Evening Star Newspaper, February 4, 1924, Page 1

WEATHER. Raln late tonight and tomorrow; slowly rising temperatu ing southeast winds. Full report on page 9. Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 24 Entered as second-class matter No. 29,133. post office Was Temperature for twenty-four hours ended at 2 p.m. Highest, 52, at 3:30 p.m. yes- lowest, 37, at 7 a.m. today. re; Jncreas- shington, D. C. @h WASHINGTON, D. C, LAST RITES FOR WILSON TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY; FUNERAL TO BE PRIVATE Death Comes G ently to Former President as He Sleeps, With Loved Ones at Bedside. FLASH, LIKE SMILE, LIGHTS FACE AS LIFE PASSES BRINGING PEACE Mrs. Wilson, Holding Hand of Dying Man; Dr. Grayson and Daughter Margaret Present. By the Associated Press. Woodrow Wilson has found in eternity a haven from the storms and sorrows of a troubled world. In the prayerful quiet of a Sunday morning, death folded him pgently in its embrace and bore him to his Maker. He passed from life while he slept, with those he loved best close about him. His broken body had weakened little by little until the last spark of his vitality went out. But his spirit was supported to the last by the indomitable courage of the old fight- ing days. In his last wakeful moments he told his loved ones that he knew the end had come, and was ready. OFFICIAL MOURNING PROCLAIMED. President Coolidge called yesterday at the house of bereave- ment, expressed his regret and his readiness to be helpful, and then issued a proclamation of thirty days’ official mourning. Over the White House and the government departments, on the nation’s fighting ships at sea and over the outposts of American diplomacy in foreign lands the Stars and Stripes were brought to half-mast. Congress today recessed in respect for his memory, and the whole machinery of the government whose guxdlng genius he was for eight momentous years will stand still on Wednesday, the day of his funeral, which will be held at the family residence and will be private. Today the frayed remnant of his mortality lies in the chamber whose walls looked down yesterday upon the last scene of a career that had known all the heights and depths of human emotion. In death he appears as if in peaceful slumber, his features serene and composed and his square jaw set with the old determination. But the lines are somewhat deeper and heavier, and the flashing fire of his eye has gone out forever. The bed on which Woodrow Wilson died and where his body rests is of massive oak, a reproduction of the bed built at the White House for Lincoln and used by every President since. It is of unusual length and has a golden American eagle over the head. It was made to the order of Mr. Wilson before he re- tired from the presidency, and was installed in the S street house he had selected as his future home. INVALID MORE THAN FOUR YEARS. Although he had not known a well day since he crossed the threshold of his place of retirement, or for months before, last Friday saw the beginning of the end of his long illness. His collapse during his western speaking trip in 1919, followed by a stroke of paralysis soon after made him almost an invalid lon his return to Washington, had g ago. Early last week a slight digestive disorder further weakened his delicate vitality, and on Friday his friend and physician, Dr. Grayson, found his condi- tion growing hourly more serious. . He refused nourishment, and by Saturday night he was barely conscious. At 9 o’clock he fell asleep and never awakened again. It was at 11:15 yesterday morning that life finally went out. From first to last he was without pain, and in his last wakeful moments he appeared to be resting in complete comfort. As the end approached the little group watching i Mrs. Wilson sat on the bed beside room drew nearer about him. in the sick him, with his almost lifeless hand in both of hers. Close by was his eldest daughter, Margaret Wilson, and Dr. Grayson, faithful in his ministrations since the first sign of illness more than four|out and arranging it for the services. vears ago, watched for some new way at last to help him as he crossed the bar. DEATH’S CONQUEST SLOW. There was nothing to be don e. More and more feeble became the pulse beat; there was a quickening of the breath; little by little death was completing jts conquest. A quick flutter of the eyelids, a faint twitch, almost like a smile, across the wasted fea- tures, and the spirit of the last the long-weakening fetters great war President had burst at that bound it to earth. Thus he who had dreamed a high dream of peace for all the world had found peace for himself and had left behind a world still tossed by strife and turmoil Thus he, against whom life had turned at last after leading him through paths of greatest glory, found death gentle and even merciful. Thus, with the soft chanting of hymns floating in on the Sabbath air, was written the last letter of that imperishable chap- ter of human history comprising the life of Woodrow Wilson. Graynon ‘Announces Death. Dr. Grayson, his friend and physi- clan, announced the end of the great ‘war President in this bulletin: “Mr. Wilson dled at 11:15 o'clock. His heart action became feebler and feebler, and the heart muscle was so fatigued that it refused to act any Jonger. The end came peacefully. “The remote causes of death lie in his 11l health, which began more than four years ago, namely, . general arterio-sclerosis with The immediate cause of death was ecxhaustion following a digestive dis- turbance, which began in the eafly part of last Weegk, but did not reach an acute stage until the early morn- ing hours of February 1. Last Friday the grim reaper.had forced his way into the house after waiting on the doorstep more than four years, Saturday he had ad- vanced to the landing on the stair- case and stood counting off the ticks of the great clock. Saturday night he knocked on the chamber door. A faithful physiclan and a loyal wife stood with their backs against it ‘At 9 o'clock he rattled the knob and called to the peaceful, prostrate figure on the bed. Knew Battle Was Lost. The watchers knew .the battle was lost. At the portal of the door, how- ever, the faithful negro servant hov- ers. On the bed, sitting beside her husband, sustained with all the forti- tude and composure of a woman fac- ing & crisls, was Mrs. Wilson, holding \ between her hand the wan, withered, haemopligia. | right hand that had proved the pen mightfer than the sword. Near the foot of the bed was his eldest daugh- ter Margaret, resigned to the in- evitable. Close by, tears welling from his eves and coursing down his cheeks was Dr. Grayson, taking the measure of the fluttering pulses, weaker_and fainter with each effort. Mr.. Wilson's Jast words of sus- tained meaning were spoken Friday. They were “I am ready.” Realizing fully that he could not hope to rally from the onslaught of the (Continued on Page 2, Column 4.)~ By the Associated Press. A sad-hearted woman stepped from the Wilson home today to ride for an hour or two over streets that must have been filled for her with | poignant memories. It was Mrs. Wil- son's first release from the sorrowful home surroundings where she stood & tower of strength and tenderest de- tion to the end. Everywhere, when she was recog- nized, silent sympathy and admira- tion was poured out for this brave woman. Margaret Wilson, daughter of the dead leader, and Admiral €Cary T. Grayson, -long her friend and her stanchest ally in the . futile. battle { TEMPORARY TOME - FOR EX-PRESIDENT War Veterans to Carry Cas- ket—Widow’s Wish Obeyed, State Rites Banned. Woodrow Wilson is to be buried as he preferred to spend the last few years of his life—as a private citizen. At 3:30 o'clock Wednesday after- noon, after a short service at his late residence in S street, his mortal re- mains will be borne to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, there to be laid at rest in the vauited crypt atop verdant Mount St. Alban. It was the wish of Mrs. Wilson that the pomp and panoply of a state fu- neral be dispensed with. His active pallbearers will be veterans of the world war, perhaps the only touch supreme sacrifice in that conflict. The services at the S street resi- dence will be private, and only a few close friends and members of the im- | mediate families will attend. They will begin at 3 o'clock, and immedi- ately after they are over the last short trip to the heights of Mount St. Alban will begin. Bixhop to Conduct Riten. There the Rt. Rev. James Edward Freeman, Episcopal Bishop of Wash- ington, assisted by Rev. Dr. Sylvester W. Beach, pastor of the former Presi- dent's church at Princeton, and Rev. James H. Taylor, pastor of Central Presbyterian Church here, where Mr. Wilson worshiped, will recite the last rites. _ On the short jourpey to Mount St. Alban the casket will be carried in a hearse instead of upon a flag-draped artillery caisson, a custom heretofore always followed at the funerals of men in high public positions. The military escore of eight privates, idrawn from the Army, Navy and Ma- rine Corps, will march beside it. The services there will be held in the beautiful little Bethlehem Chapel of the Cathredral of Paul. _All that is mortal of America's war President will finally be con- signed to its waiting vault in the high, arched crypt, there to sleep away time In_the same sanctuary. Wwith the Rt. Rev. Alfred Harding, the second Episcopal Bishop of ‘Washington. Resting Place ecided. Whether the Cathredral of SS. | Peter ana Paul will be the permanent | sepulchre of Woodrow Wilson has not definitely been decided. Rear Admiral Cary T. Grayson, in an- inouncing the incompleted plans for Mrs. Wilson, said a later statement understood that the former President would not be disturbed for some time, at least. The list of honorary pallbearers had not been completed at moon to- day, but Admiral Grayson Intimated it would be of considerable length. He sald it would be announced as soon as it had been completed, but that the active pallbearers wouid be veterans of the world war. The men Who' suffered with their commander- in-chief “through that memorable etruggle will be permitted to bear his body to its tomb. ‘Widow's Wish Obeyed. So sure were officials - that Mr. Wilson would lie in state beneath the dome of the Capitol for a day, at least, that workmen were put to work early this morning clearing it It was Mrs. Wilson's belief, however, that Mr. Wilson would prefer that this world's last view of him should be that of a private citizen of the nation he had loved and served. When Mr. Wilson left the White House he announced that he would live as a private citizen, and only once or twice in the four years that have elapsed since then has he emerged from the secluded retirement of his quiet home in S street. It was sald that he disliked being referred fo aa “the former president,” pre- erring_to be plain Wood: or Mr. Wilson.” o Wiligen It is probable that cancellation of preparations for a state funeral will prevent the public from passing by his bier, & custom in state funerals. All through today there was a steady procession_of silent, bowed men “and women walking quietly down S street. Passing the house, the saddened pilgrims stopped mo- mentarily. Men stood with hats in | {heir hands and many of the women were seen to pause and bow their heads in prayer before moving on. Every few minutes the cars of high government officials, members of the diplomatie corps and men high in the nation's unofficial life stopped at the door. . Some left cards, others spent a few minutes in the house. When Admiral Grayson called at the White House today with Secretary of War Weeks, to make known Mrs. ‘Wilson's wishes for a private funeral, President Coolidge offered him every facility of the government on the day of the burial. The President and Mrs. Coolldge, it was anbounced, will at- tend the services both at the house and at the church. Mrs. Wilson Takes First Auto Ride After Long Vigil Beside Deathbed| against death, r8e with her in the car. The skies were cloudless and winter lent only a bracing tang of | cold to the air. The grief-stricken woman had need for the tonic na- u‘-;‘ol gave her at the end of her long vigil. Through all the tidings that come from the Wilson home as the former President sank hour by hour toward his last sleep, there was a word of admiration for the high courage and utter devotion of the woman who has iven so lavishly of her strength dur- ng the long years of illness and pain. Those who stood with her in the Jast struggle against the inevitable conld not hold back their recognition cf her spirit. And it was this_that was in men’s minds today as they saw hcr pass in the streets. v ¢ Foe 1ing reminiscent of his service and final | SS. Peter and | would clear that question, but it was | WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION MONDAY, N OF DRVING STORY Cities Isolated, Wires Down, Sleet Heavy From Min- nesota to Texas. By the Associated Press, CHICAGO, February 4.—The worst storm of the winter, from many an- gles, swept the country from Minne- sota to Texas today. With its center in Missouri, sleet and wind played | havoe with communi. er weather set in in the northwest. | Many cities and towns were isolated | by sleat-burdencd wires | The high wind, according to weath- { er bureau reports, did almost as mu.h damage as sleet, and reached a vel ity of forty-elght miles an honr in Chicago and ranged from 30 ta 40 miles an hour over much of the other Pterritory affected, which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Towa, Illinois. Nebraska, Kansas, Mis- | souri and southwestward into Texas. Started on Saturday. The storm developed in the west last Saturday and has assumed wide- i spread proportions in the middle Mis- | sissippi valley, although the situation is clearing up in western Ne- braska. While precipitation has been widespread it has not been heav. although about three inches of sno | have fallen in the western and north- ern portions of the affected district, with snow and sleet and rain and high, { shifting winds in other portions. All telegraph wires failed between Chicago and Milwaukee. and in north- {ern Wisconsin, a large strip of terri- tory was igolated. Telegraph wires out of Chicago had no connection with Des Moines, Towa, and points west until late in the morning, when communica- tion with Omaha, Neb. was estab- lished. The Rocky mountain area, al- though itself not affected severely by | the storm conditions, and the far west were out of communication with Chi- cago and the middle west. Cold Wave From North, The colder weather in the northwest is due to a cold wave pushing south- ward from Canada, but it is of limited proportions, according to weather re- ports. Another cold wave has been sighted in_Alaska, but it is several days distant from the United States and too far away for weather fore- casters to predict what its effect may. be. VENIZELOS AND CABINET New Ministry to Be Formed by M. EKafandaris, Former Holder of Interior Portfolio. By the_ Associated ‘Press. ATHENS, February 4.—Premier Venizelos and his cabinet resigned of- fice today. A mew ministry will be formed by M. Kafandaris, former minister of the interior. AT I ORLANDO STILL RESENTS PEACE TABLE-TREATMENT By the Associated Press. ROME, February 4.—Prof. Vittorio Orlando, the former premier of Italy, who was chief representative of that country at the Versailles conference, has declined to make a public state- ment on the passing of Woodrow Wilson. For several days he ®has been besieged by correspondents seeking a 'message on the former President, and in consequence left ome and retired to his villa in the country. Speaking to friends, however, the former premier said he was unable to help the feeling of resentment which he had against Woodrow Wil- son, whom he charged with injustice against Italy, as he had denled to { her what he had allowed to other { countries, which were permitted to annex territories containing a larger number of Germans, Hungarians, Bulgarians, or similar nationals, than would have been the case it Italy had annexed Fiume. Orlando added that he preferred to keep quiet rather than emphasize the tragedy closed by death. KING SENDS SYMPATHY. By the Associated Press. ations and cold- | | ! QUIT OFFICE IN GREECE jone meet me. Pennsylvania train, 10 * 1 | REV. C. E. BOONE. PRIEST IS KILLED UNDER TRAIN HERE Former D. C. Clergyman Falls Under Moving Wheels at Union Station. Rev. C. E. Boone, former assismnt! pastor of the Holy Comforter Church here and until recently professor of theology at St. Mary's Seminary, Bal- | timore, was killed Instantly today when he fell beneath a moving train at Union Station. An Inquest this afternoon will determine how ‘he met his death. According to Capt. R. E. Owen of the terminal police, the priest had just arrived from Florida. He called! for a telegraph boy, and Robert | Shakleford, a messenger, boarded the | train. | Dictated Message. i Father Boone, according to the mes- senger, had the boy write out the following message to St. Mary's| Seminary, Baltimore: *“Have some | o'clock, Union station. C. E. Boone.” The boy got off the train and anul Boone followed. T. C. Mattingly, a car inspector, told the station au- thorities that Father Boone alighted from the train and appeared to throw himself under the moving® wheels. | Miss Lovise F. Dyer, sister of Rev. Edward R. Dyer, head of the Sul- plcian Order of which Father Boone was a member, sald Father Boone had been in Florida because of ill health. She said that in his youth he had-been badly bitten by a shark and that lately he had experienced & “culty in starting to walk, some- tines lurching forward. This, Miss Dyer believes, caused the accident. Taken !. Morgue. The only means of identification was the telegram and railroad tickets and bagsage checks. - The baggage had gone on through to Baltimore. The body was taken to the morgue for an inquest. . Father Boone was a former profes- sor of theology at St. Mary's Semi- nary, Baltimore, and the founder of St. Mary's Camp, a health camp in the Adirondacks for sick priests. WANTS WILSON’S BODY Virginia Assembly, in Resolution, Asks Widow to Let It Lie in Hollywood. By the Associated Press. RICHMOND, Va., February 4.—A resolution requesting Mrs. Woodrow Wilson to permit the body of Amer- ica's war-time President to be buried BRUSSELS, February 4—Both King s, Hollywaod cemetery here, where Albert and Cardinal Mercler have|many other famous Virginians are sent personal messages of sympathy to Mrs. Wilson. | buried, was adopted today by the Vir- ginia gengral assembly. 1 IN RICHMOND CEMETEHY, ! him | authorizing the { meet until tomorrow. {the resolution today. i necessarily was changed and leaders HALTS 0L TURMDL President and Gregory Agree Latter Had Not Accepted Invitation to Be Counsel. Congress today stilled the turmoil over the leasing of naval oil reserves { to pay its tribute to Woodrow Wilson. The Senate oil investigating com- | mittee, whose authority to question further under the inquiry was chal- lenged Saturday by Albert B. Fall, Secretary of the Interior at the time : the oil leases were arranged, will not It had decided | to ask the Senate for re-adoption of but this plan of the inquiry announced that the session called for tomorrow would be a brief one, adjourning to await ac- tlon on its request for renewal of its authority. Afterwards, it was sald, the committce intends to make | another demand on Fall that he sub- mit to examination in the light of testimony regarding his financial transactions with E. L. Doheny and Harry F. Sinclair. The Robinson resolution calling upon TPresident Coolidge to request the resignation of Secretary Denby, who signed the leases with Fall, was | to have been taken up for further discussion on the Senate floor today, and this, too, went over. Formal a tion on the selection of former Sena. tor Atlee Pomerene of Ohio to serve with Silas H. Strawn of Chicago, as special counsel in the prosecution of the oil cases also will wait. Gregory Sces President. Thomas W. Gregory, Attorney Gen- eral in the Wilson cabinet, who was originally selected to serve as the democratlc member of the special counsel, conferred with the Presi- dent yesterday and handed him a let- ter explaining that in his telephone conversations with the White House prior to the announcement of his ap- pointment he had not understood he was accepting, and Mr. Coolidge con- firmed the inference he had drawn. The former Attorney General said he had not- known until he read Doheny's testimony that his interests had paid part of the fee he received as counsel from the Island Oil Com- pany; that he had ever had any con- nection, directly or indirectly, with the California oil magnate, and that (Continued on Page 2, Column 7.) JOHNSON EXPECTED TO GIVE UP RACE Announcement of Withdrawal Probable Soon, Politicians Here Claim. Polticians in Washington familiar with the trend of the campaign of Hiram Johnson for the republican nomination for President are expect- ing that a formal announcement of his withdrawal will come in the near future. Senator Johnson left Washington Friday for Chicago, where today he is to confer with some of his friends at a’luncheon at the Drake Hotel. When he 'left Washington he said that he was “yet”"a candidate. It is_understood that the senator will make no campaign In either North or South Dakota, where, it was expected, hewould be able to get pledged 'delegates ‘if he could get them anywherey He has also decided not to make & fight in Minnesota, where the campaign as originally planned was to be on an extensive scale, requiring the expenditure of a large amount of money. It is said that the financtdl back- ers of the California senator have been disappointed in the faflure of his campaign to make appreciable progress, and_that the initial contri- butions have been exhausted. The, withdrawal of Senator John- son, it it takes place, will leave the fleld practically clear for President Coolidge. Up to this time Senator Johnson has been the only republican candidate of note who has appeared resolution | Star. FEBRUARY 4, 1924 _THIRTY-TWO PAGES. “From Press to Home Within the Hour” The Star’s carrier system covers every city block and the regular edi- tion is delivered to Washingtorn homes as fast as the papers are printed. | | ldevelopment. * Saturday’s Circulation, Sunday’s Circulation, 100,441 105,006 TWO CENTS. BOK PRIZE WINNER TO BE NAMED TONIGHT John W. Davis to Announce Author of Plan and Award Check for $50,000. By the Associated Press, PHILADELPHIA, February 4.—The name of the winner of the American peace award will be announced to- night at a meeting in the Academy of Music. John W. former American ambassador to Great Britain, the principal speaker, will reveal the name of the author of plan 1469, which was selected by the jury of award from more than 22,000 manu- scripts submitted. At the same time Mr. Davis will present the winner with a check for $50,000, one-half the amount of the award, Edward W. Bok, the ereator, having stipulated that the other half shall be paid “if and when the plan passes the Senate, or if and when the jury of award decides that an adequate de- gree of popular support has been demonstrated for it.” DEMOCRATS MAY TURN TO POMERENE Appointment as Oil Lease Investigator Likely to Give Him Prestige. Davis, o. Still the wheel of fate continues to turn in presidential politics, impelled by the deveolopments in the oil scan- dals. One revolution follows an- other in almost bewildering sequence. The public hardly has time to catch its breath from one smashing sur- prise before another follows close upon its heels. The McAdoo comet, up to three days ago blaziig pre-eminent in the political sky, apparently dims its glow, threatening to slowly ex- tinguish. Then appears a new meteor in the firmament. President Coolidge invites fromer Senator Pomerene of Ohio to the White House to luncheon and asks him to conduct, as the democratic bi-parti- san member of the federal board, the prosecution of the suits against the oil companies who have obtained leases of the government naval oil re- | serves. Mr. Pomerene has aforetime been mentioned as available democratic presidential timber. Upon reti ment from the Senate he returned to the practice of law, eschewing poli- tics, and his name has been omitted of iate from mention as a potential candidate for the democratic presi- dential nomination. Suppose he looms into prominence {in_connection with the oil suits. The “makings” are inherent for such a The eyes of the entire country will be upon him. He has the confidence of the people through a record of courage, independence and jability in the United States Senate. They will believe in him and trust him. Looms as Candidate. And he comes from Ohio, a pivotal state. Given a man of high caliber and recognized worth, admit the disor- |ganized condition of the democratic slate of potential candidates, conse- quent upon the prospective crash of Mr. McAdoo, what more natural than that the party should hail with ac- claim the advent of a new candidate lin the field? Nothing in this suggestion is to be construed as containing the intima- tion that Mr. Pomerene would visual- ize presidential possibilities in under- taking the task. On the contrary, from the make-up of the man he would rather “lean backward” in avoiding any political shading or as- pect. The péint is, may not the demo- cratic party see a chance to pick up a good candidate? Would it not be another instance, too, of the tricks of fate if President Coolidge, having invited Mr. Pomerene into the public arena, should find him his adversary at the polls in the presi- dential campaign? And in that con- nection it might be observed that it would be a demonstration of Presi- dent Coolidge's whole-hearted and patri- otic purpose to hew to the line in the oil prosecutions, let the chips fall where they may. Faith in Coolldge. ‘While on this subject, it will be perti- nent to note that President Coolidge's course In these amazing developments has been consistently of a character to bring him only praise and public sup- port. The Star's dispatches from all quarters of the country, sent by neu- | tral and unbiased correspondents of reputation, published yesterday in the weekly resume of political conditions, coincide in the statement that Presi- dent Coolidge has not been touched by a_breath of distrust in his conduct of affairs in his own jurisdiction as Chief Executive. a The people have their faith pinned on him, it is shown by reports from every source. It is classed by poli- ticlans as a notable expressipn of public confidence. The people believe that he is going to see this investiga- tion through in thelr interest, regard- less of political considerations or political consequences. Now that the “curse has been taken off” of partisan advantage througl the involvement of men of both parties—in_ an unfavorable light—in the case, the most celebrated in the annals of the country, it is expected that President Coolidge will continue to stand out as the hope of patriotic Americans, regardless of party affilia- tion, to carry on with the investiga- tion’ ruthlessly in behalf of justice and the nation’s best interest. It may yet turn out that the presi- dential campaign of next fall may be fought along the lines of normal olitical division, on straight party ssues, free from the taint of oil, with the cards on the table and the spirit of “may the best man win.” prevail- ing. e GUARD SLAIN, 3 ESCAPE. Convicts Saw Way Out of Cells in Missouri Prison. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., February 4, —Three convicts sawed out of their cells in the Missourl penitentiary here early today, kiled a guard by crush- ing his skull, took his gun and, climb- ing over the souteast wall with the as an opponent of the President for [ald of a ladder, gave battle to a guard the nomination at the Clevelanid con- vention. , . B2 e on the wal and then gained their lib- erty. s i PRESIDENT URGES DIRECT U. 5. LOANS T0 WHEAT RAISERS Funds to Be Used to Diversify Crops, He Says, Demand- ing Fullest Co-Operation. REFUNDING OF ALL DEBT IS CONDITION Blames Poor Banking, at Confer- ence, Rather Than Agricul- ture, for Conditions. President Coolidge, In an address prepared for the opening today of the special conference on north- western agriculture, outlined definite proposals for government assistance of wheat farmers. Direct extension of federal funds, as proposed in the pending Norbeck- Burtness bill, to finance wheat grow- ers in attempting diversification of their crops, and continuance of ad- vances through the War Finance Cor- poration to co-operative enterprises and financial institutions in the farm- ing regions were the methods sug- gested. Without co-operation between state, local and federal governments, he warned, help could not be made effective. Likewise, he added, credl- tors of northwestern farming com- munities must take concerted action for the refunding and extension of existing indebtedness to make the federal aid effective. The confer- ence, which is being attended t représentatives of industry, financ and transportation as well as agr culture, included many leaders, b sail, who could work out the pro- gram necessary. Text of President’s Address. The President, outlinging “the stepa which in my opinion the fed- eral government can properly take, {in co-operating with you, as its share of the work to be done,” said: “First: The enactment of the Nor- beck-Burtness bill providing an ap | propriation, to be administered by | the Secretary of Agriculture and two additional commissioners, for the purpose of promoting the diversif cation of agriculture in certain sec- tions of the country, which hereto- fore have been devoled primarily to the production of wheat. “Such a fund can be used to make loans to wh t farme to enable | them to purchase live stock and poul- {try, and thus equip their farms for {dairying and general farming. The fund should be manner th is sound and th omplish ef- fective betterments in directions ap- proved by these most expert in the agricultural problems involved. Tt should not be loaned to men who have not the temperament, the | perience or the industry necessa | for successful farming. Predicated on Co-Operation. “Moreover, government ald in this connection must be predicated upon full co-operation, along certain well defined lines, of existing creditors of the farmers. It will serve no useful purpose to lend money to a farmer who is in such a position that at any moment mortgage holders and gen- eral creditors can fall upon him, sell his lands and selze his property. Existing creditors, particularly the mortgage companies, the insurance companies and the commercial and banking interests to whom the farmers of the northwest are so gen- erally indebted, will readily see that as a condition of any advance of funds from the federal treasury ar- rangements must be made for the funding_and_extension of existing indébtedness for such time and upon such reasonable terms as will give promise that the farmer may work out his future with the help of the funds advanced by the government. Wil Adhere to Policy. “Second, it is proposed that the time during which the War Finance Corporation may make advances for Agricultural purposes be extended to the end of the present calendar year. The policy has been to make loans where they would bo helptul to the agricultural and live stock interests, but to make them on a sound busi- ness basis and upon adequate secur- ity. This policy must be adhered to in the future. The corporation can- rot and_should not make loans di- rectly to individual farmers, nor should it purchase paper without re- course from banks or other financial institutions. Its ability to function effectively has been due. in large measure, to tha fact that it has in- sisted upon responsible financlal in- termediaries, and that policy must not be abandoned. Limits to Federal Aid. “In my message to the Congress 1 stated that there are distinct limits to the scope of the assistance, which the federal government can render. These limits must not be overstepped. It was pointed out that government agencles cannot properly make loans upon insecure collatal, or to banking institutions whose capital is seriously impaired. “There have been severe losses to banking and commercial interests on account of the serious conditions pr vailing in the northwestern state Some of these losses doubtless can repaired, and further losses avoided, if the program of action herein out- lined is adhered to. But we must take no action that will make it pos- sible to transfer losses from private interests to the public treasyry. The object should be reconstruction, not charity, whether it is charity for the weak or for the strong. It should be repeated, therefore, that the gov- ernment should not be asked to take over, without recourse, an insecure or doubtful paper now held by banks or other creditors, or to make loans to enmable farmers to liquidate exist- ing indebtedness to going institu- tions.” v Proposes Lines of Actlon. Suggesting “that the conference could profitably explore the possi- bilities of action along the following lines,” the President continued: “If the ‘government, acting through the Department of Agriculture, is to make its assistance effective in pro- moting diversification of agriculture in the wheat sections, a large degree of co-operation from 'the local inter- ests, and specifically from the state and county farm and banking organi- “(Continued on Page 14 Column 3.3