Arizona republican., 1913-06-18
Correspondence of Men In Charge of Washington Offices of Beet Sugar In dustry Are Before the Committee.
SHOW EXTENT
 OF THE CAMPAIGN
Attempts of the Interests" to Control Newspapers and News Associations Are Also Revealed In the Letters.
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPArcH1


 WASHINGTON, June 1.-The trail of "the lobby" the senate has been fol- lowing for more than two weeks led today into the private files of men in charge of the Washington offices of the United States beet sugar industry, the leading instrument in the cam palgn against free sugar and by origin als of letters and telegrams and what purported to be copies of others, de- Veloped testimony of what appeared to De an attempt at far reaching cam paIgn to create public sentiment against free sugar through the columns of individual newspapers and the fla cilities of the press associations It was a trail so long and complicated that after more than two hours pa tient effort the committee succeeded in reading into the record only a small part of the mass of the correspondence which the senators believed has pro- duced the most sensational evidence yet developed.
 By subpoena duces tecum the con- mittee got possession of copies of let ters and telegrams of Clarence C. Hamlin, Colorado Springs newspaper owner and beet sugar man. in charge of the Washington offices of the Amer ican beet sugar association two years ago. These papers included what pur- ported to be carbon copies of letters, unsigned but furnished as genuine by Harry Austin, clerk in the offices of Truman G. Palmer, representative of the United States sugar industry. "The industry succeeded the association about two years ago and Palmer sue ceded Hamlin in charge.
 While the committee was after the private papers of Palmer after a con ference with Senator Clark of Wyo- ming, Hamlin's uncle was wiring Ham lin urging him to get a lawyer to rep resent his interests. The committee had knoWledged of that and hurried the letters into the record without re- gard to sequences. More than 70 had been read when adjournment had been taken tonight.
 The correspondence revealed a na- ton wide publicity campaign against ire sugar and attempts to have the Associated Press and others carry "in- terviews." Other letters referred to a plan launched by Hamlin to have the large beet sugar companies take over S35,000 bonds of the Chicago Inter- Ocean. Others disclosed attempts in the interest of the big railroad systems in the anti-free sugar campaign to have professors of agricultural colleges appear before the committee with arg Iments favorable to the sugar men
 Senators Colt of Rhode Island and Smith of Michigan, were the witnesses -oday before the committed Only two other senators, Culberson of Texas md Burleigh of Maine remained to be lpa rd Tho 0f 1esses was interrupted today with an dea of finally disposing of all the sem ators.
 Colt said he had no interest in any interested in the tariff bill. No person he said had attempted i'm to influence him and he knew lothing of any lobby working in 
 Smith testified as newspaper own 1T that he bought probably $75,0OO worth of paper a year.
 When 1t is sought to put paper on he free list" he said 'I voted against t, I'm a protectionist and believe in his policy, I would not vote to serve ny own interest"
 He added that the paper men main aimed lobby here but he had never cen in the capital any improper at- empt to influence the legislation.
 Smith said he was in favor of the of Cuba and if it was an exed would be willing ii let Cuban ugar and other products come in free 1e made this argument to President when the Cuban reciprocity anne up in congress.
 w. J. Strassburger of Pittsburg, sec etary treasurer of the Allegheny plate lass company Of Glassmere, Pa, testi- jed that 12 plate glass companies had 1en here during the tariff discussion trassburger aroused the committee by eclaring that the figures purporting Q show the difference in the cost of reduction of plate glass here and broad appearing in the ways and 1eans committees tariff handbook Eere those presented in brief filed by he importers and not the government tatistics such as were presented in h other schedules.