Evening star., 1950-12-31

IL may De expected, however. u
back him to a finish on plans TO
national defense. In fact, tn
chief task of the Congress is ex
pected to be one of building III
the armed services and civilian
defense.
Some system of universal train
ing and of universal service mus
be adopted. The Selective Servic'
Act will be revised in some par
ticulars. Measures looking to thu
mobilization of industry as vel
as of manpower will be considered
and acted upon.
While foreign relations and for
eign policy are particularly th'
province of the executive branch
o. the Government, the new Con
gress may be expected to scan al
moves made by this Government
in those fields. Senators already
are demanding that Congress b
fully informed.
Changes in Lineup
Republicans are giving seriou:
consideration to former President
Herbert Hoover's advice that we
base our defense on the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans and contro
them by sea and air powe4.
AS the Federal Government
moves further and further, once
again, into the affairs of the peo-
pie (Which used to be called pri-
vate affairs, demands that Con-
gress enact laws to take over the
health and production of the
country will intensity Heavier
and heavier taxes, which must be
imposed to pay for defense, and
shortages of many kinds of goods,
together with control of wages and
prices, may well give the support
ers of compulsory national health
insurance new and stronger ap-
peal to many people. These same
conditions will contribute impetus
to controls of agricultural prod
ucts and the adoption of the So
called Brannan farm plan, whose
supporters say will keep prices
down to the consumers and prices
up for the farmers. Indeed, the
Congress will be forced to SOUL
searching if it is to withstand
many such demands and keeps its
eyes on the freedoms of the
people.
The big numerical gap between
the Democratic majority and the
Republican minority in the House
and Senate in the 81st Congress,
is narrowed greatly in the new
Congress. The makeup of the
House will be 234 Democrats. 1879
Republicans, l Democratic-Lib-
eral Franklin D. Roosevelt, jr.)
and l independent (Frazier Reams
of the 9th Ohio congressional dis
trict). Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr..
Reams will both vote with the
New Deal-Fair Deal measures. Mr..
Reams has declared himself real
independent.
In the Senate. the elections cut
the Democrats to 49 seats, one
more than a tie. There will be
49 Democrats and At Republicans.
The elections increased the num-
Der of conservative Democrats at
the same time that they elimi-
mated some of the -wingers
and ardent supporters of the ad-
ministration-like Senators Pep
per of Florida, Graham of North
Carolina, Thomas of Utah, and
the two Democratic leaders, Lucas
of Illinois and Myers of Pennsyl-
vania.
1t has been obvious ever since
election day that the administra-
ton would have difficulty with the
new Congress; that coalition of
Republicans and conservative
Democrats, most of them from the
South, would at all times control
in Congress on domestic legisla-
ton, and that without war con-
ditions, the Truman program
would, in major particulars, get
nowhere.
Labor Outlook
One of the major promises of
Truman when he was elected in
1948 was the repeal of the Taft
Hartley labor law. The President
was utterly unable to deliver on
this promise in the old Congress,
which was elected along with him,
and Taft-Hartley repeal in the
coming Congress seems deader
than a doornail. The House
Committee on Labor has now a
chairman, Representative Graham
H. Barden of North Carolina. who.
though no enemy to organized
labor, the labor bosses cannot kick
around. Mr.. Barden has already
expressed an opinion that there
Is plenty of good in the Taft-Hart-
ley Act.
On the Senate side, Senator
Murray of Montana is expected to
succeed Senator Thomas of Utah
as chairman of the Labor Commit
tee. While Mr.. Murray will go
along with the labor leaders just
as strongly as did Mr.. Thomas,
he will have no more chance of
getting a repeal bill through the
Senate than did Mr.. Thomas.
Senator Taft. author of the law,
is in no hurry to offer amend
ments to the act, although he
believes a number Of changes
could be made to improve it. In
deed, he may not move in the
matter at all unless the labor
leaders show some signs of being
cooperative and themselves make
suggestions for amendment of the
law instead of just yelling for its
repeal.
The Democratic leaders of the
House in the Congress came
through the elections unscathed-
Sam Rayburn of Texas will remain
Speaker and John Mccormack OF
xr,t11 &C