Evening star., 1938-08-30
The Political Mill
South Carolina and California Apply Acid Test
Today to Roosevets Blessings.

delegation over to President Roosevelt
is today seeking senatorial renomina-
ton.
His principal opponents are Sheri-
dan Downey. epic Democratic nomi-
nee for Lieutenant Governor in 1884,
and John w. Preston, former State
Supreme Court justice. Mixed in the
bitter campaign for this senatorial
nomination is the $30-a-week pension
issue, which has been espoused by
Downey. Senator McAdoo has been
forced into position OF opposition
to the pension plan, since he has
backed consistently the present Social
Security Act. Charges have been made
that McAdoo has benefited by the
contributions of Federal. jobholders
Illegally" These charges we're sus-
tained by the Senate Committee on
Campaign Expenditures, headed by
Senator Morris Sheppard. However,
Senator Sheppard insisted that there
was nothing to show That McAdoo
himself was responsible.
The Senate committee held a meet
ing in Boston to pass on the charges
that there had been wrong doing in
the California primary. 1t has be-
fore it reports from investigators sent
to the West Coast. The committee
has still to hold public hearing Of
charges that there has been improper
coercion, either for contributions or
for votes, Of Federal jobholders and
w. P. A. workers.
Hopkins Makes Counter Charges.
Almost at the same time Harry L.
Hopkins, head of the w. P. A., went
to the front again to defend the
w. P. A. against charges of political
coercion. He denounced the sugges-
ton made by Senator Berry of Ten
nessee that the W. P. A. had been
used to help defeat him in the recent
Tennessee Democratic primary Berry
charges that $125.000 had been raised
from w. P. A. workers to help TON"
Stewart, his successful opponent. The
burden of Mr.. Hopkins reply was that
Senator Berry himself had sought to
obtain control of the W>P A. in Ten
nessee, after he had been appointed
to Office last summer by Gov. Brown
ing following the death of the late
Senator Bachman.
After the appointment of Berry to
the Senate, Berry demanded the right
TO control half of the Federal patron
age Of Tennessee. This Senator
McKellar was unwilling to permit,
although he agreed that for future
appointments he would go half-and-
half with the new Senator That was
not satisfactory to Berry and there
after he held aloof. 1t is entirely
clear, therefore, that Berry had no
control over the W. P. A. in Tennessee
and that his opposition did.
Public Hearings Avoided.
In Tennessee, however, as in Ken
lucky and other States where it has
been charged that the w. P. A. is used
for political purposes. the Senate Cam
paign Investigating Committee has so
far held no public hearings, although
it has been assured by investigators
that things are not right For more
than four years now, demands have
been made for an investigation with
public hearings of charges that the
w. P. A. is used politically.
Representative John J. O'Connor,
seeking denomination in the Demo-
cratic primary in the 10th New York
congressional district, now has the
support Of Col. Theodore Roosevelt,
cousin of the President and son of the
late President Roosevelt. Col. Roose-
velt's support may or may not aid Mr..
O'Connor. 1t does show, however,
that Republican opponents of the
Roosevelt New Deal are willing to 60
far to aid those Democrats who have
stood out against the President in
some Of his demands upon Congress.