Evening star., 1922-12-30
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL v. COLLINS.

bate upon the desirabiiity Se Amer
ica's undertaking further "efangle- ,
ments in the affairs OF Eurobe at
this time. Men are not prone to fAlk
freely Of their religious faith in lay
circles but the grave and reverend
seignors were shocked at the ACCUSE
tion flung at them, that they were
acting like infidels in not accepting
the advice and judgment OF the mi
nority.
similar charge might be twisted
against the most devout, IL one vera
| to ask them why they git in comfort
IN America instead of going out into
all the world as missionaries. know
Ing. as they must. that there is
savagery and degradation and suf-
fering. It Is alleged that 100000
Will die Of starvation in Europe this
whether America shall let them die.
deliberately and without effort to aid,
but how shall the aid be rendered?
III thine enemy thirst, give him
drink 10 a command, but from the
same source came the rebuke to mis-
poor ye have always with you"
Paul wrote to Titus: THAT the aged
mep be sober, grave, temperate.
so,fnd In faith. in charity and pa
tience." Titus passes that letter on
to the Senate. As agenda for 1928.
There is going to be a New Jeru-
salem. yclypt Warrington. If half OF
the proposed building improvements
are carried out in the near future.
Private residences and apartment
houses are being constructed at
double the pace of two years ago.
and in addition to the s3o.ooo,0oo per-
| narent exposition building to be
| erected by the Arts and Industries
| Association. the government will in
vest some s25.o0o.oo0 in public build
| ings, IL the recommendations of the
| public buildings commission. headed
| by Senator Smoot, are adopted. The
program calls for large and perma-
| nent structures for archives. for in
ternal revenue and the office of the
controller and for the Department OF
| Agriculture. This latter department
! is now scattered all over the city In
some twenty-five rented buildings.
There Is no economy whatever in the
raying interest on Its own invest
| ments in permanent buildings adapted
| to its own uses: rents run to 10 or 10
| per cent on the value Of the invest
| ment. while the government bonds
pay less than per cent-nearer 3.
1t is to be hoped. too. that the next
Congress will take seriously the prof.
| ect to improve the Potomac river and
make this seaport The improving
of the channel is estimated to cost
less than $5.ooo.00o. enabling all but
| the leviathan class of ocean vessels
| to dock at Washington. the head OF
| tidewater. At least the enthusiastic
engineers and promoters claim the
project ought to have congressional
, inquiry.
Maryland opposes the establishment
, Of reciprocity as to automobile tags
between that state and the District
of Columbia, and a great lobby is al
legged to be actively opposing a bill 10
| that end. now pending in Congress.
! Constitutionalists contend that the
question should never be discussed
as a matter OF voluntary reciprocity
between two states; It is a matter OF
| interstate trafic. and the Constitution
clearly makes that a subject exclu-
/ sively under congressional control.
The argument. they claim. that be
| cause Maryland has partly paid for
| its road improvement (though hun
dreds OF thousands of dollars were
! also paid by the federal government
/ toward Marylands road improve
men). therefore she is entitled to
collect "toli' against outsiders. is
directly antagonistic to the express
provisions of the United States Con-
stitution. Congress should pass a
law. they claim. abolishing all such
efforts of states to evade the Consti-
tuition as to interstate commerce.
rather than discuss the Maryland po-
| sition from the standpoint Of mere
| reciprocity.
| The greatest element for automobile
safety is the adoption of simple traffic
! rules which will be standardized ana
uniform throughout the country,
rather than permit each local gov
| ernment to make its own rules. Pub
lie education is better than improved
regulations according to William
P. Emo, washington's traffic expert
! Senator Balrs bill. now pending. re-
! ouIres a bond of all automobile
drivers, not less than $4,000. for the
| indemnification Of damages and in
juries. 1t is encouraging to see that
Congress Is arousing to its duty to
! regulate automobile traffic as II does
| railroad commerce. Time may come
when we shall have a national inter
state automotive commission and only
Congress made laws for interstate autos.