Evening star., 1948-06-17
Truman Seen Hurting
Party by Absence as
Congress Nears End
Could Have Aided Action
On VitoI Legislation
By His Presence Here
Rr David Lawrence

y
President Truman could have
done more for his party and his
country by staying in Washington
in these closing days of Congress
than by pursuing his personal am
bition on the political stump in the
West
Almost unprecedented Is Mr.,
Truman's absence. Time and again
Presidents have been confronted
with the need for counsel with
party leaders as congressional ses-
sions were drawing to close. Al
most without exception they have
rearranged schedules and Cancelled
speaking engagements in order to
be close at hand. Some Presidents
have even stayed up all hours OF
the night waiting for final action
on important legislation.
Mr.. Trumans. attitude toward
the Congress is not born OF any
contempt or lack of respect, how
ever. even though the opposite
political party happens to be in the
ma iority. 1t is unhappily the re-
suit of bad political judgment, OF
which Mr.. Truman seems to have
accumulated more than most PreSl-
dents in recent years.
Influence Incalculable.
The American people pay Presl-
dent $4,000 year for the express
purpose of having him do his
utmost in performing the duties of
his office. Under the Constitution
the making of laws is as much
part of the Presidents job as it Is
that of Congress. 1t takes presi-
Dental signature to make bill
into law Also his influence is such
that. if his views are persuasive, he
can keep a measure from becoming
law by arguments that appeal to
one vote more in either house than
a mere minority of third of the
membership.
The Presidents influence on leg
iSlatiVe compromises is incalculable. |
AS legislation reaches the final
stages, change here or there. with !
presidential approval. or change
to meet his objections can some
times mean the passage of legisla-
ton that otherwise might fall by
the Wayside. The American people |.
do not want their Chief Executive |
to stand on technicalities and use
the veto power when it is too late to
change a measure and get a substi- |.
tute passed without the features to
which President may take excep-
ton
If there is no President on the
lob to do business with, his party in
Congress goes its own way and
helps to override vetoes. Within
the last "a hours Congress. by two
thirds votes. has overriden Mr..
Trumans vetoes again and again.
In parliamentary system of gov
ernment, this would mean a vote
of no confidence" and prime min
lister would resign.
1nasmuch as the Republicans have
bare majority of the Senate, the
fact that two thirds vote is mus
tered against Mr. Trumans views
means that large number of DEM
ocrats have been voting against |
their party leader. 1t must be that |
they think his views are unper-
suasive or else that they feel some
on certain subjects is
better than none. In any event, the
record does not show that Congress
is taking Mr.. Truman'S veto mes
sages seriously. The Congress feels
they are canned statements drafted
by cabinet officers or executive
agency heads in the absence of the
President from Washington.
Congress Is Vulnerable.
What could Mr.. Truman have ac-
complished had he stayed in WASH /
ln2ton? The power of publicity, the
power to influence public opinion.
is just as great if not greater when
a President is in Washington as
when he is away.
The present Congress. moreover
is vulnerable. There are a dozen
points on which Mr.. Truman might
have scored political gains had he
stayed in Washington and put the
searchlight on what the two houses
are doing in the closing days. Every
Congress in the last days of a ses-
sion is similarly vulnerable, but Mr..
Truman had the opportunity of his
career to put the opposite party on
the spot with messages and state
mentS issued from Washington
Likewise, he had a chance to con-
solidate the ranks of his own party.
All together. Mr.. Truman may
have seen even as many as 5.000,000
persons on his tour. but what he
said in his impromptu remarks and
what he failed to do in absenting
himself from Washington at a criti-
cal time could conceivably weaken
his political position with many of
the other 50,000,0O0 voters who didn't
see him but read both the accounts
of the speeches and the dispatches
from Washington on what is hap
pening here A Presidents first
duty in the closing days of a session
is to be in the White House Some
have even journeyed to the Capitol
itself to be available for conference.
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