The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-02
LOBBY DE VELOPMENTS
PROMISE SENSATIONS;
KIRBY DENIES CHARGES
President of Manu-
facturers Denies Charges
of Gompers in Vigorous
Terms-Is Ready to
Face Accusations

San Francisco, July 1.-"Broughton
Brandenburg never was in the employ
of the National Association of Manu-
facturers." This was the reply today
of John Kirby, Jr, former president
of the association, when he was shown
dispatches from Washington report
ing the charges made there by Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor
Mr.. Kirby. David NJ Parry. also a
former president of the association, and
j. p. Bird of Plainfield, N. j., general
manager of the association, left tonight
for Washington, In obedience to notifi-
cation from the sergeant at arms of
the Senate that their testimony was
required by the committee investigat-
ing the activities of lobbyists
Mr.. ana Mrs. Kirby and Parry were
to have sailed at noon on the steamer
Ventura for Australia, where they
planned to make an Investigation of
the relations between capital, labor and
the state in the antipodes. They can
celled their reservations at consider
able expense half an hour before the
liner cleared.
Signed Statement
The party gave out a signed state
ment that the Mulhall affair had been
engineered in an attempt to destroy the
association. The statement follows:
From the press dispatches shown us
today the purpose of the so-called Null
hall story is, made plain. Not satisfied
with securing from the democratic con-
vention held in Baltimore absolute
pledges to exempt organized labor from
the operation of the law of this land
they now attempt by falsshood and
Misrepresentation to discredit and de-
stroy the National Association of Man
ufacturers-the one organization that
from its inception has operated under
the slogan of equal opportunity for
all under the law That we have fought
steadily the greatest criminal trust
this world has ever known. we do not
deny; that We have Illegally attacked
or in any way misrepresented this
damnable trust, we do emphaticaIly
deny.
Our entire efforts in legislative
measures has been to show congress-
men and senator's and the country at
large, the one fact that the very sta
bility of our institutions depends on
the faithfulness of those officials to
their duty and upon their unswerving
fidelity TO tne oath of office by which
thcy pledged themselves when accept
ing their responsibilities.
Face Accusations
We shall return willingly to face
the accusations made. Immediately
upon the request of the congressional
committee we cancelled our Transport
tation to Australia. This we readily did
that we might have the opportunity of
facing what we believe to be a set-up
job and that we may publicly reveal,
openly and frankly every operation of
the National Association of Manufac-
turers and show to the world the treas
enable cowardice of some of our public
officials
I'VE shall, of course, Know more
about these men and false charges
when we arrive in the east. but we beg
to inquire If 1t has been ever the case
in the history of congressional pro-
eedure that a newspaper attack ap-
pearing on one day was followed by the
issuing of government subpoenas the
next day