Evening star., 1939-01-03

-1As l QkAA AJV14 St14A / A40VOos
projects was general in that county.
The committee was informed that q
newspaper reporter from The WASH
ington Evening Star had secured
aff1davits confirming the report of
the committees Investigators with
respect to certain of these findings.
There was evidence presented to
the committee that Democratic
rally was held at Hershey, Pa, on
or about August q, for which
tickets were sold at 81 each; that a
Mr.. Halloran, director for the fifth
w. P. A. district Of Pennsylvania,
turned over to Charles H. Spangler,
chief pay roll examiner of this dis
trict, 5000 Of these tickets; that Mr..
Spangler distributed for sale ap-
proximately $500 of the 5000
tickets to administrative workers,
supervisory persons in the field, and
to w. P. A. relief workers.
Williams Letter Cited.
Under date Of october "a, 1898
Aubrey Williams, acting adnlnistra-
tor. Works Progress Administration,
addressed a letter to this committee
in which he said:
GAS acting administrator for the
Works Progress Administration, ]
ordered an immediate investigation
| Of the charges Senator James J
Davis. according to the press, has
submitted to your committee. I be-
lieve your committee desires to know
the results of this investigation,
which unquestionably establishes
that there is not scintilla of truth
In any Of the charges. The inves-
tigation did disclose, however, po-
litical activity on the part of per-
sons not in the employ of this ad-
ministration, over whom we have
no control whatever
In view of this statement, the
committee presents the following
facts. reported to it by its investi-
gators:
80 far as the charges of Senator
Davis relating to political activities
in Luzerne County, Pa, are con-
cerned, the investigators presented
the sworn statement of Harry j.
Williams, branch manager, w. P.
A., branch No. 2, at Wilkes-Barre.
This statement asserted that the
investigation mentioned as having
been made at the direction of Acting
Administrator Aubrey Williams was
made by the officials and employees
OF w. P. A.. branch No. 2; that said
officials and employees of branch No.
2 ascertained and knew when Au-
brey Williams wrote the committee
on October "a, that w. P. A. workers
and employees in 'Luzerne County
had in fact received postal cards
requesting them to report to Demo-
cratic campaign headquarters,
Liberty Bank Building. Wilkes
Barre, Pa, at times specified on the
postal cards; and that when such
workers and employees reported to
Democratic headquarters they were
solicited for campaign contributions.
Registration Threats Confirmed.
"The investigators further re-
ported to the committee with respect
to the Senator Davis charges that
they had % affidavits from persons
who testified a demand was made
on them to change their registra-
tions from Republican, to Demo-
cratic, and these persons asserted
that in various ways they were
threatened with the loss of their
jobs If they did not change. For
the most part the investigators
stated they were either time
keepers, foremen, or are employed
in some supervisory capacity; but,
in few instances, demands were
made to change the registration of
relief workers and laborers who
were receiving $60.5O a month The
affidavits were uniform in stating
that >insistent efforts were made to
bring about change of registra-
ton and that if they did not change,
they would not be able to continue
their work on w. P. A.
The investigation further disclosed
that the State Highway Department
in Pennsylvania was generally ac-
tive politically and that on State
road projects partly financed through
w. P. A. funds there was a great
amount of political activity. Evil
dence was obtained to show that
the State Highway Department had
been receiving undue financial ad-
vantages as against the Federal
Government in the matter of its
contributions to road projects re-
gardless of whether such advantages
had served political purposes. This
evidence was to the effect that the
sponsors contribution was supposed
to be 20 per cent of the cost of the
road projects, but that generally
nothing like 20 per cent was shown,
The committees investigators OBJ
tanned evidence to show that spon-
sors have borne and paid IA per
cent of the cost of road projects
and that w. P. A. has borne and paid
| 92.6 per cent of the cost of these
| projects.
The evidence shows that the State
Highway Department., the largest
single sponsor, has borne and paid
81 per cent and the w. p. A. has
borne and paid 93.6 per cent of the
road project cost, but that due to
failure of the State Highway De-
partment to report substantial ex-
penditures made during 1885, 1886
and 1887, this percentage is lower
The total amount expended on road.
by the w. P. A. in Pennsylvania, In
accordance with evidence placed be.
fore the committee, from the be-
ginning of the road program to and
including September 80, 1888, wa.