Evening star., 1923-02-07
FAIL TOFK BLAME
FOR CUSTER Of 28
Officials Silent as to Who Ad-
vised President to Take
Drastic Step at Bureau.

Who is responsible for advising Presi-
dent Harding to summarily oust the
twenty eight bureau of engraving and
printing employees on April /. 1922
This question has not yet been an
sUered Official Washington has offered
hints, but no explanation The mystery
remains.
Tie situation al present might be
summarized as follows:
Resolution to investigate the whole af-
fair. offered by Senator Caraway of
Arkansas. referred to Senate commit
tee on audit and accounts.
Statement from the White House that
Il dual investigation failed 10 reveal any
graft; that duplication of bonds was
cue to mechanical errors entirely, with
no loss to the government or investors,
and that civil service status may be re-
stored to all but one or two dismissed.
Back at Less Pay.
Three women returned to work at
the Treasury Department at less
salaries than they received at the
bureau.
Effective silence on the part OF all
oftsials concerned, as 10 persons at
the actual source of the whole trou-
BILE. as to who advised the President
and influenced him to sweep twenty
eight persons without adequate ex-
planation from office overnight. cast
ing asperSionS on their character
At the White White on the night Of
March 81, 1922. when the order was
signed, were Attorney General Daugh-
erty and Controller of the Currency
CriSsinger, now nominated to be gov
ernor of the Federal Reserve Board.
Beyond the suggestion that the Presi-
dent has the right to change person
mel in the executive departments, and
that it was done for "the good of the
service" these two high officials have
made no explanation.
Believe Mellon Had No Part.
Secretary of the Treasury Mellon,
to all accounts of the sigma
ture of the order was not present
March 81. at the White House. 1t has
heen freely rumoreQ in official circles
that if Secretary Mellon had been
taken into the Presidents confidence
at the time suspicious were cast upon
the bureau by reports of duplicated
liberty bonds, later proved to be of
no dangerous effect upon the bureau
or the securities of the government
the President would never have taken
his precipitate action.
Secretary Mellon has consistently
maintained an extremely conservative
attitude in the matter, and has mani
the effect of the whole affair 1t has
been evident that he has had at heart
not only the danger to government
securities of any authenticated ru-
mors that vast amounts of duplicated
bonds were af1oat. but also has been
concerned about the reputation of the
Treasury and the Harding admins
tration. If there has ever been any
misunderstanding between President
Harding and Secretary Mellon over
the dismissals. it has been carefully
concealed by both.
Mellon Is Silent.
At the White House there was q
hint thrown out during the authori-
tatiye statement that no scandal had
been uncovered by either of the in
vestigations, that first reports of the
alleged Implications, with suspicious
Of conspiracy, had come from the
office Of the register of the Treasury
which checks the government securi
ties sent out by the bureau of engray-
ing. Further than this, the White
House spokesman did not go in re-
vealing the source of the suspicion.
Secretary Mellon, when. asked
evaded the question. When asked
if it was Charles b. Brewer of the
Department of Justice investigators
Secretary Mellon let it be known
that he could not say.
ury Wadsworth, in charge of bureau
matters in the Treasury. declared that
he had no statement to make as to
who Influenced the President to sign
the executive order.
Others Refuse to Talk.
Charles B. Brewer of the Depart
ment of Justice, who. according to
numerous rumors affoat in the capital,
was Instrumental in bringing the
matter to the attention of the Presi-
dent charging a conspiracy, today de-
clared he had no statement to make
on the matter, but might later have
something to say. Chief Moran of
the United States secret service de-
clined to talk.
At the White House President Hard
ing was represented as continuing the
investigation into the civil service status
phase of the matter, and as favoring
= later statement from the White House
exposing the entire affair TO the public.