Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-05-23
Congress Clears the Way to
Give Ex-juStice All the Lati-
tude He Needs in Conduct
ing Proposed Probe, -.
STATEMENT OF RESULTS
WILL BE GIVEN PUBLIC
Full Publicity Is Promised Re-
gardIesS of What Inyestiga-
ton Reveals; viii Go Into
Whole History,
r.v so"s,sa JOURNAL SPECIAL ,t.sso w,suI

fsY HoRHHc JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED WIRHl
Washington, May 22.-There will
be no controversy in the senate over
the military committees war inquiry
plans to which President Wilson ub-
jeCted, and the department of justice
investigation OF aircraft production
directed by Charles r. Hughes will
proceed without having is path
crossed by congress.
Developments came quickly today
in situation which had threatened
| an open fight on the floor of the SEN
ate and in which administration lead
ers saw the possibility of two inquiries
! into all phases of the governments
aviation program. First, a compro-
mize was reached under which the
/ resolution ot Senator Chamberlain
authorizing Investigations of various
branches of war activities, including
aviation, was passed by the senate
after being stripped of language which
the president has construed as vr-
tually constituting .tl,e military COM
mittee q committee Oh the conduct OF
| the war
Soon afterward Senator Chamber
lain received a letter from Attorney
General Gregory 'inclosine one from
Mr. Hughes in which the latter stated
that the work he has unds-taken at
| Presidents Wilson'S request would be
embarrassed by II parallel inquiry.
! Mr. Hughes outlined his idea OF how
the departments Investigation should
| be carried on ? decihring that II
should be z.iven to the public regard
Jess of whether basis were found for
either criminal or civil proceedings
in the courts.
Admit Hughes Is Right.
This letter for time seemed to
threaten a new conflict Members OF
the military onmittee,, however,
quickly recognized the force of Mr..
Hughes statement, end it was tenta-
lively agreed that tie subcommittee
on aviation should confine its activt-
ties to looking over the existing stu
alton and leave all that had gone be-
fore to the department of justice. An
other meeting will be held in day
or two to discuss the matter further.
The demand of Mr.. Hughes for q
free hand was indorsed in note OF
transmittal by Attorney General Greg
DRY who. it is said. had discussed the
matter with President Wilson.
"ln accordance with your request.
Mr.. Hughes wrote, II shall attempt
to summarize briefly some OF tho
points discussed in our conference to-
day. particularly with respect to tho
scope of our inquiry. "#.
1T is quite evident, from the ma
terial you have already gathered and
from the matters discussed with you
and Mr.. Frierson that it would be
necessary for us carefully to examin\
all the activities relating TO aircraft
production, II Is easy. OF course.
theoretically to distinguish between an
inquiry within the province of the de-
partment of justice and one which Is
aimed merely at alleged waste, OF
neglect, or mismanagement, or inef-
ficiency. apart from any appropriate
basis for a civil suit to record misap-
propriated moneys or a criminal pros
ecution.
Make Thorough Inquiry.
''As a practical matter. however, il
is evident that in the endeavor to8de-
termine whether there is a basis for
civil suit by the government or a
criminal prosecution, it will be neces-
sary for us to make a thorough in.
quiry into the history of aircraft pro-
duction since the beginning of the war
and of all proceedings which have
been taken by any persons or corpo-
rations concerned Herewith.
nciG nf. ,xfyt
suits by the government they will be
instituted. If We find grounds for a
criminal prosecution 1t will be in
order to go before the grand jury to
obtain indictments.
IF we find no sufficient basis for
such proceedings our criticism to be
convincing to the country. could not
we'll be stated as a mere negative crit.
icism in general terms but should be
accompanied by fair, candid and
adequate statement of the facts WHICH
our investigation has disclosed.
state Facts When Through.
IF it is understood that We con-
template this course of action I
should suppose that there would be
general disposition TO permit our In
vestigation to proceed unembarrassed
by any other parallel course of action.
Clearly as we may recognize the au.
thority to conduct another official in
quiry at the same time, we cannos
doubt that any official inquiry into
the same course of conduct, although
with another aim, would tend to make
difficult, If not impossible, the sue
cessful prosecution of our own.
I'VE are instructed to have q
prompt and thorough investigation
and my desire is that we should have
tho frIiast npporfuNfty IN roako sucJr