Evening star., 1944-12-08
|Sedition Case
Attorneys Differ
|0n Schwein1aut
| Two Attack Fitness,
| Another Sees Him as
| Great Judicial Timber
BY DON S. WARREN.

A Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
today heard an echo of the mass
sedition trial here when an attorney
IN the case argued for an hour
against confirmation of Henry A.
Schweinhaut as an associate justica
Of District Court.
The attorney was William ].
Powers, who represented william
Dudley Pelley, former Silver Shirt
leader, in the sedition trial. Mr..
Powers is spokesman for a group
OF Chicago attorneys who are fight
ing what he claimed to be violations
OF civil rights by Attorney General
Blddle and members of his staff.
However, Claude A. Thomson.
local attorney, who also served in
the defense in the sedition trial as
an appointed attorney, said he was
sure Mr.. SchWeinhaut would make
"a great judge" administering the
law without fear or favor"
Despite the Powers charges, Mr..
thompson said he was sure that
no power on earth could cause Mr..
SchWeinhaut to do an unjust act"
He said he had known Mr..
Schweinhaut in legal practice here
Tor many years and was convinced
that his acumen and his character
were beyond question"
Dilling in Opposition.
Albert W. Dilling, who defended
his former wife, Mrs. Eliza. -th Dill
ling. in the sedition trial, joined Mr.,
Powers in opposition to the appoint
ment. He said he was informed Mr..
Schweinhaut was "one of the mental
powers behind the trial. in which
his wife was prosecuted on "a bold
faced frame-up"
/ While Mr.. Powers was testifying, q
group OF outstanding Washington
lawyers waited a chance to testify
on the character and fitness of Mr..
| SchWeinhaut to fill the District
bench vacancy caused by the death
of Justice Oscar R. Luhring.
Appearing on behalf of the nom
inee were John Carmody, president
of the District Bar Association, and
I Former Presidents John Lewis
Smith, E. Barrett Prettyman, Paul
B. Cromelin, Walter Bastian, Fran
els W. Hill, jr, and Godfrey Munter,
Preston King, president of the Bar
risters' Club of the District, also
was present to support the nomi-
nation.
| Gets VFW Support.
In addition, Leolin Neville
/ Thompson, department commander
of the eVterans of Foreign Wars
submitted resolution adopted
; unanimously by the department
urging prompt confirmation of Mr.
Schweinhaut and praising his lex.
treme ability" 1t was said this i,
; one of the few times the organiza
: ton ever has gone on record sup.
porting a candidate for public Office
Mr.. Powers charged that MI
! Schweinhaut was one of three ke,
l men on the staff of Attorney Gen
l eral Biddle who, he claimed, engag.
in a ''fanatieal attempt to put ir
l jail all those who cause the dis.
pleasure of the Attorney General.
Specifically, he charged that Mr.
Schweinhaut was "a messenger boy
for the Anti-Defamation League.
He asserted that Mr.. Schweinhaul
was not particular" about how he
conducted a prosecution. and
charged that he was careless in
making too broad use of search and
seizure warrants.
Mrs. Roosevelt Mentioned.
Mr. Powers also brought into his
account the name of Mrs. Eleanor
Roosevelt while reciting that Pelley
had written an expose" of the
Warm Springs Foundation for In
tantile Paralysis, titled "Cripples
Money" Pelley, he said, claimed the
foundation was fraudulent" in the
pamphlet, published at Asheville
N. C. Later, he declared, Mrs. Roose-
velt went to Asheville and obtained
: copies of the pamphlet. Subsequent
ly, he said, Justice Department
investigation resulted
Senator Chandler, Democrat. Of
Kentucky who conducted the hear
ing, repeatedly asked Mr.. Power,
how he was connecting his com.
.. plants with the work of Mr.
Schwelnhaut. The witness said thi,
went mostly to the Indianapoli.
trial and conviction of Pelley priol
to his inclusion in the mass seditior
case here