Evening star., 1938-06-30
HOPKINS REBUKES
KENTUCKY BOSSES
22 Charges of W. P. A. Aid
to BarkIey Probed, Only
Two Are CenSured,

! Alleged Irregularities in behalf of
political candidates received Govern
ment attention in two quarters today
as Works Progress Administrator Har-
ry L. Hopkins publicly censured two
w. P. A. straw bosses in Kentucky
for lending comfort to the primary
drive Of Senator Barkley, while the
Senate Campaign Investigating Com
mittee arranged to meet to consider
scrutinizing w. P. A. wage policies in
Kentucky and Oklahoma and balloting
procedure in North Dakota.
Mr.. Hopkins action arose out of a
series of newspaper articles written
by Thomas l.. Stokes and recently
published in the Scripps- Howard
newspapers. The series presented
some % charges of politics intruding
into w. P. A. administration in Ken
tucky
Taking up the cases in order Mr..
Hopkins claimed to have discredited
all but two. out of which grew his
censure of Lee Garden, chief super
visor for the Edmonston County dis
trict, and Cleve Keeney, foreman in
Pulaski County.
To Explain False Accusations.
I'VE will deal swiftly and summarily
with any proven charges of political
coercion" Mr.. Hopkins said, but We
will be equally prompt in exposing
any accusations trumped up to serve
the political ends of those who are
opposed to this administration"
As for the Senate Campaign Com
mittee, the rate at which complaints
are piling in from virtually every
campaign State indicates the COM
mlttee will be more than busy from
now until after the November voting.
The committee was to have met this
morning, but lack of a quorum de-
layed the session until $50 pm.
Immediate problems are request
from Senator Nye, Republican, of
North Dakota, that inquiry be made
into the manner of recording and
supplying absentee ballots in the pri-
mary last Tuesday, and complaints
that recent wage increases for w. P.
"A. workers in Oklahoma and Ken
lucky not only were excessive, but had
been timed to help Senator Thomas
and Senator Barkley. both engaged
in primary fights.
Williams Issue Pushed.
In addition, the committee was still
being heckled to take a more deter
mined stand about some politically
tinged remarks of Aubrey Williams,
deputy w. P. A. administrator, Mon
day. The committee already has
termed the remarks unfortunate"
Deputy Administrator Williams
wrote Chairman Sheppard of the COM
mittee yesterday that Kentucky and
Oklahoma were given higher increases
than II other Southern States be-
cause their rates had been the
fartherest out of line" with wages in
private business and industry.
In his reply to critics, included in a
formal statement for release today, Mr..
Hopkins said
Every charge in which w. p. A.
worker or official was named has been
thoroughly investigated and documen-
tary evidence conclusively establishes
that out of more than a score of cases
IN which political activity was alleged,
only two cases of improper conduct
could be found"
Investigation in Kentucky.
The investigation of these charges.
on which Mr.. Hopkins bases this state
nenf, was made by investigators sent
to Kentucky by the w. P. A. admin
istrator to investigate charges against
his own organization. The complaint
Of many critics of the w. p. A.. has
been that all investigations of charges
OF political activity and corruption
made against the relief organization
have been conducted BY Mr.. Hopkins
and his assistants and not by another
agency-such as, for example, COM
mittee of the Senate or House.
= That MIR. Hopkins intends to defend
his organization is indicated by his
statement that Il do not intend
to permit charges against w. P.
A. officials and employees, in whose
integrity have confidence, to 20 uns
answered, anG I intend to use every
instrument at my command to ac-
quaint the American people with the
truth or falsity of such charges"
Mr.. Hopkins took up categorically
% charges of improper political activ-
ity contained in Mr. Stokes articles.
written from Kentucky; quoted the
charges and gave the findings of his
investigators.
Charge No. l was recited by Mr..
Hopkins as follows:
From Paintsville, KY, the reporter,
Thomas L. Stokes, wrote on June IL:
The son of the wealthiest man in
this town has recently been given an
administrative job at headquarters
here Of w. P. AS Eastern Kentucky
district. The young man, John B.
Wells, jr., who previously had worked
in his fathers hardware store, hap
pens to be president Of the Young
Democrats of Jackson County and
campaign manager in the county seat
fer Senator Alben w. Barkley, Presi-
dent Roosevelt's Senate leader, whose
right to return to the Senate is being
challenged in the August primary
by Gov. A. B. Chandler. Mr.. Wells
new job is reported to pay from $3.50
to $500 month
Affidavit Quoted.
THE facts concerning charge No.
(said Mr.. Hopkins: John B. Wells,
jr., is not now and never has been
employed by the w. P. A. in Kentucky
or anywhere else. This has been veri-
fed by the records of the w. P. A. in
Kentucky and John B. Wells, jr., him.
self. Had Mr.. Stokes gone to the trou-
bic Of asking Mr.. Wells whether he
was employed by the W. P. A. he would
have gotten the same answer we did.
In voluntary afidavit this is what
Mr.. Wells says about the charge: I
am not employed by the w. P. A. in
the State Of Kentucky or any agency
of the Federal Government am en-
ployed by my father in his business
at Paintsville. am not an applicant
for any position of any kind with the
W. P. A. and could not accept a posi-