Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-27
By New York Publication,
Says the Manager.
Offered 10 Secure lis EdiiOrid
Support for Ship Subsidy.
Asked Very Poiniedly Why He Had
Not Before Told Story.


several attempts tn buy the editorial
lsupport of the New York journal OF
Commerce in favor Of ship subsidy
Legislation, which that paper has con-
sistently opposed, was made To the
House ship subsidy investigating COM
lmittee Wednesday by Alfred W. nods
worth. business manager of the Jour
nal OF Commerce and Commercial I}aI-
lletin.
Earlier in the day Paul G. Furnier,
representing the Uranium Steamship
Line. against which the so-caIltd Lon
don conference lines. controlling what
! is alleged to be SO per cent. OF TIN At
| lantic passenger traffic, are arr1ycd,
| described how railroad authorities in
| this country, notably the Central Pas
| senger Association at Chicago, re-
fused to sell tickets routed over the
| independent lines unless the independ-
ents obtained the sanction of the con-
| ference lines.
! Alfred w. DodsWorth said that his
paper was never subsidized by any in
( terests whatever, But, he testified,
about six years ago an unknown man
came into his office and offered to pay
| the Journal of Commerce 100000. TAX
| ing 100000 copies of his paper for
| the insertion of an article i'll one issue,
supporting the ship subsidy legisla-
| ton. This man refused to disclose his
| identity unless his proposal wits ae
| cepted. His proposal, in the event 0t
acceptance, was that he would make
| out Il certified check Immediately fer
| $4,000 to bind the agreement and pay
the balance of $4,000 upon publication
of the article. Mr.. DodsWorth said he
| Immediately called his brother, john
w, into his office as a witness to the
conversation and the proposal was
turned down as an attempt to make
an improper arrangement.
That, however, was only one such
event. Pressed by the committee Mr..
Dodsworth said that about 90 years
iago his father was sitting in his office.
the same publication, and John Roach,
the shipbuilder. who was then build
ing ships and active for ship sub
sidy bill, entered the office, laid down n
blank check and asked DodsWorth
senior To fill out the check and stop
writing against ship subsidy. The Of
fer was refused
Another man about two years ago,
Dodsworth said, tried to buy the support
of the paper for $4,000. and during the
SpanishAmerican war the Spanish gov
eminent tried to buy the papers intlu-
ence.
Chairman Olcott, Representative Long
worth of Ohio and other members of the
committee sharply criticized the brothers
for failing to submit the information to
the committee before now, pointing out
that John w. Dodsworth in his testimony
some time ago was asked categorically
as to such matters and denied any. infor-
nation such as that disclosed Wednesday
Il really think" suggested Mr.. Dods-
worth. that my brother did not think
of this matter at this time"
Longworth replied:
Your brother denied categorical ques-
ton. Surely. while you were In the room
and heard his testimony, when he were
asking him for any information along this
line, you and your brother should have
said something about this"
Was it up to me-"
1T surely was up to your brother"
1T is certainly up to YOU" interjectcd |
Chairman Olcott.
Chairman Olcott asked the witness who |
represented the Spanish government when |
it tried to buy his papers support. Mr.. |
Dodsworth replied that the information |
came from Charles A. Conant, who was
then the papers Washington correspon-
dent.
Pressed as to the identity of the men
! who made the offer. Mr.. DodsWorth said
| that his father or brother may have
| h.l, Ia
| told, Mr. Conant communicated the Of
fer in letter, according to the witness.
| but he qualified this by saying he thought
| it was a letter, after the committee had
stated it would like to have the letter.
| Rep. HawIey of Oregon asked how
| much money was proposed in that offer
and the witness said he did not know.
| His father was then managing editor
The $4,000 proposal was from a tall,
| dark-haired man" who said he was a lob
byist in Washington. He was very
frank" said the witness
Being asked what he regarded tue ship
subsidy interests, Mr.. pudsworth named
the Ward Line and New York IL Porto
Rico Steamship Co, but did not recall
others. He sand He could not undertake
to name the persons who made the 100000
offer. but he believed it came from the
ship subsidy interests. and when pressed
as to what he meant by that he mention
ed the Cramps and Roachs as interests
coming under that head. He referred to
the attacks made on his paper for his op-
position to ship subsidy, and announced
as "a lie from beginning to last IL clip
ping from a Cincinnati or Cleveland paper
which he received purportng to be an
article from the journal Of Commerce in
favor of subsidies. He said the New
York Commercial and the New York Trib-
une called his paper a subsidized ship
ping paper. Mr.. Dodsworth viii resume
his testimony Thursday.