Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-06
REED COMMITTEE
CONCLUDES PROBE
Adjourns Subject to Call of
Chairman--Big Primary Ex-
penditures Revealed.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, August s. - Having
turned up during two months OF In
vestigation expenditures of S3,0o0,0OO
in Pennsylvania May primary and
81 600 900 in the Illinois April prt'
mary, the Senate campaign funds
committee stood in adjournment to-
day, subject to the call of it's chair
man, Senator Reed, Democrat, Mis-
souri,.
Inquiries into other primaries are
not now in prospect, and Senator
Reed announced that it probably
would be some time before the COM
mittee was called together again. The
call will go out, however, upon receipt
of any serious charges of irregulari-
ties in elections involving seats In
the Senate.
The chairman has returned to his
home at Kansas City to look after
his law practice, while Senator La
Toilette. Republican, Wisconsin, the
only other member to sit in the ILL.,
nois investigation, again has thrown
himself into the senatorial fight in
his home State.
Echoes Certain to Come.
Sensational disclosures which have
come in the two inquiries here and
in Washington are certain to have
their echoes in the Senate during the
next session, even If contests are not
brought involving the Senate seats to
which William S. Ware, Republican,
has been nominated in Pennsylvania,
and Frank L. Smith, Republican, has
been named in Illinois.
Aside from the huge sum spent.
the outstanding development in the
Pennsylvania inquiry was the infiu-
ence of votes by the hiring of thou
sands of workers" at the polls and
the handing around of huge bundles
of cash.
In the Illinois inquiry attention was
conferred largely upon the contribu.
ton Of 1857 ,925.17 which Samuel In.
sull, Chicago public utilities execu.
tive, made to the campaign fund of
Smith. who is chairman of the Illinois
Commerce Commission, which exer-
cises vast, power over traction, gas
and electric corporations.
Other Gifts Revealed.
Besides this contribution the COM
mittee learned that insult gave $15.-
900 to George E. Brennan, Demo
cratic national committeeman from
Illinois, for use in his successful cam
paign for the Democratic senatorial
nomination, and $4,000 each to the
two rival Republican factions con.
tending for supremacy in Chicago
and Cook County.
Affairs of the Anti-Saloon League,
national and State, also have bulked
large in the inquiries. The investi-
gators learned here that the Illinois
organization is active in primaries,
general elections and in attempts to
influence the State Legislature on
prohibition laws, just as it learned
from Wayne B. Wheeler, at Wash
ington, that the national organiza-
ton seeks to control the National
Congress on dry legislation,
One important development In the
Illinois investigation was the chal-
longing of the authority Of the COM
mittee to go into primary campaigns.
This may have a. far-reaching effect
for should the courts uphold the wit
nesses, future Senate inquiries into
primaries through special committees
might be impossible.
Second Course Is Seen.
Senators have pointed out, how.
eyer,t that investigations into such
contests could be made by the priv.
ileges and elections committee after
the right of a Senator to a seat
had been challenged because of
charges of irregularities in the pri-
mary in which he was nominated.
Those who have challenged the
committee are: insult, Robert e.
Grove, States attorney for Cook
County; Daniel J. Schuyler, counsel
for insult, and Thomas w. Cunning
ham, treasurer of the Pennsylvania
State Republican central committee.
Cunningham challenge went d.
rect to the right of the committee to
go into primary contest at all, but
the other three answered as to ex-
penditures in the senatorial contest,
but refused to answer as to the State
and county campaigns.
Whether contempt proceedings are
to be brought against these four will
rest with the Senate itself. Should it
decide that they were not within
their rights their cases would be Ger.
titled to the Federal courts for pos
sible indictment on contempt
charge.