Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-10
WOOL ASSOCIATION
BOOKS EXAMINED
Senate Lobby investigators
Spend Much Time in
Executive Session.
WHITMAN EXPLAINS
THE DINGLEY LETTER
Clarence H. Brown Tells of Work
of Hosiery Manufacturers
Committee.

The Senate lobby committee spent
the greater part OF the day IN execu-
i've session. supposedly looking over
the books OF the National Wool Asso-
ciation. furnished yesterday
Clarence III. Brown OF New York
chairman OF the hosiery manufactur-
ers' Legislative committee testified
briefly at short open session He
said the association he represents com
prises about IS per cent OF the hosiery
makers in the country. The Legislative
committee. he said had at it's disposal
about $4,000 a year but only small
part of that sum has been used in
Legislative work"
Il have never TO NIX knowledge
bought even a cigar for a member of
Congress" said Brown
Protection Tariff Aid.
The witness said he was employed
by the Protective TarifY League al the
time the Payne -Aldrich bill was before
Congress. He described himself as a
sort of messenger at that time and ex-
planned that there probably were as
many 40 members OF the league In
4 w aSn1ngtOn at various times during the
discussion of the Payne bill.
| His activities with the hosiery manu-
facturers, he said. were of the usual
kind. the filing of briefs and talks with
| senators and representatives.
Brown said he had spent about $4,000
in his work-much of IL outside OF
Washington in cases of undervalua-
tions and other matters.
Il don't suppose I've spent ten hours
/ on work here since they began to re-
wise the Payne-Aldrich law" said
Brown.
He did not know of any particular
activity on the part of Importers or
others interested in lower duties on
hosiery. His association wished the
Payne rates put in the Underwood bill
and did its best to keep rates on
hosiery as high as possible.
Brings His Letter Books.
William Whitman, the Boston wool man
! who has been coming to Washington
since 1873, but never got what ne wanted
| in rates on wool, brought big letter
book to the committee room today. II
contained copies of correspondence from
Whitman to many public men. but many
| Of the letters were OF a confidential ma
ture and did not touch on tariff matters
Il After an executive session OF an hour
and a half the committee announced that
\ certain of the letters would be put In the
records.
i Explains Dingley Letter.
Whitman explained a letter read to the
1 committee yesterday directed 10 Repre-
sentative Nelson W Dingley. author OF
the Dingley bill. about wool duties The
| letter was written i'm 1897. Whitman
! said that on investigation he found that
| he had written this letter TO Dingley
| about rates in the bill after preliminary
report had been made by the ways and
| means committee of the House and that
fhe knowledge he had displayed in IL OF
the rates in the bill had been obtained
from that report He exhibited a pam
| phlet prepared. he said. BY Louis -
Brandeis, a Boston attorney. I'm 1919
\ which contained an explanation or the
duties on wool tops" in the Dngley act
and told how the ways and means COM
mittee had arrived at its decision on TINS
| schedule
Senator Reed continued TO put In the
| record letters and telegrams between
Whitman and s. y. ID. North. secretary
of the National Association of Wool Man
4 ufacturers and acting clerk to majority
| members of the Senate finance commit
| tee North afterward became director
| Of the census
Tells of Work on Tariff.
liam Whitman denied that he or
L
ed with the National Association of
Manufacturers Mr.. Whitman told
| about his interest in tariff leeisla-
ton beginning in 1879. He got only as
| far as the Dingley bill in 1897 when
the committee adjourned. whitman SAID
| he had been especially active al the time
| the Dingley bill was before the House
WAYS and means committee At the sug-
| gestion of Chairman Dingley. ne saio. ne
had tried to get the wool growers ana
| manufacturers TO get together on Wooi
! duty that would be agreeable TO all. Sen
| ator Reed tried to make him admit that
the duties he wanted appeared in the
| bill.
/ Il never got what l wanted" insisted
i, the witness
lie said he enjoyed friendly relations
with Senator's Aldrich. Allison and Platt
of Connecticut. and with Representative
Clifton X Breckenridge OF Arkansas
Senator Allison, he said, ne knew pest
Of al the men on the ways and means
or finance committeeman Congress. He
talked with these men about the wool IN
dustry and made suggestions TO them.
He did not attempt TO write any Wool
schedules
Letters Read in Record.
Whitman produced more than a hun
drad letters and kilograms that passed
between himself and North in 1885,
/ az when North was secretary of
! ,ha association and also a clerk for ma
! iority members ot the Senate finance
| committee.
winthrop l.. Marvin. secretary and
treasurer of the wool association. took
| the stand TO tell the committee some of
| the things Whitman did not answer SEN
| ator Reed appeared anxious TO get the
| racords of the association and Marvin
| saiI vouchers and receipts, books and
| other memoranda of financial transac-
| tions were always kept by him.
| Marvin said the association collected
! ahout $1,000 in 1912 and in 1913 practi-
| celly the same sum. In 1911 the collec-
tions were about $4,000 and in 1910
| about $1,000 a year
| ~ never knew of a single dollar ex-
nended for a political purpose. he
! added. 100
| was used to send some one-not named
IA washington. He thought this fund
| uieht have been raised in some way out
| side the regular channel OF contribution
m the annual fund. Another fund-about
s95 G0-to meet extraordinary exigencies
IN connection with tariff legislation was
/ raised about two years ago. All was
| ,nrnad over to Ed +. Greene of Boston.
. wool man, and was contributed by man.
| ufacturers.
n~osoc . Rocinroc;fu Euud