The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-07-11
Sen. TYDINCS In
BITTER ATTACK
ON SEC'Y ICKES
Tells Head of Int eriOr
Dept. to Keep Hands
off Senate
BY LYLE C. WILSON
Omitted Press STAFF Correspondent

! Omitted Press STAFF Correspondent
Washington, July 11.-(UP)-
Bitter dispute rocked the New Deal
high command today as Chairman
Willard E. Tydings of the senate
insular affairs committee charged
Secretary Of Interior Harold l..
Ickes with making false statements
and in pointed language invited
him to keep hands off the commit
tees investigation of the Virgin
Islands.
IT make this statement to you
SIR" Tydings wrote the secretary,
| that we do not need the execu-
tive branch of this government,
through your department, to tell
the United States senate-the leg
islative branch elected by the peo-
ple-how to conduct its affairs, and
| if you will just run your depart
ment as it should be run and let
us run our department as we think
1t should be run, 1t will conduce
to orderly business"
Made False Statements
Climaxing a week in which pub
lie men have called each other
| liars" and ''fakirs," Tydings, a
Maryland democrat, said Ickes had
made false statements" "misrep-
resented facts and deceived the
American people. He charged the
secretary had instructed Eli Baer,
Baltimore lawyer and former gov
eminent attorney in the Virgin
Islands. not to prosecute cases Of
graft in the public works"
The senate insular affairs COM
mittee is investigating the admin
istration of Governor Paul M. Pear
SON of the Virgin Islands. Ickes is
backing Pearson against charges Of
malfeasance and inefficiency.
One of the witnesses against
Pearson was Judge Weber Wilson
who was named to the Virgin
Island bench at the suggestion of
Senator Pat Harrison, d., Miss. An
other of the anti-Pearson group is
Baer, whose political patron was
Tydings of the senate investigating
committee.
Hoover Named Pearson
Judge Wilson and Baer, who re-
signed from Virgin Islands service,
are bona fide democrats. Pearson
was named Governor by former
President Hoover and was contin-
ued in office by the Roosevelt ad-
ministration. And democrats have
not forgotten that Secretary Ickes
was progressive republican before
he appeared-to their amazement
lin the Roosevelt cabinet.
| With that political background
the dispute over comparatively OBJ
scure issues in group Of small
West Indian Islands may reach the
White House before it is settled
and, even then, must leave i'll feel
ing. Ickes says Judge Wilson has
been guilty of judicial misconduct.
He charged that Tydings "white-
washed the Judge by refusing to
permit him ODE cross-examined
after testifying against Pearson.
Tydings replied that Ickes was
| guilty of "dictatorial and unwar-
ranted interference in the legislative
function sof this government" In
his letter, the Maryland democratic
had this to say to one of Mr.. Roose-
velt's most important cabinet sec
retaries:
First Get Elected
MAY request In the future that
IL you want to tell the United
States senate how to conduct its
business that you first get elected
to that body and for the present
coniine yourself to the duties for
which you were appointed"
Harrison. who Is chairman OF
the powerful senate finance com.
mittee has not openly entered the
controversy, but II IL generally
known on Capitol Hill that he re-
sents Ickes' defense OF Governor
Pearson. The political implications
OF the Virgin Islands controversy
e. rexceed It's importance from any
other aspect. The hearing which
began with q fist fight between
Paul Yates. chief antI-Rearson
witness, and Robert 3. Allen, aews-
paper cslumnIst associate Of Drew
Pearson, son Of the governor. will
resume today.
The Tydlngs letter charged xches
MADE 4 ''fnlss sta,ements II nhals