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News Review of Current
Events the World Over
President Shows Confidence in Tugwell by Promoting
Him High Tax Senators Win a Victory—National
Milk Control Program Withdrawn.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S reply
to the attacks on Rexford Guy Tug
well, which were renewed by oppo
nents of the administration after Jh«
Wirt story was made
public, comes In the
form of promotion for
the head of the brain
trust. He has been
serving as assistant
secretary of agricul
ture, and is now ad
vanced by the Presi
dent to the newly cre
ated position of un
dersecretary of agri
culture, Ids salary be
ing Increased from $7,-
J
K 43^
R. G. Tugwell
500 to SIO,OOO a year. A new as
slstant secretary can now he appoint
ed who will relieve Mr. Wallace and
Mr. Tugwell of some of their heavy
duties. The department has been con
sidered understaffed. The post of
undersecretary was created by a re
cent act of congress.
Tugwell’s appointment will have to
be confirmed by the senate, and It was
considered certain the Republicans
would take advantage of the opportu
nity to make fresh attacks on him and
bls theories of government.
The President also advanced Thom
as Jefferson Coolidge, a Boston bank
er, from assistant secretary to tinder
secretary of the treasury, which posi
tion had been vacant since Raymond
Moley stepped out. The higher per
sonnel of that department Is now be
ing placed on a permanent basis for
the first time since Henry Morgenthau,
Jr., became Its head.
MEMBERS of the American Society
of Newspaper Editors assembled
in Washington heard a warm and elab
orate defense of the New Heal dellv
ered by Professor Tugwell, who is
in part responsible for most of the
recovery measures adopted by the
present administration. Denying that
those who are advising the President
seek to bring about radical changes
In the life and economic policies of the
American people, Professor Tugwell
described himself as a "thorough con
servative.”
"We have a saving Irreverence of
authority," said Professor Tugwell In
speaking of the characteristics of the
American people, “which gets us out of
holes. These basic traits determine
the structure of our laws and of our
government. No one, with the slight
est sense of history, would try to lit
such a people into a regimented
scheme, would try to think for them
Instead of getting them to think for
themselves.
"The New Deal is not something
which can establish itself In the mind
of a dictator or a small governing
group. That was the fatal theory of
the system from which we are turning
away. Its base has to be as broad as
the economy which has to be brought
under control and as deep as the minds
and the hearts of the people whom it
affects."
VICTORY In the conference was won
by the senate high tax bloc, for
the house conferees accepted virtual
ly all the senate Increases in estate
and gift taxes, the capital stock and
excess profits taxes and liberal com
promises over income-tax publicity and
consolidated returns.
The conference agreement was com
plete except for the Couzens amend
ment, adding 10 per cent to all individ
ual income-tax returns next year.
'llie house will take a separate vote
on this, and it was believed the senate
would not Insist on it if It were re
jected by the house.
With the revenue bill thus disposed
of, the senate finance committee be
gan public hearings on the adminis
tration's reciprocal tariff bill, which
the house has passed.
SENATORS who urge the remonetiz
ation of silver held a conference
with President Roosevelt but received
from him no encouragement for silver
legislation, though no conclusion was
reached. The possibility of silver pur
chases was discussed and the President
indicated a disposition t» give this
matter consideration, but on the whole
there was no indication the govern
ment will embark on such a policy.
The silver senators were not at all
satisfied with the President's attitude
and held a meeting at which eight
voted to support mandatory legisla
tion for the benefit of silver.
latter ft was reliably stated that the
President was maturing a plan for in
ternational stabilization of currencies
and that silver figures prominently in
It. Mr. Roosevelt, It was revealed, fa
vors the inclusion of silver in the met
al base of currency issues to the ex
tent of 30 per cent, the remaining TO
per cent to be gold. This change can
lie safely made, however, the President
points out. only by international agree
ment whereby all the signatory nations
would admit silver to their reserves
against which paper money is issued.
In the Ixmdon economic and mone
tary conference Senator Key Pittman
offered such a plan, proposing that cen
tral banks keep 20 per cent, or one
fifth, of their metal cover or reserve
for currency in silver. The proposal
was not acted on at the conference.
C HESTER O. DAVIS, head of the
Earm Adjustment administration,
announced that the national milk con
trol program designed to help dairy
farmers bad been withdrawn “because
we do not feel that it has sufficient
support from the farmers." It senti
ment changes it may be revived later,
but for the present, only minor fea
tures are to be carried out. These
Include dairy purchases for relief pur
poses and reduction in the number
of diseased cattle.
The program, worked out after
months of study and argument, called
for benefit payments of from $lB5,
000,000 to $300,000,000 to dairymen
who joined in the plan. In return,
the producers were to reduce their
milk flow 10 per cent below the peak
months of the 1932-1033 period.
As In the case of other farm pro
grams, the funds for benefit payments
were to come from a processing tax.
Tills was to be one cent a pound on
butterfat and the figure was to be
raised gradually to live cents a pound.
A statement Issued by the farm ad
ministration said the milk decision "is
In accord with the administration's
fixed policy to attempt no adjustment
program which does not have the sup
port of a substantial majority of those
engaged In the industry."
Z~MJBA asked for the extradition of
NJ Gerardo Machado, deposed presi
dent of the Island republic, so a gen
oral police alarm was sent out from
Washington for his
arrest. United States
marshals went first to
the apartment he had
been occupying In
New York, and were
told by his secretary,
Julio Fernandez, that
he had left for parts
unknown. Federal
port authorities and
border officials were
told to watch for the
fugitive. If they can
get him back, the Cu-
ban authorities intend to try Machado
on charges of murder based on whole
sale shootings d/hlch Occurred a few
days before he fled from the island.
They also plan to ask extradition of
Gen. Alberto Herrera, Machado’s for
mer chief of staff, who like his master
took refuge In the United States.
Machado hns lived in seclusion with
members of his family in the Ba
hamas, Canada ami this country since
his flight from Cuba. He established
his New York residence about six
months ago.
WITH unexpected celerity the rail
way executives and rail union
chiefs reached an accord in the wage
dispute, and the danger of a strike
was averted for another year. At the
Instance of President Roosevelt but
without government interference they
worked out their own settlement after
the federal negotiators had failed to
get results and Co-ordinator Joseph B.
Eastman had withdrawn as mediator.
Under the arrangement decided
upon the 10 per cent wage cut which
has prevailed in the railroads during
the last two years is to be gradually
wiped out in the next twelve months.
Two and a half per cent of the exist
ing wage cut is to he restored July 1,
another 2% per cent on January 1,
and the remaining 5 per cent on April
1, 1935.
In other words, Instead of a 10 per
cent cut rail workers will have only a
7% per cent cut prevailing between
July 1 and January 1, a 5 per cent cut
prevailing between January 1 and
April 1. and full pay restoration after
April 1.
These terms worked out by the em
ployers and employees are actually
more favorable to the workers than
the terms which President Roosevelt
twice asked them to accept.
When Informed of the settlement,
Mr. Roosevelt said:
"I am very glad that the railroads
and their employees have been able to
settle their wage dispute by mutual
agreement. The country should be,
and will be, grateful to them for this
disposition of what might have de
veloped Into a troublesome contro
versy. I congratulate both sides on
the wisdom and restraint which they
have exhibited. They have set a good
example."
OSCAR DE PRIEST, negro con
gressman from Chicago, won a
victory In his fight to remove the house
restaurant bar against members of his
race. He obtained adoption of his
resolution for investigation of the
right of Lindsay Warren of North
Carolina to fix the rules and regula
tions for the restaurant —which of
course doesn’t mean that negroes will
be served in that dining room. Hie
vote jvas 237 to 114. and the balloting
followed the Mason and Dixon line al
most without exception.
Mr. De Priest showed his wisdom
when he learned that some Commu
nist organizations were planning to
take advantage of the occasion by
staging a demonstration against “Jim
Crowlsm.” He said no friend of his
would take part in this.
OPEN hearings will begin May 2 by
the senate committee on privi
leges and elections on petitions for the
removal from office of Huey P. Long,
senator from Louisiana. Walter P.
George of Georgia-gave out notice that
. "only charges sufficient in substance
nnd form" and which were not consid
ered by the special campaign expendi
tures committee last year would be in
vestigated. Notices were sent to Mrs.
Hilda Phelps Hammond, Mrs. Ruffin G.
Pleasant and former Governor of Lou
isiana John M. Parker, all of whom
have filed petitions seeking removal of
the “kingfish.”
In tlie run-off Democratic primary in
the Sixth Louisiana district to fill the
vacancy caused by the death of Repre
: sentative Bolivar E. Kemp, Senator
Long's candidate, Harry D. Wilson,
( was decisively beaten by Jared Y. San
ders. Nomination In the primary is
equivalent to election.
JOHN DILLINGER, the notorious
outlaw, and several members of his
gang fought their way out of a trap
laid by federal agents and possemen
I i
k
John
Dillinger
two came from Minneapolis and were
thought to have warned Dillinger of
the Impending raid on the camp
j where he had been for several days.
Some hours after the battles In Wfs
j consin three members of the gang were
seen by three deputy sheriffs In a
suburb of St. Paul, Minn. A running
■ gun fight ensued and one of the gang
sters apparently was wounded, but the
; trio escaped and stole an automobile
In which they headed for the bridge
across the Mississippi river.
Federal and local officials through
out all that region were on the lookout
for the Dillinger gang with the tacit
I understanding that the desperadoes
I would be shot on sight
AMERICAN Federation of Labor
chiefs have begun a drive to
; unionize the telephone workers of the
country. They charge the American
I Telephone and Telegraph company is
violating the NRA laws through Its
! company unions. It Is also asserted
। that financiers are buying up small
telephone companies In the Middle
: West nnd Chicagoland at unreasonable
I prices and then forcing the stock on
their employees at fat profits for
j themselves.
Besides demanding that stock sales
; to employees be outlawed under the
j pending NBA code for the telephone
Industry, the A. F. of L. workers told
; Deputy Administrator L. 11. Peeples
■ that the NRA should force the tele
phone companies to stop expansion of
dial telephone systems until such a
time as employment conditions become
normal.
OFFICIALS of the Department of
Agriculture believe the wheat
' carry-over into 1935 may amount to
.'140,000,000 bushels, and are studying
the export markets to find a possible
; outlet for part of it. But they cannot
develop an export policy until the
work of the international wheat con
ference nt Rome is completed.
The wheat carry-over on July 1 this
: year is expected to be about 265,000.-
<IOO bushels, to which may be added
- 75,000,000 bushels surplus from this
year’s prospective crop of 700,000,000
bushels.
Secretary Wallace has suggested
that processing taxes on wheat might
lie increased and that the amount of
the tax ear marked to promote ex
ports might be raised from 2 to 4 or
even 5 cents.
A 5 cent tax on the 400,000,(MX) bush
els yearly processing of taxable wheat
would return approximately $20,000,-
000, compared with the $7,000,000 to
be spent in exporting wheat this year.
This total would be sufficient to ex
port about the 90.000,000-bushel quota
given the United States under the in
ternational agreement on the basis of
the differential of 22% cents between
the domestic and world prices.
PASSAGE through the Panama canal
of the American fleet of 111 vessels,
on the way from the Pacific to the At
lantic, *was carried out successfully,
but not in the hoped-for 24 hours. The
time consumed was almost double that,
which led the Tokyo press to declare
the movement was a “failure."
IN AN extemporaneous address at an
exhibition in connection with the
federal subsistence homestead proj
ects, Mr. Roosevelt anwered various
critics of his administration with the
declaration that the New Deal is a
program of evolution, not revolution.
Praising the homestead system as
one of the administration's foremost
achievements in helping depression
stricken families to gain a fresh start
in life, Mr. Roosevelt denied charges
that the program contemplated "regi
mentation” of great numbers of people.
“There is no regimentation," the
President said. “We are not going to
take people by force from one com
munity and put them in another.”
In the long run, he said, the sub
sistence homesteads will cost the gov
ernment less than it would cost to keep
these families on direct relief.
“We will work out a system for
those families, brain trust or other
wise, in an effort to discover new
things for communities to do," he said,
c by WeMtrs U>Wa.
■
Gerardo
Machado
PEMBROKE JOURNAL
ten miles east of
Manitowish, in north
ern Wisconsin. In
three desperate gun
battles three men were
killed and eight
wounded, and the
bandits escaped Into
thewood*. Threewom
en who had been with
the Dillinger gang
were arrested. Two
others were believed
to have fled with the
desperadoes. These
BRISBANE
THIS WEEK
Did Anybody Ask?
To the Grave, or Garage?
No Suicide Necessary
Deadly Gas Guards Gold
Uncle Sam nearly succeeded in tak
ing his hundred and eleven warships
through the Panama canal from the
Pacific to the Atlantic ocean in 24
hours. All commercial trade was
barred, soldiers guarded the locks,
standing as solemn as penguins on
either side. It was beautifully done,
credit to all concerned.
But—did anybody in Washington
ask himself what would hare hap
pened if 25 or 30 enemy bombing
planes had appeared, floating over the
canal, while our valuable warships
were passing through? What would
have happened to those ships, to the
canal, to the locks, to the comical little
soldiers, with their guns and bayonets,
standing along the edge of the water?
In California, a dog, technically and
effectually killed In the laboratory of
Doctor Robert Cornish ten days ago,
shows signs of life, blinking Its eyes
in the light and twitching muscles
when a fly lights on its nose.
This experiment may become Im
portant to human beings. Thousands
die because of some little stoppage,
that might have been prevented or
corrected, just as an automobile stops
sometimes because of an obstruction
in the pipe feeding gas to the car
buretor.
Under such conditions, the men have
been taken to the graveyard. Doctor
Cornish may find away to overcome
such temporary, unnecessary "deaths."
This applies especially to the human
heart, that supplies life while it
pumps, nnd brings death when it stops.
In millions of eases, undoubtedly, a
temporary stoppage might have been
overcome and life Indefinitely pro
longed.
Mr. Wallace, secretary of agricul
ture, tells Nebraska farmers plans are
necessary to "prevent the suicide of
society.” It Is as well to have public
officials view conditions solemnly, but
they are not quite as bad as that.
This country has more of everything
than It needs, more than enough for
everybody. Its problem Is not plague,
famine or war, killing millions, but too
much wheat, too much cotton, too
many little fat pinkish pigs born every
minute. A nation or individual with
too much of everything, but unfor
tunately Just too stupid to arrange
adequate distribution, need not neces
sarily commit sucide.
Is September Uncle Sam will have
finished building a new, huge "burglar
proof” vault big enough to hold all his
gold, besides piles of silver and other
valuables. The vault doors, of the
toughest metal, 30 Inches thick, are
not the only protaction. If a burglar
succeeded in getting half-way through
the metal door, he would release a
cloud of deadly gas in which he would
die in horrible agony.
The American College of Physicians
heard Doctor Meakins of Montreal
promise that within 50 years any man
willing to "use his intelligence and will
power" may live 100 years. Fifty
years ago the average human being
was through with iife at forty. To
day's average is beyond sixty. Doctor
Meakins’ promise of “a century of
vital, energetic life for every member
of the human race" is encouraging.
The wise would want to be guaranteed
to the “vital, energetic" part. Nothing
sadder than to live merely for the
sake of living.
"Four flee from Indiana prison.
Three serving terms for murder among
cell breakers."
That Is not news. The system of
justice that catches criminals and lets
them go, can't build a Jail to hold
them, is now generally accepted as a
farce.
We build zoological garden cages
that hold elephants, rhinoceroses,
lions, tigers, bears. They don't es
cape. But that Is easily explained.
Rhinoceroses and elephants don't
know how to bribe keepers. The “he
roic Dillinger” did not escape with the
aid of a toy pistol. It Is charged that
he was aided in his dash for liberty
by the use of hard cash. No heroism
about that.
At Blackwell. Okla., Rev. Dr. Pool,
sixty, retired Methodist minister, re
turned to the pulpit to preach a re
vival sermon. Raising his eyes he
asked, "What is heaven like?" fell and
died of a heart attack. His question,
doubtless, was answered within the
minute.
Many would like to know the an
swer. Human beings have answered
that question in ten thousand ways,
each answer reflecting some human
idea of happiness.
The senate Judiciary committee ap
proves the birth control bill, which
declares, in substance, that it is no
crime for a woman not to have a baby,
if she does not want one, and no
crime to tell her how to avoid it
Some object to birth control on re
ligions grounds, declaring that It op
poses the will of God. Others object
to It on grounds of utility. Caruso
was the nineteenth child. Many of
the world's greatest men and women
have been members of big families,
and never would have bean born, un
der birth control, probably.
©> King Features Syndicate, Inc.
WNU Service
National Topics Interpreted i
by William Bruckart
Washington.—The senate has start
ed another investigation. It has de
termined to go on a
Inquiry fishing expedition
into the several tn-
May Shocn dustries thnt manu
facture things that are used in mak
Ing war. There will be a long-drawn
out Inquiry; there will be seizure of
papers and there will be smearing,
some justified and some unjustified,
of leaders in the shipbuilding, muni
tions and aircraft industries. It is
liable to he a nasty thing before it is
concluded and a report made te the
senate.
There was no noise about passage
of the resolution which was proposed
by Senators Nye of North Dakota and
Vandenberg of Michigan. The resolu
tion creates a special committee which
already has begun work. Its passage
actually was noted in the newspapers
that I saw with no more display than
a couple of paragraphs. But the
proposition ought to be among those
to which attention is closely directed.
Unless the bulk of the observers is
wrong, the investigation that the Nye-
Vandenberg resolution started is go
ing to have a far-reaching effect both
In domestic" affairs of the United
States and in the International field.
One of the reasons why It is so im
portant to give thought to the inves
tigation is the particular time at
which It arrives among the window
displays of government activities. It
hnrdly need be stated here that inter
national relations are strained In
many parts of the world. There Is
nothing on the horizon to indicate that
they will Improve. Strained relations,
If they continue, lead Inevitably to
war, and I reported to yon several
months ago that some nations are
headed In that direction if the Infor
mation our government has Is cor
rect. It Is naturally to be expected
then that overt acts nn the part of
some of the disturbed powers are go
ing to follow, and the disclosures
which the Nye-Vandenberg committee
are prepared to make will help the
international situation not one bit.
Indeed, there Is no reason to believe
otherwise than that the impending
disclosures will complicate the situa
tion and create more hatred and sus
picion. In other words, as I see it,
the disclosures are more than likely
to hasten that which seems inevitable,
namely, war In several parts of the
world.
Senator Pope of Idaho, temporary
chairman of the committee, told me
that the country Is likely to be
shocked “when it learns the ramifica
tions of the situation," referring to
the operations of the shipbuilding,
aircraft and munitions companies.
While he did not say so, I drew the
Inference from his remarks that he
believes there has been collusion of
some kind or other among some of
those industrial leaders In order to
engender 111 will among nations al
ready suspicious of each other.
“We are going to find out how many
American shells are going to be used
to kill American soldiers later,” said
Senator Pope.
• • *
And so we are off on another crash
ing, smashing, bull-In the china closet
ty|>e of Inquiry. All
Bad Time of us remember the
for Fishing
of shipbuilding ac
tivities at the Geneva armament con
ference. The committee smeared one
William Shearer when Shearer was
serving as agent for several of the
shipbuilding concerns. None was sure
when that investigation started where
it would lead. The same can be said
of the current inquiry.
To my way of thinking, however,
the inquiry is much more important
in the effect It will have upon inter
national relations than in the smear
ing of men and corporations. Frankly,
the opinion I have formed after many
conversations with men and women
of sound Judgment is that this is an
exceedingly bad time for such a fish
ing expedition. Any disclosure of
relations between a munitions com
pany and a foreign nation are going
to be seized upon by that nation's
neighbors as evidence and there will
be blood in the eye in a burry.
I hope my observations and conclu
sions will not be taken as condoning
any crookedness. My point Is that
business relations between a private
corporation and its customer should
be allowed some degree of secrecy so
long as they are not contrary to pub
lic good. Governments are going to
buy munitions; they are going to buy
aircraft, and they are going to have
ships built. The question naturally
follows, then, whether ft is proper or
Improper for an American plant to
sell something It makes to a foreign
nation even if it knows they are to
be used in fighting. 1 can see where
those commodities^ught not to be sold
for use against America, but our gov
ernment buys such supplies constant
ly and buys them from American mak
ers. If other governments can buy
them here, I fall to see why they
should not be allowed tn do so unless
such sales have the aftermath of
dragging the United States into war.
These Japanese assertions, or in
ferences, that “white hands” must
stay out of China are act reassuring.
The inability of the Europeans to get
together In a solution of their own
problems Is also disconcerting. It can
not be doubted that some of the for
eign nations are sitting atop of a
powder keg. It is just possible that
the Nye-V’andenberg resolution may
strike a match above the powder, as
well as serving to embarrass and de
lay efforts of the various industries
to get production expanded that more
employment will result.
• • •
General Johnson and his NRA has
come into more trouble. The Nation
al Recovery Board
More Trouble of Review, a de-
for NRA
stble only to the
President, has written a report of
findings in several cases where small
plants have complained about the ef
fect of the codes. And the report of
the board, headed by Clarence Darrow
of Chicago, the famed attorney, is a
scathing denunciation of some of the
code provisions. In fact, some mem
bers of the review board take the po
sition that the codes have permitted
the great industries to grind the
smaller ones, the little fellows, to a
commercial death.
The President’s views of the report
are not known at this time, but it has
leaked out that Mr. Roosevelt Is will
ing to have the review board call a
spade a spade. Knowledge of his at
titude came through devious channels.
There was rumor around Washington
that the President was going to try to
kill off the hoard by withholding funds
from it. The board was the idea of
some of the senators, anyway, and It
was believed the President felt none
too warmly toward it. Yet It has now
been established that the President Is
going to uphold the hand of the
board, notwithstanding extreme pres
sure that Is coming from NRA quar
ters to get rid of it.
In some Washington offices there is
a very definite belief that Mr. Roose
velt is entirely willing to let General
Johnson retire. General Johnson’s
bombastic style of speech and his
“crack-down" threats have not been
so well received in many places and
there Is opinion available that the
general ought to fade out of the NRA.
Mr. Roosevelt can’t fire him. That
would be a dangerous thing to do
from a political standpoint. It does
seem, however, that a change Is com
ing.
Bnsines* leaders have begun to
preach strongly against the
codes anF, Ay are getting more and
more adherents. Some economists
who were thoroughly “sold” on the
codes have begun to doubt that the
types of regulations adopted are all
that they have been advertised. As
the things are put in practice, their
weaknesses develop. Whether they
can he corrected for practicable ap
plication remains to be seen.
• • •
With all of this war talk hither and
yon, I inquired from the War depart
ment and found that
Army 'onghlv one-third of
Distribution onr nrmv forces are
garrisoned outside
of the United States. The latest offi
cial tabulation shows the army as
having 12.156 officers. 885 warrant of
ficers, and 123.459 enlisted men. In
cluding around 11.000 Philippine
Scouts. Os those. 2.200 officers. 140
warrant officers and 35.036 enlisted
men are on posts outside of continen
tal United States.
The matter of the location of our
army personnel is pertinent at this
time, too. because of the possibility
that the United States government
sooner or later will grant Independ
ence to the Filippinos. I hope It Is
later, rather than sooner, for I hear
so much discussion of dangers that
appear certain to develop If the Filip
pinos become a nation unto them
selves. The consensus seems to be
that the natives will he able to govern
themselves, but whether they can pro
tect themselves is another matter.
The United States has an army
strength of 553 officers. 51 warrant of
ficers and 4.064 enlisted men In the
Philippines. In addition to the Philip
pine Scouts who number 62 officers
and 6.398 enlisted men. That is quite
a force and an influence against any
ideas that foreign powers must over
come before they seize the Philip
pines. It should be mentioned that
the force and influence existent there
also includes some rather important
American gunboats and a naval base.
Pearl Harbor, which undoubtedly Is
the defense key. So no bloodthirsty
foreign statesmen are going after the
little islands as long as our forces
are there.
There is an international phase to
be considered at this time, one that
is not as apparent as it is real. I re
fer to the tangled skein of circum
stances resulting from Japanese dec
larations of a right to Influence
Chinese affairs and to use force If
necessary. That threat—and it can
not be called by any other name —is
notice to Russia and to all of the
Western powers, the United States
Included, that the Japanese program
of territorial expansion is going for
ward. It may be that many powers
will be Involved before Japanese
statesmen are made to understand,
but certainly It Is not a time in which
to consider withdrawal from that im
portant position that our nation has
tn the Philippines.
© by Western Newspaper Union.