Evening star., 1925-04-22
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

John Coolidge's re-enrollment in q
citizens military training camp is a
useful crack in the eye for the pacifist
movement. For three years the Ma.
tional Council for Prevention of War
has left no stone unturned to de.
popularize the training camp pro.
visions Of the defense act of June
4, 1920. Frederick ]. Libby, leader
Of the anti-preparedness forces, calls
the defense act "a Prussianizing war
measure" When Libby was urging
Congress to cut down our already
skeletonized standing Army to $4,000
men, he wrote dn the National Council
bulletin" of April s, 1929 that 'if
an Army of $1,000 is not enough to
carry out the provisions OF the defense
act, repeal the defense act"' In Wis.
consin, a year or two ago, 1t was re-
ported that anti-preparedneSs fanatics
Joined citizens training camps to con-
duct pacif1st propaganda within them.
The Presidents son is going to a
camp for the second time, not only
for his own physical and patriotic
good, but because Calvin Coolidge
believes in citizen training for ma.
tional defense.
John Garibaldi Sargent will make
his oratorical debut in Washington as
the principal speaker at the dinner
of the American Law Institute on
May 2. He will hold forth under
the toastmastership of his predeces-
sor in the attorney generalship, Mr..
Justice Harlan Fiske Stone. The din
ner will conclude a two-day session
of the institute, founded in Wash
ington two years ago. The principal
object of the session is the considera-
. l. -
criticism, of outstanding law ques.
tions, such as the law of contracts,
conflict of laws and torts. An in
teresting discussion will range around
a report on the defects in criminal
justice" to be submitted by com.
mittee, of which Herbert S. Hadley
former Governor of Missouri, is the
head. The officers Of the American
Law Institute include Elihu Root,
honorary president; George w. Wick.
ersham, president; Benjamin N. Car.
dozo, vice president, and William
Draper Lewis, director:
The American language is still
more or less mysterious in Great
Britain. The word graft" has lately
been puzzling British philologists. J.
Broadbent Marshall of Leeds turns
on this light in the London Sunday
Times: So. .@u
The word graft" came into
vogue in the United States about
1901 in connection with the al
legged widespread corruption of
public officials and persons In
places of trust. Sometimes ex-
planned as that which is grated
onto ones legimate gain; some
times as originating in the pro-
vincial and colonial use of graft
in the sense of work (like job
berry, from job).
X X X
When the tempestuous rainstorm
OF last Sunday struck the presiden-
tial yacht Mayflower in mid Poto-
mac. it did not catch Mr.. and Mrs,
Coolidge unprepared for that kind
of weather. The capricious climate
of the Chesapeake Bay region in
duced them some time ago to equip
themselves with some. seagoine
rubber coats of jet black, such rs
sailors wear, and which are prooi
against the. ,dirtiest weather. The
President always wears a commo-
when he's clad In his seaman's wa
terproof he looks the part of mar
iner bold.
A distinguished Englishman, well
known in the United States, is lost
somewhere in America. That is to
say. number of people in Washing
| ton who have wanted very much to
establish contact with him cannoi
locate him. He is Lord Lee of Fare
ham, one time first lord of the Brit
ish admiralty and prominent mem
Der of the British delegation at the
Warrington armament conference