Evening star., 1951-04-10
Mississippi Faction
Sought RFC influence,
Job Sale Probe Hears
Rx The Assoeiated Pres. !

BY the Associated Press
JACKSON. Miss, April TO-
Senate investigating cornn1itte
was told at a hearing here tha
pro- Trumanites in Mississippi
sought to bolster their Demo
cratic faction with influence il
lRFC loans.
A Senate expenditures subcom
Imittee began public hearings yes
Iterday into charges that Fedora
jobs were sold by. prc-Truma,
Democrats. @
Forrest jackson. a Jackson at
Itorney. told the .subco ornmitte,
that the pro-Trunan party j,
Mississippi wanted to rebuild it
organization by influencing tn,
granting. of RFC loans.
The pro- -Trumanites were or
lganized in 1948 to support Presi
dent Truman after regular Demo
lcrats in Mississippi had switched
their allegiance to the States
Rights ticket.
Correspondence on Record.
Francis Flanagan. the commit
tees chief investigator. placed il
the record at yesterdays opening
hearing copies of correspondence
between Mr.. Jackson. Clarence
Hood, former acting nationa
committeeman, and officials il
Washington. Mr.. Hood was de-
posed as committeeman aftel
Senators Eastland and Stennis
Mississippi Democrats, demanded
an investigation of reported jot
selling in the State.
The investigating committee i
composed of Chairman Hoey ant
Senators Mcclellan, Democrat. O
Arkansas, and Mundt. Republican
of South Dakota.
One of Mr.. Hoods letters asket
for information about a $3.5 mil
lion RFC loan application from
the Mississippi Chemical Corp
of Yazoo City.
This is controlled by the. Mis-.
sissippi Farm Bureau. a Fascist.
Dixiecrat organization" the let.
ter said. ut might be necessary
to give them the same treatment
as planned for REA. On its plant
at Columbia"
Proposal Still Unapproved.
The REA proposal to build 9
steam generating plant at Co.
lumbia has not been approved.
A jackson letter quoted by Mr.
Flanagan said that "the loans hac
gone through the Senators ano
congressman without discussions
between the RFC and the Demo
cratic committee which was sup
posed to have referral on Federal
funds in Mississippi"
Mr.. Flanagan asked Mr.. Jack.
son if he thought RFC loans shoule
be made on a political basis.
II RFC loans are going to have
any political color-if they are
going to consult the Senators ano
Congressmen-then Mr.. Hood Ger.
tainly should be consulted" Mr.
Jackson replied.
I'm other words" Mr.. Flanagan
asked.' "you felt your committee
should be consulted by some one
in Washington in reference t<
RFC loans? Part of your plan te
rebuild the Democratic Party ir
Mississippi (the pro-Truman par.
ty) was to have influence in grant.
ing RFC loans?"
f That's right" Mr.. Jackson re-
piled.
Get His Money Back. 3
Three other witnesses told the
Senate group Of negotiations for 8
So ,300-a-year job as a rural mai
carrier in Northern Mississippi
Sidney Ayres and E. G. Mooreheac
made $1,000 voluntary contribu.
tions" to the pro-Truman COM
mittee under the impression the
payments were necessary to gel
the job. Mr.. Ayres didn't get the
job and his money was refunded
The third man, Carl Ferrell, tes.
titled that pro-Truman Secretary
Curtis Rogers, had told him thai
I'VE understand you are willing ts
pay $4,000 for this job.
Mr.. Ferrell said he replied thai
he didn't have that much money
and wouldn't pay it if he did. Mr.
Ferrell said Mr.. Hood ended tht
interview by remarking with 6
laugh. That's a lot of money
isn't it?"
Sent $3.50 to Group.
Luther Green, another witness
linked the pro-Trumanites direct.
ly with a postal job. Mr.. Green
acting postmaster at Oakland
since October /, said he was ap.
pointed after sending a $3.50
check to Mrs, Claude Murphy, 9
member of the group. Mr.. Greer
said Mrs. Murphy told him it wa.
customary for successful appli.
cants to contribute to the com.
mittee.
Frank Mize. chairman of thu
pro-Truman committee, testified
that the group felt that ''to tn.
victors belong the spoils" and de.
cided after President Truman's in.
auguration to seek control Of Fed.
eral patronage in Mississippi.
! Mr.. Mize said the committee
hired Glen Boem, Washington in
dustrial consultant. for 81, 500 te
help in contracting various Gov.
ernment agencies and bureaus.
Mr.. Mize told the Senators hi
could not remember discussing 6
rural mail-carrier appointment
with Early Embrey of Coldwater
Miss, but that he might have