Evening star., 1948-07-19
6. 0.P. CongressHe
Not Bound TO LegisIafe
Platform This Session
Policy Set in Convention
Is Predicuted on Election
Of Lawmakers in Fall
Rv Davfd Laurence

Presidents call for an extra session
of Congress has been generally over
looked. He is asking Congress to
enact the program laid down in the
the Republican convention which,
in turn, wrote a platform for the
Congress that is supposed to be
elected this autumn and to take
Office in January 1949
The Republican convention laid
down program for the 81st Con-
gress-not the 80th-and so did the
Democratic convention. Until the
American people by their votes next
November say which platform they
prefer the present 80th Congress has
no new mandate.
Speaking of mandates, tho Ameri-
can people passed in the November
1916 election on the program offered
at that time by the Republicans.
Both houses were given to the Re
puhlicans to control on the basis OF
campaign promises.
In the 1916 campaign, the Repub-
licans argued that Government con-
trolls should be lifted. The country
at that time resented controls. Also
the people were aroused against
labor union bosses and strikes and
wanted, therefore, some reform leg
islatfon and the Taft Hartley law
was enacted in response to that
mandate.
Mandate Not Accepted.
1t will be recalled that President
Truman never accepted the mandate
of the people in the 1916 election.
He interpreted it as he pleased.
He argued that not enough people
had voted and hence it was a mi
nority" election.
If the American people have ap-
proved one basic principle OF pres
ent-dav politics it is that losers must
be good sportsmen and abide by the
result. Mr.. Truman at first prom
ised> to cooperate with the Repub-
licans and then went back on his
promise. Whatever bill he has
signed, he has given only grudging
approval. Even when it was ap-
parent that two-thirds of both
houses wanted certain laws enacted,
Mr.. Truman refused to go along.
He insisted on an arbitrary position
of minority leadership over the will
of a two-third majority.
There will be no use Of an extra
session if the President continues
his capricious course in refusing to
approve legislation passed by a ma
iority. 1t is the duty of the legislators
nevertheless to pass whatever leg
islation will complete the program
which the American people passed
on in the November 1946 election
and to place on Mr.. Truman the re-
sponsibility of approving or disap-
proving whatever laws are passed.
Administration Repudiated.
As for the Republican platform
of 1948 which was set forth by the
convention as the course to guide
the country beginning in January
I949, the Republicans can justifi-
ably say that this program cannot
be put into effect unless and until
Republican President is elected
For Mr.. Truman's administration
has been twice repudiated by two
thirds of both houses of Congress
once on taX-reduction legislation
and once on the Taft Hartley law.
In one of these instances a ma
iority even of the Democratic Party
also repudiated Mr.. Truman's lead
ership.
Under such circumstances it
would seem logical for Congress to
complete its program asked for in
November 1916 and elicit from the
President some expression as to
whether he will cooperate If the
1949 program is begun now. The
President himself is somewhat foggy
on the mandates of the 1916 and
1948 elections. In fact, in his speech
at the Philadelphia Convention last
week. he condemned the Eightieth
Congress, which was not elected
until November 1916, for having
presented him with "rotten"
price control bill in June 1946-six
months before the Eightieth Con-
gress actually came into power.
Maybe when the extra session of
Congress is all over, the Republi-
cans will secretly thank President
Truman for having called it. Any
one who was familiar with the state
of mind of the Republicans in the
10 days just before the regular ses-
sion ended knew that there was a
definite desire to come back after
the conventions and finish certain
controversial pieces of legislation.
1t was the taunting comments of
Democratic leaders that prompted
the adjournment
lRpnrndnc Riphts Pecerued