evening star. (washington, d.c.) 1923-02-28 [p ]
TRANSCRIPT
WEATHER.Cloudy tonight and tomorrow; little
change in temperature.
Temperature for twenty-four hoursended at 2 p.m. today; Highest, 46, atnoon today: lowest. 37. at 5:45 a.m.today. Full report on page 12.
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Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 28
XT OQ 7Q‘> Entered at second-class matterX>O. «JO. post office Washington, D. C.
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I.
W\t WbmmJ V > WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION
WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, .1923-FORTY-TWO PAGES.
“From Frets to HomeWithin the Hour"
The Star’s carrier system covers everycity block and the regular edition isdelivered to Washington homes as fastas the papers are printed.
Yesterday’, Net Circulation, 96,964
• TWO CENTS.
MONDELL PUT ONWAR FINANCE BODY;TOWNERGETS POST
lowa Representative to Suc-ceed E. Mont Reily in
Porto Rico.
DWIGHT DAVIS TO BEASSISTANT TO WEEKS
Republican Floor Leader DeclaredWell Fitted for Important
Position.
Representative Frank W. Mondell ofWyoming, republican leader of theHouse, was today nominated by Presi-dent Harding to be a director of the
War Finance Corporation.
President Harding at the same timesent to the Senate the nomination ofRepresentative Horace M. Towner oflowa, to be governor of Porto Rico, to
tucceed E. Mont Reilly, resigned.The President also nominated Dwight
Davis of Missouri, a member of the
War Finance Corporation, to be as-
sistant secretary of War, to succeedJ. Mayhew Walnwright, who resignson March 4, to be sworn in as a mem-
ber of Congress from New York.
Mondell Well Qualified.Representative Mondell. whose term
©'¦ twenty-six years In the House
comes to an end on March 4. Is known
to be especially well qualified for thehigh post to which he has just been
liarndd. For many years he has been
one of the active republican leadersin the House and for the past fouryears has been the official head of themajority party in that chamber.
Mr. Mondell was born in St. Louis.Mo., in 1860; was left an orphan
before reaching his sixth year; livedOn a farm In lowa until his eight-
eenth year: attended the local dis-trict schools and engaged In mer-cantile pursuits, stock raising, mining
and railway construction In variousstates and territories, finally settlingin Wyoming In 1887.
He took an active part in civic andpolitical affairs in the community,and was one of the leaders In theestablishment and building of thetown of New Castle and the develop-ment of the Cambria mines. He waselected mayor of New Castle in 1888.serving three years. He was electedn member of the first state senate InIS9O. served as president of that bodyai the session of 1892 and was electedto the Fifty-fourth Congress, and hasserved thirteen terms, although notconsecutively.
Close to President.Representative Mondell was ap-
pointed assistant commissioner of thegeneral land office In 1897, servingtwo years. He was then elected tothe Fifty-sixth Congress and subse-quent Congresses. RepresentativeMondell, during President Harding'sadministration, haf< been In very closetouch with the executive as leader ofthe party in the House, and.ls knownto have won the personal admirationand esteem of the executive.
Representative Towner. who Isnamed to be governor of Porto Rico,has been a member of Congress fortwelve years and during the past fouryears has been chairman of theHouse committee on Insular affairs.In that capacity he has made a closestudy of the island possessions of theUnited States and of the local con-ditions and governments of thesepossessions and is looked upon bythe administration as one of theleading authorities on insular affairsin the country.
Before being elected to Congress.Mr. Towner served as a judge in thethird district of lowa and for severalyears was a lecturer on constitutionallaw in the state university of lowa.He was born in Illinois, and since be-coming of age has been active inrepublican politics.
Mr. Davis, who becomes assistantsecretary of war, has been a directorof the War Finance Corporation since1921. He is a banker, served during
the war as a lieutenant colonel inthe Missouri National Guard, and In1919 was elected commander of St.
Louis Post No. 4, of the AmericanLegion. He Is a former member of
the board of overseers of HarvardUniversity, has been identified withmany athletic and or-ganizations and Is widely known asthe donor of the Davis tennis cup.
lEAcimMAY REACH VOTE
r '
House leaders in charge of the. leg-
islation —which means House LeaderMondell and Chairman Campbell ofthe rules committee—have given' as-surance that a vote on the Washing-
ton school teachers’ salary bill may
he allowed before Congress adjourns.
Representative Rodenberg of Illi-nois, republican, who led the fight Inrules committee for a special rule un-der which the teachers’ pay bill wouldbe given privileged consideration, to-day told Mrs. Goldberger, one of theleaders in the women’s demonstrationthat has been conducted at the Capi-tol for more than a week:
"If those in charge of legislationare playing fair, and I hope In myheart they are. the teachers’ pay billwill be voted upon before Congressadjourns, after the more importantmatters of general legislation havebeen considered.” Mrs. Goldbergersaid today that she gained the im-pression that the plans are to bringup the teachers’ pay bill at a nightsession.
FINDS COFFIN AT DOOR.CLARKSBURG. W. Va., February
28. —Antonio Musci, who on December6 last reported to the police that hohad been flogged by a band of maskedmen five miles from the city, awoketoday to find a coffin on the frontporch at his home. Pinned to thecoffin was a bit of paper, on whichhad been written "You are next."
Musci sought protection by thesheriff and was promised such aid
the authorities thought necessary.Musdi further said he had received
threatening letter several weeks
Fill Important PostsUnder New Appointments
111
Upper:W. MONDELL.
Lowert REPRESENTATIVE HORACEM. TOWNER.
GERMAN PfiINCEHELOBy FRENCH
Accused of Fomenting Na-tionalist Violence in Ruhr
Regions.
By the Associated Preiw.ESSEN, February 28.—Prince Fried-
rich Wilhelm von Llppe, German
nationalist agitator, was arrestedhere today by the French authorities.It is charged he has been stirring up
agitation against the Franco-Belglan
troops in the Ruhr.
The prince was an active factor inthe German campaign for the reten-
tion of Upper Silesia. Papers foundin his room, the French declare, show
that he was a member of the secret jorder of the Swastika and the notori- |ous consul reactionary organization, j
Came on Special Mission.
The prince came to the Ruhr sev- !eral days ago on a special mission, Iurging the nationalists to a program |of violence, the French declare. The jnationalists have been unusually ac-
tive In the last few days, holding pro-
test meetings* spreading propaganda Iamong the strikers and urging the |calling of other strikes. The oocupa- jtlonai authorities assert the national-ists have been doing their utmost inithese ways and many others to bin- jder the carrying out of the Franco-Belgian plan for reorganizing the
Ruhr.The communists, who oppose the
presence of any troops In the Ruhrand who. before the invasion, ob-jected even to the presence of Ger-man troops, are holding meetings tocombat the efforts of the nationaliststo cause trouble.
Communist meetings have been heldlately In Dortmund, Bochum andother towns. The communists claimthe security police have been assist-ing the nationalists, particularly intracing and giving informaton againstGermans who have accepted the cc-cupatonal regime. All the securitypolice in Bochum have been dis-armed. ,
Karl Radek Barred.It is reported Jn German sources
that Karl Radek, chief of publicityfor the Russian soviet government,
has been prohibited by the interalliedhigh commission at Coblena from en-jterlng the occupied area. The RuhrEcho, the communist organ, has beensuspended by order of the French.
The Belgians have seized 160,000,-
000 marks at Duisburg, which amountthey claim was intended for use as astrike fund. The French made a like
(Continued on Page 2. Column 4.)
71 TAKEN IN RAIDWHEN D. C. POLICEVISIT ‘BOARDS NEST
Cards, Dice and Other Gam-ing Devices Reported Found
in H Street House.
AUTOS EXCITE SUSPICIONOF PATROLMAN SAGER
Authorities Claim High Stakes
Were Played by FashionablePatrons of Den.
A raid on ’’The Boar's Nest.” alleged
to be one of Washington’s leading
game houses, located at 1707 H street,
early today, repaid police with a yieldof seventy-one prisoners, cards, dice
and regular Monte Carlo gaming
tables with gutters for money andchips, and a croupier’s rake.
Tho entry of the police of the thirdprecinct was sensational. John P.O’Toole was the ofily one againstwhom a formal charge was made.He was charged with setting up gam-ing tables and forfeited SIOO col-
lateral In police court today. Allothers were listed as government wit-nesses and released. A line of sporty
automobiles parked outside the build-ing first drew the attention of Police-man W. F. Sager, patrolman of thatheat, to the three-story brick houseknown to the initiated as "The Boar’sNest.”
Heavy Gambling Reported.
It had been running for only a week,according to- the police, but the outside
j appearances gave every indication that1 the short spell of operation had yielded
i immense profits. It was about this nest! that the story of a 132,000 Jackpot wasi told. It is understood that $25,000! changed hands there only last night,
j Casting his eyes over a particularlyracy-looking high-powered car. Sagerdecided that there must be “somethingdoing” within. Accordingly he devisedplans for the raid.
Early In the morning, after 2 o’clock.Privates Sager, W. C. Sayer and W. C.Griffith walked up to the door. Threetimes Sager rang the front door bell.There was no answer. He struck the
[ door with his baton, but no responsewas given.
I "We’re coming In.” he shouted, “un-I less you open the door.”
"If you step inside the door we’llshoot you.” came a reply.
He stepped In. but there was noshooting. Instead, one of the residentsremarked suavely and politely:
"All right, boys! You’ve got us.”
Horn Glvm Waning. r
Through the first floor went thethree men from the third precinct.Just as they stepped across thethreshhold, however, a small horn,such as Is used on a popular littleautomobile, buzzed loudly. Electricwires connected a floor board withthe switch to the horn.
In the dining room, Sager said, fortyguests were found. Two cartons ofplaying cards were confiscated. Manyof the guests were in evening clothes.Some laughed and Joked: others bittheir fingernails, white still otherslooked glum. It was hard to tellwinners from losers.
The police worked a ruse. Sagerwont to a rear window and veiled:"You four men guard the rear now.Let nobody get away.” There weren° "four men.” The ruse was suc-cessful so far as the first floor wasconcerned.
Sayer stood guard in the diningroom downstairs and Griffith took apost at the front door. Sager wentupstairs. In the middle room abovewere twenty-five men. There werethree round tables, equipped withmoney and chip gutters and a crou-piers rake. Six sets of dice weretaken. Tho noise of the buzzer ap-parently was unheard In the enthusi-asm In this room. For there was ascramble for cash when the police en-tered. So expertly did bills fly topockets and pockethooks that policesay not a dollar was seized as evi-dence.
Station House Filled.Sager went on guard. He yelled
downstairs for Sayer to phone forthe wagon.” The wagon came. Withit. Lieut. Hess, Precinct Detective D.v. Murphy and Policeman Jacobsonput In an appearance. Hess tookcharge. Then Sager went to explorethe third floor.
Arriving there he found only six.Many had escaped, he declared, byi using a veranda roof.
There followed five patrol loads tothe station. Others motored to therealm of C-.pt. Flather In their ownmachines. Police motored with them.
The patrol deposited scores Insidethe third precinct station house. OnlytNvo men were guarding them. Pas-sersby might have seen two well-dressed gentlemen lightly vaultingfrom the captain’s window sill to theturf in front of the third precinct sta-tion.
Seventy-one was the count madeduring the loading into patrols. Onlytwenty-six names of government wit-nesses were taken. Not one agreedwith the city directory addresseswhen looked up this morning. Allprobably observed the motto: "Don'tgive your right name.”
Dice Mont Popular Game.Rumors started today that one of
the prlsoners-pro tern was a senator.A similar rumor regarding a repre-sentative in Congress could not beverified. Persons might have beenattempting to assume these identi-ties for sake of immunity. It was said
Gypsy Baby Gets Gold and FineLinen for Flight to World Beyond
i Three thousand years hence whenthe spirit of baby Mary MRchclmawakes from Its long sleep and as-
cends to that undiscovered country In
the heavens. It will bo possessed ofall the riches and comforts Its suffer-ing body was denied on this planet
Tho little casket of the ten-months-old gypsy girl, w’ho died of pneu-monia, after being rescued from a
home of Jllth. Is stacked high withtrinkets of gold., silver and silk —
gifts from grievlhg parents andfriends, for the tiny soul to carry onIts Journey Into the great unknown.
The baby was found dying In aroom at 1919 Pennsylvania avenue,which was occupied by nine otherpersons. Indescribable filth surround-ed 4t, while Its gypsy brothersand sisters lolled around the un-carpeted floor, fondling necklaces ofgold worth hundreds of dollars. Itsbed was a pallet of dusty silk com-
forts dumped in the middle of thefloor. Not a stick of furniture gracedits barren home.
In Poverty Amid Wealth.The physician and a nurse from
the Instructive Visiting Norse As-sociation got It a bed in the Chil-dren’s Hospital, and its father gladlyopened the strings of his well filledpurse to buy the medicines thatmight have saved its life had theybeen administered sooner. Late yes-terday afternoon the Infant waa seisedwith a severe coughing ‘ spell anddied In the arms of its agonisedparent. John Mitchelm.
How different is its little bed today.One would scarcely recognise theclean little form .that rests in an im-maculate white casket in the parlorsof S. H. Hines & Co., 2901 14th streetnorthwest, as the body of 1 the un-washed infant the doctors found
(Continued on Page i, Column S.)
WORLD COURT IDEAGOESON SHELF
Lodge, After Conferencej
With President, Sees NoHope for Action Now.
HARDING NOT INSISTENT
Senate Leader Believes Data SoughtCannot Be Gotten Before
March 4.
Formal consideration of President ¦Harding's proposal for Americanmembership in the international courtset up by the league of nations ap- ;patently came to an end today for
this session of Congress.
After a conference with PresidentHarding, Chairman Lodge of the for-eign relations committee said it washardly likely the President would re-spond before March 4 to the commit-
tee request for further data.
Senator Lodge said the questions
asked by the committee were impor-
tant ones and that before replyingthe President would, of course, con-
sult with Secretary Hughes. Headded that the President had told
him itwas not vital that the proposal
be acted on at this session.
PBLETROOKROUTLITHUANIAN FORCE
By the Associated Press.WARSAW, February 28. Reports
from the neutral zone state that the 1Lithuanians yesterday broke the truceagreed upon between the Polish localauthorities and representatives of the
Lithuanian forces.
Lithuanian bands are reported tohave resumed their attacks against
the Polish police, entering the terri-tory assigned to Poland.
A dispatch from Warsaw on Feb-ruary 26 said that representatives ofthe Polish and Lithuanian govern-
ments had agreed upon a suspensionof hostilities pending discussions forthe delimlnatlon of the neutral zone.
REPORT IS CONFIRMED.
Warsaw Dispatch Says AttackersRepulsed at Two Points.
PARIS. February’ 28. A Warsawdispatch to the Havas Agency con-
firms reports that the Lithuanianshave again attacked Polish advanceguards. The collisions occurred at
two points and in each case the at-
tackers were driven back. Theirlosses are not known.
STIFF SENTENCESTENOTO LESSEN VIOLATIONS
With higher collaterals being de-manded at the station houses andstiff sentences being Imposed in thePolice Court, the number of trafficviolators is rapidly decreasing. Com-missioner Oyster announced today.
MaJ. Sullivan, superintendent ofpolice, gave the commissioner a re-
port todays showing that only six-teen arrests were made for speeding
yesterday and twenty-five for othertraffic infractions.
Only a few days ago the speed
cases were running as high as forty
or fifty, with minor violations occur-ing In equal number*.
This drop In the number of viola-tions bears out Commissioner Oyster's
contention that rigid penalties foroffenders Is a more effective methodof curbing reckless driving than newregulationa
The Commissioners’ traffic commi-tee will meet tomorrow afternoon, at
which time it may decide on therecommendations to be mads to thecity heads , . ni.
Senate PassesColored Mammy
Monument BillAuthority for erection in Wash-
ington of a monument to the mem-ory of “the faithful colored mam-
mies of the south” was given In a
bill passed today by the Senate.It waa Introduced by Senator Wil-liams, democrat. Mississippi.
MAIEBIEDICtRULES TOMORROW
Carriers Not to Return toHomes Found Unprovided
on Morning Trip.
Householders who have failed bytomorrow morning to provide a mallbox or door slot at their front door,will find it Incumbent upon them-selves to notify the Washington city
post office when they do comply withthe new regulation?, before they willreceive any more mall at home.
Mall will be delivered tomorrowmorning as usual, and carriers will
note such houses as do not complywith the "no box—no mall” regula-
tions. Beginning with the noon de-livery, carries will carry no mall forsuch houses. When such homes havemet the requirements the householdermust notify City Postmaster Chance.
Not until such notification is given,
the postmaster said today, will thecarrier resume bringing mail to sucha house. It Is believed that therswill not be more than 5,000 houses towhich notices will be given tomor-row.
Carriers Will Leave Notices.Carriers making the morning de-
livery. will hand in the mall at suchnon-oomplying homes as usual and
also will leave the following "im-portant notice” from PostmasterChance.
"It la noted that you have not pro-vided a mail receptacle or door slot
to insure receipt of mail at yourresidence, in accordance with theregulations of the Post Office Depart-
ment. 1 deem it proper, therefore, to
inform you that the present deliveryis the last one that will be made toyour residence until the regulations
are compiled with and proper equip-ment provided. It is assumed fromyour failure to furnish a receptaclethat it is your desire to call at thepost office hereafter for your mall,and It can be obtained between 8 a.m.and 5 p.m. at the office indicated onthis letter.
“Should you decide to install areceptable, and' will advise me of thefact. I shall be pleased to have de-livery to your residence immediatelyrestored" the notice will end.
Plan to Handle-Mall.Plans are under way at the main
city post office and at branch stationsthroughout the city to handlo andcare for the mail which will not bedelivered after tomorrow morning.
Persons in various sections of thecity who get their mail delivery athome cut off may secure their mail
(Continued on Page 2. Column 7.)
SENATE APPROVESPLAZA HOTEL LEASESimilar Resolution by Chair-
man Langley Is Pendingin House.
RENTALS MUST COVERI
| Move to Bay Land for PermanentDormitories Next Term
Is Set Afoot.
The hotels for woman workers ofthe government, located at the Unionstation plaza, would ha saved, underthe terms of a joint resolution adopt-
ed by the Senate today. The reso-
lution authorizes the President to
make arrangements for leasing thatpart of the land owned by the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad upon which
the dormitories are built.The resolution was reported favor-
ably by Senator Fernald. chairman ofthe public buildings and grounds
committee, today, and was given im-
mediate consideration. Senator Fer-nald called attention to the fact thatunless some action taken by
Congress the dormitories on the landowned by the Baltimore and Ohiorailroad would have to be torn downby April 1. This would necessitategiving up the entire plant, he said.
Amrndmeat Is Adopted.
An amendment to the resolution was
adopted with the consent of SenatorFernald, stating that the rent paid to
the Baltimore and Ohio must be cov-
ered in the rental charged the occu-
pants of the dormitories for rooms.The resolution now goes to the
House for action. A similar resolutionwas introduced today in that body byRepresentative Langley of Kentucky,
chairman of the public buildings andgrounds committee of the House.
President May Negotiate.
Under the terms of the resolutionadopted by the Senate, the Presidentis authorized to act through any
agency he may desire in arranging for
the lease of the Baltimore and Ohioproperty. The resolution authorizesthe payment of rent for this property
from November last, when the old gov-
ernment lease expired, until January
31, 1924. It is expected that whenCongress reassembles in Decemberit will take up the matter for furtherextension of the lease or for perma-
nent acquisition of the property by thegovernment
SIGNS D. C. FISCAL BILL.
President Gives Final Touch to
$22,500,000 Appropriations.
President Harding today signed theDistrict of Columbia appropriation
bill for the fiscal year commencing
July 1. 1923. which carries with it anappropriation of approximately |22,-
500,000.
j “The House of Mohun” jBy George Gibbs
Begins in Tomorrow's Star
ONE of the big stories of the year—-the rise and fall of an American fam-
ily—and its comeback. Generous install-ments each day of this remarkable workof fiction.
Beginning in Tomorrow's Star i
President SignsBritish Debt Bill;
Soon in EffectPresident Harding: today signed
the British debt-funding bill.Immediately afterward Treas-
ury officials began to wind up de-tails of the negotiation* withGreat Britain, and to put theminto form for carrying Into effectthe refunding terms agreed upon.
A. Rowe-Dutton, the Britishtreasury representative, was ad-vised of the White House actionand made an appointment to seeUndersecretary Gilbert of theTreasury, who is drafting theformal indenture embodying theterms of the refunding agreement.
Later In the week the Americandebt -funding commission willfinally ratify the agreement andSir Auckland Geddes, the Britishambassador, probably will sign itfor his government.
TRANSPORfiSSUESHERE TOMBED
Senate Calls for Inquiry IntoCar Fares and
Operation.
Two congressional investigations ofpublic transportation facilities in theDistrict seemed probable today whenthe Senate adopted a joint resolutiondirecting the Public Utilities Commis-sion to probe into the rates chargedby taxicabs and automobiles for hire,and the Senate committee on contin-gent expenses reported favorably Sen-ator McKellar's resolution providing
for an inquiry into all matters relatingto street car fares and operation.
Harrison Starts Taxi Probe.
The joint resolution calling for aninvestigation of taxicab rates, intro-duced by Senator Pat Harrison ofMississippi, was favorably reportedfrom the Senate District committee.Senator Harrison asked unanimousconsent for its consideration todayand it was adopted. The resolu-tion directs the Public Utilities Com-
mission to investigate the ratescharged by taxicabs in other cities aswell as Washington and to recom-mend to the District Commissioners"for action and enforcement of suchrates as may be reasonable and whichmay compare with rates permitted tobe charged In other cities of theUnited States." A report by the Com-missioners is to be made to Congresson or before the convening of thenext regular session.
Approve Car Fare Reaolatlon.Senator Calder of New York re-
ported Senator McKellai's car fareinvestigation resolution and askedfor Immediate consideration. SenatorBrandegee of Connecticut, however,announced that Senator McKinley ofIllinois desired to be present whenthis resolution was considered andat hie suggestion it was allowed togo over without prejudice. Senator Mc-Kellar said that he would seek ac-tion on It later In the day.
J240 BlilLPASSEDBYHOUSE
Chairman Madden of Appro-priations Committee In-
dorses Measure.
CARRIES $35,790,753
Representatives Blanton and SissonBoth Speak in Opposition.
Vote Is 298 to 20.
The .<240 bonus bill for adjusted |compensation to employes of the 1United States government was passed jby the House today by a vote of 298 ito 20. The bill carries a total of$35,790,753, of which $33,667,438 Isfrom the federal Treasury, $337,248
from the postal revenues and $1,795,- j067 from the District revenues on the |forty-sixty proportion.
Chairman Madden of the House ap-
propriations committee and Repre-sentative Joseph Byrnes of Tennes-see, the ranking democrat, spoke Infavor of this measure. It was opposed ]by Representative Thomas L. Blantonof Texas, democrat, a member of theHouse District committee, and Repre-sentative Thomas U. Sisson, democrat. |a member of the House appropriations Icommittee.
Says It Delays Reclassification.Representative Blanton warnejl the i
House that unless this bill was de- jseated the reclassification bill wouldbe held up by the Senate Indefinitely.He said that the mere fact that theHouse and Senate continued yearafter year passing this bonus legisla-tion was having a direct effect in de-laying the enactment of reclassifica-tion permanently establishing gov-ernment employes in standard gradesand on statuatory salaries.
The measure as passed by theHouse is $2,622,240. less than theestimates recommended and $2,935,420less than the amount appropriatedfor the current fiscal year.
As passed, this legislation providesfor a Joint committee of the Senateand House to investigate and reportto Congress on the first day of thenext regular session upon such ad-justment cf salaries as they believednecessary for employes of the legis-lative branch of the government whoare not taken care of in the pendingreclassification bills.
The $240 bonus bill as passed todayIs the seventh year In which this so-called bonus has been given to gov-ernment employes in lieu of perma-nent salary increases.
ANNIE MACSWINEY FREED.By the Associated PresSy,
DUBLIN, February 28.—Miss AnnieMacSwiney was released from Kll-malnham prison this afternoon on thefifteenth day of her.bunger strike.
DR. WORK PROPOSESPOSTMASTER JODS
DE NOmiTICALUrges President to Place Ap-pointive Power in Hands of
Department Head.•
“
WOULD ABOLISH CIVILSERVICE EXAMINATION
Declares Strictly Business MethodsShould Be Used and'Only Best
Men Named.
Postmaster General Work recom-mended to President Harding todaythat selection of postmasters shouldno longer be considered a politicalperquisite of senators and represent-atives, but should be vested In. thePost Office Department alone.
At the same time the PostmasterGeneral, who retires from his presentposition on March 4 to become Secre-tary of the Interior, recommendedthat present regulations requiringexamination of candidates for post-master by the Civil Service Commis-sion also be abandoned.
SSould Not Be Handicapped.
"The Post Office Department is astrictly business organization,” saidDr. Work, "and It ought to be aidedin putting the right man In the right
place, as any private business con-cern would endeavor to do for itsown advancement, and not be handi-capped either by political considera-
tions or by the restrictions entailedin the present plan requiring exam-ination by the Civil Service Commis-sion, which does not even give civil
service status.”Dr. Work pointed out that ths pres-
ent rule limits the President's choiceIn each case to three civil servicecandidates, none of whom may havehad any real business ability, though
being rated as "good fellows” bytheir neighbors. He suggested thatmen trained and experienced In really"big business” could be secured forpostmasters only by reversing themethod of appointment.
Instead of having the candidateseek the office, he said, the officeshould seek the man and keep onseeking until it finds the right man,to be retained in office as long as theservice Is successfully conducted un-der his management.
Would Ban Politics.There should be no moro "term
appointments," and no politics, na-
tional or local, In the appointments
of postmasters. Dr. Work added. He
wanted It understood, he explained,
that he was not in favor of relaxa-tion of the civil service regulations
as now applied to employes of the
Post Office Department generally, but
felt that the proposed change in theappointive method of postmasterswould enable the department to givegenuine practical effect to the basiccivil service theory by making pos-
sible the selection of qualified busi-ness men.
"After two years’ experience.' thePostmaster General said, "In connec-tion with the appointment of presi-dential postmasters, I am convincedthat the proceedure and policy is notonly Impractical In form, but unbusi-nesslike In principle. I can say thisnow. without charge of being In-fluenced by official or partisan con-siderations. The great bulk of thepresidential appointments already hasbeen made. Os the . approximately14.000 presidential postmasters about10.000 have been appointed, and this
includes the more Important ones ofthe country. The 38,000 fourth-classpostmasters were put under civilservice by President Taft.
"The plan by which the Civil ServiceCommission selects three names for apostmaster appointment by the Presi-dent, entirely ignores the practicalbusiness principle of expert and in-telligent selection.”
Value Already Proved.Appointment of experienced and
successful business men as assistants(to the Postmaster General, Dr. Work
1 said, "had proved to be of Incalcula-ble good to the service,” and had fur-nished an example to guide In post-
i master selections.[ "It would be essential in the prac-tical business administration of thepostal service,” Dr. Work said, "to re-
lieve the Civil Service Commission on
the one hand, and political partyreferees on the other, from their ob-ligations and participation In connec-tion with the appointment of post-masters.
1 "The turnover of the Post OfficeDepartment amounts to over threebillion dollars annually. Fifty of thelargest cities handle 54 per cent of
It. Selecting postmasters to do thisbusiness by appointing the highest
i eligible, by the previous adminis-tration. was absurd beyond argument.
|My predecessor sought to, permit,through executive order, an optionof choice to the President fromamong three eligibies, conformingthat far with the civil service law.This failed because the system Iswrong and the functions of the post-master are not considered, nor hisqualifications Intelligently weighedIn examination.”
Dr. Work outlined some of his sug-gestions. as follows:
"Appoint without term, subject toremoval for Inefficiency or moral de-linquency.
"Consult local chambers of com-merce and similar business organi-zations in their selection.
"Remove residence requirements,so that postmasters for central ac-counting offices, now branches of thePost Office Department in the field,could be filled by promotion onmerit.”
CRISSINGER NOMINATIONGIVEN COMMITTEE 0. K.
Senate Body Fails to Act on Hc-Nary as Sucessor to
Controller.
The nomination of D. R. Crissinger,
controller of the currency, to be gov-ernor of the Federal Reserve Board,
was' reported favorably today by tha
Senate banking committee, but actionwas deferred on the nomination ofJames G. McNary, southwestern bank-er. to succeed Mr. Crissinger as con-troller. ,
The committee's action was regard-ed as paving the way for a recess ap Fpolntment for Mr. McNary after Con*gross adjourns. • a