Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-03
Tells Senate Lobby Commit
tee Questions on Anti
Smith Fight Deal With
personal" Matters.
CHARGE OF PERSECUTION
GREETED WITH LAUGHTER
Testifes Freely on Work in Sup
port of Prohibition, but Balks
at Queries on Subjects in Which
He Claims to Have Acted as
in Private Affairs.

BY the Associated Press.
Bishop James Cannon. jr., today
fiatly declined before the Senate
lobby committee to answer a ques-
ton about his political activities
in the 1928 presidential campaign.
Senator Walsh, Democrat, Mon
tana, in adjourning the commit
tee, informed the bishop that "of
course you will have to take re-
sponsibility" for declining to an
swer.
Cannon replied the committees
investigation of him was "perse-
cution."
This stirred the crowded COM
nnittee room into laughter, ap-
plause and Kisses.
at cannot help but get the implica-
ton in that statement" Walsh replied.
Cannon hastily replied
i do not charge you, Senator, with
persecution"
Just previously the bishop had
charged that wet and Roman Catholic
interests had tried to discredit him.
Walsh Is a Catholic and a dry.
The 1928 campaign questions came
after Bishop Cannon had testified free
ly as to his work as head of the South
ern Methodist Board which supports
prohibition.
But when the questioning verged to
the 1928 campaign, he said:
This attempt on the part Of this
committee to go beyond its powers and
to investigate my anti-Smith activities
is clearly not only political but personal
and because believe it to be an effort
to attack me and In some way to i'm
pair my influence, as the wet and
Roman Catholic press have been doing
for nearly two years, I must decline to
admit the jurisdiction of this committee
over either my political or personal &C
tiVitieS"
Bishop Cannon's refusal to answer a
question today set up varied array OF
possibilities. No decision respecting fur
ther action viii be reached until the
committee has questioned Cannon again
tomorrow.
Frequently committees fail to get the
Information they want and usually no
drastic action is taken.
Sometimes, however, legal steps have
followed. It was for refusing to answer
before the Senate oil committee that
11dA1y r OhAOAoA ACSCAA0y oCANS0 q
jail sentence.
Others have been hailed before the
bar of the Senate and reprimanded.
Says Not Lobbyist.
The bishop informed the committee
that he was no lobbyist, in the popular
sense, but that he gave his best effort
to promote prohibition "by every
legitimate Christian means"
He said he seldom sought to use per-
sonal suaSion with members of Con-
gress, and rarely interested himself in
appointments to Office. Asked whether
he or the Southern Methodist Board
of which he is head, took part In the
election of members OF Congress, he
replied:
, from sending out literature, we have
taken no part In elections"
You took no part in the 1928 cleo
tion?" asked Walsh.
Il have taken a part in every cleo
ton since I have became of age as q
citizen. We simply sent out state
ments of the church and of the board
AS to getting into particular fights,
did not, except perhaps in my own
State"
But you were active in the. 1925
election, were you not, bishop"
Active in 1928.
ga little more active than usual"
The bishop said the annual budget
Of the board ran around $4,000 OF
$4,000 a year, but that he himself
= received no salary from the board.
(ContirIIed IN PAGE 2. Column IL