The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-04-07
Rules Committee
StaIling On tn
Repeal Measure

Washington (LPA) - All last
week the Taft Hartleyite "bipart-
isan" majority of the House Rules
Committee filibustered the Labor
Committees. request for quick
action to repeal the anti-union law
When the committee adjourned
Friday it was announced that it
would, in executive session, take
action on Taft Hartley this week.
Republican members of the COM
mittee sat grinning as Dixiecrat
Rep. Eugene Cox Cd, Ga.) virtual
~ assumed the functions Of ageing
pro-labor Committee. C h arm n
Adolph SABBATH Cd, Ill.,. Cox, and
another labor-baiting southerner,
Rep. Howard Smith Cd, Va.) did
most of the needing of pro-union
Labor Committee members, with
an occasional assist from Rep.
Clarence Brown Or, Ohio), Sen.
Robert A. Taft's perennial cam
paign manager.
Altho Labor Committee Chair
man Rep. John Lesinski Cd, Mich. }
has asked for "closed rule"
which would force a House vote on
the labor-supported bill to re-en
state the Wagner act, Chairman
SABBATH said last week that he
thought the tory majority of the
Rules Committee would insist on
an open rule. This would permit an
unlimited number of anti-union
amendments to be proposed on the
floor of the House, and might make
a clear-cut vote on the Lesinski
bill impossible.
AS the week ended many Con-
gressmen were saying that it
might be necessary to take advant-
age of the new House procedure
which permits a committee chair
man, who has gotten the runaround
from the Rules Committee for II
days, to bring his bill directly to
the House.
Meanwhile, Republicans on the
Labor Committee are planning to
protest to the House that they
didn't get chance to "work on
the bill" in committee. They may
urge the House to order a recon-
initial Of the repeater, thus delay
ing action on labor legislation until
many important union contracts
have expired, and been renegotiat-'
ed under the shadow of Taft-Hart-
ley.
Charges that the pro-union maj
ority of the Labor Committee has
railroaded thru the bill which Pres
ident Truman as we'll as organized
labor supports were rebutted by
committee, members. They pointed
out that full hearings had been
conducted on the bill, and contrast
ed this with the way the anti-labor
majority on the committee during
the 80th Congress forced vote on
Taft Hartley without even giving
the pro-union minority a chance to
read the bill.
In sharp contrast to the rude
treatment accorded pro-union mem
bers of the Labor Committee by
the labor -haters on the powerful
Rules Committee, was the courtesy
they showed Rep. John Wood Cd,
Ga.) when he appeared on behalf
of his substitute, which would leave
Taft Hartley in operation.
Rep. Andrew Jacobs Cd, Ind
one of the most effective spoles-
men against Taft Hartleyism on
the Labor Committee once stalked
out of the Rules hearing, charging
members Of that body with "play-
ing political shuttlecock with labor
legislation" and "arrogating to
themselves the functions of Con-
gress."
He reminded the hatchetmen
that their job is to arrange the
agenda of the House, not debate
the merits of legislation-which is
what the Rules Committee did for
a full week.
Only Rules Committee member
who has spoken out bluntly in sup
port Of the Labor Committees re-
quest is Rep. Ray Madden Cd,
md.).
Jacobs put his finger on the key
point when he said: "The Rules
Committee doesn't have a Demo.
cratic majority L judge a Demo-
crat on his voting record. There are
three men who ought to move to
the other side of the table"