The Washington herald., 1917-01-17
Interesting Chats
From Hotel Lobbies

III Congress wants to set any class of
people free, and permit them to have
self-government. comon sense and patri-
otism should dictate that the people of
the District Of Columbia are entitled to
first CALL" said Dahney H. Pierce. Of
Portland, Ore. at the willard.
what is the idea of taking a bunch
OF murderous headhunters, Of whom not
one in thousand would know q govern
ment officer IL he bumped into one, and
patting them on the back and handing
them the privilege to do as they please
Is II possible that Congress does not con-
slider the people Of the District capable
Of governing, themselves or are the people
to be held In bondage SO that any
oficious upstart can put anything over
that he can find others to support
him In?
There are some mighty fine pickings
In the District for some people, and 1t is
only reasonable, from the standpoint of
good looting grounds. that the referen-
dunn is opposed.
Il believe that the people of the Dis
trict of Columbia have less to say about
being governed than any race of people
on earth.
Even the Filipinos are privileged to
have delegate in Congress, but Con-
gress has almost openly hinted that the
residents OF the District are not as in
telligent as the Filipinos.
The Russian peasant has more polit-
lcal freedom than the Washingtonian.
Why should you citizens of the District
allow lot Of plumbers and country
lawyers from the tall sticks to come here
ana form what has been called in my
country a Damn the District Club?'
Every once in while one of these mis-
placed human beings starts to lambast
the District and gets his name in the
paper OF his home town, and when he
returns he finds himself a great man.
maybe. II Congress wants to start some
thing real humanitarian, here Ia a chance
right at home. The people of the Dis
trict are as badly in need Of justice as
anyone Do you think you could tie
down bunch of Westerners and tell
them that Congress would do their think
ing for them? guess not II someone
tried 1t there would be numerous in
quests by the coroner"
z. l. osterhau.. of Boston. noted as
an author of short stories and n,avlets
is stopping at the Raleigh Hotel. He de-
piores degeneracy of American taste in
amusement
Almost anything sensual can be nut
across on the public who attend yaude-
Vile theaters and motion picture shows
and show good results financially" he
said.
I'VE have forgotten to discriminate he
tween decency and unnecessary spicy
drama. Our sons and daughters look at
and listen to things that would shock
our grandparents beyond measure. Rarely
ever Is the line drawn by any producer
between the clean and the unclean.
1t Is entirely unnecessary and out of
place to inject a nude figure in a story
or picture woven among the great Arc
tic regions, yet only recently a picture
was produced which showed the fair
heroine taking her morning plunge in
the icy waters Of the polar regions. If
we were to see a picture of a romance
of Samoa or the South Sea Islands, or
Egypt, we would naturally expect to see
some OF the looseness of these places, but
what sensible person would ever expect
to see nude with the temperature about
40 below. The idea itself Is inconsistent
and LIS a good example of what some
producers are giving the public with the
excuse, This is what the public wants
mo wonder the mothers of this coun-
try are becoming alarmed at the pictures
and books their youngsters are coming
in contact with. Do we want anything
beside sensuality? Some of US would like
to see Shakespeare's plays In photodrama
form, but am afraid the great majority
of American theater-goers would rather
see the Decameron or the Heptameron
From a money-making standpoint, Boo
cacio would be q winner"