OCR Text |
Show oo No Evidence of the Use of Money in Ship Subsidy Fight Washington, March 1. There is and lias been no uHe of improper Influence, Influ-ence, either for or against, ship subsidy sub-sidy legislation. So says the special committee of the house In Its report re-port of the Investigation for which it was appointed a year ago. The report re-port was presented to the House today to-day by tho chairman, Representative Olcott of New York. Charges made In this connection that reflect upon members oi congress are, the report says, "wholly false." The committee feels it "Its duty to inform the House that there havo been widespread throughout the country statements that lobbies and corruptions corrup-tions on the part of members of congress, con-gress, existed in favor of ship subsidy sub-sidy or against ship subsidy and that the parties who made thom, after being be-ing thoroughly questioned, havo admitted admit-ted that thoy had no Information upon which to base such statements or publications, pub-lications, but relied upon surmise, suspicion sus-picion and rumor." -TChese. are the formal conclusions n( thr rnmmTFtne; "As to charges against members of congress, the committee finds that the charges contained in tho statements set forth in the preamblo o the resolution under which this committee was appointed, ap-pointed, so far as the same reflect upon up-on the honesty and integrity of venerable vener-able Halbert Steenerson or any other member of the House In their official capacity or of tho membership generally, gener-ally, are wholly false. "As to tho alleged existence or maintenance main-tenance of a lobby, the committee finds also that thero does not oxlst a lobbv or lobbies in connection with the subject of ship subsidy legislation legisla-tion and that there is nO( fund for the support of such lobbies." The committee consisted of Chairman Chair-man Olcott and Messrs. Longworth of Ohio, Ilawley of Oregon, Carrot of Tennessee and Humphreys of Mississippi. Mis-sissippi. The investigation was tho outgrowth of pullcations in tho magazine maga-zine published at Cleveland by the Merchant Marine league of tho United States and various other publications alleging the existence of a "lobby" supported by certain shipping Interests, Inter-ests, especially hoso of European countries, active in opposition to the ship subsidy legislation. Certain members of congress were mentioned? by name In somo of these publications 'ns being unduly influenced influenc-ed In this connection. Both Representatives Represen-tatives Steenerson of Minnesota and Kustermann of Wisconsin vtook notico of-the charges and were loprosonted by counsel. Both arc exonerated by the committee. The committee gave wldo latltudo In the examination of witnesses and the scope of. the investigation was a broad one. The committee says that few of tho people actively interested in the Merchant Marino league had any porsonal financial interest in tho league. , Charges in a Dallas newspaper and similar attacks by certain other newspapers news-papers are said to have been "apparently "appar-ently without foundation." After analyzing all the testimony, tho committee was unable to find that any "lobbv had ever existed or was ever malutulned either for or against 3hip subsidy legislation" Certain testimony allowed In the record referred to alleged steamship combinations or pools to control freight or passenger rates, upon the theory that such evidence might pos-slblv pos-slblv throw light upon the subject matter of the Investigation when tho committee submits this testimony to the House. With regard to tho trade botweon the United States and South America, Ameri-ca, says the committee, thoro is a conference of steamship lines, commonly com-monly called tho Associated Lines, which It Is allogod. maintains an agreement agree-ment relatlvo to the fixing of freight rates and shlpmeuts to and from South America. The report Includes this paragraph: "Some stress has beua laid on certain cer-tain testimony In regard to the employment em-ployment of Jeromo J. Wilbur by tho Ilaiubuug-Amerlcan Packet company and Lho North German-Lloyd steamship steam-ship company. Mr Wilbur, while ren-dering ren-dering such services to those companies, compan-ies, also was a member of the staff of tho Associated Preso In Washington. Washing-ton. Thoro was no ovidenco whatever what-ever that Wilber had in nny wuy interested in-terested himself on behalf of those companies in conuectidn with ship subsidy sub-sidy legislation." Immediately upon tho testimony of Mr. Wilber, the Associated Press asked ask-ed for his fcsls nation, which "was given. giv-en. S . ' |