Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-05-06
FENN|NG INQUIRY
RESOLUTION GIVEN
HOUSE APPROVAL
B|anton Request Approved
Without Dissenting Vote.
"ShoWdoWn" Sought.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
TO STUDY IMPEACHMENT
Rankin Asks for Fuller 0pportu-
nifty to Make Charges on
Floor of House.

| Without any voice or vote in oppo-
! sition the House today adopted the
| resolution favorably reported from
/ the House judiciary committee, COM
| posed entirely of lawyers, authorizing
! the judiciary committee to proceed
! with an investigation of the charges
| of Impeachment. made in the House
| against Frederick A. Fenning, Dis
| trict Commissioner
! Representative Luce, Republican.
/ of Massachusetts. was allowed Is min
| utes by Chairman Graham after he
had called up the Blanton impeach-
ment resolution. Mr.. Luce said he
| would vote for the adoption of the
| resolution in order that there might
! be a fair trial of the charges. In his
speech he bitterly attacked Represent
ative Blanton. Democrat, of Texas,
/ VINO had presented the charges in the
/ House.
| Mr.. Blanton was allowed five min.
| utes, in which he reviewed some of
| the evidence he has laid before the
| House in regard to Mr.. Jennings ac-
| uvities as guardian.
/ In the meantime, the House Vet
/ Grams committee temporarily laid
/ o7AdC It's OI RudTQldnSnlD
| or incompetent veterans in the Dis.
| trict of Columbia and the United
! states. and held an executive session,
and ordered several amendments to
/ the World War veterans act of 1924,
! reported the House.
Luce Asks to Speak.
II desire to present certain reasons
why this resolution ought TO be adopt
n NJ fnI- t1A
No proceeding of this gravity
/ should in my judgment go forward
without some statement of the cir
| cumstances involved. l have been, and
am of the opinion that there is grave
| doubt about whether an official of the
rank of a Commissioner of the Dis
| trict of Columbia ought TO be i'm
/ peached.
| "Precedents inform us that many
| years ago in an analogous case a
| committee expressed such doubt by
| reason of the fact that the person
| charged was appointed for limited
and definite time. that he was sub
| ject TO removal and that he was of
q rank that did not warrant the use
of the solemn proceedings of i'm
peachment which meant to concern
itself with high crimes and mis-
demeanors by high officials. In this
instance. there is the added reason
that the organic law of the District
of Columbia says that Commission
er is a municipal officer, which would
expose us. in case the precedent is
| set to having our time encroached
upon by demands TO impeach other
appointed officials. such as members
of the school board, the chief of the
police or of the Fire Department or
any one else in the service of the
District.
THE committee on the judiciary.
however, has seen fit not to face this
issue before it has the authority to
Droceed | have no doubt it will con-
slider that matter early in its delibera-
tions, but should it still continue,
there will be benefits accruing from
the second investigation that will be
of great value to the House, to the
people and to the cause of justice.
Rankin Protests Plea.
Before this episode confronted US
| had never met the man whom 1t is
sought TO impeach. l never saw him
until he entered our committee room.
! I hardly knew of his existence, but L
have been in all my life perhaps
handicapped by some sympathy Tor
the under dog. From my earnest
days, when l could acquire any knowl-
edge on these subjects, 1 was taught
that every man is presumed to be IN
nocent until he is proven guilty, ana
that every man charged with crime
has a right to his day in court:
II found myself confronted by
BODY of associates, a large number OF
whom seemed to me to have forgotten
the right of every man to be deemed
innocent until he is proven guilty. ana
the right of evoy man TO nave MS
day in court, and l found a populace,
inflamed by passion and prejudice,
ready to cruelty this man..
Mr.. Rankin protested that Mr.. Luce
| was taking all of the time to put other
members of the veterans committee
lin a wrong light" and arguing that
| time should be allowed "in order that
we can get the facts before the
| House."
Holds Charges Unwarranted.
| Continuing, Mr.. Luce said: II have
no structures to pass upon the men,
| bers of the committee (veterans) with
whom l have for nearly three weeks
been considering this case. l do not
propose to defend this man. He must
stand his chances. If he is to be
| crushed to serve some purpose that
! / cannot conceive, that is his fate,
/ ana he HluSt dCCtpt AiSS AOA 9"
wider and "A broader purpose. / rise
to- inform those unhappy men who
are confined in our hospitals. to in
form their parents, relatives and
| friends; aye, to inform more than
! 900 900 men who ssrved in the late
war that the --cIs. laid before our
| committee, which has concerned itself
only with the aspects of the case that
! related to veterans. do not warrant
any Judgment condemninS this man.
He has violated no law. Every act
that he has performed has been per-
formed by sanction of the court.
THE justice of the court has been
| quoted within u few days as accepting
| the responsibility. Mark you. what
! say now and spread 1t abroad, II you
| will. Not one veteran has lost one
penny through the conduct OF this
| man. No estate has"
| Again Mr.. Rankin tried 10 get
recognition, saying. There is no eVi.
| dence to back up the statement oI
| the gentleman from Massachusetts.
| Mr.. Luce answered, mo estate mas
| been diminished by one dollar. NO
| law has been broken"
Mr.. Rankin then appealed to the
Speaker on a point of order The
ge1tleman from Massachusetts,. who
| is taking up practically all of the time
allotted on this resolution except NC
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