Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-14
Committees Report to Sen
ate Abs0IveS Hoover of
Any Improperly.
'REPREHENSIBLE' EFFORT
TO STIR UP LATINS
Committee Charges Opponents Of
Higher Tariff With Propaganda
Drive Against U. S.
BY the Associated Press.

were described in the Senate today as
graft" by Chairman Caraway of the
Senate lobby committee.
! Csrsway made this assertion in pre-
senting to the Senate a report of the
committees investigation into the ac-
tivities of sugar interests on the pend
ing tariff bill.
IT hope that responsible business
men will cease paying tribute to these
lobbyists these grafters in the District
of Columbia who have nothing to
| SELL" Caraway said.
| 1.-THE whole matter is nothing but
! simple graft" he continued. Its worse
than that because it plays upon the
public and undermines the confidence
of the American people in the integrity
of their Government"
Report Absolves Hoover.
The report which Caraway presented
said that advocates and opponents of
a high tariff had spent more than $780,
600 during consideration OF the tariff
bill and it absolved President Hoover of
any improperly in connection with any
efforts he might have made to bring the
sugar interests together to work out
sliding scale plan for sugar duties.
Referring to the activities of Wash
| ington Lobbyists" Caraway said, 'peo-
pie must believe that legislation is
bought and sold here in Washington
! and peddled like any commodity"
People might just as well go to
| palm reader or a crystal gazer," ne
said, "as to give their money to lobby
| ists''
"The sugar lobbyists" he added.
| were uncandid even to the extent OF
trying to explain their own letters"
He asserted 1t might safely be said
that both sides spent twice as much as
the half million they said the spent.
The Arkansas Senator continued that
1t was astonishing that men high In
the business world would have paid
penny for the kind Of activity that was
carried on" ssss
The witnesses, he declared. talked
about each other, pried into each others
secrets and reflected on one anothef's
morals. Every bit of political scandal
picked up by the Office boy they mag
nified into confidential reports, he as
serted.
Described as Futile.
Caraway said he was impressed with
the utter futiiity of the kind of CAM
paign" waged by the lobbyists and their
eagerness to employ somebody whom
they believed to be closely connected
with the executive or legislative branches.
Domestic sugar producers, the Sena-
tor added, had spent nearly 100000
trying to build up public opinion for
an increased tariff and had spent $780,
| 900 in the past year.
After Caraway had finished. Sena-
| tor Norris, Republican, Nebraska, said
he did not believe the American peo-
| pie we're paying enough attention to
| the activities of the Senate lobby COM
mittee.
THE Senate and the country can
we'll pause to ask the question: Whittier
are we drifting?" He asserted. 1T
! ought to excite the interests of every
patriotic citizen everywhere"
Norris read a decision of the Su-
preme Court which. he said. held in
substance that contract employing
lobbyist could not be enforced.
Antagonism Drive Charged.
The committee asserted. in its report,
| that "reprehensible' effort had been
made to stir up Latin American an
| tagonism against the United States by
those opposing an increased tariff on
| sugar
It listed the total expenditures of
those for and against such an increase
at more than 100000, with $175,000 to
$4,000 spent by the former and $780,
900 to 1925 900 disbursed by the latter.
With reference to testimony that
President Hoover had sought to bring
! about an agreement among the sugar
| interests on a sliding scale Of sugar
duties for incorporation in the pending
| tariff bill, the committee said that "in
all this your committee finds no i'm
! propriety nor anything open to censure
| or criticism"
Nothing Open to Censure.
"It is quite likely" the report said,
that representatives of both the con-
| to incline him favorably toward their
views, respectively, and, the sliding
| scale solution having been proposed, he
suggested that they get together In an
effort to work out some plan, and in
| that connection informed them that he
would have inquiry made into the prac-
ticability of the idea by experts of the
! departments.
I'm any event" the report added, cit
appears from the testimony that he did
cause such inquiry to be made. In all
! this your committee finds no impro-
priety nor anything open to censure or
Referring to the employment of Edwin
p. Shattuck, New York attorney, by H.
| q. Ldk1n, president OF CIle CuDH Co., 10
advocate low sugar duty the report
said
1T is undeniable that those securing
his services labored under the belief
| that he was an intimate friend Of the
President of the United States, with
whom he came into contact while serv-
| ing with the Sugar Equalization Board.
| At least Lakin, in voluminous cor
respondence, again and again asserted
| that he, Shattuck. sustained the closest
relations to the President, had access
to him at all times and was In frequent
consultation with him on the sugar
| tariff.
Denial Made by Shattuck.
"Shattuck denied that he had ever
talked with the President about the
tariff or that he ever told any one he
did" the report continued. Anyway,
that consideration led Lakin to advise
his principals that Shattuck should be
paid at least $4,000, though he mod
estly stated that, though nothing had
been paid him. he expected something
more than $4,000.
"Shattuck insisted throughout that
he was employed solely as lawyer, but
the part of the work done by him fall
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