Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-12
SHELBY AND KELLY
SEEK SENATE'S AID
Letter to Capper Carries Plea
for Full Hearing on Grand
Jury Charges.
Continued From First Page.)

colleagues that such an investigation
might prejudice the Mcpherson case In
some way.
Senator Blaine took the position
that if there was question as to the
scope of the inquiry or when it should
be Started those matters should have
been rasied on the floor of the Senate
before the resolution was passed He
said that, the Senate having adopted
the resolution in its present form,
the committee cannot escape its
responsibilities.
King Is Supported.
Senator Vandenberg, Republican of
Michigan, agreed with Senator King,
and called attention to the fact that
the resolution authorizes the commit
tee to proceed "as soon as practicable. "
Senator Vandenberg declared it is not
a question of side-tracking the in
vestigation, but of using discretion as
to the proper time to hold it. The
Michigan Senator is a member of the
subcommittee to which the question
was referred and he declared that IL
the committee is not to have any
discretion as to its procedure he would
not care to serve on it.
Senator Jones, Republican, of Wash
ington, also a member Of the Subcom-
of the resolution referred to numerous
newspaper articles as forming the basis
of the charges. He questioned whether
the charges the subcommittee is ex-
pected to investigate are definite enough.
The subcommittee is composed of
Senator Sackett, Republican, Of Ken
lucky, chairman: Senators Jones. Re-
publican, Of Washington; Vandenberg,
Republican, of Michigan; Copeland,
Democrat, of New York and Blease,
Democrat, of South Carolina.
Senator Sackett was out Of the city
today.
Delayed Action Seen.
At the outset of the meeting Senator
Blease told the committee that the
foreman of the grand jury had stated
that the true bill growing out Of the
death of Lee King was returned in
June. He said if this was the case he
wanted to learn why it was held up
until September, when the indictment
in this case was returned. Senator
Blease declared he was not undertaking
to say just what happened but he
wanted to find out.
With regard to the part of the reso-
luton referring to the carrying Of con-
cealed weapons, Senator Blease told the
committee he understood there were
two organizations of Chinese in Wash
ington, one rich and the other poor.
He said his information was that the
rich one could get permits to carry
guns, but that the other could not He
said his position was that neither group
should be given such permits, and he
said this should be looked into i'm
mediately.
Question Is Raised.
It was at this point that Senator
King raised the question as to the adj
visibility of having the investigation
go into matters that might relate to
the Mcpherson case at this time. One
part of the resolution calls for an in
quiry into the reasons for the suspen-
sion of Policeman Robert j. Allen, who
made an independent investigation OF
the Mcpherson case. Some members
of the committee took the view that
an inquiry into Aliens suspension would
necessarily lead into the Mcpherson
investigation.
Senator Blaine commended the COM
mittee could go forward with an in
vestigation Of police ineficiency with
out passing on whether the death OF
Mrs. Mcpherson was a suicide or
homicide and without determining the
guilt or innocence of any one.
Senator King said that II he had been
in the Senate when the resolution was
brought up he thought he would have
asked that it be not acted on at the
present.
IT think that with the grand jury
working, the Department of Justice
making a thorough investigation and
the Commissioners having designated
board to inquire into the police phases,
we are piling it on rather thick at this
moment and would have preferred 70
wait" Senator King said.
Predicts Early Trial.
The Mcpherson case, Senator King
said, probably will go to trial at an early
date and that a Senate committee In
yestigation would "stir up the public
and make it more difficult to get a
Jury" The Utah Senator recalled that
the Gibson subcommittee OF the House
has spent nearly two years investigating
the Police Department, as well as otner
branches of the District government,
with the aid of the Bureau Of Efficiency.
Investigations of the District govern
ment. he declared, have been going on
without interruption for long time.
Senator King said he was not pre-
pared to assert that an investigator
such as Senator Blease proposes Is not
needed, but felt that these constant
investigations cannot do otherwise tnan
have a demorallZlng erect.
Senator Blaine said the charges In
the preamble of the Blease resolution
NAV not be specific, but the Senate
has adopted it and it is too late now
for this committee to escape its re-
sponsibility for going into everything
in the resolution, indefinite as they
may be-"
Says Senate Apprised.
1of
committee could go back to the Senate
and ask to have the resolution recon-
sidered and redrafted, but he pointed
out that the Senate had knowledge
of what was in the resolution when 1t
passed it.
IT think that Washington has the
most inefficient direction of its police
department that I know Of" Senator
Blaine asserted. He said he had no
fault to find with the rank and file OF
men in the department but that the
rank and file is far above the directing
force of the department" The Senator
from Wisconsin then extended his
criticism of the police administration
to the Commissioners and other
branches of the city government, de-
claring that Washington is not a city
but "conglomeration of politics"
Senator King interrupted to point out
again the District government has been
investigated from many angles by the
Bureau of Efficiency and the House
committee, and that the Senate commit
tee in recent years had also made in
vestigations, particularly into public
school requirements. Senator Blaine re-
piled that argument should have been
made in the Senate before this resolu-
ton passed.
Suggests Postponement
Senator King answered that ne
thought the Senate committee was al
lowed some discretion as to the proper
time and manner Of conducting an In
veStipatinn adding that he thought this