Evening star., 1922-12-04
|DAUGHERTY HITS BACK
At MOTIVE IMPUGNERS
Formal Reply to Charges in Impeacf''
ment Moue Says Var Grafters Inspire
Critics of His Office.

Attorney General Daugherty has
struck back at his critics who would
impeach him.
Formal reply to the charges filed
against him with the House judiciary
committee by Representative Keller.
republican. Minnesota. was ready for
presentation to the committee when
it met today in executive session to
| consider the Keller resolution de-
| rnanding the Attorney Generals i'm
peachment.
Answering catesorically the four
teen specifications submitted in the
Keller charges. Mr. Daughertys re-
! ply. as summarized in Department
OF Justice statement. declared. in ref
erence particularly to Mr.. Keller's de-
mand for access to department docu-
inentS. that IT showed to be arrayed
behind the move for his impeachment
certain radical leaders seeking to
serve notice upon every future At
torney General that If he dares en-
! force the laws of the United States
against such organizations he does SO
under the penalty" of attempted i'm
peachment.
| Grafters' Hands Seen.
! Joined In the move with these. he as
serted. were the protiteers. the graft
! ers the So called war defrauders." who
sought "by unconscionable and un-
Scrupulous means" to gain knowledge
of what those charged with bring
ing them to justice have secured as
the result of the most painstaking
! faithful and earnest efforts possible"
on the part of the Attorney General
and those associated with him.
! Wherever consistent with protection
! OF the governments interests and those
OF individuals who have reposed conf
! Gence in 1t. Mr.. Daugherty said the De-
meet MIR. kellers demand for access to
documents. To do so i'll certain i'm
poTtant matters now in preparation for
presentation to the proper tribunals" "
he said. would be highly injurious to
the interests Of the people,
! Thirtx-Two New Suits Filled.
Taking up the Keller charges in order
Mr.: Daugherty's reply stressed the ac-
tivities of the department in antitrust
; cases. oe which he said thirty-two had
been hled in the past twenty months.
: lie denied that the department was at
tempting to para!yze the efforts of the
federal Trade Commission along similar
lines, asserting that. in general, all such
! suits had been referred to the commits
| Sion for cooperative action.
Rail Injunction Move.
! Referring to the charges in connec-
tIon with the Chicago injunction case
| the Attorney General, defending his
action said that If the committee de-
sired to hear the evidence on which the
application for the temporary restrain
! ing order was made, and would so in
d.cate. such facts and the law relating
| thereto. will be submitted whenever de-
| sired"
Relative to specification /, concern
ing the so-called lumber cases, Mr..
4 u q Il
under investigation and that mary
We're ready for prosecution.
In reply to specification :. which
! charged failure to prosecute unlawful
price fixing in the building trades in
New York state. the ATTORNEY General
declared that an important list of
. names of alleged violators was In ;he
! possession of Samuel Cntermeyer
counsel for the Lockwood investigat-
ing committee. who had failed to
; transmi it to the department.
With reference to the charge of
. faiiure TO act on defective railroad
equipment. the reply asserted that
the of1cial reports bearing on use of
such equipment were under investiga-
tion and appropriate action will b.
taken as the facts justify
Dismissal Of Wartx.
The Attorney General admitted tha,
" iil1am .. Watts had ben
missed from the department. and said
the factS Leading to this :,rtio,i " =. !
be submitted to the committee. The
Attorney General does ..v, ,..,,...
personal loyalty to himself" it was
added. 'S
The sixth specification. relating to
charges against attaches of the
United States district attorneys
ONCE at Chicago. brought from Mr..
Daugherty the reply that the report
of the republican and democrat who
were appointed special examiner. had
not yet reached the department and
| the promise of action as soon as the
necessary data was at hand
Dismissal of the Indictment against
the United Gas Improvement Com
pany was ordered, the reply said, .'in
the exercise of sound judicial dis
cret1on. because it appeared that
evidence to support a conviction was
lacking.
In defense of the department action
In the appeal of the New York, New
Haven and Hartford railroad for a
; modification of the Supreme Court
order requiring its separation from
: its subsidiaries, Mr. Daugherty said
I 1t was shown that the minor change
| requested was necessary to prevent
. further impoverishment OF the New
Haven. He added. however, that so
FAR no use had been made Of the au-
thority granted.
General Electric Case.
Mr.. Daugherty denied that the de-