Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-03-13
NEWS
BEHIND
The News
BY Paul
Molon

II ~
W Jonathan Daniels, one OF
the Presidents supposedly anon
ymous confidential assistants,
who lost his anonymity in The
REA fracaS. testified that moth
ing more than constitutional
objection lay behind his original
refusal 10 give any information
10 the Senate committee inVesti-
eating the political activities of
REA
Apparently, ne convinced the
Presidents most unrelenting
critic IN the Senate. Cotton
I'd Smith, chairman of the
agricultural subcommittee con-
Quoting the hearings that this
was the whole story. although
Mr. Daniels still persisted in
Withholding his files.
His constitutional ground that
a supposedly anonymous assist
AMI OF the President is immune
from congressional Investigation
bore little weight with Congress,
I'VE theory has been in effect
there since 1894 that mas
much as Congress furnishes the
money for the executive branch
Of the government, il has the
right 10 investigate exactly how
this money is spent - whether
for politics, building cliQues in
government bureaus, or prop
erly.
No one has ever successfully
contested this theory of truly
democratic operation in the
courts. SO Mr.. Roosevelt prob
ably wisely, stepped in and or
dered Mr.. Daniels 10 testify.
The committee did not get much
out OF him.
The basic situation behind All
the complex political struggling
and arguing current in the news
is that. personal clique started
some years ago 10 take over the
rural electrifcation admlnstra-
ton from its administrator,
Harry Slattery, and has kept
him practically prisoner IN his
own office since then. He still
draws salary. cannot he re-
moved as the legal authority Of
his office gives him a 10-year
lease on il.
CLATyrERY set out to break
~ up the clique. inspired the
current investigation, and pro-
duced evidence which no doubt
Will cause Congress 10 institute
that bureau as an independent
government agency. thus restor-
ing SlatteryS control Of u out
side the usual political influences
that generally operate over gov
eminent bureaus here
The core Of the clique was
fairly well exposed in the So
called Becker memorandum pro-
duCed in evidence by the COM
mittee counsel.
II pictured Deputy Rt,A Adj
miniStrator Robert 3. Craig as
outlining a novel plan 10 collect
q little money on the side from
the local co-operatives 10 form
an organization here which
wouid effectively control the
politics within REA and appar-
emily other politics beside
Mr. Craig S-eHeted as saying
in that memorandum that he
learned his politics from the late
Harry Daugherty the old Hard
ing politician, and the plan
sounded like il.
1--WE will he In position To
control many congressional and
several senatorial Offices" he
said.
WHAT was back in 1910 and
Mr. Craig has since left the
organization, hut the loose ad-
ministration of the clique Of II
Nll llVl w W WI VI OK ~
posed EXTENT allowed purchases
OF electrical equipment for what
ever price would allow profit
in the sale Of the electricity in
stead Of hasing the price on
what the equipment was worth.
a lot Of votes and some outside
money would also seem TO he
possible under that arrange
ment
The evidence did not show the
details of how the clique was
operating in Mr.. Roosevelt
political behalf as well as It's
own among the users Of gov
eminent controlled electrical
lines, but il did show that an
other one Of Mr.. r s anonymous
assistants, Eugene Casey. has
been trampIng the fields Of
these farmers recently in behalf 3
of the fourth term.
Distributed a. King -Eea lures -ssna the.
Rgprodurtiur ~heis or in part
strctlV prohibited
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