Evening Star Newspaper, December 18, 1934, Page 2

ROOSEVELT BACKS SPOILS ABOLITION Inclined to Ask Congress to Put New Deal Under Civil Service. BY DAVID LAWRENCE. There's & movement afoot to strike a body blow at the spoils system— and the rumor is that President Roosevelt himself has shown un in- clination to help abolish as much political patronage as has been created under his administration by asking Congress to put all the New Deal agencies under the Civil Service. For many months the paradox has been presented of an administration imbued with a desire to drive the “money changers” from the temples and the exploiters from the realm of finance and business, and yet, in the National Capital itself, no more striking example in all history has been given of a politically chosen personnel. . Thus, out of 11 major pieces of emergency legislation, every single one exempted the appointing officers from the necessity of using the Civil Service list of eligibles. Folly Is Apparent. Today, however, the folly of this course has become apparent, espe- cially as the New Deal itself surveys its responsibilities and sees more and more centralization of authority over the economic life of the country pushed toward the Federal Govern- ment by the spirit of the voters in trusting everything to the discretion of the Chief Executive. Mr. Roosevelt is represented 8s feeling deeply the enormivy of the task being saddled on Federal offi- cials, not merely of the regular estab- lshment, but in all the emergency boards and commissions as well. Hence the question of how to get a trained personnel has come up again and again. The first move under consideration is the blanketing of postmasters of all classes into the Civil Service, so that appointments would be made from the top three or four who have exam:nations. The next step beinz urged on the President is the amendment of exist- ing laws so that all New Deal agencies will come under the Civil Service by requiring some sort of non-competi- tive examination to determine the fitness and qualifications of those now holding jobs and the assignment of those who are capable of doing par- ticular work to duties in line with their respective abilities. 90 Per Cent of Jobs Filled. Certainly, the objections that might come from members of Congress will not be as strenuous as they might have been a year ago. For ¥0 per cent or more of the jobs have been filled, and it is a question now of set- ting up a system that will eliminate the inefficient and pave the way for the selection of efficient personnel to fill future vacancies. It is natural for the political- minded to insist that Civil Service shall be postponed until the defeated party’s appointees have been driven out and the victorious party has placed its own in office. Something of that kind of stabilization is about to occur. Members of Congress will be relieved of a great annoyance if this new system is put into effect, for the applications for jobs are many times the number of jobs available. And as for Republicans in office, all those who were not in Civil Service have either been driven out or have the backing of strong Democratic members in Congress. Mr. Roosevelt has given encourage- ment to some of those in the Govern- ment who feel that the time has come to think of 'a trained civil service. Many reforms have already been in- stituted by the Civil Service Commis- sion in the matter of attracting to the examinations young men of all- around ability, but who have not specialized in the particular subjects for which examinations have hitherto been given. Seek Likely Youngsters. It is significant that some of the New Deal agencies here and there, even though not required to appoint from the civil service, have asked the commission to pick out likely young- sters who could be used in various governmental activities. There is no doubt that Mr. Roose- velt has taken account of the criticism leveled at his administration in con- nection with the spoils system. It would, therefore, be a remarkable achievement if, under the adminis- tration of Franklin Roosevelt, not- withstanding the inroads that the| spoils system has made, a real be- ginning were made toward the estab- lishment of a civil service of men trained for public administration, (Copyright. 1934.) QUINTUPLET SANTAS CAUSE STIR IN CITY Children Get Suspicious When Five Kris Kringles Gang in Quincy Square. By the Associated Press. QUINCY, Mass., December 18.—To | lend verisimiltude to the Kris Krin- gle tradition, merchants got together yesterday and plowed under four of the five Santa Clauses who have been littering Quincy Square. The five bearded lads assigned to wander about department stores de- veloped a penchant for ganging in the square and pop-eyed youngsters were beginning to think “Santy was quintuplets.” The remaining redcoat has been assigned the task of making the rounds of the department stores alone, LAWYER’S HONEYMOON DELAYS COURT ACTION Petty Larceny Case Deferred After Defendant Is Haled Before Court. By the Assoclated Press. NEW YORK, December 18.—Jus- tice was delayed yesterday in the in- terest of marital bliss. John L. Pratt, charged with petit larceny, was haled to court, but Pratt’s lawyer, Max Gross, was on his honey- moon. s | “I will not interfere with the hap- | piest time in any man’s life,” said Assistant District Attorney James Wilson. “I will consent to enough adjournment to give the honeymooner time to recover.” Puzzle Contest ‘The first of a series of 21 auto show puzzles appears on page C-4 of today’s Star. Winners in this contest will be awarded $100 and 100 tickets in prizes by the Washington Automotive Trade Association. What’s What Behind News In Capital Soldier Bonus Passage With Two - Thirds Majorities Seen. BY PAUL MALLON, OU business men can get & fairly good inside line now on what to expect from Con- greas in the session which opens two weeks hence. Many things will not be settled definitely until President Roosevelt discloses his hand. However, the congressional leaders have been can- vassing incoming members and be- lieve they know the general layout. At least they have made preliminary private reports to the White House, which might be summed up about as follows: American adherence to the World Court will be voted by the Senate late in February after a decade of delay. The soldier bonus will go whooping through both Houses, probably by two-thirds majorities, because con- servative Republicans are secretly planning to vote for it. On a veto, the vote will be very close, with odds now favoring adoption of a Roose- velt unofficial compromise, canceling interest and confining cash payments to those reasonably in need. The N. R. A. reorganization will not meet much opposition because it will be confined to eliminating price- fixing and such generally approved corrections: There will be a total of | just about as much spending as this year, as curtailments proposed by the administration will not be generally acceptable to Congress. There will be no new money legislation, no new silver legislation. Congress will go further than Mr. Roosevelt in social reform legisla- tion and probably will adopt a plan of old-age pensions as well as un- employment insurance. (The Town= send crowd is making a deep impression already among Con- gressmen here.) There will be no general taxr legislation and no further tariff legislation. The longest and biggest battle will be staged over the social reform legis- lation. It will not be between pros and antis, because nearly every one seems to favor the general principle. The important fighting will be be- tween advocates of the principle, who have a dozen different plans, ranging from more or less Socialistic ones on up. The session undoubtedly will drag on, despite present New Deal plans to curtail it and adjournment will come probably in May or June. More Devaluation Seen. ‘There has been a more or less warm rumor in the highest financial circles that Mr. Roosevelt shortly would take the othér 9 cents out of the dollar. The Government is very cagey in talking on that subject, but respon- sible officials say the time for fur- ther devaluation will not arrive until the United States and Britain reach some permanent stabilization agree- ment, Agencies Due to Expire. Few know it, but the New Deal would terminate automatically before next June 30 if this Congress did not renew Mr. Roosevelt’s authority. A private survey shows that the law now calls for the end of the fol- lowing New Deal enterprises on the Jollowing dates this coming year: N.R.A,P.W. A. and Labor Board, June 16; R. F. C., February 1; F. E. R. A, May 12; Drought, June 30; Presidential Reorganiza- tion of Government Departments, March 3; Railroad Co-ordination, May 2. Nothing important would be left except the A. A. A. Of course, Congress will follow Mr. Roosevelt’s recommendations for re- newal of expiring authority, but if it wanted to kill the New Deal all it would have to do would be to let it die. Test Case Investigated. The N. R. A. is not saying anything openly yet, but it has been investi- gating to ascertain who is behind a certain well-known court test case against the N. R. A. It first became suspicious when let- ters about the case began coming into N. R. A. headquarters some time back from members of Congress and others. All the letters were virtually identical in phraseology. On checking further, N. R. A'ers learned that Congress- men had been asked to write the let- The defendant in the case was sup- posed to be a small manufacturer who made only $2,500 & year. Yet N. R. A. authorities say they have learned he had $17,000 on deposit in his bank. ‘You may hear more about this later. Utilitjes Change Front. If there was a deal behind the sud- den change of utility front toward the New Deal, it has been rather well covered up. In a general way, the change seems to have been based on the fact that smarter utility men realized they were biting off quite a large chew. Challenging T. V. A.s constitutionality in statements and challenging it in court are entirely different things. In court, you always have to go to trial sometime. ‘The brief filed by those two unex- celled constitutional lawyers, Messrs. Baker and Beck, was not the best work they ever did, if you accept the judg- ment of some constitutionalists here. Then, also, there is an apparent in- side reluctance on the part of any specific party to start the test case. Utilities would like to see it done, but they do not want to stick their own necks out. Kennedy Busy New Dealer. Chairman Kennedy of the S. E. C. is another of those busy New Dealers who always eats his lunch in his office. One of the main things secretly worrying Republican Natienal Com- mittee directors now is who is going to pay the $1,000 a month due an eminent publicity adviser under his three-year contract, which has two more years to run. They say Gen. Johnson got $60,000 from a national weekly magazine for three articles from his book. If true, the figure certainly sets & new maxi- mum wage for an ex-codifier. A THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1934 NEW DIRECT LOAN|YUGOSLAV GABINET| [ Await Indication of Fate SET-UP SUGGESTED Viner Report Raps Bank Examiners for Strict ' Curb on Credit. By the Assoclated Pres: Secretary Morgenthau today saw “helpful guidance” in a report by economic investigators who, among other things, urged that direct Fed- eral loans to industry tontinue until banks liberalize their lending policies. They also asked that such direct lending by the Government be unified report, made by a group headed y Dr. Jacob Viner at the behest of Secretary Morgenthau and others, also hit bank examiners and urged new freedom of credit in the interests of recovery. “Many examiners,” it said, “have ‘been pressing the banks to secure dras- tic curtailment of loans classified as ‘slow’ pretty much regardless of the quality of the security and this at- titude seems to have the approval even of many bankers * * * Liquidity Theory Hit. “Some bankers have the idea that in order to qualify as a good commercial loan not only must the transaction be a self-liquidating one, but the liquidation must occur within some arbitrary time limit.” The report recommended that the Federal loans practice be centralized in the R. F. C, or in a new inter- mediate system. Among recommendations for im- proving credit conditions, the report suggested: That banks should be encouraged to make sound working capital loans of six months maturity. Would Oust System. That the classification of “slow loans,” used by bank exdminers, should be scrapped. That greater latitude should be shown loans for clearing up existing indebtedness. That local officers of the unified lending agency be maintained in cities of 50,000 population or more “to assist would-be borrowers in preparing ap- plications.” The report was based on a study of credit in the Chicago Federal Re- serve district. It criticized direct lend- ing efforts of the reserve bank and the R. F. C. office in Chicago, saying they had “little effect on the general state of credit.” NEW CRIMES PROBED IN KENNAMER CASE Revelations Are Made in Inquiry of Tulsa Slaying and Mys- terious Death. By the Assoclated Press. TULSA, Okla, December 18.—In- vestigation of the slaying of one prominent Tulsa youth and the un- explained death of another was broadened today to include the many rumors of youthful wrongdoing that flooded the offices of authorities since Phil Kennamer was arrested. With Kennamer, the 19-year-old son of a Federal judge, awaiting trial January 28 on a first-degree murder in the slaying of John F. Gorrell, 23, J. Berry King, State’s attorney gen. eral, announced the new investiga- tion. King, who previously promised that “no one will be spared” in the case, said a “quiet but vigorous investiga- tion will be started into new crimes, not directly related, but developed through the inquiry into the Gorrell death.” PO e TAXIMAN SLUGGED AND ROBBED BY TRIO State Police at Laurel Told Balti- more Victim Was Left on Deserted Road. By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. LAUREL, Md., December 18.—Three young men slugged him in the head and robbed him of $3 and his taxicab, Frank Neubauer, a Baltimore cab driver, reported to State police here yesterday. He said the men hired his cab in Baltimore and on arriving near here halted the cab and, after striking him over the head, left him on a deserted dirt road. WOMAN, 78, FACES JAIL FOR ACCEPTING RELIEF New Yorker Is Accused of Re- ceiving $079 While She Had Several Thousand Dollars. By the Associated Press. GRIPPED BY CRISIS Expected to Quit Today as Yevtich and Kojich Leave Posts. By the Associated Press. BELGRADE, December 18.— The Yugoslav cabinet reconsidered its de- cision to resign today after the with- drawal from the government of Bogol- yub Yevtich, the foreign minister, and Dragoutin Kojich, the minister of agriculture. The resignation of the entire cabi- net following a conference later today was regarded, however, as a foregone conclusion. The ministers at first planned to follow Yevtich and Kojich in placing their resignations in the hands of Prince Paul, head of the regency. Later it was decided to postpone action until after the remaining members of the cabinet had an opportunity to confer, Yevtich-Uzonovich Test. ‘The sudden crisis was regarded as & test of strength between Yevtich and Premier Nikola Uzonovich, aged head of a dozen successive govern- ments. The foreign minister was said to have been displeased by a govern- ment communique last night which described the League of Nations' ad- justment of the Yugoslav-Hungarian dispute. Although lavish in expressing grati- tude to France and Czechoslovakia, which alded this country, the com- munique made no mention whatever of Yevtich. Coming at the moment, when the whole country expected the govern- ment would honor Yevtich with the premiership as a reward for his work at Geneva, the foreign minister's with- drawal caused dismay throughout Yu- goslavia. Internal Policy Blamed. The official version of the resigna- tions was that they resulted because the ministers “disagreed upon points of internal policy.” It was known, however, that the crisis was the culmination of a bitter fight beginning at the moment when Yevtich arrived from Geneva. The opposition was led by Uzonovich, who was aware that the foreign minister undoubtedly was slated to be the next premier. It was believed Yevtich's promotion not only was the wish of Prince Paul, but also of the late King Alexander, who held his foreign minister in high esteem. A close associate of the late King Alexander, Yevtich had held the portfolio of foreign affairs for two years. He Is now vice president of the Assembly of the League of Na- tions and is one of Geneva's best known figures. He was acclaimed by the public only a few days ago when he returned from Geneva, where the League had diplomatically suggested that Hun- gary investigate allegations that cer- tain of her officials shared respon- sibility for Alexander’s assassination. Political observers at Belgrade had believed Yevtich was the man most likely to become the next premier as Prince Paul, head of the regency now ruling the kingdom, is trying to form a government of “national con- centration.” JOHNSON FOLLOWED TACTICS OF FATHER Former N. R. A. Chief Tells of Acting on Draft Before It ‘Was Authorized. By the Assoclated Press. OKMULGEE, Okla., December 18. —Gen. Hugh S. Johnson disclosed here yesterday his father, Samuel L. Johnson, set the precedent which the general followed in setting up the universal draft system, in the World War and N. R. A. Gen. Johnson is here visiting his mother, who is recovering from a serious illness. The former N. R. A. chief said his father in 1897 at Alva, Okla., wanted a normal school established there. As head of the Democratic Central Committee, which held the balance of power, he felt he could guarantee enactment of a law by the Legislature creating the school. He engaged an architect and contracted with builders to start construction of the school building before the Legislature ever created the school. When America declared war in 1917, Gen. Johnson laid out a com- plete set-up of the universal draft machinery before Congress author- ired it. He also saved time by setting up the machinery for the N. R. A. before any law on the subject was enacted, he said. NEW YORK, December 18.—Ac- cused of accepting $979 in relief funds when she had several thousand dollars in the bank, a frail, stooped woman of 78 was offered the choice today of restoring the money or going to jail. Twisting her handkerchief nervous- ly, Miss Mary Dorrington, who was a trained nurse until she was incapaci- tated by a fall in 1920, stood in Spe- cial Sessions and heard Justice Henry W. Herbert say: “This court has great consideration for old people who might suffer from exaggeration of fear of poverty. This defendant, however, has closed out ! bank accounts of nearly $7,000. If | she does not make full restitution by Christmas eve we will send her to Jail.” The woman tightened her cape and shuffled out, saying nothing. GEORGE AND MARY SEE FIRST BOXING MATCHES Queen Comments Frequently, as Jack Petersen and Eddie Steele Trade Punches. By the Associated Press. LONDON, December 18.— King benefit of King George’s pension fund for actors. Jack Petersen, British Empire heavyweight champion, went two boxed another round. Queen Mary peered through her lorgnette with interest and passed frequent comments to the King. SWITZES SEEKING FATE INDICATION Report Is Sent to District Attorney Recommending France’s Action. By the Associated Press. PARIS, December 18.--A young American couple held in jail & year on charges of participation in a huge spy ring which peddled France's military secrets hoped today for an indication of their fate. An official report was forwarded to the district attorney’s office, contain- ing recommendations as to what ac- tion should be taken against the two, of East Orange, N. J., and 32 Euro- peans accused with them. The Switzes were jailed December 17, 1933, and then subjected, in sepa- rate cells, to constant questioning. in March when the Americans dis- closed operations of the espionage band, involving others. As a result of their reported con- fessions the Switzes are expected to be dealt with leniently. Imprison- ment for five years is the heaviest sentence that may be given them. JTheir trial is expected to take place in about two months. Only 17 of the 34 are now in custody, as 6 are out on bail and 11 other suspects fled the country. CANADIAN RUM TRIAL Repeal Evasion. By the Associated Press. MONTREAL, December 18 —Two United States Federal agents sat in yesterday at arraignment here of 18 | persons on charges of conspiracy in | connection with a gigantic $5,000,000 liquor smuggling case. Their names were not available, but counsel and R. C. M. P. officials ad« mitted the United States officers had come here from Ottawa where they delved into Canadian tax records for legal evidence of smuggling operations across the border during pre-repeal days. This suggested the possibility that |the United States may take action based on movements of liquor without the formality of paying duty. Record Orange Sales. LOS ANGELES, December 18 (#). —The California Pruit Growers’ Ex- change announced yesterday that it sold 1,500 cars of California navel oranges last week in United States and Canadian markets—the largest volume of oranges it has ever sold in a single week. California has the largest crop in its history. Life’s Like That BY FRED NEHER. MR. AND MRS, IOBEI’T GORDON SWITZ. | Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gordon Switz | Authorities said they were rewarded | U. S. AGENTS ATTEND| Records of Smuggling Case Being | Studied for Evidence of Pre- —A. P. Photo. TOUHY IS HUNTED INDARING HOLD-U “Terrible Tommy” Suspect- ed in $427,000 Brook- lyn Robbery. By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, December 18.—A report that investigators had uncovered new secrets of the underworld today sent manhunters on & new public enemy drive which made “Terrible Tommy" Touhy the most widely hunted man in America. Backtracking the trail of the late John Dillinger and his henchmen, the investigators disclosed that they were hunting Touhy as a suspect in the $427,000 Brooklyn armored car robbery of last August, and that they believe he is now leader of the com- bined forces of the remnants of the Dillinger and Touhy gangs. Investigators disclosed they had in- formation it was Touhy and not Dil- linger who engineered the Michigan City, Ind, prison break that unleased 10 Dillinger mobsters in September of 1933, Confession Reported. The information that Touhy - was behind the prison break came, the investigators said, from a confession of a civil employe of the Michigan City Prison, which is now in the pos- sesion of J. Edward Barce, deputy attorney general of Indiana. Barce is reported to have helped bring about the arrest of Joseph Burns, wanted for the Brooklyn robbery, by posing as a gangster to uncover underworld secrets. ‘Touhy, the investigators said, had frequently visited Burns at the apart- ment where Burns was arrested last Sunday. Burns was among the 10 who fled the Indiana prison. Wooden Gun Escape Selved. Capt. John Stege of the Chicago Police Department hinted that the investigation of Burns had resulted in the detention of & number of other persons, but he refused to disclose any further details other than to intimate that Burns had “talked.” Not only had the “wooden gun” escape of Dillinger from Crown Point, Ind, Jail been cleared up, but the Michigan City Prison break had been “practically” solved, Stege said, add- ing that in his opinion further in- vestigation might link Burns with a bank robbery and slaying at Warsaw, Ind, in 1921, when $147,000 stolen. ¥ = MRS. RUMSEY RALLIES, FOLLOWING RELAPSE Slight Improvement Is Reported in Condition of Socially Prominent Matron. Mrs. Mary Harriman Rumsey, chair- man of the N. R. A. Consumers’ Ad- visory Board, was reported slightly improved this morning at Emergency Hospital, where yesterday she was said to have been near death, following a relapse. Mrs. Rumsey has been un- der treatment at the hospital for more than a month for injuries received when her horse fell on her during a fox hunt with the Piedmont Hounds in Virginia. Mrs. Rumsey was reported ground more than a week uom:’:,‘; rallied, and until yesterday seemed to be recovering. Dr. James F. Mitchell, ——— ACTRESSES INDICTED ON CONSPIRACY COUNT A(d‘in Filing and Maintaining False Civil Action Alleged in Vajda Suit, By the Assoclated Press. European who were indicted several weeks ago on perjury counts in connection with 8 $250,000 breach of promise suit of Miss Aknay against Ernst Vajda, screen playwright. The new indictments charge con- spiracy to file and maintain a false civil action. Neither actress has surrendered yet since the first indictment. Bail on the new set at $10, dnru_'n at $10,000 80 Canaries Burn to Death. ‘THOMPSONVILLE, Conn., Decem- ber 18 (#)—Eighty canaries were burned to death in a fire that swept Clifford deals in INTER-FEDERATION PIGKS NOMINATORS 'William C. Hull's Slate Ex- pected to Be Returned to Office. The slate of officers of the Inter- Federation Conference, headed by Chairman - William C. Hull of Ar- lington County, is expected to be r | turned to office for another year the annual elections next month, At the December meeting in the! United States Chamber of Commerce Building last night, Edwin 8. Hege, Stephen James and Robert E. Ply- male were named to a Nominating Committee, which will report next month. A recommendation by the Nominating Committee is tantamount to_election. The conference last night disap- proved a proposition it has been con- sidering for some time—staging civic exposition for the greater Wash- ington area. It had before it a re- port of a committee, headed by Ar- thur Orr of Arlington County, sug- gesting reference of the exposition matter to the constituent federations for a joint meeting of committees. ‘There was considerable opposition and when the matter came up for a vote the result was a 6-to-6 tie. Chair- man Hull cast the deciding vote in favor of the proposal. Orr, however, said he felt the exposition had no chance for success unless its support was unanimous. He moved for re- consideration and then moved to table his own report, which was done. A resolution reafirming the con- ference's support of Gravelly Point as a municipal airport was adopted and ordered sent to the Senate and House District Committees and the P.W.A A committee, consisting of Thomas E. Lodge, J. H. Wells and Mrs. Flo- rencg Cannon was instructed to study and report on a proposal of Attorney General Cummings for a Washington- Virginia-Maryland compact allowing for the apprehension of criminals in any one jurisdiction by peace officers of either of the other two. TWO IN HOTEL RAID ARE HELD FOR JURY Five Others to Be Arraigned To- day Following Spread of Narcotics Net. Two of the persons arrested over the week end when detectives staged two raids at the Pranklin Park Hotel were ordered held for action of the grand jury in lieu of $10,000 bond when arraigned today before Police Court Judge Ralph Given on charges of robbery. Most of the men were picked up when police went to the hotel seeking Thomas Camardo. who was later charged with violation of the Har- | rison narcotic law. Five other men arrested in the raids were to be arraigned this aft- ernoon before Judge Isaac R. Hitt on charges of vagrancy. John Bielat, 34, of the 1200 block of New Hampshire avenue, was charged with having held up Harry Morgan, operator of a one-man street car, on November 4. Bielat pleaded not guilty. Morgan told the court he had driven the car to Twelfth street and Mich- igan avenue northeast and was pre- paring for his return trip when Bielat entered the car. Bielat, he said, a few minutes later robbed him of $28 at pistol point, getting off the car at North Capitol and Third street, Morgan told the court. Attorney Denny Hughes brought out in the testimony that Bielat was ac- cused of a crime committed on No- vember 4 when he had not arrived in Given ordered the man held, however, | when Morgan declared he posmvel” identified him as the hold-up man. | Judge Given ordered the same bond | for Raymond Madison, 32, of Detroit, | after George C. Connelly, manager of | a chain grocery store at 4532 Georgia | avenue identified him as the man who robbed him of $175 on December 8. Madison also pleaded not guilty. | Connelly told the court Madison | entered the store, demanded the | money and then forced himself and | another store clerk into a rear room. | The other clerk, it was brought out, | could not positively identify Madison Both men were identified at a recent | police line-up. FINAL HEARING SET ON RIVER DREDGING Hear Arguments Friday on Plan to Deepen Channels. Pinal hearing of the Washington Board of Trade Committee's Channel Improvement Committee on the pro- %?ul to dredge Anacostia River, Channel to a depth of 24 feet will be held Friday in the board's office in The Star Building. At a preliminary meeting yesterday ‘were read from the Merchants & Miners’ Steamship Co. and others showing water commerce to the Capi- tal would be increased. The steam- ship line suggested a deeper channel would attract tourists to the city. Lumber and oil companies also would send more freight here by water if the channels, now 20 feet, are deepened, it is claimed. YULE SPIRIT SAVES DOG FOR CHILDREN Strangers Pay $1 License Fee Demanded by Sheriff in Lieu of Canine’s Life. By the Associated Press. PADUCAH, Ky., December 18— The sheriff said it was either the money-—$1 dog iicense fee—or the poodle’s life. Obediently a colored man brought Snow Ball in to give here at 4 am. today after a three- year period of failing health. 4 Washington until November 15. Judge | Board of Trade Committee to Channel and Georgetown | IHAVANA GUARDED -AFTER BOMBINGS Soldiers Patrol Streets as 40 Explosions Bring Revolution Talk. . Copyright, 1034, by the Associated Press, HAVANA, December 18.—Nearly 1,000 soldiers patrolled the streets of Havana toaay after a night of jbombings and talk of revolution. ‘Terror spread throughout the city shortly before midnight when more than 40 bombs were exploded. Three women and two men were injured by the blasts, which were set off in every section of the capital. 14 Are Arrested. Soldiers spent the early morning hours searching pedestrians, motor- ists, busses and street cars for bombs. Fourteen persons were arrested on charges of placing the explosives or for having them in their possession. The city became excited over the possibility of a revolutionary out- break after police seized a supply of dynamite and arrested 90 pas- sengers in busses where the explo. | sives were found. A. B. C. Members Leaving Cits. Extra precautions were taken by ithe army when an officer reported {he had detained three members of |the A. B. C. political society, opposed to the government of President Carlos Mendieta and his “strong man,” Col Fulgencio Batista, commander in chief of the army. e ‘CLERIC OFFERS PLAN ' FOR TALKS ON CRIME Rev. A. A. Stockdale Suggests Theaters Give Time to Program by Board of Trade. Rev. Allen A. Stockdale, pastor of the First Congregational Church, ad- dressing the Public Order Committes of the Washington Board of Trade | yesterday in the La Fayette Hotel, ad- vocated a 12-minute interim each Sunday night in the motion-picture | houses during which time ministers, | priests, and rabbis might “awaken the public conscience.” By using the amplifying system, Dr. Stockdale said a speaker need not be seen. He urges the talks be mads under auspices of the Board of Trade, | in an effort “to woo a public opinion | favorable to the stamping out of | crime in the city.” The movie-interim | would be called “The Voice of the | Board of Trade.” A study of the pro- posal will be made. | _Corporation Counsel J. Barrett | Prettyman spoke on the prevention of crime. Gen. John A. Johnson, & | former District Commissioner, also | spoke. Odell Smith presided. |TWO MEN ARE ROBBED IN 4 HOLD-UP ATTEMPTS Taxi Driver and Resident of Hotel Victimized—Chinese Séares Off Two Thugs. Two men were robbed and two other hold-up attempts were frustrated dur. ing the night, according to police re- ports. | George McCarron, cab driver,, | 1239 Tentn street, was held up by a colored passenger about 2:30 am. at | Eleventh and Monroe streets, and | robbed of $10. | Lester E. Wilson, Houston Hotel, re- | ported he was robbed near Buzzard's Point. He went to an inn in Vir- | ginia with a stranger, he sald, and there was joined by two other men. It was on the way back, he reported, that the trio took $22 cash, & foun- tain pen, watch and his topcoat. Frederick Midgley, cab driver, 602 F street, was treated at Casualty Hos- pital for a blow on the head he said was inflicted by two men who at= tempted to rob him near Tenth and D streets northeast. Charlie Lee, Chinese laundryman, 1231 Thirty-fourth street, drove off two men when he dropped to the floor and came up with a pistol. He said the men.fled. {U. S. WILL SEEK DEATH IN BANK HOLD-UP TRIAL Two Are Accused of Robbing Lyons, Kans., Institution and Kidnaping Officials. By the Assoctated Press. TOPEKA, Kans, December 18.—A new Federal law threatened today to bring the death penalty to Kansas, where capital punishment has been forbidden for years. S. 8. Alexander, United States dis- trict attorney, said he would seek the penalty for Homer Brinkley and Bur- ton Phillips when they go to trial in March on a charge of robbing the Chandler National Bank of Lyons and kidnaping two of its officials. Alexander pointed to a recently enacted Federal statute providing capital punishment as the maximum | penalty in the robbery of a bank affiliated with the Federal Reserve System in the event there is a slaying or kidnaping. §,§BUY CHRISTMAS SEALS 3 A 2 In Southern ltaly Christmas is cele« brated by decking the donkeys with roses and bells E shopping doys to Christmas ITALY In Palermo there is no snow at Christmas time and it is the cus- tom to decorate the donkeys with roses placed behind their ears and entwined in their harness. On Christmas eve the singing of songs, & game of chance and the lighted tree are the forerunners of a placid Christmas. [