Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-18
But Federal Trade Commits
sioner Rules Out Much
of Evidence.
LAWYER AND M'CULL0CH
HAVE HEATED ARGUMENT
Former Charges Associations and
Leagues Propagandized School
Children.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The Federal Trade Commissions in
quiry into publicity activities of public
utilities ended today with Commissioner
McCulloch declining to accept docu-
mentary and detailed evidence present.
ed by the power companies in an effort
to show that much of their propaganda
against Government ownership was is
sued as a defensive measure.
A sharp clash between Bernard F.
Weadock, special counsel for public
utilities, and Commissioner McCulloch
came as Weadock attempted to submit
into record SO exhibits, which he said,
showed the extent to which proponents
of Government ownership had gone in
circulating propaganda He challenged
the ruling of Commissioner McCulloch.
For two years, Weadock said, the whole
utilities industry has given all 1t has,
and now when we wish to present our
side We are cut of.
Continues TO Argue.
AS the presiding commissioner insisted
that his ruling blocking the exhibits
from the record be respected, Weadock
continued to argue and the commits
sioner ordered the court reporter to
end the record temporarily and told
Weadock he would find some way to
see that his ruling was respected.
The attorney cited the Public Owner
ship League, the National Popular Gov
eminent League and the Peoples
Legislative Service as leading organiza-
tionS who have ''propagandizsd" for
Government ownership. Commissioner
McCulloch said he would permit the
names of these organizations to go into
the record as showing that the utilities
had to combat opposition propaganda,
but held that the commission was not
investigating these organizations and
could not, therefore, go into the extent
of their alleged activities.
An army of nearly 100 exhibits were
offered.
eliminating the presentation of evil
dence in defense of the activities of the
utilities which have been under inveS-
tigation by the commission, Weadock
asked to have the exhibits placed In
| the investigation record on the ground
that publicity distributed by his clients
could not be appraised fairly without an
| understanding of the methods employed
by individuals and organizations OPP
posed to the private companies.
Weadock sought to show that an or
gained campaign had been conducted
TO disrupt and Socialize the industries
of the country" by organizations cam
paigning in schools, colleges, news
papers and magazines and that Sen
ators and Representatives had aided
these efforts.
Senator Norris Involved.
Pamphlets and booklets of the League
for Industrial Democracy, the Public
Ownership League of America, the Ma
tional Popular Government League, and
the Peoples Legislative service were
offered, together with clippings from
Socialist and other papers detailing the
activities of these groups in the cam
paign for public ownership of utilities.
Attention was called to the leaflet of
the League for Industrial Democracy
bearing the name of Senator George w.
Norris among members of the advisory
council to its committee on coal and
giant power.
The exhibits were arranged to show
that the several associations and leagues
were linked closely through interlock-
ing directorates, that they acted in
common, that they were either Social
list in structure or had co-operated close
ly with Socialist groups, and had formed
with the National Socialist party in 1921
the conference for progressive political
action. It was pointed out that in 1924
the conference adopted platform ia
Voring the development of a national
Super-water power system including
Muscle Shoals public ownership Of rail-
roads, and submission to the people for
their considerable Judgment, constitu-
tlonal amendment providing that Con-
gress may by enacting statute make
1t effective over a judicial Veto"
Socialist Clipping Shown.
A clipping from Socialist newspaper
| containing the statement that public
operation and ownership of Boulder
Dam and Muscle Shoals would split
the power trust wide open and pave
the way for the practical realization
of socialism as nothing else will" was
| included with exhibits offered to show
that the electric utilities had been
centered upon as the focal point of q
general campaign for public ownership
of all key industries"
Papers on the creation Of the PeO-
pies College at Fort Scott, Kans.. by q
group including Eugene V. Debs. Ar
thur Leshueur and Carl d. Thompson.
founder of the Public Ownership
League. were offered. as was a letter
written by LeSueur as vice president of
the school and signed, Yours for the
| revolution"
Several Of the exhibits were reports
of the associations to their members
| on legislation. claiming the co-opera-
ton of Senator Norris and other menu
berS of Congress. A clipping from the
Public Ownership Magazine quoted
Carl d. Thompson as saying:
Arrangements were made for the bill
Zone calling for a nation wide, publicly
owned power system) to be introduced
in the Senate by United States Sena-
tor George w. Norris, and in the House
by Congressman Oscar E. Keller of
Minnesota"
This bill. counsel pointed out, was
introduced on March 10, 1924. Several
of the exhibits. it was argued, gave
evidence of consistent lobbying for pub
lie ownership, attempts to intimidate
Senator's opposing Government opera
ton. and an "intolerant attitude" to-
ward the utilities.
Among the papers were two showing
that the League for the industrial
democracy had sent lecturers on Sociali-
cation of industry to student meetings
in more than 1870 colleges and that in
1908 a1atunad mora than 000 SIN