The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-07-30
Attorney General Makes Final.
Answer to Charges as to Con
duct of His Office
ALL CHARGES
ARE UNTRUE
Allegations Result From His Ac-.
tivity as Alien Property Gus;
todian, He Says.

Washington, July 25.-Attorney
General Palmer appearing today be-
fore the senate judiciary committee
to make final reply to changes put
forth in an effort to prevent cenhr-
nation of his nomination, declared
the fight against him was conceiyeN
and carried on by representa- tives sof
German interests because OF hls Work s
as alien property custodian in break
ing up the German industriaIsarmy IN
the United States ~. -
Mr.. Palmer made detailed denial or
charges by Senator Frelinghuysen.
Republican, of New jersey, regarding.
the payment of excessive fees to Sen,
ator Harris of Georgia, and John .
Fitzgerald, former member or the
house from New York. The total
amount paid Senator Harris, he SAID,
was $4,000 for. work done before he
became a member Of the senate while
MI. Fitzgerald's firm received $5V8 a
month as associate counsel of the
American Metal Company. =
LAS New York prices go for legal
services the attorney general said,
"Mr. Fitzgerald's compensation was
shameless)y low. In all, ne was PAM
less than $4,000 )
Starting off with charges BY Harold
Remington, a lawyer Of NewS:sY ork,
that Mr.. Palmer should not be permit
ted as. attorney general to pass upon
his acts as alien property custodian,
the witness said: SsS3sss q I.
These lawyers. REPRESENTING GsEs
man interests, Mr.. Palmer deeIaxsss
"have come here With their charge
but they have beenscarefu1 to cast 10
aspersions upon my moral scharaeter
or my qualifications They have al al
tempted to say that sent a En1anst sto
Paris to have put in the peace ztreaS
provision that my acts as alien PROP
erty custodian should stand. a per-.
fectly absurd thing to say. is. "a
part of the German fight against me.
carried on by paid agents OF Ger
many still incensed because their
property was taken over and put into
American hands 81 s. &.
The attorney general said he might
later file answers to what he :char- /.
acterized as perfectly outrageous siii-s
situations" by Merton E., Lewis, fer: ar:
merly attorney general Of New Yorsss,s YORK,
that he had sold the Bosch Magnetic
Plant at Springfield, Mass, to friends
at figure much below its value.
The committee spent nearly an hour
discussing with the a;6crney gezeral
the the ca.s s5aIISlsI 3: s. g ssesa- sosd
Conn. whose D ant was seized and. seld
after Homer s. Cummings, chairman
of the Democratic national commit
tee, whose firm had been its counsel
since 1908, reported to the CUSTODIAN
that it was German owned. MT.
Cummings, who was paid SO, ,e00s a.
year as managing director. resigned a
year ago, Mr.. Palmer said, because ne
wanted to join q, sindicate to buy the
property. On account of his former
connection with the company the Gus
todian would not permit the sale TO
be made to him, and the plant was
bought for s1.50o,0 900 by the Touraine
Company and Estabrook and COM
pany of Boston.
Mr.. Palmer denied charges that the
Touraine Company, long in the candy
business in New England, was enemy
owned. Harry 3. Duane, he said, was
president, and looking up Mr.. Duane's
ancestors the attorney general said,
one was the first mayor of New YORK
and another was one of the drafters
of the declaration Of independence,
which he submitted was proof enough
of his Americanism.