The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1912-02-01

ton bill even harder than they did the
wool and cotton bills last summer.
They are expecting a greater divi.
sion of sentiment among the Demo.
Gratis of the senate on the measure
than was shown among the members
of that body in the special session and
in the consideration of the iron and
steel provisions OF the Payne law
three years ago.
Washington, ID. enquiry into the
operation by the United States Steel
corporation of its subsidiary railroads
in the Lake Erie, Lake Superior and
Birmingham districts is to be resumed
next week by the house steel trust"
Investigating committee. .
Freight rates on ore and manufac.
tured products alleged to operate to
the disadvantage of competitors
against the corporation are to be IN
CURED into exhaustively.
A witness before the committee
probably on Monday, will be Attorney
Louis ID. Brandeis of Boston, who has
been making a study of railroad rate
problems particularly the steel corpor-
atoms transportation trades and
methods.
Representative Stanley announced
yesterday before departing on a short
trip to Kentucky, that Mr.. Brandels
had agreed to appear.
Richard II. Gray, a San Francisco
iron and steel dealer, related a rams.
action whereby he was forced by the
Shelby Steel Tube company to default
on a government contract to re-equip
the Inflated = gunboat Bennington,
which blew up in 1906, and to pay
more than $1,100 forfeit after part of
the contract had been given to the
Shelby company.
He was cross-eXamined by Represen-
tative Gardner of Massachusetts. This
resulted in the production of a letter
to him from then Secretary of the
Navy Metcalf, showing that the de-
partment had declined to refund him
the forfeit money because of the dis
covery that he was a middleman and
had forfeited on his contract because
of carelessness in bidding without be-
ing assured he could procure the
necessary materials to carry out the
contract.
The witness charged the Shelby
company and other concerns with con-
spiracy against his business in 1906
ence with big dealers, asking for
prices on seamless tubes found it's
way to the Shelby company.
Washington, ID. c. - Demanding
an investigation into campaign ex-
penditures in 1904 and 1908, Senator
Culberson of Texas, in the senate,
made sweeping charges Of corruption
against the Republican committees of
those and other years. Indirectly he
charged that foreign ambassadorships
were bestowed as a reward for cam
paign contributions and in~ferentially
he charged hat former President
Roosevelt had condoned the use of
money in politics.
Mr.. Culberson's address was made
in anticipation of an u~nfavorable re-
port by the committee anfcontingent
expenses on his resolution providing
for an investigation. He said that the
limitations OF the proposed inquiry to
1904 should not be construed as a con
fession that there had not been i'm
proper practices before that period.
Referring especially to the cam
paign of 1908, Mr.. Culberson said tina.
the contributions to the Democratic
fund had been made by $4,000 persons
with 5000 as the largest, while those
of the Republican fund were made by
1880 persons, with Charles P. Taft,
brother of the Republican presidential
candidate, at their head with a dona-
ton of $4,000. Among the contribu-
tors mentioned were Ambassadors
Reid and Kerens and Minister Lars
Anderson.
Alleges Extortlon.
In the course of his speech, Mr..
Culberson referred to the fact that
George B. %Cortelyou, in the 1904 cam
paign, had held the position of chair
man OF the republican national COM
mittee while he was secretary Of COM
merce and labor, and intimated that
Mr.. Cortelyou had taken advantage of
the secrets of corporations affairs
that might be investigated, and the
federal law, to procure money for the
campaign.
1T has been estimated" he said,
that the enormous and unconscion-
able sun Of s11, 000, 600 was raised and
probably expended that year by the
committee of which he was chairman.
The very size and audacity of this
fund, If approximately correct, smacks
of extortion, profigacy and corrup-
ton.
He went into some detail regarding
the newspaper charges hat the late
=. Fl. Hartman had raised the fund
of $3.50. 600, to which he himself had
contributed $50 600 in supnort nj the