The Washington herald., 1918-05-25
HUGHES DENIED
LONE HAND In
AERO INQUIRY
Senate Committee to Seek
Delay and Produc-
ton Facts.
DECISION YESTERDAY
viii Cooperate to Prevent
Clash with Justice
Department.
DECISION YESTERDAY

the Senate has declined to comply
with the request made by Charles
z. Hughes that he be given q free
hand in the aircraft investigation.
A subcommittee Of hve Senators
will conduct an independent in
Quiry into all phases Of air plane
construction. including the causes
Of delay and insufficient production.
Senator Thomas. of Colorado. who
will head the subcommittee, will
confer with Mr.. Hughes today in
an attempt to convince him that the
committees investigation will not
interfere with or hamper the probe
by the Department of Justice.
The decision of the committee. to
60 on with the investigation begun
some months ago. was made known
after the committee met in session
yesterday morning, to consider the
letter of Mr.. Hughes to the Attorney
General. in which his wish for a sin
gle Investigation was stated. In the
main committee there was some di-
vision of opinion on the question
as to whether or not the subcon
mittee should proceed.
The Subcommittee.
The members of the subcommittee
however. were practically united in
the opinion that the Investigation
which the Senate has authorized them
to make should proceed. Those on
the subcommittee, in addition to
Senator Thomas. are Senators Reed.
of Missouri; Smith. Of Georgia; New,
Indiana, and Frelinghuysen, Of
New Jersey.
The position taken by those who
favor a committee investigation is
that the entire question opens up
two distinct lines of inquiry. One Of
these will be to determine whether
the laws have been violated and
whether there Is ground for criminal
or civil action. This embraces the
field Of investigation TO which Mr..
Hughes has set himself.
The other questions concern pro-
duction, and the committee feels that
the Hughes inquiry cannot be direct
ed into these channels. The commit
tee believes that 1t should inquire into
the reasons for delay, inefiiciency in
office, and the failure to deliver planes
according to contract None Of these
questions, It is asserted. can be
touched upon by the Hughes investi-
cation.
Room for Two InauIries.
In other words. the committee takes
the position that there is room for
two separate investigations, and that
there is no reason why they should
be In conflict. Every effort will he
made by the committee, 1t is said, to
avoid any clash with the investigation
being conducted by the Department
Of Justice.
After Senator Thomas has concluded
his conference with Mr.. Hughes, il is
expected that the subcommittee will
issue a formal statement explaining
in detail the exact line of inquiry
which It proposes to follow.
Until yesterdays meeting Of the
committee, the majority sentiment
has been adverse to further activity
by the subcommittee. During the dis
cussion of tie Hughes letter. however,
strong reasons were presented for a
, continuance of the committees inves-
tigation, and a majority OF the mem
bers were convinced that the subcom-
mittee ought to go ahead.
Senator Thomas told the committee
that he had conferred with Secretary
Baker, who told him he had no Oh
lection to a committee investigation.
Assistant Secretary Of War Stettinius
was quoted to the same effect. These
statements had considerable weight
with the committee.
Another argument advanced Ia IA
vor Of a continuance of the investiga-
ton was that the probe by the De-
partment Of Justice would OF neces-
j sity be secret 1t was pointed out
that under such circumstances the
matter would be hidden from the pub
lie. and none Of the things complained
Of would be corrected until Mr..
Hughes had filed his final report.
Corrective Work.
Proponents Of the committee in
vestigation asserted that a great
deal of corrective" work could be
done by the committee, without in
terfering in any way with Mr..
Hughes's work. Reasons for delay
and lack OF material could be gone
before evidence of criminality might
! be discovered.
After listening to all these argu-
ments, 1t was virtually agreed by
the committee without formal vote
that the subcommittee should pro-
ceed to inquire into all the phases
Of the situation that might not be
covered by the Hughes investiga-
tion.
Attorney General Says Nothing.
No ofiicial comment was made at
the Attorney Generals once over
the committees decision to proceed.
Unoficially 1t was stated that the
matter Is entirely in the hands of
Mr.. Hughes. who is to take up the
Il T.