Evening star., 1938-01-26
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE,

Big business leaders and lawyers are
raising wondering eyebrows as to just
why, with 10l different Federal Court
jurisdictions to select from, the Govern
ment chose to prosecute at Madison,
Wis. the Is major oil companies and 80
leading oil executives just found guilty
of conspiracy to raise and fix gasoline
prices Among the defendant corpora
tions and officials. only one-H. G. Ma
guire of Milwaukee, chairman OF So
cony-Vacuum SubSidiary-hallS from
Wisconsin. All the rest Of the companies
and individuals in question are varlously
from New York. New Jersey, Indiana,
Illinois, California, Texas, Minnesota,
Oklahoma or Missouri. Yet the Wash
ington law authorities picked Madison.
citadel Of the La Toilette dynasty and
capital Of about the most left-Wlng State
in the Union, as the scene OF what the
Department OF Justice calls probably
the most important antitrust action
since the sugar case and certainly the
biggest oil company prosecution since the
Standard dissolution in 1911" 1t Is a
matter of further comment in economic
royaliSt quarters that the administration
decided to bring the proceedings before
a Wisconsin Federal judge who was
among the earliest New Deal judicial
appointees in 1888. Because OF the issue
involved, Uncle Sam could have tried the
case in any jurisdiction in the United
States in which one gallon OF gasoline
had ever been sold by the accused oil
companies or their agents.
4s
Joseph P. Kennedy, Ambassador
20 Drit toi &c he
Washington newspaper corps for per-
Sonal assistant at London. He has
drafted Harold B. Hinton of the New
York Times staff, who will receive a
years leave of absence for the purpose
Of being at Kennedy's elbow at the
Court of st. James. presumably to serve
primarily in a public relations capacity.
Hinton has many years Of European
newspaper experience to his credit. in
cluding tours of duty in both London
and Paris. He speaks French and
Spanish huently. Assigned to Washing
ton since 1888, he has specialized in for
eign affairs, and reported the Pan
American conferences at Montevideo in
1884 and at Buenos Aires in 1896. At
the State Department Mr.. Kennedy is
now being put through the statutory
course O1 SPROUTS, W WlllCIl I'LL dIIlDdSSd.
dorial rockies are exposed. Secretary
Hull and his staff may be able to teach
the two-fisted Boston Irishman the
routine of the diplomatic game, but Ken
nedy has little to learn about the more
important qualities that are inherent in
shreWd Yankee traders. Tomorrow he
will hold forth off the record at the
luncheon forum at the National Press
Club, preparatory to sailing for England
early in February.
Kenneth H. Berkeley, general man
ager of the National Broadcasting Co.'S
Washington stations, says that in his
long radio experience he's never en-
countered anybody so completely at ease
before the microphone as President
Roosevelt. Berkeley has often seen F.
D. r., in the midst of fireside chat at
the White House, stop periodically not
only to place fresh cigarette in long
holder. but to light it and 60 on smoking
without the slightest suggestion of in
terruption in the reading Of his manu-
script.
Speaker Bankhead loves politics, but
dotes on his daughter. Friends who en-
countered the Alabaman the other day
IN the lobby Of his hotel engaged him