Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-13
VANDERBILT ASSA|LS
HARD|NG'S HONESTY
Must Explain to Oil Probers
Hint at Corruption in
Marion Star Sale.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
OSSINING. N. Y, February lin
the course of an arraignment of pub
lie officials. past and present, Frank
A. Vanderbilt, flnancier. in a Rotary
Club address last night, criticized the
sale Of "a certain Marion newspaper"
"A certain Marion newspaper sold
for $3.50, 900, when 1t was we'll known
to every one that it was not worth
half that sum-" he said =
Two young msn Of no financial
standing purchased it. Everybody in
Washington, including the newspa-
per correspondents, knows this, but
no one wants to look under the edge
of a shroud ="
Where did the money come from ?
Where did 1T go? These are matters
of public interest. The last admins
tration stands challenged. We can
not wait for Congress or the courts,
especially when we remember that
Mr.. Daugherty is Attorney General"
Teapot Dome Scandal.
Then the banker whirled into the
Teapot Dome scandal. He attacked
Senator Walsh's associates on the
Senate Investigating committee, saw
ing several Of them We're undesirable
investigators of any moral question.
McAdoo testified" he went on.
that he was only acting as a repu-
table attorney for a reputable client
In the oil matter, but like any bow
with stolen jam, he dropped that
client Immediately after the client
had testified before the investigating
committee.
The Senate did not go further in
investigating Secretary Fall, because
FAN was ready to peach and what he
would have said would have gone into
high places. They didn't dare"
yeterans' Bureau Case.
There were other national scandals
even more fragrant than Teapot Dome,
Mr.. Vanderlip added. declaring the
Veterans Bureau had spent more
than 100000. 900 belonging to wound
ed veterans. and that the Shipping
Board had spent millions in the previ-
honest, was incredibly stupid" He
called upon President Coolidge to de-
mand the designations OF Secretary
DENLY and every other official be-
smirched in the public mind.
the scum t OF ahlngs are Sating in
derlip continued. What is the truth?
We are entitled to know. 1t will
demand courage in high places to
nnd out. The President has got to
swer. He must say something to
make us continue to believe in his
great integrity and moral COURAGE
which we all think he has"
Mr.. Vanderlip said today, dis
eussing his speech of last night. that
he had no proof Of the rumors that
were current for months regarding
the Marion newspaper.
my purpose" said Mr.. vanderlip,
I'm bringing 1t to public notice. is
sip concerning dead President, COS
sip, which is outrageous, II untrue.
Would Have Inquiry.
: II have made no formal request to
President Coolidge for such an in
vestigation. He might say that it is
not his business, and it may not be,
but it seems to me that a newspaper
could best conduct the inquiry-if the
publishers abandon their policy of
silence toward gossip which they
have heard. have no unusual sources
of news. -
But 1 have profound faith in the
HoHSS.y ahu SouIdSe OF Hresioent
Coolidge and his ability to clean q
very dirty house. We should give
him our sympathy and patience and
not criticise him yet. He probably
felt that he came to his Office by an
accident of death and that he should
continue the cabinet and policy to
which he fell heir.
THE committee failed to call Fall
to testify, not because they were
afraid he would not talk, but because
they were afraid he would talk too
much. I don't think Senator Walsh
was party to this, and do not in
clude him in my statement that sew
eral of his associates were undesir-
able Investigators OF any moral cues.
ton. 1 think he is extremely acute
and almost fanatically igh-minded."
SUBPOENA ISSUED.