Evening Star Newspaper, March 18, 1924, Page 1

WEATHER. Cloudy tonight and tomorrow; unset- tled tomerrow; no change In tempera- ture; lowest tonight above freezing. ‘Temperature for 24 hours ended at 2 p.m. today: Highest, 64, at noon to- day; lowest, 35, at 7:30 a.m. today. Vall report on’ page 7. 4 “From Press to Home Within the Hour” . The Star's carrier system covers every city block and the regular edition is delivered to Washington homes as fast as the papers are printed. . Che Closing N, Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 26 Yesterday’s Circulation, 102,662 No. 29,176 Birshs OTHERN BY DAUCHERTY AND SECRETARY SLEMP INOIL STOCK DEALS Purchases by Coolidge’s Aide Made Before He Left Con- gress, Accountant Reveals to Teapot Committee NEW PLEA IN $100,000 LOAN BY FALL RELATED Senators Curtis and Elkins and Representatives Rouse, Goody- koontz, Hines and Ryan Said to Have Dealt in Doheny or Sinclair Securities in Reoent Years. The oil committee resumed its AES USED Entered as second-class matter ‘Washington, | Arbitration Pact of 17 | New World Nations Reported to Senate ‘ ‘The arbitration treaty megoti- ated between the United States % and sixteen other American na- tions at the fifth Pan-American i | comference in Santiago, last May, was favorably reperted to- day by the Semate foreign rela- tions committee. The treaty provides that “all contrevernies, arising from any cause whatever, that canmot be mettled through dip! the chy els,” shall be sen pointees. Net more than ome citizen of each wtate could wsit om the commisaion. LA FOLLETTE MOVE STIRS TWO PARTIES Republicans and Democrats Must Change Strategy to Fight Third Ticket. BY DAVID LAWRENCE. Senator La Follette's determination WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1924—FORTY-FOUR PAGES. ADMITS 5400 PAD IN WTHORAWAL OF LQUIR BY FRMS Daugherty Probe Witness Re- luctant, But Names Alleged Parties to Deals. SUBPOENAS ARE ISSUED FOR MELLON AND WEEKS | Haynes, Blair, Votaw and Urion Also Summoned—Lotteries. Are Mentioned. The tangled trail of the Senate committee’s investigation of Attorney General Daugherty and the Depart- ment of Justice swung back and forth today between the mow famous fight-picture “deal” and “deals” in whisky cases. Then it made a brief detour. into the fields of lotteries, and | what the Department of Justice has done or has fiot done to suppress them. Will H. Orr, former private secre- tary to former Gov. Whitman, was ; Fourricac BULLETINS Sars Tie GO.P KNOWS THE HiNj of PLATFORM THAT MUST BE WRITTEN FOR H Earthquake Panic On Saghalien Isle As Houses Crash By the Associated Press. TOKIO, March 1S.— Many houxes were demolished Satur- day evening by a severe earth- rocked the south- ern section of Saghalien Island, ©Off the eant coast of Asia. Sev- eral persons were injured, but the eart] This quake was registered on the t Osaka Ob- The ock center ved to be in the Kurile D.C. APPOINTMENTS WAIT UPON REPORT Commissioners Tell Presi- dent’s Representative Facts Under Question. President Coolidge will not make up his mind regarding the appoint- ment of two civillan Commissioners for the District of Columbia until TWO CENTS. BILLISREPORTED FORELIVINATION oF CLASSIFYING BOARD {House Committee Scores I Group for Disobedience of Congress Mandate. WOULD TRANSFER DUTIES TO CIVIL SERVICE BODY ! Lehlbach, in Reporting Measure, Outlines Work and Disregard for Lawmakers’ Wishes. Favorable report on the Lehibach bill*to abolish the personnel classifi- cation board created by the classifica- tion act approved March 4, 1923, and to transfer its duties to the United | States Civil Service Commission was ordered today by the unanimous vote of the House committee on the civil service. In his report Chairman Lehlbach {says that the committee deemed it }desirable to outline briefly the situa the principal witness. O; e- P pal witnes: rr was a r ho has been furnished with a report|ijon with respect to reclassification hearings with a double-barreled sur-|to head a third party ticket if the [oniorsial mitoss (Orfiwex a re: prise today in the form of fresh evi- | republican national convention nomi- ! nates President Coolidge on a con-| servative platform will affect the en- tire course of the campaign. The senator's announcement is not unexpected. The demand that the party platform shall not be conserva- tive will not be satisfled, because Mr. | La Follette's idea of conservative| differss materially from . that of his| fellow republicans. Indeed, nothing ! short of a radical program will ap- pease the La Follette group, who are planning to use the platform con- troversy merely as an excuse to wage their campaign, not on personalities, but on the dignified basis of issues and principles. Munst Change Stratesy. H The immediate effect, of course, of | the entrance of Semator La Follette | into the campaign will be to change the strategy of the two old-line par- ties. The politicians have though dence of oil stock speculation by government officials and further tes- timony about the famous $100,000 loan to Albert B. Fall Brokers’ records submitted by an expert accountant showed that At- torney General Daugherty had dealt in both Sinclair and Doheny stocks since he entered the cabinet; that C. Bascom Slemp, now secretary to President Coolidge, also bought some Doheny stock before he retired from Congress in 1923, and that there were records of dealings also by Senators Curtis of Kansas, Elkins of West Virginia and a number of rep- resentatives. Used Assumed Names, The witness said that Attorney General Daugherty opened his ac- count with W. B. Hibbs and Company under his own name and subsequently changed to the name of W. W. Spaid, & member of the firm. He also said Mr. Slemp's purchase of certain shares of Mexican Petroleum were made in the name of P, W, Slemp. Price McKinney of Cleveland then testified that former Secretary Fall hud sought late last year, when the committee was inquiring into Fall's finances. to have McKinney say that be had loaned $100,000 to the former Secretary. That 'was before Fall made the same proposal to E. B. Mc- Lean. U. 8, Accountant Testifies. The testimony relating to the stock purchases was given by Louis F. Eond, an accountant attached to the Federal Trade Commission, who ex- amined the records of a number of brokers' offices. The transactions in- volving the Attorney General and others, he said, were made through the local offices of Hibbs & Co. Before his examination the com- mittee digressed for a moment and Chairman Ladd read a letter from: Maj. Gen. Lejeune, commandant of the Marine Corps, saying the expedi- tion of the marines to clear off tres- passers from the Teapot Dome Te- serve had cost $1,065. Slemp at the time of his transactions ‘was a member of the House, Mr. Bond 6aid. Other representatives dealing in the stocke inc'uded A. B. Rouse, Ken- tucky; Wells Goodykoontz of West Vir- nia, J. H. Himes, Ohio; Thomas J. an of New York. Says Curtis Bought Stock. Bond testified that Senator Curtis, | ‘who is the assistant republican leader of fhe Senate, bought 100 shares of Sin- clair consolidated on February 23, 1922, and that the records indicated it was a “straight purchase.” Attorney General Daugherty bought 100 shares of Pan-American, the Doheny corporation that leased (e California reserve, and sold at a profit of §543.50, the accountant said. October 9, 1922, the Attorney General so'd 500 shares of Sinciair Consolidated, and on October 27 he purchased an equal amount of the same stock, Bond said. The Attorney General's account with Hibbs & Co. was opened in No- vember, 1921, Bond said, in his own name &nd subsequently ' changed the name of W. W. Spaid, a member ct Hibbs & Co. Senator Elkins bought 8,700 shares of Sinclair consolidated on November 16, 1922, at a cost of $302,355. #old 7,700 shares on May 24, at $272.924 and took “straight de- livery” on the remaining 1,000 shares. Tells of Slemp Deals. Bond ' told the committes that Slemp bought 100 shares of Mexican Petroleum for “P. W. Slemp” and gold them at a net profit of $581. He then bought on June 23, 1922, 1,000 shares of Mexican Seaboard, another Sinclair company, and sold at 2 profit of $1.484.38. Representative Ryan, the witness said, dealt in 5,400 shares of Sinclair stock and 700 shares of Doheny stock in 1922 and 1923 and-realized a net profit of $8,645. Representative Rouse, according to | Eond's reports, bought 100 shares of Pan-American Petroleum at $8,715 and there was no record of any sale. Representative Goodykoonts _was shown to have made a net profit of $256 in Sinclair Consolidated and Mexican Petroteum. . Himes’ Tramsactions Skows. ‘Representative Himes bought and #old to the extent of 3,600 shares of oll stock, but Bond's report did notselect a President of the United, yn» show whether there was a loss or galn. . (The Sinclair Teapot Dome lease was signed April 7, 1923, and the Dohe’ny California lease December 11, 1922.] Mr. McKinney testified before the committee that former Secretary Fall had written him in 1923 asking him to agree to he had loaned Fall $100,000. McKingey said he de- clined to do so, use he had not made any loan to the former Interior Secretary. MacKinney said he did not reply to Fall's letter making thé request, and C. C. Chase, Fall's son-in-law, visited him at Cleveland. “What did Chase say?’ asked Sen- ator Walsh. “I did ndost of the talking,” the wit- ness said. “I sald I had not made (Continued on Page 2, Column 1) to | He | 1923, \publican argument will be this: First, the casting of any electoral | votes for La Follette will merely mix tested against the committee going outside the scope of the Inquiry to develop that he had once been in- dicted on a conspiracy charge in con- nection with violations of the pro- hibition law. Mentioned in Film Deal. Orr previously has been identified in testimony as one of those engaged in the “deal” to arrange showing of the Carpentier-Dempsey fight films with- out extensive prosecution, while vari- ous ‘“goats” were fined small sums by | prearrangement. Although-Orr testified that he was to receive one-fifth of the fund in- volved, he falled under cross-exami- nation 'to satisfy Senator Wheeler, the committee prosecutor, what he did to warrant the payments, although he did testify that he helped get past the censors. H Much of Orr's testimony centered | around liquor withdrawals. Senator Wheeler tried to develop that one Howard Mannington, who occupled a_desk in the “little ‘green house on K street” had received large sums of money in Washington in connec- tion with liquor cases and had been it all out and it looks as if the re-|obliged to give it back because his; j efforts in behalt of clients were not successful. Collections of $8,000. Orr could think of collections ag- | lup the election and possibly prevent any of the three candidates from re. the House of Representatives, Thei election of a third-party candidate would not carry with it control 0(‘_ Congress, so the legislative situation would be a copftant wrangle without progress. ! Second, the democratic argument | 1l be that the regular republicans are too conservative and the La Fol-! lette republicans are too radiczal, and |(hkt 2 liberal policy—a compromise between the two extremes—would ba‘ | adopted by the democrats. The con- | ! tention would be made that the elec- ! tion of a democratic President would ! carry with it the election of a dem- { Gerntic Congress, so that all branches of the government would be able to | proceed in harmony. Two Ponsible Results. The third party ticket is likely to; have two effects—either force the! election of a democratic President, as in 1912, by splitting the republican vote, or else forcing the election into the House of Representatives, which body chooses a President whenever no candidate gets a majority of the electoral votes. The strength of the La Follette group is In the west. These states are normally republican. If Senator| La Follette wins them Mr. Coolidge | would be vitally affected in the final tally. The democrats have hopes of certain western states, too. B Che ‘L Wollette effort and | the democratic campaign Mr. Cool-| idge would have to carry nearly | everything east of the Mississippi river, as well as certain Pacific coast States, to get a majority. The west, therefore, will be a real battle- ground, for the strength of the reg- ular republican party in the east is its conservatism, the very thing the La Follette republicans will be fight- ing in the west. If Mr. Coolidge could be conservative to the east and radical to the west the task | would be easy. Discuss Election by House. Already the discussion of what | would happen if the House were | {compelled to select a President— | something that has only happeped once in American history—has begun. The procedure is prescribed by the Constitution, which says that every | state delegation has a single vote, | Whether the vote shall be cast for a i republican or democrat depends upon whether the majority of the elected representacives to Congress for each | state are republican or democratic. : Using_the unit rule, and examining | the political complexion of each deie- . gation in the president Congress, which would be the Congress to decide the issue, since it would come up, if at all, in January, 1925, the tabie shows that the total number of states hav- ing republican delegations is twenty- two, while the democrats control | twenty-one states. Five states have a itle, in which case no voting is per- mitted, though of course a break in the tie can always be accomplished by win- ning over a single vote in that state delegation. Third Party in Power. The opportunities for political deals are numerous. A fow men virtually Stateas If, of course, all the states which. are called “republican” were to vote regular there would be no question about the selection of the regular republican nominee. But Mr. La Follette controls the Wisconsin | delegation In Congress and North i Dakota a8 well, and he has influence ! in other delegations, besides, so that; the balance of power would still be held by the third party candidate. l Senator La Follette would not be | in a position to force his own elec- tlon, but he could help choose a dem. it he wished to do s0. Should | the . House become deadlocked Vice President takes office until .nl election is consummated; but since there is no Vice lent now, under a statute of 1886, the Becretary of State would hold the office of Presi- dent temporasily. (Oopyright, 1934, votes, thus throwing the election Into ; gregating some $6.000, which he per- sisted were in the nature of retainzrs, Jess Smith, the Attorney. Generals ‘bumper and friend” being obliged to_return money. Specifically, Orr testified that he him- self received money f “five, six or seven” who esale d connection with liquor withdrawal and that among them were the Ce: tral Drug Company, the Emmerland Drug Company and the Alps Drug Company. In some cases the p'an was to have the liquor released ostensibly for export. BERGDOLL DENIES PLAN T0 RETURN Willing, However, to Consider Proposal Outlining Exact Punishment That Waits. | By the Asmociated Press. EBERBACH, Baden, March 18— Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, the American draft evader, authorized his secretary to state today that Bergdoll had not agreed to return to {the United States, as has beeny re- ported, but that he was willlng to consider proposals giving assurances ceiving a majority of the electoral | but he disclaimed any knowledge of {as to the exact punishment he would have to udergo in such case. LEGION SEEES RETURN. Official Declares Bergdoll Will | By the Astociated Press. NEW YORK, March 18.—Grover Cleveland Bergdoll will return to the lalso were subpoenaed in today’s list. United States immedlately to serve five years in federal prison at At- Mellon Is Called. Before adjourning until 10 o'clock tomorrow the committee heard Naco Steward, an attorney of Dallas, Tex., | who told a story of how, he alleged, the Department of Justice knew ali about certain -lotteries, and was fail- ing to prosecute and suppress them. For later appearance the commit- tee subpoenaed Secretaries Mellon | and Weeks, to inquire into the ma- chinery of communicating confiden- tial information between the two | departments. Some other notables of the American Legion. Bloo¢, through Norman Hapgood, editor of _Hearst's Magazine. Bergdoll said he would return at the invitation of the legion. Blood went to Germany as a legion representative to ask Bergdoll to re- turn. The draft evader agreed to come back, he sald. tell who assisted in his escape and serve his tifme. Then his property, which is held by the alien property custodian, will be returned and he may go his way. he two secretaries were to ve | questioned about the government contract with the Standard Aircraft Corporation, in connection with | A dispatch from Eberbach, Baden, which Gaston B. Means previously [last night sald two Americans had testified he accepted $100,000 for the asked bergdoll to return, but that he late Jess W. Smith to stop further | had refused to do so without assur- legal action. ances as to his punishment and prop- Prohibition Commissioner Haynes erty. and Internal Revenue Commissioner| Dispatches from Berlin last night Blair also were summoned, presum- ' said foreign office officials had in- ably for questioning about Means' timated they would be glad if Berg- assertion that he “got” Secredry doll got out of Germany. Intimations Mellon in an Investigation of the had been made to them, the dis- issue of permits for withdrawals of | patches added, that Bergdoll desired whisky. to leave the country and it was said Alfred R. Urion, a lawyer, named the Berlin government had asked the in the alleged film “deal” also was Badenese officials to put no hin- subpoenaed, as was H. H. Votaw, su- |drances in the way of his immediate perintendent of federal prisons,’and|geparture. a relative by marriage of the late| Bergdoll's property is in the hands President Harding. of the alien xc;operly eu;lodlln. It is understood that the draft evader Our Wismt) WRtne: could not receive this property until Orr sald he was “sors” because |after satistying this government's G. 0. Holdridge, a former Department | claims against his draft evaslon. of Justice agent, yesterday's witness, | sor Rim tanieq ® TOLICF to obtain it had classified everybody connected with the film “deal” as a crook. He| EXPECT ANNOUNCEMENT. denied that he (Orr) represented the late Jess W. Smith in the “deal” and denied that Smith had any interest in the picture. Orr testified he owned 20 per cent of the picture contract in return for his_“services.” Tex Rickard asked for his help in getting the flims shown, as Rickard knew of Orr’s previous empts to get films past the New York state censors and also of his political con- neetions. His part was to help overcome dif- ficulties of censorship and also in publicity. 5 Paid for Film Deal. | Legion Officials Say Statement Will Be Issued Shortly. By the Assoc'ated Press. CINCINNATI, Ohio, March 18.— “Some one has let something leak— | some stenographer has spoken at the ! wrong time.” said John R. Quinn, na- | tional commander of the American ! Legion, when presented with New tches relative to Grover C. rEd United States, ight. Commander Quinn appeared - sur- prised at the release of such news at this time, and advised newspaper men, lanta, according to Leighton H.Blood ! The announcement was made by | International | iv POINCARE’S FISCAL BILLS PASS 151-23 Left Abstains From Voting When Senate Accepts Reform Meas- ures in Entirety. By the Assoclated Press. PARIS, March 18.—The senate to- ldly passed in entirety the fiscal re- form measures of Premier Poincare, 151 to 23. The left abstained from voting. 'BUTLER MAY SEEK D. C. Police Superintendent After Philadelphia Trip. Maj. Daniel Sullivan, superintend- ent of police, is being considered for service under Gen. Smedley D. But- ler, director of public safety of Phil- adelphia, according to reports galn- |1ng circulation here today. The story was strengthened by a hurried visit which the major made to the Quaker city yesterday, during which he is lin conference with Gen. Butler. Upon his return to Washington to- day Maj. Sullivan declined to dis- cuss in any way the report that he had been offered a position in the police department of Philadelphia h een Gen. Butler in the course of his sit, but when pressed for an e | planation, insisted he could not di- vulge the purpose of the trip. Praise Butler's Work. Asked for an opinion of the efforts jof the fighting marine to clean up Philadelphia, Maj. Sullivan was gen- erous in his praise. “Gen. Butler is doing good work as director of public safety,” Sulli- van declared. Although the superintendent of po- lice carefully avoided further queries {regarding the reported offer, it was learned that he went to Philadelphia yesterday in response to a telegraphic request. It was recalled that before he entered the local police department as a low private more than a quar- ter of a century ago Maj. Sullivan was a marine. Gen. Butler's high regard for the men who have served as “devil dogs” is well known and it was suggested that this might have some bearing on the rumor that has gained wide circulation. Rose From the Ranks, ‘Whether Maj. Sullivan would seri- ously consider an offer from Phila- delphia, either for temporary or in- definite service, is extremely prob- lematical. long period of police service here, he is still physically vigorous. He could AD O SULLIVAN « Refuses to Discuss-Report-{entiued o Serve 5 Years, Then Get l?npctty.' |known to have passed several hours | The major, however, admitted having | _Although he has had aj Orr said he had been paid “in the| neighborhood of $4,500 in the film! deal,” but denied having ‘talked with Jess Smith, “about the films or about the money. “Did you talk over the possibility that the pictures would be confis- cated?” asked Senator Jones. “Something was said to the effect that confiscation wouldn't be possi- ble.” .“You and Muma and Ike Martin were _togethre?” Chairman Brook- hart put in. “No; that'’s one of the things you listened to that isn’t true,” Orr re- plied. in was a real person, t Holdridge had testified that “Mar- e ‘Was & dummy, really Muma him. Raised Momey for Harding. Senator Wheeler pressed Orr vigor- ously for detalls of “exactly” what he i, and Be fold- of seeing the New | York .censors and- discussing. *up- lifters” who opposed certain films. raised some money, $35,000° or for the front porch campaign. Marion?" asked Senator Wheeler. some.”. Orr suggested that Senator Wheeler should g0 to Willlam Boyce Thompson of the republican national committee to find out his campaign fund raising efl"-iflI. ‘ou. ral S0mMe MmOon: urself and turned It over to DeSEREIT “Not one cent.” . . “Did_you ever meet Daugherty at (.Xm\unuod on Page 3, uma 3.) 4 O I e ararol eobdbes el {now apply for retirement with a fully the statement he is reported to have made.” American Legion officers accom- panying the commander were less reticent, however, and intimated that they expected a detailed official state- ment to be issued from American Le- gion headquarters in a few days. ‘WILL SEE COOLIDGE. Mrs. Bergdoll Plans to Intercede for Grover Soon. By the Associated Press. PHILADELPHIA, March 18.—Mrs, Emma C. Bergdoll, mother of Grover Bergdoll, said last night that she ex- ed her son to return to Ameri shortly and that she planned to see President Coolldge in his behaif.. “In all his letters,” said Mrs. Berg- doll, “he expresse: desire to come back. I think he will very soon.. But they are having a lot of trouble now with Teapot Dome and the President may not have time to talk about Grover returning. When they are through investigating I will surely see him.” SIX VILLAGES WIPED OUT. TOKIO, March 18—Six villages have been wiped out by a forest fire which has raged since Saturda: foot of Mount Horaijl, near 1 170 miles from Tokio. Twenty per- mons are missing and believed to have s been called out to fight the blase. T 3 : pension. Maj. Sullivan went up through every rank in the &ervice from pri- }vate to his present position. For a inumber of years, prior to being brought to headquarters, he wasg which takes in the White House and a considerable number of the foreign embassies and legations. He suc- ceeded Maj. Harry L. Gessford as superintendent more than two years ago. —_— PARIS TAXICAB DRIVERS . "STRIKE FOR PAY RAISE ca [‘Aroused Because They Did Not Share in Recent Advance of Fare Rates. . PARIS, March ' 18.—The taxicab drivers have declared a twenty-four- ‘hour strike in protest against réfusal of the cab companies to raise their percentages following the recent in- crease In fares decreed by the city authorities. The cab, companies plead Increased expenses as the rea- son for refusing the ralse. In addition to their wage demand at the 'the drivers have another grievance. I'nmy say the taximeters wer changed not to register the increase of o e nuna pay the take increase or out of thelz tips - . - commander of the third precinct, | it | river, which is Texas BONUSBLLWINS IN HOUGE 3554 | Vote Indicates Measure Can Be Passed Over Presi- dential Veto. ~ The House today passed the soldier | bonus bill. i _The result indicated there are votes in the House to override a presiden- tial veto. | The vote was 355 to 54. The margin | over the necessary two-thirds was 82. The vote came after forty minutes’ | debate under rules requiring a two- thirds majority and barring amend- ments. As sent to the Senate the bill pro- vides for paid-up twenty-year en-! dowment life insurance policies and ! cash payments to those veterans not | e -more-than. $50 in adjusted compensation. On_motiow of Chairman Green of the ways and means committee the rules were suspended, the bill was read, and shortly before 1 o'clock debate was begun under a parliamen- tary situation shutting off amend- ments and limiting discussion to for- | ty_minutes. The committee chairman then was alloted half the time allowed for de- bate and the other half was placed under control of Representative Col- lier of Mississippi, a democratic committee member. Galleries Are Crowded. Nearly every member was on the floor and the galleries were crowded as the third bonus bill in four years |approached a vote ; Chairman Green, opening the de- i bate, maid the House twice before had passed a bonus bill, and “it is now time to pass a measure which wiil become law.” The insurance provision, Mr. Green said, would allow cash payments in twenty years and he estimated that 82 per cent of the veterans would then be alive. When Representative Yates, repub- lican, Illinois, a'ked if there would be no opportunity to vote for a cash payment option, he was declared out of order. Cheers greeted the ques- tion, but it went unanswered. SEEK POWER TO NAME BOARD OF EDUCATION Commissioners Advise Senate Body of Friction Existing Under Present Procedure, | i The Commissioners today advised the Senate District committee that in their opinion the board of educa- tion should be appointed by the board of Commissioners. They are report- ing on a bill which would transfer the appointing power from the judges of the District Supreme Court, where it now reposes, to the President of |the Unitea States. i “In the carrying out of school pol- lcies,” reads the report, “under this provision of law the fact that the board of education is Independent of ! the Commissioners has been the cause | jof considerable friction. This fric- | tion could be removed by having tha! members of the board of education appointed by the Commissioners.” The city heads point out that they bear the duties of submitting to the bureau of the budget annual esti- mates for the expenses of the Dis-! trict, and come into close relation- | ship with the school board. “The Commissioners do not feel that the appointment of municipal offi- cials, other than the Commissioners, should be a duty devolving upon the President of the United States. The duties of the President In the conduct of national and international affairs| are such that he should not be bur- dened with minor municipal matters.” ASKS NEW OIL INQUIRIES. Fletcher Wants Probe of Red River Concessions. i Another ofl inquiry was urged to- day by Senator Fletcher, democrat, Florida, who wants the oil cammittee to recommend repeal of the Watson act of March 4, 1923, conferring cer- tain oll rights in the bed of the Red the boundary between and Olhll?nb. I from Rush L. Holland, assistant at-|work which, in their judgment, makes torney general, who has been per- sonally making an inquiry into the administrations of Cuno H. Rudolph and James F. Oyster, who are being considered for reappointment. It will be a day or o before Mr. Holland concludes this “friendly inquiry,” as dercribed by House. He will then go to the Presi- dent and give his opinions regard- ing the charges made against two Commissioners by citizens of the city, which eleventh-hour opposition was respon-ible for blocking the re- appointment. in making this explanation at the, White House today one of the officials laid much emphasis upon the fact that the Department of Justice is not making an investigation into the activities of the ; | necessary the change in the admini- strative agency as provided in the | proposed legislation. ! “Congress for some time was cog- | mizant of the fact that the salary and | wage rates for positions invelving like duties and responsibilities and calling for the same qualifications showed wide variations and marked irregularities,” Chairman Lehibach says in his report. “Congress also realized that the salary and wage rates for positions of the same class were different for different depart- ments and independent _establish- ments, and that for many classes the present salaries were inadequate. i “In order to remedy these evils in ithe government service, a joint com- [ mission of Congress was created in 1919 to reclassify the government per- sonnel in the District of Columbia and to provide proper salary ranges for the various classes of positions created. House Effort Failed. “As there existed in the government the two civilian Commissioners nor of | the affairs of the District government. Judge Holland was selected by the Presi- | dent to personally handle the matter for him. He is to listen to the exp'ana- | tions made by the two Commissioners | of their acts udm.ejlnber; %{‘ mebzyl?tljng’ commission and the Public Utilities | Commiasion, and other acts as members | SrVice nothing remotely resembling of the board of Commissioners which |a classification, the duty imposed have been complained about by some of |upon the Joint commldsion was to the citizens opposing their Feappoint-{ gy o ciacsification rather than a ment. Not Probing for Scandal | reciassification. The joint commis- The White House in discussing this5ion made a survey of the personnel matter is especially anxious to make |in the Distriot and upon the basis of it clear to every one that the ll]nqufl'v {the information thus obtained de- being conducted by Judge Rolland 181,,),,04 3 complete classification of not with the view to unearthing a | < .’;ndnl or that the two present!all positions In the District This civilian Commissioners are suspected classification was submitted with its of_dishonesty or corruption. {report in March, 1920, = It was explained that the President| “The report of the joint commission has been anxious that Commission- | was referred to the House civil serv- ers Rudolph and Oyster be given j fce committee and under its auspices every opportunity to answer and ex- ¢ondensed and simplified, without, plain their acts and decisions during however, any material change in sub- stance from the plan of the original their three years in office that have been mentioned in the protests against their reappointment. Realiz- ing his tnability to give the two Com- missioners a proper hearing because | of lack of time, the President turned | the whole matter_over to Assistant Attorney General Holland. In the meantime the President has given no_ intimation of his final ac- tion in_this matter. In commenting { upon this today one of the Presi- dent's assistants stated that he is confident that President Coolidge has given to no one any Indication that he has alreadv made up his mind. Nor has he indicated to any one any preference of choice of the verious names presented to him dur- ing the past week to consider in con- | nection with making theso two ap-| pointments. Impressed by Indorsement. The President is known still to be deeply impressed with the indorse- ment of the two civillan Commission- ers by such a large number of trade, civic and political organizations, all of which will go a long way in in- fluencing him when he receives| Judge Holland's report and he is| ready to reach a decision. It was said also at the White House today that no new names have been received at the White House | since yesterday, when those of Mal. | Gens. Lansing Beach. chief of engi- | neers; Willlam M. Wright, chief of | supplies of the Army, and George | Barnett, former commandant of ma- | rines, were proposed. { When asked today regarding the inquiry made by Mr. Holland for the President, Commissioners Rudolph | and Oyster sdid they thought it would | be improper_for them to make any | comment. They admitted, though, that they had appeared before Mr. Holland and answered frankly many | questions and explained to him why | they did certain things that have, been complained about. CONVICT ADMITS KILLING THREE, POLICE DECLARE| Couple Shot Dead and Woman |3 Visitor Slain With Ax Handle, Are Charges. BATAVIA, N. Y., March 18.—John | Vetoski, a paroled convict, has con-i fessed that he murdered Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Whalley and Mrs. George Morse at Linden last week, the police here sald today. Mr. and Mrs. Whalley were shot in their home and Mrs. Morse, grocers wife, who was ecalling on the Whalleys was beaten to death with an axe handle. The bodles were covered with oll-soaked rags and set on fire. STAGED THEFTS TO GET INSURANCE, POLICE SAY Four Men and Woman Held in Chi- cago in Alleged Fake Gem Robberies. By the Assoclated Press. CHICAGO, March 18.—Four men and a woman were arrested here last night and the police said an alleged ring of diamond thieves who for sev- eral years have been directing fake hold-ups for collecting more than $8,000,000 theft insurance had been uncovered. Morris Levinson, a diamond mer- chant; James basco, former caba- ret owner; Lawson Jaffe and Louis J. Victor, salesman for Levinson, and Miss Julla Smith are In custody. classification. “Congress did not see fit to adopt the joint commission classification or its modification, made for the com- mittee without review and revision. A legis'ative body is not adapted to the work of such revieion, such work being’ administrative in char- acter. A classification agency was, therefore, to be Sset up to create classes, define them and furnish- ap- propriate titles. “As a_ guide for and limitation upon the classification agency, & skeleton of a classification was pre- pared. This divi‘ed the personnel in. the District into broad servioes, such as professional, clerical, cus- todial, and so on, and Set up within each Service a scries of seven, eight or nine grades, with a range of sal- ary for each grade, and a general definition of the dutfes and qualifi- cations applicable in a general way to the classes of positions which would fall within such grades, Six Rules Provided. “This outline or skeleton or a clas- sification was called the compensation schedule and inserted in the various bills providing for a classification of the civil service in the District. It was the manifest purpose of all suca bills that classes of positions were to be created and fitted into the grades in which they beleng and that there- |upon the employes were to be al- located to their appropriate classes within the grades. “The classification act in furtherance of the classification plan above out- lined defined ‘service, ‘grade’ and ‘class'; creates the personnel classifica- tion board as the classifying agency : directs it to subdivide the grades into classes and supply titles and definitions for them and to publish & statement con- taining the duties and responsibilities In the classes to be estabiished within the several grades, the qualifications re- quired for such duties and the tities given to said classes; it thereupon di-: Tects the department heads, after con- sultation with the board and in ac- cordance with a uniform procedure pre- scribed, to allocate all positions to their appropriate grades in the compensation schedules and fix the rate of compensa- tion of each employe in accordance with the ruies prescribed in section 6 of the “Section 6 contalns six rules pre- scribing the method of fixing the ex- act rate of pay within the salary range of the grades or class thereof to which an employe is allocated that he is initially to receive. The act contains compensation schedules, | Being such an outline or skeleton of = ! classification as above described. No Classification Made, “In the face of these provisions of the law the personnel classification board did not subdivide the grades into classes and furnished no titles and definitions, published no such | statement as required by the act for |the guidance of department heads— in short, made no classification at all. Instead, it directed the department heads to allocate all positions to & series of seventeen salary ranges heretofore prepared by the’ bureau of efficiency. The salary ranges were { called grades, but contained no defini- tions whatever. Under each _grade a few typical jobs were given as ex- amples and all other positions were to be gllocated by analogy. “For 'this astounding performance the board makes the following ex- cu It wanted to save time; the { provisions of the law are not man- datory; the classification was not in- |tended as a basis for salary adjust- ment; its purpose is only to facilitate prep: examinations for future | entrance Into the service and for i statistical purposes: the act does'not | provide for subdividing the into classes, but each class is terminous with the grade with which it falls; it was more conven to have the department heads of efficiency caary hese sai- 53 (Continued on Page 2, Col o i