Evening star. [volume], June 12, 1948, Page A-7, Image 7

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Credentials Arbiters
Can Swing Vital Votes
In Party Conventions
Action More Than Once
Determined Choice for
Presidential Nominee
By Frank R. Kent
In any such fight as has now de
veloped among both the Democrats
and Republicans it would be a mis
take to leave out of consideration
the extraordinary power of the Cre
dentials Committees in the national
conventions. More than once in the
history of both parties its action has
determined the nominee. In some
ways it is more important than the
Resolutions Committee, the chair
man of which Writes the platform.
In naming Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge of Massachusetts for that
post, the Republicans could hardly
have made a better selection.
The function of the Credentials
Committee is to pass on the creden
tials of all the delegates chosen by
the States and territories. Its head
is named by the chairman of the
National Committee, who also sets
up a preliminary committee of one
man and one woman from each. This
committee begins examination of
charges and hearing of contested
delegations before the convention as
sembles. After the selection of the
temporary chairman, also designated
by the National Committee, the first
work of the convention is to regu
larize the preliminary Credentials
Committee. Then it creates the Reso
lutions Committee, charged with the
Job of framing the party platform.
Then it considers the report of the
Credentials Committee. In almost
every case the committee's report is
ratified by the convention. Until
that is done the convention is simply
not organized. Often there is a bit
ter fight in the committee and some
times this fight is carried to the con
vention floor. But this is rare, and
almost always the report of the com
mittee’s majority is accepted. What
thus means, of course, is that in the
case of a contest it is the Credentials
Committee which seats or unseats.
The theory is that the Credentials
Committee decides the contests that
tome before it strictly on their merits
and after an Impartial investigation
of the facts. The truth is that in j
most cases—and in both parties—
the committee's decisions are fla
vored by the political predilections'
and preferences of its chairman and
the majority which he almost al
ways controls. Few observers who
ever saw a national convention in
action will dispute this. ■ It is natural
and inevitable. It is expected and
accepted.
This being the case, it is easy to
understand the advantage Creden
tials Committee friendliness can
give to any aspirant for the presi
dential nomination in a close fight.
The seating of supporting delegates
and the unseating of hostile ones
easily may affect vital votes in the |
convention. Certainly it has done |
so on a number of occasions. Per
haps the most notable example in
recent years was in the 1932 Demo
cratic Convention at Chicago, when
the late Mr. Roosevelt was first j
nominated. Through control of the |
National Committee, the Roosevelt •
forces were able to organize that j
convention, selecting the temporary,
and permanent chairmen and die-!
tating the heads of the Resolutions;
and Credentials Committee.
Long Case Recalled.
A number of contests developed
before the latter, all of which werej
decided in favor of the Roosevelt
forces. The most conspicuous wasi
the contesting delegation from
Louisiana, which challenged the!
late Senator Huey Long and his i
delegates. The decision in this case
was an open scandal. The contest
ing delegation not only was com
posed of the most distinguished
citizens of the State but the evi
dence of fraud and corruption;
which they presented was over- j
whelming and convincing. Yet, the
committee seated the Long delega-1
tion. Some of those who voted with
the majority came out privately (
saying that they were ashamed of j
what they had helped do, but that. j
there was no help for it. A vote to
unseat the Long delegation would
have been a vote against Roosevelt;
which might have meant his de-;
feat. As a matter of fact, the Long
delegation was a pillar of strength
to Mr. Roosevelt when the ballot
ing began. Next to the California
deal, by which Mr. Garner became
the vice presidential nominee, it
contributed more to the Roosevelt
nomination than any other conven
tion factor.
There may be no comparable [
contest before the Credentials Com
mittees in the coming conventions
but there are sure to be some. On
the Republican side there will be
at least one contest among the
Southern States —and probably
more. And, no matter where they i
are from or what are the contest!
grounds, the odds are heavy that
every contest will be decided in
the time-honored way—according
to the candidat»>rial affiliations of
the chairman. To some extent the;
Credentials Committee is always;
a packed committee and to some!
extent it always has a chance to do
a little packing of the convention.
Usually, these committees operate |
in executive sessions, though some
times their hearings are open. They
attract relatively little publicity,'
being overshadowed by the contend
ing presidential aspirants and the;
various more spectacular and inter
esting things that go on. Neverthe-,
less in anything approximately
close in the way of a fight, experi
enced men will keep their eyes on
the Credentials Committees. What
they do in their executive sessions
can be significant of what the con
vention will do in the open. In this
respect the coming conventions will
be no different from preceding ones.
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This Changing World
Explosion of Palestine Truce Feared
As Stern Gang Continues Defiance
By Constantine Brown
The Palestine truce is regarded
with mixed feelings in Washington.
In some official quarters it is hoped
that it will lead to lasting peace in
the Holy Land
after July 9,
j when the present
cease - Are ex
pires.
Political and
military observ
ers are keeping
their Angers
crossed, fearful
that during the
truce period of
four weeks or
shortly there
after some ex
plosion might
occur, rekin
dling the Ares in
the Middle East.
Constantine Brown.
For tee time Demg respunaiuic
leaders of both the Israeli govern
ment and the Arab League appear
determined to live up to the truce
terms. But there is real concern
here and abroad over the possibility
that some hotheads, prodded by
extremists, might engage in some
provocative action. The Middle
East is so tense that any incident
could destroy, the present agree
ment.
It is particularly feared that the
lawless Stern Gang, which con
tinues to follow its own policy in
spite of Tel Aviv's efforts to bring
it into Israel's fold, may initiate
fresh fighting. This terroristic or
ganization has not relented in its
defiance of the provisional gov-.
ernment.
Sternists Ignore Orders.
The orders Issued by Israeli For
' sign Minister Moshe Shertok to all
; Jewish irregulars to become part
of the national army apparently
are being ignored by the Sternists.
Their clandestine radio atation
"somewhere in Palestine” continues
to blare out daily defiance of the
government and attacks—even more
violently than the Arabs themselves
—the provisional regime, whose
principal members, President Chaim
Welzmann, Prime Minister David
Ben-Gurion and Foreign Minister
Shertok, are described as stooges of
American imperialists who "want
exactly what Bevln wants."
| In its broadcast of June 6 the
i “Fighters for the Freedom of Israel”
i lambasted the terms of the truce,
which they consider unworkable,
unless the U. S. S. R. which the
radio has described as the Israelis’
only friend, is allowed to send mili
tary observers to watch enforcement
of the armistice.
"If Americans are allowed to send
their military observers, why are not
the Russians, who sit in the Big
Four councils, accorded the same
right?” the radio asked. After reit
erating that the Soviet satellites are
the real friends of Israel, the broad
cast continued: “Why are not offi
cers from Russia, Poland, Romania,
Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Hungary
included among the observers?"
Gromyko to Continue Fight.
In New York Andrei A. Gromyko,
Soviet delegate to the U. N., made
a big play to have Soviet officers in
cluded among the military observers
who are aiding Count Folke Berna
dette. He did not mention Bulgar
ians, Romanians and Hungarians,
because their countries are not mem
bers of the U. N. He pegged his
claim, however, to Russia’s right to
have Soviet officers included in the
truce team and, according to all
reports, he will continue the fight
next Tuesday, when he will insist on
the Security Council taking up the
matter again.
It is a remarkable “coincidence”
that the Stem broadcasters should
share the views of the Soviet govern
ment so completely. And it is
equally noteworthy that last molfth
this organization should have ap
pealed directly to the Russian people
to send military forces to their
rescue.
While the Tel Aviv government is
expected to abide by the U. N. orders,
these is some doubt as to what it
camtfD against this small, but power
ful, minority organization, which is
said to be strongly backed by the
U. S. S. R.
What the Politburo has in mind
on Palestine is known only to the
handful of men who are the un
disputed rulers of Russia. But the
fact that they have demanded that
the Russian Navy be entrusted with
enforcement of the truce on the
Palestine coast, and their vociferous
insistence that Soviet officers should
become truce observers, Justify ap
prehensions that the Stem Gang
may be called on to play an im
portant role in future events.
A handful of determined men
could touch off the powder keg in
the Middle East.
On the Other Hand
Battle of the Lobbies, Bitterest
Of the Session, Nearing Decision
By Lowell Mellett
One of the bitterest battles of the
present session of Congress is com
ing to a close, with the winner not
yet certain. It is battle between two
lODDies. une is
what is com
monly called the
real estate lobby,
being the
spokesmen for
the National
Association o f
Real Estate
Boards, the Na
tional Associa
tion of Home
Builders and
Morton BocP
fish's group of
building and
loan associa
tions. The other
Lowell Mellett.
can only be called a people s lobby,
since it represents nobody in partic
ular—just people determined to see
a serious effort made to improve
the national housing situation. Its
spokesmen include representatives
of labor, church, veterans and mis
cellaneous organizations.
The latest engagement occurred
Thursday, with the people's lobby,
largely to its own surprise, emerg
ing the winner. On that day the
House Banking and Currency Com
mittee took a vote that it had been
stalling off for many months. The
vote was taken amid an extraordi
nary barrage of telegrams and tele
phone calls from all parts of the
country. The messages were inspired
by the opposing lobbies, but those of
the real estate lobby probably were
more numerous and, under usual
conditions, would have been the
more effective. They represented im
portant citizens back home, with a
personal and selfish interest. Con
gress members receiving them knew
they meant business, whereas they
might have doubts concerning those
from merely well-meaning citizens.
Reasonably Good Bill.
Nevertheless the unwilling Bank
ing Committee voted to report for
passage a reasonably good housing
bill. By a vote of 14 to 13 the
committee inserted in its own bill,
which bears the name of the chair
man, Representative Wolcott of
Michigan, four of the liberal pro
visions of the Taft-Ellender-Wagner
bill, already passed by the Senate.
These include a limited amount of
public housing and urban and rural
slum clearance.
This represents a real defeat for
Chairman Wolcott and for Speaker
Martin. Chairman Wolcott had
several times flatly rebuffed Senator
Taft when the latter trudged over
to the House side seeking some
action on the Senate bills and Sen
ator Taft's efforts to enlist the sup
port of the Speaker had been no
more successful.
The Anal battle is yet to be fought.
A rule must be obtained from the
Rules Committee to bring the bill
to the House floor and the votes
must then be mustered to pass it.
The votes are believed to be avail
able, since a petition to force the
bill out of committee had obtained
a large part of the required 218 sig
natures before the Banking Com
mittee’s decision made this action
unnecessary. That many votes, of
course, would pass the bill.
In the meantime the battle of
the lobbies is intensifying. Milton
J. Brock, president of the National
Association of Home Builders, who
has his headquarters here, sent out
what he called his “Anal appeal”
last Tuesday, but he can hardly be
expected to rest on that, in the light
of the Banking Committee’s action.
Addressed to the men and concerns
he represents, the “final appeal” is
an interesting document.
Portentous Sentence.
It opens with this portentous’
sentence:
“This is certainly the most im
portant letter I will write you this
year.”
After relating the legislative situ-1
ation—which when he wrote was
not so bad from his standpoint—he
urges the folks he represents to
get busy on their Congressmen, and
he tells them just what they should
say. For example:
"I believe you should say in your
letters, wires and telephone calls
that any legislation designed to
extend and increase the function- j
ing of FHA is important and desir
able; that legislation establishing:
a secondary mortgage market for
GI loans with the Federal National
Mortgage Association would be
helpful. Beyond this the industry
does not require legislative assist
ance, and we are unalterably op
posed to legislation, such as S.866,
which puts the Federal Government
in control of slum clearance, re
search in housing techniques, esti
mates of housing needs, and, of
course, public housing both urban
and rural.” j
--
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Council Delays Vote
On U. S. Atomic Plan
*
■y the Associated Press
LAKE SUCCESS, June 12.—The
Security Council yesterday put off
a vote on the American atomic con
trol plan until next week when a
Soviet veto is expected.
Russia has fought the American
proposal in the United Nations
Atomic Energy Commission for the
last two years. However, there is
no veto in the commission and Dep
uty Foreign Minister Andrei A.
Gromyko has been unable to kill
the plan. Three weeks ago the
commission voted over Soviet op
position to suspend work until Rus
sia and the majority could agree.
The parent council then was called
to act.
Philip Jessup, American deputy
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delegate, formally moved yesterd#y
that the Council approve the Amer
ican scheme, originally laid down
June 14,1946, by Bernard M. Baruch.
Mr. Gromyko blocked action by
asking to speak at the ne^t meet
ing, set for Wednesday.
"All governments are faced with
one or the other of' two alterna
tives,” Mr. Jessup said. "Either a
continuation of the race in atomic
armaments or agreement on a sys
tem of international control in
which all nations would have con
fidence because they believed it to
be effective. There is no middle
ground.”
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