Evening star., 1947-08-22

, the District Committee every chance
of hearing both sides.
| When he arrived as Mississippis
Junior Senator in 1885, Mr.. Bilbo was
assigned to the Agriculture, Com
merce and Library Committees, as
well as the District committee.
In a typical interview, he told
reporter he wanted to be on the
District Committee ito have some
fun and help George Allen" Mr..
Allen was a Commissioner at that
time. Mr.. Bilbo also chose that oc-
casion to tell how he helped Mr..
Allen obtain a military commission
in World War I.
What Is Good For People,
Once a spokesman for the Fedora
ton of Citizens Associations told
the senator that 30 per cent of the
people here opposed a pending bill.
1T is not a question of what the
people want; but what Is good for
them" he replied. For example.
the people here want the right to
vote, but we know it Is not good for
them"
His TRADES against the FEPC dur
ing the days Of intense war produc-
ton led to numerous brushes with
furious citizens. One episode was the
Dear Dago' letter he wrote Miss
Josephine Piccolo of Brooklyn, whose
three brothers were in the armed
forces one of them killed In Ger
many.
In answer to her letter protest.
ing his stand against the FEPC,
Mr.. Bilbo addressed her as MY
Dear Dago" and told her to keep
her dirty proboscis" out of his busi-
ness.
The controversy over Senator
Bilbo famed to its highest peak
last summer while Mr.. Bilb0 was
campaigning for reelection.
Admitted Khan Membership.
On August 9 he admitted in ma
tional radio program that he was
Ku Klux Klanner and that he
had urged white voters to visit
Negroes before the July primary
election to persuade" them not to
vote.
About the same time he made
campaign speech defying the
United States Attorney. the Depart
ment of Justice and the FBI to try
TO keep the white people OF this
State from running the white Demo-
cratic primaries as We think they
should be run"
A group Of prominent actors met
in New York to demand the sena-
tors custer; another New Yorker
petitioned the Supreme Court to
unseat him; some of his own Missis-
sippi constituents circulated Pc
tition opposing him.
1t snowballed into the Capitol
where the Senate Campaign Investi-
eating Committee received COM
plants on the Mississippi election
from the Civil Rights Congress and
the National Negro Council. About
the same time the Senate War In
vestigating Committee studied evil
dence that Senator Bilbo had
traded his influence for cash and
gratuities from war contractors.
A month before Senator Bilbo was
to take the oath for his third time,
the campaign committee scheduled
hearings at Jackson, Miss, on De-
cember 2, and the war investigating
committee followed up with an in
quiry here 10 days later.
Confident as Ever.
Still handicapped by the first Of
his mouth operations Senator Bilbo
showed up at the Mississippi hear
ing with four lawyers. Neat and
confident as ever, he heard Chair
man Ellender, Democrat, Of Louisi-
ana state that the hearing would
be confined to the question Of racial
discrimination in the July primary.
which Mr.. Bilbo won by 1000 ma
jorty over four opponents.
Three Democrats and two Repub-
Means sat in judgment for several
days while scores of witnesses testi-
| fed. Some Negroes said they had
been bes ten in trying TO vote; a
6-foot- inch policeman admitted
hitting "two or three times" 13O-
pound would-be voter.
Two weeks later in Washington,
the committees majority report
gave Mr.. Bilbo clean bill of health,
but there was a minority report con-
demning the election practices.
In the War Investigating Commit
tees hearing, Felix T. Newton, a
war contractor. identified checks
totaling $4,000 he had made out to
Mr.. Bilbo. Other witnesses testi-
fed the money was used In the un-
successful senatorial campaign of
Wall Doxey. and Mr.. Bilbo denied
using any Of the money.
Cadillac on Yule Tree.
One contractor admitted hang
ing" a Cadillac on the Senator'S
tree for Christmas, digging him an
eight-acre lake with an island OIL
which was constructed Dream
House H." companion piece for
Mr.. Bilbo's 27-room Dream House
at Poplarville.
The total cash witnesses said had
been given to Senator Bilbo totaled
$33,75O and there was another $685.
600 in loans, gifts and services. Two
investigators testified a Vicksburg
(Miss) physician had turned over to
Mr.. Bilbo $1,000 or $500 from q
65-year-old Mississippi dope addict
in gratitude for q prescription for
morphine the Senator had arranged.
Mr.. Bilbo denied this and said he
had received only q few Christmas
gifts as recompense for helping war
contractors.
A ajority of the committee ruled
it was clearly indicated that sena-
tor Bilbo improperly used his high
Office as United States senator for
his personal gain in his dealings