The Washington herald., 1922-12-14
Secret Service Chief Called
To Defend Self In Daugherty
Impeachment Proceedings
JOHNSON TAKES STAND
Senator Tells of Detectives
Work In Coast Graft Cases,
And Praises His Integrity
BY Universal Service.

William j. Burns defended him.
self before the House Judiciary
Committee in the impeachment pro-
ceedings against Attorney General
Daugherty yesterday.
The chief of the Bureau of Inves-
tigation of the Department Of JUS
tice, whose appointment was made
the basis Of specification 13 in
Representative Keller's charges
against the Attorney General, in
taking the stand declared:
81 iyant to say for myself that !
am filling to lay myself open to
answer any question they may see
fit to ask me; / am perfectly will
ing that they may 60 into every
day and every act of my life"
JOHNSON TESTIFIES.
As a character witness for Burns,
Senator Hiram johnson of Califor-
MIA was introduced. Earlier for
mer Attorney General Wickersham
testified as to his investigation Of
the conviction of Willard n. Jones
in the Oregon land fraud cases
Of 1905, and his recommendation to
President Taft that Jones be par
doned because Of alleged jury tam
pering by Burns and his agents.
Senator johnson declared he had
known Burns since 1906, when he
was intimately associated with him
| for two years in the graft prose
cutions following the San Francisco
fire. and believed him a man Of
unquestioned character and in
tegrity Being informed by coun-
sci that Barns had denied the allie
cations set forth in the Wicker
sham letter to President Taft, Sen
ator johnson inquired:
Does this rest upon a question
Of veracity between Mr.. Burns and
Mr.. Wickersham? have no hesi-
fancy in saying l would take Mr..
Burns word. ! saw Burns with
stand the pressure and the fire that
was directed against him In the
graft investigation. l knew Burns.
do not know Mr.. Wickersham.
AS between the two / would take
the man 1 saw go through the
fire"
| Explaining his part in the Jones
/ MI. I" SoAA hS
went over the report Of Pardon At
torney Finch very carefully, eN'
amined all the documents. a file
more than a foot think, personally.
Mr.. Wickersham said he sent for
Francis J. Heney and submitted
the Finch report to him and direct
ed that Burns be sent for. but
"Mr. Burns never came to me until
several years later"
Burns, in his defense, testified
that he made repeated efforts to
see Mr.. Wickersham at the Depart.
ment Of Justice, but never found
him in.
WITNESS RULED OUT.
Repeated efforts were made to-
day by members Of the COMMITTEES
to link up the Jones pardon with
the 1912 Taft Roosevelt Republican
convention split.
Il An effort was made to introduce
as a witness Maurice A. Joyce, a
former Department of Justice agent
who had investigated a case against
one Louis Beekman. Of New Jersey
Attorney Ralston, for the prosecu
ton, sought to show by Joyce that
Burns, since becoming chief OF the
Bureau of Investigation, has
sought to send to prison an limo
cent man." Numerous objections
were made to Jeyce's testifylng. on
the ground that the Beekman case
was not listed in the charges
against Daugherty.
Chairman Volstead sustained the
objections.
Samuel Gompers was on the stand
twice, his testimony bearing largely
on the Mcnamara case and Burns
connection with the prosecution.
Chairman McChord. of the Inter
state Commerce Commission. testi
fled as to locomotive inspections
!. during and since the recent raj
shop strike, which is the basis Of
specification T.. This specification
will he taken up today.
: Testimony tending to show thai
I Attorney General Daugherty had
been lax In enforcing the railroad
! safety statutes was introduced a
the night hearing.