Evening star., 1940-02-13
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

pUIhnlty TO present their DietCS.
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.
Chairman Smith of the House
committee investigating the Ma
t1onal Labor Relations Board an
nounced at today's hearing that he
would ask the Attorney General for
an opinion on whether evidence
before the committee indicated the
board or its staff had violated the
law prohibiting Federal agencies
from using public funds to lobby
for their interests.
Meanwhile, the chairman with
held from the record the implied"
charge of Committee Counsel Ed
mund M. Toland that the board
members and field officers had vio-
lated the statute. While Mr..
Toland, reading the law, said he was
not SO charging anybody, committee
members said they could make no
other Inference" from his COM
ments.
The discussion followed a mass
OF documentary evidence showing
the boards regional directors, often
with the knowledge of board MEM
bers and other Washington ofIicials,
had organized pressure on Congress,
especially from labor leaders, to
prevent cuts in appropriations and
amendments to the Wagner Act.
"Blackj kjacking" Charged.
The committee counsel followed
up his implied" charge by &C
cusing Board Chairman J. Warren
Madden, who was on the stand. of
"blackjacking" employers by asking
the procurement division of the
Treasury Department not to award
them contracts at time when un-
fair labor charges had been filed,
but not even heard.
The statute which the commit
tee counsel cited was Title 13,
United States Code Annotated, Sec
ton 20l. 1t specifically forbids a
Federal board or any of its en-
ployes from using Federal funds to
influence members of Congress in
appropriations to be made for that
agency.
Violation . Misdemeanor.
When Mr.. Toland read the statute,
two members of the Chair
man Madden and Edwin s. Smith
and its secretary, Nathan Witt, were
seated together as witnesses, identi-
flying the correspondence which the
committee counsel produced.
Mr.. Smith admitted he telephoned
from Washington to Charles w.
Hope, then regional director at Sc
attic, asking him to get in touch
with labor leaders and others in re-
gard to threatened cut by the
Senate in the N. L. r. 3. appropria.
tion which the House had passed.
This was in 1888.
Did you discuss any other mat
tiers with Mr.. Hope during that con-
versation?" asked Representative
Routzon, Republican, of Ohio.
Il don't recall" said Mr.. Smith.
Usually when we phone our re-
gional directors We take up whatever
may be pending"
WAS that telephone conversation
at Government expense?" the com.
mittee member demanded.
"Oh, yes"
The citation read at the hearing
states:
mo part of the money appropri-
ated by any act shall, in the ABB
sence of express authorization by
Congress, be used directly or in
directly to pay for any personal
service, advertisement, telegram,
telephone, letter, printed or written
matter, or other device, intended or
designed to influence in any man.
ner a member of Congress, to favor
or oppose, by vote or otherwise, any
legislation or appropriation; but
this shall not prevent officers and
employees of the United States from
communicating to members of Con-
gress on the request of any member,
or to Congress, through the proper
official channels, requests for leg
islation or appropriations which
they deem necessary for the eff.
cient conduct of the public busi-
ness"
In response to questions by COM
mittee members Mr.. Toland said q
violation of the statute was a mis-
demeanor, punishable by fine Of
$500 or imprisonment for one year,
or both.
Chairman Smith remarked that it
was a matter of common knowledge
that Federal agencies did more or
less lobbying for their own appro-
priations.
Board Chairman Madden earlier
told the committee he supposed the
board had sufficient knowledge of
(See LABOR BOARD, Page A-4)