Evening star., 1923-01-08
CAPITAL. KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

The Washington Board of Trade is
progressing, in advising that the con-
gested streets be widened through the
making of sidewalks narrower. The
widening of the roadways is feasible
only at the expense of walkways, but
when the sidewalks are narrowed,
where shall we put the people? You
cannot narrow the people-they per-
sist in eating-and therefore they
must have elbow room 1t is impos-
sible to narrow the present crowded
walks sufficiently to meet the need of
greater driveway.
At the risk of reiteration. let me
suggest again that we can make the
streets two-story, by running elevated
twenty five foot walkways down the
middle of the streets. abolishing side
walks altogether, and connecting the
walkways with the stores by bridges
of sighs"--indicative perhaps of the
delights of shopping without danger
of ever being run over The space
under the walkways would be suita-
bic for parking automobiles. This
plan would double the width of the
roadWays, at a very moderate cost.
II is intended only for the congested
SuCn as II ana III ana
certain crowded cross streets. Locat-
ing the elevated walks in the middle
would give no appreciable shading
to the light of the stores, for in most
cases the edge of the walks would
be thirty to forty feet from the win
dows and only fifteen or twenty feet
high. 1t would be possible to orna-
ment the vehicleless walks with
flowers and other attractive decora-
tion, so that they would be as artistic
as an esplanade through park.
x x x >,
whenever court institutes a
policy of seeking opportunity to mulct
somebody in fines, simply for add
ing revenue to the public Golfers, it is
prostituting it's legitimate functions.
The penal law is not intended for
revenue, TO take the place of taxa
tion," says one of the legal lights of
the House, but merely to make
crimes and other offenses against So
clety and good order burdenSome upon
the offender, so that he will cease TO
offend. But certain deputies lie in
wait at the boundary lines of the Dis
trfct of Columbia to nab non-licensed
automobiles and have their drivers
fined, simply for revenue only. That
is unwarranted by the fundamental
principles of law. Congress has ex-
elusive power to regulate interstate
commerce. and state laws so enforced
are unconstitutional. The claim is
made that states may require license
of tourists who are not merely just
passing through, but who stop, per-
haps for months, and SO get the bene-
fit CO the good roads which state
taxes have built. 1t is not true that
state taxes exclusively have built
those state roads, for all have re-
10 nf
thousands Of dollars Even if they
had been built exclusively by the
state. they attract visitors. and that
always profits state or community.
1t is very short sighted as well as un-
constitutional"
The value of Thrift week is be-
ginning to impress itself upon us all,
and the reading of a plant of
married woman who has hard work
to make both ends meet with her
husbands salary as a government
clerk impresses the lesson con-
cretely. She says they have a family
rooms for Wheh 'hg thev Ds psv IN SIS
month, plus 80 for gas and cleo
tricity. Thrift! thrift. Horatio"
On the same day on which this
plant appeared. noted an adver-
bath for $50. fully furnished, and that
included electricity for lighting. Gas
for cooking might cost S4 a month
certainly not more, for family that
could live in two rooms The two
rooms referred to are in one of the
choicest neighborhoods in Washing
ton. 1 do not wonder. then, that
Judge Kathryn Sellers decides that
many cases of alleged nonsupport
are due to the wife's bad manage
ment of household expenses There
is no reason why, in Washington.
two very respectable rooms with
light and fuel, as well as furniture,
should cost half what that complain
ant is spending. l am not speaking
now of slums, but f1rst-class quarters,
in first class neighborhoods.
X X x X
There is a great deal of confu-
sion and Misunderstanding as to the
present financial condition of Ameri-
can farmers. We hear every few