Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-07-15

Come f1OuSe memDeI.
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close range from the Senate
press gallery are sure he will do
just that. He has proven during
his seven years as leader that
he always plays to win.
AS majority leader of the
Senate he never leaves any
thing to chance. He plans in
advance every move he will
make during the consideration
of a major issue, and he
pursues his plans even if it
means keeping the Senate in
session until midnight or sun
rise.
Carries Big WOrklOad
But if he is sometimes hard
on his colleagues, he is even less
considerable of his own COM
fort. After q late evening ses-
sion it is not unusual for the
majority leader to stay in his
Office for an hour or two more,
comforting with his staff, or
calling up other Senators as
he prepares for the next day.
Senator johnson has fav-
orite expression of his own
for this meticulous devotion to
details. He calls it touching
all the bases"
Alexander Graham Bell may
not have had Lyndon johnson
in mind when he invented the
telephone, but he certainly con-
tributed to the majority leaders
success. When he isn't coaxing
or cajoling a colleague on the
Senate floor to vote for or
against a pending measure, he
is in his Office pushing the but.
tons on a miniature SWITCH
board that connects him with
other Senators or members of
his research staff.
The Senator also has a tele-
phone in the limousine that
takes him to and from the
Capitol, and it is said he some
times consults with colleagues
on the way home at night.
Seldom Loses
During his tenure as major
ity leader, Senator johnson has
seldom lost on a major roll call
vote. He has frequently
squeezed out a victory by one
or two votes, and on such &C.
casions IL is not uncommon to
see him pleading his case, sue
cesSfully, with a recalcitrant
Senator even as the roll is being
called.
Some years ago the Senate
moved along from day to day at
a leisurely pace, receSsing at
5 pm. as punctually as any
other Government Office closes
down for the day.
But Senator johnson appar-
emily has proceeded on the
theory that he can get things
done better with a few night
sessions. At the end of a parti-
cularly gruelling debate, he will
sometimes reward the weary
orators with an extra day of,
or Ions week end.
&, In the past year or more a
few of the liberals on the
Democratic side have criticized
the Texan for not calling more
frequent party conferences to
let them air their views on the
legislative program.
But even his critics concede.
he has been one of the most
effective floor leaders the SEN
ate has had within the memory
: of veterans on Capitol Hill.
Calls Caucuses
At the start of the 1860 ses-
sion Senator Johnson acceeded
to the wishes of the liberals by
calling a series of party eau
cuses, but they had little effect
in minimizing his dominant
position of the man who calls
the shots in the Senate.
Senator johnson will be So
on August 81, and has served
in both houses of Congress
since 1887. He first came to the
Capital as secretary to a Texas
Representative, Richard M.
Kleberg, during the early years
Of the Roosevelt New Deal. In
recent years he Steered a mid
die course between conservative
and liberal. But in his early
days in the House he was an
ardent supporter of Franklin
D. Roosevelt.
In nominating him last night
for Vice President, the Demo-
Gratis picked an all-Navy ticket.
Like Senator Kennedy, the
Texan Joined the Navy as a
volunteer a few days after
Pearl Harbor, and was a lieu
tenant commander for seven
months before a special order
returned all Congressman from
active duty to their service as
legislators. He is still in the
Naval Reserve.
While a congressional Secre-
tary he studied law at George
Washington University, and,
after serving for IL years in
the House, was elected to the
Senate. Senator johnson is a
member of the Christian
Church.