The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-27

1 J.
to the fact shat McNab had said that on
| three separate ana distinct occasions ne
had called the fact to the attention of
| the Attorney General that there was
danger OF perversion OF justice because
his witnesses were being tempered with.
Are You aware. also" inquired Mr.
Kahn. that Diggs. the other defend
| ant, is the nephew Of a Democratic State
Senator Of California, and the political
influence referred to In the United States
attorneys letter will probably have some
bearing on that?''
Referring to the order which has now
been issued for the Immediate prosecu-
ton Of the case, Representative Mann
| said:
1.-THE Attorney Generals order postpor-
ing the trial. they now find. will de-
stroy the usefulness of the Office out
there in California, and they have, rur
10 cover. Frightened rabbits never got
away quicker than the President and the
Attorney General when this matter was
| brought up."
Mr.. Mann wanted to know what Dis
trict Attornew McNab had done that
merited censure. He had merely called
the Presidents attention to the fact that
the Attorney Generals office had been
imposed upon
They now admit" said Mr.. Mann.
that 1t was imposed upon. They now
vacate and revoke the order of post
ponement. They now admit the cases
demand speedy trial. But unfairly. I'M
justly, and with hypocrisy. they accuse
the Officer who called their attention to
the circumstances and say that he is
at fault. Manliness. such as I would
have expected from the Christian. moral
gentleman occupying the White House.
would have required him to ask the dis
trict attorney to withdraw his resigna-
ton and try these cases. he being IA
miliar with them. They have now &C
cepted the resignation of the district att
torney and have dismissed the white
slave act officer who worked up the
case.
Admits He Got Report.
But what was the excuse offered by
the Attorney General for his postpone
ment order? The Attorney General ad-
mits he received a report from McNab
stating there might be attempts to in
terfere with the due course of Justice
by improper influence He admits he
has such records in his files. II he had
admitted the truth complete. he would
have said that he had several letters,
as 1 am informed, from McNab to the
same effect and tenor"
Mr.. Mann then pointed out that the
Attorney Generals explanation was that
he had ordered the postponement with
out stopping to go through the files anc
refresh his recollection concerning any
particular circumstances of the case He
merely ordered the postponement when
Secretary OF Labor Wilson requested II
over the telephone.
What sort of a Department of Justice
is it?" exclaimed Representative Mann
ind nf L.
he who. having on file from the district
attorney statements to the effect that
people are endeavoring to thwart the adj
ministration of justice and to bride or
buy witnesses of the government, on the
receipt of telephone message from
Cabinet officer. without investigation,
without stopping even. as he says. 10 ex- |
anime the files. orders the case post |
poned? !
mo doubt the Attorney General is a |
great lawyer and a great man. but II
the Democratic administration intends TO |
proceed upon the theory that a request
is to be granted when a Cabinet officer |
telephones the Attorney General or when |
some wealthy defendant. as happened in |
the Western Fuel case, walks into the
ONCE OF the Attorney General ana asks
to have case postponed, and IT Is done.
there will not be many Democratic ad-
ministrations in the next hundred years.
Demand Law Enforcement.
I'VE demand the enforcement OF these
laws. We demand that the Attorney
General, before he sends an order to
drop or postpone white slave case or
other case, shall stop to examine the
files in his ONCE. The excuse offered IS
worse than the ofrense, and offered for
the purpose OF casting ignominy upon
one official in the Department OF Justice
who has had the bravery and the courage
to do things"
Loud applause on the Republican side
frequently greeted Mann's statements.
On the whole, though. his speech, so far
as it attacked President Wilson, left the
even on Republicans, OF be-
ing very unfair.
No action was taken yesterday by the
House Judiciary Committee on the Kahn
resolution calling upon the Attorney
General for all the papers in the Cami-
netti-Diggs case. This was due to the
failure of 4 quorum TO respond to Chair
man Clayton's call for a meeting. Rep
Kahn was present and spoke
IN favor of his resolution. There is no
opposition to the measure, and it will be
reported either at a specially called meet
ing to be held this week or at the regu-
ar meeting of the committee next week |