Evening star., 1938-10-30
SENATE PR0BERS /
. NEAIREND0F JOB
Final Reports Are Ordered
by Campaign Group for
This Week.
~ the Associated Press.

~ the ASSOCIATED Press.
The biggest Job of political police
work ever attempted by Congress ap-
preached its conclusion yesterday with
members Of the Senate Campaign
Committee promising to act this week
on complaints from eight States.
The committee has ordered final
reports from its investigators in Penn
sylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey,
North Dakota, Tennessee, Kentucky
and Georgia at its meetings Wednes-
day and Thursday.
Action on these reports will vir-
tually clear the committees docket,
which lists 1873 cases involving more
than 800 separate charges Of political
abuse.
That will end the police work, ex-
cept for such complaints as may be
filed as An aftermath of the Novem-
Der 8 general election. Chairman
Sheppard said these complaints, If
any, would be investigated for any
bearing they might have on the seat
Ing Of successful candidate in the
Senate.
Authority Of Committee.
When the Senate set up the spe-
cial committee by resolution adopted
last June Is, 1t gave 1t wide powers
to look into "everything of public in
terest' bearing on the election of
United States Senators
The Senate gave the committee
100000 to carry on an Investigation
that has reached into Is of the "a
States where Senatorial elections are
being conducted this year. Up to
October "a, the date of its last re-
port. $4,000 had been spent
Upward OF 1000 complaints of i'm
proper political activity have been
received by the f1ve-man committee,
composed Of Senators Sheppard, DEM
ocrat. Of Texas; Harrison, Democrat,
OF Mississippi; Walsh, Democrat,
of Massachusetts,; O'Mahoney, Demo-
crat. Of Wyoming, and White, Re-
publican. Of Maine. Many OF these
were discarded as groundless or be-
cause they did not come within the
jurisdiction of the committee.
But force of about 20 investigators.
working in the 16 States, turned up
evidence that led the committee to
report publicly that there might be
grounds for contests over the seating
OF some successful candidates.
The committees attention has been
directed in many instances to reports
that w. P. A. officials we're active in
behalf Of senatorial candidates and
that relief funds were manipulated for
the benefit of others.
Some Charges Pending.
1t investigated such charges in Indi-
ana, Kentucky, New Jersey, North
Dakota Pennsylvania. Tennessee and
Wisconsin. Some of these charges
stin are pending.
It looked into complaints that Fed
eral officials or Federal agencies were
unduly active for certain candidates in
Arkansas. California, Maryland and
South Dakota. 1t now is investigating
charges that Federal-aid road funds
were misused in the Illinois primary
election.
Committee Investigators also busted
themselves in Georgia, Missouri, Ne
vada and Ohio.
Senator Sheppard said report on
the committees work would be laid
before the Senate the first day of the
next session. Additional information
probably will be transmitted in a sub
sequent report. he said. because of the
time needed to compile detailed sum-
maries. He indicated it would include
recommendations for legiAation to
correct some of the political abuses
committee members said they found.
1t will be up to the Senate then,
Chairman Sheppard said, to act
on the individual cases--to decide
whether it will refer any of them to
the Department of Justice for criminal
action or whether some may go to the
Privileges aud Elections Committee for
consideration when newly elected cam
didates apply for admission to the
Senate,