Evening star., 1951-03-25


for example, the Senate investiga-
tions of scandals involving two
cabinet officers in the Harding
administration, which Democratic
Senators Walsh and Wheeler OF
Montana conducted-showing up
the "Ohio gang" in the early
1920s. They failed completely to
defeat the Republicans in the ma
tional elections of 1924. Nor did
the revelations of political cor
ruption in the senatorial elections
of 1926, particularly in Illinois
and Chicago. cause a G. o. P. de-
feat in 1928.
1t is true, however, that the late
President Coolidge, who entered
the White House following the
death of President Harding
helped clear the atmosphere for
the Republicans. The oil scandals
which jailed Harding's Secretary
of the Interior. Albert B. Fall o1
New Mexico. did not touch Mr.
Coolidge, a symbol of New Eng
land integrity. Nor did the rami.
fications of corruption which in.
VOWED Harding's Attorney Gen.
eral, Harry M. Daugherty. Mr.
Coolidge made no charge of "rec
herrings" being drawn across the
scene by Democrats, nor did he
call any reports of senatorial COM
mittees "asinine." On the con-
trary. he opened the doors wide
fer the senatorial Investigations
Didn't Stop Hoover
When the late Senator James A
Reed, Democrat. of Missouri fast.
ened upon the senatorial cam
paigns of Republican William S
Ware of Pennsylvania and Repub-
lican Frank L. Smith of Illinois
he showed up political corruption
enough in two great Republican
strongholdS to have aroused Ma
tion-wide resentment. But two
years later these revelations had
no effect on the national elections
in which former Republican Pres
ident Hoover defeated the late
Democratic Gov. Alfred E. Smith
of New York, nor did they
affect the elections of Republican
Senators to fill the vacancies in
the Senate when Ware and Smith
were denied their seats. The
Hoover-Smith campaign was de-
clded on other issues, religious anc
wet and dry"
President Truman is head of the
administration during which the
scandals of 1851" have been dug
up and waved before the eyes oi
the electorate, with the aid of teie-
vision, to degree never before at
Itained. The senatorial crime in
veStigation has hit with terrific
Iolrectness at corrupt politics ano
politicians in the Democratic
strongholds, Chicago and New
York, showing their association
with the underworld. Former Sen
ator Lucas, Democrat, of Illinois
has placed the blame for his de-
feat last fall on the shoulders of
the Senate crime committee. In
New York, the crime committee's
investigation has shown that for,
mer Mayor O'Dwyer, whom Presi-
dent Truman last summer named
Ambassador to Mexico. appointed
officials who were friends of gang
sterS while he headed the city
government.
Also Mr.. Truman has gone the
whole route in defense of members
of his official family who have
been smeared by senatorial investi-
cations of five-percenters and of
the use Of political influence in
connection with Reconstruction
Finance Corp. loans. He has been
criticized. too, on the ground that
he has brought to the national
scene the taint of Pendergastism-
the taint of the corrupt political
organization which formerly ruled
Kansas City, with the late Tom
PendergaSt as its leader.
Instigated by Democrats
The redeeming feature, for the
Democrats. lies in the fact that
the senatorial crime and RFC in
vestigating committees are chair
named by Democrats, and they can
claim that the party has really
sought to "clean house." Senator
Kefauver of Tennessee has pressed
The inquiry into Nation wide crime
5yndicates without fear or favor,
and the fact that he was revealing
corruption in Democratic strong
holds has not halted or slowed
down the investigation. Senator
7ulbright of Arkansas, ably aided
y another Democrat, Senator
Douglas of Illinois, has persisted in
mis- inquiry into the use of political
pressure and favoritism to gain
RFC loans, Notwithstanding the
revelations seemed to lead right to
the White House itself. The Demo-
Gratis are in position to say to
the Republicans-"You. the oppo-
sition party, did not move in these
matters, but we did"
Neither Kefauver nor Fulbright
was pushed into initiating these
inquiries by Republicans. The
Tennessee Senator was aroused by
reports of crime commissions in
many States and cities, and
reached a conclusion that the
crime problem, especially as it re-
lated to gambling, had become too
great for the States to deal with
t individually. Senator Fulbright,
IS member of the Senate Bank
ng and Currency Committee, was
named chairman of the subcom-
mittee on the RFC. He was first
aroused to make the present in
vestigation by learning that the
RFC head of the Boston Office had
oecome general manager of the
Waltham Watch Co. at a salary
of some 100000 a year. after the