The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-10-08
Hamilton Fish Charges
Newspaper "Smear Campaign"


While on the general subject of
Smear" Rep. Hamilton Fish, New
York isolationist, last week charged
that the 'interventionist press" is en-
gagged in a general campaign to smeal
all those who oppose this countrys
entrance into the world war.
1t seems that some of the isolation
lists in congress are finding them
selves in embarrassing company as
Omen track down nazi agents, their
hirelings, and their dupes. For this,
they have only themselves TO blame.
They are finding out that you cannot
play with fl e without getting burned.
Fish's charges were made when he
took the floor on matter of personal
privilege to attack PM and the Wash
ington Post for their part in reveal
ing that 20 mail bags, filled to capa-
city, were removed from the office
of Prescott bennett, secretary-treas-
urer of the Make Europe Pay War
Debts and Islands for War Debts COM
mittees, by house truck on orders
VI iiio OliitC q uoy f1itCi CChiCbt wac
summoned to appear before district
grand jury for questioning relative TO
charges by federal investigator tina 1t
known nazi agents had contributed
money to his committees. In justice
to Fish, it must be said that It APP
pears that he was used" by bennett
in an effort to conceal evidence from
the grand jury, rather than being a |
party to the scheme.
Fish told his colleagues that he |
wasn't in. the city when the house |
truck was ordered by one of his sec
retaries to go to benefits office that |
the truck was sent to pick uD 500 |
copies of a speech made by him some |
ago and not to pick up the |
20 mail bags, and that he hadn't seen
bennett for yea or more, and didn't |
even know where his office was.
Some of the mail bags were left at
he Washington office of the America
First committee, and the remainder
N house storage room in front of
1 bin assigned to Fish. 1t is hard
o see why it was necessary to send
/ truck to pick up 500 copies OF a
speech, which make bundle that
could almost be placed in a coat
locket. Fish said he didn't know how
bennett could have gotten the franked
peeches in the first place, and he
vas at a loss to explain how in the
leck one of the mail bags had at
ached an official house slip which
cad: from Congressman Fish to II
Prescott bennett
Misuse of the franking privilege, II
seems, is quite general, and none t
t the congressman were inclined to !
uestion Fish at uncomfortable t
engths on that score. II
=
1t might be true that Fish had {
carcely anything to do with bennett, | a
ut it also is true that bennett II
bought quite bit of Fish-in fact, {
e thought enough of him that he S
Tanted to see him president of these C
Inited States. bennett, who is free s
tnce newspaperman, operates the So II
allied Columbia Press Service" Just O
efore the last Republican National | a
invention, bennett, through his press e
srvice, sprung story that Fish was F
lie dark horse" presidential candi- 8
ate to keep eyes on, and he went ON G
, extol Fish to the skies. O
The story was published and fea- s.
lred in the New York Inquirer, a e
leet that has been flirting with fas- S
st ideas for quite some time, and n
the Norristown Times Herald, fl
lifted by Fish's friend, Ralph Beaver "