The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-13
Palmer Tells How Printing
Offices and POstoffices
Aided Fight
SUGAR CAMPAIGN
COST NEARLY S160,O0O
Washington Representative of United
States Beet Sugar Industry Sub
jected to Cross Examination
Before Lobby Committee

Washington, June I2.--How the gov
ernment printing offices and the post
office department helped In the fight
for free sugar through the use of con-
gressional franks for sending anti-iree
sugar "Iiternture" circulating through
ont tho IaiA WIS brought out today by
the senate lobby Investigators.
| Truman G.. Palmer. Washington rep
resentative of the United states beet
sugar industry. on the stand the en-
tire day and the object of a sweeping
cross-eNamination testified that more
than 100000 copies of arguments in
behalf of beet sugar had been turned
out by the government printing Offices
made public documents by order OF
Congress and had ridden on the franks
of senators and representatives. to the
ends of the country, postage free.
| Sugar at Glance"
Sugar at "A Glance" prepared b.
him, he said, had attained a circula-
! ton of 100000 copies. Under the frank
of Senator Lodge, Report of the
Finance Committee by the same SEN
ator, had beaten the pamphlet by $4,000
copies The franks of Senator Smoot
former Senators Curtis and Dick and
the late Representative Malby, former
Representative Pickett and Representa-
tive Martin had swelled the total to
more than a million and a half
| The printing of some of this number
mad been paid for by the beet sugar
people, the witness said, but the free
postage had saved them about S2S,00O,
Mr Palmer developed that Sugar at
a Second Glance" which. he minated
was inspired by the Federal Sugar
| Refining company, and which was an
argument in behalf of free sugar. had
also been printed as a public doeu-
ment and circulated under the frank
ing privilege. lie did not say nor did
the committee ask why the frank was
so used.
Spent Nearly $3.50, 900
Mr. Palmer said that the beet men
! had spent about $l60.000 in their CAM
patsn against free sugar since 1909
tAbout $50 eco had beea Used since 1ast
November and about $4,000 of that
amount since the beginning of the pres
ent session of Congress. Much of it had
/ been spent in publicity work. In print
ing, and good sized sum in motion
pictures. He said that the beet pro-
dueers In his association were assessed
about cents per ton, he thought The
/
bringing in about $4,000. and the pre-
vious in February, about $4,000
When did you make those ASSESS
ments?' asked Senator Reed
when we needed the money"
! Much of the day was spent by the com
| mlttee in trying to find out the details
of how sugar at a glance came to be
| printed as a public document Although
| MIR. Palmer was eTilled for three hours
\ on practically nothing else when he left
| the stand committeeman said they were
| about as much in the dark they were
| when the pamphlet was mentioned
| Palmer said that when Senator Lodge
made a speech on sugar in July 1917, the
| charts subsequently used in the pamphlet
| In walls in the Senate chamber. Senator
| Lodge secured the permission of the
| Senate to have Them printed as public
document. Accompanying these charts
Mr. Palmer declared. were certain printed
| sheets containing sugar information uues-
| toned by members of the committee the
witnessed said that after the charts had
! been sent to the government printing Of
| flee and proofs in black and white had
| been made of them, he had discovered
| they We're not suitable for publication
He had, therefore. sent them to a private
printing concern and had them prepared
in fashion he thought suitable. This
he maintained. was done with the tnowl-
edge of Senator Lodge, and he considered
| that he was acting for the senator
Surprise Expressed
Members of the committee expressed
surprise that any one should in any way
change something authorized to be printed
by the Senate. They developed that per-
mission was secured by Senator Lodge
for printing on July q and that one of
several issues of sugar at a glance"
referred to order of the Senate on
August ], in the same matter
The second order referred to data pre-
pared by Truman G. Palmer and pur-
ported to be signed by Charles G. Ben
nett, then secretary of the Senate. Mr.
Palmer said he supposed that the order
had been made and that he got 1t in the
proofs of the charts from the printing
office The Congressional Record of Aug
ust /, according to Senator Cummins.
showed no such order nor did the journal
Of the Senate nor the files in it's docu-
ment room.
You substituted at the government
printing office for the document you re-
ceived from the clerk of the Senate this
privately printed copy?" said Senator
Reed
81 don't think that is a fair statement
said Palmer. There was no subterfuge:
4 ffer ,la.h