The Washington times., 1924-02-18
F0RD'S WEEKLY
MAKES DENNY
DEFENSE
Dearborn Independent Gives
Praise to Coolidge For
Nonpartisanship.

An interesting sidelight on the
Teapot Dome investigation and the
resignation Of Secretary Of the
Navy DENLY is furnished by an
editorial in the issue Of February
IS OF the Dearborn Independent,
Henry Ford's weekly. The article
points out that no suspicion Of
personal dishonor has been directed
against Secretary DENLY, and asks:
rs President Coolidge to seek an
other scapegoat to satisfy the cry
FOR official blood"
The editorial is as follows:
Teapot and Partisan Brew"
Partisan spirit is beginning to
faint the good work Of the Teapot
Dome investigation, and President
Coolidge is being blamed for not
playing politics or behaving like a
swashbuckler. Mr.. Coolidge. "a
Vice President and presiding officer
OF the Senate, was cognizant of the
Teapot Dome matter months ago,
However delicate he may have felt
about bringing 1t up in President
Harding's time, 1t Is being said in
some quarters that he might have
brought 1t up since he himself has
become President. Upon this Il il
attempted to make a smudge-one
Of those side.plays in the political
game upon which major emphasis
IL not laid because Of their weak
mesa
1T should be remembered that
until recently the question Of Tea
pot Dome was largely a geological
matter, depending entirely on
whether the oil deposits there
were safely walled in, or were
subject to drainage through other
wells drilled outside the Govern.
ment's property. That matter is
not yet settled, there being three
expert reports upon 1t. The action
of leasing naval oil reserves to
private concerns, in any case, was
reprehensible, but there was the
executive order Of President Hard.
ing, without which 1t could hardly
have been done. At least, during
the months that Mr.. Coolidge
presided over the Senate there was
nothing but matters Of this order
involved; and after he became
President the same matters formed
the substance Of inquiry, until the
amazing disclosures Of wholesale
personal corruption were made.
Thereupon the President promptly
acted. He could not have acted
earlier upon a matter in which
even the committee in charge had
not discovered a basis for action.
1.-THE complaint now made is that
he fails to act drastically. If the
President were playing politics in
~ aud y1atIkNy 11AaAa Al Nsyo,1ld
be falling into the basket. Cutlery
Secretary Of the Navy. He Is at
least one man whom the suspicion
Of personal dishonor has not touched.
Is President to blast a mans
reputation without sufficient reason,
to satisfy a partisan cry for re-
venge? Every American citizen,
even one believed to be guilty be-
yond doubt, is entitled to his day in
court. Even Mr.. Fall is entitled to
that. If Fall were in the Cabinet,
doubtless the President would not
have lost an hour in removing him.
But Fall left the Cabinet as soon
as he had performed his valuable
services to his friends, Sinclair and
Doheny. Is President Coolidge to
seek another scapegoat to satisfy
the cry for official blood? If he
does he is less the calm, Just mind
which he had been judged to be.
THE President has lost no time.
The men involved cannot escape
trial of all their actions. The Presi.
dent has taken that matter immedi-
ately in hand. Besides, he at once
set in motion the necessary proc
esses to quash the leases. He Is
acting with the dignity and justice
and gertrude Of movement which
becomes the Chief Magistrate. He
will not play politics to help his
own nor to hurt his opponents
party.
"The thanks Of the nation is due
to those. Democratic Senator's who
pursued the clues and facts in this
case to such momentous results.
That thanks is not partisan. These
men have performed q public serV-
ice which must rebound to their
personal honor and cannot but re.
fleet glory on their party. They
will seriously tarnish their work IL
they subvert it to partisan ends.
President Coolidge appreciates their
work and will lend all his power
to further rather than hinder it. If
cleaning up its own corruption il
to be held against the Republican
party, then 1t is q safe wager that