St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-01-11

of a permanent Fair Employn
being pondered here as memb
a holiday recess to tilt again c
Coming in a congressional cleo
ton year, Democrats WINGED from
his castigation for "distressingly
slow" progress on his Legislative
proposals to meet the problems
which lie ahead"
Republicans, on the other hand,
generally pointed out that the
Democrats control both the House
and Senate and all committees and
that responsibility lies with them
for lack Of a record Of achieve
ment and progress" on domestic
problems.
Blames Handful of Congressman
Mr.. Truman blamed "a small
handful Of Congressman in the
Rules Committee of the House" for
having prevented the Norton bill
for the creation of a permanent
Fair Employment Practice Com
mittee from reaching a vote by
the Congress"
A similar measure, on the Sen
ate calendar, is scheduled to be
called up soon after the reconven-
ing Of Congress. Southern Demo-
Gratis have threatened a filibuster
as soon as the motion is made in the
Senate to debate the bill.
Whether there is more Mr.. Tru-
man can do toward getting perma-
nent FEPC legislation through the
Congress is debatable. Some Ad-
ministration spokesman pointed
out, as the President himself said,
he has not been able to get through
Congress all of his program en-
bracing must" detectives vital to
postwar prosperity and to the pre-
vention of imitation or deflation.
Bare Majority Keeps Back Vote
President Truman revealed that
he is fully aware of the crux of
the congressional situation. Point
ing out that all bills are referred
to the appropriate committees of
Congress, he said, "uRless the COM
mittees act to report the bills, the
members Of the Congress never get
a chance to vote for or against
them"
1t is usually not even the COM
mittees but a bare majority of
committee who prevent a vote by
the whole Congress on these
measures of majority policy" Mr..
Truman said.
Reaction by members of Con-
gress to the Presidents speech.
showed that many Of them were as
recalcitrant as ever. Commenting
at his home in New Orleans on
the Presidents address, Senator
Allen J. Ellender, Democrat, of
Louisiana, expressed strong oppo-
sition to the Presidents request
for a permanent FEPC.
Bitterender Ellender Speaks
81 propose to talk aginst the
FEPC as long as | have breath, "
Ellender asserted. 81 believe it
would be ruinous to business and
cause strife and probably blood
shed in the South"
Meantime, some thought is being
given to what discipline the Presi-
dent may exercise among the men,
bers of his own party who block
his program. 1t is doubtful wheth-
err he can go beyond withholding
patronage from them.
Both President Woodrow Wilson
and President Franklin D. RoOse-
welt tried to purge the Democratic
party of recalcitrant Senators.
Wilson was able to defeat Tom
Hardwick in Georgia and Varda-
man in Mississippi. but failed to
defeat Jim Reed in Missouri.
President Roosevelt had no success
against Tydings Of Maryland or
George of Georgia.
Mr.. Truman has no large per-
sonal following as had both Presi-
dents Wilson and Roosevelt. Any
effort to purge Democratic Sena-
tors who will not go along with
his domestic program might have
disastrous effects upon his chances
Of nomination and election to the
Presidency in his own right.
Truman Has Done All He Can
In carrying his Administration
difficulties to the people over the
head Of Congress, the President
probably has done all that he can
to obtain action on his begged
down domestic program.
At the Capitol, Senator Ebert
D. Thomas, Democrat, Of Utah,
chairman of the Senate Military
Affairs Committee and ranking
member Of the Senate Education
and Labor Committee, told report
ers there are bound to be political
repercussions when a Democratic
Hont;n,,al ~ p.na