4 DIRECTING A COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE FAILURE THE GOVERNMENT IS INTERESTED 1 INVESTIGATION OF HON. HARRY M. DAUGHERTY, FORMERLY ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES MONDAY, APRIL 7, 1924 UNITED STATES SENATE. SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATION OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., pursuant to adjournment on Friday, April 4, 1924, no hearing having been held on Saturday, April 5, 1924, in room 410 Senate Office Building. Senator Smith W. Brookhart (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Brookhart (chairman), Jones of Washington, Ashurst, and Wheeler. Present also: Hon. George E. Chamberlain and Paul Howland, Esq., representing Hon. Harry M. Daugherty. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. Senator Harreld desires to make a brief statement to the committee, and we will hear him first. You may proceed. STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN W. HARRELD, UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM OKLAHOMA Senator HARRELD. Owing to the fact that Mr. Herbert M. Peck, former United States attorney, when he was on the stand a day or two ago referred the committee to me for certain information as to how he came to be retained as special counsel in the Miller Bros. case, I feel that I ought to make this explanation. It will involve a kind of a sketch of the history of what took place at the time of the appointment of Mr. Peck's successor. Soon after the Harding administration went into office. Attorney General Daugherty told me that the policy of the department would be to allow United States attorneys and United States marshals, appointed under the former administration, to hold over until their four-year term had expired. Applying that to the western district of Oklahoma, for which Mr. Herbert M. Peck was at that time United States attorney, his term would have expired in either October or November-I think November. So it was understood that there would be no change made in that office until his term. expired. However, soon after the administration went into power it was agreed that Mr. William Maurer, of El Reno, Okla., should be appointed as Mr. Peck's successor when Mr. Peck's term expired in November. Along in-I think it was August-the Attorney |