Evening star., 1949-01-04
Democratic Party's
Grand Old Men to
Rule New Congress
Lawmakers Over 70 Will
Control AII-Importont
Groups in Both Houses
Bv David La,crence

Groups in Both Houses
By Davfd Lavrence
'"The grand old men" of the DEM
ocratic Party who were voted into
power by the American people at
the November election will soon be
in control of the all-important COM
mittees of both houses of Congress
Almost every important commit
tee will have as its chairman a
Senator or Representative over 7C
years of age. In some instances
men of 80 or over will be in COM
mand.
The headline writers invented the
initials &C. o. p" to abbreviate the
words grand old party" as the Re-
publicans have been known for de-
cades. Now there is chance for
a rival set of initials-the &c. O
M" as the S1st Congress can read
lily be identified.
Youth Brushed Aside.
In both parties youth seems to
have been brushed aside, for even a
rebellion of young Republicans
failed to upset the older leadership
In the House of Representatives
the Democratic majority is getting
ready to copy an old idea of the
Republicans. Back In the early part
of the century, Representative Joe
Cannon Of Illinois, as the Speaker
of the House in successive Repub-
lican Congresses, held autocratic
power by his own Interpretation oi
the rules. 1t was in 1910 that a
coalition of progressive Republicans
and progressive Democrats overrode
the Republican regulars in the mid
die of the session and forced lib
eralization of the rules of the
House.
Today the Democrats, elected by
q mandate which they consider gives
them the right to do as they please
in the matter of rules of the House
are planning to 60 back to the days
of Joe Cannon and make the Speak.
er the virtual 'czar" OF the House
as he used to be called In the old
days.
The Republican rebels tried to
upset custom and seniority in the
Senate but not sign or symptom
of revolt has come from the Demo-
cratic side, where the aging chair
men are to come back into power
by reason OF their right of seniority.
Hard Rule to Upset.
It's a hard rule to upset. Any
member of a labor union prizes
seniority. based on length of serv-
ice, and members of Congress are
similarly fond of their seniority. Be-
fore the American people last No
vember elected the Democratic
Party to control of Congress, they
were told during the campaign
about the Craftsmanship and SEN
iority situation but did not take
it to heart.
The committees in the Senate
over which chairmen 10 years or
older will preside are Foreign Re-
1ations. Finance. Agriculture, Ap-
propriations, Banking and Currency
and Judiciary, respectively.
In the House men OF 10 years or
more will preside as chairmen of
the Committees on Foreign Affairs,
Rules, Ways and Means, and Bank
ing and Currency, respectively.
The customary retirement age in
industry is IS, and if the other COM
mittee chairmen of IS or over were
included, it would further justify
the appellation of grand old men"
for the S1st Congress.
Mr.. Truman will be IS in 1949 and
throughout most of his new term
will be beyond the age of normal
retirement.
Representative Rayburn of Texas
new Speaker Of the House, is 66 years
old. Senator McKellar, who is to
be president pro tempore Of the
Senate, is 10 years of age. And, OF
course, Senator Barkley, vice presi-
dent-elect-most vigorous of them
al1-is II years old.
So the grand old men-or "elder
statesmen''-are now in control OF
legislation and the 81st Congress
has before it the heaviest legislative
program any Congress has faced in
peacetime.
Able Men Kept Down.
There are serious divisions inside
both the Republican and Democratic
parties, due to the feeling of younger
Democrats and younger Republicans
that they should have more of a
voice in party councils. But the
men with seniority are very much
alike irrespective of party. Commit
tee chairmen, especially those who
preside over the powerful commit
tees in Congress, do not like to re-
hnquish their power.
The committee chairman decides
when meetings are convened and
controls the proceedings. Unless a
bill can be gotten out of commit
tee, it cannot get acted on by the
entire membership of the House or
Senate. Hence, committee chairmen
are little czars.
The interesting thing is that, as
men are reelected and serve longer
and longer, they look on seniority
as a matter of vested right. 1t GER
tainly is an undemocratic way to
run the peoples legislature and it
keeps able men from rising to posi-
tions they deserve. Furthermore, it
increases the chances of individuals
negating the will of the people who
may want to see action on impor-
tant bills which committee chair
men leave to slumber in pigeon
holes.
But with all the talk of liberal
ism" and new deals" there isn't
q murmur from the Democratic side
about abolishing seniority, though
outside of Congress progressives fol
years have been clamoring for aboli-
ton of this artificial device.
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