The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, March 12, 1929, Page 10

. houses. THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE By RODNEY DUTCHER (NEA Service Writer) Washington, March 12.—This is the ime of year to bemoan the passage of the good old days when there were statesmen in Congress. This is the time to gaze sadly at retreating fig- ures without whom the Senate or the House will “never be the same again.” It may be thought that the sobbing anent the dying gasps of a Congress, with its inevitable crop of men tired voluntarily or involunt somewhat overdone; that, after all Congress will muddle along, about as usual and that one senator probably is as good as another. But it never looks that way to the folk in the galleries, especially those of the press gallery, who spend most of their time gossiping or writing in the room behind and only pile into the gallery itself when an important vote is about to be taken er when some speaker of indubitable oratorical ability and with something to say has the floor during debate on an import- ant subject. * * * In the last four years the Senate has lost most of its commanding figures and all parties, with none quite big enough to fill their shoes, have suffered. And it is very easy t believe the plaints of the old-time here that the quality of the members has_ cheapened, even though predecessors were often crooked in more spectacular ways and frequently appeared on the floor in a condition sometimes called pie-eved It is interesting to note that the so-called decay of Congress, coming at a time when the nation is more than ever in need of able patiament- ary leadership, coincides with the vir- tual obliteration of party lines in both The only important differ- ence between Republicans and Dem- ocrats today, of course, is that the Republicans are getting the gravy. There are no vital party principles requiring brilliant leaders to expound + them and fight for them and as there is a sad paucity of the aforesaid bril- liant leaders it may be that the cause and effect relation has been at work one way or the other. * * * The progressives came through the November election unscathed, but they have produced no leader to » Match the elder Senator Robert M. La Follette. For all the esteem in which Norris of Nebraska is held, and | for all his great gifts which almost f tended \ when” match his sincerity and integrity, Norris hasn't the will or the ability to lead the progressives to the im- portant position which they would their | | probably occupy had La Follette lived. Nor does this important political ele- ment appear to be developing anyone worth writing home about. The so- cialists, meanwhile, have lost their anly member of congress, Victor Ber- per, e ‘That leaves the two major parties, j which are dissimilar only in name. The first thing one thinks of is that the Democrats are losing Reed while the Republicans still have Borah. They both happen to be individualists. But while we're speaking of losses, jlet’s stick to Reed. His departure, |Xlespite all his faults, is considered a great loss. And a loss to the senate | rather than to the Democ! As a Democrat, Reed uable to his y when he was at- tacking his p. . He made his first big leap into the national limelight attacking Wilson and the League of Nations. Lately he has been the most brilliant and effective of the sena- torial wets, whereas a large majority !of the Democratic senators are quite dry. Nevertheless, Reed has been one of: the Senate's two great orators; many would rather héar him than Borah. His passing m a sad slump in the general average senatorial eloquence. * OR OK ‘The Democrats are left more lead- jerless then ever. In that spect their plight is simply too bad. ‘There are two or three fairly good speakers | left. who enjoy ising to razz the Re- publicans on any and all occasions, but their vocal effor are hardly important. Senator Walsh of Mon- only val- | tana hasn't been able to fill the re- quirements of leadership at. all. ‘The regular Republicans are not much better off, but a strong ma- jority party doesn’t look quite so sick under such circumstances. It can afford to make a Jim Watson its Sen- ate floor leader and to leave the House in charge of a good fellow such as Nick Longworth. And, anyway, the Republicans have one or two fairly able men beside Borah—George Moses and David A. Reed, for in- stance. But Hiram Johnson appears to have gone to seed and just as the Demo- crats have lost statesmen such as Oscar Underwood and John Sharpe Williams the Republicans have non- entities in the Senate in place of Henry Cabot Lodge, Medill McCor- mick and Brandegee of Connecticut. The gencral level of members of Congress may be nothing to be ashamed of, but the American poli- tical system's failure to produce statesmen, in the best sense of that Word. is painfully apparent. “T'll do anything I can to help you get back to your husband, but I'm not going to pretend to be in sympathy with the insanely foolish conduct. which has got you into this jam,” Faith retorted firmly. “Now tell me what happened and quit beating about the bush.” Cherry was surprisingly meek. “I'm trying to tell you,” she mourned, “and you keep poking fun at me... . Well, I took Alan into the sun parlor to see that portrait that George Pruitt painted of you with Hope in your arms, and I—I told him all about you and George—how he'd been des- perately in love with you—” “Oh, Cherry! How could Faith groaned. “Stop ‘Oh, Cherry-ing’ me!” her sister commanded indignantly. “You told me to tell you exactly what hap- pened, didn’t you? ... Well, when we went in I'd slammed the door, but then I'd opened it a tiny crack, though Alan didn’t know it, and by listening hard I could hear what went on in the living room. When I heard Nils say he'd come after me because you needed. me to serve the refresh- ments, I—I let Alan take me in his arms and kiss me. So that’s what Nils saw.” “And did Nils stand by and watch him with pleasure?” asked Faith. “Oh, you are mean,” Cherry said, beating her hands together furious! “But I can tell you I'd rather he’ you?” » spanked me than do what he did! a 2 IN NEW YORK i New York, March 12.—Items from our own “Who's Who”... . Anne Nichols, of “‘Abie’s Irish Rose” fame, keeps a private mail chute in her Ambassador suite. ... Maude Adams, although the most mysterious celeb- rity on record, has never ceased send- ing a weekly note to the colored office ) ° x boy in the Frohman offices who at- to her errands in the “days +++ The bell used by David Belasco in summoning his secretaries ‘gach was once the froperty of “well-known American, George . . . - George M. Cohan ys ,one act at a time, the first act into He—he said—just as if I were a mere acquaintance, ‘Oh, pardon me! I should have knocked, and he—he grinned! Not mad or sarcastic or any- thing, but just amused! I could have scratched his eyes out! As if he didn't t mind my flirting with a good- looking man like Alan Beardsley!” Her topaz eyes blazed. “That must have been a very un- Pleasant surprise!” Faith commented gravely, but her lips twitched. “And what did Alan do?” “He acted a perfect beast, too!” Cherry assured her furiously. “He grinned, too, and said, ‘Glad you came in, Jonson. I'm afraid I was about to make a fool of myself by begging Cherry to run away with me.’ Just as casually as if he were discussing the weather! And Nils said: ‘Then I gather that you don't really want to run away with my wife?’ I was so dazed I didn't even slap him, the cad! And what do you think he said?” “I gasp with suspense,” Faith as- sured her, laughing unrestrainedly. “He had the nerve to spoil my whole scheme by saying to Nils! ‘God forbid! She's entirely too much in love with her husband. But I can assure you that her desire to make you jealous would not have carried her to any such lengths.’ Imagine it!” Cherry cried, quivering with rage. “Sneaking out of a well-deserved beating like that!” NEXT: A married flirt’s psychology. (Copyright, 1929, NEA Service, Inc.) the “black belt” have been objecting that only the more lurid and question- able phases of life in their district have heen dramatized, and fear that this may give an erroenous impres- sion of Harlem. Doubtless, the “rent Parties” are no more indiscriminate or loose moraled than the apartment. Parties in the uptown district. To the average white spectator, however, they have the appeal of the bizarre and unusual, xk * This drama, by the way, deals also with one of the most profitable and well organized “rackets” to be found on the entire island of Manhattan. It is the “number racket,” as it is called on the other side of 125th street. It is a giant lottery, played by tens of thousands of negroes and the winners are selected according to | the last four figures in the day's stock report. The gangs or mobs engaged in this gamble are a sort of mild variation on the more murderous beer mobs of Chicago. “High-jacking” crews h for collectors and “stick them up” for their collections; rival chiefs of the lottery concerns stage feuds for contro) of “the racket” and a heavy winner sometimes has trouble collecting his ‘winnings—if he does collect, he is tike- Jy to encour.ter dice sharks or other slick manipulators before money Pettitte $0 warm in hie. pockets TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1929 peperemrt Sh ERR THE GUMPS—THE VULTURE ’ _ ke crt GEE-A STORM Bf Loo“s ALTOSETHER DIFFERENT UP IN TAN SKY TRAN WHEN, YouRE ON THE * GROUND «+++ ITS GETTING BLACKER = DO You THIN, WERE SAFE, UNCLE /, Wagry ? = CAN SNELL SONE- ANDY, SO WE AQE THING TAT SMELLS SAFE AS IF WE WERE LOCKED “INA SAFETY DEPOSIT BOx IN ALMOST Down On WS GROUND! OW POP, LooK Quick! THE KITTENS CAN DRINK MILK ALL Br TWeMSELVES / GO AWAY YOU DOG. PoP! POP! THE NEw NEIGHBORS DOG 1S CHASING THs KITTIES — PoPl, | SALESMAN SAM : HERES @ HOT ONE, EveRS! @ BASE- \(CEG PARDON, BUT I'M @ BALL BALL MISFIT NAMED HOWDY “TRIED TO |/PLAXER AN’ U'D LIKE TA JOIN LANO WITH MY “Team, AND { CHASED |/"TH' Boston OUTRIT—ARE You HIM—NOW HE'S HERE TO HOOK UP WITH] |“TH’ GUY, I'1 SUPPOSED TATALK THe Graves! WP THANKS. FER TH’ Tie, WauTr— Peanuts—Fresh, Roast’ Peanuts! ST WELL, FER Gost sakes! This SOON'S “TH’ SEASON OPENS IS WHAT) CALL Luck! Oon'T Ya REMEMBER |] UP SOS Ya can SELL PEANUTS ME? Wey, | USED TA SELL PEANUTS IN TH’ Sen eek ete BACK IN THE OLD OAS - MOL RIT A hw NES BALL PARK! BRe PARK = ste . P VIEL, SOMA EVERS, ASSISTANT MaNaAcer ! dips” and ‘gimmick workers”—which means pickpockets and mani of all sorts of crooked games. Pend e GILBERT SWAN. (Copyright, 1929, NEA Service, Inc.) ° f NEWS BRIEFS