The Washington herald., 1920-10-23

| - PILED milk draws few tears
- from an Anchurian administra-
ton. Many are its lacteal
sources; and the clocks hands point
! forever TO milking time. Even the
rich cream SKINNED from the treas
ury by the bewitched Miraflores
did not cause the newly installed
/ patriots to waste time in unprofit-
able regrets. The government phi
losophiCally set about supplying the
deficiency by increasing the import
duties and by suggesting" to
wealthy private citizens that con-
tributions according to their means
would be considered patriotic and
I in order. Prosperity was expected
10 attend the reign of Bosada, the
new president. The ousted Office
/ holders and military favorites or
ganized a new Liberal" party. and
began to lay their plans for a re-
succession. Thus the game of
AnChurian politics began. like a
Chinese comedy, to unwind slowly
| its serial length. Here and there
Mlrth peeps for an instant from the
wings and illumines the florid lines.
A dozen quarts of champagne in
= conjunction with an informal sit
/ led to the establishment of the navy
and the appointment of Felipe Car
rera as its admiral.
Next to the champagne the credit
/ of. the appointment belongs to Don
/ Sabas PlaCidO, the newly confirmed
minister of var.
/ The president Lad requested a
convention of his cabinet for the
discussion of questions polite and
| for the trans Iction of certain rou-
tine matters of state. The session
| had been signally tedious; the busl-
ness and the wine prodi giously dry.
| A sudden, prankish humOr of Don
| Sabas. impelling E.m to the deed,
/ spiced the grave affairs of state
with a whiff of agreeable playful
ness.
| In the dilatory order of business
! had come a bulletin from the coast
| department Of Orilla del Mar re-
+ porting the seizure by the custom
house officers at the town of Coralio
of the sloop Estrella del Noche and
her cargo of dry goods. patent
medicines. granulated sugar and
three-star brandy. Also six Martini
RIFLES and a barrel of American
whisky. Caught in the act of
smuggling, the sloop with its cargo
was now. according to law. the
property of the republic.
The collector of customs in max
ing his report, departed from the
conventional forms so far as to sug-
gcst that the confscated vessel be
converted to the use of the govern
ment. The prize was the first cap
ture to the credit OF the department
in ten years. The collector took
opportunity to pat his department
on the back.
1t often happened that govern
ment officers required transporta-
tion from point to point along the
coast, and means were usually lack
ing. Furthermore, the sloop could
be manned by a loyal crew and en-
plOyed as d coast guard to discour-
age the pernicious art of smuggling.
The collector also ventured to nom
mate one to whom the charge of the
boat could be safely intrusted-a
young man of Coralio, Felipe Car
rera-not, be it understood. one of
extreme wisdom, but loyal and the
best sailor along the coast. 1t was
upon this hint that the minister of
war acted, executing a rare piece
of drollery that so enlivened the
tedium of executive session.
In the constitution of this small.
maritime banana republic was a
forgotten section that provided for
provision-with many other wiser
ones-had lain inert since the es-
tablishment of the republic. Anchu-