The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-02-09

black smoke pour forth from tnou-
sands of chimneys, blackening the sky
and covering the fine white buildings
Of Washington with SCOT. This Is
darker Washington"
The Roosevelt Days.
The casual reader will note the dates
1905 and 1909. In those days 'Theo-
dore the First" reigned supreme In
Washington. Roosevelt made Smoke
less Washington" one of his particu-
lar fads and he caused many a fine to
be imposed upon corporations which
used soft coal and thereby created a
smudge, which was very obnoxious to
the president.
1t would make "Teddy" blink and ex-
press himself-which means, an erup-
ton of words-if he could see how the
beautiful buildings of Washington are
being "limned darkly against the sky"
with the smoke which enshrouds the
national capital.
Here Is a story told In the speech
Of Senator Kenyon of Iowa %recounting
his experiences In France which makes
the heart beat quicker. 1t was In re-
gard to the landing of the Rainbow
division" those sturdy Americans from
nearly every state In the Union. The
people were all assembled at this In
named port, for they knew the Ameri-
cans were coming. The band played
the "Marseillaise." On the'dock were
a mother and her little girl, the mother
trying to explain and answer ques-
lions. There were shouts of Les
Americans! Les Americans !"' Then
the little girl comprehended and said:
"Oh, mother, they have come to
save usI"
at is q great thing" remarked Sen
ator Kenyon, ito have q part in saving
a nation like France"
Fathers" Made One Error.
Always in debates involving Con-
stitutional questions great admira-
ton is expressed for the wisdom of
the makers of the Constitution. Rev
erently they are referred to as "the
fathers" especially by those who
believe that the fundamental law
n of great compromises, to be sure
should not be changed. But it has
become quite a common thing to,
change the Constitution during these
later years. Two important changes
have been made within a few years,
the income tax amendment and the
election of senators by direct vote of
the people. Within q short time, 1t
seems certain, there will be two other
important amendments, prohibition
and suffrage.
With all their wisdom there was
one thing that the fathers did not
know; they did not know that the
people would be more stable, less In
clined to change, and more conserva-
tive than the representatives Of the
people.
For example, it is very doubtful
whether the prohibition and woman
suffrage amendments could be adopted
If submitted to a vote of the people
of the several states instead of to
the legislatures of the states.
The fathers believed that the
chosen representatives OF the people
would be slow to make changes and
could be trusted better than the peo-
pie, hence they provided that-the peo-
pie could have no direct voice in
changing the fundamental law of the
land.
Developed in Debate.
These facts were developed during
the woman suffrage debate. Several
times it was shown that the legisla-
lures were favorable to woman suf-
frage and he'd submitted the question
again and n in, but woman suffrage
was defeated by the people. "The
only way we can get woman suffrage
Is by a federal amendment" vas the
tenor of several speeches, because"
1t was explained, "our legislatures will
vote to ratify, but u people will not
vote for woman suffrage"
Along this same line it was observed
that a large majority of representa-
tives in the house from states that
had voted down suffrage voted Ia
favor of the amendment.
The late Augustus P. Gardner was
really the senior "son-in-law." He came
into prominence when he was elected
to the Fifty-seventh congress to Ill a
vacancy caused by the resignation of
William II. Moody, whom President
Roosevelt appointed secretary of the
navy.
Gardner blossomed into notoriety as
the son-in-law of Senator Lodge. The
Massachusetts senator was at that
time the second man In the nation or
account of his relations with President
Roosevelt. Naturally every mention
of this bright young mar included the
words, she is the son-in-law of Sena-
tor Lodge" 1t was CALLING to Gard
ner, although he was a great admirer
of the person he frequently referred
to as my respected fa~ther-in-law."
Rut fine fact remains that Gardner