Evening star., 1935-07-07

NSOllGiLluCd IOlll lIoG dhCI
Maverick and Representative Hill,
Democrat. of Alabama, and Repre-
sentative Thomason. Democrat, of
Texas, worked most Of the day with
Director David E. Lilienthal of the
T. V. A. on the language of amend
ments this group in the Military At
fairs Committee will offer to the COM
promise measure of a committee ma
tority.
Three floors below Chairman Sa-
bath, Democrat. of Illinois called IN
the House Steering Committee to lay
plans of strategy for marshaling DEM
ccratic votes behind the President S
wishes.
Opponents See Close Vote.
Wheelers prediction of confidence
for administration support in the
Senate's utility bill vote came up
against assertions from the opposi-
tion camp that the vote would be
"close"
Wheeler said an agreement had
been reached with Senator Dieterich,
Democrat, of Illinois, to staVe off the
vote on the question until Tuesday,
when it was expected all Senators
would have returned from the Fourth
of July holiday.
Senator Dieterich, who lost by one
vote move to delete TIE death SEN
tence" when the bill passed the Sen
ate, has announced ne will move to-
Ha at
once in The bill as it passed the House.
Forecasting defaet Of the motion,
Wheeler said he would follow with a
proposal to have the measure sent to
conference. There, ne SAID, he is GER
tain he car have the death sentence"
Ieinstated in the bill.
Thereafter. he said, the Senate and
House would concur in the revised
measure or he would go to the coun-
try" to fight at the polls the con-
gressional foes of the legislation.
SABBATH, before he entered the Steer
ing Committee meeting, insisted a
check of the Steering Committee
showed there was nothing bordering
on revolt" among House Democrats.
He blamed the House Utilities vote en-
tirely to these smooth, trained lobby
lists of the vested interests" He like
wise was confident the T. V. A. and
other legislation would go through
in the form Mr.. Roosevelt wanted.
Political Trick"
SABBATH denounced as Republican
political trick" the charges by Rep
resentative Brewster of Maine that
his districts PaSsamaquoddy public
works project had been threatened
by Thomas Corcoran. Reconstruction
Corp. attorney, who helped draft the
original utilities measure. if he didn't
vote for the death sentence
1t was that charge that set of
the House inquiry into lobbying, both
for and against, the utility bill.
Rankin in his formal statement
said the Senate inquiry was "our only
hope to get thorough investigation"
and predicted the Rules Committee
inquiry will probably be an idle ges-
Ture. to say the least of it."
He took Chairman O'Connor, Demo-
crat, of New York of the Rules Com
mittee, and Chairman Rayburn, Dem
ocrat, of Texas of the Interstate Com
merce Committee, to task, declaring
# they had stood by the admins
tration in this fight" the Senate bill
would have won. Rayburn was for
the death sentence" throughout. but
voted for final passage of the House
bill as his committee had brought it
cut.
! Rankin charged the House investi-
cation resolution was sponsored by
men who voted against the admins
tration and with the power inter-
ests,' and that the investigation "iS
to be presided over by Mr.. John j.
O'Connor of New York, who voted the
same way"
y ITO have Mr.. O'Connor head a
committee to investigate this power
trust lobby reminds me of the old
woman who caught a mole in her
garden" he said. She was so exas-
perated at the little creature for eat-
tng her vegetables that she took him
right to the scene of his depredations
tnd cruelty buried him alive.
Z Wire Tapping Charge.
4 Even if Mr.. O'Connor were in
clined to make a thorough investiga-
tion, he has not the power to sum-
mons witnesses and make them ap-
pear. nor has he the power to compel
them to testify under oath.
: I'VE friends of the administration
On this proposition are depending on
the Senate investigation" Rankin
added. My opinion is that it will
uncover a Saturnalia of corruption
that will rock this Capital and shock
the American people from coast 10
coast. These lobbyists went to an ex-
tent of racketeering never known be-
fore in the history of this Govern
inent. Somebody tapped telephone
wires of members of Congress-I
know. because they tapped mine for
several days
: The supposition was that Brewster.
Out of town but scheduled to arrive
back by airplane IS MINI before
The Rules Committee meets tomor-
rov to open its investigation, would
be the first witness called, with Rep
fesentative Moran, Democrat, of
Maine, who gave milder version of
fhe Corcoran conversation than Brew
ster charged on the floor. It is eX-
pected Corcoran and Benjamin Co.
hen, P. w. A. attorney and coauthor
Of the Wheeler -Rayburn bill, also will
be heard.