The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-04-10
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
President COOlidge's Selection of
Mr.. Daugherty's Successor Is
COmmeded,
COmmeded,

Washington, April 8-President
Coolidge has again proved his title
to the country's admiration and re-
spect by his appointment Of Harlan
T. Stone as Attorney General. Even
as intensely partisan a paper as the
New York World is compelled to
praise the selection. Dean Stone has
a herculean task before him, the
cleaning out of a department grossly
mismanged during eight years Of
Democratic administration and in
competenly managed during three
years of Republican administration.
But there is every indication that the
former Dean of the Columbia Law
School is equal to the undertaking.
The Democratic attack on Secre-
tary Mellon has proved a fivver. True
to their program, the Democrats no
sooner saw Mr.. Daugherty out of the
| cabinet than they turned on Mr.. Mel
lon. There was no basis for their
charges, but that was in large part
true of Mr.. Daugherty, and entirely
true of Secretary DENLY. Truth, how
ever, was the last thing they wanted.
They were seeking sensationalism
and party capital. But they got only
descredit, and the Democratic press
deserves a large share of credit for
the failure of the Hefins, McKellars
ct al. The Democratic press realized
what the Democratic demagogues
in the Senate could not-that the lat
ter were only discrediting their party
in the public mind and their editorial
condemnation has checked some of
the scandalmongers.
Senator Wheeler (more l. w. w.
than Democracy is now truning his
guns on Secretary Weeks-all ac-
cording to program. But Wheeler's
penchant for thoroughly discredita-
bic witnesses will probably soon dis
pose of that would-be sensation. Mean
time, Senator Walsh is soft-pedal-
ing on the oil investigation, having
heard from many Democratic friends
thatthe countryis severely criticising
the Democratic sensationalists and
awakening to the fact that it has
been grossly misled by their efforts
to create party capital The voters,
irrespective of party, want graft I'M
covered and the grafters punished,
but they do not want to be deceived
| permeated with graft when there's no
! foundation for such reports and they
| resent the defamation of their public
men by witnesses of the character of
Henry Woodhouse, convicted felon,
| Roxy Stinson, ct al.
Names instructed delegation for
Coolidge is accepted as the first in
long series of such instructions which
will make certain the nomination at
Cleveland of the son of the Massachu-
sets "dirt farmer" That Wiscon-
| sin should have instructed it's delega-
ton for La Folletts occasions no sur
prise, although the instructions of
vote for Gov. Al Smith of New York,
| struck another blow to the corpse of
| the McAdoo boom, as did also the re-
fusal of the Iowa Democrats to in
struct their delegates to vote for the
! Grown Prince. It's not regarded as
probable that the Democratic conven-
ton will dare to nominate Gov. Smith
because he is, as described by the
| Democratic press, "a wet Romanist,"
but the fact that the Wisconsin Dem
ocrats preferred him to McAdoo is
striking evidence of the disfavor into
which the son-in-law of the late Pres
| ident has fallen.
The courageous letter of John w.
Davis declining to give up his law
practice in order to seek the Demo-
cratic presidential nomination and his
statement therein that, 'the only linn
itation upon a right thinking lawyers
| independence is the duty he owes to
his clients, once selected, to serve
them without the slightest thought of
the effort such service may have on
his own personal popularity or politi-
cal fortunes" is everywhere regarded
| as severe rebuke to McAdoo who
dropped his client Doheny immediate
! ly the Doheny oil leases came under
investigation. 1t is generally held
that while Mr.. Davis may not have
promoted his political fortunes he
has gained the respect of upright,
honorable men by his courageous
! stand.
Democratic obstruction of tax re-
duction for partisan purposes is be-
ing more and more severely condemn
ed as it is becoming more widely ap-
preciated. A few of the ADLER Demo-
cratic leaders are pleading with their
colleagues to abandon the obstruc-
ZIONIST program, insisting that the in
| dignation of the tax payers will be
visited on the Democrats at the polls.
! But thus far, these wiser councils
! have DrOVpd unaVailinp with the If