Evening star., 1935-02-08

There's nothing new under the con-
gresSional sun, not even economic Sc
curity legislation. In the ly-burly
of the New Deal during thc past year
nearly everybody seems to have for
gotten that as long ago as April. 1884,
the Senate Committee on Pensions
reported ou. a full-fledged United
States old-age security act" being the
measure introduced by former Sen
ator Dill. Democrat. of Washington.
Entitled "a bill to protect labor in its
old age" it was placed on the Senate
calendar, but before it could be taken
up for consideration Congress ad-
journed and the proposition died.
Hearings had been held on the prof.
ect, which was of the same general
character as the administrations old
age scheme now before Congress. 1t
provided for Federal-State cooper
alton in the financing OF a system
under which IAN old person" would
have been entitled to relief if IS years
of age or over, unposSeSsed of prop
erty valued in excess of $1,000 and
without any other means of support.
Senator McGill, Democrat, of Kansas.
chairman of the Pensions Committee,
in reporting the bill stated that its
enactment would make provision for
approximately 100000 old men and
women on a self-respecting basis Cat
81 a day. at an estimated total ulti-
mate cost of about Sl45 100000 year.
x 4 +
Senator Ebert D. Thomas, Demo-
crat, of Utah, who once upon time
was a Mormon missionary in Japan,
was aStoniShed the other day to hear
that reports we're in circulation in
the Far East that he is to be ap-
pointed American Ambassador at
Toxic. There is, of course, no founda-
ton whatever for the story and the
Senator has so informed Japanese
friends who extended him prema-
ture welcome back to the country
in which he represented the Latter
Day Saints Church between 1907
and 1912. When Mr.. Thomas was
visiting Germany last year he was
the object of an amusing report in
the Nazi press. Apparently having
heard that the backbone of his vict
torious campaign against Senator
Reed Smoot in 1882 was the support
he received from former students
in the University of Utah, Thomas
was depicted in German newspapers
as the leader of the American youth
movement" which, it was further
suggested, was patterned after the
Hitler youth movement!
II n \ X
Time flies. If Andrew Carnegie
were alive he would be 100 years
old this year. To celebrate the
centenary of his birth, on November
25 next, the Governing Board Of the
Pan-American Union will hosd
special ceremony to honor his men,
ory. 1t was Carnegie's gift of
$3.50, 900 which resulted in the con-
struction of the pan-American pal
ace, still one of Washington's archi-
tectural gems. Secretary OF State
Elihu Root persuaded the Pittsburgh
ironmaster- -philanthropist to present
the money after Carnegie had just
previously donated 100000 for the
Peace Palace at The Hague. DR..
Leo S. Rowe, director general of
| the Pan-American Union, is leaving
this month for a maiden visit to
Venezuela. After he has been there
Uncle Sans pan-American goodwill
ambassador and will have set foot in
every one of the Latin American
countries except the Dominican Re-
public.
X X n y
Norman H. Davis, President Roose-
velt's disarmament Ambassador at
Large, has been spending some time
at the Capitol this week communing
with Senator Key Pittman, chairman;
Senator Joe Robinson and other
members of the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee and giving them up
to-date inside stuff on the European
situation in general and naval arma-
ment conditions in particular. Mr.