The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-21
President Is Advised To Clear His Cabinet
 Of Storm Centers
LODGE IS CALLER
 AT WHITE HOUSE
Senator Pepper, Another Visi- tor, Participates In Discus
 sion Of Attorney General
DAUGHERTY REPLIES
 TO WHEELER CHARGE
Reaffirms His Intention Of Not Stepping Out After Meeting
 With The President

WASHINGTON. Feb. 20.-(By Av- sociated Press. .)-Pressure on President Coolidge to remove Attorney General Daugherty was increased today by ad- ministration leaders in the Senate. At White House conference, lasting for an hour and a half, Senators Lodge of Massachusetts, the republican leader, and Pepper of Pennsylvania, advised the President of the growing insistence at the capitol that MT. Daugherty should retire.
 The result of the conference was not apparent The senators refused to make any statement and White House of- ficids were equally reticent. After the Presidents callers had returned to the Senate, an impression grew that they had received little idea just as to the Presidents attitude.
 Resolution Would Carry
 Privately there was little suggestion as to the advisability of calling up . pending resolution requesting MT. Cool idge to demand Mir. Daugherty's resig- nation. Some senators expressed the be- lief that this measure could be adopted with less opposition in debate than de- veloped to. the resolution calling for the resignation of Secretary Denby.
 Senators Lodge and Pepper yisited the White House after the Attorney General had reaffirmed to the President his determination not to resign under fire and had issued a public statement defying his critics.
 The Attorney General denied in his statement the charges made in the Sem ate yesterday by Senator Wheeler, dem ocrat, Montana, author of the resolu- tion, and said he welcomed opportunity ito meet any charge against my ad- ministration.'
 Not First Representations
 The representations made to Presi- dent Coolidge by Senators Lodge and Pepper were not the first that had been conveyed to him by individual leaders in the Senate, but they wert ep5rtsj to have been of a much more f"rr@tnl character than any that had gore he | fore!
 The visit. of the senators s1ssustei 1 from number of conferences dI tbs Senate and elsewhere in which most tf the administration leaders p2rticipated. In large measure Senators Lodge ara Pepper acted as spokesmen for these leaders. Ef, .
 While what transpired in the long conversation at the White House re- mains a sealed book, it is known that the consesus of opinion of those partic- plating in the conferences of the re- publican Senate leaders was that the administration should be cleared of the last of those who have become centers of attack in connection with the oil scandal.
 Insist On Broad View
 In the view of the Senate leaders the question of the retirement of Mir. Daugherty has become one transendinx all personal considerations. They insist that the matter should be viewed from broad standpoint, taking into con- sideration fully party policy.
 Emphasizing that there was no de- sire to infringe upon the Presidents perogative of himself deciding who shall be in the cabinet, senators said the administration record was one on which all members of the party must stand or fall and that there should be decision regardless of past allegiances or association.
 Before going to the White House, Senators Lodge and Pepper had received word of the statement made public by Mir Daugherty after he had called on the President few hours before.
 MT. Daugherty issued his defy to his critics and told them he was ready for the fight immediately upon returning to the department of jusdce from the White House
 Not The Last Word On It
 At the same time officials close to the Attorney General said that he and the President had found themselves in ac. cord. In many official quarters. how. ever, the belief remained that this was not the last word on the situation.
 While Senate leaders continued their conferences with respect to the retire ment of Mir. Daugherty, Senator Wheeler, democrat, Montana. refrained from pressing for Senate action on his resolution calling for a full investiea- tion of the administration of the At- torney General. The resolution has been referred to a committee, which did not act on it during the day.
 Despite this, Senator Wheeler had contemplated early in the day asking for Senate consideration of a modified proposal under which selection of the personnel of the investigating commit tee would have been left to the Senate. Under the original measure Senator Wheeler would himself have named the It was objection to this rather unprecedented request that pre- vented consideration of the measure at the time of it's introduction yesterdav