Mr. Taber versus The World Representative Taber, the Chairman of
the Appropriations Com- mittee of the United States House of Representatives, who first promoted the move by that committee to reduce Marshall Aid funds for the next twelve months by 25 per cent. and then got the House itself to endorse the cut, confirmed his own reputation as a reactionary and an isolationist, inspired some harsh American strictures on the House of Representatives as a body, underlined an element of uncertainty in the working of the European Reco- very Programme, and even shook world confidence in American promises. That is enough damage for the time being. - It is likely to be repaired. With nearly half his colleagues in the House against him; to say nothing of a probable majority in the Senate, the whole of the Administration, all the responsible Press and a majority of public opinion, even Mr. Taber might begin to wonder whether in trying to cut an authorised sum of $5,300 million for twelve months to $5,055 million for fifteen months he is doing his clear duty as a re- presentative of the American people. Nevertheless the incident cannot be dismissed out of hand. In the first place, although the main cut may be restored after consultation between the Senate and House Appropriations Committee, some of the many petty disabilities which Mr. Taber and his friends tacked on to their Bill may survive. More important, this demonstration may bring to a head the latent struggle between the Senate and the House whereby the House's power of the purse has lately been more and more used to weaken the Senate's control of foreign policy. Nor should the beneficiaries under E.R.P. fail to learn their lesson. The struggle over the amount and-use of appropriations is likely to be continuous in the next four years. Great patience will be required while the more conservative citizens, and perhaps even the United States Constitution itself, catch up with the most enlightened proponents of the new American foreign policy.
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