Evening star., 1924-01-26


he was being hampered on every side
to the White House with the, tale that
by Director Wilmeth and his subordi-
mates, the twenty-eight men who
were doomed for dismissal. The fact
Of the matter is that these men were
Incensed and irritated by Brewers
coming among them to disinter bones
that were not only dead, but which, in
fact, never had had life in them.
president Wilson's Secretary Of the
Treasury, David f. Houston, had had
thein stirred up and found them
meatless President Harding's Sec
retary of the Treasury. Andrew w
Mellon, had looked at the bones and
found them equally uninteresting
Now came man clothed with power
to paw and claw over bureau affairs
IN quest OF evidence that did not
exist. Wilmeth and his staff were
IN no mood to be excessively helpful
TO Brewer. Two clean bills of health
had been given them and they did
not understand why Brewer now
was sent 10 the bureau to discreiit
them.
Brewer urged The President TO dis
miss the "inSubordilsate" Wilmeth and
his gang out of hand, on the ground
that while they were in control mis-
erorts 10 uncover the scandal" would
prove futile. Mr. Harding observed
that he couldn't dismiss these men.
because they were under civil service.
except for established cause. Brewer
retort"d that what the President
could do was to abolish their Offices
and appoint new men to new offices
and new duties. Brewer explained
that under some still existent war
time legislation the President had
power 10 grapple with the situation
in that way.
No Specific Evidence.
Brewer, even up to this juncture,
had produced no whit OF specific
proofs of fraud. One case that he
took to the President and Mr.. Cris-
singer was that of a mutiIated bond
which bore the same number as a
bond that had previously come back
TO the Treasury Department and been
exchanged. This bond Brewer took to
be a duplicate numbered bond.
The facts are that when that bond
had been investigated by the secret
service, il was discovered that the
bond, after being exchanged and
supposedly destroyed. had been stolen
and presented a second time. 1t was
made clear to the President that
Brewer thus was guilty OF an in
sincerity. He had obtained the eX-
hibited duplicate bond. by means of
his all-powerful presidential com
mission, from the Treasury archives.
where it was on file with record
of its history.
In addition to faults. due TO imper-
feet numbering machines, thousands
of bonds which had gone out into
circ ulation in the regular way and
had been stolen were altered by the
removal of digit or a change of d
digit in the number, which in each
instance created duplication of
some other numbered bond.
Brewer still insisted that he was
in possession of prima-facie evidence.
He had apparently completely captur-
ed the confidence of the President and
Of Mr.. Crissinger with his arguments.
There are some Indications that
even after Mr.. Harding restored
most of Wilmeths men to civil
service status. there still lurked in
the Presidents mind a suspicion that
Brewers charges were not entirely
baseless. Brewer submitted no writ
ten reports on his inquiries-or has
not done 50 hitherto. The under
standing has been that he wanted 10
.close up his Investigations before
doing SO. Now that they are about
to end, it may be Brewers intention
to submit his case" in formal re-
port fashion. The Presidents posi-
tion was that it was only fair to
| Brewer not to judge him until his
injuries were finished. SECRETARY
ing had reached his decision to act
without comforting with his cabinet
officer charged with responsibility
for administration of the bureau.
| Brewers representations to the
, President We're to the effect that
Mellon was too easy going"
After the President had acted on
! the strength of Brewers recon-
mendations, the Secretary OF the
Treasury talked to the President in
! fa oh q BrGSi-
dent, don't you realize that If there
were any duplicate bonds in the
hands of the bankers. coupons would
have been presented for interest pay
actually due on any single interest
! date?" The Secretary added that the
| coupons presented had never equdieu
! the interest due. ,;l.,
| this: "Mr. President, a man VINO
! would put up these fraudulent bonHs
! and borrow money would instruct the
! bank not to clip the coupons,
Mr.. Mellon naturally retorteu i,,"s nc,
| n hank would be intensely suspicious
! nf anv borrower who made such d
! rcouest. and would almost certdlnLiS
| send the bonds. deposited As no"
| lateral, to the Treasury at o,,t if
ton for verification 10 hiu
once collateral is pledgeu :,
hank the bank can do with IL as ~
| pleases. Mellon is banker ef that hat
saw .,c,,iar ,,i. Contention by Brewer.
Pc secretary Mellon finally psrsuadieeo lniea
Mr.. Harding there was realts tament noen
ing seriously wrong. RelnsIate ,ar
to civil service status ensued year
ago. az For ten months Wilmesh ,es hnd had
his twenty-eight colleagues. snsi msu
| rested under the most hagraht sus
nicions of criminal malfeasance IN
| pffica Brewer had hornsWossled
other branches of the executive, e, now
to hermit him to carry on his sieuth
ing operations. a private ONCE had
been assigned him in the pspart-
mont of Justice. He had 1T paddock
, ad with the key solely in his posses
sion. Not even the departmental
| charwomen were permitted to to, INV invade
! his sanctuary of secrets. There be
. has held forth till now. and will do
40 until the curtain comes down, in
| a few hours, on his inglor1ous career
as a revealer OF uncommitted crimes.
Copyright, 1924