Congress' Week

With most top Republicans off mending party fences in the name of Abraham Lincoln (see Republicans), the Congress could only nibble at the people's business. Nevertheless, it bit off one big mouthful.

Under the Reorganization Act, Congress had to make up its mind by Feb. 15 what ceiling it would recommend on expenditures for the next fiscal year (ending June 30, 1948). There had been little time for committee hearings or detailed analysis of the President's budget. But last week the 102-member Joint Committee held a stormy session and hit upon a figure--$31.5 billion, or $6 billion less than Harry Truman had asked for.

The depth of the cut was a surprise to some of the top Republican leaders. It might mean lopping some $2 billion from War and Navy Department budgets. Secretary Patterson said this would cripple the Army; Secretary Marshall said it would cripple the occupation of Germany and Japan; Secretary Forrestal said it would cripple the Navy. South Dakota's Chan Gurney, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, agreed with the Cabinet members.

Meanwhile, Nebraska's sharp-nosed Karl Stefan, of the House Appropriations Committee, wrestled with an esthetic problem. The State Department wanted money to strengthen U.S. cultural contacts with Europe and Latin America. "The committee never intended to have anything like that done with the taxpayer's money," said Stefan, looking with horror at Artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi's bit of exaggerated expressionism (see cut).

"Millions, of foreigners . . . would see these horrible things and wonder if it isn't true about Americans being so crazy."

"I'm Wondering." While Stefan pondered, visitors to the Senate's Civil Service Committee room observed a bit of drama. Before the committee appeared solemn little Assistant Attorney General Wendell Berge, asking for an extra $600,000 for the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. Mr. Berge was quite miserable.

Wild Senator William Langer, the committee chairman, was in a cigar-crunching mood. He wanted to know how many business monopolists Berge's Antitrusters had put in jail. "None," said Berge. "I'm wondering if there is any justification for having your department at all under the present management," said Senator Edward J. Thye. When Berge protested that it was not "the policy of the department to seek jail sentences," Langer exploded that "the [antitrust] law has been on the books 57 years come next July and they haven't enforced it yet."

Two days later, Attorney General Tom Clark announced that Berge, whose resignation has been on the President's desk since January, would quit May 1.

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