Evening star., 1932-04-25
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC EILLIAM FILE.

Many people are asking what the
Senate Banking Committee expects to
accomplish with its grand jury inveSti-
CATION of Wall Street. Constitutional
lawyers who have been observing the
proceedings say these are not only
''extra-legal," like many things the
modern Senate does, but point out that
the New York Stock Exchange and its
dealings are wholly outside the pale OF
Federal legislation. 1t is exclusively
within the province of New York State
authorities to curb bear raids, short
selling and other practices that might
be found to be in violation Of law or the
public good. The most the Senate or
Congress could do to clip the wings Of
Wall Street, lawyers declare. would be
10 forbid the use of the mails for GER
tain types of transactions in stocks and
bonds. Such an embargo would incon-
venience but hardly destroy the bulls
and bears. Besides dragging men and
their private affairs into the full glare
Of pitiless publicity, the Senate probe
so tar has achieved little, and nothing
whatever that promises actual reforms.
Matthew G. Brush told the committee
that what goes on in Wall Street often
is racket that makes Al Capone look
like a piker." But it hardly needed a
Senate investigation to disclose that.
X x
Maj. John Sanford Cohen of Atlanta,
whom Gov. Russell of Georgia has Just
appointed as successor of the late Sena-
tor Harris, Democrat, will add to the
ever-growing ranks of newspaper men
in Congress. He has been on the staff
of the Atlanta Journal for more than
40 years, and, since 1917, its editor and
.nl lichA avn
friend on Capitol Hill, TOR Maj. Cohen
attended the Naval Academy at An
napolis in the middle eighties. He
earned his military rank in the Span
| iSh-American war, as an officer in the
Sd Georgia Infantry. The plan for a
national highway from New York to
Jacksonville, Fla, claims the newest
| Senator as its originator. Gov Rus
sell plans to nand Maj Conen his Gre
dentlals personally at the meeting Of
State Governors in Richmond today,
and the expectation is tnaC he will pre-
sent himself to the Senate on Wednes-
! day. The Senator -deSignate's paternal
ancestors were Jews, but his mother was
Christian, as is Maj Cohen's wife.
y
When the late Gen Herbert M. Lord
was director of the budget he organized
the famous "WoOdpecker Club" of Gov
ernment officials for the purpose of
! pecking away at Federal expenditure.
/ Every morning this Spring Of economy
real woodpecker has taken up its
roost on the ventilators atop the White
| House roof and hammered its beak
against them hours at time. Not long
age Handsome Dick" Jervis, chief of
the Secret Service squad at the eXecu-
| tive offices, sailed forth to learn the
source Of racket that seemed to be
made by an electric riveter. 1t was the
woodpecker. The Smithsonian Insti-
tUtion's ornithologist is quoted as au-
thority for the statement that wood
| peckers peck not for the fun Of drilling
holes in trees, but as mating call. The
White House woodpecker is saying it
| with sheet metal.
At the American Law Institutes
| tenth annual dinner in Washington on
May some beans may be spilled about
Jimmie" Walker and other conditions
on Manhattan Island. The star num-
Der on the speaking program will be
! Judge Samuel Seabury president of the
/ New York Bar Association, who is
leading the legislative investigation OF
Gotham's dark and devious municipal
/ administration. Judge Seabury is creditd
with Democratic presidential dark horse
aspirations despite the enmity of Tam
many Hall, His tactics have just been
assailed by State Supreme Court Justice
John Ford as a libel on New York City,
which Justice Ford acclaims as a CEN
ter of sweetness and light" Federal
Judge Joseph c. Hutcheson, jr., oi
Texas and Dr. Gordon Jennings Laing
dean Of humanities at the University Of
Il to L.
stitute banquet. over which George w
Wickersham will preside.
Franklin d. Roosevelt's Washington