Evening star., 1936-12-30
TAYLOR SUPPORTS
RAYBURN IN FIGHT
Caucus Monday. - Nichols
Counts III Committee
Votes for O'Connor.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Win the caucus OF f1OuSc 0CAAo-
Gratis officially announced for next
Monday at 8 pm, Representative Ed
ward T. Taylor of Colorado, second
oldest member of the House and
chairman of the caucus, last night
issued a statement in support Of the
candidacy Of Representative Sam
Rayburn Of Texas for the o1ace Of
majority leader, which is the principal
organization contest to come before
the session.
At the same time Representative
Jack Nichols of Oklahoma, one Of the
managers of the campaign Of Repre-
sentative John ]. O'Connor Of New
York for the office, announced that Of
the ISL Democrats on the II execu-
tive committees Ill will vote in the
caucus for O'Connor, and that he
will have one-half Of the 16 votes on
the Committee on Interstate and For
eign Commerce, of which Rayburn Is
chairman.
Meantime, House Republicans were
summoned today to caucus Monday
morning which promised to be COM
paratively peaceful.
Representative Hope, Republican, OF
Kansas, caucus secretary, sent out the
call for party members to 60 through
the routine of naming candidates for
the speakership and other House Of
fees controlled by Democrats. Repre-
sentative Smell, Republican, Of New
York seemed assured Of continuing as
minority leader.
Representative Taylor is completing
% years Of consecutive service in the
House, exceeded only by Representa-
tive Adolph j. SABBATH of Illinois, with
80 years service. During eight months
of the 1885 session Of the Congress
Just closing. Taylor. by designation Of
Speaker Bankhead (then House
LEADER, was acting House leader dur
ing Bankhead's illness. He was sue
ceeded in that Office during the last
session Of Congress. after the death
of Speaker Byrns and the election Of
Bankhead as Speaker, by the now act
ing leader, John j. O'Connor.
Statement of Taylor.
1.-THE majority leader of the Sev-
enty-fifth Congress will have the most
trying task that any leader has ever
had, because our majority is larger,
and our problems are much more in
tricate and vastly more numerous" I"
said Taylor.
THE great and successful Demo-
cratic leaders that 7 have known,
John Sharp williams, Champ Clark,
Oscar Underwood, Claude Kitchen,
John N. Garner, Henry T. Rainey,
Joe Byrns and our Speaker, Mr.. Bank
head, have all had three outstanding
and imperatively necessary character
1stics, namely:
First, they were all men of the
highest honor and absolute integrity.
There was never anything question:
able connected with the entire life
career Of any one Of them;
Secondly, they were all men of very
superior and outstanding ability, many
years Of experience in the House, and
good, level-headed judgment in which
the House had implicit confidence; !;
and
Thirdly, the human equation, the
temperamental fitness Of q leader.
This is very great necessity.
"All those great leaders we're men
Of extremely kindly disposition. They
were always fair and considerate Of
the rights, the wishes and the feelings
Of all the members and everybody
loved them, and was glad to follow
their wishes. A man Of that character
can nearly always lead the House and
quite largely shape legislation. But
no man can drive the House, or
dominate it by arrogance, or rule
them at all successfully excepting by
kindness and fair play.
Importance is Cited.
THE majority leadership of the
House is not at all question of Sec
tionalism, or of geography, or of dis
trlnutlng h0norS among individuals.
1t is Of the utmost importance, to the
Roosevelt administration, to the DEM
ocratic party, to Congress itself, to
our constituents and to each Of us
individually that we select the most
suitable man to do the most terrifically
serious work that is before us.
without casting any reflections
upon any other candidate, I feel per-
fectly confident that Sam Rayburn
fully measures up to the high require
ments Of the majority leadership of
the House and hope and believe he
will be elected to that position"
Claiming that Acting House Leader
O'Connor will receive at least 200
votes in the caucus" Monday, Rep
resentative Nichols said that this is
based on a careful check-up in every
State.
There are 46 standing committees
IN the House of Representatives" he
said. Twelve of the is Democratic
members of the Committee on Ways
and Means will cast their votes for
O'Connor. Seven of the 10 Demo-
cratic members of the Committee on
Rules will place their votes in the
O'Connor column.
Following Is q count Of the rest