Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-08-16
THE WEEK IN PERSPECTIVE
Labor Bill: Impressive Victory

tives began at last the debate on
labor reform.
Like a recurrent IRE that
blazed INTENDED in the legislative
CRATES It might. indeed. have
fiared briefly and died. snuffed out
by the sheer force Of numbers
commanded by the Democratic
leadership.
That it did not. that II infiamed
and engulfed the enemy and
forged alabor reform bill tougher
than almost anyone had consid-
cred possible at the start Of the
seth Congress was due In large
measure to the efforts Of five
4 men.
Phillip M. Laiidrum. Democrat
Of Georgia. and Robert p. Grit
I'm, Republican Of Michigan.
drafted the bipartisan bill that
bore their names and campaigned
zealously for its passage.
Charles M. Halleck. Republican
/ Of Indiana, performing brilliantly
in his first year as @. o. p. House
Leader, squeezed what most OBJ
servers agreed was every possible
vote from the Republican side Of
the aisle.
President Eisenhower threw the
full force Of his resurging prestige
into the battle and as result won
smashing, personal triumph.
John Mcclellan. Chairman OF
the Senate Rackets Committee
and the man regarded by many
members Of Congress as the voice
of conscience on the issue Of end
ing labor corruption. gave his
powerful Endorsement to the Lam
drum Grimm bill.
Eisenhowefs Contribution
OF the five, the contribution Of
Mr.. Eisenhower was probably the
most significant. Before his tele-
vision appeal to the Nation two
weeks ago a close count by the
Halleck forces indicated Landrum-
Grimm would lose BY about 10
votes. s. "a.
In the showdown In the House
last Thursday Landrum- Grimm
won its critical first test. 215 to
400. On the roll call that fol-
lowed the margin climbed to 229
to 20l. Much Of the shift be-
tween Mr.. Halleck's head count
and the House vote was attrib-
uted to the Presidents address
and to the heavy public response
In the form Of letters and tele-
grams which flooded congressional
of1ees.s
The extent totwlaich the advo-
Gates Of tough" labor reform had
carried the day was reflected in
Fridays final vote. when Lam
drum Grimm was approved, 3O3-
1875. To many House members
who had FIRST cast their votes
against it the reform bill with
teeth" however. painful they
might be to organized labor, was
better than no labor bill at all.
The paradox Of last weeks VIC
tory was that it may, indeed, have
seriously reduced prospects that
Congress viii produce q labor re.
form bill this year. The Landrum-
Griffin version is much more
stringent than the Kennedy bill
passed by the Senate in April.
Conference Prospects
Prospects for ironing out the
differences in conference commit
tee are not bright. Even If Q
compromise version could satisfy
both the House and Senate 1t
would face the threat Of q presi-
dental veto. After last weeks
House victory it Is considered
doubtful that Mr.. Eisenhower
would accept any bill that re-
sembled the moderate" Kennedy
measure more closely than the
tough. Landrum Griffin version.
Some Senator's who have ap-
proved the tougher House ap-
proach to labor reform were con-
sidering an attempt tomorrow
to get q vote on the House bill
without a conference. There was
little chance that such a vote
would carry, however, since SEN
ate Inoderates led by Senator
Kennedy were in no mood to sur
render so easily.
Hailing the House action, the
President said it gives cause for
real hope that the Congress will
ultimately pass a good labor re-
form bill
ultimately" may be longer
than Mr.. Eisenhower had in mind
when he spoke the hopeful words.
If the differences between the
House and Senate measures prove
irreconcilable, passage of legisla-
ton to correct the abuses lime
lighted by two and one-half years
Of Senate investigation will wait
another year.
Senator Kennedy, Democrat Of
Massachusetts, whose own politi-
cal fortunes may ride on his sue
cess in holding both public and
labor support with his. niddle-of-
the-road approach to labor re-
form, called passage Of the Lam
drum Grifin bill "unwise" and
said it would be difficult to work
out Senate House compromise.
But I'm going to try because
don't think we ought to 60 home
without q labor BILL" he added.
Despite the obvious difficulty Of
reconciling the two. bills, some
leaders Of the House fight ex-
pressed confidence that, having
blazed the trail, they win be able
to. swing the Senate away from
the path Of moderation it chose
earlier.
Borden Sees FIexibiIity