Evening star., 1954-10-20
Ives Links Hartman
To '2Os Ship Scandal;
Rival Blasts Charge
BY the Asseeioied Press

dldate Tor Governor, charges that
a shipping firm once headed by
his oponent. Averell Hartman
paid $250.000 to a crooked judge
to obtain pier leases in New York
Harbor back in the 1920s.
Mr.. Hartman, Democratic
Liberal Party nominee, denies
emphatically that he paid or
knew Of anybody making i'm
proper payments in connection
with a pier lease or any other
matter.
The raising of the scandal
which first broke in 1930-held
the spotlight today in the bitter
gubernatorial campaign for the
November 2 election.
The story about leases for two
Tammany- controlled piers was
told by Senator Ives in a radio
and television speech last night.
Republican and Democratic
leaders today faced the question
was Senator Ives speech a
bombShell or a dud?
Mr. Hartman, former New
Deal and Fair Deal diplomat and
Secretary of Commerce, accused
Senator Ives of a "baseless" at
tack in a desperate effort to
bolster a faltering campaign" :"
and said he believes the people
will resent it.
Senator Ives speech received
unusual attention because of a
double-action build-up.
First, he cut short an upstate
campaign tour and made a nlys-
terious midnight drive from Al
bany to New York with word
that an important announce
ment would be made at 8 am.
yesterday.
Then, the announcement said
ne would reveal in detail on tele-
vision and radio a Shocking ard
startling" situation involving Mr..
Hartman.
The unofficial word was that
1t would constitute a bomb
SHELF in behalf of Senator Ives,
who has been trailing Mr.. Harri-
man in several newspaper polls
In the campaign that has less
than two weeks to go. 1
Senator Ives and Mr.. Harri-
man are battling to succeed re-
tiring Gov. Thomas E. Dewey.
Senator Ives told a TV-radio
audience on a Statewide net
work that the United American
Line, headed by Mr.. Hartman
as board chairman. paid the
quarter million dollars to Kings
County (Brooklyn) Judge w.
Bernard Vause in the mid 192Os. .
The case was widely reported
in the press in 1880. Headlines
OF newspapers of that era were
flashed on the television screen
as Senator Ives spoke.
The Senator said the shipping
line was losing money and
wanted to sell its ships. 1t found
a buyer, but on condition that
dock facilities for the vessels be
made available.
"Tammany controlled the
docks" Senator Ives said.
Supported Hartman.
Tammany backed Mr.. Harri-
man for the Democratic nomi-
nation for Governor against
Representative Franklin D. Roo
sevelt, jr., who later was nomi-
mated for attorney general.
Senator Ives said the shipping
line obtained leases on two CITY,
owned piers through payments
to Judge Vause.
For four years, he said, the
"secret seemed to be safe" and
Everything was happy until the |
spring of 1880 when the scandal
broke loose"
This was uncovered, he said, !
during investigation of Judge |
Vause's finances in another case. !
Senator Ives said the judge |
ran a financial company on the |
side and was sentenced to six
years in prison for swindling !
hundreds of poor people. There |
was no implication of Mr.. Har- !
riman being involved in this.
Says Money Was Uncovered.
Senator Ives said enormous
sums of money were found in
bank account in the name of !
a clerk in Judge Vause's Office |
and that r. H. M. Robinson,
president of the steamship line. |
admitted knowing that Judge
Vause had been paid to get the |
leases.
Now what did Hartman have |
to say about all this?" asked |.
Senator Ives. He blandly looked !
everybody in the face and said
he knew nothing whatsoever |
about it."
Mr.. Hartman, apparently hav-
ing the newspaper polls in mind,
told newsmen about an hour after
the Ives telecast: Il
Tonight's papers quote my
opponent as saying I never fight |
so hard as when my back is to
the wall What he meant was
that he plays fair only when he
is ahead"
Mr.. Hartman said Senator
Ives abandoned a promise to
discuss issues and dug back Into
newspaper files of almost 25 years
ago to rehash a matter, widely
publicized at that time, involv-
ing the leasing of piers to a Ship
ping company with which I was
connected.
When this matter was first
brought up. appeared before a
Federal grand jury. 1 stated |
under oath that had no knowl-