Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-17
Raps Arrogant
Interests for
Lobbying Drive.
Cites Questionable
Activities by Small
Segment Of Industry
By . star star Correspondent

4x10Mk10N4 GlEls Nxt4., xSU. IL.
President Eisenhower today
vetoed the controversial natural
gas bill because Of arrogant" ef-
forts by q small segment Of the
industry trying to further their
own interests by highly question
able activities"
The President based his veto
entirely on such activities. refer
ring indirectly to the effort by
an oil and gas company lawyer
to make q $4,000 contribution to
the campaign fund Of Senator
Case. Republican Of South Da-
kota.
He said he was thoroughly In
accord with the basic detectives
Of the bill, which would exempt
natural gas producers from Fed
eral utility-type regulation. leav-
ing the main regulation field to
the States while the Federal
Power Commission acted only to
set Q reasonable market price for
gas fed into interstate pipelines.
Would Aid Consumers
But Mr.. Eisenhower suggested
that Congress, in re.enacting
such needed" legislation, in
clude specific language protect
ing consumers in their right to
fair prices"
Mr.. Eisenhower started writing
his veto message on his plane
trip South Wednesday and COM
pleted it during evening ses-
sions at his vacation retreat on
Treasury Secretary Humphreys
Milestone Plantation, White
House Press Secretary James c..
Hagerty told newsmen.
Meanwhile. Senator Lehman,
Democrat Of New York, said to-
day he win ask the Senate Elec-
tons Subcommittee to find out
whether New York factory put
undue pressure on its workers to
support the bill.
It was the first response to an
invitation extended to all Sen
ators to cooperate In Q broad
inquiry the subcommittee has
decided to make into campaign
contributions and corrupt prac-
tees.
According to Senator Lehman,
the company, which he did not
name. distributed to its employees
post cards already inscribed with
support of the natural gas bill,
and addressed to the Senator.
win Present Evidence
Senator Lehman did not charge
this course of action was i'm
proper but said he would turn
the evidence over to the SUBJ
committee. Senator Lehman
added:
Now I have no idea whether
there was any suggestion that
II the employe failed to turn in
. signed post card. he would be
disciplined or punished in any
way. don't know how much
pressure was actually applied to
get those employees to turn In
those post cards. That Is some-
thing which would have to be
factually established by investi-
CATION"
Jury Delays Probe
The Federal grand jury which
Is investigating a $4,000 cam
paign contribution from the
personal funds Of an oil company
president. which Senator Case.
Republican Of South Dakota,
refused to accept. has laid aside
the inquiry until next week.
The Associated Press reported
nom Lincoln, Nebr., today that
Joseph Wishart Of Lincoln, State
Republican finance chairman,
has been subpoenaed to appear
before the jury Monday.
Presumably the jury wants to
ask him about another contribu-
ton. Mr.. Wishart said that last
October in Washington he was
given $500 by John M. Neff,
an attorney for the Superior Oil
Co. OF California. It was Mr..
Men who also handed $4,000 to
q friend Of Senator Case in
South Dakota last month.