Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-24
O'BR|AN ADDED
TO LITTLE CABINET
Accepts Post as Administra.
tive Head of Department
of Justice.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

President Hoover is having extraordi-
nary success in persuading outstanding
men to accept public Office. The rec
ord to Gate SHOWS that only few peo-
pie have declined to heed the call to
service
The latest example of sacrifice of pri-
Vate business to accept the summons to
participate in the Government is that
of John Lord O'Brian of Buffalo, who
Is to be Assistant Attorney General in
administrative charge of the Depart
ment OF Justice.
Mr.. O'Brien is one Of the best known
lawyers in the Empire State and was
identified with the Progressive move
ment in the Republican party in 1912.
He made an impressive record in the
Department of Justice during the war
when he was in charge of enforcement
of the espionage act. As a prosecutor
of the latter type Mr.. O'Brien was ac-
tive and successful, but he declined t.
permit the Government to be party
to the hysteria which, after his de-
parture, led to wholesale raids on sup
posed reds" and 'bolsheviks."
Reconstruction a Problem.
Mr.. Hoover has had problem on his
hands in reconStructing the Depart
ment of Justice, especially in view of
the fact that prohibition enforcement
has attracted such widespread aUten-
ton. The new Attorney General, Will
liam D. Mitchell, spent most of his time
as solicitor general in handling cases
before the Supreme Court of the United
States and was not responsible for ad-
ministrative tasks. Col. William j. DON
ovan was the co-ordinating influence
as between the various bureaus of the
Department of Justice and occupied a
position of great responsibility under
Attorney General Sargent. What Mr..
Hoover sought was a man Of tact and
ability who could draw together the
various elements in the Department OF
Justice and make them function eff
fectively under the new policies to be
laid down by the Attorney General.
The present organization of the de-
partment provides for six assistants to
the Attorney General, each of whom
has special duties to perform, but the
entire department is from an admins
trative point of view to be managed by
Mr.. O'Brian.
Intends TO Keep Peace.
Politically the appointment of MFR.
O'Brian is significant only in the fact
that Mr. Hoover is anxious to give New
York State better representation in the
before. But in recognizing the import
ance of politics, Mr.. Hoover has on the
other hand been careful to select first
of all men who, irrespective of political
consideration, would make valuable
aides to him. Mr.. OBrian's appoint
ment will be viewed by liberals in both
political parties as a sign that Mr..
Hoover intends to keep pace with the
progressives of the country as far as he
can. He feels that the Attorney Cen
eral himself is an independent, for
while he has voted for several Repub-
lican Presidents he is listed as a Demo-
crat in Minnesota. The President feels
that the Department of Justice should
have as little relation as possible with
the politics of the country.
With Mr.. Mitchell as Attorney Cen
eral and Charles Evans Hughes, jr., as
Solicitor General and John Lord
O'Brian as Assistant Attorney General,
Mr.. Hoover is turning to other depart
inents with feeling that he has COM
pleted his reorganization of the De-
partment of Justice.
The President, in asking outstanding
men to give up their business and plo-
feSSional connections to come to Wash
ington to serve, is advancing the idea
that it is just as important to accept
service in peace time as in war time
and that such great problems face the
country that he is justified in drafting
the most talented individuals he can
find. Thus far his powers of persuasion
have been very effective. In this in
stance in particular, Mr.. O'Brian was
taken by surprise. He had no idea of