New-York tribune., 1913-06-18
Investigators Get Hold OF Mass
of Correspondence Of Chiefs
of the Lobby.
SOUGHT TO BUY NEWSPAPER
Interviews Sent Broadcast,
Railroads Asked to Help and
Every Effort Made to In
f1uence the Public.
from The Tribune Bureau J

manufacturers through the medlum OF tnS
United States Beet Sugar Industry Asso-
Nclation In opposition to the reduction of
the tariff on sugar is reflected in the extern
sive correspondence of Clarence c. Ham
lin, chairman of the executive board,
which was submitted to the Senate lobby
Investigating committee to-day.
{ Some Of the methods proposed included
1.-THE purchase of $4,000 of bonds of The
fChicago Inter Ocean," with the under
lstanding that it would become an instru-
lment in the beet sugar propaganda. The
Suggestion that ex-senator Flint or ex-
PSenator Teller be employed to take
lcharge Of the Washington end Of the
work was made. but not adopted. Mem
bers of the association also sought 10
have themselves interviewed by the
newspapers and TO have the dangers OF
Hree sugar brought to the attention of
the public through press association re-
kports Appeals were made to prominent
krailroad officials TO aid in the campaign
! The correspondence indicated that the
beet sugar manufacturers were alarmed
has far back as 1911 When the free sugar
bill was reported 10 the House during the
hast Congress they began their activities.
hand the warning was issued that disaster
Knight follow IF there were change In
Sthe White House" as the result of the
lelections.
| The name Of President Wilson was
again brought into the investigation to-
fday by Senator Smith, of Michigan, who
knade the assertion that d labor lobby
Ehad been actively urging the adoption Of
the provision in the sundry civil bill ex-
tempting labor organizations from prosecu-
ton under the fund provided for prose
lcution Of violators of the antitrust law.
president Gompers. Senator Smith said,
Ihad gone to the White House to urge the
president to approve the bill, although
The admitted that it was class legislation
Hurried Into the Record.
BY subpoena duces tecum the committee
got possession of the Hamlin letters and
telegrams Mr. Hamlin is from Colorado
Springs and is a newspaper owner and
beet sugar man. He was in charge OF
the Washington Offices of the American
Beet Sugar Association two years ago.
Tho papers included what purported 10
be carbon copies OF letters, unsigned, but
furnished as genuine by Harry A. Aus
tin, a clerk in the offices Of Truman G.
Palmer, representative of the United
States Beet Sugar Industry. The in
dustry" succeeded the association"
about two years ago. and Palmer sue
ceeded Hamlin in charge.
While the committee was after the pri-
vate papers Palmer. after a conference
with Senator Clark, of Wyoming. Ham
Inns uncle. was telegraphing Hamlin urg
ing him to get lawyer TO represent his
interests. The committee knew this, and
hurried the letters into the record with
put regard TO sequence. More than seventy
had been read when adjournment was
taken tonight.
None Of the letters disclosed that the
railroads had been interested, that the
great news agencies had been extensively
used or that The Inter-O Ocean" bonds
had been bought.
The value Of publicity was emphasized
in letter written at Fargo. N D., by
Aaron Cove TO Hamlin in Washington.
il referred TO an interview that had gone
out which was designated as the
"Arbuckle interview" and Cove urged tho
use OF patent insides" to reach country
readers.
Many farmers read those patent in
Sides" he wrote. When looked II UP
found that stick of stuff every week
was not exorbitant in price, and 1t sure
enough does get before the voters little
by little and eats in
Tried to Use Associated Press.
The efforts OF Hamlin TO get publicity
through The Associated Press and lead
ing newspapers were touched on in several
letters In what appeared TO be a copy
of a Hamlin letter TO Cove at Fargo, on
November 9. 1911, the writer declared that
the so-called "AIbuckle interview had
gone into practically every paper in the
United States"
After taking up the matter with Mr..
Morey," the letter added. "and after Sc
curing an agreement with The Associated
Press to handle $50 words. gave out the
inclosed, and while 1t was we'll handled
locally the Eastern papers took up but
a dozen lines. AS matter of fact /
would have preferred that they had
ignored il entirely. ! have taken the mat
ter UP with Melville Stone, OF The Asso-
ciated Press, demanding that in the fut-
ure the beet sugar industry receive at
least the same treatment as the Eastern
rehners."
Mr. Morey, referred TO- is president OF
the Great Western Sugar Company
In another letter TO Warren. at Detroit.
with the initials &C. II. H" as a dictation
mark. the writer said he had taken up
the matter Of the failure to get publicity
through The Associated Press with Mr..
Stone. and added;
If this matter Is followed up we will be
able 10 get our stuff handled by The Asso-
ciated Press in a satisfactory manner. l
will be in New York some time next week
and will take II up in person"
Warren wrote to Hamlin, November 49,
1911:
II do not think well Of your idea OF
writing all the papers that did not carry
your Associated Press story. We have
found that whenever a paper that is un-
friendly to the tariff generally or TO the
sugar tariff is approached, the result is
an unfriendly article You will probably
have 10 rely upon getting out what you
can. and not find fault when everybody
does not carry an interview"
TARIFF Ri I'M