Evening star., 1923-01-02
Washington Observations
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

cabinets crammed with claims docu-
ments. They presage many months
or hearings and deliberations before
decisions can be rendered A note OF
humor recently was introduced by a
petitioner. who insisted throughout
his documents in referring to. CLANS"
instead of claims" and addressed the
august body headed by former Asso-
ciate Justice William r. Day as the
mixed clans commission" Just how
and when Germany will satisfy
awarded American claims remains to
be determined The $500. 100000 of
German property held by the United
States 10 regarded merely q moral
pledge"
Word reaches Washington that Ar
gentina Is vastly annoyed over the
recent arrival in Brazil of the elab-
crate American naval mission led by
Admiral yogelgesang. Comment In
the Argentinian press and public
! ranges mainly around the view that
the United States cuts an incongruous
figure in espousing international re-
duction of armament while oficialIy
collaborating in ways and means for
extending the armament of a great
South American state. Little is un-
derstood in this country of the deep
seated mistrust, bordering upon hos
tility, that traditionally prevails be-
, tween Brazil and Argentina They
| watch each other like hawks. espe-
cially in the realm of military and
naval preparedness. The dispatch of
an American naval mission to Rio
Janeiro Is, of course, not intended TO
encourage or foment authorization In
Brazil. The missions primary pur-
pose Is to rehabilitate and modernize
the personnel department of the Bra
lillian feet. The United States, IL
goes without saying. would place
similar facilities at the disposal of
naval authorities, 1t appears, had
knowledge of the possibility that
British naval officers might be en-
gagged to reorsanize the Brazilian
Meet and neEotiations were instigated
that eventually led to intrusting
Americans with the task. 1t was be-
cause British sailormen a couple of
years ago were assigned zuch work
by the Chilean navy that the Pc
ruvian fleet thereupon contracted for
an American mission to overhaul IL.
The Welshman of the Harding cab
inet-James J. Davis, Secretary Of
Labor--is in correspondence with Da-
vid Lloyd George, strongly advising
his brother CeIt not to abandon his
intention of visiting the United States
on a speaking tour Secretary Davis
urges Mr.. Lloyd George to eschew a
professional lecture engagement in
favor of popular campaign of talks
to the people. either In public meetings
or at private gatherings. like ban
quets or at universities. chambers of
commerce or workingmen's headquar-
ters. 1t has long been "the little
Welshman's" cherished desire to
make the acquaintance of the United
States, He knows us and our history
as well as any American alive. Alb
raham Lincoln Is one of his heroes
Throughout the darkest days of the
war. when the allied cause seemed
hopeless. David Lloyd George. in pub
lie and in private. never tired of cit
coin in the hours when the cause of
the Union looked most desperate
* r = *
AS communications are the twin
brother Of transportation as a pri-
mary factor in the affairs of the
concerns like the Radio Corporation
OF America should commander the
services of eminent and tried gov
ernment officials OF the type of Mai
Gen. James G. Harboard. Gen Har-
board today enters upon his duties as
president of the Radio Corporation
Since September. 1921. another COM
munications concern, the Bell Tele-
phone Securities Company, has had
David F. Houston. former Secretary
of the Treasury. as It's president. HIS
particular functions are to supervise
the investments of that immense cor
poration. which IS the parent organ
ization of telephone companies in
virtually every state of the Union.
y n
d. r. Crissinger, controller of the
currency. pays ungrudging tribute TO
Senator William e. Borah as one Of
the truly disinterested men In Con-
gress Not long ago. II appears, Sem
ator Borah made wild remembrance
against a certain Treasury appointee
who came under the controllers ju-
risdiction in idaho. Mr.. Crissinger
looked into the matter He found
that Borah's objections were we'll
founded. The official was removed
The controller, acting. in accord with
time-honored tradition. asked the
Demosthenes of the Senate IL he had
Crissinger's astonishment, Borah said
he had no candidate for the bertha
lucrative one-whereupon the con-
troller appointed the best man he
could find. So the age of miracles, he
thinks. is not past, after all.
+ Copyright, 1921