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About The Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 19??-1984 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1937)
Thursday, July 1, 1937 THE HERMISTON HERALD, HERMISTON, OREGON Washington D ig e s t j National Topics Interpreted •By W IL L IA M BRUCKART NATIONAL PRESS BLDG WASHINGTON. D C Washington.—Two actions of sec tions of the congress lately deserve more than o r d i- Congress n a r y attention. M akea N e ui» One of these was probably as cou rageous a position as any group of senators ever has taken. The other action—by majority of the house— ■was shot through with the utmost cowardice and selfishness. Lately, a group of senators, near ly all Democrats, took their political lives in their hands and delivered to the senate a report from its Judi ciary committee advising defeat of President Roosevelt’s proposal to add six new justices of his own choosing to the Supreme court of the United States. In my time in Washington, I be lieve I can say without qualifica tion, there never has been a com mittee action in the house or sen ate in which the President, as the leader of the dominant party, re ceived such a castigation on a legis lative proposal as was given Mr. Roosevelt by Democrats who con stituted the majority of the senate judiciary committee. They did not mince words in any respect. What ever may be the merit of Mr. Roos evelt’s proposal to add six justices of his own choosing to the highest court, the majority report of the judiciary committee left no stone unturned in disclosing objections to the proposal as opponents of the court reorganization scheme see them. Almost on the same day that senate Democrats were, in effect, breaking or revolting from the Pres ident’s leadership, the Democratic majority in the house killed off a proposal for new taxes in the Dis trict of Columbia that would have resulted in taxing the salaries of representatives and senators and their office staffs. They were brazen about it. They were not going to vote an income tax upon them selves and they made no effort to conceal their reasons for refusing accept the recommendations of a special tax subcommittee which was acting tor the permanent com mittee in the housfi of the District of Columbia. Jhe District of Columbia com mittee, examining the budget for the seat of the federal government, was confronted with a deficit in the district finances and instructed its tax subcommittee to develop new sources of revenue in order that the District of Columbia might not get into debt. Among the taxes pro posed was a tax on income of res idents of the District of Columbia, which is synonymous with Wash ington, and it provided for taxing earnings here whether the person who earned the income was a resi dent of the capital city or not. That was too much. The majority in the house of representatives just could not take it. They voiced their objections openly and, being supe rior in numbers to those who be lieved that income in the District of Columbia should be taxed, they forced the tax bill back to the District of Columbia committee for revision. Indeed, they went further. The line of criticism of an income tax that would touch the sacred salaries of congressmen and sen ators was such as to have the effect of forcing the committee to bring in a tax bill that would increase the tax on property in the federal area. Now. it is a fact that few members of the house and a very small number of senators have bought residences in Washington. They usually live in apartments or hotels or lease homes for the period that congress is in session. Conse quently, a real estate tax will not concern most of the representatives and senators. • • • The indictment brought against the President’s court plan by the s e n a t e judiciary Court Plan comm ittee was Report quite unusual i n many respects. In the first Instance, it was ap proximately fifteen thousand words in length; being in that regard prob ably the longest and most com prehensive analysis that any con gressional committee ever has made of a piece of legislation. Cer tainly, it is the most extensive ex amination to be included in a com mittee report in the last quarter of a century. Every argument advanced by the administration in support of the plan was picked to pieces and held up to public gaze; every possible reason for expansion of the court by the addition of six new justices was scrutinized and denounced and, then, the committee put forth some of its own ideas. “It applies force to the Judiciary,” the committee said in a sentence that constituted one paragraph and thereby was emphasized. “The only argument for the in crease which survives analysis,” the report added, “ is that congress should enlarge the court so as to make the policies of this administra tion effective.” jB H Jb» The bill was found by the seven Democrats and three Republicans who constituted a majority of the senate judiciary committee, to be “ a needless, futile and utterly dan gerous abandonment of constitution al principle." It charged that the “American system” of independ ence of the courts would be violated and that if the bill were to be en acted into law, “political control” over the judiciary branch of the government would pass into the hands of the President. With the presentation of this ter rific attack on the bill to the senate, a second unusual circumstance de veloped. Those Dt .nocrats who were opposed to the President’s proposal decided to go about the job of fighting the measure on the floor in a manner seldom seen in the congress. These opponents from the Democratic ranks got together and chose Senator Wheeler of Montana as leader of the Democratic oppo sition to the Democratic Presi dent's court revision program. They gave him full authority to act, in cluding the selection of a steering committee, a committee on strat egy, to aid him. Thus, in the senate now we have three major leaders. Senator Wheel er will speak for the court opposi tion; Senator Robinson of Arkansas as the leader of the Democratic party in the senate will lead the fight for passage of the court bill; and Senator McNary of Oregon will head up the Republicans as usual. Since all of the Republicans and Independents excepting only Senator La Follette, Progressive, of Wis consin, are opposed to the court revision plan, Senator McNary and Senator Wheeler are working hand in glove against the regular Demo cratic line-up headed by Senator Robinson. It appears that the President is going to be badly defeated on this piece of legislation, but it is too early to be sure. Mr. Roosevelt is a powerful figure and he has politi cal knowledge that must be de scribed as remarkable. He has with him in the senate some exceedingly able political strategists. It is thus a battle of wit?. Mr. Roosevelt has said several times that he will accept no com promises. There is a very definite feeling at the Capitol, however, that the President will be glad to have a compromise if he can get one and save the bill from complete wreckage. On the other hand, Sen ator Wheeler and his strategy committee have announced in no uncertain terms that they will de feat the bill or any compromise that is offered. Time alone can answer the question of what will come out of the President's proposal. At this writing, the odds certainly are against the President on the proposition. s e e Speaking of taxes and the selfish ness that was evident in the house „ ~ action, as men- H u n tT a x tioned e a r l i e r , Evader» calls to mind the investigation b y the joint house and senate com mittee that is now under way. This committee, made up of five repre sentatives and five senators has be gun a search to find out how tax payers avoid taxes or reduce the amounts they would otherwise have to pay by various trick schemes. The committee has been given fifty thousand dollars with which to make the investigation and it is re ceiving able assistance from Under Secretary Roswell Magill and other Treasury experts on taxation. Contrary to the outlook when Mr. Roosevelt released a vicious attack on tax dodgers and tax avoiders, this committee is getting down to real business and there is every reason to believe it will be able to recommend to congress changes in the law that will stop some of the schemes and tricks to which large taxpayers have resorted. I have sat in on a number of the hearings thus far, including the opening session when Secretary Morgenthau made the opening state ment and disclosed to the satisfac tion of everyone that he was not conversant with the problem at hand. Like the President, Mr. Mor genthau attempted to place the tax problem confronting the govern ment on moral grounds. His state ment did not click with the com mittee at all. With two or three ex ceptions, the committee members recognized the problem as purely a question of law and Senator Pat Harrison, Democrat of Mississippi, vice chairman, said that there was no point in making the investigation “ a Roman holiday.” Therefore, the thing settled down very quickly to on earnest study of cases where men have resorted to various kinds of subterfuges of law, to reduce their tax liability. In this connection, it seemed to me that too much credit cannot be given Under Secretary Magill who apparently is anxious to get V> the bottom of the problem. • Western Newspaper Union. NEWS NOTES OF THE NORTHWEST The Star Spangled Banner NDER the starry flag that wares over this fair land, every citizen a king, and there is no avenua to wealth and fame, position and power, that is not open to every child of the Republic.— IV. A. Prossner. A Brief Summary oi Events about : T he N ew NRA B ill. MONICA, CALIF. — They do say the new NRA S ANTA bill, as drawn by the Gallagher U it o f S p e c ia l In te re s t to O regon, Washington and Idaho Communities. and Shean of the adm inistra tion, Messrs. Corcoran and Cohen, is more sweeping than was the original NRA. SALEM, Ore.— Possibility or post poning th e 1937 sta te fa > until late Septem ber was discussed here when th e sta te board of ag ricu ltu re Even Gen. Hugh Johnson, once as m et to draw up prelim inary plans conversational as Mrs. Astor’s par for th e event. rot, but lately exiled HOOD RIVER, O re.— D efinite re amid the uncongen sults in th e eradication of m osquitoes ial silences, crawls have been attain ed in a campaign at out from under a log Hood River in which city, county and in the woods with residents co-operated. Evening pic lichens in his hair, nics are to be revived. but the lower jaw ONTARIO, Ore.— The sheepmen of s t i l l w o rk in g M alheur county are expecting a boom s m o o t h l y in the in th e lamb m arket. Lambs are now socket, to tell how selling a t $10 to $12 a hundred. A drastic a thing it is. lamb of average w eight will bring Critics assert this around $8, a p ro fit of about $1. legislation will cov er business like a Irvin S. Cobb DAYTON, W ash.— The new well wet blanket over a a t Dayton, in a test, has yielded be sick pup, and point out that the tween 500 and 650 gallons of w ater number of sick pups benefited by per m inute. The com m unity is ju b i being tucked under wet blankets is la n t over the prospect of a plentiful quite small. However, these fussy supply during the canning season. persons belong to the opposition and EUGENE, Ore.— Travel over Ihe don’t count. Anyhow, they didn’t count much at the last election ex sum m it of the Cascades from Eugene cept in Maine, Vermont and one to C entral Oregon may now be made backward precinct in the Ozark by way of Odell lake, according to forest officials. T his is the sh o rtest mountains. • • • ro u te from Eugene to K lam ath Falls. Friendly French Visitors. DAVENPORT, W ash. — Jo h n F. TT SEEMS we were cruelly wrong Lynn has bought fo r cash from Si in ascribing mercenary motives mon M. Reinbold, a stock ranch of to those French financiers who’ve 705 acres near Davenport. The o r been dropping in on us lately. They chard of Lynp, a t Peach, has been came only to establish more cordial purchased by th e governm ent as p art relations. Of course, there’s a new French bond issue to be floated, but of the Coulee Dam project. COULEE DAM, W ash. — From a these visits were purely friendly place of usual quiet, Coulee Dam, the and altruistic. Still and all, I can’t help thinking engineers’ model tow n, suddenly has of Mr. Pincus, who invaded the east become noisy. T h irty m agpies are side to invite his old neighbor, Mr. responsible. Children of engineers Ginsburg, whom he hadn’t seen in took young birds from nests in n ea r years, to be a guest at Mrs. Pincus’ by canyons and adopted them as pets. birthday party. Residents report th e noisy creatu res He gave full directions for travel can be heard on nearly every street. ing uptown, then added: PASCO, W ash.— C onstruction., of “Vere we lif now it’s von of dose two new 160,000-gallon gasoline and swell valk-up flats. So mit your oil storage tan k s has been begun a t right elbow you gif a little poosh on A ttalia by th e T idew ater T ran sp o r the thoid button in the door jam tation company, ow ners of th e boat downstairs und the lock goes glick- Mary Gall, which tran sp o rts m otor glick und in you come. You go up fuels up the Columbia from P o rt two floors und den, mit your other elbow, you gif one more little poosh land for distribution. The new tan k s on the foist door to the left und valk will replace two 47,000-gallon ta n k s in—und vill mommer be surprised!” built several m onths ago by th e same “Vait,” exclaimed Mr. Ginsburg. company. WILLAPA HARBOR— In th e fu “I could get to that Bronnix. I got brains, ain’t it? But ulso I got fin tu re, don’t order raw Pacific oysters gers und thumbs. Vot is de poosh- in hope of finding a lustrous pearl inside th e shell. Coast oyster grow mit-elbows stuff?” ers now subject th e oysters to a Murmured Mr. Pincus gently: “Surely you vouldn’t come empty- fluoroscope te st before they are handed!” m arketed to determ ine if the shells • * * contain pearls. D uring th e spring Visiting Ancient Ranchos. 30,000 cases of oyster seed from J a T TNDER the guidance of Leo pan were planted in Pacific w aters. Carillo, that most native of all T he tiny spats will grow into full- native sons, I’ve been visiting such fledged oysters In 18 months. of the ancient ranchos as remain RAYMOND, W ash.— According to practically what they were before local observers h ardly a seagull has the Gringos came to southern Cali fornia. You almost expect to find been seen in Raymond in th e past Ramona weaving in a crumbly pa four days, all of them having left fo r th e seashore. The reason for tio. \ What’s more, every one of these th is is th a t thousands of crabs have lovely places is lived on by one of been w ashed ashore on the Oregon Leo’s cousins. He has more kin coast from the bottom of th e ocean folks than a microbe. They say the and th e gulls have gone to d in n er in early Carillos were pure Spanish, a royal fashion. O bservers say th a t but I insist there must have been a m achinery dragged along th e ocean strong strain of Belgian hare in the bottom in search of deep-sea fish stock. When it came to progeny, have caused the death of the crabs. HE Star Spangled Banner wks designated at the national anthem by an Act of Congresl, Approved on March 3, 1931. It was written by Francis Scott T Key after he had witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in ' I Baltimore, in IfljL The words of this stirring song were sung to the tune of “Anacreon in Heayen” and immediately became popular and it was regarded as the national anthem though it was not made legally so until 1931. LIBER TY , o n e of tw o tr e a su re d The O rator of the Revolution BELLS WO of the bells which played “ Give Me Liberty or Give Me important r o l e s in early Death.”—Patrick Henry. American history — pealing FO RBID it, Almighty God!—” warnings or glad tidings during “ the " thundered Patrick Henry in nation’s battle for survival—are treasured by Philadelphia, observes the Virginia Convention at Rich a Philadelphia United Press corre mond, in 1775, in a speech typical of “the explosive temper of the spondent. Most valuable of the two from time”—“I know not what course historical standpoint is the world- others may take, but as for me, famed Liberty bell, which was tolled give me liberty, or give me death!” when first public announcement was The orator of the Revolution had made of the Continental Congress’ been found. It was Patrick Henry adoption of the Declaration of Inde who established before the Ameri can people that government was a pendence on July 4, 1776. The bell had pealed for anniver contract between King and people saries and festivals until 1835, when and that the violation of such con it cracked while being rung for the tract by the King was truly an funeral procession of Chief Justice illegal act. John Marshall of the United States Supreme court. Other bells identified with Ameri TRANSCRIBED DECLARATION the strain was to the Pacific coast ca’s struggle against foreign encum "^E ITH ER Thomas Jefferson PASCO, W ash.— Sea gu lls th at what the Potomac shad has been ’ nor John Hancock was the brances are the chimes in the stee to the eastern seaboard. It's more flew from th e Pacific Coast th is ple of Old Christ church. During penman who transcribed the Dec week-end to join farm ers of th e re the Revolutionary war they were than a family—it’s a species. laration of Independence. The ac gion In th e ir b attle ag ain st advancing removed and secreted to block pos tual work of transcription was And a mighty noble breed it is— hordes of Mormon crickets, have sible attempts of English soldiers done by Timothy Matlack. producing even yet the flagrant es sence of a time that elsewhere has been augm ented by an alm ost equal to melt them for ammunition. vanished and a day when hospitality num ber of black ravens. This y ear still ruled and a naturally kindly th e pests a re being fought along a people had time to be mannerly and 35-mile trench and a re eaten by those the instinct to be both simple and who come afte r them . Under th e di rection of A rthur Chase, S tate college grandly courteous at once. entom ologist, 35 men are w orking • • • daily w ith spray guns and poison, Privileges of Nazidom. *Tp HE German commoner may be spraying both crickets and th e vege shy on the food rations and have tatio n ahead of them . The poison some awkward moments unless he kills th e crickets b u t not th e birds. conforms to the new Nazi religion. SALMON ON WAY V P RIVER But he enjoys complete freedom of first American flag w as made, the press—or rather, complete free- 1 STEVENSON. W ash.— T housands is being restored to its colonial dom from the press. And lately an of salm on, held In th e Bonneville condition, through Ihe gener other precious privilege has been 1 dam forebay pending com pletion of osity oi A. Atwater Kent. For th e fishw alk, a re on th e ir way up accorded him. many years this house has stream to th e ir spawning grounds. He may fight duels. Heretofore, been visited by thousands oi T he fish were released by raising this inestimable boon was exclusive tourists annually. of th e stop logs. ly reserved for the highborn. But Falling rapidly into ruin, the dilapidated condition oi ' the now he may go forth and carve and j BIO SOLE HAULS MADE patriotic shrine w as brought to be carved until the field of honor ASTORIA, Ore.— Traw lers o p era t Mr. Kent’s attention through a looks like somebody had been clean newspaper article which pic ing off th e Columbia riv er rep o rt ex ing fish. tured the lolling plaster, the cellent hauls of sole, according to This increase in his blessings ! Louts Beverino. m anager of th e In leaking rooi and general con dition oi disrepair. makes me recall a tale that Charley te rn atio n al Fish company of San Russell, the cowboy artist, used to The living-room, shown, still I Francisco. T he company sen t two has the gorgeous fireplace tell: with white mantel framed with “ The boys were fixing to hang a traw le rs north th is spring to try the original blue Dutch tile. The horse thief,” Charley said. "He only fishing in th e ocean banks off th e room w as originally decorated weighed about ninety pounds, but Columbia river. H auls as high as for his heft he was the champion ten tons a day are being made. T he horse thief of Montana. The rope fish Is iced and sent to San F ra a- was swung from the roof of a barn. cisco. Then they balanced a long board : out of the loft window, and the con ARLINGTON, Ore.— T o u rists a demned was out at the far end of it, long way from hom e have passed ready for the drop, when a stranger j through A rlington. According to th e busted in. license plate on th e car, th ey w ere “ Everybody thought he craved to . from Greece. T he car of G recian pray, but that unknown humanita m aka, differed from American cars. rian had a better notion than that. SALEM, Ore. — The state Und In less'n a minute he came inching out on that plank and there wasn't board has announced the sale of a dry eye in the crowd as he edged 24.374.000 board feet of timber In up behind the poor trembling wretch Klamath county to the Crater Lake and slipped an anvil in the seat of Box & Lumber company at a cost of approximately >97.000. Money de his pants.’* T menean IRVIN S. COBB. B -W N V Service. rived from the sale will go Into the Mate common school fund.
