THE CONGRESS: This Side of the Grave

Matthew Neely is 75, a spouter of purple poetry and a wearer of tweed suits which come in shades of lemon and green. A veteran of the Spanish-American War, and a tireless joiner (Elk, Moose, Odd Fellow, Mason), Matt Neely is an ex-Congressman from West Virginia, served a term as governor of his state, is now in his fourth term as U.S. Senator. On the record, Senator Neely is a politician.

Senate leaders, trying to get on with things last week, had just about agreed to bring the President’s vital economic-control bill to a vote on Friday, but they had reckoned without West Virginia’s Senator. Many-hued Matt Neely arose. On Friday, he announced in his best stumping voice, the Young Democratic Club of West Virginia would be holding a rally. He wanted to be there. “In my opinion,” he declaimed, “except the saving of immortal souls, the most important thing this side of the grave to the people of the world is the success of the Democratic Party in the approaching election. The success of the Democratic Party in the nation is largely dependent upon its success in West Virginia.” (Six House, no Senate seats are at stake.) In short, Matt Neely was going to the meeting and he would like to have the vote on the control bill taken when he could be there. The Senate leaders put it over until this week.

“Blind . . . Pigheaded.” In that manner, all week, the nation’s Senators went about the nation’s business—solemnly reminding one another of their mutual responsibilities, sniffing the political winds, getting very tired of one another, sometimes letting their tempers pop.

In a House-Senate conference over the $34.5 billion omnibus appropriation bill, Senate Appropriations Chairman Kenneth McKellar, ancient (81) Tennessee feudist, tangled with an old enemy—House Appropriations Chairman Clarence Cannon, 71. McKellar yelled that Missouri’s Cannon was “blind . . . stupid . . . pigheaded” and altogether “goddamned.” Cannon, who several years ago traded blows with New York’s brass-lunged John Taber, started after McKellar. The tottering McKellar grabbed his long-handled gavel and got ready to swing. Colleagues managed to keep the two old cocks apart.

Pork on the Highways. McKellar shuffled off to brood over his grouches and, later in the day, to take his turn presiding over the Senate. There, Tennessee’s irascible spoilsman encountered another enemy—Paul Douglas of Illinois, who had tried his best, without success, to pry some of the pork out of the same $32.5 billion omnibus appropriation bill. Now Douglas was attacking the pork in a $1.2 billion roads and highways bill.*

Oregon’s mischievous Wayne Morse inquired innocently whether it wasn’t a fact that the Southern states had shirked responsibility in helping to provide for their own highways. Douglas agreed that it might be so. Arkansas’ McClellan was on his feet protesting such an outrageous libel. McKellar pounded his gavel so hard it flew out of his hands, fixed Douglas in a baleful stare, invoked Rule 19, which forbids any Senator to speak derogatorily of a state, and demanded unanimous consent to have Douglas’ remarks expunged.

Other Fish to Fry. The usually philosophic Douglas shouted, “I object.” Hot and rumpled, he paced the floor, demanded a quorum so that the question of whether his words had been objectionable could be put to a vote. Actually the matter was of little importance, but Douglas, angry at McKellar, insisted that his colleagues go through the whole rigmarole. Annoyed Senators, with other fish to fry, were herded complainingly out of offices and cloakroom and onto the floor. Morse slumped in his seat, grinning gleefully, while the still indignant Douglas had the record read. McKellar gave up, let the record stand as it was with Douglas’ remarks unexpunged.

Said Douglas acidly: “I want to thank my colleagues for upholding the right of free debate in the Senate.”

“Oh, God!” snapped Ohio’s John Bricker in a very audible voice.

This week the Senate finally got down to business on controls, but it was mostly monkey business. Virtually everyone with a homegrown industry or crop to protect hung an amendment on the bill exempting his pet. Said Delaware’s John Williams: “Everyone will be exempt from this bill but the consumers.” Such as it was, the Senate passed the bill (84-3). A House and Senate conference would have to straighten it out.

On other legislative fronts, the House:

¶Agreed on a compromise Social Security bill, which extends coverage to ten million more U.S. citizens. The bill, then passed by the Senate, was sent on to the White House. It is the only major Fair Deal measure passed this session.

¶ Passed a resolution—with various acrimonious remarks—rescinding Postmaster General Donaldson’s curtailment of mail deliveries to one a day. Deliveries will go back to two a day—if the Senate and President agree.

*Which includes $50 million for forest and park roads, $6 million for Indian trails.