The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1959-08-20
Senate Cloakroom
BY J. GLENN BEALL
United States Senator from
Maryland

My Fight For MarylandMade
Aircraft-The subtitle of this could
be, "Snatching Victory From De-
feat. Last Week, conferees from
the two Houses, who had met to
compose differences between the
Houses on Defense appropriations
agreed to the expenditure of some
So million dollars on two Cali
fornia-made planes, and then
threw out an item of II million
for a comparable Maryland-made
plane, the F-27, Fairchilds turbo-
prop transport plane designed to
take the place of the famous old
workhorse of the air, the DEB.
could have struck out madly in
all directions at this raw deal,
calling people all sorts of names,
but that would not have accom-
plished anything. Instead, decided
that the issue need not be con-
sidered lost, that l could take GER
tain constructive steps. l prepared
a statement to make on the Senate
Floor, showing exactly what had
happened in Conference, how we
had been death cards from the
bottom of the deck.
My statement showed how, de-
spite the support of all the Senate
and two of the House conferees,
the F-27 lost out because of the
adverse votes of three House Con-
fereeS, two of whom we're from
States which stood to benefit by
Maryland's loss. (You see, in Con-
ference majority of the conferees
from either House can kill an
item) l called attention to the
superior qualities of the F-27, the
statements of Air Force and Pen
tagon officials about the need for
the FIT, in our defense program,
and the fact that the inclusion
of the F-27 in the production plans
would be in keeping with the ac-
cepted policy of decentralization of
defense plants as precautionary
measure. | also said:
AT a time when we are spend
ing thousands of millions of dol
lars on military aircraft, and are
deploring the scarcity of aircraft
technicians, highly skilled and
carefully trained technicians in
Fairchild's plants will be thrown
out of work. Such a situation
makes no sense when we are at
work on a huge aircraft production
program and every facility and
every trained hand is needed. -
had an advance copy of the
complete statement placed in the
hands of each of the other 81
Senators. Telephone calls and
written messages Immediately be-
gan to come to me from Senators
saying that they would support
my position. And sure enough,
when the Conference Report was
brought up and l took the Floor,
they we're to back me up. We
made such strong showing that
the chairmen and ranking men,
bers of the committees and SUBJ
committees involved and the SEN
ate leaders committed themselves
to seeing that we would get virtu-
ally equal funds which are avail
able from another source for FPS
if l would withdraw my objection
to the Conference Report That
kind of commitment was all l
could want. AIS well that ends
we'll"
The Legislative Outlook At This
Point-There is likely to be some
kind of IVA self-financing bond
bill, though it may have to be re-
drafted after a veto. Further postal
rate increases seem unlikely A
new Housing bill, designed to
avoid another Presidential veto,
will go to the White House PRO
ponents of the previously vetoed
measure have given up any idea
of trying to override the veto) A
labor reform bill and civil rights
bill, both EXCEPTIONALLY mild to
many, will probably be cleared.