Evening star., 1926-04-28
Johnson Committee Hears At
torney, Who Spends Hour
on Stand.
HOLDS LAW DOES NOT
LIMIT FEE IN DISTRICT
Declares ANY Commissions in Ex-
cess Of 10 Per Cent Were for
Extra Services.

Completing three days Of testimony
and discrimination before the
House District subcommittee las
night, Commissioner Frederick A
Fenning today submitted himself t(
the House World War veterans legis
lation committee for examination. The
veterans committee is meeting until
late this afternoon with the Commits
sloner on the stand and the subcom
mlttee will pursue its investigation oi
district institutions as authorized un
der its resolution at 7:30 o'clock to
night.
Mr.. Fenning spent / hour and Il
minutes on the stand before the vet
Grams committee today answering
questions from Chairman Johnson
Republican, South Dakota. and Repre-
sentative Luce, Republican. Massa
| chuSettS, Oh the duties and procedure
or a committee of mentally incom
petent World War veterans. Chairman
Johnson made it plain at the outset OF
the session that only that portion OF
MI. Fennlng's activities as committee
! referring to World War veterans
would be accepted. The small com
mlttee room was comfortably packed
/ e~ScNt ou olHoTS seek
ing admittance were turned away
owing to the lack of accommodations
for them
More Time Asked.
When the District committee held
It's regular meeting today Chair
man Gibson of the subcommit-
tee investigating District matters
asked the full committee to extend
the time for this Subcommittee's re-
port. After some haggling in the
committee as to the length of eX-
tension, it was decided to set Nav
lo instead of May /. Mr.. Gibson
reserved the right to renew his re-
quest later for a further extension.
IL that is done, it will be for the
purpose of giving the House judi
clary committee a chance to act on
the impeachment charges against
Mr.. Fenning without any bias from
whatever report might be made by
the subcommittee of the legislative
committee. -
Mr.. Gibson announced that the sub
committee intends promptly to make
some recommenda tions to the full
committee regarding what he de.
scribed as remedial legislation. This
would include making habeas corpus
matter of right: recommendation for
creation of public guardian; putting
the committee or guardian under a
limit of fee, probably per cent; cut.
ting down the fee that doctors have
a right to charge in lunacy cases,
which is now reported to the commit.
tee to be $50; making some provision
in regard to commitment. Mr.. Gibson
explaining that information now be-
fore the subcommittee shows 1900
patients in St. Elizabeth's who have
never been committed by the court;
and recommendation for a complete
revision of the District code.
1t was in reSponce to insistence of
Representative Blanton that the time
for the subcommittee report was put
at May 10. He notified the committee
that he is now drafting a remedial
bill which he will probably introduce
tomorrow. This will provide for a
writ of habeas corpus: would require
court commitment after a jury YER
dict to place any person in ST. Eliza
beth's; require that DR.. White, within
so days, should bring before the court
and allow fair trial for each patient
in ST. Eliza beth's who has not pre-
viously been before the court for
commitment.
1t contains a provision that no com.
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