Evening star., 1945-10-19

END be written to this Sordid chap
ter of the Roosevelt regime and a
final judgment formed of the degree
to which the late Mr.. Roosevelt used
his ofnce-f1rst, to help his son in
borrowing from rich men large sums
on unbankable security; second, to
settle the largest of them at approx
tmately cents on the dollar.
Making 1t party issue, the man.
ner in which the Democratic leader
ship succeeded in blocking a full
investigation, inevitably. has had
two effects.
One of these is to stimulate
charges that the Democratic leaders
were afraid to sift the business to
the bottom lest it stain the whole
Roosevelt administration with which
they were linked. Hence, they shut
OF the investigation and encouraged
the Roosevelt worshippers to an
swer all allegations with denun-
citation of "ghouls" and Roosevelt
haters."
Fresh Details of Career.
That, OF course, is no answer at
all. 1t does not touch the facts.
1t evades them. The other effect is
to bring out fresh details of Elliott's
financial career both before and
since his fathers death.
The latest of these was made pub
lie short time ago by Broadcasting,
a weekly publication which has the
same relation to the radio industry
as Variety has to the theatrical. In
its issue of October l, Broadcasting
printed an article describing recent
negotiations of Elliott since he got
out Of the Army-in fact, within
the last few weeks''-to buy the
radio station KWFC at Hot Springs,
Ark. 1t asserted that a $4,000 bid
of Elliott was turned down, but that
he is still interested" The general
manager of the station, Mr.. Robert
Choate, is quoted to that effect.
Now, il Broadcasting has incor-
rectly stated the facts about his
interest In the KWFC station and
If he did not make an offer first,
according to Broadcasting, of $780,
900 and then of $4,000, Elliott
should deny it Immediately and
compel correction. For failing to
make any denial of a story so prom
inently displayed in so important
o trade publication seems equiva-
lent to admitting its truth.
And If it is true, then people
who read or heard about it are
certain to ask a number of very
pointed and unpleasant questions.
First, they naturally would ask
where he got his $4,000? Did he
not state in his deposition to the
House Committee that all of the
money he borrowed (totaling well
above half million) had gone into
his former radio business and been
lost? Did he not depose that he
had been cleaned out, had no money
left? Therefore, where did he get
$4,000? Did he borrow it? II so
how, from whom, when and on
what terms?
Why Not Pay Off Debts?
Finally, they would ask-and be
entitled to ask-if he has 5000,
why, as a man of honor, does he
not use 1t to pay off some of those
debts which were settled, through
his father, at such an absurd dis
count? And, if he feels no moral
obligation to use what funds he
may have partially to reimburse
men like Mr. Hartford, Mr.. Baird
and others from whom he bor-
rowed, why does he not at least
reimburse Mr.. Jesse Jones, who at
his fathers request, took hold of
his tangled affairs and Straight
ened them out" settling the $780,
900 loan from Mr.. Hartford for
$4,000 and a $4,000 loan from Mr..
Baird for $500? And others?
Mr.. Jones has stated that he paid
this $4,000 out of his own pocket;
that he was not reimbursed by Mr..
Roosevelt at whose request he had
acted and has not been paid by
Elliott. One certainly would as
sumo that Elliott would use the
first $4,000 he got hold of to pay
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