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ZlWashington IWDUTCie Jan. 20—On the contention that * * the memory of Woodrow Wilson has been be smirched may rest the fate of strong neutrality legis lation at the present session of Congress. A serious split in the Senate Munitions Committee over criticism of the acts of Wilson and other Ameri can statesmen threatens to cause collapse of the in quiry conducted for two years into the world arms traffic and World War financing. The success which seemed so near may be snatched from Sen ator Gerald P. Nye, who has labored incessantly since 1934 for a stringent neutrality law. The lion’s share of the credit for the inquiry goes to the North Dakota Republican, the only Senator who could be persuaded to fight for investigation of the powerful munitions industry. Not only has the committee headed by Nye uncovered con vincing evidence of the need of laws to keep the country at peace but Nye has made more than a hundred speeches over the Jl Rodney Dutcher country, pushing home the neutrality doctrine and outlining the sequence of developments that sent us into the conflict in 1917. It seems certain that neither the Administration nor Congress would have acted without the spur of a strong public sentiment. Nye did more than any one else to provide that spur. tt tt tt Trying to “Avoid Prejudice ” ALTHOUGH recent hearings have disclosed mach inations by American statesmen without which, many authorities say, we might have avoided war, and revealed the Morgan firm as an instrument of a financial-industrial process which made war apparently inevitable, Nye declares: “I have never before tried so hard to be without prejudice.” He and Senator Bennett Champ Clark of Missouri assert that they have had no desire to “smear” any one. Their idea has been to show, they state, that the Morgans were operating during the World War just as they would operate again in a similar case were there no neutrality law, and that Wilson, as he came to favor the Allies over the Central Powers, was vir tually helpless under the pressure of trade, traffic and finance. a tt u A Heil for Clark? THE Morgan partners, who made vast profits from the war, are as fiercely patriotic and pro-Ally as ever. Senator Bennett Clark of Missouri spent an after noon ruining, by historical citations and hitherto secret documents, their contention that German submarine warfare alone plunged us into conflict. If Wilson and Lansing had been as stern with England as with Germany, he showed, unrestricted sub warfare probably could have been avoided. It was then that handsomely groomed Mrs. George Whitney, wife of one of the chief Morgan partners, turned to a companion and whispered: “Is Senator Clark a-German?” Biggest Peace-Time Deficit Ever Looms BY RAYMOND CLAPPER WASHINGTON, Jan. 20.—Although the Admin istration's new AAA substitute shows ingenu ity worthy of the Supreme Court, press gallery cynics are referring to it as the “soil conversation and land futility” program. Since the Supreme Court moved out of its dingy little room in the Capitol Building, just off the cor- ridor which connects the House and Senate chambers, and set tled itself in its own $11,000,000 marble temple of justice, some Representatives are saying that it has become superior. But members of Congress are naturally suspicious and jealous so perhaps too much attention ought not be paid to these cloak room mutterings. However, at least one member of the court was sorry to move into the new marble palace. He said he liked the little dingy courtroom in the capitol better. “It helped,” he said, “to keep us humble.” n a a The mysterious resignation of Thomas Jefferson Coolidge, Undersecretary of the Treasury and the government's “bond salesman,” has focused attention more sharply than ever on the budget situation, which is becoming an increasing cause of concern. It now looks as if the budget will be more out of balance than ever, with the largest peace-time deficit in history written down at the end of the coming fiscal year. a tt WHILE part of this arises from circumstances beyond President Roosevelt's control, such as the heavy loss in the AAA decision, the $2,000,000,000 bonus cost and some $2,000,000,000 or more which will be required for relief, it is hard for the Admin istration to laugh off the fact that in its new budget estimates for next year, not a single regular govern ment department shows a reduction from this year's costs. So when Secretary Morgenthau reveals that it is probable that the government will be required in the next year and a half to market more than sll,- 000,000,000 in bonds—about half for new money and half for refunding—no wonder the Treasury’s bond salesman, a hard-bitten New England banker, de cides to quit and go back to his bank. Mr. Roosevelt recently said that bankers told him in 1933 that the government could stand a public debt of $55,000,000,000 or more. So that the prospect of a $35,000,000,000 debt in itself need not be alarm ing. Yet, more than six years after the depression began, and after three years of New Deal pump priming, people can't be blamed for wondering when the bills are going to begin to go down instead of up; and, granted Mr. Roosevelt can’t control the Supreme Court, why he can't squeeze some of the water out of his regular government depaitments. tt m m ■pvEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CHAIRMAN FAR LEY has set up a pro-Roosevelt organization in Georgia to put Gov. Talmadge back in his place. Now he is turning to the Job of untangling party affairs in Ohio and California. Democratic leaders from both of those states are due here within a few days for peace-making rites around the Roosevelt fireside. • mm One reason old line Senate Democrats ganged up on Senator Nye is supposed to be that the munitions committee was getting ready to throw its spotlight on the role Senator William G. McAdoo played as Secretary of the Treasury during the war. McAdoo was conspicuously silent in the Senate during the Democratic defense of Woodrow Wilson. But he is supposed to have been plenty interested backstage. • mm After listening to several hours of that debate, Senator Elmer Thomas finally got the floor to dis cuss the bqpus bill, opening with this one; “Now that we have settled the causes of the World War, I trust the Senate may give some atten tion to the matter of paying some of the expenses incident to that war.” THE TOWN OF THE WALKING DEAD tt U B tt tt tt )X tt tt tt tt tt tt tt tt Plight of Silicosis Victims Finally Is Brought Before Congress BY GILBERT LOVE Times Special Writer QAULEY BRIDGE, W. Va., Jan. 20.—This is a village of men who are con demned to die. There can be no reprieve for the men of Gauley Bridge, for they do not stand condemned by a court but by a strange disease for which there is mo cure. Congress finally has been aroused by their plight. Although the situation here has existed for several years, no West Virginia agency has ask 3d Wash ington for aid. The victims contracted the dread malady silicosis while dig ging a tunnel through the moun tain that towers over their homes. The tunnel was to divert the wa ters of New River into a power house and produce cheap elec tricity for local plants of the Union Carbide and Carbon Cos. The tunnel is almost completed now, but its industrial significance means little to men who must die. Nothing matters much to them now, except the little white meet ing houses where they go to hear sermons about life hereafter. Some of them, largely those m the first stages of affliction, are trying to work. The WPA has many such employes. But after a few months of the disease they are too weak and emaciated for work. Burly men become living skele tons. Then—death. There is no escape. , tt tt tt GAULEY BRIDGE is a cross roads hamlet 40 miles east of Charleston. The first man I ap proached was leaning against a building, looking with lack-luster eyes at autos speeding along the highway. “The doctor says I can’t get bet ter,” he said without emotion. “I may last a while, but I’ll die.” His name is Walter Kincaid. He has a W'ife and six children. He was a coal miner, but he had no work and took a job in the tunnel when it was started in 1930. “A lot of the boys are dead,” he explained. “But some of us are still around.” H. A. Boggs and Delbert Ser gen came up. “I got $534 damages,” said Boggs, “but that’s not much for a man’s life.” He added, thought fully: “I’m only 33.” Sergen, little more than a boy, said he had worked in the tunnel but had escaped the disease. “The dust in there was awful, though,” he said. “One day I helped carry 19 men out.” The “dust” was practically pow dered glass, for the tunnel ran through a vein of almost pure sil ica. That dust got into the men’s lungs. Sergen’s elation may be pre- Foot Disorders Provide . Clews to Types of Work “Athlete’s foot” and a cop’s “flat feet” are only a few of the occupa tional foot disorders prevalent these days, according to Dr. William J. Stickel, Chicago, dean of the Illi nois College of Chiropody and Foot Surgery. Dr. Stickel attended sessions of the first annual meeting of the In diana Academy of Podiatry at the Severin yesterday. That our arms of the law should come to be known as “flat feet” is not founded on legend, said Dr. Stickel, and he should know, for more than 1000 of “Chicago’s finest” come to his clinic during the year. An encouraging note was added, however, when Dr. Stickel pointed out that policemen may not have to put up with that nickname much longer, for the foot disorder pecu liar to their occupations gradually is on the wane, he said. Contribute to Improvement Increasing use of squad cars and motorcycles with less “pounding of the pavement” and proper fitting of the feet in broad-toed shoes of proper length are contributing to an improved condition, he claimed. Among foot disorders which may be found peculiar to persons with certain occupations are “chauffeur's foot,” “painter’s foot,” “waiter’s foot.” “military foot,” “cyclist’s foot” and “swimmer’s foot.” A chauffeur, he said, eventually will develop a painful condition at the ball of the foot and in- the metatarsal region, the result cf con stant pressure on accelerator and brake pedals. The painter, after much ladder-climbing, will very likely have an arthritic condition which may develop into fallen arches. Waiters Are Affected In a recent survey of employes of a large Chicago Hotel, Dr. Stickc! found that 100 per cent of the waiters had an identical and rather ludicrous maladjustment—disloca Clapper Hk wm WSm ™ ■ p?. Jfrfc* \ W aijSiiigHrafe The Indianapolis Times Full Leased Wire Serriep of the United Press Association BENNY i jhh m \ Bk I - ■, Kr LJ I .air gi ; v JR Mny m j- I## / wm Pictured deep in thought in his office is Dr. L. R. Harless, who has treated hundreds of victims of silicosis, and who is regarded as the greatest authority on the disease. mature. Dr. L. R. Harless said today that a man might die of the disease five or even 10 years after breathing the powdered mineral. u tt tt NO one knows how many men contracted the disease, or how many have died. But it *s estimated that more than 2000 men worked in the tunnel at one time or another. Deaths are variously estimated at 200 to 500. Men w r ho worked in the tunnel say more than 400 white workers have died. The Negro fatalities are harder to esti mate, because the Negroes were brought here from the South to help build the tunnel, and many went home when they became ill. Men began to develop lung trou ble about a, year after the tunnel was started. When the malady be came widespread the men began calling it “tunnelitis.” About 70 died that first winter, Dr. Harless said. He warned many of the men that to go back into the tunnel meant death, but few paid heed. Work was scarce. Common laborers were paid as tion of the great toe. That came from kicking open swinging doors, he explained. “Military foot” resembles flat foot somewhat, being manifested by severe swelling and pain in the heel, aggravated particularly by rhythmic marching. ♦ Among the more modish discom forts is “cyclist’s foot” ushered in with the bicycle craze, Dr. Stickel said. Irritation from pedalling pro duces Warts on the ball of the foot, but sponge rubber pads inside the shoe will relieve this, he said. “Skater’s foot”—both of the ice and roller varieties—is a swelling m the ankles which may be remedied by strappii. g the ankle and strength ening its support, swimmers’ feet were described by Dr. Stickel as showing swelling and redness on the top of the foot, the result of strik ing that area of the foot on the surface of the water while kicking. Convention speakers included Dr. E. W. Cordingley, Clinton; Dr. Phil ip Law, and Dr. Russel F. Dudman, both of Chicago; Dr. Frank Gas tineau, Dr. Allan K. Harcourt and Dr. w. H. Cook, all of Indianapolis; Dr. J. Bruce Galloway, Newark, N. J., and Dr. Simon Frandzel, Terre Haute. ZEPHYR TO CUT TRAIN TIME OF DENVER TRIP Run From Here Will Be Made in Less Than 22 Hours. When the new Denver Zephyr Is put into daily service sometime early this summer, it will reduce the train time from Indianapolis, via Chicago, to Denver to less than 22 hours, against the present time of 33 hours and 30 minutes, the Burl ington Route announced today. Trains leaving Indianapolis be tween 10:20 and 10:55 a. m. arrive in Chicago before 5:30 the same aft ernoon. Passengers will board the Zephyr at 5:30 and arrive in Den ver at 7:30 the next morning. MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 1936 low as 20 to 25 cents an hour, for a 10-hour day. After the plague was diagnosed, the men began trying to get work men’s compensation, but the com pensation law did not provide for this obscure disease. Then they sued the contracting firm, the Rinehart & Dennis Cos. of Char lottesville, Va., and the New Kana wha Power and Carbon Cos., sub sidiary of the Carbide and Carbon Cos. Around 600 suits were filed for damages amounting to $5,000,000. m m m A FEW cases were fought through the courts, but most of them were settled without trial. Widows were reported to have re ceived around SIOOO each and meri who still were alive got several hundred dollars each. Some 200 cases were thrown out of court because the men had contracted the disease more than a year after leaving the com pany’s employ and the company invoked the statute of limitations. The men said no masks had been provided for them and that no water was used to keep down the dust as pneumatic drills ham mered at the silica rock. The dust was so thick, they said, that they couldn’t recognize each other at a distance of a feet. The tunnel has made Gauley Bridge a village of walking dead men. There are dozens of them here and an unknown number of others scattered through the East and South. Some of those who went away have doubtless died Washington Merry-Go-Round BY DREW PEARSON and ROBERT S. ALLEN TTTASHINGTON, Jan. 20.—Vit * * triolic and bitter have been some of the debates private ly staged among the justices of the Supreme Court these days, but during them one man at least always remains calm. He is George Sutherland, slen der, gray-bearded, scholarly, si lent. Justice Sutherland has a most agreeable manner. He is mild and charming. During the pri vate debates he is always calm and even-tempered. He does not get irritated as does Justice But ler; he does not sulk as does Jus time Mcßeynolds. But to try to clfange Justice Sutherland’s set conviction on any economic sub ject: is like baying at the moon. Justice Sutherland is 74. And his law, his economic reasoning, ate as old or older than he. He spent most of his life in an age that is no more—an age of fenceless prairies, free land, and limitless natural resources. Born in England, Justice Suth erland’s parents brought him to Utah, where he became a budding young lawyer, aligned himself with the Mormon-Republican ma chine and in 1901 was elected to Congress, later to the Senate. a u Friend of Harding IN the Senate Mr. Sutherland was known chiefly for his long and dreary dissertations on the Constitution and his friendship with Warren Gamaliel Harding. The future President, perhaps be cause he rarely listened, or be cause he himself knew little of such things, considered the schol arly Utahan a very erudite man. At any rate, Mr. Sutherland was H - 'JBK BBHBH \ > A 1 b Resident of the “Village of the Walking Dead”: Delbert Sergen (left), driller who believes he has escaped the dread disease, though doctors say it may appear after a lapse of years; H. A. Boggs (center), doomed by the disease, who says he has been paid $534 for his life, and Walter Kincaid (right), also doomed. v. .gßyZiplk '• ■- W< ■IP W< v■> M > •*• ’ s ■: A family where death struck: Left to right are Mrs. Dora Jones, who won a 810,000 judgment for the death of her husband, Cecil Jones, a tunnel driller; Delma and Cecil Jr., her children; Denver and Charles Leonard Jones, her nephews, sons of Charles Jones, anothr silicosis victim. without knowing what was the matter with them. Dr. Harless, a white-haired coun try doctor, w'ho for 27 years has doled out pills and set broken bones in this village, is fast be coming a national figure. It was he who first diagnosed the mysterious malady that was snuffing out the lives of the men engaged in blasting the tunnel. “Silicosis,” he declared, after examining a number of men who had come down from the tunnfcl to complain of pains in their lungs. tt. tt THE workmen did not know what silicosis was, of course. For that matter, few doctors in the district had heard of such a disease. But Dr. Harless was sure of his diagnosis. He studied all available litera ture on the subject as more and more men kept coming to him. Through study and experience defeated by Senator King and left the Senate in 1917. In 1920, he spent several months advising Harding on his campaign. Mr. Harding appointed him to the Su preme Court in 1922. On the court, Justice Suther land has established a record in opposing state legislation to con trol business and regulate labor conditions. It was he who wrote the opinion outlawing the minimum wage. It was he who wrote the opinion making unconstitutional the child-labor law. It was he who, in the Baltimore Street Railway case of 1930 ruled that a fare fixed by the state permitting the com pany a 6!4 per cent return was “confiscatory.” ( Finally it was Justice Suther land who wrote the majority opinions upsetting Oklahoma’s attempt to control her ice in dustry, and again checking the right of a state to use its taxing power to promote co-operative farming. Justice Sutherland has hypo chondriacal tendencies and is constantly talking about medicine and his ailments. Two or three years ago he talked about resign ing. But like some of his other anti-New Deal colleagues, Justice Sutherland now is determined to stand by as the protector of the Constitution to the very end. tt m tt One Jump Ahead A FEW days after his court col leagues had riddled the AAA, Justice Harlan F. Stone, one-time dean of the Columbia Law School, with hundreds of the cases Dr. Harless has become an authority on the disease. When the men, and their wid ows, began pressing damage claims, he was a key witness. The company contended that it used water to keep down dust, but Dr. Harless said the men would come to his office with their clothes dust-covered and “their eyebrows and hair as white as if they had been working in a flour mill.” Describing the effects of the dis ease, he said it begins with a general spotting of the lungs, due to the reactions set up by the particles of silica dust. These spots spread and consolidate, and gradually the lungs becomes filled with a solid growth. The patient finds it increasing ly difficult to breathe. In the last stages, his eyes protrude and the muscles on his neck stand out like cords as he tries to get air. Then he dies. No cure is known. met one of his former students, now a government lawyer. “How are you getting on, John?” inquired Justice Stone. “Pretty good, Mr. Justice. I was with the legal division of the NRA last year, then I transferred to the AAA, and now I am in the legal division of the Securities and Exchange Commission.” Justice Stone said: “I see. Keeping one jump ahead of us, eh?” NOTE—Some New Dealers fear the SEC will go the way of other New Deal agencies, be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. a • tt Following Advice SECRETARY HENRY WAL LACE is one of the most care ful speech writers in the Admin istration. But as he himself rue fully relates, he has his lapses. This is the story Henry tells on himself. Rushed with other matters up to the last minute before deliver ing a recent speech, Mr. Wallace failed to go over the final draft of his manuscript, which he had turned over to an assistant to pre pare. Appearing before the audience, Mr. Wallace was a little hesitant at first, but gradually warmed to the work. Finally he became so fervid that without realizing it, he read aloud the following typed notation: “At this point tell audience a funny story and get them in good humor.” Only when a roar of laughter burst on him did he stop, and look to see what he had said. Then he, too, joined in the joke on himself. By J. Carver Pusey Second Section Entered as Seeond-Clas* Matter at Postoffiee. Indianapolis. Ind. Fair Enough MSIHMHiat TJARIS, Jan. 20.—Those Americans who had their fling in the gaudy days and nights before the great collapse will have a melancholy experience if they come back now. Given time, no doubt the old girl will have her face lifted and her neck washed, but for the present she is suffering from the most colossal hangover the world has ever known and isn't quite looking herself. To put it as delicately as possible, the old girl looks like a wraith and undoubtedly feels worse. Well, it was a wild party and it had to break up some time, and any one who didn't have a good time is an ingrate and a cad or a cat. It isn’t merely that the streets and sidewalks are dirty in startling contrast to the sanitary spotlessness of Mussolini's Rome, and many fine old stores are occupied by dealers in trash. Across the narrow Rue Daunou a feeble electric sign beckons stray veterans of the greatest de bauch in all history to drop in and shed a tear at Harry's New York bar, which in its day was prac tically the home address of hun- dreds of refugees from the noble experiment. Harry's bar is the old headquarters of the Inter national Order of Barflies, whose roster holds with in one pair of covers the signatures of most of tha famous Americans who came to town in the days of the 3-cent franc and tried to attend to their drink ing a year in advance in their first few days ashore. tt tt * The Ghosts Take Charge '"THHE barflies had a little lapel insignia, a password X and a high sign. The insignia was a fly on a piece of sugar. The password “buzz buzz,” and the high-sign crooking of the elbow and hoisting of the forearm. Thousands of brothers went through the rite of paying 10 francs to Harry by way of an initiation fee and writing their names in the book. And there was a time when the order had members in all corners of the world. Harry, who is not an American but a Scott, is not yet known to have blackballed an appli cant with 10 francs. The New York Bar is frequented mostly by ghosts now. The American pennants on the walls, a mail order assortment including Smith and Vassar, are faded and dusty. The photographs of old prize fighters who were up in the money and full of youth and strength 10 years ago are turning brown around the edges, and the gladiators themselves have been quietly buried in the record books. The old saloon smells of dead cigars, beer and the past, and three South Americans drinking vermouth constituted the attendance at the moment of your r home-coming. The Champs Elysces—beautiful, elegant and Pari sian once—is masked with a chain of noisy restau rants done in red imitation leather and polished nickel, and shops which once used quiet allure now display loud red signs, reminiscent of the old-fash ioned permanent fire sale in Chicago. tt tt tt Life in Old Girl Yet THE Rue de La Paix offers imitation and real jewelry in equal quantities. But shops which handle big sapphires and emeralds can do enough business with one customer to offset thousands at the bargain counter next door. There is always a rich American or Egyptian or Persian turning up in the nick of time to buy a pound of diamonds. At the moment Paris does not seem to be making an effort to snap out of it. but every veteran of the big, long party will remember the morning when he felt shaky and make allowances for the old girl. She lies there with moist and clammy brow afraid to stir until the coroner comes to view the body. But one of these days she will wiggle one foot to see if it is alive, and gradually she will find her clothes and her makeup and start calling up old friends. A game, durable old girl is Paris. The Big Town BY ERNIE PYLE YORK, Jan. 20.—There is a young man who has achieved a fleeting distinction on the world’s greatest street—Broadway. He was standing at 44th and Broadway the other night, and a little crowd gathered around him, lis tening and smiling. The young man was selling news papers. They were stacked on a bench in front of him, on the sidewalk. His voice was soft, and full of melody. *• J Ernie Pyle suppose it's true?” The young man called: “Just think of it. Hitler bought a mazooza.” He was selling lots of papers. He was creating good nature, and cashing it on it. “Hitler elopes with Sophie Tucker!” That was his crowning pronouncement. Everybody laughed and the young man looked pleased with himself. “Hitler elopes with Sophie Tucker!" That fellow is worth writing up, I said to myself. I wonder how long he’s been doing this, and how he thought of it, and if anybody ever calls him down. It’s raining now, so I won’t bother, but 111 come back tomorrow night. So the next night I w.ent back, but he wasn’t there. I walked up and down Broadway for three blocks, but I couldn’t find him. a a a THE other day when we came into our hotel room after lunch, a man was climbing out our window. Now it is 24 stories from our window to the pave ment. Far be it from me to wrestle with any man on a window ledge 24 stories high, so I just yelled out “So long fellow, and happy landings.” But he didn’t jump. Instead, he grabbed one end of his belt and hooked it into a knob outside the window, and hooked the other end to a knob on the other side. Then, with one hand holding the window, he reared back on his belt. It held all right. Then he started washing the window. When he came back in I said, "Aren't you Ecared?” He said, “No. I’ve been doing this for 18 years. I stopped being scared a long time ago.” He was a little foreigner, bareheaded, with a big bald spot. He works for a window cleaning com pany, but the company keeps him at this hotel all the time. He’s been here for nine years. He washes about 150 windows a day. It takes him two weeks and a half to go over the entire hotel <I4OO rooms*, and when he gets through the first windows are dirty again and he has to start all over. He has never had an accident. According to him, 60 window cleaners fell and were killed in New York last year. “Carelessness," he said, grinning. “And schnapps. Schnapps and window cleaning don't go together.” Westbrook Pegler He kept calling: “Hitler bought a mazooza . . . Hitler bought a mazooza . . . Read all about the horrible horror . . . Hitler bought a mazooza.” I don’t know what he meant. I suppose it didn't mean any thing. Homeward-bound thea ter-goers were amused, and stopped to listen. The young man was smiling, and looking as though he would like to join the crowd and laugh at himself. A woman in the crowd whisp ered to her man: “I think he said Hitler killed Mussolini. Do you