Evening star., 1936-12-02
GARNER ASSA|LED
BY HOUSE GROUP
Attempts to Aid Rayburn
Are Denounced as ''In.
reference"
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Dx WILL r h6NINLD1s
Adding his voice to those Of House
members who have censured Vice
President Garner because of his ad-
mission that he returned to Washing
ton early to influence the election OF
. House floor leader, Representative
Kennedy Of New York today de-
nounced the Vice President for his
interference with the rights Of the
House to organize itself.
Garner admittedly is seeking to aid
his close personal and political friend.
Representative Rayburn Of Texas In
his campaign for the House leader
ship.
There was immediate protest from
House members. Late yesterday Rep
resentative Nichols of Oklahoma and
Dingell of Michigan. both Democrats,
denounced the Vice President In for
NAL statements. Dingell is q member
of the powerful Ways and Means
Committee.
The tenor of the protests is that the
executive or senatorial influence In
Executive or senatorial influence In
the organization of the lower branch
of Congress on the ground that the
Constitution intended the House to
represent the people-as the peoples
special branch of the legislature. its
House of Commons-not to be DOM
mated or coerced by any authority ex-
cept the sovereign voters.
Members here declare the attempt
by the Vice President goes further
than ever before. because he is elected
on the ticket with the President and
so bound to the executive branch OF
the Government. as we'll as being pre-
siding officer in the Senate. They
point out that Presidents have been
extremely careful not to appear to try
to sway a House election.
Feeling Runs High.
The feeling among members OF the
House is now running higher than in
many years on the eve of an election
The Vice President has stepped on
their pet corns." Supporters of Chair
man O'Connor Of the Rules Commit
tee. acting leader. promptly charac-
terized the Garner interview as a
"gratuitous intrusion into the affairs"
of the House.
The dignity Of the House Of Rep
resentatives and its right to organize
itself cannot be trampled on, even by
such distinguished man as the Vice
President of the United States" said
Representative Nichols. 1T is my
opinion that the Vice President, at
tempting to interfere with the organi-
zation of the House, has definitely as
sured the election OF John O'Connor
as the next Democratic floor leader.
"As one of those who have been
| actively interested in the election Of
John O'Connor to the Democratic floor
leadership, feel confident that Mr..
Garner's statement, wherein he at
tempts at least to take part in, If not
dictate, the organiza ton of the House
Of Representatives, will be resented
by every member Of the House, and
while I am sure that he made his
statement in an effort to be Of assist
ance to his friend, Sam Rayburn Of
Texas. am confident that it will have
exactly the opposite effect.
The House of Representatives.
which has in the past been accused
OF being rubber stamps for the Presi-
dent Of the United States, will not
now surely admit that they are the
rubber stamps of the Vice President
of the United States. Therefore. the
O'Connor camp feels that the state
ment of the distinguished Vice Presi-
dent has clinched victory for them in
. fght they were confident they had
already won"
Sees Texas Domination.
Representative Dingell protested
vigorously against the. effort to make
members Of the House rubber
stamps" for the Vice President, so
that the Lone Star State may run
both ends of the Capitol, to the ex-
clusion of any participation by any
of the other Al States" His state
! ment follows:
There has just been brought to my
attention the statement issued by Vice
President Garner today at . press
conference, in which he announced
he has come to Washington to further
in every way possible the candidacy
Of his closest friend, Congressman
Sam Rayburn Of Texas, for the posi-
ton Of majority leader Of the next
House.
THAT gratuitous intrusion into the
affairs of another body of Congress,
with which the Vice President has
nothing to do, will be resented by the
members Of the House, I am con-
fident. The distinguished Vice Presi-
dent has a big enough job on his
hands as presiding officer of the Sen
ate without interfering with the or
ganization of the House, with which
he has no connection whatsoever. II
such an intrusion had been suggested
while he was a member of the House,
can imagine his very emphatic and
cryptic rebuff to those who dared to
attempt to interfere"
While O'Connor would comment
only that he was mot the least bit
surprised" Rayburn welcomed Gar
ner's backing.
Tells of Friendship.
Asked about accusations that the
Vice President was intruding in House
affairs, he replied that, in the first
place, Garner was his personal friend
and, lin the next place, he is the
Vice President"
To a question as to whether Gar
ner's stand could be interpreted a
the Administrations taking hand ir
the leadership battle. the Texan sale
he did not speak either for the Presi.
dent or Vice President.
Other candidates in the rapidly
developing leadership contest are Rep
resentative Rankin of Mississippi anc
Representative Mead OF New York
neither of whom commented on thu