Evening star., 1922-12-21
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL"V.iCOLuNS.

warning may be given In the matter
OF wages for farm help; tf the farm
ers must continue to compete with
CITY wages for common labor. at -
70 sS . day OF eight hours. the cost
OF !ood production viii be prohibitivs.
ana the farmers will simply cease
70 raise IL. beyond what they win
reqoirs Tor their own consumption.
Food In Washington now costs Sc
per cent more than IL dfd In 1919. and
the cost increased per cent at re-
tail In the last month, while farm
products generally increased 3k per
cent vhoIesale during the last month
ana ISk per cent IN the last year.
"woodrhan. spare that treer' The
Maryland law maKes II &. misde-
meanor. punishable with o, fine of s25
or ninety days imprisonment, for
any one 10 remove q tree or shrub
from another's land without the own
er's written or verbal consent Tho
penalty is insufacient. Christmas
trees are stolen at the risk of in
curing SO small penalty. and the
actual value Of some trees is many
times the f1ne.
As trees become scarcer. year by
year. they become more precious, xnd
the law should give them better pro-
lection. what Of the property. buyer
who purchases q lot with trees grow
ing thereon which have been Develop
Ing for twenty TO sixty years-or
longer in some caSes-and, through
ignorance or whim. he exercjees his
Ownership" long enough.to destroy
the irreplaceable trees. and thep sells
out or defaults on his paymapfs?
There should be laws making. every
tree, whether on private or public
land. public charRtS, tHd lis; de-
approved by the sppsfinttpdent of
parks or some unbiased court. 9In
two decades more there will be no
forests-let us save. the few trtes
that grow along city streets and in
yards.
We have societies for the preven-
tion Of cruelty to chiidren|and ami
mails: let US organize for .ths pro-
lection of trees-not merely forestry
associations whose objects are utili-
tartan in the saving of rivers and
other drainage and conservation or
timber. but because trees are mag
| nificent expressions Of natures
beauty. Stay the hand Of the iGno-.
rant vandal.
Representative Free of California
makes some ugly charges against the
District of Columbias system or
"children's guardians" Here is what
| some OF his cases appear to be:
child OF struggling mother is no.
ticed by a neiEhbor TO be without
ood shoes or sufficient clothing.
Forthwith, he says. the child is hailed
before a court and sentenced into
! "slayery''-torn from It's mother ana
put into a home OF strangers. where
Il must be subject to the commands
of those who hold no special love Tor
it. but who. perhaps. covet the pay for
Its keep given by the District. From
that time. it is pointed out. the court
which consigns the baby to slavery
loses jurisdiction-the baby Is wholly
under the authority OF the children
Representative Free cites one case
where such a child az the age OF
eighteen attracted the attention OF
| well-to-do people. who offered TO give
the boy a good education. but 'ne
children's guardians forbade the nee
essary change of domicile. and so the
hoy missed the chance Of a lifetime
The congressman has a card list OF
| some sixty such cases. for he is In
terested in being human and IN
abol!shing Slavery sort OF Ane
some system Oh Tellcl N'N
help the real mother TO keep her
child with her. while she continued
her struggle. would be nearer to
standards OF modern civilization.
Bills to change these alleged con-
ditions are now being studied for
early introduction in Congress. and
II is hoped TO have for the measure
finally worked out the approval OF
the board of charities the Council OF
Social Agencies and the District Com
missionefs
Representative Alice Robertson. who
viii tetises from Congress March Z.
complalns that there is.no place for
a lady rerrssentative to powder her
noseFih, the HoGse." She adds; Con.
gress dfd not build a cloakroom tor
me. i don't think there would be
much room in Congress for women
who powder their noses.'
Now, We wonder why not. For
wears Congress rffaintainees in the
Capitol a place. where male states
men could paint their noses" though
for sofrei yearsr even before the
eighteenth amendment the paint shop
/; had been abolished. But why abolish
or fail to establish a mere nose
powderine room? Even now there.
are congressional barber shops in the
Capitol; let there be beauty shops as