The Washington times., 1936-05-27
CONSTITUTION
IS CITED BY
DOCTOR
Age Pension Sponsor
and Aides Promise
War to Finish
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York, Eastern regional director,
and John B. Kiefer, Chicago
head of the pension movement,
to answer SubpoenaS.
Townsend Turns to Courts
The names of DR.. Townsend,
who staged his spectacular walk
out on the committee last Thurs
day. DR.. Wunder and Kiefer
again were called this morning
and their absence read into the
record.
DR.. Townsend meanwhile as
serted, through his attorney, Sher-
idan Downey, that he would carry
his case before the Supreme Court
if necessary to prove he Is in
the right.
DR.. Townsend contends he was
justified in refusing to submit to
further questioning by the House
committee on the ground that he
was subjected to "inquisitionary"
methods, brow-beaten by his ques-
tioners, and forced to answer
questions tending to besmirch
the character of himself and his
organization without chance of
defense. He declared through his
attorney:
"There has been an increasing
tendency on the part Of Con.
gress to turn its hearings into
inuuiStitiOns and to perSecute
helpless citizens for purely poll
tical purposes.
"This is . destructive ten
dency that can have only the
result Of undermining demo-
cratic government and bringing
. dictatorship into being.
CONTEMPT IMMEASURABLE
81 patiently answered the
committees questions for two
days and a half and withdrew
only when it became patent that
Twas having to submit to an in
quiSition and that the commit
tee was solely interested in
destroying my movement with
reckless disregard Of its
merits"
Townsend declared he was given
no opportunity to present his old
age pension plan or to defend him.,
self, asserting:
II have no fear Of the cOnSe-
quences IL they do prosecute. II
they attempted to give me SEN
tence commensurate with my
contempt for their attitude, 1t
would have to be a life SEN
tence."
Should he be cited for con-
tempt and judged guilty, Town
send said he would fight the
conviction to the limit, adding:
"I'm fighting not only for
myself and my movement, but
for the fundamental rights Of
every citizen as guaranteed by
the Constitution"
DR.. Townsend's challenge re-
echoed criticism that has been
directed at many recent congress
sional Investigations. Congress is
empowered to conduct hearings
to obtain information on pending
legislation, but the contention Of
many authorities is that the
power IS sharply defined. Seizure
Of private kilograms by the Black
committee in the Senate's in
veStigation of lobbies has been
challenged in the Federal courts.
Upheld by Monaghan
Representative Monaghan (DD
of Montana, today leaped to de-
tense of the doctors defiance Of
the committee. He declared the
House has no right to bring out
a contempt citation against Town
send. He said:
"Dr. Townsend appeared as
. voluntary witness, answered
questions for two and . half
days and showed a willingness
to give all the information the
committee desired. In fact, he
was willing to give more in
formation than the committee
would let him. They have no
right to cite him for contempt"
TownSend'S "walkout" was
bolstered by refusal of two of
his chief lieutenantS to answer
the committee'S SllnmonSeS Sllb-