Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-30
Mutt and Nye.

Joseph r. Mutt, treasurer of the Re-
publican National Committee, does not
like the kind of apology" made by
Senator Nye, chairman of the Senate
Campaign Investigating Committee, fol-
lowing Mr.. Nuts statement declaring
that the $4,000 special account Of the
national committee was not slush
fund. Senator Nye earlier had charac-
terized the special account as a "slush
fund" set up to defeat progressive Re-
publican Senators who were candidates
for reelection last Fall. The controversy
and will be settled when the Senate
committee returns to Washington and
gets all the information before it re-
garding the expenditure Of the money in
that special account. The checks
drawn upon it have been subpoenaed.
Further, Mr.. Mutt in one of his state
ments has declared that the committee
can have the fullest information regard
ing the account If the testimony de-
velops, as Mr.. Mutt eAnphatically asserts
it will, that the fund has not been
used as a Slush fund, it will be interest
ing to observe what kind of an apology
Senator Nye will feel called upon to
make. In the meantime, statements
from one side or the other have little
more than a passing interest.
So far the testimony taken before the
Senate committee, involving this spe-
cial account of the Republican National
Committee, has dealt with only one
transaction. Robert H. Lucas, execu-
tive director of the Republican National
Committee, pledged part Of the fund to
guarantee loan Of $4,000 made to him
self on his personal note, and some
$3.50 of this money, according to Mr.
Lucas, was used to send campaign lit
erature to Nebraska to be used against
Senator George w. Norris. Mr.. Lucas
insists that his fight against the re-
election of Senator Norris was conduct
ed by him as an individual, not as
executive director of the Republican
National Com1nittee. The effort Of the
Nye committee has been to Link the
attack on Norris with the heads OF the
Republican national organization, other
than Lucas.
The Nye committee was set up by the
Senate largely for the purpose of seeing
that none of the candidates for Senator
during the last campaign bought their
nominations or their elections. 1t has
been used. however, 30 far as Nebraska
is concerned. for the purpose Of making
political capital for Senator Norris.
There never has been any question re-
garding the nomination or election of
Senator Norris. No one has accused
Senator Norris or his hackers of buy
ing" the nomination for him. However,
the Nye committee, after the courts of
the State had declared that a grocer,
George w. Norris of Brokenbow, Nebr.,
had failed to file his petition for a
place on the primary ballot as an OPP
ponent to Senator Norris within the
proper time limit and, therefore, could
not be candidate, insisted upon going
into Nebraska to investigate. The Nye
| committee has turned up the fact that
large number of Republicans in Ne
f, braska. and some Of them out of the
State, were opposed to the reelection
| of Mr.. Norris; that there was secrecy
in maneuvering against Senator Norris.
Any one who did not know that Re-
publicans in considerable numbers In
Nebraska were opposed to the re-elec-
ton of Norris was not particularly OBJ
serving. 1t was shouted from the house
tops.
Mr.. Mutt now asserts that Senator
Nye's tactics all make for newspaper
headlines, and this appears to be mostly
a headline hunting investigation with
the Republican party, its officers and
some of its candidates as the particular
targets" II the Republican party and
its officers occupy sound positions, they
will survive. 1t is regrettable that an
executive director of the Republican
National Committee should have under
taken to do by indirection that which
If it were done at all. should have been
done openly. However, the picture OF
a Senate committee, set up for an
other purpose, being used to boost this
political fortunes even of the Senator
from Nebraska is at least edifying.