Evening star., 1948-07-22
The Political Mill
Republicans Won't Skip
TO the Piping Of Truman
Ready to Make a Political Issue
of Congress 'RumpN Session
By Gould LincoIr

By Gould Lincoln
Republican leadership will not skip to the
piping Of Mr.. Truman In the White House.
And If Mr.. Truman wishes to make political
issue Of 1.-THE Republicans are willing.
All this Is made quite evident by the state
ment issued by Herbert Browneli-Gov. Deweys
"Jim" Farley. This statement-brief and to
the point-was issued after mature considera-
tion-and presumably with the knowledge Of
Gov Dewey, the Republican presidential nomi-
nee who must eventually carry the burden Of
the coming campaign 1t accuses the President
of playing politics for his own personal benefit.
with his call for trump session" Of the pres
ent Congress. 1t fatty states that the program
laid down in the Republican national platform
will only be undertaken when Republican is
in the White House to give it leadership, and
to administer it once it is enacted into law.
The Republican leaders of the present Con-
gress-Messrs. Taft and Vandenberg on the
Senate side and Martin and Halleck on the
House side-are by no means bound by this
statement to inaction at the extra session about
to open. Gov. Dewey's campaign manager has
made 1t clear, however, that the Republican
presidential nominee does not feel called on
to ask the old Congress to take up and pass
the legislative program contained in the new
party platform-a program upon which the
voters will be asked to vote in the November
elections.
Ready to Go to Mat
What Mr.. Dewey will have to say to the
Congress, If anything, when it convenes is
still to be revealed. The New Yorker Is pre-
pared to 60 to the mat with Mr.. Truman in the
campaign still to come. But that he intends to
let Mr.. Truman shoot at him through the
Congress is something else.
Gov. Dewey is not now in the White House:
he is not now President. If he undertook to
tell the Republican House and Senate next
week there were certain measures he wished
passed, and the Congress failed to % ahead
and pass them-where would he be left? OBJ
viously his position of leadership would be
materially weakened Once he is in the White
House, as Chief Executive, the situation will be
reversed for it will be his plain duty to
recommend to the Congress such measures as
he deems for the good of the country.
The Eightieth Congress, however, must re-
ceive the recommendations OF President Tru-
man. It will give these recommendations such
consideration as it desires or considers wise
Most of the subjects which Mr.. Truman has
indicated will be handled in his message to
Congress have been given consideration by
this Congress and they have not been passed
There Is the Taft -Ellender-Wagner housing
BILL with its provisions for public housing. This
measure has passed the Senate. But that the
House will ever pass it Is another thing. The
Congress has turned its back on prce-control
legislation
Civil Rights Program
The one program of legislation which the
Republican Congress can put through at this
extra session-if the Democrats will let its
the civil rights program. Anti-poll tax, anti
lynching and FEPC bills have been acted on
favorably in committee in one house or the
other, and could be put forward Immediately
if the Republican congressional leaders elect
to do so. If this course is followed and the
Southern Democrats in the Senate undertake
filibuster, the extra session may bog down
completely at its inception.
The Senate rules provide for cloture by
two-thirds vote But cloture does not apply
when amendments are offered to the daily
journal of proceedings in the Senate. Sena-
torial filibusters may run indefinitely If the
Southerners attack the journal, which must be
read at the opening Of daily session
The President has indicated he will ask the
Congress to forget partisanship and put
through a couple Of measures related to the
international situation. In the light Of his
insistence on political session Of Congress
this is naive If nothing more. The Republi-
cans may counter with demand that the
President give them the entire low-down on
the Berlin situation. The President made
serious mistake in calling partisan political
session. when national security demands the
utmost cooperation of both parties in the
foreign field.