Evening star., 1948-02-19
House Probers Called
Ito Rebut ChristoffeI
Charge on Quorum,

11UllSC AdUOU NV4ttultLce 1IletuOfTS
paradsd to ths witness stand In
District Court today to rebut con-
tentions that . quorum was not
present when Howard Christohei
denied afiiliation with the Com
uunist Party last March.
Christofel, 34-year-old former
Milwaukee labor leader, is on trial
on charges he parjursd himself be-
fore the House Committee. The
question of whether quorum was
present or not was raised by his
attorney.
John s, Pratt, special assistant to
the Attorney General, said he OK
pected to call enough members Of
Congress to prove that the required
quorum Of at least IL we're present.
Curran Rules ON Quorum.
Trial Judge Edward M. Curran
ruled that it the committee had q
quorum at the opening Of the ses-
sion when Christoffel testified, the
committee was legally constituted
body" and whether or not some
members left or returned before
Christoffel took the stand was ir-
relevant.
Previously, Chairman Hartley had
testified that in his opinion some IA
committee members were present,
including himself. Representative
McCowen, Republican, Of Ohio, was
called today and he will be followed
by other House members in the next
few days when they can spare the
time from their legislative duties,
it was said.
Louis r. Budenz, former rnanag-
ing editor OF the Daily Worker,
who forsook communism in 1945 toI
embrace the Catholic faith, prob
ably will testify later today or
tomorrow.
Budenz Started Indictment.
It was the testimony OF Mr..
Rudenz before the House Labor
Committee last March which led to
demands bymenbers that Christof-
fel be indicted.
Mr.. Budenz, who is now. an as
sistant, professor OF economics, at
Fordhsm University, testified before
the committee that Christoffel was
a party member. 1t was his conten-
ton that strikes like those which
stopped production at the big Allis-
Chalmers Manufacturing Co. plant
in, West 'Al]is, Wis, during 4rid after
the war were .fomented by Comnnu-i
nists who had infiltrated high
councils of the union. i
1t was agreed by stipulation of
opposing counsel yesterday that
Christoffel was president of thel
United Automobile Workers local at
the plant and president Of the Mil
waukee Industrial Union Council
(CIO) from 1887 until he was
drafted into the Army in 1914. The
first strike occurred at the plant in
1941, prior to the Nazi attack on
Russia, and while Allis-Chalmers
was producing turbines and other
vital supplies for the defense pro-
gram.
Ex-Aide Identifies Checks.
Meyer Adelman, secretary and
treasurer of the industrial council
for seven years during Christofel's
tenure OF Office, yesterday identified
Is checks which he and his clerical
assistant had signed, and which
bore the countersignature Harold
Christoffel."
The witness identified his own
signature on II checks and that OF
his assistant, Esther Eisencher, onl
flour others. But he insisted heI
could not positively identify Chris
toffel's signatures. He conceded
under questioning from Judge
Curran, however, that q Milwaukee
bank had honored the checks.
The bank, it was testified, was
authorized to pay only those checks
on council funds signed by Mr.. Adel-
man or Miss Eisencher and counter
signed by Christoffel.
The checks were for small amounts
payable to various organizations.
They were authorized by council
action, Mr.. Adelman said.
Under questioning by Government
counsel, Mr.. Adelman testified Miss
Eisencher is the sister of Sigmund
Eisencher, who once ran on the
Communist ticket for Governor OF
Wisconsin, and now Is running for
Mayor of Milwaukee on q nonpar-
tisan ticket.