Evening star., 1925-09-14
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Court, the debts and the Lausanne
treaty are in the limelight on Cap
itol Hill. Senator Robinson is ex-
peeted to lead the Democrats in val
liant support of the Coolidge admin
istration on the World Court project.
The latter cannot be ratified without
Democ ratio votes. With the excep-
ton OF Reed of Missouri. Robinson
counts upon a virtually solid phalanx
of Democrats for the court. Before
discussion ends they're likely to take
pienty OF shots at the Republican
brethren who refuse TO accept Cool
idge leadership on the proposition.
Herbert Hoover has water on the
brain hese dass. It's the turgid riv-
ers comprising the so-called ''Missis
sippi complex" that ensross the AT
tentit a of the Secretary of Commerce.
How to make the Mississippi, Mis-
souri,, Ohio, Illinois and Chicago
Rivers profitable In a navisable sense
is the problem on which Hoover is
concentrating. On October 10 he will
expcund some views on the suhject
Al 8. great public meeting arranged
for tie purpose at Kansas CITY.
The Southwestern metropolis, long
throbbing railway center, is nov
chiefly concerned with WATERWAYS
improvement. and with the develop
ment of the neglected Missouri River
in particular. Kansas City is "Jim
Reeds home town. Hoover is Reed :
pet aversion. But the handy man of
the cabinet will not take a body
guard with him TO the Kaw country
next. month.
The Navy Ihirsts for the chance
to go TO the mat with Col. Mitchell
on his charge. that the Shenandoa
wreck, the Arcticz airplane fight and
the FN.g~ Hawaiian expedition prove
the 'incapacity" OF the Naval Air
Service. In brief, The Navy's retort
to the allegation is ID thatSShe Shen-
andos.h disaster was nothing but
whar is known professionally as
casualty of service" such as will
inevitably occur despite the most
elaborate precautionary measures: ~
that the Arctic flight was far re-
moved from a failure. because 1t will
presently be disclosed that Comdr
Byrd and his planes made resea rches
in the unexplored reaches of the
North that will prove to be Of in
estimable value. and ~ that Corndr
Rodgers heroic exploit has demon
strste the difficulties an enemy
would encounter in trying to use
Haws ii as a base from which TO al
tack our Pacific coast by airpfane
Cornor. Rodgers himself will prob
ably have thing or two TO say to
COL Mitchell about the failure Of
the Hawaiian flight when the time
comes. ..
Charles r. Jenkins, publisher NJ
tina Farm Journal at Philadelphia
and one Of the foremost autograph
collectors in the country. has just
published brochure on "The Com
pleted Sets of the Signers of the
Declaration of Independence" He
enumerates 40 authenticated collec
tions of these immortal John Han
cocks" One is in possession of the
Library of Congress. the gift OF the
la tie j. Pierpont Morgan, sr,, who
wrote TO President Taft in 1912 that
"% learned with chagrin and regret
that our national library does not
own a complete set of the signers
oil the Declaration of Independence.
The New York Public Library has
complete sets, the Historical So
ciety of Pennsylvania 8. other
libraries and historical societies 10.
and individual collectors the balance
',t the sets extant Mr.. jenkins com
pieted his own set in December, 1924.
The autograph of Button Gwinnett.
one of Georgia's three signers,
fetched $4,000 at sale in Phils
dslphia last November-$10e 900 for
each letter in his name registering
/ D hiSh-waterl mark In the value of
.storic signatures
: /, Ss.,. ssSfrory-fehf 1e9a.t