Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-01-15

Stole liquor! That's not stealing any
thing, for liquor is not property. Broke
in door! That's HOUSEKEEPING. and
calls for two years in the penitentiary.
although what he did it for was to get
at the iquor-"nothing." That is the
law.
Flew kite in Washington! Awful!
This lawlessness must be stopped. The
law stopped nefarious flying Of kites
away back in July, 1892. Three years
ago some modern reforrner started to
amend that law by introducing a bill
in Congress, but the committee to
which the bill was referred has not con-
cluded its hearings on it yet. Since
the kite-hying was stopped the flying
machine and the torseless wagon and
the wireless telephone and wireless
method Of sending pictures through the
ether, and prohibition, and everything,
have changed, but it is still a mis-
demeanor 10 fly a kite in Washington.
The little boys who were naughty and
flew their kites just before the law
and the bluecoats stopped them are
now thinking of retiring from active
business and letting their grandsons
have a chance. And the grandsons
think this is bully weather to let their
kids fly kites--if 1t were not criminal.
Law is the application of common
sense--sometimeS
X X X r.
What is all the talk about con-
gressmans being immune from arrest
during a session OF Congress, and
yet because a member started some
thing and then changed his mind about
it and wanted to quit the House threat
ems to put him in lingo until the ses-
sion expires? The Constitution declares
that senators and representatives "shall
in all cases, except treason, felony and
breach of the peace, be privileged from
arrest during their attendance at Lne
session of their respective houses.
Yet they want to arrest a member
now for refusing to talk. Bless them.
Why not arrest some for talking! rms
is as heinouS crime as hylng a KITE:
II is worse than stealing booze. II
this be treason-to refuse to talk-iets
amend the Constitution. They have
even put amplifers into the House,
which magnifies the talk, until the
veriest whisper can be heard IN homo
lulu. When will they install magnl-
fiers of silence? But when IS 1t that
in Congress "Silence. like poultice,
comes to heal the blows OF sound !!
Can you empty a vacuum, or cool an
absolute zero" or amplify dead
silence? All that they intend to try
is to put a sphinx into a donjon and
throw the key down the well. until
it's over, over there, on Capitol Hill.
x x X X
There is absolutely no heroism SO
brave as modesty. Few are the
heroes who are not innately modest
and self eHacing. So we hail to the
chief-Chief George S. Watson of the
Washington fire department, who re-
fuses to accept a hero medal con-
ferred on him by the District Com
missioners on account of efficient
service in directing the rescue OF
the survivors of the Knickerbocker
Theater disaster, last winter. when
the whole audience was trapped and
crushed beneath the collapsed roof.
Chief Watson cannot see that ne
did any more than all OF his men
the duty before them. Perhaps that
is true. 1t is seldom indeed that any
heroic action is consciously taken
because it is heroic. 1t is no detrac-
ton from the merit of the men who
obeyed orders and obeyed the in
stincts of their own bravery, when
they rushed into the scene of ninety
seven deaths, and risked the threat
ened further collapse of the walls
for distinguished honor to be paid to
their leader. 1t is always impossible
to award full measure of just recog-
milton to all individuals in such
crisis. The officer who leads his men
into a desperate fight is often pro-
claimed a hero, while the men are not
known by name and receive no spe-
cial honors. 1t is not just to them,
but, in another sense, they do share
all the honor that is bestowed upon
their leader. For them to look at
the medal upon their leaders breast
adds glory to every mans own con-
seriousness, when he says to himself:
81, too, was there The leaders
honors are always vicarious-he
stands for all who shared his hero
ism. Chief Watson. Chief Watson's
men, Your city salutes true man
hood, which did not finch.
;: x x <
The cheapest of all arguments"
is hiss. The story that a hiss once
saved Rome is a myth. At all events,
a hiss. whether from the same kind
of birds or any kind, will never de-
stroy home Aunt Alice" does not
pretend to be a statesman, but her
unassuming recognition that there
are yet sacred ties for womankind,
outside Of the halls of parliament and
shops of toll, does her honor, de-
serving the respect and sisterly SYM
pathy of even the worthy women
in convention assembled. Quite aside
from party alignment, she has won
the respect of her associates in Con-
a