Imperial Valley press., 1928-01-11
MEXICAN
OFFICIALS
CLEARED
Huge Building Budget Is
Only Starter Secretary
Tells Congress.
NOT COMPETITIVE
Declares Nation Will Not
Enter Race With Other
Countries. ~

WASHINGTON, Jan. II. - The
sensational Mexican estate docu-
ments' published in newspapers of
William Randolph Hearst were
branded in their entirety as "fakes
and forgeries in a report submit
ted to the senate today by the SEN
ate investigating committee.
The committee did not point to
anyone as perpetratOr but asked
leave of the senate to continue its
investigation in an effort to fasten
guilt upon the fabricator of the
papers.
Chairman David 4. Reed of the
committee said on the floor of the
senate later that he cranky sas-
pected" Miguel Avila, Hearst agent,
in connection with the documents.
He also attacked the testimony of
John Page, Hearst newspaperman,
concerning the source from which he
received letter to which the sigma
ture of Senator La Toilette Jr., was
forged.
Reed said, however, that he did
not believe either could be convict
ed on the basis basis of evidence OBJ
tanned by the committee.
The committee reported specific
ally there was no foundation for
the charge that the Mexican gov
ernment sckemed TO make bribe pay
ments of s1,2l5,000 to four United
States scnators-Borah, Norris, La
Toilette and IIeflin.
1t stated that the document pub
lished by the Hearst papers reciting
this charge is "spurious and fraud.
ulcnt and insofar as it purports to
be signed by the president of Mex.
leo or the secretary Of treasury OF
Mexico, ii is forged. "
For the most part the brief report
fited the undisputed evidence that
The documents were obvious fahri'
cations. Its official findings were
summed M as follows:
"1-Thcre is not scintilla OF
evidence that any United States
senator has accepted or was prom
ised Or was offered, directly or in
directly. any money or other valu-
able things, by any officer or rep
rcsentativc of the government of
Mexico.
"2.-The pretended evidence that
sl.2l5,000 was withdrawn from the
Mexican treasury and sent TO the
Mexican consul general in New
York City to be paid to United
States senators is not genuine but
is spurious and fraudulent and in.
sofar as il purp0rts to be signed by
the president of Mexico or the see
rotary Of the treasury Of Mexico, il
il forged.
The committee promised a later.
more complete report rs soon as 1t
can further investigate its susnic
ions as to the pcrpetrator. it said.
Author Unknown
"Thc committee has thus far been
unable to determine to its satlsfac-
tion the identity of the manufactur-
crs of these spurious documents and
has no witnesses now under subpoe-
la from which such information is
likely to be obtained; but it appears
to he advisable that the committee
shall not yet be finally discharged.
"Later the committee will render
n final report which, with the pres
cnt report, will constitute n com
pleted survey Of the whole field OF
investigation that the committee
shall then have covered.
The report cited that Hearst had
testified he "had no evidence and
knew of none, which would tend to
show that any senator had received
my such payments and he testified
that he personally did not believe
that any senator had received any. >
Gle admitted,' the report con
tinucd, that no senator mentioned
in the documents had been giver
any opportunity to see the doeu-
ments before publication or to deny
the implied accusations contained iii
them.
"He stated that he had instruct
ed his representatives to verify the
gcnuineness of the documents AZ far