Evening star., 1950-03-18
The Political Mill
Trumun Dealt Two Blows
By Congress in 10 Doys
Program Not Doing So Well
In Either House or Senate
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

President Truman has been jolted
twice In the Democrat controlled slst
Congress IN the last 10 days. First, the
House Committee on Education and
Labor voted down the Federal aid to ed
ucation bill. Second. the Senate strip
ped from the new housing bill the pro-
visions for direct Government lending
for housing construction in competition
with private lending agencies, bank and
loan companies. The vote in the Senate
was against Mr.. Truman in spite of the
fact that Democratic National Commit
tee Chairman William M. Boyle, jr., sent
telegrams all over the country to leaders
OF the party organization, urging them to
demand Of the Democratic Senator's
support Of this plan.
The Truman program is not doing
well. These two blows followed on the
heels Of the administrations defeat in
the House on the compulsory Fair EN-
ployment Practices bill-when Republi-
can substitute. offered by Representative
Mcconnell Of Pennsylvania was adopted.
The Mcconnell bill is voluntary and
educational in its provisions-practicall
the same as measure which has been
sponsored In the Senate by Senator
Taft of Ohio.
Discourage Tax Proposals.
Further, the House Ways and Means
Committee, working on q tax bill, gives
Mr.. Truman no encouragement that his
proposals for increased taxes-on corp
orations, estates and gifts-is to re-
ceive approval. In fact. If any tax
bill Is put through-and what howls
will 60 up II there is no reduction in the
wartime excise taxes-it may be tax
reduction bill. and If Mr.. Truman should
veto it-as he did the tax-reduction bill
put through by the Republican S0th
Congress-he may have his veto over
ridden.
Favorable action on MIR. Truman'S two
pet proposals, compulsory health insur-
ance and the Taft-Hartley labor law re-
peal is definitely out for the present
session. The Brannan slave" farm bill
(Which would impose heavy jail and fine
sentences on farmers who disobeyed the
provisions of the act) is virtually out,
too. though the Secretary Of Agriculture,
Mr.. Brannan, is pleading for a chance
to try it out on potatoes.
The title Of the so-called Middle In
come Housing Bill, on which the Admin
tStration laid great stress and which was
voted out by the Senate, would have es-
tablished another Government sponsored
corporation. the National Mortgage Corp.
for Housing Co-operatives, to make loans
for so or so years directly to co-opera-
tives. without channeling them through
regularly established private enterprise
banks and loan companies. 1t is just
another proposal to put the Government
into business, where 1t already is in .
big way, by an administration that con-
tinues to shout that it is devoted to the
free. private enterprise system. The
British have an honeSter approach-the
government in power frankly says It's
for socialism.
Majority Opposes Controls.
Late in 1948 President Truman called
the Republican S0th Congress back into
special session, declaring that it should
be able. in two weeks time to put
through practically the entire program
which he is now demanding of the S1st
Congress. The 81st Congress was elected
in 1948. along with Mr.. Truman. 1t has
a large Democratic working majority in
the House and a good Democratic work.
ing majority in the Senate. But Mr..
Truman gets along with the 81st Con-
gress no better than he did with the 80th
Congress which he called the worst"
Congress in history. What's he going to
say about his own Congress when he
goes out on the stump-as he now
promises to do-to help elect another
democratic Congress?
Mr.. Truman's troubles with Congress
arise from the fact that majority of
the members are against many of his
proposals, which they believe are leading
directly toward state socialism. and cer-
tainly to still vaSter controls in WASH
ington. D. C. over the everyday lives
of the people.
There is in effect an informal coalition
between Republicans and conservative
Democrats. Most of the latter are from
Southern States-traditionally Demo-
cratic. II Mr.. Truman during his cam.
paigning undertakes to blast these
Southern Democrats, he will 80 long
way toward perpetuating the Democratic
States Rights movement.