Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-04
Members Of Congress Whose Names
Were Mentioned Are Exonerated.
RESULT OF CAREFUL INQUIRY
Suggestion That Steamship Combina-
tions on Transatlantic Freight
Should Be Investigated.

port Vi the olcOtt SpeCldl cOiiilulttec SAo-
mitted to the House OF Representatives
today. The committee. which was COM
posed Of Representatives Olcott OF New
York. chairman: LOngworth OF Ohio AMI
Hawley of Oregon. republicans. and Rep
resentatives Garreu of Tennessee ard
Humphrey Of Mississippi. democrats.
made an investigation OF charges set
forth in a resolution introduced by Rep
resentativc Stevenson OF Minnesota in
March, 1910.
This resolution. which was passed with
out opposition. directed attention 10
statements that had appeared IN certain
publications rejecting upon thu honesty
and integrity of Halvor STEVENSON.
member of the House, in his Official and
representative capacity" and charging
corrupt practice with reference 10 pro-
posed legislation relating to the American
merchant marine
Many Included in Charges.
Representative Stevenson was not the
only member mentioned in the pubiica-
tions In question. There were intimatiorSs
that practically every member of foreign
birth. among them Representative August
kustermann Of Wisconsin. had been in
duced by foreign steamship interests to
oppose subsidy Legislation
The conclusions OF the committee are as
follows:
THE committee finds that the charges
contained In the statements set forth In
the preamble to the resolution under
which this committee was appco nted, so
far as the same reflect upon the honesty
and integrity of Halvor Steenerson or
any other member Of the House N their
official capacity. or Of the membership
generally. are wholly false.
1.-THE committee also finds that there
does not exist any lobby or loboies In
connection with the subject OF ship
subsidy legislation. and that there are no
funds for the support OF such iobbIes.''
The report states that the committee
inquired OF every witness appearing be-
fore 1t as to whether such witness had
ever contributed to any fund for or
against ship subsidy legislation. had
solicited funds for that purpose. or knew
of the existence Of any sucs fund. and
the uniform reply Of all witnesses was that
they neither had contributed, solicited or
knew OF the raising nor the existence OF
any such fund nor had any knowledge Of
ii whatever"
With a few exceptions all of the wit.
nesses. according to the report, denied
that lobby had ever existed, these ex-
ceptions being William p. Hackney. John
NJ. Maxwell. former editor Of the Ameri-
can Flag. a publication conducted under
the auspices OF the Merchant Marine
League; James L. EwelI. Thomas c. Rob
erts, Alfred w. Dodsworth and John A.
Penton the latter an officer of the Mer-
chant Marine League Upon close exam
ination, according to the report. Messrs.
Hackney, Maxwell, Ewell and Roberts
admitted that they had no Information
upon which they had based charges
printed in various publications that .
corrupt lobby was busy In connection
with shipping legislation.
Dodsworth Testimony Analysed.
LONG apo,ve;e 60 p,,da ne the festf-
mony OF Alfred w. Dodsworth OF the
New York Journal Of Commerce. who told
of two or three alleged attempts that had
been made improperly to use his news
peper in support OF subsidy legislation.
The committee points out that Alfred w.
DodswOrth told of an offer OF SiOO.UU
that had been made in an effort to Sc
cure an editorial expression in the Jour
nal OF Comm arce favorable TO subsidy
bills. This offer, according to Alfred w.
Dodsworth. was made in the presence OF
hIS brother, John w. Dodswortn. The
statement OF Alfred w. Dodswotth as to
this particular offer was den,td abso-
!xteiy" by John W. Dodsworth In th.s
correction the committee states:
These Dodsworths are the only wit
nesses examined no offered any test
mony as to any spe ific ATTEMPT TO cor
ruptly influence pubic opia enc way
or the other on slip subs dy legislation
A careful read ng OF the test-mon. viii
show their statements were so conflicting
and Of transactions at dat SO remote
that II throws no Light or the subtecl for
the investigation OF which this committee
was appointed.
Committees Conclusions.
The committee concludes its report ~
follows:
1.-THE committee desires to call the 1t
tention Of the House to the voluminous
testimony taken. covering a wide range
Of periodical publications. in which state
ments were made repeatedly concerning
improper activ ties re!at ng to shipping
subsidies OF which the persons making
the same had no personal knowledge or
any credible information, and the com.
mIttee feels that IL Is its duty TO IN
form the House that there have been
widespread throughout the country state
ments that obb!ts AID corruption on the
favor Of ship subsidy or against ship
subsidy. and that the partes who made
them, after berg thoroughly questioned.
have admitted that they had no informa-
ton upon which to base such statements
or publications. bat relied upon Surmiees
suspicion and rumor.
Alleged Steamship Combination.
The committee adds that, although no
authority was vested in the committee to
make. any investigation outside of the
questions already disposed of, certain tes-
timony was allowed In the record as to
alleged steamship combinations or pools
known as the transatlantic freight and
passenger combine TO control and NIX
freight or passenger rates. upon the the
DRY that such evidence might possibly
throw some light upon the subject matter
OF the Investigation.
"The committee Is Of the opinion that
this evidence Is Of sufficient Importance
to call to the attention Of Congress-, and
that il may he used TO advantage at some
future time.
Jerome J. WILDER Exonerated.
The report includes this paragraph:
''Some stress has teen laid on certain
testimony in regard to the employment OF
Jerome J. WILDER by the Hamburg Amer
man Lloyd Steamship Company. The ma
ture Of his employment, as shown by the
was to keep the companies ad-
yised concerning proposed legislation OF
every character which might AFFECT their
business interests. and to supply them
also with information from the various
upon request MI. WILDER.
while rendering such services to those
was also q member Of the
stan Of the Associated Press. In Washing
ton.
There was no evidence whatever that
WILDER had in any way interested himself
ion with ship subsidy legislation. II
ppears that when WILDER was originally
employed BY the Hamburg American
Packet COmpany and the North German