Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-31
LEVIN ROAD PROBE.
PLAN IS DEFEATED
Committee at 4 Annapolis
Votes IS to I for Dual
Investigation.
BY a staff Correspondent Of The Star.

BY staff Correspondent Of The Star.
STATE HOUSE. ANNAPOLIS, Md,
January 3l.-Efforts Of Republicans to
block the investigation of State road
contracts by the governors special COM
mission we're successfully thwarted late
yesterday, when the grand inquest re-
fused to adopt a resolution offered by
Senator Harry o. Levin, Republican, of
Baltimore, which would have prevented
that committee from proceeding. On
the other hand, the committee will be
asked to sit with the legislative COM
mittee this afternoon, and tell it what
has been done, and just what power it
needs to carry on its investigation thor
oughly. Counsel for the grand inquest,
who appeared yesterday and accepted
the request to serve. were asked to draw
up resolutions which would give the
Michigan committee, named after John
j. Michigan, chairman of the governors
commission, power to subpoena wit
nesses and to put them under oath
The grand inquest will hold another
session in $3.50 o'clock this afternoon.
Senator Levin said that while he
yielded to no man in his admiration
of the governors commission, the gov
ernor should ask his commission to
cease its investigation until the grand
inquest had completed its work He be-
lieved, he said, that the Legislature is
the only power to probe the affairs of
the State Roads Commission, and that
it could not delegate its authority to an
unofficial body. His resolution provid-
ed that the members be relieved, that
they report the results of their investi-
CATION so far to the grand inquest, after
which they would be invited to attend
the sessions.
Denied Authority Divided.
Speaker E. Brooke Lee OF Silver
Spring, administration spokesman, in
sisted that there was no division of
authority. He said the committee was
well regarded by the people. He said
1t was committee whose integrity had
never been challenged, and urged its
continuance as an agency that has not
been reflected upon In any way. He
said the legislative committee had been
called a packed committee and its pro-
posed efforts to investigate the roads
matter had been called joke. He said
the grand inquest could go into every
phase of the investigation, and its work
would not interfere with that Of the
Michigan committee.
1--WE are the Grand inquest Of
Maryland" continued the speaker,
land We are going to have a COM
plete investigation. We can endow
the Nelligan committee with power
to summon witnesses and punish
for perjury. At the conclusion of
their investigation we can accept their
report or make our own. We are not
bound by it.
ut is clear that some newspaper
editors should be brought before the
grand inquest. They have made
charges in connection with the scandals,
and they must have the information,
or else they would not print the charges,
and we propose to- get it from them
under oath. Some members of both
houses of the Legislature who have
made charges should be called upon for
proof.
Probe May Take Year.
Senator S. Scott Beck of Kent Coun-
y, chairman, said that If the grand
inquest undertakes to go into the rec
ord of the State roads office in a COM
petent and thorough manner, it will
take year to reach the end. It would
be physically impossible to do the work.
The Michigan committee Is doing II
either personally or by agents. 1t would
be very bad move, he continued, for
the grand inquest to attempt to stop
that work. The grand inquest, he in
sisted, will have other angles to investi-
safe, and its work will not interfere
with that of the committee. He said
he didn' see how the mechanics of the
investigation are going to be carried
out If the grand inquest undertakes to
examine the records.
Following Senator Beck's talk, the
Levin resolution was lost by a vote
Of Is to /, when Speaker Lee moved
that all members of the Michigan COM
mittee be required to meet with the
committee today. The grand inquest
also adopted resolution requiring the
Governor to furnish each member of the
inquest with copy of the report of
HaSkinS & Sells, the private account
ants who audited the road commission
books, following the exposure of the
speculations.
Counsel were induced to prepare a
resolution which would give the inquest
authority to hold sessions anywhere in
the State. The matter of continuing
at the conclusion of the current legis-
lative session, it was said, would be
taken up later, when 1t was found out
just how much time 1t might take.