The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-12-06
Washington
Merry-Go-
Round
BY DREW PEARSON and
ROBERT s. ALLEN.

DIX DREW PEAhSON ana
ROBERT S. ALLEN.
UTASH1NGTON, Dec. 6-The
w big oil companies have given
private intimations that they will
respect Secretary Hulrs request not
to sell oil to Italy.
Reason: They do an information
al business; need State Department
support in Latin America, the Far
East, Europe.
But the independent oil compa-
MES do not need that support. They
operate only in the United States.
And they have indicated to the Ital-
ian embassy that they will sell Mus
solini all the oil he wants as long as
he has the cash to pay for it.
NNE of the bitterest pills govern
~ ment attorneys have had to
swallow was the decision of the Cir
cult Court of Appeals in Chicago
releasing Arthur w. Gluten, big
time grain operator, He had been
suspended by the government from
trading.
What made the verdict hard to
take was that the court agreed with
the government in its contention
that Gluten had violated the Grain
Futures Act. In fact, the court
used language almost as strong as
the governments in condemning
his activities. 1t said:
s.. evidence points persuasively
to the conclusion that Cutten,
knowingly and Intentionally, dur
ing the deep depression years Of
1880 and 1881, when agriculture was
waging a losing battle for existence,
on account of low and ever lower
prices, violated and f1outed that
provision which requires him
as dealer to report the fact that
he was short more than 5000
| bushels"
Despite this violation, the court
said it had to rule against the gov
ernments ban.
Reason for this paradox: The two
letter word lis"
The court held that this word,
hidden in the section relating to in
dividual traders, barred suspensions
from the wheat pit in cases of past
violations of the law. AS the irreg-
ularities charged against Cutten &C.
CURED several years ago, he could
not be punished.
The Grain Futures Act, incident
ally, was passed in 1922 and has
been upheld by the Supreme Court.
The Circuit Courts decision
served to reveal that the present.
tense requirement applies only to
traders. 1t does not operate for grain
exchanges Any exchange is SUBJ
ject to punishment for past offenses.
How and why the loopfole came
to be inserted in the law is I'M
known. But indignant government
lawyers say that under the courts
Interpretation a district attorney
would have to catch a man actually
committing murder before he could
be prosecuted"
Note-The Department of Agri-
culture plans to remedy the joker
in the act by an amendment at the
coming Congress.
THE French government has
i made secret but emphatic pro-
tests to Hitler regarding large and
ominous structures of brick being
erected by Germany in the Rhine
| land.
Hitler has replied that they are
only brick factories. The French,
however, are convinced they are
forts.
Note-The Versailles Treaty spe-
cites that Germany shall erect no
Notifications in the Rhineland.
| CENA,TOR BILL BORAH has re-
- ceived more than so invitations
to make speeches. The requests
come from all parts of the country
Many from Southern states.
Friends of New Jerseys potent
Democratic political boss, Mayor
Frank Hague of Newark, are tout
ing him as a successor to Attorney
General Homer Cumnings-if and
when he departs the Cabinet.
Hague's chances of getting the post
are so remote as to be nil.
Major George Berry has no fllu-
sions about his role as New Deal
co-ordinator Says Berry: GAS
understand it, a co-ordinator is
something like the innocent by
stander who tried to settle family
quarrel. He was the first man
shot"
Acting under the authority of the
resolution put through by Senator
Burton Wheeler directing it to make
a national survey OF food costs, the
Federal Trade Commission has de-
cided to begin its inquiries by study
ing the following six staple prod
ucts: Wheat, tobacco, cotton, beef
pork and milk.
Copyright. 1895. by United Featurs
Syndicate, Incl
D. T11.