Evening star., 1925-09-20
Capital Sidelights

Now that the Interparliamentary
Union. which meets in the Capitol
next month, II expected to ask Presi-
dent Coolidge to call a conference for
the codihcation Of international law,
we are again reminded that a very
valuable work Of codifcation of all
the Federal statutes was completed
several years ago, and only awaits
Anal action by Congress. This codifl-
cation. which represents years of very
earnest labor, Is already in type. the
bill having been drafted In such a way
that the costs of turning out the vol.
umes when once the legislation was
enacted would be reduced to an in
dnitesimal minimum.
This codification was made under
the personal direction Of the late Rep
resentative Edward G. Little of Kan
sas. who died broken in spirit because
he considered this the crowning labor
of his life and suffered keenly when
the delinquent tactics Of one Senator
frustrated his endeavors. He was ear
nestly supported by Representative r.
Walton Moore Of Virginia. the rank
ing Democrat on the committee, him
self an able lawyer. who repeatedly
emphasized the value of this book to
the legal profession.
Before we lead the world in codif1-
cation Of the laws of the nations 1t
would not seem inappropriate to first
issue this codiflcation Of our own laws.
especially since practically all Of the
work has been done.
On the 138th anniversary of the
adoption of the Constitution by II
States. Representative John Philip
Hill of Maryland, wet" leader in the
House, in a speech at Columbus,
Nebr., reminded us of one Of the fore
fathers of the Republic, Caesar Rod
ney, whose statue adorns the green
In Dover. Del, but whom we are in
clfned these days to overlook. A
forebear of Representative Hill, Judge
Ridgely, was Caesar Rodney's guard
ian after the early death of his par
ents.
AS pertinent to the occasion, on the
birthday Of our Constitution, which he
describes as the Declaration of Inde-
pendence in action" Representative
Hill recalled that:
I'm 1926. Charles Carroll of Carroll
ton, the last surviving signer Of the
Declaration of independence, said: L
do hereby recommend to the present
and to the future generations the
principles OF that important document
as the best earthly inheritance their
ancestors could bequeath to them, and
pray that the civil and religious liber.
ties they have secured to my country
may be perpetuated to the remotest
posterity and extended to the whole
family of man.
The first State that ratified the
constitution was Delaware. 1 know
what the Declaration of Independence
n 80
Senator Bayard said in 1883: Nav
not we Of Delaware, descendants of
the Blue Hens chickens of the Revo.
tuition, AFFORD to smile at, sneer at, or
Jest at, our scanty area and popula-
ton, and say. Our best crop is men.
men like Caesar Rodney?"''
IT was Caesar Rodney who cast the
deciding vote for the Declaration of
independence. signed $50 years ago
next July a. AS signer Of the Decla.
ration as general in the Revolutionary
Armies, as Governor Of Delaware and
as Senator of the United States, he
personihed the vitality of the Consti-
tuition.
Radio has not yet replaced the wire
in the collection of weather reports
by Uncle Sans prognosticators. all
though Its use in the last few years
has made such rapid advance. In
Europe, however. radio has almost
completely replaced wire telegraphy In
collection of weather data
The radio station on the Eiffel
Tower in Paris sends out messages
containing data for the whole of
Europe and northern Africa and re-
ports received by radio from the
United States Weather Bureau, which
carry the results of observations made
over the greater part of the North
American continent, including Alaska
as we'll as from ships in the western
part of the Atlantic
While the United States Weather
Bureau still uses the very efficient
wire service from the telegraph COM
panies in collecting weather reports
from domestic points and in exchange
Ing reports with Canada and Mexico,
yet it receives by radio weather re.
ports from Europe, the Far East,
many remote places in high attitudes.
and from large number of ships at
sea.
The youth Of our land goes march.
ing to school these days we'll shod
and leaving more Numerous foot
prints on the sands of time than pre-
viously, according to some interesting
statistics compiled by A. B. Butman
chief Of the Boot and Shoe Division
o. the Department OF Commerce.
While the United States this year has
had general increase Of 3.2 per cent
in shoe production. it took 80 per cent
increase to meet the demands of young
America for good leather kicks"
But at that the boys are not able
to hold the pace set by their jazz
craZed flapper sisters. for Mr.. Butman
finds that 1t required an increase of
2l.3 per cent to supply enough satin
and other fancy dancing slippers to
keep the female of the species" sup
piled.
Uncle Sam has turned poet. with
DR.. w. M. Jardine, Secretary of Agri-
culture and formerly college profes-
sor. as patron of the muse.
To movie audiences in the Depart.
ment of Agriculture's educational
campaign, he presents THE Modern
Pied Piper" saying:
Il am a foe Of noxious things
OF the pest that wastes and the pest
that stings;
or worm or weevil, rat or viper
In short. the up-to-date Pied Piper"
X
President Coolidge, beset with ad-
vice and urgings in reappointments to
official positions, commonly known as
presidential patronage" has had
visual proof furnished him by Rep.
resentative Maurice H. Thatcher Of
Kentucky that at the very beginning
Of the Republic this same problem
proved a difficult one.
Representative Thatcher gave Pres
ident Coolidge a photostat copy of a
letter written by George Washington
on May S, 1889, five days after his first
Inauguration as President of the
United States, to Edward Rutledge of
Charleston, S. c. In the letter Wash