The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
June 5 Is Time Set for Event
in Which Prominent Men
Will Participate
PLAN NOVEL STUNT
FOR LADIES' DAY
No Contestant, Regardless of His
National Prominence, VIII Have
More Than One Chance
at Any Word
BY G. e. STEWART

Washington, May Observation-Disclosures 5
is to be great day in Washington. A
momentous question will sthen be settled,
which now is the cause of bitter wrang-
ling and a wordy conflict. No, 1t is not the
| tariff; it is not whether England and other
nations are Disseminated against in the
Panama canal tolls question: it does not
involve in any manner the California anti
| alien land law-but it is TO decide definite
ly and once for all who is the best spel,er
In the nation.
That famous organization, the National
Press club of Washington has undertaken
to solve this problem. Until it is solved,
tariff and currency legislation must take
a back seat. On that occasion a team of
fearless statesmen, and an opposing con-
tingent of newspaper correspondents will
| wrestle with the intricacies of an old
fashioned spelling bee.
The contest will be staged in the grand
ballroom of the New Willard, for the club
las decided to make the big bee feature
of its annual Ladies' Day." Prof David
Franklin Houston, incidentally Secretary
of Agriculture in the cabinet of President
Wilson, will be the official pronouncer of
the words as the two teams are spelled
down No contestant regardless of his
national prominence will have more than
one chance. If single letter is missed
down he will go in the ignominy of the
bitterest defeat. There will be neither in
itiative nor Notwithstanding but the
recall. Bull moosers, plain ordinary re-
publicans, free trade democrats, in fact,
all of every political faith, will look alike
to Professor Houston. McGuffey's first
reader rules, or the old blue back speller
will be of greater advantage than Asher
Kinds parliamentary precedents.
1t has been said time and time again
and as many times Indignantly denied
that senators and representatives hire Sec
retaries to write brilliant speeches and do
their spelling for them 1t was this very
accusation--a charge of years standing
that brought about a challenge so prompt
lily accepted No such distinguished spell
ing bee has ever been pulled off.
Fancy Oscar Underwood-if he qualities
who knows all about the tariff standing
on first one foot and then the other hesi-
tating between conflicting ideas about how
to spell off hand that old time honored and
famous terriier-"a asafoetida' da''-and Of
course it must be In the chemical sched-
ule. Will he be able to get away with 1t +!
Professor Houston will show no favors
and he will have to come clean with every
syllable and letter. So fierce has the
contest of choosing sides waxed, that 1t IL
now being done in secret caucus. In Inc
meantime statesmen and newspaper men
are limbering up on spelling in case the
lightning should strike in their direction.
Another feature of the Ladies Day ce.-
ebration is to be moving pictures of the
children under IL years of age, of the
newspaper men In Washington which are
to be taken on the White House lawn and
will be entitled the Future Generation of
the Fourth Estate" The kids will march
in front of the moving picture operator,
one at time. and place a card with their
names printed thereon, on a large easel
and pull off any stunt that may occur to
them at the time.