Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-19
Nebraska Senator Charges
Publisher Acted for Sake of
His Financial interests.
FAILURE TO CONSULT
ACCUSED MEN SCORED
Articles on Alleged $1,215,000
Fund Should Have Been Checked
Before Publication, He Says.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
An open letter to William Randolph
Hearst, condemning him for publica-
ton of the documents purporting to
show creation of a S1,215,00 Mexican
fund for four United States Senators
was made public today by Senator
Norris, Republican, Nebraska, one of
the Senators named in the documents.
Senator Norris and the three other
Senators mentioned-Borah, Idaho;
Heflin, Alabama, and La Toilette, Wis
consin-have been cleared of any sus-
picion of having received the money
or having been approached in regard
to it by members of the special Senate
cammittee investigating the charge
and also by Mr.. Hearst, who gave the
documents to the committee.
From his sick bed. Senator Norris
asks Mr.. Hearst why he did not pub.
lish in his paper along with the docu'
ments concerning the slush fund that
he had no evidence that any of the
Senators received the money. The
Hearst stories did not use the names
of the Senators, they being made pub
lie when the documents were given
Hearst.
Publication Called Unfair.
Senator Norris said in the open let
ter that a fair analysis of the articles
published by Hearst and of his testi.
mony before the committee leads to
the inevitable conclusion that you are
not only unfair and dishonest, but that
you are entirely without honor"
H. nI
the authenticity of the documents has
adjourned hearings until. December
27, seeking additional papers, perhaps
from the Mexican government itself
as a check on the documents.
Questioning the motive of Mr.
Hearst, the Nebraskan wrote:
For the sake of your financial in
vestments you were not only willing
to ruin the reputation of honest and
innocent men, but you were WILLING
to plunge our country into war with
friendly neighbor and thus increase
the army OF widows and orphans and
wounded and crippled soldiers
Many Documents" For Sale.
Senator Norris asked Hearst if he
didn't know what was common
knowledge among all newspaper mer
of the United States, that many all
legged official documents. from Mexico
were being offered for sale to all kinds
of organizations and to all kinds oil
publications."
At one point in his letter of more
than $500 words. the Senator declared
the record of Mr.. Hearst's participa,
ton in the episode was, in his opinion,
sufficient to bring into question the
nonor OF the Hearst newspaper
system.
These articles show on their face"
ne continued, referring to the series
or stories in the Hearst papers reia,
tive to the documents, "a constant at.
tempt to draw conclusions not justi.
ned in the articles themselves, and to
practice deception upon the American
people. 1t is not necessary to consider
any other evidence in order to reach
the fair conclusion that in them you
are making an attempt not only to
besmirch the character of some of our
own officials and journalists, but vou
are trying to excite an animosity and
hatred on the part of our people
against the Mexican government,
which, if your articles and alleged of.
nclal documents were true, would in
eVltably lead to war between the two
countries.
Method of Revelations Hit.
Your attempt to shield yourself
from blame by not publishing the
names of the four Senators and the
editors alleged to be implicated, when
properly analyzed, only shows the
righteousness of your attack and adds
TO the dishonor of your motive. You
publish the alleged official documents
with the names omitted and, at the
same time, state that you stand ready
and willing to deliver the original
documents to any Senate committee
thar may be appointed to make an
investigation.
You know that the publication of
these charges, with the names
omitted, must inevitably lead to the
appointment of an investigating,
committee. and that, therefore, the
names which you have concealed are
bound to be published and that, in
fact. the very Withholding Of the
names adds to the curiosity and to
the interest of an investigation.
You knew, therefore, to begin
with, that the action you had taken
would bring about the publication of
the names and you cannot, in ordi-
nary honesty. shield yourself or ex-
cuse yourself for the failure to give
publicity to the names in the begin
ming. Moreover. if these allega-
tlons are true, there is no reason
why the identity of the individual
Senators should be suppressed 49,
Guilt Left in Doubt.
IF you wanted to be perfectly hon
est with these Senators, why did YOU
not state when the articles were pub
hshed that you had no evidence that
any OF these Senators were guilty
and that you did not believe any of
the charges against them? You
gave no such intimation to the coun-
try untn you We're faced with the
question on the witness stand. =
Your own newspapers, about two
years ago. exposed the fact that our
State Department had been offered
and had accepted forged Mexican
documents You knew that if your
alleged documents We're genuine our
Department of State would have
made thorough investigation and
that they would not have been re-
lected by the President of the United
States when they were submitted to
him, as you say in your testimony
they We're"
Pointing out that 1t would have
been a simple matter for Mr.. Hearst
to have asked the Senators them
selves and others mentioned in the
documents concerning their charges,
Senator Norris said the denials that
would have been received as since
placed in testimony before the COM
mittee would have served notice
II