The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-22
By United Press

~ CHucd Press
WASHINGTON, May o.
DR.. Francis E. Townsend, re-
newing his defiance of the
House old-age pension in
quiry, today charged the COM
mittee lacks courage to carry
out it's threat to cite him for
contempt of the House.
DR.. Townsends new challenge was
issued after the committee aban-
doned its plans to carry the case
before the House today.
They haven't got the courage to
carry through their threats" said
the elderly pension-plan founder. IT
challenge them to go through with
their plan to put me on trial before
the House"
DR.. Townsend, who said he would
rot in Jail" before testifying further
before the old-age inquiry, con-
tended the committee was unwilling
to accept responsibility for ANY
more persecution"
Afraid of the People, He Says
DR.. Townsend said committee
members are afraid to face the
American people" and forecast that
they will pass the buck to the
courts rather than try me before
the House."
DR.. Townsend's new challenge was
issued as the committee met in ex-
ecutive session seeking to determine
its course of action. Two plans
were under consideration but there
was no certainty that either of them
would be carried out.
One plan was for certification of
charges to the House and trial of
DR.. Townsend for contempt by the
House. The other plan provided for
certification by the House of the
charges of the District of Columbia
Supreme Court.
The second plan would mean no
decision could be reached, proba-
bly,, before the November elections.
If the first program was followed it
probably would mean the House
would be tied up so long that ad-
lournment would be delayed.
The committee had planned orig
1nally to meet at $50 a. m, vote an
immediate recommendation to the
House for contempt citation and
take up the matter on the House
floor at IL a. m.
Overnight, however, the members
appeared to have changed their at
titude toward swift and drastic &C
ton against the 70-year-old physi-
clan whose dramatic exit from the
committee room precipitated the
crisis yesterday afternoon.
New Inquiry to Start
The suggestion for sending the
case in to District Court would prob
ably delay any final ruling on the
question for months. 1t would mean
that the House would vote a formal
certification of charges which then
would be prosecuted by the district
attorney rather than by the House
itself, sitting as court of inquiry.
None of the committee members,
however. was willing to indicate
what course of action would actual
ly be followed.
Meantime the inquiry was ad-
journed until later today when it
was announced Townsend affairs
would be dropped entirely and DR..
James A. Pope, head of another old
age pension organization placed on
the stand.
DR.. Townsend'S withdrawal came
yesterday after he had been sub
jected to three days of relentless
questioning about his pension or
ganizatior
Before he reached the door he
was joined by the Rev. Gerald K.
Smith, organizer for the late Huey
Longs share our wealth" move
ment, who cleared a path for the
DOCTOR through crowd of specta-
tors and newspaper reporters. The
incident gave further impetus to
rumors Of a third party alliance be-
tween the two organizations and the
Rev. Charles E. Coughlin's National
Union for Social Justice