Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-06
The Political Min
Eisenhower Program
Gains Ground Steadily
S3d Cunnot Be Labeled
A "Do-Nothing Congress"
By Gould Lincoln

a Do-Nothlng Congress"
BY Gould Lincoln
President Eisenhowers persistent
and reiterated demands for the enact
ment Of his legislative program are
bearing fruit. He has insisted that the
program is in the interest of all the
people: that 1t is the work of the best
brains In the country after consulta-
tions with all interested groups. It is
the progressive and dynamic" program
for which he has commended and upon
which he and the Republicans, if the
President has his way, will wage their
campaign for victory in the congress
Sional elections next November.
With the Fourth of July holiday back
Of it, Congress. under the leadership
Of Speaker Martin and Majority Leader
Halleck in the House, and Senator
Knowland Of California and Senators
Millikin of Colorado and Saltonstall of
Massachusetts, in the Senate, is driving
to completion Of its labors by July 81
with every prospect of success. When
adjournment is had, no longer will the
Democrats be able to claim that the
83d Congress has been "do-nothing
Congress"
Two Items Near Finish Line.
Two cornerstones of the Eisenhower
program are on the way to completion.
One, the omnibus tax BILL has been
passed by both House and Senate, and
the differences will be ironed out in
conference. Representative Reed of
New York, chairman Of the House
Ways and Means Committee, under
whose leadership this monumental
piece of legislation was drafted. ex-
pressed satisfaction that the Senate
had passed the measure Gin pretty good
form" He predicted that when the bill
comes from conference it will be sim
proved" The desires of the adminiStra-
ton for measure that would give
relief where it was needed, would cor
rect many Inequalities, and at the same
time not reduce revenues too drasti-
cally, have been carried out-a signal
victory for the President.
The second vital measure is the farm
bill, which has been passed by the
House providing flexible system Of
farm price supports from 82.5
to 80 per cent of parity. The admins
tration had asked for a range of rs to
90 per cent. The House measure is a
compromise. The main thing, however.
is that the rigid price supports-90
per cent of parity, under which huge
SURPRISES have rolled up-were knocked
out. Chairman Aiken of the Senate Ag-
riculture Committee is hopeful that
when the bill is acted upon in the upper
house it will be possible to make the
range of flexible price supports rs to
80 per cent. In the end, the victory
will be an Eisenhower Benson victory.
The Republican leadership insists
that during the rest of this month
Congress will enact social security
bill extending coverage to millions Of
citizens, a bill to extend further unem-
ployment insurance, some of the adj
ministration's bills to aid in running
down subversiveS, atomic energy legis-
lation, and number of other measures
of Importance.
Impressive Record.
The record of the Congress during
its present session has been impressive
already. It has put through the st.
Lawrence Seaway bill-a project that
hung fire for 20 years. It saved the tax
payers about 81 billion in reduced ex-
else taxes. It has reduced Government
expenditures by billions of dollars, and
at the same time has provided for ma
tional defense, getting dollars worth
for each dollar expended. 1t has sue
ceeded in bringing along, well along
toward enactment, its foreign-aid pro-
posals.
Two items in the Presidents program
have, for the time at least, been lost.
The first is q bill to amend and i'm
prove the Taft-Hartley labor law. The
submission of FEPC amendments by
Senators Ives of New York. Republican.
and Lehman of the same State, Demo-
crat, made it possible for opponents
of any legislation to line up Southern
Democrats to vote to recommit the
bill. It was recommitted. The second
item was the Presidents proposal to
give the vote to 18-year-olds, consti-
tutional amendment, which was de-
feated. BY the extension of reciprocal
trade legislation for one year, the PreSi-
dent has held the line in free trade.
The legislative record of this Con-
greSS is all the more amazing when
it is recalled that the Republicans have
had a razor-edge lead in the House,
and during much of the time have had
At Senate seats to 48 Democratic seats
in the Senate. The recent death Of
Senator Hunt of Wyoming. Democrat,
changed the party lead in favor of the
Republicans, because Republican act
ing Governor was able to appoint Re-
publican to Senator Hunts seat. Stead
lily but surely the President and the Re-
publican leadership-aided sometimes
by the Democrats-have moved the
program along. One reason-the pro-
gram contained items that were Of real
benefit, and necessarily had support Of
, a majority of Congressman.