Evening star., 1945-09-28
Senator Donne|l
|AnswersTrunlan
+Letdown Charge
Missouriun Denies
Senote Obligation
To Follow President
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

that the Senate let him down on
the $25 for 26 weeks jobless aid
bill today brought from Senator
Donnell, Republican, of Mis-
souri, the reply that the Senate is
not subordinate to the White
House or bound to follow the
Presidents desires.
Senator Donnell, who represents
the Presidents own State, broke
into the debate on the full employ
ment bill to take issue with the
Chief Executive
1T is a proper function of the
President to make recommendation
to Congress and it is of high i'm
portance that respectful and thor
ough consideration be given by Con-
gress to every recommendation
made by the President" said Sem
ator Donnell.
No Obligation to President.
This, however. is entirely differ.
ent from the view that Congress
owes an obligation to the President
to follow his recommendations
blindly. There is no basis for the
President to be of the opinion that
merely because the Senate fails to
approve legislation suggested by him
the Senate has thereby omitted a
duty, which omission is a logical
Interpretation of the term Get him
down."
While Senator Donnell was speak
ing, opposing factions got together
in support of the compromise pub
lie spending feature of the full en-
ployment bill, sponsored by Senator
Hatch, Democrat, of New Mexico.
If this amendment is adopted
early this afternoon. the Senate may
reach final passage of this long,
range attempt to head off any fu-
ture depression.
There were no signs of imme-
diate action on Mr.. Truman's
plea to the House Democrats to re-
vive the jobless compensation meas
ure in the Ways and Means Com
mittee. The committee, which
voted, IA to 10, to postpone the
subject indefinitely, may reopen
discussion of it after it disposes Of
postwar income tax revision.
The Senate met at II am, an
hour earlier than usual, in the hope
of speeding action on full employ
ment.
Hatch Offers Compromise.
The authors of the full employ
ment bill have been fighting
for pledge to provide such volume
of Federal investment and expend-
iture as may be needed to assure
continuing full employment.
Opponents, led by Senators Taft,
Republican, of Ohio, and Radcliffe,
Democrat, of Maryland, insist that
the promise of Federal spending
should bear some relation to the
needs, obligations and other essen
tial considerations of national policy.
Senator Hatch proposed, as middle
ground, the following:
ITO the extent that full employ
ment cannot otherwise be attained.
the Federal Government shall. con-
slstent with its needs, obligations
and other essential considerations of
national policy, provide such volume
of Federal investment and expend-
iture as may be needed in addition
to the investment and expenditure
by private enterprises, consumers.
and State and local governments to
achieve the objective of continuing
full employment
Vandenberg Optimistic.
Chairman Wagner of the Banking
Committee, leading advocate of the
bill, and Senator Taft both agreed
to weigh the compromise overnight.
Senator Vandenberg, Republican,
OF Michigan in congratulating Sem
ator Hatch for his efforts, suggested
that, with one or two other
changes" it may be possible to get
nearly unanimous vote of the
Senate in favor of planning to pre-
vent another depression.
The opponents of the bill as it
came from committee have pro-
claimed their belief in the stated
goal OF the measure. They express
fear, however, that placing too much
emphasis on Government spending
as a cure for unemployment may
eventually defeat the purposes of
the bill.
In calling the Democrats on the
House Ways and Means COMMITTEES
tc the White House yesterday, Mr,
Truman was following a technique
the late President Roosevelt some-
times used.
No Decision in Caucus,
The committee Democrats held a
caucus when they returned to Cap
itol Hill from the White House. but
apparently came to no decision on
future consideration of jobless pay
legislation.
A spot check of the Democrats.
who discussed the days events pri-
vately, indicated this:
l. The committee may return to
the general jobless aid subject, but
not until it has disposed of legisla-
ton cutting 1916 taxes.
2. There is little chance that the
main recommendation of the Presi-
dent-$25 for 26 weeks-will become
law. 1t is unlikely also that the
committee will approve travel pay
for transportation of displaced
workers back home or to new Jobs.
8. There is fair chance that
the committee and Congress ulti-
mately may approve bill blanket
ing under unemployment compensa-
ton some 1900, 900 Federal workers
and 4W, 900 maritime workers. This
would not revise State jobless pro-
grams. These workers, when jobless,
simply would be paid at State rates
at Federal expense.