Evening star., 1925-02-01
CiiUics.

nomination of Attorney General Stone
to be a member of the United States
Supreme Court back to the judiciary
committee last week, nvt the objec-
tions to his appointment which
seemed to be gaining at that time
quickly subsided after the Attorney
General himself, testified at a public
hearing of the Senate judiciary r".ai-
mittee. Some of the opposition, which
appeared to be gaining force, was
due to the fact that the Department
of Justice is seeking to have Senator
Burton K. Wheeler of Montana, in
dicted by a District of Columbia
grand jury. He has already been in
dicted by a grand jury in Montana,
anu some Senator'S thought the De-
partment of Justices action savored
of persecution" Mr.. Stone, however,
faced his critics at the judiciary COM
mittee hearing and spoke so clearly
and forcefully of the departments
intended action against Mr.. Wheeler
declaring that he would take re-
sponsibility in the whole matter
that he gained instead OF losing
ground Favorable and quick action
by the Senate on his nomination is
expected.
Meanwhile the grand jury which
will hear the Wheeler case, present
ed by the Department of Justice, has
been impanelled here and the depart
ment announced that So witnesses
against Mr.. Wheeler would testify.
Some excitement was caused among
a few Senator'S last week, when they
found that the original treaty with
Cuba, concerning the Isles of Pines
was missing. The treaty had been
sent to the Senate from the State
Departmen 20 years ago. A resolu-
tion was introduced in the Senate
calling upon the State Department
to find the treaty. but during the ex-
citement Senate employe came across
the dusty document stuck away in
pigeon hole.
The Senate on Friday passed the
much discussed postal pay bill, carry
Ing increases in postal rates and pro-
viding increa sed salaries for postal
workers. but the House, to which the
measure was sent, coldly closed its
doors with the intention of returning
the measure to the Senate. The argu-
ment has arisen over the fact that
all revenue-raising legislation must
originate in the House, and members
of the House say this rule was violat-
ed, when the Senate passed the bill.
Members of the Senate. however, do
not consider this to apply to the pos
tai pay bill. But what the House says,
in this instance, is the more import
ant.
Every year or so there is a lot of
talk heard from the Senate on what
should be done about newspapers which
print what happens in executive meet
ings of the Senate. This year Is no eX-
ception. Papers have been we'll in
formed, for instance. of what went
on behind the closed doors of the
Senate last week when it was con-
sidering in executive session the
nomination of Attorney General
Stone. One amusing thing about the
proposition is that it Is the Sena-
tors. and not the newspapers, who
should be blamed. The newspaper re-
porters simply ask a Senator what
happened. He usually tells, under
condition that the reporter does not
tell who told him, and so it goes.
Discussion of the question in the last
few days however, has had the effect
of silencing talkative Senators. who,
under a Senate rule. are liable to
punishment for divulging what goes
on in executive sessions.
The House foreign affairs commit
tee last week heard the representa-
tives of number of churches testify
in behalf of the United States en-
trance into the World Court, with
the reservations which were pro-
posed by the late President Harding
and Secretary Hughes
The regular Republicans in the House.
who hoid their party caucus February
q to elect a Speaker and floor leader
for the next Congress, have followed
the example set by the Senate and
failed to send invitations to the in
surgent' group of Republicans who
supported Senator La Toilette in his
presidential campaign.