Evening Star Newspaper, December 9, 1923, Page 50

:I'I{E EVENING ST AR fact that a report of plans for im-:steel rails, tin plate, raw materials With —— WASHINGTON, D. SUNDAY......December 9, Sunday Morning Edition. C. 1923 TBEODOBE‘\N. NOYES «Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Buslness Office, 11th St. and Penngrivenia Ave. New York Ofice: 110 East 42nd St Chicago Ofce: Tower Bullding. Europeso Office: 16 Regent 8t., London, England, The Evening Star, with the Sunday morning edition, {s delivcred Ly carriers within the city at 80 cents per month: daily only, 43 cwats per month: Sunday only. 20 cents’ per montn._ Orde. v be sent @y mall or tele- phone Main o made by car- Tiers at the end of eac Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, mnd Sunday..1yr., §8.40; 1 mo., 70¢ yr., $6.00; 1 mo., 60 ally only Sunday ont: 0 1 mo., 20¢ Daily and Dally only Sunday oniy Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press 1s exclusively entitled f0 the ‘use for republcation of wll news dis- Patches erediied o it or not oiherwise credited in his paper and also the lo.al news pub. 1ished herein. All rights of publication of #pecial dispatches herein a —— — Save the American Fleet! When German submarines were sinking merchant ships as well as ships of war some vears ago and there was a consequent shortage of means of water traneport, this country be- gan to build cargo carriers and pas- senger ships at a more rapid rate than heretofore. When the United States entered the war in the spring ©f 1917 it undertook as part of its contribution to the cause of the al- Hed nations of Europe to produce in record time a great flcet of merchant- men, to carry supplies across the tor- pedo-infested seas and to transport its own army to the ficld of battle. ‘When the war ended a little more then five years ago this government had developed a great fleet of such =hips, its own property, which sud- denly became comparatively useless. It undertook to put that fleet into opera- tion, in large part through a govern- ment-directed agency. There was hope then, as there is stiil hope, that through this wartime @evelopment of shipbuilding in this country America would regain her position on the high scas as a carrier of goods, would bring into being an American merchant marine reaching all the world's ports, offering facilitics for the transport of American goods and securing a fair share of the trans- port of the goods of other lands. Thus far that hope has proved fut The American merchant ma- rine remains a fleet in existence but not in effective operation. Owing to the lack of a definite constructive policy on the part of the government toward the mercantile carriers the process of turning this war-period emergency fleet Into profitable chan- nels of trade has lagged, has, in fact, been almost checked. In another part of The Star to- day appears an article which teils the story of the American merchant ma- rine, and the reasons wh threatened with destruction through lack of proper administrative policy &nd through foreign competition. ¢ is shown that European govern- ments, so recently the allies of this country in war, are engaged in a &ys- tematic effort to prevent the develop- ment of the American merchant ma- rine. And strange to say. they are being aided and abetted in this ef- fort by Americans themselves, some consciously, others unconscion The time has come for action that will rescue the merchant marine of the United States from its lamentable situation of lageard impotence, threatened virtual destruction. The ships are in being, the goods are here to be carried overseas and are in foreign lands to be carried back. The first nece: is assurance, cer- tainty of continyed operation as a national fleet, wiNgher under govern- ment ownership u;l direction, or gov- ernment control, sidy. America guaranteed cont shippers must be qed service under the American g. If not, even American trade 4.1l be lost to Ameri- can ships. Already the process of winning cargoes away from the ships under our flag has been carried to the point where half-empty bottoms &re almost the rule on leaving these ports and quarter-filled bottoms are frequent in the case of American ships sailing homeward. A vast sum is represented in this fleet of comparatively idle merchant- men. stands for the ungrudging, unhesl- tating contributions of the American people for victory is wasting for lack of proper support, direction and use. Now the matter i to be brought squarely to Congress with specific plans and proposals which, if adopted, will start the process of organiza- tion of the merchant marine upon terms that will give battle to the foreign intcrests that are seeking to drive the American flag from the high seas. —_——— A monument in honor of our great national game may lead archeologists of the remote future to speculate on whether base ball was some kind of religious ceremonial. e — A great many citizens would be #lad of arrangements for a rent and coal bill reduction if a tax reduction cannot be managed. Eastern Branch Reclamation. A special report on dredging the Anacostia river, filling its flats be- tween Benning and the District line and converting the reclaimed area into park has been transmitted to Congress. Various plans have been made for improving the Eastern branch above Benning, and the plan proposed in the current report con- tains certain modifications, but the changes in detall are not of particular smoment to the public. The main thing to be considered is the reclamation of the shoals and flats and preservation of the made-over area as a park. Plans of the board of engineers which prepared the report would in- clude traditional park features with artificlal lakes after the fashion of, though not so large as, the tidal basin, and would provide fields for base ball, tennis and other sports. In- terest of the Sixty-seventh Congress i thl: matter was manifested by the its r government sub- | A wartime expenditure that! proving - the Eastern branch above Benning was called for in the Dis- trict appropriation bill last year, and ! the present report has been submitted in obedience to that command. Facts familiar to all District people are restated in the report. Filling of the marshes of the Eastern branch between its mouth and Benning has resulted in disappearance of malaria from a wide section of the District, and the river marsh above Benning ‘s the only remaining mosquito-hreed- ing area in the District. The Eastern branch territory, both on the city side and the old “county” side of the stream, has notably increased, and Is steadily gaining in population. As a sanitary measure elimination of this extensive and malarial marsh is of first importance. No part of the Capital is generously furnished with recreation parks, but the east section is especially lacking in park space. This inequality would be corrected by the development of Anacostia Park. Attention is called to the superior means of transport which this park would have over Rock Creek and Potomac parks. Electric rail- ways cross it and cars run northerly from Benning close to the east side of the proposed park. The Anacostia Park is a necessary unit of the park system of the Capital. That system would be strangely in- complete if the river improvement which has been carried forward from the mouth of the stream to Benning were not carried from Benning to the District line. It would seem to be reasonably certain that the present Congress will authorize continuation of this major project for Capltal im. provement Raise in Pay. Mechanics and laborers in employ of the District on a per diem pay basis will receive a higher rate of pay. The new scale has been agreed to by the wage board, consisting of Dis- trict officials and representatives of the employes, and the result benefits 1,800 District government workers. The wage scale is not all that was asked by the men, but it is well that a compromise was reached. At first there was a disposition on the part of the men, who are organized under the name of the City Employes’ As- soctation, to reject the agreement, but the president of the association, who had been one of the wage scale ne- gotlators, persuaded acceplance, us- ing the familiar argument that a half loat s better than no loaf. The men have complained for vears that they were only getting a half-loaf or some- thing less in thelr pay envelopes and that they wanted a little more bread. During war and post-war times these men worked for the District at much less than the commercial rate of pay for similar work. Thelr brother workers outside the District government—plumbers, painters, ma- chinists, electriclans, carpenters, bricklavers, auto drivers, cement workers, skilled laborers and plain laborers—were drawing from private employers wages that seemed prince- Iy. Every day was a full workday, {and there was overtime beside. The District workers were pegging away at about the same rate of wages they drew before the war and before gro- ceries, coats, shces, housé rent and other things rose to unparalleled helghts. Discontent and agitation re- sulted. Sometimes the more earnest agitators were held in the District’s | service only by the efforts of calmer and more hopeful men and by varl- ous promises from District officiale that a better day would come. It has The men do not get all they d for. Few men cver do. Pujice and firemen also get some- { thing in the nature of Christmas {cheer. The Budget Bureau has noti- fied the Commissioners that the Presi- dent has approved a bill for increased pay for those men. The Commission- ers will send a separate police and !fireman salary bill to Congress be- cause men in those departments will lose the bon on the 1st of next July. —_—————— i come. German accountants are becoming brain-fagged from computing cur- rency values. In the meantime the Berlin waiter continues to turn up his nose at a million-mark tip. ——————————— A great deal of the indignation to- ward the men who trled to kidnap Bergdoll continues to be concentrated on the fact that they failed to get him. ——— Obregon has been a sick man, and there is a disposition among his fel- low citizens to show him a rough con- valescence. Trimmed Hats. The Tariff Commission announces that it will hold an Informal public conference on ladies’ trimmed hats, and invites “all persons interested” to attend. This is e public question in which more American voters, club members, soclal leaders, bridge ex- perts and family managers are inter- ested than any other national ques- tion, unless it be that of spring dresses or spring “‘gowni The momentous question as to what design end color these spring “creations” will take is perhaps quite as importantas trimmed hats. The Tariff Commission could not at this time do more to make itself popu- lar and charming to a large and fn- fluential part of the people than in taking up the matter of ladies’ trimmed hats. Why it should confine | 1ts attention to trimmed hats and not to untrimmed hats is not at this mo- , ment clear to a numerous, though in- consequential, part of our population, but there must be something impor- i tant about it. If the invitation to attend this con- ference is accepted by “all persons interested” it is likely that the meet- ing will be held at the Clark Griffith Stadium, end that the crowd which saw the Army-Marine foot ball game will seem to have been small and un- demonstrative. If all the trimmed hat rooters turn out there will be such & crush as the Washington police were never before called on to handle. Po- lice have been able to quell foot ball fans and base ball fans, but trimmed hat fans would present a more serious problem. The Tariff Commission, in turning from such dreadfully dull subjects as THE SUNDAY jand manufactured products to the ex- quisite and exalting subject of trimmed hats, deserves commendation, especial- ly for its nerve. That commission is composed of men. Although a few idainty men have become famous as i milliners, it is not vouchsafed that { many men should be on intimate terms with the fine points of the sclence of trimmed hats. It is believed that many persons attending the conference will know more about trimmed hats than all the members of the Tariff Commis- sion put together. ] 1f the Tariff Commission should hold | @ conference on spring gowns and in- | vite all interested persons to attend it | is belleved that the Commissioners | would rope off the Avenue and that | Maj. Sullivan would call up Fort Myer for troops to help keep the crowds from breaking down the lamp posts and tree boxes. Liquor and Gun. A man went into a new Chicago restaurant yesterday morning, which was crowded with “opening day" patrons. He ordered a dish of cracked ice, and for some reason it was slow in coming. Perhaps the waiter serv- ice was not yet well organized. Per- haps there was too much custom in a rush. At any rate, the patron of the cafe angrily protested to the waiter from whom he had ordered it, and be- came furious when the walter resent- ed his manner. He drew a gun, the waiter grabbed a water bottle, a shot was fired, the waiter fell dead, and a melee started, with palice interference, with the final result of two walters slaln, the slayer himself mortally wounded and a policeman also wounded. And all on account of a bowl of cracked ice. The man who started the trouble and killed two of his fellow beings was, it is stated in the news report, intoxicated. And he had a gun. A bad combination, bad in both elements. It is just such little things that start tragic trouble when this combination is present. A man with a gun Is al- ways a source of danger. Why does he carry it? Probably to start trou- ble, because he is naturally quarrel- some; perhaps because he thinks it is a sign of manhood. As a matter of fact it is the most cowardly thing a man can do, to carry around a weapon, the mere show of which gives him an advantage and the use of which may destroy life without the least warrant. Yet there arc those who declare that attempts to prevent intoxication by lessening the use of liquors con- stitute an infringement upon personal liberty, and there are those also who hold that attempts to prevent mur- | derous personal armament are Ilke- ! wise an infringement upon the right of self-defense. There are strange views, indeed, of these two matters of liberty and defense. —_————— Film-Struck Youth. In the old days we used to hear much of stage-struck girls as well as of stage-struck bo: and New York city was the place from which most of these storles came. Now we have stories, often pitiful and touching, of fliim-struck girls, and most of these storles come from Hollywood, the movie metropolis. The chamber of { commerce of Hollywood is seeling to discourage movie-mad youths of both sexes “who are swarming into the film-studio city at the rate of 10,000 a nth.” Mary Pickford adds her warning, and, addressing a crowd of 20,000 in Pershing Square, Hollywood, eald that young people who leave home to “enter the movies” should be in a position to wait five years at Hollywood for movie honors and to be able to do some work while walit- ing. This may or may not discourage Impetucus asplrants for the screen. Usually a person has to pay for his own experience. The road to fame and fortune is easy only to a few persons out of the many millions who try that way. Home Is usually a pretty good place. and a steady job at ordinary wages leads to comfort. ———— So much responsibility is being placed with them that it would not be surprising if the men of the coast guard stepped forward with an imme- diate demand for a salary raise. ——— A more Intelligent understanding among nations is promoted by the faithfulness with which England and America now publish each other's elec- tion results. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. ‘The True Partisan. ‘When an opinion I express I need not take a chance, For every thought is, more or less, Arranged for In advance. If X approve a candidate, ‘Whatever he may say 1 proudly advertise as “great™ ‘Without the least delay. But if he is no friend of mine I promptly disagree. I scarcely have to read a line ‘To know that it's “N. G.” Boosters. “What you want to do is to boost you own town.” “Yes,” answered Cactus Joe; “but with moderation. Some of the fellers who desire to improve Crimson Gulch are overenthusiastio and propose to use dynamite.” Jud Tunkins says everybody has re- spect for the laws, only some people Insist on taking their pick. Wearing Apparel. A man may take an early fling And yet, as a campaigner, fail. Although his hat is in the ring, His shoes may never hit the trail. Halting the Publicity. “Do you know the name of that bootlegger who was arrested and fined “Yep,” answered Uncle Bill Bottle- top, “but I'm not going to tell you. I don’t propose to let him turn his just punishment into an advertisement.” “Even a child,” sald Uncle Eben, “kin see dat Santa Claus is a myth. Any real person wif all dat popularity would have been runnin’ foh office long ago.” | berg. STAR, WASHINGTON, THOMAS R. MARSHALL Former Vice President of the United States. In my boyhood in Indiana our knowledge of Europe was somewhat vague and shadowy if not inaccurate, and there was a quite prevalent idea that the real way to round out a scholastic education was to travel abroad, study a few months at Ox- ford and drink somo beer at Heldel- Men who could afford it sent their sons to Europe for educational and cultural purposes. 1 well remem- ber the sow of our local magnate, a man of predatory wealth in the sum of perhaps $20,000. He foreshadowed to the rest of us boys what the future of the son of the richest man In our town was to be. He intepded to win honors at Harvard and then complete his studles abroad. He even then was anticlpating the pleasure of hearing the American minister to Great Brit- ain preach. He did not finish at Har- vard and his scriptural training came from the chaplain of the state pen- itentiary. Whatever of harshness may be sald of Europe, it is to be sald to her erlasting credit that she satisfies. No man has ever been able, after spending six months at Oxford or Heidelburg, to refrain from talking about his experiences. The grand tour enlarged the view and made of the young man a cosmopolite, It lifted him above his fellows and though he might not look down upon them when he returned, he never failed to disseminate culture. * ox o % As the years went by young men whose fathers were not rich began to &0 to Europe for Specific education. Poor artists went for the sake of their art and young sclentists for scl- ence's sake. A man did not dare to call himself a scientist unless he had come Into intimate contact with the German mind. An artist could not paint a plcture until he had copied the masterpieces in Paris and Flor- ence. One could not scale the Rockies until he had scaled the Alps. Ameri- can education was not complete with- out & post-graduate course in Europe. As time went on Americans kept going to Europe in annually greater numbers. Wives and daughters of our manufacturers who could not pro- cure the right kind of apparel in America joined the throng. “How cheap things were, my dear, and how easy to fool the custom officers,” they explained. Pleasure-seekers, too, found the playgrounds of Rurope much to their liking. Europe could satisfy as America could not. The great war halted but did not end the hegira. Europe continued to entice and satisfy. Most of the Amer- ican Congress went over this summaer. 1 wondered why President Coolidge did not convene an extraordinary ses- sion of the Congress to sit some- where in Europe about September 1. The members could have assembled forthwith at any one of several places where assemblages have been sitting almost continuously since the war to straighten the worid with the scratch of & pen. It might have been well for the Congress to discuss Burope on the ground. Maybe her problems would have seemed more real. chaps America would not have seemed 0. isolated. Maybe alllances would not have appeared so entangling. It is just possible that the thought of America going it alone would not have been so compelling. * ¥ % % The remarks at the dock of sena- tors and representatives who spent the summer in Europe reminded me of an incident In my law practice. We had a drunken Irishman in our coun- ty who was a devout churchman. He went home drunk and whipped his wife once too often. She procured a AMERICAN BATTLE CEMETERIES BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN The recent complaints of return- ing slghtseers concerning the sad condition of American soldiers’ ceme- terles abroad are without justifica- tion, according to Uncle Sam. The graves of our American military dead have not been neglected, and the plans for their permanent deco- ration are being carried forward just as rapldly as possible. It may be several months, it is true, before the tulldings are completed, and it may be several years before the trees are fully grown, with song birds nesting in them, but this is the fault not of the government but of natural laws. Complaints about the bedraggled appearance of the cemeteries at this time are just about as intelligent as complainty concerning the appear- ance of a house and grounds which are under construction. Nevertheless, from the letters that have been pour- ing In upon congressmen, it is evi- dent that a good deal of dismay has been felt among Americans here at home, especially in families whose soldler dead lie buried in Europe. For this reason it seems desirable to know exactly what the graves regis- tration bureau of the War Depart- ment,_and the Fine Arts Commission are doing in the way of improving these cemeteries. ‘There are today over 30,000 Ameri- can soldiers buried in eight perma- nent cemeteries in Europe—six in France, one in Belgium and one in England. The French cemeteries in- clude one at Suresnes near Paris, Bel- leau Wood, Bony, the Meuse-Argonne cemetery near Romagne, one at Thi- aucourt_ and the Olsne-Alsne ceme-, If these tery at Seringes et les. The ceme- tery In England is at Brookwood, in’ Surrey, about twenty-eight miles southwest of London, while the one in Belgium is at Waereghem and known as Flanders Field. - Accordl: to Charles Moore of the Fine Arts Commission, who has just returned to Washington after a tour of inspection of the Cemeteries, their type is the same a8 the military cem- eteries in this country, lexechlly the civil war cemeteries. famillar example, he says, is the civil war sol- diers’ portions of Arlington as distin guished from the officers’ portions. The soldiers’ portions have broad spaces of green grass, small white headstones and the trees overhead. ‘Wherever, throughout the south there is a clvil war cemetery, these are its inguishing features. The trees have now attalned sufficlent growth to make these cemeteries all that ls peaceful and restful as befits holy places. Belleau Wood Cemetery. Of our cemeter! in France, the one which has received the most crit- foism is Belleau ood. It is esti- mated that 25.000 Americans visited Belleau Wood this year, and naturally some of them felt aggrieved because the cemetery was not completed, and the trees grown, but it was simply inevitable that during the construc- tion period the cemetery would seem in_confusion. The Fine Arts Commission recom- mended the purchase of the entire plateau at Belleau Wood from which the German machine gun nests were dis The authorities saw fit to curtail the amount of land to be pur- chased, but a private assoclation was organized by Mrs. James Carroll Frazer to take care of the matter. This assoclation purchased the remain- der of the plateau and Is turning it into a park at a cost of $16.000 con- tributed ‘ie! sixteen persons, Secretary of War Weeks and Mrs. Frazer each contributing. The commission’s plans also called for the purchase of the entire between two roads lead- ing into the town of Belleau. Here | l ! ghost In halls of Congress, D. ¢, DECEMBER 9 (Marshall Doubts Congress . Will Solve Foreign Policy divorce. Then the church Intervened and they went to living together agaln. When the nelghbors began to talk the old man consulted me as to whether there was any danger of his being arrestod. He was seventy and she was older. I told him 1 thought no trouble would arise, but that he should obtaln a marrlage license and have the priest remarry them. With a crack of his fist on the able, he protesteed: “I'll not do it. I've got her where I want her. By the laws of the church she's my wife, and by the laws of the state she has no interest in my property.” Such seems to be the kind of a non-en- tangling alllance that we would like to have with Europe. Europe this summer offered a pecu- liar satisfaction. A man holding any view could obtain confirmation of it. Each investigator of conditions had no difficulty in_convincing himself that he was right before he started. Facts to justify his belief were on every hand. He could return with the me set of conclusions he carried over with him. If before his departure he had wrought upon the misfor- tunes and prejudices of his fellow men and induced them to belleve that they were not masters of themselves, but were being held in subjection; if he had proclaimed that America was not democratic, but oligarchic or despotic; if he had argued that the only way in which Americans were to be pre- served from serfdom was to elect him to office that he might bring about a general disposition of all rights, privileges and property among all citizens, then he could return from Russia resolved to dedicate his life to further advancement of the rule of the people. America is not going to dle so long as we have such sclf- sacrificing men. I cannot undepstand the measure of such devotion. If I found a government that was freer and safer than America I would take my household goods and gods there to abide, and I would urge all others who \wore oppressed to sell out and &0 With mc. * Kk ok % It @ man went to Europe with the idea that we really owed something to Europe, he could listen to the stories of our desertion In her hour of need and come back guite convinced that our consclence would never be clear until we had paid the debt. So Eu- rope satisfied him. Or if he belleved that Europe had no interest in Amer- lca except as a bank of discount and not deposit, he could learn enough of what good American gold would do to confirm his preconceived notion On the other hand, the man who felt that more intimate reiations with Eu- rope would tend to enlarge America's business dealings got all the data he needed to convince like-minded asso- clates that the moment we would take & hand In European affalrs, that moment rehabilitation would begin and business would look up. Yes, Europe satisfies. * k% I wish it might have been possible for the holders of all these contending views to have met this summer on the ground of thelr inspiration and threshed out their differences. Advo- cates of each set of views might have been heard by all. Testimony might have been taken and cross-examina- tions conducted in order to establish motives. In this way America might have learned just what ails Europe, what kind of medicine she needs, who can furnish it and whether, if an American remedy was required, any danger of Infection existed. Our duty and our opportunity were depicted differently by each returned visitor, and Europe continues to rise like a in the directors’ rooms of business, in cham- bers of commerce and in the homes of our citizens. It will not disappear at the simple command: “Be gone!" Maybe the new Congress will have the courage and intellect, disassoci- ated from partisanship, to settle this country’s foreign aftairs, but I have my doubts. (Copyright, 1923, by Twenty-frst Oentury Press.) again the government curtailed the amount to be purchased, and again Mrs. Frazer's assocfation has come to the tront and bought two fields nec- essary to bring the property out to the two roads. Most of the land occupied by Amer- Ican cemeteries was donated by the! French government, but in some in-| stances it has been necessary to pur- chase small areas in order to protect the cemeteries from the encroach- ments of persons interested in estab- | lishing shabby commercial enterprises on_the outskirts. The sem of the American ceme- teries, according to Mr. Moore, {8 the one at Suresnes, near Paris,’ which lies along the Boulevard George | Washington and stretches back to the | wooded slopes of Dilerien, one of the most conspicuous landmarks of the| varis area. The plans for this ceme- | tery include a small plot of land on the side of the boulevard opposite the cemetery, on which two buildings are | belng erected, joined by a terrace overlooking the Seine and Paris. The largest cemetery is at Ro- magne. The main road from Ro- magne to Verdun passes directly through the cemetery, which slopes ! up the hills on either side of the road, | with the graves on one side and the| necessary buildings on the other slope. The British have 1,200 cemeteries in France to our six. Thus, if the American participation in the world war s going to count visibly in France it Is necessary to make the six American cemeteries impressive. This can be done only by using suf- ficlent land and making the buildings dignified, while the landscape effects must be well planned. It has been the constant aim of the Commission of Fine Arts to make the architecture in these cemeteries “feel at home” in Simplicity and dignity, good proportions and “good design’ have een sought. How the Graves Are Marked. Each grave will be marked by.a white marble headstone of simple, dignified design, upon which will be inscribed the full name of the sol- dier, his rank, regiment, division and the state from which he came. In a circle two and a quarter inches in diameter near the top will be cut a Latin cross, emblematic of the Chris tian faith, or the Star of David, em- blematic of the Jewish faith. The stones will be 24 inches above ground, 13 inches wide and 4 inches thick, with & slightly rounded top. It may seem a bit odd that it has taken four years to bring the ceme- terles to their present state of con- structlon, but that is because of the enormity of the task which has faced the War Department. A brief review of the activities of the graves regis- tration bureau of the War Depart- ment will give an idea of the diffi- culties involved. During the war the lack of ship- ping space prevented the immediate return of erican dead. Graves registration units were, therefore, or- ganized, which followed closely on the heeis of the troops, often to the very line of combat. They searched for the unburied dead, exhumed the hastily and inadequately buried and reburied them in selected temporary cemeteries, making a careful report to the headquasters office. It, in turn, advised the next of kin given by the decedent of the grave location and made record of requests received as to the final burial place for the body. In some cases photographs of individual g@ra: wete made by the Red Cross and sent to bereaved fam- illes. 1923—PART 2 Capital Sidelights BY WILL P. KENNEDY. There's a certaln red fox that daily barks his deflance at Senator Frank B. Brandegee of Connecticut, and fox- ologists In the Capital environs are much Interested in the phenomenon. They call him “Brandegee's singing fox.” Senator Brandegee has a wonder- fully beautiful place, of some thou- sand acres, on “the old River road,” along the Potomac, which stralght from Tenleytown to Great alls and beyond. This farm is in the form of a V, between Booze creck and Cabin John creek. The man in charge of this “farm beautiful.” one T. C. De Priest, Is an enthusiastic fox hunter and keeps some of the flnest dogs in the country. He also keeps some white Leghorn hens. He made a long pen and keeps the dogs in one end and the hens In the other, scpa- rated by strong wire fencing. This old red fox has been coming up to the chicken end of this pen and stealing chickens right under the nose of the dogs, who couldn't catch him because of the wire obstacle. Not satisfled with such tantalizing ma- rauding, even in plain daylight, this old fox has acquired the habit of com- Ing up under an old persimmon tree close to the house and barking. Those who claim to be well versed in fox lore say that it is practically un- heard of for a fox to bark at this time of the year, and they express the opinion that it is plain defiance. Louls Seibold, one of the veteran Washington correspondents. who knows something about fox hunting. says that this is the first “singing fox” he ever heard of. Senator Brandegee's “place” is on the edge of the best fox-hunting stretch _of territory in the entire United States. * ¥ ¥ % On an old Virginla plantation be- low the James river. Senator William Cabell Bruce of Maryland spent his youth, “where the monotony of ex- istence In a remots and sparsely set- tled community was never varied by anything more exciting than a Pres- byterlan revival, a country-side dance or 2 day of quail or rabbit shooting.” Senator Bruce recalls. “There was no fishing.” he continued, “because, as John Randolph of Roanoke once said, with some truth, the rivers in south- tide Virginia are ‘fishless’ When I was not riding and shooting or hunt- ing there was little for me to do at my boyhood home (at Staunton Hill, in’ Charlotte county, Va.) except to read English cl and I am glad that there w for the library |that my father gathered about him was the foundation of such profes- slonal and public success as I have won in life.” * k¥ % Gen. Isaac R. Sherwood, who sat in the House fifty years ago, antedating any other present member, has hie “History of the Civil War" coming out during the Christmas holidays. Gen. Sherwood knows whereof he writes. He went into the war as a private In the 14th Ohlo Infantry and was mus- tered out as a brigadier general. He was In forty-three battles, 123 days under fire and was ten times compli- mented in speclal and general orders and on the fleld of battle by com- manding generals for gallant conduct. He commanded his regiment in all the battles of the Atianta campaign, and, after the battles of Franklin and Nashville, Tenn., upon recommenda- tion of the officers of his brigade and division, and on the indorsement of Gen. Scofield, commanding the Ar: he was made brevet brigadier generai by President Lincoln, for long and faithful service and conspicuous gal- lantry at the battles of Resaca, At- lanta, Franklin and Nashville. * % x x Repregentative Ralph Gilbert of Kentucky is one of those members of Congress who succeeded to seats formerly occupied by their fathers. Before coming to Congress Mr. Gil- bert served for seven years as judge of Shelby county court. He practiced law mostly in the country. This calls into play all the resourceful- ness one has, much more frequently than city-practice. It was the pleas- ure of Judge Stout, now dead, in the circult court of Frankfort, Ky., to tell this true incident of Judge Glibert's i practice before him, which Judge Gil- | bert recalis as follows: “While trying a clvil case my op- ponent introduced a witness to prove the bad character of my client. The witness himself had appeared fre- quently in my court at Shelbyville, Ky. and usually as a defendant to somie breach of peace suit. His tes- timony, however, prise “and caught me unprepared, jaway from home without a witness there to establish the good reputa- tion of my client or to show the bad reputation of his detractor. So look- ing the witness in the eye, with a very firm voice I asked the witness what his own repuation, in the com- munity in which he lived, for peace and general morality was, when the witness rather shamefacedly answer- ed_that it was ‘awful bad.’ “] have often been told this was the only time it has ever occurred in a Kentucky court for a lawyer to successfully impeach the character of @ witness by the witness himself.” Representative Gilbert, like many other great men, carried newspapers on the streets for several years. He is now a member of the committee which has jurisdiction over the Na- | tional Capital and takes peal pleas-| ure out of using his best (fforts to make the city of Washington the most beautiful and best equipped city In the world. * Kk ok K When Representative Henry T. Rainey, who was chairman of the democratic caucus and who is sched- uled for a place on the ways and means_committee, returned to Con- gress he had to make 2 ol sacrifice because coming to Washington took him away from his beautiful estate of 320 acres which he has turned into a public park. For ‘many years Representative Rainey and his wife realized ths need in central Illinols, where there aro tew lakes, of a place whnere people could enjoy themselves in the open. Twelve years ago they bought a ‘arm one mile out of Carroliton which had been a show place since beforc the civil war. Here the Raineys had two small lakes built and opened vp a tract of 165 acres of matural prai- rie and woodland to whomsoever cares to enjoy it. A wading pool kas been installed in the fron: vard for the smaller children. In the sum- mer_time visitors swim and fish in the lakes and in the winter time they skate, In the springtime coms high school classes for picaics; in the summertime Sunday schools and wo- men's clubs hold open air meectings. Mrs. Rainey is director of the play- ground which Includes the wading pool. Since theré 1is no available bathhouse she has turned over her breakfast room to the youngsters ar dressing quarters. Afier the little ones take swimming lessons in the pool they are graduated to the lakes in the natural woodland back of the house. Many other amusements for the children are afforded at “Wal- nut Hall.” There are tennis courts, clock golf, an outdoor bowling alley and a herd of Japanese deer of which the children are very fond. When it raine they play on the broad veran- das and in the cool fall days school rties are frequently held in Mrs. mlney'l big drawing room. To encourage an interest in nature Mrs. Rainey tells the children about the birds, trees, etc. A prize ie of- fered each year to the child who tells the best animal story from personal observation. There is a tall flagstaff on_ the front of Walnut Hall where the Stars and Stripes wave from sunrise to sunset. At night for “ratreat” the children come out of the wading pool or from the woods, where thcy have been rambling. for the ceremony of lowering the flag. They all stand at salute while the especially chosen ones take down the colors, and_ all sing the first stanza of e Star Spangled Banner.” took me by sur-; | MEN AND AFFAIRS BY ROBERT T. SMALL Visiting the United States Senate on the opening day of Congress was like looking over the paddock where they are saddling the horses for the grand presidential race of 1924. The Senate was chock full of entries. Of course, the man with the post position, goes | On the republican side of the fence, was not there. The chair he had left vacant on the rostrum was occupled by Senator Cummins of lowa. Mr. Coolidge, man of destiny, already had passed from the Senate to the White House, where he hopes to remain another four years after his pro tempore term expires March 4, 1925. Time was when the Senate was re- garded as anything but a breeding ground for chief executives. As a matter of fact, the White House doors appeared to be eternally closed to all who had the temerity to enter the chamber of the elder statesmen. This remained the .rule untll Mr Harding broke it. He stepped from a Senate desk to the White House. Mr. Coolidge has followed him. So now the presidential lightning rods are bristling in the upper house of Con- gress like bayomets on a column of marching soldiers. Hiram Johnson of California, wide of brow, dynamo of pent-up political energy, apostle of progressivism, was seated squarely in the front row —without a hat. He had long since tossed it into the ring and is de- termined to go bareheaded until the republican _convention says thumbs up or thumbs down for him along about next June. Across the alsle from the strong man of California was the polished and polite Oscar W. Underwood, Ala- bama’s favorite son, enemy of the Ku Kluxers and long & presidential potentlality, Senator Underwood algo {8 hatless. He sald good-bye to his fedora long ago and he is not sure now just when or how he Is going to get it back. * Xk x Turning back to the republican side we had the picture of that grand young gentleman from Indiana, Mr. ‘Watson, or just plain “Jim Watson" to those who know him well and those who vote for him in wet weather and dry. Senator Jim stands today with his hat in his hand. He doesn’'t know whether to let go of it or not. He says he has his cye cocked only in the direction of Bad Boy Hiram. Jim is willing to part with his war bonnet if it seems necessary to do 80 to keep the home state dele- gation going for the genticman from alifornia. Like Oscar Underwood, Benator Jim is confronted by the Kluxers, but he haen't taken a poel- tive position as yet. He thinks he ought to hear the evidence before he renders a decision. That ix a judicial attitude to take, and Senator Jim is nothing If not judicial. B It was a grand sight to see Senator Jim escorting his colleague, Senutor Sam Ralston, down the Senate aisle to be sworn In. There was a portly palr to draw to—and both members of this club. Senator Ralston has an even chance to be the next demo- cratic nominee. He lsn't saying much. His hat still is firmly perched upon | his gray-thatched dome, but he comes from a strategic state, and a lot of nice things are being said about him. Lesser luminaries so far as presi- dential publicity is concerned might be listed as follows: " Republicans—La Follette of Wis- consin, Borah of Idaho, Lodge of Heard and Seen Houses. Froh the days when mankind built edifices over the lakes of Switzerland or even before that, when he huddlec in caves. down through the ages © architecture, he has had a prime in- terest In habitation. Houses as places to live early asso- ciated themselves with houses as temples, halls and other commun: bulldings. Today, however, wher speaks of a house he generally a home. Public edifices and such are “bufldings.” Surely no city In the United presents a greater array of and bulldings than Washington, the National Capital. A regular panorama of houses i afforded any one who will take the trouble to board a street car running east along F street from the George- town gas works. Try it early some mornin; the sun is breaking over the river and the world seems llght in com- parison with the gloomy days just past. ne when i*a- No part of the Natlonal Cuapital re- minds one more of other cities than this. It brings back, to the man from the middle west, pictures of cities. large and small, nestling upon a river’s bank. To the south gleams—almost—the somewhat tarnished silver of tho Po- tomac. There loom the gas tanks, lke great hills, such as might have been thrown up by ancient mound build- ers. One notices, in the morning gleam, that they are covered with a viscid substance, probably to keep the gas from leaking out. Some of It still seeps, however, one's nose re- minds him. Small frame houses sit up on high banks. These are homes, too, where people live and are happy, according jto their personal way of luoklng at ap- the world. Perhaps they are far pier than thousanads 1iving In costly mansions. See the white cat sitting on the window sill in the sun! Leave it to cats to find the warm spots on a cool winter morning. She is curled up on the warmest place in sight, Jjust ] where the rising run strikes across the front of the house. Her tall is in shadow, but all the rest of her gleams in the sun. * * Farther along one comes to more pratentlous houses, old ones, broad and deep, made with infinite care as to the brick work. Do they make houses like that any more? Every brick in sight 18 faultlessly placed, just so so, telling to him who rides a tale of palnstaking pride, or, perhaps, just ordinary desire to do one's work right. Every brick is flush and true; every one placed in line; every speck of mortar where it ought to be, and not a speck any place else. Row after row, up, down, sidewise, all is the same. hlAt‘ 19th street w on “grown uj ere the Commerce Department and Interstate Commerce Commission buildings rear themselves to the north, while right at hand lles the splendid bulk of the Interior Depart- ment building. come to Wash- * % In another part of Washington I can show you a bullding placed squarely in the middle of a block that Is bullding up around ft. Like a lion:at bay It stands, its narrow porches, like galleries, bris- tling with drying clothes, flaunting at the back yards of the encroaching nelghbors. Two sides of the block already are buflt up, and the passerby wonders what will happen when the old house is completely hemmed in by others. ‘Will the inhabitants sell out at las; or will they barricade the doors an settle down to a long slege? CHARLES E, TRACEWELL Massachusetts, "‘X‘U iy of Kansas, _Democrats—Copeland of New York, Edwards of New Jersey (“wet as tha Atlantie ocean”), Mayfleld of Texas {if the K. K. K. ever reigns supreme), Sheppard of Texas (it the Antic Saloon League could say o). * % 5 % Counting Calvin Coolidge as “late {of the Senate” the possibilities muse i prominently left out of the congres- slonal picture of the past week were Messrs. McAdoo and Cox. Mr, Mc- Adoo's sombrero 1s taking up & pow- erful lot of room in the presidential ring and he has gone back to Cali- fornia to organize his hunt for dele- gates. Jimmie Cox has been down south, hunting also, but not for delegates. He has been after rabbits and duck and bear and other big game. Jin. mie says if his hat goes in the ring next yvear thev will have to snatch it off 'him. Still the impression per- sists that even a slightly favoring breeze might blow the straw 1id_ ths governor will be wearing next June or July right square into the ringed arena. Capper | * k% * Looking over the House of Repre- sentatives as It began its preliminary struggles for the session, one could not but be impressed by the tre- mendous political change which had come over the lower chamber since the last Congress. The extent of the blow received by the republicans at the polls in November of 1922 wae apparent for the first time. In the Sixty-seventh Congress the republicans had twenty-five solid state delegations in the House. In this Sixty-eighth Congr they have but eignt. In the Sixty-seventh Co Brese “the democrats had To Fe resentation in such big delegations as Ohlo, Indlana, Kan Michigan, Washington and West Virginia. Al that is now changed. The democrats have thirteen solid state delegations in the present Congress, the repub- licans have eight and all the rest are mixed—rome of them very badiy mixed. * % x % So much for ve politice. Ye Yule- tide is approaching and with it come the Christmas lists. Here is a unique one submitted to her fond parents by a fifteen-year-cld flapper in one of Washington's exclusive boarding schools. If the intriguing requests— {a strange admixture of youth and bud- ding maturity—don't knock old Santa Claus right off the elelgh, the old boy must Le a glut for punishment. This is the list verbatim: A fur coat (ahem!), Another horseback rid- ing ticket, Money for drawing and dancing next year, cute pajamas 1 (black), walking stick (black). short umbreila (little fat one), underclothes (scads of them), beads (i6 inches long, gresn, blaci.. vellow or brown), tennis racket, lozds of pretty pillows, fountain pe perfume atomizer, bracelets, wild wool stockings, brow:n shoes (colomial pumps $10), books, gorgeous paint box, French doll, stockin, c {mules (the bedr: ¥y sus bulbs, goldfi handker- chiefs, silver wrist watch with leather strap toilet set, black powder—con - pact with gold initials, and further deponent sayeth not. Fifty Years Ago In The Star One of the greatest marine dieasters ever recorded up to that time was nous d in The Star | Ville du Havre of Deceraber 1, 1573, in a dispatch m | Disaster. Londoa that told of ithe sinking of the steamship Vill | Havre a* seéa, with a loss of 226 lives. left New York for Havre, coilided orning of the sailing from London for | New York, and sank in a short time. {The steamer Trimountain rescued jeighty-seven of the passengers and crew and took them to Cardiff, Wales. It appears from this and later r. |Poris nat at the time of the disaster, lock in the morning, the weather & clear, with little wind blowing, but with a heavy sea running. The Lochearn, which struck the Ville du Havre amldship, cut a cleft in @ feet deep and from twent five to thirty feet wide. A panic § the passengers. Five minutes after he coliision the main and mizs tell two large boats h were d with people and ready for launching, ki ® many of the occupants. The orew were able to launch only a whaleboat and tho captain’s gig. The Lochcarn steamed a mile before stopping. She then ot out four boats to pick up the people struggling in the water. The cold was intense. Many of the survivors cling- ing to wreckage were immersed for two hours and were almost lifelass { when rescued. Respecting this disaster The Star of December 2, 1878, said: “The loss’ of the Ville du Havra shows the urgent necessity that some definite highways across the Atlantic should be mapped, to be traveled by vessels going in either direction, on {the plan of double-track raliroads. The Cunard steamers have bLeen in | the practice of foliowing such dis- i tinct tracks with admirable results in the way of security of life and prop- erty; but in order to prevent any chance for collision, 1t is necessary that all ocean-going steamers should be required to follow the regulated course. The establishment of such oceanic highways should be an inter- national affair and should be under- taken without delay.” x * % The Star revived the often discussed question of the merger of Georgetown and Washington in Georgetown andsn editorlal printed o in its issi f De- Washington. e cember 4, 1873, as follows: “Ivis important in every aspect. of the case thatthe name of Georgetown should be merged and extingulshed in that of Washington. The ‘wo cities are one and should be one 11 name. Georgetown having ceased 1o be & separate municipality and forming now an integral part of the city of Washington, governed by the same laws and represented by the same constituted authorities, and every day becoming more and more identifisd by the increasing facilities of transit and intercommunication, this nomfnal distinction {s a positive and manifest disadvantage in manifold respects, It is opposed to & thorough and cordial unity and fusion of social and vom- mercial interests. 1t creates a vague idea of diversity and substance as well &a in form, fosters a sentimont of locay estrangement and rival repels the influx of population, trade and wealth. It reduces Georgetown to a suburban grade and obscurity, to a gort of terra incognita to the world at large, while she is justly entiuied to a share of the civic rank and pree. tige of the national metropolis, av to be endowed with its coastai and |other incidental benefits. Tt raqi Ithe supreme authority of Congriss to effect the new baptism witn this il- lustrious and venerable name. Minor detalls may safely be left to the legis- lature of the District. The popular voice is unanimous in support of the proposition. Murmurs of dissent {rom i the oftice holders, of course, are 1o be expected. Prompt and decided action | before Congress is necessary by the ! friends of the measure.” AN a