ABSTRACT
In the view of most students of Congress, the influence of political parties in the House over the last century has been in decline. The period from 1889 to 1911, which encompassed the speakerships of "Czar" Thomas B. Reed and "Boss" Joseph G. Cannon, was characterized by dominant majority party leadership, extensive interparty conflict, and strong intraparty cohesion. After the revolt against Speaker Cannon in 1910, power was decentralized through the committee system, the leaders of which were beyond practical party control. This weakening of centralizing influences was exacerbated by growing intraparty divisions, particularly between northern and southern Democrats. By the time of Sam Rayburn's speakership (1940-61), he could neither command the organizational units of the House nor depend on the support of his party's members on the floor. 1
