The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-22
DEMOCRATIC CHIEFS
IN CONTRACT MIXUP
E. s. Harris, State Chairman,
and F. A. McNamee Accused
Of Using Influence.
PROFIT SHARING ALLEGED
Letters Show Connection Be-
tween Campaign Work and
Government Jobs.

Correspondence and form of contract
importing to show that Edwin 8. Har-
,is. New York State Democratic chair
man. and Frank A. McNamee. Chairman
e tire finance committee for New York
State under the Democratic National
Committee, have been interested in try
~ to get contracts from the Govern
rnent we're published by the Globe yes
ts,dsy.
Mr.. Harris's disavowal Of a dollars
interest in any surl contract, real ur
Prospective. also was printed. Mr.. Nc
Nance said tina. although the inten
ton had been TO give Mr.. Harris 10
Der cent. OF the receipts from construc-
ton sork done by tho Gray Constr nc
s,1u Company az Camp Funston, NJ.
harris had no knowledge Of It.
The most intervening disclosure IL
letter which MIR. Harris Is alleged to
;,sys written On June to Frank n.
Lord, assistant 20 Chairman Hurley ot
,he lfri,od states shipping Board, say.
Ing that contracts ought to be awarded
80 certain firms which Re names In Or
Gee to help the democrats carry the
State this fall. Sentences from this let
te' are:
"a need every ounce Of support can
&c. 10 carry the war proposition through
IN this State. also wish TO
call your attention again to the fact
that the Administration policies would
be strengthened all over tho northern
i1rt OF this State IL YOU could eIlis'
TIRE services OF X. II Prescott x Co. ~
ke'ceville. n. Y n your h,'s:nc pron
c~.t:ens. I feel tnE' the greatest mutt"
10 sustain the Administration and the
fa'dest Congre s.ionaI fight are grirg
- y. in this 8 10. and no o,:s will re
get anything that they do to sustain
i1r war polic.es IN New York state"
NcNamee Demands Payment.
One of the letters as published by tho
Globe was written in July this year by
NJ McNamee to c. l.. Gray. head OF the
Gray Construction Company of Kansas
City. which had erected hospital add
tons at Camp Funston. In the letter
Mr.. McNamee said he had advanced
$4,000 on this contract ami wanted to
know what Mr.. Gray had done with the
money. He added:
The equity OF 10 per cent. due Mr.
Harris you have also ignored. 1 don't
want to find it necessary to go to Kan
sas City. but you have got to do the
right thing. You have given no consid-
Grafton to the fact that l advanced you
large sum OF money while awaiting
this contract, and that Mr.. Harris and
myself spent thousands of dollars in le-
climate expenses, The latter of course
does not enter into the figures covering
tho contract"
Another contract in the negotiations
FOR which Mr.. Harris and Mr.. McNamee
are represented as having concerned
themselves was for the construction OF
eighteen steel tankers for tho Emer-
esfcy Fleet Corporation. In a memo
;andum for Mr Lord OF the Shipping
Beard which Mr.. Harris Is said to have
dictated or June this appears:
The McNar1ee Gray company il
prepared to build for the United States
Government fifty or more wooden hulls.
assuming that the Government will
guarantee the price OF labor and mate
r.S!s'
Letter Credited to Harris.
- t1e letter accompanying the memo
r..riun Mr.. Harris is alleged to have
ss d to Mr. Lord:
II am sending herewith propositions
v1ich the McNamee- Gray concern are
willing TO make to the Shipping Board.
Their Wilmington proposition depends
on me. II the shipping Board would like
10 give them a contract there I could
arrange tneNl 10 Jake over inc snip
Yards My interest Is in McNamee and
rot in Gray. and for the reasons which
J mentioned to you would greatly de-
Fire them to get Hudson River PROPOSE
trn. All these propositions are impor-
tant TO me and the interests which I
represent in proportion to the ouickness
IN which they can be brought about. I
need every ounce of support l can get
10 carry through the war proposition in
this state"
In another letter Of the series. written
on June I by Mr.. Harris to Chairman
Bernard NJ. Baruch of the War Indus
tries Board. the Democratic State chair
man is quoted by the Globe as saying:
II am enclosing memoranda pertain
ing to war work and war sentiment. II
they interest you would like to show
YOU that the facts are just as stated. II
YOU are able to do anything in the mat
Ter | wish that YOU would say so, be-
cause 7, like every one else who is right
minded, wish TO make every minute
count for the general cause
Appeal TO Fleet Corporation.
On June 20, according to the Globe,
Mr., McNamee. from the National Demo-
cratic club, New York, wrote Mr.. Ferris
OF the contract division. Emergency Fleet
Corporation. in Philadelphia, that 1--WE
0'' W a ppSltlOn 10 SbdIt tsH "oOuch
hulls at once" and 1--WE desire the con-
'ract to be in the name OF the North and
South Construction Corporation, which
- being organized to take over the work
now being done under the name OF the
Gray Construction Company. Gray &
M"Namee. partners"
Five days later tho North and South
Construction Company was Incorporated
az Albany. One OF the Ave directors
named for the first year was Mae NICE
Harris, Main avenue. Albany, said by
the Globe to be the wife OF Edwin g.
Harris. The other directors were f. A.
McNamee, Arkay Building. Albany !:
y. 3. Nepham, Waldorf-Astoria. New
York: y. S. Patten, Whiteboro. ". T.,
and Charles L. Gray, Railway Exchange
Building, Kansas City
The company had a nominal capitali-
zation OF 100000, being 1000 shares
OF common stock OF 500 par value each.
But the amount of capital stock with
which said corporation will begin busi-
ness is 81 900" The shareholders Of
record were r. A. McNamee, two shares !;
Mae NICE. Harris, two shares: M. 3.
Paiten, one share. A proposed form OF
contract between this corporation and
me National Shipbuildlng Corporation
OF New York city appears in the Globe.
Harris Denies Money Jnterest.
According to this document the North
and South Construction Corporation was
10 get, In consideration OF moneys AK
lad aaA - L.. -