Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-01
The Political Min
Courage Held | Lacking
In Election Yeor
Tox and Farm Action
Seen Aimed 0t Voters
BIZ Gould Lincoln

stNsts SNtsste0 ~ NUtGtS
By GouId Lincoln
In this election year. the voice of the
group Is loud III the land and thu
courage of too mahy legislators Is slim.
This Is more and more manifest Is im-
portant elements Of the Eisenhower
program enter final stages Of enact-
ment or non-enactment-On Capitol
Hill.
Most recent samples are the votes
In the House Committee on Agriculture
on the farm bill. and Ia the Senate on
the omnibus tax bill On the first
the farm bill the majority Of the CONF
mittee. including Republicans, has
turned its back on the President and
his Secretary Of Agriculture. Mr.. Ben-
son. 1t voted overwhelmingly to retain
the rigid 90 per cent Of parity price
supports Of the existing law and scut-
tied the Presidents flexible price sup
port principle. The farm bloc Is tri-
umphant 50 far. although some Of the
largest farm organizations have gone
along with the President. The votes
in the committee were to continue q
system which has cost the Government
more than SIS billion Ia price support,
and which win continue To roll up vast
SURPRISES for which the Government
has been able TO ind no use. The
President. on the other hand, is back
ing plan which viii cnrtaii and put
an end to these SURPRISES.
Farmers Seen Issue.
Al reporter at the Presidents most
recent conference put aAfinger on the
fears Of Republicans in Congress when
he asked II the President believed that
the Republicans lost the House in 1913
because the farmers dissatisfaction
with the q. o. p. flexible price support
proposals. The President said he didn't
know: that he was not political ana
lyst at that time, and was not sure
why the Republicans lost that election.
But the President did not back away
from the flexible price support pro-
gram, which he has made his own. On
the contrary. he said II there was any
thing further he could do to win APP
prevail Of that program. he would be
glad to do it. He has spoken often
and loudly in It's support. And indeed,
ID kkkty uG GAkCGDC0a tAA6b tAAS WAAAtD
House which means the President
will exert every pressure it can to pre-
vent the extension for another year ct
the rigid price supports -inder which
farmers grow surpluses merely to DO
paid for by the Government.
The President said he wasn't quite
sure whether the high. rigid price sup
ports kept up the price Of food to- the
consumers-but whether they did or
not, they were keeping up the prices
which the Government had to pay
out Of the pockets Of all the taxpayers
for surpluses it has been unable to
handle, and which are ever increasing.
Tax Amendments Beaten.
AT q time when the country needs
revenues, great revenues, to pay for
national defense. an important tar. re-
vision bill, which has been needed for
years, was threatened with amend
ment which would decrease revenues
by hundreds Of millions and perhaps
billions Of dollars. And why? Because
it's an election year. Because Demo-
Gratis evolved proposal TO increase
personal income tax exemptions. to o
degree that more than million tax
payers would 60 entirely of the income
tax rolls.
III In the House, this proposal was de-
feated by marrow vote. But when the
tax bill was presented to the Senate.
in the form it came from the House
so far as personal exemptions were
concerned, some of the Republicans
weakened, although they had been as
sured by Democrats who believe In
fiscal responsibility they would help
defeat the so-called George amend
ment, offered by Senator George OF
Georgia. Democrat. to increase exemp-
tons.
They forced the leadership to come
forward with watered down version
Of the George amendment. They
feared the Democrats would 60 to the
country with an argument that the
Republican tax law gave some relief
to owners of securities from double
taxation now imposed. and did not
provide for further tax cuts for the
wage Garner. incidentally, the wage
Garner, like all the other taxpayers.
received a 10 per cent tax cut earlier
in the year.
The Republicans wanted a chance
to 60 home and tell people they voted
for tax cut for the wage earners. too.
and not merely the coupon cutters
socalled by the Democrats They got
their chance, and were defeated in a
narrow Senate vote. Then the Senate,
by q narrow vote, turned down the
George amendment. The upshot was
q victory for the Eisenhower admin
istration. It leaves fearful Republicans
in position to claim they did vote for
tax exemptions and the critical DEM
ocrats ready to shout to the house
tops that they alone are the true
IrirIiSSss of the wage Garner.
Maybe the administration will win,
too, on the farm price supports, de-
spite the group shouting.
Nuasfions md Answers