Evening star., 1924-03-23
Drum Fire of 0ratory Inter-
rupted Once to Provide
Crosses for Graves.
GILLETT MADE TARGET.
OF SHOTS BY CARAWAY
Borah Starts Bombardment BY
Renewed Plea for Attention to
Legislative Tasks.

A drum fire of oratory shook the
Senate skylights yesterday. The
bombardment started over renewed
charges by Senator Borah, republi-
can, Idaho, of delayed legislation to
permit grand jury" proceedings. Be-
fore the smoke of battle cleared
away, however, the Senate had been
extensively informed upon subjects
ranging from Teapot Dome to Muscle
Shoals.
From the republican trenches SEN
ator Wadsworth of New York was
moved early in the engagement to
predict that the Senate would do
nothing during the day but talk"
He was wrong. however. The record
shows that in it's fve-hour session 1t
did vote an amendment into the first
deficiency bill providing for perma-
nent white crosses over the graves OF
American soldiers in France. 1t took
no other legislative action whatever,
except to confirm some minor nomi-
nations.
Day Starts Mildly.
The Senate day started innocently
enough Senator Curtis of Kansas,
the republican whip, was alone on the
floor when the gavel fell. but within
fifteen minutes after a quorum had
been mustered Senator Shipstead,
farmer-labor, Minnesota, unloosed his
verbal batteries in a prepared ad-
dress, criticizing generally foreign
loans by American bankers. and spe-
cificaily the s10o,0O0,000 loan by the
Morgan bank TO France.
The senator foresaw possibilities OF
grave entanglements from such trans
actions, and charged that a previous
loan by the same firm 10 France had
Immediately preceded the entrance of
the United States into the world war.
Senator Shipstead then criticized
the administration policy in Central
America, and in this was echoed by
Senator Borah, while Senator Lodge
republican, Massachusetts, chairman
of the foreign relations committee,
in reply declared recent action in
Honduras was necessary to protect
lives of American citizens.
Caraway Hits GiIIett.
At this point Senator Caraway,
democrat, Arkansas, unmasked his
guns and trained them upon Speaker
Gillett particularly Tor the latter's
recent criticism in a Boston speech
of the Senate's record The Arkansas
senator den.ed that the legislative
program had been delayed by Sen
ate Investigations and countered with
the assertion that the House had
sunk TO the lowest point in its his
tory as a legislative body"
A reference to the recent lecture
by Senator Borah TO his republican
colleagues on the matter of delays
in legislative business brought that
senator to the defense of his sector.
Amplifying his criticism, Senator
Borah said every senator was pledged
10 tax reduction, but it was improb-
able any measure could be passed
under the present conditions. He
proposed the Senate Investigations
be left to Senate committees until
concluded and debate on the floor re-
volve around the Legislative pro-
gram.
This flank attack found the demo-
cratic leader, Senator Robinson of
Arkansas, holding the line with a
challenge that the majority was
without a program. He quoted a
newspaper report of a White House
conference, at which Senator Smoot
of Utah, chairman of the finance COM
mittee, was said to have informed
President Coolidge the revenue bill
could not pass before June 10 when
the republican convention is to meet
Senator Curtis brought up party
reserves by denying that any such
statement had been made at the con-
ference in which he participated. A
report was made on progress, he
/, said, and the President urged that
every step possible oe taken to ex-
pedite tax reduction ''in order that
the people might know where they
stood"
BY this time the verbal warfare
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