Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-01

Inc vetoed Dill would have re-
moved Mr.. Benson's authority
to approve or disapprove loans
made by the REA administra-
tor. Yesterdays vote killed the
bill and Mr.. Benson retains
that authority.
Democratic leaders admitted
they were. disappointed and
surprised when their attempt
to pass the bill over the Presi-
dental veto failed by only four
votes to muster the required
two-thirds majority of members
present and voting.
426 Cast Votes
Neither opponents nor sup
porters had any alibi on the
score of abSenteeism. Both
camps put everything they had
into the fight. OF the 434 mem
berS of the House with two
vacancies), 426 voted and eight
did not vote. Speaker Rayburn
did not vote.
The roll call vote showed that
l42 Republicans and four DEM
ocrats were enough to prevent
q two-thirds majority.
The 274 Democrats voting to
override the veto had six Re-
, publicans on their side. But
they lost another 10 who had
voted for the bill when the
House originally passed it, 254
to 131, two weeks ago.
The Four Democrats who
voted against the bill April is
and again yesterday were Rep
resentatives Barr of Indiana,
Dorm of South Carolina, King
of Utah and McSween of Louis
lana. A fifth Democrat, Rep
reSentative Clark of Pennsyl-
vania, voted with the Repub-
licanS April Is but shifted back
to the Democrats yesterday.
Mr.. King, who comes from
Secretary Benson's home State,
explained that his vote to SUI
stain the veto was not a vote
against REA. He declared the
real issue was the upholding of
sound administrative prac-
tice" by vesting control of the
REA agency's loan-making in
the head of the Agriculture De-
partment.
The six Republicans who
voted yesterday to pass the bill
over the veto were Represent
atives Andersen of Minnesota,
Berry of New York, Gross of
Iowa, Koran of Washington, |
Langen of Minnesota, and
Konski of Wisconsin.
All except Mr.. Andersen
voted with the Democrats for |
the bill April Is. He was absent |
on the earlier occasion. His
vote for the bill yesterday was
offset to some extent by the
abSenSe of Representative Bel
cher, Republican of Oklahoma,
who voted for the bill April Is. |
Switch to Block Upset
Republicans who voted for
the bill April Is but changed
their votes yesterday in order
to prevent overriding the veto
were Representatives Avery of
Kansas. Bray of Indiana, Ben
nett of Michigan, Jensen of
Iowa, Knox of Michigan, May
of Washington, Rees of Kan
sas, Schwengel of Iowa, and
Simpson of Illinois. These nine,
with Mr.. Belcher, were de-
Scribed in some COP. Con-
gressional quarters today as
deserving at least as much
credit as the four Democrats
in stopping the attack on the
veto.
Most House Republicans
gave Mr.. Halleck a consider
able share of the credit for
having kept SO many of his
152 House members in line and
for having done so much to
persuade several of them to
switch votes. Some Democrats
admitted privately that Mr..
Halleck had increased his stat
ure as House party leader,
and undoubtedly his prestige
with White House officials. for
his energetic work.
In any event President Eli
senhoWer still has never had
any of his 1873 vetos overturned
by Congress since he entered
the White House in 1858. He
commented yesterday that he
was deeply gratif1ed" by the
House action.
And the House came to the
aid of Mr.. Eisenhower yester-
day just as it did a year ago
in refusing to override his veto |
of a minor bill relating to pay |
scales at the Portsmouth Navy |
Yard in New Hampshire. The
Senate had voted to override |
that veto. Last Tuesday the
Senate voted 81 to 90 to over
ride the veto of the REA bill. |