taxes and registration receipts were the property of the East End Civic Club, and they kept them there, and when the members of the club came for them, they got them and distributed them to the voter as he came in. In other words, this was a repository, as they explained it, a repository for the poll-tax receipt and the registration blank, and as the voter would come in-I suppose that is the information you want. The CHAIRMAN. That is the story we want. Did you see them in possession of anything other than the poll-tax receipt as they came out of the place where they received it? Mr. SMITH. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. What else were they in possession of? Mr. SMITH. They were in possession of an instruction card—a Democratic instruction card-a little ticket about this long [indicating], as I recall it, a card, as they came out. The CHAIRMAN. A card containing the names of the candidates upon that ticket? Mr. SMITH. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. Now, General, if you wish to clarify anything. Mr. MCLAIN. Mr. Smith, how long have you been on the paper here? Mr. SMITH. About 15 years. Mr. MCLAIN. You are pretty familiar with the general surroundings here? Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir. Mr. McLAIN. And you didn't see anything irregular at all except if this is an irregularity. That is the only thing you did see, isn't it? Mr. SMITH. General, I don't want to draw a conclusion either way. I want to steer clear of this, just tell you what I saw. Mr. MCLAIN. They told you down there, and don't you know like this, that a farmer-one white man-will plant 500 or a thousand acres and he will have sometimes 15 or 20 farmers on there; and they may tell you that that white man will get the poll tax and registration certificate and on election day they give it to him and then they go and vote it regular? Mr. SMITH. That is what, as I recall, my story in the PressScimiter said. Mr. MCLAIN. That is the way you think about it? Mr. SMITH. I don't want to draw a conclusion either way. Just what I saw. Mr. McLAIN. The man just took his registration certificate and poll tax that he got from the white man and he went in and voted; and that man that got that, you assume that is the man that it belonged to? Mr. SMITH. I had no means of identification. Mr. McLAIN. I am going to ask you-you know there is a big nigger civic-improvement club in Orange Mound, don't you? Mr. SMITH. I have heard of it. Mr. McLAIN. You know from your experience there is a class of niggers-good, hard working, reputable class of people in Orange Mound, and of course a certain amount of no-accounts. These men of the civic club are reputable colored people. You have heard of them? Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir. Mr. MCLAIN. And you said they had a repository where they kept them for them, the registration certificate and poll tax, and instruction card. That instruction card has got the names of the Democrats marked in red. Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir. Mr. MCLAIN. Then he walks over to the polling place. You didn't see anything wrong over there, did you? They just voted in the regular way, didn't they? Mr. SMITH. They were just voting. I don't know. Mr. McLAIN. Outside of that, everything else, the election was fair in every way you can tell, wasn't it? Mr. SMITH. I don't know anything about it, General. Mr. McLAIN. Well, you didn't see anything wrong, did you? Mr. McLAIN. You went around with Mr. Barnard to a good many other voting precincts, didn't you? Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir. Mr. MCLAIN. And I assume you had instructions to find out all you could, didn't you? Mr. SMITH. I am a newspaper man. Mr. MCLAIN. And Mr. Barnard was there to find out all he could. Mr. MCLAIN. And that is all you found? Mr. SMITH. Yes. Mr. MCLAIN. That is all. The CHAIRMAN. I want to note right here at this point in the record that the reports to the committee have been to the effect that the general election campaign was one in which those who were observing could offer practically no objection at all. In other words, the conduct of the general election seemed to be upon a very fine plane. Now, Mr. Smith, when you stepped into this place where the poll tax receipts were being given out, did anyone wonder how you had gotten in there? Mr. SMITH. You refer to the Orange Mound, I presume. The CHAIRMAN. Yes. Mr. SMITH. Well, we went first into the-it is divided into two rooms. The first little room seemed to be the undertaker's office, the negro there was naturally frightened at our coming in there, strangers to him, asking him what he knew about this. Nothing at all. He knew nothing about it. Naturally we saw them come out after some time with poll-tax receipts and cards in their hands. We knew they were going in empty handed and coming out, and a negro girl who was there told us that there was nothing going on, but we pushed on into the little room where they were issuing these presumably to their members, or they said to their own members. I will put it that way. They said to their members and I had no other information. The CHAIRMAN. That is all. The committee is anxious to have a statement of expenditures of all candidates in the general election. We have a statement from all candidates excepting W. H. Dodson, from whom the committee has not been able to obtain a report, and according to our last information he had moved from 2223 White Avenue, Nashville, Tenn., A and seemingly had left no address. If there is anyone possessed of the present address of Mr. Dodson, the committee would like to have it. Mr. McLAIN. I never heard of him before. I don't know where he went. The CHAIRMAN. I want made a part of the record at this point a letter from H. B. McGinness, who speaks for himself and Mr. Cox relative to expenditures made in behalf of Representative Hull in the conduct of his senatorial campaign, which shows disbursements of $47,190.12. (The statement referred to is as follows:) Hon. GERALD P. NYE, Chairman, Committee on Senatorial Campaign Expenditures, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: In accordance with the suggestion and request of your committee at the time I testified during the session at Nashville, I am herewith submitting a statement of expenditures made by a voluntary aggregation of friends of Hon. Cordell Hull, including Mr. James N. Cox and myself, in connection with Judge Hull's primary campaign for the Senate during the present year, together with the sources of the funds so expended. Mr. Cox was able to leave the hospital only within the last few days and I have taken the first opportunity to go over the records with him. Yours truly, H. B. MCGINNESS. STATEMENT OF EXPENDITURES 1. Amount directly disbursed by James N. Cox for advertising in newspapers, by posters, etc., $6,778.04. 2. Miscellaneous expenses incurred and paid directly by James N. Cox, including hotel bills and traveling expenses of individuals giving time and attention to the campaign, telephone and telegraph bills, with occasional employment of an individual here and there on special missions to various parts of the State, etc., $4.159.96. 3. Funds turned over to various and sundry interested and unselfish friends in various counties of the State to be used, and which were used, for defraying necessary and legitimate local expenses, including advertising in local newspapers and otherwise, expenses incident to public speakings, automobile hire, both before and on election day, and in some instances employment of persons on election day to pass out cards of our candidate and for other legitimate services, and in some instances stenographic hire, printing. postage, etc., in connection with personal letters sent out to the voters in the counties, telephone and telegraph expenses, etc., same having been distributed to the three grand divisions of the State (said grand divisions being marked and defined by statute in Tennessee), as follows: (a) To the counties and localities comprising west Tennessee (being all of that portion of the State west of the Tennessee River), and including Shelby County, $13,814.14. (b) Middle Tennessee (including Davidson County and Nashville), disbursements of the same nature and for the same purposes as set out above for west Tennessee, $9.301.75. (c) East Tennessee, disbursement of the same nature and for the same purposes as set out above for west Tennessee (including amounts disbursed by H. H. Waller), $10,136.23. After the date of the senatorial primary, August 7, 1930, various and sundry accounts and claims were presented for payment, which at least in a large part had not been contemplated or authorized, but which appeared to have been expended for legitimate purposes, and which were paid, the amount of which was near $3,000. None of the expenditures above set out were incurred or authorized or paid by Mr. Hull, directly or indirectly, but same were incurred and paid from voluntary contributions made as hereinafter set forth. CONTRIBUTIONS Contributions were made by personal friends of Judge Hull outside his family, as follows: T. H. Pickford, owner of the Lafayette Hotel, Washington, D. C., at which Judge Hull has lived for many years, $400. B. Kirk Rankin, Nashville, Tenn., $400. Miscellaneous contributions of small amounts from personal friends, including $100 by W. J. Cummings, Nashville, Tenn., $300. The foregoing constitute all contributions received from persons outside the family of Judge Hull, and were all made upon personal consideration. The whole amount of the remainder of the expenditures was furnished from within the family. I, James N. Cox, hereby state that the foregoing is a full, accurate and complete statement of contributions made to the senatorial primary campaign of Hon. Cordell Hull in Tennessee during the present year, and which were received and disbursed by Mr. H. B. McGinness and myself. All contributions received and expenditures made in the nonofficial activities testified to by Mr. H. B. McGinness before the committee at Nashville were received and disbursed by him and myself. I desire expecially and specifically to state that no contributions were received from any corporation or from any selfish or special interests, all having been made upon considerations of personal friendship and personal interest. The foregoing statement of expenditures made in connection with these nonofficial activities is substantially a correct statement of the nature and extent thereof. JAS. N. Cox. Sworn and subscribed before me, this the 11th day of November, 1930. My commission expires October 16, 1933. The CHAIRMAN. Now, if there is anyone wishes to be heard, the committee will be glad to hear them at this time. If not, with an expression on the part of the committee of its appreciation for the manner in which we have been helped to bring these hearings to a close, the committee stands adjourned until further call of the chair. (Whereupon, at 5.05 o'clock p. m., the hearing was adjourned, subject to call of the chairman.) X |