The Senate Comes Clean

This week the U. S. Senate got religion. Kicking and struggling like a small boy on his way to get his ears scrubbed, the Senate was dragged up to the baptismal font, ducked and blessed by New Mexico's Carl Hatch.

Longtime missionary for purity in politics is Carl Atwood Hatch of Clovis, N. Mex. But Mr. Hatch believes in gradual, rather than total immersion. Last year he converted a dazed Senate to his bill barring all Federal jobholders* from pernicious political activity. This year he wanted more: to extend this ban to all State jobholders whose salaries are paid, even in part, from Federal funds. For next year he has bigger ideas still, including a revival of Theodore Roosevelt's radical proposal (1907) to let the U. S. Government finance Presidential campaigns.

Last week Missionary Hatch had a little trouble with the congregation. He could console himself with the fact that the week before had been even tougher (TIME, March 18). Rallied behind Gospeleer Hatch were Mahout Charles McNary of Oregon and his 22 Republican elephants, all of them acting like poker-faced converts, but none of whom had ever before shown any absorbing interest in pure politics. At his shoulder were Kentucky's Alben Barkley and Happy Chandler, whose desperately dirty 1938 campaign had roused public support to Hatch Bill I. Then Senate Leader Barkley had used WPA to counteract Governor Chandler's Highways Department payrollers. Now both had seen the light. Said Happy to Alben: "I'm for this bill. I wouldn't want anyone to do to me what I did to you."

What brought these Senatorial headhunters together under the missionary banner of Mr. Hatch was a simple, heathenish fact: they were all interested in breaking up dangerously strong machines in their home States. Against him were arrayed veterans who have spent years of careful effort in building and oiling State machines.

Thus Mr. Hatch's foes included Virginia's Glass & Byrd, bosses of The Old Dominion's tightly controlled courthouse crowd; Mississippi's Bilbo & Harrison, Alabama's Bankhead & Hill; Arkansas's Caraway & Miller, South Carolina's Byrnes & Smith, Nevada's Pittman, Oklahoma's Lee & Thomas--all of them members of powerful State organizations, and therefore mighty fighters for the status quo.

Old & New Dealers rallied or split right down this line. Montana's Murray, Florida's Pepper, Indiana's Minton, Washington's Schwellenbach, Pennsylvania's Guffey, Illinois' Lucas, New Jersey's Smathers--every man-jack a 100% New Dealer, and every one the beneficiary or sponsor of a State machine--bitterly fought the pure-politics bill.

But Mr. Hatch's friends had motives, too. With him, for instance, were West Virginia's Rush Holt & Matthew Neely, who last week, after years of venomous enmity, were reconciled in time of peril. Young Mr. Holt is up for reelection; Mr. Neely wants to be Governor. To win, they must break down the powerful Kump-Holt-Hogg* Statehouse machine. They hit the sawdust trail for Mr. Hatch. In his ranks were also Missouri's Bennett Champ Clark, poignantly interested in crippling the State organization of Governor Lloyd Crow Stark; Georgia's George & Russell, who want to clip the wings of Governor E. D. Rivers.

Equally infuriating to both friends & foes was Mr. Hatch's constant, ironic assumption that every Senator was actuated only by the most high-minded motives. None of the Hatch opponents dared complain; but they all squirmed.

Most violent squirmer was Indiana's handsome, strapping Sherman Minton, chum and henchman of Paul McNutt. "Shay" Minton, his jaw jutting, filled the Senate and the Congressional Record with his plaints for ten days, gave up only after he had been pummeled from wall to wall. Sneered Missouri's Clark: "I have been . . . almost moved to tears by the piteous eloquence of those who have insisted upon the inalienable right of charwomen to be mulcted of 2% of their meagre pay. . . ." Snapped Minton: "... Holier-than-thou act." Of infuriating Mr. Hatch he admitted: ". . . Not a cleaner, finer, more conscientious man in public life today. ... I just think he is cockeyed; that is all." Finally Shay Minton gave up. Said he sadly: "I accept the verdict beforehand, knowing full well what it is going to be, remembering that the swan, dying, sings; and having sung, dies."

With the pompous rectitude of a veteran toper newly pledged and white-ribboned, the Senate passed the bill, sent it to the House. The comedy seemed over: few souls could be found in Washington who thought that Hatch Bill II would ever get past the hard-boiled House Rules Committee.

* Below the ranks of policymakers, big shots.

*Former Governor Herman Guy Kump, Coal Operator Gory Hogg & Governor Homer Holt (distant cousin).

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