| Show THE washington SCENE partisan bipartisan bi sessions En engender orender good will among legislators eds editor lori note this it is the last in a series of articles dealing with new congressional committees and their chairmen by WALTER A SHEAD gion correspondent washington faced with the first republican congress in 16 years president truman has instituted a series of partisan bipartisan bi meetings of congressional leaders during the congress as a means of creating good will the presidents dents s strategy has proved effective in promoting cooperation ti on between the executive and legislative branches of the government at the meetings which are an innovation of mr Tr and not called for under terms of the reorganization act the president gives an on ciff the record view of at pending controversial le legislation GOP congressional leai lead irs of course are not bound to tarry out any of 0 the proposals dis bussed carrying out his announced purpose of calling the conter center ances at periodic intervals whenever the white while house deemed it advisable mr air truman has resorted to the bipartisan meetings several times during the present congress this article concludes the series on the congressional committees winding up with the speaker of the house and the majority leader public works GEORGE A MICH leads the public works committee which takes over functions of the former ormer committees on flood control public buildings and grounds rivers nd and harbors and roads dondero who has been ranking republican publican Se on the rivers and harbors harbor committee w was a active in the debate on the million dollar rivers and harbors authorization bill of 1946 from which he succeeded in eliminating the big sandy river project in kentucky and west virginia virgi lua and a senate dondero increase in funds for the arkansas river project dondero was one of 0 five representatives to introduce bills tor for a st lawrence seaway none of which was reported by the committee dondero who Is 63 has practiced law since 1910 in royal oak mien mich he held various city offices from 1905 until 1932 when he was elected to congress he also was prosecuting attorney for oakland county in the michigan district which dondero represents includes part of the city of detroit and of adjoining oakland county it is heavily industrialized and the CIO auto workers union has considerable strength dondero however has been outspoken in his opposition to CIO PAC and to alleged communist domination of labor unions speaker of house JOSEPH W MARTIN JR J R MASS new speaker of the house hous has been active in republican boie poll 1 ties since he was elected to the massachusetts legislature in 1912 A former chairman of the republican national committee martin has been in congress since 1924 and ranks eighth in seniority among republicans public ans in the house he Is 62 years old publisher of the north Att attleboro leboro evening chronicle and also proprietor ot of an ins insurance ance company As minority leader in the house since 1939 martin has been able to keep his party in line in opposition to most of the administrations policies but although six republicans are recorded as voting with the majority of their party per cent of the time on recent controversial roll calls martin sometimes h ha a a split with his party and voted with it only 85 per cent ot of the time one of these times was martin when he voted to override the presidential veto of the price control bill last summer martin also voted to override vetoes of the case labor bill and the bill renouncing noun cing federal claims to tidewater lands on foreign policy martin in recent years has followed his colleague sen arthur H rep mich in supporting the policy of international cooperation in the early days of the roosevelt administration martin went straight down the line against new deal measures an advocate of economy in government martin has endorsed GOP plans to cut personal income taxes and to balance the budget he opposes universal military training and introduced a resolution in the last congress in favor of the united states taking the initiative in a move towards world disarmament martins district the massachusetts chu includes bristol county and parts ot of norfolk worcester and middlesex counties in the east central part of the state organized labor has considerable strength in the district however the backing of 0 several unions as well as the PAC tailed failed to help martins opponent in the 1948 1946 election and he continued to increase his plurality as he has for several years when he was minority leader martin had no committee assignment and ot of course continues to have none as speaker majority leader CHARLES A HALLECK IND majority leader of house republicans was unanimously elected to his lob job alter after several other candidates withdrew in the interests ot of harmony hallecks candidacy for or the job previously had bad been endorsed by gov thomas E dewey ot of new york halleck Is one of six republicans who voted with the majority ot of their party on per cent of controversial roll calls in closing months of the congress halleck has not been particularly active in floor debate however in the congress he spoke against the antl anti petrillo bill as written al halleck though he e voted tor for it after his own amendment was defeated halleck was born bom in jasper county ind in 1900 and has lived there a all his life after service in world war I 1 he received a law degree from indiana university and began practice in rensselaer R rensselaer ens selaer where he now lives he served five terms as circuit prosecuting attorney and was elected to congress at a special election in 1935 HaU hallecks ecks 12 years service makes him one of the youngest members of the republican leadership from the point of view of seniority hallecks district the second indiana spreads over 12 counties in northwestern indiana and had a population in 1940 of it is primarily rural and agricultural halleck was chairman of the national republican congressional committee working for the election of R republicans e publIc ans to congress during the campaign last year |
