Evening star., 1947-03-15
Congress Horossed |
By Home Troubles
Prices and Sugar Situation Pose
Immediate Problems
By Doris Fieeson

BY Doris FIeeSOn
The badgered Congress, just handed
world crisis by President Truman, IL
being trapped also in a crossf1re of de-
mands for some quick spring houseclean-
ing at home.
The salvoes come from both sides Of
the aisle and express deep discontents
which fill congressional mail and en-
gender 1e48 election worries.
The most dramatic and most partisan
is Representative Helen Gahagan Doug
las plan to fling market basket at her
colleagues. Mrs. Douglas has taken SIS
to local chain grocery store and she
expects to display before the House what
she was able to buy with it. together
with some acid comparisons of what it
would have purchased under price con-
troll
The former actress will rub this. with
fevor and pleasure, into the Republican
conservative coalition that killed OPA.
She then expects soberly to suggest that
this, too, is problem Congress must
meet swiftly if democracy Is to survive
at home.
La Guardia Used Pork Chops.
Nothing like it has been seen IN the
House since fiery Fiorello La Guardia
banished pork chops at the late elegant
Speaker Longworth and demonstrated
it would be cheaper to make them Of
14-carat gold. The peculiar eloquence
of this tactic paid off for Mr.. La Guardia,
one of the most astute and successful
politicians in American history.
Mrs. Douglas is ready to talk an hour.
and she is an arresting and witty per-
former. 1t may prove that she has
kicked off on the best domestic issue
the Democrats will have in 1948 unless
the Republicans find some solution that
have to date eluded them.
Among the Republican freshmen there
Is the keenest awareness that little has
been done to soothe the public gripes
that produced their own elections, and
some of them admit they are trif1e
nervous. The oldtimers tell them not to
worry. Senator Vandenberg has lee
tude, but still they mutter.
Typifying their desire is the action Of
Senator Mccarthy of Wisconsin and
Bricker of Ohio in introducing bill to
de-ration sugar, Immediately and COM
pletely. It's other provisions call for
30-day inventory control to ward OF
boarding and empower the Secretary Of
Agriculture to proclaim price ceilings II
he thinks it necessary. Enforcement
would be placed in the Agriculture De-
partment.
Had Luck in Campaign.
Senator Mccarthy, the bachelor ex-
Marine, admits candidly it was lucky
for him last year that he was campaign
ing during the canning season when
housewives saw their fruit rot for lack
of sugar to can it.
He believes the sugar is available and
charges the department with attempt
ing to build up normal inventory In
a time of abnormal consumer shortages,
despite the fact that all signs point to
plentiful supplies next year. Cuba, he
said, has produced not only more but
sweeter sugar cane this year than ever
before.
incidentally, the bachelor ex-Marine
who is now trying to give the ladies
more sugar, sponsored the amendment
to the excise tax bill which removed
fur trimmed coats from the 20 per cent
tax on fllrS a move which pladdened
the feminine heart everywhere.
Senator Mccarthy also is trying to
work out rent control bill with Sena-
tor Taft which will remove new housing
units from controls and extend the areas
in which blanket relief can be accorded.