Evening star., 1940-07-24

For while Mr.. Wallace is a metic-
ulous person and doubtless would
not do anything politically which
might violate Federal statute, the
Hatch law is SO worded that the
burden of proof in every Official act
or utterance will be upon him. Here
are some Of the provisions from
which incidentally nobody is ex-
empted and for which fines and
imprisonment are stipulated in the
event of conviction:
1T shall be unlawful for any per-
son employed in any administrative
position by the United States, or by
any department., independent agen-
cy, or other agency of the United
States dncluding any corporation
controlled by the United States or
any agency thereof, and any corpo-
ration all of the capital stock of
which Is owned by the United States
or any agency thereof to use his
official authority for the purpose of
interfering with, or affecting the
election or the nomination of any
candidate for the Office of Presi-
dent, Vice President, presidential
elector, member of the Senate, or
member of the House of Repre-
sentatives, delegates or commission
ers from the territories and insular
possessions.
Bans Job Promises.
"1t shall be unlawful for any per-
son, directly or indirectly, to prom
tse any employment, position, work.
compensation or other benefit, pro-
vided or made possible by any act
OF Congress, to any person as con-
sideration, favor or reward for any
political activity or for the support
Of or opposition. to any candidate
or any political party in any elec-
ton. It shall be unlawful for
any person to deprive or attempt
to deprive or threaten to deprive
by any means any persons of any
employment, position, work. COM
pensation or other benefit provided
sor or made possible by any act Of
Congress appropriating funds for
work relief or relief purposes on
account Of race, creed, color, or any
political activity, support of or op-
position to any candidate or any
political party in any election.
1T shall be unlawful for any per-
con for political purposes to furnish
or to disclose, or to aid or assist in
furnishing or disclosing, any list of
names of persons receiving COM
pensation, employment or benefits
provided for or made possible by
any act Of Congress appropriating,
or authorizing any appropriation of,
FUNDS for work relief Or relief pur-
poses to political candidate, COM
mittee, campaign manager or to
any person for delivery to political
candidate, committee or campaign
manager, and 1t shall be unlawful
for any person to receive such list of
names for political purposes"
How, then, could Secretary WAL
lace while in Office make a speech
reviewing the achievements of his
agricultural administration and
promising benefits to the farmer?
How could the Secretary permit to
be done this time what was done
30 effectively for the New Deal in
1895, when every A. A. A. Citizens
Committee, established originally
Tor Government purposes, called in
person on farmers who had re-
ce1ved A. A. A. checks and asked
them to vote for the New Deal
ticket?
There is another section of the
Hatch law which provides exemption
for members of the cabinet and high
administrative officials, but this re-
lates only to governmental agencies
or operations growing out of Federal
appropriations other than relief,
and, Of course, the A. A. A. Is part
OF the relief function.
Aided Victory in 1896.
It will be recalled that the 1896
election, with its landslide of votes,
was won primarily by the intensive
work of these A. A. A. committees
IN the rural districts and by the
drive made on relief workers in the
urban centers. where w: P. A. su-
pervisory machinery was used. Lists
OF persons on relief were furnished
to the campaign committees by To-
cal Government offices. If the
Hatch law, which didn't exist in
1895. Is now obeyed in the 1910 cam
paign the New Dealers will find
themselves handicapped, especially
IN their campaign work among the
Negroes on relief in the Northern
States and among the farmers in
the Western States.
Since Secretary Wallace is directly
IN charge of a department which
annually disburses hundreds of mil
lions Of dollars in direct relief pay
ments and loans to farmers, it will
be difficult for him to carry on the
duties OF his Office, let alone to