Evening star., 1934-03-12
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

sitting on top of the world politically.
With the congressional elections COM
ing along this year. it seemed that
the administration had little to do
except sit tight and put through Con-
gress the laws which it considered
necessary to the recovery program.
But the Democrats, some OF them,
have thought that it was necessary to
smear the Republicans, particularly the
Republicans who were connected with
the Hoover administration. The habit
may be a hard one to break. ANY,
wav the Democratic administration
apparently is now in full cry on the
heels Of two members Of the Hoover
cabinet, former Secretary Of the
Treasury Andrew w. Mellon and
former Postmaster General Walter F.
Brown, and along with them lesser
lights in the Government under the
Hoover administration. Its first step
was to annul the contracts with the
commercial aviation companies for
carrying the mails, on the ground
that these contracts were the result
of collusion and fraud Its second
step is to threaten an indictment Of
Mr.. Mellon for violation Of the in
come tax law, with respect to his own
personal income taxes.
So far there has been no legal de-
termination of the airmail cases; no
sitting Of the matter in the courts.
II there are any indictments to be
made in connection with the airmail
contracts they have not yet been dis
covered. And, of course, despite the
statement of the Attorney General,
there has not yet been an indictment
handed down in regard to Mr.. Mellon
and II the Government obtains an
indictment Of the former Secretary
of the Treasury, he must still be
proved guilty at trial.
The blanket annulment OF the air
mail contracts has caused some of
the Democrats extreme pain, followed
as it was by the handing over to the
Army Air Corps the flying Of the
mails, resulting in the deaths Of ten
Army pilots. 1t was spectacular. But
it was hasty. The halting of all the
airmails today following an order Of
the President is one answer. That
it was hasty annulment decision
now seems clear. For there is as
sertion by those who should know that
there was no thought whatever about
canceling the airmail contracts at
the Post Office Department up to
about the first Of January, and the
contracts were annulled on February
g. Whether there was collusion or
fraud or not in the making OF the
airmail contracts there seems no
doubt in the minds of any one now
that the ordF TO the Army Air Corps
to fly the malls was a mistake, since
it cost SO many lives. If there never
should be proof OF law violation In
the letting OF the airmail contracts,
the administration will be in a more
awkward position than ever, with no
justification for such haSty action
with regard to the contracts.
II X X X
The President has said in his letter
to Secretary Of War Dern under date
of March 10 that he was given def
mite assurance" that the Army Air
Corps could fly the mails. 1t has not
yet been asserted, however, that the
Army Air Corps was the initiator Of
the proposal TO carry the airmails.
And it might have been very difficult
for the War Department TO make reply
that it could not take care of the air
mails, when the matter Was put up
to it. There is going to be a loud
demand that the source of the Presi-
dents information regarding the abil-
ity Of the Army Air Service to fly the
mails; in fact it is already proceeding.
The charge has been made by former
Senator Bingham that the proper
authorities In the War Department
were not consulted before the decision
was made to turn the airmails over
to the Army to handle. This Is
matter that should easily be de-
termined, although it is not a matter
that the Army is likely to say any,
thing about officially, unless the order
comes from the Commander in Chief,
the President.
i Il
The announcement from the Attor-
ney General that Mr. Mellon is to be
indicted, If the Government can OBJ
tain an indictment, seems bit sin
gular, in view of the way the Depart
ment Of Justice is usually close
mouthed about what it is going to do
to alleged criminals in advance of
actual action. Linked with the name
Of Mr.. Mellon as violators Of the in
come tax laws are former Mayor
Jimmie" Walker Of New York and d
law partner Of the former Secretary of
War. Newton D. Baker of the Wilson
administration Despite this move,
which seems to indicate that the attack
is on Democrats as well as the Repub-
lican who served as Secretary of the
Treasury in three Republican admins
trations, the spotlight centers on Mr..
Mellon in this matter. And it was
quite clear that it would. Mr.. Mellon
has already declared that the whole
matter, so far as he is concerned,
is politics" His retort in that respect
was quite obvious. Whether Mr.. Mel
lon Is guilty or not will be determined
eventually in the courts, if he is really
indicted. If he is proven inocent the
attack upon him will have been shown
to be poor politics.
AZ 4 4
The chairman of the Republican
National Committee, Everett Sanders,
whose job some Of the Republicans
seem intent upon taking from him
they have not been very successful up
to date-sent letter to the Indiana
Republican Editorial Association Sat.
urday night in which he made some
suggestions of a program to be offered
by the G. o. P. as substitute for
the administrators program. The
Republicans. he said, might suggest:
"1. An immediate and drastic re-
duction of governmental expenditures
by abolishing useless commissions and
Offices and eliminating extravaganza.
2. The maintenance of a national
credit by a Federal budget annually
balanced on a basis of accurate ex-
ecutive estimates within revenues.
5. "A sound currency to be preserved
at all hazards 4.'A fact-finding tariff
commission free from executive inter-
ference S. The extension of Federal
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