Evening star., 1951-11-29
Taft Hearing Is Told
PAC Received $3.50
By Payroll Deduction
By J. A. O'Leory

WI 1dbOA WIU1aCOoCo duI1tlItCu W
the Senate Elections Committee
today that a total of about $3.50
was deducted from employe pay
envelopes for branch of the CIO
Political Action Committee in
Ohio last year. but they disagreed
with Senator Taft that it was
unlawful.
Beginning the fourth day Of
hearings into the 1850 Taft-Fer-
guson senatorial race, the COM
mittee was inquiring into COM
plant by Senator Taft that a
woman clothing worker in Lorain,
Ohio. had 81 checked off of her
pay and earmarked for "PAC."
Thomas E. Harris, assistant
general counsel of the CIO, told
the committee 1--WE don't regard
the check-off method for PAC to
be desirable. but it is not illegal" !"
Senator Taft on the opening day
had called it wholly unlawful"
Had Voluntary Contributions.
Mr.. Harris said the courts have
held that even when union dues
are used for political newspaper
advertisements, urging the defeat
of a candidate, it Is not a viola
tion Of law.
Chairman Gillette said it is his
hope the committee can bring out
new legislation governing cam
paign expenditures in general on
which there can be more agree
ment.
Beryl Peppercorn, an official of
the Amalgamated Clothing Work
erS of America in Cleveland. testi-
fed that out of $2,575 collected
by his organization for PAC last
year, about $3.50 was through pay
roll deductions anG the rest
voluntary contributions handed to
shop stewards.
Some Money Returned.
He said his organization had
only three requests for refunds
from workers in the plants where
the payroll deduction was made
and he produced Cancelled checks
to show the money was returned.
He said the unidentified worker
whose complaint reached Senator
Taft also could have obtained a
refund if she had requested it.
Mr.. Peppercorn said the organi-
zation started out to obtain VOL
untary contributions. and he did
not know how the check-off oc-
CURED in few places.
Mr.. Harris told the committee
the Justice Department has ruled
1t is legal to check-off from pay
rolls union assessments as we'll as
dues. and he pointed out that the
workers in question in Ohio had
voluntarily signed membership
cards authorizing for one year the
check-off Of dues and assess
ments.
Half to National PAC.
OF the money collected by the
Amalgamated in Ohio, half went
to the national PAC.
Mr.. Harris said the national
PAC did not advise anyone in ad-
vance that the check-off was the
way to raise PAC funds. He said
the few dollars raised by assess
ment in Ohio was accidental.
He pointed out, however, that
PAC engages in some educational
activities that are not political.
and that if it had known the $3.50
was obtained by the check-off it
would have segregated those funds.
He insisted, however, that under
court decisions. even if the $3.50
had ben used for ads against Sem
ator Taft it would not be held a
violation of law by the courts.
Although Senator Taft was in
North Carolina yesterday, he
touched of a stormy afternoon
session of the hearings here byi
having his Office submit a supple
mental statement, repeating
charges he made in 1850 that the
CIO-PAC had communistic orr
gins about eight years ago.
After much wrangling over pro-
cedure. the committee finally per-
mitted the statement to be read
into the record by Jack Martin
Senator Taft's administrative
assistant.
Malicious, Clayman Says.
It was promptly branded as
malicious" by Jacob Clayman,
director of the Ohio CIO Political
Action Committee, who also called
1t "an old chestnut, a constant
repetition of old charges and a.
foul canard."
Mr.. Clayman said Senator
Taft would run a pretty close
race with Mccarthy and I'm not
sure which would come in first"
Other witnesses waiting to be
heard today include Phil Hannah
an AFL official; O. P. Van Scholk
a campaign supporter of Joseph T.
lost