Evening star., 1926-10-29
FINDS BR|BE RUMOR
BASED ON GOSSIP"
Report on Alleged S35, 900
Payment to Newspaper for
Opposing Oregon Senator.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
PORTLAND. Greg, October %
Gossip overheard in the smoking com
partment of a Pullman car was the
foundat ton Of charges that $35 600 wa s
paid to the Portland Morning Ore
-onian for opposing the candidacy of
Senator Robert \. Stanfield of Orc
gon, II was developed yesterday by
senator Charles l.. McNary of Oregon,
as he closed his investigation here
into senatorial campaign expenditures
IN this State.
The information regarding the
smoking room gossip came in a tele-
gram from Walter Hayes of Wash
ington, d. c., former secretary Of
President Roosevelt.
Publisher Putnam's Charge.
George Putnam, publisher of the
Salem Capital-J journal, who brought
about the Oregon inquiry, testified
Yesterday that he had learned of the
alleged S35 900 transaction in a con-
versa ton with Hayes when the latter
visited the Capital-Journal offices at
Salem.
Hayes telegram, which was placed
In the record, read:
THE following Is substantially what
was said by me, not to Mr.. Putnam,
but to the other men~in his Office.
while / was there, and their names i
do not recall I said that while on the
train leaving Spokane, / overheard in
the smoking compartment two men
discussing the Oregon election.
Eastern Company" Hinted.
Il inferred from their conversation
that they were associated with an
Eastern company. One told the other
that he understood an eastern corpo-
ration had sent in money to help de-
feat Stanfield. ! did not hear the
name of the company, neither did
hear the name of any one to whom it
may have been paid. II paid.
Il told the men with whom /
talked that / regarded the conversa
tion as interesting, but not especially
important in view of the lack of any
definite proof. | did not hear the
name Of the Oregonian mentioned,
nor the name of the Portland Electric
Power Co. | did not expect what /
said to be repeated. because 1t was
not important"
G. NJ. Clark of Philadelphia. chair
man OF the executive committee of the
Portland Electric Power Co, and
Franklin T. Griffith, president Of the
company, testified that neither they
nor the company had made any CON
tribution in the Oregon campaign.
Griffith declared that Edgar r. Pi-
per- editor Of the Oregonian, had new
er solicited from him a campaign con
fi1butlon, that no one connected with
the Oregonian had done So Piper and
other officials of the Oregonian made
specific denial that they had solicited
or received any campaign funds.
James l.. Stone, vice president of
the Spokane Gas and Fuel Co., tele-
graphed Senator McNary today that
lie had made no statements to the
effect that the Portland Electric Pow
ar Co. had made any contributions in
the Oregon campaign.
Senator McNary. who left for Chi
c1go last night, replied to Stone that
no would meet him IN Spokane today
between trains, to get his statement
for the records of the committee
Senator Stantied was defeated for
the Republican nomination by Fred
erick Steiwer and Is seeking re.elec.
ton as an Independent.
Walter Hayes Makes Denial.
Walter Hayes not only did not men,
ton the name of any newspaper or
company in conversation which
brought his name into the Oregon
senatorial campaign investigation. he
asserted last night. but did not men.
tion $35 900, or any other specific
amount of money. When he related