Evening star., 1945-03-15
Congress
CONTINUED From First Page.)

in favor of the pending Summers
Capper resolution providing a con-
stitutional amendment empowering
Congress to grant the District repre-
sentation in Congress.
with the increasing burdens on
Congress. how much longer can we
enjoy the luxury of using Congress
for a purely city council job? asked
Representative Monroney, Demo-
crat, of Oklahoma, co-author of the
resolution establishing the Joint
committee to investigate proposals
for streamlining Congress. IT think
sometime we ought to divorce our
selves from purely local functions. I"
You are correct-100 per cent
correct" Mr.. Randolph said.
Senator La Toilette said he be-
lieved that If Congress could be re-
lieved Of 'the functions of Common
Council" both Congress and the
District would benefit.
we had to throw the legislative
machinery into high gear last week
to decide whether the new George
town University Hospital should be
eight feet higher or not" Chairman
La Toilette said.
Referred to McCarran Bill.
He referred to the bill offered by
Senator McCarran, Democrat, OF
Nevada to authorize construction
Of the new building at Thirty-eighth
street and Reservoir road to height
Of 80 feet instead Of the 80 feet now
permitted under coming regulations
Mr.. Randolph explained that his
proposal to merge the two District
committees would serve to simplify
the legislative procedure on local
issues until District residents were
given a greater voice in their own
government. He suggested that the
joint committee be composed of 10
members of each house, plus a
chairman who would be selected for
alternate two-year periods from the
Senate and House.
I'VE would thus alleviate duplica-
tion Of testimony from District OH
cials, in connection with pending
legislation" he pointed out. Most
matters that come before the Dis
trict committees are not of q con-
troversial nature, anyway. No par
ever Influenced the acts
Of either the House or Senate Dis
trict Committees"
Voorhis Sounds Warning.
Earlier, Representative Voorhis,
Democrat, Of California, recognized
as a friend of the administration,
warned the joint committee that
unless Congress asserts its rights as
a lawmaking body these powers
would be taken over more and more
by the executive branch.
He suggested that standing COM
mittees Of Congress be given, in ad-
dition to their task of reporting
legislation, the additional duty Of
continuously reviewing the actions
Of any executive department or
agency over whose work a particular
committee has Jurisdiction.
Eve would create a new relation
ship between Congress on the one
hand and the executive agencies on
the other-a relationship in which
there would almost certainly be a
greater degree of mutual under
standing and in which every execu-
tive agency would know that If 1t
failed to carry out the actions of
Congress in accord with congress
sional intent, there would be a COM
mittee waiting to look into the mat
ter and II necessary to urge reme-
dial legislation" he said.
Hits Attack ON Agencies.
Mr. Voorhis assailed what he
termed the current habit Of Con-
gress to went its wrath upon some
executive agency by creating a spe-
cial committee and investigating
such agency, with attendant pub
ucity, and generally to look only
upon the seamy side Of that agency's
work"
To carry out its functions proper
ly, the witness said, Congress needs
adequate, independent and COM
plete sources Of factual and analyti-
cal information"
"There is too much tendency in
Congress-" he continued, "for that
body to assert its independence Of
the executive branch merely by vot-
ing against proposals of the execu-
tive without putting forward any
alternative constructive proposals OF
its own.
The press of the country is partly
responsible for this situation. The
overwhelming preponderance of that
press Is opposed to the present ma
tional administration, and every
time Congress votes down any pro-
posal. Of the President, Congress is
lauded in the columns Of the press
for being body Of courage and In
dependence"
He said the same acclaim does
not follow attempts by members OF
committees to advance constructive
solutions to the same problems.
Attacks Grants Of Power.
Mr.. Voorhis attacked "the broad
grants Of executive power" which,
already have been vested In execu-
tive agencies. He said he believed
no executive agency should be per-
mitted to AK penalties for violations
of its own orders, but that such pow
ers should be In the hands Of Con-
gress or the courts. He pointed out
that OrA pfdce-control regulations
have the force Of law from which
there b no appeal except through
the Emergency Court Of Appeals
The priorities power Of the Petrule-
nm Administration for War also Wal
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