The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-08-08
BORAH CREATES
BIC SENSATION
IN THE SENATE
Makes Flat Charge That De.
partnent of Justice Had
Attempted to Influence
Federal Judges.
PRACTICE IN VOGUE
FOR SEVERAL YEARS
Explosion Comes When Re-
port of Attorney General
Responding to Senate Res
olution Is Received.

WASHINGTON. Aug. THE flat
charge that department Of justice
agents had investigated federal judges
to influence their actions in cases in
which the government was interested
was made in the senate today by Sena-
tor Borah and indorscd partially, at
least, by Senator Norris
Senator Borah's S charge was brought
out by a report from Attorney Gen
eral McReynolds, responding to a SEN
ate resolution asking whether federal
agents were investigating judges. The
resolution reflected some sentiment
aroused in the case of Federal Judge
Speer Of Georgia, whose court had been
investigated and who had attacked the
department Of Justice in public
speech. The attorney general replied
that any report that the federal de-
partment Of Justice was maintaining a
system of espionage of Judges "was
entirely without foundation"
Responds With Charge.
Mr.. Borah responded with his
charge.
t'I know this is a very serious
CHARGE said he, "but / am so relia-
bly, informed that 7 make the state
ment that within the last four or five
years special agents have carried on
such Investigations with view to iu-
fuencing Judges
have all the information Senator
Borah had, but that he believed his
statements were based OIL fact.
The attorney generals report de-
clared that only three judges had been
investigated, one of those was Robert
W. Archibald.
Report Denounced.
Senator Works, who introduced the
resolution, denounced the attorney s
report today as "evaslye" and unsat-
isfactory, and announced he would
make a further demand for informa
tion
Senator Borah S charge was charac-
terized as "startEng' by Senators
Crawford and Sutherland The latter
declared it "needed investigation -
and that if such "sinister influences
continued the end of the "republic
was in sight,
Senator Hoke Smith asked Senator
Borah for the exact time when fed
eral agents had been making efforts
to influence judges in favor Of govern
ment cases.
81 think it has been going on more
or less continuously for the last four
or FIVE years. responded Mr.. Borah,
Judges Under Control.
"These Judges are practically under
the control of the department, as far
as promotion and dcmotion is CON
cerned,' said Senator Borah "They
have been made to know what the gov
ernment desires in cases, and even what
kind of decision the government de-
sires handed down. II we are going
to have Il Judiciary subject to secret in.
flueuces. am in favor Of popular elee.
ton and recall of Judges
Senator Colt of Rhode Island de-
clared that in his thirty-on years. ex-
perence on the federal bench in New
England never had an attempt been
made by the department of Justice to
influence the judges. He knew. how.
ever, that special agents had been sent
to New England.
No final action was taken on the at
torney general Is report.
Report of McReynolds.
"No inspectors or other agents are
appointed by the attorney general or
by the department Of justice specifically
to investigate and report on the con-
duct or proceedings of any Of the courts
or judges of the United States" said
the attorney general IS report.
] stated, however, that a force is en-
ployed under authority of congress to
investigate subjects that it is the duty
Of the department to follow.
"To state with particularity what
courts and judges have been under in
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