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Show NEWS REVIEW OF CUR HENTJE VENTS Prohibition Enforcement Still Chief Topic in Washington. By EDWARD W. PICKARD PROHIBITION enforcement continued con-tinued to be the dominant question ques-tion in Washington, and the day leaders in congress were especially vocal in the controversy. Tlie most important development of the week was. the statement by Senator Wesley Wes-ley L. Jones of Washington that during conferences with members of the Hoover crime commission he had been glad to learn that the commission is unanimous in agreeing agree-ing that Its function is to devise the best means possible for enforcement enforce-ment of the Eighteenth amendment. Senator Jones averred that the commission com-mission holds that the wisdom or unwisdom of the amendment is not involved in its work. This was held to be a severe blow to the hopes of the wets, though it IS hard to see how the latter could have expected the commission to try to determine the practicability of prohibition. Senator Jones asserted that the dry phase of the commission's work should be completed by July 1 and warned that a clear and convincing showing of Its need will have to be made before funds for prolonging the prohibition inquiry beyond that date are made available. As Jones is prospective chairman of the senate sen-ate finance committee, he will be In a position to supervise funds asked for the commission's work. The Washington senator continued contin-ued : "I find that an important report re-port has already been given to the President. It will be submitted to the congressional joint committee sought by the President as soon as created and ready for work. Other reports will be ready soon. "AU seem to view the industrial alcohol situation as the most diffi cult one to solve properly, as well as one of the most important phases of prohibition enforcement. In working tills out the commission should shield no- individual and no line of business." Senator Borah of Idaho repeated repeat-ed his attacks on the present dry enforcement personnel, asserting that "practically open saloons" are to be found all over the land. "When I say this," he said, "I do not mean simply New York or Chicago. Chi-cago. I mean to state a condition which prevails throughout the country. coun-try. I do not assume that you can catch every bootlegger, But the open flaunting, defiant, persistent disregard of the law, day after day anil month after month, with no effort ef-fort being made to stop it, calls for discussion." Mr. Borah sent one or two letters to President Hoover, and though their contents were not made public pub-lic it was understood the senator offered proof of his assertions, and it was indicated that if the administration adminis-tration did not make use of the information in-formation given he would lay his evidence before congress. Then came F. Scott McBride, superintendent su-perintendent of the Anti-Saloon league, with a statement in which he took Issue with Corah's charges. "The prohibition department has been doing good work, but there are places where conditions can be bettered," bet-tered," MeBriJe said. "These will be found and corrected. The Department De-partment of Justice has had some bad spots. Mr. Mitchell has been active in correcting these, but the job has yet to be completed. "The most hopeful sign about the situation is the fact that the legislative legis-lative officers, as well as the administrative ad-ministrative officers, Including the President, are not sidestepping responsibility re-sponsibility as has been true under un-der some former conditions and the fact thnt in the Capital and all over the country enforcement is responding re-sponding to official insistence." . Senator Brookhart of Iowa, the unrelenting foe of Secretary of the Treasury Mellon, renewed his demands de-mands that President Hoover remove re-move the secretary from his cabinet. COAST guardsmen .seeking to prevent the landing of liquor i near Newport, It. I., opened fire on a rum running boat, the Black Duck, and killed three members of the crew. Their action was upheld by their superiors, but-tlie incident serves to provide more ammunition for the enemies of the Eighteenth amendment. In old Faneuil hall, Boston, the Liberal Civic league held a niass meeting that sent to President Hoover a message asking a searching search-ing investigation of the slayings by the coast guard,' and after the meeting a mob attacked the coast guard station. Celebrants of New Year's eve In the larger cities found their activities activ-ities were subjected to rather less interference by the enforcement officers of-ficers than in recent years. The supply of intoxicating liquor seemed unlimited, though it is admitted ad-mitted most of it was synthetic with bogus labels. HpHOUSANDS of Washingtonians and visitors to the National Capital attended the New Year's day reception held by President and Mrs. Hoover. Among the callers call-ers were the members of the cabinet, cab-inet, the handsomely garbed diplomatic diplo-matic corps, senators and representatives repre-sentatives and many high officers of the army and navy. Sir Esrne Howard, the British ambassador, and Lady Isabella were the first of the long line of diplomats to wish the Hoovers a happy New Year. The chief justice and Mrs. Taft were missing from the White House reception for the first time In years, owing to the death of Charles P. Taft. Over in Berlin President von Hindenburg for the first time held a similar reception. The diplomats there disputed over the matter of precedence, for their dean is the ambassador from Itussla and the representatives of the United States and other powers that have not recognized the Soviets naturally natural-ly would not follow him. Finally it was agreed that the French ambassador, am-bassador, De Margerie, should lead the way and present to the president presi-dent the good wishes of the diplomats. diplo-mats. TF JOUETT SHOUSE, chairman of the Democratic national executive ex-ecutive committee, knows what he is talking about, we are not likely to have a new tariff act in the near future. He issued a statement state-ment in Lexington in which he said measure, which attempts to carry out the promise of renl tariff benefits bene-fits for the farmers, will be enact-. enact-. ed or there will be no tariff bill at all. "That latter," he said, "is the more probable outcome, which means that months and months of congressional sessions have been utterly wasted because of the effort ef-fort to jam through a tariff revision re-vision that had no reason in economy econ-omy or justifiable excuse at this time." INDIA'S Nationalists under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi have taken a bold step toward independence in-dependence for their country. The national congress, with . only six dissenting votes out of 2,000,. adopted Gandhi's resolution for a middle course toward the objective. objec-tive. The resolution authorized the all-India congress committee, an executive body of about 300 members, to launch, whenever it thinks the time ripe, a program of civil disobedience to include nonpayment non-payment of taxes and similar resistance re-sistance to British rule. It called upon Nationalist members mem-bers of central provincial legislatures legisla-tures to resign and proclaimed a general boycott of such assemblies. It stated also that no good purpose could be served by representation at the proposed round table conference confer-ence in London to discuss constitutional consti-tutional reform for India. It did, however, express appreciation of the efforts of Lord Irwin, viceroy of India, to effect a peaceful settlement set-tlement of the problems. The Indian Liberal federation has accepted the British declaration declara-tion of ultimate dominion status for India. A LL British Samoa was stirred by an event that, while not bulking large in world affairs, was a real tragedy to the natives of those islands. Two white men who have championed the demands of the natives that they be treated by the New Zealand government as equals instead of subjects returned to Apia and the Samoans gathered to welcome them. The police tried to arrest one of the white men and a riot resulted. The police opened lire with machine guns, and nine men were killed, including Taina-sese, Taina-sese, high chief and an opposition leader. Western Samoa has been under mandate to New Zealand since TJ20 and the natives are forced to pay heavy taxes for the support of a horde of useless officials, as well as being subjected sub-jected to oppressive laws and regulations. regu-lations. The Mau, or native league, is trying to get New Zealand to give up its mandate, wishing the islands to be taken over by the United States and consolidated with Eastern Samoa. Of course the New Zealand government refuses to consider such a plan. pRINCE CAROL seemingly is still trying to gain the throne of Rumania, Ru-mania, and Italy is reported to have espoused his cause in a way that has aroused the anger of the Rumanians. Ru-manians. Recently Preciosi, Italian Ital-ian minister to Bucharest, called nt the Rumanian foreign office and informed in-formed it in the name of the Italian Ital-ian government that Italy considered consid-ered it necessary to regularize the dynasty succession to the Rumanian Ru-manian throne and that Prince Carol should be recalled to Rumania Ru-mania and crowned king. The Rumanians do not dare to, make effectual protest against this interference in their internal affairs af-fairs for they fear they would be isolated in their quarrel with Jugoslavia, Jugo-slavia, which they and Italy regard as an enemy. THERE was great rejoicing and celebration in China over the announcement an-nouncement of the Nationalist government gov-ernment that extraterritoriality was to be summarily ended on January Jan-uary 1. But the state council's mandate evidently was Issued for home consumption and it had little or no effect in the treaty ports, where the foreign officials still decline de-cline to let their nationals be tried in native courts. Foreign Minister Minis-ter C. T. Wang said his government was prepared to consider and discuss, dis-cuss, within a reasonable time, any representations made by foreign nations na-tions with reference to the Chinese decision to end the consular eourt system and assume legal jurisdiction jurisdic-tion over foreigners. i C ENATOR Frederick M. Sackett ef Kentucky has been selected select-ed as ambassador t(S Germany. He was cruising in the West Indies when informed of this fact and that i the German government had an nounced that his appointment was acceptable to it. Mr. Sackett started start-ed back to Washington at once, saying he would resign from the senate and soon be ready to leave for Berlin. T'ENNETH HAWKS, movie di-rector di-rector and sportsman, and nine other men engaged in the filming film-ing of venturesome air "shots," were hurled to death in the Pacific ocean in two tangled, blazing monoplanes off the Palos Verde hills, 25 miles from Los Angeles. Eyewitnesses said; that one of the two planes poised above the other and then, as if the. pilot had lost ills vision in the piercing rays of (lie setting sun, had darted down aud struck the top of the lower plane. After a momentary shudder shud-der a wing broke and one of the planes exploded. The other plane, tangled in the debris of its blazing companion, became engulfed in flames and the two swept down to the depths of the ocean. CCOTLAND'S worst tragedy of 1929 came just at the close of the year. A moving picture theater thea-ter at Paisley was thronged with children attending a gala performance perform-ance when fire broke out in the projection booth. Panic ensued, and within a few moments seventy little ones were dead and scores injured. XTOST noteworthy of the deaths 1 of the week was that of Charles P. Taft, Cincinnati newspaper newspa-per publisher and half-brother of William Howard Taft, former President Pres-ident and now chief justice of the United States Supreme cturt. Eighteen Eight-een months ago Mr. Taft was stricken with . pneumonia and he never had fully recovered. He had a distinguished career as a lawyer and publisher, served one term in congress and was prominent 1c state and civic affairs. XTEW YEAR'S day was Football 1 flay in California. In the great Rosa Bowl at Pasadena the University Univer-sity of Southern California met the undefeated team from the University Univer-sity of Pittsburgh and fairly swamped It, winning by a score of 47 to 14. In San Francisco teams of star college players from the East and the West battled In n game for charity, the Easterners scoring 19 points to 7 for their rivals. (C3. 1330, Western Nowsptipor Union.) |