Evening star., 1924-05-17
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM H'ILE

President Coolidge's bonus veto mes
sage is full OF slogan" material for
the G. Q. p. campaign. Its peroration
fairly rains epigrams. Here's one:
Service to our country in time of war
means sacrifice" Here's another: The
property of the people belongs to the
people" And the ringing final SEN
tences: Our country cannot afford it,
The veterans as whole do not want
It, All our American principles are
opposed to il. There is no moral
justification for it." Coolidge from
the outset has hammered the bonus
with short. sharp blows of language
for able-bodied men, though IL was
not much noted at the time, was con-
tanned in his brief Armistice day
statement: Our country will remem-
per with gratitude those who served
1t with such distinction and renew it's
resolve to continue to meet its obli-
cations to those who suffered injury
from their service"
4 x
It's not given to many men to save
their country s4l5.0oe,o 900 by single
vote in Congress. That is what Sena-
tor John W. Harreld. Republican, Of
Oklahoma, did on May IS, when, by
switching to those who voted to sus-
tain the Presidents veto of the Bur-
sum pension bill, he just prevented
the two-thirds total necessary to
override. Senator Harre1d Is ma
tive OF Kentucky and, though only
fifty-two years old, wears a distin-
guished head Of snow white hair, sur
mounting an unusually tall and well
knit figure. He is in his first term in
Congress and is q lawyer by profess
sion. Oklahoma has been his domicile
since 1905.
Mark Sullivan, well known Wash
ington political writer, is hard at
work on a monumental four-volume
history of the United States. which
will be called The Story of Our Own
Times" 1t will deal with men and
events in America from 1900 to 1925
and is to be published at the end of
next year. Sullivan aims to get
his history of the living generation
Of our people. He intends to en-
phasize and develop the effect which
modern inventions like the automo-
bile. the movies and radio have had
in shaping the destinies of the pres
Sir Esme Howard, X. c. B., the new
British ambassador at Washington,
is accounted one of the most accom-
plished horsemen now seen on the
District Of Columbia bridle-paths.
Riding is his favorite sport, and he
sits his saddle like a cavalryman.
a. trr
service in 1892, to become a private
secretary to Lord Kimberley. foreign
minister in the ssay Rosenery cabinet.
along and the future ambassador
served as a trooper in the celebrated
imperial yeomanry, a corps OF mount
ed infantry, which rendered eminent
service in the Boer campaign. Sir
Esme means to explore the whole
Potomac country on horseback some
day.
There's another Democratic candi-
date in the field. At least hts friends
want to put him there. He is Maj
Gen. Robert Lee Billiard, who COM
manded the I'd Army Of the American
expeditionary forces in all Of its op-
erations in Europe, including occupa-
ton of enemy territory after tho
armistice. The proposer Of Gen. Bull
lard's name recalls his famous mes
"a re to his French superior at the
Marne, in July. 1918: "sir, my men do
not know the meaning OF the word
retreat, without. counter.attackins
and 1 am notifying you that I am
now about to attack" Billiards. ad-
mirrors declare that his message stir
red the heart of every American alive.
Tyhev nav that "the officials in Wash
ington have been. retreating long
enough. and now is the proper time
man who will not hesitate to counter
attack. Gen. Bullard is native of
Alabama. He is sixty three years old.
X X X
No mystery attaches to President
Coolidge's choice OF Speaker Gillett
as the ideal Republican candidate for
senator from Massachusetts,. Gillett