Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-31
Selection ShreWd Move, Say
Supporters Democrats
See Aid in Assault on
Administration
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1924

| takes in the immediate future will
! depend to a large extent the oppOr-
! tunities he has for nomination and
| election,
Whether the issue is big enough
| to force the defeat of the Republican
party at the polls, it is, of course,
! too early to say, but the nervous
| activity of the Republican leaders
indicates that they will leave no
| stone unturned to prevent theATea-
| pot Dome affair from achieving an
exaggerated Importance politically.
To date the supporters of Presi-
| dent Coolidge feel he has handled an
awkward situation well, and that his
seleC ton of Thomas w. Gregory, for
mer, attorney general in the cabinet
| of a Democratic president, together
with Silas II. Strawn, Republican,
is a shrewd move.
Only One Angie PrObed
But these two men will only in
vestigate the criminal features of the
case-Whether there has been cor
ruption. They have no right to pass
upon the competence or incOm-
| petence of the secretary Of the navy
| or the attorney general in Mr.. Cool
idge's cabinet. The mere fact that
the attorney general is not consider
ed an rnprejudiced prosecutor, &C.
cording to the viewpoint of the
Democrats, and that Mr. Coolidge
has appointed special counsel has
simply given the Democrats more
ammunition for their bombardment
Of the Republican administration.
Almost everywhere in Washington
that one goes the Teapot Dome scan
Il lOix, IL,
tons usually asked relate entirely
to the effect of the controversy on
Mr.. COolidSe's chances of election if
he is nominated.
At first in the senate debate there
was an effort to drag Mr.. Coolidge
into the affair by pointing out that
he sat at cabinet meetings under
President Harding and must have
been in q position to utter protest
against the making of the oil leases.
L ne president has let it be known
that he has no recollection of cab-
net discussion, but that if it took
place the consideration given was
quite casual.
Albert B. Fall, former secretary
Of the interior, in his report to Pres
ldent Harding speaks of frequent
cabinet discussion but it is possible,
of course, that Mr.. Coolidge was abb
sent as it will be recalled that he
accepted many speaking engage
ments us vice pre- sident which Mr.
Harding was unable to accept.
But the answer given to the
charge that Mr.. Coolidge was Jointly
responsible for what was done is
that he Gid not know of any irregu-
larlty and that the debates to which
ne listened to in the senate over
which body he was presiding. officer
ala not coAclusively prove any irreg-
ularity.
Democrats Held Ignorant
senator LenroOt, Republican, in
slsts for instance, that even the
Democrats did not know of any ir-
regularity because not until few
days ago did they Introduce their
resolution calling for the annulment
OF the oil leases in question.
Granting, however, that Mr.. Cool
ldSe can not be held responsible for
what happened when he was vice
president, the Democrats now are
prepared to attack him on the
ground that he is retaining in his
CABINET men whose failure to per-
form their duties is brought out by
the record of the senate committee.
Inc resolution calling upon Secre-
tary DENLY to resign probably will
De followed by another asking that
the attorney general be asked to re.
sign too. Neither will have enough
votes to pass as the Republicans can
muster enough votes to prevent
such action. That, however, will
not dispose OF it for the Democrats
would then keep on talking about it
unul the November elections. IT is
subject which permits of consider
able talk and on the Democratic side
there are some volubIe takers.
Senator Caraway, Of Arkansas.
democrat, has made a speech on
the claim of President Harding that
IN permitting the vice president to
sit at the cabinet table the latter
would gain enough knowledge OF
public affairs as to enable him to
take over the presidential office and
be familiar with what was going on.
Now it turns out that Mr.. Coolidge
as vice president claims he didn't
know what was going on. The Dem
ocrats will make the most of that
point.
Defense of DENLY
AS for the secretary of the naNv
MS defense is that he had no discre-
ton in signing the leases which
transferred the naval reserves bv
the interior department. Confronted
with an executive order signed by
the president, he feels it was his
duty to sign the papers presented to
nlm. The Democrats insist that in
view of the controversy in the navy
department on this subject in pre-
cedInS administrations Mr.. DENLY
should have consulted the law of.
Hcers OF his department and advised
the president whether the executive
order was a valid exercise of pow
=. - appears that Mr. Harding
took secretary Falls advice on thai,
legal matter and according to the
Democratic senators, Mr. Falls
legal views were given at a time
when he was indebted to the oil peo-
pie for large personal loans.
Did Attorney General Daugherty
block the investigation fthe Cali
fornia oil leases in Difference to the
Standard Oil company? The Demo
Gratis have injected that question
into the whole controversy and will
keep up their attack on Mr.. Daugh-
erty in the hope Of focusing atten-
ton on the Coolidge cabinet. Both
Mr.. DENLY and Mr. Daugherty are
men who would not for A minute EN-.
barrass the president by remaining
il his cabinet. But who will say that