The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-08-03
CAUCUS URGED
BY DEMOCRATS
ON UTILITY BILL
Roosevelt to Map Course
in Week End Boat Trip
With Wheeler.
BY RUTH FINNEY
Times Special Writer

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3.-Over the
weekend President Roosevelt will
confer with congressional leaders
as to the Administrations next
move on the Wheeler Rayburn bill.
Senator B. K. Wheeler Cd. MONTE
chairman of the Senate conferees
on the bill, will be his guest on the
launch Sequoia.
Meanwhile, the President has
made it clear that he still expects
Congress to enact the bill, in the
form he has recommended, at this
session Of Congress.
The Administration still has sew
eral cards it can play in its fight for
legislation scaling down holding
companies to size which will make
regulation possible.
Democratic Caucus Urged
A considerable number of House
members have suggested that DEM
ocratic caucus be called, pledging all
Democrats to vote on the bill as a
ma jority decides. In the roll call
this week on the death sentence, y
139 Democrats voted with the Presi-
dent and 1913 Democrats voted
against him. Fifty-three Democrats
were absent, with II of these def
nitely on record for the President
and six against him.
OF the remaining IS, perhaps a
third will be absent if caucus is
held, having gone home without
waiting or being detained by sick
ness.
A vote in caucus probably would
not be as close as these figures in
dictate. Proceedings are secret. and
once the decision is made party
discipline binds all those who at
tend. A number of members who
have voted, in open sessions, against
the President have expressed a de-
sire for a caucus to relieve them OF
responsibility, in future balloting, of
opposing the utility industry.
East Leads Optimism
Thursdays roll call showed that
the greatest opposition to the Pres
identS power program continues to
come from states of House leaders
who are fighting Pennsylvania
and New York.
Meanwhile the controversy as to
whether or not utility companies
are responsible for a nation wide
whispering campaign attacking
President Roosevelt's sanity con-
tinued
After C.. E. Groesbeck, of Electric
Bond and Share, denied ever hav-
ing heard of E. P Cramer, who says
he suggested the whispering cam
paign to him. and stated that "such
thing would not be tolerated by
me personally or any of my associ-
ates," the Senate lobby committee
made public the following letter to
Cramer signed by G.. G.. Walker,
assistant to Mr.. Groesbeck." 1t is
dated June 10, 1885. 1t says:
Found Letter Pertinent
"Mr. Watson G. Harding and Mr.
G. A. Converse Colt have both writ
ten Mr. Groesback regarding your
letter of March g. In the absence
of Mr.. GroeSbeck 1 am writing to
apologize for your not having had
an answer or acknowledgment tc
your letter. In the enormous amount
of work incident to the Wheeler
Rayburn bill which necessitated be-
ing at the office in the evenings and
on Sunday, your letter by mistake
was placed in a wrong file.
Il am writing you today and send
ing copies of the letter to Mr.. Hard
ing and Mr. Colt to explain why
you have not had a reply. I shall
write you more fully within the next
few days and take up the sug-
geStions contained in your letter in
more detail. They are very peril
nent. :"
Committee records show that the
whispering campaign apparently got
under way shortly after the date
of this letter