Evening star., 1924-05-11
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

|
the great amusement of members of
| the House, by Representative Tom
Connally, Democrat, of Texas, to il
| lustrate his speech while the resolu-
| ton authorizing the President to in
vite the Interparliamentary Union to
meet in Washington next year was
being debated.
Il am told that when the wild ele-
phant in the jungle is captured he is
not able to perform the splendid
| tricks you see him perform in the
circus" said Representative Con-
| nally. They say that the wild ele-
phant cannot stand on upturned tubs
and do all of the marvellous tricks of
the ring They catch this wild ele-
phant in the forest and before the
| trainers put harness on him they try
| out surcingle on him. and when he
kicks and rears and charges and
| finally, becoming accustomed to the
surcingle, succumbs, they adjust a
| crupper, and after he cavorts and
snorts and raises all manner Of sand
about that, and becomes finally ac-
customed to it, they then put on some
additional harness, until after a time
| he wears in peace the elaborate trap
! pings upon which oriental potentateS
habitually ride. and after a while
those of US who attend the circus see
the old elephant. caught in the wilds
| of the jungle, performing all kinds
of fancy performances, to the delec-
tation and delight of the audience.
when this Republican elephant"
he continued. finds a league of ma
tions with the name of Woodrow
Wilson erased from it, and gets ac-
customed to that, and then when
this elephant sees that instead of
being called a league of nations 1t
will be called an association of ma
tions,' and gets accustomed to that,
and when the elephant finally looks
up and sees an international court of
justice in part established by Elihu
Root and approved by Mr.. Hughes
and recognizes those well known
names, it may trumpet few times
and switch its tail for a little while,
but finally it will probably encircle
it with it's rusty old trunk and say,
This thing, after all. is just what /
have been looking for"
When asked by a Republican COL
league for a little dissertation on
the way the Democratic jackass is
usually trained" REPRESENTATIVE Con-
nally replied: "All of them are not
Democrats. Whatever you may say
about the old donkey, or jackass, as
the gentleman prefers to call him, he
is an honest brute.
Whatever you may say about him.
he looks you in the eye, and he pre-
fers that you look him in the eye and
be frank with him: and if you do not,
if you begin to slip up on him with
out giving him warning, he is apt
to let you know in a very forci Die
way that your presence is not desired.
He is faithful and sturdy and strong
and serves those who toll with their
hands-he is never seen drawing the
carriages of kings or plutocrats; he
wears the livery and gilded harness
tl,1r- be "a a N IL
facturer. In his own genuine gar
ment that nature gave him he un-
complainingly labors for the great
mass of human kind.
Whatever you may say about the
old donkey, he is a patient beast OF
burden that cultivates and tills the
field that produces the food that Sus-
tains the world. Whatever you may
say about the old donkey, he receives
no bounties from the favored inter-
ests. When he goes to the trough
at night to eat his food he gets an
honest return for an honest days
labor. He graZes in no alfalfa fields
to which he is not entitled
graceful tribute to Representative
Isaac r. Sherwood of Ohio, Nestor of
the House, who went into the Union
army as a private and came out a
major general, when the latter COM
mented that the donkey lis dangerous
at both ends" by responding. Il know
of no better source from which that
information can come than from the
gentleman from Ohio, who has proved
that he is himself dangerous both in
war and in peace"
The action of the United States
Senate recently in passing the bill
changing the name of Mount Rainier
to Mount Tacoma has given rise to
much facetious comment and some
serious thought in Congress regard
ing legislative changing of historical
names.
1t has been suggested that the
Hudson River might be rechristened
AL Smiths Creek; or Teapot Dome
might be called Falls Folly; or Mus
Gle Shoals, F7ivver Fords; or Mime
sofa might be changed to Magnusota;
or Wisconsin to La Pompadour; or the
Old Bay State bear the more modern
name of Calachusetts.
Representative John F. Miller of
Washington State, who lives under
the shadow of Mount Rainier, has
introduced a resolution in the House
for the appointment of joint special
committee to investigate and recon-
mend changes in geographical nomen-
clature. He points out that while
icance, Mount Rainier was named by
Capt. George Vancouver Of the Brit
ish navy, its discoverer, in the year
1892, in honor Of his friend. Admiral
for a period of 1872 years it has been
the acknowledged legal and official
name of this most sublime isolated
mountain. He emphasizes that the
United States Geographic Board has
twice by unanimous vote when petit
toned refused to change the name.
Plea for change of name is made
on the ground that Admiral Rainier
was an officer in the British navy
while Great Britain was engaged in
war with the United States.
Representative Miller calls atten-
tion that there are numerous states,
counties, cities, towns and geograph-
ical points along the Atlantic sea-
board named for British royalty and
nobility who waged war against the
United States or gave aid and comfort
to such wars or were tyrannical to or
oppressive of American patriots in
colonial days and the early years of
our republic.
He also points out that other dis
coveries by Vancouver were named
for British army and navy officers;
that although Spain has been in
volved in war with this country
fornia, Texas. Florida, Arizona, New
Mexico, Colorado and other states.
Even though the United States has
| recently been involved in war with
Germany there are many cities in the
country whose names are unmistak-
ably of German origin.
Representative Millers resolution
calls for a thorough investigation of
the geographic nomenclature with
recommendations for the removal
of all names of British. Spanish,
or German origin as may be offensive
to our patriotic sensibilities and in
lieu thereof substitute names of purely
American origin, or names derived