Unruly Charges

All week the Senate wrangled in disorganized confusion. Members were tired of night sessions, tired of each other and dead tired of Majority Leader Scott Lucas' heavyhanded efforts to keep things moving. The nation's highest deliberative body was debating whether to extend ECA for 15 months. Oregon's Wayne Morse, always one of the quickest to anger, rose in shrill complaint:

"There is a great deal of criticism in the cloakrooms . . . There is a feeling that the Democratic forces are cracking the whip . . . There are some of us who happen to be prima donnas enough to object . . . We are not going to be treated as grade-school children by a strong schoolmaster who says, 'If you don't do what we tell you to do we are going to take you out into the woodshed.' "

On the other side of the aisle, Majority Leader Lucas' face reddened. He shouted back: "I am not the first individual the Senator from Oregon has chastised . . . I wish the Senator from Oregon could hear what goes on in the cloakrooms about him sometimes . . ."

The Democrats were sure that there was a conspiracy among the Republicans to badger the Democratic leadership at every turn. When Texas' Tom Connally mildly urged his colleagues to be as brief as possible, Republicans burst into a solid hour of angry recriminations.

It was not until the 13th day of debate that Lucas could finally bring ECA to a vote. After all the talk, it passed without trouble. The Senate approved the full $5.5 billion authorization by an overwhelming 70-to-7 majority.

The Senate also:

P: Unanimously confirmed the President's appointment of New Dealing, 62-year-old Ernest Gruening to a third four-year term as Governor of Alaska. The Senate's action came after two months' delay and was a triumph for a planeload of Alaskans who flew to Washington to defend him against attacks inspired by the territory's sourdough millionaire, Republican "Cap" Austin Lathrop of Fairbanks.

The House:

P: Received from its Appropriations Committee the largest military budget in peace time history. The $15.9 billion total was $631 million above what the President asked for, would give the Air Force enough extra funds to provide 58 groups next year instead of the 48 the President had recommended.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.