Evening star., 1951-09-01
Senator's Are Split
Over Future Course
Of Crime Probes
By Mirium Ottenbera

AAC OSAAAtO ~ AAAAC AAANNotAS dbAll6
Committees final call for a Dis
triGt crime investigation and a
continuing crusade against rack
eteers and their political allies left
Senators at odds today over
where to go from here.
The crime committee, In
strongly recommending" a thor
ough Senate investigation of
crime in the District and nearby
areas, omitted to say which COM
mittee should do the job.
And members of the Senate
Commerce Committee, which in
herits the crime committees files
and duties. differed over what
course they should pursue.
Enthusiasm Is Lacking.
i A lack Of enthusiasm for con-
tinued crime investigating in
some quarters was matched by
Republican demands to carry on
both District and national probes.
Senator Hunt, Democrat, of
! Wyoming. member of both the
Crime and Commerce Commit
tees. announced he will urge a
Itwo-year halt in formal investi-
cations. He declared that I'VE
have shown the conditions which
exist and should concentrate now
on pressing for corrective legis-
lation."
Taking the opposite view, Sena-
tor Capehart, Republican, of In
diana, a Commerce Committee
member. said his group should
continue to make crime investiga- :
tions. not only In the District but
throughout the United States.
| 'Tf this committee doesn't do
this" Senator Capehart added,
about all we will get out of the
crime committees investigation is
a couple of good television shows
and a book"
Refers to Kefauver Book.
He was referring to the tele-
viSed crime hearings and Crime
in America" the book on the
crime picture written by Senator
Kefauver. Democrat, of Tennessee.
Senator Wiley. Republican, of
Wisconsin the Crime Committee
member most outspoken in urging
a full probe Of District vice and
alleged corruption. complained
that the crime groups final re-
port should have spelled out to
the Commerce Committee specific
areas still requiring investigation.
| The report, outside of pin-point-
ing the District situation and urg-
ing an investigation here, simply
recommended that "the study of
organized crime be continued" 4"
The whole emphasis of the re-
port was that crime must be
attacked by the citizens themselves
through privately-operated crime
commissions across the country.
The report. however. did call for
a parent body for these crime
commissioners National Crime
o-ordinating Counsel. This group
would be financed at. the outset
by a 100000 appropriation but
thereafter would have to do it's
own financing and would be non
governmental.
Senator johnson, Democrat, of
Colorado, chairman of the Com
merce Committee, took no sides in
the current controversy over in
vestigations versus concentrating
on pushing through the Crime
Committees % bills.
The Commerce chairman said it
probably would be September IL
before he could get his committee
together for a vote on how to pro-
coed.
That may delay a decision on
a District crime probe, too. The
Senate District Committee. which
voted last April to investigate
crime here but has been unable
to get the money. is hoping for
a decision next Wednesday from
the Senate Rules Committee,
which holds the purse strings. The
Rules Committee may decide to
withhold a decision on whether to
give the District group money for
the investigation until 1t finds out
whether the Commerce Committee
would be willing to conduct the
crime probe here. h
Senator Kefauver, who had
plenty of opposition is months
ago when he fought to get al
national crime investigation start
ed, said he plans to confer with
number of Senators to see which
committee should take over the
District crime probe.