Evening Star Newspaper, August 1, 1937, Page 32

D2 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY __August 1, 1937 THEODORE W. NOYES The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th St and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Offt 0 East 42nd 8t Chicago Cffice: 435 North Michigan Ave. Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition. The Evening and Sunday Star . 85c per month or 15¢ per week The Evening Star 5¢ per month or 10c per week The Sunday Star ___ ___ 3¢ Der copy Night Final Night Final and Sunday Star- Night Fu S Collection each week vhone 70c per month S ¢ per month made at the end of each month or Orders may be sent by mali or tele- nal 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia, Dally and S vr. $10.00: 1 Daily_only v US600] 1 Sunday only $4.00; 1 mo. 3¢ mo., lc mo., 40¢ Al Other States Sunday 4 Canada. $12.00: 1 mo. §1.00 SX00% 1 mos - Tac $5.00; 1 mo. b60c Datly an Daily =2 Sunday only__ Lor, 1Ly, 1 Member of the Associated Press. The Associated s 1s exclusively Pib) of n I Tights of pub! A dispatches herein are also res ion of special ed. New Taxes—For What? If the imposition of $3.000.000 in new taxes as agreed upon by the conferees had the eff temporarily smoott approximately 12 out the District's fiscal problems and providing a sound program of needed Capital City im- provement, the cost to local taxpayers might be justified. As a m of fa the new taxes settle nothing. They were necessary, in ter the first place, to prevent a deficit in a | rather curtailed budget ovides below- Improvements ure of the N its law Under present estimates of t vield, the new tax rev- enues will not etch far bevond next of expenditures srmal permanent ed by fail ent to meet year's maintenance and operating ex- penses, with a $5,000.000 lump sum in- cluded. They will not enable the Com- missioners to make any substantial progress toward provision of many and urgently needed school bt been del As for such that to yea s, the effect of the the real projects ilding pr ved from y as a eram have he taxpay twent; e-cent increase in te will be felt most 1ase and home- maintenance already strained to the by the renters, be felt who bitterly complain gh cost of rents. It will be felt by bu: which, in addition, begin paving a new tax of .4 per receipts. And. as a sales tax in disguise, the gross receipts tax will be felt by cor S in the p those products where the increased cost of doing passed along higher prices. The new as adding eight to the loc be considered other new ta new about the business is taxes have bheen described nine million doll: burden. But they must in connection with the s added in recent years. Employers, for instance, are paying two per cent taxes on their pay roils this vear under the unemployment insurance tax. The amount will be about $4.007,- 126 in this calendar year, and next year the tax rises to three per cent. E or ployers and emploves are paying a one per cent tax on pay this vear, a tax bill wh will amount to $2,846.000 for the current calendar year. Old-age gratuities—taken the District’s general fund—amount to about $390,000 this year and the de- mand for such gratuities is on the in- crease, owners, and wages avers. or real estate must furnish $600.000 more in higher water rates this year than last. And employers in many lines of busi- ness will have the cost of production in- creased shortly by application of new and higher minimum wage standar As desirable as higher minimum wages are, the Piper must be paid in higher prices. An item authorizing the expenditure of £5.000 is contained in the new tax legisla- tion for the expense of devising some new taxes during the next few months. Why this expenditure is necessary, with the heavy pay roll at the District Building and the many able employes in the pay of the municipal government is an unan- swered question, But the people of the District must be prepared themselves at the coming session of Congress to demand a really workable “New Deal” as it applies to fiscal relations and the government of the District of Columbia. Local tax- payers are going to be squeezed, and squeezed hard, in the current fiscal year. There is no indication that they are getting now or will receive in the future any more efficient government for their money. From indications at the Capitol, in the matter of local legis- lation, their government seems progres- sively to become worse as the expense of maintaining it increases, ) Sam Gompers always took an interest in music. The long musical introduction for Secretary Perkins' speech carries a thought of the past which may not be without its inspiration, Walking Into Danger. Few persons of normal intelligence would presume to walk across a railroad track in the path of an oncoming loco- motive. Yet considerable numbers of people unhesitatingly intrude on fast- moving streams of automobile Lrafflc. For the sake of a fraction of a moment of time they risk their lives and imperil others, blindly and fatalistically careless of the danger involved in such foolhardi- ness. But it is useless to argue the prob- lemr in terms of cold logic. What appar- ently is wanted is a dramatization of the utter insanity of matching wits with speeding machinery. Pedestrians, it seems, require to be shocked into com- prehension of the wisdom of caution. They must be educated to realize that they enjoy no immunity from injury or sudden death in the streets. Let it be granted that drivers are to blame in many instances, the fact remains that it Is synonymous with suicide to challenge L) of even | chase of | that State realize it in | from | severely by | 1 | THE SUNDAY the river of cars which flows north and south coincidentally in arterial lanes like Connecticut avenue or Sixteenth street. For example, passengers on the Chevy Chase Circle line alight at McKinley street during the rush hours of the late afternoon and dash to the southwest corner tc meet the Loop shuttle buses with no regard for the mortal chance they take. If they could see a movie of them- selves, they probably would be ashamed of their behavior. But, lacking an actual picture, it would be well if they would make the experiment of imagining the scene. On occasion, by the margin of a scant six inches, they avoid disaster. In behalf of correction of an unwise policy of willful jeopardy it is suggested that the traveling public study the situ- ation as it exists in Washington today. Any intersection will serve for a lab- oratory. Let the question be asked: How often do otherwise rational persons con- duct themselves with almost lunatic recklessness when crossing a busy high- way? Unhappily, the answer is: Too frequently! R Highway Clean-Ups Slowly but surely public sentiment for highway beauty is finding articulation in the National Capital's neighbor States. Public sentiment led to enactment of the so-called billboard law in Maryland in 1931 and now is reflected in its strict enforcement. Public sentiment, long thwarted in Virginia, is finding an outlet this vear in the Old Dominion through the Associated Clubs for Roadside De- velopment, which is mapping a drive for regulatory legislation at the next session of the State Assembly. The clubs have compiled impressive data, drafted a proposed bill and plan to use their power at the polls. A sur- conducted by them shows that no less than 34,000 billboards line the 6.000 miles of the State's primary road system. The organization calculates that if the 1s were distributed evenly a motorist id see a sign every twenty seconds iriving at a speed of forty miles an hour. Virginia's proposed law would embody some features found effective in Mary- land, notably the licensing of all signs and their taxation for permits posted on them. The tax is doubly useful—it helps drive small “snipe” signs from the road- sides and provides several thousand dol- lars a vear income which the State Roads Commission uses for highway beautifi- vey | cation Marvland has found an annual check- up on unlicensed signs essential and will start its 1037 drive next week. Last year more than 10,000 “snipe” signs and more than 9.000 other signs of various sizes were removed. Announcements by the Associated Clubs of V indicate that residents of is good business to have atiractive highwavs. The group has emphasized that any increase in bill- mean a decrease in the State's tourist industry, which last year amounted to $150,000,000 and attracted 16,000,000 visitors. Few States have more historic shrines or natural beauty than the Old Domin- ijon. Through purchase and develop- ment of parklands the Federal Govern- ment is doing much to preserve Virginia's charm. The State itself has spent mil- lions on its hichways and gone to the extra effort of erecting an unusually complete system of historic markers. Development of the roadsides through regulation of the billboard industry and removal of many signs is the next logical step and one that is long overdue. inia boards might B Viewing the Passing Show. John Doe is discouraged. He feels that he has failed in the race of life. His once sunny world has turned bleak and cheer- less, But in the street below him a representative portion of the pageant of humanity goes by. And every single in- dividual in the hurrying throng has something—perhaps many things—to worry about, to be sorrowful about. Trouble is a general condition; not specific, not peculiar to any one nation or class or isolated man or woman or little child. Only self-centered egotism prompts a person to imagine that he has more burdens, more ills than his brothers to bear. The contrary commonly is true in most instances. If John Doe is an average citizen he is more fortunate than multitudes of his contemporaries. His mental and physical health is better than that of thousands, his financial or economic status is such as might be envied by armies of destitute folk. Moreover, the chance that he can solve his problems, if he tries, is infinitely greater than the odds that he will fail. Civilization is merely the name that is applied to the advantage which plus values possess over minus values in the experience of the human race. But a casual study of the passing show ought to suffice to convince the most stubborn skeptic. Would John Doe trade places with yonder poor chap who drags himself along the pavement on crutches, his face eloquent with the agony of his struggle to survive? Or with that pathetic blind peddler who wearily circles the block appealing for charity that rarely heeds his plaintive whisper? Or with that tattered wreck of a once-prosperous merchant who now haunts the gutter, picking up discarded papers to exchange for a scanty meal or a night's possession of indifferent shelter? ———e—s “Sum of All Wisdom.” With particular reference to nothing, an ancient fable of the East is sug- gested for retelling. The story recites that a certain rajah was concerned to learn the ultimate answer to the riddle of human striving. Calling his advisers and councilors about him, he told them: “Consult among yourselves and decide what is the sum of all wisdom. If the verdict pleases me, I shall reward you handsomely.” Long hours of debate followed. The sages discussed the problem exhaustively. Some offered solutions too obviously easy; some labored to extremes too diffi- cult to be comprehended even by their inventors. The more talk, the less agree- ] ment there was among the participants in the wordy battle. Indeed, quarrels ensued. Parties and schools were formed as the struggle pro- ceeded. Then, almost as promptly, those groups dissolved in controversy. Not for even a single moment was there any hope for unanimous judgment. “God” was the choice of one theorist; “mathematics” had support from an- other. Both postulations were rejected by everybody except their respective authors. At the close of the tenth day it was voted to ask the help of the populace. Heralds were dispatched to solicit the opinions of the masses. Thus it hap- pened that at dawn of the eleventh morning a woman and a little boy sought admission to the hall in which the advisers and councilors were walking the floor and tearing their hair. “This child,” announced the stripling's mother, “can tell you the truth you seek at your lord’s command.” Silence reigned for a space. It was broken quickly enough, however, when the oldest and the gentlest of the sages knelt before the lad and begged: “Out of your innocence, instruct us in what is the sum of all wisdom!” The child smiled. “Good, sir,” he said, “I do not know.” Light blazed in the eyes of the aged suppliant. “Yes, certainly!” he cried. “A humble and unpretending ignorance!” Glad trumpets took the answer to the waliting prince. A world’s fair has not been so grave a factor in affairs since the bygone days when Chicago utilized one as a means of expressing world sympathy for the poor little country maid who had never seen the streets of Cairo. This was only a slight incident of the far-away dance, yet it put a dent in the morals of public entertainment which the years have not effaced. * ® — —ee The radio comedians grow more scarce. The stage is doing its best to provide them, but cannot do so in num- bers that will enable dialect humor to hold its own in competition with the serious political demonstrations by ca- pable orators of all shades of serious opinion. e — Congress has been a long time on the job and still has important matters to be considered. Fortunately, the Presi- dent always has a genial expression which may assist others in remaining philosophical even if some personal pref- erences have to be disappointed. Tt must be admitted that John Nance Garner has done what he could to meas- ure up to the standards of a regular party man, without total sacrifice of the Sum- mer vacation which every honest work- man feels that he has a right to enjoy. — e Cigarettes have attained a remarkable footing of confidence with the public which can be disturbed only by passing disagreement with the political opinions of persons emploved to promote them. = B Japan and China will possibly welcome any steps which this and other countries may take to avoid an interference which differences of language and custom can only render a maladroit intrusion, Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Admiration. Arabella Dobbs remarked, In a tone exceeding wise, “Very few can comprehend Just what colors harmonize. “Reds and yellows. blues and greens, Should with care be kept apart Till approximated with Cautious and discerning art.” Out upon the sky there shone One of twilight's beauteous scenes— Blending, shifting everywhere, Reds and yellows, blues and greens! Arabella Dodds drew near; Raised her glasses to observe. Then in accents low exclaimed, “Hasn't nature got the nerve!” Discretion. “What is your favorite recreation?” “I decline to answer,” replied Senator Sorghum. “I'll take a chance on differ- ing with a constituent on a question of serious public opinion. But if you ever intimate that you don't regard a friend's particular pastime as the greatest of sports you lose him forever.” Jud Tunkins says & man who votes for political theories he doesn't understand runs some of the same risk a man takes when he goes to a closet in the dark for a swallow of cough medicine. Salutations. When the twilight is aglow, And the breeze sings soft and low, Daytime breathes a gentle sigh, Smiling as it says “Good-by.” When ¢he morning light d;aws near With its ruddy glance of cheer, Daytime once again extends Greeting bright, “Good morning, friends.” Pleasures come and pleasures go— Hope will fade and hope will glow— - Life is made all seasons through Of “Good-by” and “Howdy-do.” Cherished Incredulity. “You mustn’t believe all- you hear,” re- marked the prudent person. “I don't,” rejoined Miss Cayenne. “If I believed all I hear I'd consider it a privi- lege instead of a misfortune to be deaf.” Mercurial Disposition. Y The old thermometer oft shows A temperament too grave or gay; In Summer too far up it goes, And next too far the other way. “Everybody needs a certain amount o’ sleep,” said Uncle Eben. “Dar never yet was anybody so smart dat he maybe couldn’t be caught nappin’.” ’ ] STAR, WASHINGTON, ———*—‘————'————-_—__—__—_*“_ Taxes Takes Front Rank in Government. BY OWEN L. SCOTT. Real question is raised among the political coat-tail riders—on the look- out for new coat-tails to ride—about who, now, is the “big boss” of the Na- tional Government. John Garner, as Vice President, awards the title to Mr. Roosevelt with- out any hesitation. But gradually the idea is spreading that the President, to be more in keeping with reality, should begin to think about returning the com- pliment. The fact is the center of political grav- ity here in the Capital is swinging definitely away from the White House and toward the halls of Congress. That swing started months ago with return- ing prosperity. It was accelerated when the Senate defeated the President’s plan to add younger judges to the Supreme Court. It is getting another push from the. growing congressional inclination to ignore White House recommendations. As a result of this swing in the bal- ance of governmental powers, a dynasty of heavy-thinking planners is slipping from prominence. Rising to added prominence is what begins to look like a new dynasty, much more practical and much less idealistic. Xk ok % This new dynasty—if such it turns out to be—has its roots deep in Texas. Hard-headed and intensely practical disciples of Davey Crockett and old Sam Houston are ready to come into their own in Washington. They have their ideas about the future of the Demo- cratic party, about Tommy Corcorans and Ben Cohens, about the part that Government should play in business and farming and finance. Those ideas do not happen to be quite the same as the ideas of Mr. Roosevelt and his heavy-thinking advisers. That fact adds to the importance of any shift of power to Congress, since such a shift involves added power for this emerging dynasty of Texans John Garner happens now to be head of the group. But he is flanked by almost equally important individuals.” There is Sam Rayburn, leader of the majority in the House of Representatives. There is Hat- ton Sumners, who really put the nails in the coffin for the President’s court-reor- ganization plan. There is Marvin Jones, who is successfully bucking the White House on farm policy. There is Wright Patman, who gets results for war vet- erans over presidential vetoes and whose ideas on money and banking and busi- ness regulation keep the White House guessing. - ok ok ok Then, out of Congress but very much in the thoughts and the planning of these Texans. is another Texan, Jesse Jones, head of the R. F. C. and one of those who now dream dreams about a future in the White House. Not to be overlooked, but scarcely to be mentioned in the same breath with the others, is Maury Maverick, organizer of a group of young Congressmen who are filled with a zeal for reform and for making the life of their elders uncom- fortable Maverick is the left wing branch of the “Texas movement.” and is somewhat lonesome in that role These Texans—with the exception of Maverick—do not conceive of the Demo- cratic party as the haven of the under- privileged and the harbor of zealous re- formers. John L. Lewis, head of the C. 1. O, would be very uncomfortable in their midst. So would the coterie of heavy thinkers who have had a big play at the White House and with members of the cabinet The Texas idea is that the Democratic party might well continue to be a party of reform just so long as control lies in the hands of practical men who under- stand that government can accomplish some things, but not all things. x oo Mr. Garner has expounded the philos- ophy privately on more than one occa- sion. Why keep agitating and stirring up alarums, he asks, when the country wants to be let alone so that it can enjoy the good times that have returned? Business is good, farmers are prosperous, people are quite happy and are willing to give the Democratic party and the President credit for the improvement. There is enough glory to go around. so why stir up a fight that can only cause trouble. This country can't be made over in a day. Use of that Texas idea has been pro- ducing results. The Vice President used it to engineer quiet burial of the Presidents court- change plan. He is raising it as a bar- rier to any White House attempt to “purge” the party of members who may not have agreed with the President on some of the plans he has offered. His arguments have failed to change the determination of Mr. Roosevelt to press ahead with his reform program. but they have served to set the tone for the Texans who play an increasingly im- portant part in shaping the course of Congress. Those Texans must more and more be reckoned with when the White House seeks to determine policy. * ok % % It was Marvin Jones who quietly put a knife in the plan of the heavy left- wing thinkers to mix a bit of radical land reform in the idea of helping farm tenants to become farm owners. When he got through, the tenant-aid program, just enacted into law, was based upon an entirely different set of principles than when put under way. His ideas on a new system of crop control differ deeply from those of the President and Henry Wallace. As a result the chances are that the country's next farm program, when and if there is one, will have a definite Texas flavor. When it comes to dealing with future problems involving the judiciary, Mr. Roosevelt will hardly repeat his original mistake of snubbing Hatton Sumners, who deals with such things in the House. Mr. Sumners has & habit of speaking seldom and then in great good humor, but one of his speeches sealed the fate of the President’s bill to change the Su- preme Court membership at a time when the President's hopes were high. This Texan insists that the Democratic party, as now constituted, is good enough for him and he wants to guard against any purges. * koK X ‘To get things done in the House, the President depends upon Sam Rayburn, majority leader. Mr. Roosevelt has no more faithful lieutenant. Yet Mr. Ray- burn is not one to do much fire-eating. He fits into the Texas line-up perfectly. The case of Wright Patman is a bit différent. He is the promoter among the Texans in the dynasty. His thoughts run to reform, but reform designed to protect the small businessman and to make life uncomfortable for the big. and supposedly bad, bankers of Wall Street. This is a reflection of the typical West- ern interest in cheap money and aversion to Eastern financial control. Mr. Pat- man, too, is the man who gets things done for the veterans. But he is not a disciple of the economic planning school and has his important place in the new line-up. None of these men stands in awe of the White House. All wield wide influ- ence in Congress, A shift of power away from the Presi- ] D. C, AUGUST 1, 1937—PART TWO. LIFE’S PLAN BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D, D.C. L, BISHOP OF WASHINGTON. One of the most notable stories con- tained in the Old Testament is that which concerns the career of Joseph, as found in the Book of Genesis. In many respects it is one of the most fully and exhaustively written records concerning the life of an individual that the Bible contains. In picturesqueness and unique- ness, the story of Joseph's life makes evi- .dent that, despite human frailty and weakness, there is plan and design in life if we will but seek to discover it. As his life begins he finds himself placed in a large family of several older sons. At the first, Joseph being the younger, became the favored one of the household. Winsome, precocious, he early engages the criticjsm of his older brothers, but this is not brought to the point of bitter hatred until he tells of his dreams in which it is made to appear that he is destined to be the head of his household. It is here that a conspiracy against him is formed and designs made to defeat his avowed aims. The subse- quent story of his abduction and sale to foreign traders suggests the failure of his early hopes and dreams. In the second stage of his life he is found among a strange people and under conditions wholly alien to him. The vic- tim of stern temptations the young slave shows his moral worth and by reason of his integrity and industry he rises step by step to places of increasing honor and distinction. The story has its strange climax when he becomes a ruler in Egypt and when famine lays its cold hand upon the people of his own country. Thinking him dead his brothers | visit Egypt in search of food. Little dreaming that they are here to be brought in contact with their brother, Joseph, they attempt to supply their families with food. Immediately Joseph recognizes them, but seeks to avoid rec- | ognition. The conversations he has with his brethren are intimate and striking. He inquires of them concerning his family and ultimately holds as a hostage one of them, demanding that their youngest brotrer, Benjamin, he brought to him. When at length after repeated visits his brethren find themselves as his embarrassed guests in his palace, he re- veals to them his identity in these words: “I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither; for God sent me before you to preserve life. It was not you that sent me hither, but God.” Apart from his great magnanimity the story of Joseph's life is in demonstration of order and plan in the life of one who recognizes that behind the seeming mis- haps and misfortunes of life, God directs the ways of men if they but yield to His will. What often seems an ill wind proves ultimately to be the means of changing the course of life and directing it into ways that lead to its largest usefulness and power. Repeatedly, men come to their place of distinction through what at the time seemed an interruption to their life plan. Their ways seemed en- compassed with difficulties and yet the very hindrances that impeded their path proved ultimately the means of their emancipation and largest progress. The story of Joseph's life is in demon- stration of the fact that, “Men may rise on stepping stones of their dead selves to higher things.” It is far better to believe that there is plan and order in life, however interrupted it may be, than to think of it as governed by chance, the victim of fortuitous circumstance, “It was not you that sent me hither, but God.” is the key to Joseph's phil- | osophy. He believe that, despite the evil purposes of those who sought to direct him from the normal course of his life, God had strangely directed him to be the benefactor and savior of his house- hold. Life is a mosaic and the poet is wise where he says: “There is a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough hew them as we may.” Fifty Years Ago In The Star A news item in The Star of July 26, 1887, notes a menace to the city's shade : 5 trees of the Barking Trees in the horse and Horse and Buggy Days. bugey days,” L before the automobile parking problem had arisen: “Complaints have recently been made about persons leaving horses standing on the streets, near the curb lines, with no one to look after them. in consequence of which the animals gnaw the bark off the | Members of Congress are supplied with shade trees. On First street near the District Building the bark has been bit- | ten from several trees and the policemen on the beat were notified to arrest all persons whose animals were found in- juring trees. Several persons have been arrested in consequence and fined. This morning George Roberts and James ment, drove their teams building and left them and the horses soon began biting the bark from the trees. Officer Wall, who was on duty at the time, arrested the persons named and Judge Srell fined them $5 each.” - xoxox “The Commissioners are to report a plan, or route, for the steam railroads of . the city to the Officials and the g Railroad Nuisance. tee. which meets here in Novem- ber,” says The Star of July 27, 1887. “A | better opportunity has seldom been given to municipal rulers to advance the real interests of the city whose affairs they direct. Public opinion views the streets and reservations of this city as at the mercy of its two great railroad systems, and attributes the failure of the roads in the past to seize evervthing in sight not to the restraints of an indifferent Con- gress or timid Commissioners, but to the Jealousies of the rival corporations, route suggested by the present Commis- sioners at the last session of Congres! inforder to elicit discussion. while it has its good points, maintains and enlarges the evil of railroad occupation of the Mall and of important streets and ave- nues of South Washington, and in the feature of the location of the Union de- | pot, has received and will always receive the bitterest opposition from the people of Washington. “If the Commi. ners. in the light of the desired discussion of the subject last session, will boldly approach the ques- tion from the point of view of this com= munity, point out to the Senate com- mittee the illegal occupation of public land by both the railroad systems and suggest a common route and a union depot which, without entirely sacrificing public convenience, will do the least damage to Northeast and South Wash- ington and will preserve the beauty of the city in its intended unbroken line of public reservations, something prac- ticable may be accomplished through their report. It has been recognized in the Senate that these roads have no vested rights in much of the public ground which they have occupied and that body has recently shown unusual interest in the railroad usurpations in the matter of regulating the routes in the city and of establishing a union de- pot. Public sentiment on the subject is aroused and organized. The Commis- sioners, as the official representatives of the District, by making themselves the bold and faithful representatives of the community in this matter, can render Washington efficient service. ~When necessary restrictions are to be placed upon powerful corporations, all good citi- | zens must pull together for the public good.” dent and toward the Congress is sure to bring a further increase in that influ- ence. That shift in political gravity in- volves a broader field of search for the man who may succeed Mr. Roosevelt as leader of the party. And when starting that search, not to be overlooked is the relationship between Mr. Garner, the political guide for the Texans and Jesse Jones, their present hero. Mr. Jones offers an epitome of the Texas viewpoint. He is ready to make concessions to reformers, but insists upon retaining essential control in the hands of men who are experienced in exer- cising power. The R. F. C. chairman, as a very rich man and an employer, is not one to go far in coddling labor. His idea is that this country still offers fame and fortune for the young man who is willing to work hard and watch for the main chance, * % % ¥ Like others of the Texas dynasty, Jesse Jones believes that the business men of the country deserve a real breathing spell. He would pull Government out of its emergency ventures as rapidly as possible. His thoughts on taxation are not those of the President, who looks on tax policy as a means of effecting indus- trial reform. The country right now could do worse than size up its possible new boeses, (Coprrisht, 1937.) | pedia Britannica, Senate commit- | The | Capital Sidelights BY WILL P. KENNEDY. A new edition has been issued of the pamphlet which gives the origin and his- tory of the Mace, the symbol of au- thority, to preserve order in the Na- tional House of Representatives. 'This is published by direction of the sergeant at arms, Kenneth Romney, and copies are being distributed to librarles and schools throughout the entire country. & limited number for distribution to interested persons in their districts. In calling the attention of members to this booklet, the sergeant at arms wrote: “The information contained in this pamphlet was compiled by me, and | | is based upon an article written by Will Brown, employes of the District govern- | up near the | P. Kennedy and placed in the Congres- sional Record several years ago by Rep- resentative John J. Boylan of New York, together with data from the Encyclo- McKee's Manual of Congressional Practice and recollections of veteran emploves of the House. It is believed to be the first complete and accurate story of the Mace ever pub- lished.” - x ox % Plodding along diligentlv, unobtru- sively, steadily, throughout the night, all over the Capital City, doing work essen- tial to the accurate recording of the day-bv-day proceedings of Congress—for 57 years—"Sam"” Robinson was known to few of the men who have made legislative history, although he served them all. When he died the other day he was | eulogized by House Leader Rayburn as | an inspiring example of service, Ravburn said: “Throughout the whole Government service there are men and women of great efficiency and great faithfulness 1o duty. I rise to announce the death of an employe of the Government Printing Office who was, in that capacity, a serv- ant of the House of Representatives. Samuel Robinson for 57 years, with the exception of three months and two days, was thus employed. When he died he was 77 years of age, all but twenty years of his life having been spent in the Government service. For many years it has been my privilege and my pleasure to know this man, and of all of the men I have ever known, I can say without reservation that Sam Robinson was one of the most faithful and one of the most efficient men in his capacity that I ever ¥new. We will miss him dreadfully. His place will be hard to flll. I thought it was only fitting, Mr. Speaker, that some one at this time should say a word in memory of this splendid servant of the people.” Mr. Robinson's job was to carry tran- script copies of speeches made in the House by members to their offices or their homes, to permit the members to revise them before they were printed in the Congressional Record. * oK ok ok The same day that “Sam" Robinson's humble services were thus extolled by the House leader, Representative James A. Shanley of Connecticut put into the Record an appreciation of the late scientific hero, Guglielmo Marconi, “who bregthed scientific life and purpose into electric waves and gave us telegraphic communication. He had to his credit the wireless telegraph, the directed beam, wireless microwave, or ultra-short-wave radio, and the first commercial wireless service across the Atlantic.” Representative Shanley concluded that “world and international relations are better because of Marconi,” and quoted: ‘Were half the power that fills the world with terror, Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts, X Given to redeem the human mind from error, There were no need for arsenals and forts. Mr. * Kok % Among the widows whom the voters have sent to Congress to succeed their husbands have been Representative Edith N. Rogers, Massachusetts; Mrs. Mae E. Nolan, California.; Senator Hattie Caraway, Arkansas; Mrs. Florence Kahn, California; Mrs. Otis Wingo, Arkansas; Mrs. Huey P. Long, Louisiana, and Mrs. John W. Langley, Kentucky. In the present Congress Representative Maury Maverick, Democrat, of Texas is an example of the nephew come to Con- gress. The late Representative James L. Slayden, who served with distinction from 1897 to 1919, and subsequently di- rected an orchard in Virginia, a ranch in Texas and mines in Mexico. The late Speaker Charles F. Crisp of Georgia, conceded to be one of the great Speakers, had as his parliamentarian his son, Charles R, who succeeded him in Congress. Senator Wallace H. White, Republican, of Maine was secretary to his grand- father, the famous Senator William P. Prye, successor to Senator James G. Blaine. | refreshments Life at Washington in Summertime. BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. It is ecustomery for columnists and especially caricaturists to give to their audience, the American people, the im- pression that the most fun that is to be found at the National Capital is fur- nished by the cantrips and antics of Senators and Representatives in Con- gress. It is true that, sometimes in the course of a session and always at the close of one, a certain air of festivity finds circulation and expression, but that is not what really is meant by life at Washington. Uncle Sam {5 & good uncle in many ways. At his capital he has provided many amusements for his innumerable nieces and nephews. They are not the indoor amusements of Congress but rather quite outdoor things for the most part. One can be taken through days of re- laxation of various types. The National Park Service has charted what can be done and like those newspaper services which gfve to unimaginative or tired housewives menus for each day of the week, tells what a resident of Washing= ton or a visitor to its many shrines can do when he wants to get away from the fountain head of much of the history of his country and all that, and still wants to be on the spot. % oxox One may set forth on Monday morn- ing, the National Park Service says, and play golf on the Rock Creek Park course. This is supposed to be little short of what St. Andrews has to offer. The turf is de- clared by experts to be excellent d there are club house facilities which are adequately desirable. There is a charge of 25 cents for use of the course, but, after all, when one considers the cost of the upkeep of private courses, that is not very much. Uncle Sam pays most of the bill. In the afternoon. one may the brand-new pool n East swim in Potomac | Park. The water comes through a filter- ing system which makes it as clear and pure as any drinking water. There are springboards for diving, there are caba- nas, there are umbrella-shaded tables for There is a charge, but it is only 25 cents. One must bring his own bathing suit, but the fee includes towels and dressing room oo Dancing in the street usually ix re- garded as an Old World entertainment. The very idea smacks of places from which only our immigrant citizens have arrived. But every Monday night, on the South Ellipse road, but a short dis- tance from the White House, there is dancing in the street. The music is pro- | vided by an orchestra which is employed through the instrumentality of a Federal works project. If one does not care to participate himself, the sight of dancing couples is a sufficiently entertaining spectacle in itself. That ix especially o as, from not far distant buildings. flood- lights are thrust like fingers of brilliance upon the adjacent Washington Monu-~ ment. For the next dayv, the National Park Service suggests that you go forth again in Rock Creek Park to see the many wild creatures that are preserved there. There | are no grizzly bears nor any moose. but thére are innumerable small ereatures for which the place is a preserve. There one may see, with care, the raccoon, or flush the ring-necked pheas- ant. In the afternoon, the resident or the visitor may repair to Potomac Park where three days a week he may see the teams of the United States Cavalry play polo. Material for American teams that g0 to Hurlingham to play the interna- tional matches is sometimes created be- fore the spectator's eyes at Potomac Park in Washington. There is no charge whatever to see these games. - x % x In the evening. one may go to the Dis- trict of Columbia Memorial, which is a Greek edifice, circular in shape. columned and domed, which stands in a grove like that of Ashtaroth, a little distance from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, an expanse of water which now is rippled by the breeze, now placid. There aits the United States Marine Band. among the more famous musical organizations of the world, playing, for the most part, classical music. Then, again, for golf addicts. there is Anacostia Park, more Federal ground, where one may find a sporty course. Some miles away, but still in Washing- ton, there is the Takoma Park swimming pool, where one may cool off, * o ox % On another morning. any other morn- ing, one may go to one of Uncle S8am's tennis courts. It'would be a trifle amus- ing if some caricaturist should depict the usually dignified figure of Uncle Sam in such tennis shorts as are affected by the seeded playvers at Forest Hills in this country and at Wimbledon in England, slashing and going into dances in the stress of play, but it would not be out of place. For, on courts amid more beauti- ful surroundings than often can be found elsewhere, those same nieces and neph- ews of Uncle Sam, under his tolerant ey may play tennis to their hearts’' content. When the courts are not busy. which is seldom, there is no charge, but, in sea- sons when they are, courts may be re- served in advance for only 10 cents an hour. It is said that there are more mem- bers of the Izaak Walton League than of any other private organization, if one excepts those with a religious or semi- religious purpose. They run into the millions and, when membgrs come to Washington, Uncle Sam provides them not only with the Potomac River, which has fish in plenty, but with the more carefully garnished Tidal Basin — old Twining Lake—where also one may drop a line, with a substantial expectation of reward * ok %k At any season of the year there is much to see at the National Capital, whether it concern the stately structures or the many parks and the miles ot historic residences. In Summer, Spring, and in the crisp days of autumn, there are some very special allures. The National Park Service has built in Rock Creek Park more than 50 picnic grounds. When it is said that they were bullt, 1t means that facilities were built. Not even Uncle Sam really bullds picnic grounds for they must, essentially, be natural places. What has been done is the erection of fireplaces of fleld stone where one may fry bacon or brigand steak or toast frankfurters or marshmal- lows over the coals. No houses, no roofs cover these fire- places. They rise from the open land, but are well designed and take the smoke away and make the fires burn. Also, at these picnic grounds there are horseshoe pitches, croquet grounds, base ball dia- monds and, of course, what not even Uncle Sam unaided could provide, the grandeur of woodland scenery and pas- toral landscape. ———————— Air-Cooled Constituents. Prom the Asheville Times. Congressmen are disgusted with the new air-conditioning in the Capitol; they say it's too cool. It brings to mind a constituent’s reception. [ 3 4