The New York herald., 1922-05-26
BLAIR FINDS OFFICE
DOCUMENTS TAKEN
Says Agents Recovered
Papers Removed by De-
posed Official.
TREASURY ROW GROWS
President Gets Protests of
Dismissal of DOver's
AppOintees.
CASE ENDS, SAYS MELLON
Sumner and Childs Not to Be
Reinstated, Secretary
Declares.
CASE ENDS, SAYS MELLON

WASHINGTON, May 25.-The Treas
ury patronage row continued to sizzle
to-day. The President was bombarded
with protests against dismissals of re-
cent appointees of Assistant Secretary
Dover, while friends supported Inter-
nal Revenue Commission Blair. who
caused the dismissals.
Commissioner Blair sprang a sensa-
ton by issuing an official statement
charging that one of the deposed off,
cials, A. D. Sumner, had caused i'm
portant papers TO be removed from his
Office to the home Of one Of his sub
ordinates. The papers were recovered
by Treasury agents. Mr.. Blair said
they now are being examined. The
examination may lead to other devel-
opments, officials declared.
Fourteen of the twenty-five members
of the Oh o delegation IN Congress signed
a petition addressed tc President Har-
ding, expressing regret that Mr.. Childs
had been dropped from the service by
Commissioner Blair. They expressed
the hope that Mr.. Childs's services
would Re utilized in some other Govern
ment b. anch calling lor high efficiency.
Secretary Mellon. after a conference
with President Harding at the White
House to-day. announced that no further
action w,uld be take: h. the Treasury
Department in the cnsc.
Case Closed. Says Mellon.
Secretary Mellon scid that reports
that Sumner and Childs would be re-
instated were without basis.
$50 far as the Treasury Department
is concar ned" he added, "the entire mat
ter is a closed issue"
Dispatches from the Pacific coast
quoting Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury Dover to the effect that IL the
removal of Sumner and Childs was a
personal matter he might ''be heard
FROM" when calleI to the attention of
Mr.. Mellon, evoked reply to the effect
that II fail to understand such re-
marks"
Secretary Mellon said further that
Sumner and Childs were not appointees
of Mr.. Dover. He could not discuss, he
said. any plans for a further reorgan-
ization OF the internal revenue forces of
the Government.
There may be some changes. of
course" he added. But 1 cannot at this
time go into details. The matter was
discussed with the President only Incl
dentally, as / came to see him prin-
cipally concerning appointments"
Tells of Missing Papers.
Commissioner Blair's charge to-day.
involving Mr.. Sumner, said:
"On the evening of May 90, over 300
Jackets of papers were removed from
the accounts unit in the interior build
ing and were carried to the apartments
of s. G. Patchell. Mr.. Patchell was
chief payroll examiner in the accounts
unit, over which former Deputy Com
missioner Sumner had supervision, and
which was abolished by order of the
Secretary OF The Treasury May %.
Inc papers were removed without
authority from any officer of the Inter-
nal Revenue Bureau Mr.. Patchel has
stated that the papers were gathered
together by Mr.. A. d. Sumner. former
deputy commissioner. and others and
were taken away from the accounts
unit by him at the request of Mr. Sum-
ner. Mr.. Patchell was not forced 10
accompany representatives of the bu-
reau and his statements to them were
made voluntarily. He consented to de-
liver the paperp to a representative of
the bureau ana dld so. the papers a.c
now being examined by officers of the
bureau. and so far have been found
to pertain 10 official matters. IL it 's
found that there are any personal nles
of Mr. Sumner intertningled with the
official papers they WILL of course, be
returned to him.
Mr.. Sumner said the papers were per-
sonal letters addressed to him which
had been taken from his desk. They
he said. Of letters from
friends In the Republican party, and H.
had sought their removal becausep he
feared that information contained in
them concerning Republican appointees
would fall in the hands of Democratic
chiefs" He declared ne would make no
effort to obtain the return of the papers