Work Done

The Senate:

P: By vote of 74 to 1 passed a bill extending the life of RFC to June 30, 1939; sent it to the House.

The House:

P: Finished the important business of making committee assignments. The "Third Party Bloc," consisting this year of seven Progressives from Wisconsin, one from California and five Farmer-Laborites from Minnesota, flew into a rage at the Majority for not giving them assignments to important committees as members of a third party. Instead the Majority treated them as "bastard Democrats," assigned them to committees along with other Democrats at the tail end of the Majority's assignment. Hardly had this storm blown over when the Minority brought on another. The Republicans granted William Lemke, who ran for President on the Union Party ticket, and his colleague from North Dakota, Usher Burdick, committee places as Republicans but deprived them of seniority. One Republican explained the reason to Mr. Burdick: When the Republicans return to power they do not want "a Bolshevik for chairman of a committee." Cried Mr. Burdick to the caucus: "Gentlemen, the Bolsheviks of the type you mention will man every committee of this Congress long before the Republican party is returned to power under your leadership." Stormed Mr. Lemke: "I'm not begging anything from the damned reactionary Republicans." P: Speaker Bankhead, Majority Leader Rayburn, Majority Whip Pat Boland picked 15 assistant whips to help keep the 332 Democrats of the House in order. Rules given the subwhips: Four of them must be on the floor of the House at all sessions; all of them when important measures are under consideration; they must shush the Majority whenever it threatens to lose its dignity, become loud and boisterous; must forewarn the leaders of revolts brewing; must keep Democrats from signing petitions to discharge unwelcome bills from committees; must, above all, not allow the formation of blocs.

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