Evening star., 1949-06-24
Taf-HartIey Act Foes
Claim Enough Votes
To Bar Injunctions
by ths Assceicfsd Press

\
By The Assecieisd Press
Senators fighting against the
Taft-Hartley Act claimed today
that they are unified at last and
will knock out its emergency in
function power.
Whether or not the claim proved
correct, it was clear that the Sen
ate's parliamentary situation had
changed drastically.
A vote on the crucial question
was unlikely today and may not
come until Tuesday.
The unifying factor was an un-
expected move yesterday by Sen
ate Majority Leader Lucas.
He introduced a new plant
seizure" proposal which he told re-
porters President Truman would
obviously approve" Two other
proposals for Government seizure
Of plants to delay national emer-
gency" strikes already had been
voted down by the Senate.
Morse Proposal Rejected.
Just before Senator Lucas offered
his plan, the Senate rejected still
another anti-injunction proposal.
BY a vote Of n to o, 1t turned
down proposal by Senator Morse,
Republican, of Oregon under which
Congress would have been required
to deal with national emergency
strikes on q case-by-case basis.
plan In such way as to make
1njunctions the big issue. He put
the proposal in the form Of an
amendment to an "injunction-or-
seizure" proposal by Senator Taft.
Republican, Of Ohio. The Lucas
amendment would simply remove
the Taft Injunction authority and
leave in the seizure part.
Senator Taft was caught by
surprise, as he later acknowl-
edged to reporters. But he fought
back hard and swiftly.
He STAYED off q vote yesterday.
Then, with his support. Senator
Holland. Democrat, Of Florida and
three other Senators-Hoey. DEM
ocrat. of North Carolina; Bricker,
Republican, Of Ohio and Schoep-
pei, Republican, of Kansas-in-
troduced a new 60-day injunction
proposal, with seizure taken out
completely. This was offered
under such parliamentary condi-
tions as to be voted on before the
Lucas amendment.
Decision to Be Close.
Thus the issue was narrowing
down in the Senate's battle over
strikes imperilling the national
health or safety. The big choice
now is between the Holland and
Lucas amendments. The decision
will be close.
Sen. Lucas told reporters:
sfWhat happens here may deter
mine the whole course of the
labor bill"
The Senate is debating the ad-
ministration bin to repeal the
Taft Hartley Act. -Four compro-
mise amendments have already
been adopted, making the bill
look a little more like Taft-Hart-
ley. Sen. Taft wants to 60 further
and write into the bill a long list
Of important Taft-Hartley feat
ures.
Sen. Lucas told reporters his
amendment was the only way
1--WE could unite all our forces,
adding:
II believe We have a very good
opportunity to defeat the Holland
amendment and carry mine"
Expects Republican support.
Other Democrats went much
further. Said Senator Douglas,
Democrat, Of Illinois:
II expect victory. What we
are doing Is forcing a sharp line
UP on the issue of forcing men
to return to work Cor a private
employer. The Lucas amend
ment brings back to us the Demo-
Gratis who were opposed to seizure,
and will draw toward us the mod
erately liberal Republicans who
don't believe In injunctions."
Said Senator Humphrey. Demo-
crat, of Minnesota: Il think we
can beat 'em hands down"
Like the Lucas seizure plan, the
Holland injunction amendment
would require the President to lay
each emergency before Congress
at a special session If necessary
if a stoppage occurred after an
Emergency Board made its recon-
mendations.
Senator Lucas told the Senate
that, as he understands it, the
Government could get an injunc-
ton to block a strike once it had
seized an industry-even though
the Lucas amendment contains no
explicit injunction authority.
Berlin !