Evening star., 1939-03-22
By J. A. O'LEARY


The administration today defeat.
ed the Wheeler amendment to the
Government reorganization bill after
gaming reconsideration of yester-
Gay Senate action in adopting the
amendment, which was designed to
strengthen congressional veto power
over the Presidents regrouping
plans.
Reconsideration was obtained. 46
to A, due to a switch by Senator
Chavez, Democrat, of New Mexico
to the administration side. Inn
medlately afterWard, the amend.
ment itself was defeated by the
same vote.
This nullifled yesterdays tenn.
porary victory of the Democratic
Republican coalition fighting against
delegation of further powers to the
Executive.
Prior to today's vote. three Sena-
tors absent from the city yesterday
ended dramatic races to return in
time for the test. Two. Senator
Green, Democrat. of Rhode Island,
and Senator Nye, Republican, of
North Dakota, had been paired yes
teroay with the former among the
administration forces. The third
was Senator Truman, Democrat, of
Missouri, who joined the admins.
tration.
Senator Truman, who had been
IN Missouri to address the Legisla.
ture, arrived in Washington by
plane at am. Senator Green
reached Miami yesterday returning
from Santo Domingo and imme.
olateIy took plane north. Senator
Nye returned by plane from Or
lando, Fla, where he was recuperat.
| ing from illness.
Renews Plea for Amendment.
The Senate seemed on the verge of
voting a few minutes after meeting
at noon, but Senator Adams, Demo-
crat, OF Colorado a Wheeler sup.
porter, took the floor to make a re-
newed appeal for the amendment.
Even under the Wheeler proposal,
he said, the Senate surrenders SONS
OF its power to the President py
| orders after limited debate and with
out amendment.
1T means Congress does not
trust itself Senator Adams said,
"if it passes this bill without the
Wheeler form of congressional
check"
Speaking with vehemence, the
Colorado Senator said he was un-
willing to concede the claim that
Congress cannot handle reorganiza-
ton. because it would be unable to
resist pressure from Government
departments.
Had Senator Chavez not switched,
the vote on reconsideration would
have been As to 45 thereby putting
1t up to Vice President Garner to
break the tie in favor of the admin
istration. Had he declined to vote
in such a contingency, the amend
ment would have remained.
The Vice President at one point
yesterday could have voted to insure
victory for hackers of the Wheeler
amendment, but declined to vote.
The amendment was adopted yes
terday by three-vote margin, 46 to
43, but the real division on the point
was by count of As to a. as Sem
ator Byrnes. Democrat, of South
Carolina made a last-minute shift to
enable him to move for reconsidera-
ton.
The Wheeler amendment strength
ems the power of Congress by requir-
ing definite approval of presidential
reorganization orders, instead of the
House provision to make such orders
effective automatically after 90 days
unless both branches of Congress
disapprove.
Senator Borah explained he never
votes for cloture, or to table recon-
sideration. but that after further de-
bate has been permitted he intends
to vote against reconsidering the
Wheeler amendment. The tie vote
gave administration forces an over
night breathing spell and another
chance to overturn the Wheeler
victory.
When the first roll call was about
to be announced as As to A Senator
Byrnes jumped to his feet and
changed his vote from mo" to
"aye" to become eligible to move re-
consideration, which technically
made the result 46 to 43.
Presuming that the leaders would
stave off reconsideration until to-
day, Senator Clark, Democrat, Of
Missouri, Wheeler supporter, got
in ahead of Senator Byrnes with a
motion to reconsider and then i'm
(see REORGANIZATION, Page AID