Evening star., 1923-03-10
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

In Hoosierdom there grew up two
neighbors-a girl and a hoy. AS the
years came on the girl became a mis-.
tionary to the wild Indian, in Indian
Territory, over a thousand miles from
home: the boy chased fires" as &
reporter, in his home state.
"Gnats are unnoticed wheresoe'er
But the eagles gazed upon with
every eye"
A few days ago the boy" and the
girl" reminded each other that the
years had wrought wonders, for Miss
Alice Robertson, the retiring repre-
sentative from Oklahoma, presented
her photograph to the new Post
master General, autographed:
ITO the nice little boy that I used
to know, who has grown to be such
great man"
One retiring congressman boasts
that he lived in Washington on $50
month. being without either wife
or dog" 1t is not the wife who
makes up the difference between the
$50 scale of living and the s60o-a-
month plan; it is the dog" The
representative who must put on
plenty of dog needs at least the in
come that Charlie Chaplin finds in
adequate, even for matrimony. There
is, in fact. no limit to what any man
can spend in Washington or in any
other city, but the spread is inevita-
bly, due mostly to the dog Many
statesman thinks he would have
no influence il he killed his dog
which only goes to show that when
1t comes to sizing up some states
men, with or without their dogs"
I'D rather be dog and bay at the
moon,
Than such a Roman"
The dogs the thing. and many a
career is doomed when the great re-
fuse to take down their signs: Love
me, love my dog" and take their
woes too seriously when the public
laughs at their song: we've gotta
The ladies Of government employ
who have the privilege Of living in
the government-owned Plaza Hotels
at $45 a month, with room and two
good meals a day. together with vari-
Gus special luxuries not found in pri-
vate boarding houses, are bewailing
their hard lot because it is found
necessary to raise the price to $50 a
month. The increase is due to the de-
mand Of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road Company that the government
pay rent on the railroad land occu-
pied, in part, by the hotels. Hitherto
the government has had the use OF
the railroad land in consideration OF
paying the taxes only.
The tenants do not claim that they
could get board and accommodations
elsewhere that would compare with
what they get at the Plaza hatels for
anything like the same cost. Their
complaint is aimed only at the fact
that even at the s45 rate the govern
nIent made a clear profit last year, eX-
ceeding $86,000, and they argue. there
fore, that the government ought &c
pay the land rental without charging
it up to the tenants.
That is not counted by the govern
ment managers as fair business ar
gument. It should not concern the
tenants, they say. as to what the
government profits amount to: all tina,
concerns them is whether they could
do better elsewhere; if so, let them
move and give room for the waiting
list. Heartless, isn't it? But that is
business. The government is, not an
eleemosynary institution. nor are
those happy tenants charity pa
TENTS.
Nevertheless. this dispute brings ou,
the truth Of what has been argued
repeatedly, that the success of the
Plaza Hotels at s45 month for room
and board, with parlors and all mod
ern improvements. demonstrates thai
it is possible for private enterprise:
to emulate the plan and make money
while furnishing frst-class board ano
room for $50 or $50 month.
X X *
How would it do for the govern
ment to board its statesmen in the
Plaza hotels at $50 a month, in view