The Wilmington morning star., 1940-10-25
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
BY JACK

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24.-It may be Just a
little election-time political twister, as some
observers here insist, but if those are real
straws that l see in the wind, certain poll
ticians are in for a tornado Of trouble after
November S.
Why AFTER November 5? That's a good
republican question in some quarters, but
the Democratic answer is that, except for
the primaries held in recent months. there
have been no elections to investigate since
1888 and it would have been utterly impossible
TO complete s%leuthing and prepare indictments
before election.
Even If they could have got the cases ready.
no court could have moved fast enough to try
them. Suppose the persons charged were in.
nocent. Think what injustice would have been
done then to persons running on the party
ticket OF those who had been charged.
COMMITTEES BUSY
That's the explanation given, but to get
back to those straWs.
1. A Senate campaign investigating sub.
committee, with Senator Adams D..Colo.) as
chairman, heard testimony in Jersey City,
N. j., where Mayor Hague's Hudson county
political machine has been on the griddle for
years.
2. Another Senate subcommittee, with SEN
ator Hill DALAI as chairman, heard testi.
mony In Chicago, where the Kelly-Nash ma.
chine. captained by Mayor Edward j. Kelly,
has also been under a crossfre of charges
from big political guns.
3. Numerous complaints of violations of the
Hatch act, the Corrupt Practices act, and
civil rights statutes have been filed with the
Department of Justice. These are purported
to run the whole gamut of election and cam
palgn Violations, from minor infringements
which might result in Federal employees los
ing their jobs to the outright stealing of cleo
tons by means that could send offenders to
the penitentiary.
4. Attorney General Robert H. jackson has
publicly declared an out-in-t he-open war on
election frauds and all violations Of the voting
and campaign statutes now on the books, and
backed it up by appointing Maurice NJ. Mill
gan, U. S. district attorney at Kansas City.
Mo-, as field general for the drive. Mill
gan is the 55-year-old attorney-who prosecuted
Tom Pendergast and sent that longtime boss
OF Kansas City politics to the penitentiary.
Sixty-three other defendants who stood trial
were convicted; SO others pleaded guilty and
1859 threw themselves on the mercy of the
court.
Some administration critics say this is just
prediction NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. to offset
charges that machine politics really aren't
frowned upon. l wouldn't know about that,
but it certainly is a fair guess that even if
the tempest is started in the political teapot,
it has a chance of getting out OF hand and
becoming a good stiff blow, if not a tornado.
CALL IT WINDOW-DREssING
In the first place, on those Senate commit
tees both the Republican and Democratic par.
ties are represented. If charges against the
persons Investigated are substantiated, they're
not BOTH going to sit quietly by and let the
breeze die down.
In the second, if those complaints filed with
the Department of Justice are verified, they
are matters for the courts, and the Fedora
courts don't hold their sessions and deliver
their verdicts behind closed doors.
In the third, Mr.. Milligan has tasted blood,
is ambitious Che ran for the Senate but was
defeated for the nomination by the lncum.
bent, Senator Truman, in a stiff three-cor'
nered battle), and is considered by friends
not to be the kind who would take his appoint
ment lightly. l