Evening star., 1939-07-27
Farley and Rayburn
Have Difficult Roles
As Peacemakers
Both, Seeking Party
Unity, Face Threats
Against Leadership
By the Associated Press.

BY thc ASSOCldLeu freSS.
The troubles that befall peace
makers in the Democratic party are
fairly we'll exemplified by the woes
Of Chairman Farley and House
Leader Rayburn.
Both have been in position,
through past friendships and present
neutralities, to work for a welding
of the factional elements of their
party. Both are facing threats
against their leadership. The long
fnuffled sniping inside the party may
easily break into open warfare be-
fore Congress can be hurried out of
town.
Mr.. Farley, after a decade of
friendship and close association with
President Roosevelt, has been push
ed into hot spot over the third
term issue, Both advocates and op-
ponents of the third term have been
trying to drag him into line for or
against such stand by Mr.. Roose-
welt.
Yet he has maintained a neu-
trality and has argued for a united
party. Despite his close allegiance
to the President he was not asso-
ciated with the Presidents campaign
against certain anti-New Deal
Democrats last year.
Efforts Complicated.
Though Mr.. Farley undoubtedly
has thought about the presidency
for himself, the chief argument he
has presented to other Democrats
has been for spirit of compromise
which would enable the party to
rally Fundamentally behind single
candidate next year and thereby in
crease its chances of winning.
His efforts in this direction have
been complicated by the ever-recur-
ring third term issue. Whether or
not this was threShed out with Mr..
Roosevelt in his talk last week end
and there is no certainty that it
was-some politicians are turning
toward the belief that the feeling
inside the party has been whetted
too sharp to allow any effective
compromise.
Mr.. Rayburn, preaching compro-
mise like Mr.. Farley, has contended
all through this session that peace
within the party was not a futile
hope. He has argued time and
again that the differences between
Vice President Garner and Mr.
Roosevelt were more fancy than
fact. ....
His long friendship with Mr.. Gar
ner put Mr.. Rayburn in a position
to try for conciliation. AS Demo-
cratic leader in the House. he has
gone to bat regularly for administra-
ton policies.
Tries to Avoid Strife.
Mr.. Rayburn is a friendly and
1rlend-lovlng man whose personal
philosophy is not keyed to strife
with his fellows. He hates to hurt
friend-and most members of
the House are his friends. This
philosophy and his hope for a peace
WITHIN the party have kept the
intra-party disputes, in the opinion
OF some members, from being as
oltter IN the House as they might
easily have been.
For the Democrats have broken
away from their leader and voted
against the administration recently
on at least a half dozen important
measures. Some members say that
only friendship for Mr. Rayburn
mas enabled the administration to
get through as much as it has Rut
others-of the extreme New Deal
persuasion-contend that he has
been too conciliatory. His vote for
the Hatch bill ranked some mem
bers.
The pent-up steam that has been
heid back through most of the ses-
sion seems likely to break loose at
the Friday night caucus of House
Democratlc members and blow the
lid OF the whole party row.