Evening star., 1926-04-28
IFENNTN(, COMPLETES TESTIMONY,
PROTESTING PROBES UNFAIRNESS
Final Appearance of Commissioner Before Commit
tee Develops Heated Clashes, With Applause and
Kisses From Audience and Threats to Adjou

ited his mother, in the last TWO mln-
utes allowed him Mr.. Blanton sought
to read to Mr.. Fenning the words Of a
song-"Smile, Dear Mothe, Smile: 1t
Eases My Pain'-but the committee
put a stop to that.
Mr.. Fenning then was allowed to
make his statement.
Mr.. Fenning gave his statement as
follows:
Mr. Fenning-I learned today, Mr..
Bowman, that after conference or con-
Sultation the veterans committee had
determined to call me tomorrow, be
cause | would be through here tonight.
Now, then, | am here to make my
final statement, as / understand, be-
fore this committee, because / will go
before the veterans committee to-
morrow morning. | am perfectly will
ing that the gentlemen in charge of
the various committees SO arrange
| want to facilitate and get the truth
out everywhere as fast as | can.
Dis0wns Tables Shown.
Again, if / may say just word in
conclusion, last night | was shown
several tables prepared over at the
Veterans Bureau or somewhere else.
l did not prepare them"
Mr.. GibSon-ThoSe were prepared
Mr.. Fleming-At the Veterans
Bureau. Attention was called by the
chairman to the fact that in a great
many of these cases l had obtained a
commission under orders of the court,
in each case 10 per cent. On another
table there Wr othr caSS, many OF
which l had no knowledge of. My
attention was pressed to the fact that
in many of those cases there had been
shown 90 lower than 10 per cent. /
was asked to remark on the difference
between the commission paid to me
and the commission in other cases, and
yet there was not placed before me or
before any member of the committee
here in my presence at the time that
question was propounded any eVl-
dence whatsoever; apd it is on file in
the, Courthouse in each caSe-ln-
dicating the service that had been
rendered by me in particular cases and
by the other committees in the cases
to which | have referred.
1T is the same thing, if the com
mittee please, as asking the lawyer
who represents the will contestants
if he got a thousand dollars In one
case. Yes; and if he got $4,000 in
another case, Yes: and then i'm
accusing him of overcharg-
ing in the case in which he got
5000. without going into the facts
which must be on record or which can
be adduced.
Il call your attention to that, be-
cause l do not think this committee
can make a report which will bring
out what a report should, unless 1t
adopts the suggestion which / antici-
pate from the remarks of the gentle
man from Delaware has been in the
minds of the majority of the com
mittee. namely, that before it acts ii
will send for the official records and
examine them.
Wants Others Called.
"Now, then, if the committee please.
There are number of
names that have been brought out IL
the course of this inquiry since
cane here.
Il said in the statement I made
last Saturday that the fact that DR..
Floyd McJ. Allen was added TO the
Board of Police Surgeons. in the place
of another doctor, had raised the pro
fessional standard of that board.
have been interrogated about it; and
in the impeachment charges there Is
a distinct paragraph on that. ask
YOU. gentIemen-and | inSiSt--Very
Respectfully insiSt-that you call the
FIVE other members of Board OF
Police and Fire Surgeons to confirm.
if they will, my statement that the
of DR.. Allen raised the
professional standard of that board.
These men are DIR. J. j. kilroy-
Mr.. Gibson-Have you these on a
seDarate sheet?
Mr.. Fenning-Yes, sir, ] will read
the names: DR.. Daniel Borden, Dir.
f. Y. Williamson, DR.. w. B. Marbury.
and DR.. W. Fl. Brandenberg.
Mr.. Blanton--I want to make
point of order.
Mr.. Fenning-I will be through in a
moment.
Mr.. Blanton--A point of order is
always in order.
Mr.. Gibson-A point of order is al
ways in order.
Mr.. Blanton-I want to make one
point of order that is good That is
taking advantage of these doctors, who
know thta if they testify against this
Commissioner they might be removed
lust like the other two doctors who
were removed-just like Headley was
removed, and just like Sergt. Lee was
retired.
Thinks Summons Unfair.
So it is unfair to call men who
work under the Commissioner up here
and ask them to testify on something
that could be used against him when
he has the power to discharge them
by the stroke of the pen.
So l hope the committee will not
act on his suggestion.
Mr. Gibson-The point of order is
overruled.
Mr.. Fenning-"I am convinced Of
the integrity of the majority of this
committee, and 1 believe that when
these gentlemen whom I have named
appear before the committee the COM
mittee will be convinced Of their in
tegrity and know that they speak Of
their own free will.
Again, his criticism has been made
within the past few days Of a resolu-
tion which was sent to the daily press,
and / think to the honorable chairman
of this committee. from the Tenley-
town Citizens Association, in which
reference was made to these charges
in these proceedings. Answer was
made on the floor by the Representa-
tive from Texas in which he said that
that resolution was offered by the
father of q man at the District Build
ing who is under my employ, and that
l inspired the resolution. / do not
know the employe at the District
Building by sight; emphatically deny
and brand as an untruth the state
ment that I had anything to do with
! inspiring the meeting or the resolution
or any Of the proceedings, and I re-
spectfully insist that the president of
that association, Luther l.. Derrick
be called as witness before this COM
mittee.
'In the charges there was a state
ment that I, a Commissioner of the
District of Columbia. had conspired
with the coroner of the District and
with one Bill Franklin employed at
the District Building, with respect to
the body of a person unnamed, found
in the river. / branded that story
with the proper designation, but I