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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1924)
"Principal" in Code Wire . Not Coolictee * o Ira B. Bennett, Sender of Telegram to McLean, Says Party Referred to Was Senator Curtis. By Associated Tress. Washington, March 7.—The oil com mittee was told today that Attorney General Daugherty sent a reassuring message to Edward E. McLean In Florida on the day the publisher was summoned here to testify In the oil inquiry. Ira B. Bennelt, an editorial writer on McLean’s Washington Post, testified that such a message was conveyed In a telegram he sent to McLean after a conference with the attorney gen eral. The message aa placed before the committee included such phrases as 4 “all that is possible to be done will lljr International News Service. ■ Washington, March 7.—Senator Charles Curtis, republican nt Kan sas, informed International News Service today that if he was “the principal” referred to in the fa mous code message that apprised 1C. U. McLean there would be no “rorliing the boat and resigna tions” on account of the oil inves tigation, it was all news to him. “I do not understand why any rede name should lie applied to me,” Senator Curtis said. _>-—-/ V be done by us," and, ‘ you know what to depend on." Bennett then declared that a sim ilar assurance had been conveyed through him to McLean on January ?9 in the famous ‘'principal'* mes sage. Not Coolidge. The ‘‘principal’’ referred to In that message, the witness said, was not President Coolidge as some demo cratic senators have guessed, but Senator Curtis. He testified that Curtis had told him the publisher should not be dis turbed, that it would be ‘‘all right.” As partially decoded and placed In the committee record the message (hat Bennett said Attorney General Daugherty had sent through him to McLean was as follows: "I am at Y's elbow and standing at the guns. All that Is possible to be done will be done by us, so yots should worry delay selection of prose cutor.” “Give Evelyn (Mrs. McLean) my love. I don't want Evelyn to be disturbed as long as I am on the job. Tou know what to depend on. The fight is on me and I am ready for them and feeling fine.” Saw “Principal." The "principal" telegram of Jan uary 29, of which Bennett said he meant to convey assurances from Senator Curtis, said: “Saw Principal delivered messages he says greatly appreciates and sends ^ regards to you and Mrs. McLean. There will be no rocking of the boat and no resignations. He expects re action from political attacks.” At a conference that morning, Ben nett said, Senator Curtis had told him to tell McLean that he need not worry, as he had done nothing wrong except to stand by Albert B. Fall. The second sentence of the telegram, the witness declared, related to Im pressions he had received from Presi dent Coolidge's general conference with ths Washington correspondents that day at the White House. The February 14 messages, h* con tinued, “contains substantially what Mr. Daugherty told me.” “Mr. Daugherty was concerned about Mrst McLean,” Bennett con tinued. “I think the telegram didn't use his words. He said something like 'love to Evelyn’ ”, The expression about delay In se lecting a prosecutor, he said, ap peared to refer to ths president's se lection of counsel in the oil cases. At first ths witness had said he thought the assurance came from Wilton J. Lambert. McLean's attor ney. and that hs was ths man re ferred In ths message as “X”. "But this message say# ‘the fight Is on me’," said Senator Walsh, Mon tana. ‘‘What does that mean? There was no fight on Mr. Lambert was there?” "I don’t know.” ‘‘This doesn't honk up.” Senator Walsh went on. "Mightn’t X have been somebody else” there’s a good portion of this message which doesn't mean anything at' all, if it is Lambert.” “I can’t help that.” “On February 14 you sent a mes ^ sage mentioning ‘H. D.‘ ” Senator pi Walsh said, “about a conference.” "That, I think, refers to Mr. Daugh erty," Bennett said. __ ADVERTISEMENT k THREE DAYS’ GOUGH IS YOUR DANGER SIGNAL Chronic coughs and persistent colds lead to serious lung trouble. You can stop them now with Creomulsion. an emulalfled creosote that la pleasant to take. Creomulsion Is a new medl ral discovery with twofold action; It soothes and heals the Inflamed mem brane and kill# the Kerm. Of all known drugs, creosote la recognised by the medical fraternity as the greatest healing agency for the treatment of chronic coughs and colds and other forms of throat and lung troubles. Creomulsion contains. 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Inc// ' "I don’t think I saw him that day, ■ but finally aaw him the same day or the next.” "If we should assume that tho code message of yours referred to Mr. Daugherty," Senator Wnlsli went on, "that would connect up?" "Strange as It may seem, that tnes sage contains substantially what Mr. Daugherty told me as well es Mr. Lambert." Reads Second Message. Senator Walsh then read the "prin ciial" telegram of January 29. "I’d like to explain." Bennett be gan. "The second part of that mes sage refers to my own opinion, whl<^t I cot from attending the White House newspaper conference. The first part 'the principal' refers to Senator Curtis." McLean, Bennett continued, had given hint a message to deliver to Senator Curtis. "I was to tell Curtis that McLean was all right," he continued. "I was to say McLeSn understood the attack was more or less of a political mat. ter." "And the rest of the message about rocking the boat and resignation was what you got as an Impression from attending the White House confer ence with all other correspondents?" "Yes." "But the message goes right on,” Senator Walsh put In “to say ‘he ex pects reaction from unwarranted po litical attacks'.” "That'* Senator Curtis,” Bennett said. "Who expected the reaction?" “Curtis told me to tell Mcl^an not to worry, that It would come out all right." "The president never used those words I used. It was my Impression of his attitude, his firmness, his pur pose, that I was giving." Senator Adams brought out the fact that President Coolldge saw cor respondents at 12:30 p. in. on the day of the message and that Bennett sent the message at 1:20 p. m. “I sent the'message Immediately," Bennett said. "I taw Senator Curtis In . the morning before the White House conference.” "As early as January 3," Senator Walsh resumed, "Mr. McLean reposed sufficient confidence In SenatoV Curtis to ask him to Insert a statement In the record?” Wired Him. “Getting back to thia ‘principal’ message.” said Senator Walsh, "how could Mr. McLean give that message the interpretation you have placed on It today?” “I tried to make him understand.” “How did you think McLean would know that ‘principal1 meant Senator Curtis.” “I had wired him eo.” “We haven't got any such message here,” observed Senator Walsh. Senator Walsh paraphrased the "principal” message but Bennett dis agreed with the meaning. "It would read” Senator Walsh said, " 'I was at the White House to day and from what the president said there will be no rocking of the boat and no resignations. He expects reac tion.’ " “No. Senator Curtis expected the reactions.” Senator Bureum took up the mystic "captain” and “chieftain” message. “Who Is chieftain, this deserted and stricken and beleaguered person?" Senator Bursum asked. “I don’t know—I never got a mean ing from that.” “Lid you ever have a conference with Mr. Slemp about this?" asked Senator Dill. "No, I talked with Mr. Slemp once, when three or four other peraone were there.” “What was there In this message you gave ‘the principal’ which waa ao appreciated?" asked Senator Adams. "Well. Senator Curtis told Mr. Mc Lean. through me, he appreciated the confidence shown In him." “Appreciated that McLean had stood by Fall?” Senator Adams asked. "You ought, to be ashamed to put such stuff In the record—why do you do It?" Bennett demanded. Senator Adams repeated soma of Bennett’* earlier answers. "What did you give Mr. Curtis?” “I decline to give It to you per sonally. 1'va gone over It again nnd again—I’ll tell It to the committee." Senator Adams naked for a vote of the eornniUtee nnd Bennett was or dered to proceed. "McLean told me to tell some re publican member of the senate that politics was behind all this Inquiry,” said Bennett. "I told McLean Curtis was the best man to tell.” Standing Ip for I all "Was there anything about Fall you were to tell?” "Well, I was to say that Mr. Mc Lean was standing up for Fall, but that he had no connection with l>o heny, Sinclair or the oil business " “Did you have any prearrangements to use the term ‘principal’ for Sena tor Curtis?” "Well, Mr. McLean had used the term for Curtis." "We can’t escape the conclusion that all of you people, as well as Mr. McLean, were laboring under great anxiety," Senator Walsh put In. "Was all that anxiety because of his fear of being called to the stand?” "It was McLean who was anxious. He was a sick man, with tills leased wire and all that. He was anxious.” "Give us what ground he had for it,” pursued Senator Walsh. "My Impression was that he re garded this as a great political ques tion,” Bennett said. "In which he was Involved. He's not an expert statesman and he had this wire. These messages were going back and forth to get w'hat It all meant." Burlington Office Moves. City ticket office of the Burling ton railroad moved this morning from 1 SOS Farnam street to the new ofifoe In the southwest corner of ths First National bank building. THRILLt BUT ARTISTIC Will pP Gyra Be the pyj tions —OF— KEE-WA-NU Australasian Impression istic Rhythmic Dancer Auiited by tba 6 Dancing Loreleis 6 ir.fwiar ‘Happy Days' Inc* W. H. Ward * F. R. Morphy GAYETY™™ 2; JO-NOW PLAYING-Bi20 Twlca Today. Mat. 16-K0c: Nlta ISc-fl MISS NORA BAYES Tha Famous International Singer < Carlaton A Ballaw Espa A Dutton “THE SHOW OFF* Allan, Taylor A Barber \ Lucas A Ins* | JACK ROSE I A drama of tangled hearts, so ciety splendor and gorgeous lovemaking. “DON’T CALL IT LOVE” with AGNES AYRES—JACK HOLT NITA NALDI-ROD LA ROCHE THEODORE KOSLOFF Vaudeville—Photoplays ftY»ltiH»3T0PAY Hanneford Family Big 6*Act Bill On th* Screen DAYTIME WIVES nzmmmmmmr vr Will H. Ward and Frank R. Murphy ja SMr.n.y “HAPPY DAYS” SSKSf ITin AiulraUiUn Rhylhmk Dipctr KEE-WA-NU T. 6 Ladles' 25c Darysln Mai., 2il5 Wk. Days Farmer Near Beaver City Kills Self With Poison Beaver City, Neb., March 7.— Charlie O. May, 46, farmer, com mitted suicide Thunsday by swallow ing two ounces of poison. He was involved financially and had been worrying over his Indebtedness, it is said. He leaves a wife and two chil dren. 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