Evening star., 1945-07-10

the off-y ar
election in the Lowell Msllett.
past has meant the loss Of the fol.
lowing presidential election, there
is O special reason for expecting
that result this time.
The Democrats will have been
in Office for IA years. In that many
years many, many things will have
been done by Government officials
and agencies that offer opportunity
for investigation" Conditions ir
this country, before the war, caused
the development of Federal Gov
ernment activities on an unprece-
dented scale and the war itself has
multiplied those activities several
times over. If Congress after AZ
should be Republican, 1t will be ar
investigating Congress, devoting it.
self enthusiastically to shocking
revelations" calculated to create 6
national urge to throw the fascak
out"
Hannegan Understands.
Mr.. Hannegan understands this
Being a practical politician, that Is
the line he would take if he were
directing the Republican strategy
and he expects nothing different
from the Republican management
in case 1t obtains control of Con-
gress.
So Hannegan isn't viewing the
situation on the Hill with any great
happiness. There he can see one
group of Democrats chopping away
at its own party's prospects while
the Republicans look on with care
fully controlled pleasure. The group
is the one which has set itself to
destroy the Fair Employment Prac-
tices Committee, created by Presi-
dent Roosevelt to protect Negroes
and other racial minorities against
discrimination in wartime employ
ment. The FEPC having succeeded
fairly well, with nothing but moral
authority behind it, Mr.. Roosevelt
sought to have 1t made a perma-
nent, statutory agency. The same
element now opposing the FEPC
prevented the inclusion in the "A
platform of a pledge to make it
permanent-a pledge given in the
Republican platform.
President Truman, supporter of
the FEPC as Senator, has contin-
ued his support as President. He
has put considerable pressure, pub
licly and privately, on the rule-or-
ruin group now barring the way to
any action. The private pressure
has been in Mr.. Hannegan's hands
DebatabIe Subject.
Whether the Roosevelt Truman
ticket could have been elected last
November without the votes OF
Northern Negroes may be debatable,
but Mr.. Hannegan doesn't like to
face the task of winning without
those votes in As. That plus all the
other uncertainties of an off-year
election makes just too much. He
wants to take the issue out of the
coming campaign. But stubborn
majority in the House Rules Com
mittee and similar majority in the
11OuoC APPA laI4O4lo SOllaIAI0Ce
has thus far refused to listen to
reason. And over on the Senate
side Mr.. Hannegan finds an equal
lack of comfort. Those Senators
who filibustered the appropriation
for FEPC into its present hapless
shape, are keeping their lungs well
oiled, prepared to repeat the per-
formance.
Cheered by practically all Other
aspects of the political situation
confident that Truman can hold the
popularity won by his obvious high
purpose and his shrewd good sense
Mr.. Hannegan's hopes slump as he
considers the damage being done or
the Hill. Against the otherwis,
bright political horizon he sees 6
dark cloud rising, cloud much
larger than a mans hand. He doesn'
have IN he told that in Query ron.