New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-10
Star Chamber
Sessions Split
Graft Hunters
Some Republican, Member
in Sympathy With Minor.
isy Demand Witnesses
Testify Only in Public
Reorganization Forecast
Hearst-Hylan Regime Gain
! by Committees Delay
Chief Counsel Criticized

An attempt will be made tomoprow
by two of the Democratic members
She joint leg slative graft investigatin
committee to put an end to the execu
tive sessions which have been unde
way since the committee organized tw
months ago.
Charles D. Donohue, minority leade
OF. the Assembly, and Assemblyma.
Maurice Bloch, announced ycsterda.
that they would ask that all hearing
henceforward be held in the open. The,
added that if they met with refusa
they would instruct all witnesses ne,
to answer any questions behind close
doors.
1t was said that the minority men
bers will demand that Senator Schuy.e.
M. Meyer call meeting for the full
committee within the next two or three
days so that the entire matter of secret
hearings may be submitted to vote.
Some of the Republican members are
not in sympathy with the continued
executive sessions and have refused to
sit in on any such examinations insi St
ang that the time is past for that sort of
thing, and that public sessions should
start without further delay.
Reorganization Prophesied
One Republican member has criti-
cised the methods pursued by the com
mittee as being far from satisfactory,
sand has predicted that there will be a
partial reorganization of the commit
tees staff before long
1t is said that there is considerable
friction among the associate counsel
sand some of the highly paid investi-
sgators, statisticians, accountants, etc.
sF'rlends Of one Of the associate counsel
edeclare that he viii resign if condi-
ssions do not change. 1t is an open
Ssecret that the chief counsel, Elon r.
sBrown, is not satisfied with the prog
Tress made by the committee. Some IF
sthe New York City men in the commit
tee lay the blame for failure to begin
open sessions st the door OF Mr.. Brown.
Whoever or whatever is responsible
FOR the delay, the Hearst-Hy lan-T Tam
5lnany machine is taking advantage of
Git to add to the worries of the COM
smittee. Certain policemen who have
fbeen subnoenaed to the headquarters
of the committee have volunteered the
ainformation that it is gossiped among
7tha friends Of Police Commissioner
sEnright that he has the committee
fixed One Of those in charge of the
sinvestigation, who retold the stories
toffereo by the police witnesses to The
MTribune, said:
"Of course, it is utterly absurd for
any one to say that Enright has the
.Acomnittee fixed. That is just as abb
&sard as the report which went the
grounds last spr.ng to the effect that
sEnright carried one of the Republican
4legislative leaders in his vest pocket"
Chairman Meyers comment on the
il al wouldn't dignity such stories by
f deniais. | have not heard them. If
any one thinks that Enright has the
s committee fixed, let am wait month"
Chairman Meyer declared that the
j. work before the comm ittee was ten
times greater than that Which ever con-
4 fronted any investigating body; that
1 months, and that other committees had
passed considerably more time in pre-
2 liminary work.
Testimony Garbled, Says Donohue
& Minority Leader Donohue, in COM
nenting yesterday on the secret hear
+ ings, charged that some of the testi-
i had been garbled. Assemblyman Bloch
issued the following statement out
lining the minority's objections to ex-
asninations behind closed doors:
"The Appellate Division has ruled
Z that all committee hearings be held
& in public, which means that not only
I minority members Of the committee,
I But the press and the public should be
permitted to attend.
sIn plain violation Of this order
Samuel A. Berger, associate counsel,
insisted on the examination of Com
s missioner Sinnott behind closed doors.
"The dangers Of such procedure,
] which has been condemned and forbid
8 den by the Appellate Division, arc OBJ
vious. Testimony taken in secret may
be distorted, suppressed or misrepre-
i scented by careless or hostile partisan
treatment. .
There are two ways to stop these
illegal star chamber hearings. One is
by appealing to the courts. That will
take time. The other is to instruct
witnesses not to answer questions be-
! bind closed doors. This second and
more simpler method will be adopted"
8 A