The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-09
STARTLING EXPOSE
OF WILLIS CAMPAIGN
In DONOVAN CONTEST
CONTINUED from Page one.)

teStify1ng upon this question, and ChaC
he must, in his position, have known
much more about the details Of the
settlement, and who was responsible
for it, than he cared to admit; and
that in consequence he must have felt
a due sense of gratitude toward those
who helped his company in its predi-
cament among whom Mr.. Hill and
Mr.. Enos were, probably prominent.
1t was not strange that this man, who
had every personal and financial mo-
tive for returning Mr.. Hill to Congress,
should have been made chairman of
the subcommittee on finance ap-
pointed by the congressional commit
tee at it's first meeting Contestants
Exhibit HI, Rec. p POD, for he had
just the sort of business connections
to insure the gathering of a large fund
such as the committee raised"
Touching the Hating Trade"
Several pages of the brief are devoted
to levy upon the Danbury hat manu-
facturers The collection was partly
made by Joseph j. Asche.
THE usual claim was made by Mr.
Asche that the purposes of the conn
mittee for which he was working were
to help the whole party, but he admits
that special emphasis was laid on Mr..
Hills name in asking for money and
does not remember that the names of
other candidates were mentioned; and
we must not forget that they did not
approach a single Individual not inti-
mately connected with hat manufac-
turing. 1t is common knowledge that
the hat trade favors a high tariff and
are willing to spend money in every
legitimate way to get it. What was
more appropriate than for them to
give to a fund they believed would
give them Mr.. Hill as a champion in
Congress2
The Liberal Kips.
1--WE now come to another group of
contributions which may be designat-
ed the Salts Textile group for rea-
sons which win presently appear. See
Contestants Exhibit IL Cree. p. 129
and p. 27S), which is a letter on the
letterhead of the Salts Textile Manu-
featuring Co. (of Bridgeport) dated
October Z. 1914. addressed to Mr..
Wheeler and signed Frederick E. Kip
It states simply that the writer en-
closes campaign subscriptions as fol-
lows and refers to seven contributors
whose donations aggregate 81, 850-al-
most one-third of the total sum col
lected by the Congressional Campaign
Committee, though it may be that the
figures given should be reduced some
what because of an apparent error
which is noted hereafter See also
Contestants Exhibit, III Cree.
p. 1875 and p. 274) which is a letter of
the same date also addressed to Mr.
H.
Probably it was enclosed with the
other letter for it mentions one of the
contributions therein enunerated-one
of $500 from Charles A. Wimpfh elmer
of New York. Mr.. Kip writes: MT.
Wimpfheirner is the proprietor of the
American Velvet Co, of Stonington.-
Conn. Kindly acknowledge. receipt of
this check direct to Mr.. Wimpfheimera
in New York City. have written
him that you and Mr.. Hill appreciate
his interest in the matter very much
indeed. Another $500 contribution in
this group came. apparently, from Ira.
A. Kip, Jr. Note the expressive way
in which Mr.. Wheeler, treasurer Of
the campaign committee and political
agent of E. J. Hill, acknowledged it:
I beg to acknowledge receipt today
October 13, 1910 of your check for
$500. I, personally and in behalf of
Mr.. Hill, thank you for your splendid
contribution and also for the good
work you are doing in his interest. 1t
does seem that with so many enthu-
siastic fellows working for him that
we ought to land him with a margin
to spare
The Frederick E. Kip, who gave
the $500 himself and sent in these con
tribuHons amounting to $3.50 (?) de-
sired to make doubly sure of landing
Mr.. HiH. for he made an additional
contribution of 800 a few days later.
drawing forth a touching reply from
Mr.. wheeler: Il must tell you that I
felt somewhat guilty in accepting this
as felt that you have certainly done
your share. and that you ought not to
have increased to this extent How
ever, want to state that we all APP
precfate the splendid work which you
have done, and we hope that some
time you win receive compensation
Upon receipt Of this Mt Kip must
have had preHonitions Of a lively adj
=
pile fabrics
Wheeler's Report
The return fled in the office Of the
Secretary of State of Connecticut by
Arthur G. Wheeler as treasurer of the
conversational campaign committee
shows that OF the $9,583.25 received
by the committee, $6,465 was turned
over to divers town committees. This
we submit, is a distinct violation of the
corrupt practices act, and for the
same reasons that the act was infring-
ed by the transfer by Mr.. wheeler, as
Mr.. .EI1Ps political agent, of $34S.25
to the campaign committee BY the
payment of this sum to the town com
rnittees the campaign committee
avoided its non-transferab1e duty of,
accounting for the nature OF its ex-
spenditures. IF it did SO with Mr..
HilPs knowledge or ratification and in
his interest, he is equally responsible
with the committee for the i1legaIity
Illegal Collections
cit should not be forgotten, in pass
ing, that MFR. Aeche and Mr.. Mallory
were not even members of the COM
mfttee, but were its unofficial and,
from the legal standpoint its wholly
unaccred1ted agents. The spirit of
the corrupt practices act requires that
every person engaged in collecting
funds for a political use shall be q
duly appointed political agent or a
duly appointed member of a duly con-
stituted political committee, in or
der that all such collectors shall be
answerab1e through the reports re-
quired by law of such agents and
committees. Mr.. Asche and Mr.
Mallory were wholly unarnenabIe to
law in their actions so far as the duty