The Washington times., 1936-10-28
REPORTS SHOW
DEMOCRATS
LEAD IN JOBS
CLAWS Findings Deal
Chiefly With DeniaIs
In Pennsylvania
international News Service


The Senate Campaign Funds
Committees vestig o n of
charges Of political coercion in
Pennsylvania faded away today as
1t was announced that the next
meeting Of the committee will be
held on November 9, six days after
the election.
While Senator Lonergan CD Of
Connecticut has power to call an
emergency session, attaches said
hearings will be held neither on
Republican charges that the WPA
IN Pennsylvania is "shot through
with politics" nor Democratic
charges that big employers are
coercing workers to vote Repub-
lican.
Robert Jeffries, secretary, said
reports of investigations did not
show sufficient basis for public
hearings at this time.
CLAWS Inquiry Revealed
Reports of Louis R. CLAWS, chief
investigator, and other agents
sent into the field by the commit
tee, were read by Jeffries to news
paper men.
The committee also made public
a tabulation made by Edward
Jones, Pennsylvania WPA admins
traitor, on the political affiliations
OF WPA supervisors.
The tabulation showed that in
Hn1o
Democratic and 100 Republican
WPA employees while in the Phila-
delphia and Pittsburgh districts
there were 5.062 Democrats and
3,433 Republicans and others. No
explanation was given for the
checkup on the employees political
affiliations.
CLAWS reports on the charges
OF political coercion in WPA,
made by William Hard in radio
talks, consisted chiefly of denialS
by WPA supervisors.
Hard mistaken"
Earl T. MusSelman, of Harris
burg, was quoted in an affidavit
as saying Hard was mistaken in
his being dismissed from WPA be-
cause he did not buy a Jackson
Day dinner ticket. He said
State highway employee tried to
sell him a ticket, that he paid 81
on account and did not pay the
other 81.
Joseph Schuyler. WPA direc-
tor at Wilkes-Barre, was quoted
as emphatically denying that any
employees were discharged be-
cause of politics.
Sixty statements charging that
employers threatened workers
with discharge, or actually dis
charged them because they were
Democrats, are in the committees
hands. In these cases CLAWS in
terviewed those complaining but
did not submit statements OF the
foremen and other officials al
legged to have discharged the
workers.
Influence Denied
Reports of conversations with
S. E. Hackett, of Pittsburgh,
president of Jones and Laughlln
steel Company, were made public,
p. Fairless, of Carnegie Illinois
steel Company, were made public
however.
Hackett was quoted by Eric
Peterson, agent, as saying he did
not try to influence workers. The
same statement was made by w.
D Evans, general counsel. Presl-
dent Fairless, of Carnegie, was
quoted as saying he rarely gives a
political opinion and he opposed
coercion.
VOTE AMERICAN
Transit Plea
Two citizens associations favor
ing substitution of BUSES for the
present 14th and Colorado Avenue
Takoma street car line have asked
postponement of hearings on the
proposal until November Is, the
Public Utilities Commission an
nounced yesterday, indicating that
it acquiesced.
The hearings had originally
heen set for November 2. Two
other groups in the area, opposing
the change. had sought delay until
the latter date. If the proposal
we're approved, street car tracks
in the route described. would be
taken up.