The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-01-28

MUST ACT
ON TEAPOT
Coolidge, as Executive Head,
Bears Responsibility of
Furnishing Crime,
BY HERBERT QUICK

= HAVE not the honor Of being
an adviser of the President, but
- as an American citizen, wish
to point out to him, If he knows OF
these utterances of mine, that he can.
not continue to go on as a repu-
table President of the United States,
If he falls to do something about this
dark deed which seems to have been
done with reference to the naval oil
reserves by Secretary Fall.
The record seems to show Fall lied
to Senator Walshs committee abou.
the money of which he suddenly be-
came possessed at the time when he
sold our Navy's oil reserves to Sin
clair. It seems to show he procured
lie from Mr.. Mclean when Mclean
said he lent him the money! hun
dred thousand dollars. 1t appears
when Senator Walsh showed the COM
mittee meant to go back Of these state
ments, Mclean became frightened and
covered up the lie by stating after all
he did not loan Fail the money, but
certain checks and q note from Fall
to Mclean were destroyed and never
used. And now II seems Fall admits
he lied And to make matters still
worse, Z. L. Doheny, multimillion-
aire oil man. to whom Fall gave naval
oil reserves worth 500, 900, 900, admits
before the Senate committee he loaned
Fail the 500. 900.
Puts Case Squarely
These things and others quite as
disgracefully damning in character
taken with the strange transfer TO
Falls department Of the OIL lands, his
sudden action in the darkness Of Sc.
crecy in selling tho oil, puts the case
squarely up to President Coolidge.
The lands must be recovered by the
Government If It Is possible. # q
crime has been committed. II must be
punished And Mr.. Coolidge, as the
executive head of the Government,
must see that 1t be done.
And this brings HIS program up to
his attorney general, Mr.. Daugherty.
The President may think he can leave
action to Mr. Daugherty, and let
Daugherty carry the responsibility,
but In this he is mistaken. Harry NJ.
Daugherty does not possess the conf
dence Of the American people. He
was the dark side of the Harding ad.
ministrauon, and there was distinct
disappointment In the hearts Of those
who wished Mr.. Coolidge we'll when
he retained him in the Office OF attor-
ney general.
Daugherty Only Bluffs
The people have no belief Daugherty
would ever try seriously to bring the
perpetrator OF this gigantic graft to
justice, II any selfish or crooked no.
litical objects could be Accomplished
by allowing II to go unpublished and
unreversed. They have no belief
Daugherty will ever bring Forbes to
Justice for his Veterans Bureau
graft. OF which we have been told by
General D'Ryan md which Senator
Reed Of Pennsylvania has already
commenced TO smother.
There are too many rumors Of the
friendship Of Daugherty for Forbes.
too many weu-known intimate rela-
tons between Daugherty and Fan.
too much lack Of faith in the char
acter of Daugherty. DauCherty will
make a bluff, but he will not follow
through.
Is Presidents Job
The cover must come of. politics
or no politics, scandal or no scandal,
and the President must take 1t Off.
It Is his Job. And If he does not take
1t Off, ne stands in imminent danger,
President or no President. of going
down 10 history as an accessory after
the fact in the most shocking crime
ever perpetrated so high up in the
history Of the United States, The
President must act. or he must bear
the odium Of inaction. And the odium
win begin to settle upon him very
soon. 1t may cost him some historic
positive action It may call for
changes in his Cabinet. But act he
must or be historically and politically
damned.