Evening star., 1933-12-11
PROBE WASSHA|M,
DECLARES OVERTON
-
Senator Says Broussard Was
Dummy Contestant" in
Political Move.
b. the Associated Press.

| b the Associated Press
Senator John H. Overton, Democrat.
OF Louisiana, today characterized the
Senate committee investigation of his
nomination and election as merely an
other local anti-Long campaign for
State political purposes in which ex-
Senator Broussard had been used as a
dummy contestant"
In his first public statement on the
Senate investigation. started at the re-
quest for former Senator Edward S.
BrousSard. whom Overton defeated last
year with the aid of Senator Huey P
Long, Overton denied as absurd"
charges that the committee was partial
to him.
Federal investigators" he said, "have
| fof months honeycombed Louisiana to
| find witnesses against me and none for
me. and fsur of the five weeks of the
committees hearings were assigned to
the opposition to produce evidence.
| Only one week was given to me for
rebuttal"
Statements Corrected.
| Overton said the Senate committee
/ had indicated no further hearings would
/ be held, but he deemed it proper. in
| justice to himself, to correct what he
| termed countless false statements
about his election.
Not a single witness in all the thou
sands of pages of evidence has testi-
fed" Overton said, that I am guilty
of any fraud, corruption or irregularity,
or that I am in any respect unworthy
OF membership in the United States
Senate
| "On the contrary, some Of those most
strenuously opposed 70 me politically
voluntarily declared in effect upon the
witness stand that my character and
I conduct are above teproach.
| Tine slight and fiimsy evidence of a
/ few acts Of purported fraud at some of
the New Orleans polling precincts was
! completely refuted, and the most that
can be said of this phase of the case
! Is that the record discloses some minor
/ irregularities of a description that gen.
orally occur in all elections in all the
States Of the Union"
Overton denied any contributions tC
his campaign fund came from assess
ments upon State. city OF Government
employees. and asserted the $4,000
spent In his behalf was contributed
solely by few personal end political
! friends"
| Welfare Fund Donations.
The so-called pay roll contribu-
tions." he added, consisted of dona-
tions to the New Orleans welfare fund
the preceding January gubernatoria
election and the Roosevelt victory cam.
palgn fund. and were made either Ions
before. or else after, my campaign anc
election, and had no relation thereto.
He said the dummy candidate" de.
vice was shown to have been inaue1l.
rated more than 10 years ago bv some
OF the present enemies of the Huey
Long organization. to have been since
resorted to by various factions in elec.
tlons. and to be permissible under tht
| Louisiana primary election law en-.
acted in 1922 under the John M. Park.
ker administration
! He said dummy candidates were en-
tered in the primary election last veal
IN some sections by both political fac
tlons. but denied any we're used in the
senatorial contest. He said he rar
pest where there were no dummies.
| 1t Is just inference" he said, ito be
deduced from the record that those
who preferred the charges =
know they have no case against me.
In the first hearing, in October, 1882
these complainants declared they hac
| neither witnesses nor evidence to pro.
| duce and asked for Federal irvesti.
gators to unearth proof of their unsup.
ported charges
Bitter Partisan Assaults.
I'm the hearing of February, 1898
they consumed practically the entire
time in bitter partisan assaults upon
the private and public life of Senator
Long. and little was said about my
nomination and election. -
IN the third and last hearing. just
closed, the so-called contestants were
confronted with a ruling of the com.
mittee that all evidence must be con-
fined to my nomination and election
and realizing they could show no ius;
cause for my removal from the Senate
they. one by one, withdrew from the
nearing at its very inception. under.
taking to cover their humiliating re.
treat with a barrage of slanderol1,
vituperation against various member,
OF the committee ITSELF"