Evening star., 1938-09-19

leaders In the Territory. The Terri
tories and possessions of the United
States are given q total Of 80 votes
in Democratic national convention,
bloc equal to the vote Of q State
like Michigan, and we certainly did
not neglect them in our drive for dele
gates. BY getting on the Job early
we were able to land over 80 of these
80 convention votes"
X X Il 4
Uncle Sam is about to clear for
action in the Federal court Of Texas
against violators Of the mail fraud
statute, In the corporate persons Of
certain mutual insurance companies
operating in the South and South
west. The litigation follows a re-
cent case at Shreveport, La, which
resulted in Jury disagreement. The
prosecution in the trial set for Octo-
ber "a at Houston will be in charge
Of Col. Amos w. w. Woodcock Of
Maryland, who Is being sent down
as q special assistant in the criminal
division Of the Department OF JUS
tice, because the United States at
torney in the Jurisdiction, Douglas
w. McGregor, Is disqualified on ac-
count Of some association he has
with counsel for the defendants.
What the Government seeks to stamp
out Is the so-called mutual insur-
ance rackets." The laws Of several
Southern states, including Texas. are
80 very lax, so far as this particular
type Of companies Is concerned, that
1t became necessary for the Attorney
General to step in with 4 Federal
criminal prosecution to reach COM
panies, which, while incorporated
under State law. have nevertheless run
wild in defrauding the people. Poll
cies are sold for the most part to
the aged and infirm. No medical
examinations are required. The in.
dictment against two men in alleged
control Of the National Mutual Bene-
fit Association and the National
TBA Benefit Company, both Texas
incorporated, charges, among other
things. that adequate reserves to pay
amounts specified in policies were not
established. and that consequently
only portion OF the sums was paid
to beneficiaries, except in q few in
stances.
Secretary Hull Is sending one Of the
brilliant young career men in the State
Department to Czechoslovakia. to be-
come secretary Of Minister Wilbur J.
Cars legation at Prague. He is
George F. Kennan. nephew and name
sake OF the famous American traveller
and lecturer who long ranked as our
foremost authority on czarist Russia
and Siberia. Young Kennan, a ma
tive Milwaukeean and Princeton man.
accompanied Ambassador Bullitt to
Moscow in 1888, served for three years
at our Embassy there. and in 1887
took charge Of the Soviet division In
the State Department.. Having ac-
quired a complete knowledge of the
Russian language. he hadn't had word
OF his assignment to Prague more
than an hour the other day, before
he Immediately started in to learn
Czech.
K Il
Washington friends are In receipt
OF handsome and appropriately red
bound volume from Ambassado Joseph
E. Davies at Brussels. It is the cat
alogue Of the Davies Collection of
Russian Paintings and Icons" pre-
sented to the University Of Wisconsin
in 1887. The Ambassador Is . native
Of the Badger State ard An alumnus
OF Wisconsin. In acknowledging the
gift, University President Dykstra said !:
THE artistic and historic implications
OF the Davies collection are Of high
importance, not only to the univer-
sity. but to the State Of Wisconsin as
we'll"
(copyrisht. 193e)