Daily Kennebec journal., 1924-03-14
MISS R0xIE HINTS OF CRAFT
AND CROOKEDNESS INVOLVING
DAUGHERTY AND PAL SMITH
JUSTICE OFFICIALS
BEGIN PROBE TWO
HOUSE MEMBERS

Washington. March 13.-Grand
Jury investigation of criminal
charges involving two members of
Congress was begun here today as
a house committee, authorized to
conduct a separate inquiry. was at
tempting to get It's bearings and
chart a course of procedure.
Unknown to members Of the COM
mittee, assistant Attorneys General
Seymour. Willebrandt and Davis ap-
peared before the jury to present
evidence developed before the Chi
cago grand jury which Investigated
alleged veterans bureau frauds.
With them was John w. H. Grim,
special assistant who was in charge
Of the governments case in Chicago.
Elias H. Mortimer, who offered
testimony before the Senate Veter-
ans committee several months ago,
and before the Chicago grand jury.
was one of the witnesses called to-
day. Late In the day adjournment
was taken until tomorrow, when, it
was indicated, Herman Geltzeiler, of
Newark, N. j., might appear as a
witness.
Decision of Attorney General
Daugherty to proceed with his de-
partment's investigation of the
charges brought to light at Chicago
was at variance with his announced
in nf IrnnninCr tho
the present, at least, if the house
saw fit to conduct an investigation
of it's own.
Called on last week by the House
to disclose the names of the two
representatives referred to in the
report OF the Chicago grand jury,
Mr.. Daugherty declined to make
them public. He offered to turn
evidence over to the House, but de-
clared he would suspend the de-
partment's investigation If this were
done as it would be inadvisable to
have two inquiries in progress at the
same time.
The House on Wednesday. after
considerable wrangling, adopted a
resolution instructing the attorney
general to press his investigation
with all possible speed and announc-
LnS that IL WOulu Ho tHCi
effort to have the names of the two
House members made public. Re-
versing itself yesterday. the House
adopted another resolution, present
ed by Representative Garrett, the
Democratic leader. for the appoint
ment of a special committee to con-
duct an independent investigation.
Representative Burton, lRepubli-
can, Ohio, chairman of the commit
tee, said today that it had no infor-
nation that the department of JUS
tice intended to act so quickly in the
presentation of evidence to the
grand jury here. and as yet had re-
ceived no indication as to what oc-
operation the committee would re-
Ceive from the department. Hearings
which will be public. probably will
get under way by the end of the
week, he said, adding that in the
meantime the committee must as
certain the basis of the charges and
determine what witnesses should be
called.
1t was pointed out by the COM
mittee chairman that while both the
grand jury and House committee
would be obliged tc deal with the
same facts to reach conclusion as
to the guilt or Innocence of any
representatives accused of wrong
doing, the House was concerned
solely with determining whether any
member had acted in such man.
ner that his seat should be forfeited.
while the grand jury had the func-
ton of initiating commercial pro-
ceedings with n view to Furnishing
anyone guilty of misconduct.
Mrs. Mabel Walker Wllebrandt.
one of the assistant attorneys gen.
eral. who appeared today before the
grand jury, is in charge of prohibi-
ton enforcement for the department
of Justice.