Evening star., 1923-08-27
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

The official spokesman for the
President was surprised when his re-
mark concerning the possibility of
Mathew G. Brush becoming chairman
of the United States Shipping Board
brought a spontaneous laugh from the
100 newspaper men gathered at the
White House.
There Is about as much chance of
getting Mr.. Brush at the head of the
Shipping Board as there would be in
persuading one Of the professors of
our leading colleges to come to Wash
ington and enter the primary class
of our public schools.
The speaker, taken aback by the
laugh, explained that Mr.. Brush is
enterprise. and with a very high
salary. and is doing work perhaps of
as great public Importance as any
work Of the government.
\ Il \
The incident is not without it's sig
nificance. Much of the work that is
carried on under private management
has even greater effect In shaping
the welfare Of the people than most
public enterprises. AS il is not so
we'll heralded the public cannot
lappreciate it's Importance. For in
stance. take any of the great inven-
tions-the Fulton steamboat, the
Morse telegraph, the Atlantic cable.
the building of Brooklyn bridge. the
invention OF electric light and power,
the telephone, the airplane and the
radio.
How would connection with the
government have added to the i'm
portance of any Of these great in
ventions?
Honor and fame from no condition
Act well your part, there all the honor
lies"
=
What is ii that gives the President SO
much confidence that there will be no
cessation in the supply OF anthracite
this fall? His authorized spokesman as
sures the public that the President has
sincere confidence that the public will
not suffer. Nevertheless. he is taking
no chances in the matter Of safeguard
| ing against the unexpected. He drew
much comfort out Of the recent confer
ence with Gov. Plnchot. and the
| full understanding as to how the federal
and state governments would work to-
gether in cooperation 1t was pointed
out that the governor of the state in
which all the anthracite mines lie can
get into closer touch with conditions,
and can do some things in the matter
of state laws which the federal govern
ment has less power to do.
But the general peacefulness OF the
!, nation. the desire to preserve the peace
and maintain the progress or the country
| is so general that President Coolidge
sincerely hopes and expects that there
will be no coal strike.
Senator Brookhart. who has been
| sued for 80 cents damages by former
Secretary Of Agriculture E. T. Meredith.
| because the senator asserted that Mr..
Secretary Meredith had sat in with the
Wall street gang in debating farm
credits. now comes back at Mr.. Meredith
with new arguments Mr.. Meredith had
declared that Iowa farmers were pros
| pering. as proved, he said. by their hav-
| ing borrowed in 1920. from the War
Finance Corporation. s27.000.0oO, OF
| which they have already paid off
| s24,o00,00O. The senator retorts that
the war finance board did not lend a
| cent to the farmers. but loaned only to
banks and certain cooperative associa-
tions.
Is the senator frank, or is he quib-
bling, in view of the fact that the
4
rediscounts of farm loans made by
| the banks to the farmers. which could
not have been made without the re-
! discount privilege? Mr.. Meredith
| will fight his own battle, and the
/ public is only an innocent bystander'
| watching the fun, but no fouls
| allowed.
! * X X
| With airplanes connecting the At
| lantic and Pacific coasts so that they
are less than twenty-eight hours apart
| in mails. and with radios and ampli-
| fiers, it will not be so serious as it
! might have been. for California to
4 fight out the Johnson Hoover battles
while the generals" stay so far in
| the rear. as Washington is from San
| Francisco. 1t is quite in accord with
| modern military tactics for command
! ing officers to remain far out of
| range of the guns, while directing
and commanding the maneuvers.
| X
| General Johnson charges gallantly
| the intrenched army of ~General'
I