Show new house seats promise merry christmas for GOP OP under guidance of republican leader joe martin democrats will fact face increasing house opposition by BAUKHAGE ne news analyst and commentator service 1313 it II street NW washington D C the GOP elephant Is looking forward W rd to his merriest christmas in a 1 long a g time ills his trunk will be filled with lots of pretty presents this chis year those nice new comfortable seats in the house ot of representatives and the senate As the last session of the congress moves to a close there Is a contented smile on more than one republican visage not the least genial is former republican national chairman and continuing leader 0 of f the house joe martin of massachusetts chu the a in martin pronounced as the a in yard at harvard that mean however that joe talks Harv ardese lies hes a small town boy and makes the most of it beginning january 4 1943 when the new congress meets joe will be out in front ready and able to snap a long rawhide raw hide over his political herd he use that method but he knows what everybody else has known since november 3 that his political power has bas risen like the mercury in august silently behind the scenes like most of the effective workers in congress inter or intra party joe does his stuff quietly behind the scenes and the impression I 1 got when I 1 talked with him recently in the gloomy high office of the minority leader in the capitol was that he is more comfortable now that he has slipped out of the chairmanship robes he can get his coat off roll up his sleeves and start on his big undercover under cover campaign the slogan for the new venture Is 13 12 to 13 or fight that means as most people in washington know already 12 republicans for every 13 democrats on the congressional committees most blost committees have 25 members that will mean acan a bare majority of one tor for the democrats and more than a corresponding increase in republican influence in the drafting of legislation reduce expenditures there are certain democrats in both houses such as sen harry byrd of virginia upon whom house leader mattin martin con can count to join in the chorus of one of the theme songs which Is going to be heard raised with vehemence from the republican side of the house reduction of expenditures for non war projects taxes the republicans republica n I 1 say are going to make the mindi e class more class conscious than they have been for a long time the white collar salary man realizes that he is carrying a financial load which is not being shared by the great army ol of workers whose incomes have sky rocketed many of the middle class are on fixed salaries that go up it is this class which has bought the most bonds the republicans are going to take advantage of this situation and do their utmost to become carfie the champions of the mid middle die class one republican congressman said to me recently we cant outbid the V U S treasury tor for the support of the people who are getting various kinds of subsidies or benefits from the administration we have got to appeal to the salary man the man with a small business the fireman the bus driver the people who are paying for homes and buying insurance su rance why it will be a bad mistake it if we get ourselves tied up with any of the wealthy eastern politicians they can give us some money but all we won in the last elections with very little financial help As this is being written the choice of a republican national chairman has not been made but if it goes to an easterner whose backers are associated socia ted in the public mind with great wealth it will be a bitter disappointment to a group of practical minded republicans in congress who are looking forward seriously and hopefully to the presidential campaign to in 1944 1044 however at this point it might be said that the national committee chairman in neither party has the power or the importance that lie he once held there was a time when he could get on the long distance the use of private automobiles in chile is now forbidden A 40 per cent cut in in gasoline supplied by the united states is the cause of this restriction the use of gasoline for or automobile and rotor motorcycle cycle racing in south at ties rica is forbidden by law most of the gas is being used in no africa these days phone and tell a state cha ch ariman Timan just whom he be wanted nominated for or the presidency and it if he was a fairly powerful popular figure the boys could and would frequently deliver those days are over and press and radio gets much of the credit candidates have become r real cal personalities to the voters and the voters dont don t let the bosses make up their minds for them any more increase of federal agents the republicans realize this they also realize that there are other powerful influences which exist now which alch did not exist the last time they won a presidential election one is the increased inci eased influence of the party in power which has grown with the increased number ot of federal agents who are in contact with the people the republicans therefore will do all in their po power we r la in the next session of congress congles 8 to cut down the organizations such as the triple A and the OPA another federal agency which undoubtedly will be greatly increased if the manpower man power problem is to be solved is the united states employment service however if the employment service has to stand out in front in the enforcement of a compulsory lab labor law it may become a political boomerang to whomever the public considers is responsible tor for it and the republicans hope to manipulate that situation to their benefit leading the republican party nex next t year will require political skill because the party of the opposition in m wartime is in a difficult position it must get its share of the credit for winning the war but it mu must st avoid the blame for the mistakes which are bound to be made and sidestep side step the brickbats brick bats which any measure attracts which hits any particular group of voters the republicans have plenty 0 f problems ahead but if house leader martin is typical topical they have plenty of confidence and more energy and enthusiasm than they have been able to display for a decade here are excerpts from three days of secretary of agriculture wick ards diary if he kept a diary which he but the words are the secre monday went to peoria ill and addressed a meeting of the national catholic rural life conference this organization was founded over 20 years ago and has as its objective the betterment of rural living at noon attended a luncheon meeting given by the chamber of commerce many farmers were present in the evening I 1 addressed a meeting of the american meat institute in chicago the institute had a number of farm leaders as their guests at all of those places the question I 1 heard most often was how are we going to get enough farm labor to keep up the prodie production tl 10 n which you say must be maintained ta ined after the meeting monday evening I 1 went down to my farm in indiana the fall fail pigs had to be vac and given shelter there were the usual amount of repairs and odd jobs to be done and I 1 began to see the need for more help the labor shortage which I 1 had heard about during the last few days was painfully evident on my own farm tuesday sold the last of our spring pigs I 1 obtained use ot of a couple of trucks in addition to my own and we had them all in the stock yards by noon my daughter ann came up to the farm from purdue university after morning classes and we drove the last truckload of hogs to market ourselves while at the bank the editor of the local paper came in and greeted me and remarked it was too bad about joe todd I 1 asked him what had happened he told me joes relatives had just received word that lie he had been killed in action in m the pacific joe and ann had gone to the same country school they had been in the same sunday school class in our country hurch church he ha had enlisted early in the air corps and had advanced to the rank of a first lieutenant wednesday back in washington I 1 wish that it were possible for me to see and talk to farm people more often because of the inspiration I 1 receive frond from them BRIEFS B R I 1 E F S by bauh baukhage hage helping the united states armed forces to become a singing arm army Y and navy has become a part 11 of the standing USO program the house committee on wild life conservation is studying the possibility of exploiting wild life surpluses in national forest and park areas to supplement normal meat supplies and provide hides |