The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-12-13
LIKELY
OVER HOOVER'S
POWER CHIEFS
Senate Committee Will Re-
port Adversely on at
Least One Man.

BIZ ScriDps-Hoiedrd Newspaper Alliance
WASHINGTON, Dec. Is. The
senate interstate commerce COM
mittee will meet Monday to con-
slider its report on President
Hoover's new federal power COM
missioners, and on at least one of
the five the report will be adverse,
according to present indications.
Frank r. McNinch Of North
Carolina probably will fail to re-
ceive the Endorsement of the COM
mittee because the power act pro-
vides that not more than three of
the commissioners shall belong to
one party.
George Otis Smith, Claude Draper
and Ralph Williamson are Repub-
licans. And McNinch told the COM
mittee that he had worked and
voted for Hoover in 1923, had voted
for the Republican nominee for
congress from his district in 1928
and 1880 and had failed to vote FOR
any candidate for the United
States senate in the last election
after Bailey had been nominated by
the Democratic party.
Believes One Disqualified
When McNincn had finished a
lengthy explanation of his political
activities, the committee closed its
hearing without examining him on
the subject of power, or his quail
flcationS to be a power commits
sioner, apparently indicating it
thought him disqualified on the
party question.
There will be some opposition in
the committee to Marcel Garsaudu'S
nomination, and to that of George
Otis Smith. The other two nom
inees were questioned only briefly.
McNinch told the committee that
President Hoover suggested giving
him public office when he first met
him two years ago, shortly after
Hoover took office.
OOHScHLcu 10 AppOIIlLHlcIlC
At that time McNinct says he re-
piled that it would not be agreeable
to him to give up his private prac-
tice in North Carolina. In July Nc
Ninch was first approached about
the power commissionership and re-
fused it.
He consented to appointment after
a final appeal two weeks ago, when
he "felt it public duty to respond"
McNinch called himself an Gin
dependent Democrat" and thought
he qualified under the law, on that
basis.
He challenged any responsible
man to say I have power company
connections" but said also that he
was not corporation batter"
McNinch never has filed state
ment of funds he collected and
spent in conducting a campaign for
Hoover in 1928, and he was severely
questioned on this point.
Denies Using Power Money
He denied any power money had
been used in his campaign, but ad-
mitted that he had never been able
to learn from j. L. Morehead of
Durham, N. c., where he obtained
$4,000 which was turned over to
McNinch. Morehead told him, he
says, that it was not power company
money, but would not explain its
source. He asserted that he had
spent only $4,000 altogether.
Opposition to Garsaud will center
about Endorsements of him pre-
scented to the committee by the lame
duck senator from Louisiana,
Joseph Ransdell, who attempted to
plead his cause.
Ransdell offered the committee a
big sheaf of letters praising Gar
saud, but questioning developed
that several of the most prominent
of these are connected with Public
Service, Inc, subsidiary of Electric
Pa,1H oY1I Choro