Evening star., 1934-02-15


gated"
Robinson of Indiana said he Eek
pected" the Investigating Commit
tee to come forward and offer to
make its own investigation in view of
its activities in the Brown matter"
He said he had no desire to white
wash" any Republican official if one
had defrauded the Government. He
insisted, however, that Brown should
be heard.
Il recognize" he shouted at the
Democratic side. that there is just
as much crookedness in the Demo-
cratic party as in the Republican
party"
This sally brought rumbling OBJ
lection from the Democratic Robin
son which was lost in the gallery
laughter.
Chairman Mead earlier today had
said the Post Office Committee would
hear Brown and representatives of
aviation companies whose contracts
have been Cancelled.
I'VE can't deprive these men Of
their right to state their case Mead
told newSmen after committee hear
ing in which Post Office Department
officials asked enactment of temporary
emergency legislation to permit the
Army to pay the expenses of carrying
the mails.
Representative Kelly Republican,
of PENNSYLVANIA, remarked just before
the committee meeting adjourned
that since all these contractors have
been held guilty of fraud and collu-
tbPv should he allowed to state
their case in public"
Kelly suggested that Brown and
Charles A. Lindbergh as well as rep
resentatives of the companies involved
should be heard.
Mead replied that the committee
first should hear, in executive ses-
sion. the charges on which the Post
Off1ce Department based its cancella-
ton of contracts and then decide
what other persons TO call.
He indicated Brown and the others
would not be invited to appear until
after the committee had acted on the
temporary legislation.
Appearing before the committee
earlier, Harlee Branch. Second Assist
ant Postmaster General, asserted the
Army will carry the mail and prob
ably will carry it for several months" T"
This was in reply to reports that
the department had under considera-
ton a plan to adjust the airmail
contracts Cancelled last week.
Before the committee met, it had
been reported in postal circles that
President Roosevelt soon may draft a
special message to Congress on the
airmail situation.
The reports, following last nights S
charge by Postmaster General Farley
that all domestic airmail contracts
except one were products of con-
spiracy, did not disclose what the
President will recommend.
Some hope had been held out that
several companies charged by Farley
with "collusion" might be brought
back into the airmal picture by dras-
tic REORGANIZATION. Otherwise
they would be barred from bidding
for five years
Senator OMahoney. Democrat, OF
Wyoming. a former Assistant Post
master General, moved to this end
He pleaded;
Let us make the guilt personal
We should not visit it upon the in
dustry."
Farley's open letter was made pub
lie as the Roosevelt administration
prepared for court battle over
the dramatic cancellation of the air
companies contracts. 1t asserted
fatty that chiefs of IA aviation COM
panies met in the Post Office Depart
ment here in 1880 and that 13 came
out with lucrative holdings.
Competitive bidding was abandoned,
Farley charged, and other companies
were excluded from the meeting, He He
tending contracts, maintained under
the Hoover administration, was Ill
legal"
The Justice and Post ONCE De-
partmentS are cooperating in pre-
pairing to fight an order in a New
York court designed to restrain the
Government from canceling all con-
tracts and having the Army fly the
mail. A first step will be fight
on jurisdiction, based upon an at
tempt to move the battrc to the Dis
trict of Columbia courts.
Army TO Start Monday
In any event, protracted court
battle was expected by some officials.
Barring a court order-which officials
said they do not eXpect-the Army
will pick up the air mail Monday at
midnight.
Farley's open letter was addressed
to Chairman Black of the Senate Air
Mail Investigating Committee, which
turned up evidence that led to the
wholesale cancellation and the SEN
ates just completed air mail trials.
Farley said that only the National
Parks Airways emerged empty-handed
from the 1880 conference. That con-
Germ alone, he asserted, will be given
a further hearing.
Farley charged that former Post
master General Brown acted ill
legally" when he extended five con-
tracts beyond their normal date OF
expiration. There was no attempt, he
said. to re-advertise or re-award the
routes "and the course pursued was
part of the conspiracy hereinafter
mentioned"
Then Postmaster General Brown,
he said, proceeded to build up, by
the so-called extension of routes
part of the system of the United Air
craft & Transport Corporation and
the greater part of the American Air
Uays and the Ira nscontinental and
Western Air systems.
This means in simple terms, that
II one of these companies had con-
tract for part of through route, g
transcontinental system could be built
in that manner"
Replies to Lindbergh.
Postmaster General Farley, a few
hours before he made public the letter
TO Senator Black and a bundle Of