Evening star., 1945-07-04
FEPC Supporters
Promise Battle
To Bitter End
Points of Order Will
Threaten Funds of
Other War Agencies
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

500 900 budget for 16 civilian war
agencies grew tighter today, as
Senate supporters of the embat-
tied Fair Employment Practice
Committee served notice they
are not ready to abandon their
fight to keep the committee
alive.
Senator Chavez, Democrat, of New
Mexico, who accepted a $3.50, ZOO
compromise FEPC fund last Satur-
day to get the bill through the Sen
ate, said today that if the House
leaves the agency out of the new
bill coming up in that branch to-
morrow, he will ask the Senate to
put in the full Budget Bureau esti-
mate of $4,000
IF there is going to be a scrap, it
might as well be over the whole
amount" the New Mexico member
of the Senate Appropriations Com
mittee said.
Meanwhile, the already tangled
parliamentary situation threatened
to become worse tomorrow, because
the new war agencies bill will have
to be considered without a special
rule to protect it against points of
order.
Subject TO Point Of Order.
Legislative experts say IL of the
agencies in the bill are subject to a
point of order, mainly because they
were not created by act of Congress.
When the original bill was before
the House early in June the Rules
Committee protected it against
points or order, which enable one
member to have an item eliminated.
Chairman Cannon of the House
Appropriations Committee applied
to the Rules Committee yesterday
afternoon for similar protection this
time. In view of the fact that the
House previously has passed on
every agency except FEPC, he also
asked that the new bill be voted on
tomorrow without debate or amend
ment.
In congressional parlance this Is
known as gag" rule, and If it had
been recommended by the Rules
Committee, the House might have
amended 1t to make an FEPC
amendment in order. The commit
tee decided. however, not to grant
any rule.
Exn0xeS Other Rilis
This not only leaves any FEPC
amendment subject to a point of
order, but also exposes most of the
other agencies already in the bill
to similar objection, II any men,
Der chooses to raise the point.
Mr.. Cannon said he would insist
on consideration of the bill tomor-
row and would concede all valid
points of order. The agencies likely
to be eliminated by this procedure,
he said, are the ONCE of War Infor-
nation, the War Labor Board, the
War Production Board, the Office
of Strategic Services, the Office of
Economic Sterilization, the ONCE
of American Affairs, the Of
flee Of Defense Transportation, the
ONCE of Scientific Research and
Development, the War Shipping
Administration, the War Relocation
Authority and the Petroleum Ad-
ministration for War.
Representative Marcantonio, Amer
ican Labor, Of New York, leader
Of the FEPC forces, said plenty of
people," including himself, would
make points Of order against them,
adding to newsmen:
"The opponents Of FEPC have
gone to the extreme of attempting
to kill all of the other war agencies
in order to make certain the ami
hilation of the FEPC. They're not
putting me on the spot. They're on
the spot now for having put the
House in this position"
FEPC's foes said they had no in
tention of quitting. either.
Should the House eliminate any
of these activities, however, the
Senate would promptly restore
them, since there is no opposition
to these agencies except as to the
size of their budgets. In fact, the
Senate allowed more than the
House for some of them, notably
owl.
Indications are the battle will go
on for some time and may postpone
indefinitely summer recess House
members had been looking forward
to while the Senate debates the
United Nations Charter.