The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-05

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old time mariner as the present situation
does to a statesman who is compelled tc
fight to keep in.
If it were possible TO pass an effective
law making it felony to go cunning fol
a seat in Congress while the incumbent
was stuck in Washington it would be
gladly welcomed. but alas and alackaday,
such law is impossible. So there is moth
ing to do but stay on and pray that things
may not be quite so bad as they look
now.
When the President sent to the Senate
the nomination of Second Lieut. Luther R.
James to be first lieutenant in the Six
tenth infantry a great many people i'm
mediately jumped to the conclusion that
the officer in question was the former
cadet by the same name who, by some
means or other, stretched himself full
inch in order to pass the physical exami-
nation necessary to entrance at West
Point.
1t did not happen to be the same Luther
however. Just the same, the nomination
recalledst story of the youth who was
appointed to the military academy and
who fell just one inch short of the height
requirement when the preliminary exam
nation was made. This Luther James,
who was, by the way, a nephew of the
famous Jesse and Frank James of Mis-
souri, set about increasing his height, and
within two months he had stretched him
self just far enough to measure the re-
quisite number of inches.
| New Orleans is in earnest about get
| ting the Panama exposition in 1915 and
she has practically the entire south back
of her. Hardly a day passes that some
influential delegation of Louisianians are
in Washington telling just why they
should have the exposition. The Crescent
City has enlisted the governors of other
southern states. the mayors of cities,
commercial bodies and people, In fact the
solid south is back of her claim for the
big show.
In the meantime San Francisco is not
permitting any grass to grow under her
feet and has let 1t be known she simply
must have the exposition. 1t Is very
pretty fight as it stands, and Congress
may be compelled to decide 1t draw
and authorize two exhibitions, one In New
As the show is intended to celebrate the
cutting asunder of the continents, it is
suggested that a doube-barrelled expos-
ton, one at each end of the big ditch,
would be peculiarly appropriate.
After a fight for 30 years before Con-
gress to establish his honor and good
name, Joseph Dobson, a Kentuekian,
charged with deserton from the army,
has won. Seldom in the annals of leg
isation has SO persistent an effort been
made to correct a mans military record.
Hundreds of applications are made, grant
ed or turned down in single session, and
forgotten .Dobson, however, kept up his
| fight for half life time in the face of
ever recurring defeat. f.
| Representative Thomas ofsKentucky be-
came interested in the singular case, ex-
amined the record himself and decided
that an injustice had been done his fell
| low citizen. He at once jumped into the
| hght and In an appeal on the floor of the
House he persuaded the body into agree
ing to a measure completely vindicating
Dobson of the old charge.
| Bob" Sharp of Tennessee, who has
| lust been sworn into office as chief post
office inspector for the postoffice depart
ment, is one of the interesting figures
among Washington officials. He comes
! to Washington from the office of the in
! ternal revenue collector for the district
of Tennessee. There he made record
that attracted notice by his efforts to
break up Illicit dstilling and to enforce
| the laws of the state against the illegal
manufacture and sale of liquor.
Bob Sharp made a great record said
one of his admirers. He will make as
good a name in the postoffice department
as he did as collector of internal revenue.
| AS collector, he broke up moonshining.
| But he did something more than that. He
went after the man in the automobile
lust as hard as he did after the poor
mountaineer who was running a still"
| Among other detectives singled out by
Sharp was the Cascade Distiling COM
pany Some wealthy men were connected
with it. One of the wealthiest men In
Tennessee was at the head of it. Sharp
tackled it and did not let up until he had
won out despite opposition He won the
thanks of the w. C. 7. y. and the Anti
Saloon league for his course in law en-
| forcement.
Postma ster-General Hitchcock was SO
we'll pleased with what he heard of him
that he made him chief inspector. He Is
not without postoffice experience as he
was formerly in the department More
over. he takes the place his father held
| years dBO TIC was ioi ~ Il StHDDl DoN
| in Washington He comes here directly
from Chattanooga. He is about 40 years
old and fine speciment physically.
IAN effort Is soon to be made to revive
traffic on the Mississippi river by means
of a new kind Of boat" said w. II
Browning of Memphis, Tenn, at the Ar
lington.
"A st. Louis corporation is now build
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| will be used between ST. Louis and New
| Orleans. These boats will cost about 5000
900 each. and are of n design never before
seen on the river. They have the power
in front of the boat instead of in the rear