Evening star., 1935-02-03
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BY JAMES WALDO FAwCETT.

An appeal for a Memorial day
stamp was carried to President Roose-
welt by a delegation of officers of the
Ladies of the Grand Army of the
Republic Wednesday. The group in
cluded Mrs. Pearl c. Cooke, national
president; Mrs. Josephine Mahar,
past national PRESIDENT; Mrs. Margaret
Hopkins Worrell, past national junior
vice president; Mrs Edwina P. Trigg,
past national secretary; Mrs. Mary
Logan Tucker, Lincoln Circle, De-
partment of the Potomac; Mrs. May
D. Lghtfoot, past president, Depart
ment of the Potomac, and Mrs. Caro-
line Cleaver, Beck Circle. Department
Of the Potomac, original sponsor of
the plan and an active member of
the washington Philatelic Society.
The petition had the Endorsement
Of the Tenth Women'S Patriotic Con-
ference on National Defense, which
met at the Mayf1ower Hotel. Wednes-
day to Friday, and in which 80 diff
ferent organizations participated.
Not only the soldiers of the Civil
War, but also the fallen heroes of all
other struggles in which the United
States has participated would be COM
memorated in the stamp, Mrs. Cleaver
explained.
Marvin Mcintyre of the White
House secretariat promised that Mr.
Roosevelt would give the matter his
personal attention.
The long-expected philatelic tenn
pest broke Monday in Congress when
Representatives Charles D. Millard
and Hamilton Fish, jr, of New York
speaking for nine or ten million
American stamp collectors, demanded
an official inquiry into charges Of "fa-
voritiSm' brought against Postmaster
General James A. Farley for the
alleged distribution of unfinished rar-
tiles among friends.
Protests of philatelic societies from
coast to coast, Mr.. Millard said,
prompted him to bring the matter to
the attention of his colleagues and to
ask that the postal chief be given ar
opportunity to defend himself.
President Roosevelt, Col Louis Nc
Henry Howe, Secretary of the Inte-
rior Harold L. Ickes, Third Assistant
Postmaster General Clinton B. Ellen
berger and Mr.. Farley's three children
were cited as having received the con-
traband sheets. but Mr. Millard sug-
gested that other officials and private
citizens also have been the benefi-
ciaries of the Postmaster Generals
generosity.
THE American Philatelic Society,""
the Representative said, feels that
this new deal in philately Is dis
elimination against the rank and file
of stamp collectors, because sheets of
imperforate stamps are not made
available to them for purchase but are
autographed and given to favored
few, and in most instances those few,
officials of the Government In
a poll taken by the National Fedora
tion of Stamp Clubs, it was found that
the clubs are almost unanimously
against the policy of giving out lmper-
forate sheets to favored individuals I"
Mr. Millard read a letter from
constituent charging that: Not only
sheets of the Mothers day issue, but
of every issue brought out under Mr.
Farley's supervision has been distrib-
uted, and some Gay these are coming
on the market-if not by the present
holders, then by their estateS-and
stamp collectors are going 70 te forced
to absorb United States stamps that
they never had the opportunity to
acquire when they were current Nat
urally, they will be obliged 10 pay
through the nose
While I agree with the collectors
that there has been unfair distribu-
tion," Mr.. Miliard continued, Il be-
lieve that a much more serious stu
alton has arisen whereby an official
of the Federal Government can make
unlimited presentations of gifts not
purchaSeable in the open market
It is quite obvious that the monetary
value of Mr.. Farley's gifts is tre-
mendous"
In his resolution, Mr.. Millard
called upon the Postmaster General
to bring before the Committee on
Post Offices and Post Roads all rec
ords concerning the transfer of irreg-
ular printings of stamps from the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing to
the Post Office Department, as well as
all correspondence relating thereto.
Democratic members endeavored to
"drag the red herring" of politics
across the trail, but they were an
swered by Representative Fish, who
offered second resolution specifically
demanding information regarding:
"The number of sheets of recent
commemorative stamps, ungummed
and lacking the perforations for tear
ing, presented to Government officials
since Inauguration day, 1893; names
OF those receiving such special stamps
and the number they got; and a list
Of all who we're favored with such
sheets, even though the stamps have
been recalled"
These charge are serious Mr..
Fish insisted. They're not petty
graft. They involve hundreds of
thousands of dollars"
An attempt on the part of Demo-
cratic members to ''pigeonhole" the
inquiry failed, and it is understood
that Mr. Farley will be required to
reply to the resolutions tomorrow
Meanwhile, philatelic societies and
individual collectors have been pre-
pairing to file further charges con-
cerning Post Office Department pol
icies and practices since March 4,
1888. 1t is argued that ANY inquiry
should include the breakdown of serv-
ice in the Philatelic Agency, the is
sIance of souvenir sheets of stamps
IN connection with philatelic exhibi-
tions, the scheme for the establish
ment of a philatelic museum as
rival to the rlilatelic division of the
Smithsonian Institution and the plan
for the production of an unwanted
series OF stamps depicting neglected"
Presidents.
80 Criticism also has been directed
against so-called exploitation" of
collectors in the interests of the Byrd
Expedition and the Graf Zeppelin
Corp, ineficiency and discrimination
in f1rst-day sale arrangements and
service censorship of the writipcs