Evening star., 1937-01-01

widely known is that of United States
vs.. Butler, involving the A A. A.
processing taxes. The 6-3 decision
OF the court determined the invalidity
OF the act. 1t will be leading case
upon constitutional law, however, not
only because of the holding as to the
interference of the act with matters
reserved to the States, but also be-
cause Of the resolution by the court
of the age-old controversy over the
meaning of the general welfare
clause. It was there decided that
this clause gave power to the National
Congress to appropriate for the gen.
eral welfare without limitations grow
ing out of the specifically delegated
powers of the Constitution.
T.. A. Case Recalled.
Others of Importance were that OF
Ashwander VS.. Tennessee Valley Au-
thority. in which the Supreme Court
upheld the right of the Government
to distribute by transmission lines
electricity obtained from WaterpoWer
created by structures erected 20 i'm
prove navigation; the Sugar Institute
case. where the Government wss sue
cessful in securing sweeping injunc-
ton against practices of sugar lefin-
ers tending toward price fixing and
monopoly; Carter VS.. Carter Coal Co.,
setting aside the Guffey-Snyder act,
in which four members of the court
held that price regulation in inter-
state commerce Is valid.
Lands VS.. North American Co. re-
sulting In q decision favorable to the
contention of the Attorney General,
who, contrary to CUSTOM had appeared
in the courts to urge his position that
there is an inherent power in courts
of equity to stay numerous cases
where they apparently would be ruled
generally by the determination of an
other pending case, and United States
VS.. Curtiss- Wright Export Corp, in
which the court upheld the joint reso-
luton of May %, 1884. empowering
the President to forbid the sale in the
United States of arms and munitions
of war to those countries engaged in
conflict in the Chaco. against the con-
delegated legislative power to the
President.
Cites Slavery Case.
A criminal case Of great interest
was the conviction Of Paul D. Peacher,
town marshal of Earle, Ark, and
deputy sheriff of Crittenden County,
Ark. for holding a number of colored
men to work in violation Of the Fed
eral anti-slavery statute This statute
WAS enacted in 1866, and the case was
only the second time in 10 years that
the statute had been invoked.
After investigation of the petroleum
industry upon numerous complaints.
a grand jury was impaneled at Mad
ison, Wis. Eighteen tons Of records
Of the oil companies were secured
upon orders of the Federal District
Court and examined by the officers
and agents Of the Department Of JUS
tice Indictments have been returned
against a large number Of oil COM
panies, subsidiaries and individuals,
charging them with having combined
and conspired to raise and Ak prices
OF gasoline sold in interstate COM
merce. principally in 10 States Of the
Middle West, in violation Of the anti
trust laws. This is the first important
criminal proceeding under the anti
trust laws. except for racketeering
cases, since Attorney General Moody
in 1905 secured indictments against
the meat packers. Outstanding GRIM
inal prosecutions resulting in convic-
tions were those in the Detroit bank
cases and the New York mortgage
racket cases, typical of the depart
ment's battle against financial frauds
and Irregularities.
The Public Lands Division has
passed upon titles to about CAST ,O87
acres Of land and 2,413 parcels being
acquired by the United States, includ-
ing sites for post of1ices and other |
public buildings, land for national
parks, national forests, historic sites. !
river and harbor Improvements, wild
life refugees and waterpower and slum
clearance projects.
Tax Division Burdened.
The widespread legal attack on ad-
ministratiOn measures doubled the
duties OF the Tax Division, which. in
addition to ordinary internal revenue
litigation averaging from 1000 to
5000 new cases a year, handled more
than 1000 injunction suits against the
Agricultural Adjustment Administra-
tion alone in the five months just
preceding the decision of the Supreme
Court in United States vs. Butler.
The Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion continued to improve and ex-
pand Its training, research and identi-
fication facilities. and a number Of
important arrests were made and con-
victions secured. There has been q
marked decrease in the number of
Federal kidnapping cases and bank
robberies.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons dur
ing 1896 established a career service
for its custodial officers and a COM
plete new program for their training
and promotion was inaugurated. Pro-
motions within the service are made
upon the basis of tests OF fitness pre-
scribed jointly by the Civil Service
Commission and the Bureau of
Prisons.
1t Is my earnest hope that Congress
at its next session will enact adequate
legislation for the control of firearms.
The registration Of pistols, revolvers
and other small weapons should be
required The present act, which re-
quires registration of shotguns. ma
chine guns, rifles etc, is entirely too
inadequate.
"Wifh Love and Hissess