Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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r, l.-*. T-: News Review of Current Events the World Over Army Air Mail Service la Suspended, Safer Schedule Is Planned—Cummings Starts Criminal Action Against Mellon on Income Tax Evasion Charges. v By EDWARD W. PICKARD Df DIRECTION of th^ President, all air mail operations by the army air cor^>s were suspended by MaJ. Gen. Benjamin D. Poulols. chief of the corps, and the draft ing of a new sched ule that would Insure greater safety for the flyers was begun, When the news reached him of the deaths of the ninth and tenth army mall carriers within three Roosevelt “The Qsn. B. O. Foulola weeks Mr. sent out word continuation of deaths In the army air corps must stop.” He or dered that the carrying of air mall cease except “on such routes, under such weather conditions and under such equipment and personnel conditions as will Insure, as far as the utmost care can provide, against constant recur rence of fatal accidents.” General Foulols, Brig. Gen. Oscar Westover, chief of air mall operations, and various Post Office department officials built a revised “safety" route with the trans continental line from Newark to San Francisco as the main line, other routes feeding.Into It The Intention was to reduce the number of trips on all schedules and to permit less night flying. Colonel Llndbergltjaroused Interest by visiting Washington for tWd days and conferring with Secretary 6t War Dern. Soon after the secretary named the colonel, Orville Wright and Clar ence Chamberlain on a cortfuilttegm Investigate the army carry/ng of the air mall. General Foulols has b^en working on a plan by which army flyers could ♦Join with commercial pilots In receiv ing training. The step .follows a sug gestion by Mr. Roosevelt that "because military lessons have /been taught us during the last few weeks," army avi ator* * should train with those who *latfg on will Uy the mail" In “night flying, blind flying and Instrument flying." - * • Meanwhile committees of both house and senate were working out legislation along the lines or the President’s request that the flying of the mails be'returned to private com panies under a new contract system. The President’s prompt action In the air mall matter, virtually admitting an error had been made, took some of the wind out of the sails of his opponents but did not entirely stop the attacks. Hiram Bingham, president of the Na tional Aeronautic association and for merly Republican senator from Con necticut, demanded In a public state ment that Mr. Roosevelt tell who had misled him as to the fitness of the army air corps and Its planes to carry the malls. Both General Foulols and General' -MacArthur,—chief—of—staff, were quoted In interviews as saying the army was equal to the task, but Bingham said that, so far as he could learn, the President had not consulted either of them before ordering the air corps to undertake the assignment. Andrew W. Mellon . C RIMINAL action for alleged eva sion of the federal Income tux law was ordered by Attorney General Cummings to be brought Immediately against Andrew W. Mellon, former secre tary of the treasury and one of the world's wealthiest men; T. L. Sldlow of Cleveland, law partner of New ton D. Baker; Thomas S. Lament, son of the noted financier Thom as W. Lamont and a member of the J. P. Morgan banking house, and James J. Walker, former mayor of New York. Mr. Cummings announced that the Department of Justice had conducted a secret Investigation of the tax af fairs of these four men and had turned the Information gathered over to United States attorneys In New York, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Grand Jury action In each of those cities was expected to result. Cases against more than a score of other men were being pyepafed by the department’s tax divi sion. Mr. Mellon was quick to place his case before the people. In a long statement he denied ever having failed to pay his proper Income taxes and said that in the last twenty years he had paid more than 120,000,000 In this form of rates. He characterized the attor ney general's action as “politics of the crudest sort" He continued: “I feel very strongly that before the attorney general of the United States should bring a charge of this kind against me I, like any other citizen, ahould be given proper notice In the manner provided by law of the gov ernment's Intention to assess addition al taxes and should have been afford ed an opportunity to meet such charges In the customary way. “In all my years of experience In the administration of the tax law* I never known of a single instance wblcb such unfair and arbitrary ion has been taken." * times since last May, when Congressman- McFadden made charges against Mr. Mellon based on Informa tion given by one Olson, regarding what was called a specific tax eva sion, Mr. Mellon said, he has request ed Mr. Cummings to make a full in vestigation and received nothing bet ter than an evasive response. In con clusion Mr. Mellon said: “1 am glad the Issue Ms Joined at last and ’ am quite content to leave the outcome to the courts and to the good sense and fairness of the American people when all the facts are known." T WO hundred and thirty-one Demo cratic members of the house kicked over the traces and, with the aid of 59 Republicans, passed the Patman bill calling for tKe immediate payment of the veterans' bonus with greenbacks. The President has repeatedly ex pressed his opposition to the measure and Indicated that he would veto It If It got through congress Its passage by the senate was considered most doubtful. There were only two reasonable ex planations for the revolt of the Dem ocrats. One was put In words by Rep resentative John Y. Brown of Ken tucky, a Democrat, who was In oppo sition. He said: “You are buying veterans* votes. You are holding out this piece Of bait to get veterans’ votes this summer. There Is not a man In the house who believes this bill will ever become a law, and yet you sit here and vote for It for your own po litical welfare." The other explanation was that -many of tbe -Democrats-are resentful "oTTfie~“rubber stamp'' label that has been put on congress and welcomed an opportunity to break away from dictation and, as one of them said, vote tur their consciences directed. Fred Britten of Chicago, Republican, charged that the Democrats supported the measure with the secret under standing that they would not vote to over-ride the President’s veto, H ARRY PJERPONT, one of John DUlinger’s gang, was convicted at Lima, Ohio, of the murder of Sheriff Jess SSrber In a Jail raid tn>whlch Dll* linger was set free by bis comrades, and was sentenced to death In the electric chair. The commander of the Ohio National Onard took every pro- caution to prevent the rescue of Pier* pont by his .resourceful chief, for DU* linger was still at large, presumably In or near Chicago. At Crown Point, Ind., a special grand Jury began Investigating the easy escape of Dillinger, a special prosecutor having been named to con duct the Inquiry. At present only two men, Deputy Sheriff Ernest Blunk and Turnkey Sam Gaboon, have been ac cused of aiding Dillinger In his Jail break. - - • • . r C HICAGO’S most sensational mur der trial In recent years resulted In the conviction of the elderly Dr. Alice Wynekoop who waS charged with killing her daughter-in-law. Rheta. presumably to get the Insurance on her life. The Jury toed her penaity- at 25 years In the penitentiary, which amounts to a life sentence. The first hearing of the case resulted In a mis trial because the defendant was to 111 for Its continuance. Doctor Wynekoop, a member of a family of physicians, had practiced BRISBANE THIS WEEK - medicine In Chicago for many years and her crime astounded her numer ous friends. T HE CONSTITUTIONALITY of the Fletcher-Rayburn stock regulation bill, which the President expects con gress to pass at this session. Is chal lenged by the New York stock exr change. This action Is taken as notice that if the measure 1* enacted its validity will be tested In the courts. The position o|f the exchange Is that the mere declaration by congress that “transactions In securities as com monly conducted upon securities ex- enunges are enecieu wun a imwuuai public Interest" does not make this so as a matter of law. Such transac tions as “commonly conducted" are not transactions in interstate com-- merce, according’ to the lawyers for Intellect, and” only ask for fat thighs. Something more la asketTof a young -woman, destined, presumably, to be come a mother, and her brain Is the IthQicBapge, iMZcQDgresa. tEey de- TXi—rZ— le 1 clare, “cannot by legislative flat as cribe to them legal characteristics width they do not otherwise possess." Senator Fees -eJCNATOR -SIMEON D. FESS Of ^ Ohio Is one of the most voluble of the., administration’s critics, and he found opportunity for another ener getic attack when the senate was consider ing Senator Tom Con- nally’s bill to Include cattle among the ba sic commodities sub ject to farm adjust- m e n t control.* The provision for .an ap propriation . of $200,- 000,000 was (he spe cial point of assault by Fess, McNary of Oregon, Dickinson of Iowa, and 6arey of Wyoming and Van- denberg of Michigan, all of whom agreed that the Agricultural adjust ment program has been a complete failure. The Democrats, with the ex- ceptlon of Connally, made no reply to the verbal barrage. The Ohio senator said that hog prices had fallen instead of risen, that the prices of farm commodities not under the AAA had in many cases risen faster and higher thau the so- called basic commodities. “That sort of thing Is nauseating to any decent person who wants business to be done in a business way,” be said, alluding to the hog buying program. "It’s time to stop this foolish experi mentation, time to take the heavy hand of government off business and let business recover." Senator Vandenberg and Senator McNary could not understand why $200,000,000 were required for cattle when only $100,000,000 were asked In the original bill covering six com modities. S ECRETARY OF COMMERCE RO PER obtained the approval of Pres ident Roosevelt for a new program for subsidizing the American merchant marine which he will submit to con gress. This time • it yrill be openly called a ship subsidy. Supreme Court Says Yes Faces, Not Legs \ Profits Second—F. D.,R. Mother-iu-Law's Day The Supreme court, flve to four, Se ndee that the New Deal is a good deal, and the old law of supply and de mand, the sacred right of tfie ladl- vldual “to do what he chooses with hla own,” are not as Important as they used to be. Specifically, the Supreme court sus taining New York state’s law to coa- trol milk and milk prices, says a stats may fix prices by law, and the citizens must submit. This decision, taking from Individuals and giving to the state the right to run business, was handed down Just as President Roose- broadcasting, was urging national support of the new plan. In the long run congress, and even tiie mighty Supreme court, go ae the pqeple go. The Supreme court once declared for slavery, ordering the abolitionist protector of a runaway slave to return him to his owner. It decided against'the Income tax, and a Constitutional amendment was neces sary to overcome that Washington.—Topics, of general dls cuseton In Washington obviously range the whole category Morm Critics; of Subjects that go Mon Noise “ m * r k ' , “P ““ “New Deal, but I have been Impressed lately with the predominant place now held by two questions In the conversations one hears about the streets? offices,, clubs and other places where men meet. Largely to the exclusion of other mat ters, one bears people trying to figure out whether a earn has come In the Reosevelt political tuck, as one topic, growing comment on the prevalent cenfusion within the administration, as the other subject of comment.' True, theg constitute questions to which the final answer Is not yet apparent, but the thought I am trying to advance Is that possibly the New Deal Is un- deraotna some sort ef s transition in- er one year. Attention should be called again to the all-embracing control which. Pres ident Roosevelt hitherto has exercised almost without effort. Anything he C. L. Theed, Justice of the'peace in said, anything he did. or anything he Coconut Grove, announces a new t beauty contest In honor of the “le gions" gathering In Florida. Young ladles in the contest will be fully clothed; Judged by their faces, not by their legs, a blessed relief. If bullfrogs on frog farms In Louisiana had a beauty contest, only the legs would count, legs -being all of the frog that (counts. You don’t r\ESPITE the protests of the “little , navy” group, the senate by a vote of 65 to 18 approved the administra tion’s naval replacement bill authoriz ing the construction of a 15,200-ton air-, craft carrier, approximately 65 de stroyers totaling 99,200 tons, some 29 submarines totaling 35,530 tons and the airplanes (from' 650 to 1,250) re quired to complete the fleet’a air equip ment DY A vote of 15 to 8 a District of ^ Columbia grand Jury refused to re turn indictments In its investigation of an alleged conspiracy to defraud thC government on War department contracts. Secretary Dern was highly pleased with what he called a vindi cation of the department AS WAS predicted recently, • the ** President appointed Judge Flor ence Allen of Ohio to the federal Circuit Court of Appeals bench. She Is the first woman to be made a fed eral judge. Since she was admitted to the bar twenty years ago her legal career in Ojflo has been notable. In 1922 she was elected to the Supreme court of that state. The President also appointed Mrs. Bernice Pyke of Cleveland as cdtlec- tor of customs there, and Frank P. Corrigan, likewise of Cleveland, to be minister to^EI Salvador. bushman as far as the latter Is above a blade of grass. Well-shaped legs -and a simpering Usee do not make a beautiful woman. In any beauty contest the forehead should count 60, eyes 20, mouth and figure each 10 per cent ' Speaking from Constitution hall In Wssblngton, the President told 4,000 code delegates, and the whole nation, about his first year’s work, emphasiz ing his conviction that humanity Is more Important than profits. One year has made him familiar with Intense popularity, and the bursts of applause did not surprise him. proposed, was accepted. There were few critics, arid those who did criti cize cannot be described as highly vo cal. "Now, however, it Is a fact that there are more critics *nd they are making noise that is not hushed. There are open opponents of the ad ministration policies, not only In the Republican ranks where It is natural they would be found, but among the Democrata. as welL * As nearly as I can ascertain, the Wave of criticism that has come forth Into bloom is traceable to one of Mr. Roosevelt’s acts, directly. The con fusion that has followed seems, at the The President read a message of congratulation from the head of the American Bankers’ association assur ing him that banks are-in absolutely sound condition and heartily approve the President’s financial policies, also indicating that “super-liquidity” ho longer seems so important to banks, and lending in the old way will soon begin again. Amarlllot Texas, celebrated “Mother- In-Law’s day.” Husbands, by request, brought flowers to their wives’ moth ers. Part of Main street was roped off, as a “parade ground for mothers- in-law.” There were “contests for the fattest, leanest, youngest, and oldest, and the one having the most in-laws, also a beauty contest” Amarillo seems to have made the most of Its holiday, which should re mind a certain type of American thflt it is most stupid and unworthy to ridi cule the mother of his own wife, and the grandmother of his children. If they have any good qualities they probably inherit them from that grand mother. have J OSEPH B. EASTMAN and the Inter state Commerce commission have Joined In recommending to congress legislation that will place under “the guiding hand of government control” the transportation agencies that use the highways and waterways of the country. Their report, which was sub mitted to the President, declares that regulation of motor and water .trans- ! portation Is necessary “If a threaten ing chaos Is to be transformed Into order.” Such regulation, they said, should be concentrated In the Inter state Commerce commission. In proposing changes In the Inter state commerce act, the co-ordln&tor and the commission recommend liber alization of the long and short haul clause forbidding a railroad to charge less for a longer than a shorter haul, except on permission from the com mission. This clause is held by middle west ern Interests to have damaged them substantially by preventing traffic mov ing by rail to the Pacific coast and Its repeal Is now being sought ryVE of Japan’s new torpedo boats, the Tomozuru. of 527 tons, waa wrecked myaterloualy off the Sasebo naval base and it waa believed moat of her crew of 113 men were lost. The ▼easel was completed only February 26 Ism and was a new type, carrying the heaviest armament ever given a ship of Its size, it waa considered a triumph of Japanese naval architec ture. Several others of the same type are under construction. X/IRS.’FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, accompanied by Assistant Secre- tary of ^the Treasury Tugwell and others, took an aerial trip to the Carib bean^ Islands, thq, special purpose of which was to visit Puerto Rico and the Virgin islands. From Miami they flew via Cuba to Port Au Prince, Haiti, and San Pedro in the Dominican republic, and thence to San Juan and St Thomas. The last named town gave tfie First Lady a gay welcome’. She made a brief study of social and economic Conditions there and took part In the dedication of a hospital building named “The Anna Eleanor building” In her honor. After a hop to St. Croix, also in the Virgin Is lands, the party returned to San Juan, i where Mrs. Roosevelt was quite elab orately entertained. M ARGARET ILLINGTON, who un til twenty years ago was one of America’s leading dramatic actresses, died In Miami Beach, Fla., at the age of fifty-two. A native of Bloomington, 111., she made her Drat stage appear ance In 1900 and rapidly went to the front, gaining especial repute for her Shakespearean roles. Her first hus band was Daniel Prohman. Divorced from him In 1909, she married Maj. Ed ward Bowes, now managing director of a New York theater. R USSIAN Communists are ever dili gent In spreading their doctrines In other countries, bflt they don’t like similar missionary work In Russia. The. Soviet secret police have arrested a large number of Germans In Moscow for nUegedly plotting to convert to Nazllam the Soviet citizens of German nationality. Aaong the prisoners are twenty Catholic priests and several Lutheran paatora.- • ev w« , \ ; Gilbert White, painting a mural for the agricultural hall In Washington, seeking female models tn JTrance, found no perfect female figure, and declared the French women Improper ly proportioned—“Their legs are too abort.’’ Schopenhauer made that complaint of all women, He could not under- stand how anybody could call “beauti ful” that “narrow shouldered, broad hipped, short legged thing, .woman." See his “Studies In Pessimism." Short French legs did not keep Suzanne Lenglen from playing tennis better than any long legged Anglo- Saxon female ever played, and they do not Interfere with the fact that long legged females of England and America borrow their styles from French women and try to look Ilka them. Besides, perfect figures In France may not be looking for work as artists’ models. If you worry about an occasional airplane accident, and ever feel in clined to doubt the ultimate, absolute conquest of the air and of weather conditions, stop thinking about a few rare accidents, and consider- what progress flying has made within a few years. Soon ships will fly around In 48 hours, and flying will a matter of course with railroad travel la now. To prove that she is “coming back" despite the Versailles treaty, Germany plans a mass flight of powerful planes from Berlin to the former German col onies In West Africa—perhaps to re mind the present owners of those col oaten that something might happen, some time. m Ktac T—turm Sr*4U»U, IN. WNUSarvtoe same time, to have been giv«n birth as a result of the unexpected criticism. Or to state the proposition In another manner, the administration efforts to fend off the criticism are viewed J>J some observers as having formed the basis of the confusion. I can report only that which 1 can ascertain to be fact and, on appearance alone. It seems Mr. Roosevelt acted hastily on the air mall contract cancellation and his action unloosed an Issue over which Individuals eari take sides. It is really the first time he has provided the opposition with a peg on which they can hang their hats.. While the official spokesmen of the administration say there Is no connec-. tlon between the back-fire resulting from the contract cancellation and the several moves made by the I’resideut since, in his far Hung efforts to get us out of the depression, I am told that these declarations are having no effect j>n those who want to criticize the New Deal schemes. The NR A revlslon.pro- gram, the substitution of a new billion- dollar program of a relief character for the CVVA which • Administrator Hopkins now concedes has been some thing of a flop, and the battles for leg islation in congress, all are accepted as showing the desire of the President To accomplish a change In the attitude of the critics. It Is axiomatic that If people can be made to talk or think about other things, they will forget to voice opinions about things which they oppose. Some say It Is another ex position of the Roosevelt psychology of keeping people’s minds off the -de pression. . But it has not succeeded yet. Whether It will, remains to be seen. • • • It Is to be observed that, for the first time, criticism of the New Deal plans includes a siz- m at able attack on the Expenditures'™' expeaditore. be- ing made. Mr. Roose velt has been spending money as fast, if not faster, than was spent during the World war, and many persons are now coming forward with the asser tion that “spending our way out of the depression” may leave the government with such a debt that our children’s children still will be paying on it. But right In the face of these attacks, Mr. Roosevelt has brought forth the CWA substitute and a request that congress appropriate $950,000,000 to pay for It In the meantime and while the con fusion has become worse confounded, It Is to be noted that orders have go from the Executive offices to the ocratlc leaders In congress to get new air mall contract legislation through in a hurry. This legislation Is pred icated on the theory that private air lines shall carry the air mall. Furth er, there Is every reason to believe now that the companies whose con tracts were cancelled so hastily will he allowed to bid again for the jobs. Postmaster General Farley main- tafns the President was acting In ac- lance with law when he ordered mall contracts canceled. Mr. Roosevelt has said so In several differ ent languages. The fact remains, how ever, that it always has been the prac tice to accord an opportunity for a hearing, whether the charge be one of fraud or whether It bo some other al legation. No bearing was granted the air mall contractors. Indeed, they were given less than two weeks of time before they were off of the Job’, end the army pilots were doing the work. According to the discussion In congress, It Is quite evident there are tin country who feel the contractors were not given a fair shake by the President. The, sen venations I hear are to the general effect that If the army had been equipped to do the maU carrying job, as some of Its general staff mem- ben publicly announced, and If then had been no such deplorable loss of life among the youthful army pilots as occurred,) Mr. Roosevelt In all like lihood would have had few repercus sions to the dramatic cancellation of contracts. But the army planes wen not fitted for the Job, and thefe was s deplorable loss of - life among the youthful army pilots. And on top of that, there was open criticism of the cancellation'order among a good many of the President’* own party is con gress. —- —— * • If the criticism of the air mall con tracts had come alone, Mr. Roosevelt, In the opinion of many competent ob servers, would have weathered the storm. Probably he would have been the .alder, because few people aro willing to condone crookedness. I • • • I mentioned confusibn as one of the main topic* of conversation In Wash* Ington. That, is B Much correct stats- Confusion ment - At no t,me lB a long, acquaintance with official affairs have 1 seen cir cumstances In the nation’s capital In which the moves have been so swift that even trained observers have their difficulties In keeping up. Actually, by the time one gets a thorough knowl edge of changes resulting from on* move, another, or several, nss taken ~ place. They have come, accurately speaking, “from all over town," for the numerous agencies, administrators, bureaus, departments and so forth are scattered that wtaetyr Here Is an Illustration of how things change: from the various sources of information which the administration has set up, the correspondents weirs led to believe that the Civil Works administration plan of relief was go ing along all hunky dory. Then, rath er suddenly, there came the happening which I predicted some months ago, namely, a lot of petty graft. Next, Air. Hopkins, the administrator, -mads a rather clean breast of the thing, say ing. in effect, that the CWA h*<f flopped. But few of the correspondents wer* prepared for the sudden announcement from- the President that a substitute plan had been evolved. The President had been planning to eliminate CWA relief with the return of warmer weather. Something had happened, however, with which the correspond ents were not made acquainted. This was development of a conclusion that Industry, flespite the NRA and other New Deal plans, was not absorbing workers as rapidly as had been ex pected. Hence, the President decided to continue the CWA program, but in a different form. It ought to be said here that Indus- trv has not been entirely to blame. Program tains i cordar the i Industry Is recovering. Of that, there can be no doubt. But the progress baa been just as slow as progress that takes place when a human being re covers from a long illness. Some of the economists in the government have been frank enough to tell me that they had been too optimistic; they were Justified In their belief that recovery was under way. and it Is happening, but their guess had been wrong as to speed. ’ . _ • • • Mr. Roosevelt outlined In bis an nouncement a. program <>f rejlef for: first, distressed fam- Relief Hies In rural areas; stranded fa m U1 e a and populations in communities where Industries have died, such as in worked-mrt coal mine areas, and for unemployed populations In large cities. From this outline. It would appear that there had been a great change In tlie method of dealing out relief, compared with the present system. As far as I can get facts on this new program. however, there is actually little difference. It ffiay serve to create a feeling of new progress, id it may serve to get rid of some of the appointees whose work ; has not been satisfactory, without causing po litical strife, but I believe the end sdught will be no different than the CWA plan. While this has been worked ost, there have been new rulings galore' respecting the Agricultural Adjust ment administration contracts with farmers, relating to efttton, wheat, corn and hogs; a new policy also re specting treatment yf the dairy Indus try, and a new setup for handling for eign trade. The treasury, with Its vast gold hoard has had to work out details slowly, but there are myriads of those details. And on top of these, there has come a ruckus In congress where 435 representatives and 30-odd senators are up for re-election this fell. There is more than a sprinkling of these who wkht to restore part of th* veterans' compensation that was taken away last ■ year bj; thet economy act Then, there are the soldiers' boons ad vocates. A year ago. Mr. Roosevelt could have said a whispered “no" ea any of these, sued his wish would bavt been an Irrevocable order. It !s dlf- it now. however, and the breach between the President and congress Is getting no better very fast • fcjr WwHim Ntwapniw Unioti. tim ^.r-7