Evening star., 1948-11-07

! Gne wagner NaIlOldl IsdpOT ftSla-
stions Act as 1t stood for IL years
A safer bet would be that Con.
gress win pull some Of Taft-Hart.
ley's teeth but not wipe 1t Out
completely.
Take the civil rights program
next. Republicans will be ready, al
In the past, to help the Democratic
leadership take up the several bill.
to eliminate racial discrimination
but the Southerners, who contend
this problem should be handled by
the States, still have the Senate
fllibuster as an effective road block
Have to Change Rules
Republican leaders decided, wher
they were adiourning Congress ii
August that they would have tc
change Senate rules in January be.
fore they could hope to get actor
on civil rights. At this writing Il
seems obvious that the new Demo.
cratic leaders will have to face tht
same solution If they are to de.
liver on this issue.
= The diff1culty, even with thai
solution, is that a resolution tt
amend Senate rules would be sub.
tect to the same unlimited debate
that heretofore has stymied tht
civil rights bills. There is only one
way to break a filibuster, either t.
amend the rules or pass the bills
That way is for a majority to reach
the determination to hold the Sen.
ate in continuous day-and-night
sessions until the opposition talk,
itself out.
Boiled down to cold reality, there.
fore. it would seem that the fatt
of civil rights legislation hinges or
whether a majority of this new
Senate is prepared to wear out 6
fHbuster with round-the-clock ses.
sions. How long 1t would take il
q dozen or more join the filibuster-
ing team is anybody's guess.
One factor that always works te
the advantage Of the opposition Il
that emergency matters of great
Importance, that must be acted or
without delay. arise from time te
time. In the early months Of 1949
it could be the extension of aid te
Western Europe.
Where Chances Are Bright
When such issues arise, the flibus.
= terers get breathing spell, and the
time previously spent ID trying to
wait them out is lost.
On broadening social security, es-
tablishing health insurance, aid tc
education and similar welfare pro.
grams, Mr. Truman's chances fol
success are fairly bright. Gov
Dewey joined in putting the Re.
publicans on record for these OBJ.
jectives. and the new Congress un.
doubtedly will be in q far more
receptive mind to do something
about these promises.
- The only question here will be
how far the overall budget require.
ments of the Government will make
it possible to go in raising present
benefits and adding new ones.
At this point the world situation
is likely to be the decisive factor
IF relations with Russia remain
tense, Congress- will have to con-
tinue to authorize heavy outlays fol-
national defense. Early in the new
year more money will be needed
for economic aid under the Mar
shall Plan, and there will arise alse
the. question of whether to extend
military assistance to minded
nations for mutual defense.
The size of these appropriations
will cut in to what the United
States can spend at home, unless
the administration is prepared to
impose new taxes.
Profits Tax Unlikely
In this connection, one of Mr.
Truman's recommendation to the
much-maligned Eightieth Congress
last July was for the revival of the
excess-profts tax as a brake on
. imitation"
io7 Despite the gains made by liberal
y Democrats in this election, it Is
virtually certain any move to re-
Establish an excess profits tax would
touch of long battle. The op-
ponents would argue that such q
tax, usually reserved for wartime
would discourage industrial expan-
sion and production needed to in
sure continued full employment.
And it is hardly likely that Rep
resentatives and Senators Just back
from an election that retired Sc
many of their colleagues to private
life, will 60 for any tax increases
on individual incomes at a time
when wage earners are complain
ing about the cost of living.
On the other side of the picture
OF course, there is always the pos.
sibility that the diplomats In the
United Nations may succeed ir
reaching agreements that would les.
sen the tension in the world. Presi.
dent Truman has promised to de-
vote all OF his energy to the quest
for peace. If he is able to succeed
In that, Of course, the pressure fol
heavy spending abroad would b.
reduced.
Congress Has ADVANTAGE
In that happy event. the new
Democratic Congress probably woule
resemble the early years of tn,
Roosevelt New Deal, as far as socia
welfare legislation is concerned.
dThere will be one marked differ.
&Ic& between the 1949 Truman New