Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-29
DAUCHERTY QUITS
CABINET POSITION
UNDER HEAVY FIRE
Charges PiIing Up Against
Attorney General Seen to
Be Forcing Hand Of the
President

| w ASf1INUlO1N, NIdfCH SO.--AICOIs
ney General Daugherty resigned Fri.
day morning.
| His resignation, promptly accept
ed by President Coolidge, clears the
| administration of the last of those
cabinet members who have become
storm centers in the oil scandal.
| WASHINGTON, March 27.-By
| the Associated Press)-Retiremen
of Attorney General Daugherty from
4, the Coolidge cabinet has again been
! brought under serious consideration
| and indications today point to de-
velopments in the near future.
President Coolidge has almost, If
not entirely, come to agreement with
many of his closest advisers that
1 with charges piling up daily against
! Mn. DaughertyS administration OF
the department. of justice, continu-
ance of the attorney general in of
lice is more of load than any adj
/ ministration justly can be called
! upon to bear.
J inquiries made by the president
are understood to have failed to con-
vince him that the current business
OF the department is being admin
lstered with the expedition the coun-
! try has a right to demand. This cir
cumstance is believed to have weigh
ed more heavily with Mr.. Coolidge
/ than any other factor.
! Two Conferences Held
Two conferences held by the presi-
dent with his attorney general yes
terday are understood to have been
devoted largely to a consideration of
this subject and to have brought the
matter nearer to a head than it
ever has been before.
| There is no question in the minds
OF White House officials that the
senate investigation of the attorney
| general has had its effect in divert
ing the attention of some officials,
a tleast, away from their regular.
duties In order that they may con-
/ centrate on a defense of Mr.. Daugh-
erty and his department.
| Mr.. Coolidge feels at at the pres,
| ent time, more than at any other in
! recent years. perhaps, the chief law
| officer of the government should be,
In a position not only to command
! public confidence, bat to give his emf
ergies unrestrainedly to the dis
charge Of public business.
There have been strong Indications
| that should the president actually
| decide the time has come to part
company with Mr.. Daugherty, a.
Formal public ,feau sstr for his resigls
nation may be necessary to get him
out of office. The ATTORNEY general
has taken the position that he should
be permitted to remain until his
hearing before the senate committee
has been concluded.
Today Mr.. DauGherty indicated
| that he will have some statement to
make during the afternoon but be-
fore the hour set he suddenly left
the justice department for his hotel
without informing those in his office
what to expect.
The DaIgherty investigators today
heard Roxie Stinson, divorced wife of
Jess Smith, go through a cross-exam-
ination by attorney generals coun-
sci; decided to consider whether the
attorney generals brother, M S.
Datlgherty, Washington Courthouse
banker, and others Of his bank
should be cited for contempt for
failing to answer committees sum
mons, and listened to a long recital
by II. IL. Scaife, who investigated airl
craft frauds, and who charged his
Investigations We're blocked"
Miss Stinson's testimony was in
terrupted frequently by clashes be-
tween committee members and coun-
SCI for the attorney general, mainly
IN the efforts of the counsel Ito K
bring out the names of five men who,
she said Smith told her, had made
$33, 100000 in oil stocks The COM
mittee had no interest in the mat
ter, but former, Senator chamberlain
said he expected the witness to say
one of the men was the "presidentl
of the United States" Senator
Ashurst retorted the COMMITTEES
would not be trapped into besinirch-
ing the name Of a man now dead. =
An executive session of the COM
n1littee was called to consider the
case of M. S. Daugherty. after the
serSeant-ata arms had reported him
not present and Paul Rowland, the
attorney generals lawyer, had said
he was not. in the city.
Scaife gave the committee q de-
tailed account of his work in inves-
tigating war frauds, especially the
aircraft cases, and charged that he
was blocked at various times in
his efforts.
Oyerpaid s2,OOO,OOO
The name Of Mitsui & Co., Japa-
nese bankers, was brought in by
Seattle, who, said the Standard Air
craft corporation owned by Mitsui
& Co." had been overraid 100000
by the government. Mitsui & Co
was mentioned in the testimony of
CASTOR b. Means when he was on
the stand. Means asserting a Japa-
nese representative of the bankers
had handed him 100000 in q Wash
ington hotel. which he in turn gave
to Jess Smith.
$50 Garrett Institute
q o.. III