Evening star., 1922-12-15
KELLER DEFIES
HOUSE PROBERS
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Keller had withdrawn from the case
because the committee would not
hear the statement he had sought to
read yesterday. Chairman Volstead
declared that the statement showed
that Mr.. Keller intended to withdraw
from the proceedings.
Mr.. Volstead denied Keller's charge
that the committee had postponed the
opening of the hearing to such a time
as 1t knew Samuel Cntermeyer of
New York would be unable to be pres
ent to assist in the presentation Of
the Impeachment charges.
Resents Untermyer Charge.
Representative Boies. republican,
Iowa. attacked Mr.. Cntermeyer for
statements in his letter to Mr.. Keller,
made public yesterday by the latter.
Resenting suggestion Of white
wash" proceedings. Mr.. Boies said Mr..
Untermeyer should not try to Judge
the matter from his office in New
York"
The committee then got into a dis
cussion as to whether it should not
examining the witnesses who had
been summoned. There was objection
to this, however, members holding
that the witnesses should be held
over until after the session tomorrow
for the hearing OF counsel for Mr..
Keller.
Vote to Continue.
Characterizing the proceeding be-
fore the House judiciary committee
as "bare-faced attempt to white
wash Harry NJ. Daugherty." Repre-
sentative Keller of Minnesota, has re-
fused to assist further in the presen-
tation before that committee of his
impeachment charges against the At
torney General.
Voting to go on with the hearings
despite Mr.. kellers withdrawal. the
committee planned to put him under
all the information upon which he
based his charges of high crimes and
misdemeanors'' against Mr.. Daugh-
erty.
Mr. Keller's refusal to assist further
in the proceeding came late yesterday
day Of the hearings. He had prepared
a statement to read to the committee,
but he never got the opportunity
Several members wanted him under
oath. while others wanted to know II
it was his purpose to lecture" the
committee.
Refusing to be put under oath, Mr.
Keller replied to the inquiries that
he might lecture" the members. To
that he added demands that he be
heard Chairman Volstead repeatedly
broke into the general hubbub to or.
der Mr.. Keller to sit down" and
to inform him that he could not
"bullyrag" the committee.
Makes Dramatic Exit.
Advancing to the chairman's place
at the bend" of the horseshoe-shaped
rail behind which the committeemen
sat, Mr. Keller threw his prepared
statement in front of Mr.. Volstead
and dramatically announced that If
he could not read 1t to the committee
he was through with the proceedings,
Then he stalked from the committee
room, which had been thrown into
an uproar with attaches in the huge
Office building arriving on the run
from several directions to find out
what was causing all the excitement
ordered the clerk to issue q subpoena
for Mr.. Keller, so that he might be
placed under oath and questioned
There was demand that he be ex-
amined at once. but finally 1t was de-
cided to defer that until this morning
Mr. Keller in his office. where he
was preparing to give to newspaper
correspondents copies of the state
ment which the committee would not
hear, together with copies of q letter
from Samuel Untermyer. of New
York. advising him to take the course
he had.
Mr.. Untermyer. writing under date
Of Wednesday, said he must refuse
absolutely to have any. connection
with this manifestly biased, pre-.
judged 'whitewashing' performance
Urged to withdraw.
Mr.. Untermyer wrote that when he
realized the extraordinary way in
which the committee was acting and
was asked to attend the hearing ]
refused to do so and advised your
to Immediately withdraw from the
proceedings and to await an oppor-
tunity for a full and fair investiea.
tion before an impartial tribunal that
would have q public responsibility and
! would not be so largely composed oi
lame ducks
II have SUFFICIENT confidence in the
public Intelligence and sense of faiI
play" the letter concluded. "to be.
lfeve that the people will approve
your action in refusing to 60 further
before this committee"
Renewing IN MS letter TO the COM
mittee his complaint about the post
ponement of the hearings from last
September Is to December 4, Mr. Kel-
ler charged that the postponement
had been taken to such q time "as
the committee knew in advance that
my chief adviser, Mr.. Samuel Inter
myer. would not be able to be In at
tendance"
Makes Specific Complaints.
Mr.. Keller then set forth specific
complaints against committee action
These included:
That every important decision OF
the committee as to procedure had
been made in secret and without on.
portunity for himself or his counsel
to be heard in advance.
That these secret decisions had
operated to restrict him in present
ing his evidence In the order In
which 1t could be most "expeditiously
and effectively" presented, and that
also, they , had taken from him the
right to call his witnesses without
hrst notifying tho committee az tc
what they would testify.
That the committee had failed tc
comply with his request for the pro.
ductiou Of documents from the Jus.
tioe and other federal departments
so that he might obtain from them