Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-12-21
BECKER AND REED
HAVE WORDY TILT
At kULTUR PROBE
Most Of Day Taken Up by Ex-
changes Of Sarcasm Be-
tween Witness and Senator
Not Member of Committee
tsr MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wasI

investigating German propaganda was
taken up with Tits between Aldred l..
Berger, assistant attorney general of
| New York today and Senator Reed of
Missouri, who is not a member of the
committee. Senator Reed, in cross
examining the New York official,
who had been on the stand two DAYS,
charged that Merton L. Lewis, attor-
ney general of New York and Becker
! misused their official positions in
making public information contained
in affidavts secured by them under
special war legislation These affi-
daVitS referred to alleged meetings of
William Randolph Hearst with Bolo
Pasha, executed in France as a trail
tor, and former Ambassador Won
Bernstorff.
| Mr.. Becker denied the charge, say
ing that the affidavits made public
| were not secured under the special
| legislation. He said that certain dis
| closures were made public for what
frankly admit were political pur-
| poses he justified this course on the
| ground that their publication was in
| the public interest.
| The information under discussion
was gwen to New York newspapers
mainly in August, September and Oc-
| tober when Becker was a candidate
| for the republican nomination for at
| torney general of New York state
/ and Attorney General Lewis was a
/ candidate for the republican nominal
| ton for governor against Charles s.
! Whitman. 1t appeared from the
! cross examination that Hearst was
considered u supporter of Whitman
! and Senator Reed sought to show that
| Lewis and Becker intended to DAM
age Whitman by attacking Hearst,
Senator Reed read from a New
/ York newspaper of July 81, 1917, Il
story telling of Bolo Pasha's attention
| to a Metropolitan opera singer, a
! Spanish woman, whose relations with
! Bolo We're declared by Becker to be
/ entirely blameless. In this story was
a letter from Bolo to the singer men
! tioning my friend, Mrs. Millicent
| Hearst" Mr.. Becker admitted haV-
! ing given to the papers the statement
containing the letter.
Was Interesting News,
What was the purpose of giving
it out at this particular time?' in
| quired Senator Reed.
1T was an interesting item of news
which | thought the public would be
! glad to read" Mr.. Becker replied,
smiling.
Was there no purpose to connect
| Hearst with Bolo?"
II had regarded the purpose to
show the connection of Hearst with
German propagandists as more inter-
esting to the public than the disclos-
ure of Bolo's attention to the opera
singer"
Becker added. shouting to drown
Senator Reeds voice;
i II think it should have been done
a long time before"
Senator King of Utah then asked:
i Did you attempt to prejudice the
4 public against Whitman by showing
4 his connection with Hearst"
i Mr.. Becker replied:
lit was Lewis campaign commit
tee which did this.
4 Telling about a meeting in Carnegie
hall. New York. in 1915, under the
auspices of the Central Federated
union in the interests of keeping the
United States out of the war Becker
said a New York woman, whose name
he did not mention, withdrew an
agreement to pay $500 for use of the
hall when she discovered that Will
liam ]. Bryan was to be one Of the
speakers.
Senator Reed asked the witness If
he meant to infer by his reference to
Mr.. Bryan that objection was made to
his presence at the meeting because
of his being a representative of the
| German government.
No" Becker replied, II hope you
| do not think that | will be held re-
sponsible for any wild reference that
may be drawn by diseased minds"
just Wild Inference.
do YOU mean to say that my mind
is diseased asked Senator Reed,
mo. That is another wild infer
ence," Becker said.
Becker told the committee that
1913, 1863 was collected by the citizens
committee of New York for food ship
ments to Germany, but the money
was checked out of bank and tn,
checks destroyed, and only $500 wortl
of food sent to Germany.
The witness testified that the late
DR.. Hugo Schwitzer of New York re
ceived $1,47S,SS2 from the Germany
embassy, having acted as depositor.
for a part of the embassy funds. HI
said evidence showed that $3.50, O0'
of that amount was paid to DR.. Ed
ward A. Rumely and used 10 pay eN
penses in connection with the New
York Evening Mail.
Mr., Becker read letter from
George sylvester Viereck to hi
father in Berlin. intercepted by Brit
ish censors, asking the father to for
ward the text of q German court de
cision to the effect that beer was a
food rather than luxury. This de
esion later was received, Mr.. Becker
said, and was used extensively a
brewers propaganda in the Unite
; States
A catechism of the war entitle
Two Thousand Questions and An
swers," published by the Review Q
! Reviews company after the Unite
\ States entered the war and criticise
by the National Security league, wa
\ taken up by Mr. Becker. He read
\ passage referring to immoral cond
\ tons in Paris, and said he considere
this German propaganda, because
; incensed the French high commissio
h in this country. Senator Reed cha
lenged the statement and read til
book further to show that it explaine
American soldiers did not spend the
; days off in Paris. Many other passage
in the book constituted enemy props
ganda, Mr. Becker said.
4 When the Questioning was il
} terrnpted by adjournment to be RI
! sumed tomorrow morning, Senate
Reed asked Mr.. Becker Ia produ'
vouchers showing expenses il
CURED by state secret agents
obtaining dispositions in the inve
3 tigation of Bolo's activities in II
United States The witness state
with heat that he would do no sue
thing as they We're confidential.
Throughout most of the crosse
animation by Senator Reed. membe