Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-07

ate Elections Subcommittee
called a hearing for 2 o'clock
this afternoon. with Senator
Case slated as the first witness.
Senate approval, SO to 38, sent
the bill to the White House. Both
sides in the long-fought battle
expect President Eisenhower will
sign it.
Without further debate, the
Senate today passed the resolu-
ton sponsored by Democratic
Leader johnson of Texas and
Republican Leader Knowland of
California, setting up a special
bipartisan committee of four to
review the Case incident and re-
port back not later than March /.
Nixon Selects Four
Vice President Nixon promptly
appointed the following members
to the special investigating COM
mittee: Senators Hayden of Ari-
iona and George of Georgia.
Democrats; Thye of Minnesota
and Bridges of New Hampshire,
Republicans. The committee is
equally divided both politically
and on the bill. Senators Hay
den and Bridges were for it and
George and Thye against it.
The investigations were touched
off by the revelation by Senator
Case last Friday that a lawyer
interested in passage of the gas
bill left $4,000 in cash with a
friend of the Senator in South
Dakota. explaining it was cam
paign contribution.
John NJ. Neff, 47-year-old Ne
braska lawyer. sent word to SEN
ators yesterday he assumed he
was the man mentioned by Sem
ator Case, but denied the con-
tribution involved any attempt
to influence Senator Cases vote
or had any other strings attached
to it.
Ellender Changes Vote
On the roll call today Senator
Ellender. Democrat of Louisiana,
first voted mo-" but before the
result was announced made it
unanimous by changing his vote.
He told a reporter his first
inclination was that a special
committee was not necessary to
duplicate the work of the exist
ing committee. But he said
Senator johnson pointed out to
him that the special committee
will conflne itself to the Case
mater, whereas the elections
subcommittee may cover a
broader field.
Senator Case, who has repeat
ediy welcomed the investigation,
asked the presiding officer If it
was customary for a Senator to
refrain from voting on any reso-
luton affecting him as an indi-
Vidual.
Senator George of Georgia,
president pro tenn. explained that
a Senator is required to vote un-
less he asks to be excused. Sem
ator Case said he would not
make such a request. and voted
for the resolution.
Higher Rates Predicted
Opponents of the bill contend
it will mean higher rates for
consumers who cook or heat
their homes with natural gas.
Backers of the bill insist the
reasonable market price form
ula will protect consumers from
unreasonable increases resulting
from higher prices at the WE'LL
head
Both political parties were split
over the gas bill, but the Repub-
licans gave it stronger support
than the Democrats. In the end.
81 Republicans and % Demo-
Gratis voted for it. Recorded
against it were "a Democrats and
IA Republicans.
1t became apparent the bill
would pass when the first test
vote. on a motion to send it back
to committee. failed, 81 to 80.
Supporters then beat down
every attempt to change the bill.
One amendment might have
blocked final enactment by send
ing the bill back to the House,
which passed it last year.