Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-14
Speculation Increases as to
Whether New Yorker Will
Head Commission.
COMING TO WHITE HOUSE
at PRESIDENTS REQUEST
Chief Executive Has Not Yet
Taken Up Matter of Selection of
Special Groups Personnel.

The fact that Charles Evans Hughes,
former Secretary of State and former
associate justice Of the United States
Supreme Court, is to be an overnight
guest at the White House has given rise
to increased speculation concerning the
probability of his being named by Presi-
dent Hoover to head the special COM
mission to find out what is wrong with
the law-enforcement system.
Mr.. Hughes is coming to the White
House in response to a request from
President Hoover and it is felt by some
of those close to the latter that he
would be very happy to have this out
standing lawyer and national figure at
the head of the commission. 1t is un-
derstood, however, that the White House
already has received intinations that
Mr. Hughes is not in a position to lay
aside his personal interests to take up
this task.
At any rate, there is every reason to
assume that President Hoover is anx-
only regarding the scope of the proposed
investigation into the entire jurispru-
dence system, but regarding the matter
of personnel. 1t is thought that Mr..
Hoover would appreciate suggestions
from Mr.. Hughes regarding certain in
diyiduals who might be available to
serve on the commission. 1t is learned
from an authoritative source that while
Mr. Hoover has given considerable
thought to this investigation he has not
yet taken up the matter of selecting the
men who will compose the commission.
OF course, he has any number of names
before him, most of them having been
suggested by others, but he has not yet
reached that point where he is to do his
actual picking.
To Make Haste Slowly.
Considering the fact that the work to
be done by this commission is to be of
such vital Importance and in all likeli-
hood will serve as one of the outstand-
ing accomplishments of his administra-
ton, President Hoover will be in no rush
in reaching conclusion as to the per-
sonnel of the commission. He has in
dicated that he will move slowly and
deliberate In most studious manner.
The impression Is that the commission
will probably number not more than
nine and that it will be selected within
the next few weeks There Is reason to
know that in selecting this commission
the President has no intention of ap-
pointing persons Of known radical views,
either for or against prohibition. He
has indicated that he is desirous of
having his commission composed of per-
1nnv ra@ fy@ "A ar nyrA fn To-.
with the operations Of the courts in the
country and who have capacity for
intelligent investigation.
The feeling is also that during his
White House visit Mr. Hughes views
on the proposal made by Elihu Root to
the foreign powers looking to American
entrance into the World Cour with the
restrictions laid down by the Senate
will be sought by President Hoover. Mr..
Hughes has Just returned to this coun-
try from Europe, where he is understood
to have talked with numbers of officials
and others regarding this subject.
Confers With Educators.
President Hoover today learned from
Robert M. Hutchins, dean of the Yale
Law School, and Charles E. Clark, men,
ber of the legal faculty of Yale, just
what they have been doing for the past
two years in the matter OF investigating
law enforcement in several Of the New
England States and New York.
Mr.. Clark is director of special COM
mission of the Yale faculty which has
fund for the Rockefeller Foundation
for the purpose Of carrying on an in
tensive investigation of law enforce
ment. These callers, besides discussing
the work they have been doing, left
with the President quantity of papers
containing facts and figures explana-
tory of their work Among the latter
was copy of Fact Research in Law
Administration, in which is set forth,
among many other facts, that the dis
posal of suits in the courts has been
Slow. One table showed that out of
1925 cases In one court more than one
half of them required more than year
to get through the court.