The Washington times., 1918-04-20
BY W. V. BYARS.

Jtee Of more than 10000 people In
New York city, at large as "alien
enemies," without even having their
thumb-prints taken. He gave details
OF the most exasperating delays in
the courts after arrests he himself
had made. He reminded the commit
tee that the sending of a single "code
word might decide the [ate OF a
battle. While perhaps a detective of
ability, his real genius is for oratory.
His Grafton in favor of drumheading
suspects as soon as possible was per-
haps more eloquent and forcible than
any member Of the Committee-even
/ the chairman himself-could have
delivered without considerable prep
aration. Among witnesses vino fol-
lowed him, one was convinced that in
Minnesota, the necessary process Of
lfusilading had been postponed so
long that the firing squad will have
! to work overtime when II does begin.
1t is often very difficult during an
"ArmageddOn" period to remain
either semi-ratonal or halfway
decent. We may come nearest to
success by not oyerestimating our
own importance, or our own patriot
ism, as compared with that OF those
who disagree with US. And as far
as we can succeed at all, we may
find opportunities to use our brains
for minimizing hell on earth.
In the House, Mr.. J. Hampton
Moore of Pennsylvania sent to the
clerks desk to be read, letter re-
porting the case of Frank G. Dodge,
of Rhode Island, one of the heroic
Americans who was badly injured
on his way to France when vessel
transporting them was torpeGoed.
While recovering in the hospital,
Mr.. Dodge was visited by members
of Rhode Island regiments in France
and on his return they gave him
letters to be delivered to friends
and relatives at home. After deliv-
ering these, he was greatly sur
prised to find himself arrested un-
der the espionage act for convevin~
unauthorized letters. As he Is now
held for the grand jury under $4,000
bail, Mr.. Moore said that person
ally he did not wish to intervene
against the authorities, but ne
thought that publicity given the way
in which one heroic American was
being dealt with, might serve as a
warning to others.
Second Assistant Postmaster Gen
eral Praeger appeared before the
House subcommittee on the postal
service to explain the difficulties of
prompt mail deliveries to the troops
in the trenches. AS he explained.
they are due in great part to the
removal of men from place to place
under a system in which the delivery
of mail to enlisted men is considered
by the War Department as much
less important than carrying out a
plan of campaign for military sue
cess.
The House began the considera-
tion of the naval appropriation bill,
after having taken the unprece-
dented step of cutting out" all gen
eral speeches and beginning under
the five-minUte rule, which re-
auires everything said TO bear di-
rectly on the bill. 1t carries an ap-
preparation of about a billion and a
third dollars (S1,327 sos, ,000D. Per
haps che most important thing said
in debating it yesterday was by Mr..
Madden of illinois,: 81 am fair.
am telling the truth. That is the
fairest thing a man can do"
The House Committee on Bank
ing and Currency was closeted yes
terday with Treasury officials. Be-
fore the doors were locked. it was
explained that they were expected
to educate the committee on the
McAdoo. bill for conserving the
gold supply" by melting the Bland
dollars. An original Bland bimetal-
list, in attendance without invita-
tion, was ready to educate the COM
mittee to any desired extent, but
had no opportunity before the doors
were locked.
A bill was introduced IN the House
yesterday appropriatins s22 100000
for a system of vocational schools, to
he used in educating such Of our
troops as return from Europe Grip
pied. One provision OF the bin IS that