Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-06-13
TAX BOARD CHARGES
ELAYED BY LOWDEN
At SENATE HEARING
GOVERNOR TESTIFIEs AT lNVeS-
LEGATION INTO MALONE RE
BORT THAT HE BACKED oUS-
TER AT INVESTIGATION OF
PULLMAN INTERESTS. -. -. -.

Springfield, H., June 10 - Governor
Frank o. Lowden testifying under
oath TODAY before the Barr committee
investigating the Malone-LoWdeh-
Pullman state board of equalization
charges. denied emphatically that he
had ever attempted to influence the
state boards assessment Of the Pull
man company.
Briefly his evidence may be sum
married. as follows
He swore he never had sent Dire. =
tor of Finance Wright, or any other
man, to Malone, or to any one else
threatening to abolish the board II
the Pullman tax was not reduced.
He declared that even since his
entry into public life he had believed
the board was obsolete and that its
work should be taken over by a more
comprehensive organized body.
Denied Newspaper charges.
He denied specifically charge after
charge printed in the Chicago Even
ing Journal, which attempted in it's
fight to save the state board OF equal
izatlon to inlpugn the motives OF the
Governor.
Answering its printed charge that
he had determined to abolish the
board after it had raised the Pullman
rate, the Governor swore that he had
Instructed his attorney Charles 4.
Woodward as early as june, 1916 to
prepare a bill to abolish the board,
while the Pullman assessment was
not raised until last December. Mr..
Woodward corroborated his state
ment
He charged on the witness stand
that he believed the board had raised
the Pullman rate and enteerd its
campaign in the Chicago Journal for
the purpose of attempting to force
him to drop his demand for the. board
adjustment.
Owned blu. Little stock
He testified that he had severed
all official connection with the Pull
man Company when elected governor
and that the holdings of the Pullman
family, his wife and his own, amount
ed only to about 1-6 per cent of the
entire capital stock, and this amount
was distributed in five or six differ
ent shares.
These were the high lights of the
governors testimony. Mr.. MALONE
following the governor, asked privi
lege to make a statement lie de
clared he wished to enter a fiat de
NAL to the governors statement thai
the Pullman levy had been made by
the board for Interior motives.
Il make that fiat denial" he said
My reputation is just as sacred t.
me as is that of the governor. !
was made because it was just"
He also succeeded in reading int
the record the charge that powerful
forces had succeeded in passing tn
bill to abolish the board
Hints at Sullivan Influence
Continuing, he said, 'it is We
known fact that at the last minut
in the fight before the Legislature
the Sullivan Democrats received thei
orders to stand by che governor, an
they cast the vote which abolishe
the board"
Malone was questioned by the goN
ernor's attorney Frank II. Scott, {
Chicago, as to charges made befor
the revenue committee that Oma
Office in Chicago and il the lobby G
the Leland hotel threatening that tn
governor would abolish the board an
to his contradiction of these charge
charges at a previous hearing of tn
committee.
Malone was not certain about HI
testimony at either time. He dc
clared that Wright at differen
times had talked to him, saying somf
thing about the board hanging on b
a slender thread but explained tn
apparent divergence in his testimon
by asserting that only parts of til
record wnrp hpinp road