Compared with the Senate, the House was little more than a minor sideshow. Nobody bothered to watch it organize, except members' families and a few sightseers turned away from the big top at the other end of the Capitol. For the first time, the routine was televised (see RADIO); Harry Truman saw it on a ten-inch screen beside his desk.
There was a little clowning before the opening. Ohio's George H. Bender gave each of his G.O.P. colleagues a new broom tagged: "Here's yours—let's do the job." But when the gavel fell, the House put on its best party manners.
As planned long...