The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-05
Declaration of House Commit
tee Which Investigated Ship
Subsidy Scandal.
NOT BACKED
UP BY MEN MAKING THEM
No Lobby, Either for or Against
Subsidy Legislation, Says
the Committee.
BY Associated Press,

and has been no use of improper influ"
ence either for or against ship subsidy
legislation. So says the special COM
mittee of the house in its report Of the
investigation for which ii was APP
pointed n year ago. The report was pre-
scnted to the house today by the chair
man, Representative Olcott OF New
York, Charges made in this connection
shat reflect upon members of congress
are, the report says, "wholly false. -
The committee feels it ''its duty to
inform the house that there have been
widespread throughout the country
statements that lobbies and corruptions
on the part of members Of congress
existed in favor OF ship subsidy or
against ship subsidy and that the
parties who made them, after being
thoroughly questioned, have admitted
that they had no information upon
which to base such statements or pub"
lIcations, but relied upon surmise, sus-
picion and rumor'
These are the formal conclusions Of
the committee:
No Lobbies Exist.
''As 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 APP
pointed, so far as the same reflect upon
the honesty and integrity of Honorab bic
Halbert Steenerson or any other mem
Der of the house in their official ca
pacity or of the membership generally,
are wholly false,
"As to ll.eged existence or main
tenance Of lobby, the committee finds
also that there does not exist lobby
or lobbies in connection with the sub.
iect of ship subsidy legislation and
that there is no fund for the support
of such Hobbies. -
o. he committee consisted Of Chair
man Olcott and Messrs. Lcngworth of
Ohio, Hawley of Oregon, Garret OF
Tennessee and Humphreys of Missis.
sippi. The investigation was the out
growth of publications IN the magazine
published at Cleveland by the Merchant
Marine league Of the United States and
various other publications alleging the
existence of "lobby' supported by
certain shipping interests, especially
those OF European countries, active in
opposition to the ship subsidy legisla
ton.
Certain members of congress were
mentioned by name in some of these
publications as being unduly influenced
ced in this connection. Both Represen-
tatives Steenerson of Minnesota and
Kastermann of Wisconsin, took notice
OF the charges and were represented by
counsel Both are exonerated by the
committee. The committee gave wide
latitude in the examination of wit
nesses and the scope Of the investiga-
tion was a broad one. The committee
saws that few of the people actively
interested in the Merchant Marine
league had an personal financial interest
in the league,
Charges in a Dallas newspaper and
similar attacks by certain other news
papers are said to have been "appa-
rently without foundation.
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. F"
Light May Be Shed.
Certain testimony allowed in the rec
ord referred to alleged steamship com.
binations or pools to control freight or
passenger rates, upon the theory that
such evidence might possibly throw
| light upon the subject matter of the
investigation when the committee sub
mts this testimony to the house.
With regard to the trade between the
United States and South America, says
the committee, there is n conference
of steamship lines, commonly called the
Associated Lines, which it is alleged
maintains an agreement relative to the
fixing of freight rates and shipments to
and from South America.
The report includes this paragraph:
"Somc stress has been laid on GER
tain testimony In regard to the en-
ploymeut of Jerome !. Wilber by the
Hamburg American Packet company
and the North German-L Lloyd Steamship
company. Mr.. Wilber: while render
ing such services to those companies
also was a member of the staff of the
Associated Press in Washington. There
was no evidence whatever that Wilber
had in any way interested himself on
behalf of those companies in connection
with ship subsidy legislation
Immediately upon the testimony OF
Mr.. Wilber, the Associat% Press asked
for his resignation, which was given.