Evening star., 1936-12-04
PRESSURE NOTED
AS RAYBURN GAINS
Pennsylvania House Mem.
bers Pledge 26 of II Votes
to Texan. ,.
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.


Pressure being brought to bear on
House members Is so great that it
may result in the election of Repre-
sentative Rayburn Of Texas, chair
man of the Interstate and Foreign
Commerce Committee, to the ma jority
leadership.
This was shown at the first State
caucus yesterday, following . lunch
con given by Senator Guffey for the
Pennsylvania House delegation. That
States delegation. the second largest
in the House, declared, 26 to /, for
Rayburn. This gave the Texan, a
veteran Of "a years service, his first
big break in the North, and it was re-
called that two years ago Pennsyl-
vania caucuSed early and led the
stampede for the late Representative
Byrns Of Tennessee for Speaker.
Also Rayburn today received tele-
grams assuring him Of support of
four out of the five Democratic men,
bers from Iowa.
The question that probably will
decide the issue is whether enough
members will resent outside interfer-
ence in the organization of the House
To date it has been shown that Vice
President Garner, Senator Guffey
Cows. Richard w. Leche of Louisiana
and George T. Earle Of Pennsylvania
Mike McCloskey, political boss of Phil
adelphia, and Jesse H. Jones, chair
man of the Reconstruction Finance
Corp. all have been exerting their in
huence on the coming House election
Developments yesterday gave Rep
resentative Rayburn all but l Of q
votes in the Pennsylvania delegation
and the solid Louisiana delegation OF
eight votes. which had been expected
to 60 to Representative O'Connor OF
New York, chairman of the Rule,
Committee and acting leader in the
Seventy-fourth Congress. Within the
next week or 10 days q half dozen
other delegations are planning te
caucus.
Representative Rayburn said today
II believe everything is in good shape
and can reasonably expect more thar
enough votes to win"
Several days ago he figured that hs
might receive q total Of l8l votes, OF
Is more than enough to win.
That was before we were given ths
Pennsylvania and Louisiana votes" hi
added.
Gov. Leche wired Rayburn yester.
day that the Louisiana delegation ir
caucus had pledged solidly to support
him. Rayburn supporters previously
had been warned that the Louisiana
votes might go to O'Connor
After the Guffey luncheon at the
Mayiower, the Pennsylvania delega.
ton adopted a unit rule, with Repre-
sentative Faddis refusing to be bound
Representative Haines, chairman oi
the caucus, announced that a vote or
preference favored Rayburn, 18 to
and on vote to make 1t unanimous
the result was 26 to l. Three absent
Representatives were counted for Ray
burn.
When informed of this action
O'Connor, who previously had been as.
sured that he would have a majority
of the Pennsylvania delegation ant
who already has pledges from 2e Of tn,
% Democrats in the New York delega.
ton, issued this statement:
Confident that there is still indie.
pendence in the House of Representa-.
tives, and confident that a number o
other State delegations will not be die.
tated to by political bosses, and conf
dent that gentlemen's written pledge.
are still good, I shall be the next ma.
jority leader of the House of Repre-
sentatiyes.''