President Ronald Reagan’s economic package faces an early showdown in Congress. with prospects of passage apparently brightened by Reagan’s address before a – joint congressional session. ‘ The Democratic’controlled House anticipates a vote next week. Word from conservative elements of the party in.dicates a good-sized block .of Demos will join Republicans in support of ;the basic Reagan program. Z A final vote in the GOP’controlled Senate is expected within two weeks. Prospects are hopeful. especially after the Senate Budget Committees 15-6 vote to approve a budget blueprint for the tax and spending cuts the Wbite House wants. Vice President George Bush, commenting after a mid-week meeting with a group of Republican senators, said Reagan’s speech – the president’s first major appearance since he was shot in the chest by a would-be assassin, has given the economic proposals a boost. Public sentiment is behind the president, he said. Acting Press Secretary Larry Speakes said early telegramtelephone response to the White House showed 894 in favor of the president and 65 against. Reagan’s talk, delivered in an emotionally-charged setting and before millions of television viewers. was characterized as “his best” by Senate Republican Leader Howard Baker. Assistant Senate Democratic leader Alan Cranston said; “The president is a man of great grit and grace. He displayed personal and political vigor as he came out swinging for his program.” But there was sharp criticism too, especially from such Democratic strategists as House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill and House Demo leader Jim Wright, indicating strong opposition still ahead. 0’Neill charged that “the latest version of the Republican budget begins the abandonment of the governments responsibility in the fields of health and education.” Presumably we’ll see vigorous debate before a final decision on the tax and spending cuts Reagan is seeking. This is the way it should be. A lively exchange can crystaiize ideas and result in positive tradeoffs and sound decisions. There can be little doubt. however. that the red ink spending pattern must be reversed. Consider that! – Even with the $48.6 billion in budget slashes the president is asking. fiscal 1882 spending still will be 6.1 percent higher than this year and with a $45 billion deficit at that. A balanced budget by 1984 is a key Reagan goal, – Inflation is running at a double-digit rate for the third straight year. – Taxes for the average American family have increased by 67 percent in the past five years. according to Citizen’s Choice. lnc. – The soaring federal budget which first reached $100 billion in 1962 has spiraled all the way in two decades to the $739 billion former President Jimmy Carter proposed for fiscal 1982. Cutting this budget currently is Reagan’s main goal. – The national debt will have doubled in a little more than six years when it reaches $1 trillion. projected for late this year. with annual interest on the debt approaching $100 billion. President Reagan is on the right track in his determination to reverse these conditions. His program deserves a chance – whether the basic formula is approved or adjusted after debate in its application. ” By all means the goal of a balanced budget by 1984 should not be sidetracked.