Evening star., 1954-10-23

breakdown on
Oyster Pirates
Tells Charles County
Farmers He'd Work
For Tobacco Export
By Alex R. Preston
Star Sioff cer-ssponisnt

Ing Southern Maryland water.
men and farmers:
I. He would appoint members
Of the Tidewater Fisheries Com
who would crack down
on Virginia fishermen and
oystermen for taking seafood IL
legally in the Potomac River.
2. He used ''quite a bit of in
fiuence" on the Truman admin
istration to prevent an increase
in the tariff on watches from
Switzerland, the country that
purchases most of Southern
Maryland's top-grade tobacco.
He would use his influence as
Governor to have the tariff cut
back from the level it has reached
under the Eisenhower admins
tration.
In another development, word
reached here that DR.. Byrd's di-
vorce has been injected into the
campaign by circulation in the
courthouse at Annapolis Of a
one-page mimeographed sheet
purporting to contain excerpts
from testimony of the Nevada
trial.
Had Been Expected.
Byrd campaign headquarters
in Baltimore had expected this.
At the beginning of the week
campaign aides discussed off
the record with a reporter for
The Star reports that DR.. Byrd's
opponent. Republican Gov. Nc
Keldin, would use the divorce in
an attempt to win votes in Cath
Ollie Maryland.
Gov. McKeldin's Office has de-
MED it had anything to do with
the material.
Byrd headquarters had been
pondering whether to "bcat
them to the punch" by being
the first to mention the divorce
or whether to answer after the
other side brought it into the
campaign.
Appearance of the material
yesterday indicates the decision
finally arrived at was to let it
come from the opposite camp,
in the hopes that such tactics
would boomerang.
Campaign headquarters dis
cussed with The Star reporter
the type of response they had
in mind and indicated it would
be prompt.
DR.. Byrd was divorced in 1884
by Mrs. Kate Turnbull Byrd.
They have four children. One Of
them, Mrs. Evelyn jackson, o
pretty blue-eyed brunette, trav-
eled with the candidate here in
st. Marys County yesterday. as
she has through most of his
Statewide tour. +~
After making a handshaking
visit through the northern end
of the county. DR.. Byrd and his
running mates, Controller j.
Millard Tawes, C. Ferdinand
Sybert for attorney general.
Richard E. Lankford for Con-
gress from the 5th district and
local candidates, spoke at atrally
in the courthouse here. About
125 showed up at the mid-after-
noon affair.
DR.. Byrd exclaimed: "The idea
of the State of Maryland allow
ing citizens of Virginia to come
into the Potomac River and do
ing almost anything they please,
while citizens of st. Marys and
Charles Counties are thrown
into Jail for doing the same
things! That is something we
should not stand for and some
thing that I. as Governor, would
do something about"
Promises Men Of Action.
At q Lexington Park dinner
rally, he said he would put men
on the fisheries commission
"who will take action"
He also reported his intention
] to appoint a new State Roads
Commission when he said.
"There'll be new men on 1t, you
can count on that"
The question of tariffs. on
Swiss watches has been used as
an issue principally by Mr..
Landlord in his campaign
against Representative Small.
Republican. The contention Is
that If Switzerland pays higher
tariffs, its sales of watches drop
off and consequently it is not in
a position to buy as much Mary
land tobacco for cigarette manu-
facture.
"I remember a few years ago.
DR.. Byrd said, when Truman
was President. I went to Wash
ington and used quite a bit OF
Tinfiuence--to be perfectly frank
with you--to keep the tariff of
Swiss watches. ! worked hard
and Truman kept that tariff oil.
If elected Governor, I'll do every
thing can to get that
tariff off,"
| DR.. Byrd never mentioned the
segregation question, although
copies of his formal statement,
favoring handling the question by
local school boards, were placed
on each seat in the courthouse
But the man who introduced
him, Philip H. Dorsey, referred
to it when he praised DR.
Byrd's stand. II believe" Mr.
Dorsey said, that if we left II
I'D to our local school board we
would be able to continue ouI
Maryland way Of life."
Mr.. Dorsey was candidate for
attorney general as a running
mate Of DR.. Byrd's primary op.
ponent, George P. Mahoney.
Mr.. Mahoney carried the
county over DR.. Byrd by 1884
votes and also carried 1t by 1000
votes in 1850 when he rar
against Gov. Lane. Mr.. Malone,
| lost the county in the 1852 sena-
torial primary against former