The Congress: Active & Concerned

The House chamber boasted new, plum-colored wall-to-wall carpeting. In the new House office building, the larger-than-life bronze of Sam Rayburn, originally placed so that it faced away from visitors, was turned around. Prices had risen in the Senate and House restaurant, bringing inflation close to home.

In view of President Johnson's new requests, hope was already fading that Congress would adjourn by July so that its members could begin campaigning for November.

Good Soldier. Change was in the air. In a closed-door conference of Senate Democrats, Majority Leader Mike

Mansfield of Montana proposed that the Democrats arm themselves with four assistant whips to aid Louisiana's Russell Long, the Democratic whip. He recommended Maryland's Daniel Brewster, Michigan's Philip Hart, Hawaii's Daniel Inouye and Maine's Edmund Muskie. Democrats gave unanimous approval to both plan and candidates. Some saw Mansfield's move as an attempt to put a brake on the runaway ambitions of Louisiana's Long, who also takes over the duties of chairman of the Finance Committee this session and is believed by some Democrats to have his eye on Mansfield's leadership post. Others saw it as a White House-ordered reminder to Long, who at times last year worked at cross purposes to Administration goals, that even a Long has to go along to get along. Whatever his private thoughts, Long acted like a good soldier, allowed that he was "most pleased" about his new helpers.

In the Senate, Vice President Hubert Humphrey swore in the only new mem ber: Virginia Democrat Harry Flood Byrd Jr., 51, a ringer for his famous father, who resigned in November be cause of ill health, after 32 years in of fice. "Little Harry," as he is called back home in Winchester, where he is editor of the Winchester Star (circ. 13,-000), took his father's old front-row desk for the first day, will eventually move to a back-of-the-chamber spot reserved for new members. On the House side, two new members also took the oath: Ohio Republican Clarence J. Brown Jr., 38, an Urbana publisher and radio executive, and California Democrat Thomas Rees, 40, a Los Angeles farm-machinery exporter.

Young Brown was elected in November to succeed his father, Clarence J.

Brown, the House's arch-conservative for 27 years until his death last August.

Rees replaces Representative James Roosevelt, who resigned to join the U.S. delegation to the United Nations.