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Show News Review of Current Events the World Over J. D. Rockefeller, Jr., Comes Out for Prohibition Repeal Republicans Fasbion Moist Plank Sbouse Is Democratic Bone of Contention. By EDWARD W. PICKARD J OHM D. ROCKEFELLER, JR., tlirew a man-sized bomb Into the camp of the prohibition forces with his announcement that he had come to 1 ""'fTL " lzi A John D. Rockefeller, Rocke-feller, Jr. the conclusion that the eighteenth amendment amend-ment Is a failure and should be repealed. Himself a teetotaler and, with his father, a liberal supporter of the Anti-Saloon league for years, Mr. Rockefeller In a letter let-ter to Nicholas Murray Mur-ray Butler commended commend-ed the latter's anti-prohibition anti-prohibition plank and urged Its adoption by both the Republican and Democratic parties in their national na-tional conventions. He declared the aims of prohibition had not been achieved and said that "drinking generally gen-erally has increased; that the speakeasy speak-easy has replaced the saloon and that a vast army of lawbreakers has been recruited and financed on a colossal co-lossal scale." Upon these reasons of "unprecedented "unprecedent-ed crime Increase and the open disregard dis-regard of the eighteenth amendment which I have slowly and reluctantly come to believe," Mr. Rockefeller based his present stand. He declared that "the benefits of prohibition are more than outweighed by its evils." After approving in detail Doctor Butler's proposal for repeal and state control of the liquor traffic, Mr. Rockefeller Rocke-feller expressed a hope that the "millions "mil-lions of earnest workers in behalf of the eighteenth amendment" would continue con-tinue their efforts in support of "practical "prac-tical measures for the promotion of genuine temperance." Of course the wets were jubilant over Mr. Rockefeller's statement, and the drys tried without much success to minimize Its effect by contradicting his assertions concerning the success of the prohibition legislation. TpNCOURAGED by the Rockefeller pronouncement, leaders of six national na-tional antiprohibltion organizations met In New York and formed a "united "unit-ed repeal council" with the purpose of placing In both the Republican and Democratic platforms planks calling definitely for the repeal of prohibition. prohibi-tion. Pierre S. du Pont was elected chairman of the council. MANY anxious hours were spent by administration chiefs and James R. Garfield over the form in which the Republican prohibition plunk should be cast and a conference participated par-ticipated in by Postmaster Post-master General Walter Wal-ter Brown, the President's Presi-dent's political adviser, advis-er, and a dozen senators sena-tors finally approved a resolution which states that, while the Republican party stands for enforcement enforce-ment of all laws and abhors the saloon, It recognizes the right Uii & -J Senator Borah of the people to pass upon any portion por-tion of the Constitution and therefore favors the prompt re-submission of the eighteenth amendment to the people of the several states acting through nonpartisan conventions. This nnturally did not at all suit the wet Republicans and they promised prom-ised that the Issue would be fought out In the convention. The tentative plnnk was derided as utterly evasive and deplorably weak. On the senate floor Senator Borah, dry, and Senator Sena-tor Tydings of Maryland, wet Democrat, Demo-crat, took turns poking fun at the proposed resolution. Borah said It was "the rarest combination of hypocrisy hypoc-risy and insincerity ever heard of," and Tydings called it "the biggest piece of sham, bunk and camouflage ever seen assembled In 150 words." INDIANA Republicans In state convention con-vention went wet despite the agonized pleadings of the prohibitionists. prohibition-ists. A plnnk was adopted calling for submission to the people of a repeal proposition on both the national and state dry laws. It was not a strong declaration In favor of such repeal, but it sufficed. Raymond Springer was nominated for governor and Senator Sen-ator Jim Watson was renominated by acclamation. WHEN President Hoover signed the new revenue bill, he said many of the taxes imposed by It were not as he desired, which mildly expressed ex-pressed the opinion of countless Americans Amer-icans concerning that hodge-podge measure. However, bad as It Is In many respects, the act will, under certain cer-tain conditions and within certain limitations, lim-itations, balance the federal budget at the end of the fiscal year 1933, provided provid-ed congress enacts the necessary economy econ-omy legislation. The senate almost rejected re-jected the conference report on the revenue bill bcause the tax on electricity elec-tricity was made to fall on the consumer con-sumer Instead of on the companies-One companies-One economy bill cutting the costs of government was passed by the sen ate after it had been mangled. De signed at first to save $23S,000,000, It was amended so the saving will be only $126,000,000. An Important change was the substitution of the enforced en-forced furlough plan for federal employees em-ployees for the 10 per cent pay cnts previously adopted. This was rejected reject-ed by the house. CPEAKER GARNER'S $2,300,000,000 relief hill was rushed through the house by an almost solid Democratic vote aided by twenty-one Republicans. The res! of the Republican members paid heed to President Hoover's denunciation de-nunciation of the mpasure as a gigantic gigan-tic pork barrel and voted In the negative. nega-tive. It Is hard to understand how Garner and his associates can justify spending so much time and effort on this measure In the face of their expressed ex-pressed conviction that It would never get through the senate or past the presidential veto. The senate. Indeed, showed at once that it intended to smother the bill. Leaders of both parties par-ties In the upper house prepared to push through a noncontroversial bill permitting the Reconstruction Finance corporation to lend up to $300,000,000 to states for relief purposes. This was just one section of the senate Democratic relief program, the remainder, re-mainder, involving a $500,000,000 bond issue for public works and a $1,000,-000,000 $1,000,-000,000 expansion of the reconstruction reconstruc-tion unit's capital, being left for later consideration. FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT'S supporters, support-ers, having decided to run the Democratic Dem-ocratic national convention to suit themselves, announced that Jouett Jouett Shouse Shouse wouldn't do as permanent chairman, chair-man, though he had been selected by the Smith-Raskob faction and presumably had been accepted b y Roosevelt. They declared de-clared Instead that they would try to put Senator Thomas J. Walsh of Montana in that position, which he held eight years ago. Mr. Shouse, how ever, made it known that he and his friends would fight to the last ditch, so there Is a prospect of a first-day battle in the convention that will provide pro-vide for a test of strength between the Roosevelt and anti-Roosevelt forces. Mr. Shouse said that Governor Roosevelt expressly consented to the plan to make him permanent chairman. chair-man. "Not even remotely was any kind of condition attached to the governor's assent; otherwise I should not have been a party to it," said he. "Any speech I may make before the convention conven-tion will be my own and will not be censored or inspired by any candidate. The presiding officer of the convention conven-tion should represent no faction and should decline to assist or obstruct the fortunes of any candidate." MORE seriously affecting Roosevelt's Roose-velt's chances was the problem of Mayor Jimmy Walker of New York, put up to him by the Hofstadter In vestigating committee and its counsel, Sam-nel Sam-nel Seabury, the governor's gov-ernor's inveterate foe. The report of the committee makes it necessary for the governor gov-ernor to decide whether wheth-er or not the mayor shall be removed from office, and It is believed be-lieved he will take some action a day or so before the Democratic Demo-cratic convention S. Seabury meets. Presumably, If he ousts the mayor he will rouse the wrath of Tammany Hall which might cost him. the vote of New York In the election but undoubtedly would add to his strength elsewhere, for Tammany Is not admired outside of the metropolis. Governor Roosevelt made a strategic strate-gic move when he demanded that Seabury Sea-bury quit talking and submit to him the charges and evidence against Walker at once. He let It be known that he would give the mayor unlimited unlim-ited opportunity to defend himself and his administration, but said he would demand that Walker prove himself fit to be mayor of New York. Walker engaged en-gaged Dudley Field Malone as his chief counsel. r EN. CHARLES GATES DAWES suddenly and unexpectedly gent to President Hoover his resignation as president of the Reconstruction Finance Fi-nance corporation, to take effect June 15. He denied rumors that there had been any friction between him and Eugene Meyer, Jr., chairman of the board of the corporation, and averred he was quitting the post merely because be-cause he wished to resume his banking bank-ing business In Chicago. In his letter to the President General Dawes said he felt he could do this now that the budget had been balanced and "the turning point toward eventual prosperity prosper-ity seems to have been reached." EIGHT thousand of the "bonus marchers" who had gathered In Washington to demand Immediate payment pay-ment of the bonus to veterans held their first parade down Pennsylvania avenue to the capitol, and there was not the slightest disorder despite rumors that the communists would stage an outbreak. As a matter of fact, the reds who ried to stir the veterans up to violence were roughly treated by the ex-soldiers. The marchers carried many American Ameri-can flags and had three bands. Swarms of police were on hand but had little to do. The paraders broke ranks at the Peace monument and returned to the various camps established for them. Every day the number of veterans vet-erans In those camps was augmented by arrivals from all parts of the country. Senator Lewis of Rlinois had a run-in run-in with the bonus seekers and came off with flying colors. They resented bis Memorial day reproof to them and threatened to "tell him where he got off," whereupon the courtly senator calmly told them to "go to hell" and walked through them to the senate chamber. IOWA Republicans at last hav grown weary of Senator Smith D. Brookhart and have put an end, at least for the present, to his political Sen. Brookhart career. In the primaries pri-maries they decisively decisive-ly rejected him, selecting se-lecting as his successor succes-sor Henry Field of Shenandoah, a nurseryman nurs-eryman and a novice In politics who owns a radio station. Field had been making a vigorous speaking campaign in which he attacked Brookhart especially for neglect-i neglect-i n g his senatorial duties to make Chautauqua lectures and for nepotism. He pledged himself not to take any of his family to Washington Washing-ton and fasten them on the federal pay rolls. Brookhart, a radical who never has hesitated to vote against Republican measures, refused to comment on his defeat, which was attributed by some observers partly to the fact that many voters hithero Republicans had desert ed that party and cast their ballots as Democrats. The Democratic senatorial nominee was Louis Murphy, who defeated former for-mer Senator Daniel Steck. In North Carolina the Democrats turned against one ot their long-time leaders, Senator Cameron Morrison, who was defeated for the nomination by Robert R. Reynolds, almost a newcomer new-comer In politics. Morrison is bone dry and Reynolds Is an advocate of prohibition repeal. Neither of them had a majority of votes cast, so both will be candidates again in the runoff run-off primary on July 2. Two others who polled a considerable vote promised prom-ised to throw their support to Reynolds. Reyn-olds. Franklin Roosevelt won a sweeping victory in the Florida Democratic primary, pri-mary, "Alfalfa Bill" Murray getting only a small vote. Mark Wilcox of West Palm Beach, running on an anti-prohibition anti-prohibition platform, apparently defeated de-feated Ruth Bryan Owen for the congressional con-gressional nomination in the Fourth district, WISCONSIN'S conservative Republicans Repub-licans in convention at Madison nominated a ticket with the purpose of putting a crimp In the regime of the La Follette dynasty. John B. Chappie of Ashland was put up for the United States senate In opposition to Senator Blaine; and former Gov. Walter J. Kohler was nominated for governor to run against Gov. Phil La Follette who seeks to succeed himself. SAMUEL INSULL of Chicago, who for many years has been one of the country's leading public utilities magnates, mag-nates, has finally fallen under financial finan-cial stress and has been forced to resign re-sign as head of his great utilities concerns con-cerns and also as officer or director of many other corporations with which ho has been associated. Besides his money troubles Mr. Insull is in poor health. He Is soon to sail for Europe and it is understood he will reside In England, where he owns a home. Three of the big corporations he built up, It Is said, will unite in paying him an annual pension of $18,000. CHILE has become a "socialistic re-republlc." re-republlc." The government of President Montero was overthrown by a military and socialistic junta In a coup d'etat that was almost bloodless, and the leader of the movement, Carlos Da-vlla, Da-vlla, former ambassador ambassa-dor to the United States, was Installed as provisional president presi-dent Col. Marmaduke Grove was made minister min-ister of defense and Immediately had to get busy suppressing a counter-revolution Carlos Davlla In the southern part of the country. It was authoritati ely stated in Santiago San-tiago that the establishment of the socialist so-cialist regime created no immediate danger for American Investments In Chile except those tied np In the $375,-000,000 $375,-000,000 Cosach nitrate combine which. It was understood, would be nationalized. nation-alized. President Davila said one of the main purposes of the government would be to remove the burdens on workers and the unemployed. r. 1932. Western Newspaper Unload |