Evening star., 1923-03-29
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

Sometimes even pure science"
, goes wrong-gets locoed or just plain
crazy. There is an enthusiast now
in Africa who has written to an
American university. offering to i'm
port collection Of live tsetse flies.
, These are tho flies whose sting
causes sleeping sickness but it is
necessary first that the flies them
selves shall be infected by biting a
| ease. Until they go acquire jag
themselves, they are as harmless as
a newborn rattlesnake.
The collector proposed to feed his
colony, en- route, on his own blood.
and so introduce the breed in Ameri-
ca in an innocuous condition, for he
sickness. SO the uninfected tsetse
would be like the unloaded gun-the
kind that is the most deadly Of all
Few people have accidents with
loaded" guns. but the gun which
one "didn't know was Loaded is
dangerous.
The Department Of Agriculture is
watching every Importation Of shrub
berry and seeds TO guard against the
possibility of the entrance of disease
germs Yet, in spite of the utmost
precaution, some germs and noxious
, insects get by the inspectors, and
quickly increase and cause meal
, culable damage.
How did the English sparrow get
into America? 1t is generally rec
. ,t1rI RI & ]
really does not deserve Its reputd-
ton. for 80 per cent of its food con-
siqts Of undesirable insects 1T Is
one of the best exterminatorS OF
noxious Insects upon thG CoHt.l'ei5[ ~ -
but that virtue had nothing 10 90
with it's original Introduction. II
would be foolhardy temerlty' now
ever that would advocate the lntro-
duction Of the tsetse fly, In the nope
that il might attack mosquitoes. or
that il would develop into an Eng
lish sparrow blessing In disguise.
washington merchants are aroused
In self-defense against itinerant mer-
chandising by firms which come tran
siently to the hotels, with special dis
plays of goods-mostly for lad1es
wear-and in a few days sell vast
quantities, on the strength OF proml-
nent labels The claim is made that
these travelling merchants pay no IL
cense nor tax, and they demorallze
trade and often foist out-of-style ar
ticles upon customers attracted oniy
by the labels. 1t is estimated that
some SIS. 10000 of such trade is made
annually in Washington.
Something ought to be done about
it," declare the local dealers, but
what Possibly an annual license
which all local merchants would
sient business Improbable.
x 4 x
Director Hines Of the Veterans Bu-
reau has issued an order that here
after in every case of disciplinary
action against a patient in any hos
pital a full report shall be filed at
headquarters within twenty-four
hours, giving reasons and the nature
of the treatment.
In the case of a demented veteran
in a Maryland hospital, who was bru-
tally assaulted by an attendant.
kicked while the patient was in a
straitjacket and his ribs broken by
the kicks. no action has Yet been
taken to prosecute the "hard-boiled"
attendant. The attendant was mere
" discharged, but he confesses:
81 lost my temper for the moment
and used greater force, perhaps, than
was necessary"
The victim has not yet recovered:
Is it not as much of q felony TO at
tack a helpless, bound, strait jack
eted veteran patient in a lunatic ward
as it would be to attack stranger
on the street or assault any one else
in a quarrel? -
x y y x
What with the boil weevil and the
Wall street bears. the cotton inter-
ests are complaining of the hardest
kind of luck. The Department OF
Commerce is requested TO investigat te
why cotton price s1umps, while gaso-