Evening star., 1935-07-10


Thomas c. Corcoran. r. F. c. at
torney and the administrations repre-
sentative in the effort to put the hold
ing company bill through in the shape
desired by President Roosevelt, was on
the stand for cross Ss-examination. Back
Of him sat Judge Ferdinand Pecora OF
New York, who was counsel for the
Senate Banking Committee in its in
vestigation Of the Stock Exchange and
later a member of the Securities Com
mission. Close by was Representative
Ralph o. Brewster of Maine, Repub
lican, who has charged that Corcoran
threatened to halt work on the Passa-
maquoddy Dam in Maine because he.
Brewster, was not going to vote with
the President on the death sentence
clause in the holding company bill.
Taking Corcoran's own testimony,
Representative Lehlbach of New Jer-
sey, Republican member of the In
vestigating Committee, sought to show
that Brewster was forced to consider
Corcoran's statement to him just be-
fore the vote in the House on the
death sentence" clause threat.
This Passamoquoddy Dam is a $685.
100000 project dear to the hearts of
Maine Congressman.
Lehlbach's interpretation.
Lehlbach rehearsed the testimony of
Corcoran, making the following points:
l. That he, Corcoran, had been des-
ignated by President Roosevelt to
mop up all legal questions relating
to the Quoddy project.
2. That Corcoran had acquiesced in
the plan to go ahead with the prof.
ect-although a bill creating a Maine
power authority" to handle the elec-
trio power developed at Quoddy had
not been passed, although demanded
by the Government works admins
tration.
3. That Corcoran acquiesced In this
plan to go ahead with the work after
he had received assurances from Brew
ster than he would influence the State
Legislature, largely Republican, to
pass the power authority bill later,
and that he, Brewster, would see to it
that no Republican" or power in
terest" suits were brought to enjoin
work on the project.
4. That Corcoran, after he had be-
come convinced that Brewster would
not support the death sentence"
clause in the holding company bill,
fo1d !, Iny,oor 1ISf
him and his promises regarding the
Quoddy project.
S. That the order to proceed with
the work at Quoddy was revocable at
any time, and that little had so far
been done beyond having the Vice
President press button to explode
a dynamite charge.
"Could Influence Work"
Lehlbach, with all the force he
could put into his cross-examination,
sought to make it appear that Brew
ster knew Corcoran could influence
those in control of the Quoddy project
to halt all work until the Maine Legis-
lature could pass the power authority
bill.
Corcoran denied emphatically that
he had any power to halt the work at
Quoddy. He insisted that the project
had already gotten under way.
'It was the logical thing for you
to do, when you no longer relied on
the promises of Brewster. to tell the
Government to stop the work until
the Maine Legislature could act,
wasn't it?" demanded Lehlbach.
Corcoran demurred to this.
He said, however, that he would
naturally have advised the Govern
ment to think over very carefully the
situation which had developed, since
he no longer could rely on the prom
ises of Brewster.
Didn't you want Brewster to un-
derstand that the work on Quoddy
might be delayed until the Maine
Legislature could act, when you told
him you no longer relied on his
promises, particularly when it was
because Of those 0romises that you