Evening star., 1924-09-22
TESTIMONY AGAINST DAUGHERTYl
'TISSUE OF LES" SAYS MEANS|
Senator Wheeler Accused of Plot for "Frame
Up''-Helped Alleged Scheme Because Of
Anger, Ex-Justice Agent Declares.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
COLUMBUS. Ohio. September "a
Reputation as a tissue of lies" of
all that he told the Senate commit
tee in its investigation of the ad-
miniStration of Harry NJ Daugherty
as Attorney General has been made
in signed statement by CASTOR B.
Means formerly Department of Just
ice agent and star witness for the
Daugherty investigators according to
copy of the statement made public
at his home here yesterday by Mr..
Daugherty.
The Means statement was in
Corporated in a letter sent by Mr.
Daugherty to John W. Davis
the Democratic nominee for Presi-
dent, in which the former Attorney
General takes the Presidential candi-
date to task for statements which
DauSherty's letter says Davis has
made in the course of an address
over the country, "suggesting i'm
proper conduct by me in my official
capacity. The letter was dated
September 10.
United States Senator Burton X.
Wheeler. of Montana, prosecutor of
the committee, now vice presidential
candidate on the La Toilette ticket
is charged in the Means statement
with having put this tissue of lies
in the mtuo hof Means "and the
majority of other Witnesses
Text of Daughcrty Letter.
Following is the text of the
Daugherty letter to Mr.. Davis:
Sir: A the time of the formal ac-
ceptance of your nomination and sew
eral times since the newspapers have
quoted you as referring to me by
various insinuationS implying mis-
conduct on my part during my in
Cumbency as attorney general of the
United States.
The latest of these references
coming to my notice is that reported
10 have been made by you at East
wood Farm, Bunceton, Mo-, on Sep
tember 18TH, last, wherein again by
innuendo you suggested improper
conduct by me in my official capacity
Resents Etiquette Remark.
On that occasion you are quoted as
saying that my party did. not choose
me as the candidate to ''give lessons
in political etiquette" This remark
seemingly was explanatory of your
references to alleged corruption on
the part of persons formally or in
formally so charged, about which
You had been speaking.
1t is probable that you were not
chosen as a presidential candidate to
give lessons in political etiquette,
whatever that term implies. Men are
chosen for that distinguished honor
having qualifications that should
characteriZe gentlemen in debate
upon public questions, as well as
possessing exalted ideals, a proper
regard for the public intelligence, and
the capacity to distinguish the false
from the true.
The reputation you have enjoyed
amony your fellow men as a high
minded man. your standing at the
American bar and your varied public
experiences would lead me to expect
somothing different from you than
the personal references to which
have alluded.
Thinks Davis MisinfOrmed.
Possessing the qualifications of a
lawyer, which equip you for weighing
the value or want of value of reck-
less charges made against public Serv-
ants, and with every facility to re-
view the attempts by the senatorial
investigating committee to beSmirch
me. you should have been better in
formed than your quoted utterances
indicate. To connect my name with
others and insinuate something i'm
with the facts nor conSonant with the
reputation you have enjoyed, a thin g
which would not be excuSable in any
lawyer of considerably less repute
than yourself The exigencies of a
political campaign do not warrant
such liberties.
Your references to me are usually
vague, and all the more reprehenSl-
BILE. If you are attempting to con-
i Il Ill
leases, permit me to remind you that
in the bill of complaint drawn by the
governments special council, Messrs.
Pomerene and Roberts paragraph
2p, there is a complete exoneration
of me from any connection what
ever with the oil leases. I may add
also, since yo0 have seen fit to in
"lude Mr.. DENLY, former Secretary
of tho Navy in your list of accused,
that the report of the Walsh COM
mittee of the Senate investigating g
the oil leases, (p. 21, Senate Doc. 79D,
eXonerates him also from any i'm
proper completely in these leases, so
that your imputations upon Mr.. Den
by are without warrant or excuse
and do a wrong to d worthy gentle
man. These facts were easily ascer-
tainable by you, since they are part
of the public records and have been
quite frequently
Refers to Investigators.
Now as to the alleged investigation
sby the Brookhart-W Wheeler committee,
TO which you have doubtless meant to
direct public attention as relating to
>ne, though your references are quite
Teiled, let me say this:
1t would seem but proper that be-
fore you lend the powerful influence
of your position as a former presf-
dent of the American Bar Associa-
7ion and as a presidential candidate,
10 the spreading of slanderous reports
upon me and the Department of JUS
1ice, with which you were once con-
nected, you would have made sure of
your grounds by examining into
sources of these ISLANDERS, weighing
nhe evidence, so-called, and learning
call of the crooked ramifcations con-
nccted with that alleged inveStiga-
zion.
am convinced, however, that you
have no knowledge of the record in this
matter, but that you, like many others.
have gained your Information and
sirawn your conclusions from newspaper
!lleadlines and imperfect newspaper re-
ports, something n careful lawyer al
ways guards himself against. 1t was,
.and is, a matter of common knowledge,
lin Washington at least, that this whole
1natter was conspiracy of deep pur-
pose and devilish ingenuity. Had you
taken the precaution to analyZe the rec
ord you would not have risked your
reputation by giving seeming approval
DO these ISLANDERS.
No Specific Neglect Charged.
For your better information and since