The San Francisco call., 1913-07-17
MUL HALL TELLS
Of ROOsE EvELT'S
PET MEASURES
Lobbyist Reads Letter to
Van Cleave's Secretary
Concerning Watson's
Visit to Teddy
PRESIDENT WANTED
CHILD LABOR LAW
Former Executive Was Per-
suaded, It Is Said, Not to
Press Sherman Bill

WASHINGTON, July 16.-Plans to
make the National Association of Man
ufacturers the controlling factor In
campaigns for congress. to defeat leg
islation III Washington. of which its
members did not approve, to get the
ears of men who were running pres
identiaI booms and to land a member
Of the association in the cabinet OF a
president, were laid before the sem
ate lobby investigating committee to-
! day.
Martin M Mulhall. self-styled lobby
list for the association. swore to the
authenticity Of nearly 400 letters,
which told of these plans and brought
in the names of such men as former
Presidents Roosevelt and Taft. the late
Vice President sherman. former Speak
er Cannon. former Senator's Aldrich,
Hemenway Foraker and others;
Arthur ]. yorys. Ohio manager of the
Taft campaign of 1908. and Frank H.
Hitchcock, one time chairman. of the
republican national committee, and
(
met.
TELLS OF BIG LOBBY FUND
Mulhall testified too. that the ma
tional council for Industrial defense
an organization allied to the National
Association of Manufacturers. had
raised between 100000 and 100000 a
year to be used in opposing legislation
its members did not like. He said this
information came from collector for
the council and that he had no personal
knowledge of it except that he had
been paid for political work from such
a fund
Mulhall showed the strain he has
been under for four days at the after
noon session, and the committee took
him from the stand for a half hour
and listened to testimony by J. p. Bird,
general manager of the Manufacturers
association and treasurer of the indus
trial defense council.
100000 LETTERS ON FILE
TIE committee heard that f. G.
Schwedtman of ST. Louis, secretary TO
the late James w. Van Cleave. once
president of the National Association
of Manufacturers, had about 10000 let
ters bearing on the associations work.
Schwedtman was in constant COM
municatfon with Mulhalh according to
the latter's evidence.
The committee was greatly interested
| in a letter which Mulhall swore he
wrote to Schwedtman on April 16, 1908.
1t told Of a conversation Mulhall had
in Washington with former Representa-
tive Watson of Indiana in which the
latter described q two hour interview
at the White House between Mr. Roose-
welt and himself
| In part the letter read:
ANXIOUS OVER THIRD TERN
'He fWatson) said he was invited
to the White House at $50 p. m. and
was with the president until 1890
Ip m. The president wished him to
call so they could talk over the legis-
lative program for the balance of this
session, the president knowing that
he represented Speaker Cannon and
the other leaders of the house and
senate. He stated that the main
reason OF the. call was that Speaker
Cannon, Vice President Fairbanks and
several other leaders wanted to find
out how the president stood In rela-
tion to third term. He stated that
there were four things the president
wished First that congress stay in
session until May 10. to receive the
governors of the different states COM
ing to Washington on that day; sec
ond TO amend the Sherman law;
third, to have congress vote for four
battleships: fourth, to pass a child's
labor law for the District of Columbia
which would be a model law for the
states in general.
MIR Watson says he told the presi-
dent that 1t was Impossible for him
to get through this congress two of
those bills. First. that congress would
only vote for two battleships. Second
that congress would not amend the
Sherman law. The president wanted to
know why Mr. Watson told him that
almost the entire manufacturing In
terests of the country were against it.
The president wished to know IL Mr.
Watson knew or had met Mr.. Van
Cleave Mr. Watson told him he knew
Mr.. Van Cleave well and other manu-
facturers who were in touch with Mr..
Van C1eave and that Mr.. Van C1eave
was a splendid fellow and knew what
the manufacturers wanted. He stated
that he talked along these lines with
the president and finallys the president
did not press to have the sherman bill
passed at this session of congress.
WANTED AN ACADEMIC BILL
'sTJe then stated that they passed to
the child's labor law and Mr. Watson
asked the president who would draw
this model bill. The president replied
he would have his labor commissioner.
Mr.. Neill, draw it, the president ex-
DlafninR InaI ne THeTtiS W lSub0 LnIS Dill
to he an academic bill for the states
The letter closed with reference to
Mr. Watson's account Of his efforts to
draw Mr.. Roosevelt out on the question
of third term.
Schwedtman told Mulhall in letter
! early in 1908, 1T is really a pity that
we can not get you to congress or to
the senate right away. You ought to
he there. Each day teaches us how to
do things better, and just another year
of this harmonious cooperation will
put us in shape where nobody can beat
u.s."
The letter was dated April l.