Evening Star Newspaper, March 19, 1926, Page 1

et e ,——— WEATHER. (1. S, Weather Bureau Forecast.) Partly cloudy and warmer tonight, tomorrow increasing cloudiness, fol- lowed by showers in the afternoon or at night. Temperatures: Highest, 55, at 3:45 p.m. yvesterday; lowest, 37, at 1 a.m. today. Full report on page 13. Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 30 29,907. Entered ax second ‘class matter post office, Washington, D. C. No. [PASSIN GOCOMOGENE 2o e e e “Squire” Always on Hand 1 HOURS BEFRE s SONREAGRESSE .o in Solv Funeral Services Will Be Held | Saddened Neighbors Cite Tomorrow in Family Home | Many Incidents of in Plymouth. Colonel’s Help.. | | | | | | By the Associated Press. PLYMOUTH. Vt., March 19.—This {little hamlet home of Col. John C. | Coolidge, for nearly 81 yvears, realized | with & shock today that an Institution had passed. In the stress of the final crisis last night the neighbors grieved over the death of a distinguished townsman, but teday came time for reflection. Not one of those who met in the general store to discuss the trazic events of the night could recall {a Plymouth without its “squire” | From early morning on, the sad-| dened neighbors, despite thal re | sion which is theit New England heritage. recalled incidents in the life of their first citizen. Long vears be fore he became nationally known as the father of a President, Col. Coolidge was an important figure in ! the life of his town. He was a public man. holder. from time to time, of | every office in the gift of the citizens. Solid in finance, sound of judgment, a silent man of grave dignity, he in. spired respect rather than invited intimacy. His leadership never was disputed, the neighbors recall. To the native many of his char. | acteristics were taken for granted | hecause they were shared by his kind in this Vermont township. SNOW-COVEREd ROADS DELAY CHIEF EXECUTIVE Return to Capital Sunday Expect- ed—Form of Cancer An- nounced as Death Cause. Y 4. RUS YOUNG, Brafl Correspondent of The Star PLYMOUTH. Vi, March 19.—In a| quaint little room on the first floor of the Coolidge homestead President Coolidge today looked down at the hndy of his father. who had died dur- inz the night, Mrs. Coolidge and their son John by his side. Attorney Gen- eral Sargent. who had accompanied the party to Plymouth. stopd in the doorway with Dr. A. M. Cram. who had been attending Col. Coolidge throughout his long iliness. The President made no comment, hut announced shortly afterward that the funeral weuld be held tomorrow at 2 o'clock. The body is to be ins terred in the hillside cemetery a quar- (oo 5o T ive among the ter of a mile from this cross-roads | Green Mountain folk. Rev. Sjonn hamlet, and in which five generations | White of Sherburne, today paid this of the Coolidge family have been | tribute: buried. including the President’s| “Col. Coolidge was the highest type WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION he Foening Star. WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1926—FIFTY-EIGHT PAGES. WET BILL HEARINGS T0BEPROPOSEDBY SENATE COMMITTEE | Plan 'ft;r Local Option, With Federal Sale, to Head List. REPORT WILL BE MADE TO CONGRESS MONDAY Each Side of Controversy to Be Given Six Days to Re- ply to Plan. “| By the Associated Press, 1 | Public hearings on the hills for | | modification of the eighteenth amend- | ment and the Volstead act will he | Sratee | recommended to the Senate judiciary I S Mce he was conscientions and | Committee by its special subcommit- efficient. the neighbors agree. As|tee of five. sheriff he proved himself fearless and | This was decided upon today by the | many important arrests were credit- | spectal committee, which will make | ed to him. He was born to politics| y1s report on Monday. Under the | and fought his political battles stub:| program agreed upon the wets would | o . Occasionally he | B o e et pare | have six days and the drys six days | Tt by as it Dortion: PATL1 for the presentation of their cases. “Faciturn, like most of his people,| The first measure to be considered | Col. Coolidge was a kindly man of would be the Bruce resolution to | deep affections. His dry humor was)amend the eighteenth amendment so | the foundation of a wealth of anec-| that there would be local option in | dotes. His long experience in public | the States, counties or municipalities. | affairs added to a natural reticence! With the Government manufacturing and in his later years his usual |and selling intoxicants in those places | answer to a direct question was “I| where the local electorate had au don't know." Once his grandsons, | thorized the sale. | Calvin and John. turned this weapon | After the Ihoatrln: on xdm!. Ih?f\a;i—‘ o i on Pa % ~~53 | ous proposals for amendment of the (Continued on Page 2, Column 2) |\Viigtead nct would be considered. | JOHN C. COOLIDGE. of Vermonter. There is no higher voungest son. Calvin. It was plainly ! evident that the President was deeply | affected, but throughout it all he main- | tained his customary calm. He told | PRESDENT I Y ing. Notified at Midnight. The President was notified a few Wanted to Bid Father Fare- well, But Answered Call to Duty. p: fe: minutes before 12 o'clock last night of his father's death as he was rush- tng North on his special tral had retired shortly after 9:30 and was sleeping when one of <ecret service men in his party hrought him the message announcing the end of the colonel's long fight for life. The message was a brief | one from Secretary Sanders, and went into no details other than the | fact that death came at 10:41 p.m. | Edge, Republican, New Jersey. for — = r“—;@y; QoL WYUSE § o 4 ‘e WU SRS W -, bX ——— < Wi 7, 7z AN'THAT OL a CHAP USED To v 1)7Z2 BE CALLED 2 A RivAL 7 0mMne 7 a2 ek S Co-HOUSE ) dk,flff' SAYS DESTITUTE FAMILY IN'CHARITY FIGHT It was a trying and somewhat severe journey awaiting the Presi-; dent and his party after alighting from the train at Woodstock at 7 o'clock this morning. This country atill 1s in the throes of Winter and | deep snow is "all about. In some | o Dlaces there were drifts. but these | had been cleared sufficiently to make | it possible for the party to pass through. About half of the 14 miles | between Woodstock and the Coolidge | home, far up In the snow-.covered notch, was made in automobiles, with heavy chains on the rear wheels. The ' remainder of the trip was made if sleihs. { The sleigh occupied hy the Presi- dent and his family and Attorney ' General Sargent was a three-seated affair and was drawn ‘hy twe fast horses. The ride up and down the hille was made without incident. The | temperature was 10 above zero, but a | bright sun was shining. Natives said | the day was the mildest one they had | had for a long time. The party lr-] rived at the Notch at 10:15 o'clock. There was a crowd gathered at the and as the President | drove past hats were removed and s&ome heads were howed. The Presi- | dent and his family old home only an drove back 1o Woodstock. where they | illness M will make their headquarters at the | stay days longer to clear up the interna- tional business at hand. |elans who kept in touch with him by telephone gave the impression that the elder Mr. Coolidge had wonderful ! vitality. inn there until they Washington late noon. start back to tomorrow after- | Doctor Praises Patient. After viewing his father's body the President went to the living room of | old home where he heard (‘ram describe the colonel's illness and s death. The village doctor several | times proudly told the President that | the colonel's the end of the grim trail reached was wonderful. » man—a God-fearing man, way the country physician described the President’s father. the President that when they versed over the long-distance tele- hone vesterday morning he thought he colonel would hold out for at least Another day. Ing very rapidly vesterday afternoon. The President then took up the mat.| ter of details of the fune; There was some thought at first of having, the body placed in a vault at Wood- stock and to postpone burial until! the snow had cleared away. The! Presigent was informed that the | ground was frozen only a few inches | beneath the deep snow and that it/ would not he difficult to open up the! grave. It was then decided to not delay the | interment. | Rey. John White, who occasionally | conducts services at the Union Church | At the crossroads, was selected by the | President to conduct the fune i fces for his father. The strictest sim- plicity will mark the funeral. No an- nouncement was made vesarding the pallbearers, Sits in Father's Chair. During his talk with Dr. “ram and with others rezarding the funcral de. | tails the President sat in an old fash- ioned armchair—one of nix fathe favorites—beside the small table with fis family Bible and oil lamp, all of | which figured prominent! that early morning nearly three vears age when the cath of President was ud ministered. That was a proud mo- ment in the lives of the elder Coolidge and his illustrious son. ) In announcing the arrangements| for the funeral. Capt. Adolphus Andrews. commander of the vacht ' Mayflower and naval aide to the| President, said that Dr. Cram officially | attributed Col. Coolidge’s death to carcinoma, a form of cancer in the bladder, and other complications, in- cluding myocarditis, inflammation of, the heart muscles. When the Presi.| dent and his party left Washington at 5 o'clock yvesterday afternoon on & special section of a Pennsylvania train it was the hope of all that the| Coolidge home would he reached while Col. Coolidge still was alive. The train was scheduled to agrive at Woodstock at 6 o'clock. According to the original plan the party was to go immediately from the station to the (Continued on Column 3) ery inch e =0 to be made while the League of Na- | tions was meeting in Geneva. remained at the | crowded every moment of his time. hour, when they | his father was to have a prolonged - ! ever since last Summer that his father never would re suffered last year. . : dent went to Plymouth last Summer courage and "r‘lr’!‘l‘)fl*‘ it was whispered that at the most the as being, gjger Coolidge would not live more . o ,than five or six months. was the |, n 5 tmosphere of sadness at the last visit. Dr. Cram told | pecayse his father did not want him £ON-| 1o neglect his tasks in Washington." He said he began sink-| (olidge withdrew, but insisted on | to ambassadors and ministers. He was |denied the opportunity to give time BY DAVID LAWRENCE. Time. which reéspects nelther Pi dents nor Kings, plaved a fateful trick_on, Calvin Coolidge. He strug- gled to solve the conflict bétween pub- lic duty and private devotion and found himself today defeated on both sides. For it is not generally known just why Mr. Coolidge stayed on in the National Capital the last few days while newspaper bulletins told of the gradual decline in the health of his father in Plymouth, Vt." The Presi- dent was face to face with one of those frequent climaxes in the handling of public business which somehow seem to prevent considera- tion of anything personal. He was waiting to see Alanson B. Houghton, the American Ambassador to Great Britain, to consult with him on im- portant decisions of policy that had Other Issues Pending. He had other public questions that 4 Coolidge felt that he could in Washington at least a few The physi- They did not feel the end ould come as suddenly as it did. The President had known, of course, over from the attacks When the Presi- ‘There was | Yet the President did not linger, The excitement of having a Presi- dent around was said at the time to bhe too much for an il man. Mr. having a private telephone installed so he could talk frequently to his father. These long-distance conversa- tions have been a comfort to both fatner and son. But it was the Presi dent's wish that he see his father again. And fie wanted his son .John, who is at, {mherst College, to be at Plymouth for the end. Fate Upsets All Hopes. But fate permitted neither wish to be fulfilled, Ax for the work In Washington, ev- ery President feels that he simply can- not let go, no matter what the per- sonal call. Mr. Coolidge’s experience is not unlike those of his predeces: sors. Woodrow Wilson struggled bravely with the arduous tasks of public office in August, 1914, when Mre. Wilson was dying. The world war had, broken out and the White House was in some respects the center of the world, for it was believed a step in mediation initiated from there might stop the conflict before it had proceeded very far. Mr. Wilson was dividing his time between the bedside of his wife and his study, where he was kept at work night and day deciphering cablegrams from abroad and sending instructions to his personal affairs. And so with Mr. Coolidge. A Presi- dent of the United States feels a pressure and urge that is hardly paralleled in any other case. It's a struggle between public service and the call of family and the heart. Mr. Coolidge chose to err on the side of public business, and that's why he lost his race with' time. Rail Leaders Confer. 1 NEW- YORK, March 19 (®).—Rail-| road presidents and other officials, rep- | resenting most of the railroads of the country, met today for a general dis- cussion of business at the headquar- ters of the American Rallway Associa- tion. R. H. Aishton, president of the These include measures by Senator | THEN SHOOTS SEL Real Estate Dealer’s Insane Action Is Traced to Wife’s Divorce Suit. By the Associated Press PLACERVILLE, Calif., March 19.— John M. Goins, Stockton real estate man, killed six persons yesterday and then ended his own life as posses were chasing him over dangerous mountain highways. Hard pressed by posses, Goins sent a bullet into his brain as his auto- mobile plunged over a mountain cliff near Eldorado, a few miles from here, ending a day of tragedy in the upper San Joaquin Valley. The dead: Mrs. Florence Podesta Goins. his wife: Mrs. Minnie Podesta Clark. h wife's sister; Mrs. Georze McNoble, wife of a former president of the State Bar Association; Alex Marengo. Mrs. Alex Marengo. and their married daughter, Mrs. Henry Dutra. Goins began his maniacal round of killing when he heard that his wife was seeking a divorce. Shoots Wife First. He went first to the Podesta ranch, near Stockton, where he shot and killed his wife and her sister, Mrs. Clark. Escaping from the ranch, he | returned to Stockton and sought the law office of George F. McNoble, hus- band of Mrs. McNoble, who he had heard, was advising Mrs. Goins con- cerning a legal separation. McNoble had also represented Goins in a num- her of suits Goins had brought against the Southern Pacific Raliroad and later against insurance companies as a result of a railway accldent in which Goins lost a foot. The actions failed, but McNoble received a settlement of $2,500 from an uncontested insur- ance policy. Learning that McNoble was in San Francisco, the crazed man went 'o McNoble's home, where he found the attorney’s wife, whom he interrogated rerarding Mrs. Goins' divorce plans. Mrs. McNoble denied any knowledge of them, whereupon Goins shot her three times, killing her almost in- stantly, as one of her children looked | on, Goins then drove madly to Galt, about 24 miles north of Stockton and shot and killed Marengo, his wife and their daughter, Mrs. Dutra. Mrs. Dutra’s two small children, 3 and 4 years old, were the only wit- nesses, but farm hands heard the shots and saw Goins climb into his au- tomobile again and drive northward. Motive Is Doubtful. The motive for the Marengo killing, aside from Goins' possible insanity. was that some vears ago Marengo figured as a prosecuting witness in a charge of horse stealing against Goinr. From Galt, Goins started at a mad pace toward Placer County, where he owned property. It i8 supposed he in tended to go into hiding there. Mean- while officers of four counties were on his trail, and highways in all direc- tions were guarded. TRadios broadcast warnings to be on the lookout for the killer. The whole countryside, from Stockton to Sacra- mento, was in a state of alarm. The tragedy. however. was ended as quickly as it started. As Capt. Carel Slatterback, State traffic officer, and W. 8. Biggs. a supervisor of Eldorado County, two of his pursuers: bore down on him near Eldorado Goins' car suddenly swerved from the road. The officers found the murderer with a bullet from his own gun in his brain. It all happened in the space of a few hours. Something of what had been going on in the man's mind was revealed in two wills found One, written on the back of a photo- graph of Goins and two dogs, taken on the lawn of his home, sald: “On my right is my faithful dog Rover, on my left is by faithful trained sheep dog Beauty. I trained her from a puppy, and she has de- veloped intc a most valuable sheep .dog and a companion and has been my most faithful friend in the most tryving conditions and hardships. May she be treated well. Leaves Home to Son. “Thie is my house I bought for my future home and happiness. How- ever, my wife, Florence Podesta Goins, refused to live in this fine ation, presided. E] “(Continued on Page 7, Column 2. { Thirteen Invofved in Dispute 275 poz velm :-aeber for m‘p lnmkrmlf’:«c-| ture an e of er ‘‘not intoxicating | - ki Between Relief Board and Fairfax Officials. in fact.” and the removal of the re- | strictions on the prescribing of liquors | by _physiclans for medicinal purposes. | The subcommittee decided to recom- mend against consideration of the bill | Senator Edwards, Democrat, New Jorsey. proposing repeal of the Vol-| Homeless and undernourished. a stead act . | family of 13 former residents of Wayne B. Wheeler, general coun-|nearhe Virginia have become a vir e SO o aas; | tual pawn in a zame between District | he learned of the recommendation to {and Virginia charity authorities to | |be made by the Senate subcom- |decide where the future home of tite | mittee: i _{hapless: family will be and who shall | 5 | e family is that of Archibal | against_prohibition or for beer -nd“,am"he". a vietim of tubereulcals, wine. We were not opposed to hear- in Golns' room. | | ings on these bills, but will oppose ! at every step of the legislative pro- | cedure any legislation that will | weaken or repeal the natfonal prohi- | who was found in a dazed condition on the streets here last November and whose destitute family was sub- sequently taken in charge by the Ahl!!on act. i Board of Charities. = i BRIAND'S COLLAPSE i ~ DECLARED LIKELY IFight on Poll Tax and Bud-| i get Demands Expected by Politicians. |/By the Associated Press | PARIS. March 19.—The dramatic session of the Chamber of Deputies, | ending with the collapse of Minister of | Interior Malvy, has only briefly post- | poned the critical hour for Premier | | Briand's new cabinet. | Finance Minister Peret’s poll tax, | which has received the indorsement of |the government. seems not likely to | prove more acceptable than the sales | tax it is intended to replace. | Meanwhile the chamber's finance | commission has still to elect a presi- i dent and reporter to fill the places va- |cated by the elevation of Malvy and | Lamoureux to ministerial posts in last ! week's cabinet reorganization. | All this will require time, and if, | the governnient insists, the chamber 18 to balance the budget before Easter, there will have to be a lot of night work. In political circles the opinion is | that the chamber is more likely to reverse the ministry than adopt the | | revenue bill within the time specified. | M. Malvy's physiclans today an- nounced that his heart was perfectly normal and that his condition was im- proved and not in the least serious. | MAN, SHOT IN HEAD, RUSHED TO HOSPITAL Courtney Acton, Jeweler, Believed to Have Attempted Suicide in His Home. Courtney Acton, 53 vears old, a jeweler, who lived at 1639 Hobart street, was brought to TFmergency Hospital shortly after noon today. suf- | fering from a gunshot wound in the head, sald to have self-inflicted. Hospital physicians who examined {him said it was a serious wound, and that Acton could hardly be expected to recover. A 38-caliber revolver, from which one shot had been fired, was brought to_the hospital with Acton. Mr. Acton is the proprietor of Ac- ton & Sons, Jewelers, 606 King street, Alexandria, Va. | “About noon, according to his wife and his sister, Mrs. James 1. Esterly. the three were in a room of the home when he sald he was going to an- other part of the house. Stepping to the doorway, he fired one shot. The | ambulance was called and Mrs. Acton | and her sister accompanied him to the | hospital. Mr. Acton had undergone two opera- tions and relatives said a third opera- tion was anticipated. Italian Editor to Be Tried. PERUGIA, ltaly, March 19 (#.— Senator Luigi Lucchini, 85 years old, editor of the Penal Review, must stand trial under the recent law which | provides that prison terms may be | given persons guilty of insuiting the ! premier. He accepted responsibility | {of for an Article of scientific character amflered oftensive,to Prémier Mus- Belleving the family to be a proj charge of Virginia authorities. how. ever. the board placed the whole 13 members of the family on a Fairfax street car, gave them a $20 bill and bade them good-bye. Arrived at Fairfax, the family took temporary shelter in the town tavern, where they now have become the ob. | jects of charity. Call Action Unjust. The authorities of Fairfax County have filed a formal protest with the board of supervisors of that county over the alleged ‘“‘grossly unjust act” of the Board of Charities of the Dis- trict in sending Campbell and his family to Fairfax “without provid- ing any means of caring for the fam- ily or notifying the proper authorities there that thes dependents were coming.” According to Wilson Farr. common- wealth attorney at Fairfax. the mavor the town came to him Tuesday evening with “tears in his eves,” seek- ing aid for the family, pictured as “without food, clothing or any place an investigation, Mr. Farr sald, the people of the town contrib- uted some clothing and food for the family, after which they were taken to the county almshouse and lodged ‘(Continued on P ' PRESIDENT OF GREECE RELINQUISHES OFFICE Election on April 4 Will Decide Successor’ to Admiral Coundouriotis. ATHENS, Greece, March 19.—Admi- ral Coundouriotis has resigned the Greek presidency. An election will he held April 4 to decide his successor. Admiral Coundouriotis assumed the regency of Greece when King George 11 was forced to leave the ‘country in December, 1923. Subsequently upon the formation of the republic after the plebiscite of April, 1924, he hecame provisional president, holding the post up to the present time. Rumors of his impending resigna- tion arose late last month, when it was announced that he was going to his native island of Hydra for a short rest and that Premier Pangalos, mili- tary dictator of the Greek govern- ment, would visit him there. Pangalos at that time sald he- did not expect the President to resign, hut that if the unexpected happened he would either appoint a new chief exec- utive or arrange for an election. If necessary he would assume the presi- dency himself, but only temporarily. BOGUS FRANC MAKER DIES IN BERLIN ASYLUM Arthur Schulze, Who Aided Hun- garian Forgeries, Said His Work ‘Was Too Poor to Pass. By Radio to The Star and Chicago Daily News, BERLIN, March 19.—Arthur Schulze, the banknote expert who aided Prince Windisch - Graetz to make :bogus francs, died in the hospital ward of the Berlin Insane Asylum. Schulze suffered from a peculiar in- | ternal disease caused by or causing insanity, no one i85 sure which. Schuize played an important part, but not the leading part. in making francs. His was the role of technical advisor from experience gained with the Rus- sian Petersburg State Bank. Schulze was not so proud of his work. He told the Hungarians that the note was not good enough to pass, (Copyrizht. 1926 by Chicago Dally News Co.) tain a lookout for it. - 8,000,000 Pianos Out of Tune Held National Danger By the Associated Press. SPOKANE, Wash., March 19.— Because there are 8,000,000 pianos out of tune in the United States, the Nation is in danger of losing its “musical ear,” Charles A. Deutschmann of Chicago, president of the National Association of Piano Tuners, told the members of the organization in an address here vesterday. : American’s annual expenditure of £700.000.000 for music cannot save the Nation's musical ability if the ondition is not corrected. INVOLVING OF L. INLEAGUE FEARED FOpponents of World Court So Construe Invitation of Council. BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. The United States, if it follows logical course, will accept the invi- tation of the League of Nations coun- cil to send a representative to ex- plain the American reservations to World Court entry at a conference of members of the court next Sep- tember, in the opinfon of Senator Borah, chairman of the Senate for- eigr relations committe, leader of the opposition to American adherence to the World Court. “When the Senate voted to adhére to the World Court. which is the League of Nations' court, it hecame apparent that the United States would have to sit_with the League of Na. tions," said Senator Borah. During the debate in the Senate on the World Court, Senator Borah repeatedly in- sisted that American entry into the court would bring this result. Only First Step. “If this Government is to be c sistent,” continued Senator Borah, “T see no alternative but for the Presi- dent to send a representative of the United States to the projected meet- ing in Geneva.” This is but a first step. in the opinion of Senator Borah. the invoivment of the United in the affairs of the league. time the council of the league asks for an advisory opinion from the court, the United States will be called upon to “sit with the league™ to determine whether the United States has an interest in the question at issue, under the Senate reserva- tions. in the opinion of the chairman of the foreign relations committee. To friends of the World Court, however, the sending of an American representative to Geneva to explain to the vrepresentatives of the 48 member nations of the World Court Jjust what the significance of the American reservations is does not bear the same significance as it does to Senator Borah. They maintain that such a meeting would be a gathering of -member nations of the court, rather than a gathering of the members of the League of Nations. In this they follow the same line of argument which they followed in sup- porting the claim that the World Court is not a “league court,” since the statute of the court was accepted by each individual nation, and not as action of the league. - State Department Silent. The State Department continued its silence with regard to the proposal of the league council that a confer- ence on the American reservations should be held in Geneva in Septem- ber. Secretary Kellogg so far has only indicated that he considers it his duty, tification SEEK HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER ‘| Police Look for fiomnn Who * Struck Mrs. Albert Mann. Police are searching for a “hit-and- run” automobile, operated by a woman and bearing New York State license tags, which knocked down Mrs, Albert Mann, 60 vears old, of the Mendota apartments, Fifteenth and G streets, today. Mrs. Mann was taken home after the accident, where it was found she was suffering from injuries to a foot and from shock. She ‘is the wife of Dr. Albert Mann. All precincts were given description of the automobile and asked to maln b Lot The only evening paper in Washington with the Associated Press news service. Yesterday’s Circulation, 104,154 TWO CENTS. CITIZENS INITIATE A NATIONAL DRIVE FORD. C. SUFFRAGE Joint Committee’s Meeting Organizes Plans for Im- mediate Action. (#) Means Associated Press. MANY LEADING GROUPS OF CITY REPRESENTED o SAys ol B Cov Moy, S o -v{ " - ¥ = Much Enthusiasm Shown at Assem- bly When Definite Steps Toward Equality Are Taken. Citizens of Washington. at a meet ing held last nizht, girded themselvas | for a vizorous Nation-wide fight to se | cure national representation for the | District of Columbia in the Congress of | the United States Under the auspices of the citizens’ joint committee on national represent | tion. steps were taken for immediate | action in the House of Representa- | tives. There is already pending in the | Senate committee on the District of Columbfa a resolution introduced by Senator Jones, Republican, of Wash- {inzton. zivinz the residents of the District of Columbia the national po | litical rights enjoyed by other zens of the Republic Hope Held Out for Hearings. Following introduction of a sim resolution in the House and r ence to the committee on judici . it is the hope that hearings will be ordered and the suffrage discrimina- tion under which the District of ¢ lumbia suffers thoroughly aired A MADDEN T0 AWAIT REPORT ON FENNING citi- Says Veterans’ Bureau Probe | Now Being Made of All | Phases of Case. committee on congressional hearings will forthwith clear for action to tI end. The goal in view is a constitutional amendment. empowering Congress “to admit to the status of citizens of a State the residents of the District con _ stituting the seat of the Government “Il looks to me as if Mr. Fen- of'"he® United States, created by ning's duties as District Commis- | article I. section §, for the purpose of sioner would be more effective if he|representation in the Congress and confined his activities to the com-|among the electors of Pres missionership.” Chairman Madden ufJ Vice President, and for the pur the House appropriations committee | 3 States under the prov said toduy, when asked what he pro- | (1%, LHEY 2O T ket posed to do following the statement' committee on the District of Columbia he made in the House yesterday that|made a favorable report on this pro he would investigate the charges!posai during the Sixty-eighth Con- that Commissioner Fenning has been receiving a considerable income from | acting as guardian for insane in- | digent patients committed to St Elizabeth’s Hospital while exercising | executive authority as a District | | Commissioner. | Commissioner Fenning _in the| meantime confined his comments on | the charges to the statement that “I| make it a policy never to discuss| newspaper stories.” ] Veterans' Report Delayed. Mr. Madden states that an inves-| tization of this subject by the Vet- | erans’ Bureau has been concluded, and that announcement will be made | very soon of the findings. The an- | nouncement has heen delayed by the | illness of Director Hines, it was| stated. Until that report has been made. and until facts are established, Mr.| Madden does not wish to take any | action which might appear as a criti- | cism or attack upon Commissioner | Fenning. Mr. Madden emphasized 'the fact that he does not want to do an in- justice to any one. even while taking | whatever action he thinks is neces-| sary “in order that the integrity of | the public service shall be upheld.” ! Scope of Inquiry. i Mr. Madden said that the investi-| gation by the Veterans' Bureau is on| the question of the propriety and justice of Commissioner Fenning's acting as guardian and receiving | compensation, whether the compen-| sation is excessive, and whether it is entirely proper for a District Com-| miseioner to have this business, and‘ also whether he has any right to draw funds from the Treasury other than the funds he draws as District Com- | missioner. In view of this investiga-| tion, Mr. Madden said today that| any statement he might make would be premature. Mr. Madden pointed out that the other charge made in the House by | Representative Green, Democrat. of | Florida, that Commissioner Fenning had refused to surrender guardian-| ship of an insane man at the request | of a member of Congress, has no bearing on the case at all. He in-! sisted that having been named a guardian, it is Commissioner Fen ning's duty to perform that office and he should not surrender it at the request of a member of Congress and that such charges should not be ex- ploited. Must Present All Facts. <He explained that he defended Com- missioner Fenning's position yvester- day during the debate in the House, because he thought those making the attack were going out of their way, but declared emphatically that this ought not to stop a presentation of all the facts. “If the Veterans' Bureau investiza- tion is comprehensive, and 1 suppose it goes into the question of the lezal right of Mr. Fenning to perform the functions of guardian for these in-| sane patients,” said Mr. Madden, “and | if it establishes that he has a legal | right so to act, we have no right to say that he shall not do this.” Mr. Madden, with still more empha- sis, declared his conviction that “when a man accepts one of these positions he should accept it with the knowledge that he is assuming a great public duty and a determination to serve the | public. 1f he has any other purpose than service to the public, he should not accept the office. The only reason for accepting such a public office should be because it gives him a wider opportunity to be of service to the pub- lic. It should never, under any. cir- cumstances, be with the thought or purpose to add to his income, even if he has the right to do so.” Fenning Is Attacked. The attack on Mr. Fenning started during consideration of the District bill in the House yesterday, when a protest against Commissioner Fenning | acting as guardian in lunacy commit- ments to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, the claim being made that he is receiving (Continued on Page 2, Column |Radio Program—Page 51 | tion. the Colonial gres: Much Enthusiasm Shown. The meeting at which these prelim inary steps were taken was held at the residence of Theodore W. Noves, chairman of the citizens’ joint com- mittee on national representation. It was attended by spokesmen and spokeswomen of nearly every prom- inent organization in the District of Columbia. The meeting was pervaded by a spirit of enthusiasm and deter- mination that presaged to all present a campaign of wholly unprecedented vigor to secure for residents of the District_a political square deal. Mr. Noves, havinz explained the purposes of the meeting, proposed that a geries of committees be orzan- ized to carry out certain specific ob- jects. It decided that thera <hould be committees on congressional hearings. speakers, work in the States and State co-operation (including the co-operation of national organizations!, printing and publicity. finarice and conventions in Washington. The chairman of the joint committee was authorized to form a committee on committees, consisting of the chair- men he may nominate to head these committees. Members of individual committees will then be appointed by the committee on committees. Time to Take Action. It was the consensus of opinion that the time has arrived for the District of Columbia to speak up and make its suffrage injustices known to the country without delay, and on the most comprehensive possible scale. At the same time that Congress is being asked for ieg tive action a national campaign of education is to be waged. No legitimate stone to that end will be left unturned. Organized Jlabor will be asked to put its power- ful shoulder to the wheel. Through its District of Columbia local bodies labor has already signified its sympathy with the meovement to remove the political inequality under which District of Columbia taxpa s suffer. The great national associa. tions of women, like the General Fed- eration of Women's Clubs, the Na- jonal League of Women Voters, the Daughters of the American Revolu- Dames and others, will be requested to lend their support. At the forthcoming annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States in Washington, efforts will be made to comm’t the business world of the republic i s the cause of national representatio. for the Dis- trict of Columh Spe. kers last night were unanimous in bel'eving that the District’s plight has only to be put be- fore the justice-loving American peo- ple to be assured of Nation-wide back- ing. Enlightenment Needed. On all sides the view found utter- ance that what mainly is needed is en- lightenment. Ignorance as to the st frage discriminations imposed upon the District is unbelievably wide- spread. To remove misapprehension and to gain support for remedial legis lation are the twin purposes of the movement now launched and to be strongly promoted. Among those in attendance at the meeting were the following members of the executive committee: David Rabp. Dr. George F. Bowerman, E. C. Brandenburg, Walter A. Brown, E. F. Colladay. C. F. Crane., John Dickman, Proctor L. Daugherty den M. Ely, H. H. Glassie, Mr K. Hendley, Paul E. Lesh, James W Murphy. Ellen Spencer Mussey, Theodore Noyes, Judge Mary O'Toole. Louis Ottenberg. Grahame Powell, John Clagett Proctor, Mrs. George G. Seibold, Leftwich Sinclair, Odell . Frank_Hiram Snell, Edgar C. Snyder. Mrs. Virginia White Speel, Florence F. Stiles, Jessa Washington Topham, Evan X r, Fred S. Walker and Fred- eric William Wile. 3 The officers of the Joint Committee on national representation for the District of Columbia are: Theodore W. Noyes, chairman; A. Leftwich Sin- clair, vice chairma B. Sel- A. E.