The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-03-07
NEWS REvIEWO
CURRENT EVENTS
Daugherty Won't Resign
and Will Be Investigated
Reed on McAdoo.,
By EDWARD w. PICARD

BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD
a TTORNEY, GENERAL DAUGH-
IN ERTY, less complaisant than Mr..
DENLY, will not get out of. the cabinet
voluntarily--rat least not for the pres
ent. President Coolidge will not ask
for the resignation Of the nations
chief law officer. The senate will go
ahead with its proposed Investigation
Of the conduct Of Mr.. Daugherty and
the Department of Justice, without OPP
position by the administration forces.
These conclusions were reached the
middle Of the week, after three days
of earnest consultations in the White
House. The President conferred at
length with William M. Butler, his
campaign manager; Frank w. Stearns,
his Boston hacker, and with other
party leaders. He reached the conclu-
sion, it is said, that Mr.. Daugherty's
continued presence in the cabinet
would be very injurious to the chances
of the Republican party, especially in
Ohio, and that he should resign. This
concurred with the advice given the,
President by Senators Lodge and Pep.
per- But the attorney general himself
was still to be dealt with. On We'd
nesday he went to the White House
early and talked with Mr.. Coolidge for
an hour. No results. Mr.. Butler called
again, and in the afternoon Mr. Daugh-
erty returned He declared with final
ity that he would not quit the cabinet
unless his resignation were requested
in writing, since he was innocent of
any 'wrongdoing and was ready to be
investigated by the, senate committee.
President Coolidge, through Secretary
Slemp, then gave out his decision not
to demand Mr.. Daugherty's resigna-
ton, and the latter gentleman issued
this statement:
1T. is not my purpose to even con-
slider rendering my resignation as at
torney general until after fair hear
ing on charges preferred against me-"
The attorney general at once left
Washington for Chicago on business
connected with the prosecution OF
Charles r. Forbes, former director of
the veterans bureau. From there he
planned to go to Florida, not return
ing to the capital for two weeks. By
that time the investigation Of his con-
duct presumably will have begun. 1t
is believed in Washington that Mr..
Daugherty will resign at the conciu-.
sion Of the inquiry, which he is conf
dent win result in his vindication.
Those who urge his elimination point
out that, even IL his honesty and eff
cheney are established by the sinvesti-
CATION, his admissions of having spec
ulated in Sinclair Oil stocks after en-
tering the Harding cabinet are confess
sions Of grave improperly and indis-
erection. S4
EARLY in the week the Republican
Z national committee took hand in
the oil controversy by issuing state
ment defending the policy Of leasing
navy oil reserves and undertaking to
place the blame, If any, on Democrats.
It said.
"The leasing act. which gives to the
SeCTGCdEy VI Tic navy nAAN S&-S 500 =
tary Of the interior the right and pow
err to lease public oil reserves to pri-
yate interests was fathered by Walsh.
"That particular section of the act
under which Secretary DENLY acted in
signing leases to Doheny and Sinclair
was not only suggested by Secretary
Daniels, but was written by him prac-
tically word for word as it now APP
pears in the law. He frankly stated he
wanted such power in order to enable
him to do exactly what Secretary Den
by subsequently did.
"The leasing act received its first
application under Daniels and John
Barton Payne, when oil lands both
within and without the naval oil re-
serves were leased to private interests
to be developed by them ON royalty
basis .acs
Mr.. Payne was secretary of the In
terror and has been mentioned by his
friends as presidential possibility
THE committees statements met with
ldenials from Daniels and others.