| Show r Speaker of the House Hos Meet Sam Rayburn u nl Important o t Man Ma in n Congress BY BRUCE CATTON CATrON I W WASHINGTON The The The speaker of the house Is a more important man In the government this year than for a long time Sam Rayburn of Texas who holds the job Is the sort of man who will return the post to Its old importance He wont won't be a Czar Cannon but he definitely will be one of the three or four fourt t top p men In the administration This is partly because he is a different sort of man than his predecessor the late William B. B Bankhead and partly because President Roosevelt has adopted a new attitude toward his party's leaders in congress The Important important important tant part is that Speaker Rayburn Rayburn Rayburn Ray- Ray burn has Roosevelt's confidence per cent cent and and despite half- half baked criticisms occasionally heard on the fringes of the new deal he gives per cent loyalty in return TELL EM I TILE TRUTH Two t true rue r u e stories show the change in the administrations administration's relationship with congress About a year ago someone at ata a press conference asked Speaker Bankhead if he expected a presidential presidential presidential message on taxation He replied that as far as he knew no such message was coming Half Halt an hour later a presidential message on taxation was laid on his desk to be read to the house Just before the last fireside chat F D R It had Rayburn in Iii and discussed the defense program and the the- coming radio address remarking that he was highly pleased with some of the defense program progress greatly displeased displeased dis dis- displeased dis- dis pleased with other parts of It What should hou I tell the ht people about it it Sam 7 ne he asked asKea Tell em the truth said Ray- Ray burn what the people expect from you Mr President Dont Don't hide the bad parts Tell the people just what you have told me Roosevelt did so and the point Is that now he is talking to the speaker of the house before a speech or a bill is drafted not afterward GUIDED KEY LEGISLATION Sam Rayburn came in for a alot alot alot lot of criticism in the last congress congress congress con con- gress which was unruly a and n d often broke away from the dent Rayburn was a close friend of Vice President Garner Because Because Because Be Be- cause the house didn't stay in inline inline inline line he was often accused of quietly sabotaging new deal ef ef- ef forts That wasn't true Rayburn was In a spot Speaker Bankhead was in bad health and In iii effect Rayburn Rayburn Rayburn Ray- Ray burn had to be both majority leader and speaker In addition Bankhead was a good presiding officer but didn't make his job the vehicle for aggressive leader leader- ship To top It all the admInIstration administration admin admIn- was not playing ball baU with its congressional leadership but was sending up bills and messages without prior consulta consulta- tion All AU of that Is now changed Rayburn's biggest asset is the fact that house members have him pegged as a square He has lots of conflicting friend- friend t- t Sam Rayburn ships but they dont don't touch job The present speaker ker put through some of the new deals deal key legislation the legislation the holding con com pany bill and the bill creating the federal communications com corn commission mission are samples samples but but the job he Is most proud of in all his hi 28 years in congress is his creation crea crea- crea tion of the rural electrification administration D During u r I n ng g the thi Christmas s holidays he was ing Congre Congressman Lyndon John son over a back country Back country road I 11 fa Texas Suddenly he pulled up tip ti tia to toa toa a halt and pointed to an electric light line which swung off to a tiny cabin by a lonely cotton patch See that said Rayburn That woman doesn't have to u Ue cit citone i ione one of those old oil lard lamp lamps any more She's got electric lights OPPOSITES MAKE 1 GOOD TEAM TEAl J Rayburn and McCormack th the party's floor leader are making a good team In most ways way the they are opposites Rayburn is Li stolid stumpy bald as an Easter eg eu egg deliberate given neither to oratory ora era tory nor slapping backslapping a Texas Texan from way back McCormack 1 is isa II IIa a city Democrat from usa Ms-usa- an looking Imposing chap with an extruding personality personal personality ity and a flair for mingling with his fellows He tends to be a I diplomat Rayburn Is 15 pretty blunt and never dreams of tern tem the wind to the shorn horn congressman Under the surface Rayburn ii is iia IIa a sentimentalist He Ic still carries carrie 1 a battered watch which members I of his delegation gave to him bUn 25 I years ago when he was jn ut n the i Texas legislature The gavel with I which he calls the house to cIder order order or or- 1 der each day is a souvenir som f 1 Dallas high school boys gave him hint himin j jIn in 1934 in the innocent confidence corfi i dence that some day he was tU tUto suri ur to be speaker r |
