The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1958-08-28
with Rep. John Henderson

TASTY action on DlllS CONSIDERED
in the remaining days of the ses
sion is turning the Congress into
a confused assembly line. Both |
proposals which are considered |
necessary as we'll as some which |
are highly debatable are being |
stampeded through the Congress,
using every possible trick in the |
rule book to secure enactment.
The record of the 85th Congress
will be hard to evaluate until
the dust settles from the feverish |
activity of the past several
weeks.
One thing is sure, however,
and that is that attempts to legis-
late in the dark are never justifi-
able and you can be sure that
the public is not being served by
the legislative spree now going
on. Many Of the proposals are
pet projects in some quarters
which involve the expenditure of
tremendous sums of Federal
funds. At a time when it has
been necessary to increase the
national debt ceiling, some ele-
ments in the Congress seem to be
celebrating by pushing new
spending proposals at a bewilder-
ing rate. To be sure, there was
general dissatisfaction expressed
at the necessity of increasing the
legal limit for the national debt
But, the expressions have no
meaning at all if Congress
plunges on into new spending
orgies.
There is every prospect that
using the tactics Of Suspension
of the Rules, Unanimous Con-
sent, and the Consent Calendar,
the dregs of the 1873 bills in
troduced in the past two years
can be paraded forth for a vote.
The public interest would be
better served if Congress were to
give its attention to unfinished
matters demanding action and
adjourn without continuing the
hectic spectacle which is now
going on.
In this last-minute rush,
volumes of legislation are being
pushed onto the Presidents desk
for his consideration. While Con-
gress is in session, the Presi-
dent has 10 days to sign or reject
a bill. After adjournment, a bill
is automatically vetoed if no
action is taken within ten days.
A good many of the bills now
being sent to the White House
may be slated for this fate.
Farm Legislation
After two farm bills failed in
earlier votes, the House of Rep
resentatives finally passed bill
August 13. This is the principal
farm bill of 1858. Under the bill,
minimum price supports for corn
were set beginning in 1859 at IS
| per cent Of parity. Cotton sup
ports, according to this bill may
be decreased five per cent an
nually to IS per cent of parity in
1862. The new bill also extended
for three years, the National
Wool Act which was due to ex-
pire early next year.
What Your Defense Costs You
Congress has completed work
on the gigantic Department Of
Defense Appropriations Bill pro-
viding defense funds for the
twelve months. This bill contains
approximately 1896 billion with
the final version approving $825.8
million dollars more than the
Department had requested. The
bulk of this money is earmarked
for the Air Force which is sche-
duled to receive $17.3 billion. The
| Army's share is $50 billion,
while the Navy will get $11.3
| billion. Almost one-third of the
| funds, or approximately $l0.3
billion will go for the procure
ment of aircraft and guided mis-
| siles, emphasizing the Importance
of these new and costly weapons
in our concepts of defense.
| The price for defense is more
understandable when we realize
that the cost to each man, woman,
and child in the United States
in the next twelve months will
be about $3.50. This may be com
pared with the cost of our mill
tary costs in 1912, the peak year
of World War II expenditures
which saw per capita price OF
| $665.
Surrender
Among the most stupid pro-
positions to enflame Washington
tempers in some time is the pos
sibility of using public funds tc
study how the United States
should go about surrendering ir
war. Southeastern Ohioans re-
Elected the mood of members OF
Congress as they expressed them
selves to me in the weekend
mail in no uncertain terms.
The Presidents remarks or
this question were reassuring-
that no money has been spent fo1
this purpose, that none would be
spent, and that the subject was
, too ridiculous for further com
ment. To this, we can say