Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-22

them the right side"
Newburn also said he and c. A. Beas-
ley of the Alabama Power Co, CO.
operated in 1926 in an effort to gel
Southern editors to oppose bids made
by the Cyanamid Co., and letters were
introduced to show that their efforts
met with some success.
iIewburn testified that some time age
he and other public utility publicity
men were Summoned to Washington to
be here when the Government was to
receive bids for Muscle Shoals. He said
that the publicity men got up news
stories end sent them to news editors
and that he sent one to the late G. p.
I.Mooney. editor of the Memphis Com
mercial Appeal, and said that the next
day thu article appeared on the front
page of that paper. Asked by Healy II
M knew the late Mr.. Mooney very we'll
! the witness replied, He was like a
Z father to me-"
Nswburn testified that he had held
conferences with educators at the Uni
versity CT Tennessee and Vanderoit
University. but that no utility courses
we're in the curri culun OF either insu-
| tuticn. although the former held short
courses for meter men. He declared
! that his organization had made no
! N~vrl >nts to college professors IN that
! State.
| Utility News Introduced.
/ A COPY Of the Tennessee Utility News
/ ii which WAS reproduced what was said
/ to be an editorial from the New York
/ Telegram was introduced into the rec
/ ord. An introdu tory statement said
, that the papsr had declared that
/ power c3raocn'es of tn United Stats
J Iva
! that they have done more for the de-
| velopmcnt CT the United States than
any other agency. and that the proposed
investigation by the An erican Congress
is entirely unc2lled for"
The New York Telegram is the
principal unit in the Scriops- Howard
chain OF newspapers Of which the Knox
vile News Sentinel and the Memphis
FresS-Scimitar are a'so units"
Activities of thu Alab2ma Power Co.
and the Birn .ngaam Electric Co. in
disseminating power publicity were dis
closed in the minutes of meeting OF
the southeastern division OF the Ma
tional Electric Light Association in
Hay. 1927, The minutes said the two
Alabama concerns attempted to promote
friendly feeling throughor. the State
by a speakers bureau in connection
with the University of Alabama. the
m nutes also said there was no pubic
information bureau in Alabama. H. E.
Cox Of the Birmingham Electric Co.
they continued said that DR.. Thomas
of the University of Alabama had
class in public speaking for the Ala
bama Power Co., and the Birmingham
Electric Co. to which each company
sent Is or 20 junior executives to get
training. The minutes said that tne
companies had many calls Tor THESE
Young speakers and found the personal
contact very valuable IN making TREND
ly relations.
Sheridan's Testimony.
Letter writing proclivities Of j. B.
Sheridan, director of the Missouri COM
mittee on public utility information, IN
which he censured business metnoos OF
the utilities companies, dubbed MIS-
souri, country editors Gods fools ano
made a false statement concerning
the Associated Press comprised the
bulk of Yesterdays testimony as Sheri-
dan completed two-day session on
the stand.
Shortly after letters in which Sheri-
dan Dragged to associates about the
amount Of public utility press agent
stuff the Associated Press was using
were introduced. he was confronted
with q letter he wrote to the st. Louis
Office of the news association In which
he complained that associates had told
him 1.-The Associated Press was very
hostile to their news"
Sheridans letters admitted that what
of his information the news associa-
ton did use had news value and that
he did not offer 1t anything that was
not Of that caliber.
In a letter in 1923 to J. S S. Rich
ardson. then chairman of the Penn
syivania Public Utility Bureau and now
director Of the Joint committee for ma
tional utility associations. Sheridan
had made the untrue statement about
the Associated Press. ~
IT think word has gone down from
headquarters Of the Associated Press
to take care OF committees on public
utility information" he wrote.
Cross-examined by Robert z. Healy.
chief counsel for the commission,
Sheridan said he had no authority for
this statement, that It was just an IDEA
he had.
Other letters written BY Sheridan
criticized public utility companies for
their business methods and brought the
name OF Gov. Baker Of Missouri into
the record.
Gov. Baker Mentioned.
The mention of Gov. Baker of Mis-
souri, went into the record when let
ters from him to Sheridan were pro-
duced. In one Of these the governor.
then State superintendent OF public
schools, wrote that he approved the
press agents plan for getting public
utility information before the schools
In second letter Baker refused 10 per-
NIT his department to indorse material
Sheridan had put out He said it was
not the practice Of his department TO
recommend anything.
Methods used by Sheridan In seeking
TO dominate the press Of Missouri
through the State Press Association and
the obtaining Of increased advertising
from public utility companies for news
! papers in order to get news articles and
editorials written by himself printed
were disclosed in the testimony and
documentary evidence.
Hundreds of letters written by the
former dramatic and music critic Of
ST. Louis newspapers we're placed In the
record. So numerous were the letters
taken from his Office files that Robert
z. Healy, chief commission counsel.
was compelled to ask Sheridan TO iden-
| THY them by groups. They had pre-
viously been inspected by an examiner
Of the commission.
Other development In yesterdays in
CURRY included the attention that Sheri-
| dams organization and the National
Electric Light Association paid to the
attitude Of the st. Louis Post -Dispatch.
Sheridan wrote letter March 10. 1923,
To George r. Oxley of New York. in
formation director Of the National Elec-
trio Light Association. In which he said /:
I believe that the personal slant of
It's hired men largely Is responsible Cor
the pink leaning OF the Pulitzer press"
Oxiey replied IN Letter TO Sheri-
dan agreeing with him and saying that
there was no doubt in his mind that
| Pulitzer papers favored Government