Paragould soliphone., 1922-02-17
OPENED BY WATSON ON
 SEC. MELLON
Declares Secretary Violates the Law by Holding o. fice-Calls For Resigna- ton.

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 l Washington, Feb. 16.--Secretarl Mellon is holding the office. of sec retary of the Treasury in violation l of the law and can be arrested fol retaining the place, if any one see' | fit to swear out warrant charging him with the offense, Senator Wat son, Democrat, Georgia, declared ir the Senate late yesterday. The law which Mir. Mellon is violating, Sen ator, Watson said, prohibits the sec. retary of Treasury from engaging in |any kind of business of commerce. Senator Watson said that MT. Mel lon could be impeached fany time we see fit" and read the provision of section 243 of the revised stat utes, which, he declared. expressly forbids Mr. Mellon to retain his place. He said that by staying in office the secretary was violating the law, adding that it was general ly known that MT. Mellon was one of the wealthiest men in the coun- try He said that the law, now list ed as section 243, was passed in the First Congress of the United States, and that during the adminis- tration of President Grant. A. T. Stewart had withdrawn, after be- ing named secretary Of Treasury. when attention was called to pro visions of the act
 Heflin Support Charge.
 Senator Watson asked Senator Heflin. Democrat, Alabama, for his opinion on what the people will think of the way our government is being run when criminal, un- convicted but disobeying the penal- ty, openly and notoriously, commit ting N crime, is left in charge of tour national funds and the refund ing of debts of $11,0o0, 0O0,0e0. $
 Senator Heflin said that Senator Watson had shown that Secretary Mellon was violating the law, and that it was time for senators to speak out.
 MT. Watson said that MT Stewart had resigned three days after his confirmation by the Senate, and aft CT President Grant had learned of the provisions of the law.
 And if MT. Stewart resigned, '" continued the senator, "why should not MT Mellon resign? Why should he continue in office in in- solent violation of the law? lie knows it; so does President Hard ing know it, and the Republican party is going to have to answer for it this fall, for I do not believe the people will stand for open vio- lation of the law by member of the cabinet when persons through out the country arc prosecuted for trivial offenses.''
 Calls For Resignation.
 Asking why the president did not respect the statutes" Senator Wat son said that Mir. Mellon was i'm pudent" for retaining the office and ought to resign.
 "If he doesn't resign he added, then the president ought to ask for his resignation"
 The Georgia senator referred to the recent passage of the allied debt funding bill, and said that never before in history had so much money been placed in the hands of one man 10 handle, and that man is violating the law every day of his life. He challenged "all of the lawyers in the Senate" to rcfute his statements relative to Mr. Melons right to remain as secretary.
 Mir. Watson referred to MT. Mel lon as "a colossal figure in the business world" and declared that he had no more right to be secre- tary of tho Treasury than had "J. r. Morgan or John D. Rockefeller, or member of the firm of Sears, Roebuck & Co.,, if you please"
 He also read from James C.. Blaine's Twenty Years in Con gress," a reference to the circum- stances surrounding the nomination of MT. Stewart. This told how Mir Grant had asked Congress first to amend the law to except MT. Stew art and then after it was seen that Congress was unwilling to make changes, the president withdrew the request and the newly named secre- tary resigned.
 
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