Evening star., 1954-01-18
.byrdAttdcks
and
Sets Off Feud
Each Democrat Says
The Other Tried
To Make Deal
BY the Assoeioted Press

BY the Assoeioted Press
Maryland's 1854 Democratic
primary campaign broke for the
first time into open feuding yes
terday with each of the two
candidates for governor charging
the other tried to get him into
a political deal.
DR. H. c. Byrd opened the fir
ing He said at a television press
conference in Baltimore that
George p. Mahoney offered not
to seek nomination for governor
If DR.. Byrd would back him for
controller.
Mr.. Mahoney, reached later.
called the statement entirely
untrue" and said it was DR.. Byrd
who did the proposing. He said
DR.. Byrd visited him twice at
his home and once at his Balti-
more Office last fall and urged
HIM to run for controller.
"The plan was so fantastic
and unrealistic that under no
circumstances would ] entertain
IT." Mr.. Mahoney said.
To Stand by Tawes.
DR.. Byrd had made the state
ment after he was asked if there
was any truth to a rumor that
ne had tried to get Mr.. Mahoney
TO run for controller. DR.. Byrd
| said 1t was Mr.. Mahoney who
mad advanced the idea and that
ne, DR.. Byrd. turned him down.
I told him I could not leave
Millard Tawes." he said.
Mr.. Tawes. now rounding out.
a four-year term as controller
and the only Democrat in a high
state Office, announced over the
week end he would seek re-elec-
ton. He and DR.. Byrd are rela-
tives and close friends, but Mr..
TaweS declined to say whether
he would back DR.. Byrd or Mr.
Mahoney in the race for gover-
nor
Byrd's Version of Talk.
On the television program. DR..
Byrd was asked if he had made
any kind of proposals to Mr..
Mahoney.
| oh, We talked about a lot of
things" he said. He added that
he expressed a willingness to
help Mr.. Mahoney in any way he
could but to support him for
controller was one thing could
not do"
Mr.. Mahoney. expressing him
self as "astonished." gave this
version.
First of all. never asked
or agreed to run with him for
controller. DR.. Byrd proposed
it and said that he would work
1t out with Millard Tawes. He
said he would place Tawes in
some high position in the State
! government.
DR.. Byrd had an alternate
proposal for me. He said that
II he could not work this out
with Tawes. he would only serve
two years as Governor and then
run for the United States Senate
in 1856. He said he would use
his influence with the State
Legislature to have me finish
his unexpired term. He stated
that it was his genuine desire to
go to Washington"
Mahoney Astonished.
Mr., Mahoney said his former
campaign manager, Hugo r..
Hoffman. attended the meetin,.
with DR.. Byrd. which Mr.. Ma.
honey said took place in "either
late September or early Oc-
tober" and lasted six and a half
hours.
DIR. Byrd asked me to treat
our conference with confidence, +"
ne said. This request hon.
ored. I was. therefore, aston
iShed today to see and hear him
violate this confidence on tele-
vision"
Mr.. Hoffman today said Ma
honey's version was the simple
truth"
MIR. Hoffman declared: Il am
somewhat amused and terribly
disappointed to find that DR..
Byrd, in his first television ap-
pearance of the campaign, has
preached code of ethics which
he indorsed a week or so ago by
mlSrepreSenting what occurred
at a meeting between himself and