Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-07-20

Of Investigation and on that point the
committee report today says:
The committee agrees thau Frank
lin D. Roosevelt's action was not only
unfortunate and ill-advised' but most
reprehensible. and Mr.. Daniels disap-
proval of this opinion of the court is
to be severely condemned"
Mr.. Roosevelt in his statement said
that at no time was the work of in
vestigating supervised by him person
ally. and that when in September.
1919, he and the acting chief of the
bureau of investigation were informed
that members of the investigating
squad had used highly improper and
I revolving methods in getting evil
dence" Immediate orders were sent
out that day to stop it."
1.-THE insinuations that must have
known, that I supervised the opera
tons. that I was morally response
ble' said Mr.. Roosevelt's statement,
''are nowhere supported by the evil
dence directly or indirectly"
On shat point, however. the
majority findings of the investigat-
ing committee hold that Mr.. Roose-
welt was present at conferences
which determined the methods of the
investigation and that lit is beyond
the comprehension of the commit
tee how the methods to be used
could have been entirely eliminated
and forgotten at the conferences"
If Mr.. Roosevelt did not inform
himself of the methods used, the
majority report says. he was most
derelict in his duty"
1T is probably true" says the
majority report, "as contended by
both Secretary Daniels and Assist
ant Secretary Roosevelt that they
were not officially informed regard
ing acts of operators or detectives
until later" adding that "all through
the records before this committee
strenuous and strained efforts were
made by naval officer sto differen-
tiats between official knowledge and
knowledge as the ordinary layman
has it"
Lieutenant Erastus y. Hudson OF
the medical corps. who was in di-
rect charge of the inVestiga ton. the
report says, showed utter lack Of
moral responsibility and should have
been court martialled The naval
personnel would be benefited" the
report says. ''if the name of chief
Machinis't Mate Erwin Arnold. Hud-
sons assistant in the investigation,
We're stricken from the roster of the
navy" The report notes that no
commissioned officer of the regular
naval establishment was involved.
Mr.. Roosevelt in his statement on
the majority report summed up his
reply this way:
Throughout their report accuse
them of deliberate Justification Of
evidence. of perversfon of facts. of
mis- statements of the record. and Of
a deliberate attempt to deceive"
Mr.. Roosevelt late in the day gave
out a letter addressed to Chairman
Page OF the Senate naval committee
repeating his charge of bad faith
and dclil e"atr unfairness' against
Chairman EaIl of the substitute com
mittee and asking an open hearing
by the full committee. The letter
said that Mr.. Roosevelt had not been
heard by the substitute committee
until after the report was complet-
ed and asserted that lone fair broth
err, the agent of John Rathom, who
mad The original charges" had aid
ed the substitute committee MAORI
ty in framing its report.
Chairman Page is absent from
Washington and Senator Ball tonight
issued reply to Mr.. Roosevelt. de