Evening star., 1932-04-22

Are you getting anywhere with your
bear raid and short-selling investiga-
tion?" Senator Blaine. Republican Pro-
gressive of Wisconsin, was asked yes
terday as he was leaving the Banking
and Currency Committee inquisition of
President Whitney of the New York
Stock Exchange Rather dolefully,
Senator Blaine replied: We're getting
what's in the books" He conveyed the
impression that the Senators feel they
aren't getting very much sout OF MI.
Whitney. Perhaps when the true ldentl-
ty of Sadie Silk, Stella Spitch and other
dummies Is dlvulged-if 1t ever ls-tne
committee will find out who the real
plotters of Senator Brookharts BLACK
Saturday" were To date, thanks
mainly to President Whitney's adrolt
| fencing, nothing more sensational has
been disclosed than that short-selling
Goes take place, but that's hardly news.
The professionals, spectators and TIP
hunters (the majority of them women)
| who are steady attendants at the near
| ings are astounded at some OF the
naive questions leveled at whitney.
Many are unworthy of a freshman in
class of economics. Only rarely does
| Senator pipe up with query IN
dicating that he is 'market-Wlse.
| Under the circumstances. President
! Whitney's frequent evaSions are so easy
that he seems to mingle smiling con-
tempt with pity for his inept inter-
roeators. Whitney is co-outhor of
new book, Just out. called Short Sell
ing" His contribution to it is defense
of the practice now under fire on Capt.
tol Hill.
William A. Gray, the Philadelphia at
torney who IS the Banking and Cur
rency Committees counsel for the most
part COMFORTS himself like a criminal
prosecutor bulldozing a prisoner In the
dock Apparently Mr.. Gray came INTO
the picture because OF his Affiliations
| with Gov. Clifford Pnchot, because he
| Is the lawyer who functioned on the
Governors behalf when Pinchot had
PENNSYLVANIA public utility baronS on
the rack at Harrisburg. Even when the
committee counsel is prodding Whitney
the hardest the stock Exchange presi-
dent never takes down his guard OF good
temper and good humor. Gray got him
to confess that a speech at Hartford
and some testimony before House
committee contained inaccuracies, but
this, too vas done with an expansive
| smile that almost made the admission
innocuous On the whole. Senator Nor
beck's probers found Whitney tough
| baby. There are lobby whispers that
the 4 committee has high-powered
lawyer in reserve for its impending in
| quiry into the Kreuger stock scandals.
& \
Washington's visiting firemen include
William B. Shearer OF Geneva u92D
Naval Conference fame. He is here to
| find out what's become of the Short
ridge Senate Investigating Committees
| report. overdue since 1929. Shearer was
subjected to Senate inquiSition at
| President Hoover's suggestion. He now
demands either that the committees
| findings be made public or that 1t be
reconVened to take further testimony
| which he is prepared to submit. Pend
| ing a final decision. he claims that his
status as an American citizen is at
stake, and insists upon his right 10 have
| 1t cleared up. One of his arguments is
that the three shipbuilding companies
Shearer was charged with representing
at Geneva-for the purpose Of prevent
| ing limitation of cruisers-have since
| then received valuable Government
| construction contracts, whereas he,
since the investigation, has been de-
nounced, prosecuted. interfered with
and stopped from making living"
There were wild rumors at Geneva in
| February that Mr. Shearer was again
on the job there. He says he happened
| to be at Washington then.
y
Not much enthusiasm has been gen.
Grated for the proposal sponsored by
Senator Dickinson, Republican, of Iowa,
who VIII keynote at the Republican