Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-11-05
+. I Detroifers
Ask PACQuiiz
Any. Gen. BiddIe Sent
Wire Suggesting Probe


toned Francis Biddle. United
States attorney general. and John
c. Lehr. Detroit district attorney,
TO call IAN immediate grand Jury
inquiry" into allegedly illegal use
of labor organizations funds In
the presidential campaign.
A telegram TO Biddle and a
letter to Lehr pointed out fla
grant. repeated and willful viola
tons" of the federal corrupt
practices act which they charged
are on a national scale.
CLEAN ELECTIONS WANTED
The signers. who said they
were only interested in clean
elections and good government,
were:
Floyd McGriff. publisher Red
ford Record. II. V. Babcock, mem
Der of the Detroit Housing Com
mission; George Cartwright, at
torn@; James w. Lyon, chairman,
Wayne County Republican COM
mittee; Howard West, Harold
Dains and George Marvin, BUSH
nessmen.
Later Saturday Lehr issued a
written statement which he said
was complete" and would not
be commented upon by me.
IL have been instructed by
the attorney general" wrote
Lehr. 'to furnish him for i'm
mediate action, any information
received by me indicating a vio-
lation of any applicable federal
law In connection with the forth
coming election"
Lehr then outlined the three
complaints he has received:
L "A worker employed locally
by New York corporation re-
ported he and possibly others
were fired for refusing to place
a Dewey sign on their automo-
biles.
DEWEY VOTE DEMANDED
81 was told" the statement
read. "by this man that his en-
ployer was large contributor
to the Dewey for President cam
paign and that II was expected
the employees would be loyal TO
the company"
A worker in a plant occupied
100 per cent with war work re-
ported he and 19 others were
given three-daY laYoffs effective
Saturday for having a picture of
President Roosevelt pasted on
the employees toelbox and refus-
ing TO remove il.
The third complaint, Lehr
pointed out, is the one brought
by the seven Detroiters.
The letter charges that the mat.
/ ter became known when a conflict
arose in Local Is. of the JAW
Go. in Lansing "by reason Of
the officers undertaking financial
+ commitments beyond and greater
than the action authorized by the
membership"
Such action, the letter con.
! tinues. was:
Ito hire individuals TO work
for the Political Action Commit
tee before election and hire
challengers In large numbers to
work for the Democratic party
on election day.
NATIONAL PLOT SEEN
Because of the known pro-
clivities of the Political Action
Committee" the letter con-
tinued, "and certain sinister In
terests active In the Political
Action Committee we have
every reason to believe that
what amounts to n conspiracy
to violate a federal statute Is
not to Michigan alone but may
be nationwide In character.
ct is alarming to note that
the disclosed practice to spend
union funds for election pur-
poses Is not confined to one
union but appears to be gen.
eral."
When informed of the action,
August Scholle, regional director
of the Go and of the Political
Action Committee for Michigan,
said:
They are desperately and
Historically trying TO make
these charges have some bear
ing on the election results and
hope that their crying alone
will make the CIO-PAC guilty
and condemned before trial"
Tracy Doll, Wayne County
head of the Political Action Com
mittee, said he welcomed the in
vestigation.