Evening star., 1944-04-29

cago plants of Montgomery
Ward g. Co. as the controversy
over Government seizure of
the company's facilities set
tied into a hearing before a
National Labor Relations
Board examiner on the ques-
ton of representation by the
CLIO union involved.
Earlier Story on Page A-2.)
BY the Associated Press.
Chairman McCarran of the
Senate Judiciary Committee took
the lead today in the congress
sional race to investigate the
administrations seizure of Mont
gomery Ward g. Co. properties
at Chicago.
Acting under authority of a pre-
viously passed resolution directing a
judiciary subcommittee to inquire
into the legislative authority of all
executive orders and presidential
directives issued under the Roose-
velt administration, Senator McCar-
ran disclosed he had an investigator
already on the job at Chicago"
Senator McCarran's disclosure
conceded with a prediction by SEN
ator Byrd, Democrat, of Virginia
that the Senate Tuesday would pass
overwhelmingly his own proposal to
have the Judiciary Committee in
quire into Attorney General Bid
dies action in taking over the plant
and "forcibly removing its chairman
of the board from the premises"
"The Byrd resolution does not
add to the authority in the previous
resolution, but merely points to one
case" Senator McCarran said.
House Probe Forced.
On the other side of the Capitol,
the House laid plans to start
similar investigation by forcing
through the Rules Committee by a
6-to-5 vote resolution which Chair
man SABBATH called political bunk"
Mr.. SABBATH threatened to force his
committee to reconsider its action.
Angry words marked the commit.
tees consideration of the resolu-
ton, offered by Representative
Dewey, Republican, of Illinois, who
represents the district in which the
Ward plant is located.
Representative Delaney, Demo-
crat, of New York raised question
in the Rules Committee whether 1t
was not unusual" to give conside9A-
ton to resolution introduced only
Thursday, but Representative Smith,
Democrat, of Virginia, retorted:
Its more unusual to 60 out and
take some ones property"
Senators Await Report.
Senator McCarran said he sent an
attorney to Chicago Thursday night
to inquire into the seizure of the
Ward plants and report back to the
subcommittee, of which Senators
Mcfarland, Democrat, Of Arizona
and Reverces11n, Republicans of West
Virginia are the other members.
Senator sh:psbead, Republican, n
AAcaicsoJa offered a resolution some
weeks ago, which the Senate passed.
directing the Judiciary Committee
70 determine the legislative founda-
ttcn for every executive order" Sem
ator McCarran told reporters. "The
seizurs OF the Chicago plant comes
withic tbs scope of the committees
invesriSative authority.
''We are going to the bottom Of
this matter and find out what the
legal basis was for this action, and
why the action was taken"
Senator McCarran called Senator
Byrd's resolution timely. but a lit
tie late"
Il suspect" he added, "that Sem
ator Byrd was not aware the Gudic-
lary) committe had already UNDER
taken this investigation.
Byrd AssaiIs BiddIe.
Senator Byrd told the Senate yes
terday the taking over of the prop
critics raised the question whether
Mr.. Biddle has IAN ambition to be-
come an American Himmler."
Have we reached a state that
direction of Federal bureaus can be
enforced at the point of bayonets?"
he asked. Asserting the adminis-
tration had not taken the same
position against President John l..
Lewis of the United Mine Workers
1T had against Sewell l.. Avery,
Montgomery Ward head, who was
elected from his Offices by military
police, Senator Byrd declared "the
American people are shocked by this
unWarranted use of military power"
Senator Bridges, Republican, of
New Hampshire declared that under
Mr.. Biddles opinion on the legality
OF the Governments seizure "the
Government could move in and take
(see WARD INQUIRY, Page A-25