Evening star., 1925-10-05

Flying is believing IS apparently
the Coolidge Air Boards reading of
the old saw, for its members con-
template taking to the sky this week.
The occasion is the national air races
at Mitchell Field, Mineola, Long
Island. If Chairman Morrow and his
fellow Investigators can clean up
things by the middle of the week, it
is planned that they shall scorn old
fosy methods of transportation and
wing their way to the North. Some
Of them are new to the air. But they
hold it in accord with the eternal
fitness Of things that they should use
the airplane, and not the railroad, to
Long Island. Besides, It, will save
time, and Morrow and his fellow dig
gers are busy men.
An inordinately large amount of
chaff has been produced by the Air
Service inquiry along with useful
wheat. There is a tendency, apparent
mostly among the young flyers, to
dwell at tiresome length on compare
lively irrelevant questions Of pay,
rank, promotion, allowances and the
like. leaving the bigger issues un-
touched and obscured. Very little ac-
tually new stuff has been brought to
light. Except for Col. Mitchell's refer
ences to recent events, even his own
testimony was largely a re-haSh of
what he told the congressional in
vestigating committee last February.
Also it bears n close resemblance to
his testimony before the General Navy
Board last September when it was
delving into aircraft matters at Presi-
dent Coolidge's instigation.
x X X X
One Of the French debt commits
sioners has remained behind to visit
family relations in the United States.
He is the suave Marquis Pierre de
Chambrun, great-grandson of Marquis
de Lafayette, and whose own youth
was spent in Washington, where his
father was counselor of the French
legation in President Lincoln's time.
The elder De Chambrun was as close
to Lincoln as any man in the Great
Emancipator's Whole circle. Lincoln
took the young French diplomat with
him to receive the surrender of Rich
mond, and De Chambrun's we'll known
countenance appears In the familiar
pictures of the friends gathered
around the martyred President 8
death bed. The Marquis de Cham
brun, whom Caillaux brought to
Washington, is the husband Of a
QauSnleT OIL ITe ldLc IoSlldIIly ClOleI
and has gone to Cincinnati to visit
her relatives. A brother, Count Adal-
bert de Chambrun, now a general
with the French army in Morocco, is
the husband of Speaker Nicholas
Longworth's sister.
X X X X
When Henry P. Fletcher, American
Ambassador to Italy, who is now at
his home, near Greencastle, Pa,
comes to Washington next week to
pave the way for the Italian debt
mission, he will pitch his tent at 171S
H street. "1718," as the establish
ment is known, has for 20 years
been the headquarters of a group of
American soldiers, sailors and diplo-
mats who have been lifetime cronies.
The founders of the house were the
late Willard D. Straight, Col. Sherwood
A. Cheney, who is now one of Presi-
dent .Coolidge's aides, and Col. James
A. Logan, until recently American
representative on the reparations
commission in Paris. A we'll known
denizen of "1718" is Gen. Frank r.
Mccoy, until last Summer assistant
to the Governor General of the Phil
ippines. and who has just come to
Washington prior to taking command
of an infantry brigade at San An.
tonic. Basil Miles, secretary Of the
International Chamber of Commerce
in Paris. and William Phillips, Amer
lean Ambassador to Belgium, have
latchkeys to "171S," too. Once upon
time its inmates were all bachelors.