The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-22
Wickersham Defiant
 To Newspapermen
(Continued from Page D

1t was dropped on the ground 1t was unfair to start an inquiry before the commission had completed its inves- tigation.
 Desire by some senators for an in. vestigation has been sharpened by the rigid secrecy which the com mission maintained, over the protest of one of its most active members Judge William $. Kenyon. In his separate statement, Kenyon suggest cd a congressional inquiry to lay open a mass of startling informa- ton" which he said the commissions unfortunate" policy of secrecy had kept from the public.
 The commission still adheres to its policy of secrecy. After Chairman Wickersham's 34-word denial that the president had influenced the commission, the United Press re- quested the commission secretary to permit scutiny of minutes. prelimin- ary drafts or any other data from the files which would support Wick ersham's denial. This was refused
 Chairman Wickersham refused to see newspaper correspondents who were seeking an explanation of ap- parent discrepancies between the commissions recommendations and the statements in some of the sep arate opinions. Another member of the commission, Dean Roscoe Pound of the Harvard law school while refusing q statement. attempt ed an explanation. but when ques- tioned by the unconvinced cores pondents, Pound strode out of the room declaring they were '1mbe- ciles."
 ol, pressed strongly from many quarters support his denial. Finally last night he issued second statement. repeating his first brief denial and adding:
 Further suggestions embodied ir telegrams received by members of this commission from various news papers to the effect that q change was made in the report after 1t was signed, and that such change was made at the suggestion of the presi. dent. are absolutely false."
 The White House declined to deny or confirm the report.
 Two sets of circumstances stil were lacking official explanation to. day.
 First. some republican senators were advised just before the first of the year that the report would be sent to the president January 6 One senator was told this by q com. mission member as late as January 4 or 6. But no report came. Mem. bers of the commission held numer. ous sessions after that time. but nc information was. offered to explain the delay. Chairman Wickershan n was in frequent conference with tho president throughout the period pre-. ceding final completion of the re port. On January l9 the repor was sent to the president, but 1t wal dated January z, as were each of the II separate statements.
 Second. two of these statement. were phrased as if the commission had recommended immediate re- vision of the 18th amendment whereas the commissions report q. it finally appeared merely suggest. ed form to be followed if tho amendment were revisd.
 President Hoover. in opposing any such modification. described 1t as the commissions proposed revision oi the 18th amendment suggested by them for possible consideration al some future time If the continued effort at enforcement should not prove successful"
 However, Coi.. missioner William l. 0rubb. a federal judge, opposed tt revision, said in his separate repor that he concurred in all of tho com missions conclusion's "except tha recommending that the amendment be revised immediately without fur ther trial"
 Judge Paul J. Mccormick, also op posed to revision without further triaA, used almost identical language though the commissions final re-