Hatched by Dempsey

One of the most popular men in Washington is red-faced, white-haired John J. Dempsey, New Mexico's lone Representative in the House. Onetime water boy on a railroad, hard-working Jack Dempsey fought his way to success, then, with the profits of some Oklahoma oil, went to New Mexico to retire. Instead, he got into politics up to his neck. He first entered Congress in 1935. In six years, he saw 99 of his bills become law--a legislative record.

Last winter, the Senate passed Hatch Bill II, prohibiting political activity by State employes who are paid in whole or in part from Federal funds. Many a Senator voted for it, for the simple, political reason that he was confident it would never pass the House. Experts gave the bill no better than a 10-to-1 chance. At this point scrappy Jack Dempsey stepped in, told his friends: "I'm going to pass that bill."

The Hatch Bill never had the support of the Administration. It was strenuously opposed by the Democratic leaders in the House. Its most formidable opponent was Texas' old, respected Hatton Sumners, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, where the bill reposed. The Committee, horrified by the bill's proposed reforms, held a secret ballot, announced a vote of 14-to-10 to table the measure. Congressman Dempsey thereupon raised Congress' roof by announcing that 13 members told him afterwards they had voted for the bill. He started a petition to extricate the bill from the Committee. Embarrassed Congressmen stayed away from Mr. Dempsey's petition in droves. Back he went to the Committee members, wheedled, cajoled and bullied them for almost a month. Finally, by an open vote, the Hatch Bill passed the Judiciary Committee, 16-to-8.

The fight was not yet won. Dempsey had to get the measure through the Rules Committee before it could reach the floor of the House. To Rules Committee members he said: "I'm a member of this committee and I want you men to give me this rule just because it's me." They gave him enough votes, and at last the bill was sent to the House. There Hatton Sumners made a final, vitriolic attack on it. With unfading zeal Mr. Dempsey stuck to his guns. The bill passed, 243-to-122. At week's end the Senate concurred, without debate. The final bill as approved by both Houses limited expenditure by a political party to $3,000,000 in a single year, limited single campaign contributions to, $5,000, prohibited fund-raising devices such as the Democratic yearbook. As soon as the President signs it, the bill will become a law.

Having jacked his legislative score to an even 100 bills, Jack Dempsey, hale & hearty at 61, indicated that he would leave the House, run for the Senate in the fall. His opponent: New Mexico's Senator Dennis Chavez, whose relatives were once involved in a WPA scandal (they were later tried and acquitted), thoroughly disapproved of the Hatch Bill from the start.

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