Evening Star Newspaper, March 3, 1925, Page 1

* WEATHER. (U} . Weather Bureau Forecast.) Fair and warmer tonight; increas- ing cloudiness and warmer tomorrow, probably followed by rain in after- noon. 2 “From Press to Home Within the Hour” The Star’s carrier system covers every city block and the regular edi- p.m. today. Full report on page Temperatures—Highest, 32, at yesterday; lowest, 11, at 6 a.m. (3 Closing N. Y: Stocks and Bonds, Page 28 ch o Entered as secol No. ),526. nd class matter shingion, D. C. post_office, Wa i PRINCIPALS AWAIT - RISING OF CURTAIN FOR INAUGURATION Stage Is All Set for Dignified Pageant When Coolidge and Dawes Take Oaths. UTMOST SIMPLICITY WILL BE PRESERVED Last-Minute Changes Made With ilz W ASHINGTON ¢ Foen WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION D. €, rongs Pouring Into Capital; | 20,000 Visitors Due Tomorrow Governors, City Officials, Political Lead- ers and Citizens Filling Hotels and Streets for Inauguration. All rouds, rail and paved, from rth, West and South led to the Na- tion’s Capital today and emptied into the already crowded city thousands upon thousands of citizen€—distin- guished or not =o distinguished, but all equally intent on witnessing to- morrow the inductioe of a President of the United States. As traln after train poured its occupants into the concourse of Union Station today and street conveyances took up the task of distributing them about the city the streets of Wash- Approval of President—Cere- mony to Last Three Hours. With the all set and the principal actors already in the wings, | Washington today onl e ! raising of the the rennial pageant that is to be re peated tomorrow, when the Nation ®ets forth to the inauguration of an- other administration. Although the ceremony with which ¥resident Coolidge and Vice President Tawes will be inducted into offce will be marked by the utmost sim- .plicity, the program will be entirely | fitting of the dignity of the occasion | and keeping with the ideals the | ¥ dministration has set out to| follow Leaders and aids burned late oil last night completing final details, | snd before noon today announced that they were ready to go forward with the ceremony strictly according to schedule. Starting at 11 clock in the morning when the presidential party reaches the Capltol, the festivi- ties will virtually be completed by ghortly after 2 o'clock. awaits curtain on quad w | | | Minor Changes Made. { Minor changes were made in the| program at the eleventh hour, and have | received the official approval of the White House, which has carefully | watched the development of the en- | tire arrangements to make sure that| nothing of pompous nature might un- | intentionally be included and (lelrafl!! from the simplicity of the occasion | that President Coolidge is so anxious to maintain throughout. The only important change in the line of march for the parade is the inclusion of the members of the Washington citizens’ committee in the second d ion, with the gover- nors and their staffs. The committee- men, riding in automobiles, will ap- pear directly behind the United States Marine Band, taking second place only to the marshal of the division! and his staff. As nearly as can be judged in ad-| ~vance, the parade should begin its! march about 1 o'clock and, WOVIHET st the regulation Army pace, should | reach the President's reviewing stand in front of the White House about | half an hour later. Despite efforts to prevent a long halt once the | parade begins its march, it will be! necessary, officers announced today, | ' 1o stop the head ! | | . of the column at| Pennsylvania avenue and Tenth street | for a brief time. 1 Must Await Second Division. Virtually the entire second division, | 1t was pointed out, will be present at | 1he formal ceremony of swearing in | he President on the inaugural grand- stand. Some time will be required to | get .the governors and their staffs through the crowd to their point of | concentration, arrange them in line .according to their allotted positions and get them under march. Part of this time will be used to get the military division en route, but some- time will elapse before the whole second division can be assembled. The parade will start from New Jersey avenue and B streets south- east immediately upon completion of the inaugural ceremonies at the Capi- tol. The President will not wait to ride at its head for a short distance, but will leave for the White House, partake of lunch while the second di- vision is being formed, and be in the reviewing stand with Vice President Dawes and the members of his party when the head of the column swing 1to the improvised court of honor. No change has been made in the formation of the first grand division. It will be led by Maj. Gen. Hines, as zrand marshal, his staff and aid followed by the United States Arm nd. The first section will be com- )sed of units of the Regular Army— Cavalry, Infantry, Engineers, the Air Service, Artillery and tanks, appear- ing in the order named. The 5th | tegiment of Marines, from Quantico, | and a seaman regiment from Norfolk * will comprise the second section | | T Governors in Second Division. | Maj. Gen. Anton Stephan is marshal | ot the second division. Immediately | behind the United States Marine Band | will appear the inaugural committee, | the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, and the governors of the States in the order named: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecti- cut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New | fampshire, Virginia, New York, | fRhode Island, Vermont, Kentucky, | Ohio, Indiana, Tlinois, Iowa, Nebras- | ka, Colorado and Wyoming. | Dispersal of the parade will begin | at Eighteenth street and Pennsyl- | vania avenu Persons standing | there, however, will the entire procession, it will continue in its formation up to that point. Some of | the troops will turn up or down | Eigtheenth street, as the case may be, while others will continue on to Nineteenth and Twentieth before ging out of line and returning | to their camps in various parts of the city i Heavy Guard Planned. | i On h trip to nd from the White | *Mouse, the President will be escorted | by a platoon of mounted police, com- manded by Sullivan, nd a squadron of cavalry front and rear, with outriders to either side. Near his car will also be a machine con- taining Secret Service men. Other Secret Service operatives and plain clothes men will be profusely dis- tributed through the crowds to pro- tect the Chief Executive and the mem- bers of his party from possible harm. The names of the members of the Grand Army of the Republic who will act as his guard of honmor were an- nounced .oday as follows: Hosea B. Moulton, commander of the Depart- ment of the Potomac; Maj. Gen. John | L. Clemm, staff senior vice com- ander-in-chief; Col. John McElroy, Past senior vice commander-in-chief; Menry A. Johnson, staff junior vice commander-in-chief; O. H. Oldrovd, assistant adjutant general of the De- yartment of the Potomac; E. D. Gode ©d on Page l | Cooliage | been ington once n began to take on the of bustle and excite nially marks the in Nation’s Chief kx- & ppearanc: ment that quadr auguration of the ecutive. 20,000 Vixitors Expected. Although the crowd this year ad- mittedly smaller than those which have attended many such ceremonies in the past, due to the desire of President for lack of elaborate dis play, estimates obtained from trans portation and hotel officials and other sources led to the belief that more than 20,000 persons from out of town Wwill be on hand for tomorrow's cere- monies. Many important delegations of State officials arrive® this morning. Most of these delegations came on special cars or trains of cars. They included governors and their staffs CONGRESS LEAVES NOTABLE RECORD OF DISTRICT ACTS Accomplishments for Capital Unmatched in Any Preced- " ing Legislative Term. Leaving behind it a notable record for enactment of beneficial District of Columbla legislation, the Sixty- eighth Congress will pass out of ex- istence as the clock strikes the hour of noon tomorrow. The “zero hour” {1s near at hand, but it will not strike before history has been made by the legislators of the National Capital; history for which all Washingtonians are grateful and proud; history of accomplishment for the Federal City, which has not been matched by any preceding Congress. Through the activity and zealous- ness to duty of the now dying Con- gress, Washington will soon have an ideal school system; its automobile trafic will be controlled by modern | regulations; a $15,000,000 bridge will span the Potomac to the Virginia shore; the District will begin to spend its more than $5,000,000 surplus from accumulated taxes; needed public im- provements will go forward on ae- count of the largest appropriation bill ever passed: the street car com- panies may consolidate into one sys- tem; District citizens wii have the benefit of lawfully pure milk and cream, and motorists will pass under |instead of over the dangerous La- mond grade crossing at Takoma Park. Many Notable Acts. These are only a few of the better- ments that the Sixty-eighth Congress can point to as its record s scanned. Washington, in addition to these manifold benefits, has a school census and compulsory school attendance law; the teachers in the schools re- ceive more adequate pay: police and firemen are better compensated and recelve one day off a week; District and Federal employes have been granted increases; a Park Com- mission has been created for the beautification of the City of Parks; Six hundred thousand dollars has been appropriated for use this year of the new. commission as a fore- runner of a yearly sum of $1,000,00 two tracts of land, donated by pub- lic spirited citizens for parks have accepted; $2,500,000 has been made available for work on the new water conduit; needed amendments to the zoning law have been acted upon and before 12 o'clock tomorrow the civil service retirement act is expected to receive favorable action in the House, and likewise the de- ficlency bill, carrying large sums for the District. For the first time the District com- mittees of the House and Senate have functioned as one committee in joint session, and there has been a proposal to continue this method on account of the good results obtained. The com- mittees also have met during the last Session in separate sessions, and the “District needs first and last” has been dopted as the motto. To these committees must go a large share of the credit, but to the respec- {ive chairmen a word of praise is due. Senator L. Heisler Ball, chairman of the Senate committee, who, unfor- tunately for Washington, retires to- morrow, has been an indefatigable worker for the weifare of the Nation's Capital. He has shown foresight and vision, ~(Continued on Page 2, Column 7. Very a Mussolini Is well cities and their parties, political or- zanizations in a body, patriotic asso- ciations, the military, etc. Vermonters Here Today. Two of the largest groups of the day arrived this afternoo from the President’s native state, Vermont. Carmi Thompson, one of Mr, Coolidge’s pre-convention campaign managers and former Republican candidate for Governor of Ohlo, came in early this morning on a special sleeper from Cleveland, accompanied by a carful of friend: Payne Whitney, New York sports- | his priva |1arge company ork _city. A Southern train early this after- | noon brought in a contingent of 200 officers and men from the marine base at Quantico, Va. They occupied six cars? car, Westmont, with a of guests from New Other Groups Among political here today were the Mineola Republi- can Club, consisting of 50 person coming in two speclal cars at 6:20 p.m., and the Home Talk and Item Party of Brooklyn, comprising 25 members, in a special car due at 6:45 p.m. Some of the biggest delegations will not come here until tomorrow. One of the largest single groups into Washington early to- Expected. Warmer, With Rain Possible, Forecast For Inauguration Unless the weather deliberately belies the signs as Forecaster Weightman read them today, President Coolidge will ride to his inauguratiop tomorrow beneath a warm sun. Clouds in the offing, however, will struggle to reach Washington with a supply of damp weather in the late afternoon, the forecaster believes, and if Dame Nature doesn’t keep sufficient check on them, they might even arrive here in time to wet the inauguration crowds along Pennsylvania avenue. The official forecast for tomor- row is: “Increasing cloudiness and warmer, probably followed by rain.” “lI don't want to be held responsible If the rain should happen to develop in time to mar the parade and ceremony,” Mr. Welghtman pointed out toda “But I have well founded hopes that the skies will be fair and the temperature much warmer than today during the inaugural exer- cises,” The Arcticlike blasts that swept Washington last night stayed long enough to send the mercury down to 11 degrees at 6 o'clock this morning. R i & COVERNORS ARRIVE FOR INAUGURATION Number Already in Capital With Aides—State Con- ! tingents Welcome Them. ‘With the arrival or pending ar- rival of governors and lieutenant governors from 18 States, ‘“native sons” sojourning in Washington had completed plans to welcome the vis- iting delegations with open arms to the Capital City with varlous types of receptions and ceremonies this afternoon, tonight and tomorrow. State socleties generally consti- tuted themselves the mediums of re- ception fore the governors and their attendant suites. In a few cases spé- clally picked committees had ar- ranged quiet little affairs for the chief executives of their respective States. % Outstanding in tonight's celebra- tions, in so far as gubernatorial vis- ernors’ ball, at the Congressional dozen of the chief executives of States are expected to be in attendance. The first woman governor to attend inaugural ceremonies here — Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming—was welcomed by a committee at the Union Station. She was escorted to Meridian Mansions, the residence of Senator and Mrs. Kendrick, who will entertain her and her sister for sey- eral days. Governors Here Now. The arrivals thus today cluded the following: Gov. C, J. Morley of Colorado, who is stopping at the Washington Ho- tel, accompanied by a small staff. Gov. Adam McMullen of Nebraska, accompanied by his military staff. Gov. R. P Robinson of Delaware, (Continued on Page 4, Column 2.) far in- Seriously Ill; Close Friend Takes Over Helm of State BY HIRAM K. MODERWELL. By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News. ROME, March 2 (By Mail to Paris, March 8).—Very serious illness has compelled Premier Mussolini to hand over the helm of the Italian state to his friend Federazzoni, who now ls, In fact, prime minister of Italy. Optimistic bulletins concerning Mussolini’s health had been forth- coming daily for the past fort- night, but it is no longer possible to conceal the fact that his malady seriously threatens his future effi- ciency. The truth appears to be as fol- lows: Mussolini suffered an attack of influenza in the middle of Feb- ruary. This in itself was not serious, but his constitution was already weakened by overwork, and perhaps by the long mental strain following the Matteotti murder. Also it is sald he had a chronic disease of long stand- ing affecting his digestive organs, for which, In spite of his weakened condition, an operation was per- formed Thursday. Mussolini can- not be the man he was for a long time, even if he is able to re- sume his duties. Federazzonl seems to be destined to take the reins permanently if Mussolini retires. He h: been minister of interior lately and is credited with great common sense. (Copyright, 1925, by Ohicago Daily News Co.) Radio Programs—Page 36- known public officials of other | man, is expected to arrive tonight on | organizations due | itors are concerned, will be the gov-| untry Club, at which more than a | | | i | i | new |dle West. | flicts in that war. DAWES, ENTHUSED, WHIRLS THROUGH ROUND OF CALLS Vice President-Elect, With New “Underslung” Pipe, Visits President. SCORNS AUTO TO WALK BRISKLY FROM HOTEL Engages in Snappy Repartee With Senators and Cameramen. Sees Other Officials. a brand- the type Picturesquely smoking “underslung” pipe of world famous by him, and dressed in distinctive, vet stylish mode, America’s Vice President-elect, Charles G. Dawes, put in a busy morn- Ing today at the White House, the War Department and the Treasury, taking occasion between times to deliver himself of some pointed re- marks on good citizenship, and to remember by his first name a col- ored messenger who had been foot- man to President McKinley. The general and his new pipe had a typies day before inauguration—clear. cool and snappy. From one place to an- other the Vice President-elect walked alone and with brisk step, making his first call on the President of the United States at 9:30 and return- ing ‘o the New Willard Hotel, which is tempo.erily his home here, shortly after 11 o'clock. made Calls at White House. True to his promise that he would not talk politics until after ration, Gen Dawes spent more than half an hour with President Coolldge | the President's | at the White House, first_caller of the day, but had noth- Ing to say concerning the of their confereuace. tomary meeting of the two of the Incoming administration to inauguration Gen. Dawes was In fine fettle, and at the White House engaged in jolly repartee with Senator Edge, Repub- lican, New Jersey, and Senator Ship- stead, Farmer-Labor, Minnesota. De- clining ‘Senator g0 up to the Senate this morning, the general told newspaper men after- ward he had told would soon be a procedure all “common.” With Senator Shipstead, it was un- derstood, the Vice President-elect had a good-natured but to-the-point in- terchange over the spirit of the Mid- too remarked, it was learned, that he hunself had been educated in the West (Continued on Page 2, Column 4.) ¥ RN GARDNER RESIGNS AS PENSION CHIEF Hays Haymaker Will Act as| Commissioner Until Ap- pointment Is Made. Washington Gardner, commissioner of pensions for the last four years, | has submitted his resignation, and it | has been accepted by the President. A successor to Mr. Gardner has not been appointed. Hays Haymaker, deputy commissioner of pensions, will serve as acting commissioner until an | |a better compulsary school appointment is made. Mr. Gardner, who was appointed by | is 80 years old, | and is regarded as the dean of chiefs | President Harding, of the Government bureaus. His home served in Congress and as Secretary of State for Michigan. In 1913, Mr. Gardner became com- mander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, after serving as commander of the Department of Michigan, and holding several Gther posts in the G. A. R. Last Fall Mr. Gardner was severely injured in an automobile accident and remained five weeks at Emergency Hospital recovering. He returned to his office early this year. Served in 18 Bati Commissioner Gardner has been ad- dressed as “General” for many years. the honorary title coming to him through his rank in the G. A. R. He enlisted in the 65th Ohio Infantry in the Civil War in October, 1861, as a private and was discharged Decem- ber 14, 1864, with the rank of ser- geant, serving through 18 major con- Mr. Gardner was severely wounded in the hot fighting near Resaca, Ga., in 1863 and for a time his life was despaired of. The retiring Pension Commissioner was born in Morrow County, Ohio, February 16, 1845, and received his education at Ohio Wesleyan Univer- sity, taking a law degree at Albany Law School and later studying at Al- bion College. Long a leader in the movement for increased annuities for Governmept workers, Mr. Gardner a few months ago turned his endeavors toward authorization by Congress for estab- lishment in the Pension Office Build- ing of a national memorial and museum for the soldiers of the wars of the United States. A bill was in troduced in both houses of Congres: at this session providing for the estab- lishment of such a museum, to serve as a repository for national relics and characteristic uniforms and weapons of all the wars in which this Nation has engaged. Guide to Capital For the benefit of inaugura- tion visitors in Washington The Star today prints a map of those sections of the city in which are located most of the public buildings and points of historical interest. It will be found on page 32. TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1 “Dawesian” morning for the | nature | It was the cus- | chiefs | prior | ge's invitation to! the Senator that' | Thursday morning. At that time the The Vice President-elect | i is in Albion, Mich, and he formerly | | | CAPPER TO HEAD - D.C. COMMITTEE |Chosen to Succeed Ball “as inaugu- | Chairman—Has Long Been Friendly to District. Senator Capper of Kansas has been clected by the Republican committee on committees of the Senate to be chairman of the Senate District com- mittee in the new Congress. Senator Capper will succeed Senator Ball of Delaware in this office, the latter retiring from the Senate. The Republican Senators have been alled to meet in caucus at 11 o'clock committee on committees will sub- mit its list of committee appointments for ratification. The election of a Res publican leader and the nomination of a President pro tempore will also take place. The secretary of the Sen- ate and the sergeant-at-arms of the Senate will be nominated. These nom- inations later will be submitted to the Senate and, as the Republicans will have a majority in that body, the nominations should be equivalent to election. While the Republican conference of the new Senate has not yet met and has not formally decided whather there shall be a reorganization of the Senate committees at this time, it is predicted today that the committees would be reorganized. The alterna- tive would be to permit the reorgani- zation of the committees to go over until next December at the first regu- lar session of Congress. Capper Interested in City. Senator Capper, who is slated to head the District committee, has been a member of that committee for a number of years, and has taken keen interest in the affairs of the District. He has given particular study to the public school system. As chairman of the joint congressional committee a vear ago he made an exhaustive re- port on the schools. Many of the recommendations have been enacted Into law including in- | creases in the salarles of teachers, educu- tion law and a building program for the District schools. Senator Ball of Delaware. who will be succeeded by Mr. Capper as chair- man of the District committes has been recognized as a strong friend of the National Capital. Largely through his efforts one of the. most important programs of District leg- islation ever enacted has been put through Congress at the present ses- sion. Senator Ball was the author of the original rent act for the District and fathered many other important RETREMENT BL UNEDTOFAL Republican Leaders Declare { Measure Already Passed by | Senate Will Not Be Enacted. i The civil service retirement bill will not be passed at this session of Congress. This word - was passed |along to leaders of the 450,000 Gov- ernment employes who have been making a desperate and unremittent fight to get action in the House be- fore this session closes. It was con- firmed today by Republican leaders in the House. This decision is under- stood to be based on word directly trom President Coolidge that he does not want this measure passed. ¢ Both President Harding and Presi- dent Coolidge early in thelr adminis- trations declared their sympathy with the pledge of wornout Govern- ment employes who could not retire to starve and so were clogging the Government pay rolls and preventing efficient work in the varicus Govern- ment establishments. They declared their earnest support of this legls- latian. The cabinet, through Secretary Work of the Interior Department, has also dec'ared its urgent interest in_having actlon taken. The bill has already passed the Senate, and If allowed to come up for a vote in the House would undoubt- (Continued on Page 2, Column 3.) \ ny Star. tion is delive as fast as th red to Washington homes e papers are printed. Yesterday’ s Circulation, 103,405 1925 —-FORTY-TWO PAGES. WELCOME To THE INAUGURALCITY! IT MaY BE VOTELESS, SOVIET OFFICIAL DEAD IN VLADIVOSTOK RIOT Serious Uprising Among Sailors Re- ported in Progress at Siberian Port. By the Associated Press. HARBIN, Manchuria. March 3.—Re- ports from Pogranichnaya say that a serious uprising has occurred among the sailors at Viadivostok. Karpen- ko, the Soviet representative at Vladivostok, was killed during street rioting, according to these reports. GERMAN ELECTION SET FOR MARCH 29 All Parties Anxious to Have New President at Helm of State. | | By the Associated Presy PERLIN, March 3.<The date of the German presidential election, at which a successor to the late President Ebert will be chosen, was officially fixed to- | day as March 29. By Radio to The Star and Chicago Daily News. BERLIN, March 3.—All parties are desirous of hurrying the German presi- | dential election. It must be remembered that a Ger- man president is elected by direct popu- Iar vote of all persons over 20 years old. If the first election fails to give any one an absolute majority, a second elec- tion will be held two weeks later and the plurality candidate is elected. The two most likely candidates now are former Chancellor Marx and Chan- cellor Luther, although the latter may not be mentioned in the first election. He will undoubtedly poil a heavy vote as a non-partisan candidate in the sec- ond election. Luther is an undoubted Conservative. Despite much disorder and confusion this election may do much to divide the sheep® from the goats—that the friends of the new regime from the par- tisans of the old and show which side is the stronger, thereby clearing the air for the future. (Copyright, 1925, by Chicago Daily News Co.) PRIEST TO OFFICIATE. Ebert to Be Buried as Catholic De- spite Socialism. By the Associated Press. BERLIN, March 3.—The interment of President Ebert at Heidelberg on Thursday will be with the rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Father Maas of Heidelberg will read the service. This announcement was made late yesterday and there had been. much uncertainty as to whether there would be any religious ceremonial at the funeral. While - the President was born in the Catholic faith, his activ- ity for many years as leader of the Socialists, who have been extremely antagonistic to all religions, had given rise to the popular impression that Herr Ebert no longer was a churchman, although he appatently | tion for this amount and WO CENTS. PUBLIC BUILDINGS House Makes $150,000,000 Bill an Amendment to De- ficiency Measure. a vote of to 96, under sus- pension of the rules, the House today dopted as an amendment to the con- ference agreement on the $58,000,000 deficiency appropriation bill the $150,- 000,000 public buildings bill, which had previously passed the House and failed in the Senate. Included in this $150,000,000 is $50,000,000 for new Federal buildings in Washington This amendment was offered by Chairman Madden of the House appropriations committee, and lead- ers in the House seid today that there is a good chance that it may be cepted by the Senate. The $150,000,000 public building program carries merely an authoriza- takes no money out of the Federal Treasur: during, the next fiscal year. Included in the $38,000,000 deficiency bill is $2,631,500 to be taken from the District surplus of $4,500,000 in the Federal Treasury to make a start on the five-year school-building pro- gram, which has already passed both | houses of Congress Other Important Items. Other important Discrict items in the bill are $500,000 for the starting | of work on the Arlington Memorial Bridge: $150,000 for a new Red Cross building as a memorial to the women in the World War; $251,000 for im- provements to the Capitol power plant: $70,000 for replacing elevators in the State, War and Navy Building; $60.600 for a trafiic director, assistant corporation counsel and other penses incident to the new traffic laws for the District: $21.000 for op- eration of the ount Pleasant branch library; $125.000 for sewer extenslons; $59,000 to carry out the new law abolishing the La- mond grade crossing and extending Van Buren street through the viaduct; $10.000 for a new death chamber at the District jail; $30,000 for a new elevator in the Washington Monu- ment; $23.000 for National Training 254,000 for support School for Girls; of District pa- tients in St. Elizabeth’s Hospital; $10,- | white and on the Tidal Rock Creek 000 for removing the colored bathing beaches Basin; $100,000 for the and Potomac Parkway Commission; $50,000 for new water mains; $909,000 for the Federal institution for wom- en at Alderson, Va.; $13,100 for addi- tional land at the Beltsville farm of the Department of Agriculture: $8,000 for a new greenhouse on the Arlington experimental farm and $69,000 for seven commissioners of the Court of Claims. 5 BANDITS AWE BANK’S OCCUPANTS; GET $30,000 By the Associated Press ST. LOUIS, March 3.—Five armed men entered the Mound City Trust Co. today, held 20 or 25 employes and patrons at bay and escaped with ap- proximately §30.000 in cash. One (Continued on Page 3, Column, 4.) shot was fired by a robber, but no one was wounded. aggwal @he Foening Star Fro T (Anywhere in th New and hitherto unpu ident, the Vice President Send lixt of names and 10 cents for each) to Star Ofice, Eleventh street sylvania avenue, -and the promptly malled. © Marxch3, - Mailéd,'postage prepaul 10c e United States and Canada.) Tn addition t8 all the currént news in each issue, the of March 4 will contain ‘a special rotogravure section .- of the inauguration ceremonies. from the first President to present day. Pigtures of the: various brilliant processions, the Presidents taking .the oath at the Capitol, and special incidents connected:with historic inaugurations. three innugural issues will be Editions 4, apd oy blished photographs and their wives. of the addressex (accompanied by d Pen: buildings for the | MELLON DEFENDS - TREASURY IN FACE - OF BONDS' REPORT Declares Bureau Irregularity Charges as Far From Prov- en as in 1920. SAYS YEARS OF SEARCH FAILED TO SHOW GUILT Committee, With Two Dissenting, | Recommends Comprehensive Audit of the National Debt. Secretary President the Mellon Coolidge today informed Executive that the Treasury's “accusers” charging irregularities i the handling of Federal securities remain “as far now from proving their charges as they were in 1920.” The Secretary added that with the exception of a “petty theft” involving some $13,000 in bonds, the two and one half years of investigation by Charles B. Brewer, Department of Justice agent, and the more recent investigation by a special House com- mittee had developed nothing further than reiteration of the original rges made in 1920 by J. W. Mc- arter, a former deputy register of the Treasury Che letter is as follow: There has been submitted to Con- | Bress a majority report of the spe- |cial committee appointed under | House resolution 231 (Sixty-eighth Congress, first session), to investi- gate mafter relating to Government {bonds. One member of the com- mittee, Representative Strong of { Kansas, has filed a minority report expressing complete disagreement with the committee’s findings. The chairman of the committee, Repre | sentative McFadden of Pennsylvaniz 1 filed a separate report ! No New Information. | “The committee’s most part hardly repetition of charges Charles B. Brewer, a ant to the Attorne: report to in a letter to for than by Mr special assist- neral, in neral, dated anuary 15 Mr. Brewer's harges were, In turn, substantially a repetition of charges made in 1920 Mr, J. W. McCarter, former as- stant register of the Treasury under the Democratic administration. “These charges are familiar to you, to member of Congress and to the public generaily. I shall not repeat | them In this communication. Briefly. they allege that fraud has existed in | connection with Government bonds. “When the charges were made b; | Mr. McCarter, in 1920, Secretary Hous- ton thoroughly investigated them and publicly stated in_two letters, |dated September 28, 1920, that they { were without foundation | “Mr. McCarter again presented his charges in April, 1921, to a member of Congress, by whom they were re- ferred to the Department of Justl It was at this time that Mr. B. Brewer, a special assistant Attorney General, began his ities. Says Irregularities Unproved. report the more made Cha o the activ- “Mr. Brewer devoted nearly 3 years to an investigation of the McCarter charges, and during that period made several reports to the Department of Justice hich indicated, in substance, that he suspected irregularities but | could not prove them. In th in- terim reports he usually inciuded an appeal for more time in which to de- termine the facts. In October 23, fter 2% vears had elapsed and M Brewer stil claimed h inquiry was incomplete. ou designated Mr. Charles G. Wa-hburn, an attorney-at- | law of Worcester, Mass., as your per- sonal representative to consult with Mr. Brewer and to ascertain what facts he had developed. The situa- tion, as disclogsed by Mr. Washburn's | study of the matter was much the same as in preceding Mr. | Brewer stated that he had not de- veloped all the facts, and that he desired nore time to present his ‘proof.’ fr. Washburn advised you of the situation, and Mr, Brewer was given three additional months in which to [complete his investigation. Having |already spent two and a half years J\’)n the matter, certal it was rea- {sonable to suppose that this would !be sufficient to enable n to finish !any remaining phases of his work. | Accordingly, it was arranged between | Mr. Brewer and Mr. Washburn, that on | January 15, 1924, Mr. Brewer should { submit his final report | " “Mr. Brewer filed a report with the | Attorney General under date of Janu- |ary 15, 1924. 1t contained no evidence | which could in any wise be construed las a justification of the charges. As |an investigator of the Department of | Justice, it was Mr. Brewer's duty to | ascertain and determine whether the | charges were true or untrue. He did Ineither. His report was merely a reiteration of the charges, with em- bellishments, and with the comment in each instance that further investi- gation would develop the facts. Calls Absurd. “Mr. Brewer's report was .eferred to the Treasury, and in my letter to you of April 26, 1924, I answered in detail all his specific charges. 1 stated | then, and I repeat here, that there have been no fraudulent duplications or overissues of the public debt, and that the charges are absurd. There { were some mechanical and clerical | errors in-the preparation and record- ing of the enormous volume of war- time securities, and there were some petty thefts of retired securities from the files. The mechanical and clerical errors did not result in any loss to the Government, while the thefts of retired securities from the files have Involved a loss to the United States of only $13,100 out of approximately $100,000,000,000, principal amount of securities retired by the register of the Treasury during the perlod 1917 to 1922. Any fair-minded person will agree that this is a remarkable rec- ord. The wonder is that, considering the frallty of human nature and the war-time conditions under which most of the work was performed, the errors were so few and the actual losses to the United States so insig- | nificant. “In March, 1924, nearly a year ago, | the House of Representatives passed a resolution authorizing a special committee of five members to inves- tigate the Brewer charges. While the resolution did not specifically refer to these charges, the discussion in Con- gress clearly indicated that those who sponsored the resolution w in- “(Continued on Page 13, Column 1) ries I