Show TOPICS INTERPRETER INTERPRETED NA NATIONAL iIO NAI PRESS WASHINGTON DC D.C. D. D C. C Washington President Roosevelt has settled a n contro controversy by hy the sim sim- simple simpie pie Ile expedient of ot Settle t c transferring two men Controversy responsible po positions In the lr ln Islands to Jobs In Washington He lie has hns taken Paul SI M I. I leor on from the post of civil governor Jo of the Virgin Islands and has hns made him Assistant di director rector of housing In the Interior de do- department and has transferred Federal Director Judge T. T Webber Wilson from his post In the Islands 8 to the federal fe parole hoard board here In Washington Each I man has bUt accepted d his big new appointment ap ap- appointment nt and nd In so 80 far tar as a n current controversy Is concerned the book bookIs Is closed It will t be recalled that Governor I l' arson and Judge Iud e Wilson long IOD have hare he hen c at loggerheads over o Virgin Island affairs The Tbt battle was bitter It came to a head he-ad when Paul Yates executive assistant nt to the tIle governor and n a former Washington corre corn correspondent resigned rell Ida his Job and came back here with a n bag ba full of charges against n his former chief Tho The Yates allegations ranged d all the way from minor charges of ot poor Judgment wt nt to gross cross accusations He lie succeeded ed In getting n a senate committee Investigation Hon tion and It was ar or that time that the Wilson Pearson feud feu II Oared flared so 10 openly that administration officials o here herc wore dragged In n and the whole scope of differences aired As a matter of fact there Is hi every reason to believe that Governor Poor Pear Pearson son Mn was vas far from a successful executive five tive In the Islands Illan He Ho frequently aroused the Ire of ot natives and ac ae- according ac- ac according cording to testimony te adduced by the senate renate Investigation Inn had very little to show for the sums auras of money he ex ex- expended expended expended In tn attempting to give the Vir Vir- Virgin Virgin gin In Islands a new ne lease on life Ufe All AU of ot the Ule Information tends to establish that the Islands Island continue to be an effectual poorhouse Just as President Pr Hoover er described them on the occa occasion oe Ion sion of a visit during durIn his term as Chief Executive But nut Governor Pearson had his sup sup- supporters supporters supporters porters In 10 the administration Chief among these was Secretary Sc Ickes whose department Is responsible for administration of ot the Islands Just why Sir Mr Ir Ickes has been so enthusiastic about Governor Go Pearsons Pearson's regime rE Is 11 not fully disclosed In any evidence here except c that the Interior secretary has certain Ideas about social reform that some unkind critics refer to as pure socialism which Governor Pear Pearson son had been blen attempting to Impose upon the Island Inhabitants Governor Go Pearson has expended vast st sums Of bt funds In the Islands In his efforts to carry out ont tho the Ickes program of or ref It seems however that the schemes were w re not as practical as they might have hae been and so BO trouble started In ina a rather extensive fashion The President stayed outside of the row until In the course of the senate semIte Inquiry Senator TydIngs a n Maryland Democrat and usually an nn Roosevelt anti Democrat received a aletter aletter aletter letter from Sir Mr Ir Ickes Sir Mr Ir Ickes ac ae- accused ac- ac accused the Investigating chairman with having whitewashed a witness whose testimony was all nil Ickes Ickes and anti anti- Pearson The senator flared up In a abig abig big way at nt that letter Ills reply Is likely to become a classic In official correspondence lIe He did not mince his words After Alter voicing his general conception of or the attitude exhibited by Sir Mr Ickes and nd accusing him of ot at nt- attempting attempting tempting to Interfere In tn the Investigation tion Senator Tydings Informed the In Interior In In- InterIor tenor secretary that he may as ns well attempt to run the Department of ot the Interior and let the senators run the senate He used Just about those words That was the signal for Sir Mr Ir Roose noose Roosevelt velt volt to ro take a hand It was w s easy etsy to see that a few outbursts of that kind and Sir Mr Ickes might have found him hIm- himself himself self elt In a splendid position to resign from Crom the cabinet So the President got ot the feudists Into his office singly of course and when those conferences were over the senate IDA investigation estimation Into the Virgin Island situation was sus sus- suspended susI I ended for two weeks The transfer transferor or ur o Governor Pearson and nn Judge Wilson resulted rr One might properly Inquire why all nn of this agitation has occurred about the Virgin Islands Why the They are arc many hun- hun Agitation of miles from Washington They lie In the Caribbean sea sen considerably out of ot the usual pathway of ships they are populated by about Indi Individuals 93 05 per cent of whom are arc negroes and may generally be described de de- described described scribed as aB a backward place They may m y have some military and naval value That has never been fully demonstrated But Hut the fact re re- remains remains ro- ro mains they are possessions of the United States and If It our government Is isto ro to be their protector It Is responsible sane administration of their for a 11 I affairs The Washington W light may runy have had Its start In to the Virgin Islands but It t thas has progressed beyond that point and ami andis Is II a domestic battle now It Is safe to uy say that for 18 years which is the time the Islands have ha been under United States rule thero there has been a n adire adire dire need for a plan of government suited to those people Each year con con- congress gross gress has hns been appropriating thou thou- thousands sandy sands of at dollars for the Island govern govern- government government ment and each etch year there has been bt cn miserably little HUle In n the way of improvement Improve Improve- Improvement Improvement ment to show for these funds Almost as RS frequently as congress has appropriated money It tins has made changes es In the tho administration methods meth meth- methods methods In use there There has never been a long term terra program laid out and ond there has been nothing whatsoever er done showing the Ule sympathy thy of at a so- so called Intellectual people as we wo claim to be for those downtrodden masses that populate the Virgin Islands All of this It U seems sem to me shows the woeful need n d for careful consideration tion of or that situation It seems to me equally apparent that as long lone as con congress congress gress keeps meddling In n and as long lon as a politicians from the mainland are sent there purely on a political basis we will continue to have hare a pick pack of ot trouble bundled up In those thole Virgin Islands Several attempts have bave been made to work out a governmental system worth worthwhile worthwhile while but the politicians are not among amon those thOle who will let plums escape e It Is certain therefore that the Pe ron ron- Tydings battle royal rojal Is an nn outcropping of or what amounts to a festering ore sore In American govern govern- governmental governmental mental policy e If It congress continues In session MIllon pa put past t August Au st 15 and It Is t. now apparent that It may run to Sep Sep- Long Session 1 1 It will have Severe Strain been In la session section days WI some me two weeks longer than the average of the so called long lon f sessions of congress CODer Prior to adoption of the lame I duck dudt amendment which did away with seta ses sessions lIons of ot unequal length the shorter borter sessions of ot congress averaged about liO days The longer looKer terms were around days before final adjourn adjourn- adjournment adjournment ment went was taken Tim Thus the current currenti session eNlon i stands In ins a fair way to be among the list Hit of hardy sessions All of ot which Is by way of or saying that the rhe current session of ot congress has worn down Its members both physically and mentally to an extent quite unusual I was talking a few days ago s with Uh ith a 9 veteran senator a aman aman aman man who has served almost almot 25 years In n the upper house of ot congress con lie Ls li I. I known as a physically strong Indi Indi- Individual IndivIdual Individual vidual and usually lasts very well through the work that piles plies up before senators and ond I of ot him concerning the general health hC of congress con r s and his hI reply was I regret to say we are arc Just a bunch of debilitated old men Incapable of ot doing the tho Job that Is expected of or us usand usand and everyone e Is hoping against hope that we can live through this work and anti this heat As a result of that the thought come came to me that here was an answer to the oft repeated declaration that members of congress fall 1111 to earn their salaries of per year ear I have ha observed ob ned congressional proceed proceedings ings almost a score of years and It Is Ismy Ismy ismy my mature conviction that few times In that period has congress failed to earn Its sole salt e e eThere There Is another reason why con con- congressional gressional sessions should not run rqn rip so should long and should not When Solons Salons bo be carried on In the theAre theAre theAre Are Tired Intense heat hent of a n Washington summer One condition nearly always has ob ob- obtained near the close of a u long ses sese sion slon As the days drag by persons with axes to grind and nud Individual In Interests crests to serve have a way of digging up questionable bills that theretofore had been tracked side-tracked and assumed to tobe tl tobe be dead With resistance low the average senator or representative Is 11 unable to tIght light off of legislation which ho he knows to be bad with the same spirit that accompanied his activities earlier In the session Likewise he ho Is unable to battle as successfully as ns before for tor legislation which ho hc knows to be good tood This condition opens tho the way for tor fora tora a revival of lobbies They are back In Washington In III numbers now despite the disclosures being made by the two congressional committees that are In Investigating investigating the t e lobbies that operated to defeat temporarily at ac least tho the legis legis- legislation legislation legislation lation killing utility holding com panIcs One would have assumed Justly with tho the Investigations under underway underway way after the utility legislation was passed that lobbyists and nd serving self representatives es would ha have been frightened away from Washington Such was not lIot the case They are arc here hereIn hereIn herein In such numbers that some observers believe Sir Mr Ir Roosevelt has made a mis mis- mistake mistake take In demanding that congress stay until It U has h s enacted the share tho wealth-tax wealth bill and the legislation which will prohibit lawsuits against tho the government for damages resulting from abrogation of the tho promise In gov gar government bonds to pay them In gold Mr Sir Is 18 Insisting on thesa laws lIe He will got them Hut But In the opinion of ot many authorities he stands a fair chance cb lIce also of ot getting some other legislation which he may not nor want O e western rn N Union |