The Washington times., 1922-04-04
NEW SAYS
TRU.T / IS
WITHHELD
Continued from First Page)

from their desks or any articles
from their individual lockers except
under surveillance of the new
director or Secret Service men.
The method employed in the dis
charge of myself and my fellow
workers in the Bureau WIS done IN
such a manner as would indicate
that we were guilty of some crime
and were criminals" Mr.. Wilrneth
said. :
Congressman James f. Byrne of
South Carolina will today address
the House, requesting that some ex-
PLANTATION of the Administration
action in dismissing the Bureau en-
ployes be made.
The text Of the Caraway resolution
relating specifically to The Times
inside story" follows:
Whereas, ii is in the public press
charged that the people were dis.
missed to prevent those who sought
their dismissal from exposing certain
Irregularities,
Whereas, it Is charged that IL
member Of this Senate knew of said
Irregularities;
Whereas. if said statement in said
publication is true, such facts would
in fact be compromising of a felony
therefore be 1t
Resolved, by the Senate of the
United States, that the President OF
the Senate appoint a committee of
five members who shall ascertain
and report:
THE specific facts and reasons
upon which the order is based, and
by what, If any real investigation
1t was preceded; whether the per-
sons removed, or any of them, have
failed in the performance of their
duty; whether there is ground for
believing that the good of the serv-
ice is likely TO be promoted by their
removal. or by the new appoint
ments; and whether or not the facts
Indicate that the order may be re-
garded as a step in the direction of
a return to the discredited 'spoils
SYSTEM; but disregarding the spirit,
and as is also claimed, the letter
of the Civil Service law"
The White House today addressed
a letter to John j. DeViney. ousted
superintendent of works at the
Bureau, expressing regret at the
absence Of President Harding res
terday when the committee made It's
call. Deviny acted as spokesman
for the ousted officers. The letter
made no mention Of charges or
reasons for the dismissals.
Text Of Letter.
The letter which was sent by
George b. Christian. jr., Secretary
to the President, was as follows:
II have shown to the President
the statement left by you and your
associates in the course of your call
at the White House yesterday. He
asks me to make reply and say that
he would have been very glad to
meet your delegation had he been
present at the time of your call.
though he is not yet prepared to
make a statement relative to the
case. The President has had no
wish to reflect upon the character
Of any Government employe, but he
did hold that sweeping change in
the bureau was essential for the
good Of the service. He regrets the
insinuating publicity no less than
those do who have been discontinued
from the public service"
The summary discharge of Direc-
tor Wilmeth and twenty-eight of the
divisional chiefs of the bureau was
a part and parcel Of general EFF
ficiency shake-up," according to Sec
rotary Mellon.
Officially, the Treasury Depart
ment is taking no cognizance of the
vicious undercurrent of rumors and
reports of huge scandals" that Is
keeping Washington a-gog with ex
element.
Dausherty Directs Inquiry.
Secretary Mellon said no charges
Of a criminal nature had been filed
against any of the discharged en-
ployes, or ousted officials At the
same time Attorney General Daugh-
erty permitted 1t 70 become known
that Department of Justice opera
tives have been assigned to the big
bureau and are now engaged in i'm
Sestigation."
1t will take several weeks to COM
plete the investigation" and check
of the bureaus affairs. Some idea
of the magnitude of the task may be
gained from the fact that more than
$4,000, 100000 in Federal Reserve
notes alone are kept in reserve in
the bureau, to say nothing of other |
kinds of Government paper-bank |
notes, bonds, postage stamps, rev.
enue stamps, Treasury certificates, |
etc.
The ousted officers have no in |
tention of permitting their dismissals J
to stand under the circumstances |
that now surround them. They have |
friends in both houses of Congress. |
as evidenced by the resolutions de-
handing an investigation already in
troduced, and If this method does |
not bring some Qualification of the |
situation, they asserted today they |
would carry their cases to the courts |
TO test the civil service law.
Can the President abolish positions |
created by Congress?
Answer to this question is de- |
manded by the National Federation |
of Federal Employees as result of |
the wholesale shake-up in the Bureau !
of Engraving and Printing.
Illegality Charged.
The federation charges the Presi. |
dents action in abolishing executive |
positions in the bureau and estab- |
hshing new offices I'm their place is |
illegal, and Is a menace to the struc- |
ture of the entire civil service.
IF the President with one stroke |
OF the pen can make twenty-eight |
civil service positions into political
appointive positions. why can he not
do the same thing throughout all the
executive Departmental" the fedora
ton asks.
A petition signed by the employees
OF the stamp perforating division of
the Bureau of Engraving and Print. '