Evening star., 1952-12-02
The Political Mill
Leadership in House
Will Be Same as in '46
Martin, HoIIeek, Arends
Seen as Big 8 on Floor
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
Republican organization of the House
OF Representatives in the 83d Congress,
with Representative Joe Martin of Mas
sachusetts as Speaker. Representative
Charles Halleck of Indiana as majority
floor leader, and Representative Leslie
G. ArendS of Illinois as whip, is in
the cards Massachusetts, Martin, who
was Speaker in the 80th Republican Con-
gress, seems as certain of the speaker
ship in the new Congress as night fol-
lows day. Rumors that Mr.. Halleck would
run against Mr.. Martin for Speaker
were promptly denied by the Indianan.
Mr.. Halleck said he would serve as
Republican floor leader of the House.
as he did in the 80th Congress-and
no one has offered to challenge him
for the place. Mr. Arends was sug-
geSted as possible candidate for floor
leader at one time. The harmony pro-
gram assigns the Illinois Representative
his present job, Republican whip.
So the House will take on next month
much the appearance of the House in
the 80th Congress. Many of the stand
ing committee chairmanships will 60 to
Republicans who held them four years
ago. For example, Representative Taber
of New York will step into leadership Of
the Appropriations Committee, and Rep
resentative Reed of New York into that
of the Ways and Means Committee.
Both of these committees must play i'm
portant roles in the new Congress. They
will have the first crack at measures
for the appropriation of Government
funds and measures revising or reduc-
ing taxes. respectively.
Retrenchment Is Big Problem.
Reduction of taxes will depend upon
how much reduction and saving can be
made in the spending field. Reduction
of expenditures, as things now stand, is
tough nut. However, one of the main
promises made by the Republicans dur
ing the recent campaign covered both
reduction of expenditures and reduction
of taxes, with a balanced budget as
quickly as possible. If these ends are
to be accomplished, Congress will have
to make major cutbacks in programs
already approved for which money has
been appropriated or authorized but
which has not been expended. AS of to-
day, according to the Congressional
Quarterly, carry-over appropriations
total $731 billion covering the last four
years.
Most of the money expended today
is for military preparedness and the
Korean war. Looping off expenditures.
therefore, becomes all the more difficult.
Economies in maintenance and opera
tion offer one field for retrenchment and
saving. Unless present world conditions
take turn for the better, it is unlikely
there will be any reduction of military
personnel. Stretching out scheduled de-
liveries of military equipment could
furnish a third area of retrenchment-
but that might seriously conflict with the
effort to become adequately prepared at
an early date for national defense. 1t
is certain that these problems will be
attacked as soon as the new Congress
gets into its stride and receives the rec
concentrations of Gen. Eisenhower.
Martin a Popular Leader.
Joe Martin has won the, regard and
affection of members of the House over
a long service in the House. consider
able part of which he has been Republic
can floor leader and Speaker of the
House. While the House Republicans
will have the narrowest kind of margin
of control in the new Congress, they
nevertheless believe they will not only
organize the House but that they will
successfully carry forward the new ad-
ministration's program-yet to be COM
pletely developed.
Charlie Halleck has been an aggressive
and hard-working floor leader OF his
party in the past, and Les Arends has
functioned we'll as whip. With no politi-
cal campaign in the immediate offing, a
goal of the Republicans will be to wind
up the business of the coming session by
July /. To accomplish this, there must
be the best team work possible among
Republicans of the House and Senate.
The campaign pledges of the Republic
cans cover important legislation-in-
cluding amendment of the labor laws
as we'll as reduction of expenditures and
of taxes and governmental reforms.
Republican organization of the Sen
ate, in an amicable manner, is expected.
President-elect Eisenhower will un-
doubtedly keep his hands of in the
selection of Senate Republican floor
leader. He will not oppose in any way the
selection of Senator Taft of Ohio for
that position, if the Ohioan goes after
it. If there is to be fight over organiza-
tion in the Senate, it will be started by
Republican Senators. not the new ad-
ministration. Taft himself has laid stress
on the need for harmony and an ami
cable agreement on Senate organization.