Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-06-20
Lobby Mail Free BY Senator's Aid

How the Government Printing Once and
the Post Office Department helped in the
fight against free sugar and the Coueres-
saonal frank sent tons Of anti-free sugar
-hterature" circulating throughout the land.
was brought out last Friday BY the Senate
lobby investigator
Truman G. Palmer. Washington repre-
sentative Of the United States Beet Sugar
industry. On the stand the entire day and the
subject Of sweeping eross-examinatiOn.
testified that more than $4,000 copies
Of arguments in behalf Of beet sugar had
been turned out BY the Government Print
ing Office, made public documents by o.
der Of Congress- and sent On the franks Of
Senators and Representatives to the ends
OF the country. postage free
Sugar at Glance" prepared By him.
he said, had attained circulation Of 320.-
600 copies under the frank Of Senator
Lodge. Report Of the Finance Committee"
by the same Senator had beaten the pam
phIet by 10000 copies
BY the use Of Senator Lodges frank,
Senator Reed. Of the investigating com
mittee, figured that the beet sugar people
had saved about $4,000 which they
otherwise would have had to pay out Of
their own pockets as postage on the hun
dfeds OF thousands Of pamphlets they sent
out. The franks Of Senator Smoot, former
Senators Curtis and Dick, and the late Repre-
sentative Malby and former Representative
Pickett had swelled the total Of documents
sent out TO more than 100000. The
printing Of some Of this number had been
paid for by the beet sugar people. the
witness said, but the free postage had saved
them about $4,000. Even with this saw
Ing. according to the testimony Of Palmer.
their expenditures through him in the 10
years he had been theirrepesentative here
were generous. not 10 say lavish He ad-
mitted that more than $50. 900 had passed
through his hands in the fight against re-
dncine or Wipins out the sugar duties. which
fight began in 1902 with the movement
Tor reciprocity with Cuba.
But this was not all the beet sugar peo-
pie had spent trying TO aver reductions in
the duties on sugar. Mr.. Palmer admitted
that he did not know how much had been
expended by others connected with the
beet sugar interests
Testimony was also brought out same day
that the cane sugar interest Of Louisiana
had maintained lobby or publicity bu-
Feau here, but their expenditures appear
70 have been very modest as compared
with the lavish expenditures Of the beet
sugar people TO prevent injury to their
struggling infant industry. which they have
all along been claiming was just able to
keep Its head above water by the help Of
the high duties levied by the Dineley and
Payne-Aldrich acts on imported sugars.
fridays developments. 1t is conceded,
are the most damaging that have been 50
FAR brought out by the Senate committee
in its quest after the lobby that is fighting
the passage Of the Underwood bill. They
prove conclusively that President Wilson
was conservative. and not sensational, in
the charge he made three weeks ago re-
garding the efforts Of the lobby to defeat
OF emasculate the Underwood ball.
Mr.. Palmer said that Of the $3.50. 900
spent by the beet sugar men in their cam
paign since 1902. about $50, 900 had been
used since last November and about $l4,-
600 OF that amount since the beginning Of
the present Congress session. Much Of it
had been spent in publicity work. print
ing. salaries and goOd-sized sum in motion
pictures He said that the beet producers
in his association were assessed about 5
cents per ton. he thought. The last assess
ment was made in April. bringing in about
$4,000 and the previous one in February,
about $1,000.
When did you make those assessments ?"
asked Senator Reed.
when we needed the money"
Much Of the day was spent by the COM
mittee In trying TO find out all the details
Of how Sugar at Glance" came to be
printed as a public document. Although
Mr.. Palmer was drilled for three hours on
practically nothing else. when he left the
stand. committeeman said they were about
as much in the DARK as they were when
the pamphlet was first mentioned.
II was brought out. however. in proof Of
the sugar interests pull that the charts
prepared by Palmer had been complacently
accepted as authentic and reliable by no
less a statesman than Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge. and used by him In a speech he
delivered in the Senate advocating a SUGAR
tariff.
Palmer said that when Senator LODGE
made a speech on sugar in July, 1912, the
charts subsequently used in the pamphlet
were on the walls Of the Senate chamber.
Senator Lodge secured the permission Of
the Senate to have them printed as a pub
lie document. Accompanying these charts,
Mr.. Palmer declared. were certain printed
sheets containing sugar information. Ques-
toned by the members Of the committee.
the witness said that after the charts had
been sent to the Government Printing Of
fee and proofs in black and white had
been made Of them he had discovered that
they were not suitable for publication. He
had. therefore. sent them to private print
ing concern. and had them prepared in a
fashion he thought suitable. This. he
maintained. was done with the knowledge
Of Senator Lodge. and he considered that
he was acting for the Senator in the matter
Blanes Mothers For Vices or Girls.
At the meeting Of the International As
aociafinn Of Chiefa Of Police hald In., ......L