Evening star., 1924-10-08
SLEMP DENOUNCES
SLUSH FUND STORY
La FoIIette's Statement A.
fecting Presidents Secre.
tary Held Mud d-SIinging.

thargeS made by Senator La Fol :
lette in a speech delivered last night
in Scranton. Pa, that the Republican
party is raising huge slush fund
to be used in the campaign and that
c. Bascom Slemp. secretary to Pres j.
dent Coolidge, has been selected 10
handle this fund were denied at the
White House today by Mr.. Slemp.
Senator La Follette's statements
about my connection with the cam
paiGn are a pure fabrication" Sec
retary Slemp said.
II know nothing about the Repub-
lican national committees finances"
he continued, "and i have had no
connection. direct or indirect with
the handling of them. Neither will
l have in the future.
ut has not been suggested to me
that 1 leave Washington in the in
terests OF President Coolidges candi-
dacy, and | have no intention of
leaving"
Secretary Slemp said that Senator
La Toilette has finally come to the
realization that his issues have nc
appeal and that he hopes by mud
singing to discredit President Cool
idge. He stated that the charge of the
Wisconsin Senator was SO ridiculous
that it should not warrant any notice
on his part, but to set at rest any
doubt that might rest in the minds
OF some of the voters. he wanted to
make this emphatic denial.
Will Remain on Duty.
MIR. Slemp went on to explain that
he has not left Washington during
the campaign and that he has no in
tention of doing SO, his work has been
in attending to the duties of his Of
flee and in assisting the President in
every way possible.
Republican leaders in the CAPITAL
were today more amused than any
thing else at the slush fund charge.
They smilingly said there certainly is
no evidence of 1t around headquarters.
Everywhere throughout the country
the workers are complaining of in
sun1clent FUNDS to meet the natural
expenses of their campaign work.
President Coolidge himself is aware
of the scarcity of money at the dis
posal of the committee This has been
brought to his attention and he men
toned the fact to callers yesterday
afternoon, with whom" he was dis
cusslnS the campaign
The political situation in California
has greatly improved during the past
report brought to President Coolidge
by former Representative J. r. Know
land, publisher of the Oakland Trib-
une. Republicans throughout the
state seem to be more alive to the
true condition of affairs and appear
to have checked the La Follete trend,
according to him.
Mr.. knowland told the President
that one of the principal reasons for
the improvement in California is the
apprehension of the people that a
deadlock in Congress would bring
about chaos and business depression
throughout the land. He pointed out
that the Republican campaign in the
State is at last arousing the voters to
serious thought and alert action. He
said the record of Senator La Toilette
in voting against every item affect
ing California, alarm over attacks on
the Constitution and the faith the
people have in President Coolidge are
the contributing causes for the trend
away from the Wisconsin Senator.
In every poll taken, in the State
Coolidge is leading" Mr.. Knowland
said. "The fight is essentially be-
tween Coolidge and La Toilette. Davis
appears to be entirely out of 1t. AL
though Senator Hiram johnson has
taken no part in the campaign, his
close adherents are lined up actively
with the regular Republican organf-
zation."
Equally pleasing news regarding
California was brought to the Presi-
dent by c. b. Terry, formerly a resi-
dent of this city, now port warden at
Los Angeles harbor and active in Re-
publican politics in Southern Cali
fornia. Mr.. Terry laid aside his po-
litical and harbor work to give him.
self the pleasure of seeing Washing
ton take part in a world series. That
was the reason for his coming East.
While in the city he called at the
White House to pay his respects to
the President and to give him his
opinion of the situation in that State.
During this conference the Presi-