Evening star., 1929-06-25
LEGISLATORS OPEN
ATTACK ON HAGUE
Jersey Lawmakers Renew
Feud With Mayor
Over Wealth.
BY the Associated press.

By the Associated Press.
JERSEY CITY, N. j., June 25.-The
battle between Mayor Frank Hague, ma
tional figure in Democratic politics. and
the Republican Legislature, which seeks
to learn the source and whereabouts oi
his alleged wealth. shifted today from
the State Capitol to the courts Of this
city.
Opposing counsel came here to argue
before Vice Chancellor John J. Tallon
in the first stage of legal battle which
may eventually reach the Supreme Court
oi the lnited states. .sts.4ess--sesss. u
Obtained Fiabeas Corpus Writ.
The Legislature has held Hague in
contempt for refusing to answer ques-
tions of its committee. The mayor
after his arrest In Trenton last night
obtained writ of habeas corpus from
Fallon. Application to set aside that
writ viii be the technical bone Of con-
tention.
The Legislature, with a newly enacted
law authorizing q maximum penalty oi
six months in jail for contempt, has
announced it would carry the case tc
the highest court of the land IL Fallon
and the New Jersey Court OF Errors
and Appeals does not set the writ aside
Merritt Lane, counsel for Mayor
Hague, also has said he would carry his
appeal to the highest court If the State
tribunals hold his client may be sent
to Jail. -
Third Attempt to Probe.
The arrest marked the climax of the
third attempt of State legislative
agencies to compel the mayor to dis
close the sources of $40O,000 he is re-
puted to have spent in the last 10 years
1t was ordered in a Joint resolution
after the mayor had appeared as a wit
ness before joint session of the SEN
ate and Assembly and had invoked the
protection of the fourteenth amend
nent to the Constitution of the United
States in his refusal to answer 10 key
questions.
The key questions all had to do with
whether Mayor Hague had accounts In
various banks at stated times and where
he obtained the cash he paid for q
number Of real estate investments.
The mayor answered freely that he
had no other gainful occupation than
political office for "a years and that his
highest salary during that time had
been $1,000.
Asks Democrats to Vote Arrest.
He added an ironical touch to the
proceedings when, learning that the
Assembly lacked Republican majority
to pass the resolution ordering his ar
Sest, he instructed Democratic meu1-
bers TO vote for 1t.
Two legislative committees have at
tempted to compel Mayor Hague to re-
veal details of his private business af-
fairs in connection with investigations
OF municipal affairs in Jersey City.
After his refusal to testify before the
case committee was sustained in the
courts, additional legislation was passed
granting a similar committee broader
powers. His defiance of this body re-
suited in his citation before the joint
session and the contempt charges, The
maximum penalty under the charge is
six months In Jail.
Advised by Owen J. Roberts.
Discussion during the joint session re-
vealed that counsel for the investigating
committee had obtained advice from
Owen j. Roberts of Baltimore, sllecial
counsel for the United States In the
prosecution of Harry r. Sinclair, now
serving jail sentence for contempt of
the United States Senate.
Roberts was quoted as telling the Re-
publican leaders mot to be discouraged" !"
since IL took five years to get Sinclair
into Jail for refusing to answer ques-
tions Of the United States Senate.
Hague triumphed In recent city elec-
ton.