THE CONGRESS: The Last Lurch

The U.S. Congress lurched toward adjournment last week, and accomplished precious little on the way. Particularly in the House was there stumbling and indecision and downright irresponsibility. The sorry show reached its climax as the House killed a badly needed national highway construction program.

Ditching the Roads. First, by a 221-to-193 vote, the House defeated the Eisenhower Administration's road-building program, which called for financing the work over the next 30 years by a $21 billion special bond issue ("Bonds for Boulevards," scoffed congressional Democrats). Then the House turned to the plan sponsored by its own Democratic leadership, under which $24...