Evening star., 1923-01-25

spread over the country, affordiffG
cooling shade for the roadways and
creating timber equivalent to an ex-
tensive forest. When the centennial
OF Arbor day arrives. these treestof
1928 will be stately old monarchs OF
the forest and highways, of which the
nation will be proud. Tn
X y -iz
If Mai. Gen. Harbord had been. q
fossil, when the age limit required
him to retire from the Army there
would have been no question as TO
the continuance of his retirement pay
of major general. After forty years
service to his country, he rose from
the grade of private to the rank
Of a major, at the entry of America
into the world war-thanks to the
inanimate system of promotion only
in the order Of seniority. When
active duty at the front sifted talent
from mediocrity. Mai. Harbord, sby
| leaps, rose to the grade of major gen.
| eral on his merits as an organizer.
| and he served most brilliantly at the
head Of the service of supplies, after
he had done valiant service in the
battle line in command of the %
Division. 81
Now that he retires by law, and is
too able and valuable to remain idle;
he becomes the head OF a great corr
poration dealing in radio outfits.
Consequently the House of Repre-
| sentatives Furnishes him for not being
| a has-been by refusing TO allow him
| the regular pay of a retired officer.
1t is no wonder that Secretary of
War Weeks protests that it is a great
piece Of injustice. Does 1t not mark
| the inappreciation of the Congress-?
Secretary Weeks contrasts that treat
| ment by America of a most distin-
, guished soldier with the policies of
European countries. to heap honors
upon their notable defenders. The
| officers retired pay Is not charity.
to keep them from suffering; IL ts
part of the contract compensation. II
| cannot be refused without dishonpr-
The Department of Commerce dis
| covered last week that a farmer IN
Canada had produced. by accident, a
seedless apple. Now comes Harry
| Jones of Bradrick. Ohio, opposite
that he has fifteen trees bearing seed,
| less apples. These trees do not
bloom. but the fruit bud swells
gradually into an apple, as figs grow
without petals. Perhaps Secretary
Hoover did not recognize apples that
grew like figs, but he may recall that
| in Eden apple trees and fig trees had
close relationship, at least commerf
| cially. If not botanically. Why go
| to Canada?
Representative Frear of Wisconsin,
proposes to suspend the Constitutiof
and the Supreme Court. That Is the
biggest contract undertaken for some
time. In his new soldiers bonus bill
he has written this clause: -
mo part of this act shall be ren4
| dered invalid by the decision of any
court II more than one justice dis
| sents from such decision. and the
| holding of any part of this act In
valid shall not affect the remainder
of the act"
1t seems not to have occurred 10
the learned representative from Wis
consin that the Supreme Court was
| not created by an act of Congress
and that Congress has no power
whatever to limit the judgment of
! that supreme tribunal. Only a con-
| stitutional amendment can affect the
powers of the Supreme Court-a col
lateral branch of this three-part gov
rnnent-legislative. executive and
judicial -