The Washington herald., 1922-04-04
OUSTED ENGRAVING
BUREAU. OFFICIALS
VISIT WHITE HOUSE
Wilmeth and Others See
Explanation Due for
Sudden Dismissal.
PRESIDENT ABSENT
Letter Left Explaining
Purpose of Visit and
Their Demands.

Determined to learn the reason
FOR their abrupt dismissal from; the
service, former Director James l.,
wilmeth and sixteen executives
who along with him were ousted
from the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing last Friday. visited the
White House in a body yesterday
afternoon.
While they waited in the Execu-
tive offices for an interview with
President Harding, the latter was
playing golf, unaware of their visit.
After standing around for an hour
the ousted officials departed, first,
however, leaving with the Presi-
dents secretary, George Christian,
a written statement outlining the
purpose of their visit.
Think Explanation Due.
In the statement they declared
that some explanation of their dis
missal was due them in view Of
the suggestions of inefficiency and
corruption arising from the Presi.
dents order and newspaper ar
ticies.
The veil of mystery that has sur
rounded the bureau lay-off still re-
mained last night. No explanation
was coming from the White House
nor was any promised. However
during the day statements were
made by officials that served to
eliminate many of the apparently
inspired reasons for the dismissais
that have been circulated.
Both Houses of Congress dis
cussed the matter during the day.
Senator Caraway. of Arkansas, in
troduced a resolution in the Upper
House calling for a report from the
President outlining what facts
warranted the dismissal" of the
bureau chiefs; and ION what auth
ority and by what authority he
dismissed them without warning"
This information, the resolution
stated, was requested IF not be in
compatible with public good"
Moore Wants Probe.
Demanding an investigation by
the House into the wholesale re-
,moval," Representative r. Walton
Moore, of Virginia, offered a reso-
luton under which a committee
of five members would be ap-
pointed from the House for that
purpose.
An intimation that graft and
irregularities in the bureau was
the cause of the lay-off was en-
phatically refuted by Secretary of
the Treasury Mellon.
Nothing involving the honesty
or the integrity of those men and
women caused their dismissal" de-
clared Mellon. He added that the
Presidents action was purely a
move for efficiency.
Several other intimations re-
fiecting on the former bureau
chiefs were nailed by officials dur
ing the day. One of these was
the charge that large. numbers OF
Liberty bonds had been printed
in duplicate in the bureau, result
ing in a huge loss to the gov
ernment
Rumor 10 Denied.
A story to the effect that Presi-
dent Harding ordered the dismissal
under pressure from Representa-
tives and others who threatened
to make an expose of abuses in
the bureau IL Executive action
was not Forthcoming. was char
acterised as unfounded by one high
Treasury official.
A number of things led up to
the wholesale dismissal, accord
ing to this offlcial. From time to
time, he said. complaints against
officials in the bureau were lodged
with the Treasury Department by
members of Congress and others.
In addition. he said. several in
vestigatjons made from time to
time disclosed unsatisfactory con-
ditions in the bureau. One of the
Investigations, he declared. was
made by A. R. Barnes, a practical
co.,..,,.s -. po,. g.n,