Evening star., 1924-10-30
La FOLLETTE'S RAIL
UNION AID PR0BED
Conductors Chief Says Men,
bers Not Coerced-Budget
Fixed at $35,OOO.
BY the Associated Press.


CHICAGO. October 3O.-Through L.
E. Sheppard, president of the Order
of Railway Conductors. counsel for
the Republican national committee
sought to show today before the
Chicago section of the Senate cam
paign committee that the I.aFollette
campaign is subsidized by the rail-
road brotherhoods." Sheppard object
ed to being questioned regarding let
ters he had written to members of
his order. including one to Fred
Stewart of Oakland. Calf, saying
that he wanted protection from going
into matters that might cause con-
troversies within his organization.
Weymouth Kirkland. counsel for the
Republican national committee. in
sisted on having the correspondence.
saying he thought the committee
should be interested in getting at the
facts and that he thought it would
be interested. He added that he
wanted to show that the railway
labor organizations were interested
in future legislation as to govern
ment ownership of the railroads and
laws affecting the use of the injunc-
tion in labor disputes"
Labor Paper Mentioned.
Kirkland inquired into the methods
& y
ton publication. Sheppard said the
members paid 81 a year for the paper
by their own vote.
The witness said there was no Co
ercion" of members to support any
political candidate or to contribute to
a campaign fund.
kirkland started to question the
witness about letter written to
Stewart, a member of the conductors
n
original letter and Chairman Borah
ruled that the letter would have to
be produced.
Have you coerced any members of
the organization to support any can
didate or to contribute to campaign
funds" asked Chairman Borah.
ON the contrary. We have told them
they could support whom they chose"
Sheppard said. The organization has
endorsed Senator La Toilette"
Wants Letter. Produced.
Kirkland asked that Sheppard be
required to produce the letter to
Stewart and to "a Mr.. Drew" He
said the committee ought to be in
terested and he thought there would be
in il evidence that might show that
the La Toilette campaign is "subsi-
died by the railroad brotherhoods."
Samuel Untermyer. New York law
yer, and a supporter of John w
Davis. objected. and he and kirkland
had several sharp tits. with a re-
suit that Chairman Berah said that
the committee might have to conduct
the inquiry exclusively and independ-
ent of counsel. Senator Borah took
over the examination
Sheppard said his organization has
been active in politics for some time,
supporting candidates for Congress
and State office. He stated that it
had been behind a Republican can
didate for Senator in Nebraska and
in that State.
In the present campaign. the Order
of Conductors has field workers out
They have reported total of S31S and
in addition 1902 has been contributed
by local labor organizers.
Borah Presses for Facts.
Senator Borah pressed for the ap-
proximately total contributions of
the II labor organizations to the ma
tional campaign.
Sheppard said he had about 80 full
time field workers throughout the
country campaigning for the inde-
pendent candidates. Salaries and ex-
penses of this group were paid from
the protective fund of the railroad
labor organization, to which each
member contributed 81 annually.
In certain localities. Sheppard con-
tinued, local organizations were con-
Quoting systematic work in behalf of
certain congressional candidates. but
any funds expended in such work was
entirely outside his jurisdiction. which
centered on the national ticket.
Can you tell us how much you have
spent in this campaign" asked Sem
ator Shipstead, Farmer-Labor, Mime
sofa.
Our budget calls for $4,000 for
Sheppard said.
Hodges Denies Charges.
William V. Hodges, treasurer of the
Republican national committee, and
the first witness at the opening of the
hearings in Chicago yesterday, testi-
fed that collections by the national
committee up to October % had been
$S5O0,000 of which $750,000 had been
returned to the contributing states.
A protracted wrangle arose between
counsel over 'fnsinuations and in
nuendoes," involving the relationship
between Hodges and the Holly Sugar
Co., for which he was counsel before
the Tariff Commission in the sugar
hearing before his connection with
the Republican national committee.
Untermeyer Examines Hodges.
Samuel Untermyer. a supporter of
John w. Davis, associated with coun
sci for the La Toilette forces, ques-
toned Hodges vigorously as to his
present interest in the sugar industry,
alluding in his interrogations to the de-
cision on the sugar tariff now pend
ong before President Coolidge. At