Evening star., 1935-02-15

Our Navy men describe such dis
asters as the destruction Of the air
ship Macon as one of those casual
ties of service" which are all in the
days work, and which, no matter how
deplorable, are never permitted to in
terfere with the regular grind of duty
and routine. The Navy carries on.
President RooSevelt's decision not to
recommend, at least for the present
any expenditure of funds for other
airshipS would indicate that dirigibles
are "out" for the indefinite future
Navy airmen, like aviation authori-
ties generally, have long been divided
as to the practical utility of lighter
than-air craft. The successive losses
of the Shenandoah, Akron and Ma
con, it is now pretty generally thought
probably seal the dirigible's doom for
Americas military and naval pur-
poses. President Roosevelt's sugges-
tion that the money it costs to con-
struct one such ship would build whole
squadrons of long-range scouting
planes is a cue which the Navy De-
partment and Congress are not likely
to overlook in developing the air arm
of the fleet In discussing the loss OF
the Macon with newsmen, F. D. r
incidentally revealed that he hap
pened to be in London during the
World War on an occasion when the
Germans made one Of their destructive
and terrifying Zeppelin night raids
over the sleeping British metropolis.
*x x**
Though Congress has now been In
session for more than six weeks, only
relatively minor part of the legis-
lative program has been enacted. De-
lays in committee consideration OF
key measures like work relief and
economic security are mainly respon-
sible for the slowneSs with which the
| law-making machine is moving into
action. Members for the most part
are inclined to look upon the leisurely
pace as a wholesome development. II
indicates, they say, that Congress is
looking before leaping this time, and
not creating another crop of New
Deal laws without thoroughgoine
digestion Of their contents. Not in q
long time have both House and Sen
ate found it necessary to take SC
many recesses as recently, because OF
bare calendars and while committees
| are milling over administration meas
ures. The eventual result may pos
sibly be session protracted into Mid
summer, but the consequence will be
legislation approved only after mature
consideration and scrutiny.
X
Hugh S. Magill of Chicago, presi-
dent of the American Federation oi
Utility Investors, which is bent upon
safeguarding the interests of owners
Of holding company securities in con-
| nection with the administration hold
ing companies bill, was formerly a
close political associate of Secretary
Of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. In
1926 Mr.. Magill entered the race as
| an independent candidate for the
| United States Senate in Illinois after
1t had been revealed by the Senate
Investigating Committee that Samuel
insult had contributed to the cam
paign funds Of both Frank L. Smith
the Republican nominee, and his
Democratic rival. Smith was elected
but the Senate disqualified him. Mr.
Ickes was mainly in charge Of the
Magin campaign, which put a heavy
crimp in the normal Republican vote
though not sufhcient to defeat Smith
4 + 4 X
One of the best-seller anti-New
Deal booklets of the past year, an
anonymous little satire entitled
FRANKIE in Wonderland" has now
been answered" by Poet-Novelist
StrutherG Burt In o pamphlet en-