The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-03-14
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Daugherty's Resignation Is
Expected, Following New
Corruption Charges,
BY EDWARD W. PickARD

5sS fifiss sas-l ii a5i
BY. EDWARD w. PickARD
IF HARRY DAUGHERTY is still at
= storney general OF the United States
when this reaches the reader the ex-
pert prognosticators in Washington
are badly at fault. Last Thursday
they predicted !. his resignation from
the cabinet would be in the hands of
the President by the end Of the week,
and that 1t would take effect on Mon
day, the day when Secretary. Of the
Navy DENLY was to step out of Office.
Mr.. Daugherty went to Florida for q
stay Of two weeks, but was summoned
back to Washington. arriving Friday.
Already the President had changed his
mind about asking the attorney gen.
eral to retire, according to reports. and
was considering his successor. Those
said to have been approached Included
Senator Borah Of Idaho, Judge VIII
liam 8. Kenyon Of the Federal Court
Of Appeals, Federal Judge Frank S.
Dietrich OF Idaho and Curtis d. Will
bur, Supreme court judge Of Caiifor-
mia. rs
President Coolidge's change OF mind
presumably was brought about partly
by the sensational revelations OF ON
cial corruption to the federal grand
jury In Chicago that indicted Charles
r. Forbes, former director of the vet
erans' bureau, These were not related
to the Forbes case, 20 the information
was carried to Washington By a spe-
cial prosecutor. Some Of It seriously
involves the Department Of Justice. re-
lating TO procurement OF pardohs for
federal prisoners. This ID only d part
OF the matters that will be investigat-
"a BY the senate committee named to
handle the charges against Daugherty.
The committee Is made up Of Senator's
Brookhart OF Iowa, chairman; Noses
Of New Hampshire, Jones Of Washing
ton, Ashurst Of Arizona and Wheeler
Of Montana. tse
This Department Of Justice evidence
was not the most sensational carried
to Washington from Chicago, how
ever. Charges Of wholesale corruption
and graft during the Harding admin
istration were made against certain
persons known as 'the Chic crowd
and two members Of the house o" rep
resentatives, as vet not publicly
named are directly accused Of having
collected between $150,000 and $780,
600 IN two or three years from federal
prisoners and their friends as payment
for pardous, paroles, combinations
and ether forms Of clemency. II the
charges are substantiated, these con-
gressmen face expulsion from the
house and also indictment for penal
offense. As soon as Special Prosecutor
Grim reported In Washington, Presi-
dent Coolidge directed the Department
Of Justice to take Immediate steps to.
ward the prosecution Of the two rep
resentatives. The house was asked to
investigate the matter by Represents
tive Garrett Of Tennessee.
Whether eflicials Of the Department
Of Justice were In collision with the
members Of congress who received
payments for dispensation Of clemency
b not clear. One ofiicial, closely iden.
tified with the Harding administers
ton who was active In obtaining
clemency In ecases In which the mem
bers Of congress were interested, Ii
said to have been their dupe.. -4
THOSE kilograms that passed be
4 tween Washington and q. B. Nc
Leau in Florida and the persons that
handled them occupied much time Of
the senate oil lease committee last
week. A code expert Of the army sig
nal corps translated the messages that
were in cipher and Mrs. Duckstein. ar
operative Of the bureau Of investiga
ton In the Department Of Justice, ad
mitted sending the telegram warning
Mclean that the committee was on
his trail. She said the code she used
was obsolete. william j. Burns, chief
Of the bureau. testified that Mclean
was a ..dollarSa-year' operative and
that the message was sent to him in
the hope that he would resign that pc
sition. More interesting was this tele
gram sent to Mclean by Ira Bennett
editorial writer on the Washington