
conference.
Representative Cochran, Democrat,
Of Missouri, in charge of the bill, de-
clared last night, however, that in
conference he will fight to uphold
the views of the House"
AT the same time Chairman OCon-
nor of the House Rules Committee,
leading opponent of the bill, said the
two new committee amendments have
not altered his opposition to the
measure. Asked when he thought the
bill would be disposed of, the New
Yorker suggested by Friday night"
Break in House Tomorrow.
The House will digress tomorrow
to take up the unanimous consent
calendar and the Senate bill to enable
the Reconstruction Finance Corp. to
broaden its lending operations to aid
the economic situation.
Later in the day, however, verbal
hostilities over reorganization probably
will be resumed, with no time yet fixed
to end general debate and get down
to action on amendments.
The committee proposal to enable
Congress to disapprove reorganization
orders by concurrent resolution dur
ing the 60 days such orders would be
pending before taking effect will be
offered by Representative Kniffin Of
Ohio, a member of the Reorganiza-
ton Committee.
While it would allow a majority of
the House and Senate to stop an order
without the possibility Of a veto that
would require two-thirds to override,
it would not require affirmative action
by Congress to make the orders ef-
fective.
It does not go so far, therefore, as
the Wheeler amendment, rejected in
the Senate by narrow margin, which
would have required definite action
either Of approval or disapproval by
House and Senate within 10 days
(See REORGANIZATION Parr A-a