Nation: Escape from Emasculation?

"On this vote," intoned Speaker John McCormack, "there are 235 in the affirmative." Before McCormack could announce the negative vote of 196, House Democrats exploded in applause. For the House, heeding the urgent pleas of President Kennedy, had just decided to keep the membership of its key Rules Committee at 15, with liberals presumably in control.

Had the House not voted in that fashion, Rules would have reverted to a membership of twelve. With a six-six standoff between conservatives and liberals, Conservative Chairman Howard Smith of Virginia was often able to keep liberal legislation from a floor vote. President Kennedy claimed that such a commitee would "emasculate" the whole New Frontier program.

Presto Chango. Two years ago, the matter of expanding the Rules Committee from twelve to 15 had been fought out on the same issues. That time the Ad ministration won by a mere five votes, even though then-Speaker Sam Rayburn used all his massive artillery in the battle. This time victory came with what seemed to be presto-chango ease.

For one thing, 28 Republicans voted with the Administration and against Minority Leader Charlie Halleck's point-blank opposition to the expanded Rules Committee. These Republicans, mostly younger ones, were tired of allowing the Administration to blame its legislative defeats on the "obstructionist" G.O.P.Southern Democrat coalition on the Rules Committee. They preferred to let Administration bills come on to the floor—and then try to beat the legislation in a House that is nearly three fifths Democratic.

The Administration also won some Southern Democratic votes. In 1961 eight of Georgia's ten Representatives voted with Judge Smith. This year all ten went with the Administration. The chief reason for the switch: Speaker McCormack's lieutenants had let it be known that, in return for Georgia's cooperation on the Rules fight, a highly coveted vacancy on the powerful Ways and Means Committee might go to Georgian Phil Landrum, 53.

Little Change. Beyond that, the Administration picked up votes from the Florida contingent, and two North Carolinians joined Harold Cooley, dean of their delegation, in switching their votes from 1960. Explained Cooley: "My fears of two years ago were apparently not very well founded."

Cooley's fears then were that a liberalized Rules Committee would mean that a batch of New Frontier legislation would be waved through the House. They were certainly not very well founded. Even as expanded, the Rules Committee in the 87th Congress held up 24 bills, including Administration proposals on an urban-affairs department, a mass-transit act, broad federal aid to education, and a youth-conservation corps. More important, other priority Administration bills were either bottled up in other committees or defeated on the House floor.

All that happened in a lopsidedly Democratic House, and there is small reason to suppose that things will be much different this year.