Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1925-07-31
A Weekly Panorama Of Events In the
National Capital
(By PETER KEEGANl

w WASHlNIlON has peeh ll''uo W.
w the battle-ground Of the forces of
religion and science, fresh from their
first important engagement OF tins
century in Tennessee. Hardly had
the Tennessee case reached its con-
clusion before a clerk in the Treas
ury Department here invoked a part
of the last District of Columbia Ap-
preparation Act, passed by Congress
in 1924, to stop the teaching of nat
ural science in the public schools of
Washington. The Injunction proceed
ings thus instituted are brought un-
der a proviso that none Of the money
spent for salaries can go to teachers
who teach partisan politics or disre-
spect the Holy Bible. The man who
started the suit admits he is an
atheist, that he is opposed to all re-
ligion, and that he wants to make a
real test of the power of religious
bodies to set up the Bible as stand
ard in school curricula. The Wash
ington case may end quickly if prog
ress cannot be made in the District
courts, but failure there is expected
to result in other attempts to get
the question squarely before the Unit
ed States Supreme Court.
AT the same time another battle
along the same line is in prospect
as Congressman Upshaw of Georgia,
an itinerant preacher, and other re-
ligious fnudamentalists are planning
to try to get the Tennessee anti-evo-
luton law enacted as a federal stat
ute. There seems no way at the pres
ent to avoid a conflict over the war
of religion and science in the next
Congress, regardless of the efforts
that will be made by party leaders
to prevent it. On questions of that
kind party lines will be smashed COM
pletely and the debates which are
started probably will crowd all other
legislative business aside.
THE work of repairing and refur-
nishing the White House is not
proceeding as rapidly as had
been hoped, with the result that the
Coolidges may not be able to return
to Washington early in September,
as they had planned. Those in charge
Of the work now estimate that it may
take until the first of October before
the entire Executive Mansion is again
ready of occupancy. The Presidents
plans are not known yet, but it is
thought here that he would remain
on in Swampscott until the White
House repairing is finished or would
go up in Vermont to finish his vaca-
tion, thus avoid a months stay in
hotel here.
FOLLOWING his resignation from
the War Finance Corporation, to
which he was appointed as a lame
duck by President Harding, Frank
w. Mondell, former Republican lead
er of the House, is in Washington
without a federal job and there has
been much speculation as to whether
or not President Coolidge has some
thing in mind for him. One report
had it that Mondell was to be ap-
pointed Secretary of the Interior, but |
Work, who now has the |
job, has denied that he intends to re-
sign. About the only other import
ant post which is likely to become va
cant shortly is the war portfolio and |
it may be that Mondell will succeed |
Weeks there unless he decided defin-
itely to stick to private law practice |
a Specldl JoIHI NoHSIeSSloHdl CoHl- |
mittee has embarked on a tour !
of the country to find out how the
new postal rates are working and |
what further changes, if any, should |
be made. Before leaving Washing
ton, the committee learned that the
Post Office Department stands to
have a deficit of forty million dol
lars this year because the increases
in postal salaries are costing more
money than the increased postage
brings in. Plans for cutting down ex-
penses have been suggested among
them being the proposal that Con-
gressmen be compelled to pay their
own postage instead of having the
free franking privilege.
SECRETARY of Labor Davis has
- gone to Europe leaving the an
thracite situation up in the air and
with threats of a strike this fall still
being heard. The feeling in the Cap
ital is, however, that the Presidents
threat of government control unless
the coal industry learned to behave
has offset a walkout for the pres
ent.