The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-02
WHITES TESTIMONY
 FORCES COMMITTEE ID CALL GOV. COX
Chairman Has No Evidence to Support Charges of Candi- date Who Is Bossing His
 Own Campaign
By CLINTON W. GILBERT

Chicago, September 1.-(Special)- National Chairman Whites testimony before the Kenyon committee this morning virtually forces the calling of Governor Cox as a witness in the cam paign fund investigation. MT. White was in possession of no evidence to sus- tain the governors charges. He could not tell the committee where such eyi-
 dence could be obtained except from the governor himself.
 The committee has been reluctant to call the governor, as the members did
 not desire to interrupt his speech -mak-
 ing campaign or wish to lay themselves open to the suggestion that they were heckling the democratic candidate. But if they are to obtain evidence of his general charges that sinister influences were trying to buy the presidency, they will have to call the candidate himself. Senator Spencer, examining MT, White, asked him if he knew what evil dence the governor had when he de- clared in his speeches that the selfish l interests were opening their pocket : books to the republican party, T have known the governor inti- m1tely for d Tong time and feel enti-r confidence that he would not make the
 
 facts to back them up,' replied Mir White. He said it was the governor himself and not the democratic national committee which had collected the evil dence. The governor did not show this evidence to MT, White or apparently to any one else in authority in democratic circles.
 MT. White had brief talk with the governor in New York on Sunday after
 the Pittsburg speech. It amounted to this, said Mir White:
 q said to him. You are sure of your ground"
 He replied, Yes
 "I said, Well, you are the boss. HIS OWN BOSS This little conversation tells the l whole story of the democratic cam paign. There is nothing to it but Gov ernor Cox, who conducts it as he pleases without conference with his party man agers Apparently the managers in New York trembled while the governor made his campaign fund charges for fear he had not facts to back them up. It looks as if he had consulted no lawyer upon the value of his evidence. All that MT. White and his associates can do now Is to say that whatever evidence exists IS in the governors possession.
 Senator Kenyon brought to MT. White S attention the governors promise in his
 telegram to Senator Reed to place tNe evidence in the senator's hands. This tele-
 gram was dated August 74. Senator
 Kenyon wanted to know whether the committee was expected to wait infinitely
 upon the governors pleasure. MT White
 replied: You have the Jurisdiction
 The rest of MT. Whites testimony, like
 that showing that the governor was act
 ing independently of his party organiza- tion, went to prove how disorganized the democratic campaign still is. MT. White
 testified that he had not yet appointed campaign committee He said he had only a skeleton organization as yet, lie had not made up budgets for the cam
 paign, although he had personally au- tkorized Senator Harrison, in charge or the speakers bureau, to expend SlOO.OVo
 He estimated that the cost of the cam paign would be g, 100000. but this was evil dently Just guess, for no detailed finan- cial plan had been made. This estimate of MT. White is BOO, GOO below the cost of the last national democratic campaign. in
 s,ite of the fact that women voters have been added to the polls, and in spite of the advanced cost of every material used in a national election
 The democratic witnesses today Tell back upon the so-called Barnes book as the best evidence in sight that great VI edith and sinister purposes were behind the republican party.