Evening star., 1935-03-12
SHEARER D|SRUPTS
MUN|T|0N HEARING.
Navy Advocate Moves on
Members at Charge
of CoWardIy.
(Continued From First Page.)

interests of his own country" he was
made to walk the plank" by the ship
yards
The latter were induced to dismiss
him, he said, under threat that suit
for s15,O00,000 against Charles M.
Schwab in connection with wartime
steel contracts, would be pressed.
Il hate to say it, because it is a
boob word" he declared. But they
not only saw that I didn't get work
after that, but they prosecuted me-"
who prosecuted you?" Clark asked.
''I wouldn't say the shipbuilders
were helping me-"
He then declared the persecution
had been extended to his daughter, a
writer. whose stories, which he told
the committee were once popular in
many magazines, were suddenly no
longer purchased.
Her market was stopped, he said,
when he filed a suit against the big
three shipbuilding companies IN
1929 for S25O,000 for his services as a
naval propagandist.
Daughter Now Dead.
"The minute that suit was filed"
he added, "she did not sell another
Item. They hit me the only way they
eould-through my child" He said his
daughter had died five months ago.
He used the term 'anti-American"
against Bernard Baruch. friend of
Presidents; the Carnegie Peace Foun-
dation; DR.. Nicholas Murray Butler
president of Columbia University. and
others, including George w. Wicker
sham, former Attorney General.
The latter he described as the "at-
torney for Matsui" in trying to
break down the Japanese exclusion
law"
Before hearing Shearer, Senator
Vandenberg, Republican. of Michigan
brought out that the Navy Department
handled its own cases for damages
arising under contracts, such as for
non-p performance, although all other
departments turned over such cases
to Controller General McCarl.
mo damages ever were collected, at
least from the Big Three yards. Isn't
that truce" asked Vandenberg, direct
ing his question at Stephen Raushen-
bush. committee counsel.
None that we can find" Rausen-
bush replied.
rs it a fact that the Big Three re-
ouested the Navy Department not to
subject itself to McCarl, but to keep
its damage cases in its own hands?"
Vandenberg proceeded.
Confirmed by Letters.
1--WE have letters showing that"
Raushenbush replied.
From my long experience with
naval officers, am sorry to say much
in the past has been done to hurt
the morale of the United States Navy
by political pressure" Shearer said.
Il am sorry to say that the rea-
son we have not a modern, nre-
proof, up-to-date merchant marine is
also political pressure; that foreign
government has dominated our ma
rine policies, including marine l,sur-
ance and sometimes question whether
these fire traps such as the MORO
Castle, Sagovia and the sinkable tubs
like the Mohawk are not all a part
of the game to discourage the ouild-
ing of modern fire-proof American
ships"
I'VE now come to the present Situa-
ton that has been under discussion
before YOUR committee in reference to
shipbuilders and myself" the witness
continued During the inveStiga-
ton of the three major ship wards
a memorandum signed by C. L. Bardo
from the Shortridge hearings was read
before this committee"
1t was in the Bardo statement he
was alleged to have threatened to kill
Wakeman.
1T was further brought out before
your committee that an attorney by
the name of Mr. Beer was employed
to gather information on me. That
attorney was paid $500 by Mr.. Fer
guson, according to Mr.. Beers let
ter, to end the Shearer investigation
to their liking
What you failed to bring out was
that Mr.. Beer actually did. therefore
I charge that Mr.: Beer attempted to
have me framed and that the Depart
ment of Jusice was responsible for the
Bardo memorandum being read before
the Shortridge hearings. -
II charge that that committee was
partial to the shipbuilders and at
tempted to destroy my suit against
them; that the Big Three shipbuilders
demanded a bill of particulars from
me that would divulge every contact
and conversation that had with any
naval officer at any time.
This bill of particulars would or