Evening star., 1952-07-05

georgia SenotoI
lNotes Thot His Name
Has Entered Dispute
1W By ihs Assssiessd Prsss
Presidential Candidate Richard
B. Russell Is the latest to rally TO
the defense Of Senator Byrds
farm vote record -one Of the chief
targets Of Francis Pickens Miller
and his senatorial campaign sup.
porters.
The Georgia Democratic Sena-
Tor. In o statement last night. said
the Senate "does not have q more
conscientious or harder working
member" than Senator Byrd.
While Senator Russell. who IL
campaigning for the Democratic
presidential nomination. was put
ting in o good word for his fellow
lawmaker. Mr.. Miller came up
with another attack on Senator
Byrds voting record.
Mr.. Miller. who hopes to unseat
Senator Byrd in the July Is Demo-
cratic primary. said Virginia's
senior Senator voted against Mar
shall Plan aid. sided with the Re.
publicans in an attempt to pre-
vent merchant ships from arming
just before Pearl Harbor and voted
against increasing seryicemen,s
pay from $21 to $50 q month In
1912.
Decides to Comment.
Senator Russell said he had de-
cided to comment on Senator
Byrd's farm voting record because
lit has come to my attention
that my name has been injected
into the Democratic senatorial
contest in Virginia" i
He said Senator Byrd "has DEM
onStrated his knowledge Of and IN
terest in the problems of the farln-
|ers of this country. This is par
|ticularly true with respect to the
soil conservation program. the
original and basic soil conserva-
ton act being passed with Senator
Byrd's support on February Is,
1886" He added:
Senate Bill 27S7 which was
passed by the Senate on December
II, 1887. has, I understand, been
a subject Of much discussion. Both
Senator Byrd and I opposed this
bill due to the very drastic penal
ties against farmers incorporated
therein.
"That bill provided criminal
penalties against farmers violating
rules or regulations issued by the
Secretary of Agriculture. which
position was then occupied by Sec
Iretary Henry Wallace. The bill
contained many Objectionable fea-
lures.
Never Became . Law.
Chiefly. it related to the vast
power vested in the Secretary of
Agriculture over farming activities
and although it was passed in the
Senate over my objection as well
as Senator Byrd's, the House Of
Representatives never adopted IL
and it never became q law"
Senator Russell said another bilI
dealing with the same subject
matter but without the drastic
and punitive provisions" was
passed by the Senate on February
IA, 1898.
He said this bill formed the
basic agricultural legislation
establishing acreage controls and
support prices for tobacco and
other basic commodities" Added
Senator Russell:
"This bill received the support
lof both Senator Byrd and me-"
/ Mr.. Miller hammered away at
Senator Byrd in another of his
statewide radio addresses last
might. He said the Senator In a
speech in Richmond on December
10, 1927. referred to Italian Die
ltator Mussolini as zone Of the few
great. supreme leaders the world
ihaS ever produced"
/ Mr.. Miller said history has
proven Mussolini. assassinated by
italian partisans during World
War II, to be zone of the most
evil men of our time"
/ Cites Un-American Charxe.
He said he mentioned Senator
lByrd's praise Of Mussolini because
the implication is being made in
the senatorial campaign that q
vote for him (Miller) will be un-
American.
"Not long ago." said Mr.. Miller,
while driving along Route II,
labout one mile south Of Glouces-
ter Court House, I came upon a
large billboard upon which was
written: Vote American, return
Harry F. Byrd to the United States
Senate: Maintain your democratic
form Of government"
i He said Senator Byrd thus "has
raised the question Of American
Iism in its sharpest form"
a.. What kind Of an American
are you. (Byrd) to raise the aues-
Ition Of Americanism in relation
to man who has volunteered In
two world wars, who has seer
1--we. years Of active military service
overseas. and who. In the First
World War. was q combat soldier
in the old 1st Division OF the
Regular Army?"
| In addition to criticizing Sena.
:ltor Byrd's voting record again
lllMr. Miller also leveled an attack
lat the Senator because. according
to Mr.. Miller, he allowed hi,
lfranking privilege to be used by
Edward A. Rumely. who was con-
lvicted Of trading with the enemy
.tduring World War I.