The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-29
Former Lobbyist Hears
Statements Branded
as Untrue
SPEAKS OF INTERVIEW
WITH MR.. UNDERWOOD
Correspondence Read in Senate Re-
veals Further Workings of the
Insidious Lobby-Was
too Optimistic

Washington, July 2s-Martin NJ. Null
hall sat on the witness stand before the
| Senate lobby committee today and listened
to another senator deny his statements.
Senator Lodge, mentioned as one of many
with whom the former lobbyist" for the
National Association of Manufacturers
had held political conferences. declared he
did not know the witness and never had
heard of him until the present investiga-
tion began
Mullhalls correspondence read today
brought him into the year 1911, when the
House became democratic. In many Of
his letters that year he spoke of inter-
views with Majority Leader Underwood,
William B. Wilson, Secretary of Labor IN
President Wilson's cabinet, then chair
man of the House labor committee James
T. Lloyd of the First Missouri district.
chairman of the democratic congressional
committee, and other prominent men.
He wrote in the strain he used all through
his letters to j. p Bird the general man
ager of the association, and other Off
| cials, of having men appointed to COM
mittees of preventing legislation, and of
generally having much to do with the
operations of government in Washington.
He mentioned in several letters with as
surance that he expected to have even
greater success with the democratic
House than he had boasted he had in the
days of republican rule, but questioned
by the committee, said he had been too
optimistic in his prophesy
McDermott Discussed
| Mulhall took up his relations with Rep
resentative ]. I, McDermott Of Illinois
and T. H. McAliehael, one time chief page
| of the House and confidential secretary
to the representative. He identified what
he swore was receipt for s10O given aim
| by McMichael for service in September
and October, 1911, and reiterated that Nc
| Dermott borrowed money from him which
| he never paid back.
! Senator Reed became deeply Interested
4 ia tnlb about seerei room which Mui-
hall said McDermott secured for his use
! ON the lower door of the west front of the
capitol on the House side. He described
that as quite a mysterious place and tine
committee will inspect it later. Muhan
went to the length of making arrange
ments to hire stenograpehr who he m
tended to place in this room. He wrote
rapher.
Could Not Accept
"The employment of a stenographer ard
| locating her In that ROOM said Bird In
reply would place me in doubtful po-
sition and one that ! cannot accept, feel
ing that the association cannot afford 20
| Law itself liable to the slightest suspicion
Mulhall, said he, McDermott and
Michael used the room and that he fire.
quently made long distance telephone
calls from the room and called up sena-
tors and members of the House there
All through today's letters Mulhall
appeared In opposition to legislation
favoring labor He swore that there was
| a labor lobby in Washington then IN
| which Sameul Gompers. Frank Morri-
son and other officials of the American
Federation of Labor were conspicuous
| figures.
Questioned by Senator Nelson, he said
| that the labor people We're trying To do
about what the manufacturers We're
were trying to do, only working in the
opposite direction
The committee made little progress
today. Senator Reed read extracts from
dozens of letters referring to the frank
ing OF books and seeds. bulbs and other
things through the mails to friends OF
the association
Offered Resignation
one of the last to go in was dated
October 25. 1911, from Mulhall to GEN
eral Manager Bird. offering his resig-
nation. The committee did not finish its
examination of Mulhall on the subject
but he declared that he got into diff
ficulty with the executive board of the
organization after he made a camapgn
trip to Maine He will tell the whole
| story of his separation from the SER
vice tomorrow. Robert McCarter, coun-
sci for the National Association Of Man
ufacturers, and jackson +. Ralston. for
the American Federation of Labor,
probably will submit tomorrow most
(ContInued on Page Ninel