Evening star., 1951-12-14
Beck Chances
ForConfirmation
Seen Brighter
Senote Agents Probe
In Missouri Held Aid
To Truman Nominee
By Don S. Warren
Stor Sfaff Correspondenf

President Truman's choice of Earl
w. Beck Of this old Truman baili-
wick as the Districts next Re-
corder Of Deeds at $1,000 a year
probably has an improved chance
now Of being confirmed by the
Senate.
Senate District Committee in
vestigators. sent here to look into
Mr.. Beck's background Commit
tee Counsel Gerard P. Van Arkel
and Robert Albrook, aide to Re-
publican Senator Case Of South
Dakota-yesterday wound up q
four-day inquiry.
AS yet they are short Of any
final findings of fact-their prime
job. Before they draft a report
they are awaiting a transcription
of some dusty 11-year-old steno-
graphic notes.
Records of Hearing.
These, now promised. are the
as yet untranscribed testimony Of
original witnesses at Kansas City
school board hearings in 1910 on
demands for the custer of Mr..
Beck from his 15-year job as head
of the Jackson County Home for
Negro Boys and Girls.
He later resigned under this fire.
Mr.. Van Arkel and Mr.. Albrook
say they are not assigned to rec
ommend whether Mr.. Beck should
be confirmed. Instead they stress
they were sent here to uncover
facts. They are bringing back q
testimony record of thousands Of
words.
BY rough estimate the cost Of
this inquiry will be about $4,000.
Reputation Endorsed.
The record taken here does not
show Mr.. Beck as a shining light,
but the committee agents heard a
number of witnesses testify as to
his reputation, good intentions
and civic works. Mr.. Van Arkel
commented: I'VE found here that
Mr.. Beck was not the bad actor in
that welfare agency post that had
been suggested by earlier reports
to the District Committee.
He added, on the other hand.
there was no evidence that Mr..
Beck had any special qualifica-
tions for the Washington job.
Mr.. Albrook voiced no disagree
ment with such an informal sum-
mary but said that for the present
he would have to remain non
committal.
MIR. Beck. in rebuttal testimony
here yesterday, denied that he
had mistreated or neglected his
wards at the county institution.
Reticent in Senate.
/ But some of his answers to
Questions. reporters were told,
were not exactly responsive. This
recalled that members of the
Senate District Committee, fol-
lowing the October hearings
there, withheld confirmation be-
cause they felt the candidate had
not been candid in answering
some senatorial inquiries.
After his examination here yes
terday, Mr.. Beck told reporters
ne still hoped he would be con-
firmed.
He was highly complimentary
of investigators Van Arkel and
Albrook. They asked me oues-
tions in very cordial manner"
he said. And he spoke of their
work as very efficient" The
District Committee staff agents.
he went on, were definitely fair
and Christian-like" in their in.
quiry.
| To this he added that he could
have no criticism of the District
COMMITTEE for ordering its inquiry
into his background. In view of
the charges that had been aired
by the School Board here, he said.
the District Committee could not
have done otherwise"
Attorney Is Witness.
One Of the last witnesses here
was Wallace Sutherland, an at
torney, who was a member of the
School Board from 1884 to 1910.
and its president for two years.
1936-1938. This covered much of
Mr.. Beck's 15-year career as head
OF the welfare agency.
Mr.. Sutherland told the commit.
tee agents the School Board ac-
tion in 1910 calling for Mr.. Beck's
removal was in no sense inspired
by politics"
Some of the Beck supporters
have blamed the action against
him on the successful 1e39-4o
drive to get "Pendergast men" out
of Office.
Custer Unanimous.
Mr.. Sutherland told the District
Committee agents the School
Board here was bipartisan with
Il
three Democratic members and
three Republicans In its actions.
he said. the School Board was
"non-partisan." He stressed this
by confirming reports that the
School Board action. for the Beck
custer had been unanimous.
Mr.. Sutherland said the 1o4o
School Board was not much i'm
pressed with testimony that Mr.
Beck had beaten" his wards in
discipline cases. He said the
board was convinced that Mr.
Beck had been careless or dere-
lict in the daily management of
institution. This was in keeping
with one Of the views of STATE
Circuit Court Judge Ray G. Co.
wan. an earlier witness, that one
OF the troubles with Mr.. Beck was
that he had taken too many va
cations.