Evening star., 1950-01-19
The Political Mill
Truman May Be Prophetic
On Civil Rights Bill Fight
Action on Presidents Program Likely
To Drag Out Through Summer
BY Gould LfncoLn

0V TONl Lincoln
President Truman's assurance that he will
drag vote out Of the Senate on Civil Rights
bills IF it takes all summer" given the rep
resentatives Of the National Emergency Civil
Rights Mobilization may be prophetic. It is
becoming more and more clear that If Mr..
Irumans program, including civil rights, is
to be given consideration at the second ses-
sion OF the 81st Congress, snow may fly (pro-
vided 1t SHOWS again in Washington, before
the session winds up Congress has been in
session nearly three weeks. Progress has
been infnitesimal. The Senate has given it's
time exclusively to one bill, the oleomargarine
tax repeal bill, which was scheduled to pass
days earlier. The House has done virtually
nothing.
Congress does not wish to stay in session
all summer. That goes for Truman sup
porters as well as for Truman opponents.
This is an election year and members of
Congress are anxious to get back home to
plan their campaigns. Further, majority
OF the Congress is opposed to major items
IN the Presidents program and does not
intend to bring them up for consideration.
Fight on Different Footing.
This fight over civil rights legislation,
however, is on different footing. Republic
cans as well as Northern and Western Demo-
.cratS have promised something shall be done
about it Only the Southern Senators and
Representatives are determined that it shall
not pass. The bills including the Fair EN-.
ployment Practices Commission bill, the anti.
lynchlng bill and the anti-pol tax bill can
be jammed through the House in all prob
ability-the FEPC bill will meet the strongest
opposition of the three But it is in the
Senate, with its rule of unlimited debate and
the fllibuster. that the real stumbling block
Is found. Hence the significance of Mr. Tru-
mans nfnn1lSa Nf,f ~ $I,m
Senate on these measures.
AT the first session of the 81st Congress-
the cloture rule of the Senate was amended
so as to make it possible to invoke cloture
(close OF debate), on motion to take up
bill as well as on the bill itself This in itself
was big step forward. even though it Is
now provided that to invoke such cloture an
actual two-thirds of the Senate ga Sena-
tors). must vote for cloture motion, instead
of two-thirds of those present and voting.
Senator Lucas of Illinois, Democratic leader
OF the upper House, has promised show
down on this amended rule, applying it to
motion to take up the FEPCs bill That's all
right, too. But instead of making the test
in the first few weeks Of the session, the ad-
ministration forces are permitting the test
to be pushed further into the future, giving
the right of way to a number of bills that
will not need cloture motion to obtain q
vote. Opposition to an FEPC bill is stronger
than is the opposition to the other civil
rights bills-but the FEPC measure is the
principal demand of the Negro and other
racial minorities.
Coalition Again Formed.
President Truman has seen once more the
quick development of a working coalition
between the Southern Democrats and the
Republicans in Congress, the kind of coali-
tion which blocked his program in the first
session Of the present Congress. The pro-
posal to repeal the change in the House rules,
adopted at the opening of the last session,
which limits the power Of the Rules Com
mittee to pigeonhole bills desired by the
administration. was the work of this coalition.
Unless there is a distinct change, the admin
istration is in for even rougher shedding than
during the last session of Congress.
Several factors are responsible. Public
reaction to two projected $4,000, 900 600 def
cits. one for fiscal year 1850 and another for
fiscal year 1851, is one. People don't like the
idea, especially when their taxes remain very
high and there is talk of still further increas-
ing them. Buttons bearing the initials
T. T. P. are making their appearance They
stand for Tired Tax Payer" The futility
of the administration in the face of a coal
strike and coal shortage is another The
failure, too. to reach peace, five years after
the cessation of hostilities. is third Con.
tinued high prices and taxes, fourth.
People are saying to themselves, Where are
we going?"