The Congress: Ave atque Vale

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The 1963 session of the U.S. Congress wheezed toward adjournment last week. It had run for 11½ months, longer than any since World War II, and in some eyes had accomplished the least. The Senate did ratify the test ban treaty, and the Congress as a whole passed several education bills—a $1.2 billion college construction program, $206 million for medical and dental schools and student loans, a $60 million increase, to $117 million, in the federal vocational education program. Not even brought to final vote were the two most important legislative items of the year—civil rights and tax reduction. And foreign aid kept the session going right down to the wire as Senate and House conferees haggled and argued, finally came up with a bill appropriating $3 billion and giving the President authority to approve U.S. credit guarantees for selling anything to Communist countries—as long as it is "in the national interest."

Inevitably there was talk that Congress must reform its rules so as to streamline the legislative process. There was even a proposal that the Senate require that all debate be germane to the legislative issue at hand. That notion got guffaws from Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen. "A germaneness rule for this body?" he asked. "Ha, ha, ha; and, I might add, ho, ho, ho!"

And it was Dirksen who pronounced the kindest epitaph for the year's session. "When all is said and done," he said, "the first session of the 88th Congress was not a 'do-nothing Congress' as some would have it or a 'dolittle Congress' or a 'standstill Congress.' The more appropriate term would be a 'stop, look, and listen, Congress.' "