The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-25

Chandler ton througl
 the upper house and won the praises of his part. chieftains.
 It was no bidding little bill either. It was the horrible "propert, seizure" bill - the bill that wa going to cause such a storm of op position, the bill that would b. argued about for months, the bill that might split the country widt open. Senator Chandler jockeyed over the congressional steeplechas, hurdles in just four hours Hat.
 If all this form talk of the Sen ator Albert Benjamin Chandler pedigree confuses you a little, jus recall that this entry is none otheI than the brash young colt who from 1881 to 1887, was hailed by tn, hopeful voters as Happy" Chand Ter. He is the young racehorse whC ran in the 1888 race for U. s. Sen ator, but whom Trainer Roosevelt caused to finish in the place spo when the administration pinned 1t colors on Dear Alben" Barkley. WOUNDS HEAL
 QUICKLY
 But the wounds from the barbet wire fences of the political pasture, heal rapidly, and here is Happy Chandler now, full-grown stallion harnessed with old horse Barkley tC pull the administration bandwagon Happy - now 43 = has been ir the senate less than two years. He was sworn in October 9, 1889, after the death of Senator Logan, Happy hasn't said great deal in those first two years. He has done a lot of listening, cornering a number of the older and wiser heads and trying tc learn from them just how this Washington game Is played.
 On the Senate floor, Happy has been his usual grimacing, playboy self. He gave no appearances ot taking things seriously He wander ed around aimlessly, whispering and wisecracklng, or, seating him. self directly in front of some spell- binding orator, he has looked up into the speakers face, pretending to be awed, or else grinning Sc broadly that even the most ortho- dox stuffed shirt would suffer dis composure. Happy was, to outward appearance, the Senate clown, the first since Huey Long.
 Happy's committees have been good ones for freshman senator Judiciary, Military Affairs, Privi- leges and Elections, Mines and Min- ing He has worked on these jobs. When the West Virginia senator ial succession case came up few weeks ago, Happy was jut in charge of that fight for the Privileges and Elections Committee, and he car- ried 1t through. He won his first ribbon there.
 NEW LEADERS
 NEEDED
 The Senate needs fresh young leadefs. Harrison and Sheppard have died. Byrnes has gone to the Supreme Court, Barkley and George have both been Ill. Committee chairmanships are being shifted around. And so, casting around for rev talent, the party fathers have apparently hit on Happy Chandler. He Is a good button -holer. He can talk to the gentlemen. He can out talk the gentlemen.
 His managership of the property seizure bill for the Military Affairs Committee was no great victory of logic One of the page boys might have pushed 1t through, for the or iginal draft of the measure had been killed in committee, and a new and much less obnoxious version was presented to the Senate.
 Tn managing a bill on the floor, victory often goes to the leader who can talk the loudest and longest. From his position, third seat from the center aisle in the back row of the Democratic side, Chandler could face everyone, including three- fourths of the gallery.
 He let teh debate get pretty far off the subject. Most of the time he was talking about allowing draf- tees to go home after their first year. He got into 8 terrible row with Senator Wheeler on that, and came of second best. Josh Lee of Okla homa, in the chair, had to rule both Wheeler and Chandler out of order.
 Anyway, Chandler's side got the bill through, and 1t is his first big victory as a bill manager on the floor of the Senate. Now he may go far as a party leader. And Happy ODaniel is coming from Texas to relieve him of the title of Senate fnctoY