The union times., 1947-05-10
0 nibus Bill Seen As An Open Veto Invitation
If Republicans Fail, They Will Say, ''We Did
 Our Best"

w 1AO411AN01 O4N \A1 A Only one thing stands between organized labor and the worst union-wrecking legislation i'll American history this week.
 That one thing is the sheer, unacceptable stupidity of the Republican Party machine in Congress. The COPS stupidity congealed in its blind insist ence last week on an omnibus anti-labOr bill that virtually guaranteed presidential veto.
 SEVERE BEATING
 Shrewder and cooler heads among the Senate Republicans fought behind Sen. Wayne Morse (R., Ore.) to split the catch-all Taft legislation into four separate bills. They pleaded with their colleagues to realize that if Truman vetoed the omnibus bill all labor legislation would probably be doomed for this session, but if they offered four separate measures Truman might veto only one or two.
 But the Morse group took severe beating. By 59 to. 5 vote-four short of the number necessary to override veto-the union-hating COP machine refused to send the Taft bill back to committee for separation into four diff ferent measures. Only one other Re publican, Sen. William Langer (R., N.D.) joined Morse, while Il south- ern Democrats scuttled over into the Republican camp.
 Then, as If to provide even greater assurance of veto, the COP machine proceeded to make the Taft bill even more vicious than 1t was when 1t came out of committee. Taft and Sen. Joe Ball (R. Minn.) pushed four which were killed out of the omnibus bill in committee. These were: 1-Outlaw industry-wide bar gaining; 2-Permit private employers to obtain anti-union injunctions; g. Make 1t an unfair labor practice for unions "to restrain or coerce en- p1oyeS" in selecting a bargaining rep resentative; 4-Require joint em- administration of welfare funds
 EVEN MORE VICIOUS
 Taft agreed under pressure from Sen. Arthur Vandenberg (R., Mich.) and others in his own party not to make an issue of the injunc- ton amendment. He was rewarded for this by an overwhelming 60 to 28 Senate vote approving the prohibiting restraint and coercion.
 A Truman veto of the bill. especial ly if 1t incorporates the amendments, was predicted by Senators Morse, Barkley, Ellender, Langer, Pepper, Murray Thomas (of Utah), Hatch, Johnston and Holland.
 BIG QUESTION MARK
 Admittedly the big question mark now is whether the Senate COP can muster enough votes to override veto. Taft said that the 59 to s de- feat of Morse's motion was a strong indication of how the final vote would go. Five or six Democrats who voted for the Morse bill for reasons of ex- pediency may swing into the Republi- can column he said, but I don't know whether we will have as many Repub- llcans with us as we did"
 The rank confusion surrounding the expected veto was summed up in statement by Sen John Sparkman O., Ala.), one of his party's most inhuen- tial leaders. Sparkman announced his of the Taft legislation and then said, q don't like to be pes sinistic, but to be perfectly frank I think the Republican high command \ doesn't want labor bill. They feel that the President will veto the bill that is sent him and that this will em- barass him later. They will say to in duStry, We did our best and they will count on labor forgetting"
 CONFERENCE ISSUE
 Hopes of Taft and Ball that debate could be ended this week in time for vote were almost abandoned. How ever, Taft was confident that once it did pass the Senate 1t would not re- quire any lengthy time in joint Senate House conference. Reconciliation of the Taft bill with the more vicious Hartley House version was not ex- pected to present any great difficulties.
 Meanwhile an aroused labor movement deluged the Senate and the White House with protests against the legislation which both prO-labOr COngressmen and union leaders claimed would set back the labor relations clock 50 years or more. Union delegations from all over the country came to Washing ton to urge a ''nO" vote on their Senators. Dozens of these groups visited Labor Secretary SchweIlen- bach and other cabinet members to ask them to recommend a Presi-
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