Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-03-06
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reading into the public record, pro-
badly tomorrow, on being relevant
to the inquiry.
After the committee had adjourn
ed until tomorrow. Senator Walsh,
Democrat, Montana, chief prosecu-
tor in the inquiry. made a formal
statement indicating opposition to
the confirmation of Samuel Knight,
of San Francisco, to be special gov
eminent counsel in the court action
for the recovery of California Oil
lands operated by the Standard Oil
Company of California. and others.
Senator Walsh said he had been
reliably informed" that Mr.. Knight
was attorney in California for the
Equitable Trust Company of New
York, "a Rockefeller bank" and that
should this prove to be the case this
would be basis for a fight against
Senate approval of the Presidents
appointment.
The special government counsel
in the oil lease annulment suits were
unable to complete the necessary pa
pers today for institution of initial
civil litigation in those cases, but it
was Indicated that acton would not
be long delayed.
During the day move was made
in the oil committee to endeavor to
get at the facts as to reports that
Castor B. Means as a secret agent
Of the department Of justice had in
terested himself in the oil matter or
had obtained information regarding
it.
(, A subpoena was issued for Means
by Acting Chairman Ladd at the
request of Senator Dill, Democrat,
Washington. Means, who no longer
Is connected with the justice depart
ment, is under indictment in New
York on a charge of conspiracy to
violate the Volstead act.
The kilograms delivered to the
committee today from Palm Beach
still leaves incomplete the telegraph
ic records which it seeks. Messages
from the New Orleans and Three
Rivers, N. NJ, offices still are to be
examined as are additional tele-
grams from the Washington offices
Of the two telegraph companies.
Some disagreement arose in the
committee today over the admission
Of certain of the Palm Beach mes
sages, but it was not indicated just
what their subject matter was. Some
senators took the position that they
were not relevant to the inquiry, but
others insisted that they were and
Unally carried lIlelF point.
Several more code kilograms were
found and apparently were in the old
cipher of the department of justice
which was used in the famous
MARY" and other kilograms ex-
changed between McLean's employees.
These will be decided by cipher eX-
perts of the army signal corps.
There was nothing in the messages
to clear up the identity of the
fruits-"peaches," apples" "apri-
COTS" and "cherries"-to which there
We're references in kilograms already
made public. Comm tteemen said
ncLean's employees would be asked
as to this.
Many of the Palm Beach tele-
grams were duplicates of those al
ready furnished the committee from
Washington, but some filled in miss
ing links. There was found the tele-
gram from which Mclean was to
eliminate the odd words SO as to de-
termine its meaning.
This message. sent to the publisher
by j.. Fitzgerald, an employe, called
attention that there were two stories
one that Mclean was too III to
come to Washington to testify and
the other that he was playing golf
in Florida. Senators said there was
inquiry as to how these might be re-
conciled.
There was further mention in
other messages about the trip to
Florida of G. Bascom Slemp. secre-
tary to President Coolidge, and some
references to Villa J. Burns, chief
of the bureau of investigation in the
justice department. who has testified
he wanted the publisher to resign as
81 year secret agent of the bur
eau so as to avoid possible Cmbarass-
ment to attorney general Daugherty.