Norwich bulletin., 1922-04-04
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
tspeeial to The Bulletin.l

land mas made things lively IN con-
gfess this week Twas not the bonus or
the tariff or the treaty, for those meas
uFes are now at rest at least temporarily,
but it was along the line of mismana ge-
ment, delay and criticism Of the manage
ment OF certain soldier benefits and
memorials and the failure of certain bu-
reaus to fall in line and aid the repue-
lican party in carrying out its pre-elee-
ton promises of retrenehment and eff
cheney.
Burroughs, of New Hampshire. start
ed the ball rolling by denothcing as
"iflexeusabie and reprafensible, the de-
lay'' on the part of the veterans bureau
of the New England district having
headquarters in Boston He eitey 90
specified instances that had come un+
der his personal observation while act
ing IN behalf OF soldier constituents of
his own. He demanded an inYestigA-
ton and immediate reform As a re-
suit It Is said. Dr.. Brides, head of the
Boston division has been summoned to
Washington by the war risk bureau to
explain whether or not the charges were
warranted.
The next mSve by New Englanders
along the path Of reform and retrench-
ment was by Congressman Tiison OF
Connecticut, who followed up his visit
last week to TIE shipping beard by a
letter to President Harding. in which
he suggested the president sfeuld take
the charges made by Tiisof. MADDEN
and F'ess under personal consideration
ana see to It that some person II whom
he had perfect confidence looked into
the matter. Tilson had previously stat
ed that the shipping board was even now
carrying IS men on Its high sa!aried
list who we're OF no service at this
time, but whose aggregate salaries
- snr,fAa 70 over 100000 a year. Mr..
TiIson believes there should Be a CONS
r'eta waedtng out of unnecessary timber
In the shipping hoard and that It should
be begun at once.
Then UndeFhiII, Of Massachusetts,
struck out with strong blow, hitting
the GEORGE Washington Memorial associ-
atisn. He called attention to the orig
hal purpose of the association as dis
closed by it's charter, as being for the
establishment of great university Of
learning for the youth OF America" He
showed that its present purposes is to
provide big convention hall in wash
inEten for the use Of weH1an's Gibbs
But 1t was not SO mitch the purpose
of the organization that he spoke against
as the methods pursued by It in collect
| ing money for the enterprise, and its
desire to obtain government land for the
purpose.
Mr.. Underhill showed by verified sta
| tistics that the organization has sought
| funds from a great number of New Eng
land towns and small cities by methods
| which he said had led Subscribers to feel
| they were municipal assessm ents" or
| patriotic obligations that could not be
! Aonofably evaded. He named a hait
| hundred towns in Ills own section that
had 'fbesn so assessed" as he expressed
it. He next attacked the proposed plan
to sell at IS each q memorial star high
| in the dome, such star being contribut.
ed by the friends or relatives of sol
diers Of the late war Another ''pre-
ferred' star location can be purcha Fei
for 500 in memory of a soldier who
died in the war. Mr.. Unserhill protest
ed against such methods and added ths
American Legion had likewise protested
afsfnst il. The association IS trying tt
obtain from congress permission AM
authority to use certain government
funds for the erection Of the PROPOSED
building.
Uncle Joe Cannon had real surnFis
| party last night when nearly one hun
bred of his friends met at the home q
Senator Mccormick of Illinois. and hal
"Uncle Joe" summoned for some Inns .
mary purpose. The fact that anon
the guests were President Harding an
) Chief Justice Taft shows the prestige
which washington republicans are &C
. eording Mr.. Cannon. who not long ae
: announced that he would not run fe
reelection but would leave the field eIea
. for younger man. Mr.. Cannon Is 8
: years old and has been a member O
congress for ~ years. He tiiinRs tina
1
SO plainly, although it is conceded b
! everyone that if he would stand for re
e'Aotion next fall, he would have
! walk-over.
There is no certainty regarding tn
E passage of the bonus bill by the senate
although the opinion here seems to b
q that it will not get an adverse vote. BIZ
$ whether it Will be brought up at tai
! session is quite another matter. It
not of the slightest use to predict, fc
: the senatorial hopper is filed to it's lin
1t; there is strong opposition to the bi
and also stout advocacy of its passa &
/" Till the vote is counted or the meas
e ure at least before the senate. one man
= guess seems as good as anotheF's. q
4 though 1t is quite possible there will be
& stampede for the bill in the senate sue
: as occurred in the house. The hou,
: passed the buck along to the senate, an
J there is rurnor that the senate wi
e play the same game. only this time
n will be the president to whom the III
y welcome task Of deciding the auestic
) will be assigned.
. The early spring which struck Was
ineton last week has brought bloom
= the famous Japanese cherry trees whit
l. line the splendid Potomac park specs
IA wey and which were the gift to Nj
! Taft by Japan, when Mr.. Taft W;
= president. And no one today takes mo
"a pleas sure than does Mrs. Taft, now wi
s. Of the chief justice, IN riding alonq r
speedway and watching the brillia
bloom.
ct Mrs. Harding is real gardener, IA
is takes every spare moment to personal
oversee the planting and transplantii
that goes on in ire White House garder
lie At her old home in Marion she did mo
se that Oversee" and qualified as ere
dirt farmer" so far as her flower ga
den was concerned.
Mrs Harding is just now much int
ested in the Camp Fire Girls of Anne
es ca. Of whSch organization she Is
L. honorary member. and is especially 4
voted to the revival of the Colonial a
re of weaving. In which many OF the gil
es are now being instructed.
es The public schools Of Washingtcn q
making extensive preparations for t
observance of the 50th anniversary
to Arbor Day which occurs on April /.
vh This month also brings the 10th an
10 versary of the founding Of the Aneric
Forestry association. and this year Wal
ington proposes TO set the pace by pia,
ing an unusual number of trees a