Evening star., 1939-01-30
10 Win Dismissal
In New Mexico's
PoIitics-ReIief Case
Courtroom Is Jummed
As IS 5Others Are
Placed on Trial
BACKGROUND

A sensation tdSt tGH U1S LHe
Federal indictments returned
against a number OF prominent
persons in Ne1U Merico on charges
of building a political machine
from relief clients. Among the
defendants Uere four relatives
and the personal secretary OF
Senator Dennis ChdDes.
By the Associated Press.
ALBUQUERQUE. N. Mex, Jan.
30.-In a courtroom packed to the
point of suffocation, the Federal
Government today opened its mass
trial of 35 defendants charged with
playing politics with the w. P. A..
In New Mexico.
Forty-five defendants were ar
raigned for the opening, but the
Government dismissed charges
against 10, including Joe Martinez,
personal secretary of Senator Dennis
Chavez; E. A. Rose, a w. P. A. zone
supervisor. and Fred Sganzini, head
of the State Automobile License Bu-
reau in Albuquerque.
Five of the 10 were subpoenaed as
Government witnesses before they
could leave the courtroom.
73 Under Indictment.
The defendants in today's pro-
ceedings constituted the first of 73
indicted by the grand jury to come
to trial. The others are under sep
arate indictments.
Accusations of conspiracy to de-
fraud the Government, felony
punishable by two years imprison-
ment and $4,000 fine, were laid
against the defendants, four of them
close relatives of Senator Chavez,
who returned from Washington for
the trial.
AS the largest case of its kind
yet brought into court, the trial
was certain to be watched closely
In Washington, where the Senate
last week adopted measures by Sen
ator Carl Hatch of New Mexico to
Keep politics out of relief.
Shanahan to Assist.
United States District Attorney
Everett Grantham, who took the
case before a Federal grand jury
last fall. is assisted in the prose-
cution by Richard Shanahan of Chi
cago, Special Assistant United States
Attorney General, fresh from the
Governments Harlan County, KY.
coal conspiracy case.
Arrayed against the Government
Is a formidable phalanx of legal
talent, headed by former Gov. A. T.
Hannett and James J. OIeary of
washington, a former Federal pros
ecutor and noted Capital attorney.
A venire of AZ was summoned as
attorneys began the tedious process
OF selecting jury. Court attaches
predicted it would take at least two
days, with the probability another
venire would have to be called.
ia Under Subpoena.
The prosecution has subpoenaed
Ala witnesses to support its charges
the defendants sought to defraud
the Government by organizing w.
P. A. workers politically under
force, threats and intimidation. "
such attempted action, indictments
charged. constituted an illegal use of
funds intended for relief of the
jobless.
Among the witnesses are Lea Row.
land, former State w. P. A. ad-
mln1strator; r. l.. Nicholson, present
acting administrator, and four Grim
anal investigators of the w. p. A.
Relatives of Senator Chavez in
the case of his sister, Mrs. Anita
Tafoya: his son-in-law, Stanley w.
P. Miller, removed as assistant
United States attorney after his in
dictment; Salamon Tafoya, a neph-
eW, and Salamon Chavez. a cousin.
Other Defendants.
Other defendants include the
Senator's personal secretary, Joe
Martinez; Fred Healy, ousted sue
cessor to Rowland as State admin
istrator; Mrs. j. A. Werner, wife of
the Albuquerque postmaster, and
others ranging down to obscure
part-time relief clients.
R. F. Deacon Arledge, in a sur
prise last-minute move, announced
his withdrawal as a defense attor-
ney and said he would appear as
witness for the defendants.
He Is head of the City Charter
League" political organization
which, indictments charged, w. P.
A. workers were forced to support
in the Albuquerque city election last
April under pain of losing their jobs.