New-York tribune., 1919-10-23
Trade Board
Denies That 1t
Harbors Reds
In Counter Attack Com
mission Accuses Senator
watson of Having Rela-
tons With Packers
Alleges Plot to Discredit
Says 1t is ''No Coincidence,
Alleged Bolshevists Will
Soon Give Testimony

WASHINGTON. Oct. 22-proos 81
the charge of Senator Watson puol Re. o.
RRuolican, R of Indiana, that the Fede ral
Laoe commission is hotbed of Bol
sne y's"' sedltlon and anarchy was
chnllenged to-day by the commission.
IN formal statement it charged
senator Watson with having relations
Wlth the Chicago meat packers. and
declared that his allegations against
'Ise commissions employees were part
OF OF the warfare of the packers against
Ihe commission and the Department Of
Justice with the purpose of subvert-
ing Justice"
Ihe commission further alleged
that it was not a "coincidence" that
u, rne employees attacked by Senator
atson were those who had been sum-
moned to testify in the case against
the packers which the Department Of
Justlce soon is to present to a federal
grand jury in Chicago.
Watson to Continue Inquiry
At the time the commissions state
ment was made public Senator Watson
was informing the Senate that none Of
the information on which his charges
were based had been furnished by
representatives of the packers; that
all Of it had come from inside the
commission itself. He also declared
that he was investigating the activi-
ties of socialists in other departments
of the government and would make
known the results to the public from
time to time.
Senator Harris, Democrat, of Geor-
gla, former member Of the commits
sion, rcI Ting to Senator Watson, de-
Tended the members and employees Of
the commission, and made vigorous
attack on the packers, chnrging that
they We're spending millions in q
propaganda to defeat Legislation which
would place them under control of the
Federal government.
Trade Boards Challenge
The trade commissions reply to
Senator Watson's charges was, in part,
as follows:
The charges made against the Fed
eral Trade Comm ssion by United
States Senator James Z. Watson, of In
diana, coupled as they are with other
commission by Senate resolution by
Senator Sherman, OF Illinois, require
answer
"These things are part and parcel
Of the warfare Of the Chicago meat
packers against the Department Of
Justice and the Federal Trade Com
mission; with the purpose of subverting
justice.
"The Sherman charges we're an
swered fully in writing by the commits
sion in July, and since that time the
author Of the charges has not offered
one word Of the proof which he claimed
to have. Instead Of making good the
first charges. new ones are brought.
The commission challenges proof Of
the Sherman charges; it challenges
proof Of the Watson charges.
The bona iidcs of these charges 90:
open to question when it is remem-
bered that Senator Watson was a lob
byist in 1909, as was shown IN the re
port of the House of representatives
committee, December e, 1913, entitled
"Charges against members of the
House of lobby activities, 62nd Con-
gress," End session, report 113. His
relations with the Chicago packers are
shown by certain spondence,
which is here quoted.
Quotes Packers Telegram
John c. Eversman, in February,
1918, was in the employ of Wilson e.
Co., as special representative in
Washington. Associated with him was
George A. Sanderson, who. has since
been elected Secretary of the United
States Senate.
"On February /, 1918, the following
telegram. taken from the files of Will
son g. Co. Inc, was sent by V. D.