The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-11-05
Senote Party LineupCouId Produce Tie
 lF Upper House
 ls StoIemoted
 Truce Expected

New York, Nov b-CUp)@Today's election could plunge the Senate party lineup Into an unprecedented a9-a8 tie and stalemate Congress until leaders negotiate truce.
 If there s Q tie, Democratic and Republican leaders probably would work out a compromise by the time the eOth Congress convenes next January.
 Any such agreement would be operating in a virgin field. There never has been an absolute tie in the Senate. Nor are there any Sen- ate rules to cover the possibility.
 A Senate tie at the start of the e0th Congress would be compllcat- cd by the fact that:
 1. There is no vice~president
 to even preside during a fight
 for control.
 9. There isn't even e presl-
 dent pro tempore until Sen.
 Kenneth D. McKellar, CD.-
 Tenn.), is sworn in for the new
 term to which he is certain to
 be elected in today's balloting.
 Secretary Presldes
 The rules provide that in the abe sence of @ president and prior to selection of Q president pro tempore the presiding officer shall be the secretary of the Senate, Less lie L. Biffie.
 The first chance for a fight for control, in event no compromise was negotiated, would come @n the swearing in of 36 Senators chosen in the l046 balloting.
 Either side could try for ct least temporary advantage by challeng- ing the seating of a member of the opposite party. Senate leaders doubt it would happen because the ad- vantage would be merely temporary and subject to reversal any time the pendelum swung again.
 The next test could come on the election of a president pro tempore. McKellar would have the edge. He is the dean of the Senate, and seniority counts heavily. He could lay a claim, too, on the basis of the traditional resolution by which a president pro tenn is selected.
 Up to Senate's Pleasure
 The rule provides that the presi- dent pro tenn shall hold office during the pleasure of the Sem ate and until another is elected" !" It says nothing about the fact that a term as president pro tenn might be interrupted by having run for, and won, reelection.
 The next chance of a fight, in the event of no prior agreement, would come on the selection of commit tee chairmen. Democrats hold all the top assignments in the expiring 70th Congress. They are scheduled to lose some of their chairmanships, however, under the congressional streamlining bill cutting the num- Der of Senate committees from B to IS.
 They might also have to lose more in open balloting in the full Senate in the event of 6 party tie and no agreement.
 Floor lights over committee chair manships have occurred in the past when there was close party divis- ion. One of them occurred in the or ganization of the 66th Congress back in 1919.
 The Senate then included 4e Re- publicans, 47 Democrats and ono Progressive Republican, the latt Sen. Hiram W. Johnson of Califor- nia. Republican Bull Moosers Bolt ed the party line however and elect ed some Democrats to committed chairmanships. Among them was the election of the late Sen. Ellison D. Cotton Ed Smith, (D.-S.CD, to head the committee on interstate committee.
 The other closest divisions of the Senate in the past and what hap pened on those instances included:
 47th Congress (lSel- -S3)-37 Dem. ocrats, 37 Republicans and twt minor party. The Republicans had President James A. Garfield in thu White House and finally won Sen. ate control after days of wrangling
 roth Congress (i927-2O-48 Re- publicans, 47 Democrats on ont Farmer-Laborite. Republicans had controlled the previous Senate ana carried over their control.
 72nd Congress (l93i-30-46 Re publicans. ~ Democrats and ont Farmer-Laborite. Republicans hat controlled the previous Senate b! a comfortable margin and retained their control.