Evening Star Newspaper, February 10, 1940, Page 1

Weather Forecast Rain this afternoon and tonight; to- morrow fair and colder; lowest toright about 38 degrees. Temperatures (o= day—Highest, 39, at 1 p.m.; lowest, 35, at 5 am. From the United States Weather Sureau report. Full details on Page A-2. Closing N. Y. Markets--Sales, Page 16. 88th YEAR. No. 34,983. ch ¢ ‘WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION Fhening » i Establis a Star delivered (P) Means WASHINGTON, D. C., SATURDAY,'FEBRUARY 10, "1940—THIRTY-FOUR PAGES. ** Roosevelt Denounces Russia As Barrier to Any Peace Now In Talk to Youth Congress Brands as ‘Twaddle’ Claim Finn Aid Is Step to War (Text of the President's Address on Page A-10.) —— Sty . By JOHN C. HENRY. America’s Avms, Hu Bitterly denouncing Russia’s Com- munistic government, Pres‘xdmt As Secretary of State Hull today Roosevelt declared today that his amplified his formal announcement hopes that the Soviet would eventu- | of yesterday that the United States ally become a peace-loving member | has begun informal peace talks with of the family of nations has been | neutral countries, warning came “either shattered or put away in|from Paris that the “constant peril” storage against a better day.” of Germany must be crushed before Addressing delegates to the Ameri- | France can join any international can Youth Congress from the south | economic system such as Mr. Hull portico of the White House, the | mentioned. President delivered one of his most Mr. Hull, however, again empha- strongly-worded and significant a sized that a post-war peace pro- Paris’ Reaction dresses bearing on our relations with any foreign government. On several occasions throughout | his half-hour address, the Chief | gram of disarmament and liberal trade policies are the objectives of discussions now under way between the United States and other neu- Nazis Must Be Crushed First, to Peace Step Trade and Post-War Arms Reduction Il Declares nouncement of informal diplomatic conrversations with neutrals “relating to a sound international economic system and, at the same time, world- | wide reduction of armaments.” | “England and France are now | seeking by victory of their arms to | obtain ‘material and positive guar- antees’ of peace without which no stable organization of international relations could be established either |in the politicdl or the economic | field,” the French note said, accord- ing to the Associated Press. At his press conference today Sec- retary Hull pointed out that this hed in 1852 Most people in Washington have The to their homes every evening and Sunday morning. Associated Press. THREE CENTS. Ramspeck Bill Changes Seen In Senafe Amended Measure Would Exclude D. C,, Maryland and Virginia BACKGROUND— House passage of the Ramspeck bill marks another step in the eflorts of President Roosevelt to extend civil service generally throughout the executive agen- cies to positions exempt by law. The legislation complements a plan to bring inte civil service also several thpusand positions in upper brackets, whose status may be changed without new law. By WILL P. KENNEDY. ‘The Ramspeck bill to bring thou- sands of Federal employes under civil service was headed for the Government has been striving for | Senate today, with the opinion pre- vailing vhat material changes would be made in the measure which passed the House late yesterday carrying an amendment that would pointedly warned the Youth Con- | tral nations and of the assignment gress, itself often accused of Com-|on which Undersecretary Sumner a long time to keep alive basic withhold its benefits from workers munistic domination, that its mem- bers have a sacred duty to confine their reform efforts to the consti-| tutional processes of the United | States Government. | “You have no American right, by act or deed of any kind,” he re-| marked sharply, “to subvert the Government and the Constitution of this Nation.” 5 Finn Aid Foes Assailed. | In bitter tone, even though with | a smile, the President described as “unadulterated twaddle” the conten- | dion by one of the congress affiliates | that American efforts to aid Finland | constitute an attempt to force this zountry into an imperialistic war. | “That reasoning was unadul- | terated twaddle, " he rapped, “based | perhaps on sincerity, but, at the | game time, on 90 per cent ignorance ©f what they were talking about.” | Proceeding then into the whole | controversial Finnish-Russian lssue.‘ the President described the smalier Paris | /deas and programs relating to a| | Welles will visit Rome, Berlin, sound and stable international re- | | and London. from the District, Maryland, Vir- ginia and other States which have A semi-official note said Mr. Welles | would be welcomed on his mission of seeking information. but com- mented more coolly on the HuHl an- lationship after the war in Europe is over. Considered fundamentals of this “(See PEACE MOVES, Page A-4.) 2,400“Y';fiih D;:Iegaies‘ March in Rain to Hear Roosevelt Paraders Arrive Early; Wait to Give President Enthusiastic Reception About 2,400 marching delegates of the American Youth Congress gath- Reds’ Massed Drive Repulsed for Ninth Day, Finns Report All Assaults Are Thrown Back With Big Losses, Command Declares By the Associated Press. HELSINKI, Feb. 10.—The Red Baltic nation as one wishing “solely | ered around the south portico of the | Army's massed offensive on the fo maintain its own territorial and | White House at 12:30 p.m. today | Karelian Isthmus was continued for | governmental integrity. Nobody | With any pretense at common sense believes that Finland had any | ulterior designs on the integrity of the Soviet Union.” “That American sympathy is 98 per cent with the Finns in their effort to stave off invasion of their bwn soil is by now axiomatic. That America wants to help them by lending or giving money to them to save their own lives is also axiomatic by now. That the Soviet Union | would, because of this, declare war on, the United States is about the most absurd thought that I have ever heard advanced in the 58 years of my life. War Table Called Absurd. “That we are going to war with the Soviet Union is an equally silly thought and, therefore, while I have hot the slightest objection in the world to the passing of futile reso- lutions by conventions, I do think that there is room for improvement In common sense thinking and defi- nite room for improvement in the art ‘ of not passing resolutions concerning things one knows very little about. “And so I suggest that all of you smile and—don't do it again.” Of Soviet Russia, the President admitted the utmost sympathy 20 Years ago for the Russian people and definite hopes that the leaders of Communism would bring a better era to their nation. In its early days, he remarked, the Communis- | tic movement brought improved | education. better health and greater | opportunity to millions “who had | been kept in ignorance and serfdom | under the imperial regime.” At the same time, Mr. Roosevelt | added, he disliked the regimentation | under Communism, abhorred in-| discriminate killings and deprecated | the banishment of religion. “I hoped that Russia would work out its own problems and that their | government would eventually be- come a peace-loving popular govern- | ment which would not interfere with the integrity of its neighbors. | “That hope is today either shat- tered or put away in storage against | a better day. The Soviet Union, as | a matter of practiced fact, * * * is a dictatorship as absolute as any | other dictatorship in the world. It " (See ROOSEVELT, Page A-T.) Lawyer Suifig for Million Held on Old Larceny Charge By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, Feb. 10.—Attorney General John J. Bennett, jr., today announced the arrest of Rudolf | Hecht, stock broker and promoter, | on a five-year-old 1ndiczmencl charging grand larceny. Mr. Bennett said the indictment | against Hecht grew out of an inves- | tigation of his stock promoting ac- | tivities| | Hecht has a $1,000,000 suit pend- | ing in the appellate division of Su- preme Court, in which he says he was promised that fee for arranging & $30,000,000 loan to China two years ago. Papers in connection with the suit set forth that Basil O'Connor, President Roosevelt's former law partner, “personally pressed” on the Chief Executive and Secretary of State Hull the successful conclusion of the loan. Discussing his suit with news- papermen last Thursday, Hecht re- marked that he once had been ar- rested in connection with a finan- cial transaction, but had been exonerated. Hecht, & native of Germany and | a friend of the former Kaiser Wil- ‘helm, was said by Assistant Attor- ney General Ambrose V. McCall to have had a comparatively long record of successful tussles with the law. The American Bankers’ Associ- ation issued a statement saying that Hecht should not be confused wi‘h Rudolf S. Hecht, New Orleans banker and former president of the and gave President Roosevelt an en- thusiastic reception as he addressed them. The delegation reached the White | the ninth successive day, the Finns reported tonight, but all assaults | were thrown back with heavy losses. Russian infantry continued to at- House grounds about 45 minutes in | tack with undiminished vigor and | advance of the schedule of the cere- | with heavy artillery and tank sup-| are entitled to under the apportion- | ment law, This law purports to apportion positions in the District of Colum- bia to the States on the basis of comparative population. Due to the wartime influx, the District and its two neighbors are far above “quota,” | while a dozen or more other States | also customarily have more places than they are due. Provisions of Amendment. The troublesome amendment was sponsored by Representative Keller, Democrat, of Illinois, and Repre- sentative Nichols, Democrat, of Okla- homa. It reads: “Notwithstanding any of the pro- visions of subsection (a), no person | shall be covered into civil service, appointed, transferred or promoted | to any position covered into the | classified service under the pro- | visions of section 1 of this act if | such person is from a State whose | quota is more than filled unless and | until the quota of all States whose | quota of positions in the classified service is unfilled has been filled. | As used in this section, the term more persons in service than they | Pelley Would Jail La Follette, Dickstein And Lewis for Life Starnes Warns Against Using Un-American Quiz As ‘Sounding Board’ By the Associated Press. William Dudley Pelley, head of | the Silver Shirt Legion, testified | today he favored life imprisonment for Senator La Follette, Wisconsin Progressive; John L. Lewis, C. I. O. head. and Representative Dickstein, | New York Democrat. | Mr. Pelley advocated this action while being questioned by Repre- sentative Voorhis, Democrat, of Cal- 15 Are Killed 'When Tornado Hits Albany, Ga. Several Hundred Hurt; 85% of Stores Reported Damaged By the Associated Press. ALBANY, Ga., Feb. 10—Between 12 and 15 persons were killed and several hundred injured by a tor- nado which smashed the business section of this Southwest Georgia city today. Chairman L. R. Ferrell of the Albany Red Cross Chapter made the estimate of dead in a wire to Na- tional Red Cross headquarters and told James R. Blair of the Amer- icus Times-Recorder that “it was impossible to say” exactly how many. Mr. Blair said a Railway Express employe told him about 85 per cent of the business buildings and “sev- eral hundreds homes” were either wrecked or badly damaged. He said all indications were the death list would run considerably higher, with many victims in one of the smaller hotels, but that no accurate check had been made. Guardsmen Ordered to City. Two companies of National \Blue Plains Inmates to Testify | On Conditions at Home | whose population was 14,507 in 1930, | Guardsmen were ordered to the city | by Gov. E. D. Rivers. Heavy rain followed the winds, preventing fires, but making rescue work difficult. Debris littered streets of the city, | Communication and power lines were | witnesses. District Suffrage, Full or Partial, Is Urged by Mrs. Roosevelt ‘ (Transcript of Mrs. Roosevelt’s Testimony on Page A-18. By MIRIAM OTTENBERG. Given impetus by the testimony | of Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the | Public Health Subcommittee of the | House District Committee, investi- gating District welfare institutions, | announced today it would call in- | mates of the Home for the Aged and Infirm at Blue Plains as its next | | sandro wants the survey to be pre- | sented to his subcommittee to be | incorporated in the final report of the investigation. The survey, as proposed by the | subcommittee chairman, would call on the services of “unbiased ex- perts” with one of its members to be | from the Public Health Service. After discussing the plight of vari- ous District institutions, Mrs. Roose- velt, first wife of a President to | appear before a congressional ‘com- | | mittee, recommended District suf- frage and said that perhaps na- tional representation for District residents “would be a good thing.” | Representative Thomas D'Alesan- dro, jr.. chairman of the subcom- mittee which yesterday starred Mrs | Roosevelt as its first witness, said he damaged. Damage was estimated by Man- aging Editor W. M. Pryse of the Albany Herald at $3.000.000 W. B. Bryan. manager of the tele- ‘phone company. said the storm struck the business area near the post office. He said the New Albany Hotel. the Gordon Hotel, the St. Nicholas Hotel, the Royal Building. Radio Station WGPC and several other business structures along or near Pine avenue were “damaged or demolished.” Hotel Unroofed. An estimate of the death toll awaited a check of street debris and the top floor of the unroofed St. Nicholas Hotel Martha Percilla, Atlanta Journal correspondent, reported to her news= paper by telephone four hours after ifornia as the House committee in- | would invite at least three inmates | the storm, “They are carrying out mony after parading their banners| through a cold, drizzling rain from Fourth street and Constitution avenue. Few spectators were on hand for the parade, except for casual groups at street corners along the route port, but nowhere were the Pinnish |lines broken, declared the high | command. | Tonight's communique reported destruction yesterday of 32 enemy | tanks, making a total of 72 destroyed captured in two days. also and clerks looking out the windows | reported four Russian planes shot of the line of Government buildings | down. on Constitution avenue. Although the heaviest assaults Mrs. Roosevelt. who has been con- | were on the Karelian Isthmus, spicuous in championing American | where the Red Army has made its youth, was an interested spectator | main efforts to break through, the as the parade bearing banners ap- | Finns reported that the Russians | proached the White House grounds. | lost 800 men killed northeast of | ‘State’ includes a Territory and the District of Columbia.” | Advised of this provision, Harry | | B. Mitchell, president of the Civil | Service Commission, said that, “on the face of reports, it appears that if the bill as it passed the House becomes .1aw’ 1t will be extremely difficult to administer,” He also expressed the opinion that it appears who may be in excess of their quota today, but may be in arrears tomor- row, if it freezes the situation as it is on the day it becomes law.” to be “very unjust to many States | vestigating un-American activities | continued delving into affairs of the Silver Shirts. { ‘The line of questioning brought a clap of gavel pounding from Rep- rresentative Starnes, Democrat, of Alabama, gcting , who said he was not going let the com- mittee serve as a “sounding board” Ame Mr. Voorhis questioned Mr. Pelley about some of his writings, includ- ing an article advocating that Sen- {ator La Follette, Mr. Lewis and | for loose charges against ludlnz{ ricans. “Worthy of Consideration. | “It is worth considering when you | are studying the whole question,” she acdded in answer to a question | from Representative Jennings Rans= dolph, chairman of the House Dis= trict Committee, who with Repre- sentative D’'Alesandro and Repre- | sentative Ambrose Kennedy, also of the House District Committee, ques- | tioned Mrs. Roosevelt during the | session | In asking his question about na- | tional representation, Mr. Randolph said: to testify at the next hearing, to be held Tuesday at 10:30 am. Scheduled to appear at the same hearing are Robert Bondy. director | of the Board of Public Welfare, and | Frank Haskell, superintendent of | the Blue Plains institution, to which attention was directed by Mrs. Roosevelt visit two weeks ago. D'Alesandro for Quick Action. ,As a result of Mrs. Roosevelt’s testimony, Chairman D'Alesandro | said he felt something should be | done immediately to remedy the | conditions which Mrs. Roosevelt bodies.” She said one residential area five blocks south of the business section, the 400 blocks of Oglethorpe and Highland avenues, was ‘“swept clean,” by the tornado which struck the sleeping populace about 4:10 am. Sity State highway patrolmen were concentrated here from nearby cities to - assist Albany authorities and guardsmen in rescue work. The Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital reported ambulances brought in injured persons so fast that floor space was used to care for them. Representative Dickstein be. tried | y /14" the committee left her with “It has seemed to some people who Power Lines Fail. Mrs. Roosevelt on Curb. Sheltered from the weather by a rain cape, Mrs. Roosevelt stood on the curbstone like any other Wash- | that “according to confirmed re-| ington spectator and waved to the groups of young people as they passed. She took her position with Jack McMichael, chairman of the congress, on the small triangle near the east entrance to the grounds. Guarded by cordons of police, the parade passed into the grounds in a quiet and orderly fashion. The only clamor cam® from a sound wagon that accompanied the march- ers. A police count of the number of marchers in the parade listed 2400 participants, male and female, white and colored. The women were rep- resented by 1,081 paraders and the men with 1319. Nearly 185 colored marchers were counted by police along with 2,216 white persons. Lewis Afternoon Speaker. Following the White House cere- mony, the Youth Congress was scheduled to hold a session this afternoon in the Departmental Au- ditorium. John L. Lewis, president of the Congress of Industrial Or- ganizations, was to be the principal speaker. The crowd waited patiently in the rain for the President to ap- pear on the south portico. A group of somber-clad pilgrims headed the line of march. Behjnd them, 35 young men and women bore a 20-foot American flag. Dies Committee Hit. The parade was marked by an assortment of slogans written on banners and placards carried by the 20 or more patrols, advocating the various causes which the American Youth Congress is supporting in Washington. Absent from the line of march were some of the advertised floats, including one which was to have carried Luise Ranier, the motion picture star, costomed as Joan d’Arc crusading for peace. Scores of placards aimed at the Dies Committee on Un-American Activities were conspicuous in the line of march. Some of them read in large letters, “Dies is flippity about the civil liberties bill.” An- other read, “The truth never dies.” Others bore the legend, “Bow down to Martin Dies! 57 kinds of lies,” and “The Dies Committee Hearsay.” Behind the huge American flag marched youngsters bearing the standards of various States. A large picture of Abraham Lincoln (See YOUTH CONGRESS, Pg. A-7.) Lincoln Legend As a tribute to the memory of Abraham Lincoln the Cross Roads Theater Players will be featurtd in a radio dramatiza. WMAL at 7:30 p.m. & This is another in the series operation of the National Broad- casting Co, and the Board of Education. association. A Lake Ladoga, site of another long- continued battle. | The communique also announced | ports, Col. Borisoff, commanding |the 11th Russian Division, was | killed in fighting on February 8.” i There were no further details and no indication why a colonel should have been in command of a division. Shells Dropped From Planes. Artillery shells and hand grenades replaced bombs in Russian warplane | attacks and Finns fought with bay- | onets instead of bullets as heavy | fightipg apparently depleted supplies of both nations. | Finns reported today that shells | of all sizes were being dropped from ‘planes on Finnish positions in the war zone, They said the use of shelis indicated a shortage of bombs, which was believed to be the reason for a slackening of air attacks on civilian Finland. The only home area reported bombed yesterday was Hanko, south- western part, where 25 bombs were dropped but no casualties were re- ported. Fieroe Fight on Isthmus. Fierce fighting wassreported yes- terday on the Karelian Isthums, where wave after wave of Russians advanced on Finnish posts but were reported repulsed in savage bayonet and hand-grenade encounters with the Firns. Finnish officers reported the Red Army had advanced in such great numbers that ammunition- supplies temporarily ‘were exhausted faster than replenishments could be rushed to the front. Soviet infantrymen pushed against the Finns in the Summa - sector, military observers said, in a des- perate effort to break the thus far impregnable Mannerheim fortifica- tions. Despite losses which the Finns placed in the thousands, the Rus- sians were attempting to batter down resistance by the sheer weight ot numbers. (The Russian communique said repeated Finnish attempts to “recover lost positions in the Karelian 1sthmus were repulsed with heavy losses for the enemy. Soviet airplanes successfully bombed military objectives.”) Artillery fire was reported through- out the isthmus front. Russian wounded were left on the field, Finnish advices from the front said, due to an apparent breakdown in the Soviet transportation system that made difficult the removal of casualties to hospitals. Finnish military observers were mystified by the letup in recent days of Russian air attacks. Air raid alarms sounded at Turku yester- day, but no Soviet planes were re- ported sighted elsewhere. Heaviest fighting on the Karelian front was between Punnunjoki and Panuri, on the central section. The Finns estimated Russian losses at more than 700, but made no men- tion of their own. In the far north the Russians were reported hurled back in an at- tempt to take Hoyhenjarvi, south of the Petsamo district, and Pipnish patrols broke h enemy lines at Salmijarvi, nickel mining district and scene of previous Russian set- backs, | Action Not Mandatory. The Ramspeck bill, passing by a | vote of 214 to 110, would blanket into the civil service by executive | order. in the direction of the Presi- | dent, under non-competitive exami- nation some 250,000 to 300,000 tem- porary employes; many of them with New Deal agencies, some of which already are dated for expiration; some of whom with many years of service have no civil service status; deputy collectors of internal reve- nue and deputy marshals, and would authorize the President to extend the classification to the field serv- ice. It is now pointed out that the language of the bill is not manda- tory and leaves mn the discretion of the President just how far he will go in extending the civil service, leaving out certain units if he sees fit. The Works Progress Adminis- tration is specifically exempt. An effort was first made to hold all future appointments, following this blanketing in, to the State quotas. It had been emphasized in debate that 33 States are below their quotas, while the rest and the (See RAMSPECK, Page A-3) Another German Liner Runs British Blockade By the Associated Press. BERLIN, Feb. 10—The trade paper Bergwerkszeitung reported to- day the Hamburg American-North German Lloyd liner Cordillera reached Hamburg Thursday after running the British blockade from Murmansk, Russia. Summary of Page. A-12 B-7 Page. Amusements, B-16 Church News, A-13-14-15 Comics _.B-14-15 Editorial A-8 Finance -A-16-17 Lost, Found B-10 Obituary - Radio - Real Estate, B-1-7 gociety A-11 ports _ Woman’s Pg. B-6 Foreign New Russian attacks repelled, Fin- land’ reports. Page A-1 Red pact disappoints Reich, Brit- ish air chief says. Page A-3 Nazi ‘attack near Sayrelouis re- pulsed, say French. Page A-3 Daladier confidence vote caps Cham- ber war debate today. Page A-3 Poles have better rule than ever, Nazi governors boast. Page A-l‘ Soviet reported hastening defenses on Turk frontier. Page A-3 German plane believed sighted off British coast. Page A-3 Pilgrims stream to Lhasa for Dalai lama’s enthronement. Page A-3 National $100,000,000 cut in Navy fund by sub- committee reported. Page A-1 Several killed, 75 hurt in Georgia tornada. A-1 8. peace moves. A-1 Wcshing'ton and Vicinity Aged home inmates to testify on conditions, Page A-1 '3 Page Varying reactions greet news of U. |- Page | and given life imprisonment. | British Bombing Rai;i On Nazi Base Reported | By the Associated Press. | TOENDER, Denmark, Feb. 10.—A British bomber raided the German | naval base on the island of Sylt to- |day, Davish observers said, drop- ping four bombs. Sylt is in the North off the southwestern Danish coast. Observers at the Danish frontier said they saw the plane pass over the southern part of the island, then wheel westward toward the sea atfer unloading the bombs. The British Air Ministry issued this denial: “A report coming from a foreign source states a British bomber raided the Island of Sylt and dropped four bombs this morn- i;xz. ‘The report is without founda- tion.” - Fireworks Plant Blasts Believed Accidental By the Associated Press. REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Feb. 10.—Police Chief Harry M. Peter- sen said today explosions which' wrecked a large fireworks plant ap- parently were accidental. He said the first major explosion occurred in a building in which chemicals subject fo spontaneous combustion were stored. Today's Star Roosevelt attacks Russia in talk to Youth Congress. Page 'A-1 D. C. business groups ask job tax bill delay. Page A-1 Ruling applies D. C. tax to all domi- ciled in Capital. Page A-18 Hoover denounces Civil Service board for “red tape.” PageA-18 Sports Return bout looms as “slipping” Louis beats Godoy. Page B-8 Ewell cracks 26-year-old record; Fenske beats Glen. Page B-8 Unbanked track mark target of mile aces in Baltimore. Page B-8 Sixth win in row proves Roosevelt quint’s title class. Page B-9 Editorial and Comment Page A-8 Page A-8 Page A-8 Page A-9 Page A-9 Page A-9 Page A-9 Page A-9 Letters to The Star. David Lawrence. . Alsop and Kintner. G. Gould Lincoln. Constantine Brown. Preston Grover. Miscellany Service Orders. Nature's Children, Page B-5 Page B-7 Page B-14 Page B-14 Page B-14 Page B-15 Page B-15 Page .B-§ by a jury of “Silver Shirt” members | | & “sickening feeling.” As an immediate step, the Repre- sentative recommended the start of |a general survey of public welfare | Institutions in the District. Unlike | the District Commissioners, however, who recently put forward a similar proposal to be presented to Con- gress at its next session, Mr. D'Ale- are living in the District of Co- | lumbia—who are actually bona fide residents and who cannot establish | a residence in the State from which | they came, where they can partici- | pate as voters—that they shouid have a right to vote for the President | of the United States, perhaps for a | "(See INSTITUTIONS, Page A-10.) Answer Census Quiz, President Urges, Pledging Secrecy Co-operation of All Over 18 Is Asked in Proclamation ‘Taking cognizance of recent po- litical criticisms of the comprehen- sive nature of the 16th decennial census scheduled to be undertaken on April 1, President Roosevelt to- day called on all persons over 18 years of age to answer all questions involved, warned that failure would constitute a violation of law, and gave assurance there need be no fear of harm or improper use of the material thus acquired. The President’s declaration was contained in a formal proclamation that the census is to be made, con- cluding with the reminder that co- operation in the country should be regarded as one of the requirements of good citizenship embraced within the variety of responsibilties en- tailed in the preservation of life and liberty linder a free democracy. In recent weeks, frequent criti- cism, much of it claiming unneces- sary probing of personal matters by government for some “sinister” pur- pose, has been directed at the forth- coming census. Only a few days ago the administration leadership beat down an effort in the House to cur- tail the census funds as a means of narrowing the scope of the study. Detailed questions about homes, other resources are included in the comprehensive questionnaire al- ready prepared. Defends Nature of Study. The President defended the com- prehensive nature of the study as being essential to a measuring of the effects of “the difficult decade now closing” and as a guide for the fu- ture. The proclamation follows: “Whereas, pursuant to the Act of approved June 18, 1929, 46 Stat,, 21, the 16th decennial cen- sus of the United States will be taken beginning April 1, 1940, and “Whereas, the census, which will mark the 150th anniversary of the first’ United States census, is re- quired by the Constitution of the portlnment samoog e, peversl veral States of seats in the Knuu"e of Representatives, and “Whereas, - the information ob- tained from the census inquiries tis year must present a complete farms, industrial properties and| D.C. Business Groups Ask Delay in Action On Job Tax Change Qrganizations Contend Amendment Is in Need Of Critical Study Members of the House District | Committee had before them todayi formal requests from spokesmen for 120 Washington business groups for a delay in the vote on the proposed | revision of the District Unemploy- ment Compensation Act, to permit | time for further study. Telegrams to this effect were sent | last night to all members of the | House District Committee following a lengthy joint meeting between authorized spokesmen for the vari- ous organizations. The pending bill, which would reduce the pay roll tax rate from 3 to 2.7 per cent and liberalize benefit payments to the jobless, now is on the House calendar for action Monday. Want “Critical Examination.” Decision to seek a temporary delay in House action was reached after the group decided many features of the bill needed ‘critical examina- tion.” The joint meeting, held at the offices of the Board of Trade, at the invitation of its president, Law- rence E. Williams, came after a week of intensive study of the meas- ure by some of its officials. The following message was sent to the House District Committee members: “Duly authorized representatives of the organizations signing this telegram have today met and con- sidered H. R. 7926, a bill to amend the District of Columbia Unemploy- ment Compensation Act. The study of the bill by these groups, which has been in progress for the past week, has convinced them that there are many features of H. R. 7926 which need further study and critical examination before being enacted into law. We, therefore, join in requesting the House Com- /mittee on the District of Columbia to postpone action on H. R. 7926 for at least two weeks so that we may have an opportunity to further study the matter and discuss it with the District of Columbia Commit- tee.” : | Banks and Bar Sign. Spokesmen for the following groups signed the message: Wash- ington Board of Trade, District {See CENSUS, Page A-7.) 4 = l (Bee JOB TAX, Page A-4) 4 Trees were leveled. buildings un- roofed and windows smashed. The clock was blown from the dome of the Dougherty County Courthouse. The city was plunged into dark- ness when power lines failed. Mr. Pryse reported a foot-square piece of paving was blown through an upstairs window of his home. Debris was scattered in the streets. Ambulance drivers were ordered to pick up only the injured, leaving the bodies for later. Roaring out of the Southwest tornado ripped through sco: shanties, smashed railroad proper- | ties around the station and unroof- ed the depot, and crushed the walls of the buildings along the main business street. Mr, Pryse said the storm roared out of the Southwest “like a thou- sand freight trains.” Store Fronts Smashed. “Only the fact it came at night saved us from being another Gaines- ville,” he declared. “Every store front downtown is smashed and many of the roofs are caved in.” More than 200 persons were killed in the disastrous Gainesville, Ga., tornado in 1936. A quick survey of the Albany business section showed the three- story Elks Club building was wreck= | ed, the floors and walls falling in’on stores on the ground floor. Rosenberg Bros, a department store, also was damaged; the three- story Sears Roebuck store, Wool- worth, a new A. and P. Super Market and the Binns Hotel were described by Mr. Pryse as “almost complete wrecks.” 15 Red Cross Workers Ordered to Albany By the Associated Press. The Red Cross announced that 15 disaster relief workers would be sent to Albany, Ga., today. These include one physician, Dr. ‘William De Kleine, medical director of the Red Cross; three other per- sons from Washington headquar- ters, including a nurse, six nurses from Macon, Ga., and five Red Cross representatives now in the State. Dr. De Kleine has a 3 pm. plane reservation. De Witt C. Smith, the Red Cross’ national director of disaster relief, received a report from John Phil- lips of the Albany Red Cross that 250 injured had been treated at 9 am. Mr. Phillips also reported an emergency hospital had been set up and that blankets and cots had been received from the United States Army post at Fort Benning. Pope Marks Anniversary Of Pius XI's Death By the Associated Press, ' VATICAN CITY, Feb. 10.—Pope Pius XII made an unprecedented appearance today in St. Peter's to participate in the pontifical mass commemorating the 1st anniversary of the death of Pope Pius XI. Although pontiffs usually do not attend these ceremonies, the Pope was reported to have wished to emphasize his close ties with his redecessor. M \;