Evening star., 1928-06-20
PUBLICITY
EXPERT ON STAND
J. B. Sheridan Says He Used
Methods With Which He
Did Not Agree.
By the Associated Press.


Facing a statement by Robert Z
| Healy chief counsel for the Fedora
! Trade Commission. that he would sho,
That j. B. Sheridan. director of the Mis-
souri, committee on public utility infor
nation, had criticized his employees fo
their business methods. Sheridan wa
examined today in the commission
utility investigation.
/ Sheridan, who is from St. Louis, testi
fed under questioning that he use,
methods in handling his utility publicit,
with which he did not agree and which
| did not conform with some of his per
| sonal ideas.
Healy asked If 1t was not a fac
| that he had told things in his publicity
| work that he knew we're not true HI
| also asked If he had not done thing.
| in his work that were against his con.
| science. Sheridan conceded that ht
| had done things which were not in line
with some of his personal thoughts.
The witness said that he had beer
director of the committee since 1921
and that ''as a whole publicity had been
to influence public opinion"
Tells Of Work.
Sheridan said that he had been music
and dramatic critic and held other
positions on the St Louis Globe-Demo-
crat, st. Louis Fost- Dispatch and the
ST. Louis Republic for 90 years before
entering into the utility publicity
business He testified that he belonged
to the Missouri State Press Association
and several of its sections. He said
that his office force consisted of Jesse
Black, former newspaper man. and two
women. and that last year his organi-
2ation spent $4,000 on public relations
work. The money had been contributed
by electric. gas, telephone. street rail-
way and water companies. He said that
some of the members of his organiza-
ton owned interstate transmission lines.
Sheridan. under questioning. said
that he had urged utility companies to
spend large sums of money in advertis-
ing In newspapers to gain their favor
able attitude and that his advice had
been followed and during his director
ship advertising had been greatly in
creased by utility companies.
The witness said that he entertained
newspaper men at the expense of the
committee and that he helped to or
ganize meetings of newspaper men and
had utility men speak before them.
Sheridan testified that he helped or
ganize the Missouri Association. a
Statewide boosting organization, and
that he had contacts with the Repub-
lican association and the Democratic
association in that State He said that
he collected about $4,000 for a conven-
ton of the State Press Association and
that after the expenses of the conyen-
uon were paid balance of 5000 was
turned over to the Press Association AZ
his suggestion.
Use Of Publicity.
Sheridan said that much of his
monthly press releases had been used
by newspapers and that in 1926 the
newspapers had reproduced 54.6e agate
lines and 77.903 agate lines in 1927.
For 1928, up to April 30. Sheridan tes-
tilted that his clipping Bureau had
shown that 439 columns of his utility
matter had been reproduced, or ap-
proximately 56 pages. He said that
the editorial columns in some of the
papers reflected his views as expressed
in his publicity matter
Sheridan said that he had organized
electric appliance statesmen as publicity
agents and that he had possibly sug-
gested that local utility personnel take
interest in Boy and Girl Scouts. He
tstAfa AA~ AAG0 PAEPaaEd ulAtitN IlE1ES Ill
the State Manual of Missouri a book
issued on State activities each year.
Going into further activities of his
organization. Sheridan testified that
the State had been divided into speak
erS' districts and numerous speeches on
utilities had been delivered and that
$4,000 pamphlets had been distributed
in Missouri schools.
Sheridan also testified that he had
prepared special articles for newspapers
and had written his own headlines.
Asked by Healy IL he wanted to get
stories with headlines, Sheridan replied
In the affirmative.
Healy asked Sheridan If It was not a
fact that he had criticized In letters
the persons by whom he Is employed
and their methods. Sheridan replied
that he may have as he had done many
things IN his work out of line with his
own personal thoughts.
Dean Employed.
Sheridan testified that the Missouri
committee had employed Dean z. j
McCaustiand of engineering at Missouri
University to deliver three addresses on
utilities before State teachers colleges
at Kirksyille, Springfield and Warrens-
were introduced into the record which
showed the McCaustland had received
a total of $270 fof the three addresses
and expenses. Another check was in
troduced which was made out to Prof
A. S. Jangsdorf of Washington Uniyer-
sity for $50 for writing letter intro
ducing utilities pamphlets TO heads OF
schools in 1923.
Sheridan testified that he prepared
suggestions for Dean McCaustland's talk
TO the teachers colleges and that be-
fore he sent them 10 the dean he SUBJ
nitted these suggestions to the steering
committee Of his organization.
In connection with Dean McCauSt-
lands talks a letter written by j. f
Hiilemeycr OF the Union Electric Light
pds Power Co. of st. Louis on Sep
tenber o., 1927, to Sheridan SAID
II have had one Of our company
attorneys 10 go over your suggestions
with respect TO Dean McCaustland's
lecture. The Public and Public Utili-
ties with the idea Of checking this
against legal phases of the public
utility act in Missouri and am advised
that he sees no objection TO the facts
set forth therein except with regard
10 institution Of State regulation. page
two. This appears TO him 10 be
TOO much on the order Of propaganda
and he comments that there is toe
much made Of the people
He thinks that this might be bad
as 1t might ID ok as II we had prepared
some propaganda under the guise oi
| utility interests.
Il suggest that you send this TO the
| dean and have him re-edit IL and ther