Oral History Program Edward Vendell Interviewed by Patricia Buchanan 15 July 1980 i Oral History Program Weber State University Stewart Library Ogden, Utah Edward Vendell Interviewed by Patricia Buchanan 15 July 1980 Copyright © 2014 by Weber State University, Stewart Library ii Mission Statement The Oral History Program of the Stewart Library was created to preserve the institutional history of Weber State University and the Davis, Ogden and Weber County communities. By conducting carefully researched, recorded, and transcribed interviews, the Oral History Program creates archival oral histories intended for the widest possible use. Interviews are conducted with the goal of eliciting from each participant a full and accurate account of events. The interviews are transcribed, edited for accuracy and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewees (as available), who are encouraged to augment or correct their spoken words. 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It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Vendell, Edward, an oral history by Patricia Buchanan, 15 July 1980, WSU Stewart Library Oral History Program, University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. iii Abstract: The following is an oral history interview with Edward Vendell. The interview was conducted on July 15, 1980, by Patricia Buchanan. Vendell discusses his experiences in politics. PB: Mr. Vendell, can you tell me something about your background and early childhood and how you happened to get involved in politics? EV: Well, for one thing, my early life, when I was very young, I happened to be a Wilson Democrat, President Wilson. (He) really made a Democrat out of myself. I never missed reading any of his speeches. I always looked forward to reading his speeches and was so interested in the President, and I thought he was doing such a marvelous job. And my folks, of course, were Republicans. But I couldn't see the Republican Party was such a man as the Democratic Party. So, I guess I can say that Wilson made a Democrat out of me. And I was a Democrat from then on. But then when I got to be a little older, and I went into business, I was in the hat business at the time, John Voidon who used to be a United States District Attorney came into my store one day and he had a, I never will forget him, he had a pad with him and a clipboard, rather, and a pad taking notes and wanted to know if I knew of any Democrats. I said, "John, " I know John and I knew him well enough at that time to call him John, I said, "John, we don't have any Democrats around here in Ogden and I said there's one across the street from me, Frank Francis. And I said "He's the only one I know of." "Well," he said, "We gotta get a few Democrats, haven't we, around here." And I said, "Yes." And of course John was trying to whip up interest for the young people to get interested in politics. Which, of course, is later called Weber County Democratic Utah and what he wanted to know is if I would help him out. And I said, "Yes, I'd be glad 1 to." So, to make a long story short, we got together, the three of us, Frank Francis and myself and John Voidon and we came up with a plan on how to proceed with the Young Democratic Clubs in the state of Utah. PB: What year was that? EV: This was in the year 1931. And we got together, and lo and behold, when we started talking politics to some of these people, we did find out that we had some Democrats, and they were good ones. So we had little cottage meetings now and then it developed into larger meetings and the first thing you know, we have a blown up, ah, a real organization. And in that 1932 election when Roosevelt first ran, am I correct? PB: I think that's right. EV: I'm sure because he was the first one that I worked for so much and we just got in and worked awfully hard. We had Calvin Rampton, the former governor of Utah who was very active in Salt Lake. And Allan Howe, he was active. We finally got Joe Hollump in Ogden, here, was active. Elizabeth Vance was active a little later on. There was a young lady by the name of Ella Wilkinson and she later on married Bell, so it was Ella Wilkinson Bell and she was very active and a hard worker. She did an awful lot of work. We really had a nice thing going. As the years went on, why, of course, I was elected President and we didn't want the Presidency but we put him in important positions anyway. And then, later on, in later years, it was Bruce Jenkins. I can't recall, offhand, the number of Presidents, former Presidents up to the present time. But, believe me that was a nucleus that the senior Democrats second with. The recognized us as a very hard-working group. We let our voices be known in many directions. And for many projects. Things went along very well. Of course, through the process of me working so hard and putting in so much time, I was 2 just about to lose my job in the hat store so I had to lie quiet a little bit and not be too active because the boss said that he had a lot of Republicans outside there and you'd better be a bit quiet about these things. I had to take it a little easy but he was fair about it. Norman Simms was one of the finest bosses that I have ever had. You couldn't ask for a better man. Now, you ask me a few questions, and I'll go from there. PB: When you were campaigning for Roosevelt, how did they handle the campaigning in Utah during that time? EV: We had a lot of speakers coming in such as William H. King, the Robert Riley senator and orator, he was outstanding as an orator, Senator King. Then we had Sam Reyburns, a lot of officials from Washington come in. In Salt Lake and in Ogden, we had Jim Black, Salt Lake City Cal Owens was another person who was very active, and helping us along the way I believe the enthusiasm was generated in the Youth Organization and spilled over to the people who were in the different age bracket because it seems as though it had its effect on the senior citizens to vote Democratic Party too. We did have some successful candidates and also we had some that were not so good. I recall one meeting that I was on the campaign committee for fund raising for the ticket and I went to a meeting of the campaign fund-raising committee in the Eccles Building. One of the members said where they were getting the money and so I told them that I was off the committee, to take me off immediately that I would have nothing to do with money coming from 25th Street. I walked out of there and I never did serve on the Money for Fund Raising Committee. By the way, the fellow who was involved, I'm not going to mention any names, because this individual happens to be still alive, and I think is regrets the things he did at that time I would not and could not support anyone in the Democratic Party or the Republican Party or any party 3 that I wasn't sold on 100%. And I made that a practice. As an example, we had another official in Weber County, and I'll let it be known, so that they can take whatever acts they want to, but I said that I will not, could not support this man. Because I had the right to confidential and state evidence that this man had a prison record in Colorado. So I couldn't support him and I told him the reason I couldn't. I also told him where I got the information. It so happened that this man was defeated too. These are some of the things, I think, every one of us, no matter who they are, every one of us that is a citizen of this country ought to be interested in politics, they ought to be interested in the candidates. They ought to find out as much as they can about them because it is amusing that some of the people that get on the ticket that you just and you are conscientious about voting for them when you know that they have done this and that. But if you know that they are good people, and will represent you in a very dignified way, and you can support them It could be that I'm a little too harsh on things like that. PB: When you were raising money in Utah, what kinds of things did they do for fundraisers in those days? EV: First of all, we would talk to the people that were already receiving, well, they had a job with the Democratic Party and the Democratic Administration We would ask them if they would help us out. Very often they were very willing to help out. Some of them were real close with their money and wouldn't help out too much. It was interesting. At the time, I didn't have any political job at all. I wasn't even interested in politics in having a job. I didn't have the slightest idea about any job at all. In fact, I was out of a job waiting between jobs, I had another waiting if I wanted it, and it looked pretty good to me. I had accounting experience, and it was an accounting job. They called me, I don't know who it was, they 4 called up and wanted to know if I would manage a liquor store. I paused about 15 seconds and I said, "I should say not! You couldn't pay me enough money to be connected with selling liquor. My name will not be associated with liquor in any way." So, that was out. At the time, I think they, all of it was just for fun I said, "By the way, is this for fun, what kind of job am I turning down?" And it seems to me that it was in the area of $250 which at the time, it was pretty good. Pretty good money. I said I wouldn't. PB: Did they have these dinners like we do these days where they sell dinners for $5 or $10 a plate. Did they do that kind of thing then? EV: Yes, we had entertainment and dinners. We didn't have a big dinner, kind of a lunch affair. It wasn't too big. But we used to go down to Harold Wong's place down here on Washington and just stand around and debate. We used to get caught up in our meetings when we would have dinner. This was for the workers, but they all paid their way in there. This was on the entire committee, the executive committee. When I became 35, I had to forget about the Junior Democrats and I was a Senior Democrat. In 1945, I had a group of boys from the post office that came out to see me. It struck me out of the blue. I had no idea what was taking place. They wanted me to take the examination for Postmaster. I said that I didn't know that. I didn't know that there was going to be a vacancy. I said that I didn't know. I'd have to give this some thought. I told them to come back because I (didn't know.) They came up again and said that they still thought that I ought to make the application for the job. I contacted them finally I contacted Walt Granger, the congressman, who said that it would go through him anyway. I told Walt that they wanted 5 me to apply for it and he said, "Why don't you?" I said that I didn't know because it was such a big undertaking. At that time we had about 300 employees and I didn't know anything about post office operations. He told me all about it and that I would have plenty of help and an assistant would be very close to me and the superintendent would I decided to take the examination and I turned out on top. I did get some very valuable help from the assistant and the superintendent. I had their support and advice on things. There was a fellow that a head of the US Bureau of Public Roads. When the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads found out that I was a candidate and that I had been into the office he came down, closed the door, and gave me the best bit of advice that I had ever received. He told me sit down at that desk and put your feet under it and don't get up. And when you sit there, you listen, and don't talk. Just don't meddle with anything, Just do a lot of listening Very little talking. PB: That was wonderful advice. EV: Very good advice. And I did it too. For about a month I just sat and listened. We had conversations, but when I'd ask them about this, I make notes. But I didn't go out and make any changes. I didn't do a thing. I didn't make any changes around there until I'd been there a year and a half. I learned a lot along the way. PB: Tell me how the political conventions have changed and how the campaigning has changed through the years. EV: Of course, at that time, we didn't have the media like we have now. All we had was radio and news fliers that had the pictures of the candidates and their background. They used to hire as many young people as they could (to distribute them). They would go into every home and leave them. They would pick their district that might affect them. They used to 6 have coffee klatches. The campaign down on Washington was always open. They would open up two or three weeks before the election. It was generally open every day except Sunday. They had all the pamphlets there to sell the candidate. They would have someone who was in charge of the campaign. I was never involved in the campaign as far as doing campaign work. I was in the background helping with the financial matters, contacting people. Then when I gave that up, they gave me another job that I had was to generate enough interest in this particular candidate than that one in the business places. There was quite a bit of difference. I think that it It was harder to be the elector years ago than it is today. If you had the money today, you could buy so many things with it. And you could almost buy yourself onto that thing right there (television) I would like to see us delve into these things a bit. And find out about the man. Find out about the woman who is going to represent us in these particular places. I have not been satisfied with some of them. Even since I have been out of the post office, I have, of course, attended all the mass meetings. I have never missed a mass meeting in my life. PB: Have the mass meetings themselves changed over the years? EV: They have. The mass meetings have changed and deteriorated. We don't have enough people. And that is where you elect the candidates. I don't think that the mass meetings are working out at all. It isn't a good representation. It's pretty hard to get people interested in politics. PB: The delegates would be chosen like we do today at the mass meetings and then they would go to the convention. How have the conventions themselves changed? 7 EV: I don't think they have changed a great deal. They have the Utah banners and the Wisconsin banners and they have their section laid out for them. They have a chairman of the delegation. I have never missed a mass meeting nor missed voting. I was stranded one election day in San Francisco, my wife and I, we had absentee ballots with us because we didn't think we would make it back. I had to take my absentee ballot to a notary public. It cost two dollars apiece, four dollars to vote. I have been a notary public for 35-40 years now and I have never charged one red cent. He charged me four dollars for the two of us. We have the grandest country in the world. We all should know that. Every one of us would be interested in politics, it would be a far better country than it is now. I think that everyone should be interested in politics. I don't care who they are, they should be. It's their bread and butter. PB: I agree with you. EV: I think that it is one of the things that is very, very lacking. There are people that I don't vote for. I am a dyed in the wool Democrat. If you asked me if I voted the straight Democratic ticket all of my life, I would have to tell you that I haven't because there are people on the Democratic ticket that I just couldn't vote for, the majority of the time, yes. And I will vote for more Democrats than Republicans too. We have some very fine people in the Republican Party. The Democratic Party is not the only party that has the stranglehold on all of the fine people and fine representatives. PB: Do you remember the Doug Springfellow incident. Were you involved in that at all, working in Utah at that time? 8 EV: No, only to this extent that the reporter came into my office and I was just bowled over when he showed that this Springfellow was a phony. I asked him, "How do you know?" He said that he had heard from an authority that Springfellow was a phony. That's the only thing. I didn't have anything to do with it. From that time on, things added up. I could tell that he was doing some strange things. PB: Did you know him personally? EV: No. PB: Then he got Aldas Dixon to run in his place, did you know him? Was he a popular man? Is that why he was elected? EV: Aldas Dixon was one of the finest persons I have ever known. I'm glad he passed my way. When my son broke his leg, and he was up here in the living room, he came up to see Eddie. Eddie was in a cast from his neck to his ankle. He called me up one day and wanted to know if he could drop up to see Eddie. I said yes, he would be glad to see you. He asked Eddie if he wanted to go to school. Eddie said that he wanted to go to school in the worst way. He said he'd get enough help to help Eddie out of the car, and to get him to his classrooms. Aldas said "If you want to go to school, you will." He got out of his chair and I followed them out to the porch. And then they were gone. PB: That's really something for the director of the college to do something like that for a student. It really says a lot. EV: I went out there and asked him what was the matter. What seems to be the trouble? Dixon said to me, "Of all the people I have known, that boy in there has more excuses for not attending school than for going to school. And yet, he wants to go to school. I've never run across that in my life. He just broke down and cried. Of course, I was affected too. He 9 didn't care that I was a democrat. It didn't matter to him. He was a Republican, and a good one, a real fine person. This is the reason that I'm bringing these things out because we really have some fine people on the R. side as we do on the D. side. PB: Who was the Democrat that was running at that time? EV: He won big. Dixon was a very popular man because he was so honest and so sincere in his work. I don't think that you could find a more honest man, and that one there, too. PB: Who was that? EV: That was Walter Granger, he was our Congressman. PB: When was he a Congressman? I’m not familiar with him. Tell me about him. EV: Walter Granger served 4 terms. Elva Wilkinson Bell that was so active in the Junior Democrats was secretary to Walt. She told me that Walt walked by her desk one day and noticed a stack of nylon hose on her desk. Nylon hose were expensive during the war. They were very hard to come by then. You had to have priority in order to get nylon hose. Walt asked her what they were and she told him that they were nylon hose. He asked her if she were buying all of them. She said no, that a fellow from the railroad company had brought them. Walt had voted favorably on a bill the day before. He was mad. He turned red in the face and told her to get him on the line for me. He wanted this fellow to come and get the hose. "He's going to come up here right away." He told this man that he voted for the bill because I liked it, not because you liked it and not because you asked me to. He said that he didn't want any gratuities at all. I'm voting my own conscious. PB: He sounds like he was very honest and good. Tell me the things you remember about Albert D. Thomas. 10 EV: He was a very sincere, honest Senator. He was very capable of rep. his He also had a very good educational background, a very high type of person. On one particular day during one of his campaigns, his last campaign, as Senator, I was in my office at the post office, and one of the employees laid this flier on my desk and it had a picture of Stalin and Senator Eldin B. Thomas, face to face. Underneath in bold letters it had "Senator Thomas, soft on Communism." I read the article. I did know Senator Thomas so well and also his sister, Blanche Kendall McKee, It struck me so hard, that I had to tell my secretary that I was taking the rest of the day off. I came home and I was visibly shaken about what I had read about Senator Thomas being a Communist. He was defeated. But this flier had come out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and had nothing to do with any printing in Utah. But of course, we had to distribute it in Utah, I, as postmaster, had to O. K. the distribution of it. Actually, they had paid the postage back there, but it was absolutely untrue. PB: I don't see how somebody could destroy someone's life and political career just over political or whoever set that up. This concludes the interview with Edward Vendell. As an interesting footnote, Thatcher Thomas at the time he was accused of being a Communist in Weber County that year was the first time that the Communist Party ever appeared on a political ballot and that that was in the year 1936, at the time when Franklin D. Roosevelt was running for reelection for President. One other thing that I might add, Mr. Vendell was also Weber County Democratic Chairman for a few years, and perhaps we can pick up on part of this in his background in a future tape. 11