Evening star., 1924-01-11
TALKS and TALES
With and About
CAPITALS GUESTS

cano of vivaciousness, brighten her
whole countenance and cause her to
ramble on indefinitely with oodles Of
small talk?
Ycsi Well. after weeks of close OBJ
servation, it has been dicovered that
tho identical effect is most apparent
in the manner and conversation OF
nine out of every ten western re-
publicans who drift into Washington,
when the name of Senator Arthur
Capper of Kansas is mentioned >as
a possibility for the left-hand po-
sition on the G. o. =. ticket.
Invariably, the minute the sug-
sestion is made or the question
asked If any credence is to be placed
in the rumor, a sudden change comes
over the party being quizZed, light
appears in the face, the eyes sparkle
y smile encircles the mouth and then
out hops the enthusiastic reply: II
don't know, but 1t sure would be
great IL 1t happens
Only yesterday. while talking with
o.. II. p. Skelly of Helena. republican
national committeeman for Montana,
who is here in the interests of his
friend, J. Z. Ford. now being consid-
cred by President Coolidge for the
federal bench in the mighty Stub Toe
state, the conversation dragged along
for quite time about conditions in
that section. with presidential poSsf-
bilitieS touched on more or less, wht II
the westerner was asked if there was
any talk in Montana of Senator Cap
per for the, vice presidency.
Quick as flash. Mr.. Skelly's de-
meanor changed. Like that. he quit
telling of the difficulty his home peo-
pie were having to make ends meet,
due in no Snkiil part, he said. to eX-
cessive freight and passenger rat. $
and, turning quickly. he exclaimed: !:
'No-but walt minute: I did hear
just Smattering Of it before | left
home. Well, let me say here, the old
party could go farther and fare much
worse. Senator Capper is a splendid
man. He enjoys the confidence not
only of his own state, but is greatly
admired in many Sc ctions of the west.
Yes, l repeat, the party could go far
ther and fare much worse"
The committe eeman was most hope
full that Mr.. Ford would secure the
federal judgeship. declaring that the
aspfrant for appointment enjoyed the
confidence of everybody in the state.
he having served six years as assist
ant district attorney for the common
wealth and four years as its attorney
general
He said further that Gov. Joseph NJ.
Dixon, one of the original Roosevelt
bull-mooSerS. had come out openly
advocating the nomination of Gov.
Pinchot of Pennsylvania for the pre- s.
idency. Mr.. Skelfy is at the New Will
lard.
And talking about original bull
moosers-wow. Standing within a
few feet of Mr.. Skelly was none other
than George Manchester. formerly of
New York, now of Escondido, San
Diego county, Calf, who was 50 sat
ri l.,
was unable to give up even in 1916,
he having been one of the forty
Fighters who ''chickened' about head
less.
No man in those stirring days was
closer to Teddy than this same
George Manchester He idolized the
sressive party in New York, and i'm
mediately after the last shovel of
earth had been thrown on the bull
moose grave, he hied himself to Es-
'ondido, which in Spanish means
hidden.
Prior to the 1912 eruption. Mr..
Manchester was stalwart repub-
.ican. He served as secretary of the
old party in New York county, and
while not taking an active part in
politics at present, judging from his
remarks, he favors the nomination of
Il am a friend of Hiram johnson,
and think it most probable he will
swing the California delegation, but 1
am not for him." said the ex-patriated
New Yorker AT present l am busily
engaged in boosting Escondido, to
which place l migrated shortly after
leaving New York.
Like all true Californians. Mr. Man
chester then waxed eloquent over the
wonders of his state, stressins es-
pec1ally the remarkable vim and in
itlat1ve of most of it's citizens AS an
example, he said that the following
amounts had been subscribed by the
business men of three cities alone
for advertising the commemorative:
San Francisco. $62S,c0O a year for
Francisco Ad Club; Los Angeles,
100000 a year for five. years, drive
conducted by the Los Angeles All
Year Club. and San Diego. $500, 900
for one year. campaign under the
auspices of the California San Diego
Club.
It's long, long way from Escon-
dido, Calf. to Dexter, Me, but once
there, and it is learned that the same
prosperity prevails, then the journey
is forgotten. Meeting L. A. Abbott,
big woolen manufacturer of Dexter,
as he was leaving the Hotel Chastle-
ton, it was most gratifying to hear
that not for the past several Years
had general conditions been better
in Dexter, and in Bangor, the capital
city, close by.
Expressing himself on the political
situation, Mr.. Abbott said that all
New England delegations. will go to
the repu blican convention instructed
to vote for the nomination of Presi-
dent Coolidge, and that few in the
section felt the slightest apprehen-
The mention of Maine invariably
calls to mind that the Pine Tree COM
monwealth is the mother state of pro-
hibition, and while in no way wish
ing to .dampen the ardor of those wet
brethren who look for the day when
dry America will be little more than
hazy dream. the opinion of one
closely identified with the enforce
ment of the eighteenth amendment
and Its accomplishments to date will
be flashed herewith.
"Extravagant claims to the con-
trary Notwithstanding, prohibition in
the United States is a fixture, and it's
beneficial results are SO apparent to
the vast majority of our citizens that
nothing under the sun can change
present conditions" was the reply of
y. II. Jones, former assistant prohi-
bit1on director of Atlanta, Ga, when
asked at the Hotel Washington if he
thought there was any possibility of
repeal or modification of the act
j have given close study to en-
focement of the Volstead law" con-
tinued Mr.. Jones, "and feel qualified
to say that, regardless of fragrant in
fractions in certain sections of the
country, the net result is 100 per cent
less drinking in America today than
at the same time last year. Figures
show also that proportionate de-
crease has occurred each succeeding
year since the measure became law
To substantiate his claims. ME-. Jones