Evening star., 1924-03-23
c. 0. ?. CASH BOOK
SCRUTINY PLANNED.
BY OIL COMMITTEE.
Upham, Party Treasurer,
Called-Denies knowledge
of Sinclair SIS, 900.
RECALLS $4,000 GIFT
BY TEAPOT OPERATOR
Hays Places Donation at Higher
Figure-Sinclair Refuses
to Testify.


again yesterday with dramatic swift
ness.
Harry F. Sinclair, lessee of Teapot
Dome, refused point blank to answer
any more questions put by the Senate
Investigators, who certified the fact
TO the Senate with view to contempt
proceedings.
VIII H. Hays, former chairman Of
the republican national committee,
testified that at his solicitation Sin
clair had agreed to contribute $4,000
to help wipe out the s1,6oo,ooo deficit
Of the committee after the 1920 cam
pagn.
A subpoena was issued for Fred w.
Cphasn of Chicago. treasurer of the
republican committee. requiring him
10 bring to Washington all records of
the committee bearing on any and all
campaign Contributions received from
Sinclair.
Sinclair Hits Roosevelts-
After refusing to answer ten specific
questions put to him on the witness
stand, Sinclair upon leaving the COM
mittee room issued an eight-page
statement in which he attacked
Theodore and Archie Roosevelt and
others who have testified before the
committee.
At the outset Hays denied a story
that Sinclair had contributed $4,000
shares Of Sinclair oil stock to wipe
out the republican committee deficit,
characterizing 1t as being "as false
in content as it is libelous in pur-
pose" other high spots of this tes-
timony were:
That he and his brother, H:nkle
Hays, had had purely personal"
transaction in bonds with Sinclair
and that the committee was welcorns
TO examine his private records of that
transaction.
That while he was Postmaster Gen.
eral in the Harding administration
the law firm of Hays 4.lnd Hays u<
Sullivan, Ind, " which his brother
was a member, was counsel for SIM
clair in Indiana
Denies stock Donations.
That no stock Of any kind was
used as security for loans to the re-
while he was chairman.
That the naval oil leases never were
discussed at any meeting of the cahi-
net at which he was present
That he had no knowledge while
ne was in the cabinet of any execu-
tive order transferring the naval oil
reserves from the jurisdiction Of the
Navy Department to that of the In
terior Department. =
Hays said he asked Sinclair to
contribute toward wiping out the
committee deficit in 1929, more than
q year after he left the cabinet. This
was about a year after Sinclair OBJ
tained the lease OF Teapot Dome.
After being directed by unanimous
vote Of the committee to take the
witness stand for the sixth time, Sim
clair announced his refusal to SUBJ
init to further questioning in a long
prepared statement, which he read
into the record.
Not Afraid to Testify.
II do not decline to answer any
question upon the ground that it
clair said at the outset, because
there is nothing in any of the facts
or circumstancesAof the lease of Tea
pot Dome which does or can incrimi-
nate me-"
Rscfting that he already had been
before the committee on five different
occasions, the oil magnate reviewed
many of the facts Of the case as pre-
sented to the committee yesterday
by his counsel in urging that he be
excused from further attempts to ex-
anime him. He then concluded with
this declaration: ~
You and thetbody from which you
derive your authority have already
sat in judgen on these questions
and remitted them to the courts of
proper jurisdiction. I shall reserve
any evidence I may be able to give
for those courts to which you and
your colleagues have deliberately =e-
ferred all questions of which you
had any jurisdiction and shall re-
spectfully decline to answer any
questions propounded by your COM
mittee."
Senator W2lSn OF Mcntaua, tne
committee prosecutor" then put a
series of questions to Sinclair SO as
20 make up the record upon which
to certify his case to the Senate. This
record was presented to that body
later in the day by Chairman Ladd
and there was nearly an hours gen.
eral discussion without action
Procedure Uneertain.
Senator walsh explained that the
,corn mites was not ready to recon-
mend q course Of procedure as it de-
sired first to confer with special gov
ernrnent counsel In the, oil lease
cases A Recommendation may be
ready tomorrow.
The committee prosecutor told
ths Senate there were two courses
open-to have the president Of the
senate certify the case to the Dis
rrict Of Columbia courts for granI
jury proceedings, or to bring Sinclair
> before the bar of the Sena-e and
commit him to the custody of the
-SCAptnuDA On Pass & ColMma u