The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1949-04-01
Inside
Washington
Special to Central Press

WASHINGTON = Congress
!sional observers predict that,
despite President Truman's
lashing of Congress for not re-
pealing the Taft Hartley Labor
Act sooner, the chief executive
will be forced to accept a COM
promise law, or veto it.
Betting is that the law which
comes out of Congress will be
a far cry from the administra-
TONS original proposal; may
even be closer to the Taft-Hart-
ley Act.
1t looks like the House will
pass the administrations SUBJ
stitute but it is a different story
in the Senate.
The ultimate product of a
conference committee may be
pretty distasteful to labor which
has demanded outright repeal
of TIL. MI. Truman cam
paigned on such a pledge.
One of the top Democratic
House leaders predicts that the
president will not veto what
ever bill is enacted. His reason
ing is that labor will prefer any
. act to the present Taft Hartley
! statute.
4 However, John L. Lewis
! United Mine Workers Journal
| has declared that the president
will be compelled to veto any,
thing resembling TIL if he is
to be consistent with his cam-
paign pledges.
Mr.. Truman's blast at Taft
Hartley repeal delay covered
: all the other major points of his
legislative program. The presi-
dents Senate majority leader,
Scott Lucas of Illinois, believes
he has a solution of the situa-
ton which usually sees Con-
gress still far from legislative
! action after the first three
months of a session.
Lucas suggests that Congress
meet for three days early in
! January to let the members
y "get the speeches off their
chests" and then "adjourn for
a month and let the committees
get down to work"
The majority leader points
out that many people do not
understand law-making proce-
dure, which involves the airing
of divergent viewpoints before
various committees in order that
the legislators receive informa-
ton on all sides of a subject
before they draw up a bill.
Lucas said that, in view of
widespread criticism against al
legged Congressional slowness,
he checked up on all Senate
committees He reports:
Gall the committees are busy,
working hard, and doing all
they possibly can to get legisla-
ton ready for the floor"
Some top Republicans already
are determined to seek nomina-
ton of Gen. Dwight D. Eisen-
hover as the COP presidential
candidate in 1852 - to wipe,
they hope, the stain of five sue
cessive defeats from their ban
ners.
Many key Democrats, certain
that President Truman will not
seek another term, are prepar-
ing to counter by nominating
Supreme Court Justice William
o. Douglas.
Thus the political tom-toms
are thudding anew. three and
a half years before the national
conventions open around an
unturned. unpredictable corner
in history.
The Republicans believe that
Eisenhower, on leave as Column
bia university president while
he advises Mr. Truman on mil
itary matters, would consent
to being nominated in 1852.
That is, they point out, if there
is no "hot, shooting war" In
that cast IKE" would be back
in uniform.
Friends of Douglas believe
the Supreme Court justice
would be more than willing
to be the Democratic candidate
three years from now, and they
contend he would be acceptable
to all classes in the party. He is
already the darling" of New
Dealers. Only opposition prob
ably would come from the
South.