Capital Comment

Backstage of all the excitement and humor surrounding the congressional investigation into statements by Dr. William A. Wirt, Gary, Indiana, educator, that a “plot” is afoot to overthrow the existing form of government, is an attempt to discover just what motivated the brain storm on the “brain trust.”

Already several members of Congress have been digging out the records and presumably on the basis of what they have found, are just beginning to make charges against the Hoosier doctor Representative George E. Foulkes of Michigan, links Dr. Wirt with a movement in this country to “set up a Nazi dictatorship.” He charges that a “conspiracy exists to check the present progressive tendencies in government” and that this conspiracy is designed to “sweep the country into a plutocratic dictatorship.”

Representative Foulkes has his suspicions that there is more to be learned about the Hoosier educator. With this in mind, he expects to have Dr. Wirt called before Representative McCormack’s Nazi propaganda investigating committee to answer some questions.

Charges that Dr. Wirt was engaged in pro-German activities during the war, made in the House by Representative Bulwinkle of North Carolina, chairman of the Wirt investigating committee, which were denied by former Senator James A. Reed, Wirt’s attorney, are being investigated further by certain House members.

Representative Adolph Sabath of Illinois, who recently forgot how to adjourn the House while acting as presiding officer, had good reason for being in a forgetful state of mind. The inside story is that Representative Sabath was thinking about the oncoming primary elections in which he faced the stiffest fight in the twenty-eight years he has been in Congress. He was scheduled to leave for Chicago that evening. While presiding over the House, the representative from Illinois could not get his mind off his contemplated trip and the job that was ahead of him.

Now that the primaries are over in Illinois, Representative Sabath is more at ease. He was the victor over two opponents.

There is one person on Capitol Hill who will not accept for himself the pay restoration under the provisions of the Independent Offices Supply Bill, recently passed by Congress over President Roosevelt’s veto. His name is Representative Herman P. Koppleman of Connecticut.

Under the pay cut restoration, Representative Koppleman’s salary will be increased by about $1,000 a year. In voting to override the President’s veto, Representative Koppleman did not want to increase his own salary, but he did want to give more money to veterans with presumptive cases and to low paid government workers who, he felt, were really in need of the increase.

“When the bill was up for consideration,” Representative Koppleman said, “I voted for the Borah amendment which would have prohibited any restoration in salaries over $6,000. But that amendment was defeated and the bill in its final form restored ten percent of the Government pay.

“I was faced with the alternative of not supporting the whole bill or of voting for the measure and thereby voting myself an increase. Because I wanted to boost pay to presumptive veterans and government workers, I voted for the bill. Because I want to correct the situation with respect to my own increased salary, I have decided to give the restored amount to philanthropic organizations interested mainly in unemployment relief, located chiefly ## my own district.”

In accordance with his stand, Representative Koppleman turned over the restored portion of his salary for February to the Hartford, Connecticut, Community Chest. The restored pay cut for the month of March went to the New Britain. Connecticut, Community Chest.