Evening star., 1939-01-03


published, In which he alleged that
undue political activities in the
w. p. A. in Kentucky had taken
place in behalf of Senator Alben
w. Barkley, candidate in said pri-
mary for the Democratic nomination
to the United States Senate. A
press release containing a resume
of all charges contained in these
articles, "a charges in all, prepared
in the form of individual para
graphs, and a reply to each, by
Harry l.. Hopkins, was issued by the
w. P. A. at Washington, D. c. on
June 30, 1898. Mr.. Hopkins denied
all but two Of these charges, admit
ting the correctness of these two.
On July Is, 1898, the committe de-
cided to send a representative to
Kentucky in connection with these
charges and the replies thereto by
Mr.. Hopkins.
Majority Of Charges Sustained.
"The committees representative,
and the force assisting him, after
investigating, made report sus-
tanning the staff writer in a majority
of the charges and concurring with
Mr.. Hopkins in four instances. The
findings of the committees investi-
gator in reference to these charges
indicated solicitation of w. P. A.
employees and officials for contri-
buttons to the campaign funds Of
Candidate Barkley and a systematic
canvassing of w. P. A. employees as
to preference in the race for the
Democratic senatorial nomination.
These activities. so far as solicita-
tions were concerned, were carried
on mainly by private parties, not
connected with w. P. A., but in some
instances by w. P. A. officials. Can
vassing activities were carried on
by w. P. A. officials entirely. Details
as to each of these charges, Mr..
Hopkins replies, and the facts as
found by the committees investi-
gator, are in. the files of the
committee.
THE committee suStains on the
evidence before it the charge that
the campaign committee of Can
didate Chandler received contribu-
tions as the result of solicitations for
contributions from State employees
who were receiving salaries from
funds derived wholly or in part
from the Treasury of the United
States.
About $4,000 for Chandler.
'"The findings of the committee
based on the evidence before 1t
show that the amount received for
Gov. Chambers campaign from
State employees whose salaries had
been partly or wholly derived from
funds paid by the United States
Treasury was in the neighborhood
of $4,000 The findings of the
committee based on the evidence
before it also show subscriptions in
tended for Candidate Barkley's
campaign committees were made
not only by employees OF the w. P. A.
in Kentucky, but also by employees in
this State of the National Bitumin-
Gus Coal Commission, the Bureau
of Internal Revenue of the Treasury
Department, the Bureau of Accounts
of the Treasury Department, the
Home Owners Loan Corp. and the
Federal Housing Administration,
mainly through solicitation by Mr..
Tachau or his representatives.
amounting to about $4,000 in all.
In few instances employees re-
ported that they made donations
directly to the campaign committee
of Senator Barkley. Mr.. Tachau
was not member of Barkley
campaign committee.
It is further disclosed by the evil
dence before the committee:
Il. That in Pulaski and Russell
Counties, which are both located in
the second district of the W. P. A..
for Kentucky. there was systematic
canvass of all certified workers in
stituted, whereby lists of all the
workers were copied from the official
records on forms with columns
headed: Name and address, iden-
tification No. mark number in
family and remarks
20. That these forms were mimeo-
graphed for the most part on the
back of stationery on which is
printed Works Progress Admins
tration in Kentucky
Political Affiliations Obtained.
"3. That it was admitted in an
affidavit by S. c. Taylor. area engi-
neer of the w. P. A. for Pulaski and
Russell Counties, that the said can
vass was instituted by his personal
direction and that copies thereof
were handed to all foremen to have
them filled out, to get the political
afdliation of the workers; that the
foremen were instructed to put in the
column designated mark whether
the worker was a Republican, Demo-
crat, or Independent, and under the
designation remarks whether, in
the opinion of the foremen, per-
sons so checked were favorable to
the w. P. A. program and to Sena-
tor Barkley.
"a. That he, said Taylor, had had
a list of all Voters in Pulaski and
Russell Counties copied from the
county records, in order to check
them with the said lists.
IS. That project workers had been
approached by foremen to sign pa
pers stating that they would support
Candidate Barkley.
Is. That Barkley campaign but
tons were passed out to the workers
on various projects by the foremen
and other persons connected with
the w. P. A.
~. That despite contrary protes-
tations, the investigation discloses
that in many instances men known
to hold views contrary to Candidate
Barkley were discharged, there being
always assigned some reason other
than political, and that being denied.
"8. That in the first w. P. A. dis
trict, which comprises the 81
western-most counties in Kentucky,
there was a recognized compre-
hensive canvass of the entire per-
sonnel of the w. P. A. in those