The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 13, 1919, Page 8

! ff | i | { ; i it i R I P Special privilege hasn’t been in his right mind for some time. one terrible thought. Cartoonist Morris shows here what that he had grown childish, and the mere s Security League Is Put on the,Grill ‘Congress Pries Into Affairs of Organization Promoting Militarism and Prussianizing Washington Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader 2 |ERE is.a page of the testimony at the opening session of the investigation by a speeial com- mittee of the house of repre- sentatives into the affdirs of the National Security league. Elihu Root is honorary presi- dent of this concern, which ad- mits having expended nearly . $620,000 in trying to turn the United States into a military autocracy on the old Prussian model. Charles Lydecker, a New York lawyer, president of the Security league, is being questioned in the following by Congressman Harrison of Mississippi: Mr. Harrison: Do you recall offhand what is the largest contributions you have received ? Mr. Lydecker: The largest? I may say that I, personally, haven’t had charge of any of the solici- tation or requests for conttibutions; but I know, as president of the league, of the largest contribution that has been made, which was made by the Carne- gie Foundation, $100,000. It is in two payments of $50,000 each. Mr. Harrison: Mr. Lydecker: Mr. HaPrison: organization ? ‘Mr. Lydecker: been spent by present incumbency. ' Mr. Harrison: Well, what is the next largest contribution; do you recall ? A Mr, Lydecker: I have personal knowledge of no What was that? In two payments of $50,000 each. That was in the_ beginning of the . other contribution, but I have indirect knowledge of : the payment of $25,000 by the Rockefeller—by John D. Rockefeller. Mr. Harrison: Mr. Lydecker: Mr. Harrison: tion ? : Mr. Lydecker: " Personally ? Personally, I think, it was. What is the Carnegie Founda- I believe that that is a corpora- - tion of which Mr. Pritchett is the president—Henry Pritchett. I must correct my statement. Take out the word “Foundation” and Corporation. = .. . AR No; the $50,000 last paid has call it+the lCarne:gie : Mr. Harrison: They are interested in steel pro- duction, aren’t they? Mr. Lydecker: I don’t think so. Mr. Harrison: terested in? ' Mr. Lydecker: I understand that that is a purely philanthropic fund for educational purposes. Mr. Harrison: The Carnegie Corporation? Mr. Lydecker: I think so. ; Mr. Harrison: Aren’t you mistaken? The Carne- gie Foundation may be that, but the Carnegie Cor- poration, isn’t that a steel corporation? The National Security league is being investigated by a spectal committee of the house of representatives. The committee has an appropriation of $25,000 for the purpose. Some facts very interesting to the common people are going to eome out of this..ligting of the curtain of secrecy that has hung over the Security league, and a few of the first are given on this page. This organization got along fairly well in bulldozing school teachers and others who might have some lively concep- tions of democracy, but-it went too far. In the past election it sent out misleading and lying reports about the patriotism of many of our con- gressmen. According to the Security league all the standpat reactionaries were 100 per cent American and all the progressives, even the mild pro- -gressives, had some flaw which made them unfit for congress. This is the second big organization which has at- tacked the organized farmers and workers to be exposed by congress, the \ other being the United States . Chamber . of Commerce. ' PAGE EIGHT What do you think they are in-- Toky < e e A RO T S S Half the time he is raving mad; the rest of the time he is agitating himself and other people on it him and caused the nightmare of insanity. The old boy had had things his own way for so long reat of the oerganized farmers to give him his walking papers had the same effect on him as being yanked off his royal perch had on Kaiser Wilhelm or Czar Nicholas— Schools—Carnegie Corporation Made Contribution of $150,000 Mr. Lydecker: Let mé have the fdlder, will you, -of that Carnegie matter (addressing Mr, West). I should say that this had been accomplished before my accession to the presidency, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, 576 Fifth- Avenue, in March, 1918, informed the president of the National Security league, Mr. Menken, that the sum of $150,- 000 was appropriated for the work of the National Security league (éxamining paper); and that the treasurer be, and hereby is, authorized to make payment of this sum by installments, and at such tinies and in such amounts as the state of the funds of the corporation permits. And of that $150,000, $100,000 has been paid. Now, I have no knowledge concerning the Carnegie Corporation. Mr. Harrison: Who solicited that ‘contribution ? Mr. Lydecker: Mr. Menken and Doctor McElroy solicited that contribution. 3 Doctor Robert McElroy, formerly a professor at Princeton university and now drawing $10,000 a year as “educational director” for Root’s league, appears to have been a highly successful collector. Stanwood Menken, the other collector from the Carnegie and. Rockefeller interests, was the first president of the organization. Lydecker’s testimony becomes the more interest- ‘ing when it is learned that the trustees of the eminently respectable Carnegie Foundation voted this $150,000 to Root’s league through the Carne- gie Corporation in order to carry on a campaign of so-called Americanization, which was to con- sist first of all in agitation for universal compul- sory military service, or training, and in agita- tion’ for the establishment of a state constabu- lary system throughout the country. Evidence on this point is to be developed by members of the committee. Lafayette Young, proprietor of the Des Moines (Iowa) Capital, and one of those men most alarmed at the possible misuse of the farmers’ $16 by the National Nonpartisan league, is a - mem- ber of the executive committee which. voted the $10,000 salary to Doctor McElroy for this super- patriotic purpose. August H. Vogel and Willett M. Spooner of Milwaukee, Cyrus H. McCormick of Chicago and D. J. Haff of Kansas ICity are fother members.. - Their com’nfittge voted $8,400 a year to b G T T g N A < R v 4 & : » “‘ ‘!" Y '{‘I.‘. o “}f 5 v ;»’74 4 4;‘ X r T# i P . & B ‘\.n,,