The Syracuse Journal, Volume 28, Number 29, Syracuse, Kosciusko County, 14 November 1935 — Page 2

2

BRISBANE THIS WEEK Something About Billions Earthquakes Marvelous New Cars , News From Ethiopia Silas H. Straws, once head of the American Bar association and presi-

dent of the United States Chamber of Commerce, says tie country Is spending 17,000 a minute, and thinks it la too much. Your small boy will tell you how much $7,000 a minute makes in one year. Once "all the world wondered." or at least we did, when there was talk of spending one-quarter of a billion on the Panama canal. Now,

I J K I Arthar Brtubaa* |

any professor could spend that, after three minutes* thinking, and news that the nation’s deficit has increased fifteen hundred millions In the past few weeks startles nobody. The world has passed through earthquake week. Earthquakes In Montana, greatest sufferer on this continent Severe shocks are reported in Slam. Earthquakes In Buffalo, N. I.; Ottawa. Toronto, Guayaquil, Ecuador; a busy sAlsmogrnphlc wwk. And the moon is partly to blame. Its power of gravitation exercises a strong pull on the earth, as it shows in lifting the ocean tides. Dr. Harlan T. Stetson, of Harvard, says the moon causes “sub-surface adjustments of the earth.** The new cars of 1936. now on ex*hibltion, are so extraordinarily beautiful that every American should see them, regardless of Intention to buy a new car. Most encouraging Is the determined energy that business men and engineers of the automobile Industry have shown tn fighting the depression. while Improving that which seemed beyond improvement Rome gives confirmation of the Slaughter of six thousand women and children by Ethiopian warriors taking vengeance on the fathers of the children who deserted to Italy. Rome also reports the killing of five hundred Ethiopians by Italian bombing planes, and ‘an attempt to Haile Selassie by an unnamed American negro." Halle Selassie of Ethiopia has “flung the last available man Into the battle line,** relying on old men, young t>\vs and women to run his government, reminding you of the late czar's announcement that he was going to send “his last moujlk." He did not live to do that The national effort to “buy ourselves out of the hole" encounters difficulties. The President, to make his four billions cash spread as far as possible, announced top wages of $93 a month. But union labor says, “No; yon must pay us full union wages." and New York may have a state-wide strike to back the demand. President Roosevelt. it Is said, refuses to concede that public relief la a branch of union labor, and, even with 1936 looming ahead, may insist that two governments In the country are one too many. Heavy windstorms in Florida so late In the season are disturbing. Inhabitants are moved away from the keys. There Is oo danger, however, to those that occupy houses properly constructed and know enough to stay In them during the short time that the storm lasts, Greece Is ready to take back her king and many Greeks are growing “spike" mustaches like his Many Germans grew mustaches, curling upward. to imitate their former kaiser. There is not much In Imitating mustaches. You wonder why the Greeks cannot find a Greek for king, if they must hare a king. In days of “the' glory that was Greece" It wasn’t necessary to go outside among "barbarians" to find a ruler. You may want to know that tn England. where good time* have really come back, the Tories have made heavy gains at the present election and the labor party sustains heavy losses. Ramsay MacDonald, head of Britain’s first Labor government, rejoices openly at labor's downfall. Ills work as prime minister seems to have changed his opinions. Experience often changes onr minds. “It is a very great rebuff for labor," ■ays MacDonald. “The people are not being taken in by wild and reckless promises which they know cannot be carried out. In municipal or national government," Ed Howe, an able writer of Kansas, is expected to "put aside his pencil and pen forever." because his doctor warns him that blindness is approacblo«- * Perhaps Mr. Bowe will tell his doetor: “Milton did much of his important writing after be was totally blind, and I can do the same." Mr. Howe can use a dictating machine, whereas Milton dictated to his daughters, who, uneducated, found it difficult to write down his Latin dictation ffiMmsffiawhsMeSarwttsatn laa. t Jtosn. Il WXU OWTflftßn ' ■/ , w Virgin Islands .Thp Virgin islands pussled Columbus when be righted them on his second voyage. Amazed at their beauty and bewildered at their numbers, he could not think of enough salats in WbCO© to ©SOTO tIMMEBU pfr tOOM a short cut and culled them the Vlr- , TMFIBBWWfW

News Review of Current Events the World Over Various State and City Elections Give Cheer to Both Parties —Greece Votes for Restoration of King George 11. By EDWARD W. PICKARD ' © WMtern N«w«w«r Union.

REPUBLICANS shouted loudly that the victory of their party In the New York state election was a terrific blow to the New Deal and a repuadlatlon of President Roosevelt The Democrats declared It was no such thing. James A. Farley, who Is both national and state chairman of the Democrats. gave them their cue when he declared recapture of control of the legislature by the G. O. P. was "normar' j a F i Bn '' ,hnt ,he J. A. Farisy eratlc vote for assembly candidates taken as a whole exceeded the Republican vote by , more than half a million, which was something of .an exaggeration. The Republicans gained nine additional seats In the assembly, giving them 82 to 68 held by the Democrats. Only two senate seats were involved in the contest, both to fill vacancies. One of them went to a Republican and the other to a Democrat, leaving the the upper legislature body unchanged l In 45 cities of testate, the Republicans elected 33 mayors, including Roland B, Marvin of Syracuse, possible nominee for governor next year. The President saw Hyde Park go Republican and Farley failed to hold his own district in Rockland county. The Democratic organisation In New York came through strongly and menaces the prospect of a re-election for Mayor LaGuardia, observers hold. The Fusion forces, which turned Tammany out two years ago, crumbled. In Philadelphia S, Davis Wilson, Republican, was elected mayor but the vote was close enough for the Democrats to call it a virtual victory for the New Deal. Cleveland. Columbus and 23 out of 42 other cities and towns In Ohio chose Republican mayors, and so did a number of municipalities In Massachusetts. Connecticut Socialists re-elected Jasper McU-vy mayor of Bridgeport and Democratic mayors were returned in Hartford,and New Haven. Republicans gained control of the New Jersey legislature, but Hudson county, including Jersey City, went Democratic by a record vote. Results In the spectacular election In Kentucky gave the New 1 butlers a real reason for rejoicing, for A. R. Chandler, known as "Happy," the Democratic candidate for governor who had the support of the national administration, handily defeated Judge King Swope, the Republican nominee. This despite the fact that Democratic Governor Lafoon had declared himself against Chandler and threw his support to Swope. The referendum on repeal of the state prohibition amendment gave the repea lists a good majority, In Virginia and Mississippi all the Democratic nominees were elected, which was to be expected. ••/'"'•ROSSLY arbitrary, unreasonable "J and capricious." was the way Federal Judge William C. Coleman of Baltimore desert bed the public utility holding act, and he held the law unconstitutional tn its entirety. In a long decision, the Judge declared that the act's ’invalid provisions” were “so multifarious and so intimately and repeatedly Interwoven throughout the act as to render them Incapable of separation from such parts of the act. If any, as otherwise might be valid." Judge Coleman instructed trustees for the American States Public Service company, plaintiffs tn the litigation on the act, to treat the law a* 'invalid and of no effect.” The Securities and Exchange com- ] mission announced in Washington, however, that enforcenmnt of the act will continue, despite the ruling. Mackenzie king, the new prime minister of Canada. waa in Washington negotiating with President Roosevelt a reciprocal trade agreement between the United States and the Dominion. Completion of such a treaty waa one of the planks of King’s recent election platform. Canada buy* more from the United States than any other country, and America, to* urn. is Canada's best cu*- ? turner. UffiF year America exported goods worth s3U2,tMX\t<X> to Canada and Imported goods worth $231,000,00(1 These totals compare with 1929 totals of sSHS,ooo.ouo and $303,000,000 respectively. QTXARGE of Greece is once more 'J king. The plebiscite resulted In his recall by a huge majority, and before long the monarch will be back on

the throne he abdicated 12 years ago. The vote in favor of the restoration waa almost unanimous, even in Crete, the birthplace of the republican leader Venlzelo* who is now Id exile and under sentence of death. Aa the reaolts of the balloting came in. Premier George Kondylls appeared on a balcony

of a government building and announced: "Afl of tomorrow, King George H will be king of the Hellenes. There win be no political parties. They have been broken up by the peonta and new etww-h nf “IfTwtore iriorious than I'd imag toed. The expression of popular will TO YRTOr ftoxotbuou was loresevu dux The cabinet met to awear a new

A delegation sailed aboard a Greek warship to present the official request for King George to return. Officials said they expected King George, who was In London, to come back within two weeks. CHINA has suddenly abandoned the metallic silver currency standard, adopted a managed paper currency and otherwise reformed Its monetary system. The four-point program was announced in Shanghai by Finance Minister H. H. Kung Just after Vice President Garner and bis party of congressmen had left the city for Manila. The American party was entertained by high Chinese officials, including Kung. But despite much oratory of the hands across the sea character, no hint was given of China’s contemplated action. However, all English language newspapers In Shanghai car Tied long Interviews with Senator William H. King of Utah and Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana, both of whom practically told China that it “was not any of her business what America did about silver," and predicted the continuance of United States purchases until the price of silver has reached $1.29 an ounce. The new Chinese program provides for: 1. Nationalization of silver. 2. Restriction of bank note Issues to three government owned banks. 3. Stabilization of the Chinese dollar at the present level. 4. Legalization of bank notes for payment of all debts which provide for payment in silver. WHILE the invading Italians were pushing further and further into his realm. Emperor Halle Selassie I of Ethiopia celebrated the fifth anniver-

Emperor Haile Selassie

and teakwood throne In the palace, he received the felicitations of chieftains and the diplomatic corps. In the afternoon Haile gave the soldiers a great feast of raw meat, and In the evening h» entertained the diplomats and nobles at a state banquet with golden service and rare wines. The emperor holds that the big oil concession negotiated for American Interests by F. M. Rlckett, the English promoter, still holds good although the Americans relinquished it at the suggestion of Secretary Hull "This concession,” said Haile, "Is an integral part of our national economic program. We purposely, granted it to a neutral country like the United States in order to avoid political complications and International jealousies. It Is unfortunate that war must delay its fullfilment Through the benefits accruing to this concession we hope to raise the social level of people and provide them with honorable remunerative employment. “I am sure that when our country Is again at peace, and the circumstances are propitious, all the terms of the enterprise will be carried out by the original concessionaires, who never canceled the concession, but merely withdrew temporarily at the suggestion of the State department for the worthy motive of promoting international peace.” THE League of Nations set November 13 as the day on which the ; economic sanctions against Italy I should be put Into effect, and later j decided that coal, iron and oil should be Incloded In the embargo. The league appointed Premier of France and Sir Samuel Hoare. British foreign minister, to carry on peace negotiations with Italy. Sir Samuel st,ill Insisted any peace must be within the framework of the League. The Italian armlee on the northern front pushed further into Ethiopia, following the tanks and with bombing planes active overhead, and one column entered the city of Hauxien on the way to Makale. The Invaders metwith no resistance of consequence. The government at Addis Ababa announced that Italian planes had killed 30 women. 15 children and 100 cows with bomba and machine gun fire at Gorabet PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT has accepted an Invitation from Edward A. O’Neal, president of the American Farm Bureau federation, to appear before that organisation In Chicago on December 9 and deliver an address. Mr. Roosevelt will arrive In Chicago at nine o'clock that morning, make his speech, and start back to Washington three hours later. The President s promised trip to Indiana to take part tn the dedication of a memorial to George Rogers Clark at Vincennes has been postponed until June of next year, when he will also visit the Texas centennial exposition in Dallas. ADMINISTRATOR HARRY L. HOPKINS Issued an order barring from work relief jobs an persona not on the dole as of November 1. He said, however, that despite this order 10 per cent non-relief labor could be employed on any project, and more to specific cases. The f 330.000.000 publie works non-federal program and the $100,000,000 low cost housing program have been exempted entirely from the relief labor requirement because of a shortage of skilled constrocthm worto man on relief.

c King Georgs II

SYRACUSE JOURNAL

sary of his coronation, and he did It in fine style, too. Escorted by a throng of feudal chiefs in barbaric attire, the king of kings and his queen passed through the streets of Addis Ababa amid wildly cheering thousands, and gave thanks to God in St George’s cathedral. Afterward, seated on his ivory

Keeping Up WffiScience © ScUnoa Sarvica.—WN U Sarvicw Mechanized Army Equipment Shown by Ordnance Corps Try Rapid-Fire Rifles and Anti-Aircraft Guns ABERDEEN, MD.—Fast-fir-ing rifles for the foot-soldier, heavy artillery that travels across country at express-train speed, new-type anti-aircraft ammunition that makes the skies unsafe for bombing planes, were shown at the Army Ordnance field day held under the auspices bf the Army Ordnance association at the Aberdeen proving grounds here. Sensational Increase tn both rapidity and accuracy of rifle fire were demonstrated with the new semi-automatic rifles now in final stages of experimental testing, and soon to be adopted as standard armament for the United States army and National Guard. In these, the recoil of the piece reloads and cocks the weapon, so that the soldier can keep his sights on the target all the time, and fire as fast as he can pull the trigger. The old Jerking back of the bolt action breech mechanism, which takes time and necessitates realm Ing for every shot, is eliminated. Anti-Aircraft Artillery. Quite as sensational was the demonstration of the 3-lnch anti-aircraft artillery. Each gun can send 15-pound high-explosive shells whizzing skyward at nearly one shot every two seconds. So accurate are the flre-dlrectlng devices, and so exact the timing of the new clockwork fuses that it has been possible to substitute high-explosive shells for the shrapnel used by the old war-time “archies.” Sleeve targets towed through the air by airplanes were riddled with fragments from the bursts. On one occasion, officers stated, an extra-close burst autually set fire to the target. Less swift and lively, but more awesome, were some of the heavy-ordnance-demonstrations. The day started with the firing of a shot apiece from a 16inch and a 14-inch gun, of the coast defense type. The massive projectiles, fired at high elevation, roared away from the group of spectators ufitll their noise died away to a mere whisper in the, distance. Bombing Practice. Later, a heavy bombing plane dropped a one-ton bomb, largest weapon of its klnd-,."nto the marshes beyond the proving grcEnnd. with a terrific roar and a towering geyser of muddy water. Artillery and tanks of all varieties went through their paces, from the swift, lightly armored and armed types that have taken over much of the old work of the cavalry, to the ponderous but still high-speed trucks and tractors that can tow guns and howitzers of 6 and 8-lnch caliber into position at over 45 miles an hour. Unearth Shark Skull 225 Million Years Old in New Mexico BERKELEY, CALIF. — The fossilized skull of a shark which inhabited the fresh water streams of New Mexico in the Paleozoic geologic era of about 225,000,000 years ago, has been found in New Mexico by a party of University of California scientists. Thirteen skulls of amphibians of the same era. and numerous fragments of as yet unclassed reptiles, were also uncovered. The skull of the shark was about six inches wide and a foot long. This animal was probably four feet tn length. It had teeth not more than a quarter Inch In length, and large gill arches. The largest of the amphibian skulls was ten inches tn length and eight Inches wide. The body of this animal was about four feet long. Its entire bodily structure was thin and delicate. A peculiar feature was the existence of four spines, which projected back over Its neck. In appearance it resembled somewhat the giant salamander found In Japan today. These remains were found embedded In the side of a hili near the head of a dry stream bed. the. Arryo de Agua. which Is about sixty miles northeast of the city of Santa Fe. S. P. Welles, laboratory assistant in the university's museum of paleontology, who was in charge of the party, says that this area was undoubtedly a flood plain, with streams and lakes, somewhat similar to that of the lower Mississippi today. The fossils were found deposited in layers or beds. These discoveries are the first of their kind to be made In New Mexico. Beds of these animals have been found In Texas, and It Is now hoped to correlate these with the New Mexico deposits. Ancient Africans Owned Better Teeth Than We LONDON.—Dental caries or cavities render doubtful any really great age for several apparently primitive skulls found in Africa during recent years, in the opinion of Prof. T. F. Dreyer of Grey University college. Bloemfontein. South Africa. Professor Dreyer has examined teeth from between 30 and 35 burials in South Africa, known to date tar back Into the Old Stone age, and he has not found a single one of them with caries. On the ether hand, teeth from more modern burials at the same rite have many such

Household Heating Has Its Dangers: Don’t Be Careless! Carbon Monoxide Gas Is Chief Safety Threat IT SEEMS just yesterday, or at the most the day before, that we were looking for scientific guidance on how to avoid the dangers and discomforts of hot weather. Now we are reminded that winter, as well as summer, has hazards connected with heat. The winter-time dangers of household heating are pointed out by Dr. Wilmer H. Schulze of the Baltimore Qty Health department. ■ Chief of these dangers la that of Carbon monoxide poisoning. Beware Carbon Mohoxide. “Keep In mind the fact that any fuel, whether wood, coal, oil, or gas, when Incompletely burned, produces varying amounts of the poisonous gas, carbon monoxide," Doctor Schulze cautions. “In order to avoid contaminating the air in your home with this gas, the products of combustion from the heating plant and piped into a chimney and escape into the outside air. As long as there is no obstruction to the free passage of the gases to the outside, there is little danger of a carbon-monoxide hazard. “Accumulations of soot In chimneys and vent pipes, solid objects which have fallen into the chimney or something that is entirely shutting off the chimney draft may result in carbon monoxide permeating the house because of Incompletely burned fuel To avoid such an occurrence, it is best to inspect your heating plant before it Is placed in operation for the winter months and periodically during the heating season. Gas Kills Insidiously. “Remember that carbon monoxide is a very poisonous gas and, like a thief In the night, sometimes catches persons unawares." a Further discussing potential heating hazards tn homes, Doctor Schulze stresses the value of placing ashes in metal receptacles. "The use of wooden or cardboard containers may cause a fire, probably during the night. Never attempt to start a fire by pouring inflammable llqulds?such as kerosene, on the paper or wood fuel; a dangerous explosion is likely to result from such a practice. - “Frequently we augment the general heating system in the home by the use of room beaters on cool evenings in the fall or on extremely cold nights during the winter. Probably the most popular types of heaters are those which burn gas. Room heating should be connected with ri_- J metal piping whenever possible. "Never use plain rubber tubing or flexible spiral-metal tubing on gas appliances. These soon deteriorate, crack and allow unburned gas to escape. It is safer not to permit a gas appliance to operate In a room throughout the whole night An accident may cause the flame to be extinguished, with the result that the occupants of the room are exposed to dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide white asleep. “If during the operation of your heating plant or room heaters you notice persistent headaches, which are sometimes accompanied by nausea or vomiting, it may be that carbon monoxide is escaping Into the house. Look into the matter at once before a more serious result follows," Doctor Schulze urges. Frozen Bread Stays Fresh and Sweet; Its Aroma, Flavor Better FROZEN bread is the newest idea in the baking industry, and the most promising. Public demand for fresh bread hgs kept bakers continuously working oo a hand-to-mouth schedule. Now, they are trying something that may keep their product a week. To hunt for some good way of delaying staleness of bread, the American Association of Cereal Chemists tried effects of both heat and cold. Stored hot, that Is. up toward 150 degrees Fahrenheit, bread would become stale more slowly, but flavor aud color were “discouraging." At moderate temperatures, say SO to 90 degrees, nothing surprising could be expected. Every one knows how bread grows stale in ordinary circumstances. But effects of freezing surprised the experimenters. The bread became partially stale, according to technical tests of penetration. Yet the aroma and flavor were pronounced as good as. or even better than, in freshly baked bread. At a recent meeting of New York cereal chemists, the assembled chemists were fed bread that had been kept a week below freezing and also bread baked the previous day and handled in ordinary fashion. The majority voted for the week-old product, for aroma and flavor. If the tests, now being continued, prove satisfactory, the baking industry seems likely to win a considerable advantage- Shipment of bakery goods to more remote point* and better adjustment of supply and demand, with less waste, are possible benefits. Holland has already tried out this idea of freezing bread to solve a local problem. Bakers in the Netherlands are not permitted to work between eight at night and five In the morning, and fresh bread may not be transported before 9a. m. Bakers reported unhappily that business suffered because people could Bet get fresh bread for breakfast and for .preparing lunches for school children and workers. To meet this situation. a Rotterdam baking concern, operating chain stores, recently resorted to use of dry ice te keep bread, claiming that bread thus preserved for several days cannot be distinguished from bread fresh from the oven.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1935,

Washington! Digest jab National Topics Interpreted By WILLIAM BRUCKART NATIONAL PRESS BLDG. WASHINGTON D C

Washington.—About this time every flail, the President calls the director

of the budget to the White House and they go into a huddle about the finances bf

In Huddle on Budget

the government, about the needs for money of the various governmental agencies who must pay their employees and the other expenses to which they are put and in addition they discuss general questions of policy. It is, as I said, an annual affair that presages a new tempo in the movement of activities in Washington because it occurs some weeks in advance of the reconvening of congress. Congress, under the Constitution, must appropriate the money which is spent by all branches of government. Well, the annual huddle has Just been held by President Roosevelt and Daniel W. Bell, acting director of the bureau of the budget, and Mr. Bell has gone back to his office in the treasury with instructions to begin formulation of budget estimates for submission to congress. Os course, budget making goes on throughout the year. The huge staff of experts and accountants who work under Mr. Bell's direction are busy the year *round examining the proposed requirements of the various agencies and arriving at conclusions as to what their needs reasonably should be. The White House conference, therefore, represents the second step because those were the figures that formed the basis of the discussion between the President and his budget director. • • In drafting the budget for submission to the next session of congress, the ad-

ministration is confronted with a variety of problems, not the least of which Is

Problems to Solve

the political phase. It Ist to be remembered that the budget now under consideration covers money that will be appropriated for use after July 1, 1936, and the succeeding 12 month period. Therefore, half of the Presidential campaign next year. Indeed, the heated part of that campaign, will take place after governmental agencies have begun to use the new appropriations. It is easy to see. therefore, that politics can hardly be kept out of the forthcoming budget in some form or other even though every President says polities does not influence budget making. Nevertheless, New Deal spending and future taxation constitute questions which the President cannot overlook and is not overlooking because those things are vital to every man, woman and child in the nation. It seems to be pretty well settled now that the Republicans are going to make spending and taxation their major ammunition against Mr. Roosevelt and his New Deal. In fact. It seems reasonably sure that the Republican slogan will be “Throw the Spendthrifts Out.” That being the case. Mr, Roosevelt obviously must have In the back of his head considerable concern over the current budget making. Knowing “Danny” Bell as I have known him for nearly 20 years, during which time he has grown up in the treasury service, I think it ought to be said tn his favor that politics is farthest from his thoughts. He Is as nearly a human figuring machine as any man I have known In my Washington career except possibly the man under whom he was trained, namely, the late Robert Hand. His chief concern is and always has been a determination to have accurate statistics, accurate conclusions and recommendations based as nearly as may be upon sound judgment But tn saying these things about Mr. Bell I am not saying that budgetary plans are not subject to manipulation. It has been true in previous administrations and it is true in this one. The vast totals of figures with their minima of explanations are never easy to understand. This is one way of saying that they can be made to conceal a great deal more than they reveal. • • •. I mentioned the issues of spending and taxation. The American Liberty

League which has consistently warned about the possibility of future heavy taxa-

Spending, Taxation

tion bas not been silent since the President some weeks ago made public a pre-budgetary summation. The League insists that while present tax rates soon will provide enough money to meet what the President terms, as “ordinary" expenditures of the government, the rates are insufficient to meet the spending which Mr. Roosevelt calls extraordinary in that it covers relief. Further, the League, to a statement the other day, asserted its belief that the present tar level was high enough to meet “legitimate relief if present unsound spending policies are abandoned." Bat it is emphasised by the league that even “If unsound spending policies are abandoned," the present tax levels are insufficient to make possible any appreciable retirement of the gigantic debt that has been built up through the New Deel relief program. So it Is easy to see that a head-on collision between two schools of thought is inevitable. Mr. Roosevelt and his brain trusters have contended and will continue to contend that federal spending in the volume that has taken place waa the only means by which the nation could be carried over this period of depression. On the other hand there will be the vicious attacks of Republican campaigners, the shots by such men as Lewis Douglas, former director of the bureau of the budget, who broke with Mr. Roosevelt over “reckiess spending," and all of those groups of which the Liberty League is typical. ' My experience as an observer of politics and government prompts me to

say that there is nothing that strikes) the heart of the average taxpayer] quite so fundamentally as displays of] waste with the accompaniment of foreJ casts of greater taxation. Thus, if the) New Deal opposition goes ahead on the course that appears to be charted fori them—actually it is made to order for them —they can cause the administration many anxious moments. I say this, knowing full well, that the administration has much argument on its side and that it is equipped with the finest layout of machinery for influencing public opinion that any administration ever has had. It has at its command all of the machinery used in crop production control, the thousands of persons on the federal pay roll and the millions who believe Mr. Roosevelt is earnestly seeking to make this a better country in which to live. It is, therefore, no small task for the New Deal opposition if it is to succeed even in turning the New Deal strength in the house of representatives to anything near an even distribution of the seats. Apparently, New Deal opposition will be concentrated as much in the

congressional districts as against the President himself. The reasons are sim-

New Deal Opposition

pie. First, the senate is going to reinaln Democratic whether Mr. Roosevelt is re-elected or defeated. Only one-third of the 96 senators come up for re-election next year and the bulk of these are from normally Democratic states. Unless a cataclysm follows the Democratic party, the senate majority for the Democrats will continue to be ample. Such is not the case in the house of representatives where the entire membership must seek election every two years. There are in the house membership probably as many as 75 Democrats who can be called pure political accidents. That is, they were elected from districts which are normally Re-' publican during the landslide that' swept Mr. Roosevelt into office. A considerable number of these naturally will be retired by the voters just as a considerable number of Republicans were retired after they had held house seats in the early 1920's by virtue of election in the Harding landslide. Consequently, changes may be expected in the house New Deal strength. In concentrating the fight in congressional districts, the New Deal opposition is battling for position. If the New Deal majority in the house can be whittled down. It will then become impossible for the President to drive through his program of legislation as he has done in the last three sessions. From the Republican standixdnt, this would be important since It would place Mr. Roosevelt In much the same position that President Hoover found himself in the last half of his administration when he had an adverse congress on his hands. No political leader likes that situation. When the New Deal opposition jumps onto the questions of spending and taxation, therefore, and when it goes back to the grass roots of corv gressional districts, it takes no stretch oi the imagination ;o see that a real political"* tight lies ahead. Developments between now and the nominating conventions next June may change the general perspective. • • ♦ While several of the federal courts, including the Supreme court of the

United States, are considering questions revolving around President Roosevelt’s

W ashington on Rights

program for development of Muscle Shoals In the Tennessee river as an electrical power project, government owned, a newly discovered letter written by President George Washington takes on unusual interest. It seems that even in 1791, there was argument about the development of Muscle Shoals. The letter. which was addressed to the attorney general of the United States at that time, called attention to the efforts being made by Individuals to effect trades with Indians and suggested the necessity for federal laws . that would afford some protection for the Indians in their dealings with the white men. It will be remembered, of course, that the Tennessee river valley in those days was populated by Indians but the problem that existed then exists today, namely, protection of the rights of the individual. The concluding paragraph of the letter sets forth President Washington’s viewpoint. “If congress expects to live In peace with the neighboring Indians, and to avoid the expenses and horrors of continual hostilities, such a measure will be found indispensably necessary; for, unless adequate penalties are provided, that will cheek the spirit of speculation In lands, and will enable the executive to carry them Into effect, this country will be constantly with and appear faithlew to the eyes not only of the but- of the neighboring powers also. For, notwithstanding the existing laws, solemn treaties, and proclamations, which have been Issued to enforce a compliance with both, and some attempts of the government southwest of the Ohio to restrain their procedlngs, yet the agents for the Tennessee company are at this moment, hy public advertisements under the signature of a Zachariah Cox, encouraging by offers of land and other inducements a settlement at the Muscle Shoals, and Is likely to obtain emigrants for that purpose, although there Is good evidence that the measure is disapproved by the Creeks and Cherokees; and It Is presumed It Is ao likewise by the Chicasaws and Choctaws, unless they have been imposed upon by assurances, that trade Is the only object In view by toe establishment.” • WMtvra N«w«pap*r Union.