The Minority's Manager

When Texas' rangy Lyndon Johnson was elected Senate minority leader this month, some of his colleagues were suspicious, while others were sympathetic. He had to organize the Senate section of his battered and divided party for the unfamiliar role of opposition. Many a "liberal" Senator feared that Johnson would freeze out the Northerners. By last week, however, the sympathy and suspicion had turned to surprise and respect.

Johnson had seized the reins firmly, had launched his Senate organization harmoniously and effectively. He started off by naming Northerners to the only two vacancies on the powerful Policy Committee, and from then on gave the liberals little opportunity to complain. In making standing-committee assignments, he dared to violate the traditions of seniority. To get all his men working where they would do the most good, he cajoled, horse-traded and argued some oldtimers (including some Southerners) into giving up some of their key committee seats. By that method he found an Armed Services Committee seat for Missouri's freshman Senator Stuart Symington, onetime (1947-50) Secretary of the Air Force, and placed Montana's Freshman Mike Mansfield on Foreign Relations.

When all the assignments had been handed out, every one of the 47 Democratic Senators had at least one important committee assignment that he wanted.

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