Evening star., 1939-09-05
Browder Relates
S250,000 Offer for
Backing Roosevelt
Tells Dies Quiz 6. O. P.
Group Sought to Hurt
Presidents '36 Race
By the Associated Press.

Earl Browder, general secretary
OF the American Communist Party,
told the Dies Committee today the
party was offered $3.50 900 by a group
of anonymous individuals in 1886 to
nominate President Roosevelt as its
candidate.
The offer was made to him as
party head, Mr.. Browder testified,
by man whom he knew only as
Davidson" The latter, he said, told
him he was representing a group of
six or seven wealthy Republicans. "
1.-The original proposition, the
Communist leader told the commit
tee, was to nominate Mr.. Roosevelt
as the candidate, but when 1 Just
laughed at that, he made the modi-
fed proposition of withdrawing in
favor of the President"
Mr.. Browder said the purpose of
the offer was clearly to reduce the
vote of the Democratic party by
attaching to it the relative un-
popularity" of the Communist Party.
Tip Broke Negotiations
The offer was first 100000, the
witness asserted, and "then when I
reacted rather coldly, he tried to
warm me up by raising the ante to
$250,OOO'
Mr.. Browder said he did not fatty
refuse the offer, but carried on ne
EQUATIONS to the point of discussing
a depository bank in which funds
could be placed to show good faith
OF the offer. He did this, he ex-
planned, in the hope of obtaining
information about those behind the
offer, but was never able to learn
their names.
The witness added that he had
never seen Davidson" prior to that
time and had not seen him since he
suddenly disappeared in the midst
OF the negotiations.
The Communist head expressed
the opinion that Davidson" broke
OF the negotiations because of re-
celvlng some kind of tip" Mr..
BroWder had asked an intermediary
to transmit report of the offer to
the Democratic National Commit
tee, he said.
Withheld Endorsement.
His first meeting with David
son. the witness related, was in
his own Office in New York, while
subsequent meetings were held in
the dining room of the Grand Gen.
tral Station, New York City.
Mr.. Browder said he could recog-
nlze the Intermediary if he saw him
again. He described him as of me-
dlum height, with dark COMPLEXION
closely shaven.
He was neatly dressed and looked
like typical executive, industrialist,
banker or broker" the witness re-
called.
A committee member asked Why
MIR. BroWder had indorsed the Presi-
dent in 1896.
i didn't" he answered promptly.
Il spoke in favor of Roosevelt poll
cles, but I carefully refrained from
indorsing the President precisely be-
cause knew the Republicans want
ed me to do it,"
Has 100000 Members.
In opening his testimony. Mr.
Browder said his party now had
about 100000 members-four times
the 1884 total-in a. States,
The first witness called before the
committee as it dropped inquiries
into Nazl activities and turned to
communism, Mr.. Browder traced his
work IN the party and told of its
uevelopment since formation in Chi
cago 20 years ago. He asserted that
only about 70 per cent of the 100 900
total lis reflected in dues payments
that reach the national office.
questioned about that by Rhea
Whitley, committee counsel, Mr..
Browder said:
somewhere in the administrative
apparatus, some OF that gets lost"
200 D. c. Communists.
Between 25,000 and $4,000 of the
members, the witness said, are in
New York City, another 1000 in
Chicago, between 5000 and 1000 in
California and about 1000 in WASH
1ngton State and Oregon.
The membership in the District of
Columbia, he said, is about 200,
Mr.. Browder testified he had been
arrested twice in this country. once
IN 1917 on a charge of conspiring to
defeat operation of the World War
draft law and on charge of refus-
Ing to register under the draft. He
was sentenced to two years in
Leavenworth Federal Prison on the
nrst and to another year in Jail on
the other, he added.
he also was arrested in Chicago
on a State criminal syndicalism
charge which he said was dropped
after 10 years.
The witness said his salary was
$40 weekly, but his writings and lee
lures bring in additional income
which he said resulted in a total of
$4,000 last year.
In answer to other questions. he
said the Communist party did not
maintain any secret or under
ground organization"
Consulted Broun.
Mr.. Browder said he ATTEMPTED to
ascertain whether Davidson" was
sincere in his offer and first con-
suited with Haywood Broun. COL
umnist Nothing happened, he said,
and he went to a MIR. Stone" of
the editorial staff of the New York
Post.
Then, he said, he was called into
conference with another man who
said he would give the information
to Senator Guffey, Democrat, of
Pennsylvania.
The witness asserted he also called
IN Canadian banker, whom he did
not identify, but whose name he said
he would give to the committee pri-
vately.
After the witness described 'Da-
wilson as a well-dressed man, Rep
resentative Casey, Democrat, of
Massachusetts,, a committee member,
asked:
"You would have no trouble dis
tinguishing between the we'll
dressed man and Mr.. Broun?"