Evening star., 1951-08-26
Byrd Neighbors
Eat Chicken at
Annual Picnic
Senator Plays Host
To :. 1000 Valley Folk
At Shenandoah Form
By George Kennedy
Stor Stuff correspondent

BERRYVuiLE. Va, Aug. u.s.
Senator Byrd of Virginia is grow.
ing old he says. but he is. mo-
fading away" he assured some
5000 neighboring country people
at his annual picnic today.
From the back Of a truck. h,
referred to his 18 years In tht
upper house and said:
"I would rather represent Vir.
ginia in that capacity than have
any Office within the gift Of tht
people of the nation"
The picnic was a success, a!
have been all the Byrd picnics
The Senator recalled that in the
% years Of this event, it hal
rained only once.
There were distinguished poll
ticians in attendance. Gov. Battle
former Gov. William M. Tuck
Willis B. Robertson, Virginia.
Junior Senator, and Representa-
tive Harrison, who represents thu
upper Valley of Virginia in th'
House. were among those munch'
ing fried chicken.
Also there was the Premier oi
South Australia. Thomas q
Playford, and a Mr.. Watts Of New
Zealand, both interested in apple
culture.
Mostly Valley Folks.
But the bulk of the people who
drove into the vast orchards anc
left q new car standing under
every tree, were Shenandoah Val
ley residents, none Of whom live
far from a Byrd orchard.
Three thousand box 1unche:
were handed out over a long coun-
ter in front Of the big log house
that used to be Senator Byrd:
summer home, in the shade Of ar
oak grove.
Gov. Battle told the audience
Virginia not only has All Clubs. i
now has 3-H Clubs. The three HIS
he said, stood for Hurry Harry
Home" He concluded by saying
that he would leave it to this yer!
intelligent audience which Harr!
is meant"
Senator Byrd, when he regainet
the microphone on the truck plat
form, said he was glad that th'
Governor had made clear that HI
was not the Harry referred to
He entertained the picnickers b.
reading them a letter Presiden
Truman had written him on Jan,
uary Z, with Byrd interpretations
The Senator read the presiden-
tial greeting that started the let
ter, Dear Harry"
Bid for Virginia Vote.
He said that Mr.. Truman had
come to him at the Democratic
Convention Of 1914 and asked il
he would get the Virginia dele
CATION to vote for Truman fol
Vice President.
Mr.. Truman knew, the Senator
said. that the Virginia vote fol
him was not a personal one.
He said:
1T was q choice between two
evils to vote for MIR. Truman
The other candidate was Mr.
Henry Wallace. who had re-
ceived 400 votes that day and who
needed only 200 more to be nomi-
mated.
I'VE had been supporting Bank
head. I don't regret our switch
to Mr.. Truman, because If Wal
lace had become President, we
would have been turned over tc
the Russians"
Its bold man who will write
a letter to Mr.. Truman. didn't
desire to offend him in any way
wrote the most conciliatory
statement that could compose.
When he read from Mr.. Tru-
mans letter a line that Present
conditions are such now. however
that it is necessary to tax until
it hurts" the Senator interpo-
lated:
'I didn't say anything about
taxing until it hurts. l said cut
unnecessary expenditures until II
hurts"
He agreed with the President
when he came to a paragraph ir
the letter that said that there were
some policy approaches on which
we naturally would not agree"
The Senator said:
IF were asked today to name
the New Deal measures that
favor, I could not name a single
one"