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* -V News Review of Current Events the World Over President Tell* Congress His Further Plans for National Regeneration—Organized Business Enters a Protest-r— Fletcher Made G. 0. P. Chairman. By EDWARD W. PICKARD Prttidcnt Roosevelt I MMEDIATE relief from diet rest and recovery of bust nets prosperity fall far abort of Prealdent Roosevelt'# plana for regeneration of the nation. This was revdaled In bis special message to congress which told of the plans and rec- ommendatlons he would submit to the next congress. He asked for no present legislation, hut gave notice of the social experiments be pro poses to begin n£xt winter. The message dis cussed the three fac tors of housing, land and resource planning and old age and unemploy ment Insurance. Expressing satisfaction over prog ress In relieving Industry, agriculture, and unemployment, the President, as serting his right to chart social re forms, declared, “It Is childish to speak of recovery first and reconstruc tion afterward.” Taking up the housing problem, he said millions of dollars had already been provided to Improve living condi tions, and voiced the hope that with passage of his housing program pri vate capital would he stimulated to widen the scope of home building. Discussing planned control of the land, he declared that hundreds of thousands of families now live "where there Is no reasonable prospect of a living In the years to come.” Sounding the failure of the govern ment thus far to create a “national policy” for the development of land and water resources, Mr. Roosevelt In dicated his Intention of providing such a policy, and for the transferring to new lands of "those people who can not make a living In their present po sitions.” Outlining his views on providing se curity against unemployment and old age. Mr. Roosevelt said bq^nras seek ing a “sound means” which he could recommend to provide an Immediate safeguard against these “hazards and vicissitudes of life.” ‘ W HEN President Roosevelt signed the tariff bargaining bill he ac quired authority to negotiate recipro cal trade treaties without senate ap proval and to Increase or decrease tariff rates by as much as SO per cent In order to stimulate foreign com merce. This policy of swapping reduc tions, the government believes, will result In great benefit to our foreign trade, and at the same time will give adequate protection to Industry. Al ready nearly thirty foreign nations are lined uj>. awaiting an opportunity to negotiate reciprocal .treaties. E VEN the Democrats In congress are not (wasting openly of their success In passing the bill for a cen sus of the unemployed, and many of them voted against It or were absent when It came up for final passage. That It was designed mainly to give Jobs for the faithful at the expense of the national treasury was clear, for the census takers are not to get theft Jobs until after the November con- gresslonal elections. Then they will receive $2 a day for a long period, ob taining answers to an elaborate ques tionnaire. No one knows of what use this will be except to the Democratic congressmen who are seeking re-elec tion, and to their henchmen. pONORESS completed action on the ^ communications bill and It was bunded to the President for his signa ture. This new law pu{s an end to the federal radio commission and creates a new board of seven members known as the federal communications com mission that not only takes over the duties of the radio board but also all control that has been exercised by the Interstate commerce commission over telegraphic and telephonic communi cations. ^ A significant new provision which the bill carries Into law is the assertion. of full control over all wire and rqglo communications by the government In case of war or “public peril.’’ Under this section the President has author ity to take over all wire and radio offices and stations with Just compen sation to persons entitled thereto. IM' - Sift'" /^RGANIZED business of the United ^ States Insists that the balancing of the budget la an “Imperative neces sity,’* and fears that this may be upset by provisions In the deficiency appro priation bill carrying $1,172,000,000. These provisions permit the Prealdent to transfer Reconstructloh Finance corporation funds to relief and public works purposes. The expenditures would thus be made outright Instead of In reimbursable loans. Henry l. Harriman, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, to Senator Glass, chair- te appropriations com- that the senate limit the to-shift loans. government has consequently been ac cumulating assets which sooner or later cau be liquidated and the money re ceived turned luto the treasury. “It has been estimated that after (he debt Increase of $0,300,000,000 In 1934 and 1935, as contemplated In the budget message, the government would have about $5,000,(NX),000 of assets which could be realized upon to dis charge debt. “But under the bill the purpose for which RFC funds may he used Is greatly extended. These contemplate nonreimbursable expenditures with no possible recompense to the treasury. It must also be recalled that. In addi tion to the large Increase In the pub lic debt, the government has acquired contingent liabilities to about $6,000,- 000,000.” LJ ENUY P. FLETCHER of Pennsyl- * vanla has been handed the rather difficult Job of managing the Repub lican party. The national committee at Its session In Chi cago elected him chairman to succeed Everett Sanders. This would seem to be a wise choice, for Mr. Fletcher is an able and energetic man potable for fats tfiphr rtROUTH-STRICKEN regions «f tbs IS Middle West were Meeeed with seeking rains, end hope wee held eat for forage crops ebd corn. The eerller crope, however, ere rained over most of the tree. Secretary Wallace, after e trip through the “dry” atatee. de scribed the drouth ae a “tragedy’* for the farmera who are suffering from its ravages, but a possible future “bleae- ing for the couetry as n whole.” > ' A LL this year Maryland la celebrat ing the three hundredth annlver- jsausUiSr - big event took place at St Marye City, where Leonard Calvert first gov- mirror or th* pwftBft, and his coi- oulzers landed. Replicas of the Ark end the Dove, Cal vert’s vessels, built to scale, sailed up the St Marys river leading a gay water parade and an chored off the first Maryland capital, which baa almost disappeared In the Intervening years. Norman Davis, American ambas sador at large, the European states men at Geneva were persuaded to drop their quarreling and adopt a mild compromise resolution that prolonged the life of the disarma- Premier Mussolini ment conference. Great Britain and France agreed upon a plan, based on the return of Germany to the conference, and the aid of Italy was enlisted. It was ar ranged that Chancel lor Hitler should go •to Venice and that Premier Musso lini should fly to that city to confer with his fellow dictator, whom he had never met. Later Louis Barthou, French foreign minister, Is expected to go to Rome for a talk with Mus solini In which the misunderstandings between their countries may be ironed • ‘ out. • I BRISBANE THIS WEEK Tea, W« Get No Money F.instein Soya Naughty TWO Pigeons. Satftinnf Silver _ ~ Britain, owing \» the United States plan far this spring's Installment la to pay nothing at alL .They would Sive glidly banded ln a “token,” 16m* tor Uncle Sam to play with, a few silver dollars, but Pres- Roosevelt had said: “Pay the •mount duo tills spring, or consider yourselves.in default.” The British do not like to be In do fault Refusing to pay what they ewe this nation would Justify other J^ARGELY through the efforts of actions In refusing to pay them. On the other band, the British feel that tf they buy our dollars to pay us, they might Increase the value of the dollar and diminish that of the pound. The upshot Is that our British friends decide to pay nothing, oxplaln- Ing with words well chosen that wo ought to be grateful that Britain did not allow Germany to destroy the United States In the big war. And, anyhow. It la all our fault The super-learned Doctor Einstein of relativity fame, warns the United States that “America is not Innocent of Europe’s misery,” and In demand ing payment of her debt becomes “an accomplice In. the ruin of political morality and the cultivation of a re venge spirit encouraged by despair." So says an Associated Press dispatch from Paris. H. P. Fletcher macy and tact and al- Mussolini and Hitler were to discuss so for ready wit In , European policies generally, and, spe* 1898 ho abandoned ; c jfl ca iiy, the German claims to full law practice to be- j trmament and the Austrian question, C ? n, ?..^ ne of T ^ e<Kl . (,re Involving Nazi propaganda In the 1st- ter country. This Anglo-French compromise was a diplomatic setback for Russia, but the Soviet republic countered with the announcement that it had been recog- , nlzed by Czechoslovakia and Rumania. Portugal and again In China, he was Recognition by Jugoslavia was expect- 1 .. . . v . successively ambassador to Chile. | ed t0 follow Rhortly Maxlin L ,t v inov’s | bl " , Newton. Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, and after 1 the campaign In Cuba he transferred to the Infantry and served through the Philippine Insurrection. He entered the diplomatic service In 1!H)2 and aft er valuable service In Cuba, China, It should not annoy Professor Ein stein to be told that the people of tbs United Slates, delighted to receive and provide him with congenial employ ment'when Germany put him out, feel able to form their own opinions con cerning the debts. Opinions of one, however wise In matbematlee, -who will take no part* In paying the debt and bought none of the “Liberty bonds” when the debts were contract ed, do not Interest thq American tax payer. If the highly esteemed Doctor Ein stein will read the foolish book that National Topics Interpreted by Wiffiam Bruckatt did a lot of log hour*, with now legislation do- Fmtar Too Mach signed to encourage v — n ~B the buildingef mom N9W Ueot homes by Individu als, and In connection with this debate there developed what l believe to be one of the outstanding questions of the times. The housing bill, as It was called,^ would make borrowing easier for those who want to own their own homes. Id other words. It Is a pro gram that will put more people Into debt If they take advantage of the blU’a provisions. And that is the ques- obtalned through the last four years, is It or Is it not sound economy to en- courage Individuals- to-eoatraet new debts? Debate on the housing bill, there fore, centered attention on one phase of the whole New Deal program that has caused concern In the back of many heads. Up to this time, how ever, apparently few of the legislators had paused to think of the trend of the course upon which the admlnls- tfatlon had embarked. I noted in the committee hearings in the house that a. number of the representatives exhibited a fear of too much new debt Such stolid men as Luce of Massachusetts, Busby of Mis sissippi, and Hollister of Ohio, and some who are inclined to the Inflation ary side, like Goldsborough of Mary land, questioned whether the proposal the wrote • man of mittee. President’s Mr. Harriman said “Up to the foods hove b of making rebnbu In part: much of the RFC for the purpoee loans. The Mexico, Belgium and Italy. For a time during the Harding administra tion he was undersecretary of state, and after his retirement from the em bassy In Rome he was chairman of the federal tariff commission. The national committee adopted a statement of principles for the party In the fall campaign which In temper ate but firm language condemned the doings of the Democratic administra tion, without any personalities, and more specifically set forth what the Republican party thinks should he done to restore the nation to prosper ity. Opening with the statement that “American Institutions and American civilization are In greater danger to day than at any time since the foun dation of the Republic,” the statement plunged Immediately Into discussion of the need for social legislation. There was assurance of lU>eral treat ment of these problems in this para graph : “Our nation is beset with problems of Infinite complexity—the problems of recovery; of unemployment, with Its unending tale of human suffering; of agriculture, with Its lost markets and relatively low prices; of forever check ing abuses and excesses that have be come all too apparent, and thereafter the problems of a wider spread of prosperity; of relieving the hardships of unemployment and old age, and of avoiding these tragic depressions. These problems must be approached In a broad, liberal and progressive spirit, unhampered by dead formulas or too obstinately clinging to the past.” Solution of the problems, however, said the statement, should be “within the framework of American Institu tions In accordance with the spirit and principles of the founders of the Re public.” Further on the platform said: “We are opposed to revolutionary change without popular mandate—and all ‘change by usurpation,’ the customary weapon by which free governments arc destroyed. “We believe that the present emer gency laws vesting dictatorial powers In the President must never be permit ted to become a permanent part of our governmental system.” : : announcement was taken to mean that the Russians Intend to go ahead with their policy of encircling Germany. German papers agree a new chapter j.ln relations between Soviet Russia and the powers of southeastern Europe has been opened. It Is expected the next step probably will be the conclu sion of a commercial agreement be tween the little entente and Moscow, one of the purposes being to minimize the effect of Soviet dumping of Inm- ber snd cereals In the entente nations. . Nonaggressions and mutual assistance , pacts are said to be In the back- < ground. wrote, elucidating the Apocalypse, he will learn that It la possible for a scientist to make mistakes when he wanders away from science. There if no demand for a fourth dimension In International honesty. RANDOLPH CHURCHILL, son of ^ Winston Churchill, former British chancellor of the exchequer, obtained a most interesting interview from for mer Reiser WRheHn; The seventy- -economic “ducklings’ that it is now five year-old ex-emperor gave his ap proval to the Nazt* regime and hinted that Hitler’s work may be “crowned" hy the restoration of the Hohenzollern monarchy. He did not say whether he himself sought reinstatement, declar ing: “The German people have turned me out. If they want me back they will have to come and fetch me.” Which the German people probably never will do. “Hitler has done^marvelous work In putting new life and soul Into the German nation,” the former Kaiser was quoted as declaring. “If ever they felt It right that his endeavors should be crowned by a return to a constitutional monarchy, I am sure that my family would not fan In their duty.” Wilhelm, his Interviewer said, ex pressed contempt for “the talking circus at Geneva” and said the League of Nations “does nothing but bring in ternational co-operation Into ridicule.” At Morrison, 111., two pigeons take turns trying to hatch a duck egg left In an open lane. The pigeons find It hard to cover the entire egg, but do their beat, and the egg may be hatched. Fanners watch and wonder what the pigeons will do with their child after they have hatched the duckling, and what they will think whet. U takes to the water. At Washington there la mamma gov ernment that may be even more sur prised than those pigeons as It watches the unfolding careers of social and batching. Jy^UCH interesting information was given the special house commit tee that 1j Investigating “un-American” activities In the United States, these being especially the activities of the Nazis. Facts and figures were presented show ing officials of the G e r m a n government had spent money for the dissemination of pro-German Informs* tlon in this country, the German ambassa dor, Dr. Hans Luther. Dr. Hans and the German con sul general In New York, Dr. Otto Klep, both figuring In the testimony. Doctor Klep was said to-have paid $4,006 to a New York city publicity and business promotion firm to “obtain publicity In this country” of anti* Semitic statements. He was said, also, to have contributed, unofficially and In behalf of a third person, $300 la $50 bills for the publication of a pro-Ger man pamphlet Doctor Luther was do- scribed as the financial backer and sponsor of the pamphlet S EVEN persons met a tragic death when an American Air Lines plane, flying from Newark to Buffalo, crashed In the Catskills, 12 miles north of Liv ingston Manor and was burned. The victims were H. H. Pinsley of New York, W. B. Eader, W. A. Casa and H. C. Coppins, all of Buffalo, passen gers; Clyde Holbrook and John Bar- ron, Jr., pilots, and illss Margaret Huckeby, stewardess, all of Chicago. N RA celebrated Its first birthday at a dinner given by Administrator Johnson to the 85 original employees of the organization who were at work before the recovery act was passed. Besides stenographers and office boys, these Included a number of big time business men. General Johnson also invited Franklin D. Roosevelt, Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins and Senator Robert F. Wagner. CARRYING forward the vestir arbitrary reoerai acreage which began with Bankhead cotton bill, the 206 to 144, for passage of Kerr tobacco bill with statutory power pllance with its m The measure wpa over protests of nounced the plan toward regimen The bouse tlve action on and it was his signal im of ^control of the he so-called the AAA force com- t program, to the senate lies ns who de* Just another step h of farmlr”. completed legisla* reciprocal tariff bill to the President te We are going on a partial, limping semi-silver basis which means having back of oar mone> $25 worth of silver, at the nominal Imaginary rate of $1.29 per ounce, for every $100 worth of gold. The government must purchase some thirteen or fourteen hundred million ounces of silver, that will cost, with silver prices probably rising, be tween seven Hundred and one thou sand million dollara Interesting question: How will the government pay for this new silver? Will It pay with more interest-bearing bonds, on the assumption that the sil ver Is really worth nothing? Or will the government Issue nice new green money, saying, “There la good silver back of this”? How long Is the most dangerous kind of “Inflation,” through Interest-Hearing bonds, to continue? The •British government orders Lloyd’s to cease writing insurance on the life of President Roosevelt A special list of rates had been prepared for those wishing to Insure the Presi dent’s life, 5/per cent for Insurance against assassination or accident 7% per cent against death from ordinary causes, 12% per cent against the Pres ident’s being Incapacitated. By special request and wisely, this system of^ gambling on the President’s life has been discontinued. The most expensive thing in the w/rld Is carelessness. In New York gtate alone last year accidents to workers cost one hundred miHlon dol lars. Twenty-five million dollars wa# D paid In compensation. The entire loss of $100,000,000 In the long ran la paid by the public. The Important thing Is the loss to workers and their physical suffering. There la no remedy, except greater care on the part of workers, wto be- come careless; jnen that handle dy namite, for Instance, often throwing the sticks abont as they would throw sticks of wood. Ajpo/there should be ever-increasing rigltance as regards osa of safety devices on machinery. j * Mine. Curie Is suffering from an 111- nees caused, her scientific associates •ay, by overwort In her radium lab oratory. She la sixty-six, and should have a rest But ambition and love of truth are pttUeas slave-drivera. » at all In the meanwhile, titfere was a terrific bombarapsot of propaganda from the borrowing nations sod from some of tho misguided folks In onr own country calling for absolute cellation. Bat cancellation could not,, win. It was impossible. So there fqV lowed a lot of negotiations In which commissions from foreign governments came here and conferred at length with our debt funding commission. Settlements were eventually worked put The debts were funded. That la, the debtor nations were given a long time in which to pay. They were glv- en enormous concessions by onr debt, tlon:'After thr rnnrt1tl“"« fhn * 1*0 r»nmiTilimlmi to order towet seme agree- ment for repayment of the various loans. I know whereof I speak re- gardlag 1 those concessions- -because it happens that I am the only newspaper correspondent In Washington who re ported everyone of the debt confer ences, and I say unequivocally that those funding settlements represented on the average a reduction of more than one-third In the total amount which the debtors contracted original ly to pay. * a—♦—• 1—— — Now, again we are In the midst of new efforts to get something, done In the way "of repay Dodges ments. The forelgS a . nations are not go* Repayment , ng paJ „ It cu be aVbided. They put up the very natural argument that obtains with everyone who Is In debt and who has was sound.—kta Loee, tor example, been hit on the chin by depression called attention to the old-time theory about debts, and the horror in which debt used to be held. Mr. Luce, of course, reflected the wholesome New England feeling-and the. attitude of New Englanders on savings. Mt. Bus by, a southern Democrat, however, made observations that were of much the same tenor. To them, he added that a recent visit to his home baili wick had indicated to him the need of watching the governmeut’a step In encouraging debt. He suggested fur ther that where the government had extended help In the South, things con tlnued to hum until that aid was eli minated. Thereafter, there was an other tallspln Insofar as recovery was concerned. Whatever one’s conclusion about go ing Into debt may be, the fact is un changed that the federal government has put out approximately $7,000,000,- 000 In the last year in various types of loans. The individuals or the corpor ations to which that money was loaned are In debt to Uncle Sam. therefore. In a corresponding amount President Roosevelt and his associates and ad visers defend their course with the argument that by making the loans they have enabled all of those folks to weather the storm. He argues that the economic casualty list would have bren much higher had the loans not been made. He holds that those who - -borrowed from ti*e federal government were actually unable to get money elsewhere and that the government was merely looking after Its own folks To those who criticize the use of tax payers* money in this manner, Mr. Roosevelt has said repeatedly that these loans will be repaid and that the government will suffer no loss In the sod. . • • • But, after all, there are the debts, debts on top of debts ThejKmust ei ther be repaid or re- Debts on pudiated. If they are Top of Debts pald - the borrowers must pay them out of future earulngs That condition, ac cording to the latest line of argument that developed under the housing hill debate, means tlie borrowers can cre ate little or no reserve for the future. It Is being said that the recovery program and the New Deal generally contemplates planning for the future In such a manner as to ward off a re currence of the calamity of depres- sion. But I have asked in a good many places; what If the theories of economic planning fall to work at all, or work only In part? The answers I obtained depended somewhat on the slant of the person questioned. If they are follow ing the professors blindly, they said to me that the plans could not fail be cause they were sound by every theory under which they are drawn. If the person to whom the Inquiry was di rected examined the- problem on a practical basis and studied it with the background of history in mind, I be lieve without exception the answer was: “Well, It will be Just too bad.” My own feeling coincides with the latter view. If the New Deal program for economic planning, for adjusting production to consumption, for con trolling crop planting and distribution, and the other Items that enter into the plan fail to operate according to the theories upon which they are based, there can be no doubt of the result It will be just too bad. There will be millions of there will be no ernment will be conditions. They cannot raise the money, so they say. To avoid de faults, some of the foreign nations made what they called token payments a year ago at this time. Some of them have offered token payments again. But token payments amount to about the same thing as when your friend eats the apple and hands you the core. 'It was a nice apple to begin with, and the funding settlements were nice set tlements when they were signed. * Frankly, I suspect that the United States Is never going to get more than shout 10 per cent of the total now due. There will be plenty of argu ments, propositions and counter prop ositions, negotiations and hauling and filling, and after awhile some of the foreign governments will have su^ ceeded In creating enough public sen timent among their home people to cause a national action of the same character as that taken by France a year ago. The condition as regards the foreign debts owing the United States, I am afraid, will be paralleled right here at home by Indivldnal and corporation and bank debts owing the federal gov ernment. Many borrowers will run In to hard luck, as they always have done, and they Will appeal to the poll- tieiane to save them. When those debts become X potttleal issue. It will be an Issue too strong for politicians ia withstand. Th»y wilt ridden than now, way | out The holding the bag. / On this question of debt there Is that troublesome international phase. The United States loaned something like eleven billion dollars to foreign governments to aid In prosecution of the World war against Germany. For a'lsag time after tbs money was the |Jn!ted States got nothing arise* on the floors of congress and weep about the plight of “those poor people." • • • The special senate committee Is get ting under way with Us inqniry Into the various indu* May Stir tries that manufac* Up a Stink ture ,nate^,a ‘ ,, for P war. and It appears now that It la headed Into an Investi gation that will disclose plenty of things that will cause a stink to arise when the investigators have laid their findings before the committee headed by .Senator Bye of North Dakota. I spent a couple of hours the other day with one of the wheelhorses command ing the Investigating force and It wa< certainly his opinion that there are things awaiting revelation that will surprise the populace. He Is confi dent, as he said, that the country will > sit up and take notice of what the committee Is preparing to bring t« light The evening I was in the chief in vestigator’s office eight men were re ceiving their credentials and money with which to start out on the trait They were beaded for what amounts to a raid on the files and books of some _ factory which the Investigators believed had been engaged in the man ufacture of war materials and which they thought also had been engaged In propagating information that would cause a couple of foreign nations to look with snspldon upon each other.*' Suspicion between two nations is oh-, ▼iously a prelude to more serious dif ferences, and eventually war Is the result The committee has started out to expose such conditions, if they ex ist, and the investigators are convinced that things of that sort are being prac ticed by some of the makers of mu nitions. f have no way of knowing where the investigators are going In their con tinuing effort bat from all tndlca- tona they have orders to dig deep Into fll*t and records to see what they can find.- They .will come back to Wash ington, eventually, with great bales of letters and records that they think ■bed light on the various suspected activities, and, of course, when the committee begins taking testimony those things wjll be brought out There is ju8$.n° aray out of It; a good many corporations whether they have engaged Ip war-provoking activities or not are going to be • brWwtoraWs