Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1920-06-17
Democratic Candidate Did a Big
Job Efficiently When He Ameri-
canized $500, 100000 Worth
of Enemy Property.
KNuTE' NELSON'S TRIBUTE.
When Nominee. for Attorney General
Was Assaulted by Pro-Germans and
Their Sympathizers for His Patri-
otto Activities, Minnesota's Grand
Old Viking Put to Rout the Repubii-
can Partisan Inquisitors by His In
dignant Protests.

partisan Republicans, pro-Germans and
their sympathizers to assail the excep-
tionally competent record of Attorney
General Mitchell Palmer when he was
alien property custodian have encoun-
tered pronounced boomerang. These
attempts have been repudiated and
condemned by more fair minded and
honest thinking Republicans, conspicu-
Gus among them being Senator Knute
Nelson of Minnesota, the chairman of
the Senate Committee on the Judi
ciary
Senator Nelson's Republicanism is
not to be uestioned by anyone, but he
is not a bigot and he believes that
when one has done a big job and done
it efficiently and well, whether he be
Democrat or a Republican, he is en-
titled to the credit for it, or at least
that he should not be assailed for
partisan advantage.
When Mr.. Palmer was nominated to
be attorney general he was naturally
the target of attacks instigated by Ger
man sympathizers, who were prompted
in their hatred Of him by the fact that
he had taken over SS00,000,000 of enc
my property. which was being utilized
to the great detriment of this country
and Americanized it. Senator Freling-
huysen, Republican, of New Jersey
sought to prevent Mr.. Palmer's con-
firmation by the senate, and a long in
vestigation ensued, but the Committee
on Judiciary, of which Senator Nelson
is chairman and majority of whose
members are Republicans, after listen
ing for two months to these charges
unanimously reported favorably on
Mr.. Palmer's nomination, and he was
then speedily confirmed by the senate.
But the prO-German interests were
not squelched by one signal defeat.
They demanded an investigation into
Mr.. Palmer's conduct of the alien prop
erty custodian's office, despite the fact
that the whole matter had been gone
over thoroughly when his nomination
for attorney general was before the
committee. Senator Calder, Republi-
can, of New York offered the resOlu-
ton for an investigation.
Here is what Senator Nelson, the
chairman of the committee, had to say,
as reported in the Congressional Rec
ord, in condemnation Of such action:
"What want to say to senator's in
all seriousness is that Mr.. Palmer had
a great task to perform, and he had to
work through many instrumentalities.
He had to take in the range of the en-
tire country. know from little mat
tiers that happened in my own state
how some Of the German interests
took pains to cover up their tracks
credit for his work in ferreting out
German interests in this country and
disposing of them and putting them
into the hands of the federal govern
ment There were instances in which
he took over industries and changed
them from being industries in the
hands Of Germans into American In
dustries engaged in the work of pro-
duction for the necessities of the war.
II am unwilling, Mr.. President, to
take up the time of the senate more
tlNn to say it is my opinion, from the
investigation that took place before
the. Judiciary Committee, that no case
can be made against Mr. Palmer, and
there is no occasion for this investiga-
tion.
II regret to say. and after ALL do
not regret it, that am unable to wrap
myselfJup in party political spirit in
a matter of this kind. / look upon 1t
from the standpoint of the ordinary
American citizen. Mr.. Palmer had
great task to perform He performed
1t, in my opinion, as carefully and pru-
IDENTIFY as man could under the cir
cumstances In all instances where he
took possession of property and had to
sell it he was careful, as he was in
those cases that our committee investi-
gated, to have, a board Of independent
appraisers appraise the property, and
he would act according to their judg-
ment What more could man do?
"Mr. President, I can see no good to
be- accomplished by this proposed In
vestigation, and were 1t not for the
fact that do not want to hurt the
feelings Of my good friend from New
York (Mr. Calder), should move to
indefinitely postpone the resolution"
Thus again the Republican, prof Ger
man effort to successfully assail the
attorney general failed.
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