The Syracuse Journal, Volume 27, Number 52, Syracuse, Kosciusko County, 25 April 1935 — Page 2

2

BRISBANE\ THIS WEEK Protection Impossible The Railroad Crossings Things Are Better When Russia Is Rich Europe seeks some network of “treaties” to prevent a war, or . bind armies and air fleets

of each of those signing such treaties to protect the | others In case of attack. Unfortunately, in ' the new war of j the air, as in secret gangster war, no protection Is possible. Where one criminal has an “automatic" or “submachine gun." agreements among lawabiding citizens can- I

Arthar Brlabane

not protect them. And while one na- | tion can secretly build and suddenly j launch airships with poison gas and ex- j plosive bombs, no city can consider Itself safe. » • - France and England, after elaborate i experiments, announce that there is no j possible way of protecting a modern city against air’ attacks, even though the city knew In advance when to ex- i pect them. The only safeguard is fear of re- * ta liation. Deeply grieved by the killing of ! many school children at a public cross- | | Ing. the President plans extensive 1 elimination of railroad grade crossings. ' Complete elimination of such crossings would Involve spending hundreds of millions or billions. The work Would be undertaken with careful concentration on the fact that railroading Itself | Is bound to change or disappear so far i as transportation of passengers is concerned. Hailroads In the future must carry | passengers more than one hundred miles an hour, on light railroad equipment, able to climb steep grades as I easily as automobiles do now. Ellmi- | nation of grade crossings will take that into consideration and include elimination of existing sharp curves nt crossings, that the work may not be done twice. Dun A Bradstreet, well Informed ' usually, say that a big business rise . is coming. Their weekly survey Informs you that before the -end of this quarter bu*ine>s progress will have developed to a degree beyond the most sanguine estimates offered at the beginning of the year. > How rich will the Russians become, I with their energetic development of national resources, all over Russia and far into Arctic regions? And what will be the effect on Com- | tnunism, bolshevism and the proletariat when Russia becomes, as she may do, , the richest nation on earth, and those that rule her become the world's richest men, perhaps the first multiple bil- ( llonalres In history? Expeditions sent into the Arctic have discovered coal, nickel, tine, tin, cop- | per, gold and oil, all Inside the Arctic circle. - I A regular line of freight ships has been established through the northwest passage, gigantic Icebreakers going ahead of the freighters. Already Russia produces three times as much gold as the United States. What will > be the psychological effect on Communism when Russia produces more gold than any other nation on earth? ; Gambling in silver, made inevitable by this country pushing up the price, I goes on all over the world; poor old China is buying back at double prices silver sold too cheap, and Britain j must wish site had been in less of a , hurry to unload below 30 cents an ounce the hundreds of millions of ' ounces taken from India, when India. In a foolish moment was put on the gold basts, only to fall off again. An old true saying tells you: Is some good In all evil.** and this applies even to the deadly venom of the cobra, or "hooded snake of India." A full discharge of the cobra’s poison into the human body means death, while the scientific ti«jof that poison supplies a superior substitute for morphine In diminishing pain. If you love your British cousins, rejoice. Neville Chamberlain, chancellor of the exchequer, says British income taxes will be cut because British finances show a substantial surplus . That surplus appears In spite of the fact that Britain is adding more than $52,000,000 to the coat of armaments. Your satisfaction in this good news may be increased by your knowledge that the United States bad the pleasure of financing the surplus and the additional armaments to the tune of $5,000,000,000 In war debts not paid. Senator Wheeler of Montana has introduced a bill ordering the national government to take over, own and op erate the railroads of the nation be ginning January 1, 1936. There is no doubt that railroad stock and bond holders would say. “Amen," If they could be sure of getting a fair price for their property. Railroad management. naturally, would grieve. To give up power la always unpleasant, fe Ktaa,F«*tttr«s SywUcsu. Inc. W xr Heavy Ta* Levies The exactions of the tax collectors In the near East are notorious, tat the Egyptian of taat century really made a record bard to beat. In one year he squeezed $75,000,000 out of the Egyptian taxpayer while the whole officially recorded revenue only amount•d to monooo-I-i' 1 1 1 . Oysters for Aoemi* ' f , ‘ The oyster to a useful food tot treatment «T nutritional anemia. rin« It contains almost as much iron and copper as It ver

News Review of Current Events the World Over t Germany Enraged by Her Condemnation by League (Council —Work Relief Program Going Forward— Compromise Bonus Measure. By EDWARD W. PICKARD ©, Western Newspaper Union.

GERMANY was thoroughly enraged by the action of the League of Nations council In adopting the tri-power resolution condemning the relch for

violating the treaty of Versailles by rearming, and it was expected Relchsfuerher Hitler would make a defiant retort. As a first step he sent from his Bavarian retreat instructions tp Secretary of State Von Buelow to protest “England's defection at Stresa find Geneva." This Von Buelow did. delivering

IT / j I ' Adolf Hitler

I the message to Ambassador Sir Eric I Phipps for transmission to London. The German press was loud in denunciation of the league action and Litvinov, the Soviet delegate, came in for most of the abuse because he delivered the chief speech in support of the resolution at the council session. Just recently Germany granted to Russia credits amounting to $80,000,000. Poland also was assailed for “abandoning" Germany, but In Warsaw it was said by officials that Poland was still the friend of the reich. One newspaper there said quite truly that the complaint against Germany was “a formal matter tiecause the discussion could not result in any actual solution of the problem, but only bring something like emotional relief." Strange as it may seem, the Jews In Germany are warmly supporting Hitler in this controversy. The following message was sent to him: “The League of National German Jews stands unshaken In Its loyalty to the Fatherland, and hopes the government's defense policy will not be changed on account of the Geneva proceedings." German resentment against Great Britain Is especially warm because she feels she was deceived In the recent negotiations. Consequently she thinks Britain's prestige as a mediator in continental affairs 18 destroyed. During the councils discussion Tewflk Arras, the Turkish member, arose and stated flatly that if any changes in the existing treaties were made or tolerated, his country would claim tile I right to fortify the Dardanelles In violation of the treaty of Lausanne. He even hinted that the Turks might follow Hitler's example and not wait for permission. Sir John Simon's immediate and sharp reply was: . “I feel sure my honorable colleague I will not expect me to say any more at this stage than that I must naturally make all reservations regarding It." Laval of France and Baron Alois! of Italy supported Simon in his rebuke of the Turkish revisionism. Laval carried back to Faris a draft ! of the mutual assistance pact with ‘ Russia for submission to the French ■ cabinet. Litvinov was still insistent that the two countries should enter | Into a real military alliance, and it may i be that he will carry his point. In the | opinion of many observers such a treaty would be declared invalid by the ; I^eague of Nations. WHEN the administration’s great work relief program gets under way one of the most Important parts . of If. the purchase of material supplies.

will have to be started at once, and It Is expected that this will absorb about $1,700.000.000 of the total sum. According to au; thoritatlve sources in Washington, this part of the program will be supervised by Rear Admiral Christian J. Peoples, now procurement officer in the treasury. Peoples entered the navy supply

corps In 1900 as assistant paymaster and later developed the navy’s present purchasing 'system. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was assistant secretary of the navy he and Peoples became close friends. The admiral presumably will hare full charge of drafting the regulations for material purchases but It Is understood the actual buying of supplies for work relief projects will in most Instances be bandied by the states and .other co-operating agencies. However, certain commodities, Jlke cement, that , will be needed In immense quantities, i probably will be purchased centrally. T UST as soon as the President say* the word, the federal bureau of ; public roads and the various state highway departments are ready to I jump Into the work of grade crossing 1 elimination, the building of arterial , highways and similar projects The work relief act earmarks $500,000,000 for such undertakings, and the sum may be Increased by th* President to a billion. The roads bureau already has $100,000,000 of grade crossing eliminations and other projects contracted for under authority granted by congress last year, officials revealed, and these contracts ar* to be met with work-relief money. Arthur W. Brandt, president of the American Association of State Highway Officials, advised a congressional committee recently that states were prepared to wipe out 4,058 dangerous crossings if as much as $461.881.500 was made available. He said $277,567.500 of such projects could be completed In a year. Brandt reported also that state officials were ready to begin construction—or widening and straightening—of 1,739 trunk line routes thtcfficb Xltig* at a cost of $208.732800. States will not be required to tmtch the work lief money set aside for highway, street and crossing construction. After It I* made available by th*

President, the fund ,wlll be apportioned among the states by the secretary of agriculture on a basis prescribed by the relief act SEVEN agencies of the government are organizing to combat the damage done by the constantly recurring dust storms. They are the AAA, farm . credit administration, emergency relief ‘ administration, soil erosion service, bureau of plant industry and bureau of agricultural engineering. The efforts, officials said, will Include shipping feed* food and water into the stricken areas of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas and Colorado, starting work relief projects on roads, private lands and the public do- i main, planting of fast-growing and hardy crops as ground cover In areas where moisture conditions permit, and “listing" operations. This latter work Is an attempt to prevent soil blowing away, by making alternate ridges and furrows. Meanwhile other officials of the same bureaus were beginning to map out permanent plans designed, they said, to prevent recurrence of dust storms in dry periods. Primary among these was a program with the declared aim of permanently acquiring, through the AAA and relief administration, 15,000,0001 acres of land before July 1. Such land will be retired from farm production to cover,crops and forests and for use as recreation and wilddife areas. The land is classed as submarginal by government experts since it is in a region of small annual rainfall. Fjresident Roosevelt called - Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi to the White House for a conference I concerning the veterans’ bonus bill.

Pat Harrison

busy with the problem, and the result I was the introduction in congress of a compromise bill which it was believed the President would accept if it were passed. This measure would make bonus certificates mature in 1938, instead of 1915. They could be converted immediately iu*o 3 per cent bonds. Vet-1 erans who wanted cash right away could sell the bonds, losing only the Interest they otherwise could obtain ' until 1935. Harrison said this would cost $500,000,000 more than the pres- : ent bonus law, but far less than the Patman bill, passed' by the house, to | pay the bonus with $2,500,000,000 in new money. Milo Warner, vice commander of the American Legion, said this bill was : “absolutely not acceptable” to that organization. Heads of veterans’ organizations and various others were invited to testify at committee hearings on the bill. — SENATOR HUEY LONG called together bls complaisant legislature in Baton Rouge and ordered it to pass some new laws that would give film complete control of city finances, elections and expenditures of federal relief funds. Secretary Ickes went j right up In the air and announced that if the laws were enacted Louisiana i would get none of the public works money; whereupon the Kingfish told him he could go to the nether regions, . since the PWA money had already ! been deposited to the account of the New Orleans sewer and water board. ■ “The state court very properly rec- j ognizes our men as that board now. so how is. Ickes going to get his money • back?" Long asked. “When he starts that, we’ll show him what a smart man he ain't. If Ickes and the balance of the brain trust cabinet bold their breaths until we send for them. I there’ll be several corpses and the country will be better off.” OVER In Turkey the women, until recently, were forced to lead lives 1 cf seclusion in the harem and to go ' veiled when In public. But ail that Is < changed. The other day the twelfth ; congress of the International Alliance I of Women.for Suffrage and EqualCltl- ■ zenshlp opened In Istanbul with about thirty nations represented >nd Mrs, , Corbett Ashby of England In the chair, and the women of Turkey, unveiled and In modish European garb, were , the proud hostesses of the hundreds of , delegates. Among the questions discussed were: The situation and rights , of women; the position of women In the liberal professions; the. political and civil rights of women; the means J ; women can use to prevent war. Under Kemal s rule the women of the I republic of Turkey have been granted ! parliamentary and city votes and hare ‘ entered enthusiastically into all | , branches of life, civic, professional, In* dustrtal and sporting. WITHOUT any effort to break speed records. Capt. Edward A. i Musick and five companions landed the big Pan-American Airway clipper ship Pioneer in Hawaii 18 hours and 31 > minutes after they took off. from Alameda, Calif. This was the first exploratory flight for a service that will soon i be extended clear across the Pacific to (Sutton, the proposed intermediate stops being Hawaii, Midway islands. Wake islands. Guam and the Philippines. The operating base* are do* in process of construction.

Admiral Peoples

which already has passed the house. Harrison is chairman of the senate finance committee and the administration looked to him to devise away to spike the measure which is so objectionable to the President in Its present “greenback” form. Other j majority leaders in j congress also were

RYRACYTSF. .TOTTRNAT.

JZTNG BORIS of Bulgaria has foiled another attempt to force him from his precarious throne. Upon discovery of an alleged Fascist plot, he ordered that three prominent political leaders be arrested and held in jail. Their friends sought to free them by storming the jail but were repulsod. Those seized are Alexander Zanhoff, leader of the Democratic entente; Kozma Georgleff, head of the Macedonian party, and M. Natcheff, former police president of Sofia. The two first named are former premiers. It was expected in Sofia that Premier Petko Zlatteff and his cabinet would resign and that King Boris would appoint as head of the new government Dimo Kazasoff, minister to Jugoslavia. JOHN R. McCARL, the able, efficient and Independent comptroller general of the United States, has annoyed the New Dealers on several occasions.

Now he threatens to block the plans of the AAA for lifting the restrictions on spring wheat planting and at the same time continuing to pay the farmers for crop reductions that would not be ■ called for. Declaring i they wished to avoid shortages due to the dust storms, the offi- ■ cials of the AAA said J

J. R. McCarl

the farmers would be paid for the abandoned reductions tn acreage if they wouid promise to curtail their plantings next year. Mr. McCarl asked I for further information on this matter and indicated he could not approve of the plan, though AAA men declared he ; had not ruled definitely against it. Chester C. Davis, AAA administrator, might hot be content to abide by such a ruling if It were made, and the administration might refuse to accept it. ! Mr. McCarl, a Republican, holds his office under a law’ which specifies that the comptroller general shall be appointed to a 15-year term and can be removed only by death or impeachment. Nevertheless Attorney General > Cummings, it is understood, gave it as his opinion that, like any other Presidential appointee, he could be removed at the pleasure of the President. He based this opinion on a rul- ! ing of the Supreme court in the case of a postmaster who was ousted by ; President Coolidge, the court holding that the President was within his rights under Article 2 of the Constitution. So it may be the New Dealers will seek to have Mr. McCarl ousted before his term expires In 1936, It is Interesting to read that the Nebraska Progressive league, made up of liberal Republicans, is planning the organization of “McCarl for President" clubs in that state and afterward in all others. George W. Kline, its chairman, says he was asked to support McCarl for President in 1936 by friendg of Senator George W. Norris. The comptroller general is a graduate of the University of Nebraska law school and for years was Mr. Norris’ secretary. A“ T" LLEGED teaching of Communism In some of our universities and the adoption of that cult by a large | number of young men and women in those institutions has long been debated and denounced by patriotie citizens. Student strikes and small riots have been frequent and there have been many demands for the suppression of these reds and pinks. The latest big institution of* learning to be brought into the limelight in this matter Is the University of Chicago, whose faculty contains several decidedly radical instructors ! and Its student body many youthful i followers of Marx and Lenin. Because ’ of charges made by a prominent drug ' store magnate the Illinois senate has ; just adopted a resolution calling for a “thorough and complete Investigation" . by a senatorial committee of five to I determine whether any foundation ex- j ists for charges that “subversive Communistic teachings" are going on in “wholly or partly tax-exempt colleges and universities of this state." The action of the senate followed within a few hours action by the house in passing almost unanimously a bill to require an oath of allegiance and obedience to the state and federal constitutions from all teachers and professors. The legislatures of other states are passing similar' laws. SIR OSWALD MOSLEY, chief of the British Fascists, has committed his organization to a policy of anti-semit-ism fully as severe as that of the Hit-

ler Nazis. At a riotous meeting of his Black Shirts in Leicester. Mosley said: "For the first time I openly and publicly cbal- ' lenge Jewish Interests in this country. Comman ding commerce, commanding the press, commanding the dn- ; ema. dominating the city of London, they are killing industry with their sweat-

shops. These great Interests ar* not intimidating and will not intimidate the Fascist movement of the modern age.” Leaders of more than 200 of Chicago’s 300 Jewish organizations assembled to indorse the campaign of the American Jewish congress for consolidation of ail organized Jewish ae- [ tion. The chief speaker ’"’as the fa- I mous Rabbi Stephen S. Wise. national I president and founder of the congress. In the course of his address be said: **l want the day to come when no ‘ Jew shall lire in Germany— not one. I want the day to come—although i shall not live to see it—when the Jew will be a regretted memory in Germany. just as their presence was a blessing and an ennoblement in every sense.” D OBERT GORDON SWITZ of New Jersey and his wife, who had been in jail is France for about 14 months on charges of espionage, were finally tried and found guilty, but were set free oy the court because they had turned states evidence and helped tn the apprehension of their accomplices. Twenty-two others were convicted and given prison terms of varying length

TREMENDOUS I TRIFLES 88 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON GEORGE WASHINGTON, ASSASSIN EORGE WASHINGTON, an asLl sassin . . . impossible!" you exclaim. But it's true, if we can believe a document that Washington himself signed. On May 28. 1754. his Virginia militia made a surprise attack on a party of Frenchmen at Great Meadows in western Pennsylvania. They killed ten, including the leader, Coulon de Jumonville, and took twenty-one prisoners who claimed that Jumonville was an envoy sent to warn the English off the French lands. Since England and France were not at war, they said the > attack was a violation of international law. Papers found at the time proved that they were also scouts for a French i force sent to drive the English out of that country. . Five weeks later, that force, commanded by Jumonville’s brother. Coulon de Villiers, besieged Washington’s little army at Fort Necessity. Reject- ; ing two demands for a * surrender, ; Washington held out until they put into writing the articles of capitulation. It was a soggy, rainy day and the French note was “written in a bad hand on wet and blotted paper.” In it Villiers twice stated that the French were not attacking the English, with whom they were at peace, but were only punishing “L’assassinat du Sieur de Jumonville.” This was read to Washington by the light of a candle, which was blown out again and again by the rainy gale. The man who read it was Jacob Van Braam, a Dutchman, whose knowledge of French was meager. The word “I’assassihat" he translated simply as “death or loss.” So Washington signed the articles, not realizing that he was thus confessing to an “assassination.” It was a trifling error of interpretation but the French, who welcomed an excuse for war with “perfidious Albion." seized upon the young colonial officer's “confession." It played no small part in bringing on the conflict which raged in both Europe and America for seven years and resulted in France’s losing all of her territory in North America to England. • • • POLKA DOT DO YOU like to wear polka dot dresses, or, if you’re a man, is a | polka dot scarf your favorite necktie? If so, you can thank two men. One of them was a Hungarian dancing master and the other was the first “dark ■ horse" in American political history. In 1830 that dancing master —history i has not preserved his name—was on a walking tour In Poland. In a small I village he saw a peasant girl doing a folk dance which pleased him. He brought the new steps back to Prague, where it Immediately won great popularity, and gave it the name “Polka” for the land of its origin. Fourteen years later over in Amer- ' lea, the Democratic party was trying . to nominate a candidate for President at Baltimore. There was a deadlock. I Suddenly 44 votes were announced i for Jhmes Knox Polk of Tennessee. i who had served as speaker of the house of representatives bul otherwise had a colorless political career. This started a stampede which resulted in the first selection of a “dark horse” tn convention history. When the news of his nomination was flashed ' from Baltimore to Washington over that new-fangled instrument, the telegraph, amazed citizens in the Capital exclaimed, “Who is Polk?" As it turned out. he was the next President For he defeated Henry Clay, the Whig nominee. During the campaign, the Hungarian dancing master’s new dance came into this country. Be cause of the similarity of its name to that of rhe Democratic nominee, it be came the official campaign amusement. Articles of various kinds were named for it and for him and that’s why we wear polka dot designs today • • • A CIGARETTE LOOK over a cigarette the next time you smoke one. It’s not so very long, nor very thick Probably the fraction of a cent that it costs you will never be missed. But such a trifle aa a smouldering cigarette costs the United States three billion dollars in fire losses every year! Experu estimate that the average smoker throws away at least a third of the clgarettp, and if the little trifle is not put out *. .1 In 1629 the Puritans tried to pass a law against the olarting of tobacco This decree was the forerunner of the whole code of prohibitive aws. It was a losing fight, however. So Massachusetts set a tax on its use. "Any persons or person who shall be found smoking tobacco on the Lord's day, going to or coming from the meetings, or within two miles of the meeting house, shall pay 12 pence for every I such default” As almost the whole community lived within tbe two miles limit, this caught them all. Even today there are still some states in the Union that forbid the sale . of tobacco on Sunday. W»ii it all de- ; pends on what you like And if you like to smoke, remember the three billion dollars ami put out your stubs. 0, Western Newspaper Ualon. Two Long Voyages The distance from Southampton, England, to Bombay. India, is 6.100 miles, practically the same as the distance to Buenos Aires. Argentina. The distance from Southampton to New York is 3,120 miles. The Lowly Peanut The peanut is not really a nut, bur of the puise. or bean family. Although grown largely in this country, some are imported from China. Hazels come mainly from Asia, though they can be grown here.

Bir Oswald Mosley

National Topics Interpreted /O jMTOw by William Bruckart * National Press Building Washington, D, C.

Washington.—The true purpose of the investigation by the senate muni-

tions committee appears to have come to light. It is seeking the honor of

Light on Nye Inquiry

drafting legislation which will give it a historical standing cs the group of men who first moved to remove the incentive of profit as provocative of war. In presenting its proposal to this I end, however, the committee is regarded as having “started something” which it is unlikely can be finished by the group of individual senators making up that committee. When the Investigating resolution! was adopted by the senate, its sponsors made much fuss about conditions: in the munitions industry. There were many speeches made by Senator Nye (Rep., N. D.) concerning the wickedness of munitions manufacturers, and in the course of those speeches, which were made in a score of different communities, Senator Nye announced conclusions which apparently have not been supported by evidence adduced by the committee investigators. Further, the senator announced plans to disclose alleged corruption among the munitions manufacturers and stated definitely that the purpose of the inquiry was to provide the basis for laws which would control them. Now, after seven months, we look back on the committee’s record and find that it has played a game of hop-skip-and-jump from one subject to another and, I believe, the consensuis is that little of real value either to the senate or as public information has been developed. Since there was the minimum of publicity resulting from the inquiry, into munitions plants, shipbuilding yards and the aircraft industry, the committee has taken another tack. Seizing upon President Roosevelt's phrase that profits must be taken out of war, Senator Nye and his‘ colleagues turned their so-called “experts” loose ob the track of those illusive profits. The result is a piece of proposed legislation that goes beyond anything ever offered before in the way of tax legislation. Os course, it is entirely likely that nothing at all will come of the Nye bill insofar as improvement of our taxation methods is concerned. But its radical and altogether unworkable character Is looked upon as necessitating a frank examination of its provisions. Because the committee started out to investigate the munitions industry anfl notwithstanding the fact that since it has wandered all over the surface of the earth with its inquiry there is a widespread belief that its tax bill will vapply only to the munitions industry during war time. Such is not the case. It goes far beyond the industry and, indeed, it affects every corporation and every individual with an income of SI,OOO or more. In drafting the bill the Nye -committee followed closely representations made before it by John T. Flynn, a I widely known magazine writer, but who served with the committee under the title of an “economist.” Whatever capacity Mr. Flynn has as an economist, it can be said frankly that J»e ! has been impressive only with senators who deal in theories and lean to radical doctrines. • • • Probably the Flynn-Nye tax proposal won’t get anywhere at all. Certalnily

it will not be enacted in this session of congress. Nevertheless,: when a senate com-

Flynn-Nye Tax Bill

mittee seriously introduces a bill that would limit income of a corporatibn to 3 per cent of its peace-time capitalization—the government would take the rest by taxation —it is regarded by many as time to call a halt, it ougjht to be added here that obviously the country is faced with the highest taxes it has ever known in consequence of the tremendous spending that has been going on during the last two years and which is to be continued. Those taxjes are due to come along within another year or two and therefore it is not pleasant to contemplate a future upon which will be superimposed a peacetime taxation structure of the highest levels known to this country. I referred above to the 3 per cent limit on incomes of corporations. TJjls is brought about through a tax of 50 per cent on the first 6 per cent of earnings of every corporation. Above the 6 per cent earnings, it is proposed in the Flynn-Nye bill to take 100 per cent eff the total. Tucked away in one section of the bill is language that is ordinarily referred to as a “joker.” It represents the first attempt by congress, rather by the sponsors of this legislation, to circumvent exemption of government securities from taxation. The federal, state, municipal, county and other governmental jurisdictions hare the power to issue bonds and other securities free from taxation. This makes such securities attractive. For quite a while there has been agitation to do away with this tax exemption privilege. Nobody has found away, however, to get legislative bodies to enact the necessary provisions into law. So, we have something like nfty billions of dollars In securities of this type outstanding. If this income were taxable, of course, it would represent a considerable increase in revenue to the federal government through income levies. Thus it is stated the Flynn-Nye proposal is attempting to reach that income without actually violating the contract which the issuing government made with the buyers of those security The effort to tax income from these securities has been worked out in a

fashion that is better illustrated than defined. Assume that a corporation bad 1b-

Hou> It Would Work

vested a large portion of its surplus or reserves in tax-exempt bonds. The

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1935.

bill proposes first to limit the amount of income which that corporation may receive and to tax half of the remainder. The result Is that income from tax-exempt securities would be mingled with other forms of income and the government would dip its hand Into the total and take whatever amount the law prescribed. Another provision of the bill would result in government confiscation in wartime of every dollar of income that any official of any corporation, company or partnership received in excess of SIO,OOO per year. It is to be remembered here that the above-men-tioned SIO,OOO would not be tax-ex-empt. such salaries still would have to pay the government $2,800 in taxes on the SIO,OOO income. In other words, since nearly every one receiving salaries of this size' serves In an official capacity with some commercial unit, the tax provision actually reaches nearly all of the individual income tax payers. Certainly, the drastic rates affect all persons receiving any income of consequence because there is a sharp reduction in the personal exemption prescribed and the tax rates themselves are boosted higher than a kite. For instance, a married man with an income of $3,000 a year would have to pay a minimum of S3OO to the government immediately if war were declared. Notwithstanding the enthusiasm with which this bill is being pushed by the committee members, there is apprehension among them that its drastic provisions will not last in event of war. It is possible that in another year congress may enact such legislation for wartime use but I am told in many quarters that if war were voted by congress, about the first thing to be done by the national legislators would be to repeal such tax legislation and enact something that would be workable and that would be an inducement for commerce and industry to devote its facilities and capacity to prosecution of hostilities. • • • The lethargy that continues among national Republican leaders is begin-

Criticize Leaders

consequence in national affairs. Word is coming through to Washington from various sections of the country indicating considerable dissatisfaction with the management of Republican party affairs by the present regime, headed by Henry P. Fletcher, national chairman. There is likewise a growing volume of criticism of the'work of Senator Hastings of Delaware, and Representative Bolton of Ohio, joint chairmen of the Republican-senatorial-con-gressional committee. Superficially, at least, it appears’ that the Republican pot is about to boil over. I don’t believe anybody can forecast at. this time what the result is going to be. It should be said in favor of Mr. Fletcher and Co-Chairmen Hastings and Bolton that they are in a tough spot. They are criticized if they do and criticized If they don’t. Yet the fact remains and I think it is recognized everywhere that none of these three has taken a positive position nor has he Initiated any constructive effort in behalf of his party’s political future. From among Republicans who yet remain in congress. I have picked %p much private discussion indicating fear on their part that the Republican party management is faced with an upheaval equivalent to the Roosevelt New Deal among the Democrats unless the party leaders awaken from their unperturbed sleep. The point made most frequently .is that President Roosevelt actually has inaugurated his campaign for re-electidn, and the Republicans are doing absolutely nothing about It. It is well to recall that Postmaster General Farley is planning to retire—just when nobbdy knows — .to devote his attention to his other job which is chairman of the Democratic national committee. This information can be construed in only one way now that Mr. Fletcher is getting ready to take his seat again at the helm of the campaign machine. Some of the smarter Republicans insist that this should be notice to the guiding lights of their own party to begin construction of political trenches. Something may come of the Republican sectional meetings now being planned. It is just possible that out of these group discussions may be evolved some national program, or the makings of a national policy. It Is likewise possible that from these group discussions some Individual may arise who would be a worthwhile leader for the party against Mr. Roosevelt next year. To date, according to all of the information I can obtain, that leader is not in sight. Senator Arthur Vandenberg of Michigan, who was reelected to the senate last year in the midst of a Democratic landslide, has been suggested. On the other hand, wise politicians tell me that because Senator Vandenberg has been mentioned thus early, he is likely to be out of the running when the convention time comes because in politics it is the early bird who catches the curse instead of the worm. But to forget the weaknesses of the Republicans in leadership does not cause one to forget the palpable failure made by those In charge at present So far as the public record shows they have taken no advantage whatsoever of vulnerable spots in the New Deal armor. No administration has been or can be perfect President Roosevelt does not claim that his New Deal is perfect He has gone so far as to admit failures in certain of his countless experiments. It is possible that the Republican organization has nwrip note of these failures but it can be stated as a fact that they have made very little use of them byway of political attack. £. Western Newepaper Union.

ning to grow irksome upon minor wheelhorses and individual Republicans of lesser