The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-03-14
(NEA Service Writer) Copyright, 1883, NEA Service,
 Incl


 Inc.)
 Washington-Dict final ly has arrived in the form of iKng Caucus.
 Power for meeting the national financial emergency and the subse- quent huge tasks of rehabilitation will rest with President Roosevelt, but congress is independent of the executive and so it has established King Caucus to dictate to itself.
 For some years Caucus has been a democrat rather than re- publican monarch. Democratic party conferences in congress are binding on members when the leaders seek to make them so. The democratic majority in the senate has voted overwhelmingly to bind all democratic senators to support legislation proposed by Roosevelt whenever a majority votes in eau GUS to uphold it. That represents the first appearance of King Cau- GUS in the upper house since before the war, although the house demo- crats employed it to swing their strength into line during the last congress.
 
 Now that the majority leaders in houses have decided to apply the binding caucus, all Roosevelt need do is send his instructions to those leaders in order to obtain prompt action on whatever he thinks IS good for the country.
 Congress, suffering under pop ular criticism and open to the charge of being unable to act. quickly and intelligently in emer- gencies, thus in effect becomes an agent at times rather than di- recting force. No one anticipates that the leaders will fail to SUD- port any major Roosevelt proposal
 Chairman of the democratic caucus in the house is Representa- tive Clarence Lea of California, while other powerful leaders in this respect are Speaker Henry T. Rainey and Representatives Joe Byrns of Tennessee and Edward W. the democratic floor leader.
 caucus chairman is Senator Joe Robinson of Arkansas while other important leaders are Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi, vice chairman. and Senators Kendrick of Wyoming and Bwurn of South Carolina.
 During the World war there was no need of a binding caucus because republicans and demo- crats alike were out to win the conflict. Pre-war caucuses were frequent in the first Wilson ad- ministration, but after the repub- licans came back to power little more was heard of them until late in the last house, with the dem- ocrats again in control.
 It was last used when the dem- ocratic leaders successfully sought to defeat the republican tariff bill which provided higher duties to compensate for depreciation in foreign currencies. Speaker Rainey doesn't believe there will be need of binding caucuses at present while a national emergency exists. He says the present situation is like that presented by the World war and that patriotism will ban- ish partisanship for the present Afterward. he predicts, the cau- GUS will often be used to speed the general democratic program.
 "The purpose of a caucus" he explains, lis to be sure of putting a measure over."
 Senate democrats have gone much farther than those of the house. as they voted to bind all their senators to Roosevelt legis- lation whenever it was approved by majority of the caucus, the caucus to be composed of at least two-thirds of the full democratic strength of 58 or 59. That means that 21 democrats theoretically could make the senate pass all legislation asked by the admins tration.
 House caucuses are not binding unless two-thirds of a democratic caucus has subscribed to meas ure.
 Caucus ties have been broken before more than once and some members refused to be bound by them in any event, but not many men care to brave the dangers Of losing their committee posts, their patronage and all chances for their own legislation. Insurgents from caucus instructions aresubject to such discipline.
 Party leadership and control such as the democrats will exert has been lacking ever since the caucus went out of style. Leaders have been unable to tell how many votes they would have on a given measure or when an insurgent movement might break out such as ruined the democratic sales tax bill.
 The caucus is a protection to ] the congressman wh0 fears rec