The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-10-18
ASPHALT COMPANY DID
 AID MATOS REVOLUTION
GENERAL FRANCIS T GREENE, FORMER PRESIDENT, TEsTI-
 FTES TO THIS

Declares Material Help Was Given Ma
 tOs fin His Uprising Against Castro's
 GOVernment-Advised Against Such
 Action but When Company Persisted
 in It He Declined to Make Further
 Representations to State Department.
 New York. Oct 17-General Francis V. Greene, former president of the Ma tional Asphalt company, was examined to-day before United States Commis- sioner Gilchrist as a witness in behalf of the Venezuelan government in the action instituted by the latter against the New York and Bermudez company to recover $11, 100000 damages because of the latter organization alleged as- sistance of the Mates revolution in 1901.
 General Greene was asked but one question, his reply declaring that the defendant company did materially aid the revolutionists.
 The question put to General Greene by Rufus B. Cowin, ir, attorney for the Venezuelan government was as fol- lows:
 State whether when you returned fom Europe in 1901, you knew John NJ Mack, Avery D. Andrews and Arthur w. Sewall or any of them as represen- tatives of the National Asphalt com pany, or any of the allied companies, were in communication with M. A. Ma tos or were aiding him with money, or in any other manner?''
 My only knowledge" replied General Greene, ''of this matter, comes from what was told me by Messrs. Mack, Andrews and Sewall When I returned from Europe in October, 1901, I was surprised to learn from them that during my absence they had decided to support Mates in his contest with Cas- tro. I told them that I thought they had made a great mistake, because what they had done was not acting in good faith with the state department in Washington, which up that that time, and largely on representations made by me to Secretary Hay, had supported the Bermudez company to such an eS- tent as to enable it to continue in pos session of it's property.
 q told them that in view of what they had done during my absence, it would be impossible for me to make any further claims at the state de- part1nent in Washington, in behalf Of the Bermudez company, and, in fact. I never did after that go to the state department in behalf of the asphalt company. I also told them that l thought it was a great mistake, be- cause it would cost the company great deal of money in addition to the amount which they told me they had already expended, which, as l recol- lect, was in the neighborhood of $lOO,- 900, and that the company was not in position to spend such large sums of money, nor could 1t accomplish any good results, for in my opinion Mates could not succeed, and it would ul- timately be known that the company had aided him, and this would weaken his position before the Venezuelan gov ernment. I told them my own 5udg- ment was that the proper policy of the company to pursue was to rely upon the support of the state department at Washington.
 This, however, they said was iInpos- sible, for they had already made ar engagements to support Mates, and if he should succeed, as they thought he would, the company would then be able to protect its interests in Vene- zuela. In view of my position in the matter, very little was told to me of what was actually done in support of Mates. Tine business was transacted under the direction of the officers above named, and largely without my knowledge. While I was president of the National Asphalt company, MT. Mack and his friends controlled a large majority of the stock, and he was also vice president of the compa- ny, virtually in control. The company passed into the hands of a receiver about two months later, and after that time I had practically no voice in the management of the company. My con- nection with it ended few months later, and for considerably more than three years I have had no connection with the asphalt company of any kind whatever
 The hearing was adjourned to meet in Washington tomorrow.