The Carbon County news., 1931-08-06
Washington Snapshots
Taken by the Helms News

, ferable to Alfred E. Smith and
superior to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Both can be defeated for the nom-
nation" an editorial says.
The veterans administration and
agencies Immediately concerned
with loans to World War veterans
under the Adjusted Compensation
act, have declined to be brought
into a controversy with the AM
erican Legion concerning the op-
Grafton and effects of the act as
amended by the last Congress.
Officials of both departments said
they preferred not to comment on
an article in the current issue Of
the American Legion Monthly, in
which it is asserted that the loan
system not only has cost the tax
payers nothing, but actually has
saved them about S14,0O0,000 in
the current fiscal year.
The article was written by
Ralph T. O'Neil, national COM
mander of the Legion, in reply to
charges of critics that the loans
to ex-soldiers under the new leg
islation already has cost the tax
payers about a billion dollars. Tt
Is well known, of course, that the
Treasury, which has the job Of
raising the money for the loans,
does not hold the Legion comman-
der's view of the operation of the
plan and feels his argument is
fallacious in numerous respects,
but it is also unwilling to get into
another bitter controversy over
the matter like those which ragged
throughout the country both in
1924 and 1881 when Legislation
on the subject was before Con-
gress.
The Wickersham Commissions
condemnation of the American
prison system was met by state-
ment from Sanford Bates, direc-
tor of Federal prisons, that the
Government already had put into
effect all the major improvements
it suggested. Mr.. Bates review
ed one by one the commissions
recommendations that "cruel and
inhuman' discipline be banned by
law; that fortress-like and un-
healthy prisons be superseded;
that the insane, diseased and
drug-addicted be segregated; that
the systems of parole and prob
alton be extended; that idleness
within prisons be overcome, and
that prison officials be especially
trained and above politics. His
answer was that under the reor-
ganized prison program institu-
ted by the Government before last
July almost every one of these
steps had been or was being made
effective.
While no final decision will be
reached until the last of August
as to the governments financing
program, which will involve the
retirement of $634,387 900 in bills,
the general market situation is
now being considered by acting
Secretary of the Treasury Mills.
The principal question to be de-
cided is whether the short term
securities will be replaced with
long-term bonds. Mr.. Mills said
that it was too early to venture
prediction as to what form the
new issues would take.
Secretary Of War Hurley ex-
pressed the opinion that the Unit.
ed States should geL out of what
he termed the Panama mess"
wherein the United States collects
rents from treweries, saloons AMI
brothels. Just what part of til.
Government should take til res
ponslk'iity for getting 7t,s coun-
try out of the "mess,' however,
remained matter of some doubt.
Secretary Hurley maintained that
the question was under negotia-
tlon between the State Depart
ment and Panama, but the State
Department said that although
negotiations had been under way
they had lapsed some time ago
and had not been renewed; while
officials of the Panama Legation
said that the negotiations con-
cerned only a part of the city of
Colon anyway and would not rem
edy the situation which exists in
The red light districts.
4 4
Next Saturday Mrs. Hoover
will be in Akron, Ohio, to christen
The huge new Navy dirigible Ak
'on, and instead of the now Illicit
beverage splashed over it, or as
n case of the giant Graf Zeppe-