The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-05-28
Assigned

1 courts, fearing that trial might result in cry of political" perse- cution and that it would afford an opportunity to Townsend leaders to appeal for a huge defense" fund among their thousands of follow CTS.
 /, The resolution prepared for action by Chairman c. Jasper Bell of the Investigating committee provided for prosecution of the action in District of Columbia supreme court.
 Bells committee presented a l4- page report to accompany the con- tempt resolution, reciting the chronological history of the cases of Townsend, Wunder and Kiefer.
 The committee reported all three had been subpenaed properly, that Dr. Townsend appeared for ques- tioning for two and one-half days, and then walked of the stand while Kiefer and Wunder refused to ape pear.
 The report charged Townsend re- quested permission to read a writ ten statement and when refused made an oral dissertation in which he said he was bolting the commit te because of its unfair and un- friendly" attitude.
 A similar presentation, including correspondence with the committee, was made in the Wunder and Kie- fer cases.
 Bell said the committee would resume hearings probably Monday when Edward J. Margett, Califor- mia state area manager of the Townsend forces, and Sheridan Downey, Townsend attorney, are scheduled to testify.
 Rep. Scott w. Lucas, d., Ill., a committee member, said Margett and Downey would be cited for contempt If they did not appear.
 Townsend IS Bitter
 Baltimore, May 28-(UP)-Dr. Francis E. Townsend, commenting on his citation for contempt by the house, charged today that congress Is afraid to bring me before the bar of the house for an open dis- cussion of the merits of this notor- ious case"
 He charged the house with an attempt to smear my good name and the organizations which I rep- resent for punitive political pur- poses in plain violation of the right of petition and of my own consti- tutional rights which, thank God, may now be fully and fairly de- tended in the court"
 Town send declared himself amused" by the contempt proceed ings and especially by the fact that the house failed to cite Sheridan Downey, his attorney, for contempt.
 He attributed the lack of action against Downey to belief that such a citation would result in Downey's election as governor of California.
 In Q statement, Townsend said:
 T am asked to comment on the action of the house upon the rec- ommendatlon of the Bell committee that I be cited for contempt and that the case be referred to the court. To quote the inimitable MT. Mencken, should think that any schoolboy with intelligence above that of a Tad Pole would Know that the house is afriad to bring me before the bar of the house for open discussion of the merits of this notorious case.
 Apparently MT. Bell has been able to carry his tactics of suppress sion to- the house itself and to cut of all approach or debate there as he did in his committee.
 "The indignation which I would naturally feel over the un-Amer- ican treatment I received at the hands of the Bell inquisition is considerably ameliorated by the amusement I get out of the report that my attorney, Mir. Downey, was not permitted to share with me the disgrace of contempt citation under recommendation of the Bell committee for the reason that if he were so cited 1t would elect him governor of the state of Califor- nia.'
 '"This is a pretty kettle of fish" when congressional hearing gets so bad that a citation for contempt becomes equivalent to nomination and election to public office"