O'Daniel Pays His Tithe

When psalm-singing, radiorating Wilbert Lee ("Pass the Biscuits, Pappy") O'Daniel became Texas' 32nd Governor, he turned over his flour company to his two good-looking young sons, Pat and Mike. He also left them a sales idea that sounded sure-fire for Bible Belt sales of Hillbilly Flour: a tithe certificate with every sack. Purchasers of Hillbilly turned over the certificates to their churches as coupon shares in 10% of the profits of W. Lee O'Daniel Flour Co., reputed to have made Lee O'Daniel a comfortable fortune before he went to Austin.

Last week it was tithing time, but Hillbilly had had a bad year. To 917 pastor-holders of tithing certificates went a rueful letter from the O'Daniel boys:

"Instead of making a profit for 1939 our company lost a lot of money. We think our company lost money because so many grocers quit handling Hillbilly flour because dad was trying to get some kind of a tax bill* passed so the State could pay pensions to the old folks. . . . But we had a big surprise coming to us. ..."

Big surprise was Lee O'Daniel's gesture of rescue for the soured promotion stunt. He gave the boys a tithe of his $12,000 salary as Governor, to be distributed to churches in 15 States. To his $1,200 Pat and Mike added $111 more, sent out checks to tithe-takers ranging from 5-c- to $24. Average church participation: $1.43.

* Soundly defeated was Governor O'Daniel's plan for a 1.6% transaction tax for old-age pensions.

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