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Show mil; HthhA M 1 Coleman L. Blease, former governor of South Carolina, now United Istaies senator. 1 View of he part of Damascus that was shattered by the French bombardment. 8 British troops evacuating Cologne atter the signing of the Locarno pacts. NEWS REVIEW OF CURRENT EVENTS Revenue Bill Having Easy Sailing in House Senate Takes Up World Court. By EDWARD W. PICKARD WITH few except the old La Fol-lette Fol-lette bunch and some radical Democrats in opposition, the new revenue rev-enue bill offered by the ways and means committee had easy sailing in the house last week. The most determined deter-mined effort to amend It came Monday when most of the Democrats lined up with the Republican Insurgents In an attempt to prevent the reduction of Income surtaxes to a maximum of 20 per cent. They fought for a maximum of 25 per cent, but the regular Republicans Repub-licans with the aid of a few Democrats won out. Mrs. Mary Norton, new Democratic member from New Jersey, made her maiden speech In advocacy of an amendment Increasing the exemption ex-emption for single persons to $2,500 and for heads of families to $5,000. This and all other material changes proposed were rejected. Repeal of the publicity provision of the 1924 revenue rev-enue act was approved overwhelmingly, overwhelming-ly, as were all the estate tax provisions provi-sions framed by the committee despite the attacks of Rainey of Illinois and Green of Florida. Slatnmakers of the house reported the makeup of committees, giving the Wisconsin Insurgents only minor assignments as-signments and stripping them of all their seniority rights. For instance, Representative James A. Frear, who was removed from the ways and means committee last spring, Is placed at the bottom of the Indian affairs committee. The senate was somewhat some-what kinder, for It gave recognition to young Senator La Follette as a Republican. Repub-lican. But be. i"0. gets on only relatively rel-atively unimportant committees those on mines and mining, manufactures and Indian affairs. He has indicated that he will follow ciusely In the footsteps foot-steps of his late father. The senatorial sena-torial elections committee voted against the seating of Gerald P. Nye as senator from North Dakota, holding hold-ing that Governor Sorlle was not legally le-gally authorized to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Ladd. WHILE the house was busy with the revenue bill the senate put In most of Its time talking about prohibition, pro-hibition, foreign debt settlements and the question of the United States adhering ad-hering to the World court. Senator Edge of New Jersey started the prohibition pro-hibition debate with a proposal to legalize le-galize 2.75 per cent beer and was seconded sec-onded by Bruce of Maryland, both of them saying a lot of very nasty things about the Volstead act. Willis of Ohio and McKellar of Tennessee were the leading defenders of the dry law. This Is a sample of Senator Bruce's eloquence : "The worst result of prohibition Is the coalition between the reputable element of society and the most disreputable dis-reputable which has followed In Its train. Prohibition Is ragged and staggering. stag-gering. A contest against nature, reason rea-son and common sense can end in no other way. If you care more for your laws than for the Anti-Saloon league, strike hands with us and bring an end to this disgraceful situation. Much Is said of the hurtful influences of the old-time saloon, but bad as it was, the sale of influence could not be compared com-pared with a situation where whisky itllls and home brewing outfits are brought Into the home under the very eyes of our children." SENATOR SMOOT on Wednesday asked consideration of the war debt settlements with Belgium, Italy and other debtor nations, the administration adminis-tration hoping for Immediate approval. But Reed, Howell, Norris and Johnson John-son all attacked the Italian settlement as a cancellation of the principal and part of the Interest. The Mlssourlaa Introduced a resolution directing the foreign relations committee to Investigate Investi-gate and report: 1. Whether any foreign government, govern-ment, corporation, or nationals have furnished any funds for the purpose f Influencing the American govern-i.nt govern-i.nt or senate in connection with our foreign policies or foreign relations. 2. Whether our war debtors are able to meet their obligations. 3. The amount, terms, and conditions condi-tions of private loans made to countries coun-tries or the corporations or nationals of countries Indebted to the United States. 4. What organizations exist and what funds have been pledged and expended ex-pended to Influence the action of the American government In Its relations with other countries. The last clause Is aimed at the American Peace foundation and other organizations that are conducting a campaign to bring about senate approval ap-proval of America's entry Into the World court. THAT World court question came up for debate Thursday when the Semite took up for consideration Senator Sen-ator Swanson's resolution providing for American adhesion to the protocol under which the tribunal was organized, organ-ized, with the five reservations approved ap-proved by President Coolldge. Senator Borah took the lead of the opposition, seeking to amend the resolution with a reservation providing for United States adhesion only on the condition that the court be completely divorced from the League of Nations. The debate de-bate promised to be rather long, but the wise ones In Washington predicted that the Swanson resolution would carry. The cause of the World court Is now supported by the President, the administration Republicans, most of the Democrats, and by many church, student and other organizations. The first bill passed by the senate was one Introduced by Bingham of Connecticut, giving to the secretary of commerce authority to regulate and control civil aircraft engaged in Interstate Inter-state commerce and flying over government gov-ernment property. The measure creates nn assistant secretary ot commerce com-merce to foster air navigation. AMONG the annual reports made last week was that of Rear Admiral Ad-miral Blllard, commandant of the coast guard. He says the coast guard Is making steady and gratifying progress in breaking up rum running and "will drive this menace from American shores in due time." But he predicts that this will be a trying task for years to come. Secretary of the Navy Wilbur reports re-ports that the navy Is In flrst-class condition con-dition and ready for action and that its morale Is higher than ever before. He praises the President's economy policy and makes few requests for additional ad-ditional funds. COL. WILLIAM MITCHELL was found guilty by the court-martial oh all the eight specifications of the charge brought against him, and was sentenced to suspension from rank, command and duty for five years, without with-out pay and allowances. The extreme penalty of dismissal was not Imposed because of the military record of the defendant during the World war. Mitchell received the sentence quietly, and each of his ten Judges shook his hand cordially In farewell. Just before be-fore the taking of testimony closed, the colonel received one of the hardest blows of the entire' proceedings. It was In the form of a letter written last March by John W. Weeks, then secretary of war, to President Coolldge, Cool-ldge, and the document closed thus: "In addition to these matters, General Gen-eral Mitchell's whole course has been so lawless, so contrary to the building up of an efficient organization, so lacking lack-ing in reasonable team work, so indicative indic-ative of a personal desire for publicity pub-licity at the expense of everyone with whom he is associated that his actions ac-tions render him unfit for a high administrative ad-ministrative position, such as he now occupies. I write this with great regret, re-gret, because he Is a gallant officer with an excellent war record, but his record since the war has been such that he has forfeited the good opinion of those who are familiar with the facts and who desire to promote the best Interests of national defense." On Thursday Maj. Allen Gulllon, assistant as-sistant trial judge advocate, beg:in the arguments for the prosecution, asking for the maximum sentence, dismissal from the service, on the ground that Mitchell "had been proven guilty of disorder to the prejudice of good order and military discipline and of conduct of a nature to bring discredit to the military service." Major Gulllon was extremely severe In his characteriza tion of Colonel Mitchell and also of the chief witnesses for the defense. Colonel Mitchell, asserting, his trial was the "culmination of the efforts of. the general staff of the army and th general board of the navy to depreciate depre-ciate the value of air power, told the court he had Instructed his counsel to-make to-make no closing arguments. 1 VASTLY interesting to the fieopler of Illinois and In lesser degree to the whole country was the opinion rendered ren-dered by the Illinois Supreme court holding that Gov. Len Small must account ac-count for about $1,000,000 interest ora state funds which, according to the decision, he and his associates put in their pockets when he was state-treasurer state-treasurer in 1917-18. Since the state-constitution state-constitution provides that a perion Indebted In-debted to the state cannot hold office-It office-It would appear that Small U ineligible in-eligible for the office of governor and? a quo warranto suit to oust him probably prob-ably will be started later. The court decision Is the culmination of n four years' fight In the course of which the governor was found not guilty ol conspiracy con-spiracy to defraud the state, under suspicious circumstances. Considering: the same evidence offered by the prosecution pros-ecution In the criminal case, the Supreme Su-preme court now finds him guilty "beyond "be-yond reasonable doubt." Two of th seven Justices dissented. GREAT BRITAIN has won Its quarrel quar-rel with Turkey over the Mosul vilayet, the council of the League of Nations awarding to Irak all of the disputed territory except a worthies? strip and extending the British mandate man-date over Irak to twenty-five years. The Turkish delegate refused to take part in the proceedings and declared Turkey would not relinquish Mosul until the national assembly at Angora An-gora consented. The Turks had been talking loudly of defying the decision of the council by force of arms, but It Is predicted that they will yield and will enter into negotiations with Great Britain in the hope of getting some compensation for the loss of the rich, oil lands. The English are willing to arrange a permanent peace on the Irak frontier and may offer Turkey loans or commercial credits, of wh:h that country Is In great need. If Turkey Tur-key had any friends In the council, they were silenced by the report of General Laidoner, head of the neutral Mosul Investigating commission. He told of shocking depredations and outrages out-rages committed there by the Turks since last March, and declared that If the Turks should be given the vilayet the league would have the blood of 80,000 Christians and thousands of loyal Irakians on Its head. LOUIS LOUCHEUR'S financial scheme for France was rejected by the chamber of deputies, and the situation became so grave that many Influential Journals openly called for the establishment of a dictatorship to-save to-save the country from bankruptcy. The franc dropped until It began to look like an old German mark. To-relieve To-relieve the rest of the ministry, Loucheur resigned and Paul Doumer, president of the senate finance committee, com-mittee, consented to accept the finance portfolio. He Bald he believed sufficient suffi-cient additional revenue could be obtained ob-tained by the collection of all taxe hitherto Imposed and promised thl would be done and that the tax dodgers dodg-ers would be severely punished. Dr. Erich Koch, chairman of the Democratic party, was asked by .President .Presi-dent von HIndenburg to form a new ministry for Germany. He made the attempt but failed because the Socla( Democrats would not part in a coalition coali-tion government. The reichstag adjourned ad-journed until January 12. RIZA KHAN, who seized the throne of Persia, was formally enthroned ! as Shnh Pehlevl Wednesday. Among the congratulatory messages received! by the former private soldier was one from King George of England. AMBASSADOR A. P. MOORE has informed the king of Spain that his resignation has been accepted ancf that he will soon come home. He wa n personal appointee of President Harding. JAMES C. DAVIS resigned as director di-rector general of railways and the duties of the office, now very light, were taken over ty Secretary ot ,D Treasury Mellon. 1 |
