Not A Broken Reed

Not A Broken Reed By Hugh J. Cannon D' O you possess enough of the exuberance of youth to be thrilled by a closely contested race? To see a group of young athletes com- ing into the final stretch, straining every nerve and muscle of highly trained bodies, is something to make one's blood tingle. That, however, is not the only form of achievement which arouses admiration. No doubt some of the athletes whose prowess has re- cently been commended in the Era could rather easily outrun, outjump or outswim the young man whose picture adorns this article. Reed E. Vetterli, nevertheless, has a record of which any man might well be proud. He comes from a modest, hard-working family and is one of eight children. For many years his father, John Vetterli, was bishop of Emigration ward and is now a member of the high council of Liberty stake. Reed was born in Salt Lake City, August 20, 1903, and is therefore not yet twenty-six years old. He has the distinction of having gone through the grades and high school without having once been absent or tardy. That in itself is so unusual as to deserve special mention. He graduated at the age of fifteen years. While in high school he became actively engaged in scouting and rose from a Tenderfoot to an Eagle Scout, the second in Utah to attain that rank, and was chosen as one of the two boys to represent Utah in the great international jamboree held in London, England, in the summer of 1920. Naturally such a lad would not be satisfied to stop with a high school education. He secured employment in the Z. C. M. I. overall factory at $40 a month, and in a year had saved enough to take him to Washington, where he entered the George Washington Reed E. Vetterli

My, 1929 NOT A BROKEN REED 731 University law school. It is a creditable fact that while attending this institution he earned enough for his expenses, and at the same lime made so satisfactory a record that he became president of the graduating class. He took his degree at the age of twenty years, and during his last year at school was president of the Utah Legal Club. Young Vetterli successfully passed the examination for ad- mittance to practice law in Utah, but shortly thereafter returned to Washington, where he entered the employ of the alien property custodian as an attorney. At the age of twenty-two, we find him engaged as agent with the Bureau of Investigation of the Department of Justice, though the usual requirements are that a man to hold this position must be twenty-five years old besides being a graduate of an approved law school. His duty was to collect evidence in ali cases in which the United States was or might have been a party. He was assigned first to Omaha, Nebraska, and subsequently to Nor- folk, Virginia. After being in the service but little more than a year, he was put in charge of the Norfolk office and in this capacity directed a corps of men operating throughout Virginia and North Carolina. Subsequently the office at Norfolk was abandoned and a new one set up at Charlotte, North Carolina, with young Vetterli in charge. Little time elapsed until he was again promoted, this time placed in charge of the St. Louis office, from which point he directed the work of the department in practically all of Illinois and half of Missouri. It is interesting to note that Reed was the youngest man to hold a position of this kind in the history of the government service. In the fall of 1928, all of the thirty agents in charge of offices working along the same line as this young man were unexpectedly called to Washington and put through a severe written examination. In this test Vetterli received a mark of 98.7, the highest given in the examination, though he was the youngest man. This brought upon him additional responsibilities. That the government is willing to pay for ability is indicated by the following, which shows the amount at which this young man started and the increased compensation which has come to him: Entrance salary June 12, 1926, $2,700 per year. Increased October 1, 1926, to 2.800 per year. Increased April 1, 1927. to 3,000 per year. Increased October 1, 1927, to 3.300 per year. Increased November 1, 1927, to 3,500 per year. Increased February 1, 1928, to 3,800 per year. Increased March 1, 1928, to 4,000 per year. Increased July 1, 1928. to 4,600 per year.

1M IMPROVEMENT ERA July. 1929 Increased December 1, 1928, to 4,800 per year. Increased February 1, 1929, to 5,000 per year. Incidentally, word has come that at least one more increase of salary has been given him, but that has not been verified. Reed is a modest young chap and does not talk readily about his achievements. However, he does attribute his success to the early training which he received in a "Mormon" home. To quote his own words: "There I was taught the principles of righteousness and to give thanks to the Giver of all good for health and strength and all the blessings of life. The experiences of the last few years have taught me to value more dearly the precious principles of truth, honesty and virtue. Every day of my life my testimony of the divinity of 'Mormonism' is becoming stronger, and I am proud and happy that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints." Reed's father reports that he is a full tithe-payer, a strict ob- server of the Word of Wisdom and is married to a good "Mormon" girl. To quote young Vetterli again: "What is accomplished by going to an Eastern school? Per- sonally I went East because I was able to work my way through there, while I did not see such an opportunity in Salt Lake. A young man is broadened in one sense of the word by being away from home and in a different atmosphere. However, I can see no other advantages of schooling in the East. If one is willing to work, results will come as well in Salt Lake as in Washington." Senator Smoot Speaks in U. S. Senate Against Cigarette Advertising On June 10, in the Senate, Reed Smoot raised his voice in protest against the pernicious advertising of cigarettes on billboards, and offered a resolution to amend the pure drug and foods act. He argued that the department of agri- culture should exercise the same control over false and deceptive statements made through advertisements that it now. exerts in preventing the use of false and deceptive statements made on containers or labels. Senator Smoot quoted the president of the American Tobacco company as having stated there was no basis for any assertion that the company desired to create a child market for the cigarette, and concluded with the words: "What is to be said for such a statement, when at this very moment the American Tobacco company dares to flaunt on the billboards of the nation posters showing an adolescent girl smoking cigarettes?"