Evening star., 1950-01-29

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lican and Democratic opponents
of the Fair Deal. This group
wanted to return to the old prac-
tice of giving the l2-member
House Rules Committee full con-
troll over legislation to be brought
before the House.
The Speaker. under the new
rule, exercised his right to recog-
nize one of seven or eight other
chairmen of House standing COM
mittees who had bills on the cal
endar. Chairman Kee of the For
eign Affairs Committee had been
selected by the Speaker as ripe for
recognition to call up a bill for the
participation of the United States
in various international organiza-
tions set up by United Nations.
There was some reason. perhaps,
for this choice, since Mr.. Kee had
called up this bill under the new
rule last October. Mr.. Kee halls
from West Virginia where both
the Negro and labor vote is large.
He declined the honor. But
whether it was because Mr.. Kee
did not wish to get in the way of
the FEPC bill or for some other
reason, he did not say.
Rayburn's Excuse
So the Speaker recognized
Chairman Peterson of the Public
Lands Committee to move to take
up the bill to give Alaska state
hood. In other words. Mr.. Ray
burn used his own judgment. The
so-called reform rule, which was
put through at the opening Of the
81st Congress to prevent the Rules
Committee from using its own
Judgment. has apparently merely
transferred that power from a
committee of 12 members to one
man, the Speaker of the House.
The reform rule, it is true, says
that the Speaker shall" recog-
nize a chairman who has been
unable to get a rule from the
Rules Committee for considera-
ton of a bill. But, in practice as
shown last Monday, this means
the Speaker shall" recognize,
first, one of a number of chair
men. In effect, the Speakers
power is tremendously increased.
Speaker .Rayburn. commenting
on his decision not to recognize
Mr.. Lesinski to call up the FEPC
bill, said that the House had
taken up recently a proposed
change in the rules which en-
gendered a good deal of heat anc
bitterness and he did not believe
it was a good thing to revive
those feelings. 1t seems equally
true, however, that the same heat
and bitterness will be revived, par
ticularly on the part of the
Southern Democrats, whenever
the FEPC bill is brought up. So
far as the Republicans are con-
cerned, they are bitter all the
time. =
Snarl Gets Worse
The snarl in which the FEPC
finds itself becomes more tangled
almost day by day. The row in
the House over how to get the
bill up for consideration has its
sardonic side. For example,
Speaker Rayburn is from Texas,
where FEPC is like red rag to a
bull. When the Speaker failed to
recognize Mr.. Lesinski, Represen-
tative Franklin D. Roosevelt, jr.,
of New York leaped into the
breach. He announced he pro-
posed to get a discharge petition
signed by a majority of the House
Members minimum Of 218-
and so bring the bill before the
House. This petition method was
operative before the reform, or
2l-day. rule was adopted by the
House. -
Immediately Mr.. Roosevelt was
accused Of trying to get himself
nominated by the Democrats for
Governor of New York next fall
He had not only trod on the toes
of Mr.. Lesinski, but, more i'm
portant, on the toes of Repre-
sentative Powell. Harlem's own
Negro member of the House, who
is the author of the bill. MI. Roose-
velt did not let the grass grow
under his feet. He sent a letter
to members of the House asking
them to sign his discharge petit
ton at the earliest possible mo-
ment-if they favored FEPC.
Mr.. Powell on the floor of the
House berated Mr.. Roosevelt. He
called attention to the charges in
the press that the son of the late
President had jumped into the
middle of the fight to get FEPC UP
in the HOUSE to foster his own
desire for a gubernatorial nomi-
nation. He said, too. the Repub-
lican members of the House sup
porting FEPC, whose signatures
are necessary to a discharge petit
tion, did not intend to sign Mr..
Roosevelt's petition and so play
Mr.. Roosevelt's political game for
him.
Republicans Amused
In reply Mr.. Roosevelt denied
he was seeking to advance him.
self politically by filing the petit
ton and seeking signatures to it.
He. too, beat his breast, f1gura-
lively, and told the House how
ardent he had been for the civil
rights program. Finally, however,
he offered to withdraw his petit
tion if Mr.. Powell wished to go
ahead with a petition >of his own