Evening star., 1944-08-06

SENATOR HARRY S. TRUMAN.
$60,00000o for highways and private
buildings in jackson County" he said
afterwards. Nobody ever found any,
thing wrong with that-and 1t wasn't
because they didn't try hard enough"
Pressed little further, he will admit
a slight manipulation. When the $780,
600 county courthouse was completed,
Judge Truman had $36 900 left over, and
this he spent for an equestrian statue
of Andrew jackson for whom the county
Is named.
"And that is the only money I ever
STOLE" he laughs.
Along somewhat the same line, friends
recall that when his Kansas City busi-
ness folded Mr.. Truman did not seek
the protection of the bankruptcy courts,
but settled his debts, dollar for dollar.
Pendergast Aroused.
About year before the 1892 primary
Truman decided to seek new political
honors, and announced his candidacy
for the Democratic gubernatorial NOM
ination. Friends in Southwest Missouri
rallied to his support, but his candidacy
died on the vine, and when the primary
came up his name was not even on the
ballot.
That same year. Pendergast tried to
put across senatorial candidate, back
ing Charles M. Howell against Bennett
Clark, but even with the help of a
IN, TnN 80
Howell could not made the grade, Clark
winning in the State at large
Pendergast was not one to take
defeat with good grace, and when time
came for the 1894 campaign the burly
Kansas City boss accepted the challenge
of the Clark forces who were supporting
Representative Jacob l.. Milligan, a
World War hero and brother of Maurice
Milligan, who had been appointed
United States attorney at Kansas City
with Senator Clarks backing.
ut was a matter of pride to me to
beat Clark's candidate" Pendergast later
told the st. Louis Post Dispatch.
Pendergast tried to interest couple
Of hts friends in the race, but without
success, and he then turned to Tru-
man, who repeatedly had been in line
for county collector The latter was re-
ceptive, and the fight became a three
way affair when Representative John j.
Cochran entered.
In the primary the Pendergast candi-
date was credited with lead of more
than 146,000 votes over Representative
Cochran, the runnerup, in Jackson
County, and this left Truman plurality
of 40,745 in the entire State, even after
other sections had cut heavily into the
Kansas City margin.
When, later, the malodorous Missouri
vote scandal broke, and Pendergast
henchmen went to prison, it was dis
covered that the Kansas City tomb
stone" vote was in excess of the lead
Truman had over Cochran, which indi-
Gated what had happened to the latter's
candidacy.
1t was against this background that
Senator Truman spent his first term in
Washington. Derisively he was dubbed
"Pendergast's messenger boy" and his
cause was not helped any when, in
1888, he opposed the reappointment OF
United States Attorney Milligan, who
prosecuted the vote frauds.
In bitter Senate speech Senator
Truman characterized the indictments
and subsequent prosecutions as the
fruits OF conspiracy" between Repub-
lican-appointed judges sitting in the
Western District of Missouri and a
United States attorney who was under
obligations to them for fees received
in bankruptcy proceedings.
'"The President has made this a per-
sonal appointment at the behest of the
rabidly partisan press" he shouted, add
ing that Jackson County Democrat
had as much chance for a fair trial IN
Federal Court in Kansas City "as a
Jew would have in a Hitler court or
Trotsky follower before Stain"
Senator Truman said that because of
the Presidents personal interest In
Mr.. Milligan-who was again backed by
Senator Clark-he would not seek ito
exercise the usual senatorial preroga-
tive to block his confirmation" Whether
it would have made any difference is
problematical At any rate, Mr.. Milligan
was confirmed.
The Truman prestige undoubtedly
was at its lowest ebb at that stage, with
press and reformers in full cry after
him.
When, a year later, Pendergast and
an associate. Robert Emmett O'Malley,
went to Federal prison on conviction OF
withholding bribery payments from in
surance interests in income tax returns,
Senator Truman said he believed the
prosecution, pushed by Mr.. Milligan, was
political play.
Stuck by Pendergast.
"Pendergast has been good friend to
me when I needed it. I am not one to
desert ship when it starts down." he
asserted. A newspaper photograph taken
Of Senator Truman in his ONCE, and
reprinted recently in connection with
an account Of this incident, shows him
posed under a large portrait Of Pender-
CAST. Asked few days ago If the PEN
dergast picture still occupied this place
of honor, q Truman aide said 1t had
been removed i've or six years ago.
As time went on, however, Senator Tru-
mans fortunes improved. His work in
the Senate began to attract attention,
and associates were coming to regard
him a. valuable member Of the In