Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-31

cratic side. With a vast number of
bills introduced at the beginning Of
the session, the House put at the top
of the list the taN-reduction measure
that had been prepared by the. ways
and means committee during the Fall,
and at once went to work on it. This
bill proposed a cut in income and other
taxes that would reduce the national
revenues by more than 1926, 900 600
II was virtually non-partisan meas
ure and seemed assured of passage.
La Toilette Position.
Aside from Vice President Dawes
effort 70 reform the Senate procedure.
interest in the upper house at first
centered on the attitude of Senator
Robert VI. La Toilette. jr., of Wiscon-
sin, who had been elected TO succeed
his late father. the leader of the insur-
gents. The young man gave every in
dication that he would follow closely
in the footsteps Of his sire. Another
Of the radical Senators had passed
away-Senator Ladd. of North Da-
kota-and Gov. Sorlie had appointed
Gerald =. Nye. an avowed follower Of
La Toilette, to succeed him. Some
OF the Senators opposed the seating
Of Mr.. Nye on the ground that the
Governor had no right under the
State constitution TO I'LL a senatorial
vacancy. Senator Ralston of Indiana,
a Democratic wheelhorse, died October
IA, and A. f. Robinson, Republican.
was appointed TO fill the vacancy.
One Of the most spectacular political
battles OF recent times was that waged
for the mayoralty OF New York. It be-
gan with a hot contest for the Demo
cratic nomination between Tammany.
whose choice was State Senator
Jimmy Walker, and the Hearst fol-
lowing, which urged the denomination
Of Mayor Hylan. Tammany won out,
and in the election Walker was easily
the victor over r d. Waterman, the
Republican nominee.
Mitchen's Court Martial
Col. William Mitchell. by his deter
mined fight TO improve the Air Serv-
ice of the Army and Navy, made his
name household word. Early in the
year his outspoken criticisms of his
superiors resulted in his removal from
the office of assistant chief OF the
Army Air Service, but he kept on
talking and writing until the War
Department had to order his trial by
court-martial. Meanwhile the Presi-
dent had appointed q special board to
inquire into the condition of the Air
Service, and this board, after lengthy
Mitchell in many OF his criticisms. 1t
condemned. however, his pet scheme
for making the Air Service an indie
pendent department. The colonel's
trial supplied many sensations, rang
ing from the withdrawal Of Gems.
Summeran, Sladen and Bowley from
the court on the ground of prejudice
to angry clashes between Congressman
Reid, Mitchell's chief counsel, with the
forces of the judge advocate. Mitchell
not only repeated his many charges
against the Air Service, but elaborated
them and made others, and while they
were contradicted by numerous wit
nesses, perhaps as many testified in
the colonelS favor.
Having no warfare, no really serious
business or economic troubles, and not
much in the way of politics, the peo-
pie of the United States devoted a
great deal of attention to prohibition,
its enforcement and its violation 1t
could not be denied that the dry law
was not being thoroughly enforced, so
In June General Andrews, Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury, was put in
full charge of the Job. He made Il
sweeping reorganization of the Federal
enforcement machinery, depriving Pro
hibition Commissioner Haynes of most
of his powers and dividing the country
into "a districts with administrators
responsible to him. The orders went
out that the flood of illicit liquors en-
tering the country must be dried at
the sources, and the minor violations
of the law were left largely to local au-
thorities. The Coast Guard was called
upon, and all Summer it's vessels were
active, along the Atlantic seaboard es-
pecially, with the result that the rum
fleets which had been lying off the
New England coasts were dispersed.
Early in December the Federal agents
In New York uncovered g. big liquor