Evening star., 1925-11-20
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

President Coolidge has never be-
fore spoken with such fervor Of the
World Court as he did in his New
York Chamber of Commerce address.
1t satisfies the warmest adherents of
the court that Mr.. Coolidge at length
means business" They always felt
that his previous utterances on the
subject, in messages to Congress and
on other occasions lacked the cru
sading spirit They believe that the
President has now buckled on his
armor and will really battle for Amer
ican adhesion to the Permanent
Court of international Arbitration.
In suggesting that the Sentimental
effect" of such a step would be
tremendous" Mr.. Coolidge gives ex-
preston to a widespread view among
European statesmen. When this OBJ
server interviewed NJ. Painleve, now
premier of France, and then Presi-
dent of the French Chamber. in Paris
his opinion, America could do to
crafty Europe. Make the grand
gesture of joining the World Court"
was the Gallo statesmans reply.
New Workers. are still provincial
enough to be proud Of the fact that
their city is the most populous on
earth, though Londoners now and
then dispute that. So President Cool
idge made a great hit when he OBJ
served in his speech there last night
that Manhattan Island is "the great
est center of population that the
world has ever known" When the
Chief Executive talks in Chicago on
December Z the proud denizens of
the Western metropolis will certainly
expect him to hurl bouquets at their
population achievements. New York's
100000 or more inhabitants have
been, as the President pointed out,
200 years in reaching that dizzy total.
Chicago isn't 100 years old yet, and
has just attained a population Of 3.ooo,-
900. The Windy City's consuming
ambition is to overtake New York
some day and outstrip her. Los An
geles, the shrinking violet of the
Pacific coast, plans to beat them both.
Col. Billy Mitchell was recently
adjudged by the Milwaukee divorce
court to pay his first wife alimony to
the extent of $500 a year. That is
exactly two-thirds of his Army pay.
The latter amounts to $4,000 a year,
or $3.50 a month. OF the last-named
and 500 is allowance. But the bear
cat Of the Air Service is rich in his
own right and will not have to worry
along-if he stays in the Army-on
the one-third of his wages which all
mony obligations will leave him.
Representative Elmer Thomas, Dem
ocrat, Of Oklahoma, who has essayed
the task Of injecting new life into his
party, is one Of the many Middle
Western men who have achieved po-
litical eminince In the great open
spaces. Thomas is a native Of In
diana, which breeds politicians, poets
and philosophers. He has the max
ings of statesman in him, for he
was born on a farm. Later in life
he taught school to pay his way
through college. De Pauw Univer-
sity, where Albert jeremiah Beveridge
was graduated, is Thomas alma
now and has been at the bar in Okla
homa since 1900. Long factor in
political affairs In that State, Thomas
is regarded one Of the up-and-com1ng
Democrats of the Southwest. He is
said to have his eye on the United
States Senate.
This observer Is in receipt of a more
or less anonymous communication en-
titled Another Viewpoint" and signe1
"One of the Old Fogies Of the Navy"
which reads as follows:
Into what evil days have the
Army and Navy of the United
States fallen, when such things are
possible as now seem right and
proper in these days of bolsheviks
and jazz? Entirely aside from all
J athSX aS1ectS pS the Mitchell case