Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-12
MULHALL CHARGES
DENIED BY WATSON
Former Representative Says
He Was Never Employed by
Manufacturers Association.
GAVE SPEAKER NO ADVICE
IN FORMING COMMITTEES
Never Knew of the Offer Of Money
Corruptly to Members of
Congress.

Congress.
Former Representative James L. Wat
son Of Indiana. before tine House lobby
committee today. made a general denial
OF Martin VI. Mulhall's charge that he
was one OF the active friends of the
National Association of Manufacturers
n Congress during many years
At no time while j was In Congress
or after 1 left Congress" said Watson
was I in the employ of the National
Association of Manufacturers for any
purpose, nor was I at any time a lob
hyist or a lawyer for it,
Watson said he did work for the Ma
tlonal Tariff Commission Association, an
organization of several hundred associa-
tons and many individuals of which the
National Association of Manufacturers
was one. He declared that MulhaIls
charge that he used his influence to put
certain men on House committees and
remove others was without foundation.
Uncle Joe" Needed No Advice.
You don't need to tell the sun to
shine, You don't need to tell the birds
10 sing any more than you needed to
tell Uncle Joe Cannon who to appoint
on committees" he said. The commit
tees We're made up by Mr.. Cannon, Bus
by, his secretary, and Asher Kinds, the
mouse lamentarian. and l never
obtruded my opinions"
When asked to give an opinion on q
man htness for committee position
he gave it. but went no further Wat
son said he never was approached by any
ofnclal of the National Association OF
manufacturers to favor any legisla ton
anu never was interested particularly
In any bills they favored except an
anu-injunction bill and the proposed
exemption of labor unions from the
Operation of the Sherman law He said
ne never held the same views as the
association on those measures
Watson explained Col MulhaIl. ex-
pected to assist him in his campaign
for governor in 1905, but worked only
a few months and didn't make his
promises good. He denied that Null
hall helped raise $4,000 in that cam
paisn. His employment by the tariff
association was about April /. 1909,
nearly month after he left Congress-
He said he was in charge of the cam
paign for tariff commission while
the Payne bill was in the House and
later in the Senate.
Business Connection No Secret.
There was nothing secret or in
sidious about my employment" said he.
Il was not in Congress and / thought
Il had a right to that employment. l
received $3.50 a week and my ex-
penses. and probably a retainer of $500.
There may have been some talk of
contingent fee. but it must have been
among the officers; ! never heard any
thing about it
Mr.. Watson said that many of MuihaIfs
letters referring to him detailed con-
yerSations that never occurred and told
OF things that never took place" He
explained Mulhalrs voluminous CORE
spondence about him by saying that the
lobbyist knew that he tWatsonD was
highly regarded by James W. Van Cleave.
president OF the association, and F. c.
Van Cleave's secretary.
Congressman Not Corrupt.
While ! was whip of the House.
think for six years." said Watson. pound
ing on the table in front of him, Il want
to say that I was intimately acquainted
with almost every member. both democrat
and republican, and j never knew a cor
rupt man in the House. I never knew
any man who was offered money, and
never knew of any attempt to offer any
one money corruptly, and / never be-
lieved any member could be corrupted"
When he was questioned by the COM
mittee regarding chautauqua lectures for
the National Association of Manufacture
ers or allied organizations Mr.. Watson
took a shot at Secretary Bryan.
He is the John d. Rockefeller of the
chautauqua platform" he said, referring
to BRYAN. HE has made more money
out Of it than anybody else, and he has
made more money because he has gone
about abusing the other fellows for MAX
ing money
Defends Labor Activities.
Samuel Gompers. president OF the Amer
lean Federation of Labor. gave a warn
Ing to capital and TO the manufacturers
of the country, and made a defense Of
the legislative activities of the federation
III the closing moments OF his testimony
before the House lobby Investigation
committee last night. He also bitterly ar
raigned the Sherman antitrust law as
II is applied to labor unions. His test.-
Ilony was for the most part defense Of
The labostng man.
The lives OF workingmen count for
nothing in the United States" said he.
1T seems to me that the life OF & horse
. of more value than the life of human
Icing to our manufacturers. II this
slaughter does not end do not know
what our industrial. commercial, polit-
Will come to- The manufacturers Of
this country. he added. opposed all acts
Of legislation designed to protect the
srorkingmen-
Reviewing at some length the court
decisions against labor organizations un-
DER the Sherman act, Mr.. Gompers said:
Tho federation exists at the suffer-
s.nce of an administration. Under the
sherman law and the procedure of the
courts the normal activities of the fed
Grafton in its exercise of power no moro
than tho individual exercises every day,
The power to withhold patronage, are
restrained and threefold damages can
20 claimed and obtained
TT seems to me that the law IL q bit
askew or otherwise II would not per-
nit such a thing" he added with q
shake OF his head
Watson disclaimed any knowledge OF
the blacklist OF six congressman Null
hall said he had written He said the
six names were In his handwriting, bu,
ne had not the slightest idea why he
had written them.
HAMPERED BY LAWS.