Evening star., 1953-05-03
TideIunds Oil FiIibuster
Called 'IndefensibIe'
Writer Sees Democrat Senators
Hurting Their Own Porty
By Fronk R. Kent


By Fronk R. Kent
The more thoughtful Democrats in
Congress are beginning to feel that the
party strategy they have been follow
ing in past weeks easily may land them
in an exceedingly uncomfortable situa-
ton so far as next years congressional
elections are concerned. Evidence OF
this is afforded by the clear party re-
SponSibility for the extraordinary fiji.
buster against the So-called tidelandS
oil bill. Though they are clearly in
minority, it's opponents have held up
this bill for more than month. It will
finally be voted upon next Tuesday. but
in the meantime Congress has been
at an almost complete standStill.
There is not-and never has been
the slightest doubt that the bill will
pass and the Democratic filibuster will
then be shown as both foolish and
futile. All that ever could possibly be
accomplished was to delay the whole
Eisenhower legislative program, waste
the time of Congress and cost the tax
payers money. For this the Democratic
responsibility is clear and inescapable.
But there is more to it than that. 1t is
the Democratic hope to put the Ad-
ministration on the defensive in the
next campaign. They want to be able
to claim that it failed to carry out it's
promises of reform and relief. But such
claims become ridiculous when made
by the party which by dilatory tactics
exerts itself to make redemption Of
these promises impossible.
4
They cannot have it both ways. They
cannot. for example. accuse the ADJ
miniStration of failure to give the
people what they clearly want, and were
concretely promised, and at the same
time, by methods which they them
selves have denounced. clog the wheels
of Congress and thwart the will Of it's
majority. Nor will it be possible to keep
the truth about this filibuster away
from the American people by silly
denials that it was a f1libuster. Ger
tainly it is a reflection upon such
liberal Democratic senators as Sena-
tor Lehman, of New York, and Senator
Humphrey, Of Minnesota. to be follow
ing the lead of that garrulous publicity
seeker and self-styled independent,
Senator Wayne Morse, Of Oregon.
whose 22hour speech established a
new record for Stiffness.
Yet, that is exactly what they have
been doing Their attitude is particu-
larly absurd when it is recalled that in
the past they have been the most vio-
lent and vocal opponents of the fill
busters of Southern Senators against
So-called civil-rights legislation. Their
contention that a great principle is
involved in their present completely
contradictory position and that, in
stead of fllibustering, what they are
really trying to do is to educate the
American people" and prevent a dia-
bolical effort to deprive them of their
inherent wealth-that contention does
not hold water at all.
Equally fervent arguments to defend
their filibusters are always made by the
Southern DemocratS-With even more
conviction than exists among the tide
lands bill opponents and with far great
er popular support in their States.
While there are some striking similari-
ties between the tidelands opposition
and that against the FEPC, there also
are two striking differences. One of
these is that the anti-FEPC Democrats
of the South made no hypocritical
denials of their filibustering. Another
is that they did succeed in blocking
what they considered an obnoxious and
vindictive law. On the other hand, the
tidelands opponents not only hypo-
critically deny their fllibuster but most
of them privately admit it's futility.
And some of them, like most people
throughout the country, neither under
stand the merits of the bill nor care
one way or the other about it, This.
perhaps. is the biggest difference be-
tween them and the anti-civil rights
opponents. All of the latter not only
understand what is involved in the bill
to which they are opposed but care
very deeply.
Considering all the facts and regard
less of the merits of the measure, it
does seem that this tidelandS filibuster
is one of the most indefensible we have
ever had. Further. it not only PROM
ises to be entirely improbable to the
filibusters but greatly to enfeeble their
planned attack next year upon admin
istration failures. Of course, as now
seems likely, if they continue this type
Of obstruction to include the proposed
economies in the cost of Government
they will considerably strengthen the
administration argument that the only
way to insure giving the people what
they want is to elect not fewer but
more Republicans to Congress in 1854.
In other words, there seems sound
basis for the charge that this tidelands
filibuster was extremely stupid from
the standpoint of the filibusters. them
selves. They never had anything to
gain but quite lot to lose.