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Under that system, with some variations, presided canny Speaker James G. Elaine, elephantine (250 lbs.) Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed, and autocratic, scraggly bearded Speaker Joseph Cannon. Far from the House representing the combined or compromised will of all the districts of the U.S. -as the authors of the Constitution had intended -it represented mostly the will of the Congressman from the Third District of Maine (Blame's) or the First District of Maine (Reed's) or the 18th District of Illinois (Cannon's).
In 1910 the House finally arose in its wrath against "Uncle Joe" Cannon, amended its rules so as to break forevermore the near-absolute power of the Speaker. One of the key changes was to split the power center into the positions now held by Speaker Rayburn, Majority Leader McCormack, Rules Chairman Smith, Appropriations Chairman Cannon, and Ways & Means Chairman Mills.
Chairman of the Board. Speaker Rayburn still has plenty of rules to reign by. He can, for example, declare that a floor motion is "dilatory" and rule it out of order. But he never has. Instead, such has been the development of the House that Rayburn can exercise greater control by ignoring the formal trappings of power. After the revolt against Uncle Joe Cannon, the Democratic caucus became the forum for making party policy. But so canny is Mister Sam's sense of the House, and so complete the Democratic trust in Rayburn's integrity that the caucus has long since given way to the "Board of Education"* -actually the foregathering of Mister Sam and select Democrats in the Speaker's Capitol hideaway to talk politics between sips of good whisky.
The meetings generally start at about 5:30 p.m., generally end two bottles later at about 7. A typical session may start with a few jokes (Mister Sam is a fine storyteller, and he likes them clean, has been known to dress down members who offend). Missouri's strappingly handsome Dick Boiling, 42, one of the fastest rising Congressmen in many a year, is on hand to report on the doings of Judge Smith's Rules Committee, where he serves as Rayburn's top personal representative. Floor Leader McCormack is on hand, sitting at Rayburn's right, listening carefully while Texas' Frank Ikard, another trusted Rayburn aide, propounds Ways & Means problems.
For years Indiana's Charles Halleck, newly elected G.O.P. leader, has been dropping by, the only Republican to do so with any frequency. Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson steps in about once a week. But he and Rayburn are in almost constant contact, by telephone or otherwise, since it is vital that each know what the other is doing. Rayburn simply will not schedule a bill, for example, that Johnson has told him the Senate will not accept; the House has too much to do to be wasting its time that way.
Strong Right Hand. The House has become far too complex a place for Sam Rayburn or any other one man to keep in mind. Rayburn therefore must depend heavily on others for help. In return for that help, Rayburn freely delegates responsibility, and to no one more than Ways & Means Chairman Mills.