Evening star., 1914-07-14
Refuses to Receive Resolutions
Demanding That He Give
Up His Office.
DOORS OF WHITE HOUSE
UNLIKELY TO BE OPENED
Belief Expressed That President Will
Decline to Receive Home
Rule Delegation.


President Wilson or Commissioner New
| man to the request of the home rule COM
Mittee asking for audiences with them,
| the one with the President to request that
he demand the resignation of Commission
er Newman. the one with Mr.. Newman to
. present a set of resolutions asking that
| he retire
Although the President has not received
the request of the home rule committee
for a conference with him. there was a
strong hint around the White House to-
day that the visit will not be permitted
Secretary Tumulty would not talk upon
the subject. but stated this morning that
he has not vet placed the request made
by Fulton R. Gordon before the President.
In a reply to Mr.. Gordon, Commissioner
Newman states that the only place to
settle the question of his eligibility is in
the courts He questions that $50 adults
at the mass meeting of protest represent
. the 3JO.OOO persons of the District. He
says he owes it to the President who
nominated him after investigation of his
eligibility and to the Senate which con-
frmed that nomination after similar in
vestigatiOn to defend his Office to the last
resource of the coutrs. and proposes to
do SO.
Termed Partisan Move.
Mr.. Tumulty. in presenting the mat
ter to the President. probably will be
asked by the President as to the advisa-
bflity Of receiving the committee, and
in that event. it is believed Mr.. Tumulty
will make an adverse recommendation.
largely on the ground. it was intimated
today. that the movement is a partisan
one, the chief promoters being repub-
1icans and opponents of the administra-
tion. whose principal object is to make
trouble for a democratic appointee and
supporter of the administration
The White House attitude is also said
to be that the court is the proper place
to thrash out the eligibility of Mr.. New
man to hold his position. and that 1t
would be neither fair to Mr.. Newman
nor the people of the District to inter
5ere at this time. pending the final ad
Judication of the whole subject. There is
not the slightest idea. according to those
who know the President. that he would
give any attention to a demand for the
resignation of Mr.. Newman. and SO there
would be little use in receiving delega-
tion having that object in view and
unable to present any new facts bearing
on the question. The President 1t has
been pointed out at the White House di-
rected an investigation into the eligibility
Of Mr. Newman before he was appoint
ed and the legality of the appointment
was submitted to the Department of
Justice, where it was sustained.
Mr.. Newman's Letter.
In his letter to Mr.. Gordon Commission
er Newman said:
I'm response to your verbal request
made during your call upon me yester-
day, when you asked that 1 make an en-
gagement to receive committee for the
purpose of being presented with resolu-
tions asking me to retire from the Of
nf
columbia, / reply that l cannot accede
to your request.
you informed me that the committee
had its birth in mass meeting recently
held to protest my occupancy OF the
comm!ssionership! There were 2o peo-
ple present at that meeting and about
one-fourth of them were minors. l feel.
therefore, that the remaining $50 could
hardly be considered representative OF
the $4,000 people of the District OF
Columbia, and that ! am under no Obl1-
cation to consider a protest of such
slender backing.
II am aware. as every one Is. that the
persons who attempted to organize the
mass meeting and conduct 1t. the per-
sons constituting the so-called home
rule committee, the persons prosecuting
the custer suit against me in the courts.
and the committee from the mass meet
which desires an audience with me. are
practically Identical They have elected
10 invoke legal processes to determine
my eligibility Commissioner. 1 have
met that attack squarely and frankly
in the courts, where it is now pending.
and I feel as II the committee. having
chosen the court as fighting ground.
has no reason to expect me to meet it
anywhere except In court for considera-
tion or determination of the issue.
Obligation to President.
Il was nominated as Commissioner OF
the District of Columbia by the President
Of the United States after an investiga
tion by him of both the law and the fact.
pertaining to my eligibility. My nomination
was confirmed by the Senate after coIsid
erstion of both the law and the facts by
that body. The President believed the
Senate believed and l believed that
was eligible for the commissionership anG
II To the President the Senaf