Evening star., 1943-01-20
Mareantonio Rejected
For Judiciary Group
By Democratic Caucus
Opponents Soy Action
Averted Split Threatening
Party Unity in House
By the Associated Press.

that saw the House leadership give
in to strenuous Southern opposition
left Representative Marcantonio, 40
year-old New York lawyer and only
American Labor member of Con-
gress, without a major committee
assignment.
A recommendation by the Demo-
cratic Committee on Committees
that Mr.. Marcantonio, who has
served four House terms. the last
three consecutively, be made men,
Der of the important Judiciary Com
mittee was rejected in party causus
yesterday by an almost unanimous
voice vote.
Afterward Democratic leaders said
all was harmony. Opponents of Mr..
Marcantonio declared the action
had averted a split which threatened
to disrupt the party's House ma
jority, now the slimmest in 10 years. /
Mr. Marcantonio, accused by some !
opponents of having been associated |
with Communist front" organiza-
tions, declared he had been beaten
by the forces of domestic FaScists." /
He said the real issue against him
was his fight against the poll tax
and lynching.
All other Democratic Committee /
assignments were approved by the /
caucus in a two-and-a-half- /
session marked by loud speech
making that could be heard through +
closed doors.
Mr.. Marcantonio wanted to be
member of the judiciary group be-
cause of his legal background, but !
the caucus referred the assignment |
back to the Committee on Com
mittees for further action"
Assignment Called "Payoff."
Southerners, and a scattering OF
others, had protested vigorously.
Chairman Summers of the Judiciary
Committee, a leader of the opposi-
ton, said the Marcantonio assign
ment was supposed to be political
pay-off" for help the New Yorker
claimed to have given the Demo-
cratic congressional ticket in New
York last November.
There's a definite upsurge Of
Democratic impulses in this coun-
try" Mr.. Summers told reporters.
I'VE cannot afford to be making
this sort of political deal. 1t is a
time for a Democrat to play the role
of statesman. If the Democratic
party is to hold It's position of power
it will be through the exercise of
craftsmanship and not through po-
litical deals"
Representative Starnes of Alabama,
a Dies Committee member, read to
the caucus list of alleged Com
munist front" organizations with
which he claimed Mr.. Marcantonio
had been a member at one time or
other.
1t was MFR Starnes who interpreted
the caucus action as averting a
break in the party" and said 1t
would result in more united and
party relationship so
vital and essential in this hour Of
history"
The Committee on Committees
will attempt to find a
place on some other committee for
Mr.. Marcantonio.
Representative Boren, Democrat,
Of Oklahoma, one of the leaders in
the stop -Marcantonio" movement,
called the caucus decision a tech
nical knockout" and said that "of
course, the Committee on Commit
tees can return the selection to the
House, but" and he grinned.
without Recent Precedent.
AS far as could be learned, the
action of the caucus in overriding
a selection of its own Committee
on Committees has no precedent in
recent history.
Majority Leader Mccormack de-
scribed the decision as under the
circumstances, the best thing all |
around to do"
Speaker Rayburn summed up the
session: I'VE had an old-time talk
fest. Everybody got everything off |
their chests. Everything was in
good spirit"
Mr.. Marcantonio said in his state
ment:
The fact that I was opposed by
Messrs. Dies Of Texas, Woodrum of
Virginia, Rankin of Mississippi and
Barry of New York proves con-
clusively that I was defeated by the
forces of domestic Fascists.
THE real issue against me was
my fight to extend democracy by
the abolition of the poll tax and
to wipe out the disgraceful Fascist
blot on America, lynching, as we'll
as my fight in defense of American
workers"