Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-19
AT SHIP SUBSIDY HEARING
Witness Declares He Will Not Be.
tray Friends Confidence.
Is SERVED WITH SUBPOENA
Former Editor OF American Flag,
Merchant Marine Leagues Or
gan, Unwilling to Testify.

.,
was again on the stand at the ship
was represented by former United States
city, his counsel
The session was called especially tt
formally repeat to Maxwell the questions
which he refused to answer yesterday
concerning his authority for statement;
he had printed in the American Flal
attacking opponents Of the leagues pol
icy toward restoration of the merchant
| marine. Mr.. Birney had just been re
| tanned and asked time in which to &C
over yesterdays proceedings, and thu
committee for this purpose adjourned
until this afternoon.
Declines to Name Informant.
Maxwell declined to name his informan,
as to the published charge that London
conference Of shipping interests had beer
organized to make a pro rata assessment
| to carry on washington Doodle cam.
paisn' and head of merchant marine leg.
islation. Maxwell would only say tina,
his informant was a lifelong friend In
England, and that betrayal of the conf
dence would put him in terrible re-
It
! also stated that the free ship clause In
the Kusterfnann merchant marine bill wal
offered by a representative of a foreign
shipping bureau, but the witness de-
clined to say anything az to his inform
ant. He also referred to "subsidized and
retained congressional representatives,
but declined to say what representatives
he meant.
At the instance Of Chairman Olcott, NfaN
well was served by deputy sergeafit-at-
sto rrvsH -,,1 Avn 10 n1f a
BILE technical objections to the proceed.
ings. According to members of the COM
mittee the penalty for refusal to answer
questions when ordered by the committee
Of the session of Congress or certifcatior
Of the case to the United States district
attorney for presentation to the grand
jury, with Imprisonment from one to ter
months and fine OF 800 to $1,000, or both
John A. Maxwell's Testimony.
When the special committee resumed
it's session at 3 o'clock yesterday after
noon. John A. Maxwell OF the Indianap-
oils Star, formerly editor Of the Ameri-
can Flag took the stand instead of Sec
rotary Penton of the Merchant Marine
League, who had been scheduled to ap-
PEAR The witness refused to answer
many of the questions, and said that
statements made to him by p. j.
O'Meany, Catholic editor OF Indianap p
oils. purporting to quote one newspaper
man. were the only information he had
to sustain his charge that some Wash
ington correspondents were under pay
from the foreign shipping interests.
Swept along on a flood of sharp ques-
tons as to his authority for charging
members Of Congress and newspa pers
hei MI W inh1IanCod
refused point-blank to answer questions
as to his sources of information.
Claims Editorial Privilege.
Prodded by counsel for Representative
Stevenson and by members of the COM
mittee, Maxwell took the ground that
editorial privileges justified his evasions
He avowed authorship of letters figuring
conspicuously in the investigation.
The November issue of the American
Flag, which was written mostly by him,
contained an article headed. "Word to
Washington correspondents. which he
testified was an effort to reply to unfair
stories and baseless charges by some
Washington correspondents. The witness
proceeded to explain that he did not
mean that these newspaper men nave
any direct relation with or are influenced
a
that they send out matter fairly repre-
sentative of the kind Of countryside pro-
poganda to prevent legislation to restore
the merchant marine.
Article Contained Warning.
The article under fire warned "all pro-
fessional merchant marine liars that we
propose to get a square DEAL
"Who are those professional mars!
asked Attorney Ralston.
The witness declined to answer.
Questioned as to his use OF the term
"shmy graft" the witness COMMENDED
that NO names were mentioned in that
connection, but counsel for Mr.. Steener.
son declared that the term scandalizeo
Congress The article suggested that Il
the writer OF an Iowa papers dispatch
did not get his from the foreign ship
ping interests for sending it out TO Iowa
then the correspondent is biankety
blank foo1?" etc.
DO you know any correspondent thal
got his'?' asked Ralston.
mo" replied Maxwell. But any cor
respondent who would send out such ar
untrue story must have
.Do YOU wish to leave the inference
that shiny graft exists?"
II don't wish to leave any inference
1t was not intended as an attack OF
Congress"
III I did I would not state 1t at this
time
| Denies Making Direct Charge.
MAXWELL was questioned sharply abou
the references he had made in the article
to Representatives Wilson, Mann ant
MoDermott Of Illinois. tending to indi
cate that because they came from pack
ing house districts they might be con
| trolled by the beef trust. He denied any
intention to charge them with improper
actions.
Maxwell said the letter he had publish
ed quoting the captain OF European
steamer as declaring touching the defeat
| Of the ocean mail bill by a slender ma
| jorfty that we could have had bigger
majority II we had wanted It," was writ.
| ten by winthrop L. Meyer. Prestden,
Rooseveit's secretAry OF the merchant
the captains name nor the steamship
line, but he admitted he meant to con.
vey the meaning that the statemen,
| meant bribery, III the captains state
ment was to be believed"
Declines to Give Names.
The witness refused to divulge his in.
formant as to a London conference te
plan heading OF ship subsidy legdsla'
ton here, pleading editorial privilege
When asked what he meant by Wash
| ington Doodle campaign" he replied thai
| he did not care to elaborate. that h
! published the statement for what 1t was