Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-16
CANNON IS INDICTED
BY D. c. GRAND JURY
Bishop and Miss Burroughs
Accused of Violating Cor
rupt Practices Law.

Continued From First Page)
States ATTORNEY John ]. Wilson, con-
tains 10 counts and covers 33 typeWrlt-
ten pages. Under the corrupt practlceS
act the willful violation OF Its pro-
visions is made felony and punishable
by Imprisonment not to exceed Two
years and a fine not to exceed $4,000,
while failure to make report or
mere technical violation, when not WILL
full. is denominated a miSdemeanor, and
is punishable in the District Jail only
for a period not to exceed one year ana
fine not to exceed $1,000. The maxi
mum penalty under the conspiracy
count is a term of two years in the
penitentiary and fine not to exceed
$4,000.
Face Possible 10 Years.
Bishop Cannon and Miss Burroughs,
If convicted. might face a possible term
of 10 years in the penitentiary. two for
conspiracy and two on each OF the four
counts charging willful violations.
The first, third, fifth and seventh
counts of the indictment deal with the
alleged willful failure to report at the
different times specified in the law. Inc
second, fourth, sixth and eighth counts
charge Ltlc mere W ACPoA
or technical violations at the four times
named in the odd-numbered counts.
The ninth and tenth counts contain the
conspiracy charges. The ninth alleges
an agreement willfully to violate the
law. while the tenth deals with an al
legged agreement to violate only the
misdemeanor feature of the law.
The first count alleges that Miss Bur-
roughs was treasurer of political COM
o,.+,0
tee, Anti-Smith Democrats, and had
received contributions from E. c.
Jameson of New York for the Political
Committee and that she failed to report
the receipt of $4,000 from Jameson
and that she Willfully failed to make a
report to the clerk of the House Of Rep
reSentativeS between the tenth and fiji
teenth days next preceding November
6. 1929" the date of the general preSi-
dental election. Cannon is Joined in
this count as an "aider and abettor."
The second count alleges the failure to
make the report, but not willfully.
Additional Counts.
BY the third count Miss Burroughs is
accused of willful failure to make the
same report five days before the cleo
ton date, Cannon being accused of aid
ing and abetting in that violation. The
fourth count deals with the same al
legged violation without WillfulneSS.
The fifth count charges failure will
fully to report January /. 1929, the
same contributions plus $4,000 received
from Jameson DeceTbe 6. 1923. Can
non aided and abetted in this alleged
violation, it is charged. The. sixth
count holds the alleged violation to
have been merely technical or without
TillfulneSs.
BY the seventh count there is alleged
a willful violation Of the law in failing
to report between the first and tenth
days of March, 1929, an additional con-
tribution of $4,000 received from Jane
son January IA, 1929. Cannon is &C
cuSed in this count, as in all the pre-
ceding ones. that he "unlawfully and
feloniously cid willfully aid. abct, coun-
sci, command, induce and procure and
advise incite and connive at the COM
missions of the above described offenSe
on the part of Miss Burroughs" The
eighth count alleges the failure to re-
port as not willful.
Conspiracy Is Charged.
The conspiracy counts allege that
Bishop Cannon and Miss Burroughs
'unlawfully and feloniously did conspire
to commit offenses against the United
States" and did commit overt actions
in furtherance of the alleged agree
ment. The offenSeS mentioned are the
four felony charges contained in the
preceding odd-numbered counts and the
four misdemeanors named in the pre-
ceding even-numbered counts.
Eight overt acts are set out in the in
dictment in furtherance of the alleged
conspiracy, one of which would have
been barred tomorrow by the statute of
limitations. This is named as fifth in
the order of acts mentioned in the in
dictment and consists of the depositing
by Bishop Cannon, October II, 1923, in
the Continental Trust Co. in this city,
to the credit of James Cannon, jr.,
chairman" of two checks dated october
Is and drawn by Jameson upon the
Lawyers Trust Co. of New York for
$4,000 each and drawn to Cannon's
order.
The first four of the overt acts relate
to the filing of reports by Miss Bur-
roughs with the clerk of the House of
Representatives october 80, 1928; No
vember 3, 1923; January 2, 1929 and
February IS 1929. The fifth act is
mentioned above The sixth charges
that Cannon, october %, 1928, within
this District, paid $4,000 to the anti
Smith political committee. The sew
enth overt act charges the payment of
$832.50 to the committee by Cannon.
Telegram is CITED.
The last overt act is said to have oc-
CURED February Is, 1929. when Bishop
Cannon sent a telegram over the Postal
Telegraph Gable Co. to Jameson direct
ing him to make his report of contribu-
tions. The telegram is set out in the
indictment and reads in part: After
careful examination records. think
statement should be Paid headquarters
committee anti-Smith Democrats, ST.
300: paid Virginia committee anti
Smith Democrats $48000 making total
$65, 300. This will correspond exactly
with our official reports
II is reported that it was nct until
she filed her report with the clerk OF
the House of Representatives February
Is, 1929, that Miss Burroughs made
mention of contributions from Jameson
and then only that she had received
$1,000, while Jameson told the Nye
Committee of the Senate that he had
made a total CT $65,000 in contributions
to Cannon.
To avoid any charge OF bias in the
presentation Of the testimony to the
grand jury United States Attorney Leo
A. Rover turned the presentation over
to Wilson. Rover is Catholic and
Wilson is a Protestant.
Asked to Be Summoned.
Cannon before the inquiry began last
week filed a brief through Attorney
Robert H. Mcneil setting forth his
claim that the Federal corrupt prac-
ticeS act did net apply to the matter
because he was. working for the selec-
ton of electors in Virginia only who