Evening star., 1953-06-27
The Political Min
GO. P. Strikes q Blow
For Party Discipline
Too Muny Republicans
Ignore Own Programs
By Gould Lincoln


The Republican leadership Of the
House, when it obtained action by the
House Rules Committee to bring the
excess profits tax extension bill up for
action. struck a major blow for party
control of legislation. Too many Re-
publicans in the House and in the
Senate have shown q willingness since
the opening Of the present Congress to
ignore party leaders in their respective
houses and the programs advanced by
the first Republican President in 20
years.
The tie-up Of the excess profits ex-
tension bill and finally this showdown
between the majority leadership Of the
House and the President on the one
hand, and Chairman Reed of the House
Ways and Means Committee on the
other, brought into the open the most
widely advertised incident Of open re-
bellion against party leadership.
However, it is only one Of a number
Of instances where individual Repub-
lican members of Congress have acted
to halt measures on the administra-
tion's program. The Hawaiian state.
hood bill is another. That measure,
passed by the House, was tied up in
the Senate Interior and Insular Affairs
Committee when Republicans voted
with Democratic members Of that com.
mittee to include in the measure state
hood for Alaska. There it remains at
the present time.
Democrats Helped.
In the vote on the passage Of the bill
authorizing the appropriation of nearly
S. billion for the continuation Of aid
to our overseas allies-the so-called
Mutual Security bill-Sl Republican
members of the House voted mo" Had
it not been for the affirmative votes
Of 160 Democrats, the measure would
not have passed. Only 119 Republicans
supported the bill. Senator Wiley Of
Wisconsin. Republican chairman of the
Foreign Relations Committee, in an
address in New York yesterday, urged
President Eisenhower to strike out
against Republican "saboteurs" Of his
foreign policies. He demanded q greater
sense Of teamwork by the Republicans
in Congress. While Senator Wiley
named no names, his was the most
outspoken criticism so far by any Re.
publican in powerful position.
The President has had excellent
teamwork with the congressional
leaders Of his party. Senator Taft,
majority leader in the Senate, and
Speaker Joe Martin and House Floor
Leader Halleck have worked hard to
keep their party colleagues in line.
They have, indeed, been towers Of
strength. However, with a razor-edge
margin of party control in both houses.
recalcitrance on the part of only few
Republicans, in some cases just one or
two. has made the situation extremely
difficult. It seems clear, however, that
unless the sense of party responsibility
is strongly developed, the result may
make it tough for the Republicans
when they 60 into the congressional
campaign of 1854. This Congress, II
it fails to carry out the Eisenhower
program and the pledges made by the
President during his campaign for elec.
ton. will be open to wide criticism.
Joy to the Minority.
The Democrats in Congress have
claimed from the opening Of this Con-
sgress that the President would have to
rely on Democratic votes for his pro-
gram, and this was demonstrated in
the House vote on the Mutual Security
bill. The fight between the President
and the chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee, Mr.. Reed, over tax
legislation. however, has been a source
of considerable joy to the Democrats.
Why shouldn't it? It is understand.
able, therefore, under all the circum.
stances, that Speaker Martin and Ma
jority Leader Halleck should adopt the
drastic step Of going to the House
Rules Committee to blast the excess
profits tax bill onto the floor Of the
House for consideration.
Despite the loud cries that the Rules
Committee has set itself up as a super
committee and assumed powers it did
not possess in its action on the bill.
it's a fact that the Rules Committee,
under the rules of the House and the
precedents, does have the power to
send a bill to the floor of the House,
even II 1t has not been acted upon by
standing committee. Majority Leader
Halleck. at the hearing before the
Rules Committee, gave a convincing
record.
The Democrats, who will vote for
the passage of the bill to extend for
another six months the excess profits
tax. will place themselves in an awk-
ward position If they vote solidly to
turn down the special rule for the
consideration Of the measure. They
would have to explain why they cast
votes which resulted in a defeat of the
excess profits tax bill. It is the kind
OF explanation which they could never
make stick in the mind of the man in
the street, an explanation dealing only
with procedure. Their allies. the CIO
and the A. D. A.. have both clamored
for extension of the excess profits tax.