Evening star., 1952-12-18
The Political Mill
Republicans Seeking
Democratic Support
6. o. P. Considers Naming
Opposition Vice Chuirmen'
By Gould Lincoln

The trigger-edge majority Of the Re-
publicans in Senate and House in the
new Congress will make it essential for
the Eisenhower administration to have
cooperation from conservative Demo-
Gratis. In view Of the strong support
given Eisenhower in the Democratic
South this cooperation on the part Of
members Of Congress from those States
which went for" the Republican presi-
Dental candidate has been expected.
The general received the votes Of many
conservative Democrats in the North
and West, too.
Republicans, casting about for means
Of further cementing this alliance with
conservative Democrats - an alliance
which, in the past, the New Dealers and
the Fair Dealers called ''unholy"-have
come up with proposal to make rank
ing Democratic members Of COMPRESSION
al committees "vice chairmen." The pro-
posal is under discussion by Republican
Senators. 1t is in line, indeed, with the
strong desire to draw the pro-EiSen-
hover Southern Democrats into con-
tinued alliance with the G. o. P. and
even into the G. o. P. itself. There has
long been an increasing demand for
such union, on the ground that many
Southern Democrats think along the
same lines as the Republicans Of the
North and West. Senator Mundt Of
South Dakota. particularly, has carried
the torch for consolidation of the con-
Servative Democrats with the Republi-
cans.
Control by Hair.
The political division of the congress
sional committees will be narrow. Tho
Republican control will hang by hair.
In the opinion of several Republican
Senators who have looked into the mat
ter, recognition of the conservative
Democrats is Inherited. in the past, be-
cause they voted for Republican Presi-
dent, and will be merited in the future
because they will support many of his
legislative proposals. Hence the proposal
to initiate "vice chairmanships" in the
committees.
The rules of the Senate do not pro-
vide for vice chairmen Of committees
indeed, they make no mention Of vice
chairmen. The latter fact encourages
Senators supporting the plan for vice
chairmen to believe that each COM
mittee can elect it's own vice chairman
if it desires to have one. They point out
that each standing committee makes its
own decision on whether to count
proxies" for votes in the committee or
not-and that some committees permit
the use Of proxy votes and others do
not. Under the rules of the Senate.
chairmen of standing committees are
elected by the Senate itself-and to be-
come chairman of committee Sena-
tor must receive majority vote Of tho
Senate. But those supporting the plan
for vice chairmen insist it would not be
necessary to go to the Senate for such
an election.
Sympathetic Democrats.
Since the vice Craftsmanship proposal
is to give recognition to Democrats who
are in sympathy with Eisenhower and
with much of the Republican program,
each committee would decide for itself
whether the ranking Democrat fills
the, bill. It is presumed that a vice
Craftsmanship would go to a ranking
Democratic member of standing COM
mittee. Looking down the list of COM
mittees. it appears likely the plan would
work in the majority of the standing
committees. For example, Senator Sal
tonstall, Republican, of Massachusetts,,
the probable chairman Of the Armed
Services Committee of the Senate. could
work very we'll with Senator Russell of
Georgia, ranking Democrat. If he be-
came vice chairman. other committees
present similar situations: Finance,
Senator Millikin of Colorado is expected
to be the Republican chairman. and
Senator George of Georgia, ranking
Democrat; Foreign Relations, Senator
Wiley of Wisconsin, Republican chair.
man, and Senator George Of Georgia,
ranking Democrat.
An exception in the list of committees.
however. is the Committee on Labor and
Public Welfare. Senator Taft Of Ohio
is the prospective chairman Of that
committee. while Senator Murray Of
Montana, the present Democratic chair
man, is to become ranking Democratic
member Of the committee. Probably no
two Senators are farther apart in their
ideas on labor legislation than the Sena-
tors from Ohio and Montana.
If the Republicans think well of the
plan for Democratic "vice chairmen" Of
committees, the subject may be taken
up for discussion in the Republican
conference of the Senate and threshed
out there.