The Ypsilanti daily press., 1944-06-17
Observations
Congress Not to
Receive Lengthy
Vacation
BY Helen Essary

You can write 1t down that Con
gress will not take any lengthy va.
cation this summer-politiCal con.
ventions in Chicago and campaign
ing at home 70 the contrary not
withstanding.
Republicans IN the Senate and
House are behind this determina-
tion to keep the nations legisla.
tors on the job in Washington.
One highly-placed Republican Sen
ate leader expressed 1t this way.
1T would look mighty funny
wouldn't it, II Congress wasn't in
session during the coming china.
tic days OF the war in Europe?
There isn't much we could do
about it, but il is just the psycholo-
Ky of the whole matter that
counts"
With all members OF the lower
chamber up for election, the
House is expected TO be periodical
ly vacant. but Republican leaders
are determined TO push their plan
for three-day recesses with Con-
gress constantly subject 10 call.
Senate Republicans will probably
concur with their House colleagues
in the hope of keeping the Demo-
cratic opposition on edge in event
any major legislation should pop
up this summer.
Despite the belief that Congress
should not recess. both Houses are
pressing to clear legislative calen-
dars OF must" bills before June %
when the Republican convention
meets in Chicago. Republicans
hope to go there at least for few
days.
PISTOL PACKIN' PU BLIC is 60
ing TO get a break in the way OF
more ammunition, but shooting gal
leries are still out. Civilians will
begin 10 get substantial deliveries
OF hitherto scarce small arms am
munition by July.
The ammunition will include GEN.
ter and rim fire cartridges and shot
gun shells and may be used for
hunting, and controlling predatory
animals. and birds and animals
which destroy crops. 1t will also
be made available for police work
and other essential activities.
IT BECOMES INCREASINGLY
APPARENT that the mass sedi-
tion conspiracy trial in Washing
ton is going to 90 on for many.
many months-perhaps even the
nine or ten defense counsel have
predicted.
Recently Prosecutors o. John
Rogge and Joseph Burns complet-
ed the direct testimony OF their
FIRST witness, one-time Bundist
Peter Gissibi, who took the stand
for the first time on May 23. a
But Gissibi still faced the most
gruelling part OF his appearance at
the trial-and 1t might be pro-
longed for a week or two. He still
had TO undergo the ordeal OF
hostile questioning under defense
cross-examination.
The trial is in its ninth week.
Prosecution testimony has pro-
gressed chronologically from the
beginning OF the American Nazi
movement only to 193s-three
years prior TO alleged ofenses OF
the 29 defendants that are prose-
cutable under the statute OF limi-
fations.
The period Gissibi testified about
dated back to 1922. when he and
two brothers-one Of them now an
elite guard officer in Germany
and other young Germans in Chi
cago formed the Teutonia Society.
which. through several transforma-
tions. eventually became the Ger
man-American Bund.
His story terminated in 1888.
because he dropped out OF the
Bund that year He Is said to
have become disillusioned about
the Nazis on trip to Germany
but prosecutors did not attempt to
elicit any explanation from him
about why he severed Bund con-
nections in direct examination.
AS he completed his story he
had implicated only II OF the %
defendants-some as Bundists,
some as speakers at Bundist meet
ings, and others as having cores
ponded with a German Nazi whose
function. Gissibi said. was to TO-
ment anti-Semitism throughout the
world