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1—Coleman L. Blease, former governor of South Carolina, now United States senator. 2—View of the part
of Damascus that was shattered by the French bombardment. 3—British troops evacuating Cologne after the
signing of the Locarno pacts.
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Revenue Bill Having Easy
Sailing in House—Senate
Takes Up World Court.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD
TxrlTII few except the old La Fol
VV lette bunch and some radical
Democrats in opposition, the new rev¬
enue bill offered by the ways and
means committee had easy sailing in
the house last week. The most deter¬
mined effort to amend it came Monday
when most of the Democrats lined up
with the Republican insurgents in an
attempt to prevent the reduction of
income surtaxes to a maximum of 20
per cent. They fought for a maximum
of 25 per cent, but the regular Repub¬
licans with the aid of a few Democrats
won out. Mrs. Mary Norton, now
Democratic member from New Jersey,
made her maiden speech In advocacy
of an amendment increasing the ex¬
emption for single persons to $2,500
and for heads of families to $5,000.
This and all other material changes
proposed were rejected. Repeal of the
publicity provision of the 1924 rev¬
enue act was approved overwhelming¬
ly, as were all the estate tax provi¬
sions framed by the committee despite
the attacks of Rainey of Illinois and
Green of Florida.
Slatemakers of the house reported
the makeup .of committees, giving the
Wisconsin insurgents only minor as¬
signments and stripping them of all
their seniority rights. For instance,
Representative James A. Frear, who
was removed from the ways and
means committee last spring, is placed
at the bottom of the Indian affairs
committee. The senate was some¬
what kinder, for it gave recognition to
young Senator La Follette as a Repub¬
lican. But he, too, gets on only rel¬
atively unimportant committees—those
on mines and mining, manufactures
and Indian affairs. He has indicated
that he will follow closely In the foot¬
steps of his late father. The sena¬
torial elections committee voted
against the seating of Gerald I\ Nye
as senator from North Dakota, hold¬
ing that Governor So rile was not le¬
gally authorized to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Senator Ladd.
rlllLE the house was busy with
VV the revenue hill the senate put
in most of its time talking about pro¬
hibition, foreign debt settlements and
the question of the United States ad¬
hering to the World court. Senator
Edge of New Jersey started the pro¬
hibition debate with a proposal to le¬
galize 2.75 per cent beer and was sec¬
onded by Bruce of Maryland, both of
them saying a lot of very nasty things
about the Volstead act. Willis of
Ohio and McKellar Of Tennessee were
the leading defenders of the dry law.
This is a sample of Senator Bruce’s
eloquence:
“The worst result of prohibition is
the coalition between the reputable
element of society and the most dis¬
reputable which has followed in its
train. Prohibition is ragged and stag¬
gering. A contest against nature, rea¬
son and ebmmon sense can end in no
other way. If you care more for your
laws than for the Anti-Saloon league,
strike hands with us and bring an end
to this disgraceful situation. Much is
said of tiie hurtful influences of the
oid-time saloon, but bad as it was, the
sale of influence could not be com¬
pared with a situation where whisky
stills and home brewing outfits are
brought into the home under the very
eyes of our children.”
CENATOR SMOOT on Wednesday
^ asked consideration of the war
debt settlements with Belgium, Italy
and other debtor nations, the adminis¬
tration hoping for immediate approval.
But Reed, Howell, Norris and John¬
son all attacked the Italian settlement
as a cancellation of the principal and
part of the interest. The Missourian
introduced a resolution directing the
foreign relations committee to investi¬
gate and report:
1. Whether any foreign govern¬
ment. corporation, or nationals have
furnished any funds for the purpose
of influencing the American govern¬
ment or senate In connection with our
forelgn policies or foreign relations.
2. Whether our war debtors are
able to meet their obligations.
3. The amount, terms, and condi¬
tions of private loans made to coun¬
tries or the corporations or nationals
of countries indebted to the United
States.
4. What organizations exist and
what funds have been pledged and ex¬
pended to influence the action of the
American government in its relations
with other countries.
The last clause is aimed at the
American Peace foundation and other
organizations that are conducting a
campaign to bring about senate ap¬
proval of America’s entry into the
World court.
'T'HAT World court question came
1 up for debate Thursday when the
senate took up for consideration Sen¬
ator Swanson’s resolution providing
for American adhesion to the protocol
under which the tribunal was organ¬
ized, with the five reservations ap¬
proved by President Coolidge. Senator
Borah took the lead of the opposition,
seeking to amend the resolution with a
reservation providing for United
States adhesion only on the condition
that the court be completely divorced
from the League of Nations. The de¬
bate promised to be rather long, but
the wise ones in Washington predicted
that the Swanson resolution would
carry. The cause of the World court
is now .supported by the President, the
administration Republicans, most of
the Democrats, 'and by many church,
student and other organizations.
The first bill passed by the senate
was one introduced by Bingham of
Connecticut, giving to the secretary
of commerce authority to regulate and
control civil aircraft engaged in inter¬
state commerce and flying over gov¬
ernment property. The measure
creates an assistant secretary of com¬
merce to foster air navigation.
A MONO the annual reports made
/a last week was that of Rear Ad¬
miral Billard, commandant of the coast
guard. He says the coast guard is
making steady "and gratifying progress
in breaking up rum running and “will
drive this menace from American
shores in due time.’’ But he predicts
that this will be a trying task for
years to come.
Secretary of the Navy Wilbur re¬
ports that the navy is in first-class con¬
dition and ready for action and that
its morale is higher than ever before.
He praises the President’s economy
policy and makes few requests for ad¬
ditional funds,
-OOL. WILLIAM MITCHELL was
found guilty by the court-martial
on all the eight specifications of the
charge brought against him, and was
sentenced to suspension from rank,
command and duty for five years, with¬
out pay and allowances. The extreme
penalty of dismissal was not imposed
because of the military record of the
defendant during the World war.
Mitchell received the sentence quietly,
and each of his ten judges shook his
hand cordially in farewell. Just be¬
fore the taking of testimony closed, the
colonel received one of the hardest
blows of the entire proceedings. It
was in tiie form of a letter written
last March by John W. Weeks, then
secretary of war, to President Cool¬
idge, and the document closed thus:
“In addition to these matters, Gen¬
eral Mitchell’s whole course has been
so lawless, so contrary to the building
up of an efficient organization, so lack¬
ing in reasonable team work, so indic¬
ative of a personal desire for pub¬
licity at the expense of everyone with
whom he Is associated that his ac¬
tions render him unfit for a high ad¬
ministrative position, such as he now
occupies. I write this with great re¬
gret, because he is a gallant officer
with an excellent war record, but his 1
record since the war has been such
that he has forfeited the good opinion
of those who are familiar with the
facts and who desire to promote the j
best interests of national defense.” j
On Thursday Maj. Allen Bullion, as
sistant trial judge advocate, began the
arguments for the prosecution, asking
for the maximum sentence, dismissal
from the service, on the ground that
Mitchell “had been proven guilty of
disorder to the prejudice of good order
and military discipline and of conduct ]
of a nature to bring discredit to the
military service.” Major Gulllon was
extremely severe in his characteriza- j
CLEVELAND COURIER, CLEVELAND, GEORGIA.
tion of Colonel Mitchell and also of
the chief witnesses for the defense.
Colonel Mitchell, asserting his trial
was the “culmination of the efforts of
the general staff of the army and the
general hoard of the navy to depre¬
date the value of air power, told the
court he had Instructed his counsel to
make no closing arguments.
TTASTLY interesting to the people
’ of Illinois and in lesser degree to
the whole country was the opinion ren¬
dered by the Illinois Supreme court
holding that Gov. Len Small must ac¬
count for about $1,000,000 interest on
state funds which, according to the
decision, he and Ids associates put
in their pockets when lie was state
treasurer in 1017-18. Since the state
constitution provides that a person in¬
debted to the state cannot hold office
it would appear that Small is in¬
eligible for the office of governor and
a quo warranto suit to oust him prob¬
ably will be started later. The court
decision is the culmination of a four
years’ fight in the course of which the
governor was found not guilty of con¬
spiracy to defraud the state, under
suspicious circumstances. Considering
the same evidence offered by the pros¬
ecution In the criminal case, the Su¬
preme court now finds him guilty "be¬
yond reasonable doubt." Two of the
seven justices dissented.
G UEAT BRITAIN has won Its quar
vilayet, tiie council of the League of
Nations awarding to Irak all of the
disputed territory except a worthless
strip and extending the British man¬
date over Irak to twenty-five years.
Tiie Turkish delegate refused to take
part in the proceedings and declared
Turkey would not relinquish Mosul
until tiie national assembly at An¬
gora consented. Tiie Turks had been
talking loudly of defying tiie decision
of the council by force of arms, but it
is predicted that tliey wfM yield and
will enter into negotiations with Great
Britain in the hope of getting some
compensation for the loss of tlie rich
oil lands. The English are willing to
arrange a permanent pence on the
Irak frontier and may offer Turkey
loans or commercial credits, of whjch
that country is in great need. If Tur¬
key had any friends in the council,
tliey w T ere silenced by the report of
General Laldoner, head of the neutral
Mosul Investigating commission. He
told of shocking depredations and out¬
rages committed there by the Turks
since last March, and declared that if
the Turks should be given the vilayet
the league would have tiie blood of
80,000 Christians and thousands of
loyal Irakians on its head.
T OUIS LOUCHEUR’S financial
■L/ scheme for France was rejected
by the chamber of deputies, and the
situation became so grave that many
influential journals openly culled for
the establishment of a dictatorship to
save the country from bankruptcy.
The franc dropped until it begun to
look like an old German murk. To
relieve the rest of the ministry,
Loucheur resigned and Paul Doumer,
president of the senate finance com¬
mittee, consented to accept the finance
portfolio. He said he believed suffi¬
cient additional revenue could be ob¬
tained by the collection of all taxes
hitherto Imposed and promised this
would be done and that the tax dodg¬
ers would be severely punished.
Dr. Erich Koch, chairman of the
Democratic party, was asked by Presi¬
dent von Ilindenburg to form a new
ministry for Germany. He made the
attempt but failed because the Social
Democrats would not part in a coali¬
tion government. The reiehstag ad¬
journed until January 12.
D IZA KHAN, who seized the throne
of Persia, was formally enthroned
as Shah Pehlevl Wednesday. Among
the congratulatory messages received
by the former private soldier was one
from King George of England.
-
A MBASSADOR A. P. MOORE has
xa informed the king of Spain that
hfs resignation has been accepted and
that he will soon come home. He was
a personal appointee of President
Harding.
«J rector general of railways and the
duties of the*office, now very light,
were taken over by Secretary of the
Treasury' Mellon.
Smithsonian Gets Globe Circling Plane Chicago
, ■■
rjr ^-J
Tiie fuselage of tiie famous round-the-world plane, Chicago, as it was being carried into the aircraft exhibit
building of the Smithsonian institution at Washington, to which tiie plane lias been given.
Handsome New Railway Bridge Across Susquehanna
One of (lie most picturesque concrete arch-type bridges of the country lias just been completed across
•he Susquehanna river at Harrisburg, Pa., by the Reading railroad. It is a double track structure a mile in length
and replaces an obsolete bridge of steel.
ASKS HUGE DAMAGES
Reginald A. Fessenden, prominent
radio Inventor of Newton, Mass., has
filed suit for $00,000,000 against the
General Electric company, Radio Cor¬
poration of America, American Tele¬
phone & Telegraph company, Western
Electric company, United Fruit com¬
pany, Wireless Specialty Apparatus
company, Westingliouse Manufactur¬
ing company and the International
Radio Telegraph company, charging
the concerns, by creating a combina¬
tion in restraint of trade and estab¬
lishing a monopoly In control of wire
and wireless apparatus and use in the
United States, have damaged him to
the extent of $20,000,000, and that
under the law lie is entitled to three¬
fold damages, as well as the costs of
the suit.
HERO OF IOWA FIRE
Milton Allen, a taxi driver, dis¬
covered tiie $2,000,000 fire in the
Grand hotel in Council Bluffs. He ran
to the elevator of the hotel and
manipulated it until he had carried
out all of the 150 guests. He was
trapped finally on the eighth floor, but
firemen rescued him.
Memory of Great Surgeon Honored
. This memorial in Chicago to tiie late Dr. John B. Murphy, world fumed
surgeon, has just been completed at a cost of $550,000. It is called one of
the most beautiful of monumental buildings. Benjamin Marshall, Chicago
architect, was the designer. A conspicuous feature of tiie building is tha
$20,000 Norman Bridge memorial bronze doors, twenty feet high, a gift from
Edward Doheny.
Record Price Paid for Saddle Horse
Tiie highest-priced saddle horse the world lias ever known will be Santa
Claus’ gift to Mrs. W. I’. Roth of San Francisco, ardent lover of horses and
a leading exhibitor at the prominent western and midwestern horse shows.
He is Chief of Longview, and was purchased recently from Mrs. Loula Long
Combs of Kansas City by Mrs. Ilotli’s mother, Mrs. W. M. Matson, widow of
the founder of the Matson Navigation company, as a Christmas present for
her daughter. The price paid was $22,500 cash, which established a world
record.
