The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-26
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER

| OF making people tl4Ih.)
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright 1945, by King Features Syndicate
NEW YORK, The grand jury is noble in
stitution even though it sometimes is manipu-
lated by politicians to reward and protect their
friends and persecute their enemies. It has
the right to initiate Investigations without the
permission of the district attorney and, in
a test it might successfully defy the orders
of the court 1t can exclude the district at.
torney from it's hearings if it decides that he
! is Enthusiastically and, pointedly, several fed
eral grand juries have a right just now, and
1 should say, legitimate occasion, to inquire
thoroughly into Elliott Roosevelts loan of $780,
900 from John Hartford, the president of the
| Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea company the
| large grocery chain.
Congress, too, has the power to investigate
any matter which commands its attention, but
the primary purpose of Congress is legislation,
and its investigations should be restricted to
| legislative matters or conditions which seem
to require reform through legislation. In the
case of Elliott's loan no act is pending which
would justify an inquiry, and the laws already
| existing would seem to cover any conduct
which might be disclosed by the testimony of
| all concerned
I have reason to believe that such testimony
would be that Elliott obtained other large sums
were encouraged by the late President Roose-
welt to accommodate his son. one of them being
| then under consideration for presidential ap-
pointment to an office OF considerable pres
tlge which later did come through. Testimony
| could be elected in any sincere investigation,
| alleging that Elliotts uncle, Hall Roosevelt,
the brother of Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, was
concerned in the original negotiations for the
5000. COO loan from Hartford, that he later sug-
| 40 he Nv,
H r o d to finance business of his
own and that negotiations were initiated look
| ing to the engagement of Mrs. Eleanor Roose-
velt herself, by Atlantic and Pacific as a
radio commentator but were dropped by de-
cision of Mr.. Roosevelt There would be testi-
mony, venture to say, that William Sirovich,
the new deal congressman, who participated
in Elliotts negotiations, also approached John
Hartford with a proposal that Hartford pro-
duce or radio program dramatic play
which he had written and that down to th
! day Hartford has received no proof that the
$780, 900 was used by Elliott solely for the
purpose for which it was loaned, although
this is not to allege that 1t was not so used
say only that testimony would be given that
Hartford received no proof that Elliott COM
| piled with this phase Of Hartford's under.
standing.
Now here, obviously, is an opportunity for
| political dredging operation of the kind that
| the new deal political terrorists delighted in
when the administration was young and reck-
less OF the consequences of the precedent
which it was creating That precedent has
| since resulted in a harmful confusion in the
public mind which now, from force OF CUSTOM
believes mistakenly that Congress is a sort
OF open-alr grand jury whose function is to
smear the political outs for the advantage of
the party in power. It will be observed how.
ever, that the ms. being the relics of the new
deal, have suddenly become aware of the pure
original purpose for which Congress exists and
| are exerting themselves to prevent such an
| inquiry.
| However, the Federal Grand jury of the
| southern district Of New York or the New York
County Grand Jury, could go into the original
deal and pursue the ramificatons revealed by
the testimony without any request from either
the federal district attorney, who is an APP.
polntee OF the late President or Frank S.
Hogan, the county prosecutor, who is now en-.
gagged in a political campaign and might be
unfairly suspected of playing politics whether
he dio or didn't bring the case to the county
grand jurys notice.
The negotiations took place and the money
was passed in Manhattan so both grand juries
have jurisdiction. But the federal grand Jury
has the advantage that its subpoenaes are
good anywhere in the United States and could
command the attendance of important wit
nesses who live in Fort Worth, Tex, and other
states. 1t could ask Jesse Jones to reveal his
conversations with Hartford, with Caruther
Ewing, Hartford's attorney, with Elliott and
with the family who, by Ewngs statement,
wanted to compromise the 5000, 900 debt, and
ask Jones who put up the 81, 900 which Hart
ford accepted in settlement It could call all
the others whom it had reason to suspect had
made large loans
The grand i;lry could ask for independent
investigators other than the FBI which, I'M
fortunately, seems to have compromised it.
self by the neglect Of some OF it's members
to maintain their austerity. Its proceedings
would be secret and the public and the po-
ltlcal outs thus would be denied any purely
scandalous but otherwise unimportant tes-
tmony But one function of grand jury is
just that It has very informal rules but it
separates evidence from scandal and if no
indictment results the mere scandal is sup
pressed, as it should be.
The subjects of greatest popular interest
here are ethical political and h storical. The
throbbing questions are whether President
Roosevelt encouraged individuals who were un-
! der consideration for political favors to lend
| money to his son and then permitted or even
contrived the discount of loans, whether the
| Treasury will dsallow as a deductibe bad
debt debt which obviously was bad and what
place Mr.. Roosevelt deserves in history if he
did this
| circumstances have MT II I'm to Elliott fo