The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-04-03
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Mr., Daughexty's Resignation Is
Demanded by President Cool
iage and Accepted by Him.

Coolldge's demand for the resignation
Of Attorney General Daueherty's res
ignation, followed, Of course, by the
latter's resignation, is commanding
the widespread approval it deserves.
Mr.. Coolidge gave Nr. Daugherty
every opportunity to resign voluntar-
lily for the good Of the party and his
OWL good, as well as for those Of the
people, so that the Executive cannot
be accused of snap judgment. On the
other hand, there has come gradually
to the attention of the President
what under other circumstances he
would have been the last to learn
the appalling incompetence of Mr.
Daugherty's administration of the
Governments great legal department,
an incompetence which has character
lied it ever since Mr.. Daugherty be-
came Attorney General. Since the SEN
ate investigation started, conditions
have become embarrassing. The
AOSiAdbS SOliliilllCGC lSCCHIly
it be permitted to send an investiga-
tor into the Department to search for
evidence. Mr. Daugherty refused, on
the ground that it would be against
the public interests. The refusal if
made by any other Attorney General
would doubtless have been proper;
but when made by Mr.. Daugherty it
had a sinister appearance. It is a
curious instance ones deeds coming
home to roost that most of the men
who are aiding Senator Wheeler in
his fight on Daugherty are former
agents of the Department of Justice
whom Daugherty refused to dismiss
even when advised of their untrust-
worthy character.
The grave illness of Senator La
Toilette, who at sixty-nine is strick-
en- with pneumonia, after being ill for
some time with grip, is regarded as
highly inimical to the hopes Of those
who desire third party. Senator
Hiram Johnson's failure to "sweep
South Dakota"-he carried the pri-
| maries by a narrow margin-has
served to convince political observers
here that Mr.. Coolidge's nomination
| is certainty. The hopes Of the third
party-ites have been increasing with
the increase of that certainty. But
! the physical breakdown of La Fol-
lette has served to dash their hopes
| The story of La Follette's mental
breakdown in 1912 is being recalled
and few there are, even among his
staunchest supporters, who believe
that even if he RECEIVERS his health
that recovery will be sufficiently rapid
to permit of his active participation
in the Forthcoming campaign Talk
of Coolidge luck" is being revived
and may prove a potent aid to the
man from Massachusetts-no alone
in the convention but in the elections
as well.
"What kind of bootleg whiskey did
Jess Smith carry to RoXie Stinson's
house on those weekend visits to his
ex-wife?" this is the question every
one is now asking as Senator Wheel
er and his colleagues continue to
/ broadcast "RoXie's bedtime stories"
| Her latest is that five men made a
| oroG+ sc 600 mn nm =; c;na1;, OIL
She says Jess Smith told her so. But
Senator Wheeler and his colleagues
would not permit Mr.. Daugherty's at
torneys to ask her who the five men
were. Even they saw how ridiculous
was the story, inasmuch as all the
men who ever made money out of
Sinclair Oil in its entire existence
could not have made anything like
that sum. At best, the bootleg must
be responsible for three of the ciph-
ers. Close upon Roxie's fantastic
tale came AL Jennings, former out
law, who testified that Jake Hamon
told him he paid S1,000,000 to secure
Mr.. Harding's nomination; that Mr..
Daugherty got S25O,OO0, Senator Pen
rose a like sum, VIII Hays $4,000,
etc. Of course it is entirely possible
Jake Hamon told that to Al-Jake is
dead and can't deny it-but if he did,
it merely shows how easy Jake
thought it was to string a reformed
bandit. Those who were at the
Chicago convention-and your cores
pondent was one of them-know the
story is merely Pigment of the mag
nation, or poor sort of joke designed
to fool the man to whom it was told
Wheeler is having bad luck with his
investigation. The gossip he is elicit
ing is so preposterous, as of course
it was bound to be with its complete
political denomination and purpose
Rep. Chas. Z. Winter, of Wyoming,
called my attention t othe fact that
were the Courts to cancel the Sin
clair oil lease the Government would
be compelled to return the great num-
Der of quit-claim deeds to land within
the Teapot Dome reservation, with