The dilatory 91st Congress stands a good chance of surpassing Harry Truman's "do nothing" 80th as a model of legislative nonactivity. Faced with the possibility of several nation-crippling strikes, however, both House and Senate last week proved that they could overcome inertia and act with dispatch. While an illegal strike by "sick" air controllers entered its third week and wildcatting Teamsters threatened chaos on the highways, Congress moved quickly to head off further trouble with the railroad and postal unions.
What forced action on the railroad crisis was the end of the...