Evening star., 1946-11-07
'SfreamIining' Law
To Cost Republicans
Many Chairmanships
Ry ]. A. O'Leary

law, many of them will have to
forego committee chairmanships
and prestige they haYe looked
forward to for a decade or more.
Less than four months ago, when
the Democrats still were firmly in
trenched, the Republican leader
ship joined in putting through a
long-delayed reorganization of the
law-making machinery.
A salient feature of that LaFol-
lette- -Monroney Act is the merging OF
48 House Committees into 10, and
of 80 Senate Committees into Is.
This means that only a few OF
the veteran Republicans who sur
vived the long period of Democratic
control will get chairmanships.
Steering Committee Called.
The Republican House Steering
Committee has been called to meet
November IA. From that date until
the Both Congress convenes on Janu-
ary 8, Republican leaders will be
busy solving organizational prob
lens and mapping legislative pro-
gram.
Democratic Speaker Rayburn
made it clear that he has no desire
to become his party's floor leader
in the new Congress. There is no
sign of contest against Represent
ative Martin of Massachusetts, for
Speaker, but there probably will be
at least two contenders for House
majority leader - Representatives
Halleck of Indiana and Brown OF
Ohio.
The present Democratic floor lead
er, Representative Mccormack of
Massachusetts,, may continue to
serve his party as minority leader,
in view of Mr.. Rayburn's statement
On the all-important Foreign Re-
1ations Committee. the Republicans
in line to take over are Senator
Vandenberg of Michigan and Repre-
sentative Eaton of New Jersey.
Bridges and Taber Likely.
On appropriations, the most likely
new chairmen are Senator Bridges
of New Hampshire and Representa-
tive Taber of New York.
Heretofore, the ranking minority
member of a committee has be-
come chairman automatically, un-
less he passes it up to take another
assignment. Rank is acquired ac-
cording to length of service on a
committee.
AS a result of the streamlining
act, however, the abolition of Al
committees of secondary impor-
tance may give rise to some delicate
complications involving seniority.
For example, there are some cases
where the second or third man on
a committee has been in Congress
longer than the man at the top.
With fewer committees to go
around, the question may arise
whether to take the ranking men,
ber in each case, or give length Of
service in Congress precedence over
service on a committee. Such ques-
tions must await conferences of
party leaders. No such complication
is expected, however, in regard to
foreign relations or appropriations
Vandenberg in Line.
Both Senator Vandenberg and Mr.
Eaton are for world cooperation,
so that present bipartisan foreign
policy is in no danger from that
source. They will succeed Senator
Connally of Texas and Representa-
tive Bloom of New York.
The vital question of taxation is
handled by Ways and Means in the
House and Finance in the Senate.
These chairmen are almost certain
to be Representative Knutson of
Minnesota and Senator Taft of Ohio.
In this department the House chair
man has the lions share of the
power, because under the Constitu-
ton tax bills must originate in the
House. The Democrats who now
become the ranking minority men,
bers on taxation are Chairman
Doughton of North Carolina in the
House and Chairman George of
Georgia in the Senate.
Banking and Currency, which has
to do with the future of OPA and
the financing of the many Govern
ment corporations, probably will be
presided over by Senator Tobey of
New Hampshire and representative
Wolcott of Michigan.
One of the most important
changes called for by the stream
lining law is the merging of the
Military and Naval Affairs Com
mittees of each house into an
Armed Services Committee. This
creates a special problem the party
leaders will have to work out, be-
cause it involves the relative SEN
iority of the men who are now
ranking minority members of Mill
tary and Naval Affairs.
Tobey a Top Prospect.
In the Senate Mr.. Tobey and
Senator Brooks of Illinois are top
me non Naval Affairs, with Sena-
tors Bridges and Gurney of South
Dakota on Military Affairs. If Mr..
Bridges takes Appropriations and
Mr. Tobey Banking. the Senate
Armed Services Committee would
like between Mr.. Gurney and Mr..
Brooks.
On the House side the choice
lies between Representative An
drews of New York, on Military At
fairs, and Representative Col of New
York, on Naval Affairs, with Mr..
Andrews the most likely chairman.
During the war, Representative
Andrews and Senator Gurney fire.
quently were of more help to the
administration than the Democrats.
In the last extension of the draft
law this was particularly noticeable.
Chairman May of the House mill
tary group and Chairman Walsh of
Senate naval affairs were defeated
Chairman Thomas of the Senate
military group and Chairman Carl
Vinson of House naval affairs will
be in the new Congress, but as mi
nority members of the merged
Armed Services Committee.
Key Men on Agriculture.
The key men to handle agriculture
are both Kansans-Senator Capper
and Representative Hope They can
take over the Senate. and House
committees now headed by Senator
Thomas of Oklahoma and Repre-
sentative Flanagan Of Virginia, if