Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-08-01
LOBBYING WITNESS
ADMITS HE URGED
WHISPERING DRIVE
Cramer Says He Suggested
Starting Rumor President
Was Insane.
AIM WAS TO DESTROY
NEW DEAL, QUIZ HEARS
Meanwhile Utilities Head Reveals
He Paid $500 to Learn Way
Around Washington.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Efforts by a New Jersey advertising
man to start whispering campaign"
that President Roosevelt is insane
were disclosed today by the Senate
Lobby Committee.
E. P. Cramer, who described him.
self as an advertising man of Plain
field, N. j., and a small stakeholder
in the Electric Bond g. Share Co.,
testified he was annoyed and
chagrined that I had any connection
with it"
Are you ashamed?" asked Senator
Schwellenbach, Democrat, of Wash
ington.
Certainly"
He said the suggestion was made as
part of program to defeat the New
Deal.
Never Saw President.
Questioned sharply by Chairman
Black, the witness said he had mo
basis" for believing the President was
insane and that he had never seen
him.
He added that the same thing was
done against Hoover" by Charles
Nicholson, Democratic publicity chief
Who said he was crazy?" Black
asked
Mr.. Nicholson"
do you swear that?"
mo" Cramer replied, laughing.
Cramer said at first his suggestion
had not been carried out 1t was de-
veloped that in the past few weeks a
whispering campaign" had been
started that Mr. Roosevelt was in i'll
health.
Mr.. Roosevelt laughingly took cog
nizance of it at press conference.
Newspaper men generally sent out dis
patches then that the President was in
excellent health.
Cramer said he was not sure his ef-
forts and the whispering campaign"
were cause and effect"
Had Supplied Detailed Program.
Cramer previously had told of sug-
costing to the Electric Bond & Share
Co. a detailed program in an effort to
defeat the New Deal.
He was surprise witness. He was
questioned about letter he wrote to
C. E. Groesbeck. chairman of Electric
Bond e. Share, suggesting the plan
for beating the New Deal.
When Black first asked him about
recommending whispering campaign
he denied 1t. but finally conceded it,
however. when Black placed in the
record a letter Cramer had written to
Groesbeck March % saying. in part:
Il suggest that the officers and di-
rectors of the company take the lead
ership in organizing or at least formu-
lating plan for organizing the Sc
curity holders of America for the pur-
post Of destroying the New Dea! and
giving America a sane and honest
program in its place"
Urges Suspicion Be Created.
Among the subjects he suggested
the organization take up was:
"A whispering campaign designed
to create popular suspicion that the
New Deal, and especially one New
Dealer in chief, are either incompe-
tent or insane. diScrediting them in
the same way that Nicholson Demo
cratic publicity director in 1882 so
successfully discredited Hoover"
Questioned sharply by Black, Cra-
mer agreed there were mo bases" for
believing the President was insane
and that he had never seen him.
so far as you knew it was false?"
Black asked
II don't know" Cramer replied.
Had you heard any such statement
from any doctor?"
Certainly not"
Agrees 1t Was Mistake.
"You intended it as a pure fabriea-
tion?"
II intended it as an analogous to
the campaign against Hoover"
Cramer agreed his suggestion was a
mistake" and ''unSound"
"Despicable?" Senator Schwellen-
bach suggested.
Yes, don't agree with 1t at allie
Meanwhile, the House Rules Com
mittee received testimony from Ber-
nard B. Robinson. Chicago utilities
official, that he had paid Robert
Smith, Washington lawyer, $500 to
teach him his way around Washington
how to use the Congressional Direc-
tory and the like.
Robinson said he came to Washing
ton, representing the Associated Gas g.
Electric Co, to oppose the utilities bill.
He said he gave Smith the $500 "for
(See LOBBY, Page A.