Evening Star Newspaper, May 19, 1935, Page 25

TREASRY STUDY PLANNEDBY PUGH Montgomery Prosecutor to Act on Audit Report After Jury Session. By & Staff Correspondent of The Star. ROCKVILLE, Md.,, May 18.—State’s Attorney James H. Pugh said tonight he will begin a study of the report made on an audit of the county treasured’s accounts immediately fol- lowing termination of the special grand jury session due to open here Monday morning. ‘The prosecutor has made a cursory examination of the voluminous re- port, which indicates that the county failed to collect $88,822.78 in taxes during the 1932-33 levy years, but de- clared he would be unable to devote the time required for a careful study until he completed his presentation of cases to the grand jury. Pugh asserted that he would be prepared within 10 days to make a thorough investigation of the audit, compare the report with the original records of County Treasurer J. Forest ‘Walker's office and determine whether there is any evidence that warrants action in his capacity as State’s at- torney. Time and Study Required. “This report is very lengthy and one thet will require a great deal of time and study to ascertain whether or not there is any evidence which will require action on my part,” Pugh said. ‘The audit report was sent to Pugh after a representative of a Baltimore auditing firm employed by the new Fusion party edministration to make an examination of Walker’s accounts informed the county commissioners that the $88,822.78 represented levies on real estate that should have been advertised for tax delinquencies. Meanwhile, as Pugh aweited the opening of his inspection of the re- , counsel for the county com- missioners today began an effort to collect $12,948.28 on checks accepted in payment of county taxes, but re- turned from banks because of in- sufficient funds. The auditing firm's representative told the board on Thursday that the checks had been held by the county for several years without any attempt to realize the sum they represented other than the original effort to cash them. Payment of Checks. Edward Peter, the board’s attor- ney, stated today that the checks had ru referred to him by the commis- ners and that he has already opened negotiations for payment from sev- eral of the persons who issued the checks to pay off their taxes. He pointed out, however, that some of the checks have been held so long that they have become worthless un- der the three-year statutory limita- tion. Peter said that only through voluntary payment could the county collect on some of the checks. Two of the checks, the attorney stated, were received by the county as early as 1926, several years before ‘Walker took office. PRESIDENT FISHES OFF POINT LOOKOUT Journey to Annapolis Begun at Quantico After Motor Trip From City. By the Associated Press. QUANTICO, Va., May 18.—Presi- dent Roosevelt put aside work on his bonus veto message late today to ply the rod and reel in the waters of the Potomac off Point Lookout. A chill wind whipped across the river, however, and soon after sun- down the President expected to go inside to his cabin to finish the mes- sage in its quiet on the overnight trip to Annapolis. Mr. Roosevelt motored here this rning in an open car to board the uoia in time for lunch. By previous arrangement, Mr. Roosevelt traveled through the Marine base without formal honors by the troops. He went directly to the Sequota. Taking a seat on the after-deck, the President chatted with his guests and with the reporters on shore as the yacht got under way. The President was accompanied by Col. Edwin M. Watson, military aide, and Mrs. Watson; Judge Samuel Rosenman of New York and Mrs. Rosenman and Miss Marguerite Le Hand, personal secretary. Mrs. Roosevelt remained in Wash-, ington to attend a garden party this afternoon and will join the President tomorrow. Mr. Roosevelt will leave the Sequoia at Annapolis tomorrow night. He is returning to Annapolis next Saturday to attend the Harvard-Navy boat races, in which his son, Franklin, jr., will row with the Harvard crew. MAN WHO FLED PRISON MAY GET WAR PENSION Claims He Escaped From Alcatraz Years Ago by Swimming 8an Francisco Bay. By the Associated Press. SAN FRANCISCO, May 18—The only man who contends he escaped by swimming from Alcatraz Island dis- ciplinary barracks—now America’s No. 1 prison for incorrigibles—may re- ceive $2,500 from the Government in back pensions for service in the Spanish-American War. W. H. Vaughn, 62, chef ata C. C. C. eamp in Lake County, has appliec for the money, an Army officer at the idio said today, adding: “And he’ll probably get it.” Convicted of armed robbery shortly after the Spanish-American War, Vaughn was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. He served only two months and escaped, he said, by shed- ding his clothing and diving into the frigid waters of San Prancisco Bay under cover of darkness. He said he was picked up by a passing fisherman the next morning. ‘Two years ago he surrendered, but was informed his escape charge had been dropped. Officials reported he escaped by hiding in a coal barge. Leesburg P.-T. A. Elects. A JURG, Va., May 18 (Special). - F. M. Yellott was re-elected of the Leesburg Parent- Association at the annual peeting held in the school building. Mrs. V. 8. Bushong was elected vice 8 Miss Grace Jenkins re- t secretary and Mrs. Maurice Jackson treasurer. More Melons Raised. Mexico is increasing its yleld of x and melons, K Conservative or Liberal Tenor of Decisions Up to Him. Has Backed New Deal in Big Cases Already Before Tribunal. A spectator from afar, glancing at the American scene, might be for- given for thinking that one man alone is determining the course of the coun- try's history—one tall, sturdy, black- robed justice of the Supreme Court, Owen Josephus Roberts, who had his 60th birthday on May 2. A President and Congress are elect- ed in a great political overturn. The President proposes far-reaching re- forms. Congress makes laws to put the program into effect. Somebody doesn't like a law. He goes to court about it. The case is heard in all the lower courts, until finally this new law of the land is laid before the nine lawyers, between 60 and 78 years old. They are justices of the Supreme Court. Both Sides Look to Roberts. “Is this law O.K.?” the country asks these nine men. “Shall we live by this law our Congress has passed?” Four of the justices say “yes.” Four more of them say “no.” They all look to Justice Roberts. Sometimes he says “yes”; sometimes “no.” Why single out Justice Roberts? Because he is the éne who always has been found on the winning side of these big New Deal tests. On the Min- nesota moratorium case; on the “milk bottle” case; on the gold case; finally on the railroad pension case—which- ever way Roberts went, so went the court. Always four upholding the conserv- ative view; always four, including Chief Justice Hughes, supporting the more liberal view. And Justice Rob- erts casting his vote one way or the other. Tied to no Faction. At the time of Mr. Roberts’ appoint- ment to the Supreme Court, Senator Pepper of Pennsylvania declared: “Roberts ought not to be classified as a liberal or as a conservative. . . . All groups in the country will find him friendly, but none will ever be able to claim him as an ally. “He will be detached in his consid- eration of cases, and it will soon be recognized that his distinguishing characteristic is a determination to act on principle.” This portrayal of Roberts is sup- ported by an anecdote of Roberts’ boy- hood in Philadelphia, reported by his octogenarian father, a retired wagon manufacturer, when the son’s name became nationally known for his work in the oil scandals. “Owen wanted to be a school teacher,” said Father Roberts. “I wanted him to be a lawyer. He was always good at arguments. He pro- tested that he did not want to be & lawyer, because lawyers were not hon- est. I told him we would lay the mat- ter before Dr. William Kershaw, head- master of Germantown Academy, which Owen was attending. “‘Your father is right’ sald Dr. Kershaw. ‘You will be a Ilawyer, Owen.’ “‘But how can I be a lawyer and be honest?” Owen asked. I remember Dr. Kershaw arose and laid his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “‘Owen.’ he said, ‘you can be hon- est at anything!”” Dared to Oppose Vares. ‘When Mr. Roberts was one of Phil- adelphia’s leading lawyers, before the national spotlight focussed upon him, a wealthy clubman was charged with drunken driving, after his automobile had killed three persons. Attorney Roberts took the case only after he had exacted a promise that the man would plead guilty to the charge. He did so, and was sentenced to jail. And it is of record that in Phila- delphia city politics Mr. Roberts had the courage openly to oppose on oc- casion the wishes of the brothers Vare, who operated the now-crippled polit- ical machine which long held the city in its grip. Appointed in 1903, he served for three years as assistant district attor- ney of Philadelphia. In wartime he was appointed by the Wilson admin- istration a special Deputy Attorney General, to prosecute cases arising in the Philadelphia district from violation of the espionage law. Had Part in Oil Probes. Mr. Roberts’ most notable public service prior to his elevation to the Supreme Court was performed in as- sociation with Ohio’s Democratic ex- Senator Atlee Pomerene in the pros- ecution of the naval oil scandals, which had been brought to public at- JORDAN’S Special THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MAY 19, 1935—PART ONE. Roberts Holds Court Balance Determining History of U. S. —_— B R et ———— JUSTICE ROBERTS, tention by Senator Tom Walsh's re- lentless _investigation. Mr. Roberts knows something of farm problems through his ownership of a 700-acre farm, 30 miles outside .of Philadelphia. Amid the exacting cares of his judicial office, he finds time to “keep the run” of this farm, which he visits periodically to look over the blooded live stock. Justice Roberts’ name was on the lips of every lawyer in the country as soon as the now famous decision came down, declaring unconstitutional the law obliging railroads to put in a pension system. Suf tion was im- mediately made thal he would be a good presidential candidate for the Republican party in 1936. Justice Roberts was a Republican in politics before President Hoover appointed him to the Supreme Court in 1930. In his judicial attitude toward some of the New Deal policies Mr. Roberts has been strikingly liber- alistic—and yet he has sometimes sided with the so-called conservative group against Roosevelt policies. Regarded as the most impressive proof of Justice Roberts’ liberalism was his joining the majority view in the court’s 5-to-4 decision sustaining the Roosevelt devaluation of the dol- lar and calling in all monetary gold. Justice Roberts took what was con- sidered the liberal view in his atti- tude on the very first New Deal issue to come before the court—that, in January, 1934, in which the court, by a 5-to-4 split, upheld the Minne- sota mortgage moratorium law. He was again on the liberal side in sustaining the right of the State of | New York to fix a minimum price | for milk. But he was considered to have swung over to the conservative side in the court’s ruling that the Federal Trade Commission was without au- thority to order the dissolution of merged corporations. He sided again with the conservatives in holding that courts could not increase amounts of damages set by juries. (Copyright. 1035.) e TWO RELIEF AGENCIES ISSUE SAME RELEASES Duplication of Effort by Ickes and Walker Offices Shows New Work Intricacies. By the Assoclated Press. The intricacies of the new work- | reliet machinery yesterday found two agencies issuing press releases about the same thing, with one of them re- writing the other. The Public Wo:ks Administration, under Secretary Icke:, announced ap- proval by the Allotment Board of 19 loans and grants. Several hours later a similar an- nouncement came from Frank C. Walker’s Applications Division—iden- tical to the other except for a series of editorial changes. No explanation was given for the duplicated effort or the editorial changes. Walker's office said the hun- dred or so copies sent them had been impounded and the second release ed. E HIGH J-mconponm‘eo» "OUR PLUMBER’ Commercial Motors Repairs—Rewinding l 2 MR DU NW. NORTH 1583 T he two-tub washer and dryer is the safest and quickest way to wash and dry your clothes Demonstrator ARTHUR JORDAN 1239.G Street « Cor. 13% NW. SIRVE REVEAL FLECTRIAL NEEDS U. of M. Officials Ready to Submit Results of Study in State. BY GEORGE PORTER, ~ Staff Correspondent of The Star. COLLEGE PARK, Md., May 18— farmers today they are ready to submit plans covering the States as soon as Wash- ington authorities are prepared to receive them. A. V, Krewatch, speclalist in agri- cultural engineering, has a list of 654 extensions in the 23 counties of Mary- land, which a survey has disclosed to be practical at this time, and is ready to recommend them whenever Federal officials begin recelving appli- cations. 56 in Nearby Countles, The list includes 31 line extensions in Montgomery County and 25 in Prince Georges. They would add 38 miles of distributing lines to the present Montgomery County network, which embraces 220 miles. In Prince Georges, now served by 184 miles, 35 more miles would be added, If all the projects were carried out, 193 new customers could receive cen- tral station service in Montgomery, where 347 farmers now receive such service. Prince Georges now has 282 farmers receiving service from power companies, and this total could be increased by 191 if the proposed proj- ects are developed. In both counties, it should be noted, there are quite a number of persons other than farm- ers who receive service from the rural lines. Montgomery County is regarded as presenting a slightly better field for rural electrification than Prince Georges because it has a higher per- centage of owner-occupied farms and fewer tenant farmers. Of the 1971 farms in Montgomery, 1,537 are worked by the owner, 53 by managers and 381 by tenants, In Prince Georges Testifies ACTRESS TAKES STAND IN STEINMETZ TRIAL. Copyright, A. P. Wirephoto. EVA SHIRLEY, Actress, as she appeared on the witness stand in New York testi- fying in the murder trial of Jo- seph L. Steinmetz. Steinmetz is accused of killing his young bride and a priest in the K. of C. Hotel after a trip to the West Coast. there are 2,291 farms, 1,514 6f which are occupied by the owners, 41 under the direction of managers and 736 in the hands of tenants. At present 232 Montgomery County farms have home electric plants. ‘There are 180 such plants in Prince Georges. While Fedeial authorities ponder the plans under which they hope to en- courage rural electrification, Maryland officials see three possible courses which may be followed: 1. Farm co-operatives may be estab- lished for the purpose of extending rural lines. 2. Loans may be made direct to farmers to pay for electrification of their farms. 3. Loans may be made to the power companies to stimulate their extension program, possibly with the specifica- tion that relief labor be used. Pending decision in Washington as to which course should be followed, Mr. Krewatch advises farmers to con- sider their capacity to use eclectric service and the practicability of bulld- ing and maintaining adequate lines before petitioning for extensions. He also stressed the necessity of co- operation among individual farmers and the unfairness of a few waiting to apply for service after the others have paid for line extensions. “Merely having a line to the front door and electric lights is not enough,” Krewatch says. “Both .the utilities and the farmers must appreciate the necessity of dependable, adequate lines for the entire farr: establish- ment, including milk houses, poultry plants. dairy barns and incubator houses.” The s it also advocates a single-meter block rate for farmers, so they may pay for current used on the most equitable basis. His recommendations are based on an extensive survey of rural electrifi- cation recently completed. He de- cided to make results of the public when the Prince < County Pomona Grange, unaware that it had been completed, called un the president of the University of Mary- land to have such a survey made. Petition Drawn Up. County Commissioner Joseph H. Blandford, author of the Grange resolution asking a survey, said resi- dents of Westphalia, near Marlboro, have drawn up a petition for electric service under the Federal program and sent it to the Maryland Public Service Commission. Farmers in northwestern Charles County also are anxious to receive service and have appealed to the county agent for information as to the proper procedure, Krewatch said. TAX RATE CONTINUED AT COLONIAL BEACH Town Council Advertising Com- mittee to Spend Bulk of Fund on Signb®ards. Special Dispatch to The Star. COLONIAL BEACH, Va., May 18— The Town Council of Colonial Beach has continued the town tax rate at $2.25 on the $100. The Advertising Committee has decided to spend the bulk of the advertising appropriation on signboards, one to be placed at Wakefleld. ‘The town recently installed a water ! reservoir costing about $5070, and additional cement walks are being laid. Soloist G. A. R. LADIES TO HOLD SERVICES. * B-$5 DRILLING FOR OIL T0 GET UNDERWAY Brocks ~ Gap Section in Rockingham County Awaits Start Monday. Special Dispatch to The Star. HARRISONBURG, Va., May 18— The long-awaited oil drilling opera- MRS HORTENSE DANIEL Of Bainbridge, Ga., niece of Mrs. ‘Theodore Tiller, who will be the soloist at the annual memorial services to be held by the U. 8. Grant Circle No. 1 and Abraham Lincoln Circle No. 3, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, this afternoon at 3 o'clock in the ro- tunda of the Capitol. Mrs. Daniel will sing “Our Country’s Flag,” ac- companied by the United States Marine Band Orchestra. STRATOSPHERISTSREADY DAYTON, Ohio, May 18 (#).—Capt. A. W. Stevens, .commander of v.m‘ stratosphere flight from Rapid City, 8. Dak., next month, left by plane for that point today. The 9-foot metal | globe left here by truck for Rapid City Wednesday. | Capt. Orvil Anderson, pilot of the flight, will leave tomorrow for Akron, where he will inspect the packing of | the 3,700,000 cubic feet balloon which | will be shipped either Monday or Tues- day. Alarm Clocks Needed. | Increase in employment in Britain I'has caused & boom in alarm clocks. tions in the mountainous region of Brocks Gap, in Northwest Rocking- ham, will get under way with cere- monies Monday afternoon. C. W. Thomas of tne Bergton De- velopment Co., composed of local peo- ple, has assembled his well rig on & tract near the Bergton school house. The 43,000-pound outfit was towed over little-used mountain trails to reach the location, as the bridges on the Brocks Gap highway were not strong enough to support it. Thomas, who has been prospecting in the area for the last year, expects to hit gas at 800 feet and ofl at 2,200 feet. He options on 11,000 acres between Criders and Mathias, W. Va., and bordering on the George Washington National Forest in the Alleghany Mountains. Surface gas fissures and oil deposits have been found in several spots. J. A. Garber of Timberville, who was elected to Congress, will be the speaker at the “spudding-in” cere- monijes. Charles L. Souder, Bergton merchant, will be the master of cere- monies at the dedication. With two expert drillers on hand and operating the drill day and night, | Thomas expects to hit gas within a month or six weeks. Tokio, Japan, had snow in April for the first time in 43 years. Why is it better to buy a Used Car from a Ford Dealer? Wmm‘:uykomc!’ordbodor it isn’t necessary to know any- " He wants you to be satisfied with the used car he sells you. Making a sale is not nearly so important as making a friend and customer. The Ford Dealer has certain advan- tages which enable him to give you sound values in a used car. He has a force of trained mechanics to recondition used cars and put them he guarantees a car he is sure it is right and you cam be sure you can depend on him. He has the finest equipment. One of his special facili- ties for reconditioning used cars is the Laboratory Test Set, or “Mechanical modern tools and Doctor,” which unfailingly tells when anything is wrong with an engine or electrical system. In reconditioning Ford used cars, your Ford Dealer uses only genuine Ford parts which are identical in quality and measurements with the This is very important because the future service of the car depends on the strength and accuracy of replace- ment parts used. The very large sale of 1935 Ford V-8 cars has brought to Ford Dealers an unusual number of used cars in ex- change. Many of them are 1934 and ALSO SEE THE FORD DEALER WHEN YOU WANT USED TRUCKS AND COMMERCIAL CARS Many different body types —iaken in ex- change for the fast-selling New Ford V-8 Trucks and Commercial Cars. Many have been reconditioned for thousands of miles of trouble-free service. Exceptional values. 1833 Ford V-8's that you go and which have required very little work to put them in excellent condition. Virtually all makes are rep- resented, however, and whatever your preference in a used car, we suggest see what your Ford Dedaler has to offer. You are sure to Ford Dealer. find attractive values, as well as the security of buying from an established You may be interested in seeing the Ford Dealer will be glad to have you call at his workshop and will explain the methods and equipment used by EASY Ford-trained men. TERMS Any Ford Dealer will be glad to arrange con- wenient terms of payment through the Author- ized Ford Finance Plans of the Universal Credit Company. Your present car will be taken in exchange and in many cases will cover the ‘This Laboratory Test Set is one of the special machines designed