The Washington times., 1924-02-05
BLOC WILL
OPPOSE
OH|OAN
liberals Also to Fight Confir-
nation of Biggs Should
Charges Be Proved.
BY JOHN r. LAMBERT,
Cosmopolitan News Service.

Cosmopolitan News SoEVAces
The liberals in Congress have to-
day decided to cast their votes
against approval Of the appoint
ment by President Coolidge Of for
mer Senator Atlee Pomerene of
Ohio TO be the special Democratic
Iawyer-investigator Of the Teapot
Dome oil scandals. ~>.
e. L. Doheny is said to have told
friends here that he has spent
81, 100000 in Washington in the
past few years to protect" his oil
rights.
Stock Cleanup Charged.
A decision by the liberals to OPP
pose also the appointment Of former
Assistant United States Attorney
General Biggs. of South Carolina,
as a special assistant prosecutor Of
che oil frauds for President Cool
4dgo is held in allegiance pending
an investigation Of the report that
Biggs joined with Attorney Gen.
Oral Palmer in letting the Southern
Pacific get away with 100000 acres
Of Government oil lands, estimated
70 be worth $500.000,000.
Investigation Of stock-gambling by
the probe committee is expected to
reveal that officials still holding
high places in the Government
made an enormous cleanup in the
sensational rise Of Sinclair's oil
RSRIl A1a4 A~aG 10
Teapot Dome from Secretary Fall.
The committee will also investi.
gate how many former members of
Congress are on the payroll Of
Doheny and Sinclair. Former Con-
gressman Phil Campbell, of Kansas,
once chairman Of the powerful
Rules Committee, Is reported to
have been retained by Sinclair as
q lawyer in Washington, where he
81 now engaged in practice.
Dawes and POmerene Mentioned.
Whether any money was made
on Sinclair oil stock by Charles G.
Dawes, then the Budget Commits
gioner, now q member of President
Coolidge'S unarmed reparations
commission abroad, is also under
study.
Pomerene was a member of the
Senate when the oil lease bill was
passed.
Anyone in or near Washington at
that time who says he did not
know Of the danger in the situation
must have been deaf. Senator LII
Toilette delivered a remarkable at.
tack against 1t, occupying five days
in the Senate and, on one occasion,
consuming five hours without rest.
Senator La Toilette offered two
vital amendments against the bill.
One amendment was to strike out
section designed to permit the navy
oil lands to be leased.
Pomerene voted against the
amendment. 1t was rejected.
His other amendment authorized
the Government to fix the price Of
any oils removed from the public
lands.
Pomerene voted against It. The
amendment was rejected.
Senator La Toilette and his friends
contend that Mr.. Pomerene was al
ways counted as an enemy of their
efforts to save the oil and coal
lands to the people. @
PaImer's Case Recalled.
When Palmer was Attorney-G Gen.
eral he refused to take to the Su-
preme Court a case to stop the
Southern Pacific from getting hold
Of the $500, 100000 Of oil lands in
lower California
Clifford Pinchot then appealed to
President Wilson, publicly denounc.
ing Palmer as an unfaithful public
servant. A similar caseL involving
Q smaller tract of land had been
won by the Government. Biggs
conducted that case. II 1t IL ascer-
0ainOd that he advised Palmer to
Continued ON Pagp 4 Column ~