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Show Denies That He Used --riresident's Authority i in a Manner Unthinkable Unthink-able Between Men in Mutual Confidence. ACCUSES MIX OF BEING CROOKED Declares the Documents Filed in the Senate False and That War Department Is Resorting Re-sorting to Subterfuge. NEW YORKj May 11 Gutzon Borg-lum, Borg-lum, accused of having sought secretly to capitalize his friendship with President Presi-dent Wilson by undertaking to promote a private airplane company, issued a formal statement today denying "any sv connection now or at any time'' with any airplane production concern or any i)Un to drganize such a company. He v -"ilc-clared further that the war depart-brief depart-brief ment "had systematically directed the opposition'" to investigation of aircraft 'jod tuition, in which "a billion dollars in elevou months has provided us with no planes,'' and charged that "every subterfuge had been resorted to, to gain time. SCULPTOR MAKES MORE CHARGES. The sculptor termed the accusations made against him in revelations yesterday yes-terday of documents in possession of the army intelligence bureau as charges "raised by Deeds 's former agent. Mix, and Mix's engineer." (Colonel Deeds, chief signal officer of the army, and Konyon W. Mix of the Dodge Manufacturing Manufac-turing Co.) lie denied that he "had used tho president's authority improperly improp-erly and in a. manner unthinkable between men in mutual confidence." Regarding his statements, which resulted re-sulted in a. decision of the senate military mili-tary affairs committee to conduct a general inquiry into airplane production, produc-tion, Mr. Borglum says ho received in formation some time ago "from a confidante con-fidante of the president that the administration admin-istration now possessed a. club that would put me out of business if J did not quit.'1 ' Borglum asserted that "if the government gov-ernment docs not persist in whitewashing whitewash-ing this entire business," Mix would Xbo "compellod to appear as party with Deeds in mailers Mix himself designated desig-nated as crooked. ' SAYS FRAME-UP HAS BEEN PLANNED. Calling attention to affairs of the war department, the sculptor said that "every investigation, and there have been many, has been instituted with a prayer and a hope that, a clean bill would bo secured, aud it is now clear that this final 'frame-up' was deliberately delib-erately planned and laid in preparation to destroy the value and. validity of my Investigation. ' "The uuiion demands to know.' declared de-clared Mr. Borglum. "why a billion dollars in eleven months had provided us with no planes. There has been a graver question arise i Who is it so powerful, aud where are they, that make il impossible and dangerous lo the character char-acter and honor of men v ho dare to art this question?" STATEMENT OF THE ACCUSED IN FULL. Mr. Borglum s statement follows: l.ct us dispose separately of the questions raised by Deeds's former agent, Mix, and Mix's engineer. Their . lirst and foremost charge Is that I used the. president's authority improperly improp-erly and In a manner unthinkable between be-tween men in mutual confidence. I deny this as a "frame-up" s Imped ''"'" ,n ofend, as II proper! should, the president My rogrct ia that it Seems to have been successful, and he published, unfairly lo nie and without warning, some of his tellers to me. l-tut this time I receive J further fur-ther information from a confidant of ijMilCyuli,ia' u. 'U r...;-' It i SCULPTOR BORGLUM ANSWERS CHARGES (Continued from Page One.) the president that the administration now possessed a club, that would put me out of business if I did not quit. Their second charge Is that I was a party to, or in some way or another was secretly ongaged in, airplane production, pro-duction, using my position and confidence confi-dence of the president to his advantage advan-tage I deny that falsehood in every detail as unfounded, without reason or support!" v I wish also to add, regarding Mix, that he came to my attention through his own charges against tho aircra ft board and submitted a lengthy, typed statement charging the aircraft department wdth culpable retardation and delays prejudicial to the interests of the country. The original orig-inal ofUhls statement was returned to Mr. Mix at his earnest pleading after he had confessed that he had been In touch with a uniformed member mem-ber of the board and by his own statement had been heavily commissioned commis-sioned by that member. Mix is a witness wit-ness for specific - charges of crookedness, crooked-ness, he himself charges against Colonel Deeds and Deeds's "partners," and will, if the government does not persist in whitewashing this entire business, be compelled to appear as party with Deeds in matters himself designated as "crooked." Pro-German Influence. Regarding Mr. Baker's statement of pro-German influence: This unfortunate unfortu-nate statement from an officer of the government whose office has resisted successfully every effort to investigate and get at the truth upon any subject relating to the war, and whose department de-partment is so amply supplied with advisers close in the confidence of the secretary, of Teutonic origin, is ludicrous. ludi-crous. I do not here impugn the patriotism of these men. I do say candidly and emphatically that it is unfair to ask German blood, though born in America, to be as prompt as war demands in the execution of their orders against their fatherland. Never has a department of a gqvernment of a great nation submitted an agent of its executive to such contemptible, unjustified sloughing and general interference as was prosecuted against me in my work, and I challenge Mr. Baker or any department of the government gov-ernment to investigate or to explain and Justify in any way their conduct in this. IDvery American knows now that the war department has systematically directed the opposition to investigate; that subterfuge has been resorted to to gain time. Every investigation and there have been many has been instituted with a prayer and hope that a clean bill would be secured, and it is now clear that this final "frame-up" was deliberately planned and laid In preparation to destroy the value and validity of my investigation. investiga-tion. Accused of Theft. It should not be forgotten that I have been accused, Indirectly, of the death of Blakeley, a fine, sober youth, who lost his life at Mineola on the , 17th of January through the failure E of the Liberty motor- also that I have 1 - been accused of stealing a trunkful of blueprints of a famous Italian airplane, air-plane, and that these, with the present pres-ent charges and possibly others, have been in the hands of the military intelligence in-telligence department, Secretary Baker, Mr. Coffin, and now I learn, of the vice president of the United States, Mr. Marshall, together with the president of the United States, and that no use was made of them and that I have never been given an opportunity to explain or know of them officially until It became apparent appar-ent last week that I would stand by the subject until It was Investigated. I am sorry, more than I can say, that we should suddenly be thrown into a difference over a proper affair and honest Investigation that honest men never object to, and I cannot but think that the secretary of war's blow at me is a colossal blunder. Personally, Person-ally, I am not of the remotest importance im-portance In this matter. The nation demands to know why a billion dollars In eleven months has provided us with no planes. Next It demands to know who Is responsible. There has a grave question arisen: Who Is it that is so powerful and who are they that make It Impossible and dangerous to the character and honor of men to dare to ask this question? Oral Remarks. In oral remarks supplementing his typewritten type-written statement, Mr. Borglum asserted that the Wright-Martin and Curtlss companies com-panies were today the only manufacturers prepared to make airplanes for America. These two companies could have produced 5000 aircraft, and America could have had 3000 or 4000 of them In France for the spring drive, he said, if the two companies com-panies had been allowed to go ahead with orders they had received. Mr. Borglum claimed that "opposition from Ohio had prevented completion of orders by these companies." He declined to identify the opposition. |