Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-08
HOOVER MENTIONED
in LOBBY HEARING
Publicity Man Claimed "Per-
sonaI Method of Approach
., to President.

A letter read today before the Senate
lobby committee said w. G. Darcy,
publicity man of the Coca Cola Co.,
has O personal method OF approach to
Hoover and is going to see that Hoover
gets full but concise data on the sugar
subject"
The reference was contained in let
ter written by H. H. Pike, jr., Wall
Street sugar broker, to P. A. Staples Of
Cuba. who is connected with the Cen
trail Hershey Co.
pike. who was on the witness st9nd
testified his information was received
from some one" but he said he had
forgotten who 1t was.
Senator Robinson of Indiana, the
mittee, asserted that the letter indicated
Darcy has some backstairs way of
getting to- the President.
Reprimanded by Robinson.
When Pike said he did not know who
gave him the information Robinson
shouted:
"Then you ought to have kept quiet;
this 10 the purest kind of lobbying"
II can tell everything now that I
knew then" Pike replied.
Robinson asserted that the reference
was unfair to the President but Pike
said he understood all that was meant
was that Darcy either knew Mr.. Hoo
yer or could reach him through friend.
Pike had previously testified that he
was directing night against higher
duty on Sugar in the tariff bill made ny
the Hershey Co! and the Coca Cola
Co. He said the companies had ar
ranged to spend as much a. $4,000
each in their effort to keep q higher
duty from being placed on sugar.
sFtUA AiA FHnt fMA1 QN,IlA nAyam Nant
and get news in the name Of the
Hershey Corporation or the Coca Cola
Co.," Pike said. adding that such news
would be REGARDED IS publicity for the
organizations.
Genes to Washington.
Pike said he came TO Washington, saw
Junior Owens Of the Bottlers' AssociA-
ton, and they agreed they would EN-
ploy o publicity agency.
William H. Baldwin Of New York
who testified yesterday before the COM
mittee. was employed, Pike said.
1t was agreed, Pike said, that he him.
self would handle the money to be re-
ceived from the Hershey and Goes
Cola companies.
Il was to act as the clearing house.
he explained.
Pike said he had not done much ex-
cept to act asr the clearing house" He
added that he had interviewed q num-
Der of persons, whom he did not name
The letter to Staples, dated February
/, said Bob" Woodruff. president OF the
Coca Cola Co., "iS after me every time
he comes up here" 1t continued:
Tells Of Meeting.
THE day before yesterday saw him
at noon. He then got me down tC
breakfast yesterday morning, where h
had his advertising man, w. c. Darcy;
Mr.. Horsey, export vice president, aat
Ralph Hayes, publicity vice president o.
the Chatham d Phoenix National
Bank.
I'VE went over the matter in som'
detail and ended up this way:
Mr.. Darcy has q personal method o.
approach to Hoover and Is going to se'
that Hoover gets full, but concise, dats
on the sugar subject.
1T is his belief that Hoover will op'
pose the sugar matter and see that Il
doesn't 60 through. In view Of the Latir
American complications that would mos
seriously arise. He thinks this poin
should be stressed.
The believe that a. much publicit,
a. possible should be secured in order
that those in Congress and Mr., Hoover
will have something to fall back on d
they act contrary to the wishes Of thu
domestic producers.
Mr.. Woodruff apparently Is leaving
1t to me to see that there Is some or
ganizing Of this publicity work and hal
said that II the United States Sugar
Association would take the matter up
he would be willing to subscribe fund
to help the thing along, though on wha
scale I do not know"