The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1924-01-28
Conference
/ S Called
on Sunday
Acting Attorney General and
Aide Summoned to White
House for Night
Meeting.
Capper Attacks DENLY

Il Il
Washington. Jan. 27-President
Coolidge is picking the prosecutors.
The names Of special counsel. who
will go to the bottom Of the Fall
Sinclair Doheney oil lease scandal,
will be given out as soon as the presi-
dent has made his selection. They
will be summoned to Washington at
once and will be expected to proceed
without delay.
The prosecution will be without
parallel in importance since the days
of the Star Route scandals and the
Whisky Ring in the days Of Presi-
dent Grant.
Law Will Be Enforced.
Then. President Grant gave orders,
Let no guilty man escape" Now
President Coolidge has said. Every
law will be enforced and every right
of the people and the government will
be protected"
The case Of THE People Of the
United States Against Albert B. Fall.
ct al will require the best legal
brains of the country. Washington
is specializing on who will be se-
lected.
At els tonight. President Coolidge
summoned Acting Attorney General
Seymour and Assistant Attorney Gen.
eral Rush Holland to the White
House.
Conference Is Unusual.
A Sunday night conference at the
White House Is in itself unusual. The
present conference is all the more
unusual in the vast consequences to
personal fortunes, to financial for
tunes, to political fortunes, that hang
in the balance.
The fact that the president IS CIV
ing his Sunday evening to the mat
ter is taken by everyone here to
mean that he viii move swiftly and
with precision.
Capper Attacks DENLY.
Washington, Jan. 27.-"Because Of
'technicalities' which the secretary
of the navy could not understand. the
public now understands too well thai
private exploiters have come into
possession OF at least a quarter OF a
billion barrels of government oil"
said in a statement tonight announc-
ing his support of resolutions TO can
eel naval oil leases.
President Coolidge's announcement
that he would institute court pro-
ceedings where necessary, was en-
dorsed by Senator Capper. who said
the affair should rise above con-
Germs Of party expediency." and
that none guilty OF breach Of pub
lie trust shall escape.
Aside from the scandalous in
ference OF the Teapot Dome affair"
said the Kansas senator: aside from
the grave suspicious of criminal tur-
pitude to which Il gives rise and the
evidence Of gross neglect Of official
duty and indifference TO the public
interest which 1t has disclosed. the
investigation has revealed the fact
that $1,000 acres Of California and
$500 acres Of Wyoming oil lands
reserved to supply our future naval
needs have been turned over 70 pri-
yate exploitation.
Explanation Does Not Explain.
Defenders OF deliberate alienation
Of government oil reserves. which is
a bold and frontal attack upon the
governmental policy Of conservation
OF natural resources. explain that the
leases were made necessary heeauss
the oil fields adjacent were being de-
veioped and that IL the government
acreage were no; developed its oil
would run into private wells.
This IS an explanation that does
not explain: il does not explain why
the leases were made without public
bids; IL does not explain the negli-
gence Of the secretary of the navy
who testified he signed the leases
without understanding what he
signed because they were too ;echni-
cal. 1t does not explain the story OF
Doheny. and Colonel zexely. private
attorney Tor Mr.. Sinclair. regarding
loans Of sis5.oe0 TO former Secre-
tary Of the Interior Fail. This ex-
PLANTATION does not explain the story
Of Archie Roosevelt, wherein he told
the committee that Sinclair's secre-
tary had told him that Falls ranch
| foreman had been given seS. 600 OF
Sinclair's money.
II shall support n resolution direct
/ ing the proper agency OF the govern
ment TO proceed =; once 10 void these
leases and 70 recover this alienated
public domain--this great store ~ oil
upon which our future national - fetv
may depend. and that evidence of
criminal guilt he relentlessly and un-
sparingly prosecuted no matter whom
IL may involve"