Evening star., 1942-01-15
33-fo-26 Senate Vote
Kills Fight on Shift
OF Federal Agencies
BorkIey Wins Morrow
Victory Over PIun for
Delay Pending Study
BY ]. O. OLEARY.

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The vote was SO to 26.
Chairman McCarran Of the Sen
ate District Committee, who led a
determined, uphill fight to require
the Budget Bureau to throw more
light on the legality of the transfers
and the necessity for scattering the
agencies in five or six cities, said he
has no further action in mind.
While the Senate was approach
ing a vote, announcement was made
that the Patent Office will begin
moving its personnel and equipment
to Richmond, Va, January 81. Sen
ator McCarran told the Senate his
information is the Government has
leased a tobacco warehouse in that
city to house the Patent Office.
Barkley Takes Floor.
Although Majority Leader Barkley
took the floor several times during
four hours of sharp debate to rally
administration forces against the
group of Senators who feel the best
interests of the Government will
suffer through decentralization, the
vote was close. A change of four
votes would have passed the reso-
luton.
The vote finally came on a substi-
tute by Senator Danaher, Repub-
lican, of Connecticut, which Senator
McCarran accepted. The substitute
eliminated lengthy preamble,
which recited arguments developed
In the District Committee against
removal of the bureaus. Stripped
down to mere request for further
study, the substitute read
Resolved, That it is the sense Of
the Senate that the director of the
budget, before taking any further
steps toward removing any agency
or ONCE of the Government from
the District of Columbia, submit a
report to the Senate giving full in
formation as to the reasons for the
issuance of any order of removal,
the statutory authority upon which
it is based and the facts in connec-
ton with each such agency directed
to move under the provisions of said
order, and that execution of any
such order be stayed until the Con-
gress shall have made inquiry into
the reasons therefor pursuant to the
foregoing resolution"
Senators Tydings, Democrat, Of
Maryland; La Toilette, Progressive,
Of Wisconsin; Brewster, Republican,
OF Maine and Chairman Maloney of
the Senate Public Buildings and
Grounds Committee joined Senator
McCarran questioning the wisdom
OF the moves without more adequate
information.
McNary Sides With Barley.
Senator Barkley was aided in his
tight against the inquiry by Minority
Leader McNary of Oregon and SEN
ator Norris, independent, of Ne
braska.
Senator Barley insisted that he,
too, favored keeping the Govern
ment centralized in Washington in
normal times. but that Office space
and housing conditions here would
make it impossible to provide for
all the defense workers who are
being brought here without some
transfers.
Several times in the debate, how
ever, other Senators questioned
whether the Government employees
will find it any easier to obtain
housing accommodations in the
cities to which agencies are to be
moved.
Senator Tydings. who asserted the
removals will reduce Government
efficiency and cost approximately
as much as the outlay for more
temporary construction here, told
OF visit he made Tuesday to Phil
adelphia, where at least one of the
transferred agencies is going.
He said well-informed persons
there told him Philadelphia can
furnish the Office space, but that
more housing will have to be pro-
vided. They called attention to the
industrial expansion caused by de-
tense contracts which has absorbed
housing facilities in and around
Philadelphia.
Near the close of the debate, Sen
ator Barkley sought to make the
issue one of confidence in the Presi-
dent. He said:
ut Is unfortunate that SO soon
after getting into the war we are
questioning the authority, if not
the good faith, of the President.
I realize it is inconvenient for en-
ployes to be moved. It is also in
convenient for men to be drafted
into the Army. The President
knows what has been done. He di-
rected the action of the Budget
Bureau. We all know the situation
in Washington has been growing
desperate"
Suggests Taking Over Buildings.
This prompted Senator Maloney
to ask if, since the Government is
leasing private facilities in the other
cities, it would not be wise to take
over private buildings here and keep
the departments intact at the seat
of Government. Senator Maloney
suggested the Government could
take over commercial buildings here
that are occupied largely by
lobbyists"
Senator Maloney joined Senator
McCarran in challenging the au-
thority for moving some of the
agencies and in contending that the
District of Columbia was set aside
in the Constitution to be the seat
OF Government.
When Senator Barkley suggested
the resolution says, In effect, to
the President, You don't know what
you're doing" Senator Tydings
jumped to his feet to point out it
was not directed at the President,
but at the Budget Bureau. Raising
his voice, the Maryland Senator said
he did not consider it patriotic to
withhold from the President in
formation which led him to believe
some bureau Of the Government was
making an unwise move.
Senator La Toilette said he
thought it was unfortunate that
Senator Barkley had raised the issue
of confidence in the President. The
Progressive pointed out that Con-
gress has voted broad powers to