Evening Star Newspaper, March 27, 1926, Page 1

WEATHER. (U. 8. Weather Bureau Forecast.) Partly cloudy and slightly colder to- night, minimum temperature about 29 degrees; tomorrow, fair. Highest, 44, at 11 a.m. today; lowest, 37, at 6:15 a.an. Full report on page 2. Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 14 No. 29915. B Shes §2.300 000 PETER SECURITIES SAFE, ATTORNEYSSAY Lawyers for Hushand De- clare Stocks and Jewels Are Held Intact. l ALL WILL BE EXPLAINED IN COURT, THEY ASSERT| Whereabouts of Property Involved | in Wife's Suit Not Revealed | in Statement. Armistead Peter, jr., owner of the | historlc Tudor estate in Georgetown ind selon of one of this city's oldest | amilles, who been sued by his| wife for accounting for $2,300,000 in | stocks and jewels, has “fully intact” )11 of the properties which Mrs. Peter > de- Josit box in nd Trust Co. The whereabouts of { the property was not revealed. This announcement was made ¢ Frank J. Hogan and Arthyr counsel for Mr. Peter, who &t he same time issued a statement as- | serting that the valuables are being handled “under the direction and| zuldance of counsel.” Papers in the suit were issued by Chief Justice Mc< Coy of the District Supreme Court at the instance of Mrs. Anna W. Peter, the wife, now residing at Dobbs Ferry, N. Y. acts to Be Revealed in Court. The statement follows: ‘Mr. Armistead Peter has Mrs. Pet securities and jewelry fully intact. All of the securities and jew- elry involved in the suit filed yester-| day in the Supreme Court of the Dis- trict of Columbia are perfectly safe e been kept and managed in ordance with the power “of | attorney under which Mr. Peter has been acting. Every step which Mr.| Peter has taken regarding this pror erty been taken under the advice, direction and guidance of counsel. | “In due time there will be submit- | ted to the court, in response to the bill filed in Mrs. Peter's name, all of the facts which have brought about the controversy respecting the physi- | cal possession and the management of the property, and a decision of the court which will protect all parties | interested will be sought. “Until Mr. Peter's answer shall have been presented to the court neither Mr. Peter nor his counsel will make any further statement than this.” Mr. Peter was served yesterdmy afternoon at his home by Deputy United States Marshal John J. Clark- son with papers, issued by Chief Jus- tice McCoy of the District Supreme Court, in the suit. | Must Appear in Court. Under the papers served the hus- | s required to appear in court April 9, and give satisfactory reasons why he should not be en- Joined from disposing, pledging or re- | moving any of the securities from the District of Columbia. Attorney H. Prescott Gatley, local attorney for the wife, today filed a | list of interrogatortes which he dsks Mr. Peter to answer in reference to | the disappearance of the securities, 's Frank J. Hogan and Arthur ‘e said to represent the hus- band, and while they declined to talk for publication it is understood they will be prepared before April 9 with an answer to tne rule to show cause. Detalls of the circumstances sur- rounding the separation of the cou- pie two years ago are expected to come to light when the husband's an- swer is filed. Five Questions Asked. { Five questions were submitted to it { treatment. {laze school, where they drew up their | sulted in convictions. | gang, Entered ns second class matte, Washington, 'RUSSTAN WIVES END BRUTALITY OF MATES BY «GENERAL STRIKE/ D. C. Terms Agreed to by Husb By the Assoclated Press. OR of wiv . Russla, March 2! in the village A strike erteyevka complete victory, the husbands sign- ing a pledge to accord them better Assembling with a militant peasant housewife, Axenya Karaseva, as their er, the women marched to the vil- ultimatum, Then Mme. Karaseva h she declared: | live under | men often' married harsh conditions. The ¢h ings and Treatment as If Women Were “Cattle.”| Men Meek After Defeat. Province of Briansk, has resulted in a|fore we serve our husbands with an WASHINGTON, ands Call for End to Beat- el beat us, treating us f%ike cattle. We | never hear a kind word. We refuse | to suffer these offenses longer. There- ultimatum that we are ready to be helpmates and companions, but we de- mand that our husbands should not | be so free with their hands or abuse | us with bad words. We shall not re turn to them until they all sign this!" | Realizing that the entire village was against them, the husbands agreed to | mend their ways, walked meekly to | the platform and h trembling hands signed the document. NEW YORK GANGS DECLARED IN PANIG Arrests and Convictions Have Frightened Criminals, Pros- ecutor Asserts. By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, March 27.—New York criminals are in a panic, in the opinion of District Attorney Banton. The roundup of several ‘night club” gangs, including the Whitte- more band, implicated in robberies totaling $1,000,000, and the rapid dis- position of cases in the courts since the first of the year have frightened the criminal element, he believes. “The percentage of convictions since January 1 has been higher than at any time in the history of the Criminal Courts Building,” he said. “Juries have awakened to the specious excuses of the criminal and the re- sult is that pleas of guilty are pre- dominant.” 362 Indictments Pending. Only 362 indictments are pending, against 699 a vear ago. Of 1,633 cases tried since January 1, 875 re- Two new arrests have been made in the Whittemore case, one in New York and another in Baltimore. Jo- seph Trop, ex-convict, was arrested as one of the “fences” through whom the gang disposed of loot. Jewelry valued at $20,000 was found in his rooms and In a safety deposit box in a ban] Trop denied the charges. Mrs, Elda Condon Unkelbach, wife of William Unkelbach, one of the was arrested at the home of her parents in Woodbine, Md., near Baltimore. She had been sought by New York police since the arrest of her husband last Tuesday. She ad- mitted that she was present at a con- ference in Cleveland between Whitte- more and his lieutenant, “Shuffles” Goldberg. ‘Whittemore Meets Wife. “or the first time since their arrest, Richard Reese Whittemore and his young wife saw each other. They met in the office of the district at- torney, where they were taken to discuss Whittemore's offer to “spill the whole works"” in a confession that would startle New York if his wife were freed. At the end of the conference Dis- trict Attorney Banton announced that Whittemore ~would dictate another SENATETOPRESS RETIREMENT BILL No Foundation for Reports It Will Be Sidetracked, De- clares Pepper. | { Declaring he believes there is no foundation for reports that the lib- eralized retirement bill for Govern- | ment employes will not be acted on at this session, Senator Pepper, Re- publican, of Pennsylvania issued a statement today to the effect that friends of the legislation in the Sen- ate will press for its passage before adjournment. “lI am satisfied,” Senator Pepper said, “that the published statement that the civil service retirement bill is not to be pressed at this session is without sufficient foundation. I have today conferred with Senator Stanfield, who is in charge of the bill in the Senate, in regard to the situation. “He authorized me to say that he has been in constant contact with the rep- sentatives of the executive depart- ments engaged in making the neces- sary calculations. The assembling of the data is nearly completed. As far, | at least, as the Senate is concerned, | we propose to press for the considera- tion and passage of the bill. We are hopeful that its great importance and | inherent merit will overcome all ex- ecutive objection. Speaking for my self, I do not expect to relax my efforts | in the least degree.” Report in Work’s Hands. The report df the Board of Actuaries on the cost of the liberalized retire- ment legislation now ready to be re- ported from the House and Senate civil service committeet was in-the hands of Secretary Work today. Ac- cording to a previous announcement by him, it will be transmitted to Capi- tol Hill immediately. Legislation for liberalized retirement is being held up pending the receipt of the report, which is to be used by Representative Lehlbach and Senator Stanfield as a basis for their recommendations as committee chairmen. The findings of the board were turn- ed over to (en. Winfield Scott, Com. missioner of Pensions, yesterday, and today were taken by him to the office of Secretary Work. The statement issued by Luther C. Steward, president of the National Federation of Federal Employes, ves. | statement later and intimated tHat unless it should be found that Mrs. Whittemore had a criminal record she would be freed of the charge of robbery in connection with a ‘hold-up upon which she is held. Whittemore is wanted in Baltimore and Buffalo for murders. el PLEA FOR DRY LAW VOTE DEFEATED IN ALBERTA the husband today. Counsel Inquir “1. At what time or times did v remove from the safe deposit b or either of them, in the Am ¢ and Trust Co.. standi a W. Petel the certific ymissory notes or | any of them des bod in the bill of complaint filad in this cause? “%, To what place or places did you remove such certificapes of stock, | bonds and promissory notes, or any of them? 3. In whose custody are said cer- | tificates of stock, bonds and promis- sory notes at the present time? . At what place or places are sald certificates of stocks, bonds and promissory notes being kept at this time . bonds, pi Are the said stock, bonds and promissory notes be- ing held by any individual or corpora- ton under any written receipt, agree- ment or other writing? If so, will you please file a copy thereof with your answer to this interrogatory, at the same time stating the name or names of such individuals or corporations | and the addresses of their respective places of business and residence.” Under the rule, Peter will have 15 days to answer these questions. Lives in Old Mansion. The Tud 1644 Thirt stgned by L. plans for the d ington, and h: show places tion has it fayette was guest of mem after the Revol furniture comes down #hiton family. Of 1 tertainment were given at the resl- dence, owing to Mr. Peter’s {1l health. Missing Property Listed. The missing property In question is listed in the applications made in behalf of Mrs. Peter to the court. -1t includes these items: | Jewelry—One tiara, one dfamond necklace, one diamond and emerald stomacher, one pendant, diamond studded with a great emerald in the center: two solitaire diamond rings, large stone: one diamond brooch, emerald center; four diamond- studded watches, heirlooms: one | miniature of Anna W. Peter. one miniature of George Washington. Bonds—$25.000 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, $50,000 Chesa- peake and Ohio, $100,000 Chicago | and Northwestern Railway. $30,000 Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago ana St. Louis Rallway, $100,000 New York Central and $200,000 West Shore Raflway Stocks— One Wontinued on 1 certificates of | sion is located at street and was de- int, who laid out the | svelopment of Wash- | long been one of the | the Capital. Tradi-| rquis of La- | there as the > Peter famil: some of the | m the Wash- | ars, few en- red shares Ameri ) 2 Column | acceptance of his resignation, to take | ber-Covi Woman Member of Legislature Asked Plebiscite on Retention of Beer Parlors. By the Assoclated Prees. EDMONTON, Alberta, March A resolution of Mrs. Nellie McClung, Liberal, calling upon the government to take h plebiscite on the question of the retention of the beer parlors during the general provincial elec- tion has been defeated in the Legisla- ture by the most decisive vote of the session—43, to 3. Premier Brownlee, who led in the opposition to the resolution, declared it was not. good policy for the prohibi- tionists to demand a plebiscite on a question which was voted on by 90,000 oniy In 1923, and which had not had a longer trial, at most, than 18 months. Also, he continued, the direct legislative act should Mave been in- voked if any change in the act was de- sired, in the same manner as the 1923 plebiscite was demanded and granted. 27 BISHOP TO QUIT POST. KINGSTON, Ontario, March 27 (). —The House of Bishops of the Ec. clesiastical Provinece of Ontario in the Anglican Church has accepted the resignation of Right Rev. E. J. Bid- well, Bishop of Ontario. Bishop Bid- well has received an informal note informing him of this devision. Formal effect on May 1, will, it is said, be an- nounced in the near future. Last Fall Bishop Bidwell submitted his resignation when it was announce: that his wife had embraced the Roman Catholic faith. At that time the House of Bishops declined to accept it. i TRUCK BURNS CHARCOAL. terday, in which he referred to a rumor that there would be no retire- ment pay legislation this session be- cause of the cost, and also attacking Herbert D. Brown, chief of the Bu- reau of Efficlency, was replied to last night by Mr. Brown. Neither Affirmed Nor Denied. The efficiency head, however, neither affirmed nor denied the statement, so far as cost findings are concerned. “Yesterday,” he said, “a rumor is al. leged to have gone about the Capitol | to the effect that retirement-pay | legislation has been abandoned for the | sesslon because the cost of it had been found prohibitive. Immediately the head of the National Federation of Federal Employes issued a state- ment denouncing me personally.” “I take it that this is done on the supposition that the reports wern based on findings of the Government's . board of actuaries. Kven if these were established facts they would not justify an assault upon a single member of that Loard." Mr. Brown then traced the opera- tions of the board, and concluded: “The Bureau of Efliciency has had | no more to do with the results than half a dozen other agencles. It has merely been a cog in the machinery. Hence the obvious folly of attribut. ing the abandonment of the present | measure, if it has been abandoned, | to a single indlvidual among the men | who have worked to get at the actual | facts and cost figures back of vari- | ous proposals.” i STOCKHOLM, March 27 (f).—A Swedish-built motor truck, equipped with a_charcoal burning’ generator | and carrying a load of 2% tons, has completed a trial trip between Mal- moe and Stockholm, a distance of 450 miles. The total fuel cost is de- clared o have been approximately Experiments with charcoal gener- ators have been going on in Sweden for some time, as well as with the use of a mixture of gasoline and wood alcohol. Both methods are said to have been perfected for commer- cial purposes. Sweden has no do- mestic petroleum supply. ‘1,000-Barrels-an-Hour Oil Well Wastes Huge Stock When All Tanks Are Filled By the Associated Press. ENID, Okla.,, March 27.—With all avallable tankage filled, more than 100 men worked all last night build- ing earthen, pasins to catch the oil from the Sinclair-Hartley well No. 27, which came in yesterday in the Gar- on fleld for more than 1,000 barreis an hour. Oil company officials today declared it was not only the largest well that had ever been drilied in Oklahoma, but one of the largest in the United States. Wells as large have been drilled in other States and in Mexico, they said, hut «eldom has the oil been of high cravity such as the Hartley well is producing. This one well doubled the entire production of the Garber-Cov- ington fiela. Drillers-in at the well said that the tools were purposely left in the hole to hold down the production as much as_possible, as no tankage is avail- | able. Nc accurate gauge was pos- sible, as the flow was directed inte the earthen basins, but the well ap- parently had not diminished its rate of producticn. ‘The well is located in territory that recently appeared mediocre, north- west 18-22-4W. Sand was struck at 4,215 feet, and the well had been deep- ;1\911 to 4,240 feet when the big flDWI gan, D. | #P).—Dr. ¢ Foening WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION PERUVIANS REFUSE 10 PARTICIPATE IN VOTE REGISTERING Chileans and Americans, in Row Last Night, Take Part in Plebiscite Step. HOSTILE MOB GATHERS AT HOME OF LASSITER Arica Is Quiet After Night of Tur- moil, Following Plea for Di- rect Negotiations. By the Associated Pre: ARICA, Chile, March 27.—Regls- trations began this morning for the Tacna-Arica plebiscite, with the Peru- vians absent from the board and the Chileans and Americans acting. The registrations were started de- spite the fact that both Chile and Peru have agreed for the time being | to forego the holding of a plebiscite | pending an attempt at direct settle- ment of the dispute over the ov- ereignty of the territory through the good offices of the United States. The Peruvians' decision to absent themselves from the registration boards is understood to have been recalled during the night In conse- quence of last night's differences of opinion between the Chileans and Americans regarding the terms on which the Chileans had accepted the good offices of the American Govern- ment. The Americans participated in the registrations in the absence of any order to the contrary from the | plebiscitary commisison. Arica Marked by Calm. | Arica was quiet this morning, all the usual activities proceeding regu- larly and without the gathering of any crowds. The first voters were ready for registration the moment the boards opened, and the proceed- ings began without a hitch. Yesterday's announcement that a | direct gettlement of the issue between Chile and Peru would be substituted for the plebiscite, at least for the time | being, received with hostility by | Chileans, and fear was ex- pressed in many quarters that the sud-| jden reversal of the procedure might’| culminate in_serfous rioting and at- tacks upon Peruvians, especially in Tacna. f The Chilean authorities took pre- cautions against disturbances, and ex- | pressed the intention of landing men | from warships in the event of unto- ward scenes. Reports that the plebiscite com- mission 2ad intended to interrupt the registration spread throughout the city last night, exciting the Chilean elements. Groups of them assembled around the house of Gen. William | Lassiter, U. S. A.. president of the | commisslon, in the Velasquez bar- ranks, where it was believed a plebi- scite meeting would be held, and also | around the house of Smmuel Claro- Lastarria, the Chilean delegate, de- manding definite information as to whether the registration had really | been postponed and the plebiscite | abandoned. ! Urges Calm Be Restored. Senor Claro-Lastarria returned home after a conversation with Gen. Lassiter while the crowd was thick- est around his door. He announced that the registration would be held today and ordered the people to be calm, to await developménts and dis- play discipline and good sense. 1t is understood that the Chileans specifically mentioned in communica- tions exchanged between Santiago and Washington during February that the commission’s _activities should continue pending efforts at a diplomatic settlement. PERU ACCEPTS RULING. Will Abide by American Officials’ De- cisions in Row. LIMA, Peru, March 27 (#).—A note | made public by the Peruvian ministry of foreign affairs today says the Peri- vian government has accepted ths| good offices of the American Govern- ment in the Tacna-Arica dispute “with. | out any condition whatsoever, except | on the basis of declaring tha ple- | biscitary functions suspended during | the interim of a direct seitlement.” A transport has been ordered to be ready to remove prospective plebiscite voters from Tacna 'and Arica, in view | of the fact that it is not known just | how long the Washington negotiations will postpone the plebiscite. FORMER CANON IS HELD INCOMPETENT BY COURT Retired Clergyman Said to Have Lost Large Sum in Suspended Real Estate Firm. By the Aefociated Press. NEW YORK, March 27.—The Rev. John_Cornell, a retired clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church and former canon of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, who has charged he | was fleeced out of more than $100,000 in speculations, was declared incom- petent to manage his affairs by a sheriff’s jury last night. The petition to conserve the dwin- | dling estate of the 86-year-old minister was filed by his great-nephew, Edwin D. Morgan, jr. Attorueys for relatives asserted the clergyman had lost money in opera- tions of the Elting Realty Corpord- tion, which was later restrained by Supreme Court Justice Proskaeur from doing business. Dog Good Samaritan. NEW YORK, March 27 (#).—Gun- tha is the good shepherd dog of Cen- tral Park's sheep. Finding that a ewe had not been given medicine for the flu, Guntha ran to the keeper's home and tugged at his leg till the master followed him to the ewe. Man, 93, Held as Horse Thief ASBURY PARK, N. J., March 27 Bdwin P. Osbaldeston, 93 years old, physician, was held today on a warrant served by a 91-year-old deputy sheriff, charging him with stealing a_horse and wagon in Bing- hampton, N. Y., 45 ears ago. C., SATURDAY, MARCH 27, Radio Programs—_}\’\age 30.! COAL INVESTMENT ASKED OF DEALERS Committee Decides Data on Capital Is Necessary to Full Inquiry. The Senate District committee will request the local coal dealers to sub- mit the amount of this capital in- vestment as well as the results of operation for the 12 months ending March 31, Chairman Capper an- nounced today. The motion of Senator Neely, adopted by the committee at the close of the two-hour .ession with the coal men vyesterday afternoon, directed H. A. A. Smith, committee auditor, to request five of the deal- ers to give him access to any fn- formation deemed necessary in for- mulating his report as to the rea- sonableness of prices, but did not specify the disputed item of capital investment. In the course of the meeting Roger J. Whiteford. coun- gel for the Coal Merchants' Board of Trade, had taken the position that the invested capital had nothing to do with a purely profit and loss statement and was not necessary to determine the reasonableness of the prices. Invested Capital Needed. Senator Capper stated today, how- ever, that a majority of the commit- tee felt it was essential to have the invested capital as well as the results of the past 12 months in order to form definite conclusions. Senator Capper sald he would write a letter to Auditor Smith some time today or Monday, outlining specifically the new information the committee has de- cided to ask for. It was pointed out today that the only purpose in deciding to get fig- ures from five dealers was to give the committee a representative pic- ture of the coal situation generally and not with a view to centering the price inquiry on any particular group of merchants. H. A. A. Smith, the auditor for the committee, testified yesterday that from the information collected thus far, on a per ton basis, there had been no evidence of profiteering. Just before Senator Neely made the motion which the committee adopted a suggestion had been made and con- curred in by Mr. Smith, that if the dealers would give figures for 12 months ending March 31 his task would be simple. Sees Month's Delay. Referring to this suggestion, Roger J. Whiteford, attorney for the -Coal Merchants’ Board of Trade, said the dealers themselves would have to de- cide whether they would open their books on the basis suggested. He pointed out that with the year ending on April 1, it would probably be a month from that date before much could be gathered from the books. Differences of opinion between auditors for the coal dealers and the Government auditor as to whether the amount of capital invested by a coal dealer in his business should be made available in connection with the flg- ures as to the price of coal developed at the opening of the meeting. Chairman Capper explained the meeting was a result of the report of Mr. Smith, who was desiznated to collect from the coal dealers the fig- ures requested by the committee re- lating to the retail price of coal dur- ing the past year. Senator Capper declared the report “was quite un- satisfactory to the committee {n that it did not enable us to form any conclusion.” Plan Already Outlined. Mr. Whiteford told the committee | that at the meeting February 10 Mr. Leland, one of the accountants em- | ployed by the dealers, outlined a plan for providing the committee with profit and loss statements for 1925 that would give the cofamittee the infor- mation it desired. Mr. Whiteford stated that follow- ing the meeting of the committee that day the two auditors .represent- ing the dealers met with fhe Govern- ment auditor and made arrange- ments for preparing thése profit and loss statements. Mr. Whiteford said {t was explained to the Government ‘auditor at that time that many dealers close their hooks on April 1 annually, in which cases it would be dificult to get a statement on the calendar-year basis. According to Mr. Whiteford, the Gov- ernment auditor agreed that in such cases he would take the profit and loss statement for the nine months of 1925, from- April on, provided he was given the figures for the preceding 12 months. Mr. Whiteford then asserted that the dealers submitted profit and loss statoments coverin, {Continued 1926—THIRTY-EIGHT PAGES. THE DEMOCRATIC DROM Light Socket Falls Into Bath; Woman 60 Is Electrocutedi By the Associated Press. PALO ALTO, Calif.,, March 27. Mrs. M. Wallace, 60, a missionary from the Presbyterian Mission at Chilpamclamgo, State of Guerrero, Mexico, accidentally was electro- cuted here today when a light socket fell into her bathtub. Mrs. Wallace was here on a furlough with her husband, William Wal- lace. i POLENTHEN BIL 5 GVEN APPROVAL Subcommittee Orders Favor- able Report After Long and Warm Clashes. Favorable report on the police- women's bureau bill, which proposes substantive law for the existing Wom- en's Bureau in the Police Department with largely increased personnel, was today ordered by the subcommittee on police and firemen of the House District committee. This report will be laid before the full District com- mittee next Wednesday. It is not probable, however, that the full com- mittee will act promptly so as to get this measure on the calendar for the next District day in the House. The vote was 3 to 1 in executive session on reporting this bill. Repre- sentative Rathbone, Republican, of Illinois, chairman of the subcommit- tee, with Representative Glbson, Re- publican. of Vermont, author of the measure, and Representative Blanton, Democrat, of Texas, voted in favor of the report. Representative Hammer, Democrat, of North Carolina, while making it plain that he is not opposed to the establishment of a policewom- en's bureau, voted against reporting the bill as it stands. Not one wora was changed by the subcommittee. Mr. Hammer submitted, ‘out of courtesy,” & proposed amendment submitted to him by Mrs. Giles Scott Rafter, president of the District Con- gress of Parent-Teacher Associations. Two Amendments Considered. Chief amendments considered were those to eliminate children from the Jjurisdiction and control of the Wom- en's Bureau, and to omit from the bill a definition of the powers of the po- licewomen, other than “as contained in the Police Manual.” The hearings have shown ti 4t the opposition to this legislation comes prineipally from Judge Kathryn Sell- ers and friends of the Juvenile Court, who are protesting that the Women's Bureau is overlapping the Juvenile Court jurisdiction, and “‘interfering.” The he ng last night on the)bill was enlivdned by a typical Hammer- Blanton exchange of compliments, each resenting the ‘belligerent,” “‘threatening,” “‘domineering” and “in- sulting” attitude and language of the other. Representative Thomas L. Blanton, Democrat, of Texas is the avowed champion of Mrs. Mina C. Van Winkle, head of the existing ‘Women's Bureau. Representative | William C. Hammer, Democrat, of North Carolina is the champion and defender of Judge Kathryn Sellers of the Juvenile Court. There has been considerable friction between these op- posing forces throughout the hearings. Judge Sellers Stays Away. Judge Sellers had declined to appear at last night's hearing because she felt she had not been treated with proper (Continued on Page 2, Column b6.) “From Press to Home Within the Hour” The Star’s carrier system covers every city block and the regular edi- tion is delivered to Washington homes as fast as th i Yesterday’s () Means Associated Press. | | | | | | | | | | united in | proposed | Potomac 10S. RN REFERENDUM OFFEREDBY WETS. Stayton Proposes Congress Members Let Anti-drys Poll Their Districts. By the Associated Press. An offer to “reputable” members of Congress to poll their constituents| on the prohibition question was made | today by the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment. The proposal, announced by William | H. Stayton, founder and chairman of | the association, would apply only to Representatives of “high caliber who are sincere in their desire to vote as| their constituencies want them.” The | wet organization would pay the cost of the polls, which would include every registered voter in the districts| concertred, and the co-operating mem. ber of Congress would have the right to name the ballot counters. Think Many Misguided. “There are many members of the House of Representatives,’ r. Stay ton said, “who are personally opposed to the Volstead act. They vote dry on all prohibition questions becau: they believe their constituents wan them to vote d We believe many | of them are misguided in this matter| and are anxious to help them ascer- tain the true sentiment of | their | Stayton, who has been selected | as spokesman for modificationists in| both Houses to appear before the coming Senate committee hearing on pending modification bills, did not go into other details of the proposal, Neither did the offer mention the pro. | posed national referendum on modi- fication asked for yesterday in a reso. lution introduced by Senator Edge Republican, New Jersey. ) With the Senate committee hearing still a week off, dlscussion of prohi. bition and developments affecting fts enforcement continue at a fast pace. While Judge Elmer Ritchie of the | third Federal district of Alaska was | giving his views on prohibition to the Sendte judiciary committee yesterday, | enforcement headquariers was an- nouncing new regulations and House members were discussing smoking by women and cider drinking by farmers, Says Leaders Drink. | Judge Ritchie, who told the com- mittee that although prohibition en- forcement lhad caused him much | trouble, his district was as clean as | any rural community, added that he knew of men of high standing who took a drink when they got the chance. | In the House several members talk. | ed of the high cost of prohibition en. | forcement, and Representative Weller, | Deinocrat, New York, remarked that | the contention that women will smoke it they can't get liquor is true. He added that the farmer has his celiar stocked with cider that is getting harder all the time. New enforcement regulations issued at the Treasury would place cereai manufacturers under bonds of $10,000 to $65,000, in connection with a new provision ‘of the revenue law which seeks to prevent making of high voltage beer. otk 20 ASKS $100,000 FUND. Congress was asked by President Coolidge yesterday to appropriate an additional $100,000 to continue prosecu- tion of the oil suits arising from the Teapot Dome and Elk Hills leases. Director Lord of the budget in an| accompanying letter said “it will be impossible to complete this litigation, | civil and criminal, before the end of the current fiscal year." Dead Hessian During $22 Extra to German By the.Associated Press. BERLIN, March 27.—Investigation into the manner in which some of the fortunes of y's former royal houses were acquired in connection with the question of indemnification by the republic has disclosed that German princelings up to the nine- teenth century had ‘‘sold” 296,166 of their subjects for $3,750,000 to Eng- land for Army service against the American colonies, the French and other enemies. Duke Kar/ Wilhelm Ferdinand of Braunschweig sent 4,300 men to Eng- land for $38 a head, it is disclosed, with an additional indemnity of $22 a head for each man killed in action, three wounded men to,be counted as | one dead one. Revolution Worth | Master, Report Says| Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse “‘sold" 12,000 Hessians at $75 a head, with' an annual ‘“rental” fee of $500,000. There has been produced a letter | from the Landgrave of Hessen-Cassel to Baron Honendorf, his commanding officer in the American colonies, in which the writer commended the baron “for seeing to it that of 1,950 of the Landgrave peons in the battle of Trenton only 300 escaped alive.” “Be sure to send an itemized state- ment of the losses to London,” the letter continued, “as the English min- ister wants to pay me for only 1,455 | killed. T am entirely dissatisfied with Maj. Mindorf, who, according to dis- | patches, succeeded in saving his bat- talion of Hessiane." | committee |1and, pointing e papers are printed. Circulation, 103,168 TWO CENTS. BELTLINE BRIDGE 15 ATTACKED AT SENATE HEARING Business and Civic Leaders Unite in Fighting Proposal Declared a Menace. DEFENDED AS ASSET TO NATION IN WARTIME Maj. Gen. Ely and Rear Admiral Knight Uphold Span—Rail Heads Against New Route. Business an1 civic interests of the ‘apital City, of Montgomery and nee Ge in Maryland and County, Virginia xpressing opposition to raflroad bridge across River above Chain Bridg hearing today before the sub on brie s of the Senate commerce commmitt The hear was on a bill which weuld give Washington and Lougk and Terminal Co. author the struc After hearing measure, who d menace to the ment and the Tled National Bingham of of the subcommi spokesmen that the chi the ittee in the of t = with the at a to buiid chairman reminded the avigation of the secondarily, in connection with riv ctions. Such matters as wers jeingz presented to the committee, he pointed out, should more properly he presented to ' the Interstate Com merce Commission, if that body de cided to go into the merits of the project as a railroad connection after the bridge is authorize Thomas M. Pierce of Mo., speaking for the proponents o said that the question ffected was not a committes to the matter of ble stream. Ha de obstr consider. bridging a navi | tailed the proposed belt line proje and pointed out to the commit that the bridge would not inte with the plans to erect a hyd electric project in this area. He said that the Army War College hadl approved it in furtherance of Wwur plans and that the Agricuiture De partment had no objection to it. Mr. Plerce said extensive stud: had been made and that the inte ests of the Government would no in any way be affected. Upheld as Defense Asset. Plerce was followed by Re: sdmiral Austin M. Knight, U. S. retired. 1860 Columbia road, who tol the subcommittee that traffic was being congested here hecause of W he termed the bottle-neck made by the roads converging into two tracks cross the Highway Bridge, and quoted what purported to be a re port of the Interstate Commerce Commission, saying that relief was needed. He said that his personal interest in the project grew out of his interest in national defense, and added that he was president of the Navy War College, where such mat were studied. was questioned by Bingham regarding the hydroelectric plant and pointed out that it would be constructed by the @overnment and that the Army engi neers had no objection to the bridge The project, he concluded, is a nation al project, and is not to be minimized as a local matter, altheugh he said in the laying out of the railroad, it had been £o done as to cause as little dam age as possible Gen. Elv, commandant of the War College here, was next put stand on behalf of the prope He made it very plain at the that he lege, and the officers there were whether or not it would be an a wartime. He spoke generally congestion at ports of embarkation during the war. Generally speaking he suid, any belt line around a eity is an asset in case of war. He said he was not familiar with the conges tion here during the war, and he was not familiar as to the condiiions that might require such a line at this time Cites Many Opponents. J. Bond Smith of this city, on behalf of the Montgomery County Clvie Federation, spoke very strongly against the proposed measure, poini ing out that the proponents had got ten away from the real propositior involved. The real on for the federation, he told the committee, was ‘0 combat this belt line menace. He said it was perfectly idle to talk abour it from the standpoint of a bridge only and futile to intimate that it was a great national project. He went at length into the history of the charter of the company granted by the Corporation Commission of Mary out that it had not held an organization meeting since its charter was issued, according to the records of the Corporation Commis sion of Virginia. He said it is not an operating road has no railroad terminal or wareho facilities or any property of any ki except a naked franchize. He read letters from the presidents of the biz railroads passing through Washing ton, saying tvat they were opposed to the belt line, pointing out that this | indicated there was no need for this facility at the present time. The shippers and handlers of per ishable food products in this city are all opposed to it, he continued, and the National Association of Commis- sion Merchants s publicly on record against it. This all indicated, he =aid. that there was not any need for a beit line railroad to skirt the Capital City and inflict frreparable damags to the plane for making a great, beauti ful National Capital. Such a rall road, he said. was entirely incon sistent with these beautful plans. Many Others Present. Arthur E. Seymour, secretary of the Washington Chamber of Commerce; Charles J. Columbus, secretary of the Merchants and Manufacturers' Asso clation, and Thomas Everett, presi- dent of the Bethesda, Md., Chamber of Commerce, also expressed strong opposition to the measure. After these people had testified, ¢ (o “olumn 7.