Evening star., 1948-06-10
Congress Retorf5
To Worst Tag
In Bitter Vein
Roughest Campaign
In Years in Making
After Truman BIust
TRUMAN HINTS Broadly He May
Extend Speaking Tour. Page AS.

TRUMAN HINTS Broadly He May
Extend Speaking Tour. Page AS.
Acrimony burst at the Capitol
today in the wake of President
Truman's action in pinning a
worst" label on the present
Congress. 1t was apparent one
of the most vitrolic presidential
campaigns of regent years was
in the making.
On the House floor and in Sem
ate committee hearing, and in per-
sonal statements. Republicans waded
into a verbal slugfest with the DEM
ocrats. The battle was set on yes
terday at Spokane, Wash, where
Mr.. Truman, openly bidding for
votes on his Western tour, called
for the country to defeat the pres
ent Congress. saying, You've got
the worst Congress in the United
States you've ever had"
Today. on the House floor, Rep
resentative Clevenger, Republican.
of Ohio said Congress has not
done badly" then added:
High Tax Harry, like a nasty
little gamin, has dipped his hands
into the mud and dirt and plas-
tered it all over our new buggy and
danced out of reach of the whip.
Might we'll be there will be some
Congress-tanned Missouri jackass
hide on the Christmas market
come November"
Rayburn Rises to Rebuke.
| House Minority Leader Rayburn
jumped up at that. He told Mr..
Clevenger the use of such language
/ toward ANY President" was an
amazing performance"
Representative Smith, Republican,
of Wisconsin said Mr.. Truman
should not have used the language
he did, but Il don't think we ought
to sink to his level"
I Harold E. Stassen. appearing be-
fore the Senate Appropriations
Committee to oppose House cuts IN
European Recovery Program funds.
/ Jumped into the fray to say that
the President had made an "un-
justified, unstatesmanlike state
ment." He said he thinks Congress
has made "one of the most con-
structive two-year records in foreign
policy of any Congress In the his
tory of our Nation
/ Chairman Bridges asked: Then
YOU don't agree with the Presidents
statement that this is the worst
Congress in the history OF the Con-
gress?"
Thinks Remark ILL., l-Considered.
| Mr.. Stassen said:
| II view that as an ill-considered.
ad-libbed remark that will have an
unfortunate effect on the action
which the President and Congress
should together take In the interests
of the country. It was an untusti.
fed and unstatesmanlike statement. ;"
After the Bridges-Stassen exS
change, Senator OMahoney OF
wyoming, who is being mentioned
as a possible vice presidential rum,
ming mate with Mr.. Truman, and
Senator Tydings of Maryland got in
some Democratic licks at the Senate
hearing.
! Senator OMahoney said it ap-
peard its Republicans could lad lib
to their hearts content" in attacking
the President, but took a totally
different view when the President
attacked them.
Senator O'Mahoney accused Sem
ator Bridges of injecting politics"
into the hearing. He demanded to
know what Mr.. Stassen had had to
say about his opponents in the Ore
gon primary.
Il stated specifically in Oregon
that I had high regard for Gov.
Dewey" Mr.. Stassen replied. Il
have never. Senator, reflected upon
the sincerity. integrity or right to a
difference of opinion of a fellow
Republican.
Fund Charges Questioned.
Senator O'Mahoney asked about
statement attributed to the Stas-
sen forces that Gov. Dewey and
Senator Taft had spent s250,0o0 to
beat the former Minnesota Cover
nor in the primary.
Mr.. Stassen said the statement
was that the forces combined IN
opposition spent that sum-" He said
that was not question OF "integ-
rity, but a question of methods.
Senator Bridges said he was sorry
that he had brought the subject
up. Then he added that he agreed
with Mr.. Stassen that the Presi-
; dents statement was ill advised"
and unfortunate" particularly
since Mr.. Truman had said ne is on
a ''nonpolitical trip
Senator Tydings was little less
(See POLITICS. Page A-6o