Evening Star Newspaper, January 17, 1923, Page 1

WEATHER. Fair and continued ccld toaight, twenty de- tomorrow partly cloudy and warmer. Temperature for twenty-four temperature sixteen to grees; hours ended at 2 p.m. toda 39, at 2 p.m. yesterday; lowest, 19, at Full report on page 7. a.m. today. Highest, u 11 _@h Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 22 ¢ Foeni WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION s o Star. No. 28,751. Entered as second-class matter post office Washington, D. C. ( WASHINGTON P GERMANS AGAIN DEFY FRENCH ULTIMATUM; FACE MORE PENALTIES Prefer Jail to Resuming Coal . INVADERS ACT THIS AFTERNOON Labor Chiefs Agree 1o Work, But Fear | Strike. By the Associated Press. DUESSELDORF, January 27 (5:30 p.m.).—It was officially an- nounced Gen. Degoutte this afternoon that the military opera= tions of the Ruhr occupation now are completely finished. BSSEN, January 17—The French occupational _authorities ~ an- nounced this afternoon that they will begin operating the mines of the Ruhr distr'ct tomorrow, requi- sitioning German labor, if meces- sary. The Rubr conl and industrinl magnates who refused to co-op- erate with the French will be prosecuted before a courtmartinl. DUESSELDORF, January 17— The French will take possession of the mines throughout the dis- trict tomorrow morning, placing wmilitary guards at the head of every pit. The Ruhr magnates were in- formed late this afternoon that their property will be confiscated nund will be worked under French management for the benefit of the reparation account. DUSSELDORF, January 17.—Rep- | resentatives of the German mag- nates failed to appear this morning hefore the control commission, send- fng word they had decided to obey the instructions of the Berlin gov- ernment instead of the French orders | as to coal deliveries, thus placing the | next move squarely up to the French occupylng authoritles. The ultimatum delivered to industrial leaders yesterday, recting them to resume coal de- liveries under heavy penalties for failure, expires at 4 pm. No action | will be taken by the French, it is stated, until the full twenty-four hours from the delivery of the ulti- matum, 4 o'lock yesterday afternoon, Jhiave elapsed. Germany Are Defiant. Ruhr valley coal operators had be- fore them the French ultimatum that 17 deliveries were not resumed “the military authorities would jtake such measures as were deemed necessary.” attitude of the German mag- however, was epitomized in a remark by Herr Thomas, represent tive of the Stinnes interests at Gel- senkirchen. He, said: , “We are perfectly willing to go to jail, but under no conditions shail we | resume deliveries. So far as was indicated in advices reaching this city this morning, not chunk of reparationscoal or coke sent to France or Belgium | ¥ of the Ruhr mines. It was reported that in some instances ship. ments intended for south Germany ere being diverted westward by the | cupation authorities. It was sald) hat deliveries to Italy were contin- ! uing. At the conference botween th the operators QGermans: “We have not summoned vou here! for a discussion, but to transmit to you the orders of our government. If ou do not see fit to obey them you Avill be prosecuted before a court- martial, condemned and imprisoned.” Appealed to Labor Leaders. The industrial leaders filed out of the room without uttering a word, but once outside of the conference hall they-made no secret of their de- termination to go to jail rather than hmit. hirty-two labor leaders, represent- g all the districts and all the trades in the Ruhr, Including the Catholic socialists and _communists, syndicates of miners, railroad men and steel and Jron workers, were in- troduced. Dr. Groetzner, Prussian governor of Duesseldorf province, act- ed as their spokesman. Gen. Simon told the labor leaders France was the friend of the work- jngman. The German governynent, he declared, was responsible for the recent events and was willing to sac- vifice the workingmen to its imperi- alistic policy. It had permitted the food stocks to become depleted and cared little whether its own nationals #tarved or not. Dr. Groetzner, laboring under great emotlon, rose and said: “I cannot listen to such lies, to such un unjust arraignment of my govern- ment. 1 withdraw.” He then left the conference. Gen. Simon, continuing, requested <he labor men to get into touch with their comrades in the Duesseldorf and PDuisburg zomes, which had been ‘under French occupation for two years, and learn how well the work- ingmen had been treated. May Import Engineers. The leaders agreed to continue work so long as there was work for them to do, but expressed the opinion that circumstances might cause the industries to shut down. For the present_they would go on as usual. The French are resolved to carry out their threats of reprisals and im- prisonment, it would sppear, and the Germans are determined to resist de- velopments likely to occur if by this afternoon the magnates do not recede from their present stand. Txpbris are at work on a plan for operating the mines with German Yabor and French engineers. Addi- tional engineers have been instructed to come from Ffance immediately and are expected to arrive by tonight. They number 200 men—less than one for every pit head in the Ruhr. AWAIT FRENCH ACTION. W R¥ the Assoclated Press. ‘ ESSEN, January 17.—Directors of | | | the ai here yesterday | French authorities and jen. Simon said to the terman coal mines, having reiterated ihat they would abide by the order of ', the federal coal commissar to deliver * “{Continued on Page 2, Column 2.) v Poles and Russ Mass Troops On Frontier BY GEORGE WITTE. By Wireless to The Star and Chicago Daily News. Copyright 1925, BERLIN, Japuary 17.—Ac- cording to reports received here both Poland and Russia are massing troops along their joint fromtier. Warsaw dispatches say that Marshal Pilvudki, chief-of-staff of the Polish army, has gone to the frentier of Ukrainia and that Leon Trotsky, commander-in- chief of the bolshevists forces, is on the other side of this froutier at the head of several army corps. Just what the reason is for this concentration of troops 1 a matter of dispute. port is that the will attack Poland try should in: are about to take an ve part in the German-Lith- unian row over Memel an excuse for reviving the Viln: dispute, and that Russia has misinterpreted the Polish troop movement; The German public, which seems to have lost jts merve, is trembling lest something merious ix likely to happen somewhere in Germany in addi- tion to the invasion of the Ruhr valley and the capture of Memel. RUHR PEOPLES IN UGLY MOOD Economic War in Germany Takes on Tone of Deadly Earnestness. COMPROMISE IS UNLIKELY ‘French, With Power to Force “Misery and Hunger,” Expect to Win. BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER. By Cable to The Star and Chicago Dally News Foreign Service. Copyright, 1923, PARIS, January 17.—All hope of a compromise between the French en- gineers and the German industrialists has been abandoned. The economic war has taken on a tone of deadly earnestness on both sides. Tuesday the French diverted 3,000 tons of coal, intended for Bavaria, toward France reparations and today began requisitions without payment of 15,000 tons of coal a day and the same quantity of coke. With the occupation of Dortmund, the headquarters of the Stinnes in- terests, the whole of the Ruhr re- ! sources, including canals and railways, are in French hands. If the coal own- ers refuse the requisitions they will be arrested and tried by court-mar- tial. The French today began the col- lection of the 40 per cent coal tax on all coal shipments from the Ruhr. The thwart this move, the Germans have tried to remove the coal tax records. Meanwhile the Ruhr people seem to be in an increasing ugly mood the face of the inability of the man police to handle the crowad: French have begun substituting mil- itary patrols in some places for the police. The French contest the German boast that German industries have enough coal for two months. They declare that their agents report that Germany has barely coal enough for four days and must henceforth find 4,000,000 tons a month in Saxony, Silesia or abroad, unless they prefer to come to terms with France. The Echo de Paris calls the present situation a “new Verdun” and con- tinues: “In this new kind of a struggle we ought to win, for, after all, we have the power to reduce the whole Ger- man people to misery and hunger.” 150 FLEE -APARTMENTS. Tire in Chicago Attacks Three Buildings, But None Is Hurt.’_ CHICAGO, January 17.—Nearly 150 persons were driven from their apart- ments today when fire attacked three buildings on Michigan avenue at the northern end of Automobile row. The blaze spread from one building to another adjoining and then leaped a twenty foot vacant lot to the 1ear of a 24-apartment building. Con- | siderable property damage resulted, but no one was injured. Pressure on England to Back France Proving Fruitless BY HAL O'FLAHERTY. ‘Wireless to The Star and the Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1923. LONDON, January 17 (2:30 pm.).— Through numerous channels in Eng- land pressure is being brought to bear to swing British opinion to favor France in the occupation of the Ruhr district. This Francophile campaign is mis- leading chiefly because such great ‘welght 1s laid upon letters written to a few newspapers not entirely in sympathy elther with the British policy or with the Bonar Law gov- ernment, As a mafter of fact, anti-French opinion among all British Jabor or- ganizations is stiffening every day while liberal opinion emphatically de- nounces the French occupation of the .Bavarian Split With Berlin Is Now Feared. SATURDAY IS SET| FOR OUTBREAKS| I i ] | {Reactionary Moves Have Had Backing of French. BY GEORGE WITTE. By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News. | Copyright, 1923. BERLIN, January 17.—Trouble is| |brewing in Bavarla. This time the | reactionary elements which so often {have threatened to break away from !the Berlin regime really mean busi- {ness, according to advices received | i here trom Nuremberg and Munich. i Next Saturday is the day which has been tentatively set for the opening ' act of another drama depicting mice —In this case the several federated | states—leaving the sinking ship of rman empire. France has been encouraged by | Bavaria for the last three vears, al- though it has not vet become known what the French have promised the | Bavarians if thiey desert the reich, whether it is the walving of the Ba- varian share of the reparations or financial aid and political support in |all her affairs, or both. Now that the federal government is in more serious trouble than at any other time since the world war, Bavaria may think the right moment has come for her to proclaim her inde- pendence, and perhaps re-establish the monarchy, ‘with Crown Prince Rupprecht as king. Urge Armed Distractions. Gen. Ludendorff, Adolph _Hittler, leader of the gray shirts, and Gen. scherich, former head of the dis- { banded civil militia, are all working fory gigantic armed distractions in every city, town and hamlet of Ba- varia next Saturday to protest against the blunders made by the German re- public. Reports from southern Ger- many -show that -the reactionaries have gained thousands of recruits in the last week or so. Piece after piece is being chopped off the German Reich. The Lithuanian | coup d’etat by which Germany lost the Baltic port of Memel may be followed soon by a joint Polish-Czechoslovakian coup In upper Stlesia if alarmist re- ports from Kattowicz and Oppeln are true. Both Poland and Czecho- slovakia are after parts of Silesia adjoining the territory awarded to Poland by the league of nations in Qctober, 1921._ Troops Are Comcentrated. Czechoslovakia wants the Hult- schiner district, and Poland the min- ing area of which the city of Hinden- burg is thé center. German news- papers report heavy troop concentra- tions along the Polish and Czecho- | slovakian frontiers, and declare that these nations are about to follow | Lithuania’s example and strike while | e attention of the world is concen- trated on the events in the Ruhr val- ley The latest reports from Meme! show that Germany has given up that port | i for good. The foreign office here re- luctantly admits that the handful of soldiers in that city did their best to keep the irregular Lithuanians out. However, they were outnumbered many times, and as the torpedo boats | and cruisers promised by.France and | Great Britain had not arrived they had no alternative but to surrender or be annihilated. The Lithuanians are confident that the warships will not interfere when they arrive, now that the allies are face to face with an accomplished fact. |ITALIANS MAY REPLACE YANKEES IN COBLENZ | Negotiations Reported to Be in Progress Looking to Reoccupa- tion When Americans Go. By the Associated Press. DUSSELDORF, January 17.—Reports gained circulation here today that negotiations were going on between the French and Italian governments, which, if successful, might result in Italian troops replacing the Americans in the Coblenz bridgehead. In pursuance of Premier Mussolini's reported idea of a continental bloc con- sisting of France, Italy and Belgium, and desirous of showing solidarity with France's viewpoint on reparations, the reports declared, overtures from Rome have been made to the French foreign office asking that the Italian delegate on the interallied Rhineland commission be raised to the dignity of Italian high commissioner on the Rhine. Ruhr as “foolhardy” and designed to leaye Europe in a worse situation after its completion than before. The Manchester Guardian sees in the latest Ruhr occupations the first signal for a change from economic to political action. “No one can say what form the political agitation in Germany may take,” says the Guardian. “Bolshevist propaganda is already in evidence, Wwith many signs of forthcoming vio- lence and disorders. The French have been driven a long way on the road to reprisals, which, in their turn, will provoke violence and resistance, ne- cessitating still greater repressions. The French command great forces, but not necessarily sufficient to quell political unrest diffused through mil~ lions of people animated by - fear, hatred and desire for revenge.” Officially, Great Britain stands on the same ground as that taken at the Paris conference. l MR. HARDING, SICK, REMAINS IN BED Attack of Grip Brings Order to Rest—Nothing Serious, Says Sawyer. ENGAGEMENTS DROPPED All Canceled for Today, Tomor- row and Possibly Friday. Davis and Dr. Work Il President Harding canceled all of his engagements today and tomorrow in order to remain in bed on account of an attack of grip. It was said at the White House that the rest was decided on merely as a precau- tionary measure and that the Presi- dent's condition showed no serious developments. It was announced at the White House this afternoon that unless the President shows considerable im- provement in the meantime, it s thought likely that several engage- ments made by the President for Fri- day also would be canceled. According to Gen. Sawyer, the President is afflicted with what many others in Washington have at this time and which most of them term “the grip.” In describing the nature of the illness to newspaper men, Gen. Sawyer said there is positively noth- ing serlous about his patient’s condi- | tion and that he wished the public to know that there is not the slightest occasion for any alarm. “Feels No Account All Over.” “The President simply feels no ac- count all over, just like the rest of us do when we are afflicted with a cold,” the White House physician went on to explain. “He probably will be up and around tomorrow or next day. If the President had fol- lowed his own wishes in the matter he would have gone to his desk as usual this morning, but inasmuch as the cold has been hanging on: for several days, and because a point or two of fever showed up for a brief period, 1 deemed it advisable to keep him in his room. Rest and quiet will undoubtedly do him good.” The first intimation that the Presi- dent was indisposed was given at the usual Tuesday conference with newspaper men yesterday. He had cancelled some engagements made earlier in the day and spent the greater part of vesterday in the White House. Last night he spent the early part of the evening with Mrs. Harding in her sitting room, but retired at an hour somewhat earlier than his custom. Davis and Work IlL. It has been made known at the White House that Mrs. Harding Is making most satisfactory progress in her convalescence and that she goes to the dining room every other night or so and that she rarely uses her wheel chair now. A cold similar to that of President Harding’s has afflicted James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor. He attended the cabinet meeting yesterday but shortly afterwards retired to his apartment at Wardman Park. Postmaster Gen- eral Work also is confined to his apartment at Wardman Park with a cold today BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, a beautiful fourteen-year-old girl left the first private demonstra- tion given by M. Emile Coue here yes- terday afternoon repeating time and time again to all who Would listen, “I am sure I shall never stammer again.” The demonstration was held at the home of Rev. and Mrs. Douglas Putnam Birnie, 1711 19th street north- west, hosts to M. Coue during his stay in this city. More than a dozen of the city's | prominent medical men talked freely to the child, who had come to the jprivate lecture given by the expert| !in autosuggestion. She had come afraid, and almost unable to utter two | consecutive words without stammer- ing. Feat Surprises Doctors. She left, after being urged by M. Coue to “not be afraid,” able to re- peat the whole sentence given above without a pause or hitch, and able also to answer freely the questions HALF MILLION FIRE ' LOSS IN BALTIMORE By the Associated Press BALTIMORE, Md., January 17.—A repetition of the conflagration of 1904, when practically the entire downtown sectlon of this city was de- stroyed, was threatened by fire early ltoday when two five-story brick bulldings in the heart of the cloth- ing and warehouse district were de- stroyed. The loss was estimated at {approximately $500,000, partly cov- ered by insurance. There were no casualties. The cause of the fire has not been determined. The fire started in a building at the corner of Lombard and Sharp streets, shortly after 1 am. within a short distance from the 1804 disaster. The building was occupied by the dry £00ds and clothing firms of the Wear- well Pants Company, Furst Brothers Company and the Hopkins Army and Navy Supply Company. Fanned by & high wind, the blaze spread to an |adjacent building housing the Joyner- iWitz Company, manufacturers of hats. The flames had made such headwas that six alarms, calling out all avail able apparatus, was sounded. Fire- men were gréatly handicapped by cold, and while efforts were being made to check the flames several Other fires of minor character were Teported in different sections of the city, necessitating the sending of ap- paratus there. When it was seen that the lwo (Continued on Page %, Column 6.) . The Second Article “American Impressions” . Written by - M. Coue Appears exclusively in Washington in The Foentrig Sfa Tomorrow—Thursday In these articles M. Coue is giving e)_(press.iofi to many interesting observations in connection with his mission to America. You cannot afford if you want to keep thing. to be without The Star in touch with every: ‘Stammering Child Recovers | Speech by Methods of Coue ‘ES pectators Astonished When Autosugges-| tion Expert Induces 14-Y ear-Old W.ash- ington Girl to Talk Without Defect. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1923—THIRTY-FOUR PAGES. ‘GARFIELD HOSPITAL ‘CAMPAIG -$500000 N To RAISE { | asked her by the doctors and others among the fifty persons who were 'privileged to be present. “I am 80 happy, I am 5o happy,” she | kept murmuring, her voice choked | with sobs—but not by stammering! | "Skeptical medical men, numbyring| | some of the best known local sur- geons, orthodox doctors, and psychi- atrists, could but marvel at the ease| !with which M. Coue, who arrived | Washington at noon vesterda | able to relieve the child of the | mering which had afficted her - for | years. | ““It is a good thing, a good thing,” one of the prominent surgeons of the city declared, as he looked wi*" ten- der sympathy at the happy girl. If there was any different opinion among the medical men present they did not openly utter it.. All shared in the happiness of the child. Whether the cure of the case of stammering will be permanent, of | course. none could say, but the girl was sure and, after ail, that is all that counts in M. Coue's method of |induced consclous autosuggestion. As he said, he does not heal—he | merely teaches others how to heal | themselves. | _The_triumph with the stammering \ (Continued on Page 4, Column 2.) U.5. 70 CUT DOWN ALCOHOL PERMITS Industrial Product Used on Big Scale by Bootleggers, Say Dry Enforcers. By the Assoclated Press. Drastic curtailment of dealings in denatured and industrial alcohol has been decided upon by federal pro- hibition authorities as the next step in their campaign to combat the iI- licit liquor traffic. Orders have been issued for the revocation of scores of dealers' permits, among these being that issued to one of the largest alco- hol-producing plants in the country. Decision to withdraw the license of this plant and to refuse to reissue dozens of permits, for which applica- tions were pending, was reached at a conference of prohibition enforce- ment officials attended by Acting Com- missioner Jones, Acting Director Yel- lowley of New York and heads of the bureaus at headquarters here. It is understood that reports submit- ted by Mr. Yellowley of his investiga- tion into the sources of Christmas bev- erages had much.to do with the order. Mr. Yellowley is known to have se cured evidence which ' convinced him that the great bulk of this supply was of domestic manufacture, with illegally | diverted alcohol used as a base. Much of the alcuhol was declared by prohi- bitlon agents to have been re-rectified | from stocks supposedly denatured, in! accordance with government regula- tions. Investigation made by Mr. Yellowley in New York of recent supplies of boot- | who, $E007ered (e i seventy-two knife wounds. The arm: leg “whisky” led to selzure of 3,500 gallons of redistilled alcohol and a number of stills, which were designed for use in ‘this operation. The New York director obtained evidence that much of this product was retailed un- der the guise of having been landed by rum-runners. The conference of prohibition offi- clals was given further detailed re- ports on the investigation which had been made of the recent operations of the rum-running fleet in the vicin- ity of Highlands, N. J. The reports were not made public, but there is now no dlsposition at prohibition headquarters to deny the probability that a considerable amount of liquor was landed . Acting Director William B. Moss of New Jersey reported he had checked on the movement of vehicular traffic over all the roads from and to the Highlands coast section and was cer- tain that there was not sufficient ton- nage in. transit in the periods of | represent | is declared not smuggling activity to move a 35,000~ case cargo If every truck active in that period had been loaded with pro- hibited freight. Agents in the vicin- ity of the coast, he said, further con- firmed these observations. « cit, as the papers “From Press to Home Within the Hour” The Star's carrier systen. covers every block and the regular edition is deliyered to Washington homes as fast are printed. | | Yesterday’s Net Circulation, 94,292 TWO CENTS. Mrs. L. Anderson Defends Horse In Damage Suit Special Dispatch to The Star. CONCORD, N. H., January 17.— Mrs. Larz Anderson, who gave her residence as Washington, D. C., but Who is ‘widely known in Boston and New Hampshire, where she is the largest real estate owner In Webster and Hopkinton, testified in United States court here this morning as character witness for her chestnut horse, “Bawdsey Amber.” Mrs. Anderson and her husband, Capt. Larg Anderson, former United States minister to Belgium, are being sued by Andrew J. Craig of Bradford, who sceks compensation for injuries he alleges he received by being kicked by “Bawdsey Amber” at the Bradford fair in 1921, where Mr. Craig and the Andersons were fellow exhibitors at the horse show, On account of serious illness of her mother, Mrs. Anderson has been unable to attend the trial until today. Mrs. Anderson testified she was the owner of the horse in ques- tion, that she' had known him all his life, that she had been in his stall “a great many times” and that she Fad “never known him to do anything wrong.” Robert W. Upton, for plaintiff, refrained from cross-examination. HALT DEBT PARLEY UNTIL BRITISH CAN CONFERINLONDON Final = Meeting Tomorrow Preface to Departure of Del- egates From New York. NOTHING TO WARRANT REPORT TO CONGRESS | Visitors Suggest Fixed Minimum for Annual Payments and Lower Rate of Interest. By the Associated Press. The British and American debt com- missions have reached a point in their negotiations where it virtually is agreed mno further progress can be made until the British commissioners have returned to London and confer- red with their government. The two commissfons will hold an- {other joint meeting tomorrow, but it | i is expected to constitute only a leave- taking preparatory to the departure of the British from Washington. They will sail from New York Saturday and any attempt to establish even a tentative agreement as to terms of settlement of the British war debt Is expected to be delayed for several weeks. Not to Make Report. Despite the exchgnges which have taken place since the arrival of the British group, it was indicated to- day in authoritative quarters that no result had been produced of a char- acter positive enough to warrant concrete recommendations to Con- gress for amendment of the funding law. The British are understood to have suggested in a tentative way that the terms of settlement be based on a fixed minimum for annual payments, which would include both interest and principal, and which need not the total Great Britain would pay in any given year if she found it possible to exceed the mini- mum figure. that the time limit and interest rate fixed by the present law be re- adjusted. The American commission to have made any definite_agreement to any of these proposals, however, but to have presented views on the other side of the question which Stanley Baldwin, the British chancellor of the ex- chequer, who heads the British group, regards’ as requiring a personal ex- planation by him to the British cabinet. = At 0dds on Interest. Among other things, the British officials_and parliament are said to find it difficult to understand why the Americans are reluctant to consent to a low interest Tate, in view of the fact that the Bank of England now is loaning money at home 2t 3 per cent. It is expected that Mr. Baldwin will lay before his government the -fasts as to the difference in credit condi- tions in the United States and Great Britain. Saturday had been the salling date already fixed by the British commis. sion for its return to London, but until today it had been hoped that the period spent here might be sufficient to put an_agreement into at least tentative (Continued on Page 2, Column 4.) _— ACCUSE TWO OF MURDER. PITTSBURGH. January 17.—Two arrests have been made In connection with the death of Joseph Minas, whose mutilated_body was found In a sewer pipe in Penn Township, near hear, a year ago, county detectives have announced. The suspects are Frank Gangene of Kittanning, and Philip Germano of Homewood, Pa. Minas’ body was found by two boys, who discovered the feet protruding The body bore and legs were tied with heavy wire. STATUS OF STATES DEMANDED FORD.C. INHEARING ONVOTE ‘Ree_d Bill for Delegate in Congress Urged as Step [ Only Toward Citizenship. CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE DESIRED UNANIMOUSLY Amendment Giving Franchise Ask- ed by Representative Speakers. Divide on Reed Measure. Emphatic declaration that the res- idents of the National Capital are virtually unanimous in desiring the voting representation in Congressen- joyed by residents of the states and that the proposed constitutional amendment to effect this enfranchise- ment is the best method of securing such rights was made by virtually every speaker today at a hearing be- fore the House District committee. |, The primary purpose of the hear- ing was on the Reed bill for a Dis- | trict delegate in Congress. Ques- tioned by members of the committee, all of those who spoke In favor of this legislation said that it was de- sired merely as a step toward secur- ing full exercise of citizenship through a constitutional amendment, 2s proposed in legislation now pend- Ing before Congress. Representative Ralph Gilbert of Kentucky, a member of the committce, pointed out that the real question under discussion is that the people of the District are complaining because they are dis- criminated against and a constitu- tional change is necessary to obviate this, not only to give them their voting rights. but to give the people of the District access to the federal courts. He quoted former Chief Jus- tice Marshall to this effect. Gilbert Favors District. “You would be getting noyhere to adopt this legislation,” sald Mr. Gil- bert. He expressed himself as not opposed to the people of the District, but as with them. He said he has no antagonism toward the District, but rather desires to work as a member {of the committee to make it the best {and most beautiful city in the world. ; Representative Gilbert also called the attention of the committee to the | fact that if they favored the principle iof the bill under discussion. many i provisions will have to be changed | He pointed out also that the District |haa" attempted this same system many yvears ago and had abandoned it Alexander M. Bremer, senior vice commander of the District of Colum- bia department, Amerlcan Legion, presented a resolution, adopted by the local division of the legion, de- claring for a voice in government for the residents of the District. Col. Winfleld Jones said that there is a unanimous demand among ex- service men for some Sort of repre- sentation for the District in Congress Reed Bill a Step. Edgar Wallace, chalrman of the legislative committee of the American Federation of Labor, offered a resolu- tion adopted by the national conven- tion of the Federation of Labor. which had been offered by Milton | Snellings of the Central Labor Union. In reply to questions by members of the committee he said that the Amer- ican Federation of Labor was urging the passage of the Reed bill merely as a step in_advance of the present condition, and argued that the citizens of the District must ultimately be represented by a vote and voice in national affairs such as citizens of the states enjoy. Chairman Focht and Representatives Gilbert of Kentucky and Sproul of Tilinois, volced their opposition to the Reed bill. Eepresentative Lampert of ‘Wisconsin, argued for a delay In the matter saying that there were some features of the bill which he would want to have changed. Representa- tives Blanton of Texas and Hammer of North Carolina, both democrats, were anxious to have action taken tavorably upon the Reed bill, Chairman Focht was persistent in calling upon all speakers to testify Whether the delezate bill passed would create conflict of authority with the District of Columbia Com- missioners. Citizens’ Body Hits Bill. Evan H. Tucker, 720 A street north- east, president of the Northeast Washington Citizens' Association, sald that his association has offi- clally gone on record as opposing the Reed bill “absolutely, unalterably, unanimousl; He said it would create a worse condition than now exists. “The people of the District almost unanimously are in favor of real representation in the House and in the Senate. There is no difference of opinion on that, but there is a de- cided difference of opinion on the District delegate.” In reply to questions of the com- mitfee Mr. Tucker said that there are six states that have fewer people than are now resident in the District, yet they have two Senators to speak for them. Blanton Opposed. “The 437,000 people in the District should have some representation and voice in their government,” he said. (Continued on Page 3, Column 3.) \Georgetown Bridge Opened For Traffic at Noon Today The new $2,000,000 concrete Georgetown bridge was opened for general traffic at noon today. There was no ceremonies, all that ‘was done being the removal of the barriers at both_ends of the bridge. The temporary macadam roadway at the M street and the Roslyn approaches had been tested dur- ing the past few days and found o be sufficlently settled and stable to permit of their general use by all classes of vehicles. That road- way, however, is temporary only and will be used until the embank- ment at Roslyn has been widened and otherwise improved for the laying of the track loop of the Capital Traction Company In the spring. The widening of the ap- proach will necessitate the closing of the present Virginia entrance to the Aqueduct bridge, but that will not be done for several days. Under the present arrangement vehicles and pedestrians now may use either the new bmidge or tho Aqueduct bridge for passage across the river. Pending the completion of the proposed improvements, no final arrangements have been made for the regulation of traflic at both entrances of the bridge. but that matter will be settled before the Capital Traction cars begin oper- ating across the new structure.