Evening star., 1936-12-31
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. COULD LINCOLN.

0x " UOCLD LlNLOLNs
The hour for party caucuses in the
House Is almost at hand The Repub-
licans are to meet in the House cham
ber on Monday at II am. The Demo-
Gratis will stage their fight over the
selection of a majority leader at 8 pm.
on Monday in the same place. Despite
certain rumblings, it is expected that
the Republicans will put forward Rep
resentative Smell of New York as their
candidate for Speaker. Since the Re-
publicans have only SO members OF the
House and the Democrats have 1888, the
nomination of Republican for Speaker
may seem futile gesture. However, they
will 60 through the motions The selec-
ton of Mr.. Smell for this honor will
carry with it more or less automatically
his election as Republican floor leader.
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The Republicans have the job of pick
ing q new chairman of the Republican
Congressional Committee. Representa-
tive Chester C. Bolton of Ohio. who has
been chairman, was defeated in the re-
cent elections. The vice chairman Is
Representative Bacon Of New York. He
seems to be the logical choice to succeed
Bolton. However, the choice of chair
man will not be made at the coming
caucus The members of the committee
will be picked. and they will select
chairman later. The Democratic land
slide also removed from the House the
chairman of the Republican conference
of the House, Representative Lehlbach
of New Jersey. This Office will be filled,
it Is expected. at the caucus. The vice
chairman has been Representative
Woodruff of Michigan.
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The Democratic caucus promises to
be more spirited than the Republican.
The caucus will elect its candidate for
Speaker, Mr. Bankhead Of Alabama, the
present Speaker. He is without opposi-
ton. But when it comes to the floor
leadership, the situation is very different.
Representative Rayburn of Texas, Rep
resentative OConnor of New York and
Representative Rankin of Mississippi are
avoWed candidates for the office. The
race seems to lie between the Texan and
the New Yorker. with both camps claim
ing victory. A deadlock might force the
selection of compromise candidate, but
that is not expected. The old question OF
all the important jobs going to repre-
sentatives from the South has been
brought up in connection with the lead
ership contest. With the Speaker from
the South and many important commit
tee chairmanships held by members from
that section of the country, the sup
porters of OConnor are demanding
recognition for the North. OConnor has
been chairman of the important Commit
tee on Rules Rayburn's friends insist that
he is as much of Westerner as South
erner, since Texas lies far to the West.
X
Vice President Garner. long a warm
personal friend of Mr. Rayburn, came to
Washington several weeks ago and took
off his coat to work for Rayburn's elec-
ton as floor leader. The big PennsyI-
vania delegation in the House at
caucus determined to support Rayburn.
The fine italian hand of Senator Guffey
was discernible in the decision of the
Keystone State delegation. it is said.
Senator Guffey, although serving his
first term in the Senate, has come stead
lily to the fore Now that his State has
swung strongly into the Democratic col
umn, his influence is likely to increase
still further. Opponents of OConnor
have tried to make it appear that the
New Yorker was unfriendly to the
Roosevelt administration and the New
Deal on occasion during the last Con-
gress. But this has been Indignantly
denied by Mr.. O'Connor and his friends.
It Is expected that the usual crop OF
resolutions asking for. congressional in
vestigations will develop early in the
coming session. Senator McKellar of
Tennessee some time ago threatened
senatorial investigation into the manner
in which the Literary Digest conducted
its poll on the presidential contest. 1t
would seem that the money of the Fed
eral Government could be used in some
other way with more advantage to the
taxpayers The Literary Digest poll was
so far incorrect in indicating the senti-
ment of the country in the national
election that Senator McKellar and
others may nave believed it was "col-
ored." Nothing has been produced to
show that it was, however. and certainly
it had no effect on the election itself.
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Representative Martin Dies of Texas
has new one He wants congressional
committee to investigate the acceptance
of private employment by officials of the
Government who resign to take such
employment. He seems to think that it
is wrong for Government officials to
step out to take fat jobs-jobs with fat
salaries-at the hands of private en-
ployers. If there is to be no leaving the
Government to accept private employ
ment. officials may think long time
before agreeing to Federal appoint
ment. Such a move might even keep
valuable men out of the service. On the
other hand. If the Government civil
service could be removed from politics as
far as possible by the adoption of Mr..
Dies ideas, 1t might not be bad thing.
It would scarcely be fair. however, TO
deny an official of the Government the
right to seek and obtain private en-
ployment without also assuring him that
his tenure of Government Office would
not be cut of when a new political party
takes command in washington.
There is one senatorial investigation
that has been long denied. During the
campaign-and even before it began
there were many charges that w. P. A.
money and influence was being used for
political purposes. The Senate Campaign
Investigating Committee had full au-
thority to make the investigation. But
nothing was done about it, except send
ing committee investigators here and
there. No public hearings were author
ized The whole thing NAV be allowed