Labor of Love

Gone but not forgotten nor forgettable is the 68th Congress of the U. S. It will reassemble in December, but even during its recess its multiple labors go on. One of these labors is investigation.

There was a special Committee of the Senate to investigate the Internal Revenue Bureau. This committee functioned last Spring. It employed a special investigator, the San Francisco lawyer Francis J. Heney, whose salary was paid by Senator Couzens of Michigan. This act brought down upon the

Senate the wrath of the President, who pointed out that it was against the law for anyone to serve the Government who was not in its pay (TIME, Apr. 21). With the adjournment of Congress in June, the Committee also adjourned. Senator Couzens, its moving spirit, was ill at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. But the Senate gave the Committee power to employ such counsel and assistance as it deemed necessary during the recess.

Now Senator Couzens is recovered, reanimated with the lust of life and investigation. Mr. Couzens and the two Democratic members of the Com- mittee, Senators King of Utah and Jones of New Mexico, were eager to reopen the inquiry.

The three met with Senator Watson at his request. He asked whether they wanted to renew the investigations. They answered "Yes." Since they were a majority of the Committee, they were entitled to enforce their demand.

Mr. Watson, who is Chairman of their Committee, frowned. He said he believed that the country was tired of investigations. He asserted his belief that no further good could come of this one. He intimated that if they were going to insist on hearings he would resign as Chairman. The majority bowed and said that in that case Mr. Couzens would be made Chairman.

Within 34 hours, Senator Watson made good his threat to resign as Chairman and Senator Couzens was elected in his place.

Mr. Couzens, as the new Chairman, then announced that the Committee would adjourn until Sept. 2, when it would meet to conduct hearings on the conduct of the income tax and prohibition enforcement business of the Treasury.