Evening star., 1923-07-11
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

There Is a chance for many an able
bodied. able minded. strong S-character-
ed young man to go round the world.
or half around and back, at the ex-
pense of Uncle Sam. Recruits are
wanted in the Army, for duty in the
orient, but no weakling, likely to
TRY anything once" In the way of
narcotics will be accepted. 1t Is too
easy to get such drugs in China for
the government to risk submitting
ordinary young men to the tempta-
tion. This is service which tests the
fiber of the character. Owing to the
unrest and revolution in China, and
antipathy to foreigners. the service
Will bring adventure and develop the
discipline of real war, although. ac-
cording to military opinion, 1t Is
probable that ample force of the ma
tions Will prevent serious action by
the bandits.
Anti-narcotic officials claim that
the United States has the most thor
ough system OF guarding against the
Importation of narcotics OF any coun-
try In the world. yet statistics show
that this country uses more of the
pernicious drugs than does any other
country. Both statements may be
easier to procure in China than in
the United States that the Army is
especially anxious to select only the
strongest soldiers, morally consid-
cred. for service in the orient, how
much stronger than Americans must
we rate the Chinese, in self-control?
statement appeared in the press last
week comparing the records for
honesty of all the nationalities, and,
like that of Ben Adhem. the name of
the Chinese stood at the head of the
list.
The cost of living has increased )
per cent in the last year. How can
the poor man stand it? His wages
have gone up only 19 per cent. So
says the Department OF Labor. But
the per cent applies only to pluto
cratic mechanics--not to poor bank
clerks. bond-clippers and professional
folks.
The worm will turn" An associa-
ton OF Washingtonian househoiders
has been formed for the purpose Of
investigating local conditions under
which coal dealers hold up the prices
or coal in July, while mines are pro-
ducing ample supplies.
VIII the efforts of the investigators
prove more effective than the at
tempts or a certain small boy when
he tried to figure out a certain phrase
In the poem.
Ihe FAMILY had been sitting calmly
oefore burning CRATE fire, each en-
crossed in his own reading. when
Wlllie rose and did the heinous act of
eXpeGtoratlng on the hearth, then
whlrled on his heel Called TO ac
count, he explained that he had read .
The Kid turned on the spit" and he
was only trying to see what happened
when the kid did that. The Coal Con
sufners League is turning as seri-
ously as little Willie. Which fact
nnd1ng investigation will excel in re-
suits?
The District of Columbia is proud
of Its health record for last year.
According to statistics, only three
persons died of typhoid fever in the
District. the lowest death rate ever
recorded. Was that record sustained
by all the United States last year?
Is II contempt of court for the
drys TO challenge the statement of
Chief Justice Taft in his foreword
70 book by Lord Shaw of Dunferm-
line? Justice Taft declared that he
had opposed the passage of the
eighteenth amendment, and that the
present unrest and wave OF lawless-
ness throughout the United States
were due to prohibition.
Commissioner of Prohibition
Wayne b. Wheeler takes issue with
Mr.. Taft in saying that the prohi-
billion law did not cause lawlessness,
but only threw light on the spirit of
law violation which had been the
distinguishing characteristics of the
liquor traffic for the last fifty years.
He added: The vets never observed
any law anywhere, at any time,
when their profit might be served by
Its violation. The enlargement of
the criminal classes by recruits. led
to join their ranks by the lax, apollo
getic and conniving attitude of re-
spectacle people, to which Justice
Taft refers. is the most serious prob
lem We face today. Prohibi-
tion has not created this situation.