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Show Hats OH to the" Democrat 85th Congress Despite some Republican obstruction the Democrat-controlled 85th Congress has accomplished more than many which have gone before. The 85th heads for home after earning the respect of most everyone who has worked closely with it. Columnist Clinton Davidson in a recent report noted that "Few Congresses in history hace faced.up to more critical problems prob-lems or worked more strenuously to solve them. "At the start of the second session this year the most urgent problem was the Russian Sputniks and the deepening economic recession. "Growing unemployment was a serious problem . . . With economic troubles at home and growing communist activities in nations friendly to the United States Congress debated whether (Continued on Page Four) Hats Oli to the Democrat 85th Congress (Continued from Page One) to continue spending billions of dollars to, bolster the economy and military strength of Western nations. "The decision to expand our missiles research and, at the same time, continue economic and military assistance to friendly nations meant (1) no ceneral tax reduction and (2) a substan- tial increase in the national debt. Those were difficult decisions. But the Democratci dominated domi-nated Congress made them with the firmness and fearlessness that Democratic Congresses have always met serious challenges.1 "Even without those major decisions to be made, the 85th' would have been one of the busiest on record," says Mr. Davidson. David-son. "More than 17,000 bills were introduced during the two years it served. "Among them were bills to reorganize the Pentagon defense de-fense set-up, raise the pay of government workers, new farm legislation, anti-racketeering labor legislation, extension of the Reciprocal Trade Agreemnts Act, a $2.5 billion public works program,, and a $40 billion national defense budget. "Each of those bills received careful consideration by committees. com-mittees. Some involved weeks and months of hearings, then long debate in the Senate and House. Congress did a tremendous amount of work in the seven and a half months between convening conven-ing in January and the end oft he session." |