Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-03
'Senate Renewal of Authority
for Investigation Planned
TomorroW-Prepare Suits
!, to Stop Oil Extraction.
P0MERENE IS SELECTED
IN PLACE OF GREGORY
Hearing to Be Resumed Tuesday
With Threat of Contempt
Proceedings or Impeachment if
Former Interior Secretary Still
Refuses to Answer Questions.

heIu TO answer questions.
Preparations to compel Albert B.
Fall to testify before the Senate
public lands committee regarding
the leasing of the naval oil reserves
when the committee meets again
Tuesday are under way. The first
step will be the passage by the
Senate tomorrow of a resolution
giving the committee a new grant
OF power, since the authority of the
committee to make the investigation
under the resolutions passed in the
last Congress has been questioned.
AT the same time groundwork
is being laid in the Department of
Justice for the institution of in
junction suits to prevent further ex-
traction of oil from the Teapot
Dome reserves by the Mammoth
Oil Company, headed by H. F. Sim
clair, and from Naval Reserve No.
in California by the American
Petroleum and Transport Company.
of which E. L. Doheny is president.
Place for Suing Undecided,
Whether these suits will be
: brought here or in the states where
the reserves are located was not
disclosed.
President Coolidge has selected
former Senator Atlee Pomerene of
Ohio, democrat, in place of Thomas
w. Gregory to serve as special
counsel with Silas H. Strawn to
The public lands committee has
made 1t clear that 1t intends to 20
to the mat with Mr.. Fall and his
attorneys on Tuesday over Mr.. Falls
refusal to testify. 1t has directed Mr.
Fall to appear Tuesday, and late
yesterday Levi Cooke, counsel for
Mr.. Fall was again informed by
Chairman Lenroot of the committee
that Mr.. FaKmust be present Tues
day.
Mr.. Cooke suggested that Mr.. Fall
would like to get out of Washington
to some quiet place for rest and re-
cuperation and it was arranged that
Mr.. Fall should go to a nearby su-
burb over the week end.
Two Courses Oopen.
Should Mr.. Fall still decline to tes-
tify, and it is expected he will de-
cline-after the committee has re-
ceived full authority from the present
SENATE to continue with the investi-
Gation-two courses will be open.
\ First, contempt proceedings may
be instituted against Mr.. Fall, and
should he be convicted, he would be
compelled to serve from one month
to year in "a common JAIL and to
pay fine of from 500 to $1,000.
Second, impeachment proceedings
could be brought against Mr. Fall in
tie House, under which he would be
tried by the Senate. In the case of
William w. Belknap. Secretary of
War in the Grant administration, 1t
was held by the Senate and House
that impeachment proceedings could
lie against a cabinet officer even at
ter he had retired from office. Mr.
Belknap sought to avoid impeach-
ment by resigning from Office a few
hours before the House took action
to impeach him.
May Try Obstruction,
In some quarters 1t was predicted
last night that Mr.. Fall and his coun-
sci would undertake to delay pro-
ceedings against him, IL the COM
mittee undertakes to punish him for
contempt by getting the matter into
the courts and demanding various
writs and injunctions to prevent &C.
ton. Such delays, it was said, might
postpone final decision for months or
even years. if the ordinary course of
procedure was followed in the courts
Interest in the examination of the
stockholders through whom 1t has
been suggested officials of the, gov
: eminent might have traded in oil
stocks about the time Of the leasing
OF the naval oil reserves is scarcely
less than in the questioning Of Mr..
Fall himself. A beginning on this
part of the investigation was made
yesterday with the assignment of
accountants of the Federal Trade
Commission to go through the books
of w. B. Hibbs & Co.
The accountants are searching for
transactions in certain oil stocks in
volving q list of names in the pos
90 NS> 70
similar examination Of the books Of
other brokers IL in contemplation.
Brokers to Testify.
Although the Senate committee ex-
asmined no witnesses. number were
on hand yesterday ready to take the
stand. Among them was James
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