Evening star., 1934-04-10
WRIT FACES QUIZ
IN CALM MANNER.
Appears Before House Body
With Former Senator
Reed as Counsel.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
DR.. william A. Writ, who has in
trigued the country with a charge
that the brain trusters" in Washing
ton looked upon President Roosevelt
as merely "the Kerensky of this revo-
lution," today told a House investi-
eating committee that evidences of q
''planned economy" drive were plenty
in Washington.
A planned economy. such as advo-
Gated by Rexford G.. Tugwell. Assist
ant Secretary of Agriculture. under
the Interpretation of DR.. Writ could
not take place without social revo-
luton or under the Constitution and
the laws enacted by Congress accord
ing to that instrument.
This was the burden of DR.. Wirt's
testimony. He stuck to this thesis.
The Indiana educator, who has
been a school teacher in Gary for
40 years, had been threatened with
dire punishment of various kinds If
he did not appear and testify. When
he took the stand today, a short,
stocky man with thinning hair,
wearing eyeglasses. he did not ap-
pear at all alarmed.
Has Reed as Counsel.
He turned up in the committee
room at the appointed hour flanked
by no less a person than former
Senator James A. Reed of Missouri
as his counsel. The committee had
been prepared to deny DR.. Writ the
right to counsel. as the chairman,
Representative Bulwinkle of North
Carolina, stated. After hearing what
Mr.. Reed had to say about the right
of Americans to have counsel when
appearing in congressional investiga-
tions. the committee changed its
mind. Senator Reed was permitted
to appear as counsel, but with the
understanding that he was to ask
questions through the chairman of
the committee
Senator Reed, hero of many bitter
senatorial investigations In the past,
the man who prevented the seating of
two Senators-elect. Ware of Pennsyl-
vania and Smith Of Illinois, apparently
impressed the committee The denial
of counsel, Senator Reed said, would
make it appear that the committee
really had intentions of dealing
harshly with DR.. Writ.
Prepared Statement Barred.
Early in the hearing it became ap-
parent that the Democratic members
OF the committee we're intent upon
having Dr. Writ confine his remarks
to the statement by him. which had
been submitted to the Committee on
Interstate Commerce of the House,
asserting that some brain truster had
told him that Roosevelt was the
'Kerensky of the revolution" Be-
fore the hearing began today the
committee had already adopted a
course of procedure which denied to
DR.. Writ the right to read to the COM
mittee a statement which he had pre-
pared. The committee said that it
would question Dr. Writ and expect
him to answer its questions.
Not at all disconnected by this rul-
ing, DR.. Writ proceeded to give his
testimony f1uently and with no hesi-
tation whatever. He told of dinner
party which he attended last Septem-
Der at the Virginia home of Miss
Alice Barrows of the Bureau of Edu-
cation. At that dinner, which was
attended by Robert Bruere, David
Cushman Doyle, Laurence Todd, who
represents the Soviet government press
in this country; Miss Hildegarde
Kneeland of the Home Economics
Bureau, in the Department of Agri-
culture, and Miss Taylor, DR.. Writ
said he was told by three of the guests,
Miss Kneeland, Miss Taylor and Mr..
Todd, that President Roosevelt was in
effect the "Kerensky of this revolu-
ton"
Gives Details of Talk.
The Indiana educator gave in con-
siderable detail the three hour con-
versation which took place at that
dinner party, for the most part be-
tween himself and Miss Kneeland.
Now and then DR.. Writ was inter-
rupted by applause from the large
crowd which had been drawn to the
hearing by the advance publicity and
by the mystery which had surround
ed until today a charge made by DR.
Writ against the brain trust.
DR.. Wirt's conversations in regard
to the brain trust and its operations,
he told the committee, were not con-
fined to this dinner party. He
brought In the name of Gen. William
I. Westervelt, who had been an assist
ant administrator Of the A. A. A. when
George Peek was at its head. Gen.
Westervelt went out of the A. A. A.
after the showdown had come be-
tween Tugwell and Peek. Secretary
OF Agriculture Wallace in this contro-
yersy stood firmly by Assistant Secret
tary Tugwell.
Peek went out of Office, and his re-
tirement was hailed as a victory for
the young liberals" of the admins
tration, of whom Tugwen has been an
admitted leader.
Wants Westervelt Called.
A demand will be made by Repre-
sentative McGugin. Republican mem
Der of the investigating committee,
that Gen. Westervelt be summoned to
appear before the committee. If the
committee agrees, it may mean the
ventilating of the old row which re-
suited in the ousting of Peek as A. A.
A. administrator.
DR.. Writ told the committee he
thought they might get some valuable
information also if they summoned
Budget Director Douglas, who is a
former member of the House from
Arizona.
The testimony given by DIR. Writ
today was not startling or sensational
He was seeking to convey to the COM
mittee only the fact that step by ster
the old social and economic order 81
the country is being attacked and that
If the planned economy proposed by
Tugwell and others is finally adopted
1t will result in the operation of all
business by the Government and the
RECOMMENDATION of the people and in the
control by the Government of the
farm lands as we'll. In the opinion
of Dr. Writ such a social revolution
will have to be accompanied by
changes in the form of government.
49,