Evening star., 1951-08-26
Byrd Neighbors
Eat Chicken at
Annual Picnic
Senator Plays Host
To 5000 voIley Folk
At Shenandoah Farm
By George Kennedy
Ssov Stoff CorFespondent

BERRYvILLE, Va. Aug. 25.-
Senator Byrd Of Virginia is grow
ing old he says, but he is not
fading away" he assured some
5000 neighboring country people
at his annual picnic today.
From the back Of a truck, he
referred to his 18 years in the
upper house and said:
'I would rather represent Vir-
ginia in that capacity than have
any Office within the gift of the
people of the nation"
The picnic was a success, as
have been all the Byrd picnics
The Senator recalled that in the
% years Of this event, it has
rained only once.
There we're distinguished poll
ticians in attendance. Gov. Battle
former Gov. William M. Tuck
Willis B. Robertson, Virginia''
Junior Senator. and Representa-
tive Harrison, who represents the
upper Valley of Virginia In tht
House, we're among those MUNICH.
ing fried chicken.
Also there was the Premier o1
South Australia, Thomas G
Playford, and a Mr.. Watts of New
Zealand, both interested in apple
culture.
Mostly Valley Folks.
But the bulk of the people who
drove into the vast orchards and
left a new car standing under
every tree, were Shenandoah VAL
ley residents, none Of whom live
far from a Byrd orchard.
Three thousand box lunches
were handed out over a long coun-
ter in front of the big log house
that used to be Senator Byrd's
summer home, in the shade of ar
oak grove.
Gov. Battle told the audienc'
Virginia not only has All Clubs, i
now has 3-H Clubs. The three HIS
he said, stood for Hurry Harry
Home" He concluded by saying
that he would "leave it to this yer!
intelligent audience which Harry
is meant"
Senator Byrd, when he regaineC
the microphone on the truck plat
form, said he was glad that th'
Governor had made clear that HI
was not the Harry referred to
He entertained the picnickers b!
reading them a letter Presiden
Truman had written him on Jan
uary 7, with Byrd interpretations
The Senator read the presiden-
tial greeting that started the let.
ter, Dear Harry"
Bid for Virginia Vote.
He said that Mr.. Truman had
come to him at the Democratic
Convention Of 1914 and asked il
he would get the Virginia dele
CATION to vote for Truman fol
Vice President.
Mr.. Truman knew, the Senator
said, that the Virginia vote fol
him was not a personal one.
He said:
1T was a choice between two
evils to vote for Mr.. Truman
The other candidate was Mr.
Henry Wallace, who had re-
ceived 400 votes that day and who
needed only 200 more to be nomi-
mated.
1--WE had been supporting Bank
head. I don't regret our switch
to Mr.. Truman, because if Wal
lace had become President, we
would have been turned over tC
the Russians"
"It's bold man who will write
a letter to Mr.. Truman. I didn't
desire to offend him in any way
I wrote the most conciliatory
statement that ! could compose.
When he read from Mr.. Tru-
mans letter a line that Present
conditions are such now, however
that it is necessary to tax unit
it hurts" the Senator interpo.
lated:
II didn't say anything abou
taxing until it hurts. / said cu
unnecessary expenditures until i
hurts"
He agreed with the Presiden'
when he came to a paragraph il
the letter that said that there were
"some policy approaches On which
we naturally would not agree"
The Senator said:
IF I were asked today to name
the New Deal measures that
favor, I could not name a single
one"
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