Evening star., 1924-10-23

lette charges, the committee ex-
amined a. number of financiers and
manufacturers from Philadelphia, as
well as Chairman T. v. O'Connor of
the Shipping Board. The session was
marked alternately by heated ex-
changes between committeeman and
counsel on the one hand and witness
ses on the other, and repartee about
Congress and other matters which
kept the investigators and spectators
amused much OF the time.
From Mr.. O'Connor the committee
developed that the labor leaders who
came to Washington to hear Presi-
dent coolidge's Labor day speech
did so at the invitation of the Ship
ping Board chairman, who advanced
the money to pay their hotel and taxi
cab bills here. O'Connor said he
turned the sum, some $3.50, over to
Joseph Ryan, labor leader in charge
of the visiting delegation, who sub
sequently repaid him after collecting
from the men.
Joseph r. Grundy, Edward T.
Stotesbury, Samuel l.. Vauclain, Ma
than T. Folwell and Chester w. Hill,
all Of Philadelphia, were asked about
campaign fund collections in Penn
sylvania. Grundy testified that his
committee, that of ways and means
for the Republican national commit
tee, had received up to yesterday
$365.00 in contributions. William
NJ. Butler, chairman of the Republi-
can national committee, testified at
Chicago that the receipts from the
committee up to October 10 had been
only $4,000.
From none Of the witnesses did the
committee receive any Information
that there were organizations Of
bankers and business men collecting
funds independently of the Republi-
can national committee, as counsel
for Senator lie Toilette has charged
1t was disclosed that the Manufac-
turers' Club of Philadelphia had re-
ceived $4,000 from it's members, and
that the Union League Club had col
lected funds and sent them direct to
the national committee and not
through Grundy's committee.
Grundy's testimony was that the
s365, his committee had collected
came from the So counties outside the
Pittsburgh district, which comprises
IA counties. He said W. L. Mellon, a
relative of Secretary Mallon of the
Treasury, was in charge of the collec-
tions in that district. Mr.. Mellon
probably will be called later.
vaucIain Gave S6,1OO.
Asserting that he, himself. had
made no effort to raise campaign
funds, but had loaned his name to the
Grundy committee for what it might
be worth, Vauclain, president of the
Baldwin Locomotive Works, testified
that he had contributed $500 of his
personal funds. He told also of do
mating $4,000 of his company's funds
to the American Economic League
through julius Kruttschnitt, presi-
af 6r Do
and in that connection insisted that
big business interests had a right to
employ people to influence sentiment
as affecting legislation.
Mr. Vauclain told the committee he
would not approve of the use of any
of the $4,000 to fight Senator La Fol-
lette, and added that he was not
afraid of La Toilette; that no true
workingman' would vote for the
Wisconsin Senator, and that "it will
not take more than one hay wagon
to carry the La Toilette vote" He
also suggested a fouryear recess of
Congress, saying that President Cool
idge, whom he described as a good
President" could run the country
meantime.
Then you don't believe in repre-
sentative government? he was asked.
Yes, when We are represented" he
retorted.
Folwell. treasurer of the Philadel-
phia Manufacturers Club, who testi-
fed that organization had raised S10,-
600, presented a list of contributors.
The money. he said, was turned over
to the national committee. He also
said he had been charged by the
Grundy committee with looking after
contributions from the weavers of his
State, but that only about 5 per cent
of those appealed to had responded
favorably.
From Hill. secretary of the Grun-
dy committee, the investigators re-
ceived a list of larger contributors
They included Joseph +. Widener,
Philadelphia, $4,000; ]. H. Bromley,
Philadelphia, $4,000; Bioren & Co,
Philadelphia. $4,000, and Joseph r.
Grundy. $4,000.
In their examination of most of the
witnesses, counsel sought to develop
that most of the large contributors to
the Republican war chest" are "bene-
ficiaries" under the Fordney -McCumber
tariff act. and that a continuance of
tariff protection was one influence in
the matter of making contributions
In this connection, special emphasis
was laid on passages from some of
the letters written by Grundy appeal
ing to Pennsylvania citizens for
funds.