Evening star., 1923-02-08
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Where great masters fail, how shall
their subjects" achieve? Congress
is the ruler Of the District of Colum-
bia. Not even as q territory has the
District any voice in its destiny. The
government holds its funds in the
Treasury. pays no interest and con-
fuses tho account SO that the Dis
trict is temporarily deprived of the
use OF millions, while schools and
parks and streets suffer. Congress
sets aside one day a week in which
to play village council and give its
mighty brain the recreation OF decid-
ing what in other municipalities is
thrashed out by ward politicians in
the common council. Then the lead
er of the ruling party forgets to no.
tify the Speaker of the House that in
ternational problems are to be laid
aside according to the agreed agenda.
The Speaker feels aggrieved that he
was not SO informed officially and in
due time, and he rules nothing do
ing on Cross alley. The wheels of
state roll on and the city is forgotten
-again-yet-forev
Taxation without representation"
IL a hackneyed phrase, but quickly
caught up by Senator Couzens. who
finds that tho street car companies
love the city no more than does Con-
gress. He urges that the govern
ment take over tho two street car
lines, and run them for the ameliora-
tion of the condition of its subjects" F."
He does not understand how the citi-
zens are going to get relief any other
way. He aches to see the subjects"
relieved. When they are thus rescu-
ed from the grasp OF the octopas
street car companies, ana landed IN
the lap of Congress as to even the
running of their electric caravans.
what assurance have we that Leader
Mondell will not forget to unlock the
stable door, some morning ana SO
may keep all the cars in cold storage.
change? Some Of us didn't miss the
millions, but we surely would miss
the street cars, IL Congress happened
to lock them up and forget the key.
X # y X
Representative V1orian Lampert OF
Wisconsin must be q bright and
shining lamp-pert and ready-witted.
He sees the situation as to our
street cars, az lucidly as II he were
a member Of the city council and
lived on Main street. He has intro
duced. a resolution which, If passed,
will simply call upon the street car
companies to comply with the maxi
mum limit of fve-cent fare or go
out Of business, for, he says, neither
the street car companies nor the
P. U. c.. has any authority whatever
Nk-fl NJ a Nh q o ~
authority.
mot theirs to question why.
Theirs but to do or die"
What a glorious chance this offers
for some legal hero, taking the tip
from Mr.. Lampert, to board a car,
proffer a bright. new nickel ana,
when the conductor demands the bal
ance of his alleged fare, stand upon
his rights-even IL that act stands
Then let him sue for damages TO his
new spring hat (How many truth
Is spoken in jestD
In all the discussion about forbid
ding or regulating the sale Of fire.
arms there has been no suggestion
30 reasonable as that made by De-
tective Sergt. Sandberg that all pur-
chasers of weapons should have their
fingerprints registered. Indeed. there
is no reason why that idea should
not broaden to apply to all possessors
of weapons. whether recently bought
or possessed for years. Honest men
would have no reason to object IL
everybody had his fingerprint record
ed for Identification, regardless OF
firearms. 1t would often protect the
innocent, as well as detect the
guilty.
Gun-toting is usually reprehen-
sible. yet there are circumstances
which make the failure to go armed