The people's voice., 1959-09-04
Repr. Leroy Anderson
Reports To You From
The Nations Capitol

WASHINGTON, D. CAS- the Con-
gress draws to a close, the conflict
between the Republican Administra-
tion and the Democratic Congress be-
comes increasingly evident. 1t was
somewhat obscured in the case of the
labor bill where the House acceded
to Administration pressure, exerted
in many ways, and passed an anti
labor bill instead of the reasonable
control bill passed by the Senate. The
issue was confused because Southern
Democrats, led by Rep. Landrum of
Georgia, saw a chance to gain a double
advantage by deserting the Demo-
craic position in return for a Republi-
can promise to help them in blocking
civil rights legislation. At the same
time they managed to write into their
bill provisions which will effectively
prevent the growth of labor unions in
the South, which is largely unorgan-
lied. Thus they can invite industry
to "move South" with a promise of
lower wages and cheap labor costs.
Second issue at conflict is the high
way financing legislation. The Admin
istration wants to balance the budget
by raising the tax on gasoline IL
cents gallon. We Democrats feel this
would be further unhappy nvasion
by the federal government of one of
the few sources of tax revenue avail
able to state governments.
Third field of conflict is in housing.
The President vetoed the first housing
bill passed by the Congress because
it had provisions for school class
rooms, urban redevelopment and pub
lie housing, among other things. The
Congress has made some relatively
minor changes and repassed the bill
by vote of II to "a in the Senate
and 283 to 105 in the House. This
overwhelming vote sends the bill again
to the Presidents desk with the clear
intimation that he will be overridden
if he vetoes it again.
Finally, there is the Presidential
veto of Public Works Appropriation
bill. The conflict between the two |
parties is most evident in this battle,
and it is of overriding concern to
The bill was vetoed be-
cause the Congress refused to accept |
the Administration mo new starts"
ON reclamation and water projects. If |
permitted to continue, the Admins
tration's mo new starts" policy would
foreclose further develop
ment of the land and water resources
Of our nation.
The bill vetoed had more than
$141s million for Montana, includ-
ing new start" on the East Bench
Project near Dillon. Unless Con-
gress succeeds in winning this fight
there also would be little chance to
get Big Horn Dam in eastern Mon
tana started next year.
Well, there are four items of con-
,roversy to be settled in the closing
lays of the Congress. More on each
If these developments next week.
III
Agricultural Census-The nations
L7th Census of Agriculture begins in
October. Formerly, the census listed
| farm as one which had at least three
acres of land and produced commodi-
les worth $3.50. The census in Octo-
Der, however, will consider it farm
,nly if it has ten or more acres with
agricultural sales of at least $50 a
rear.
Billings Reclamation Office to Re-
nain-I have discussed the matter
If keeping the Bureau of Reclamation
'ffices for Region 6 at Billings with
Secretary of Interior Seaton, and he
1. Il |