Evening Star Newspaper, January 16, 1927, Page 1

“From Press to Home Within the Hour” The Star is delivered every evening and Sunday morning to Washington homes at 60 cents per month. Telephone Main 5000 WEATHER. (U. §.-Weather Bureau Forecast.) Fair today, slowly rising temper- ture this afternoon. Tomorrow in- creasing ¢loudiness with rapidly rising temperature. Temperature—Highest, 30, at mid- -~ night; lowest, 14, at 10 Full report on page 6. p.m. he Cg WITH DAILY EVENING EDITION g Star, No. 1,139—No. 30,210. Entered as second class matter post office, Washington, D. C. DIAZ OFFERS PEACE 10 LIBERALS WITH SHARE OF OFFES Election Next Year in Nica- ragua Under U. S. Super- vision Proposed. BORAH WANTS KELLOGG TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY Sécretary's Prepared Statement Is| Declared Inadequate—Hot | Senate Debate. e | BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. i Peace in Nicaragua was proposed o liberals seeking to overthrow his| government by President Diaz, in a statement made public by the Nica. raguan legation here last night. President Diaz proposed an imme- diate cessation of hostilities with the following understandings: 1, That President Diaz should com- plete his term of office ending Decem. ber, 1928, with liberals participating | in the government in executive and Judicial offices. 2. That a “free election” be held in 1928 under the supervision of the United States Government. 3. That a mixed claim commission be set up to-settle all revolutionary claims. % 4. That the arms of the liberals be | purchased by the Diaz government after they have been surrendered. | Sees Peace Assured. “Peace and reconstruction in Nica- ragua_ are now assured,” sald Presi- dent Diaz, “by the decision of the Ameérican Government to guarantee this small nation against the sinister designs of the radical and irresponsi- ble Calles government of Mexico and by the determination of my govern- ment, supported by a large majority of the Nicaraguan people, to initiate and carry out a new program of politi- cal conciliation and fair play together with the rapid and intense economic development of the country. While this peace proposal was emanating from President Diaz, the | row in Congress over the administra- | tion’s policy in Nicaragua and in Mex- | /ico_broke out afresh. Chairman Borah of the foreign re-| lations committee and Secretary Kel- 10gg of the State Department clashed over a suggestion by Secretary Kel- logg that committee & transeript of the: Mr, Kellogg on the Nicaraguan situa- tion béfore the committee. Wants Public Hearing. Declaring that the transeript now to. be made public contains only “what he Is willing to make pub- lec,”” Senator Borah suggested that the Becretary appear in hefore the Senate committee at a public hearing. In that way the public would be as- of a “full statement of this “I think the public ought to have the full statement,” said Senator Borah. e P The foreign relations committee is to meet We and at that time will decide what is to be done with the ., transcript of the hearing which was % held last Wednesday behind closed doors. Debate in both Senate and House over ‘the Nicaraguan and Mexican situations cropped up again. In the Senate Senator Gillett of Massachu- setts, Republican member of the for- eign relations committee, defended the policy of the administration, which has resulted in the recognition of President Diaz and the landing of marines ta protect Americans and | other foreign nationals in Nicaragua. Walsh Replies to Heflin. Senator Walsh of Montana, Demo- crat, replied to charges made by Sena- tor Heflin of Alabama, another Dem- ocrat, that the Knights of Columbus | were instigating revolution in Mexico against the Calles government there, | and were seeking to push the United | States into war with Mexico because of the treatment of Catholics there. Senator Heflin vigorously reassert- ed his charges. At the other end of the Capitol Rep- resentative Moore of Virginia, Demo- cratic member of the House foreign affairs committee, in a speech attack- ing the adminietration’s Mexican and Nicaraguan policy, suggested that ‘ Secretary Kellogg of the State De- |52 partment be relieved of his office. “So plainly, whether intentionally | or not, has the Secretary of State ex- | erted himself in making trouble in stead of insuring tranquility as far as possible,” said Mr. Moore, “that a sincere friend of the President—and 1 am his sincere friend, who has fre- | quently given him the most earnest support—might take the liberty of suggesting that he drop the pilot who peems to have such exceptional skill | in finding waters where danger of shipwreck. Political Motive Rumored. «“1t is said, but I hate to believe that for the sake of prospective par advantage—a great election is a progehing—the administration is yield- ing to powerfyl influences which de- wire to bring “about intervention in Mexico, which import neither more hor less than continued occupation of that country and activities cost {ng the lives of our soldiers and add ing to the enormous debt with which the country is now burdened Mr. Moore asserted that it is not the Monroe Doctrine about which those who are responsible for the pol joy in Nicaragua are thinking, “but about an entirely different doctrine, an investment doctrine. “If this theory is to obtain,” said Mr. Moore, “a blind man ought to be able to see that in a completely imperialistic attitude | with reference to every nation of this hemisphere.” Harrison Against Policy. resentative Harrison of Vir R lso attacked the administra. tion’s Mexican and Nicaraguan policy. He criticized the “bolshevist” memo- rapdum submitted to the Senate for- elgn relations committee by Secretary Kellogg, alleging a plot to overthrow the United States Government. He said that the American people had been given a picture of Russia lead ing a Coxy's army of bolshevists from Mexico to tear the Statue of Liberty trom the Capitol in Washington. Mr. Harrison sald he would advo. \ Wfim Page 4, Column 3.) / e ‘public |of the American Soclety of Newspaper Y {Editers at the Willard Hotel. there is | it will place us| Inquiry Into Any five citizens of the “nltod’ States who can raise $1.50 can incor- porate in the District of Columbia a university legally empowered to grant all sorts of academic degrees, except medical and dental, and If they are | reasonably cautious they can do a | flourishing business in the sale of M A's, Ph. D's and similar scholastic honors all over the country and abroad without running afoul of the law. The law in effect in the National pital regulating institutions of high er learning is extremely broad. Ac cording to a survey recently conducted by the United States Bureau of Edu- | cation, most of the larger States of | the East have adopted more or vigid requirements for the establish ment of universities and colleges, while Washington still makes practi- | cally no restrictions whatsover, and. | because of its prominence in the edu- | cational field, is a fruitful field for | less | schools of a very low order. | Because of conditions revealed_by | this survey of the country the Bureau 'STARTING UNIVERSITY IS EASY HERE FOR ANY FIVE WITH $1.50 May Incorporate “Institution” and Grant High Degrees for Meager Study, | the hint. WASHINGTON, Law Sl’lOWS. of Education has published, as a warn- ing to institutions and school hoards employing men ani women with ad- vanced academic degrees. an exact statement of just what the law is in the various States. They are urged t0 look carefully into the standing of colleges in the doubtful States and the | District before closing any contracts. Since doubtful institutions of learn. ing in the District are duly incor- porated under the law the Bureau of | Education, in response to the numer- | ous inquiries it receives, cannot open- Iy condemn them. As one official of the bureau said: “The only thing we can do is to damn with faint praise and hope that the inquirer will take We must reply that the in- stitution inquired about is duly in corporated under the laws of the Dis trict of Columbia, but that it is not a member of the American Association of Colleges. We cannot say that it is worthless and fraudulent, and we have no police powers whatseever.' The corporation law of the District, as stated by the Bureau of Fducation, merely provides that for the establish. ment of an institution of learning of university grade the five incorpora- ied on Page 6, ( 3 ) HUGHES BACKS U. . POLICY IN MEXICO Editors Told Rights Should Be Protecied—Warning Given on Bolshevism. An immediate awakening of democ- racy everywhere to the “challenge” of Communism and Fascism and the need for sympathetic co-operation be- tween the press and the Government in fostering international amity were laid before the editors of America last night as paramount missions tor the newspapers of the nation. The speakers, Nicholas Murfy Butler, president of Columbiar Tri- versity, who sounded a warning against democracy, further “blinding itself” to the dangers that confront it, and Charles Evans Hughes, former Secretary of State, who used “The Press and International Amity” as his topic, addressed the annual banquet Would Defend Americans. Mr. Hughes alluded to the tense relations that have developed bétween the United States and Mexico in the course of his address. Although “the strength of the United States is not the instrument of any aggressive pur- pose,” he said, “Americans who lend their wealth and enterprise to the development of natural resources in other countries have a right to expect recognition of their valid rights, “When Americans do give such ald,” he said, “they naturally object to confiscatory action in the destruc- tion of their investments. I have no desire to use this occasion to dis- cuss impending questions, but it is simple truth to say that our neigh- bors, as well as others, should know well that we wish them prosperity, stability and independence, as good neighbors with whom we can deal in the activities of peace for mutual advantage on the assumption of fair dealing and the reasonable security of life and property.” Butler Sees Menace. Dr. Butler fairly startled his audi- ence, drawn from all parts of the Na- tion, with the frankness of his warn- ing that the doctrines of Lenin and Mussolini threaten to replace the de- mocracy America created. He declared at the outset that the marked dissat- isfaction that has grown up against the democratic form of government in many countries is nothing short of alarming. Many nations, Dr. Butler said, have followed the path America blazed. Whereever governments have chang- ed since the American revolution, al- meost invariably the new governments have been fashioned around the ideals first laid down by the United States. In the last generation, however, a cynicism has grown up against it, he “Especially since the last war,” the speaker continued, “there has been a searching spirit, men asking them- selves whether our principles have worked as they expected. Everything is not going, it seems, as men have believed and hopen. Public opinion is running ahead of Government. This is a condition that was not to be found a few years ago. Two Challenges Noted. “Two ofganized, powerful and highly intellectual challenges have sprung up to face democracy. We are no longer in full possession of the fleld to which the future looks. These challenges are presented by the com munism of Lenin and the fascism of Mussolini. We will he in grave error | if we longer underestimate the signifi- cance and power of these two mighty forces “Each is the work of a real leader of men. Such men as only come now |and then in the history of an organ- {ized state, Neither of their creations N CHANNEL Toronto Youth Is Followed by Norman Ross, Entrant From Chicago. By the Ascociated Press ASSOCIATED PRESS TUG OFF SAN PEDRO, by wireless to Wil mington, Calif., January 15.—George Young, 17, of Toronto, Ontario, at 10:30 tonight was less than four miles | from the California mainland and the $25,000 first prize hung up by Wil liam Wrigley, jr., for the first person to swim the San Pedro Channel. Young was cutting through the water at a terrific clip for a_youth who had been swimming steadily for nearly 12 hours. He was headed for Point Vicente. Behind him at a distance of a mile and a half, Norman Ross, giant nata- tor of Chicago, reeled off <he last leg of the journey at an equally fast pace. Others Not Observed. The Associated Press tug,. making a tour of the front aftet § o'clock, found Ross and Young then'also in | the most favorable positions. William E. Logg, Santa Catalina Istand bidder for the $25,000 prize, and Clarabelle Barrett, Pelham, N. Y., long-distance woman natator, were not found on the advanced front. How many swimmers remained in the race at this hour was a mystery to the numerous tugs and speedboats scampering about the waterw Ross, who swam for a time in his greaseless bathing suit, kicked it off when he got under way. At 8 p.m. Ross appeared to be weak- ening, but Young still was going strong. Logg, 2 miles to the east on the southeriy course, was reported to be maintaining an even position with Young. At this hour the swimmers were scattered over such a wide territory that it was impossible to determine how many remained in the race. Peter Myer, Cincinnati, still was going strong not far behind the lead- ers at 7:55 p.m. 0Oil Worker Drops Out. Walter G. Taber, Huntington Beach oil worker, who several months ago declared he had negotiated the channel, dropped out of the race to- night. Swimming experts openly ex- pressed _skepticism that Taber - had (Continued on Page 2 Column 5) TWO BANDITS GET $500 IN MEAT MARKET HAUL Third Stands Guard Outside Prem- ises at 2149 Pennsylvania Ave- nue Clerks /ire Robbed. Two bandits held up and robbed the J. H. Pflieger meat market at 2149 Pennsylvania avenue of approximately $500 last night, while a third stood guard outside the door. The two men entered and flashed pistols immediately covering Alfred D. Hayes and three clerks. They forced a clerk to open the cash regis- | ter and turn over the contents to| them. Then, the holdup men giving orders that no outcry or movement should be made for five minutes, and intimat- ing that one would be on guard in front, if the order was violated, es- caj PHYXIATED. Mary Grace Allen, 75 vears old, 933 M street, was found dead in her room last night from gas poisoning. The body was discovered by | Charles Glosson of the same address and was taken to Emergency Hospi- | tal. She was pronounced dead upon | arrival. | is_emotional or rea “(Continued on Page | By Cable to The Star and New York World. | MEXICO CITY, January 15.—In an | effor: to stem the rising tide of revo- | 1ution, the government today recalled 110,000 soldiers from the concentration icamps in the State of Sonora. These will be distributed over the central | states, where revolutionists are re- | ported to be Increasing in number. | The government will initiate a round. [up of Repe Capistran Garza’s follow- | ers there | Seve 1 rebel bands are reported to | be operating in the envirens of Mex fco City. Rebels hovering near the hamlet of San Miguel have sent a {Mexican Rebels Warn U. S. Ambassador Away From Golf Links Outside Capital | rounds at the Mexico City Country Indications according to the police were that gas was accidently escap- ing from one of the jets in the room. Bliss Lane that it will be unsafe for them to continue their daily golf Club, about 8 miles from the cap. ital. Prince Valerio Pignatelli, Italian duelist, who was oficially reported to have been deported from Mexico, now appears to be with this troop of rebels. Americans in business at Iguala, State of Guerreo, a mining center, re. port that 100 rebels captured the town three days ago. Many Americans in Mexico City, Puebla and Tampico are sending their families back to the United States, | mostly via Vera Cruz. The Nationai D. SUNDAY MORN SOLDERS SHVER N ROTTING SHACKS AT CANP HEADE Only One Habitable Dwelling Exists in Tinder Post Housing 1,290. FIGHTING COLD KEEPS MEN BUSY REPAIRING Officers Foot Bills—High Winds Cause Fear for Safety, Due to Menace of Ejre. Then it's Tommy this. an' Tommy that, an Tommy, ‘ow's ver soul? ‘But it's ‘Thin red line of ‘eroes’ when the drum begins to roll There is only one habitable dwell ing in all of Camp Meade, and the camp's 1,290 *‘eroes” are spending two-thirds of their time jacking up their houses, propping up the roofs, stopping up holes in the walls, and fighting the cold generally. This was the condition found by a reporter for The Star, who yesterday visited the post to get a first-hand de- scription of conditions which are de- clared to exist in Army posts through- out the country. An appropriation of $410,000 to build one complete set of barracks at Camp Meade has been asked, but the program still lacks ap- proval. This seems to be an off year for ‘erc and the soul of Tommy's American brother is in pain. From Col. O. S. Eskridge, commanding of- ficer of the post, down to the young- est student cook there was plainly discernible an expression of extreme physical and mental anguish as soon as the subject of living conditions was | mentioned. Houses are Cold. Officers are living in houses through which the wind whistles merrily. It is impossible to keep them warm. The roofs are sagging and have to be reinforced continually to keep them from falling in on the officers and their families. Wooden pilings on which the dwel- lings were built are rotting away and fresh ones must be put in—by soldier labor. The buildings are a constant fire hazard. We never sleep easy when there is a high wind,” Col. Eskridge says. The officers dig down into their own pockets to pay the cost of repairing the antiquated buildings. enlisted men are in an even worse plight. They have no money to spénd on their quarters, except ‘Wwhat can be saved from the company funds or ration money. They have to “rustle” material to fix up their quarters so that they can be occupied. Comfort is impossibie. War-Time Buildings. The buildings, Col. Eskridge "ex- plained, were built nine years ago to meet a war-time emergency. They never were meant to be occupied per- manently, and few of them were built as dwellings. The commanding officer is living in a building which served as a schoolhouse during the war. It is a two-story building and had only one room on each floor. With his own money Col. Eskridge had the interior rebuilt, partitions erected and rooms divided off. Enlisted men of the post did the work, and Col Eskridge paid $600 for the materials. Today, says Col. Eskridge, the house is a ‘“habitable shelter” at best; it cannot be called a habitable dwelling. The windward half is never warm; the leeward half can occasionally be made comfortable. Curtains at the windows stand out from the walls as the wind blows in around the panes and sashes. “The walls,” Col. Eskridge said, “only slow up the wind as it passes through the house.” The other officers’ quarters are in as bad, or worse, condition. All were built on rude wooden posts, which have rotted away, and in most cases have been replaced at the officers’ ex- pense. The outside walls are made of clapboard on tar paper, and the inside walls are cardboard or beaver board. No Remedy Seen. When the buildings were turned over to the officers as quarters, the Gov- ernment provided nothing but the plumbing, Col. Eskridge said. This was salvaged from other buildings which had been wrecked. The of- ficers had to live in them as they were, which was virtually impossible, or pay the cost of remodeling them. The Government has provided no money. In every case they were re- modeled, the enlisted men of the post doing the labor. No two interiors are alike; the arrangement depended on the whim of the man doing the work. As a result of these conditions the entire personnel of the camp. has spent most of its time trying to make living conditions bearabie, and little time has been left for military train- ing. There is no remedy in sight, Col. Eskridge said, because the build- ings have reached such a stage of dilapidation that they require con- stant work to keep them from tum- bling down. Col. Eskridge pointed out the house of one officer, a ramshackle, unpainted structure, the roof of which had sag- ged so much in the center that the ridge pole described a 45-degree arc. The roof had been propped up in that ntinued on BOY, 10, GETS PAGE J0B ON “BRAINS; NOT LEGS” Tells Texas Legislators Plainly What State Needs When They Try to Reject His Application. By the Associated Press. AUSTIN, Tex., January 15.—Henry J. Steen, 10, a page in the Texas Leg- islature, knows how to get what he wants, and gets it. Wearing a collar too large because he has trouble to find one small enough, but with the mien of a future statesman the iad applied for the position of page in the Legislature, A house committee told him he was too small, that his legs were not long enough. “Gentlemen.” he replied with Railwavs today advised purchasers of tickets for the United States that pas- warning to American = Ambassador Sheffield and First s’n,ury Arthur sage to Laredo might be subject to delays. (Capyright, 19373 aplomb, “what this Legislature needs 1s brains, not legi He immediately got the job, and h: dl}'l; warking se ING, JANUARY 16, 19 Sy AN PRECED &y PRESIDENY, 27. —116 PAGES. PRESCRIPTiop S GIVE ME MORE(; RELIEF THAN 4 POULTyp 57‘ THAT NICARAGUAN BOIL. 1. WAR0 FOUD AFTER 3 HONTHS Slayer of Peters, ex-Sailor, Arrives in Havana With His Wealthy Father. By Cable to The Star and New York World. HAVANA, Cuba, January 15.— Walter . Ward, slayer of Clarence Peters and object of a nation-wide search following his mysterious dis- { appearance nine months ago, arrived in Havana today on the steamship Northland, from Key West, Fla. With him was his father, George Ward, wealthy baking company head, who is reported to have found his son in a New Orleans hotel. The two went fmm ! Ward country home 15 miles city. Special Dispatch to The Star, Disappeared Lut‘m:. NEW YORK, Janu 15.—Ac- quitted three years hefore on a plea of self-defense of the murder of Clar- ence Peters, ex-sallor, close to Kenisco Reservoir, near White Plains, Walter S. Ward disappeared May 6, 1326, under peculiar circumstances. His automobile, its windshield shat- tered, apparently by a stone found in the front seat, was found aban- doned in front of the Pennsylvania Rallroad Station at Trenton, N. J. The floor of the car was strewn with clothing and papers, the contents of a traveling bag and a hrief case. Ward, president of the Electruck Corporation, was known to h&\’f de- parted for Baltimore on a business trip a few days before his machine was found. Wide Search Instituted. As police _and private detectives hired by the Ward family started their search for the missing man, conflict- ing reports became public. He was supposed to have been at his New York home a few hours after his dis- appearance was reported. Later he was said to be living with his wife and children in a stucco house at Yonkers, N. Y. After a five months’ search, spent mainly in run- ning down reports that he had been seen in various parts of the country, members of the Ward family an: nounced they had given him up as dead. During the trial for the murder of Peters Ward's attorneys declared that Peters had been a member of a black- mail gang. The basis of the alleged blackmail plot never was divulged, for Ward's counsel did mot put in a de- fense. Meanwhile Peters' parents have in- stituted _suit for $35,000 damages against Ward for the murder of their STRANGE BIRD IS SLAIN _AFTER ATTACK ON MAN Ranger Covered With Wounds as ‘Workmen Drive Off Winged Assailant. By the Associated Press. THREE RIVERS, Quebec, January 15.—Eiclide Beauce, a wood ranger of Spring Creek, was attacked and wounded by a strange bird of prey while measuring lumber in the woods near here today. The bird, he said, suddenly de- scended upon him, encircled him with its long legs, gnashed at his neck with its claws and pecked his head with its beak. He shouted for assist- ance and fellow workers Killed the bird. Beauce's body wa. covered with small wounds and he was almost exhausted from loss of blood. The identity of the bird could not be established, but woodsmen believed it to be of an European species. CAT BURNS HERMIT HOME. Upsets Candle, Causing Death of Benevolent Mistress. CINCINNATI, Ohio, January 15 (). | _Miss Harriet Burroughs, 70, who for 130 years lived in a cottage near Mount Washington, Ohlo, alone, except for a family of cats, died today when one iof the cats apparently overturned a candle and fired the house. For many vears Miss Burroughs { 1avished the affection of a lonely life on the pets, leaving candles lighted at I night that she might note their com- fort. It was one of these candles, left burning today, that is believed to have caused her death. Eight of the pets perished with their mistresa, oly to the m this TODAY’S STAR. PART ONE—56 PAGES. General News—Local, National and Foreign. Schools_and Colleges—Pages and 27. News of the Clubs—Page 33, Boy Scout News—Page 36. C. T. U—Page 36. Scouts—Page 3 Parent.Teacher Activities—Page 39. Veterans of the Great War—Page 39. Radio News and Programs—Pages 40, 41 and 43. Latest List of Radio Stations—Page 42, At the Community Centers—Page 48. Financial News—Pages 51, 52 and 53. District of Columbia Naval Reserve— Page 51. PART TWO0—16 PAGES. Editorials and Editorial Features. Washington and Other Society. Notes of Art and Artists—Page 4. Reviews of Winter Books—Page 4. Tales of Well Known Folk—Page 10. D. A. R. Activities—Page 11. Around the City—Page 11. Clubwomen of the Nation—Page 12. PART. THREE—12? PAGES. Amusetnents—THeaters and the Photo- play. Music—Page 5. Motors and Motoring—Pages 6 and 7. Serial, “Judy's Man"”—Page 9. Civilian Army News—Page 9. Fraternal News—Page 10. Army and Navy News—Page 10. District National Guard—Page 11. Spanish War Veterans—Page 11. PART FOUR—{ PAGES. Pink Sports Section. PART FIVE—8 PAGES. Magazine Section—Fiction and Fea- tures. The Rambler—Page 3. PART SIX—8 PAGES. Classified Advertising. Y. W. C. A. Ne Py 26 Broadcasting GRAPHIC SECTION—8 PAGES. World Events in Pictures. COLOR SECTION—{i PAGES, Mutt and Jeff; Reg'lar Fellers; Mr. and Mrs.; High Lights of History. - BRIDE"RIDES IN BAGGAGE CAR TO BE NEAR DOG Makes Trip From New York to San Francisco in Company of Strongheart's Brother. By the Associated Press. SAN FRANCISCO, January 15.— The Examiner said today that Mrs. Johanna Yunkers, bride of Richard Yunkers, a radio tube expert at Glen- dale, Calif, rode from New York to San Francisco in a baggage car in order to be with her dog, Wolfe, said to be a brother of Strongheart of movie fame. Mrs. Yunkers was barred from tak- ing her much-loved canine in a Pull- man, and, rather that to permit him out of her sight, she traveled with the baggage. Bride and dog arrived here _\eiQterday and continued on to Glen- dale. Mr. and Mrs. Yunkers came to America about a year ago from Hol- land and lived in Hoboken until re- cently. DRIVER HITS TWO, FLEES. 3-Year-0ld Girl and Grandmother Injured on Georgia Avenue. Three-year-old Josephine Reid, 3007 Georgia avenue, and her grandmother, Mrs. Kate Hubert, 48, of §16 G street, were knocked down by a hit-and-run driver while standing on Georgia avenue near Lamont street last night, according to the police report. They were taken to Garfleld Hos- pital in a passing car. Physiclans reported that the girl only sustained bruises, but her grand- mother has a possible. fractured rib and also suffered from shock. The condition of neither was described as serious. By the Associated Press. AUSTIN, Tex., January 15.—A con- ditional pardon issued by Gov. Miriam A. Ferguson to Benjamin Hollings, negro, requires that Hollings work for and under the direction of the Gov- ernor’s husband, James E. Ferguson for six years. In that time he is to be paid $15 a month, board and cloth- prodlamation became public read fendant is granted a por- litioned that as long as he 15 per month, his board and and service wil | start immediately. FIVE CENTS. MERCURY AT NEW LOW FOR WINTER Relief for City Tomorrow. Florida Builds Fires to Protect Fruit. Additional information received at the Weather Bureau -last night con- firmed the forecast made 12 hours previously that Washington's tem- perrature early this morning would strike a new low level for the Winter of 8 degrees. ‘When Forecaster Mitchell completed FEDERATION VOTES PROBE OF UTILITIES BOARD APPOINTEES Character and Qualifications of President’s Nominees to Be Studied Thoroughly. SELECTIONS BRANDED “REBUFF” TO PEOPLE Action Furnishes Strong Argument in Favor of Suffrage for Capital, Says Charles Stengle. The Federation of Citizens’ Asso- clations instructed its law and legis. lation committee last night to make a thorough investigation into the char« acter and qualifications of the ape pointees to the new Public Utilities Commission and the people's counsel, and report its findings direct to the Senate District commlttee. This rather unusual action by the federation followed a comparatively brief but spirited discussion over the appointments, which was epitomized by Louis Gelbman of the Congress Heights Citizens' Association as a “rebuff to the people of the District of Columbia.” ¥ He ridiculed the qualifications of the President's selections. The investigation of the appointees was approved in connection with a report by the law and legislation com- mittee, which voiced an .“emphatic protest” against the men named as members . of the commission and urged that President Coolidge withe draw the nominations. Based on Brightwood Action. The report was a resolution adopted by the Brightwood Citizens’ Associa. tion which expressed the belief that the President had been “misled by those on whom he relied as to these nominations,” as well as a doubt as to the qualifications of the thres men named properly to discharge the dutiss of the offices “to the satisfaction of the people of the District. Unanimous consent was given for. the consideration of the resolution, ‘which was submitted by Charles I, Sténgle, chairman of the committee. He declared that he viewed “with his observations at 10 o'clock last night the mercury read 14 degrees, which was a drop of 1 degres in an hour. Betwsen 6 and 7 o'clock this morning he felt confident the mer would ;strike the figiire *5” on the! thermometer, but with the rising of the sun it would befin an upward climb. - He estimated that this aftérs noon the highest would bé between 20 and 25. “There will be sunshine today, but tomorrow it will be cleudy with rapid- Iy rising temperature.” As the degrees of temperature be- came less and less last night special measures for the protection of police- men on trafic crossings and on the early morning beats were taken against the stinging cold and biting wind. The 16 traffic crossings which boast policemen at night, found each offi- cer getting a relief of half an hour in every two hours’ duty. The midnight shift of policemen was divided into two sections. One- half of the men stayed in precincts at midnight, preparing to go on duty at 4 o'clock this morning, while the other half was to be allowed the warmth and comfort of the station houses from that hour until 8 o'clock. FIRES PROTECT FRUIT. Cold Wave Forces Florida Growers to Artificially Heat Groves. JACKSONVILLE, Fla., January 15 (P .—Thousands of ecitrus rrrg:v'em many of which had not been fired in years, were protected by artificial heat tonight, while the second cold wave of the week swept into Florida, set- ting what weather observers declared was a 15-vear record for rapid suc- cession of freezing temperatures. As shivering Floridans crept into their heaviest blankets to sleep, the night-long vigil of fire and smudge- pot tenders was brightened by the forecast that the wave will be of short duration and of rising tempera- tures by tomorrow. Weather Forecaster A. J. Mitchell here said that the probable minimum for tonight was 34 degrees on the extreme southern portion of the main- land, and from 18 in the north sec- tions to 28 degrees in the southern tip of the central Florida citrus belt. Not even the usually semi-tropic damp of the upper Everglades was spared from skim ice formation in the prediction. The cold wave early in the week took considerable” toll of fruit that had not been picked, but brought small damage to the trees. The chief (Continued on Page 4, Column 2.) —_— CHURCHILL SEES DUCE. British Chancellor Talks Hour and Half With Mussolini. ROME, January 15 (#).—Winston Churchill, British chancellor of the exchequer, ‘today visited Premier Mussolini at the Chigi Palace, ac- companied by the British ambassador. The conference lasted an hour and a half, Mussolini and Churchill talk- “Ma" Ferguson Pardons Slayer and Hires Him Out to Her Husband at $15 a Month ing in private for half an hour. Both TItalian and English sources declared it was purely a courtesy call. alarm” the appointment of the three men and pointed out that the District had no stronger ent for enfrane chisement. mnuxfimm that the President ignored the voice of the ropos priate” and moved to lay the on the table, but ths motion went down to an overwhelming . Mr, Ashford admonished the federation that it was “launching on a very dangerous ground.” Havenner Starts Debate. Debate aver the resolution was pres cipitated when George C. Havenner moved that it be referred back to the law and legislation committee, with instructions that inquiry be mads into the fitness and character of the ap« pointees. Mr. Havenner's motion, which prevailed, also gave the com- mittee full authority to present its findings before Senator Capper’s com- mittee. A forerunner to the federation's action came at the outset of the meet- ing in another report submitted by the law and legislation committes ‘which opposed the proposed abolition of the three-year residence require- ment for appointment as District Commissioner. The report, which was adopted, declared that the committee “is not at all impressed with the sug- gestion that it is impossible to secure the best material from which to name a Commissioner while the three-year residence restriction remains on the statute books. “While it is_true that a half a million of the Nation's best citizens are being unjustly deprived of their blood-bought right to vote and th: become active participants in the selection of those officers who are to manage the public business,” the re. port continued, “we still have among our number men and women of suffi- cient experience, gbility and oharacter to honor any public office to which they may be appointed to reflect credit upon any President who may recognize their sterling worth. Ready to Submit Names. “A graduate of this federation is at this time filling the office of Come missioner most acceptably, and wa have others equally as able and effi. cient who stand ready to serve when called upon. Your committee regards the continual v\ltbl:med statement that ‘the President is hampered handicapped in making good selec. tions of Commissioners by the three year restriction clause’ as a reflection upon the good name of our peopld who have given undivided allegiance and lovalty to the District of Colums bia and have not elected to enjoy oun benefits and still claim residence ‘elses where.” If the President and those who as« sist him are unable to find first-clasd material for public offices in the Dis¢ trict, the report concluded, the federas tion stands ready to submit the names of a score or more. The federation, after considerable argument, adopted a report of its comy mittee on fiscal relations, submitted by Willlam 8. Torbert, recommending the creation of a commission to ine quire into and report upon the fiscal relations between the Federal and Dis. trict governments. The debate cen. tered chiefly over a provision which lodging, and is treated humanely, he remain in the personal employ of ex- Governor James E. Ferguson for six years from date hereof and under his advice and direction.” Hollings was sentenced to serve 99 years for murder in 1919. He is a chauffeur. Conditional pardons and paroles in Texas usually provide that the con- vict fulfill certain conditions, which may be stipulated. The usual pey which paroled convicts receive gen- erally is fixed at from $§5 to $15 a month, X would make the commission permas nent, but this was ultimately striken out by an amendment, of the District on the Parks Report Recommitted. A joint report of the committees on education and mgbwg:, parks and waterways, opposing proposal ta employ a landscape architect and sistants to beautify the grounds and approaches to the publie scl A recommitted by a vote of 28 to 'The report described such a “unwise” in view of the fact ane 16, as the school playgrounds aiready are inade- uate, and that .not .mare than