Evening star., 1922-12-15

\ Senator Smith W. Brookhart breaks
into the scene of legislative activity
as champion of the government en-
ploye by introducing a bill to author
ixe Army quartermasters to sell all
quartermaster supplies-food. cloth
ing. etc.-to government civilian en-
ployes on the same terms as to the
Army That means that the goods
will be sold at 10 per cent above what
the government pays in wholesale
lots.
This would be very welcome. OF
course, to the beneficiaries. But how
would 1t affect the $240 bonus which
is already going to the civilian en-
ployes. on the ground that 1t Is
needed to compensate for the In
argues that IL will be good training
for the quartermasters to be called
upon to serve the 100000 civilians;
after such training they would oe Tar
more capable for serving the Army
of q fifth that number. Undoubtedlx
or course II will be recognized that
Is called upon to serve 100000 1t can
not do II with a quota OF quarter.
masters apportioned to 100000. but
will have to enlarge its corps pro-
portionately. There will have to ne
some way of checking up the new
beneficiaries. for they will not appear
at the counter In distinguishing uni
forms. as is the case with the officers
and men Of the Army. How Will the
line be drawn against seliinG 70
"their sisters their cousins and their
aunts?? And II to them. why not TO
the rest Of the civilians Of the vote
less city. especially to those who DO
not receive a bonus to onset the hlgn
cost of living?
Competition between merchants
puts a wholesome curb on extortion-
ate prices on general commodities.
The one class Of commodity wnicn
does not come within reason as to re-
tail cost is that which originates on
Farmer Brookhart's farm out in Iowa.
The unreasonableness of cost Is not
ascribed to the farmer. for 1t Is
notorious that the farmers are being
rouped. But there is where the vital
problem of the high cost OF iiving Is
found Let those statesmen VINO nave
been close to that problem Werk OUT
its solution, and we shall all rise 10
call them blessed. Somewhere In
broad co-operation-somewhere IN CO
rive sellinR-somewhere In reasonable
shipping charges-somewhere In the
utter cleaning UP Of parasitical miu-
dlemen-there Ia the great prooiem on
the age for Congress ana wise
leadership to solve Let tne sovsh
governments are established. ana let
merchandising and fertilizer manu-
featuring and other commercial en-
terprises be left to individual initia-
tive-at least during the first century
Of soviet experimentation in hussla-
For once the United States Supreme
Court Is too deep for lay mind, out
maybe 1t is right just the same. Tne
tconstitution. in the fifth amendment,
declares that nor shall any person
be subject for the same offense to be
twice put in jeorardy Of life or limb"
The Supreme Court tells us that 1oe
| IN. same dose of booze one may De
skinned alive in the state court and
then be hayed in the federal court
| all for one swig. Anyhow. whae pun
ishment can be too severe? The main
| Jeopardy came long before any court
caught the wretch who drank the
\ sfufY Inferno can add no terrors.
A delegation from the american
Medical Association has waited on the
Secretary of the Treasury. Mr.: Mellon.
with an urgent appeal that the rules
| be slackened so that the druggists
may lay in a larger stock OF liquor
| "bottled in bond" in advance OF the
! holiday trade. OF. course. druggists
want il for filling prescriptions, ana
the whole world knows that those
| prescriptions increase and multiply
during the holidays. and the fact that
the Materia Medica omitted whisky
| from its list of medicines years ago
has nothing. to do with holiday pre-
| scriptions. Didn't Rip Van Winkie
set an example Of treating resolu-
| ton?
How suddenly the air has acquired
all the properties of real property!
The nitrogen is invaluable for FER
1 tilizer when the electric current sep
arates 1t from oxygen; the aNiator
Ands IL a painless ocean on which ne
NAV sail his ship" and so ne neeos
| that its paths be defined: the WIRE
iesa message flies with immea sura PIE
speed through ether waves and CIR
cies the earth in the twinkling OF an
| ave. All the developments mentioned q
have come within one generation, ana
ali make demand for entirely new
4