The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-13
SENATE LOBBY PROBE
PROVING EFFECTIVE
CONTINUED from Page ons)

80 per cent OF any increases in pay they
might receive should n bill for such
increases now before congress be passed
De knight testified that he had
drawn such contract and promised TO
inform the committee how many of such
contracts had been signed by officers
now i'll the government service
De Knight testified he had repre-:
sented chief warrant officers in the
navy in bin TO get them commits
stoned grade and in fifteen years had
collected $4,000, representing men OF
tho army and navy on increase of pay
Senator Overman asked if De Knight
had threatened to expose any officers
for making such contracts with him
when they refused to pay commissions.
De Knight said he only had sent them
ordinary collection letters.
Tt was developed that the list of
civil war veterans who would be ben
Gifted by a pending bill had been held
secret by the war department. Senator
Reed asked where De Knight got it.
Got List of Stimson.
"I got them from Congressman
Barchfeld Of Pennsylvania, - said de
knight He wrote TO Secretary Slim
for campaign purposes. Then [ got the
list from him
"Then when you got the list" con,
tinued Senator Reed, "you conceived
the idea of this bill, had Barchfeld in
troduce it and then started 10 work
writing letters to these old men to in
terest them in your contractsl ~
eyes. Mr.. Barchteld introduced the
| bill and | wrote to the men -
The bill has not passed the house, but
did pass the senate.
The witness said that he did not
| know law existed against contracts
| such as those he had made with sol
diers and sailors now in the service or
| retired, whereby they were to pay a
percentage of increased salaries for his
services. He insisted that several legal
| firms in Washington devoted much time
| to this business,
De Nights Career.
Telling of his present occupation, De
Knight said he had seen service about
congress first as a page, Stenographer
| and committee clerk in the house, and
later as clerk of the naval affairs COM
mittee of the senate. He served as
stenographer on the armor board Of the
navy department under Secretary Long
and also in the postoffice department in
clerical capacity. He had become
convinced, he said, that there was an
opportunity for profit in contracting
| with enlisted men and others to follow
| legislation IN which they were interest
ed. His contracts read, he said, that
only one right and proper means should
| be employed
De Knight admitted having used
| franks obtained at the Office of Senator
McCumber in sending documents to
friends and clients. He had procured
them, he said, from the senator's clerk
with whom he was acquainted, He es-
| timated that he used from twenty five
to thirty month. Questions directed
at the witness by Senator Reed sought
to bring ont the relations De Knight
might have with present employees Of
the government. He declared that he
made payments to mono Of his friends
in various departments, and that they
were not interested with him in any
business venture.
IT was said tonight the committee
probably will issue subpepas for Ad
mral Bowles and other persons men
toned by De Knight, before its hearing
is concluded.
Denial by Bowles.
BOSTON. March l2.-Rear Admiral
Bowles, president of the Fore River
Shipbuilding company, today denied
that he had employed Clarence W. De
knight to work for toll exemptions for
American coastwise ships in the Pan
anna canal act, as testified by De Knight
before the senate lobby committee at
Washington,
"I employed Mr.. De Knight in con-
nection with section ] of the Panama
canal act. which has to do with the
jurisdiction of the interstate commerce
commission over canal shipping" the
admiral said. ''The provision concern
ing tolls is section > of the act, and
with this | had nothing to do.
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