The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1924-01-24
Box Takes
Zest Out of
Peace Probe
Flal Statement That His Own
Money Is Behind Move
Causes Diehards to
Lose Heart.
Gaze to Teapot Dome
by MARK SULLIVAN.

Miss Esther Lape today in its effort
to find out how much Mr.. Box Is
spending on his peace award. Miss
J.ape is a fine young woman of the
best American type, who has charge
of the details of Mr.. Box $ enterprise.
Either from her, or from the treas
urer, or from the Girard Trust com
pany of Philadelphia, which pays out
Mr.. Bok's money, the committee Will
probably discover that the enterprise
has already cost Mr. Box something
like 5000, 900 in addition to 100000
for the prize.
1t will probably cost a good deal
more before the referendum is CON
cluded, because referendums on the
immense scale on which this one Is
being conducted are inevitably ex-
pensive.
The general judgment of Washing
ton is that the public will decline to
be shocked at whatever amount MIR.
Box chooses to spend on what the
public generally regards as legiti-
bate effort to get his ideas before
the country, especially as the re
turns seem to Indicate that upward
of four-fifths of the public believe i'll
the plan with some enthusiasm.
BoL's Money Behind Plan.
The only possible chance the irrec-
oncilable senators Shad to make any
headway against Box blew up when
BOX said: II betrayed every cent OF
the expense myself" That ended all
the insinuatio which some of the
irreconcilable sources have been put
ting out to the effect that some or
all of the money was being provided
by international bankers or by 9th
ers having an interest in the league
Sof nations. IL was most foolish
innuendo.
Every well-informed person knows
that Box has very considerable FOR
tune derived from his identity with
the Curtis Publishing company since
its beginning, and is as well able TO
finance the dissemination of ideas
that appeal to him as most lnterna-
tlonal bankers would be. The mo-
ment Box said he was receiving no
financial assistance from anywhere,
all the spirit went out of the inves
tigation.
Up to that moment Senator Jim
Reed of Missouri had been watching
Box with the attitude of prose
cutting attorney getting ready to
pounce on some peculiarly odious
criminal. The attitude of prosecut-
ing attorney is one that Reed fre-
ouently has toward his political op-
ponents.
Senator Reed Tanned.
At the beginning OF the Box hear
ing. Reed glowered at Box with an
air of trying to make up his mind
whether he should merely bite his
initials In Bok's neck or chew him up
entirely. After Box said the money
was all his, Reed had the air of hay-
ing decided there was not enough In
the Box case TO provide very sub
stantial chewing
The audience was on Bok's side to
a degree that was little disturbing,
even though ones own sympathy
might be with Box 1t gives one n
little concern To see two or three
hundred obviously high minded and
Autiyated people have toward the
c1X,nittee of the United States SEN
ate a mental attitude which expressed
itself In applause when Box, in one
of his answers, spoke Of representing
"the intelligent American public and
then expressed itself in the beginning
NJ hisses on the part Of some when
chairman Moses sternly raped for
order.
As matter of fact, while Senator
poed In the beginning had his not IN
f,eouent manner of glowering belliger-
orcv later on the actual questions he
asked Box were sufficiently courteous
10Th in substance and in wording.
Neither could It be said that the other
srreconcilable, Senator Moses. OF New
Hampshire, was unreasonably beiIi,
rose toward Box when the latter SAID
az decline to answer absolutely, the
ouestion about how much he was
spending. a.
The real reason for the way the
audience expressed themselves Is 9
fsel,ng on the part OF some or the
nublie that the senate Is standing
stubbornly against those who wonio
like to bring universal peace to the
world.