Evening star., 1923-01-26
Daugherty Is Giuen Clean Bill
Of Health by House, 2O4 to u
Judiciary Subcommittee Report Adopted
Party Lines Split on Vote-No
Action on Keller.

The impeachment charges brought
against Attorney General Daugherty
| by Representative Keller. republican.
Minnesota, were regarded today as a
definitely closed incident following
approval by the House of the action
of its judiciary committee In giving
| the Attorney General a clean bill of
health on the charges.
By vote OF 204 to II the House
\ late yesterday gave approval to the
committees findings and later by
practically unanimous vote adopted
| a resolution discharging the commit
tee from further consideration of the
| charges and laying the Keller i'm
peachment resolution on the table.
On the proposition to give Mr.. Daugh-
erty a clean bill of health there was a
split in party lines, twelve republi-
cans svotirg in the negative and ten
democrats in the Affirmative.
No Action ON Keller.
Although on the question raised
by Mr.. Keller's refusal to testify un-
der subpoena before the committee
after his dramatic withdrawai from
| the proceedings. the committee in its
report took the position that the
House could punish him by imprison-
| ment or otherwise, the House in act
ing on the mater left this issue unde-
| cided. The committee made no
| recommendation on the subject and
! the House took no direct action on 1t.
| The House votes were preceded by
three hours of spirited debate, fea-
tured by attacks upon and a defense of
Mr.. Keller and by assaults upon Sam
uel Untermyer of New York, jackson
H. Ralston of this city. who was Rep
resentative Keller's counsel, and his
| associate, John H. Vahey Of Boston,
and Samuel Gompers, president of the
| American Federation of Labor.
| Injecting into the debate the Ques-
tion of whether the House had con-
stitutionaI authority to imprison Mr..
ocrat, Texas, urged that the House
decline to approve that section Of the
majority report holding that this
power existed.
"The right of free speech implies
the right of silence" declared the
Texas member, who argued that In
approving the majority report the
House would be establishing a "mon-
| strous" precedent
| Attack on Labor.
! Representative Summers of Texas, a
democratic member OF the judiciary
icommittee, took the position that the
House had full power to enforce its
subpoena for members, whether the
direction therein was to appear before
1 the House or one of its committees.
He contended that in Great Britain and
America the right of houses of parlfa-
ment and of Congress to compel at
tendance of members had never been
questioned.
Another attack On organized labor
featured discussion of the case by
Texas He assailed the committee for
its failure to recommend specific ac-
tion against those who had advised
Mr.. Keller not to appear and testify.
them to its bar and administer such
punishment as would make them
hesitate before they took such action
again.
Among those he described as. Mr..
Kellers advisers were John H Vahey
of Boston, who he denominated as
counsel for organized labor in New
England; Jackson H. Ralston, chief
| counsel for the American Federation
Of Labor. and Samuel Gompers' presi-
| "Keller was only a poor little dupe."
Mr.. Blanton shouted. HE came here
to represent organized labor. In this
matter he was representing the peo-
Pile who sent him here. they handed
him a big statement. about the con-
tents of which he knew nothing. They
| told him that it contained evidence
which would fmpeach the Attorney
General, but when he opened 1t he
found the evidence was not there.
| Had there been no injunction in
I the railroad strike there would have
| been no impeachment. I am with the
Attorney General in his stand on the
l question of the enforcement Of the
| laws and the stopping Of anarchy"
| Representative Graham Of Pennsyl-
| vania, ranking republican on the jul
| dietary committee, told the House
| that Mr.. Keller's charges consisted
| only of "glittering generalittes," but
| that the committee finally made him
| get down to the facts Of his allega-
| tions.
| Assails Untermyer.
| Referring to the charges against
William j. Burns, director of the bu-
| reau Of investigation Of the Depart
ment OF Justice, Mr.. Graham said not
/ a bit OF evidence was adduced that in
| any way reflected upon Mr.. Burns
\ character or integrity. On the con-
| trary, he contended, Mr.. Burns re-
/ futed each of the charges
| Referring: to letters written by MT.
| Untermyer regarding the impeach-
| ment charges, which were, made a
part of the minority report filed by
| Representative Thomas, democrat,
! Kentucky, Representative Goody-
koontz, republican, West Virginia,
| charged that these documents had
been dragged in to besmirch the
/ judiciary committee" He added that
! he did not then have time to discuss
Mr.. Untermyers record" fully, but
that he would do so in an extension
Of his. remarks in the Congressional
I'm the first place." he declared.