Evening star., 1947-04-28
4G.0.P. Senators SET
For Infra-Party Fight
Over Labor Measure
BY the Associoted Press


squared off today for week
long battle, two on one side and
two on the other, as the Senate
resumed arguing about its So
page labor bill.
Democrats were in on the scrap,
too, and some were ready for long
oratory, but the Senate expects
more sparks TO fly when these Re-
publicans go after each other:
/. Senator'S Ball Of Minnesota and
Taft Of Ohio on one side. They are
determined to expand the pending
bill by adding more restrictions on
unions.
2. Senators Ives of New York
and Morse OF Oregon. They are
defending the present bill, as ap-
proved by the Senate Labor Com
mittee. They are resisting four
amendments backed by Senators
Ball, Taft and others.
The first of these amendments,
which now is before the Senate for
action, would prohibit unions from
interfering with workers in their
free choice of unions. employers
already are so prohibited.)
Pepper to Speak Against Bill.
A vote on this provision will come
Iater in the week Before it comes,
many speeches will be made, not
merely on the amendment but on
the entire bill.
For example, Senator Pepper,
Democrat of Florida. will speak. He
is not only against the amendments
but the bill itself. A year ago, in
the debate on the Case bill which
President Truman eventually vetoed,
Senator Pepper held the floor for
several days.
Republican leaders want the bill
passed before the week ends. They
have decided to schedule night
session Wednesday. But in view of
the speeches still to come, final pas
sage may be delayed until some time
next week.
Truman Veto Believed Likely.
No one doubts the bill will pass
IN some form.
Then this bill, together with the
ftrther-reaching labor bill passed
by the House. will go to joint Sen
ate-House Committee for long
period of give-and- take. A single
bill finally will emerge. When ap-
proved by both chambers, it will go
to President Truman.
Judging by his past statements,
L. t. Iral,, -, tlN,,n1 a
members of Congress say they be-
lieve he may not. If he vetoes it,
the big question will be whether the
veto can be overridden. This takes
a two thirds vote in both the House
and the Senate.
The other three amendments
being pushed by Senators Taft and
Ball would:
Prohibit a national union from
coercing its locals in collective bar
gaining; enable private employers
to apply for injunctions to stop
jurisdictional strikes and certain
other union practices, and prohibit
employer payments into union
controlled welfare fund.
The Senate bill as it now stands
would ban closed shop contracts,
authorize the Attorney General to
get injunetions to delay national
emergency" strikes create a new
mediation service, and restrict labor
leaders in a number of ways.
Meanwhile, Senator Sparkman of,
Alabama, an important Democratic
policy-maker, came out yesterday
for the bill now before the Ser ate
but expressed strong doubt that any
measure curbing unions will become
law.
IT don't like to be pessimistic,
but to be perfectly frank I think
t'~e Republican high command
doesn't want labor BILL" he told
a reporter. They feel that the
President will veto the bill that is
sent him and that this will en-
barass him later. They will say to
industry, We did our best and
they will count on labor forgetting"
Halleck Denies Indictment"
But Republican Floor Leader Hal
leck said IN another interview.
"Of course, we certainly deny that
sort of indictment. The best evi-
dence that we do want bill Is that
we are writing one.
THE President made certain sug-
gestions on labor, after which the
responsibility shifted to the legisla-
tive branch to write a bill To let
the President write the law would be
to abdicate our legislative respon-
sibility.
THE bill that will ultimately
come from Congress will be fair
and equitable and in the public in
terest. I don't know of any reason
why the President won't sign it."
Senator Sparkman said he favors
a labor bill that "the President will
sign" one that will work and one
that will be fair.