The times-news., 1938-06-20
NEWSPAPERS OPINIONS
KENTUCKY RACE IS HUGE RACKET

Louisville-A grand political racket in which the
taxpayer is the victim is going on IN hentucks pie
paratory to the BarkIey senatorial primary August
9Th.
The tangible prize is $10,60O-a-year seat IN
the United States senate for the next SIN years
But beyond that, the contest has been selected aS
the principal primary test between President hooSe
velt's new deal and those forces-Republcan ana
conservative Democrats-which are arrayed against
it.
The result is amazing spectacle.
The Works Progress administration, financed by
the taxpayer to care for the unemployed and needy
is deep in politics here on behalf of the renomlna-
ton of Senator Alben W. Barkley, President Roose-
velts senate leader.
In places, the WPA political activity is open and
brazen, unlike anything seen heretofore since the
federal government, under President Roosevelt, en-
barked upon the policy of caring for depression
victims.
On his side, Gov. Albert B.. Chandler, the S9-
year-old aspirant for the Barkey seat, has thrown
his whole state organization-one of the best po-
htical machines in the country-nto the hght Inc
state payroll is being padded with extra employees
who are hired to do their bit for the governor
out of taxpayers money. Every state agency is ac
tive in lining up votes.
That, too is frank, open and bold.
Widespread use of WPA for Senator barkley
demonstrated conclusvely to the writer by
generous samplings in communities visited on
tour which took me, by automobile, some, l,40o
miles and to all parts of the state-through the
blue grass country about Lexington, south to the
Tennessee border, through famous Harlan and the
mining country to eastern Kentuckys isolated
mountain regions, and to the western tobacco sec
tons
Through the WPA organization, which is loyal to
the President and therefore interested in his senate
floor leader, there exists political consciousness
which is expressing itself actively in many ways
and many places
The word has gone down the line that Mr. Bark
ley must go back to the senate.
Political activity is most energetic at the bottom
among local directors and project foremen, and
among local Barkley leaders who have contacts
with WPA,
WPA foremen are passing out Barkley buttons,
nstructing their workers that they must vote for
the senator, and in numerous cases making support
of him prerequisite for jobs. In several cases
workers who have indicated their preference for
Governor Chandler have been fired.
Testimony on all sides is to the effect that the
WPA has kept its hands off politics in previous
elections which leads to the assumption, common
in Kentucky, that word has come from still higher
up than the state director-from Washington.
Political use of WPA was disclosed to the writer
through numerous interviews and sworn to in a
series of afidavits which tell of discrimination and
intimidation. r..
AS the campaign gets hotter-and it will be the
hottest in years in Kentucky, where they all are
hot-additonal WPA projects supplied for the
state by Washington and announced first in tele-
grams from Senator Barkley, which are displayed
by his local campaign managers so he may get full
credit
There is testimony in few cases about local
officials being told that, since the senator was in
strumental in getting the projects, they should sup
port him.
On their side, the Chandler forces frankly admit
the political of state employees and the applica
ton of political pressures
If find man a state job who's not for
Happy I'll fire him." snapped j. Dan Talbot, state
finance commissioner and the real brains behind
Governor Chandler's political career.-Thomas L.
Stokes in New York World Telegram.