Evening star., 1934-08-20
BYRNS SEEN NEXT
SPEAKER OF HOUSE.
Floor Leader Will Succeed
Rainey, if Precedent Is
Observed.
WILL p, KENNEDY.

Representative Joseph w. Byrns OF
Tennessee, House leader since the
Roosevelt new deal" administration
came into Office, will be the next
Speaker OF the House if the Demo-
cratic majority follows precedent.
Democratic leaders said today the
party choice for Speaker in the next
(Seventy-fourth) Congress, which
opens January 8, will probably be de-
termined at a caucus late in Decem-
ber The Democratic selection is
equivalent to election.
AS chairman of the party organ
ization, Mr.. Byrns is in charge of the
campaign to re-elect big Democratic
ma ajority in the House in the Novem-
ber election, seeking to retain as many
as possible of the unprecedented num-
ber of seats which the Democrats
captured in the landslide two years
ago when the party was swept into
absolute control with the election of
President and majority in both
Senate and House. 1t was under his
leadership that the campaign was con-
6WO ycdlS d6O 4AO SOA6hb W
lay down the burden this year, but his
colleagues insisted on his continuing
and he made the sacrifice with a
smile, although he had been warned
both by his personal physician and the
House physician against undue exer-
ton.
Preferred Floor Work.
Fellow members of the House who
admire his ability, courage and his
affability, which make him popular
with the entire membership, had
urged Mr. Byrns for Speaker to sue
ceed Garner at the time Rainey was
elected. But Mr.. Byrns preferred the
activity on the floor and the closer
contacts with his fellow members; also
the White House needed just such
ability and good fellowship as he had
to put through the new deal legis-
lation, so he and Rainey joined forces
and carried out the administration
program. He and Speaker Rainey
worked hand in hand.
OF course, there will be other cam
didates for the speakership-just as
there we're when Rainey was elected,
doubtless the same ones-Bankhead
of Alabama, chairman of the Rules
Committee; O'Connor of New York
ranking Democrat on the Rules Com
mittee; Doughton, North Carolina,
chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee; McDuffie, Alabama. chair
man of Insular Affairs; Rankin, Mis-
sissippi, chairman of the World War
Veterans Legislation Committee; Nc
Cormack, Massachusetts,, member Of
the Ways and Means Committee:
Warren, North Carolina. chairman Of
the Committee on Accounts; Wood
rum. Virginia, member of the Appro-
priationS Committee; Rayburn, Texas,
! chairman of the Interstate and For
eign Commerce Committee.
But a number of these prospective
candidates are in the list only because
the House leadership may be involved
in the selection of Speaker-as 1t
surely would be if Byrns is chosen
Speaker.
The most probable progression as
matters stand today is that Byrns
will be chosen Speaker and Repre-
sentative William B. Bankhead Of
Alabama will be elected House leader
| to succeed Mr. Byrns. This would
leave the way open for Representative
John j. O'Connor of New York to
become chairman of the important
Rules Committee, which is the policy
committee taking charge of the party
program through special rules and
the so-called gag" rules.
Old System Abandoned.
The old system among the Demo-
Gratis was for the chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee to be
elevated to floor leader, but that grew
out Of the days when tariff legislation
was the chief point of divergence be-
tween the two dominant parties,
whereas today they are pretty close
together on tariff policies.
The combination which elected
Rainey Speaker and Byrns House
leader was also a sectional division
of the House control-Rainey repre-
sentina the North and West and
Byrns the South. This question Of
! giving the South too much control,
with the craftsmanship of most of the
important COMMITTEES already held by
Southern members. will doubtless have
considerable influence in determining
the party selections for these two of
fees. The majority of the prospective
candidates are from the South.
If Byrns becomes Speaker. as seems
most likely, Bankhead looms as the
strongest candidate for the leadership
especially because of his well-known
and generally recognized ability. His
chief opponents would doubtless be
Representative McDuffie from his own
State, who was formerly whip" and
lieutenant of former Speaker Garner
and Representative O'Connor of New
York, runner up on his own commit
tee. who is to date the outstanding
candidate from the North.