The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-04-03
QUITS
UNDER PROTEST
Justice Department Heads De-
fianCe Of Senat Is Formal
Ground Upon Which Coolidge Acts
At ODDS ON SECRET FILES
Coolidge Could Not Agree to Refusal
to Give Them to the Senate Com
mittee.-Ousted Official Pro-
tests in Congress.

Washington.-Upon the request of
President Coolidge, Attorney General
Daugherty resigned from the Cabinet
The resignation was made imme.
diately effective at the Attorney-Gen.
eral request, and he left the city at
once for a brief rest at Atlantic City.
Inc reason assigned by President
Coolidge for requesting Daugherty's
resignation was that developments in
the Senate investigation of his office
made it conclusive that Daugherty
could no longer serve in a disinter.
ested" capacity as Attorney General
while affairs in his department were
being investigated.
The specific incident which caused
the President to arrive at this con
clusion was given in his letter to
be Daugherty's action in refusing the
request Of the Senate committee for
records concerning charges of gun
running on the Mexican border.
The President, in his letter demand.
ing the resignation, took the position
that the Acknowledgement should not
have acted in such a matter without
having first conferred with him about
1t.
These reasons were stated so plain
ly and directly in the Presidents let.
ter that the Acknowledgement was
given no alternative but to write out
his resignation and dispatch it by
messenger to the White House.
The Presidents letter contained 700
words. Daugherty's reply, sent from
the Department of Justice, was only
sixty words in length.
After submitting his resignation.
however, the Attorney-Geneal issued
a long statement in which he com.
planned that the summary action
against him was both unfair ard IN.
just. He pointed cut that the demand
for his resignation was "untimely."
in that the Senate Investigators had
listened only to "rumors and innuen-
do" against him, and that he should
not have been asked TO quit the Cabi
net until he had had an opportunity
to ma defense of these charges
The Presidents request for the res
ignation and its immediate result
brought to an end a critical situation
in the Cabinet, which has existed
practically since MIR. Coolidge entered
the White House. There has been
constant pressure upon him by Repub-
lican leaders, including Senators
Lodge, Pepper, Borah and others. to
make a change in the Attorney-Gen-
eralshiD. Many of these persuasions
have been purely political considera-
lions, practically non upon personal
grounds or because f any personal
dislike Of the incumbent
This pressure to bring about
Daugherty's effacement from the Cab
met was accentuated by the evidence
developed in the Teapot Dome inves-
tigation and in the inquiry by the
Brookhart committee into the Attor-
rey-GeneraPs own department
President Coolidge resisted all
these efforts to cause him to take
summary action against Daugherty,
his position being firm that he would
uOt seek lNG removal OF any one WnllG
under fire. It is understood that the
President was reluctant to act up to
the last moment, bat was finally con-
WINGED that the action of the Attorney
General in defying the investigating
committee without taking counsel
with the White House made the
change imperative
Solicitor General James NJ. Beck is
now Acting Attorney General.
Mr. Daugherty is a candidate for
Coolidge delegate at large in the Ohio
primaries April 20. The placing Of Mr.
Daughertys name on the ticket was
approved by the President himself on
February % while the storm clouds
were gathereding about the head of
the Attorney General, and there is
some speculation in Washington as to
whether Mr. Daugherty will go before
the Ohio electors as a Coolidge dele
gate at large.