Evening Star Newspaper, April 15, 1923, Page 46

- ~ THE EVENING STAR, With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY ..April 15, 1923 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Offie hicago Office: Tower Buildiny Office: 16 Regent St., London, Evening Star, with the Sunday morning ., 18 dellvered by carriers within the cl nts per month; daily only, 45 cents per Sunday only. 20 cents per month. Or- a7 bo sent by mail or telephone Main . Collectlon 15 made by carriers at the end of each mont Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunda; Daily only. Sunday only. All Other State: Daily and Sunday.1 $10.00: 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only... 1 $7.00; 1 mo., 60c t ci 5 European 1gland. The it Sunday on Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of atches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and alfo the local mews pub- lished herein. ~All rights of publication of cial dispatches hereln are also resarved. Back to the Cities. An ominous showing is the state- ment issued by the Department of Agriculture that there was a decrease during 1922 of approximately 460,000 persons In the agricultural population <« of the United States. It assuredly * bodes ill in its relation to increased " cost of living and to congested condi- tions In the cities, as well as to the ¢ housing question. A survey was made by the depart- ment of 10,000 representative farms and groups of farms, and the estimate included not merely the workers but men, women and children. Altogether about 2,000,000 persons left the farms and went into the towns and cities, while 860,000 abandoned rural for ur- ban residence. The movement away from the farm was greatest on. the * Pacific coast. Births on the farms were greater in number than deaths, + serving to reduce the net loss in the agricultural population to the total of 460,000. The births were 923,000 and deaths 265,000, Naturally the greatest menace in this condition is its effect upon pro- duction of the necessaries of life, with the consequent result of increasing prices through scareity. But it is not to be overlooked that the addition of the incoming rural element Into towns 7, and cities already taxed to the utmost to accommodate their citizens with homes must of necessity add to the discomfort of the residents, which the * mewcomers must share. An interesting sidelight on the situ- - ation is the suggestion of the Italian ambassador that y is prepared tc supply a part of the deficiency in farm " labor by sending car %, emigrants to the United States. Italian tmmigration is now limited to 40,000 a year, but it is said that more than 300,000 would be glad to come if the law were changed. Other countries, no doubt, would be ! glad to have their quota enlarged, and ' stand ready to send families here who . would be wiling to start on the farm, even if they did not stay there. *‘Back to the farm” appears not to be a win- ning slogan, and we may vet have to +.0 €y, “Come over and farm for us.” xs The Visiting Nurses. Demands are increasing on the Visiting Nurses’ Society, and the good this organization is dolng is generally known throughout the city. The latest report shows that 1,690 patients were given help in Washington in Merch and that 5,211 visits were made “as by the staff of twenty-six nurses. This ~ 18 an Jncrease over the figures for February and January, and month by month the work of the society grows larger. It has been said that “these « murses are valuable instruments of - = service not only for the homes they enter, but quite obviously, because of their trained vigilance, for the entire community. They should be endowed as hospital beds and hospital wings * are endowed, for the city is their hos- . pital. Salaries should be freely given, _and on & much larger scale than at “present.”” That is true. The last ap- “peal which the Visiting Nurses' So- ciety made to the people of Washing- ton was in April, 1921, when it asked for $50,000. The people gave it prompt- ly. Because of growing demands on it the society egain makes an appeal to ., the public. It needs $100,000, which will maintain it for the next two years, '’ enable it to pay fairer salaries to the graduate nurses now working at a sacrifice, permit it to employ more ‘.-nurses and keep pace with the calls ihat are made upon the society. At the end of two years it is believed that —..& community chest may assume re. . sponsibility for the health and social work of Washington. People should * respond cordially to the eppeal of the soclety. It is doing a valuable ang necessary work undertaken by no other agency, and it ought to be supported. ——— Benator Borah is willing to equip a world court with some of the teeth he Insisted upon drawing from the league of nations. ——— As an inducement to bring political ~ conventions to Washington it might - be arranged to show presidential as. ~" pirants through the White House. N L] 0ld Rowing Days. The regatta which is to be one of Shrine week's features should have 7 the effect of restoring rowing to popu- ;" larity on the Potomac river. For -g: Years it was & sport which called »' forth the best in thousands of our 2" young men. Rowing is not a lost art, ‘but youth has turned to other things, -‘.=gome of them less admirable and none >\ of them calling for more strength and ~-stamina. A good many years ago we bad three clubs which were known I wherever men talked of the art of rowing. These were the Potomac, the vy, Analostan end the Columbla. The Potomac was the senior club. It was organized in 1867. Its crews won ;% cups, medals end banners on more American rivers than -the ordinary reader can name. From 1883 to 1888, *.inclusive, it sent out a “four” which 1e -Was probably the most famous in the ‘" cast snd soutl That great crew were - - i H. W. Elmore, A. J. Robinson, E. R. Reynolds and I. 8. Dyer. The Poto- jent forth a conquering ‘eight,” they being Dyer, Reynolds, Rapinson, Elmore, Mindeleff, Norton, Oertel and Offiey, with Doyle as cox- swain, and the oarsmen held in re- serve as substitutes on this ‘“eigh! were Lingresn, Alpin, Warden and Wirt. Five of the original members of the club who were distinguished carsmen were Ned Derrick, Frank Jones, E. L. McElod, G. J. Johnson and Cropley. The Analostan Club was organized in 1868, and in the 80s this club had one of the famous “fours” of America —Stearns, Chandler, Leeke and Fisch- er. The latter, Louls A. Fischer, was also captain of the club. Among its notable oarsmen were Perry, Howard, Fugitt, Ross, Moore, Longstreet, Mills, North, Vaughn, Strong, Long, Tay- lor, McCoy, Smith, Carmen, Prentiss, Forbert and Whiting. The Columbia Boat Club grew out of the Columbia Athletic. Club, and in the 80s it had a noteworthy *four”— O'Leary, Moore, Kenyon and Miller. Some of the carsmen in the old Co- lumbia club whose fame was local, or more than local, were Baker, Mann, Adam Johnson, McGowan, Blount, Dewdney, Frank Johnson, Eaton, Tal- mage, Welsh, Purmin, Clark, O'Neil, Corbin, Hough, Mike Hekox, McDon- ald, Lewis McGee, Von Mater, Mathews and Willlam A, Smith. With the great river and with Po- tomac Park and the bridges as grand- stands rowing ought to take hold here again. Capital Improvement. 1t will be a big achievement to have a satisfactory Botanic Garden. and at the same time improve a large sec- tion of the city. The historic garden is now out of place at its site between 1st and 3d streets and Pennsylvania and Maryland avenues. Setting the Grant memorial within it doomed it as a garden, and it is to be the site of | other monuments. For more than twenty-five years we have hed pro- posals to extend the garden westward in the Mall, for_its removal to Rock Creek Park or Potomac Park, and it was advocated that the present site be abandoned and a truly national botanic garden established on a large tract of land offering a variety of soils between the Washington-Balti- more boulevard and the Eastern branch. Each project came to naught. There was insufficient interest in one to press it to conclusion and enough opposition to another to defeat it. In favor of the latest plan are counted the Commission of Fine Arts, the Sen- ate library committee, the Engineer Commissioner’s office of the District, the architect of the Capitol and the director of the Botanic Garden. It such support. It is said that much of lies in public reservations in South ‘Washington, west and east of the line of South Capitol street. Much of this land is in a part of the city not so well developed as other parts, and its conversion to the purpose of the gar- den will improve sections of the city between the Capitol end the Eastern branch. Part of the project looks to the improvement of the Capitol grounds, so that Capitol Gardens, as they are called in the plan, will reach from Union Station plaza on the north to E street on the south. The removal of the Botanic Garden from its present site will bring the Mall to the foot of Capitol Hill, and this may help to put life in the project which has been pending at least half a cen- tury to extend the Mall to Pennsyl- vania avenue between 3d and 15th streets, as provided for in the plan of the Federal city. Georgetown University. People of the National Capital are responding to the call that they con- tribute their share to the fund which Georgetown University is raising that it may enlarge its activities. It is ex- pected that $5,000,000 will be raised, and the quota of the District is set at 5 per cent of that sum. The returns are coming in satisfactorily, but there should be no letup in the flow of money. In the 135 years since the be- ginning of Georgetown University it has never before sent forth a public call for funds. That its alumni, de- scendants of alumni and other friends of the venerable and active institution are rallying to its call there can be no doubt. The gray stone buildings on the heights above the Potomac have been'a landmark for many years, and the red brick buildings have been & landmark for more years than the oldest inhabitant of Georgetown or ‘Washington can count. Georgetown University, or, as the elder people of the District still call it, Georgetown College, goes back to the beginning of things in the Potomac valley. It ‘was founded by John Carroll, priest, bishop and archbishop, who was born at Upper Marlboro, in Prince Georges county, end for years lived with his mother near Forest Glen, in Mont- gomery. There he built a little church ‘where people still pray. Father Car- roll had long thought of establishing a Catholic institution of higher learning in this part of the world. It is said that Alexander Doyle, who designed Trinity Catholic Church in George- town, called Father Carroll’s attention to the splendor of the site now occu- pled by the university. The first struc- ture of the college, or academy, as it was then called, was begun in 1788. Georgetown University holds an- af- fectionate place in the hearts of a large number of our people., Its stu- dents have come from all parts of our country, but the District and Mary- land have always been largely and ably represented In its study halls. ———— Experience of the trail-blazers in the Everglades demonstrates that ad- venture still. may be found close af home. ———— New Buildings. The Public Buildings Commission will recommend to Congress the adoption of a building program in ‘Washington which calls for the ex- penditure of about $15,000,000. The commission has made & survey of the, government’'s housing situation in the capital, and in the interest of ef- ficiency and economy will urge that buildings be constructed for the in- ternal revenue bureau and the De- selected | the 1and to be used for the new garden | | | ¢ + THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C,; partment of Justice, and that there be a national archives building angd a &eneral accounting office bullding. The question has been gone over many times. The need for these bulldings is widely known, &nd their constfuction has been repeatedly recommended. It 18 belisved that with the next Con- gress the report of the Public Build- ings Commission, together with the generally admitted need for the buildings, will have weight enough to secure affirmative action. Charities Indorsement Committee, ‘Washington is fortunate above many other cities in having protec- tion against organizations claiming to, be charitable in their aims, but whose principal aim is pelf. Washington has an organization under the title of the charitles indorsement committee which investigates charity societies and in- stitutions, and indorsement by the com- mittee I8 notice to the public that a gift to any one of the organizatfons will not be misplaced, and that it will not be wrongfully ueed. This commit- tee is comprised of representatives of the Board of Trade, Chamber of Com- merce, Merchants and Manufacturers’ Association, Federation of Citizens’ As- sociations and those important clubs which concern themselves with civic and welfare iInterests, such as the Women's Clity Club, the City Club, the Rotary, Kiwanis, Twentieth Century, Lions’, Cosmopolitan, Civitan and Optimists. In a recent report the com- mittee gives*its ind6rsement to seven- ty-four local charity and welfare or- ganizations, and their names are spread upon the record and given the widest possible publicity. The Star co-operates in every way it can, and the Chesapeake and Potomac Tels phone Company prints in its telephone directory the list of organizations ap- proved by the indorsement committee under the heading ‘‘Charitable Institu. tions and Organizations.” ———— Meridian Hill Park. The making of Meridian Hill Park goes slow. Some persons might write the adverb “slowly,” but the traffic signs say “slow” and “slo.”” At any rate, the development of Meridian Hill Park does not proceed fastly. After subtracting maintenance cost little of the current appropriation of $25,000 will be left for new work. Col. Sher- rill says so, and he also says that it will be fifty years before Meridian Hill is transformed into a fine park unless Congress speeds up money for the work. Part of Meridian Hill has taken on a park look, but many of the walks and gardens and the magnificent wa- terfall which are in the plans are still only in the plans. Washington would like to see the park finished, that it 'may emter upon its useful mis- o | must be an excellent proposal to have | sion to the public. —_———e————— If it is true that Einstein’s theory of relativity bas come to stay, as Prof. Michelsom of Chicago University asserts, i9 it not about time that some one promulgates a theory as to what Einstein’s theory is? An average wage increase of about 11 per cent f& announced for all ‘workers in the packing industry. But unless they haven changed the aroma of the stockyards the per scentage still seems low. ‘Every one knows that Sam Gompers is a twofisted man. And it is well, for almost daily he is impelled to shake one at capital and the other at radicalism. ‘With aviators flying four miles a minute and jazz artists dancing fifty- two hours stralght away, records last these days bardly long enough to get recorded. Members of the British houss of commons, having been in continuous session twenty-one hours, now know what March 4 in Washington is like. A recent statistical estimate places America’s candy bill at $1,000,000,000 a year. And that was before the sugar profiteers got busy! SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The April Call. From Long-ago Land comes a silvery strain As the wind drifts through April with languorous sigh, And the flash of the prisms set loose by the rain Re-echoes the radiance dropped from the sky. The cares of the hour seem to melt into mist, And friends come to greet us on every hand, ‘When the Ring of the Rainbow by April is kissed And we drift in enchantment to Long-ago Land. the vagabond Robin whose piping has lured Our childhood eway as he came year by year. And yonder's fair Flow'ret relentlesaly mured By a rampart of rocks, with & rivu. let clear For a moat. Thus Brown Beetle is foiled—armored churl! But Sir Butterfly soon with his trap. pings so grand On elfin-wrought wings will descend with a whirl .And make love to the Princess of Long-ago Land. There’s the shrill from the pond where the frogs hold debate. There's veiling of green o'er the arches on high, A curtain whose folds hide a mystery great, Whence blossoms profuse shall spring forth by and by. The world with {ts toiling is never in There' So long es each year we can hear the command H That the fairy month breathes through | of the sun and the rain, To bring us ewhile into Lonfago Land. Less Interesting. It all the people told the truth, As through this world they walk, ‘We would be better, but, in sooth, _ ¢ 'We'd miss some sprightly talk, APRIL 15, 1923—-PART 2. Merchant Marine Problem Like | Capital Sidelights Man Holding a Hot Potato BY THOMAS R. MARSHALL. Former Vice President of the United States. HE sorriest page in the history of American economics is that page uypon which is written the legislative will with ref- erence to the American merchant marine —and I write this without criticlsm of legislators or of the aims that actuated them. Our efforts to build up a merchant marine failed until the world war came on with its cry for “ships and ships and still more ship Now we have a magnificent fleet which we cannot dispose of to advantage to the nation nor maintain without a great annual To " The government of the United States in relation to its merchant vessels is not unlike & hungry man holding a hot potato, who desires to tisfy his hunger and bulld up his strength but is inclined to drop the food in order not to burn his fingers. The government feels that the splen dia fleet produced in war time rhust be preserved as a most desirable, y 2 necessary, adjunct to the America; navy in the event of a future war, for it is axiomatic that a navy, how- ever strong it may be in dread- naughts, battleships, cruisers, sub- chasers and auxillary craft, is handi- capped unless it shall have a power- ful merchant marine to be pressed into service when war is declared. The fleet is most desirable and neces- sary to transport our products in peace and to back up our navy in war, but the cost of operation is =0 great’ as to make the government doubtful of its ability to stand the losses. Thus the question, “What shall we do with our merchant ma- rine?” has become almost paramount in importance. * * *x Many causes contributed to the driving from the seas of such a mer- chant marine as the United States previously controlled. For one thing, iboth business and government real- 1zed too late that the clipper-built ships of New England could not com- pete with the steel-constructed, steam-driven vessels of uniform size that British shipyards were produc- ing. Then the coastwise monopoly lent aid and asaistance to banishing our ships from the seas of the world. Finally, the La Folletts act made American shipping next to impossible. The world laughs at America because of its moneymaking instinct, but it was America’s spirit of humanitarian- ism that brought about enactment of the La Follette law, which is the con- trolling factor in the situation today. The law, wholly justifiable from the viewpoints of morals and humanity, places such restrictions in the way of pe! nel and equipment of American 1s as virtually to put them.out of compatition with vessels of other countries whose shipping laws con- tain no humane restrictions. When the great war in FEurope came on, President Wilson realized America’s need of a merchant marine. He asked Congress to pass the ship bill of 1915, and Congress refused. Two years later, n the United States entered the war, a demand for ships was__instantaneous all over America. More ships and still more ships_to convey food and supplies to the allies, to transport our troops, to back up our Navy, were demanded and, of course, not an objection to the spending_of billions of dollars was raised. None even now criticizes an: thing that was done under the cir- cumstances then extant. All that a man has he will give for his life, and no one counts anything loss which is given to save the republic from de- struction or defeat. % In a marvelously short period of time we built a most magnificent merchant marine. It cost, perhaps, the greatest amount of money that the world ever saw expended for such a purpose. But the expenditure was worth while, even though the fleet shall disappear from the seas. Even though the loss should be total and actual, the fleet was an object lesson to the world as to what America can do and does when called on to act. Proposes Hig The world learned what to expect when the rights of America are trampled upon and the conscience of Americans ig thoroughly aroused. ‘When the war was over Congress Sought to solve the problem that the fleet presented. "It enacted the Jones law, known better, perhaps, as_the merchant marine act of 1920. This did not contemplate a.plan of pe manent operation, but purposed the establishment of. strategic ang esse: tial trade routes. These trade routes ‘were established and now are In operation from all principal ports on the Atlantic seaboard, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific coast. Some 400 .vessels, passenger, cargo and cargo-passenger, are being operated over them. The loss to the govern- ment is something like $40,000,000 a year, but the government properly hesitates about discoutinuing oper- ation, closing the trade routes, losing the trade that the fleet holds and dis- posing of the fleet or tying it up. * k% Proponents of the ship subsidy bill, which went down in the Senate fili- buster which marked the wind-up of the last session of the Congress, in- sisted that the direct aids which the bill carried would cost the govern- ment only one-half of the operating loss: that the $40,000,000 loss could be reduced to $20,000,000, and that the fleet could be preserved and regalned in the event of another emergency. I do not quarrel with them nor with those who opposed the bill on the ground that it would bestow addl- tional profits on private owners. 1 pass the question whether the pro- posed policy was in accord with that of foreign governments in granting government aid to private ship oper- ators. To agitate renewed discussion of the ship subsidy bill in the absence of a Congress to take action would avail litte. The question remains with President Harding and the United States Shipping Board. The President and Chairman Lasker are called on to make declsion. Granting our inability, which is nanifestly true, to operate these ships along new lines of traffic at a profit. it would appear to me that too much stress placed upon this fact lated to Scare away investor: tle more cracking up of the ties of trade and a little less em- phasis as to the hazard of loss might produce an added value in the eves of prospective purchasers. But the hot potato must be disposed of in some way, ‘The government must either sell the ships for whatever it can got| charter them under existing law ai grant every indirect aid possible, or it must continue to operate them and call upon the. Congress to provide maintenanee and new construction and to cover current losses. * ok % % 1. myself, am not a ship subsidy man nor a subsldy man of any kind. I do nmot like to have the government hooked up with business of a purely private charac- ter. On the other hand, I do mot wish to see our flag disappear from the seas nor this great auxillary to our Navy disappear. If no one will come forward and make a falr bid for these ships and agres to main- tain them, I should think that the government would be wholly justi- fied in transferring them to private jownership under a strict guaranty that they be maintained and that the new trade routes be kept open for a fxed perfod of time. Let the loss to the American people go along with the burnt powder and the discarded armament of the war. If no pur- chasers of these ships can be found, if no subsidy is to be voted in their behalf, if it is to cost $40,000,000 a year to operate them as they are now being operated, why not give them away under carefully preparéd terms, maintain the trade routes and the trade relations these routes have established, and preserve the fleet for subsequent return to the gover: ment in the event America again is drawn into conflict with any other nation. A government is not different from an individual save in its size and resources and powers, and an in- dividual would be apt to give away a thing it could not afford to keep if by siving it away It preserved to it- | self the things that actual retention made possible. (Copyright, 1923, by Thomas R. Marshall.) igher Congress Pay With $100 Fines for Absentees Reduction in the size of the Hous from 435 members to 217, increasin their salaries from $7.500 to $12,000 a year, but fining them $100 per day for absence, is going to be urged when Congress comes back, by Representative John D. Clarke, re- publican. As a result of the decennial census -| of 1920 reapportionment of represen- tatlon in the House is pending. Representative Clarke has stated that this is one legislative matter to which he will give very particular attention In the new Congress. His bill is already drafted. And Representative Clarke stands & good chance of being one of the real leaders in the new House. With their majority cut to the dangerous edge, with a rambunctious group coming in, and with the democrats much stronger than the republicans riiamentary specialists. the re- :;:Ib?l‘om party leaders realize that every effort must be e for m jority party cohesion. The strong- est help towards attaining this is through carefully selecting the re- publican “whip,” who will not_only act as a “bell weather of the flock on party votes, but will keep the floor 1.53.‘- ‘and steering co! ttes ad- vised at all times as to where the sore spots are that must be healed, or 'where- there are intra-party to ro; = "lnk;:"mnflllve Clarke has been mentioned more than any other member as the most desirable man for this work. If he is “whip,” he will be in a strategic position to put through any legislation in which he is particularly interested, or to which he has pl: ed his support. In his bill as now drafted, Repre- sentative Clarke proposes the ap- portionment of the 217 membérs of the House among the several states w. um'ol;:-ml. five instead of ten; Ari- zona, one 88 at present; Arkansas, four instead of seven; California, seven instead of eleven; Colorado, two - instead of four; Connecticut, three in: of five; Delaware, one as at present; Florida, two instead ; _Georgla, six instead of Jdaho, one instead of two. fourten instead of twenty- five; Indiana, six instead of thirteen; Jowa, five instead of eleven; Kansas. three instead of elght; Kentuocky, five instead of eleven: Louisiana, three instead of eight: Maine, one in- stead of four; Maryland, three in- stead of Massachusetts, elght instead of sixteen; Michigan, instead of thirteen; Minnesota, five instead of ten; Mississippl, three in- oy YR of sixteen; Montana, = otead oF two: Nebraska. two Inst 2, o New Mexico, one as at presen! e York, twenty-two instead of forty- three; North Carolina, five inetead of ten; North Dakota, one instead of three;Ohio, 12 instead of ~twenty-two; Oklahoma, four instead of eight Oregon, ‘one_instead of .three; Pen: sylvania, nineteen instead of thirty- two; Rhode It l, one instead of three; ‘SBouth Carolina, three fnstead of _seven; South Dakota, one instead f three; Tennessee, five instead of en; Texas, ten instead of eighteen; | Utah, one instead of two; Vermon one in stead of two: Virginia, five in- stead of ten: Washington. two instead of five; West Virginia, three instead of six; Wisconsin, five instead of eleven, and Wyoming, one as at pres- ent. Representative Clarke's bill pro- on of the nta- Speaker of the House o the Represe: tives and the .Vice President of United State: $15,000 each per annum. pensation of senators, representatives in Congre: delegates from terr torles and resident commissioners Islands would be at the rate of $12,000 each per annum. An fmportant proviso in the Clarke bill is that the secretary of the Senate and the sergeant-at-arms of the House, respectively, shall deduct from the monthly payments of salaries to each member or delegate the sum of $100 for each day's absence on days when there shall have been & roll call of the House or Senate, respectively, unless such member or delegate pri sents the sworn affidavit of a phy- gician showing that such absence was caused by sickness of himself or some member of his immediate family. Another proviso would allow each member or delegate to be absent once during & session for three consecuti calendar days, not including the time necessary in going to and returning from his home by the nearest route usually traveled in going to and re- turning from each regular session, no deduction being made for such single period of absence. The Clarke bill would allow each member of the Benate thres clerks, at $2,500, $1,800 and $1,5600..per annum, respectively. Each representative, delegate or resident commissioner would be allowed two clerks, at $2,500 and $1,800 each. Mock House Sessions Held by Pages in 1879 To the Bditor of The Star: ‘Within the last few weeks the As- soctated Press sent an {tem out through the country telling of the pages in the House of Representatives at Washington holding & “moc! sion of the House. Several of my friends here in St. Louis read the story’ and thought it wonderful. But I‘told them of the time about 1879-1881 when the pages ‘would get around early in the morn- ing and have daily sessions, “Pinny” BryaAn was the Speaker, and the only member of that “Hous whom I can recall as now living in ‘Washington is Edward Riggs. Bryan, “Speaker,” died when a young man. John Riggs, a brother of Ed, may have been a member, also Frenchy Helm, but the item in question seemed wstounding to 8o many. Many a Saturday have I gotten up early and walked to the Capitol from my home Columbia and Q streets to be on hand for the “session.” Believe me, there were some orators there—and all fine boys. .o T. P, REDD, ] from Porto Rico and the Philippine | H BY WILL P. KENNEDY, It is particulariy appropriate that the Secretary of Labor, James J. Da- vis, an immigrant from Wales, who at the age of eleven oegan working as iron puddier in the iron and stesl ‘works of Pennsylvania, should have under his supervision those branches of government which so vitally affect the foreign-born from the time they leave the sh until they are actually adopted as citizens of the United Btates—the bureaus of immigration and natural- ization. ‘Uncle Jos Cannon, of long and happy memory in Congress, points out that, “bruised and bleeding in 2 southern peon camp, where he and other hungry men had been trapped by a brutal slave-driver, ‘Jim' Davis drank the bitter cup of unrequited toll. And from this utter depth, in less than thirty years, he rose to the office of Secretary of Labor. Emphasizing Secretary Davis’' love for his fellows, which his ruling passion, “Uncle Joe” say: call more than 10,000 men by their first nam His father taught him this motto: ‘No man s greater than his friends. All the good that comes into your life will come from your friends. If you lose your friends your enemies will destroy you." stood by his friends.” * k% While Secretary Davis illustrates how the forelgn-born win plfces of high trust in the executive branch of our government, as also did Secretary Franklin K. Lane during the Wilson administration, it s inter to note that immigrants also have won such high regard among their fellows In this adopted country that in popu- lar elections they have been selected 10 make laws for the common wel- In the last Congress there was Senator Knute Nelson, a former Nor- wegian, who has represented Min- nesota in the upper house for twenty- eight years. A former German, Rep- resentative Kahn, has represented California for twenty-two years in the House, and was one of the most active members of the military aftairs committee during the war. Senator Nicholson of Colorado wi Prince Edward 1sland. Senator Frank Goodlng of Idalio was born in England. Representative Oscar J. Larson, from Finland, represented Minnesota in the lower house. Illi- nols has two immigrants in the House—Representative Adolph J. Sabath, who has served sixteen year & native of Czechoslovakia, and Rep- resentative Alfred Michaelson, born in Norway. New York con- tributed four naturalized represent tives—Petersen of Denmark, Meyer London of Russia, Falrchild (with six vears of service) of Sweden, and the late W. Bourke Cockran, who had served fourteen years, from Ireland. Representative Sinclalr of North D: kota was born s Ireland, Voight of Wisconsin In Germany, and the delegate from Alaska, Dan A. Sutherland, was a former Canadian. * x % % New men elected to the 8ixty- eighth Congress will continue to vary the trades, callings and business rep- resented _in the personnel of the House. Repre tive Scott Leavitt of Montana forest ranger and national park superintendent. Repre- sentative Harry C. Canfleld is en- gaged in the furniture manufacturing business and also in the retall fur- niture business. Representative Wil- liam P. Connery, ir., of chusetts was on the stage, and took active part in the “white rats” strike. Representative * % kX Representative Connery is a gradu- ate of Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass, and not at all averse to telling a good joke on himself. During his first year in the “show business,” he says, he was playing in Chicago with @ musical comedy and was singing a Scotch song. After the performance one evening a former college mate called to offer congratulations, ac- companied by his father and sister. The very courteous ‘old gentleman, wishing to give him all the encou agement possible, told Connery that he “had as fine an Irish brogue as I ever listened t * ok ok % Representative Clarence Cannon, who comes into the seat occupied so long by Champ Clark, the “old war horse” of democracy, from the ninth Missouri district. was parllamentarian for Speaker Clark and continued for some time as parliamentarian to Speaker Gillett. The latter, in auto- graphing a photograph for Cannon, wrote: “To my friend and helpful sistant, Clarence A. Cannon, parl mentary clerk of the House of Repre- sentatives, with best wishes of Fred- erick H. Gillett.” In the next Con- gress Speaker Gillett will find Repre- sentative Cannon anything but a “helpful assistant,” for Cannon |s looked to by the democrats to stir up &ll the trouble he can as an ex- pert parliamentarian. In his college and university days Cannon won first honors as essa: writer, debater and foot ball captain. He has been parliamentarian of the House under both democratic and re- publican administrations. He was clerk of the democratic caucus of the House in the Sixty-fourth, Sixty-fifth, Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Con- gresses. He was parliamentarian of the democratic national convention in San Francisco in 1920. He was editor of two editions of the ual and Digest of the House. He is author of Synopsis of the Procedure of'the and of “Procedure in the o of Representative published by resolution of the House. H editor and compiler of the of the House of Representatives by act of Congress approved by President Harding March 1, 1921. * K K is His father was left an invalid, with only & small tract of ‘land and one horse, after the raid of the federal armies In 1865, 80 Representative ‘Willlam F. Stevenson of South Caro- lina grew up to work on the farm with all his might durin, season and continued to 0 until he was nineteen years old. know what it was to go to mill on & sack of corn on the back of a horse or mule and to do all the mean chores that a country boy on & poor farm has to do,” he say But besides be- ing a farmer his father was also chool teacher. He recalls that he attended the very meagerly sup- ported schiool in the winter time.” ‘When he went to high school he was taught by his brother-in-law. Representative Stevenson believes that these rugged experiences of his youth” were a blessing in disguise, for he comment: ‘All of which has been of great benefit to me both in giving me. a good constitutio abling me to withstand strain: days at a time, and also giving. me the view of the countrymen as to things in general and to comprehend thelr ideas and aspirations. One notable case in his law prac- tice was that of winding up the affairs of the South Carolina state dispensary, which litigation invol the soverelgnty of uth Carolina and practically a million dollars. This was successfully conducted to the Supreme Court of the United tes. * ok ok ¥ The origin of stamped envelopes is interestingly told by Willlam H. Lamar; formerly solicitor for .the Post Office Department. From the earliest days of our history it has been unlawful for any one to oArry letters outside of the malils for hire the purpose being to protect the postal monopoly, But the postal fa. cilities did- not keep pace th the movements of our pioneers, of the miners of tl ‘west; 8o that in order to improve the postal facili. ties, . avold: numerous. prosecutions and at ti ame time protect the postal revenues there was devised an envelope with a postage stamp em- bossed thereon. This was authorized by the act of 1852, Under this law letters inclosed in such envelopes could be lawfully carried outside of the mails by private-express, steam: boats;-stage coaches, etc, the crop o en- rigu: | Pulley, Hol h 1 N, 1 ‘Goo hing 2 | th H, y 1 D; ) MEN AND AFFAIRS ~ BY ROBERT T. SMALL. During the first week that the President and Mrs. Harding have been back in the White House after their delightful sojourn in Florida some of the dark and deeply guarded secrets of the trip are beginning to leak out. Ome of the very best stories, naturally, has to do with Gen. *“Doo” Sawyer, the physician to the presi- dential household. It seems that when the President and eome of his hardler clates were about to set sall from the Fla- mingo dock at Miam! to Miami Beach to go to the Cocolobo Kay Fishing Club, situate on the island where Black Caesar, the pirate, once held his lawless sway, Gen. Sawyer hur- ried aboard the boat with leather riding puttees under his arm and a pair of shiny spurs in his hands. Queer raiment for a fishing trip aboard a beat, you will say. But, ah, no. The doctor had been told that the trip to the fishing grounds was to be made by the Sea Horse. He found later that that was the name of the yacht. But, in any event, the good doctor said he belisved in pre- paredness. * ow .ok There is also the story of the vil- lage band at Hollywood, Fla., a peace- ful little settlement in nowise re- lated to a distant Pacific coast town- ohp of the same name. Word came that the President was to motor througlr Hollywood. Persons who never have accompanied the Presi- dent of the United States on & rural tour or who have not been in ural community at the time of a presiden. tial visit can never reall: ize the excitement that h the first announcement of such a plan. ‘What shall we do?” said the Holly- wood residents one to another. “Get out the band, of cour: Star Spangled Banner'?” No, no: the real thing to play s ‘Hail ‘to_the Chief Who in Triumph But what did the band play when the President actually arrived? Some- t ent wrong somewhere, for the band burst blatantly into “Hall, Hall, Gang's All Her led broadly. He o ing “Hail to th Chief,” anyway. * ok ok % J. H. Thomas, the laborits, who per- formed the official task of calling Lady Astor to order in the houss of Heard and Seen How long does a woodpecker peck? Up in an old tree In the Mall just north of Sth and B streets southwest, east of the Arts and Industries build- ing, sat a woodpecker, industriously plying his bill. Thump—thump—thump—thump—- The stacoato rap of the bird's beak a typewriter under the hands of an expert, the machine-gun rattle of the woodpecker’s bill filled the afr. But it was noticeable that the bird, as he clung to the side of the tree trunk, bit into the wood only.at in- tervals. After every period of peck- ing he would rest up a bit. Then, to the watcher on the ground, came the following thought: “Here, amld buildings dedicated to sclence, where every feather on that bird is described and catalogued, I'll bet there isn’t a man who has timed the woodpecker in his packing! I will be the first man in the history of woodpeckers to pull a stop-watch on one!” ‘Taking out his watch, the man care- fully timed the woodpecker at his task, making many observations. From the results of his watching and timing he s able to announce to an expectant world the following: The woodpecker pecks two second: ¢ »Bsts four to eight seconds be- tween rounds. * * % Ana how about the statue of Samuel D. Gross—do you know where that 1s? ‘Well, the tree the woodpecker wai tearing up {s just a bit south of the Gross statue. A few feet away is the statue to Daguerre, the patron saint of photography. The latter is en in- teresting thing, a globe with,the con- tinents in relfef, and to one side a bronze status of a woman, holding up a bas relief of the great Frenchman, 8s_if looking at a photograph. But it is of Samuel D. Gross we were speaking. His statue of bronze, and beneath, on the base, are the following words ‘American physicians this statue to commemorate the gr deeds of & man. who made such an impress upon American surgery that it has served to dignify American medicine. Below is the date 1897. r. Gross was & Pennsylvanian, born in Jul 5, died May, 1884. Ho delivered the first systematic course of lectures on morbid anatomy in thi country. He was pre: American Medjoal A and president of th glcal Association In 1 * Amer! 889, * % In the middle of the night—which expression is used to denote a time well after midnight—the small child of the colored fanitor of an apart- ment in northwest Washington be- came {ll. He telephoned for doctors, but to no avail, he said. As the child grew worse, in despair he went upstairs and rang the bell of the apartment of a retired clerk of one of the gov- ernment departments. The lady answered the bell, and The woman went down with the janitor, and thers, at 2 o'clock in th morning, the colored infant was ba tize ndoubtedly it was the most unusual rite of its kind performed in the National Capital in a long time, Yes, the baby got well. * - w ‘Three—count 'em—three! ‘Washington has the distinction of being the only city in the United States with three postmasters. There is Merritt O. Chance, now on vacation, whose resignation does not take effect until April 30; there is William M. Mooney, chief clerk of the Post Office Department, the postmas- elect, whose appointment becomes d there is Willlam master, Washing- t effective May 1, H. Haycock, assi nt city who is acting postmaster ton. ‘Three—cotnt ‘em—three! CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. American Name From_the Kansas City Star, American ingenuity is at its best, rhaps, in naming the baby. For Fastance, .these names were not lon, ago found among those listed for poll tax in Kenlukl. Nim_Forehand, Spot Garrett, Ken- nedy Poteet, Constance Fifst, Perk mb, Major Ni Lumb _Bilberry, South” W Lum’ Chow, Toss Bell, r, Yack Fresh, Wash Gar- Garl Felps, n _Self, Bill Penny Hightower, Bill Fipps, rse Stewart and Lemuel Kissel- baugh. i = commons & few days ago for referring to a fellow member &s the 5 donkey,” {s well remembered in ‘Washington because of his visit hers during the arms conference. He crossed the Atlantic on the_ same steamer with Mrs. J. Borden Harri- man of Washington, one of the lead- y, dsome, austere. Mrs. Harriman and the British labor leader chatted a great deal during the voyage. She was somewhat sur- prised that this representative of labor knew all of the notables of England very Intimately and referred to some of them casually as Nancy. Margot, Reggle, etc. . Harriman remarked about this to one of her friends in Washington later. Tha friend laughed and said: “Thomas was talking to me the other day and I was surprised when he referred to you as ‘Daisy’.” * ok ¥ K Traffic cops the country over, and particularly our own handsome Ir- spector Headley, will be interested in a copy just recelved hers of rulesla down by the Japanese government for the guidance of auto tourists in the Flowery Kingdom. Here are some o them: “At {he rise of the hand of tis honorable policeman, stop with rapid- lt Do not pass him or disrespect him. “When a passenger on foot hove in sight, tootle the horn melodious! at first.’ If he still obstacles yo passage, tootle him with large vigor and express by word of mouth a warning, ‘Hi, hi!" 3 “Beware of that wandering sow that he shall not take fright as you pass him. Do not explode the nolse box at him. Go smoothly by. “Give space to the festive dog that makes playsport in the roadway. Avold entanglement of your dog with the wheel spokes. “Go smoothly on the grease mud, a8 thgre lurks the skiddy demon. Press the brake of the foot smoothly as you roll around the corner and save collapse and lie up. “Thank you honorably.” * K k% The officlal statement that Pres:- dent Harding expects to start for ths far northwest on or about June 0 next, and that he had never given a thought to the suggestion that he should turn to Chairman Lasker of the Shipping Board as the manager of his campaign for renomination and ! election, led a White House wag to make the atrocious remar n other words, the President !y olng to Alaska and not to Al ske: ‘What could be sweeter? Fifty Years Ago in The Star | The pay of Washington's scho. teachers fifty years ago was as u certain as a No Pay for midsummer thunderstorm, School Teachers. vy¢ the gives of other cities were not relished by the local community, particularly as Con- gress and not the District was re- sponsible for the condition. In Tho Star of April 11, 1873, appears the following editorial in reply to a d patch from Washington in the Phila- delphia Tribune ridiculing the Na- tional Capital's treatment of its school teachers: “The correspondent of the Tribune, who s 8o industriously endeavoring to embarrass the Distnict govern-’ ment, does not seem to be awars that, unfortunately, it is no new thing for the teachers of Washington to be unpald, and, therefore, that there is not enough novelty about it to create any great ‘excitement’ however un- pleasant it may be for the partles concerned. Here, as in Philadelphia and many other citles, teachers have had long and bitter experiences in the way of behind-hand salaries. Only & year or two before the present District government came into power, the teachers were five months be- hind in their pay and held a series of indignation meetings in conse- quence. It is & shame that the hard- working teachers should be compelled to walt for their moderate salaries, and we had hoped that the evil would be remedied by the new District gov- ernment, but it seems that it s the old difficulty over again of the want of resources to sustaln our enor- mously burdensome school . system. The echool fund has not been divertsd to other expenditures, as charged, but it has not provéd adequate to pay for the erectlon of new school buildings and to provide for the salaries of the teachers and the other ~working expenses of the schools at the same time. * * = Instead, however, of abusing the Dis- trict government in the matter, the correspondent of the Tribune should bestow his censure upon Congress for falling to ald in sustaining the exceptional burdens of the free school system in this District. . Walker, superintendent of the census, In some remarks at the inauguration of the Seaton School bullding, set forth the circumstances of exceptional difficulty under which the city of Washington labors in maintaining a school system up to the highest demands of the age. He presented data showing that the school tax of Shioago for the previous flscal year was 17.1 cents for each $100 of taxable val of Boston, 17.9 cents; of Baltimore, 23 cents; of Philadelphia, 26 cen: of Cincinnati, 35 cents: of St. Louls and San Fran- i 40 cents: of Washington, 50 The reason for the rema able difference to the disadvantage * of the citizens of Washington {s ths large amount of real estate which is exempt from taxation, as the prop- erty of the general government, and the fact that the taxpayers In this comparatively poor city have had to shoulder the entire cost of providing number of ‘contrabands’ v upon Washington by lhnnw:!?hm“fl Despite the fact that these ex- geptional burdens have fallen upon Washington through its being the [ of government, Congres has thus far to grant to this Di; ven ordinary donation of public lands it has 80 freely given to the various states and territories for school purposes. We trust that Con- gress will do this simple act of Justice to the District next session, and in the meantime that the Dis- trict authorities will take such steps a8 will insure, without fail, t ular payment of the teachers. Says 4 Churches Draw Over 8,000 Sunday To the Bitor of The Star: ‘Who 1s it who says the attendance &t churches in Washington on Sun- day is about 8,000? ‘I can name four Cathollo. churches—St. Aloystus, St. Peter's, St. Joseph's and Holy Com- \ forter—whose combined attendance will and does_ average over £.000 every Sund: ‘What about the other 196 churches in Washington? ETHEL Q. WEKINS.