New-York tribune., 1920-05-31
Senate Reopens
Campaign Fund
Probe Tuesday
Investigation Has Revealed
that Candidates Have Col
lected All They Could
and Spent Large Sums
Primary System Costly
Hope of Johnson Support
ors to Discredit Wood
Not Realized Thus Far

From The Tribunes Washingt N Bureau
WASHINGTON, May 30-The Senate
investigat tion into convention ex-
penditures of Presidential candidates.
initiated by friends of Senator Hiram
W. Johnson, will ent,r its second week
Tuesday morning. An enormous mass
Of evidence already has accumulated
from delvng into the campaign books
Of all the leading candidates, showing
two things:
First-That the existing Presidential
primary system is cumbersome and ex-
pensive.
second-That all of the leading can
dldates in both parties have collected
all they could and have spent ali they
could collect to further their caudi-
dacies.
The inquiry was started for the
avowed purpose Of making it impossi-
Bile for Major General Leonard Wood
to obtain the Republican nomination
"hen Senator Borah, of Idaho, a
strong supporter of Senator johnson.
introduced the resolution authorizing
the investigation he made charges in
the Senate against General Wood alone
ton with the campaign. He announced
that the purpose of the investigation
was to inquire into the Wood cam
pa1gn principally. but the resolution
was drafted 50 as to bring all the other
candidates under the scrutiny Of the
Senate.
Managers Of The campaigns Of the
leading candidates appeared before tho
committee during the last week and
iald their campaign expense accounts
before the investigating body.
Johnson Supporters Meet Rebuff
The hope Of the Johnson supporters
to smash the Wood candidacy exploded
when the Wood campaign managers
Went on the stand and frankly told all
about the campaign. Efforts Of the
prof. ohnson members of the investb-
eating committee 10 prove "scandaIl-
GUS use of money by the Wood ma H.
ayers were unavailing.
When the hearings arc resumed
Tuesday Senator johnson himself. to-,
sether with Attorney General Palmer
VIII be under a cloud. and the com
mittee during the next few days Will
devote itself to inquiring into the
truth OF charges made by witnesses
during the last week
The fact that Senator Johnson him
self is being charged with use of
money IN his campaign that was not
frankly accounted for when his cam
paign managers were before the com
mlttee is causing considerable uneasi-
ness among Johnson followers in
Washington, although he charges were
presented before the committee merely
as rum0rs that are so far entirely un-
Substantiated.
The committee was informed yester-
day that a few days before the Cali
iorpla primary election man who
was active in behalf of Senator John
sons: campaign in California drew
100000 from a San Francisco bank.
Senator Moses, of New Hampshire,
. Southern manager for General Wood,
as a witness before the committee.
gave the investigating body the inn
preston that the money was drawn
from me bank for the purpose of using
1t IN the election in behalf of Johnson,
and that the report probably could be
substantiatcd.
Ford as Johnson Contributor
Thomas w Miller, associated with
Representative Norman j. Gould as
manager of the Eastern Wood cam
paign, also told the committee that ne
had h d from sources, which he be
hCVcd t. be authoritative. that Henry
Fore contributed to the johnson cam
paign in New Jersey, and that Justice
Cohalan also collected big fund
which was used for Senator Johnson
in New jersey.
Tho committee, which started the
Investigation by inquring into the
truth Of newspaper reports regarding
the Wood and McAdoo campaign funds.
became indignant when the unsub-
ftantlatcd charges against Johnson
were repeated, but witnesses have been
summoned to throw some Light on the
truth Of the charges.
viii Question Californian
" II. Crocker, Republican National
Committeeman from California. who
was interested in the Johnson campaign
in that state, has been asked to appear
He viii be questioned about the 500
GOO which, the committee was told. had
been reported TO have been drawn from