Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-12-16
The Political Min
Senate Again in Conflict
Over MojorityLeoder
Contest likened to Time
Of Dear AIben' Letter
By Gould Lincoln

Thirteen years ago Senate Democrats
locked horns over the selection Of
majority leader for the upper house Of
Congress. The late President Franklin D.
Roosevelt stepped into the contest with
his famous Dear Alben" letter, adj
dressed to the then Senator Barley Of
Kentucky-Who now as Vice President
presides over the Senate. BY the favor
and support of the President, Mr.. Bark
ley was elected leader over the late Sena-
tor Pat Harrison of Mississippi, by a
single vote. That vote, reported to have
been won over, was cast by Senator
Dietrich Of Illinois, who later was ap-
pointed Federal judge In a measure,
1t was North and South fight, and a
conservative-liberal fight, too.
BY reason Of the November elections,
which tumbled Majority Leader Lucas
of Illinois and Assistant Leader and
Whip Myers Of Pennsylvania out of their
Senate seats, the Senate Democrats are
again in conflict over party leadership.
White House Has Stake.
The majority leader has come to be
the administration leader, ready to sup
port the program advanced by the
President. So the White House has a
stake in the selection. While 1t is per-
sistently denied that President Truman
is any way interfering in the current
contest, insiders are insisting that the
White House would prefer to see Senator
OMahoney of Wyoming elected Demo-
cratic leader of the Senate over Senator
Mcfarland of Arizona. The reason they
give for believing this is that Senator
Mcfarland is supported by the bloc Of
Southern Democratic Senators, who not
only fight Mr.. Humans civil rights
program but also oppose many of his
Fair Deal measures. The Southwest,
they intimate, is too close to the South
to give the Fair Dealers any comfort.
A strange thing about this contest
is that the supporters Of Senator
O'Mahoney should have delayed so long
in getting the Wyoming Senator's hat in
the ring. 1t looks as though they might
have been prodded into action by some
outside force. 1t remains to be seen
whether the President will come up with
Dear Joe" letter before the election
Of new Senate leader takes place.
AS matters stand today, Senator Nc
Farland, who was put forward for the
leadership by some of his friends even
before the Senate reassembled after the
elections. repeatedly has 81 or 80 Sen
ators pledged to support him. If this
be true, he's in, for there are only 40
Democrats in the new Senate which
meets in January. They will elect tie
new leader. Always it is a question,
however, how strongly pledged Senator
may be, or whether the so-called pledge
was given with or without reservations.
Has Seniori&v CJoir,
Senator O'Mahoney has the seniority
claim for leadership, over Senator Nc
Farland. He came into the Senate in
January, 1884, and Mr.. Mcfarland in
January. 1941. But when Senator Lucas
was chosen leader, at the beginning of
the present Congress, Senator O'Mal-
oney. who was the senior in service by
several years. stood aside.
Not only has it become necessary for
the Senate Democrats to pick new
leader, but they must select. too, an as
sistant leader and whip in place of Sem
ator Myers. AS of today again, the Nc
Farland camp is backing either Senator
Lyndon johnson of Texas or Senator
Kerr of Oklahoma for this post. and the
O'Mahoney camp is said to look with
favor on Senator Sparkman of Alabama.
The job of majority leader of the
Senate in the 82d Congress will be a
tough one. Obviously, the administra-
ton forces may lose many battle-even
if they do not lose war-to a coalition
OF Republicans and more conservative
Democrats from the South Senator
O'Mahoney is veteran of many fights
in the Senate, and a handy man in
debate. Senator Mcfarland, who is liked
by all his colleagues, is looked on as
rather -going-but whether he is
can only be determined after he has
been given definite authority as leader.
Senator OMahoney has, it is true, an
underlying independence of spirit. It
was that independence which showed I'D
so strongly during the fight over Roose-
velt's Supreme Court packing bill in
Iceland Senator O'Mahoney was a
tower of strength against the bill II
he becomes leader, he is not likely to be
pushed around by any one-although
he is strong party man.