South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-07-29
MULHALL HEARS
LODGES DENIAL
Senator Says He Never Heard
of the Lobbyist Until the
Present Investigation Was
Started.

WASHINGTON. July 2s.-Martin
VI. Mulhall sat on the witness stand
before the senate lobby committee
Monday and listened to another sena-
tor deny his statements. Sen. Lodge,
mentioned as one of many with whom
the former lobbyist" for the Nation
al Association of Manufacturers, had
held political conferences. declared he
did not know the witness and never
had heard of him until the present
investigation began.
Mulhalrs correspondence read Mon
day brought him into the year 1911
when the house became democratic.
In many of his letters that year he
spoke of interviews with Majority
Leader Underwood, William B. Will
son, secretary of labor in Pres. Will
sons cabinet, then chairman Of the
house labor committee; James T.
Lloyd. chairman Of the democratic
congressional committee, and other
prominent men.
He wrote in the strain he used all
through his letters to j. Z. Bird, the
general manager of the association.
and other officials, of having men
appointed to committees of prevent
ing legislation and of generally hav-
ing much to do with the operations Of
government in Washington. He men,
toned in several letters with assur-
ance that he expected to have even
greater success with the democratic
house than he had boasted he had
in the days Of republican rule, but
questioned by the committee said he
had been too optimistic in his
prOphesy.
Mulhall took up his relations with
Rep. ]. L. McDermott of Illinois and
l. II. McMichael. one time chief page
of the house and confidential secre-
tary to the representative. He iden-
titled what he swore was a receipt for
500 given him by McMchael for SER
vices in September and October, 1911,
and reiterated that McDermott bor-
rowed money from him which he
never paid back.
Tells OF Secret Room.
Sen. Reed became deeply interest
ed in talk about a secret room"
which Mulhall said McDermott Sc
cured for his use on the lower floor of
the west front of the capitol on the
house side. He. described that as quiet
and secluded place and the committee
will inspect il later. Mulhall went to
10 hire a stenographer who he in
tended to place in this room. He
wrote to Bird about the room and the
stenOgrapher.
The employment of a stenograph-
er and locating her in that room,' -
said Bird in reply, would place me
in doubtful position and one that
/ cannot accept. feeling that the as
sOciation cannot afford to lay itself
liable TO the slightest suspicion
Mulhall said he, McDermott and
McMichael used the room and that
he frequently made long distance tel
ephOne calls from the room and called
up senators and members of the house
there.
All through Mondays letters Null
hall appeared in opposition to legis-
lation favoring labor. He swore that
there was a labor lobby in Washing
ton then in which Samuel Gompers,
Frank Morrison and other officials of
the American Federation of Labor
were conspicuous figures. Questioned
by Sen. Nelson he said that the labor
people were trying TO do about what
the manufacturers were trying TO do,
only working in the opposite direct
ion.