The Washington herald., 1913-08-08
TALBOT n, A. MS
Dummy COUNCIL
James A. Emery, General
Counsel, Tells Committee
Of Subsidiary.
THREAT MADE TO TAFT
James L. Ewell Testi6es that N. A. N.
Told Former President that
They Would Beat Him.
THREAT MADE TO TAFT

L
trial, Defense, an unincorporated sub
sidiary of the N. A. NJ, has had no
meeting since its organization in 1905. was
one of the admissions drawn from James
A. Emery. its general counsel on the
witness stand before the Senate lobby
Investigating committee yesterday. Mr..
Emery admitted that the meetings Of the
Council were attended only by himself.
then Chairman Van Cleave, Secretary
Schwedtman. and sometimes Treasurer
Bird, all of whom were officers Of the
N. A. NJ. Mr.. Emery admitted that these
meetings were irregular both as to place
and time.
| Questions from the committee few fast,
and Senator Reed complained that no one
paid attention to his mild hammered
questions. Senator Nelson amended this
| by admitting that Senator Reed. like
Byron's hero, was the mildest man
nered man who ever scuttled ship or
cut a throat"
The Senate committee is preparing to
wind up its work in a hurry and turn the
remainder Of the investigation over to the
House Committee. with double view Of
avoiding a duplication Of work and per-
hitting Senators to give more time and
attention to tariff debate.
Emery made several denials Of parts Of
Mulhalrs testimony yesterday morning.
Mulhall had testified that for months be-
fore he left Congress. James +. Watson
had made Emery's Offices headquarters.
using his stenographer and clerical force
as his own.
Ousted Publisher Sore.
Watson was never in my Office on any
GRAND whatsoever until after the expira-
ton of his last term in Congress-" said
Emery yesterday.
10 re- NJ Mn1halra te4ti-
mony in which it appeared that the
\. A. N. had opposed child labor, work
mans compensation. compulsory educa-
ton, and other humanitarian bills, Mr..
Emery declared that he had never heard
of a compulsory education bill before
Congress: that neither he nor his asso-
citation had opposed child labor bill
or taken any part on either side: that
they had advocated strongly before COM
mittees the workman's compensation
bill. and had spent thousands OF dollars
advocating industrial education, as pro-
posed in the Page bill. and in urging
the use of safety appliances on factory
machinery.
James L. Ewell. OF Hamden. n. T..
appeared before the House committee
in the afternoon with a large sized
crouch on against John Bird. general
manager OF the y. A. N. Bird. according
to Elwell, threw him out OF lucrative
Job as publisher of American Industries.
the official organ of the n. a. NJ. and
seesawed him out of some money be-
sides.
Senator Reed read an address by Van
Cleave in which he told members of an
annual convention OF the y. A. NJ. held
in May. 1901. that he hoped to have
$4,000 a year subscribed for three years
Il al
testified that no such sum had been col
lected.
Threat Against Taft.
Edwell said that Bird told him after the
election of President Taft that a COM
mittee from the y. 4. NJ. had seen the
Republican National Committee and had
informed Taft that the association
would use its power to beat Taft II any
plank advocating Samuel Gompers' ideas
and radical labor legislation went into
the Republican national platform.
We felt pretty comfortable in putting
Taft across" Ewell quoted Bird as say
ing.
Elwell had some interesting informal
ton concerning the methods employed
by +. +. Porter. general collector for the
National Council for Industrial Defense,
and the committee permitted 1t to go
into the record, although MT. Porter Is
on hand TO testify whenever called.
ElwelI said 1t was his information that
Porter drew vast contributions from
manufacturers by a process Of near-in-
telling them what terrors the
was saving them at the hands OF
the labor demons and what would happen
IL the council withdrew this protection.
Elwell knew little about Mulhalrs ac-
tivities. political or otherwise. but he
says he was in Birds Office when Null
hall incautiously started to make a
verbal report about his work against |
William Hughes. now a Senator, in the |
Sixth New Jersey. Elwell, who has |
some ability as a mimic, drew a laugh |
from the committee as he repeated his |
version Of what Mulhall had said:
well. Mr.. Bird, could have done |
better il / had had more money. 1 |
worked hard. but I didn't have money |
There were more Democrats |
in that district than I thought for. 1 |
thought did damned well for the money |
had, don't your
by that time Bird had gotten around !
and stepped on his foot and shut him
up" concluded EIwell.
On another occasion, he said, he heard
ask Bird to send him down $500
to Washington. Bird promised to do
this, according to ElwelL
The Senate committee adjourned until
this morning, and the House Committee
ill Monday morning.
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