Evening star., 1951-07-15
Controls: Whose Side Is the Calendar On?

@4@@@ - ~@A4 4SAoAACAy VOy4IAS Will
- q crippled mouse, the House
of Representatives was taking It's
own sweet time.
There might be a war still going
on in Korea. There might be a
bigger war in the offing-to be
fought, or prevented by the speedy
amasSing of enough power to deter
the aggreSsors. There might be, as
so many said, a looming threat of
disastrous imitation, and it might be
that the administration could not
cope with it without the passage
of H. r. 1871, a Bill to Amend the
Defense Production Act of 1850, and
for Other Purposes"
There might be desperate pleas
for action from Defense Mobilizer
Wilson, his gesturing fingers nerv-
ously twining and untwining on
television screens in every sitting
room in the country. There might
be a lot of things. But the House
was having none of the hysteria.
1t was going to go easy on this
business of economic controls.
And SO last week, which had
been billed as a period of great
decision for America, turned out to
be nothing of the kind. The ques-
tion at issue was a vital one, and a
big one. Yet in effect the House had
only to say whether curbs on prices,
wages, rents, consumer credit and
materials are necessary at this
stage in the battle against world
communism and domestic imitation.
1t has not said anything decisive
yet, either way.
Hard as the debate has been to
follow, what was going on in the
lower chamber last week was not
shadow boxing. Both sides were in
grim earnest. There has been no
friendly give-and-ta take in the ex-
changes. Neither has there been
any Of the extreme name-calling
that, in the past, has gone along
with angry outbursts in many
debate on many a less important
and controversial issue.
For behind all the politics, there
was at issue question which both
sides knew to be debatable, ques-
tion on which sincere convictions
may clash: Whether a democratic
. nation, even in a period of emer-
gency, however doubtful the pros
pect of genuine peace, should apply
to itself the kind of economic tour
niquets requested by the President.
Troding ToIk for Time
This week begins with the legis-
lators still trading talk for time.
They will continue to pore over
scores of proposed amendments,
many of them rejecting "other
purposes" from those specifically
listed in the bill.
The situation is simply this: OPP
ponentS of control authority, q
coalition of Republicans and South
ern Democrats, already have shown
enough strength to wallop any of
the anti-infiationary powers sought
by the sident-including some
he got last fall without asking.
Several important provisions of the
big bill already have been knocked
down. Appeals or warnings from
outside the congressional ring have
had next to no effect. The anti
administration forces have been in
a position since Tuesday to pass
precisely the control bill they want
or none at all.
And yet they have seemed in no
hurry to wind up the fight. They
moved slowly in aiming body blow
at the prime target of price roll
backs. They are weaving cautiously
in weighing the advantages or dis
advantages of the several courses
open to those in the drivers seat.
Should they knock out the entire
law? Or perhaps just soften up the
bill, so that 1t may still stand above
the weakened measure by the SEN
ate two weeks ago? Or should they
simply come out with a bill battered
beyond recognition except for a
technically existing title?
Neither side has been in a hurry
to take the bull by the horns. Why?
To Him Who Waits
Speaker Rayburn, who usually
has a pretty fair idea what he is
talking about, came up with what
probably is the shortest and sound
est answer to this question. Each
side, he said, apparently thinks time
is on its side.
In this explanation, Mr.. Rayburn
might merely have been proceeding
on the assumption that there is
some truth to what each side is
saying about the others motives.
The Republicans, that is, say ad-
ministration Democrats are looking
longingly-but in vain-for the
postman and the telegraph messen-
ger to haul in huge stacks of de-
mands from outraged constituents
demanding that their congressman :
vote for firm authority to hold the
price line.