Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-12-13
BEGIN PROBE OF
CHARGES LODGED
IN ATTEMPT To
GUST DAUGHERTY
Hearings on Impeachment
Proceedings Brought by
Keller Begun by House
Judiciary Committee
SESSION MARKED BY
FREQUENT CLASHES
Alleged Activities of William
j. Burns Feature First
Day. S Investigations
Won't Call Taft

WUll | Udll DIT
Washington. Dec. 12.--IIearings
on Impeachment proceedings
brought against Attorney General
Daughcrty by Representative Kcl-
lcr, republican, of Minnesota, were
opened today before the house ju-
dietary committee. They were
by frequent clashes be-
tween members Of the committee
and Jackson H. Raiston, counsel
for Mr., Keller, 1irst as to the meth
Cd Of procedure and second as to
the relevancy of testimony.
The Minnesota representative
won the first skirmish, the COM
mittee voting in executive session,
after an hour and a half Of
to hear first evidence
on three of the fourteen specitica-
tions designated by Mr. Keller in
stead of taking the charges up in
the numerical order i'm which they
were presented originally. An
other decision was against the
of Chief Justice Taft
whoSe presence had been requested
by Mr., Ralston for the purpose Of
a letter which Mr.. Taft
wrote i'm 1912, while president. TO
the then Attorney General Wick
ersham and which was read into
the record during the day. The
committee held that confirmation
would be unnecessary.
Two Letters Introduced
This letter and one written TO
Mr.. Taft by Mr. WiekershaGl con-
sutute the principal evidence sub
nitted today. They both dealt
with a pardon for Willard y. Jones
convicted In Oregon in 1897 If al
legged land frauds and referred To
alleged activities Of William j.
Burns. appointed last year by MI
Daugherty as chief of the bureau
Of investigation of the department
of Justice, in connection with the
drawing Of the jury in the Jones
case.
The purpose Of their introdue-
tion into the record. Mr.. Raistop
was f6 support the
charge in the impeachment speci-
fications that Mr.. Daugherty had
to positions "0t great
Importance and large financlal ana
moral responsibility" men who are
''untrustworthy, corrupt and dam
gerous to the liberties of the peo-
Die of the United States"
In the Wickersham report TO the
president. it was set forth thatsMr.
Burns who then was employed py
the government under Francis y.
Heney, as special prosecutor in the
land fraud case, obtained in ad-
vance a list of prospective petit
Jurors who were to be called III
the trial before Judge Gilbert and
that after Goo of the $500 names
had been found satisfactory from
his standpoint, their names hao
been allowed to remain in the jury
box.
Approved a Pardon
President Taft, in replying TO Mr.
and approving a par
don for Jones, declared the meth
DDS described constituted the most
and unfair use of all the
for drawing jury
which had been disclosed TO MN
in all his long experience in the
federal courts. He added that TINS
gives sufficient reason
to Justify Il pardon for Jones as
well as "justifying condemnation
of the methods Of Heney ana
Burns"
Paul Rowland Of Cleveland.
Ohio, who appeared as personal
counsel for Mr.. Daugherty devel"
oped from James A. Finch, pardon
attorney for the department OF JUS
ticc, who prepared the report IN
the land fraud case, that both MT.
Burns and Mr.. Heney had denied
the charges with regard TO the
of the Jones jury. M.
Finch testified also that Judge Gill
bert had denied the charges, but
Mr.. Ralston declared the official
records of the department of JUS
tice would show that the trial
Judge subsequently had changed
his opinion.
Object to Letters
After Mr.. Ralston had disclosed
that it was not his purpose to un-
dertake to show that Mr.. Burns
had continued since 1907 the al
ltBtu pIIGllttS tNAN4A ~ ~ ~ S'A~
report, several mem
bers of the committee objected to
the admission of the letters on the
ground that they were irrelevant.
They were overruled by Chairman
Volstead, however, and Mr.. Raj
ston proceeded to offer testimony
to show that Mr.. Daugh-
erty had knowledge of the Wick
ersham report before appointing
Mr.. Burns.
On this point, Guy II. Oyster.
secretary to Samuel
Gompers, president Of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, testified
that Mr.. Gompers had called the
document to Mr..
attention last July be-
fore announcement was made OF
MIR. Burn's appointment. This was
ut the attorney generals office, in
his presence, he said, adding that
Mr.. Daugherty had verified the
copy Mr.. Gompers had from a
pamphlet" for which Mr.. Daugh
erty had sent.
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