Evening star., 1948-07-18
Special Session Strategy
Is New Trick in Politics


Is New Trick in Politics
Some Older Democrats Fear, However,
That Plan May Backfre.
By Gerard d. Reilly
The calling Of . special session Of Congress
for the primary purpose OF embarrassing the
opposition is q novel maneuver In national
campaign, but the reaction Of Republican
spokesmen to President Truman's proclamation
indicates that he has made . strategic move.
The absence Of precedent for such an exercise
Of the Presidents constitutional prerogatives
has caused many observers to wonder why
this has never been done before.
The answer seems to be that no similar situ-
alton has presented itself in the history Of
modern American political parties. It Is true
that in 1882 and in 1912. when Herbert Hoover
and william Howard Taft. respectively were
candidates for reelection. the House of Rep
resentatives was already in the hands Of the
opposition party. Both Presidents might have
called . special session In the middle o. their
own campaigns for reelection. In neither
year, however. did the platform Of the oppos-
ing party contain planks favoring measures
which the President had recommended In vain
to his opponents in Congress.
President Truman's opportunity was occa-
stoned by the fact that the Republican plat
form advocates public housing, Federal aid to
public education. and the so-called civil rights
program, consisting Of anti-lynching legisla-
ton, the prohibition Of segregation in the
armed forces, and an act forbidding discrimi-
nation In private employment on racial and
religious grounds. The President had pre-
viously given his blessing to such proposals,
but legislation to carry them out failed of en-
actment before Congress adjourned.
1t is one thing, however to take the frst
trick in the complicated game Of national pol
itics and quite another to foresee and work
out the strategy~to establish q winning hand.
Some of the elder statesmen In the Democratic
Party, like Senator George; fear that the
President has embarked on q fatal course, for
until Gov. Dewey stated that it would be IAN
imposition" to call Congress back, the Republ-
can leadership In each House was seriously
Weighing the feasibility of reconvening Con-
gress on its own motion in the month Of Au-
gust.
For one thing, 1t must be remembered that
all the legislation which the President has re-
quested bears the name of Republican spon-
sor. Senator Taft, through his ability to COM
mand majority both in the Senate Committee
on Labor and the Senate Committee on Bank
ing and Currency, has already pushed educa-
ton and slum clearance bills through the
Senate. bill increasing minimum wage
standards, one Of the principal items on the
Presidents agenda, has been drafted and in
troduced by Senator Ball Of Minnesota.
Republicans in the House Judiciary Com
mittee have already put through an anti
lynching bill which awaits action by the SEN
ate. Morever, . revised version Of the fair
employment practice bill, sponsored by Senator
Ives Of New York, q close associate Of Gov.
Dewey has been reported favorably by the
Senate Committee on Labor and Public Well
fare Should any or all of these measures pass.
the task Of divorcing the credit In the minds
of the electorate from the sponsors Of these
measure would, indeed. be delicate operation.
The temper of the Southern delegates at
the Democratic Convention was such, how
ever, that there seems little likelihood that
any of the civil rights bills will become
law. 1t is automatic that nine or ten resolute
Senators can block any legislation in that
body by resort to the rules for unlimited de-
bate. Opponents Of the Ives bill can muster
at least 20 Senators for . protracted fili-
buster. Should a showdown on this issue
on the division In Democratic rather than
Republican ranks.
The education bill Is also In q posture In
which 1t is diticult to make political capital
of 1t. While the House leadership is not
sympathetic to the Taft bill because Of budg-
etary reasons, the expenditure Of 800 million
dollars which this bill contemplates is not
an extravagant one at time when the total
budget amounts to 38 billion dollars, with q
surplus reported by the Treasury. Objections
on the score Of economy could therefore be
overcome
This summary of the legislative picture
indicates that, with one exception, none OF
the items on the Presidents call can be sue
cessfully exploited to prove that the Republican
Congress Is opposed to the Republican plat.
FORM The exception Is in the housing field,
where all signs point to unyielding opposition
by House Republicans to the liberal Taft lead
erslap reflected In the conventions housing
plank.
Real estate, construction, and house mort
gage interests have formed . powerful COM
bination to stop any public housing or slum
clearance bills In the House. The spirit with
which this lobby Is prepared to re-enter the
fray is illustrated by the following excerpt
from q recent news letter" sent out by Milton
j. Brock, President Of the National Association
OF Home Builders, commenting upon the near
passage of the Taft -Ellender- Wagner bill:
"You have read how Republicans Hardis
Scott of Pennsylvania, Stratton Of Illinois
and Hull of Wisconsin deserted Chairman
Wolcott and their fellow Republicans and
voted with the Democrats to add $3.50, Titles
III (housing research), Nv (slum clearance
vi public housing), and VIII (rural public
housing) by a vote of IA to ID. The resulting
hybrid measure, known as H. r. 6SSSs, COM
prises 1o7 pages and contains practically all the
features of T-E-W Bill with the exception OF
the declaration Of policy and few minor
features.
THUS, this Republican controlled House