Evening Star Newspaper, January 15, 1936, Page 2

STATE HAS POWER TOBALKL.S.LAWS éurb on Lower Federal Courts Held Useless as . Bar to Suits. . BY DAVID LAWRENCE. * Liberals in Congress, disturbed by the A. A. A. decision, are discussing Bills to deprive the Federal District Courts and Circuit Courts of Appeal of .any power to declare laws uncon- stitutional so the Supreme Court alone would have the task of construing the validity of legislation. Generally overlooked, however, is the fact it isn't necessary to go througn lower Federal courts to get a juagment . declaring a Federal law un- comstitutional. This can be done through the State courts as well. In- deed, from 1802 to 1875 the custom- ary channel for the consideration of constitutional questions was through the State courts, from which the ap- peals were taken to the Supreme Court. It might be thought Congress could pass a law depriving State courts, as well as lower Federal courts, of any Jurisdiction over Federal statutes, but to- accomplish this objective a con- stitutional amendment would be re- quired. This is because Article 6 of the Federal tells the judges of the States they must regard the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and must “be bound thereby.” Breakdown Possible. To get a constitutional amendment which would disturb the entire judi- cial system of the 48 States would feem to be an almost insuperable task politically because, if the jurisdiction over State courts were placed in the hands of Congress, the entire system of local government might break down. It would seem to be futile, then, to pass a Federal law curbing the juris- dietion of the lower Federal courts to grant injunctions and pass on the constitutionality of Federal laws, when this would merely encourage all kinds of lawsuits in State courts whereby citizens would begin to sue each other to restrain the operation of laws be- Heved to be invalid. Take the Bankhead cotton control act, which is believed to have been thrown into the doubtful constitutional class by the words of Justice Roberts, speaking for the majority of the Su- preme Court in the A. A. A. case. The railroads are forbidden by Federal law to accept cotton for shipment unless tagged in conformity with the Bank- head law. A cotton shipper in Texas eould sue a railroad of that State for damages for refusal to accept the cot- ton, and could argue that the Federal law is invalid. This would raise the ¢onstitutional question and the rail- road might be compelled by a lower court in Texas to accept the shipment. Could Act in Other States. Naturally, the matter would not be finally adjudicated until appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States, but the opportunity for rendering inoperative a Federal statute 1s just as great as if a lower Federal court had restrained it. For as soon as one State court handed down a decision similar suits would be started in other States and the precedent in the ex- ample given above would be cited and doubtless would have considerable weight. The justices of the State courts have the solemn duty under the Fed- eral Constitution to examine every Federal law, in a case arising under it, to determine whether the statute invades the consiitutional rights of the citizen. This means laying the law alongside the article of the Con- stitution that has been invoked. All the decisions of the Supreme Court itself, then, are taken into considera- tion. The method of bringing constitu- | tional questions to a head might be a little different in the State courts, but there are so many aspects of contract law in which challenges of eonstitutionality or invalidity might be brought that we would merely be . going back to the more or less con- fusing circumstances that existed be- tween 1801 and 1875. If a constitutional amendment is fidopted to deprive the Supreme Court of the power to declare invalid the acts of Congress it must be remem- Wered that a restraint would have to be applied at the same time to all the State courts. This is but another way of saying that the States would have no redress any time a majority 6f both houses of Congress, with the co-operation of a President, decided to take away powers of the States. The Constitution, for instance, speci- fies just what are the powers of the Federal Government, but when there is no check—no tribunal to say Whether transgression has occurred— there is no opportunity to question the dcts of the central Government. ! When the American people un- @erstand what is involved in tinkering With the judicial system they will ¢onsider seriously the dangers of de- Ppriving the citizen of his day in court. . (Copyright. 1936.) ' — H : Cream Cut. . Public eating places in Germany have been ordered to serve 40 per cent Jess cream. Munitions Committee continues war Joan inquiry with J, P. Morgan and partners at hearing. Foreign Relations Committee studies * peutrality legislation. Finance Subcommittee studies liquor - tax readjustment. HOUSE. Considers independent offices ap- propriations bill. Appropriations Committee studies war and agriculture supply bills, Foreign Affairs Committee studies peutrality legislation. Tomorrow, SENATE. Will take up miscellaneous bills under the unanimous consent rule, fol- Jowed by debate on location of the Air Corps Technical School. Agriculture Committee, executive session, 10 o’clock. Munitions Committee continues hearing. HOUSE. . Continuous debate on independent qffices appropriation bill. Judiciary Subcommittee of District Committee begins hearings on small (7 loan bjlls at 10:30 a.m. Constitution expressly | What’s What Behind News In Capital Raskob Tax Troubles Linked to Loan to Democrats. BY PAUL MALLON. OR six long years John J. Ras- kob's 1929 income tax stood ap- proved by the Internal Revenue Bureau. It suddenly developed spontaneous symptoms of a fraudulent plot in the early part of this January, 1936. Mr. Raskob said he thought the time of discovery had something to do with the coming dinner of his and Mr. du Pont’s American Liberty League. Mi. Raskob may have his dinners mixed ‘What he may not know is that the bureau charge against him was filed in public record on January 6, two days before the Jackson day dinner. The bureau apparently was not very proud of it. At least the record lay around four days until an alert newsman, with a sharper eye than his colleagues, dug it out and published it two days after the dinner. Hint of Suit in Note. If Mr. Raskob will scrape his mem- ory he may recall another thing that happened just before the Jackson day dinner; say, for instance, a certain communication he made to Postmasier General Farley. He may recollect that it was something to the effect that he wanted that $25,000 which Mr. Farley's Democratic National Committee sull owes him. Also something about suing Mr. Farley for the money if the $25,000 was not paid from all those thousands of dollars collected for the $50-a-plate dinner. The inside crowd here will wager | | even money that Mr. Raskob’s threat | | had at least as much to do with che resurrection of his dead and. buried income tax troubles as the Libetty | League dinner next week. Messrs. Farley and Raskob are supposed to have had plenty of un- published words back and forth lately. You may recall that Mr. Raskob held the mortgage on the old Democratic homestead, now in- habited by New Dealers. Farley has been paying him off grudg- ingly, a little at a time. During last May, June and August | Farley paid Raskob $5,000 a month, | | and last March he gave $10,250. But | he started cutting the payments down | |in the Fall. In October he gave oaly | $4,000, in November $2,500 and De- | cember $2,500. | What the boys inside would like to see Mr. Raskob do is to give his re- maining $25,000 debt as a contribution They point as an example the case of | Mr. Morgenthau (probably senior, out | not identified in the record). The| | committee owed Mr. Morgenthau $10,000, but he wiped it off the slate recently as a contribution. Other Names in Mind. When Mr. Raskob attributed his tax troubles to the Liberty League dinner, | he must have had in mind two other | fellows. They are his co-conspirator, | Pierre du Pont, and a New Yorker of | prominence whose name cannot be published. Mr. du Pont’s 1929 tax| troubles also date from January 6, | 1936, which was about two weeks after | the Liberty League disclosed that the Du Pont family had contributed .some-| thing like $180,000 to combat the New | | Deal. The troubles of the New Yorker also are recent. It seems that a banker friend of his was caught in the crash of 1931. To help his friend, the New Yorker gave a con- siderable amount of his own money. This he charged off as a tazable loss. The Internal Revenue Bureau let it go for a long time, but recently began harassments. Thus Messrs. Raskob, Du Pont and “X” join a long list of anti-New Deal- ers, including such notables as the friends of Huey Long, Andrew Mellon, Walter Brown, Jim Watson. You will, however, look in vain for any tax cases involving the wealthy pro-New Deal- ers like Bernard Baruch, Straus, As- tor, et al. ‘The inference behind that situation has been plain since the Internal Rev- enue Bureau started out to break up the Long political machine with in- come tax prosecutions. It is that if you want to stay out of Federal tax troubles you apparently stand a better chance on the New Deal side. Political Master Mind. ‘Those on the rim of the inner circle here credit Internal Revenue Commis- sioner Helvering for the wave of tax prosecutions against political oppo- nents. The reason is obvious. - His ex- perience has been more political than fiscal. He was chairman of the State Democratic Committee in Kansas when appointed to control of Federal tax matters. & However, those within the ecircle know that the real credit in most cases should go to General Counsel Oliphant of the Treasury Department. His ex~ perience was confined to law professor- ships at Marion Colege, Chicago, Co- lumbia and Johns Hopkins. As a brain truster he has modestly managed to conceal the fact that he has lately de- *| veloped into a shrewd political master mind. It was Mr. Oliphant who did the master-minding on the Raskob-Du Pont case. ‘The Treasury neglected to include in Identified Bees at- Work. (/P)—Bees enamel J. A REILLY HEADS SECOND NATIONAL Succeeds V. B. Deyber, Raised to Chairmanship = of Directors. John A. Reilly, 34-year-old lawyer and banker, today was eiected presi- dent of the Second National Bank at the organization meecung of the direc- tors, succeeding Victor B. Deyber, who was elevated to the chairmanship of the board of djrectors. Since 1933, the new president has been assistant to Receiver Cary A. Hardee, former Governor of Florida, in liquidating the Federal-American National Bank & ‘Trust Co. and the Chevy Chase Savings Bank. He is well known as former execu- tive secretary of the Washington Association of Credit Men and an attorney for the adjustment bureau ive of Washe native of e Belll jngton, was edu- cated in the local schools, baving at- tended Business High School, now Roosevelt High, where he won a schol- arship to Georgetown University Law School. He received his bacholor of laws degree in 1924. He is the son of the late Capt. Martin and Anne Casey Reilly. He became connected with the Wash- ington Association of Credit Men in 1927. As adjustment attorney, he served the association, a credit organ- ization of wholesalers, manufacturers and bankers, in many important mat- ters involving finance and credit. Federal-American Official. From law he went to finance and in March, 1931, was elected vice president of the Federal-American National Bank & Trust Co. Later, acting as an assistant conservator for the bank, he took a prominent part in creation and organization of the Hamilton National Bank. For the past seven years he has been 2 member of the faculty of Columbia University, acting as finance and credits and conducting & 3 A course in advanced problems of finance | in the post-graduate classes. He also serves on the Public Relations Council of the Catholic University. Mr. Deyber, the new chairman, is one of the best known bankers in the city, having been identified with the profession for 40 years. He became head of the insti- tution when the late Cuno H. Rudolph resigned to accept an ap- pointm>nt as Dis- trict Commis- sioner. Under his leadership, the bank has expand- ed its activities by the organization of an uptown branch, which is now housed in its modern bank and office building at 1333 G street. e D Mr. Deyber was president of the District Bankers' Association in 1924. He has been secretary of the Wash- ington Clearing House Association fer 11 years and formerly was a member of its Executive Committee. He has also served on the Executive Com- mittee of the national bank division | | the Robert H. Terrell School of Law, | of the American Bankers' Association and several other committees. Hannay Renamed Vice President. William M. Hannay, patent attorney | and treasurer of the Terminal Re- frigerating Co., was re-elected a vice president. Jacob Scharf, than 42 years was re-elected executive vice president. Edward F. Colladay was re-elected attorney and trust officer and William B. Wolf was re- elected assistant trust officer. ‘The Second National is one cf the oldest institutions in the Capital, hav- ing been organized in 1872. Its directorate has been composed of some of the city’s most prominent citizens. D PRESIDENT SEES HOWE Visits Secretary in Hospital on Patient’s 65th Birthday. President Roosevelt left his desk late yesterday for a birthday chat with lfim Howe, his secretary, 65 years old. Howe is recuperating from a severe illness at the Naval Hospital. Mr. Roosevelt took with him a large bou- quet from the White House secretarial staff. instructor of | who has| been identified with the bank for more | BENJAMIN L. GASKINS. B. L GASKINS DIES AFTER OPERATION Education Board Member, Under Knife 10 Days Ago, _ Failed to Rally. Benjamin L. Gaskins, 55, colored, lawyer and member of the Board of Education, died at Freedmen’s Hos- pital last night after an illness of two weeks. He underwent an operation about 10 days ago and failed to rally. Mr. Gaskins, a native of Fairfax, Va., spent most of his life in Wash- ington. He came here as a boy and graduated from Dunbar High School in 1902. In 1905 he earned his law degree at Howard University and was admitted to the bar. Last Spring he was selected by the justices of District Supreme Court to be a member of the Board of Edu- cation, filling out the term of Charles H. Houston, who resigned. During his short tenure of office he was an outspoken champion of the rights of teachers. Disagreed With Prettyman. ! He was one of two members of the board who disagreed with the | opinion of Corporation Counsel E. | Barrett Prettyman on the interpre- tation of the amendment that pro- | hibits the teaching or advocating of communism His last official act was to send a note to the board from the hospital, saying that if he were present he would vote against the Maurer com- mittee’s report, which cleared certain text books of the charge of carrying subversive matter. Mr. Gaskins formerly was a law partner of the late Thomas M. Wat- son, with whom he was associated from the time of the World War years ago. Prior to that time he had been ilndirectly associated with Thomas Beckett and later with Walter A. Pinchback. Recently he has shared offices with Judge William Hueston, former assistant solicitor of the Post Office Department. Forced Laws’ Change. Mr. Gaskins gained a wide reputa- “uon for his success in attacking the | constitutionality of - certain criminal i and juvenile court laws, succeeding in | having Congress change them. Mr. Gaskins was one of the founders and professor of equity pleading of which was established as a night school for colored youth. Mr. Gaskins is survived by his widow, Mrs. Sadye Gaskins, who re- sides at 1603 U street; four sisters, Essie B. Logan, all of Fairfax, and a brother, Johnson Gaskins, also of Fairfax. Because of Mr. Gaskins' death Mrs. Marion Wade Doyle, president of the Board of Education, canceled today's meeting of the board and called a special memorial session for 11 a.m. tomorrow. Funeral services will be held at noon Saturday at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer on Eighth street, near Barry place, with Rev. Daniel E. Wise- man, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in the family cemetery, near Fair- fax, Va. —_— WHITE HOUSE INSPECTED Fire inspectors looked over the ‘White House yesterday, but President Roosevelt seemed surprised when in- formed about it. ‘The Executive said, however, he was glad the inspectors were there, and re- marked that two fireplaces had been smoking. Emerges From 6-Day Trance in the public schools. | until the latter's death, about two | Mrs. Clara Lockley, Mrs. Pansy Balti- | more, Mrs. Rosalie Logan and Mrs. | VISITING NURSES Ord-Preston and Mrs. J. W. Davidge Re-elected Vice Presidents. Mrs. Harlan Piske Stone, wife of the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, yesterday was chosen presi- dent of the board of directors of the Instructive Visiting Nurse Society at a meeting in the organization's head- quarters in the Albee Building. * Ord Preston was re-elected first vice president, Mrs. John ‘W. Davidge was renamed second vice president, Miss Elsa Peterson was chosen third vice president and Mrs. John M. Stern- hagen secretary. Joshua Evans, jr., treasurer, and Charles W. Pimper, assistant secretary, were continued in office.. Evans read his treasurer’s re- port at the meeting. Acceptance of membership by three new members was announced at the meeting. They are Mrs. Henry Mor- genthau, Harold Marsh, a promi- nent lawyer and retiring president of the Kiwanis Club, and John L. Proc- tor, former controller of the currency. Resignation of Mrs. Wilder D. Baker from the board was accepted with regrets. Would Drop Delivery Service. Recommendation that the society drop the delivery service it has carried on for 20 years was made by Mrs. R. M. Kauffmann, chairman of the Nursing Committe, as a result of the organization's being forced to dispense with 14 field nurses and two clerks. After a letter from the Community Chest, of which the society is a mem- ber agency, was read, expressing regret at the curtailment of the budget and staff, Mrs. Kauffmann disclosed that the retrenchment will remove from the service staff not only the nurses who were added for a part of the years 1934 and 1935, but, in addition, four workers allowed in 1932. Miss Gertrude H. Bowling, execu- tive director, reported that several of the nurses marked for dismissal al- ready have left and that the others would retire within a fortnight. Two clerks, she said, already have been dismissed from the office staff. Is Only Night Service Offered. The service which the society is being forced to drop provides for sending nurses to attend mothers at | childbirth. It has been the only | service offered by the organization at night. Miss Bowling's report disclosed the society during 1935 cared for 32,376 | patients, who received 191,777 visits. She mentioned that the society had dropped three nurses and one super- visor as a result of the transfer No- ‘vember 1 of the special tuberculosis iservice to the Health Department. ‘\The society had undertaken this work | as an interim program until Congress | could appropriate money for the de- partment. The executive director praised the work of Dr. Ruhland, District health officer, in setting up a Nursing Bu- reau in his department. in keeping ! with standards advocated by leading authorities. She expressed pleasure at the cordiality of the relationship existing between the Nursing Bureau | and the society. Mrs. Wilson Gives Report. ‘The report of the Nominating Com- mittee was presented to the board by the chairman, Mrs. Charles F. Wilson. ‘Those present were: Mrs. Leonard A. Block, Miss Eliza- beth Bryan, Mrs. G. Howland Chase, Mrs. Whitman Cross, Mrs. Charles B. Crawford, Mrs. Davidge, Mrs. Charles | B. Glover, jr. Mr. Evans, Miss Janet | Houtz, Miss Virginia Hunt, John Ihl- der, Mrs. Kauffmann, R. M. Kauff- | mann, Mrs. Emery Scott Land, Mrs. | Keith Merill, Mrs. William Marbury, | George Hewitt Myers, Mrs. Cresson {Newbold, Mrs. John Jay O’Connor, | Miss Peterson, Mrs. Sternhagen, Mrs. Stone, Mrs. J. W. Turrentine, Mrs. John Marvin Wright, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs, | Morgenthau, Mr. Marsh and Miss Bowling, executive director. o KOLTES’ FUNERALS AT CHATTANOOGA Ashes of Mother and Son Who Died in Suicide Pact Sent to 0ld Home. ‘The ashes of Mrs. Capitola W. Koltes, 45, and her son, Robert Wil- liams Ashworth, 21, who committed suicide together last Friday by drink- ing poiscn, were to be buried today in Mrs. Koltes’ native Chattanooga, Tenn. The bodies of the attractive former movie magazine editor and the George ‘Washington University sophomore were cremated Monday. The ashes are in the custody of Kenneth Durham, a nephew of Dr. J. Victor Williams, Mrs. Koltes’ brother. A letter to Dr. Williams, left by Mrs. Koltes, expressing abhorrence of war and sympathy for mothers “who must give their sons to be killed and maimed in wars,” was read at the funeral serv- ices late yesterday by Miss Jeannette Rankin, former Representative from Montana and now an official of the National Council for Prevention of War. ‘The simple, 15-minute services were held at the Lee funeral home. About 30 persons attended, including Miss Mary Ida Winder, associate secretary of the anti-war council, from whom Mrs. Koltes bought two peace bonds a week before she killed herself. SUMMIT PARK GROUP TO STUDY REFERENDA Committee Appointed to Take Up Proposal of Commissioner Allen. A committee to study Commissioner George E. Allen’s referenda proposal was appointed last night by the Sum- mit Park Citizens’ Association. The committee, composed of J. S. Davis, James L. Kidwell and C. L. Hall, will report on the feasibility of the plan at the next meeting. The association’s deiegate to the Southeast Conference of Citizens’ As- sociations was instructed to introduce a resolution at the council’s next meet- ing to urge Fort Dupont Park as the site of the propdsed $10,000,000 Jefferson memorial. The backing of other civic organizations also will be asked. Prompt removal of snow was urged in a letter to the Highway Department, which stated that daring the recent snow some streets were neglected. Dr. A. P. Wilson of the Columbis Heights Christian Church gave the citizens an illustrated lecture on “Aus- tralis.” The meeting was held at 3903 Bangor street, with U. 8. Fisher, vice president, n'flmx Miss Anne Morgan, New York socialite, photographed yesterday with her brother, J. P. Morgan, al the Senate hearings, where Morgan and his associates have been appearing. —Underwood & Underwood Photo. NEW DEAL ATTACK PERTURBS DYERS Representative Short Brings Stormy Protest at Ses- sion Here. A bitter attack on the New Deal by Representative Short of Missouri caused a flurry of excitement yester- day afternoon at the opening session of the twenty-ninth annual conven- tion of the National Association of Dyers and Cleaners at Wardman Park Hotel. ’ ‘The Representative assailed policies of the administration in a “keynote” address, at conclusion of which a delegate leaped to his feet and moved that the speaker’s remarks be striken from the record. The move was greeted by a wave of applause, but was ruled out of order. Others Who Spoke. Speakers at this morning's meet- ing included Walter F. Franks, gen- eral manager of the Allied Trades Association; George A. Gaubatz, jr., industrial analyst, and D. S. Keogh of New York, an industrial engineer. A. J. Marshall of Mason City, Iowa, a director of the association; I. J. Fair- | child of the National Bureau of | Standards; Lloyd Peck, manager of the Laundry Owners’ National Asso- ciation, and Katharine Fisher of the Good Housekeeping Institute were to | address the delegates this afternoon | on technical subjects pertaining to | the industry. 1,000 Members Here. Almost 1,000 members of the as-| sociation are attending the three- day convention. They represent almost every State in the Union and such foreign countries as Poland, Holland, Scotland and Englaud. Representative Dies of Texas was principal speaker last night at a banquet in the Mayflower Hotel given | in honor of the retiring president of the association, John D. Gore of Beaumont, Tex. Mr. Gore’s successor will be chosen at the final session tomorrow afternoon, along with other new officers. Sight-seeing trips and a fashion show were on today’s entertainment program. - POINT BARROW MEDICAL MISSIONARY TO LEAVE Lack of Funds and Petition for Government Hospital Blamed by Dr. Greist. By the Associated Press. SEATTLE, Wash., January 15.—Dr. Henry W. Greist, Point Barrow's in- ternationslly known medical mission- ary, .has predicted sadly that agitation of “certain whites” and lack of funds would force him to leave the post he has held for 16 years. The man whose mission sheltered the bodies of Will Rogers and Wiley Post after their plane crash last August wrote in his mimeographed “newspaper,” the Northern Cross, that the unnamed whites were petitioning for a Government hospital. Dr. Greist also said the Presby- terian Church may have to surrender its Arctic hospital this year to the Office of Indian Affairs because of depleted funds. —_— GEN. O’RYAN REFUSES $25,000 PIN BALL POST By the Assoctated Press. NEW YORK, January 15.—Maj. Gen. John F. O'Ryan, former police commissioner, has announced he had declined an offer to serve as czar of the pin ball industry at a salary esti- mated at $25,000 to $50,000. The offer was made by four pin ball organizations after Mayor La Guardia banned pin ball games offering prizes. ROOSEVELT DANCE BENEFITSOUTLINED Treatment of Young Pa- tients Is Described by Mrs. Brooke. How the money to be raised at the President’s birthday dances here on the night of January 30 will be used to treat needy young patients at Chil- dren’s Hospital was described to a radio audience last night by Mrs. Frederick H. Brooke, president of the Board of Lady Visitors for the hos- pital. Mrs. Brooke described in particular the work of the orthopedic clinic as an aid to crippled children. “Marvelous results are obtained and the worth-whilenes® of the wotk comes home to us when we see a child, carried in a helpless cripple, later walk out without the aid of crutches,” she said. “This department holds clinics every Tuesday and Friday from 9 un- til noon, or until all cases have been diagnosed and treatment outlined. Here ambulatory cases receive the best of care from surgeons long experi- enced in the work, assisted by experi- enced nurses physiotherapy and occupational ther- apy departments.” Seventy per cent of the funds raised from the benefit dances here will go to Children’s and the remainder to the Warm Springs Foundation. The dances will be held at six leading ho- tels and Guy Lombardo’s Orchestra will make the circuit of the parties | to supplement the various hotel or- | chestras. A $2.50 ticket entitles each guest to | attend any dance or to visit them all, it was announced. SEVEN ARE FINED $10 FOR PAPER THEFTS Assessments Suspended in Police Court—Two Forfeit Collateral on Same Charges. Seven persons were given suspended fines of $10 each in Police Court yes- terday on charges of stealing news- papers from street racks. Two others forfeited collateral on the same charge. Those found guilty by Judge Isaac R. Hitt and on whom the fines were imposed were: Henry Maynus, 29, of the 200 block of Seventh street; Morris Lee Gibbs, 33, of the 500 block of Third street: Thomas P. Swanson, 42, of the 500 block of Third street; Oliver Davis, 31, colored, 1300 block of U street; Robert Cates, 54, no fixed address; George Williams, 31, no fixed address, and Frank Hanson, 55, of the 300 block of D street. Those who elected to forfeit col- lateral were Jesse Grant, 34, of the 200 block of D street, and Henry Sizemore, 71, of the 400 block of Penn- sylvania avenue. Testimony showed a newspaper rack at Sixth street and Pennsylvania ave- nue, which contained 60 papers, held only 15 cents in the cash box when all the papers had been taken. Two officers, it was testified, stationed themselves at the rack and watched as the papers were taken. Every time a paper was taken, they looked in the cash box to see if it had been paid for. When no money had been deposited, the officers said, they ap- proached the person taking the paper and offered to let him go if they would deposit the required 2 cents. Only those who refused to pay were taken into court, the officers said. Trains Endangered. Frequent attempts to wreck crack trains by placing ties across the track are reported in Australia. The °National Scene BY ALICE ROOSEVELT LONGWORTH Republicans, looking around for somebody to answer Presi- dent Roosevelt's message to Congress, hired & high-powered dramatist and an acting company. The major broadcasting . companies refuse to sell them time on the air for their skit, engagingly titled, “Liberty at the Crossroads.” The broadcasting people say they won't per- mit dramatization of political issues. Of course, they mean Republican dramatization, and their position is easily understood. They cannot rule out the President’s dramatizations, his driving the money changers out of the temple and the adventures of Andrew Jackson. 1If the opposition hoped to compete, it should at least have employed Garbo and Barrymore for the leads, and announced “The Broken Record” s its theme song. Instead, it offered a dramatic bit said to have cost only $270.00. The Republicans wouldn’t be bothering about skits if they had sny actors who could match® Mr. Roosevelt. and a well-equipped | D.C. MILITIALACKS GENERAL OFFICER Plans to Raise Strength Facus Attention on Com- mand Need. BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY. Plans of the War Department to increase the strength of the District National Guard has drawn the atten- tion of veteran and civic organiza- tions here to the fact that the local militia, for nearly twe years, has been without & commanding general. Steps are being formulated to present the matter to the President; who, under the organic act of the local Guard, is required to appoint a commanding general here. About April 1 the local Guard will be allocated a large increase in per- sonnel, a part of the 5000 increase allowed for the country at large by Congress at the last session. Tenta- tive plans for the increase have just been formulated by the War Depart- ment and provide for the organiza- tion here of three u,dsxmoml units, Increase Includes 11 Officers. The total increase allocated to the District is 11 officers and 204 enlisted men. One unit will be the 113th Mo- tor Transport Company of the 29th National Guard Division Quarter- master Train, which will have 2 officers and 49 enlisted men. There also has been allocated here the Head- quarters Company and Medical De- partment Detachment of the 29th Division Special Train, consisting of 5 efficers and 72 enlisted men; the Headquarters Detachment, 2d Bat- talion, 260th Coast Artillery, consist- ing of 1 officer and 18 enlisted men, and Battery F, 260th Coast Artillery, to have 3 officers and 66 enlisted men, The increase in the Coast Artiller; will make a full regiment here, and this increase will give the District two regiments of troops, in addition to the divisional organizations. The ot regiment is the 260th Coast Artiller; In addition to the fact the Capital should have a brigadier general to command its militia, it was pointed out, the increase in troops necessitates a general officer who will direct the affairs of all the units. Since the death of Maj. Gen. Anton | Stephan, the work of directing the | affairs of the Guard have fallen, by | virtue of his seniority, on Col. John W. Oehmann, commander of the 121s | Regiment of Engineers. In addition to his duties in directing the regi- | mental operations, which include di- | visional . operations, Col. Oehmann is | required to direct the affairs of other | units now formed here, and to handle | the important duties of the adminis- | trative office. Longest Period Without General. It is pointed out by those familiar with local Guard history that this is the longest period the local Guard has been without a commanding general. This is an important time in its his- tory, with impending increases and the importance of finding armory space | for the troops, a matter which finally probably will have to be taken up in Congress. The appointment of a commanding general for the local Guard with the rank of brigadier general is held by those who have examined the organic act to be mandatory on the President, but, it was explained, that the Chief Executive does not act in such cases { until the matter is brought to his at- | tention by the proper authorities, which in this case is the War De- partment. In view of the fact that the War Department has had the matter un- der consideration for many months without any action, it is likely that civic and veteran organizations will bring the matter to the attention of the President, with a view to having him ask the War Department to make a recommendatlon. Composite Brigade Here. While the District of Columbia does not have a brigade of troops of any particular arm of the service, it does have a number of distinct organiza- tions, the total number of which about total the number in a peace- time National Guard Brigade. It was pointed out by military officials that ‘he troops here form what might be termed a composite brigade, which requires the direction of a brigadier general. Also it was pointed out that the fact that the force is located in the National Capital and is the only Pederal Militia in the country war- rants its having a brigadier general to direct its affairs. Shortly after the death of Gen. Stephan several officers, both inside and outside of the Guard, were con- sidered for the appointment when the War Department had the mat- ter under consideration. It is un- derstood that the matter now is lying in the files of the gen- eral staff and it is the hope of those interested in the provision of a general officer here that their ef- forts will result in stirring it out of the files and sent on its way to the White House with a recommenda- tion that the appointment be made. Irvin S. Cobb Says: | | | Tattooed Lady Should Make Ideal Wife and Mother, SANTA MONICA, Calif., January 15, —In a theatrical paper I read that one of the most coplously illustrated. tattooed ladies in the business is fixing to be divorced from a husband who's also of the sideshowing pro- fession. I re~ member the lady well, sitting on a platform, and in response to re- quests, slowly turning around s0 the audience could see what she had to say on the other side. ‘Well, every man to his taste, but I've always fig- would be kind of fascinate lady for a help-