The Washington herald., 1922-12-13
Keller Impeachment Proceed
.ings Start with Attack on
Appointment of W. J. Burns
TAFT LETTER INTRODUCED
Hearings viii Be Continued To-
day with Former Atty. Gen.
Wickersham As a Witness
BY Universal Service.

proceedings got under way yester-
day before the House Judiciary
Committee with two witnesses ex-
amined. They were:
James A. Finch, pardon attor-
ney Of the Department Of JUS
tice, and Guy H. Oyster, conf
Dental secretary to Samuel
Gompers, president of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor.
OLD CASE BROUGHT UP.
Both testified in relation. to Spec
ification Is. involving fitness Of
william ]. Burns as chief Of the
Bureau Of Investigation.
Finch's testimony was to estab-
hsh identity of records from De
partment of Justice files, chief of
which was a letter from former
President Taft in 1912. and the
Presidents reply, in relation to a
pardon for Willard N. Jones, con-
victed in the Oregon land fraud
cases in 1907. The purport Of this
was to show that Burns had
packed the jury boxes to secure
convictions.
Oyster told of these facts being
brought to the attention Of Attor-
ney General Daugherty by Com
pers at the time appointment of
Burns was under consideration in
1921.
RAIL STRIKE TROUBLES.
The hearing will continue today
on this specification with Wicker
sham and Gompers as the wit
nesses. to be followed by Specifica-
ton 4, involving defective equip
ment Of railroads during the recent
rail shop strike. Witnesses on this
will be Cha 'rman c. c. McChord,
Of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission: Oscar ]. Horne. of Cleve-
land, attorney for the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers. and
Thomas Stephenson. OF Chicago,
counsel for .ha brotherhood of
Locomotive Firemen.
Former President aft will not
he called. the committee decided
YESTERDAY
With Specifications IL. 4. and :
out of the wav-. the committee will
hear the other eleven in order.
Representative ks'l"r $ represented
in these three by Jackson Raiston.
ATTORNEY for the \ r nf l..
UNTERMEYEr To SpPEAR.
Samuel I-ntern-'--"r VII represent
Keller in presenting Specifications
'. .. and 3. M. I deals With alleged
failure to enforce ant -tru~t laws:
No. > with alleged unawe--I zee
fixing. and No. , Nth allnc: d failure
10 proceed against tho building in
duStrv IN the District of Columbia.
Representa- iv" Keller "-.s not
ready to Announce yes-e erdav his
counsel or witnesses in Specifica-
uons and s. ,.o-l"d'n" t." d:s-
n'ssal of Maj W'4I:"-': . Watts
from the Department o. justice and
alleged failure to ac' on charges in
volving the Chicago district attor-
ney's office. Nor was he ready to
disclose like infornation regard ng
Specifications s. y. and 10. alleging
fHVoritism to big ro~pora lions, nor
sOnal vengeance ~ th- Morse ship
ping cases. and unwarranted acton
in the Communist convention raid
AZ Bridgnan. Mich. kist August.
SHIP LIQUOR CLIENTS.
Charles T. Clayton of Washing
ton. and John ". Nahev Of Boston,
were announced as witnesses in
Specff cation II. alleging failure to
prosecute ship liquor clients of
Thomas Il. Fielder. New York Law ,'er.
Leslie q. Gsrnett. a Washington
attorney. and former Assistant At
torney General. was named as the
witn"ss in supDor1 of Sp cificsttion
IL. dealing with alleged favoritism
to the Standard Oil Company.
Attorney General Daugherty was
not present yesterday hut was rep-
resented by Paul Howland Of
Cleveland A number of Depart
ment OF Justice officials We're pros
ent. including Burns assistant 10
the Attorney General Seymour: AS
sistant Attorney General Willie
brandt and District Attorney Hay
ward. of New York
DEBATE On PROCEDURE.
The entire morning session WAS
consumed IN determining procs-
dure. 1t was necessary for the
committee to go into executive
session, after an hours debate. be-
fore it could agree to permit Keller
to go ahead with the three cases
on which he was prepared.
When the hearing got under way
Attorney Howland made this state.
ment:
The position the Attorney Gen
eral takes is tha- Mr. Burns is
not on trial. but the Attorney
General is on trial. The do~u-
ments it is sought 10 introduce
go back TO 1907. when Mr.. Burns
was employed in a subordinate
capacity to Francis ]. Henay,
special prosecutor for the Gov
ernment in the Oregon land
fraud cases. Mr.. Burns was never
convicted or charged with any
crime, and we submit that the
question here raised involving
actions of fifteen years ago is
Irrsleyant.
The committee showed diGnOsition
for judicial procedure and numnr-
Gus objections were enter"d to the
introduction of the documentary
evidence.