Newspaper Articles

Parkersburg (AP) - Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn) called Monday night for closing tax loopholes which he said "special privilege in this country walked through like a ten-ton truck."

He advocated withholding federal income tax from dividend and interest checks just as it is now withheld from salaries and wages.

Humphrey quoted the director of the Internal Revenue Service as reporting that the country lost 5 billion dollars in tax revenue last year through tax loopholes, including the lack of a withholding tax on interest and dividends.

If the loopholes were closed and the loss wiped out, he added, "everyone could have a tax reduction."

Humphrey spoke from a boxing ring in the local Veterans of Foreign Wars home. There were about 300 persons in his audience.

The appearance concluded a day of campaigning by Humphrey in Parkersburg. Today, he is in Huntington.

He is campaigning for the May 10 West Virginia primary election. He and Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass) are entered as candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Humphrey said that the Eisenhower administration has "been a miserable, dismal, costly failure."

At a news conference held on the start of another one of his swings through West Virginia, Humphrey gave a tongue-lashing to what he called the "paid hirelings", but disassociated their maneuvers from the man for whom they are working.

"I would suggest that people who are talking about getting smeared take their fingers out of the tar bucket," Humphrey said. He had hinted like this before, but didn't make clear just what he meant.

"I think Sen. Kennedy is much better than the things his people have been saying," Humphrey continued. "Some of these are unbecoming a good man like Jack."

He said he wanted it know that he has a high regard not only for his opponent but for his opponent's numerous and well-known family as well. "They are some of the finest citizens in the country," Humphrey said.

The latest exchange of accusations in the West Virginia primary campaign came over the endorsement of Humphrey by the state Teamsters Council.

Matt Reese, executive secretary of the West Virginians for Kennedy provoked the announcement of the endorsement by accusing E. A. Carter, president of the council, of making a tour to show a "bitter" anti-Kennedy movie.

Kennedy himself read into the state Teamsters support of Humphrey interference by Jimmy Hoffa, president of the national union, and said he was "sure that the people of West Virginia are not going to let Hoffa determine who should be the Democratic nominee for President."