The Investigations

The great strain under which Congress had been working on account of its numerous investigations began to "tell." It seemed that the era of investigations was coming to a close.

Oil. As a sign of the times, the

Committee investigating the oil leases adjourned, subject to call, because the supply of witnesses had been exhausted. The quarrel between Senator Walsh, Democratic prosecutor, and Senator Spencer, Republican defender, continued to the very end. Daugherty. The investigation of the Daugherty regime in the Department of Justice continued, but with its end in sight during May. There was the usual round of witnesses, most interesting of whom was Thomas W. Miller, Alien Property Custodian, who, speaking of some of Daugherty's associates, said: "I told President Harding that I did not like some of the ways of some people who came from his State -- the way they walked into my office, at least." Wheeler. The special committee, headed by Senator Borah, which had been investigating the charge that Senator Wheeler had accepted money for prosecuted claims before the Land Office, closed its hearings and returned, 4 to 1, a report of "Not Guilty." Mr. Wheeler has been under indictment in Montana for this offense. Evidence was adduced before the committee to show that the Republican National Committee had joined with the Department of Justice in an attempt to bring the charge against Mr. Wheeler. Attorney General Stone was reported as saying that the case against Mr. Wheeler would be pressed. Zihlman, Langley. A committee of the House, which was investigating charges against two Representatives --Zihlman of Maryland for accepting a bribe, and Langley of Kentucky for conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act--returned a report. In the Zihlman case the committee agreed unanimously that conflicting evidence had been heard and that "taken as a whole . . . the evidence does not establish the truth of the charge." In the Langley case, the committee had suspended inquiry when the Representative was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury. He has since been convicted and is appealing the case (see under), but he will take no part an the proceedings of the House until the courts have entirely disposed of the charge, one way or another. Accordingly the committee recommended that in both cases "no further action is required or should be taken by the House."