The Washington times., 1936-07-16
RAYBURN SEEN
SLATED FOR
HIGHER JOB
BY EARL GOODWIN

Picking Representative Sam
Rayburn, Of Texas, to head the
speakers bureau Of the Demo
cratic national committee, Is taken
to mean that the Texas foe Of the
Power Trust is destined for higher
places in the Roosevelt admins
tration If it is successful in the
elections.
1t is also looked on as a politi-
cal OK. by the Democratic high
command for the legislative work
Representative Rayburn did in the
days of the battle over the So
called death sentence" for excess
power holding companies.
To Be Top Man
As head of the Democratic
speakers bureau. Representative
Rayburn will have supreme COM
mand of the placing Of the high
powered orators; and he will even
have first say as to where Presi-
dent Roosevelt shall do his talk
ing. The Democrats are a bit shy
on first rank orators this year, and
Representative Rayburn has fine
toothcombed the entire country to
locate any Democrat who can even
do as much as stand on soap box
and open his mouth.
The Democrats are wondering
when their first string speaker,
Claude Bowers, now U. S. Am
Aoeeo Jnys 70 CvNaiyo iS Domino hopk
home for the hustings. They have
been predicting his return for a
year.
Representative Rayburn will
also route the speech-making tour
of Americas first woman ambass-
ador, Mrs. Ruth Bryan Owen, who,
although now the wife of Captain
Rohde, aide to the King of Den
mark, prefers to do her speech
making as the daughter of Will
liam Jennings Bryan and retain
her American name.
Judge BY Speakers
The public will be able to gauge
just what the Democrats think of
the strategic sections Of the coun-
try, politically speaking, by the
caliber of the big guns Represent
alive Rayburn sends into the var
ious States.
Each party head, Chairman Far
ley and Chairman Hamilton,
claims the whole United States.
If they really meant it, there
would be a liStlesS campaign; but
there are certain States where it
is anybody'S fight, regardless of
the predictions of the political
prophets. Michigan, which went
Democratic for Roosevelt and
came back strongly Republican
for Senator Vandenberg in 1884,
is certainly a State which will see
the toughest kind Of political fight
ing.
The President has taken a per-
Sonal interest in that State by
inducing Frank Murphy, u. s.
Commissioner in the Philippines,
to take a holiday and enter Mich
igan politics again as a con-
testant for the governorship.
Murphy is vote getter; he was
a popular mayor of Detroit and
knows how to get the labor vote.
Also he is looked on as a man
who can draw together the wide
ly separated factions among the
Democrats of that State. There
will be a large array of heavy
speakers shipped into Michigan
by Representative Reyburn.
Illinois Hot Spot
The President is personally in.
terested in Illinois; there will
be a lot Of speechmaking there.
The oldest and wiseSt Of the po-
litical prophets, Samuel Blythe,
predicted on June 81, without a
flicker Of an eyelash. that the
grass roots upheaval which
started in Illinois, meant the re-
turn of the G.. o. p. to power
and the election of Governor
Landon. That includes the cap
ture of the good old Republican
State Of Illinois by the Repub-
licans.
The Democrats say the State Of
Lincoln is going to be the State
of Roosevelt by 100000. With
these two conflicting views there
ought to be excitement in the
Prairie State along about the
time the campaign opens. There
has been a bitter difference be-
tween the Mayor Kelly crowd of
Democrats in Cook county and the
Governor Horner crowd which
broadly embraces the down state
faction.
Mayor Kelly wanted to ditch
the governor and present a Chi
cago-city.han gang for election to
all State offices; but President
Roosevelt has persuaded Mayor
Kelly to restrain himself for
awhile in the interests of the ma
tional ticket.
Then there will be the spec
tacular battle for New York. That
State was definitely 100000 Demo-
cratic in the most recent State
election, but the reports are that
there has been a definite switch
away from Roosevelt.
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