Evening star., 1939-01-03


namely, farm-to-market roads, have
been used In the construction, i'm
provement, and repair Of private
drives and roadways under circum-
stances and conditions giving rise
to q fair inference that such use
may have been suffered and per-
mitted for the purpose of influence
Ing votes and voting in behalf Of
both sides.
"As an example of methods en-
ployed, laborer in the Post Office
Service at Knoxville testified under
oath that about July 2, 1898, he. re-
ceived letter asking him to call
at the Office of prominent attorney,
a former United States district at
torney, and was told when he arrived
there that he would be expected to
subscribe a certain amount of money
to be used for the coalition ticket,
including the coalition candidate for
the Democratic nomination for
United States Senator, Tom Stew
art; that he knew of 10 or Is other
postal employees who had received
similar letters; that the letter was
addressed to him at the place of his
employment, a United States post
office, and received by him there.
The Federal law makes solicitation
by any one of Government employe
for a subscription for a political
purpose in a Government build
ing felony punishable by fine not
exceeding S. 900 or Imprisonment not
exceeding 3 years, or both, and it
has been held in court decisions that
subscription requested by letter
when the letter is addressed to a
Federal employe at a Federal build
ing is the same as a solicitation
within the building.
An employe at the Soldiers Home
at Mountain City, Tenn, testified
that few weeks prior to the pri-
mary election of August 4, 1888,
several sample ballots were passed
around and the employees were given
to understand that this was the
way the superintendent expected
the employees to vote. Several other
employees also made affidavits as to
circulation of sample ballots at the
Soldiers Home in behalf of the
Cooper Hudson Stewart ticket. A
number of employees at the Soldiers
Home denied that activities of this
kind had taken place, but the
weight of the evidence, in the opin-
ion of the committee, Is the other
way.
The committee gave in detail
charges made by former Senator
George Berry of Tennessee regard
ing increases in the w. P. A. per-
sonnel and increases in the rates of
pay to w. p. A. workers during the
primary campaign, but found little
to sustain them. The committee
said:
I'm reference to the nomination
OF Senator A. T. Stewart, who was
elected in the general election, the
committee finds no evidence justify
ing any question as to his right to
his seat"
Much Activity in Pennsylvania.
The committee report declared
that its investigators had found w.
P. A. political activity in Pennsyl-
vania on a large scale, investigating
charges made by Senator James j..
Davis. Republican, who was re-
elected over Gov. George H. Earle,
his Democratic opponent. Said the
committee:
THE committee heard evidence
from its Investigators that owners
of trucks used on w. P. A. projects
we're solicited for 500 each in
Carbon County, Pa, that owners
of trucks were requested by w. P.
A. officials to visit the represent
ative of a certain political leader
at his home, that on one occasion
10 or IL were at the home of this
political leader at one time, and
the committee has been furnished
with aff1davits that seven were So
ncited there, that four promised
contributions to the campaign and
afterward made part or full pay
ments on these contributions.
"The committee heard from its
investigators testimony with re-
spect to Che activities of officials
and employees of the w. P. A. in
Luzerne County, Pa. Investigators
reported that 18 relief workers on
w. P. A. project near Wilkes
Barre. were ordered transferred
from this project, which was near
their homes, to a project located
some IS or 40 miles from their
homes. The investigators stated
that the reason for this transfer
action was that these workers were
wearing Republican buttons at
work and had registered Repub-
ncan.
Tickets Sold to Workers.
investigators also reported that
in Northampton County they had
obtained evidence that in three cases
either the forelady or, the super
visor of a women's sewing project
under the w. P. A. had handled
the sale of tickets for three different
political gatherings, the tickets being
in two instances 81 apiece, and in
another instance $1.50. The evil
defce further showed that large
numbers Of these women on this
sewing project purchased tickets
The supervisor of the w. p. A. ad-
mitted to the committee that al
least 80 tickets were sold for one OF
these political gatherings, that 125
were sold at another and that 12a
were sold to or at a third political
gathering. The investigators also
reported that the ticket selling by
foremen and forewomen on w. P. A