Evening star., 1948-07-16
Special Congress Call
Held Worst Political
B|under Of the Year
Trumon Seen Losing Ou,
No Motter What Action
6. O. P. Lawmakers Toke
By David Laurence

~
The worst political biunder OF the
year has been made by President
Truman In calling Congress into ex-
ira session, though he and his ad-
visers have deluded themselves into
believing it is a clever political trick
that will embarrass the Republicans
Mr.. Truman will lose out no mat
ter what the Republican Congress
does
If it passes certain legislation and
he vetoes the bills passed, 1t will
prove the necessity of electing Re-
publican President SO as to be rid ot
the obstructionist tactics of the pres.
ent incumbent.
If desirable legislation meets with
Mr.. Truman's approval. the credit
may be equally divided but the
Democratic nominee loses one of his
most important campaign arguments
the failure of the 80th Congress tt
pass the legislation which hi
mentions repeatedly in his speeches
If the Congress gets all tangled UP
In an endless filibuster over civil
rights, it will merely emphasize the
rift in the Democratic Party and
the need for more Republican votes
in Congress to overrule the Southern
Democrats.
Popgun Measures Possible.
II, as Mr.. Truman boldly advo-
Gated in his speech of acceptance In
Philadelphia, the cloture rule should
be invoked in the Senate to curta1l
debate, he will find that many Re-
publicans will ignore the civil rights
issue itself and shift to the question
Of whether the right OF free dis
cussion should be shut off by tenn
porary majority. Adoption Of cloture
would abolish the rights OF the
minority which have never been seri-
ously challenged before in the Sen
ate.
If the civil rights issue goes into
q lengthy filibuster, nothing con-
structive will be accomplished and
Congress may decide by majority
vote to adjourn in sheer disgust.
- While the Northern Democrats
ostensibly will do all they can to
help the Truman cause by partisan
tactics, the Southern Democrats will
have no such sympathetic attitude
and in the end there will be many
a. popgun measure put up to Mr
Truman which he will have to veto
II the measures cannot command
enough support to win two-thirds
vote to override veto, the Repub-
licans will plead for Republican
President to be elected so as to enc
the stalemate in Government.
Many times in American history q
Congress of one party has success
fully fought a President of another
party. The Republicans have many
a piece of legislation on which they
would like to make a further record
For one thing they can propose ever
deeper cuts in taxes. For, since
Congress adjourned, the biggest sur
plus in history has been revealed
So, despite the pressures of Euro
pean aid, there are apparently
enough receipts from taxes to per-
NIT a drive for tax reduction.
Will Have to Eat Words.
Mr.. Truman will have to eat his
words when 1t comes to tax bills.
The Republicans may spread the
benefits even wider than Mr.. Tru-
man proposed originally and the
President would have to veto them
In his Philadelphia speech the
President spoke of the recently en-
acted tax law thus:
They (the Republicans passed
tax bill over my veto on the third
try. They finally sent a tax bill
that was somewhat improved but II
still helps the rich and sticks the
knife into the backs of the poor.
This is a very odd way for the
President to refer to the many mem
bers of the Democratic Party In the
House and Senate who voted to en-
act that very tax bill into law. This
was the bill that said that rich ano
moor alike could divide the income
between a husband and wife.
The Republicans will remember
the phrase about sticking the knl1e
into the backs of the poor" and there
will be tax proposals presented te
Mr. Truman so he can remove the
knife" if he really wants to equal
lie matters.
COP Strategy Unrevealed.
The Republicans have yet to re-
veal their strategy. They have peer
told bv Mr. Truman that they car
do in is DAYS all that the Democra-
tic Congresses failed to do In IL
years-but that's large order ano
one that looks impossible OF fulnii-
ment so long as Mr.. Truman Wielos
the veto ak.
secretly some Republicans are re-
,oicine over the special session. Ihey
didn't want to call one for fear II
would look as II they were doing IL
lust to carry out Democratic de-
mands but with the President
taking the initiative the way is clear :
ed to fill in the serious gaps LETT
by the necessity for adjourning IN
time for the convention OF June
81, last.
So far as Gov. Dewey is con-
rerned he may well say the session
cannot pass any legislation to carry
out the Republican platform because
a Democratic President has reveal
ed himself to be merely a politica.
partisan and hence unlikely to slgr
what a Republican Congress may
nropose, The argument will be te
wait until next January when botr
the executive and legislative
branches of the Government are o1
the same political party. MIR. iru'
man will be exhibited more drama
tically than the Republicans coule
have done it as the major obstruc'
ton to legislative progress at thi!
time.
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