Evening star., 1946-09-07
Senators Seek Staff
10 Investigate BiIbo
Victory in Primary

UCIOfy IN PRIMARY
The special Senatorial Cam.
paign Committee today was
looking for a staff of investiga.
tors to begin inquiries It ordered
late yesterday into the Demo.
cratic primary victories of Sen.
ators McKellar in Tennessee and
Bilbo in Mississippi.
Senator Ellender, Democrat. O,
Louisiana. chairman, announced the
committee had voted unanimously
to send Investigators into these two
States since formal, sworn charges
had been filed.
In Tennessee the principal COM
plants were from Edward w. Car
mack, a defeated contender for the
Democratic nomination, and alleged
excessive expenditures.
Race Discrimination Charged.
AS to Mississippi, the committee
had complaint from the National
Negro Council, through Edgar G.
Brown, its director, charging race
discrimination in the primary, and
another from DR.. James L. P. Rum
BILE OF New York City, chairman of
the Citizens National League, Inc.
DR.. Rumble's petition charged SEN
ator Bilbo with "un-American activ-
ity" in wanting to "liquidate minor
ity groups"
After a two-hour closed session
Senator Ellender said the commit
tee planned to select a general coun-
sci and to IL investigators to run
down any complaints that may have
to be gone into in connection with
any Of the 36 senatorial contests in
States this year.
Senator Ellender said some COM
plants also have come in from West
Virginia, but are not yet in the form
OF aff1davits. He added that the
committee staff has been instructed
to advise all compliments how to
file sworn statements. Members
pointed out the committee may in
itiate investigations, but that an in
quiry Is mandatory when sworn COM
plants are received.
In addition to the racial COM
plants against Senator Bilbo, Chair
man Ellender announced the COM
mittee also had received a letter
written by former Representative
Ross Collins, one of Senator Bilbo's
opponents, but that this related to a
charge against Senator Bilbo involv-
ing a case alleged to have occurred
several years ago. Senator Ellender
said the Collins letter was not in
the form of a sworn complaint and
that IN any event the jurisdiction
OF the committee was limited to
matters relating to 1916 contests.
A committee clerk said Mr.. Col
Inns had telephoned to say he would
submit the statement as an affidavit,
unless he decided to send it to the
Senate War Investigating Commit
tee, headed by Senator Mead.
Mr.. Collins made his charges pub
hcly May 81 during the Mississippi
campaign. Senator Bilbo, who is
chairman of the Senate District
Committee, said later he would well
come full investigation of expendi-
lures by all the Mississippi senatorial
contenders, because otherwise only
the successful candidate must make
a report to the Senate" He told
reporter he would like to see reports
on the expenditures of the "pecker-
woods" that ran against him.
Montana Case Dormant.
Chairman Ellender said the COM
mittee decided to hold in abeyance
any further inquiry into the Mon
tana primary, in which the veteran
Senator Wheeler lost the Democratic
nomination to Left Erickson, until
the general counsel to be appointed
later studies the hearings already
held in that case. If any further
proceedings are deemed necessary
they will be ordered then, he added.
Chairman Ellender said the inves-
tigators who will go to Tennessee
also would look into a formal COM
plant filed by John Randolph Neal
that several candidates" had more
than s50,000 expended in their be-
half.
Mr.. Carmack'S charges were aimed
not only at Senator Mcclellan, but
at the Memphis Democratic leader, !
Ed Crump. The Carmack allega-
tions were sent originally to At !
torney General Clark on July
"a, a week before the primary in |
which Senator McKellar was re-
nominated. His letter was trans
mitted first to the Senate Privileges
and Elections Committee and then
to the special group headed by SEN
ator Ellender.
Charges Heavy Ad Costs.
Mr.. Carmack charged that Mem
phis Leader Crump and his support
ers have already spent in newspaper
O0o." .
He also alleged that in Shelby
County Carmack supporters were
unable to use speaking locations
which were open to the supporters
of Senator Mcclellan.
I'm Knoxville and Knox County,
Mr.. Carmack continued, -four of the
five members of the Election Board.
all avowed supporters of the Crump-
Mcclellan -McCord machine, named
all OF the more than 500 election
officials over the protest of the fifth
member of the board, who was sup
porting me-"
Mr.. Carmack made a passing ref
erence to McMinn County, in which
the Athens primary day uprising by
war veterans resulted in unseating
the local Democratic officials. Mr..
Carmack in his July "a letter wrote:
While speaking in McMinn Coun-
ty, in Eastern Tennessee, the ten
sion between returning veterans and
the so-called Cantrell machine, sup
porting Senator McKellar and close
ly associated with Political Leader