The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1913-08-01
'MULHALL A LIAR
SAYS UNDERWOOD
Former Lobbyist for N. 4. M.
Denounced in Senate.
CALLS HIM A "BLACkMAILER'
Majority Leader Asserts Man Who
Takes Liberty With Name Of Pub
lie Men Should Be Forced
to Prove Charges.

concession FcCc1yeQ auOtu0I UlOW
when Representative Oscar w. Under
wood, chairman of the ways and
means committee, and leader OF the
Democratic majority of the house OF
representatives, under oath, denounced
Mulhall as liar and blackmailer.
At the night session Minority Lead
er James r. Mann and Speaker Champ
Clark also made most emphatic denials
of Mulhalrs statement that Represen-
tative J. r. McDermott of Chicago had,
offered them the "Mulhall letters" for
use in the house of representatives
investigation. Both insisted they
never heard of the letters until after
they were sold for publication. They
probably will repeat their denials on
the witness stand next week.
Mulhall enlivened> the day by testi-
flying that Representative McDermott
had admitted to him that he had
signed Mulhall's name to a check for
81; ~ Is
Gives Lie to MuihaIl.
The letters themselves, however,
purported to give much information
alleged to have been furnished Mulhall
by Mr.. Underwood. and the latter took
the stand to give the lie direct, and at
once. to Mulhall.
Il think" replied Chairman Under
wood, that 1t is in the interest of the
public that man who has taken liber-
ties with public men as this man has
should be contradicted.
Il regard man Of this kind as a
blackmafler. That man has never
been in the ways and means commit
tee room since have been chairman
of the committee. He may have had
conversations with me, but when he
says he had an interview / want to
say that statement is Ne."
Mr. Underwood also said he did not
believe he ever had seen Mulhan be-
fore in his life
Mulhall practically finished his iden.
LITIGATION of letters he wrote and re-
cefyed in the ten years he claims to
have been the lobbyist for the Nation
al Association of Manufacturers.
Mulhalls last day as an identffier Of
letters proved the most exciting of
his two weeks on the stand.
He swore that he had tried to get
Chairman Wilson of the labor commit
tee interested in the story he is now
telling and that Speaker Clark and Mi
norfty Leader Mann of the house had
turned down an opportunity to conduct
an investigation of his activities. The
speaker and Mr.. Mann, he said, had
been approached on this subject by
Representative James T. McDermott OF
Illinois. IN.
Speaker Makes Denial.
Neither Mr.. McDermott nor any
body else ever showed me the Mulhall
letters and papers," said Speaker
Clark in statement
Neither Mr. McDermott nor any
body else ever spoke to me about
them. never knew that MulhaN had
any letters or papers until I saw in a
newspaper that he had sold them to a
New York paper"
He testified he also had offered his
correspondence to Samuel Gompers,
president of the American Federation
of Labor, and that Gompers had de-
cIined
Were the letters or their substance
laid before Mr.. Wilson, asked Sena-
tor Walsh.
Il gave NJ. Wilson an understand
ing of what had replied Mulhall
Speaker Clark and Mr. Mann, Mul
hall said, would not have the matter
come up"
did you have talk with either?'
asked Senator Cummins-
mo, sir"
did you offer to sell them to Com
pers?" FL
mo. offered to give them"
Mulhall told during the day that he
left the National Association Of Manu-
facturers late in 1911, but letters Of
1912 and 1913 showed him still about
Washington interested In the makeup
of committees and in legislation. Other
letters showed an evident desire to
get back with his old : employers. al
though he did not admit that he
wished to secure his old berth.
One Of the last letters put In the
record was dated May rs, 1918. and adj
dressed to former Representative
James e. Watson Of Indiana
In this letter Mulhall asked Watson
to interest d. NJ Parry. former presi-
dent of the association, In his behalf.
1t was only few days later that the
senate committee started its lobby in
vestfgation and that he began to ne
gotiate for the disposal Of his CORE
spondcnce.