Evening star., 1936-03-17
COLLEAGUES LOOK
ASKANCE AT BLACK
Congress Wonders Whether
+ He Will Ever Maneuver
!. Away From Utilities.
BY CARLISLE BARGERON.

Although Senator Hugo Black was
credited with doing right well IN the
airmail investigation, which resulted
in the Government taking over the
service and the resultant death to f1ve
Army aviators, his colleagues are look
ing askance at his efforts in the pres
ent lobby investigation.
For one thing, it is wondered II he
will ever be able to maneuver himself
away from the utilities. A Democratic
Senator discussing the matter yeSter-
day said:
Every time he gets into trouble he
runs over to his committee and digs
UP another utility scandal. We al.
ready know that the utilities did every
thing within their power to defeat
the holding company bill at the last
session, but the bill was passed never
thelesS, and frankly, don't think we
would have passed 1t had it not been
for Black turning up the fact that the
thousands of kilograms which we re-
ceived in opposition to the bill were,
in some instances. from dead people
and other instances from people whose
names utility representatives had
signed to the messages. But the bill
was passed"
Gets White House Frown.
1t develops that Black, who loudly
dared the District Supreme Court to
issue the injunction sought by Silas H.
Strawn against the seizure of his tele-
grams, has been told not to come to
the Senate asking for support on this,
at least for the time being. In addi-
ton, his work is being frowned upon
by administration leaders. Just at
time when Mr.. Roosevelt is trying to
establish a calmness, it is pointed out,
Black gives the impression, rightly or
wrongly, Of running wild.
The problem has been pretty much
left TO him Of getting out Of the hole
he got into with the disclosure of his
mass seizure of kilograms. The Sem
ate Republicans do not intend to do
anything about it because they are
not in a mood to raise a fight Of
any kind. But 1t is Of concern to
his fellow Democrats.
Confronted with their attitude,
Black ran back to his committee yes
terday and dug up what was described
as another utility scandal" In this
he smeared his Democratic colleagues
of the House who got together last
night and wrote him letter couched
In very moderate terms saying they
did not know the man they had been
associating with. represented the util-
tiles. Frankly, they were burning up
at Black and considered he had
smeared them in an effort to save his
committee. Black let Senator Schwel-
lenbach of Washington, who has been
his understudy ever since the investi-
cation began, serve as chairman yes
terday, apparently in an effort to show
that others than himself were con-
cerned in the investigation. Schwel-
lenbach was eager to show what he
could do. In previous hearings his
admiration for Blacks questioning of
witnesses has been the source of en-
barrassment to Black because he
(Schwellenbach) frequently burst into
laughter at the discontinue of wit
neeses.
Lobby Bills Rest.
1t was Schwellenbach who brought
out yesterday that members Of the
House had shared a house, paying
their own expenses, with a utility
lobbyist.
In the meantime, no pressure what
soever is being brought to bear on
two bills designed to correct the evils
which his committee IS supposed to
be investigating. One is bill deal
ing with lobbyists, sponsored by Black
himself, and already passed the Sen
ate, and another is a measure by
Representative Smith of Virginia. be-
fore the House Judiciary Committee,
requiring all lobbyists to make
monthly reports to the clerk Of the
House. Apparently these two bills
are lost in the investigation" of
lobbyists which, because of trouble,
hasn't gotten beyond the utility phase. |
Roosevelt Wants Quiet.
The main trouble of Black is that |
he has given the impression it isn't |
lobbyists he is after. but opponents |
Of the New Deal. But if he thinks |
he Is pursuing this sort of inquiry in |
the interest of Mr.. Roosevelt, he is
seriously mistaken, Mr.. RoSevelt'S |
heutenants say. What Mr.. Roose-
welt wants just now, it Is said, is
calm and quiet.
The Black committee has gotten |
one definite casualty so far. He is
George Brobeck, who was the lobby
ist for the Veterans of Foreign Wars,
and who was loudly praised for his
part in putting the bonus bill over.
In the course of reading the kilograms
which the committee had seized. Black
saw one which Brobeck had sent to
Alabama saying that Blacks vote on
the question Of overriding the Presi-
dents veto on the bonus was in doubt,
30 put the heat on him" Whether |
the heat was put on him or not, |
Black voted to override.
When Black ran across this tele-
gram he brought Brobeck before the |
committee and developed that in ad- |
dition to being the v. F. w. repre-
sentative he had been receiving 500 |
q week from a utility official, for
what, 1t was not clearly established.
Brobeck lost his job with the v. F. w.