Evening star., 1955-02-24
The Political Mill

Progress Is Praised
Accomplishments Prove
Parties Con Work Together
By Gould Lincoln
The s4th Congress. organized and
controlled by the Democrats. Is on to
flying start Of accomplishment. The
fact that O Republican President sits
in the White House and has Republi-
can program has not. up to date, slowed
the legislative wheels.
The quicker-acting House Of Repre-
sentatives has passed and sent to the
Senate flock of important measures.
Included in the list is the bill author
izing the President to use the armed
forces of the United States to protect
Formosa. the Pescadores and related
positions and territories in that area"
It passed the House by vote of 400 to
8, and was promptly passed by the
Senate, also by an overwhelming vote.
No partisanship showed its head.
Another measure which has had the
approval of both houses and has
become law is bill to extend veterans
educational benefits to men now IN the
armed services. On this measure the
House voted 366 to 0.
Three other important measures
which have had House action are the
draft extension bill. the congressional
and judicial pay increase bill. and the
bill to extend the Reciprocal Trade
Agreements Act. The House is in the
process of putting through BILL also.
to extend the excise and corporation
taxes. which are due to expire the end
of March unless given new life. The
record is remarkable in view of the fact
this is a new Congress and had to go
through the throes of organization,
with the Democrats taking over control
of the standing committees as well as
of the House itself.
Busy on Appropriations.
While the legislative wheels have
been grinding. the House Committee on
Appropriations has been anything but
idle. and it is expected to have ready
for action within the next two weeks
the first Of the big annual appropria-
tion bills for the conduct Of Govern
ment.
Some Of the measures already acted
upon have not been controversial in a
partisan political sense. That was true
of the bill to protect Formosa. It was
also true of the bill to extend veterans
education benefits, the draft bill and
the compassionate judicial pay raise bill.
There was real accord in giving Presi-
dent Eisenhower the authority he asked
to use against the Chinese Communists
or the Russian Communists-if they
undertook to grab Formosa. In the
Senate, too, there was virtual unanirn-
ity in the approval of a treaty of
mutual defense between the United
States and the Chinese Nationalist
government on Formosa. But the fact
of the matter is that a considerable
volume of important legislation has
either been accomplished or placed in
position where action may be taken.
Mr.. Eisenhower was particularly for
tunate in having Democratic support
in the House for his trade relations
bill-a major item in his program, with
both international and domestic over
tones Indeed. 1t was the fact that many
Democrats were willing to go along with
the administration bill-while many of
the Republicans were not willing-tl1at
saved the measure from emasculation.
, It now has to run the gantlet of the
Senate Finance Committee and the
Senate. itself. where the battle is still
uncertain. Many Republican con-
gressional districts with industries that
fear further tariff concessions to for
eign nations stepped into the picture,
and their Representatives in the House
tried to curtail the Presidents powers
to sanction such cuts. 1t split the
Republicans, not along political lines,
but economic lines. And for that mat
ter, it split the Democrats in just the
same manner.
Political Issue.
The political fat was in the fire, how
ever. when the Democrats, under the
leadership Of Speaker Sam Rayburn,
undertook to tie $40 tax cut amend
ment-for all individual income taxpay.
ers-to the bill to extend the life of the
excise and corporation taxes Mr..
Eisenhower. addressing his press con-
ference, called this action by the Demo-
Gratis the height Of responsibility. This
brought quick retort from Speaker
Rayburn, who charged the President
himself had been guilty of financial
responsibility in supporting and ap-
proving the tax bill Of 1854 which made
tax cuts for holders of dividend paying
stocks and other securities and for
other taxpayers.
The President has many other impor-
tant items in his program for this
CongreSs-and some of them will also
face opposition from the Democrats.
Nevertheless. this Congress is well on
the way to proving it can function, with
Democrats and Republicans in con-
troll at the opposite ends OF Pennsyl-
vania avenue.
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