Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-08

Senator Caraway drawlingly denies
the cynical imputation that the Senate
lobby probe committee will manage to
keep on delving into tariff Hobbies just
as long as the tariff bill is before Con-
gress, thereby finding itself occupied for
another two months at least. Instead
the Arkansas chairman expresses the
hope that his committee can dispose
of the loose ends Of its inquiry into
sugar this week, and then turn its at
tention to Muscle Shoals. He estimates
that the "debunking," as he terms 1t,
ouire more than q week, and he pro-
fesses to perceive an end to the
Rrilling before the end of January.
Some Of his colleagues are less san
guine of 50 early release from their
labors. To those who are prospective
recipients of invitations to appear be-
fore the committee with their accounts
and their files, such news seems TOO
good to be true. The best guess would
seem to be that the committee Will keep
going lust as long as 1t Is able to rate
frst-page headlines. and how long that
will be no ere can foretell. TO date
the hearings have produced an aoun-
dance Of good copy.
Representative George Holden Tink-
ham of Boston Is one man at least
who has no desire to see the Caraway
committee close up shop. He Is relying on
Chairman Caraways promise to give
him an opportunity to appear In per-
son to present his indictment of the
Methodist Board of Prohibition, ana
the Federated Council of Churches,
whose propaganda and lobbying activi-
ties, according to Mr.. T1nkham, are
open and notorious and require the
fullest exposure. He has scant hope tnat
the Senate committee will acquiesce IN
his demand for such an investigation,
but at least he will have succeeded IN
getting into the record detailed and
documented charges Of political in
reference" by the organized churches,
against which interference" this par
ticular Mayfiower descendant Is con-
Quoting an ardent crusade.
X
Judge Robert M. Healey counsel-in-
chief Of the Federal Trade Commission,
has safely recovered from ailments
which necessitated major surgical at
tention last Autumn and incapacitated
the Woodworking prosecutor for sew
eral months, and hearings on the pub
lie utility investigation were resumed
this week. The power trust" is now
slated to have its own day in court ana
to present its defense to the sundry
charges pertaining to its propaganda
and publicity methods which nave been
under fire for so long. Judge McCul-
loch, though he relinquished the cnair.
manship Of the commission, pursuant
TO the rotation policy whereby mem
bers of the commission take turns as
chairman, will continue to PRESIDE
over the public utility inquiry whicn
will soon enter upon its third year, with
the biggest part of 1t still ahead.
%* +
Reposing In the desk Of William
Tyler Page, clerk Of the House OF KEEP
resentatives, whose avocat1on is MS
torical research, Is the original letter
written by Mary Todd Lincoln from
Frankfort, Germany. in the autumn
of 1866, petitioning Congress for pen
sion that she may have less pecuniary
care" Congress granted her petition
to the extent of voting her an annual
allowance Of $1,000. This grant was
neither the first nor the last time that
Congress has provided for the WIDOWS
of Presidents, and Mr.. Page mas
been at pains to collect and collate
the record of benefits and emoluments"
extended to presidential widows. the
granting of the Thanking privilege,
starting with Martha Washington. was
|
widows in the earlier days and Is uni
! fornnly granted now. Four women now
living enjoy the privilege Of free post
age BY reason of the fact their hus-
bands once occupied the White House
Edith Boiling Wilson, Edith Carew
Roosevelt, Frances Cleveland Preston
and Mary Lord Harrison, who married
BENJAMIN Harrison four years after he
left the White House and who still sur
wives. The granting of pension and
lump-sum bonuses has been less regu-
lar. but several widows received the
$4,000 annual pension prior to Mrs.
Lincoln and several had received
It, since her day, and Mrs. Roosevelt is
enjoying such a pension ut present.
Neither Mrs. Wilson nor Grover Cleve-
lands widow receives a pension.
y
When the Senate returns to the ques-
ton Of book censorship as related to
tariff bans on importations Of alleged
obscene literature, 1t will be well for
the Senators to get the facts straight
about exclusion of the English edition
of "All Quiet on the Western Front"
The American edition of this famous
German war book deletes two or three
brief passages Of the original which ap-
pears In the translation published IN