Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-03-02
pauIey Stands Firm
Despite New Forecast
OF Defeat in Senate
By J. A. O'Leory

Edwin w. Pauley showed no
signs today of being ready to
drop his fight for confirmation
as Undersecretary of the Navy,
despite renewed predictions by
informed Democratic sources
that he would lose on a Senate
roll call.
With the Senate Naval Affairs
Committee hearings in recess until
Wednesday, Democratic leaders con-
tinued to hope that Mr.. Pauley
would agree in the meantime to
present his reply to the arguments
raised against his confirmation and
then ask the President to withdraw
his name.
Democratic National Chairman
Hannegan, who had lunch at the
Capitol yesterday, is understood to
have been told Mr.. Pauley faces
defeat. Mr.. Pauley also saw Mr..
Hannegan during his Capitol visit.
Plans Long Rebuttal.
Five hours later. however, when
the hearings were over for the time
being, Mr.. Pauley still talked con-
f1dently. He told reporters he and
Mr.. Hannegan had talked of the
vote situation in the Senate and
that it looked better than ever"
He would not speculate on how the
Naval Affairs Committee stands on
his nomination, but said his adj
VIserS tell him he has enough votes
on the floor.
| Mr.. Pauley said it will take him
at least one week, and maybe two
or three to present his rebuttal to
the various charges raised during
the hearings, and it was not certain
whether he would start Wednesday
or whether more opposition wit
nesses will be presented at that time.
| Democratic strategists, who for
see sharp division in party ranks
II the nomination goes to a floor
debate, believe the best solution of
the problem would be for Mr.. Pauley
to present formal statement to
the committee, asserting that the
arguments raised against his naval
appointment are unjustified, and
then withdraw in the interest of
party harmony.
E. G. Starr of Los Angeles, presi-
dent of the Universal Consolidated
Oil Co., was the second member of
the group of independent operators
to go before the committee yester-
day afternoon to testify that Mr..
Pauley originally was with the in
dependents in a fight against oil
production control legislation in
California, but joined major oil
companies in supporting the legisla-
ton in 1899. This was about the
time Mr.. Pauley was negotiating to
sell some of the property and the
stock of his company, the Petrol
Corp.
Senator Saltonstall, Republican,
of Massachusetts, asked the witness
If he did not agree any man can
change his mind
Mr.. Starr replied that he Ibid
not admire" the way Mr.. Pauley
changed, but that he knew moth
ing improper about it. Later Mr..
Starr said that if the sale of the
Petrol property was consummated
in 1888. then Mr.. Pauley acted as
"a spy in working with the indie
pendents in the early part of 1899
If the transaction did not occur
until June of 1889, Mr.. Starr con-
tinued, then he thought that Mr.
Pauley Just sold out on us-tha,
was his privilege"
Tydings Cross-Examines Smith.
! Questioned by Senator Magnus.
son, Democrat, of Washington a.
to what he meant by the term sole
out" the witness agreed that HI
meant only that Mr.. Pauley sole
his property.
Mr.. Stars testimony, in general
supported that given previously by
another independent, John A
Smith. Senator Tydings, Democrat
of Maryland continued to cross
examine Mr.. Smith yesterday re-
garding a financial settlement Mr.
Smith made to Standard Oil OF
California in 1928, after one of Mr.
Smiths employees had been ques-
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