Evening star., 1937-07-11
SMELL ASKS PROBE
Of CONTRIBUTIONS
Demands House lnvesti-
gate if Roosevelt and Far
lev Aided Law Evasion.
b the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Minority Leader Smell demanded
yesterday that the House investigate
whether President Roosevelt and Post
master General Farley had been
parties to a scheme to evade the law
governing political campaign contri-
buttons
The New Yorker introduced a reso-
luton calling for appointment OF
special House committee to investigate
the. alleged sale to corporations OF
editions of the Democratic campaign
book of 1885 autogra phed by President
Roosevelt at $3.50 per copy.
Asserting the Federal corrupt
practices act expressly forbade cor
porstions contributing to presidential
election campaigns, Smell said his
resolution related to matters in
volving, in my Judgment, a clear
viola ton" of the act.
The information before me- he
said. in a formal statement, names
the President of the United States
and the Postmaster General rs
parties to q scheme Of evasion per-
fected and applied through the Demo-
cratic National Committee. Farley
Is Democratic national chairman as
we'll as Postmaster General.
Refers to Book Sale.
Smell embodied in the resolution
what he called a letter of solicitation
from NJ. H. Porter Of the Democratic
National Committee. 1t said sale
of the autographed book was being
used to clear up the committees
deficit and that 1t enables us to
legally accept corporation checks
Although he said he was "cognizant"
of an Official White House statement
of June 9 that the President did not
realize his autograph was to be used
for that purpose, Smell said never
thelex, the evidence before me in
dieates that the chairman Of the
Democratic National Committee has
discovered several ingenious methods
OF raising campaign funds
Some of these methods" Smell con-
tinued, ito use the words OF the
President, as set forth IN his message
Of June /, on taxation, have the
color of legality, others are on the
borderline of legality; others are plain
ly contrary even to the letter OF the
law"
Smell said if the House approved
the inquiry, he would lay before the
committee 'purported" photostatic
copies of the sales contract promis-
ing delivery Of the Presidents auto
eraphed editions and the Democratic
National Committees letter of solicl-
tation.
He said he also would furnish an
afidayit from business man who
was subjected to various threats and
measures of intimidation by officers
and agents of the Resettlement Ad-
1ninistration" when he declined to
purchase $500 worth of the books.
Other Things Promised.
In addition, Smell promised to sup
ply:
A list Of corporations in at least
Is States which he said already have
made substantial contributions to
the Democratic National Committee
through this device of evasion"
Evidence that in at least one
Federal jurisdiction formal complaint
against attempted coercion in the sale
of these books was placed before
the United States district attorney,
with no legal action resulting there
from.
Circumstantial evidence that lists
Of corporations doing routine busi-
ness with various agencies of the
United States Government were fur
nished to the Democratic National
Committee as prospect lists" for the
book statesmen.
The resolution would empower the
committee TO subpoena witnesses, as
certain the names of all agents or
solicitors employed to obtain contribu-
tons for the book, the names of all
corpora tions and persons subscribing
and whether any of them were en-
gagged at the time of signing the con-
tract In furnishing supplies or mate
yials to the Government.