Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-03

Mr.. Fall should go to a nearby
burb over the week end
Two Courses Oopen,
Should Mr.. Fall still decline to t..
tify, and it is expected he will q,
cline-after the committee has Re.
ceived full authority from the preser.
Senate to continue with the invest
gation-two courses will be open
First, contempt proceedings ma.
be instituted against Mr. Fall, an.
should he be convicted, he would b.
compelled to serve from one month
to year in "a common jail" and To-
pay fine of from 500 to $1,000
Second, impeachment proceeding
could be brought against Mr.. Fall l..
tie House, under which he would be
tried by the Senate. In the case o.
William w. Belknap, Secretary of
War In the Grant administration, il
was held by the Senate and House
that impeachment proceedings could
lie against a cabinet officer even af-
ter he had retired from office. Mr.
Belknap sought to avoid impeach-
ment by reslgning from Office q few
hours before the House took action
to impeach him.
May Try Obstruction.
In some quarters 1t was predicted
last night that Mr.. Fall and his coun-
sci would undertake to delay pro-
mittee undertakes to punish him for
contempt by getting the matter into
the courts and demanding various
writs and injunctions to prevent &C.
ton. Such delays, it was said, might
postpone final decision for months or
even years, If the ordinary course o.
procedure was followed in the courts
Interest in the examination of the
stockholders through whom Ii has
been suggested officials of the gov
eminent might have traded in oil
stocks about the time of the leasing
of the naval oil reserves is scarcely
less than in the questioning of Mr..
Fall himself. A beginning on this
part Of the investigation was made
yesterday with the assignment Of
accountants of the Federal Trade
Commission to go through the books
Of w. B. Hibbs & Co.
The accountants are searching for
I transactions in certain oil stocks in
volving a, list Of names in the nos
session of the Senate committee. A
, similar examination of the books of
other brokers Is in contemplation.
Brokers to Te.~ify.
Although the Senate committee ex-
amined no witnesses. number were.
on hand yesterday ready to take the
stand. Among them was James
Sloane, jr. White House attache
in the early days of the Harding ad-
ministration. who subsequently be-
came identified with the Washington
brokerage firm of Ungerleider & Co
Samuel Ungerleider also has been
! subpoenaed along with the repre-
sentatives of other Washington
i brokerage firms.
Mr.. Sloane and Mr.. Ungerleider will
I, be called in connection with that
phase of the committees inquiry as
had transactions in stock of the
Mammoth Oil Company. which was
iorganized by the Sinclair interests to
take over the Teapot Dome lease.
: The Senate was In recess yester-
day. but the oil muddle again got
into House debate as result of I'M
successful efforts of Representative
Fish, republican, New York to get
action on his resolution that a re-
quest be made of Harry F. Sinclair.
through official channels. to return to
| this country from Europe.
| Asks Income Tax Probe.
! Demand for an investigation of the
personal income tax returns Of Mr.
Sinclair was made by Representative
96ers, democrat. Alabama, who told
| tfe House he was convinced thor
: z(Continued on Page 3. COlumn.h4A