Aluminum

The Senate last week turned itself to the consideration of the Aluminum Co. of America and the Secretary of the Treasury. Led by Senator Walsh of Montana, the Democrats were making an onslaught on Secretary Mellon. There was a report of the Judiciary Committee before the House condemning the Attorney General for lax investigation of the company. There was also a resolution proposed by Senator Robinson of Arkansas, the Democratic leader, to authorize the President to appoint special counsel to present evidence before a grand jury with a view to obtaining indictments against the company.

The Committee report came up before the resolution. There were bitter controversies over the question whether Andrew W. Mellon and his brother R. B. Mellon control the Aluminum Co.

Senator David A. Reed of Pennsylvania declared:

"The fact is, and I make this statement after recent investigation and I make it with full confidence of its accuracy, that Mr. Mellon owns less than 16 1/2% of the stock of the Aluminum Co. of America. He owns less than 16 1/2% of the voting stock and less than 16 1/2% of the preferred stock, which is nonvoting, so I am not quibbling about the distinction between voting and non-voting stock. His brother, Mr. Richard Mellon, owns a similar amount, and the two of them together own less than 33% of the stock in the company."

Later Senator Walsh exclaimed:

"I suppose as a matter of course the Senator from Pennsylvania must be speaking, in this matter, as the Representative of the Aluminum Co. of America or of Mr. Mellon."

And Mr. Reed made answer: "I asked Mr. Mellon how much stock he had and whether he had any objection to making a statement what the figure was. He answered the question. . . .

"The idea that because I have asked that question I should be charged here with being the representative in the Senate of Mr. Mellon or the Aluminum Co. of America does no credit to the Senator who, makes the charge. I am here representing the state of Pennsylvania and the nation of which it is a part, and I take no insults from the Senator from Montana about that."

Mr. Walsh put in: "Of course that is not quite parliamentary language for the Senator to use, but we will let it go."

Eventually the vote was taken on the resolution censuring the Attorney General for neglecting to press the aluminum investigation. Twenty-six Democrats and seven Progressive Republicans voted to agree to the report 33 ayes. Thirty-four Republicans and two Democrats (Blease and Bruce) voted to reject the report 36 noes. The report was beaten, the Senate would not investigate the Aluminum Co. and Mr. Mellon. Since there was little hope left for his resolution to have special counsel present the case to a grand jury, Senator Robinson dropped his resolution. The result was considered in some quarters as a victory for Secretary Mellon, his popularity and reputation for rectitude; in other quarters it was taken to mean that the Senate did not want to face the facts.