Evening star., 1947-05-13
Senate Passes Labor Bill, 68-24,
Sufficientto Override Veto, After
Swamping Mild Substitute Plan
BorkIey Charges
Martin ried to
Intimidute rumun
By J. A. oiLeory


whelming approval to a labor
control bill, less drastic than the
House passed. but still making
far-reaching changes in existing
laws.
The vote on final passage was
SO to "a, and came after a milder
Democratic substitute had been
swamped, 1918.
Although the majority for final
passage was more tEan the two
thirds required to override veto, it
does not necessarily follow that the
Senate would pass the bill over
President Truman's objections.
In the first place, the final terms
Of the measure that will go to the
White House remain to be fought
out in conference with the House,
and the compromise finally reached
will .i1ave to be voted 4on by the
Senate before Mr.. Truman gets it.
21 Democrats Vote for Bill.
Twenty-one Democrats joined Al
Republicans in voting to pass the
Senate version, whose supporters
say 1t is designed merely to equal
lie the obligations of unions and
employers in collective bargain
ing.
Only three Republicans voted with
81 Democrats against the bill.
The Senate named the following
as its conferees to negotiate with
the House: Senators Taft of Ohio,
Labor Committee chairman; Ball OF
Minnesota and Ives Of New York,
i all Republicans, and Murray Of Mon
tana and Ellender of Louisiana,
Democrats
Observers predicted Senator Ives
would be the key man in the Senate
group, as he was in deciding the
fate of some OF the important pro-
visions in the Labor Committee. His
selection as the third Republican on
the five-man group appeared to in
crease the chances for holding the
final bill along the milder lines OF
the Senate version.
Wagner Opposed Both Measures.
Senator Wagner, Democrat, OF New
York, father Of the National Labor
Relations Act in the early days OF
the Roosevelt regime, voted against
both the mild substitute and the
modified Senate version Of the House
bill.
The two bills which now must be
pieced together by the House and
Senate In a conference room repre-
sent the most comprehensive at.
tempt to rewrite existing labor laws
since the Wagner Act passed in 1885.
They go we'll beyond the Case bill,
which Mr.. Truman vetoed last year.
Unmistakable signs that labor
control will be an issue in next years
election were apparent in the clos
ing hour of debate.
Minority Leader Barkley declared
the bill which Senator Taft steered
through the Senate contradicts the
1910 Republican platform and the
campaign promises of Thomas E.
Dewey to consolidate all labor func-
tions ,in the Labor Department.
Barkley Accuses Martin.
The Kentuckian also accused
House Speaker Martin of practicing
"a form of intimidation on the
President of the United States" by
warning that If he vetoes this bill it
will mean no legislation on the sub
ject this year.
Senator Taft, who is expected to
be q contender for the Republican
presidential nomination, answered
the Democratic leader with denial
the Senate bill is in any sense "a
punitive measure"
Senator Taft said Senator Barkley
had confused the House bill with
the milder Senate version The
Senate Labor Committee, Senator
Taft said, did not approach this
question in the spirit of writing a
punitive bill. The whole effort was
to restore equality between the
employer and the employe"
Senator Taft said the only pur-
pose of the Senate bill is to correct
what he called obvious injustices
which have developed from too
(See TAROR Pace ALL