The midland journal., 1946-08-30
News "a
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By Paul MALLON .
Released by Western Newspaper Union.
WAR CONTRACTS INQUIRY
COULD GET OUT OF HAND

WAN CONIhACTS Inquiry
COULD GET OUT OF HAND
WASHINGTON. - The politi-
clans are chuckling at the politi-
cal implication behind the May
scandal case.
The inside story is that Mr.. May,
chairman of the house military af-
fairs committee, walked into the
difficulties with the Mead investi-
eating committee, and that the in
vestigation was not inspired other
wise. AS May is a conservative
Democrat, and Senator Mead of
New York has aspirations for the
governorship, certain political au-
thorities had circulated the report
that the case against May was
worked up for purposes of widen
ing the split within Democratic
ranks by the liberal side for the
purposes of Furnishing a conserva-
tive Southerner. If it did not origi-
nate in such purposes, it certainly
had that political effect.
However logical this report may
sound to some, the inside story is
that the Mead committee member
ship was making a routine check
into the complicated financial set
up in the Carson companies. Some
suspicious about the May trans
action were uncovered but not
made public. Then May brought DIR.
Henry Carson to see Mead to COM
plain about the companies being
"persecuted" by meddling inves-
tigatiOn, which they contended,
was holding up reconversion to
peacetime activities.
MEAD HAD TO ACT.
The committeeman claim other
efforts were made to get them to
desist, but they will not identify
these efforts beyond the point of
saying these came from within the
Democratic party.
Despite the imminence of the
coming congressional election, the
Republicans co-operated with the
Democratic members in all ways.
The Republican Sen. Homer Fer
guson of Michigan (who does not
run again until 1949) has been
termed the "bird dog" of the COM
mittee. Ferguson and his Repub-
lican colleagues were in position
to force Mead to act if he tried
to cover up. Perhaps they may
have been gleeful at the prospect
of roasting a Democrat on the eve
~%e Il 60 ole
Another inner political sidelight
is that the Garssons hired as their
counsel for the inquiry Wayne
johnson, a well-known New York
City Democrat.
The evidence carried odors
reaching to high heaven, but did
not prove conclusively that May
ever received any money direct
ly, although it produced testimony
indicating money was sent. The
committeeman have been author
lied to look over the income tax
returns Of May to supply the miss
ing links, and while these cannot
be used as evidence or made pub
lie in any way, the committee may
get some leads to the links. The
law permits President Truman to
authorize such looks at the returns.
All in all, the newsmen who sat
at the press table throughout the
inquiry thought the whole case
could be put down as scandal so
plainly marked with evidence that
no one could cover it on any side,
Democratic, Republican, PAC, or
any other.
REP. COFFEE INVOLVED.
But 10 and behold, the case pro-
duced a political tail larger than
the dog. The Coffee case, follow.
ing Immediately thereafter, con-
cerned a left-leaning Democrat,
Rep. John M. Coffee, who received
$2,500 from a war contractor for
services. He votes mostly on the
leftish side.
Thus the scandals came out even
in Democratic ranks between the
two conflicting factions, and the
Republicans gained the most
ground from the entire transaction.
At least no one showed they claimed
to have or were selling any influence.
1t was Senator Brewster, Republi-
can of Maine, who told the COM
mittee of the Coffee matter, which
first was mentioned in mayoralty
campaign in Tacoma, WASH, by
Republicans.
think the sum total of the
scandal matter Is this: If any
one started turning over every
war contract, at this particular
time of world crisis and difficult
peace, even to gain ground in an
election, the ultimate outcome
would be difficult to foretell. At
any rate, the Mead committee
went to work on some presumably
minor cases on the Pacific coast.
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