Evening star. [volume], April 18, 1937, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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WEATHER. -----
<U. S. Weather Bureau Forecast.) _
Cloudy and warmer today, followed by r Ull Associated PrGSS
showers at night or tomorrow; cooler to- xt „ j \JT'
morrow; moderate winds. Temperatures GWS STIQ W lrGpnOtOS
—Highest, 68, at 3 p.m. yesterday; low- Slinrlnv Mnvninnr
est, 38, at 5 a,m. yesterday. OUnaay iVIOming and
Pull Report on Page B-2. Every Afternoon.
C4>) Means Associated Press. ■■--- P
No. 1,674—No. 33,955. p«\erofflc” wc^nhdinC8^“.mDUcr WASHINGTON, D. C., SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 18 1937—124 PAGES * FIVE CENTS TEN CENTS
.... . .- ■ ■ -=---——-==' ' -- ■ - --- INWAgHIPOTON ANT) SUBURBS
PRESIDENT TO COT
RELIEF FUNDS IN
REVISED BUDGET
Roosevelt Message Due to
Go to Congress by
i Wednesday.
Balancing of budget
Ayear after next seen
Tc tal Amount of White House's
New Figures Expected to Be
\ About $1,125,000,000.
BACKGROUND—
yrhe failure of tax revenues to
eopie up to estimates has given
ad^ed impetus to earlier plans of
thh administration to cut down re
lic i expenditures. When the budget
fir si was submitted, President
Rookevelt expressed hopes of keep
ing relief outlays in the next fiscal
year to $1,537,000,000. Since then
State and municipal governments
have asked that this figure be re
vised upward.
BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG.
Within a day or so President
Roosevelt will send to Congress a mes
sage outlining his relief program for
the next year. He will attach to It
a revised budget expected to cut sub
stantially the public money spent for
this purpose.
Mr. Roosevelt has been struggling
with this task for some weeks, but
expects to have it finished by tomor
row. and after spending a day or so
writing his message it should be in
the hands of Congress by Wednesday.
This has been no easy matter. The
President knows he must start reduc
ing expenditures, especially since an
ticipated revenues of the Government
are not materializing. Then, too, the
President is receiving pressure from
various sources not to make any cuts,
and instead, to increase the spending
for relief.
However, this is not campaign year,
and the President can face the facts
and act accordingly. Therefore, it is
expected that he will carry out his
announced attention of months ago,
and start slashing.
Of course Mr. Roosevelt has no idea
of balancing the budget next year, but
he hopes to reduce the total bill to a
point close to it. Naturally this hope
is based upon the expectation that
Congress will go along with him and
not, in the meantime, put through |
some unexpected appropriations of i
magnitude. He is hopeful of coming
closer to balancing the budget next
year and to actually have it balanced
the year following.
Actually the President hopes, in his
B^vised estimates, to be only a few hun
dred million over the balancing line.
Possibly it will not be more than two
or three hundred million. At first j
glance this sounds like a lot of money,
but the way the President looks at it,
the amount is trivial and virtually
budget-balancing, when it is recalled
that the budget is running into the
billions.
Discussing the matter recently the
President said, in the presence of this
writer, that this is almost balancing
the budget. At the same time he took
particular pleasure in recalling that
last Fall there were many who pre
dicted that he would run into a deficit
of at least $700,000,000. He delights
In disappointing these gloomy fore
casters.
Big Cut Is Seen.
From hints and indications at the
White House the total amount of the j
revised budget figures will range be- i
tween $1,125,000,000 to $1,500,000,000.
This, in the eyes of the President, will :
be considerable of a cut. considering j
that approximately $2,000,000,000 is |
expected to be spent in this fiscal year j
which ends June 30 next.
In arriving at a final total figure. |
the President must decide in the mean
time just how many people he plans to
take care of next year. If he can see
his way clear to cut the relief roll
down to 1,600.000 people Mr. Roosevelt
figures he can get along with only
$1,125,000,000. If he finally decides
he needs $1,500,000,000, it means that
he figures on caring for 1,800,000
people.
Many problems face the President
In arriving at a decision in this
matter. Most important of these is
his determination that there shall be
no human suffering. In addition, he
Is faced with extra appropriations of
substantial size which he had not con
sidered originally. Among these is the
cost of the recent floods in the Ohio
Valley. Much of this latter cost was
borne by the Works Progress Adminis
tration, which means that there was a
drain on the moneys available for this
relief agency, which as the current
(See RELIEF, Page A-5.)
_
Mistakes Son, 12,
For 6Other Man1
And Shoots W ife
By the Associated Press.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., April 17.—
Mrs. Sally Boggs, 37, was shot and
critically wounded today and her hus
band, Allan D. Boggs, 53, wealthy re
tired United States Army captain, for
merly of Detroit, was charged with
attempted murder.
Deputy Sheriff Orrie Dunlap said
the shooting occurred at the home of
J. A. Harris, near Olive Springs.
Boggs threatened the colored care
taker, Dunlap said, and then rushed
into his wife's room, brandishing a
pistol.
He observed his 12-year-old stepson
Danny in one of the twin beds and
thought he was “another man,” the
officer said.
Mrs. Boggs grappled with her hus
band for the gun and was shot twice.
A third shot missed and then Boggs
attempted suicide, but the shell mis
fired. Dunlap said.
Radio Programs, Page F-3.
Complete Index, Page a-Z.
G-Man, Fighting for Life, Sorry
He Failed to Capture Gunmen
“J Did My Best” Wayne Baker Messages
Hoover as Strength Ebbs—Kin of
Suspect Seized in Brooklyn.
BY HEX COLLIER.
Fighting for his life from bullet wounds received in a gun battle with
bank robber suspects at Topeka. Kans., Special Agent Wayne W. Baker last
night expressed regret over his failure to capture his assailants and sent to
his ‘ boss.” J. Edgar Hoover, a message that he “did his best.”
Advised by fellow agents at his bedside in a Topeka hospital that the
gunmen later w'ere arrested by Nebraska officers, Baker, 27-year-old graduate
of National University Law School, smiled and then said, grimly:
“I'd like to meet that guy who shot me in the back!”
u^paiifu ui saving
Baker's life. He was placed under an
oxygen tent last night as his strength
ebbed. Hoover said three bullets tore
into the agent’s back and stomach.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
director sent Baker a telegram of en
couragement, assuring the agent that
he knew he had done the best job
possible under the circumstances.
Hoover disclosed here, at the same
time, that the Topeka "plant” was but
one of a half dozen that were being
maintained by his agents in Kansas,
Ohio, Michigan and New York in the
hunt for Robert Suhay and Alfred
Power, bank robbery fugitives.
Few Men Put on "Plants.”
"We had no idea where Suhay and
Power might turn up,” Hoover said.
"All we could do was wait and hope
that they might call at one of the sev
eral places under surveillance.”
He pointed out it is impracticable to
assign a large number of agents to
such "plants,” as they would attract
attention and defeat their purpose.
Baker and another agent were on
duty in the lobby of the Topeka Post
Office, with the knowledge and co
operation of postal authorities, he said.
Baker was not a novice at law en
forcement work, Hoover said, although
he had been a special agent of the
F. B. I. only a few months. Before
coming with the bureau he was a
deputy sheriff in Yuma, Ariz.
Cousin Jailed in Brooklyn.
The two agents were assigned to see
who was getting certain letters which
had been mailed from New York City
WAYNE W. BAKER.
—Copyright, A. P. Wirephoto.
by a cousin of Suhay, who was under
investigation. This cousin, Joe Heckl,
was arrested in Brooklyn after the
gun battle and, Hoover said, has con
fessed sending Suhay and Power a
warning that G-men were close on
their trail.
There were a number*of patrons in
the post office and the agents did not
(See G-MAN, Page A-4.)
I
Senate May Close Sessions
This Week, if Proponents
Are Willing.
BACKGROUND—
Stirred by a scries of decisions
holding New Deal legislation un
constitutional, President Roosevelt
sent a plan to Congress to provide
for six additional justices of the Su
preme Court if those members over
70 did not step out, and would
reorganize lower courts also. The re
sult has been a bitter conflict of
opinion over the country and a
sharp division in Congress itself.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
The Senate Judiciary Committee
squares away tomorrow morning for
what may be its last week of hear
ings on President Roosevelt's bill to
increase the membership of the
Supreme Court.
The hearings are slated to end not
later than Wednesday, April 28. How
ever, they may close next Friday,
if the supporters of the President's
bill decide not to put any further
witnesses on the stand. By action of
the committee yesterday, it was deter
mined to grant the opponents of the
bill five more days, and the supporters
of the measure three days in the
following week. Chairman Ashurst
indicated the proponents might not
elect to put on further witnesses.
After six weeks of hearings, the ad
ministration forces apparently are
anxious to bring them to a close and
get down to work on the bill in com
mittee.
Predictions were made last night
that the bill would be reported, so
far as it relates to the Supreme Court,
unamanded, despite the fact strong
opposition exists in the committee.
Other Senators took the position,
however, that the committee would
amend that section of the bill along
the line of suggestions made by Sen
ator McGill of Kansas and Senator
Hatch of New Mexico. McGill would
permit the President to name two
additional justices if those over 75
fail to retire, and Hatch would give
the President authority to name an
additional justice each year, until
a maximum of-15 had been reached,
if those over 70 do not retire. Both
proposals look to flexibiity in the
size of the court—from 9 to 15.
Executive Session Planned.
Senator Ashurst said that as soon
as the hearings are concluded the
committee will meet in executive
session to pass on the bill.
“The committee will meet two or
three times a week until it is ready to
report—not daily,” he said. He de
clined to say how long the committee
would be working on the measure. It
is expected, however, that it will be
ready to report the bill to the Senate
during the first half of May.
The committee is pretty evenly di
vided over the Resident’s Supreme
(See JUDICIARY, Page A-18.) ' i
Asks Oshawa Workers Send
Own Committee to
Negotiate.
BACKGROUND—
Drive of John L. Lewis' Commit
tee for Industrial Organization to
unionize the automobile industry
along industrial lines led to con
flicts with General Motors Corp.,
in whose plants workers conducted
a 40-day sit-down early this year.
Successful outcome led to strike
against Chrysler, which terminated
with a collective bargaining agree
ment.
Movement then spread to Can
ada with strike against General
Motors subsidiary at Oshawa. Ca
nadian Premier Hepburn has re
fused to deal with American lead
ers of U. A. IV.
Bs the Associated Press.
TORONTO, Ontario, April 17 —
Premier Mitchell Hepburn urged 3,700
General Motors strikers at Oshawa,
Ontario, tonight to forget about the
United Automobile Workers of Amer
ica and to send a workers’ committee
to his office to make peace with the
company.
This message to the workers, who
walked out April 9, when the company
refused to recognize the John L.
Lewis union as their collective bar
gaining agent, followed the collapse
of Hepburn's second effort to arrange
a settlement between the company and
union officials.
Hepburn blamed the failure of his
conciliation efforts on Homer Martin,
(See OSHAWA, Page A-4.)
SISTER’S PLEA WINS
CLEMENCY FOR TEXAN
New York Judge Reduces Sen
tence of Man Convicted
of Fraud.
By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, April 17.—After his
sister. Gladys Rowntree of this city,
had related the hardships her family
had undergone since he was sent to
prison, the sentence of Louis U. Rown
tree of Houston, Tex., was reduced
from one year to six months by Judge
Vincent L. Leibell in Federal Court
today.
Rowntree and his brother, Carlisle,
were convicted of taking about $100,
000 from cotton traders by falsely de
claring the money was to be used in
cotton futures transactions. Louis
Rowntree was sentenced to one year
and a day, his brother to five years.
Louis Rowntree had served four
months, pending an appeal, when his
sister wrote to the judge, relating
how her father had died and telling
of an illness which confined her moth
er to a hospital.
Mews of D. A. R.
Full reports of the D. A. R. Convention, April 18
to 25, inclusive—
Mail—Postage Prepaid U. S., Mexico and
Canada_ 35e
Foreign-$1.00
Leave orders with Star representative at Constitu
tion Hall or The Evening Star office,
’11 th St. and Pa. Ave. N.W.
BLOSSOM VISITORS
TODAV EXPECTED
TO BREAK RECORD
Throng of More Than 250,
000 in Prospect—Fair
Day Is Forecast.
TRAFFIC AUTHORITIES
SEEK TO BAR TIE-UPS
Elaborate Plans Are Made—De
tails From Nearby Cities to
Assist Local Police.
A forecast of mild weather with
little prospect of rain before nightfall
promised a favorable reception today
for a huge throng of cherry blossom
visitors expected to surpass last Sun
day’s total of more than 250,000.
Elaborate plans have been made
to prevent traffic jams like those which
resulted here last Sunday when an
all-time high of 213,000 visitors con
verged on the cherry trees fringing
the Tidal Basin.
The 213.000 estimate was by the
park police. Other estimates placed
the number of visitors in Washington
at between 250,000 and 500,000.
With weather prospects more favor
able. there was every indication that
larger numbers would be in the city
today. Last Sunday visitors slept in
Union Station or huddled in parked
automobiles after they were unable to
find accommodations.
Special Traffic Details.
Police of Washington and neighbor
ing cities planned special details to
direct traffic on the approaches to
Washington and in the city proper.
Park police hoped to profit by their
experience of last week end and keep
the traffic moving at a somewhat
faster rate around the Tidal Basin,
in a clockwise direction.
Last Sunday the desire of some
motorists to stop while they looked
at the blossoms resulted in jams blocks
long.
The weather forecast calks for
“cloudy and warmer weather today,
followed by showers at night or to
morrow; cooler tomorrow.” The mer
cury rose to 68 yesterday afternoon
under sunny skies as many week end
visitors crowded into the city.
Park police said last night that the
greatest traffic problem about the
Tidal Basin is clearing automobiles
and busses from the area after they
have made the circuit.
Street Made One-Way.
Seventeenth street will be one-way
for north-bound traffic from its
southern terminus at the John Paul
Jones Statue at least as far north
as Pennsylvania avenue. Detaiks for
guiding traffic approaching the blos
som area were not announced.
Yesterday's traffic in Baltimore gave
ample evidence of the presence of the
tourists.
North Baltimore arteries were laden
with machines from New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and
points as distant as Maine and Quebec.
There were machines of every type
and vintage, trailers included. Many
motorists made return trips to Balti
more, unable to find hotel accommo
dations in Washington. Still more re
mained in Baltimore overnight, in
tending to make the trip to the Cap
ital today.
Despite pessimistic observations that
the cherry blossoms are blanching and
that some of the blooms are falling
off, park officials say they still are
near their peak.
Within a few days, however, the
single blossoms will fade fast and
leave the stage to the double-blossom
variety, scheduled to bloom in about a
week in East Potomac Park.
--- -
2-Pound Baby Thrives.
ST. LOUIS. April 17 UP).—A two
pound baby boy bom Monday to Mrs.
Lester Pefferman was thriving today
in a hospital incubator.
Attending physicians described the
infant as "a lively little fellow.” who
is gaining daily. He was 12 U inches
in length at birth. The baby, fed
with a medicine dropper, weighed 33
ounces today, a gain of 1 ounce since
birth.
/^JOE.WOULO N'T IT A
I BE AWFUL IF WE TOOK
OUR FINGERS OUT OF I
The Holes ! A
SAVING THE DYKE!
Dr. Luther Attacks U. S. Critics
Of Nazis in Beer Party Speech
Criticizes Writers and Speakers Who
Charge Some Sections of Germany
Are Cool to Hitler,
By the Associated Press.
Dr. Hans Luther, retiring German
Ambassador to the United States, at
tacked American critics of Nazi Ger
many last night in an unexpected
speech to members of Congress and
newspaper men attending his annual
bock beer party.
"You must accept Germany as she
is,’’ he said. "You may not like some
of the things about her, but you must
recognize her as a strong and unified
country under the leadership of a
man who has the courage and the
wisdom to lift it out of a grave emer
gency.”
Approximately 300 guests, seated at
tables in a room of the embassy dec
orated as a Bavarian beer garden,
heard the Ambassador. He had risen
to acknowledge a toast with the re- j
quest that he be accorded "freedom
of speech.”
With flushed face and emphatic
gestures, Luther criticized writers and
speakers in this country who, he said,
have sought to convey the impression
that some sections of the German
people are unsympathetic to the re
gime of Adolf Hitler.
"My chief aim during the four years
I have spent in the United States,
has been to give your people a belter
understanding of mine, their hopes
and their ambitions,” he said. "But
recently I have been made melancholy
by suggestions I have read and heard
of political disunity in my fatherland.
"Nothing can be farther from the
(See LUTHER, Page A-3.)
SIX IAX INCREASES
Opposes Auto Weight Levy
and Change in Lump
Sum Policy.
Six proposals for increased District
taxation now being studied by the
House District Committee, estimated
to bring in about $2,600,000 in addi
tional revenue, were approved in prin
ciple last night by the Federation of
Citizens’ Associations, in recognition
of the need of meeting the anticipated,
$6,000,000 deficit in the next fiscal
year. Some changes in the pending
bill were recommended.
At the same time, the federation
opposed the suggested repeal of sub
stantive law which requires that the
Federal Government should pay 40
per cent of the costs of the Capital.
A declaration that the proposed J5,
000.000 lump sum payment would be
neither adequate nor equitable was
adopted a week ago at a special meet
ing of the federation.
Acting on a report by L. A. Car
ruthers, chairman of its Committee
on Fiscal Relations, the federation
approved in general terms the adop
tion of increased taxation on insur
ance companies, corporations, a tax
(See FEDERATION,-Page A -200
Court Will Decide on Right
Of Father to Spank Son, 11
Anotner poignant chapter in the
age-old emotional conflict between
mother love and paternal discipline
will be written in Police Court to
morrow, when 11-year-old Pred
Storm is called on to tell how his
father spanked him for staying out
beyond his bedtime.
Robert E. Storm, 50, gray-haired
District engineer, was-arrested yester
day on an assault warrant sworn to
by his divorced wife and mother of
his son.
At liberty under $100 bond after
being finger-printed, Storm, obviously
touched deeply by the charges that he
had been brutal to his son, readily
admitted he spanked Fred at their
home, 1681 Columbia road, Thursday
night.
"I love the boy,” Storm said, ‘‘but
things had reached the point where
he was becoming unmanageable. He
was defiant and sneering at orders to
do things. I just had to do something.
“Mend Your Ways.”
“Before I spanked him I told him,
'listen here brother, you came in late
tonight, but that isn’t the reason you
are getting spanked. That is just
the last straw. This is the result of
what you have been doing all along
and you have to leam to mend your
ways.’"
After he put his son to bed, Storm
$aid, the lad slipped out of the house
and rode on his bicycle to the home
of his mother, Mrs. Margaret Hoff
man, 1428 R street, who married again
shortly after she was divorced in
1936. Storm was granted sole cus
tody of the lad after obtaining the
divorce, ht said. Storm also married
again.
Attorney Jean Boardman, counsel
1
FRED STORM.
for Storm, said he will contend a
parent has a right to punish his child
for disciplinary purposes and has the
right also to determine the method
of punishment.
“Tried to Reason With Him.”
"Fred had been naughty for weeks,"
Storm declared, “but I realized what
brought that about. I had tried in
every way to reason with him. He
had not had a spanking for over a
year. But he is a child who is hard
to manage.
"Day after day at dinner T would
(See SPANNING, Pace A^L)
A
5,000 DELEGATES
OF D. A. 0. ARRIVE
Forty-sixth Congress Opens
Tomorrow Night in Con
stitution Hall.
Five thousands Daughters of the
American Revolution gathered in
Washington today for their forty-sixth j
annual Continental Congress, which!
opens tomorrow at 8:30 p m. in Con- 1
stitution Hall.
Americanism, aid for youth and edu
cation in citizenship are the topics
featuring the program which con
tinues through Friday evening, when
the congress closes with a banquet, at
which the United States Marine Band
will play.
“The opening of the congress Mon
day will be the usual brilliant and
colorful assemblage of D. A. R. offi
cers and the thousands of delegates,”
Mrs. William A. Becker, president
general, said yesterday.
The triennial excitement attending
election of a new president general
will be absent this year, for Mrs.
Becker's term has another year to
run. However, seven vice presidents
general and one honorary vice presi
dent general will be chosen by the
congress. Mrs. G. M. Griner of Wash
ington, is one of 11 candidates for the
vice presidencies.
Mrs. Becker will open the cere
monies tomorrow with a talk on “Liv
ing for the Ages.” after a procession
of the national officers and groups of
escorting pages. Senator Moore, Dem
ocrat, of New Jersey, will sound the
keynote of the congress in his speech j
or. “Youth.”
National Defense Meeting.
Several hours before the official
opening, however, the national defense
meeting of the D. A. R. will be held
in the Mayflower Hotel ball room,
with Mrs. Vinton Earl Sisson, chair
man, presiding.
This session, which begins at 2 p.m.,
will be featured by talks from four
men conversant with international af
fairs and problems as they concern
the United States,
Early arrivals for the congress gath
(See D. A. R., Page A-5.)
IN LABOR FIELD NIT
__
Sibley, Addressing Editors,
Urges State Laws to
Oppose It.
Enactment of State laws to make
illegal any “concerted action” on the
part of employers or employes,
through lockouts or strikes, was pro
posed by Harper Sibley, president of
the United States Chamber of Com
merce, in an address yesterday after
noon at the final session of the annual
convention of the American Society
of Newspaper Editors.
"The laws of the States should be
extended,” Sibley said, “to include
provisions directed specifically against
concerted action, whether or not ac
companied by disorder, directed by
individuals, groups or organizations to
bring any degree of coercion through
economic channels upon the public or
upon public agencies or authorities.
“Any concerted action for such a
purpose, whether through strikes or
lockouts, actual or threatened, should
be made expressly illegal, and dealt
with from that point of view." Sibley
continued. “To be justified, action
by employers or employes should
relate solely to the working conditions
which are in question.”
Property Right Held Basic.
Vigorously opposing the sit-down
strike, Sibley said: "The right to
strike, so long as it does not endanger
the public interest or impose upon
others intolerable hardships, is funda
mental. The right to the - possession
of property by its owners, free of
trespassers, is equally fundamental."
Sibley proposed that labor union
moneys be subject to the same restric
tions legally as those of corporations,
which the law prevents from being
contributed to a political campaign
fund. He advocated legislation to
"outlaw every form of coercion and
intimidation."
Employes of governments and pub
lic utilities should not be allowed to
strike. Sibley said, but should be held
amenable to an orderly procedure for
settlement of all disputes through
arbitration.
That business leader declared that
"before approaching workers, every
promoter of an organization of work
ers should, as a matter of law, be
required to establish as of public
record his identity, the activities which
he will undertake, and the nature
and purpose of the organization he
will promote.”
Moment Held Important.
"You are meeting in Washington
in an extremely interesting moment,”
Sibley told the editors. “The moun
tain at the eastern end of Pennsyl
vania avenue is in labor and no doubt
will deliver in due course.
“Meanwhile, last Monday the Su
preme Court again made history. The
five decisions concerning the validity
of the Labor Relations Board were
rendered—four of them by the well
(See EDITORS,~Page A-37)
... «
M’CREA FOR MAYOR
DETROIT. April 17 (JP).—Duncan
C. McCrea, Wayne County prosecutor,
who aided in convicting a number of
men accused of Black Legion crimes
in the past year, announced today he
would be a candidate for Mayor of
Detroit next Fall.
Announcement by Mayor Frank
Couzens that he will not seek re-elec
tion has resulted in the entry of sev
eral candidates.
D. C. Man Accused of Attempt
To Drown Estranged Wife
Herman J. Williamson, 32, who gave
an address in the 200 block of Twelfth
street southwest, Washington, was to
have a hearing in a Baltimore Police
Court this morning on a charge of
attempting to drown his estranged
wife in a Baltimore stream yester
day afternoon because she refused to
return to live with him.
The wife, Mrs. Mae Williamson, 29,
is the mother of Williamson's three
children. The husband was arrested
after he allegedly thrust Mrs. William
son's head under the water several
times in an effort to force her to
agree to come back to him.
The couple separated some time
ago and Mrs. Williamson went to
Baltimore to live with her alster and
brother-in-law, taking the children.
Yesterday afternoon Williamson went
to see his wife and persuaded her
to take a walk to “talk things over,”
the wife said.
Mrs. Williamson told police she ac
companied her husband and he
avoided busy streets, leading her
through fields and down deserted
pathways. The wife said her husband
"acted queerly” and kept trying to
persuade her to agree to a reconcilia
tion.
At a spot where Jones Falls flows
through a residential section of Balti
more, Mrs. Williamson said her hus
band suddenly seized her by the throat
and threw her over the river bank.
Williamson, It was said, then
Jumped down the bank into about
(Bee WILLIA\JSON, Page A-4.)
SENATORS IRKED
BY PLAN TO RAISE
FARM LOMTES
“Sheer Nonsense,” Says
Wheeler, as Borah
Joins Attack.
LAND BOOM FEAR
OF MYERS RIDICULED
Burden Already Holding Back
Rural Recovery, Senators
Declare.
BACKGROUND—
Federal land bank loans were
cut from 4 Vi per cent to 3^ two
years ago as an "emergency" meas
ure and it is proposed now to con
tinue the rate two years more after
July 1.
Opposing this "casy-money" pro
gram, Gov. W. I. Myers of the
Farm Credit Administration said it
costs the Treasury $31,700,000 an
nually.
By the Associated Press.
A fierce congressional controversy
developed yesterday out of an admin
istration proposal to increase farm
interest rates as a means of prevent
ing an inflationary “land boom.”
Senators Borah. Republican, of
Idaho and Wheeler, Democrat, of
Montana quickly challenged the sug
gestion by Gov. W. I. Myers of the
Farm Credit Administration that the
emergency 3>_, per cent interest rate
on land bank loans be permitted to
expire July 1.
Wheeler, who forced the low emer
gency rate through the Senate, char
acterized as “sheer nonsense” Myers'
statement that its continuation might
stimulate a harmful land boom.
Borah, calling attention to the
administration bill to relieve farm
tenancy, said the “best way to handle
farm tenancy” is “to make it possible
for the farmer who now owns his
farm to continue to own it."
The two sharp senatorial statements
were inspired by Myers’ testimony
before the House Agriculture Commit
tee Friday against continuing the
emergency 3!2 per cent rate for two
years longer.
Fear of Land Boom.
“It appears quite possible,” he told
the committee, “that if the Fedeiyl
land banks continue to finance the
purchase of farms at an artificially
low interest rate it may have the
effect of stimulating a land boom and
ultimately may have a far-reaching
and undesirable effect on the whole
structure of land values in the United
States."
Wheeler quickly seized on the pro
posal as a new argument in his battle
against the Roosevelt court reorgan
ization bill.
Asserting there was no better way
for the Government to help farmers
than by providing low interest rates,
the Montana Senator said “it isn't
necessary to pack the Supreme Court
or to change the Constitution in order
to help the farmer of this country
get out from under the load of debt
he has been carrying."
Wheeler added that the interest
move was in conflict with the ad
ministration claim that “the only
thing standing in the way of assisting
the farmers was ‘nine old men’ on the
Supreme Court."
"This demonstrates the insincerity
of the Department of Agriculjure and
the head of the Federal land banks in
carrying on their reprehensible propa
ganda against the court in order to
cover up their own mistakes," he
added.
Price-Fixing Results.
“It. should be borne in mind that
everything that the farmer has to buy
went up in price as a result of the
price-f.xing methods adopted under
the N. R. A.: and those prices did not
come down even after the N. R. A. was
abolished, but have continued to in
crease.
“To raise the interest rate on the
farmer is unthinkable ."
Borah also stressed the price of
things the farmer must buy. His
statement follows:
“Governor Myers lays stress on the
fart that the farm index price is back
again nearly to where it was in 1930.
But what was the condition in 1930
and in 1928 and 1929? Farm tenancy
was growing at a rapid rate, farm
mortgages were being foreclosed, and
tax sales were on a large scale.
' Ir. addition to that, taxes are
higher. The prices of things which
the farmer has to buy are higher.
The implement trust is still doing
business at the old stand. We now
have in Congress a farm tenancy
measure. It proposes to start with
an appropriation of $50,000,000, which
will not be a drop in the bucket if it
is to be effective. Is it not far better,
in dealing with this question of farm
tenancy, to make it possible for the
farmer who now owns his farm to
continue to own it? That is the very
best way to handle farm tenancy.
The present increase of farm tenancy
is very great.
"In addition to that, let me say,
that the farmer cannot pay an in
terest which Gov. Myers calls a
business-rate of interest. It is not in
the business. And, unless we find
some way by which to give the farmer
a lower rate of interest, there is no
possible way to stop the spread of
farm tenancy.”
SUGAR PARLEY HOPEFUL
XJ. S. and Cuban Delegates Ex
pect Parley to Succeed.
LONDON, April 17 (/P).—United
States and Cuban delegates to the
International Sugar Conference ex
pressed optimism tonight on the
chances of the parley's success, at the
end of the second week of meetings.
The experts, who are trying to se
cure an agreement on export quotas
for the sugar-producing nations,
hoped to bring Russia and Java into
line next week. Those two countries
had asked higher quotas than others
thought they were entitled to.