The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-08-21
M'DERMOTT IS HIT
FORMER CHIEF PAGE OF HOUSE
SAYS HE RECEIVED $500
FOR SHAPING BILL.
TESTIFIES IN LOBBY INQUIRY
Chicago conaressman's Ex.EmpIoye
Swears Representative Proposed
That He Go to Prison for Others
"Shark" Bill Up.

Washington, Aug. 1S.-A story of
bribery, petty and large, of confer
ences with lobbyists and of campaign
funds raised by manufacturers, involv-
ing Representative James T. McDer-
mott of Chicago, was told by /. H.
McMichael, former chief page of the
house, before the house lobby investi-
eating committee Friday.
McMichael said that Chicago mem
bers OF the National Association of
Manufacturers raised $3.50 as a cam
paign fund for McDermott, told of
numerous transactions between Mar
tin M. Mulhall and the stockyards con-
gresham. He swore that McDermott
told him that he received $500 for
his efforts to have the loan shark bill
In the District of Columbia amended
so that 1t would not injure pawn
brokers, and told OF numerous confer
ences between the congressman and
the lobbyist
At one of these conferences. at
which he was present, McMichael said
that McDermott told Mulhall he would
need $4,000 for his campaign ex.
penses, and that Mulhall said he
would try to get it for him. Shortly
after that, he said. Mulhall brought
to McDermott's office list OF the
Chicago members of the National AS
sociation of Manufacturers and Nc
Dermott marked who were in his dis
trict. McMichael, in the capacity of
McDermott's confidential secretary,
then returned the list to Mulhall and
later gave Mulhall $75 to go to Chi
cago at the request OF McDermott,
who said he was broke"
This was during the 1912 campaign.
After he had been elected McDermott
told McMichael that Mulhall had not
raised a cent for him and had left
him a 5000 hotel bill to pay.
Subsequently, however, Mulhall
showed McMichael a list Of Chicago
manufacturers and the amount they
had contributed to McDermott's cam
paign fund. aggregating $3.50. The
only name on this list that McMichael
could remember was that of the Link
Belt company Another check given
by Harold Mccormick of Chicago was
collected both in the original and on
duplicate.
McMichael then told Of grip taken
by him and McDermott to New York
where they met George D. Hornung, a
Washington pawnbroker, and John
McDermott, a New York brewer He
said that McDermott registered in
New York as "McDougal" and in
formed McMichael that he did not
want any one to know he was there.
The four mentioned held a confer
ence about the loan shark bill in John
McDermott's office and Representative
McDermott agreed with Hornung that
the paWnbrokers should not be put
under the same restrictions as the So
called ten per centers," the witness
said. Later McMichael learned that
$4,000 had been raised by Washing
ton pawnbrokers to have the bill so
amended and named Hornung and
Heinheimer. Bernstein and Tribby as
contributors to this fund
In concluding his testimony Nc
Michael said McDermott had come to
him since the publication of the Null
hall correspondence, including letters
ascribed to McDermott. He said:
Il met McDermott in the hall of
this Office building and he said, My
God, I'm ruined man. What am |
going to do? Do you suppose any
body will believe this old guy?'
II said to him, I've worked hard
for you six years, harder than | ever
worked for any man. ! tried to ele-
vate you and help you to big posi-
ton
II told him l had done all l could
for him. He said:
You've got nothing to lose; you
don't live with your wife. I'm a con-
gressman and I've got wife and chill
dren.
Say you wrote these letters un-
beknownst to me, and that l didn't
know anything about it.
EEkP Die QhNE MAD IM nun