The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-06-13
MRS. STEPHENS WRITES IN
TERESTlNG LETTER ABOUT
TRIP TO WASHINGTON

/
Mrs Rowland Taylor has just
handed us the following letter
which she has received from Flor
ence w. Stephens, former Circle
attorney who practiced here for
several years. AS it contains first
hand information in regard to the
Senate Investigations that Senator
B. K Wheeler has been conducting
we knew it would be OF interest 10
the Banner readers
Buffalo, N. Y. June End, 1924.
Dear Mrs. Taylor:
| have just reached Buffalo after
week in Washington, d. q. where 4
appeared i'll the recent postal Irauu
hearing for some Buffalo clients.
While there | made it a point TO
look up our now famous senator
Burton X. Wheeler, and | thot you
folks would be glad to get some
first hand information as to what
he is doing down there.
Mr.. Wheeler invited me in 10 sit
at one of the Daugherty lnvesti-
gazing Committee sessions and I'll
admit | was surprisd at some OF the
evidence given there. l had thot
that the newspaper reports were
probably exaggerated but sensation
al as those reports are they do not
cover half of the evidence that is
brought out at the hearings. | sup
pose they hardly dare. 1t involves
some of the biggest men in the
United States, both financial and
political.
| heard the notorious CASTOR B.
Means testify as to the method used
by the Department CT Justice in get
ing information on Indifferent public
men so they could haudle them. Mr..
Means is conceded to be one of the
most capable detectives in the
country and he was ION the inside
on all of the big stuff that was
pulled. He told all of it including
his part in the various shady trans
actions, with utter lrankness. He
ha been indicted in New York for
some of his work and as result of
his frankness in testifying before
the Committee, pressure has been
brought TO bear, evidently, on the
big New York lawyers who were to
defend him. The day after he testi-
fled they wrote to him and withdrew
from his caseIt seems he had been
warned that this would be the case
if he told what he knew. He read
the letter from the firm of lawyers
at the hearing and remarked, with
a smile, that they had not seen fit
to return his retainer fee of $4,000,
however.
1t looks to some of the public, es-
pecially those who are getting a
too much scandal is being brought |
to the public notice. However, if |
things had been cleaned up from
time to time there ouldn't be such |
a mess to straighten up now and the
only way to clean up now is to go
to the bottom of everything and |
turn the light of publicity on it. |
After this mess our officials ought to |
be coed for some time to come. |
Right now every official in the city |
of Washington sits up and takes !
notice when Burton X. Wheeler's I
name is mentioned.
ahead with this investigation in the /
face of all of the pressure that has
been brought against him thru per
sonal Influence and unlimited re-
sources shows that he is practi- |
cally fearless and also that his past
record must be remarkably clean .
for there is no question that no
stone has been left unturned to
frame" him. TIL only action that /
was even started, however, is that
Montana indictment from which he
has been entirely cleared
While in Washington l inquired
generally as to his standing there
and with very few exceptions people
tell me that if Mr.. Wheeler had
been in the Senate one term longer
he would have the best kind of a
chance for the presidential nomina-
ton. There is even talk of it as is
is.
Mr.. R. A. Haste of Billings is
Senator Wheeler's personal secre-
tary and it is due to his loyalty and |
the intelligent handling of the de-
tails that Senator Wheeler has had |
the time and the energy to accom-
plish what he has. l had a nice
little chat with Mr.. Haste and he re-
members the whole bunch out
there and inquired after different
ones whom he knew.
Washington is a beautiful city.
1t was my first visit there and my
only regret was that l could stay
such a short time.
Give my regards to all of my
friends. Sincerely,
Florence w. stephens.