Evening star., 1936-02-23

WILL
The House committee appointed
yesterday to investigate the workings
Of the Townsend plan organization
and other old age pension schemes
will hold an organization meeting to-
morrow.
Chairman c. Jasper Bell of Mis-
souri,, who introduced the resolution
for the investigation, will call the
committee together to determine
what funds it will need. These funds
will be asked from the Legislative
subcommittee of the House appropri-
ations committee which is now draft
ing the legislative appropriation bill.
The investigation will be well under
way by April Is.
The committee is bipartisan with
four Democrats selected by Speaker
Byrns and four Republicans selected
by Minority Leader Smell. 1t includes
two Townsend supporters from Cali
fornia, one of whom Is Democrat,
Representative John H. Tolan, and
the other a acknowledgements
tive Samuel La Fort Collins. The
other members are: Representative
Lucas, of Illinois; Representative
Gavagan, of New York, both Demo-
Gratis, and Representative Hollister, OF
Ohio. Representative Otter, of Penn
sylvania, and Representative Hoff-
man. of Michigan. Republicans.
All Members Are Lawyers.
The committee is considered to be
an unusually strong one for the
work ahead. All the members are
lawyers. Chairman Bell was formerly
a circuit judge, and was one of a
committee of three who drafted the
code of laws for Kansas City. Lucas
was states attorney In Illinois, unan-
imously selected as national judge
advocate of the American Legion at
the Paris convention in 1927 and
served four terms under four differ
ent national commanders.
Hollister also served overseas and
was on detached service with the
American Relief Administration under
Hoover Tolan practiced law in
Kansas and Montana, where he was
county attorney and for the last %
years in California. Collins saw serv-
| ice on the Mexican border and in
the World War and was assistant dis
trict attorney and district attorney of
Orange County. Hoffman has been
successfully practicing law for more
than 40 years.
In his resolution providing for the
investigation Chairman Bell said "sev-
eral groups of fraudulent promoters
are enriching themselves by working
the so-called pension-plan racket;
these schemers and promoters are
collecting from the old people of this
country vast sums of money running
into countless thousands of dollars;
some of the schemes, including the
Townsend plan are wholly visionary
fantastic and impossible of fulfill
ment." The resolution was unani-
mously reported by the Rules Com
mittee with the vote strictly BIZ
partisan.
Promoters Challenged.
His resolution stated that cit has
been charged both privately and in
| the PUBIC press tnat some OF the
promoters involved in these various
schemes are men OF questionable
character, that some of them have
been convicted of crime and others
have long records as perpetrators Of
fraudulent schemes"
| Speaking on this resolution in the
House Bell said of DR.. Townsend, "as
q doctor of the ills which aflict our
social structure, he is a charlatan and
q quack."
His speech showed plainly the in
vestigation is aimed principally at the
Townsend movement.
"Dr. Townsend" he said, "has sur
rounded himself with a group of
shrewd promoters, skilful organizers
and able spellbinders and under the
stimulus Of their glowing promises and
aggressive organization the move
ment has swept the Western part of