Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-07-15

tandS before the speakers stand
do everything in his power to "see
that the message we have for the
American people Is taken to every
precinct in the United States
AS Democratic floor leader in the
Senate, however, he now will find
himself busy in Washington, try
ing to put through the bills his
running mate, President Truman,
will request of the special session.
And on his side of the aisle Sena-
tor Barley will find a group of
Southern Senators, ready to do bat
tie, as they always have in the
past, against one Of the Presidents
major proposals-the civil rights
program.
In the forefront of that Southern
bloc will be Senator Russell of
Georgia, who was given 1853 protest
votes from the South for the preSi-
Dental nomination last night.
During the last session of Con-
gress President Truman vetoed an
exceptionally high percentage of the
bills the Republican Congress sent
him. 1t is safe to assume that in
the special session the Republicans
again will send him measures he
may feel constrained to disapprove.
Meanwhile, Cows. Dewey of New
York and Warren of California will
be free to plan their campaigns
across the country. leaving other
Republicans to serve on the firing
line in Congress.
While the Republicans were nomi-
mating him for President a few
weeks ago, Gov. Dewey was asked
by newsmen If he favored a special
session of Congress. Gov. Dewey
indicated he saw no need for it, and
pointed out that the entire mem
bership of the House and a third OF
the Senate had campaigns to make
FOR reelection this year.
/ Recalling this today, political OBJ
servers here wondered how these
members of Congress would feel
about the Presidents decision to
bring them back to Washington for
the rest of the summer.
The President said in his accept
ance speech that IF there Is any
reality behind that Republican
platform, we ought to get some &C
ton out of the short session OF the
Eightieth Congress, and they could
do this job in Is days If they
wanted to do it, and still have time
to 60 out in the country
Speedy Adjournment Doubtful.
Few persons familiar with the
legislative process believe, however,
that a new session starting on July
26 would end in two weeks.
In the Senate, for example, the
freedom of debate permitted by the
rules would be more likely to keep
the session going two months or
longer to deal with the major sub
jects the President listed, even If the
cloture rule should be invoked on
some of the measures to curb
debate.
The civil rights program is one
issue on which cloture undoubtedly
would be necessary to get action
over Southern opposition, and Mr..
Truman today challenged the Re-
puolicans to invoke that rule.
The President was fortnight and
courageous in dealing with the
touchy civil rights issue, considering
the situation that prevailed on the
floor of the convention yesterday.
Some of the members OF my own
party disagree violently on this
NATTER he said, but they stand
up and to it openly. People can tell
where We stand, but the Repub-
licans all profess to be for these
measures, but the Eightieth Con-
gress failed to act. They had enough
men, and they had cloture. There
were enough people that would vote
for cloture.'
The first reaction of some po-
litical observers to this open invi-
tation to the Republicans to invoke
cloture was that adminiStra ton
strategists must have reached the
conclusion the President may gain
more by appealing to liberal senti-
ment in the big States of the North
and Midwest on civil rights than by
trying to appease the rebellious
members of his own party in the
South.
Statement Brings Outburst.
The President was. getting gen.
erous applause during the early
part of his speech, but he drew a
sudden outburst from the galleries
when he dramatically announced
the special session. He had been
taking up one by one what he re-
garded as failures of the Congress
during the last year. Then he
pulled his surprise in these words:
My duty as President requires
that I use every means within my
power to get the laws the people
need on such important matters,
and 1 am therefore calling this
Congress back into session on the
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