Evening star., 1923-12-24
TALKS and TALES
With and About
CAPITALS GUESTS

Poor st. Nick kent on driving ms
team up and down,
And though In a hurry IL was not un-
til dark
That the kindly old soul found a fit
place to park.
But inconvenienced as was the old
fellow he couldn't help chuckling
with delight at finding that virtually
every hotel in the heart of the ma
tion had dressed up in his honor, and
as he passed and repassed windows
from which shown tinsel decorations
and vari-colored lights twinkling
from the great trees installed in the
lobbies he soon forgot his own trou-
bles and took his predicament good
naturedly
A hurried swing around the hotel
belt yesterday found all connected
with the great houses Of the city in
the best of spirits. Even those guests
lnarooned here during the happy sea-
son because of business or distance
of travel kept hid their inner feelings
of regret at being separated from
loved ones at the one time in the year
when all long to be home. and did all
in their power to properly prepare
for the great holiday.
While waiting at the Lee House to
pass greetings with Representative
John ]. O'Connor of the sixteenth
New York congressional district,
home bailiwick of Charles Francois
Murphy, Tammany's noted chieftain,
and meditating upon the fact that the
Manhattan legislator is the only first
year member of the United States
House of Representatives ever to be
appointed to the rules committee of
that body, a sight presented itself
that might we'll have touched the
heart of any man.
Fascinated by the brilliantly deco
rated branches of the huge tree that
Sraced the downstairs floor OF the
hotel, two little colored tykes, obliyi-
GUS OF the nail, rain and Sleet fail-
ing at the time, found it impossible
to resist climbing the coping of the
building to peer through the win
dows
Three times William +. Shanahan.
resident manager of the house. had
warned them away, because of the
dangerous condition of the pavement,
left partly dug up by water-pipe re-
pair men, but each time they came
back.
The genial manager had hardly re-
turned to the lobby the last time
when a heart-breaking cry pierced
his ears. and rushing to the window
w
happened--one of the boys had fallen.
Rushing out to the injured kid, he
picked him up tenderly and carried
him inside, closely followed by the
Please don't call cop. mister"
beloved the latter through his tears
as he gazed at the tree. Me and Tiny
didn't mean to take nothin', deed we
didn't! His mothers sick in bed and
she done tole him not to go out! Let
US go this time. and fore de good
Lord. boss, we won't never come
back"
BY this time Tiny had fully recov-
cred, but before he had chance to
second his pals promise Mr. Shana-
han had pulled from his pocket two
each OF the urchins he shooed them
outside and told them to beat it.
x Y y *
Down at the New Willard a peace
full quiet pervaded the lobby when
James Mclean, a distinguished Scotch
man of Glasgow who. with his fam
fly. is touring America, prepared to
check out.
AS the chief of clan Mclean was
paying his bill young James Mclean,
jr., twelve-year-old SON, politely
shook hands with all members of the
office force, thanking them most gra-
ciously for the pleasant time he had
spent
How do you like American" asked
William Dittmar Of the lad.
Very much, sir, but not near so
much as l do my old Scotland" and
with that John Schlotterbech and
little Miss Gertrude Kimmel both
started humming "Raomin' in the
Gloamin'," while Brother Dittmar made
a dash to answer the phone.
X X x
With the Christmas spirit evident
at every turn, Theodore r. Rave of
Walthill, Neb., sat in his rooms at
the Hotel Raleigh. delving deep into
papers to be presented to proper au-
thorities, asking that drastic reforms
be instituted in the bureau of Indian
affairs.
The westerner, who represents
many individual Red Men of the
Omaha and Winnebago tribes, said
that shortly before President Har-
ding died he had presented his pro-
posed remedies for the Indian bureau
10 him and that the late executive
had assured him that an investiga-
tion would be made.
An overhauiing of the entire de-
partment is e e'sential if justice is to
be done the Indian" said Mr.. Rave.
II am not referring, though, to the
nedQS OF the government, tor they are
not responsible. 1t is the System"
now being carried out by the great
subordinate body, which is to blame
for present conditions.
With 100000 Indians in America.
property rights running into the bill
lions of dollars, with attempts to
control personal liberties of tens of
thousands, besides probating estates
of deceased Indians is a function de-
manding the highest concept of moral
duty and eftfciency-this is not to be
found in the subordinate personnel
of the bureau today"
After detailing several specific cases
of what he termed "f1aring incon-
gruities." the Indian representative
said that Congress was not to blame.
NO" he continued. Congress
stands ready and willing to iegis-
late rem edies, but the remedy lies
not SO much in new legislation as II
does in a change of the system ad-
ministering congressional legisla-
tion.
THE crux of the trouble is that
the exercise of the personal discre-
tion vested in the executive heads of
the government has been delegated
to subordinates. who, being domi-
mated by a system OF painful char
acteristics, have simply perverted the
trust imposed. In other words, the
whole basic administration of the
indian bureau is wrong"
Mr.. Rave expects to obtain audi
ence with President Coolidge, when
he will outline to him the plans SUBJ
mitted to President Harding.
THE MIXER.