Evening star., 1945-03-15

Bruce and Is seldom heard from In
person, but her Mellon money still
talks. It talks sometimes through
the mouth of Senator Harlan Bush
field of South Dakota, in whom
Mrs. Bruce has a 5000 interest. .
The Senator is devoting his energy
Just now to the defeat Of Aubrey
williams and obviously he must
think he's acting In accordance
with Mrs. Bruce's wishes. Her
wishes and those of q group that
includes Sarah Mellon Scaife
$4,000, Lamont du Pont $4,000
Irenee du Pont 42,500). Alfred P.
Sloan ($2,500, Ira c. Copley, Illinois
utility magnate ($5,000, Earle Hal
liburton, Oklahoma oil man t$5,0oo) /:
Joseph L. Pew $1,000, Mabel Pew
Myrin $1,000, Col. Mccormick,
Chicago Tribune (s5, ,000) and Maxey
Jarmon of Tennessee ($10,000).
Formerly InconSpicuOus.
All of the above, like some others
equally remote from South Dakota,
put their money, in the sums named,
into the South Dakota campaign
that elected Senator Bushfield in
1912. The total of such outside con-
tributions was $53, TOO. Not too great
a price for a South Dakota Senator,
to be sure, if you need one in your
business. But just what is the busi-
ness that requires one at the mo-
ment? 1t must be the defeat OF
Aubrey williams, since Bushfield
had made himself inconspicuous in
the Senate until Williams nomi-
nation came up.
Ira Copley is in the private utility
business and may be opposed to
rural electrification for that reason.
Joe Pew and Halliburton are in the
oil business and may feel that the
farmers should get along with the
oil lamps and lanterns that their
daddies used. But that doesn't ex-
plain the Duponts and the Melons,
including Andrew WIS lovely daugh-
ter. She surely does not share SEN
ator Bilbo's fear that Williams will
use the REA to let a little light into
the. darker regions of the South. It
Is hard to believe that she and her
fellow contributors have been fright
ened by Bilbo's characterization Of
Williams as Negro lover.
AS a matter Of truth, Of course
Ailsa Mellon has nothing against
Aubrey Williams. She probably
doesn't even know him-may not
even know he has been nominated
for this job. And the same could
be true OF the others. The fact
remains, however, that they cannot
escape responsibility for the actions
of the men they contribute 30
heavily to elect.
A reasonable suppoSition Is that
this Eastern money was sent to
South Dakota merely to help elect
a Repubhcan-any Republican-to
the Senate. 1t was for the good of
the party. In that case the question
arises: Is Senator Bushf1eld placing
the party on the right side, the
wise side politically, OF the race
issue as 1t has been developed by
some Of his Southern colleagues?
Or has the party given up hope
OF winning back the Negro vote?
May Be In Dark.
1t may be of course that the
financial group is unaware of the
part the South Dakota Senator has
been playing in all this. II 80, the
members owe 1t to themselves and
they owe 1t to their party to read the
record Of the committee hearings
on the Williams nomination. They
will find their hero, Senator Bush
field, right out in front, taking per-
sonal charge Of the battle to prevent
confirmation.
And II they want to call him Oh,
he probably will listen to them. He's
not q proud man, nor ungrateful
Back In the summer of 1943, Senator
Guffey Of Pennsylvania was rude