THE CONGRESS: Sheppard Report

Ready for Senators' anxious inspection when they returned to their desks this week was a 65-page report, plus 379 pages of documentary evidence, from Chairman Sheppard's Senatorial Campaign Investigating Committee. After long weeks of probing and the expenditure of $54,000 (out of $80,000 appropriated), the Committee came out with little more than the statement that there had been "unjustifiable political activity in connection with the work of the WPA in several States." The Committee did not attack Harry Hopkins' WPAdministration except to call Deputy Administrator Aubrey Williams' famed "Keep your friends in power" speech "unfortunate." The election of no Senator was impugned and Senators Barkley of Kentucky and Stewart of Tennessee were described as ignorant of the WPA pressurizing in their behalf.

Small also were most of the Committee's suggested amendments to the Work Relief act and the Corrupt Practices act, chiefly little plugs for little loopholes. The biggest:

> That it be made a felony (instead of a misdemeanor) for any person to deprive any WPA client of the benefits of the act for political reasons.

> That Federal relief recipients and dispensers alike be forbidden to contribute any money whatsoever to political campaign funds, and relief executives be forbidden to coerce or solicit such funds, or have others do it for them.

Some other suggested prohibitions:

> The use of WPA lists, either of clients or executives, for political purposes.

> Promising relief jobs to get votes.

>The use of Government stationery for political work.

Having failed to down Secretary Morgenthau in an argument on the subject, the Committee urged the Senate to consider the whole question of political contributions by anyone on any Federal payroll.