Evening Star Newspaper, July 9, 1935, Page 2

GUFFEY BILL OPENS ERA OF PROBLEMS If Constitutionality Is Up- held, Business Must Sur- render to - Politics. BY DAVID LAWRENCE. A thousand different legal opinions, says President Roosevelt, could be ob- tained on the constitutionality of the Guffey coal bill—but the Congress of the United States would appreciate Just one. Under the Constitution. the Presi- dent may require from the Attorney General a written opinior on any legal question, and there is ground for the belief that the Depariment of Justice has furnished an opinion to the White | House declaring that, based upon de- | cisions of the Suprems Court of the United States, the proposed measure violates the Constitution. Will Congress have the benefit of that opinion or will it be pigeon- holed? President Roosevelt has startled members of Congress with this bold essertion: “I hope your committee (House Ways and Means Comuaittee) will not permit doubts as to constitutionality, however reasonable, to block this leg- islation.” Reverses Theory. Heretofore, Congress has been led | to believe that all doubts on proposed legislation should be resolved in favor of the Constitution and not in favor of some particular group of citizens who would be benefitei by the law. Mr. Roosevelt would reverse that his- toric position. His theory is that peither the President nor the Con- gress need give weight to constitu- tional principles if the executive and legislative branches happen to favor & particular piece of legislation. He might have said, ¢o be sure, that neither the President nor Congrees need run the risk of hostility from minority groups. but {hat all such re- sentment should be piled up against the Supreme Court instead. The consequences of Mr. Roose- velt's philosophy in this regard may be far-reaching. galaxy of damage suits against all Government officials who seek to en- | force unconstitutional laws. Here is what Andrew McLaughlin, noted pro- fessor of history in the University of Chicago and author of an important work called “Constitutional History of the United States,” says on this very point: “A question, possibly answered with difficulty, would, or might be, whether the President or a member of Congress can constitutionally and properly vote for a measure when a substantially identical bill has been Judicially proclaimed unconstitution- al. ciple to be no doubt of such a right in the legislative body, which in- cludes the President. Binds No One. “The propriety and wisdom of such action is a different matter and must be decided by circumstances. Obvi- ously a studied determination by the legislators to pass measures which the oourts will not recognize as law may be nothing more than a proof of ob- stinate stupidity; and on the whole, the important fact is that decisions by the Supreme Court have come to be considered, as a practical fact, de- termmativs of what the Constitution 5. % ¢ “But vmh all it must be remem- bered that no one is bound by an unconstitutional act. Such an act is not law. In strictest theory, it binds no official and no person whatever. And if no one objected to a law, it would be difficult or impossible for a court to pass upon its validity. An officer carrying out an unconstitution- al act, before as well as after a judicial declaration of unconstitution- ality, may be personally liable for in- vasion of private liberty or property. May Disobey. “Any private person has the right and it may be his duty to refuse to obey an unconstitutional act. But if he is held by the court to be wrong in concluding that an act is uncon- stitutional and therefore to be dis- regarded, he has to take the con- sequences. This same principle may be applicable to the President, but in his case the tribunal qualified to con- demn him would probably be the Senate sitting as a court of impeach- ment.” Has an identical bill to the Guffey coal bill ever been passed on by the Supreme Court? There are two fea- tures in the Guffey bill—one relates to the use of the taxing power to compel businesses to accept a code, and the other is an outright prohi- bition of the facilities of interstate commerce to any coal company that coesn't accept the code. The Supreme Court disposed of the misuse of the taxing power in the so-called second child labor case. As for the right of Congress to substi- tute the phrase “to prohibit commerce among the States” for the phrase in the Constitution “to regulate com- merce among States,” the Supreme Court in a unanimous opinion said that one who engages in interstate commerce does not thereby submit all his relations to the regulatory power of Congress. The decision is especially important now that the American Federation of Labor is recommending to the Presi- dent that legislation be passed requir- ing all businesses engaging in inter- state commerce to be incorporated or licensed by the Federal Government, an action which would be plainly un- oonstitutional. Power Plainly Limited. Since the Supreme Court has said that mining is wholly a local matter it is difficult to see how the courts could sustain the Guffey bill, which would prohibit the use of the mails or other interstate facilities to all who engage in the business of buying and selling the coal after it is mined. The power to regulate is not the power to prohibit or to set up all businesses in interstate commerce as public utilities subject to Federal control. If the Guffey bill were held con- stitutional it would change the form of our Government completely and would put the dry goods business, the shoe business, the products of all fac- tories and plants clearly under the Federal Government, which could make any rules it pleased governing ‘wages, hours, unionization and even prices. No such power is vested in the Federal Government by the Constitu- tion, and so long as the present mem- bership of the court is maintained, there is no likelihood that the Guffey bill could ever be held valid. These being the opinions of competent law- yers from -one end of the country to the other—for the issues have been passed upon dozens of times—the ques- tion still remains why the President urges Congress to disregard the Con- stitution and the precedents that have E‘m up through decades of judicial * (Copirisht, 10380 It may mean a| But there would seem in prin- | What’s What Behind News In vCapital Hull’s Irritated Tattoo Beats Out Answer to Haile Selassie. BY PAUL MALLON. HAT State Secretary Hull would like to find out is who wrote that note for Haile Selassie. If the Emperor did it himself, he is a smarter Ethiopian than anyone thought. and worthy of haunting any international ‘woodpile. Apparently Hull was stunned at first by the embarrassing appeal to us to enforce our Kellogg peace pact. At | least he stalled for time by asking the American charge at Addis Ababa for “a full report”. Impatient and annoyed, he strummed his desk, and searched the ceiling of his ofice for an | answer. Eventually he found one before the “full report” came from Addis Ababa. He dashed it of, took it with him to the Friday cabinet meeting and President Roosevelt signed it immediately. There is nothing in the story that Hull was unable to think of any answer at all and that Mr. Roosevelt wrote the response. Casts Doubt on Faith. | The response was that President Roosevelt was gratified that the League of Nations was trying to settle the dispute; that the pact of Paris was important, too; and (with further evasive ponderosity) that we were “loath to believe” Italy and Ethiopia | would fight about such things. [ How much Hull believed his own | | words is evidenced by the fact that | | he immediately slipped the word to his legation at Addis Ababa to get all | Americans out of Ethiopia before the war started. Hull may have found better answers | on his ceiling in the past, but at least this one let every one know he is| not going to get mixed up in the| Ethiopian mess, even if he never finds | | a particularly good reason why. | A reorganization of housing agencies is being planned by Mr. Roosevelt to take effect right after Congress ad- | journs. The big shot in the new | scheme will probably be John H. Fahey, chairman of the Home Owners’ | Loan Corp. The crowd at the Federal Hous- ing Administration will be reno- vated and remodeled. Control probably will rest in a co-ordinating committee headed by Fahey. Func- tions will be more clearly defined to eliminate overlapping and cur- rent confusion. President Roosevelt is bent on stimulating this phase of the New Deal. Fahey rates the job because his H. O. L. C. is the best run of the housing groups. He is a former president of the United States Cham- ber of Commerce and a New England insurance man. ‘The A. A. A. dealers are preparing for a shock. They expect it from the | Massachusetts Circuit Court of Ap- | peals in the Hoosac Mills case involy- ing the processing tax. Test in the Making. “This is the first case to reach an appellate court. The Government won | in the lower court, but the three | appeal judges have delayed a decision | since April 23, when arguments were | closed. This delay, coupled with some other aspects of the case, has ied Gov- ernment attorneys to mope among | themselves about the prospects. They also fear that this will be the first | Drocessing case to reach the Supreme Court. It may assume the importance of the Schechter case. Galling also is the fact that the Hoosac Mills is none other than William M. Butler, former Republican chairman, friend of Coolidge. He is the receiver for the company. You never hear much any more about the Washington press corps being seduced by the Government press agents or about the influence wrought by Mr. Roosevelt's sociable smile., On the contrary, there are vague murmurings among New Deal- ers that the newsmen have turned against President Roosevelt; that they are now hostile. ‘There is no more substantial basis for the second assertion than there ever was for the first. Both contain about 20 per cent of truth. The fact is, a flow of news has set in against the President. News- men did not make'the Supreme Court decision on N. R. A., the House insurrection on the utility bill or the reaction to the taz plan. On a broad general average they merely are reflecting a turn of events. Some are hostile, some are not. There has been little change. As for the press agents, some few of them have taken advantage of the cessation of attack to swerve their ac- tivities. Some (not a majority, per- haps) have forgotten the fact they are public officials and have become per- sonal press agents for whatever boss happens to be over them. They have begun functioning somewhat like the Hollywood press agents trying to pub- licize movie stars. In many cases this is not the fault of the press agent, but of the bosses, who want to see their names in print every day. The result is not helpful either to the New Deal or to newsmen. | Let it be recorded for the record that the man who put his foot down on new expansive N R A. legisla- tion was Attorney General Homer Cummings. It was he who prevsiled over the combined proposals of N. R. A.-er O'Neill and four Feders! Trade com- missioners at an uniecorded White House conference about two weeks ago. ‘They wanted joint ection on new codes containing labor a: well as fair trade practice provisivns. Aiso they had ideas about further strengthen- ing legislation at tnis session. Casts Legality Doubts. Cummings was “amazed” at their audacity. He is supnused to have told the President it meant venturing into a shadow land of legality. Mr. Roose- velt agreed. Hence the N. R. A, i to be what i THE EVENING GUFFEYANDT.V.A BACKERS DICKER Trade on Support Is Re- ported Sought in House Agreerent. By the Associated Press. House friends of the T. V. A. were reported today to be seeking a “gen- tlemen’s agreement” with Guffey coal bill advocates to support administra- tion amendments strengthening the ‘Tennessee Valley Authority act. In exchange for this support, it was said, the T. V. A. backers are prepared to vote for the Guffey measure when it reaches the House floor. ‘This development became known as | the House entered its second day of debate on the T. V. A. bill, friends and foes alternating in prais- | Ing and lambasting President Roose- velt’s power “yardstick” project. The first votes on amendments are not ex- | pected before tomorrow. Changes Forecast. Speaker Byrns expressed the belief | the House would accept some of the | changes in the pending bill demanded | by the administration. The present | measure is a compremise worked out by the House Military Committee aft- er being deadlocked for weeks. Representative Hill, Democrat, of Alabama, leader of the fight to lib- | eralize the measure, said that unless administration amendments are ap- proved the House might as well “throw it in the waste basket.” One change sought is elifnination of the section forbidding T. V. A. to build transmis- sion lines substantially paralleling ex- isting power lines. Aiding Hill is Representative Mav- erick, Democrat, of Texas. He dis- tributed copies of the proposed amend- ments yesterday and predicted they would be adopted by & margin of 50 votes. However, Chairman McSwain of the Military Committee has given his sup- port to the compromise bill. He con- tended some of the administration amendments would be unconstitu- tional. Liberal members of the House sought the floor today. They were generally silent yesterday as Republi- | can and Democratic foes of the bill | attacked it. Some Republicans as- serted the T. V. A. wanted “extra and | unreasonable powers.” On the other hand, Representative Turner, Democrat, of Tennessee | | praised the agency as “one of the ! greatest undertakings of the Govern- ment.” Six hours of debate were allowed Voting on the controversial sections | | was not expected before tomorrow. Among other changes sought by the administration are elimination of sec- tions which would bar sale of power | and fertilizer below costs of production | after January 1, 1937, and subject the authority to strict auditing by the Controller General. 'HOWE IS FIGHTING BACK FROM ILLNESS Roosevelt's Secretary and Ad- viser, However, Is Still Con- fined at White House. By the Associated Press. Louis M. Howe, secretary, friend and political adviser to President Roose- velt, is fighting back from an illness which caused abandonment of hope for his life last Winter. The 64-year-old veteran strawgut still is confined to his room in the White House and frequently resorts to the oxygen tent there, but he again is keeping tab on national affairs | and is often on the phone in con- | versation with the other secretaries. His recovery has amazed physicians. He appears now to be out of danger from his serious bronchial ailment, | although there is little prospect that he will take over his office again in | the near future. FOSTER'S DAUGHTERDIES PITTSBURGH, July 9 (#).—Mrs. Marion Foster Welch, only child of Stephen Collins Foster, the famous composer, died today in the Foster Memorial Home here. She was 83. With Mrs. Welch were her daugh- ter, Mrs. A. D. Rose, and her son, Matthew M. Welch. One of her last statements was an expression of regret at her inability to attend the dedication July 5 of the house which Henry Ford purchased | and moved to Dearborn, Mich., as the birthplace of Foster. K. of C. Plan Cruise. Plans for the annual moonlight cruise of the Krights of Columbus of the District will ve completed at & meeting of the Show Boat Commit- tee on Priday nignt, it was announced today. J. Bernard Coyle is in charge of the affair, which is schedulsd for next Monday night. Rin Brle ] (o 3 ) Senate. Debates to kill mandatory abolition of certain utility holding companies. Territorles Committee continues Virgin Island investigation. House. Debates T. V. A. Ways and Means Committee holds hearings on taxes. Rules Committee opens investiga- tion of utilities bill lobbying. ‘TOMORROW. Senate. Probably will continue debate on holding company bill. Audit and Control Committee, ex- ecutive meeting, at 10:30, to act on Black lobby investigation. Territories Committee, hearing on Virgin Islands investigation. House. District Committee meets at 10:30 a.m. to consider miscellaneous bills. it is, a skeleton in the New Deal closet, and nothing more. Ickes’ P. W. A. slecuths never had & more unusual job taan the one given them a few days ago. -They were instructed fo find a valuable fountain pen lost by an Ickes as- sistant in the Public Works Admin- istration. Two detect.ves spent two days prowling in search of the pen, without results. No one thought of trying an advertisement in the want ad section of the local newspapers. (Copyright. 1935.) ¢ with | STAR, WASHINGTO N, D. C, TUESDAY, HUEY LONG CALLS PRESIDENT “LIAR” Louisianan Attacks Roose- |- velt on Relief and Share- DR. SARAH RUTH DEAN. ~—A. P. Photo, By the Assoclated Press. JACKSON, Miss., July 9.—Free after a two-year fight which won her a pardon from Gov. Conner, Dr. Sarah Ruth Dean, sentenced to life impris- onmeat in the “poison highball” slay- ing of Dr. John Preston Kennedy, looked forward today to resuming practice as a child specialist. ‘The Governor's action was relayed | | yesterday to the woman physician, ill | in bed, as the time drew near for her return to prison. A suspeasion of | sentence granted by Gov. Conner a month ago would have expired last night. The Governor said he “had the benefit of information not available to the courts, either in the original trial or on appeal” to the State Su- preme Court. Dr. Dean on receiving the news smiled feebly and said: “The Governor has done justice in this act of mercy. I am innocent of the charge that was brought against me.” PAROLE SYSTEM ISHITBY HOOVER Federal Official Tells Police Chiefs It *“Approaches National Scandal.” | By the Associated Press. | ATLANTIC CITY. N. J. July 9.— J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Fed- eral Bureau of Investigation, said | | today that parole practice in America “approaches a national scandal.” Speaking before the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Hoover called the millions of dollars spent for | crime detection “‘a mockery” because | of “easy paroles.” “It seems impossible that in an en- | lightened nation brave officers should | | be asked to face desperate criminals, | to endure danger, injury, and even loss of life, that those criminals be | captured, only to see them turned | loose to again resume their predatory careers.” ‘The prison sentence “which says one thing and means another is a monumental fake,” Hoover declared. Offers Identity System. Earlier, Dr. Carleton Simon, crimin- ologist, proposed an added 1denuflcl-l | tion for criminals—the patterns made by the Blood vessels in the background | of their eyes. | | Three dead criminals, John Dil- | | linger, Homer Van Meter and John | | Klutas, he told the International As- ‘ sociation of Chiefs of Police, tried un- | | sucessfully to alter their faces and | | fingerprints by surgery and chemicals. | | There is a possibility, he added, that | | others might be “more successful.” Would Photograph Eye. ‘The optic system requires a phobo— graph of the eye with a retinal cam- era which, Dr. Simon said, required no special skill. A plate, measured off in tiny squares, gives numerical val- ues to individual differences. ‘The technicalities of the system, he said, are no more confusing to the layman than the technical expressions of the fingerprint system. Carl E. Milliken, former Governor of Maine, now secretary of the Mo~ | tion Picture Producers and Distribu- | tors of Anferica, Inc., declared that the press and the screen have en- couraged public ndmxnnon for the “heroes of the law." { | dadgum jails full of your henchmen.” the-Wealth Pian. By the Associated Press. NEW ORLEANS, July 9.—A fresh blast against the New Deal admin- istration by Senator Huey P. Long was centered today on his accusation that President Roosevelt is- “a liar and a faker.” Riding the crest of another surge of legislation which gives him un- precedented control over the State of Louisiana, Long assailed the Pres- ident last night with a personal de- nunciation unmatched in his previous attacks on the administration. His accusation came during a radio speech in which he touched on the recently enacted old-age pension bill. Explains Pension Plan. “Let me tell you about this Roose- velt pension plan,” the Senator said. “Under it there are 280,000 persons in Louisiana who would qualify, and Louisiana would get about $1,000,000 which would mean that the State's old-age pensioners would get about $360 a year or a little less than 1 cent a day. “That's what Franklin Delano Roose- velt sends you down here, “Franklin Roosevelt is a liar and a faker. Now let them indict me for that and I'll prove him a liar.” Interspersed with the attack was another tirade against Long's political enemies and a review of the work of the recent legislative session at which the General Assembly broadened the Senator's control over the State to an almost unlimited degree. Long's blast was followed by sharp pokes at Mr. Roosevelt on his tax- the-rich and relief programs. Cites Relief and Politics. Explaining enactment of a State law making politicalization of Federal funds a misdemeanor punishable by mandatory jail sentence, Senator Long said: “The President has declared against use of relief funds for political pur- poses and we decided to take him at his word. But I wouldn't believe him on oath. “Mr. Roosevelt put a half-baked apple in his mouth and said thege's no politics in relief. There'd bettcr not be in Louisiana or we'll fill these| He frequently referred to his share- | the-wealth program and accused the | President of “cribbing” it from him. “Roosevelt declared for share-the- wealth and proved everything I've been saying,” Long said. | “It's up to him to perform,” he added. “If he does, I'll take back every word I said. I'm going to pin him to the wall and hold his feet to the fire. If he does it, I'm with him.” Long’s address was delivered 24| hours after bis subservient Legisla- ture adjourned sine die, with him in full command of the State's militia, | school teachers, municipal employes, | State funds and just about everything else connected with the State's gov- ernment. —_— N.R. A. DISMISSES 240 OF FIELD FORCE Another Like Cut Expected «Soon. Reduction Slow Because of Contract Possibility. By the Associated Press. N. R. A. disclosed today that 20 per cent of its fleld staff of approximately 1,200 had been given dismissal notices. Another 20 per cent will receive | these notices at once, officials sald. | Reduction of the field staff has been | comparatively slow, it was asserted, | because of the possibility that N. R. A. may have charge of Government con- tract work. Were it not for this, the | officials added, virtually the entire | field staff might be dismissed at once. In some quarters it has been pro- posed that the Government require bidders for its work to guarantee that they have maintained and will main- tain certain labor standards. A bill to provide for execution of this plan is before Congress. It would necessi- tate a substantial supervisory person- nel, officials said. Auto Defects Blamed. Defects in automobiles are said to| have been responsible for 19,000 acci- | dents in Great Britain in the last| WORKS FUND AIDS year. Gaming Ship Robbed by Masked Pirates Copyright, A. P. Wirephotos. | | man was held as a material witness JULY 9, 1935. Vacation End s in Tragedy Copyright, A. P. Wirephoto. A gay vacation drive ended in tragedy, with four women and a man dead as a result of an automobile pitching over a 35-foot cliff at Point Loma, near San Diego, Calif., yesterday. Massachusetts, were passengers in the car, to salvage the automobile. The women, three of them from The man was killed trying NEW TAX DRIVE Treasury Hopes Collections Will Total More Than $5,000,000 Grant. Aided by a public works allotment of $5,113,126, Treasury officials say | they hope to recover more than that | amount in unpaid income, liquor and | nuisance taxes. The allotment has been recommend- | ed by the works program board and only approval of President Roosevelt | is necessary to start a Nation-wide tax-recovery drive. Officials said approximately 4,000 | persons would be given work check- ing income tax reports, visiting liquor | stores in 32 wet States, and verifying “nuisance” tax returns. Each worker would receive an average of $1,300 a year, instead of the $1,143 originally | fixed for all work projects. The Treasury Department says it has been handicapped by lack of | tunds in checking any but obvious errors or violations, especially in tax | | returns on incomes of less than $§25,- | 000. Officials express confidence that discovered errors will net the depart- ment far more than the money spent in the investigation. GRIMM TO TREASURY Peter Grimm, New York real estate expert, is expected to be named soon as special adviser to Secretary Mor- genthau on the problem of co- ordinating the functions of the Gov- ernment’s real estate lending agencies. Marriner S. Eccles, now governor of the Federal Reserve Board, did this work when he was with the Treasury. Grimm would study the situation and make advisory reports to the Secretary. By the Associated Press. LONG BEACH, Calif., July 9.—One | as authorities on land and sea today | | searched for a band of marine bandits | | who threw the crew of the gambling | ship Monte Carlo into irons and looted | strong boxes of $32,000 in cash and | Jewelry. Department of Justice agents ar- rested L. V. “Shorty” Eveans, owner of a fishing craft used by the pirate gang in the robbery. The 32-foot boat was half scuttled near the Monte Carlo when the pirates fled, changing to a swifter boat in their flight early yes- terday morning. Evans was taken into custody last night. Above: The gambling ship Monte Carlo, after it had been robbed of $32,000 by five men, who chained 13 members of the crew and es- caped in the fog with their loot. Below: J. M. Keller, cashier of the ship, shown at the ship's safe, which be was forced to open. AAA INJUNCTIONS ASKED IN 15 CASES Three Federal Judges Study Action by Minnesota Companies. By the Associated Press. MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.. July 9.— Three Federal Court judges today had | under advisement petit{ns of 16 Min- | nesota companies for a permanent injunction to halt payment of proc- essing taxes levied under the agri- cultural adjustment act. Counsel for the companies attacked constitutionality of the taxes, con- tending payment of the benefits amounted to “class legislation.” George Sullivan, United States dis- trict attorney, presented a motion for dismissal of the 16 actions, con- solidated as one for hearing purposes. Suit for collection of a tax cannot be brought against the Government, Sullivan argued, and granting of such injunctions would “impose severe hardships on the people of this! Nation.” The judges. Joseph Molyneaux, M. ! | M. Joyce and Gunnar H. Nordbye, | were expected to reveal their decision this week. INJUNCTIONS IN FORCE. BUFFALO, N. Y., July 9 (#).—Tem. porary injunctions restraining the Government from collecting meat and grain processing taxes from eight New York State meat packers and millers remained in force today by authority of two Federal judges. Judge John Knight of Buffalo re- served decision yesterday on a plea for dismissal of the action brought by five Western New York packers and millers to have the A. A. A. tax on wheat and pork set aside as uncon- stitutional. The complaints were the Danahy Packing Co. and the Washburn Crosby Co. of Buffalo; the Rochester Packing Co. and Moseley & Motley Milling Co. of Rochester, and the Federal Mill, Inc., of Lockport. No date was set for decision and the court continued the restraining order. | At Malone, Judge Frederick H. Bryant set July 15 for final argu- | ments in the cases of the Durr Pack- ing Co. and the Scala Packing Co. of Utica, and the Albany Packing Co. of Albany, all attacking the A. A. A. on the same grounds as the others. MRS. WALEY’S TRIAL OPENS IN TACOMA Government Has 20 of 70 Wit- nesses Ready to Testify in Kidnaping Case. By the Associated Press. ‘TACOMA, Wash,, July 9.—Twenty of the Government’s 70 witnesses were called for use today in the trial of Mrs. Margaret Thulin Waley, 19, for the $200,000 kidnaping of little George ‘Weyerhaeuser. Most of these witnesses were believed to be owners or managers of apart- | ments where the plump defendant and her husband, Harmon, allegedly stayed prior to the kidnaping May 24. Waley, who, with his wife, will be | the only defense witnesses, already is serving a 45-year sentence. He pleaded guilty. | In pleading guilty, Waley attempted to exonerate his wife in a court room statement at their arraignment. | It was this statement which caused Federal Judge E. E. Cushman to re- fuse Mrs. Waley's attempt to plead guilty slso. Waley and his wife’s counsel contended she knew nothing of the kidnaping plans ugptil two days after the boy had been seized by Waley, and allegedly the fugitive Wil- liam Dainard, Alias Mahan. The trail of Dainard, also an ex- convict, was lost around Butte, Mont., ‘where he escaped police who recovered CONFEREES PUSH SECURITY REPORT Final Agreement Hoped For Today After Long Night Session. BY J. A. O'LEARY. Reconvening at 1 o'clock this aft- ernoon after a long session at the Capital last night, conferees on the national sociai security bill hope to reach a final agreement today on their differences, and prepare the conference report for submission to the House and Senate. Settlement of the national bill will ciear the way for the Senate District Committee to proceed with the three local security measures—old-age pe: sions, blind pensions and unemploy- ment insurance. Interest in the conference report on the national bill centers chiefly in the Clark amendment by which the Senate voted to allow industries to operate their own retirement plans if they equal or exceed the benefits of the proposed Federal old-age annuity system Before the conferees began the'l deliberations last night Senator Ciark, Democrat, of Missouri met with them, presumably to explain ang Cefend his amendment, which the Senate placed in the bill by a de- cisive vote. The Clark amendmert has no connection with the local old- age pension bills here and in the States, because those measures are intended to take care of needy per- sons who are already at the retire- ment age of 65. They are to receive gratuity payments in which the Gov- ernment will participate. Joint Tax Plan. The Clark amendment relates to the Federal old-age insurance system set-up in other sections of the bill, under which wage-earners and their employers would be taxed at the same rate to build up a reserve for retire- ment in years to come. Pointing out that many concerns all over the coun- try already operate retirement plans, and that a considerable number of them offer greater benefits than the | proposed bill, Senator Clark won Sen- ate approval for the exemption of | such plans. Its fate rests with the conferees. Other important Senate changes the conferees are about to pass on are: | The La Follette amendment, allow- ing States to adopt the Wisconsin plan of separate company reserves for w unemployment insurance, if they pre- rer that to the State-wide pool system, | and authorizing reductions in the pay- roll tax for employers who stabilize | employment. The Russell umendment authoriz- g the Social Securit; oard to pay up to $15 a month tor a period of | two years as a Federal pension to needy old persons in States which have not passed laws for matching | these Federal grants. | _ The Senate amendment authorizing Federal aid for pensions to the blind on a matching basis with the States Amendment Hit. Representative Ellenbogen, Demo. crat, of Pennsylvania, author of the local unemployment insurance bill in the House, took the position today that the amendment he has heard proposed to the measure in the Sen- ate would be detrimental. “Any of the changes that have been brought to my attention would not improve, but would weaken, the bill,” he said. Ellenbogen said he could not say what the House will do if the bill is rewritten, but expressed his per- sonal view as follows: “If the changes are going to de- | stroy the essence of the bill we might | as well not have a bill.” | One of the amendments the Com- missicners have suggested to the Sen- ate—namely, to give employers credit | by reducing the tax when they stabi- { lize employment — was recommended | originally when the House District Committee reported the bill. It was chnngrd on the floor of the House to | eliminate the reduction, but retaining | the increase in the tax when employ- | meat is not stabilized. At that time. however, the national security bill did not allow for the tax reduction credit Since then the Senate has added that feature to the national bill and the conferees may reach their decision on it today. Most of the other changes asked by the Commissioners are to eliminate House provisions which would make the District bill go be- yond national requirements or State laws. |ICKES WINS FIGHT FOR RECLAMATION $100,000,000 on Projects Favored by Committee Despite Cost. In efforts to put 500,000 people to work with a dwindling $4,000.000.- 000 appropriation, work-relief chief- tains yesterday went on record in favor of spendinz $100,000,000 on reclamation projects, cespite the high cost for materials. Coming as a reccmmendation by the Work Allotment Committee. the move was interpretcd as a major vic- tory for Secretary Ickes, who backed his subordinate, Dr Elwood Mead, commissioner of reclamation. in the long struggle to exempt the reclama- tion program from the $1,100 or $1,200 | average per job ftixea by Harry L. Hopkins, works picgress administra- | tor. | 1Ickes first said a mcnth ago that irrigation and power developments were endangered beczuse they cost $2,500 per man given a year's work. ‘Western protests were climaxed last week when a number of Senators and Representatives caliec at the White House to push spproval of Mead's $113,000,000 program. The President said afterwards thst be favored most of the projects. The President then explained that projects he cousidered “national”— such as the Boulder, Bonneville and Grand Coulee Daws--would aot be charged against the work-relief quotas of States where they were lo- cated. Meanwhile, reltef officials disclosed that 4,000,000 unemployables— about the same number as when Hopkins announced last Dccember that all must be off relief cclis by last febru- ary 1—still were veing supported in whole or in part by the Federal Gov- ernment. — Noted Mason Succumbs. LOUISVILLE, Ky. July 9 (). Fred W. Hardwick, 71, nationall known in Masonic circles, died unex- pectedly at his office here yesterday. A 33d degree Mason, he was grand secretary of the Kentucky Grand his automobile and about $15,000 of the ransom, ¥ Lodge of Masons. He was a native of b