The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-08-15
BURLESON STARTS
 U. s. PROBE OF
 THANKING ABUSE

The Washington correspondent of the Springfield Republican, writing un- der yesterdays date, says:
 Postmaster Gener Burleson aroused lively interest here today by directing that a suit for $57, 500 be started against Truman G. Palmer, secretary
 and treasurer of the United States Beet Sugar company. This is for the recovery of postage claimed to be due
 on 320, GOO pamphlets of 'tSugar-At A
 Glance the highly instructive speech by Senator Lodge of Massachusetts,
 which was widely distributed in 1912.
 Senator Lodge is apparently not to be
 featured in the suit except inciden-
 tally He permitted the use of his frank and authorized the preparation
 of envelopes for the mailing, but MT. Palmer is to be taken to task for send
 ing out the pamphlets which, as claimed did not come strictly within the order Senator Lodge obtained from the Senate.
 It will probably be charged there
 are politics in the suit, for Senator Lodge explained during the lobby in-
 qutryS last year, when the facts about this case were first made public in de- tail, that he did only what many other congressman had done in disseminat- ing information. One effect may be to check abuses in the use of con
 gressionaI franks. The department s action may ultimately result in 1egis-
 lation further restricting and defining
 the use of the frank by senators and
 representatives in such cases.
 The meeting of business men here today with Secretary of the Treasury
 McAdoo was very exceptional af-
 fair They were mostly men of real importance in the business world and
 it was notable that only three Or four
 of the 55 invited failed tos attend. The unanimity and dispatch with which they proceeded to the business in hand
 was also remarkable and is expected
 to have a. wholesome influence
 throughout the country. The inme-
 diate results were the selection of
 three committees to deal respectively with the questions of foreign ex- change, shipping and transportation l and insurance.
 A bill is being drafted by the last named committee for presentation to Congress on government insurance of cargoes. The gathering not only ex- | emp1if1es the readiness of the country to aid the administration in the un- l expected problems thrust upon it, but
 is taken as an evidence of general confidence in the President.
 The Senate made an advance by agreeing to vote on the conference re-
 port of the emergency shipping bill l Monday afternoon. This assures the 1 enactment of that measure early in the week. Shippers and others in New York are eagerly awaiting the enactment, in the belief that it will 1 help the movement of products in Eu- rope. Vigorous attacks upon the con 1 ference report was made in the Sen ate this afternoon, especially by
 essrs. Gallinger and Cun1mins but
 there will be majority for it's adop- ton.
 Secretary of Commerce Redheld, in
 a, letter made public today, says the
 accumulation of grain and other goods at the seaports will gradually be re- 1ieved as he anticipates there will be facilities for transportation. He was writing about the raising of prices and
 promised to cooperate in a searching l investigation. He suggests, however, | that the agricultural department is in a, somewhat better position to conduct l a speedy investigation, because of the number of inspectors at it's command.
 An investigation begun today by a grand jury in the District of Columbia