The union times. (New Haven, Conn.) 1941-1948, 1944-01-01
On TheScene
In
Washington

.
WASHINCTON-Congress is to
be congratulated on its first sober
action in many a MONTHS de-
cisiOn to go home for the holidays.
To the people remaining in the
capital, it means days free of the
nerve jangling ''what will they do
next" atmosphere brought on by
the jazzed up sequence of anti-ad-
ministratiOn moves.
To the people back home, it
means a chance to serenade their
congressman with something a little
more convincing than dreamy
Christmas carols. A stable delega-
ton of uniOnists, farmers and con-
sumers, chanting a medley on
themes like subsidies, adequate
taxes, poll tax repeal and soldiers
vote could provide good back
ground music for any congress
mans holiday dinner.
In the three months since it sup
posedly settled down to work last
September, congress has been busy
lodging, weaving and sidestepplng is
sues-but not too busy, however, to
land a few below-the-belt punches.
The blow which has set off the
Ioudest howl of rage from the
people is the soldiers vote issue. An
elementary right like allowing the
men and women of our armed
forces and merchant marine to cast
ballot and feel reasonably sure
that it will be counted has been con-
temptuousIy scrapped in the senate
by smoothly-working coalition of
Republicans and southern poll
takers whose hatred of RoOsevelt's
policies transcends party lines.
In the House where insolent Rep.
John Rankin Cd. Miss has pledged
a last-ditch fight against the soldiers
vote-two of the reasons being that
under the Lucas-Green- Scanlon bill
neither color of skin nor payment Of
poll tax is a qualification for voting
-servicemen face the danger of hav-
ing their right to vote compromised
into the realm of pious, innocuous
words.
Hearings are set to begin immedi-
ate1y after the recess on Eugene Wor-
ley's Cd. Tex compromise measure,
setting up federal machinery for get
ting the votes, but leaving it up to
states to decide whether to count them.
Against this proposal, which places
more faith in the Republican and poll
tax states than a two-year old does
in Santa Claus, is the Scanlon bill,
providing the only effective way of
assuring servicemen vote in the
crucial 1914 elections.
Less dramatic, but even more
important in the daily lives of the
people is subsidies, most urgent
issue on the congressional calendar
for more than a year now. Ad-
ministratiOn forces succeeded in
wrestling a 9O-day postponement on
senate consideration of the bill to
extend the life of the Commodity
Credit. Corp. which includes the
fatal anti-subsidy provision. The
truce provides labor with 80 days
in which to stampede their con-
gressmen with delegates, wires, let
tiers, and petitions urging no COM
promise on the use of subsidies to
rOllback and stabilize prices.
Still to be decided is the dynamite
packed poll tax repeal issue. Once
HR7 is brought out on the floor of
the senate, polltaxers will find it diff
cult to justify flibuster in the face
of calendar crowded with vital war
measures. While their strategy may
be to tie Gripping amendments to the
bill or talk their compromise-minded
colleagues into Withdrawing or tab
ling the bill, labor is we'll aware of
the use of parliamentary maneuvers.
Unionists are not only asking their
congressman to vote for HR7, but
also to watch out for the dangerous