Evening star., 1957-04-21

complaints was against the system
the committee used to classify var
ious campaign contributors. The
subcommittee staff had compiled
categories of individual contributors
which Included breakdowns into IL
selected families. such as the du
Points, Rockefellers, Pews and
Whitneys, showing that about 90
per cent of their contributions went
to Republican efforts. Similar
categories, which also showed the
Democrats on the short end, in
cluded officials of 225 Of the larg-
est corporations. officials Of 88
corporations participating in the
atomic energy program. officials of
100 largest military prime contrac-
tors, and officials Of airlines. radio
and television station licensees,
advertising agencies. underwriters
of investment bonds. and several
business and professional groups.
One category that showed pre-
ponderance of gifts to the Demo-
Gratis was that listing labor leaders.
Soys Lists Incomplete
Senator Schoeppel cited numer-
Gus minor errors, including typo
graphical slips. but he concerned
himself for the most part with
the failure Of the report to place
in the special categories all the
$500-plus contributors named in
the consolidated lists which COM
prised the bulk Of the bulky report.
He pointed to numerous instances
Of Democrats who had been in
cluded in the consolidated lists,
but had not been carried forward
to the special categories.
The Democrats answered the
charges on April IL when Senator
Gore, who had been chairman Of
the Privileges and Elections Sub
committee at the time the report
was written. told the Senate that
Senator Schoeppels charges COM
prised partisan effort to dis
credit the report"
Senator Gore pointed out that
each Of the special categories car
ried was accompanied by an ex-
planation to the effect that the
master list of contributors might
include names that were not re-
ceived in time to be included in
the special list.
He explained that the master
lists, reproduced in the report by
a Photographic process just as they
came from IBM machines, were
being added to the report right
up to the day it went to press. 1t
was impossible. he said, to carry
some Of the late listings forward
to the special lists and, therefore.
there were instances in which
Democratic contributions-and Re-
publican contributions, too-were
omitted from the special lists.
In his reply. Senator Gore de-
clared that the points raised by
Senator Schoeppel did not change
in any way the conclusions the
subcommittee reached. In fact, he
contended that a further carrying
forward from the master lists to
the special lists would have further
increased the Republican edge over
the Democrats in money received.
Exploins Omission
Senator Schoeppel had accused
the subcommittee Of omitting the
name of a Rockefeller, who had
contributed to the Democrats, from
the list of wealthy family contribu-
tors. Senator Gore explained that
this particular Rockefeller had be-
come divorced from her Rockefeller
husband several years ago.
Senator Gore conceded that the
report included typographical err
rors. misspellings and occasional"
errors in arithmetic. But he
insisted that such mistakes do
not change the essential meaning
Of the report" officials Of the staff
blamed 'pressures of time" for
what they called 'inadvertencies."
IF our motivation had been
political, Special Counsel John
Moore said I'VE could have buried
the fact that the largest single
contributor ($70,564) was a Demo-
crat."
There the matter rests. But a
number of Republicans feel that
Senator Schoeppels attack on the
integrity Of the report will block
substantial G. o. p. support for any
bill based on the report.
But perhaps the last word hasn't
been said yet. The special commit
tee set UP to investigate lobbying
and campaign expenditures,
chaired by Senator John Mcclellan,
is due to issue its report by May /.
What legislation II will suggest, II
any, remains to be seen.