The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-21
By Associated Press

By Associated Press Washington, June 20.-At- torney General Palmer, at the } first public hearing in the fight to prevent confirmation by the Senate of his appointment,
 turned sharply today upon his } accusers and boldly charged
 that they were aligned with
 German interests in a con-
 certed attempt to discredit his
 administration as alien proper 1 ty custodian.
 During the year and half he was in
 charge of the office Mir. Palmer declared
 ne had been denounced by every enemy
 alien and every friend and attorney of every enemy alien in this country. and that in Berlin he was characterized as
 the official American pickpocket.'
 Every friend of the forty thousand aliens whose property had been seized
 were attacking him, he said. because his organization had seized enemy property and captured the German industrial army in the United States. It would be shown he told the committee, that the particu-
 lar charges lodged against him were not | based on the ground that he had sold enemy plants at too low a price. but that q
 he had sold them to Americans who had
 turned them to profitable account. | HEARING PROLONGED SNARL For nearly five hours the Senate judic- lary subcommittee, conducting an open lfnquiry at the request of the Attorney General, was in continual snarl. For two hours crowd that was kept on edge | by the tense feeling breaking out at in-
 tervals. witnessed the remarkable spec tacle of an Attorney General of the | United States defending his record and slashing at his enemies before a Senate committee meeting, sitting on his fitness for place in the cabinet. | The bitter feeling that broke at the beginning remained to the end, the meet ing closed abruptly and in disorder with ! the announcement by Chairman Dilling- 1, ham that another session would be held tomorrow to determine further procedure and summon witnesses, asked for by the tcomplainants, There was a strong belief at the capitol tonight that no further hearings of consequence would De Eeid and the committee would recommend con- 1 firmation of MT. Palmer's nomination. | The first evidence of bitterness was dis played at the very outset, when Senator Walsh, democrat of Montana, charged Merton F. Lewis, formerly attorney gen eral of New York with decefving the committee last week through failure to quote all of the sections of law bearing | on the right of the alien property GUS | todian to seize enemy property. MT Lewis. who Is counsel for Harvey T. An T, rxf, ,i,aa rf1kl stated that he had been in error and that he had come prepared to offer his apologies, Senator Walsh retorted thaf while he accepted the statement without reservation, Mir Lewis should realize that the committee theerafter could no. rely on anything he said.
 BOTH SIDES HOSTILE Frequently during the presentation nr MT. Lewis of documentary evidence hf clashed with MT. Palmer and no effor' apparently made by either to con ceal his feeling of hostility. During hi long and at times dramatic recital thf Attorney General stood with hair dis heveed while his voice. thrown to higt pitch, reached far down the corridors. It was near the close of the session an. after the Attorney General had given tho committee some account of Andrews con nection with the Bosch Magneto com pany plant at Springfield. Mass, that h. came to an open breach with Senate Frelinghuysen, republican. Of New Jef sey, leader in the fight to prevent con firmation of his nomination. MT Palme was proceeding to take up charges as the alleged placing of friends in position where they might profit by the sale enemy property and had just stated tha these charges were made by Senator Ere linghuysen and others when the senate jumped to his feet For an instant n
 ~ rr1o a6 q a other:
 "You can't bluff me like that" the senator shouted 'I am a senator of the United States and I demand that MI Palmer answer criticisms of his admin istration, brought before the committed in proper way
 The Attorney General snapped bae that he was not trying to bluff any
 "However,'' he added, 'T will answe and leave Mr Frelinghuysen man. out of .it"
 TO PRESENT WITNESSES
 When MT Palmer concluded his tive hour statement, Senator Frelinghus sen told the committee that if 1t de cided to go into the investigation ' the alien property custodian's offit A he would present witnesses in suppoi of his administration. Complaints hs come to him from some of his constiu ents. he said.
 MT Palmer came back with the as sertion that Senator Frelinghuyse had visited New York detective agel. cies to find out if they did hay something on Palmer" He accus, the senator of making statements newspapers regarding charges again, him. and said there was little diffe ence between making direct charge and repeating those alleged to hl' been made by others. Lewis and A. drews also were accused of giving ot statements purporting to be eviden< and distorting the facts.
 The New Jersey senator. the Atto ney General went on. might feel tn he was entitled to consideration b. fore the committee, but that he, to was entitled to consideration in vie of his selection by the President Attorney General
 Andrews. who had been picked ot by the Attorney General as one the particular objects of his wra,l broke into the hearings at the clos by challenging NIT. Palmers stat ments concerning him. The room soc was in an uproar, but Chairman Di lingham suddenly ended the meettn,
 stop, stop" he shouted to Andrew jumping to his feet. as did other men bers of the committee. '@The preseI hearing is ended; the committee wi sc into executive sSD1ion."
 Later 1t was announced that th. committee would decide tomorros ruh e.