The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-02-08
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Coolidge Acts in Oil Lease
Scandal, and Clamor in
the Senate Continues.
BY EDWARD w. PIckARp

/ MOVING with characteristic DELHI
80 GRAFTON, sure-footedly and refus-
ing to be stampeded by the clamor OF
politicians, President Coolidge has TAX
en- the steps he considers wise and
necessary in the naval oil reserve
lease cases. He has appointed two
eminent lawyers, a Republican and
a Democrat, as special counsellors to
conduct the prosecutions, and his only
Instructions to them are ITO prosecute
these cases in the courts SO that IL
there Is any guilt 1t will be punished;
II there is any civil liability 1t will
/ be enforced; If there is any fraud It
! viii be revealed, and IL there are any
contracts which are Illegal they will
be cancelled" The counsellors appoint
ed are Silas Fl. Strawn of Chicago and
Thomas w. Gregory of Texas, who
was attorney general In President Will
sons cabinet
To the unbiased mind 1t would seem
that this action of the President should
he enough to insure Just determine
ton of the whole unsavory mess. But
the opponents of the administration.
without and within the Republican par
ty, are insistent on obtaining all the
political advantage possible from the
scandal, and this is understandable,
whether or not 1t is worthy course.
All through the week the sessions of
the senate were given over to fiery
speeches, most Of them denouncing the
administration and demanding the res
ignations of Secretary of the Navy
DENLY and Attorney General Oar or
~. some of them defending the esi-
dent and the cabinet officers n; I'd,
but not the oil leases. The house, 100,
had It's STARE OF the storm. On tt s.
day t5e y-nete adopted a Joint ref =
ton providing for the canceling Of
both the Teapot Dome lease held BY
Harry Sinclair and the naval reserve
No. lease held by Edward Doheny.
The Democrats who had the surnort
of the insurgent Republicans, EN-
brought up a resolution by Ser"to
Robinson OF Arkansas. requesting The
President to call for the designations
of Secretary DENLY and Mr.. Daug'ier-
: y and 1t was more than intimTfed
that there would be move to i'm
peath those two cabinet members z
they refused to step down. Mr.. De-
erty is in Florida because of the !
ness of his wife, and his friends VI
he has no Intention of resigning. Mr.
DENLY. hotly asserting that his slate
and that Of the Navy department were
absolutely clean, declared he had not
resigned and would not resign. Said
he: 4
TN my opinion I did the right
thing, but of course, in view of recent
developments. that now is a matter for
the courts to decide. If had to,
would do the same thing all over again
tomorrow. am convinced of the ie-
gality of the leases. / am convinced
they were for the best interests of the
United States
Teddy Roosevelt is absolutely In
The clear. He is innocent of any par
ilcipation in the affair Let there be
no misapprehension about that What
ever happens Roosevelt cannot be con-
1ected with the matter.
Albert b. Fall, central figure of the
was in state of nervous
collapse in Washington and unable to
appear before the senate committee,
according to the statements Of his
hree physicians. The committee con-
Iidered the advisability of going to
FALLS apartment to take his testimony.
Harry Sinclair, being informed in Eu-
ope that the committee wished him
o return and give further testimony,
abled that, having testified five times
nd been discharged, he would not
ome back until he had completed his
BUSINESS abroad. He reiterated his
tatement that neither he nor the COM
,anies with which he is connected
yer gave Fall or any government rep
sentative any money or other con-
liberation in connection with the Tea
ot Dome lease.
a LII radio addicts-and their num-
a ber is legion-are interested In
he complaint issued last week by the
ederal trade commission charging
hat a number of concerns have
ormed monopoly in radio apparatus,
10Th domestic and foreign, and are
rying to perpetuate their control be-
-ond the life of existing patents.
These concerns, that are accused Of
the law against unfair COM
'etition in trade, are: The Radio Cor
'oration of America, General Electric
ompany. American Telephone and
company, Western Electric
ompany, Westinghouse Electric and
manufacturing company, the Interna-
ional Radio Telegraph company,