The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-04
FINDS NO LOBBY.
Special Committee OF the House
Makes Its Report.
After Investigating Charges Re-
garding Ship Subsidy Bill.

Washington, March 4.-There is and
has been no use of improper influence
either for or against ship subsidy legis-
lation. SO says the special committee
| of the house of representatives in it's
| report of the investigation for which it
was appointed a year ago. The report
was presented to the house today by the
chairman, J. Van Vechten Olcott IN.
Y.)- Charges made in this connection
that reflect upon members of congress
are, the report says, wholly falSe.''s
The committee feels it, IFS duty to
inform. the house that there have been
| widespread throughout the country
statements that Hobbies and corruptioE
existed in favor of ship subsidy or
against ship subsidy and that the par
ties who made them, after being thor
oughly questioned. have admitted that
they had no information upon which to
base such statements of publications.
but relied upon surmise, suspicion and
rumor.'
These are the formal conclusions of
the committee:
las to charges against members of
congress. the committee finds that the
charges contained in the statements set
forth in the preamble to the resolution
under which this committee was ap-
pointed SO far as the same reflect upon
the honesty and integrity of venerable
Halbert STEVENSON or any other mem
Der of the house in their official capac-
ity. or of the membership generally, are
wholly false.
LAS to alleged existence or mainten-
ance of lobby, the committee also
finds that there does not exist lobby or
lobbies in connection with the subject
of ship subsidy legislation and that
there is no fund for the support of such
Hobbies"
The committee consisted of Chairman
Olcott and MessrS. Longworth (O.),
Hawley COre), Garrett (Tenn.) and
Humphreys (Miss). The investigation
was the outgrowth of publications in
the magazine published at Cleveland by
the Merchant Marine League of the
United States and various other publ
cations in various parts of the country
alleging the existence of a lobby,
supported by certain shipping inter-
ests, especially those of European coun-
tries, active in opposition to the ship
subsidy legisla ton.
Those Named i'm Charges.
Certain members of congress were
mentioned by name in some of these
publications as being unduly Influenced
in this connection. Both Representa-
tive Stevenson (Minn.) and Repre-
sentative Kustermann (Wis.) took no
sented by counsel. Both are eXoner-
ated by the committee.
The committee says that few of the
people actively interested in the Mer-
chant Marine league had any personal
financial interest in the league, Sec
rotary John A. Penton and the COM
mittee was assuming full responsible
ity for its publications.
Charges in a newspaper published
at Dallas, Tex, and similar attacks by
certain other newspapers are said to
have been apparently without foun-
dation.''
After analyzing all the testimony.
the committee was unable to find that
any lobby had ever existed or was
ever maintained either for or against
ship subsidy legislation.
The report includes this paragraph:
Some stress has been laid on GER
tain testimony in regard to the en-
ployment of Jerome j. WILDER by the
Hamburg-American Packet company
and the North German Lloyd Steam
ship company. Mr.. Wilbur, while rem
dering such services to those com
panies, also was member of the staff
of the Associated Press in Washing
ton. There was no evidence whatever
that WILDER had in any way interested
himself on behalf of those companies
in connection with ship subsidy legis-
lation. Immediately upon the testi-
mony of Mr.. WILDER the Associated
Press asked for his resignation. which
DIV