Evening star., 1939-03-21
Merger Bill Climax
Seen in Roll Call
Vote in Senate
Wheeler Amendment
Requires Congressional
Approval Of Reeroupine
By ]. A. O'LEARY.

BY ]. A. O'LEARY.
The climax in the Senate fight on
the Government reorganization bill
Is expected this afternoon, with q
close roll call vote on the Wheeler
amendment to require definite con-
gressional approval OF the Presi-
dents regrouping plans.
Put forward as a move to check
further delegation of power from
the legislative to the executive
branch, the amendment, if adopted,
would replace the House plan, under
which a reorganizati ton order would
take effect automatically after 60
days unless both the House and
Senate disapprove within that time.
d, During five hours of sharp debate
yesterday on this one major issue in
the bill, Senator Wheeler, Democrat,
of Montana contended the House
plan meant that if only one branch
Endorsed the orders by refusing to
disapprove, it would permit them to
go into effect.
Both Sides Claim Victory.
AS the time to vote drew near both
sides were still claiming victory, but
the opposing forces agreed informal
polls still indicate the margin will
be only q few votes either way.
Some supporters of the Wheeler
amendment were predicting that,
barring last-minute changes, they
may have 81 votes on the roll call.
If every vote was recorded, this
would leave As against If the final
hours of debate should cause any
swing of sentiment, change of
only three votes would produce tie.
Once the Wheeler motion is acted
on, the Senate probably will pass the
bill quickly. In the event the
Wheeler amendment is adopted,
final determination as between the
two methods of congressional ac-
ton on the Presidents orders would
have to be made in conference.
Senators Disagree.
Resuming debate today, Senators
McCarran, Democrat, of Nevada and
Ellender, Democrat, of Louisiana
disagreed over how far the bill would
allow the President to go in abolish
Ing functions as we'll as agencies.
Senator Ellender argued ne could
only abolish an agency after its
function had been merged with
some other agency and would not
wipe out substantive laws.
Senator McCarran insisted, how
ever, the abolition of function
would affect the law passed by Con-
gress when it created the function.
Senator Adams, Democrat. of
Colorado, read the following from
the list of Presidential powers in
the bill:
ITO reduce the number of such
agencies by consolidating those hav-
ing similar functions under single
head, and to abolish such agencies
or such functions thereof as may
not be necessary for the efficient
conduct of the Government"
Enactment Seems Likely.
Final enactment of the pending
bill IN some form seems likely, but
this 1889 version of reorganization
Is but part of the far-reaching
measure that was killed in the
House last spring. Abolition of the
Civil Service Commission and the
General Accounting Office. together
with creation of new Department
Of Public Welfare, have been aban-
doned this year.
The bill gives the President power
to draw up plans for the consolida-
tion or abolition of bureaus and
functions, but with list of nearly a
score Of exempt agencies. 1t also
gives the President authority to ap-
point six administrative assistants
No Great Emergency.
In calling on Congress to check
the delegation of legislative power.
Senator Tydings, Democrat, of
Maryland, agreed such delegation is
justified in time of emergency, but
inquired:
why should Congress abdicate?
There is no great emergency. The
German army is not at Bladensburg.
No cities are being bombed. The
Warmers will not get any more for
their wheat whether we reorganize
or do not. The unemployed will
still be unemployed. There will be
millions on relief.
Where is the emergency that we
should take our legislative power
and hand it over to the Executive,
who is-not the legislative branch of
this Government, and say, We do
not care to legislate on this pro-
posal'"
Senator Byrnes. Democrat. of
South Carolina, defended the House
plan. supported by Majority Leader
Barkley.
Wheeler Hits Legality.
Senator Wheeler took issue with
supporters of the House bill, and
declared 1t was unconstitutional
Near the end of the day the Mon
tana Senator asserted the people are
tired and weary of having us dele
gate our power, and if you don't
think SO, 60 back and look at the
last election returns"
senate leaders yesterday accepted
the Byrd amendment, writing into
the bill declaration of policy in
favor of economy, but not calling
Tor any specific reduction. 1t was
adopted only after Senator Byrd,
Democrat, OF Virginia, had modified
1t to declare retrenchment "desir-
able instead of imperative" He
also amended it to recommend that
expenditures be reduced "substan-
tally instead OF "drastically," and
to declare that reorganization could
accomplish this result in some
measure instead of in great" meas
ure.