The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-06-24

Investigation.
 It missed the public eye, but Berny Baruch had gang of re- search men working like beavers on the tax bill. Their job was to supply his old Mississippi friend, Senator Pat Harrison, with am- munition to strangle the capital gains and undistributed profits taxes.
 Now the same group is getting busy to show the anti-monopoly investigators why big business is indispensable to the public good. Fancy GalluSes
 Thanks to Secretary of War Harry Woodring, the President has a new pair of fancy galluses.
 They consist of broad, bright red, silk shoulder bands, set off with adjustment buckles of sky blue shields with white stars, and trouser grips in the form of silver eagles with extended talons.
 The President first saw the eye popping creation on Secretary Woodring at a cabinet meeting. He was immediately intrigued.
 Lets have a look at them, Harry" he demanded. "They are marvellous. Where did you get them; can I buy a pair?"
 Woodring explained that he got the galluses as a Christmas gift from Elizabeth HaWes, New York dress designer, and offered to get another pair for Roose- welt, who wears them with great gusto.
 ROOsevelt's Pain
 Back in 1925, Franklin Roose- welt formed law partnership with a young New York Irishman named Basil O'Connor. That partnership continued very hap oily for eight years and ended just before Roosevelt stepped into the White House.
 Since that time Basil O'Connor and his Congressional brother John have been worse pain in the neck to the President than anyone in the USA, Father Cough lin not excepted.
 The pain began six weeks after Roosevelt took the oath of office, and ended-temporarily, at least with the closing of the last ses- sion of Congress.
 The beginning was the eco kit-bag deal, when it was dis covered that Basil O'Connor, using his ready access to the White House, had persuaded the late Louey Howe to buy army kit-bags for the eco camps at price considerably higher than the Army was paying for its kit-bags. ....4
 It took the adroit hand of Sen- ator Sheppard, chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Commit tee, to whitewash this, and after ward the senator from Texas got three diplomatic appointments Gone ambassador and two minis ters) from a grateful administra- tion.
 Basil the Lobbyist
 Even since then Basil O'Connor, Roosevelt's ex-law partner, has had his hand in lobbying deals di- ametrically opposed to the New Deal, the most notorious being that of Associated Gas & Electric. It will be remembered that when the elusive Howard Hopson, of Associated Gas and Electric, was subpoenaed by the Lobbying com- mittee and escaped service for many days, it was Congressman John O'Connor, brother of Basil, who sheltered and protected him. Basil was Hopson's attorney.
 The activities of the O'Connor brothers are a long, long story. But the climax came in the re- cent session of Congress, and may cause the loss of Johns seat. John the Legalist
 As Chairman of the Rules Con- mittee, O'Connor has virtual life-or-death decision over legis- lation. He can let it come before the House, or he can stifle it by refusing to give bill a rule.
 John has used this power very much to his own personal ad- vantage, and his colleagues have burned up with indignation. They burned over his stifling of the wage-hour bill. Even more burned was labor. Again, he aroused enmity over his bottling up of the Walsh -Healey amend ment which barred vi0lators of the Wagner Act from obtaining government contracts. Labor was burned to a cinder.
 Since O'Connor comes from a heavy labor district, thish may mean his job.
 The bitterness between the o. Connor family and their once good friend and law partner l.