The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-08-17

ERHAPS the oldest "hello girl
in the country is employed IN a
Nav York apartment house. her
name is Christina Arnold and her age
;s 81 She cares for about three num-
dred calls a day, and her voice. IN
stead of her face,
Oldest Telephone is her fortune. 1t
Girl Is Popular is soft ana nu'i-
cal, so much so
that the telephone masher falls an
easy victim to her wiles. Unknown ao-
nnirers have sent flowers and canoy'
while many susceptible males VINO
have heard the elderly operator
sweetly trilling Number, please"
have made desperate efforts to start a
f,;r+at;on-over the wire. The feelings
of these Lotharios, were they to dis
cover the age of their inamorata, can
easily be imagined.
Despite the efforts of humanlta-
rians, philanthropists and others OF
that ilk to give the telephone girl a
personality, to nine out of ten people
she is only voice. If that voice has
the LIQUID notes of youth and all
Youths soft persuasiveness, the senti-
mentalist at the other end OF the
wire never stops to consider whether
the person speaking is dark or fair,
homely or beautiful, sixteen or sixty.
Not even an octogenarian can es-
cape little attentions from gallant
males, since she speaks in the dulcet
tones of Juliet. But if she had the
average octogenarian voice she would
never be troubled.
NER. HUGHES started his cam
Nl paign by making reckless
charges against the Wilson admins
tration, and despite authoritative de-
malls of certain of his statements the
republican nominee for President con-
tinues to make
Hughes Reckless assertions about
Charges Reacting the democrats in
control of t h e
government which not only cannot be
substantiated but which are absurd on
the face of them. All such charges are
sure to react on Mr. Hughes.
Among the false statements in the
republican platform is one. to the eff
feet that the democratic administra-
ton had created thirty thousand offices
outside the civil service law. Mr..
Hughes, accepting that statement as
correct, used it in one of his speeches.
The acting chairman of the civil SER
vice commission has given figures to
combat the republican assertion, show
ing that the number of offices outside
the civil service list is very small.
A week ago Mr.. Hughes made a
point of attacking the democrats on
their shameless waste" OF the peo-
pies money in the rivers and harbors
appropriations. He charged that many
appropriations were made without any
expert report on the project proposed,
and referred to the democratic rivers
and harbors committee as the great
pork barrel. While some people in Mr.
Hughes audience might have known
better, the majority were easily mis-
lead. Mr.. Hughes was effectively an
swered by Senator Ransdell, who re-
viewed the rivers and harbors legis-
lation of recent years in the form of
answers to Senator Underwood's in
terrogatories. The facts showed that
Mr.. Hughes was indicting his own
party. Whatever of pork there was in
the rivers and harbors expenditures
was there by the grace of republican
control. Since the democrats came into
power the amount of money paid out
on account of rivers and harbors has
been very small.
Several other of Mr. Hughes
charges will be proved groundless,
but the swagger with which he tells
his audiences that he would like tc
have the chance of investigating the
government is meant to convey the
impression that under democratic rule