Evening star., 1952-09-11
U. 5. to0penFi|e
On Kansas City
Vote Fraud Case
Will Permit Probers
To Study Secret Doto
On Ballots Theft
By George Beveridqe

IIIIOuSH CIle JuSClCe departments S
voluminous files on the 1916 Kan
sas City vote fraud cases, it was
learned today.
Representative Bakewell, Re-
publican. of Missouri, member
President Declares He Knows Nothing Of
Pressure on CoudIe. Poee A.
ia Employees Fired by Revenue Bureou in
Ieor, Snyder Soys. Poqe AZ
~~--
of the House subcommittee inves-
tigating the department, said he
will come to Washington Monday
to make the check.
Mr.. Bakewell told The Star by
telephone from St. Louis that
Subcommittee Chairman Chelf
has advised him the files will be
opened. He said it will be the
first time they have been avail
able.
After his investigation, Mr..
Bakewell said. he will recommend
to the subcommittee whether he
thinks it should make an all-outI
inquiry into the Justice Depart
ment's part in the controversial
case.
Ballots Stolen From Safe.
The department repeatedly dis
missed cases against % Of % de-
PENDANTS involved in the Kansas
City matter. They had been in
dicted after the theft of ballots
from a courthouse safe, where
they had been placed for a post
election audit.
While the handling of the vote
fraud cases has been studied by
numerous Capitol Hill groups, Mr..
Bakewell said the "full story never
has been told to my satisfaction. ;"
Among the things he wants to-
go into, Mr.. Bakewell said, are
charges that the FBI was not
given a free hand to investigate
the cases.
Il want to go into the whole
matter as thoroughly and as
painstakingly as I possibly can
and try to clear it up once and
for ALL" he declared.
Caudle Questioned.
T. Lamar Caudle, ousted last
November as head of the Justice
Departments tax division, was
chief Of the criminal division atI
the time of the Kansas City cases.
During closed questioning last
week subcommittee members said
they asked Mr.. Caudle about the
Kansas City matter and were mot
completely satisfied with his ex-
plantations"
At that time, however, the sub
committee officials indicated they
had not decided whether to pur-
sue the Kansas City matter in
detail.
Mr.. Caudle is slated to testify
IN public session a week from to-
day. Thus far, Chairman Chelf
has indicated that he will be
questioned about his handling of
specific tax cases and the cir
cumstances of his custer by Pre-
sident Truman last year.
Next Wednesday, the House
probers will question former At
torney General ]. Howard Nc
Grath about charges that the
Justice Department last year
failed to cooperate with a st.
Louis grand jury tax inquiry.
Slack Removal Expected.
Meanwhile, Attorney General
McGranery is expected this week
to remove Ellis N. Slack as acting
chief of the Tax Division. MIR.
Slack has been charged with fos-
tering a preliminary grand jury
report designed to bring the tax
inquiry to an end. He has de-
MED the charges. contending he
was sent to st. Louis in March,
1851, to assist the grand jury.
In his public testimony, Mr..
Slack said he was unable to re-
call any specific instructions hs
was given when he was sent to
st. Louis on two occasions.
Informed sources said Mr.. Nc
Granery probably would shift Mr..
Slack to another post, rather than