Evening star., 1945-06-14
Wickard Is Approved
For REA Post, II 10 s,
By Senate Committee

By Senate Committee
BY the Associated Press.
The Senate Agriculture Com
mittee, by vote of nearly 2 to i,
today approved the nomination
of Secretary of Agriculture Wick
ard to become rural electrif1ca-
ton administrator.
Committee aides said the vote was
II to 6, with three Republicans Join
ing with the solid front of Demo-
Gratis favoring approval.
Those voting in favor were Sena-
tors Bankhead, Democrat, of Ala
bama; Bilbo, Democrat, of Missis-
sippi: Ellender, Democrat, of Louis
lana; Lucas, Democrat, of Illinois
Connally, Democrat, of Texas; Dow
|ney, Democrat, of California; Hoey,
Democrat, of South Carolina; Aiken,
Republican, of Vermont; Young, Re-
publican, North Dakota; Thomas,
Democrat, of Oklahoma, and Willis,
Republican, of Indiana.
Those against the nomination
were Senators Capper, Republican,
of Kansas; Shipstead, Republican,
of Minnesota; Bushfield, Republican,
Of South Dakota; Wilson, Repub-
lican, of Iowa; Butler, Republican,
of Nebraska, and Gordon, Repub-
lican, of Oregon, Some voted by
proxy.
Earlier, Chairman Thomas dis
closed that objections have been
filed against President Truman s
choice for new Undersecretary of
Agriculture
Senator Thomas said Tom Linder,
Georgia commissioner of agriculture,
has filed protest against John B.
Hutson to be the new Undersec-
retary, succeeding Grover B. Hill of
Texas.
Others Ask to Appear.
Mr.. Hill has been serving under
Mr.. Wickard. Both step down June
30 when Representative Anderson,
Democrat, of New Mexico succeeds
Mr.. Wickard Mr.. Hutson, now with
the Office of War Mobilization and
former head of the Commodity
Credit Corp. and production director
of the War Food Administration,
was selected by the President to
serve as Undersecretary to Mr..
Anderson.
Chairman Thomas told a reporter
that, in addition to Mr.. Linder
about four or five Others" whom
he did not name, also have asked
to appear before the committee in
opposition to Mr.. Hutson. Mr.. Lin
der made his objections known in a
telegram to Senator McKellar
Democrat, of Tennessee which was
referred to the Agriculture Commit
tee, Senator Thomas said.
Senator Thomas minimized the
testimony against Mr.. Wickard,
principally by officials of REA CO.
operatives in the Midwest. They
contended that the record of the
REA as an agency under the Agri-
culture Department headed by Mr..
Wickard demonstrates his lack of
qualifications"
"It's all political" Senator
Thomas asserted. I'm getting tired
of it."
Harry Slattery, resigned REA ad-
ministrator, told the committee yes
terday that Mr.. Wickard's confrma-
ton would put a former cabinet Of
flcer under Mr.. Anderson and prove
"a source of embarrassment" to the
new Secretary.
Mr.. Slattery declared that in an
attempt to get him to quit REA a
story was circulated that he MAIN
tanned "a harem of Government
girls"
Warned About Scandal.
Mr.. Slattery said that on one of
several occasions when aides to the
late President Roosevelt asked him
to resign he was called to the White
House to talk to Jonathan Daniels,
former administrative assistant to
Mr.. Roosevelt.
He told me Id better quit be-
cause there was going to be a scan
dal," Mr.. Slattery told the commit
tee. The inference was plain they
wanted to smear my name with this
'harem' thing. OF course. no such
thing was true"
Mr.. Slattery didn't say who was
responsible for starting or spreading
the story, but took occasion to deny
it vigorously. He said for some time
afterward REA and Agriculture De-
partment workers would stop him
smirk and inquire after "the girls. -
The "harem" testimony prompted
Senator Ellender to remark that he
had investigated reports of Govern
ment officials forcing subordinate
women workers to be friendly with
them" and found them mainly lust
talk"