Evening star., 1948-12-26

are enCltleQ 70 keep party pay"
ments at the 80 per cent level in
stead of accepting a sliding scale
downward. The parity principle is
designed to equalize the prices
farmers get for their products with
the cost of things they buy.
Although these and other prob
lens galore are piled up on the
doorstep of the new Congress as
the result of election promises, vet-
eran observers on Capitol Hill do
not look for too much speed in the
early weeks of 1949.
In the first place, the change In
party control and the large con-
tingent of new members to be given
committee assignments create prob
lens of organization that will con-
sumo most of the time between the
formal convening of the House and
Senate week from tomorrow and
the Inauguration of President Tru-
man on January 20. Mr.. Truman
will present his state-of- the Union
message next week, however.
Committee Shake-ups Due
Some idea of the organization
task confronting party leaders may
be gained from review of the elec-
ton upsets. In the House there
will be 116 new faces out of total
membership OF 435. In the Senate
there are II new members out of 90.
Numerous committee changes will
result from the desire of men in
bothFparties who survived the elec-
ton to get more important places
left vacant by those who were de-
feated.
BY capturing rs Republican seats
in the House, the Democrats will
start the new year in that branch
with 263 members to III Repub-
licans and / American-Laborite.
This is far better majority than
the Republicans had when they quit
last summer. The House then
stood: Republicans. 245; Democrats.
1876; American-Labor, 2, with 3
seats vacant.
b. When the Senate organizes next
week the Democrats will have 81
seats and the Republicans, AZ. The
old standing was 81 Republicans
and As Democrats.
Surveying the election returns Q
month ago, Mr.. Martin, the pros
pective minority leader of House
Republicans, predicted that Presi-
dent Truman would be able to get
anything he wished from the new
Congress If he wished 1t hard
enough.
His observation presumably was
based on the size of the Presidents
majorities in both branches. Never
theless, there undoubtedly will be
times during 1949-as there have
been in the past-when some con-
seIyative Democrats will vote with
the Republicans on economic issues.
If President Truman renews his
1948 recommendation for an excess
profits tax on business, that may
prove to be one of the issues on
which party lines will fail to hold,
on either side. For example, Senator
George of Georgia. who is in line
to be chairman of the Finance Com
mittee, has indicated he would not
be sympathetic toward revival of an
excess profits levy. If the Gov
ernment must raise more revenue
he has said he would prefer to in
crease the corporation normal tax
rate. His Finance Committee would
handle any new tax bill.
Pressure for Social Reforms
Tax bills must originate in the
House, and present indications are
the Ways and Means Committee OF
that branch may await the Treas
ury's March Is collection figures for
the past year before going very far
with new revenue legislation.
BY that time congressional lead
ers would have a better idea Of
the spending trend for the new
fiscal year, since several Of the big
annual appropriation bills will be
on the way to enactment by March.
Between January and March
Congress also should get line on
the size of future outlays for for
eign aid under the Marshall Plan
and for national defense.
Meanwhile, there undoubtedly will
be pressure both from the admins
traticn and the newly elected menu
bers of Congress to move forward
with social reforms, such as broader
oid-age retirement coverage, health
Insurance and Federal aid to edu-
cation.
New social security benefits no
doubt would be financed, as in the
past, by special payroll taxes on
employers and employees, but the
extent of these tax increases would
have to be weighed as part of the
whole economic picture. BY the
middle of March Congress also will
be in a better position to Judge how
far it should go in raising social
security taxes.
Question of Changing Rules
The new Congress may get of to
a stormy start on the opening day
If current moves to change the
rules of the House are pushed to a
showdown. One source of fireworks
involves possible efforts to abolish
or change the scope of the Un-
Activities Committee. An.
other is the drive launched by Rep
resentative Eberharter, Democrat. OF
to curb the power OF
the Rules Committee.
Either of these moves could cause