Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1922-06-22
Washington Correspondence.
BY WALLACE BAssFoRD.

WASHINGTON, D. O., June 17-When
Senator Caraway rose in his place in
the Senate on May 2 and charged that
Attorney General Daugherty received
a fee for helping Q. W. Morse to make
his getaway from the Atlanta peni-
tentiary during Taft's administration,
Senator "Jim" Watson of Indiana
made haste to defend Daugherty and
to deny the whole story. He did this
on the word and authority of Daugh-.
erty, he said.
On May 20 Senator Caraway had
printed in the. Congressional Record a
letter which Daugherty had written
Morse demanding balance of $685.
900 due on contract. The Washing
ton News on that day printed a photo-
graphic copy of the letter bearing
Daugherty's signiture, as well as a
copy of the contract which Morse
made with Thomas B. Fielder OF At
lanta, who brought Daugherty into
the case because of his close relations
with the President of that time Taft.
While the contract is made by Fielder,
it provided for retainer of $5, 1000 for
Daugherty, and expenses, with an
additional $25, 900 in case of Morse's
release being obtained.
Senator Caraway, who has done the
people the service of exposing Daugh-
erty's action in contracting with this
man, who was convicted felon,
agreeing to relieve him from his very
proper punishment through his in
fuence with the President, stated that
the only decent course left open to
Daugherty was to resign. OF course
the man who put this job over on a
President is not the sort who will re-
sign, and the present incumbent at
the White House hasn't enough Of
the Roosevelt spirit to fire him, as he
SO richly deserves. Of course Morse
did not pay the $25,OOo, but proceed
ed to organize new companies which
sought and obtained Government
contracts, and is again in the tolls for
alleged frauds on the government.
In the Ladies Hems Journal of
April, 1914, is found an article by
President Taft in which he said: "One
never knows until he has been in the
Presidency the amount of pressure
that is brought in one way and an
other to stay prosecutions and to par
don criminals. I had two cases be-
fore me in which it was represented
that both the convicts were near
death. Examinations were made by
the Army Medical Corps, watches
were established and it was reported
that both were in the last stages OF
fatal disease. One of them died soon
after he was released. Another of
them is apparently in excellent health
and seeking to reestablish himself in
the field in which he committed
psnitentiary offense. This shakes
one's faith in expert examination.n
It would look like President Taft
thought some one had put up job on
him. 1t would be interesting to have
his opinion of Daugherty, but he de-
clines to be quoted--the refuge Of the
man who has nothing good to say.
Mr.. Woodruff Of Michigan, Repub-
lican Congressman, printed in the
Congressional Record of May 10 let
ter from Captain H. L. Scaife. Mr..
Woodruff explained that Captain
Scaife was engaged by the Depart
ment of Justice to investigate the air.
craft frauds but resigned when he
found himself constantly blocked BY
men in the Department. Scaife's
letter to Woodruff explains at length
how, just after an interview with
Daugherty he met Fielder, and Fielder
told him he had just seen Daugherty
and that Daugherty wanted him to
see Scaife. Fielder then offered Scaife
employment to defend the Bosch
Company, and went from that meet
ing to spend the night with Daugh-
erty at the Wardman Park Inn. The
question naturally arises, what chance
have the people to stop or prevent
frauds against their Treasury SO long
as a weak President puts such men as
Daugherty at the head of the Depart
ment of Jnstice, whose chief func-
ton is to prosecute the looters OF the
public funds?
Chairman Arthur B. House OF the
Democratic Congressional Committee
says:
The great millionaire Republican
Ways and Means Committee Of the
House last Wednesday presented 9
bill providing for ten extra collection
districts in the United States. This
bill met with the unanimous opposi-
tion Of the Democrats and 80 many
Republican members opposed the