Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

Current EventsBy Prof. William H. RussellCONGRESSIONAL RECORDCongress stayed in session three weeks beyond the timeoriginally decided on for adjournment, but the delay enabledthem to complete a notable record of legislation. Almost asmany bills were passed in August as in the previous! sevenmonths, and more important laws were adopted than in anyprevious year since the early days of the New Deal. Ofcourse the Democrats will attack much of this legislation during the fall political campaign, but President Eisenhowerclaims to be well satisfied with his party's record. Administration spokesmen claim that they were successful in nineteen outof twenty-six major legislative proposals.SPENDING DROPSThe total amount appropriated by Congress was about$53.9 billion, the least since before the Korean War. Last yearCongress appropriated $59.5 billion, and the post-War recordwas $11 billion for 1951. Spending is expected to reach $65.5billion this fiscal year and revenue $61.6 billion, for a deficitof nearly $4 billion. About $2.6 billion was cut from the budget requested by the President. Congress sliced off more thana billion from the defense budget, and about three quartersof a billion from foreign aid. The foreign aid bill finally passedtotalled five and a quarter billion, but almost half of thiswas a reappropriation of carry-over funds. Only two appropriation bills those for the Agriculture Department and forLabor and Health-Education-Welfarethan the President asked.LIMITED FLEXIBILITYcarried more moneyIn many parts of the country the biggest political controversy will center about the new farm bill. President Eisenhower originally asked authority to reduce the price supports of basic crops corn, wheat, cotton, rice, and peanutsfrom a compulsory 90 per cent of parity to a sliding-scalesystem going as low as 75 per cent. The purpose was to discourage the production of unwanted surpluses. After muchdebate, Congress finally adopted an even compromise, settingthe minimum support level at82%per cent of parity. Thisis still considered an Administration victory, since it establishes the principle of flexible supports. The Democratswill charge, however, that Eisenhower promised in 1952 tokeep supports as 90 per cent, and that the farmers are betrayed.Another section of the farm bill authorizes the Secretaryof Agriculture to hold dairy price supports at their present75 per cent of parity. There was little dispute over the administration proposal to allocate $2x/2 billion worth of surplusfarm products for foreign or domestic relief or other noncommercial purposes.CLAMPING DOWN ON THE REDSOne surprise of the last week of Congress was a move tooutlaw the Communist Party. One bill would have mademembership in the party a crime, but this was given up dueto Administration opposition. Both the President and AttorneyGeneral declared that it would merely drive the Reds underground and make it more difficult to control them. As passed,the bill declares the Communist Party to be "an instrumentality of a conspiracy to overthrow the government of the UnitedSeptember 1, 1954States," and denies it the privileges of a legal body. Thismeans the Communist Party cannot be listed on a federal.ballot, but the effect on the Party's legal status in the statesis not clear. Labor unions which the government declares tobe Communist-controlled are denied legal rights before theNatoinal Labor Relations Board. The new act also retainsall the requirements and penalties of the McCarran InternalSecurity Act of 1950, requiring members of Communist- actiongroups to register and barring them from defense plants, federal employment, or from obtaining a passport.Congress also passed a bill to take away the citizenshipof Americans convicted of conspiring to overthrow the govfor peaceernment by force, and authorized the death penaltytime espionage or sabotage. Penalties are also increased forbail- jumping and harboring fugitives. In addition, Congressauthorized federal judges to grant witnesses in security casesimmunity from prosecution, and thus compel them to testifyregardlessof the Fifth Amendment. Congress did not, however, carry out the administration's request for permission touse evidence obtained by wire-tapping in the prosecution ofsubversives.ATOMIC ENERGY PLANSeveral compromise efforts were necessary before thetwo houses of Congress could agree on an atomic energy bill.The measure has two main purposesprivate atomic power industry,to open the way for aand to allow the President togive our European allies more atomic equipment and information. One of the sharpest points of debate concerned the sharing of civilian patents in the atomic power field. The compromise adopted was that all patents must be freelyshared forfive years, after which the .patent owners can obtain exclusiverights. House leaders say they will try next year to cancel thesharing provision, but it will be upheld by those who fearmonopolistic tendencies in the atomic power field. The broadplan of the legislation is that the Atomic Energy Commissioncan grant forty-year renewal licences for private industry tooperateatomic plants. The Commission itself may also operate atomic power plants, but publicly owned utilities and cooperatives are to have first preference as its customers.UNFINISHED BUSINESSSeveral other important measures were passed in the lastfew days of Congress, such as a major expansion of the socialsecurity system and a pay increase for federal workers. Thesewill have to wait for our next column. Despite its importantaccomplishments, this year's sessiondefeated, or overlooked,several worthwhile recommendations of President Eisenhower.Statehood for Hawaii was killed by linking it with Alaska.The President got only a one-year extension of the ReciprocalTrade Agreements Act, and no authority to cut tariffs. TheTaft-Hartley Act was not revised, and the President's plan forgovernment reinsurance of private health plans met defeat.Congress also rejected the proposed amendment giving 18-year-olds the right to vote in federal elections. The Administration's request for an increase in postal rates, needed tobalance the budget, was defeated because it would be politically unpopular. And the greatest of all items of unfinishedbusiness is the Christian Amendment, which was not reportedout of committee.131