Nebraska Newspapers

    THE I IMAHA K( >RNING PEE _
YT_ VOL. 52—NO. 207. SSF OMAHA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1923.* foJjM: Vt”**»■ /.>* . TWQ CENTS
Portfolio
Changes Are
} Approved
Consolidation of Bureaus and
Departments of Govern
ment Ready for Sub
mission to Congress.
Unite Army and Navy
■Washington, Feb. 13.—A plan for
reorganization of the governmental
departments and bureaus under which
the War atjd Navy departments would
be consolidated in a single portfolio
designated as the “department of de
fense," has been given the approval
of President Harding, according to
high administration officials. The
completed plan was sent to the
printer today, preparatory to submit
tal to the joint congressional commit
tee which was authorized to consider
the changes.
The plan, which contemplates a
number of other changes in the exectt
, tive branch of the government, is
tunderstood to have been approved by
w 1 he president at a conferencfe with
Walter F. Brown, ex officio chairman
■» of the joint congressional committee
on reorganization, which was appoint
ed a number of months ago, but has
not been able to agree on a program.
The proposals favored by Mr. Har
ding are said to have been worked out
\ by Mr. Brown in conference with the
president, members of the cabinet,
some of the committee men and cer
tain unofficial experts.
The Brown plan is described as
calling for establishment of a new de
partment of education and public wel
fare, with supervision over all educa
tional activities of the government,
and over all hospitalization facilities,
k including those of the public health
service, Army, Navy and Interior de
partment institutions, and possibly
' the veterans bureau. The new de
partment, according to official infor
mation. would be headed by a cabinet
member reporting directly to the
president with an under secretary in
direct charge of each of the two main
divisions of education and welfare.
The forestry service, which has
been the figure of much discussion
and reported plans for changes, is
reported to be left under the Depart
ment of agriculture. Proposals to di
vide this service between the Agri
cultural and Interior departments
have been discussed from time to
time, due to activities described as
overlapping the functions of both de
partments, but these differences ap
parently have been smothered out in
the decision not to change the Jurls
. - diction over the service. Transfer of
* the cutter service of the coast guard
to the navy from the army along
with the coast guard academy at An
napolis are also considered.
Senate Takes Up
British Debt Pact
Washington, Feb. 13.—The British
debt funding bill was taken up in the
senate today under an agreement
reached after conferences between
t’re-ident Harding and republienh
leaders for laying aside the adminis
tration’s shipping bill temporarily but
without displacing it from privileged
i status.
* Such an amendment was proposed
by the new progressive bloc immedi
ately after it was organized, and Vrob
ably Is the first proposed change In
the constitution to be approved by the
senat e^ft er coming out of any com
mittee other thHn the judiciary coin
mittee. It was reported from the agrl
culture committee, of which Senator
Norris is chairman, as a substitute for
a senate resolution Introduced soon
h after the beginning of the present ses
'« sion by Senator Caraway, democrat
Arkansas.
Administration Opposed
to Embargo on Anthracite
Washington. Keb. 13.—The admin
istration does not believe it necessary
to place an embargo on shipment of
anthracite coal to Canada on account
of the shortage in New York. The
administration is of the opinion that
the shortage grows out of transporta
icated in the following
telegram sent to Governor Smith by
President Harding after receipt of a
message from the New York execu
tive:
‘Telegram received. I am in
formed the situation in northern New
'iork Is a result of failure In trans
portation rather than of supply, and
I believe conference ,in progress this
morning between the federal fuel di*,.
trlbutor and Mie New York fuel dis
tributor will result in relief."
first Italian Skyscraper
Will Be Erected at Milan
Milan, Keb. 13.—Preparations nro
under way for the erection here of
the first skyscraper in Italy. Premier
Mussolini, upon being informed of the
project, sent a telegram, saying:
‘‘Reserve an apartment on the, top
floor for me. Ever higher must be
our program In everything.”
“(jas Suicides ’ Increase.
Goudon, Keb. 13. — England is
sroused over Its •'suicidal gas."
Every winter England has a flood
of suicides by gas, but this year there
are an unusual number. It in charged
x that the gas companies are furnishing
" gas which contains such a high de
gree of carbon monoxide that suicide
is made easy, and there in a demand
that something be done about it.
Not. only is the high degree of car
bon monoxide an aid to would be sui
rc.des hut It is a danger to those who
wont to live. There have been a nuni
ber of deaths of late from gas poison
ing. Recently 30 children were
strlrkcri with gas poisoning while at
tending a dance.
Valentino Says Man Who
Claims to Understand
Fair Sex Is a “Liar"
Chicago, Feb. 13.—Like the Arab
sheik he portrays, Rodolph Valentino
quietly folded his tent and stole away
from Chicago, where he and Winifred
Hudnut had come incognito. Rodolph
and AVinlfred are married, but their
marriage will not bo legal until March
4. They arrived early from Detroit,
took a taxicab ride and consumed
some ham and eggs at a depot res
taurant, where the waitress slapped
i the "ham and” down in front of them,
1 blissfully ignorapt of the fact that
I she was serving celluloid royalty.
A reporter asked the "sheik” about
women and love.
"Why does everybody consider me
an authoirty on women?” he demand
j ed. "I do not know anything about
| women. A man who says he under
! stands them is either a liar or an im
becile.
"Why consider the man the ag
! gressor in love, anyway? I hold with
i Bernard Shaw—that it's the wbman
: who is the pursuer and the man who
is pursued.”
House Sustains
Committee
on Muny Light Bill
Proposal to Postpone Passage
of Howell Measure Indefi
nitely Carries—Jacoby
Bill Goes on File.
By P. C. POWELL,
Staff Correspondent The Omaha lire.
Lincoln, Feb. ' 13.—(Special.)—The
lower house by vote of 55 to 37 voted
today to sustain the cities and towns
committee in its action in indefinitely
postponing the Howell Omahalmunici
pal light bill.
The same body, by a vote of 63 to
26, voted to place the Jacoby excess
profits tax bill on general file, over a
recommendation made by the taxation
committee to indefinitely postpone the
pleasure.
Debate on the Howell bill was short
and spirited, The only new argu
ment advanced was by Wlngett of
Thurston, a farmer, to the effect that
the increasing number of munieipatly
owned, tax-freo utilities was gradual
ly shifting a larger burden of tax
ation on the farmers, leaving city
dwellers only as beneficiaries.
Representative Ed Smith of Omaha
declared in support of the Howell bill
that ultimately the Nebraska Power
company, holding a lighting franchise
in Omaha, would unload its plant on
the city at an exorbitant price.
Smith C'it^s Has Case.
"The city council handled the ac
quisition of the gas and water plants
and the people of Omaha were obliged
to pay millions in excess.of their true
value," Smith sftld. "The same will 1
bo true with the light company un
less you place (he handling of the
situation In the hands of the Metro
politan Utilities district and take it
away from the political city council.
“A school board handles sehool
problems, so why shouldn't a board
created to handle our gas, water and
ice problems also take charge of our
lighting problems? The Nebraska
Power company, demanding a return
on $7,000,000, In watered stock, is lit
erally robbing the city of thousands
annually.” ;
Others participating' in the debate
were Dysart and Dybali, Omaha,
against the bill, and Mears of Wayne,
Elsasser and Strehlow, Omaha, for
the bill. There were no party lines
drawn, as many republicans and dem
ocrats voting proportionately for the
measure as against it. Members of
the Omaha delegation voting for the
Howell plan were: Collins, O, B. El
sasser. Smith. Strehlow and Tlnime.
Jacoby Speaks for His Bill!
Representative Jacoby, author of
the excess profits tax bill, was the
only one heard on that measure.
Jacoby, who voted for the Howell bill,
asserted that those who opposed it
chiefly on the grounds that niuniclpai
ly-owned utilities shifted the tax bur
den on the farmers, Would, to he con
sistent, become compelled to vote to
place his excess profits tax bill on 1
general file and ultimately put it
through the lower house.
“No one can deny that an excess
profits tax on corporations f. Ill relieve
the farmer from much taxation,
which was the excuse given by many
for refusing to vote for the Howell
bill,” Jacoby said.
Howell has a similar bill in the sen
ate, which he intends to endeavor to
put through and again piaco the bill
before the lower house for considera
tion at this session.
The Howell bill placed the power rf
calling an election to vote bonds for
a municipal light plant in Omaha l:i
< Taro to l*i|« Two. Column Four.)
4 War Victim’
Is Plea of
Creamery
Witnesses Testj^*£0c .JBuying
Waterloo ' igure
Pr^x,x .deges Is
A .v'4'' ove Value.
-
No ^dles Permit Issued
V
Italf a dozen witnesses for tile prose
cution testified yesterday in federal
court, beginning the trial of 11 men
and one woman, charged with con
spiracy to use the mails to defraud
in promotion of the Waterloo Cream
ery company, now defunct.
Walter Raecke, Central City, coun
ty attorney of Merrick county, testi
fied that lie bought one share of the
stock for $137.50 in February, 1350,
after William Wilbur, one of the in
dicted them, had talked to him many
times. Hubert Kyner, a director, was
also present on one occasion, Raecke
said.
Anna Gelander of Manilla, la., testi
fied that she paid for three shares
with Liberty bonds. She also paid
$137.50 a share, she said.
No Record of Permit.
J. E. Hart, secretary of the state
department of trade and commerce,
testified that no officers of the com
pany applied to his department for
permission to sell Waterloo Creamery
company stock since he took office
in August, 1919.
Herbert Daniel, receiver for the
company, stated that he visited va
rious subsidiaries of the company and
found them heavily encumbered. He
sold the plant at Faribault, >linn.( re
ceiving only $10,500 above the in
debtedness aglnst it. This, he said,
was carried on the Waterloo com
pany’s books at $225/100.
Dr. O. H. Hahn of Hastings tes
tified to buying 10 shares at $140
a share from Bert Corlisj. who, he
said, told him the stock would pay
7 to U per cent and that he could
get his money back when he want
ed it.
‘‘War Victim” Is Defease.
An astonishing story of willful mis
representations of the affairs of the
company in an effort to sell its stock
to the public at five or six times what
it was worth was told in the opening
statement of the prosecution made by
Special Assistant William Dorsey.
Thomas Allen of Lincoln, chief
counsel for the defense, in his opening
statement, looked at the financial
wreck of a $2,000,000 concern in quite
another light.
”It was bit doing everything in their
power during the war to help this gov
ernment which is now trying to send
them to the penitentiary that these
persons plunged into tills trouble," he
said.
Output Increase/.
’’In the early days of the war the
officers of this company were called
to Washington, where they conferred
with Herbert Hoover, who told them
to go back home and increase their
output of condensed milk to the very
limit to help win the war.
"They obeyed. They acquired vari
ous subsidiaries. They increased their
output until they were shipping it by
the trainload to the seaboard and
across the ocean.
’’Then rame the depression. Buy
ing orders worp canceled. Tho "A
•■ral reserve l>aiik withdrew its cred
it. Stockholders became uneasy and
asked for a receiver."
Diametrically opposite statements
<Ttim to Pais Two, Column Dee.)
Oinalian Elected President
of Advertising Managers
Kansas City, Mo. Feb. 13.—L. 11.
Wilson of Omaha was elected presi
dent of the Midwest Advertising Man
agers’ association at a conference
here. Cities In Arkansas, Iowa. Okla
honia, Nebraska, Kansas and Mia
sotirl were represented at the meet
ing.
Man's Fiery Cross?
Akron, O., Feb. 13. — A wooden
cross six foot high -and placed on a
hill south of Akron whs saturated
with oil and then fired by unknown
persons, believed to be members of
the Ku Klux Klan from some nearby
city.
Ambassador (jives Dinner.
Borne. Feb. 13. — <A*)— Ambassador
Child gave a dinner last night with 20
covers In honor of Premier Mussolini.
In their speeches the premier and
members of hla cublnet expressed the
most friendly feelings for America.
“You are riKht,”—
Miss Spencer replied slowly: “1 wouldn’t. 1 wouldn't let you
go for all the dollars in America.’’
Nella felt cold down her spine, and sat down again in her chair.
A draught of air from the broken window blew in her cheek.
, Steps sounded in the passage, the door opened, but Nella did
not turn.
She could not move her eyes from Miss Spencer's. There was
a noise of rushing waters in her ears. She lost consciousness,
and slipped limply to the ground.
R E A D
“The Grand Babylon Hotel”
By Arnold Bennett
A wonderfully interesting novel by a great writer. Don't miss It
EVERY WEEK DAY IN
' THEvMORNING BEE
BEGINNING FRIDAY, FEB. !<>
\ „ »
■ ■—
Nebraskan, 75, Gets
License in Omaha to
if ed Sweetheart, 60 1
I.ove laughed not only at lock
siuilhs, hut at Father Time himself,
yesterday morning when Warren K.
Krotvn, 75, Osceola, Neb., obtained a
license in the office of the clerk of
the county court to wed Mrs. Itoset
la B. Brewer, his 60-year-old sweet
hear?.
Mrs. Brewer formerly operated
the Atlantic hotel at Platlsinoulh,
Neb. Nile has a son, It. K. Itrewer,
In St. I-ouis. *
Spillman Defied
Law Is Charge of
Fremont Banker
« _
Dan V. Stephens Asserts At
torney General “Usurped
Court Authority” in Hold
rege Bank Failure.
, /
Dan A. Stephens, Fremont banker
' and a member of th< state bankers'
‘ legislative committee, charged in a
slatement issued Monday night that
j Attorney General Spillman has
j "usurped the authority of the court"
! in his stand on the Citizens* State
Bank of Holdrege affair.
"He (the attorney general) defied I
, the court in his advice to the bank- j
j ing department not to pay the draft
on the guaranty fund which would
have saved the Citizens bank,” the
i statement says. "He acted as judge,
Jury and prosecuting attorney In deti
! ance of law and order and is now in
i contempt of the court Issuing the
I order.”
' .State Machine Competent.
Mr. Stephens declares the contro
versy over the failure and on the
merits of the Citizens bank's claim
on the guaranty fund, has been
waged by Attorney (ieneral Spillman
and Clarence A. Davis, former attor
ney general and a vice president of
, the failed l«ink, ‘‘proves conclusively
: the incompetency of the state politi
cal machine to administer a highly
! technical and sensitive business such
f as the banking business."
"This is proven by the fact that
i 54 banks have failed right tinder the
j department's nose, and that last week !
th» Citizens State Bank of Holdrege ‘
1 was broken, notwithstanding numer
j ouf warnings that fussing about ques
i tions of the law on which all kinds of
! legal opinions were available would do
that very thing," continues Mr,
1 Stephens.
Banks Kxploiled.
Interviewed by The Omaha Bee yes
I terday, Mr. Stephens said he was not |
I "taking sides" in the matter. He
continued:
"Mr. Spillman avers he is not con
1 cerned In a practical solution of tin
Holdrege case, but only in its legality.
He merely proves the bankers’ con
tention that ,the lainks arc being ex
ploited while politicians and lawyers
fuss over the law. The fact that the
guaranty fund is now compclIOJ to
pay $400,000 or more to the depositors
of the Citizens bank, when, if the
court 's order had been obeyed, $ IS 7,
ooo would have settled the bill, may
r.ot Interest Mr. Spillman as a prac
tical proposition, but it would if ho
had to pay this unnecessary loss him
self."
In an argument for an amendment
of the hanking laws "so that banks
v 111 b« In a position to help the state
department to enforce the law and
handle the Institutions in need of
htlp," Mr. Stephens declares that at
present the state has a "life anJ
death power over bankers.” Ho dc
dares “no political machine can su*
ceasfully exercise such a power." and
|as a solution urges the plan which
would create a "commission composed
of practical heads of banks chosen by
banks themselves as an advisory
body to the state banking depart
ment."
He declares such a commission
would prevent exploitation of banks
and the wasting of bonks’ property
i through expensive receiverships.
120 Miners Perished in
Disaster at Dawson, N. M.
Dawson, N. M, Feb. 13.—-But two
of the 122 miners in Dawson mine
No. I. when a terrific explosion oc
curred there Thursday afternoon. I
survived. This was definitely estab
hsheij late last night when the
Phelps-Dodge Gorporatlpn, owners of
tho mine, announced that It hail
been completely explored and all pos
slhllity of any of tho entombed men
still being alive had vanished.
Tho known dentil toll early today
stood nt 1U8. Tho two men who
walked out of tho workings last Fri
day morning brought the number of
those accounted for to 108, Fourteen
still lie In the tunnels In which they
were working when the Impact of the
explosion Is believed to have snuffed
out their lives.
Witness of Double Murder
Has Mysterious Sickness
New Brunswick, N. ,1.. Feb. 13 — !
Mrs. Jane Gibson, pig farmer, who
claimed to have witnessed the murder
of Rev. Kdtvnrd Wheeler Hall mid
Mrs. Kleanor Mills, choir singer, was
reported seriously 111 today. \8 llllatu
Kaston, her son, said she suffei ed a
stroke of apoplexy. »
1 »r. .1. Cooper, who attended Iter
today, said Mrs. Gibson told him that
u strange woman visited her yester
day anil that fumes from* the
woman's handkerchief had caused her
"fainting spell.”
Mrs. Gibson recently offered her
i farm for sale, declaring she w.is tired
jof being bothered bv suspicious per
sons who prowl around her place.
Will Open Pbiirtiab Tomb.
Luxora, Kirvpt, FVb. Ill Lord;
Carnarvon, head of the excavation ex* j
pedition in tho valley of the kina'4. 1
It ax derided to open th«> Inner i hunr*
‘her of the tomb of 1’hnmtth Tntunk
i In&mcn, the coming Humluv. U wua
| announced heir
“Lay, Dern Ye, Lay!”
Bandits Kill
Bank Messenger
in Los Angeles
Holdup*, in Auto. Attack ^ ic
tiin and Two Guard* in
Center of Commer
cial District.
Iam Angeles, Feb. 13.—Samuel Mc
(•e**, bank messenger of the First Na
tional hank, was shot and killed here
today in a daylight robbery hy two
automobile bandits, who escaped with
a bag containing funds.
McGee, with two guards, was driv
ing a machine from a poatoffice sta
tion to the hank, carrying a regis
tered parcel containing currency. Two
holdup men in an automobile appa
rently had followed the bank car from
the pos toff ice. They left their ma
chine and running to the tank car,
fired at McGee, killing him, and snatch
ing the bag containing the parcel, ran
back to their machine and escaped.
The shooting occurred on Fourth
street, three blocks east of Main.
This is the center of the Jobbing and
commercial districts. O? I-. Callan and
W. Bllszard. guards for the Kink
messenger, were forced to hold up
their hands while the robbers took
the parcel and escaped. Bank offi
cials said that a number of pieces of
registered mail were contained in the
parcel stolen. No estimate could be
made of the loss until a check coul*
be made back to those who were
transmitting checks and funds to the
l-ank.
Sol Cohen and two employe* were
held tip In his store at 521 Spring
street, the heart of the downtown
business district, by a robber today
who dashed out of the shop with
$75,000 In diamonds and $1,000 in
gold. A pedestrian gave chase and
the robber threw the diamonds in his
face amt escaped in the crowd with
the gold.
Blast Furnaces in Mahoning
District Ordered to Reopen
Youngstown, O.. Feb. 13 —Orders to
j' ut In operation the Youngstown
Manna blast furnace of the Republic
Iron him! Steel company, idle since
November, 1920, have been Issued and
(lie furnace probably will lie blown
within a week, it was announced yes
terday.
The furnace of ti e Viirr Mill Steel
company is being rellned and will be
lighted as soon n* the stack in ready,
according to another announcement.
“So Many Responses
That I Was Swamped”
- said Mr. W. (’. Clayton,
who was in Oinahu recently,
seeking salesmen to represent
a large Philadelphia concern.
" I hr Omaha Pea has th*
othrr pspur# heat twenty ways.
My 'Want* A«l in your paper
brought so many response* that
I was awampr«i."
Voluntary testimonials like
the above come to us every
day- proving beyond any
question of a doubt that
Omaha Bee "Want” Ads
Bring Better Results at Lesser
Cost.
If you have something to
offer to more than .'100,000
readers of The Omaha Bee,
phono AT lantie 1000 and ask
for a “Want” Ad taker.
Head and u.sc Omaha /ice
"Want ' Ads the hoc-line
, In results.
Belgians Seize
Two Rhine Ports
French Fine Gelsenkirchen as
Result of Police a nd Mil
itary Collision.
Dusseldorf. Feb. 13— (M—The
towns of Emmerich %nd Wesel, on
the right hank of tlie Rhine, north
west of this city, were occupied by
Belgian forces early today.
It is announced that this move was
made to allow France-Belgian super
vision and control of exports and im
ports along the lines leading from
the Ruhr into Holland.
0
According to German sources, yes
terday's collision between French sol
diers and German police at Gelsenkir
chen has aggravated the feeling be
tween the French and the civilian
l>opulatlon. Reports that French ofH
cers used -their riding whips upon
German functionaries as a means of
enforcing orders mid fuel to the smol
dering fires of discontent.
Paris, Feb. 13.—C**)—A German po
liceman was killed and two French
gendarmes were wounded In yester
day's affair at Gelsenkirchen, in the
Ruhr, says the French official version
of the Incident today. The foreign
office say* the gendarmes were on
the way to the mayor's office in Gel
senkirchen with a letter when their
car was stopped by a policeman, who
threatened them with a revolver. The
gendarmes fired on the policeman,
who fell.
The Freni h authorities, it was.add
^d, were investigating.
Dusseldorf, Feb. 13—C4*'— i uc i
of Gelsenkirchen has been lined 100,
000,000 marks to tie paid tomorrow in
consequence of ttye incident there yes
terday between German police and
French gendarmes , The burgomas
ter, the chief of police and the police
men believed to be guilty In conngc
tion with the affair have been
arrested.
Man Seeking to Collect
Georgia Bond Reveal* Self
Atlanta, tin. Peh. 13 —Abner I.*'o
Squlgglns of Massachusetts. who
gained nation wide attention through
his letter to Jefferson Davis, as presi
dent of the confederacy, asking the
president to redeem a Georgia war
Ixuid issued during the civtl war, has
revealed hlmaclf. He Is prank Mc
Carthy, Northampton, Mass , news
paper and curio collector, who de
cided to conclude his hoax, when it
threatened to develop complication*.
Attorney General Napier of Georgia
ha* received a copy of .1 letter writ
ten l> McCarthy to Harry Calhoun
of South Carolina In which lie re
quested the 8011s and Daughter* of
the confederacy not to make up a
fund tq^pedoem the worthless bond.
Attention, Thirsty Ones.
l'nrt Huron, Mich , peh. 13 —All
that Is necessary to got a drink in
I’ort Huron, or Parma. Out., just
across the border. Is to display a
wltltn handkerchief protruding from
the coat pocket when on the street, a
ImhiI logger told Judge Clare It. Black.
A moonshine vendor will appear
promptly and u*k whether It is a
pint or a quart the thirsty one wants
tho court was told.
Auto Suspects Held.
Police Tuesday received wont of the
arrest In Denver of Oscar Kuller. Joe
Andlcr and George Goble, charged
with the theft of a car t>elonglug to
It. H Wilkinson, lOj'.i Park avenue,
on Pehruiry 7. The car was I11 their
possession, according to (word front
tho Iv-nver police. Detectives Prank
Murphy and Id ward Vancu* will go
SXtc 1 the men.
Peak of Cold ^ave
Is to Reach Omaha
Early Wednesday
•f
Temperature of 10 to 15 De
low Zero Forecast—Much
Damage Done by Storm
on Pacific Coast.’
, «
Omaha is due for,the coldest weath
er of the winter Wednesday morn
: inp. according to Meteorologist >f. V.
Robins, w ho predicts a temperature of
10 to 15 degrees below zero.
The forecast for Wednesday is fair
and continued cold.
The mercury liegan falling- rapidly
yesterday morning and at 8 last eve
ning was 12 degrees above zero. Wind
velocity -was 32 miles an hour at 7
yesterday morning.
Many western points report severe
cold. Sheridan had a low mark of 6
degrees below zero at 7 List evening.
Landef reported 2 degrees below.
Rapid City 8 below and Valentine 2
below. ■
Fourteen Below for Iowa.
Pes Moines, la., Feb. 13.—High
winds which are expected to be fol
lowed by the coldest weather of the
>ear. swept over Iowa from the
northwest early today lowering the
temperatures more than 20 degrees in
several cities.
Charles H. Reed, weather forecas
ter. said that the temperature will
drop to 14 degrees below zero in Dos
Moines by tomorrow morning and
that it piwslhiy will go as low as 20
degrees below zero at other Iowa
points.
Kalends to Ukr Keg ion
Chicago, Feb. IS.—A cold wave
carrying temperatures as low if tv :
lower than record drops of the win
ter Is rushing into the upper Mis
sissippl valley today front tlie Rocky
mountain anti Canadian northwest
and by Wednesday tnorning will be
spread over the western lake rtgion
and western portion of the Ohio val
ley. aocordlng to the weather bureau
A heavy snow storm, the advance
guard of the sub zero weather fore
cast for Wednesday and Thursday,
began falling over the upper Missis
sippi valley today, increasing still
further depths ranging from five to
IS inches.
Damage at Seattle.
San Francisco. Feb. IS /More snow
in Idaho and Oregon today was ex
pected to add to the severity of a
storm that atreft the Pacific coast
Sunday and yesterday, causing cvin
siderable damage along the Seattle
water front, delaying trains from
Montana Into Washington, causing
annulment of Western Pacific rail
road traffic out of Reno, and blocking
the air mail service in Nevada and
Utah,
No storm of such severity or such
cold weather ever has visited the
Puget sound country so late in Feb
ruary, according to weather bureau
officials.
l amps. Quit Work.
I.egg it),; camps on the eastern shore
of Puget sound and in western Ore
gon generally suspended operations
on account of the snow, while at
Whatcom. Wash . the high school had
to be closed on account of cold
weather, as were all the schools at
Missoula. Mont.
A l^rge part of Tacoma s industrial
district was without power the groat
er part of yesterday, as the rv'sult of
two transmission lines breaking in
Sunday s gale, and another power
shortage was threatened last night
when water in the river where the
municipal hydroelectric pov, r plant
Is sitimtial, began to fall own a. to the
cold At Seattle, a small freight
steamer sank at its dock.
Inaugural
Resolution
Is Adopted
Senate Approves Norris Con*
stitutional Amendment to
Eliminate Old Congress
After New Elected.
House Must Sanction
By GEORGE F. AITHIER.
Wash log ion f orrespomlent The Omaha IW.
Washington? Heb. 13.—(Special.)—
Senator Norris scored a victory as
complete as it was surprising today,
when the senate adopted hjs resolu
tion proposing a constitutional
amendment advancing the terms of
office of men elected in November, so
they would commence serving the
January following. This applies to
president and vice president and
would shorten the term of the presi
dent holding office when the change
should go into effect.
The honor of the victory is shared
between Senator Norris and the pro
gressive bloc, which adopted this the
ory of election results as one of the
articles of their faith. However, it
was due to the shrewd and persistent
management of the proposal that the
senate acted upon it so overwhelm
ingly.
C ame From Farm Committee.
Strangely enough, the proposed con
stitutional amendment did not come
from the judiciary committee. When
it was referred to the committee on
agriculture, it was supposed this
would end the matter and the refer
ence was regarded as something of a
joke.
Senator Norris is a member of both
committees but is chairman of the
committee on agriculture. He quietly
announced the senate would see that
the farmers would prove pretty goof.
lawyers.
The outlook tor favorable action on
the resolution in the house is good,
although the legislation may be
caught In the jam of the closing
weeks.
When the Norris resolution was
first proposed, it was made known
at the White House the president did
not look with favor upon It. He be
lieved. it was made known, that the
founding fathers had wisely provided
for an extended hiatus between elec
tions and induction into office so mis
takes made at the polls could be
rectified by time.
Vote Sixty-Three to Six.
Washington, Feb. IS.—Tne Norris
amendment to the federal constitution
eliminating the present session of an
old congress after election of a new
congress and changing the date of
inauguration of president from March
4 to the thtrd Monday in January was
approved by the senate.
The resolution embodying the
amendment was adopted after a brief
debate and by a vote of S3 to S. It
now goes to the bouse with approval
there before adjournment of congress
regarded as problematical.
The arrangement was made after
further White House conferences be
tween President Harding, Senator
I»dge of MassachtiseUs, the majority
floor leader, and Senator Watson, re«
publican. Indiana.
Day’s Activities
in Washington
Announcement was made that
President Hardin*'would call another
conference of state governors for dis
cussion of prohibition enforcement.
living aside the administration
shipping bill, the senate took up the
British debt settlement.
Secretary Weeks assigned CV>1. J. A.
Hull to arrange for disposal of gov
ernment war contracts involving more
than 1^0.000 cases.
By a 6 to 5 \ ,ue the senate judiciary
committee rejected a motion to defej
action on a proposed constitution*
amendment regulating child labor.
Favorable report of the house bill
propes.ng combi ation of the diplo
matie and consular services «u
ordered by the senate foreign relations
committee.
It was indicated at the White House
that President Harding would recom
mend appropriation of sufficient funds
10 conduct a searching inquiry into
world production of crude rubber.
Hearing* were begun bv the hou»*
foreign affairs committee on the
Porter resolution requesting the
president to negotiate with other ns
Uons for curtailment of narcotic drug
production. Secretary Hughes in a
letter expressed lit* accord with the
object in xiew. .
Opposed bv both republican and
democratic floor leader*, the migra
tory bird l.U. which proposed es
tablishment of public hunting grout' is
and game refuges and federal licen
sing of hunters, was killed by the
house, S3 to SO,
President Harding was said to ha'o
approved a governmental reorganisa
tion plan. Including among other
changes the consolidation of the t\ar
and Navy departments. The plan i*
to be sent to the Joint congressional
committee having the natter in
charge for a basis of study.
The Weather
Forecast.
" edlicsdav fair and continued cold.
Houriy I i'm|M'ral mix's
Os™ r* i r ™ t*
* ■ •»> tJ t r ™ is
1 ■ »> re s e n> n
* » ™ i< i e m . i;
* s m< 11 \ r ™ i«
i* •- ™ is * p ™ ... I'.
11 ii t e mi .u
M aws 13 « e- ™. 13