Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-07
WANTS Definite CHARGES
Determined to Disregard General or
Vague Accusations.
MIR. BENNET DISCUSSES CASE
SAYS Time Is Too Short for Con-
gress to Investigate and he
Is Too Busy.

| President Taft II has become known,
| will not pay much attention to sporadic
suggestions made to him that he should
| order a sweeping investigation Of the Dis
trct building and Of the three Commits
| sioners. The President has not shown.
| during his administration, much of a ten
dency to investigate departments or any
thing else through special commissioners.
composed of personal friends or govern
ment officials favorably regarded by him.
and he will not resort to an investigation
of the District government as a whole
unless Information is filed with him from
responsible organizations or persons
whose complaints deserve serious atten-
ton He must have more than generali-
ties upon which to act and must be made
acquainted with facts that have the sem
blance of amounting to something definite
and important.
President Taft has not taken quick
action OF become excited over the
charges filed at the executive offices last
week against the District Commissioners
generally. and Commissioner Johnston
| especially, by Representative Cary, backed
oy &. c. Lancaster and others, and so
lar has done nothing more than refer
the charges TO the Commissioners for
such statement as they may care TO
make.
Did Not Read Papers.
The President did not read or investi-
gate the charges prior TO ordering their
being forwarded to the District building
He dAes not know in detail what they
contain, having merely been informed by
ms secretary of their general nature.
lie may never bother about them. unless
ne concludes that there is good ground
LOT uolng so. When the Commissioners
forward their reply to the charges the
PRESIDENT may or may not give con-
slderatlon to all the papers. That will
depend upon the report of his assistants
as 10 'ne general nature of the papers
Inc president has been compelled to
listen to numerous complaints against
the commissioners in the last wear
ana IN every instance he has called in
the eommlssloners personally and
asked for their statements The ex-
plantations they have made have been
satisfactory
1t is known that F. Oden Horst
mann. who has been making trouble
TO- the commissioners for some time,
MADE complaint to the White House. He
d1d not. however, become as specific in
ms charges as the President desired;
did not seem inclined to want to take
the responsibility of signing his own
deslrous Of getting before the Presi-
dent. and the outcome was that his al
legations did not get far. despite the
personal acquaintance the President
had with him.
The President is not inclined to listen
to general blanket charges against Of
fcials without corroborative details. He
doesn't care TO deal In suspicious. which
are plentiful, If lie should listen TO
them, as the leaves OF autumn.
No Inquiry for a Year
The failure of the President to make
"a general Investigation will mean that
there will be no such investigation for
at least year Representative Bennet
Of New York, who scorched the Commits
sioners in the House and fathered a reso-
luton of investigation by Congress, stated
at the White House today that he would
not press the resolution of inquiry as he
was too busy to give the time to it that
would be necessary.
But while the time is too short now to
have such an investigation before Con-
gress adiournS. and ! am too busy on
other lines to give this question my full
attention. ! shall arrange with some mem
Der of the next Congress to handle
resolution.
4 am confident that there should he
sweeping inquiry, and ] am sorry that ]
cannot be in the next Congress TO give it
my attention. but I shall bequeath the
fight 10 some friend who will carry it on.
MIR Bennet said that one reason for not
pressing the resolution of investigation
was that the United States attorney OF
the District is making an investea-
tion OF complaints as TO certain work III
the District building. and he did not deem
il advisable 10 interfere With the investi-
cation BY starting another.