"People Would Be Shocked!"

Senator Pat Harrison was vacationing in California, Senator Joe O'Mahoney was in Wyoming resting up for his Monopoly Investigation. So in Washington last week the committee charged with policing 1938's Senate campaigns was stripped down to dutiful little Senator Sheppard of Texas (chairman), urbane Senator White of Maine (the sole Republican), lumbering Senator David Ignatius Walsh of Massachusetts. In an air-conditioned office at the Capitol, this trio scanned reports from ten field investigators, kept the press informed of its opinions on the political campaign.

The Committee exonerated Harry Hopkins of wrongdoing in predicting that 90% of all WPAsters would vote for Franklin Roosevelt if he were now running for re-election (TIME. Aug. 1). This, said the Committee, was a direct reply to a newshawk's question, not coercion of WPAsters.

The Committee indicated several States where it was looking into campaign troubles, among them:

California, where Senator McAdoo's opponents charged a 5% salary "shakedown" of Federal employes for his campaign fund. Mr. McAdoo's reply: slander & libel by "desperate men."

Kentucky, where the Committee told Senator Barkley to hurry up and send back his campaign expenditures questionnaire. A Committee investigator was sent back to look further into charges of WPA support for Mr. Barkley and also into the operation of Governor Chandler's State machine. Mr. Chandler (see p.11) frankly admitted to the Committee that State employes had been chosen chiefly from among his friends. But the Committee's biggest news was Tennessee. Upon scanning an investigator's report on that State, the Committee quickly sent him--and six more men--back for further details. While Senator 'Walsh huffed & puffed about "worse than gutter politics," Senator Sheppard on almost the eve of Tennessee's election issued an unprecedented statement.

The fight of Governor Gordon Browning and Senator George L. Berry for renomination had been a Democratic battle royal with no holds barred, for out to break them was another tough political alliance consisting of Memphis' potent Boss Ed Crump and Tennessee's other Senator, bumbling Kenneth McKellar. Boss Crump had tuned up his machine (accustomed to turning out a net majority of 70,000 for his candidates), and Senator McKellar swung in his Federal patronage for their candidates (Prentice Cooper for Governor, Tom Stewart* for Senator). So Messrs. Browning and Berry, fighting for their political lives with the aid of the State machine, missed no possible tricks before the primary this week.

Senator Walsh snorted, without disclosing details: "It is almost unbelievable that a political election could reach such a low level! . . . The American people would be shocked!" Senator Sheppard said in advance that the campaign looked so bad it pointed "sharply toward an election contest in the U. S. Senate, regardless of which group's candidate triumphs."

* Who was prosecutor of the famed Monkey Trial of evolution-teaching John T. Scopes (TIME, May 18, 1925, et seq.).

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