Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-15
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
by FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

1ndics tons are utterly lacking that
Calvin Coolidge ia on the anxious seat
as result OF the Senates decision TO
Investigate his alleged tamperins with
the Tariff Commission. The Presi-
dent preserves an external calm OF
even more than ordinary composure
even in the face Of the threat that
the inquiry is deliberately aimed at
getting" him. Coolidge foes WITHIN
and without the Republican party de-
clare that Senator Norris charges In
connection with Tarin Commission
matters are full Of dynamite. II Inc!
can DO established. men Of all parties
concede that serious damage TO tne
Presidents political prestige would
ensue. But no one believes that MIR.
Coolidge IL going to take Things lying
down. On the contrary. nearly every.
BODY expects that the White House
will meet the Senate inquisiti"n az
excessively on ever! point. with paf
ticuIar regard Ia The allegation that
William $. Culbertson, the former low
tsriff Republican member Of the com
mission, was eased into diplomatic
uos, more or less involuntariiy. some
highexpiosive rebuttal ia promised.
IL looks a. il ii might he left 10
Young Bob" La Toilette to be the
anti-tooiidge batterine ram or tne
Senate committee of inquiry. Whlie
Senator Norris. chief propOnent OF the
investigation. expresses satisfaction
with ia personnel, no undoubt eddy
would have preferred hard-hitters or
the Jim" Reed or Tom" Walsh
type of Democrats to the more suave
ice" Robinson or VILLA m cabelt
Erlcp bra Vice President Da Yves
named the committee of five without
consultation with party leaders. An
member of the administration he
would naturally he constrained to APP
point the most "judicialiy minded op-
position representatives avaiiabie
The difference between the kind or
prohers selected and the kind that
might have been chOsen-es far as
Democratic Senators are concerned
is about the difference between
;,.ounce and 8-Ounce gloves. But men
have been knocked cut with S-ounce
mitts. too.
Every once in while Washington
hears speech that IL not only I'M
political, but immensely more stimu-
latine than tho average politicians
out eiyings. Such an address has just
been delivered before District Of Co
hmbia life insurance men by DR.. s. s.
Huebner. professor OF insurance IN
the Wharton School OF Finance nj the
University of Pennsylvania. Or. Hueh
ner produced some astonishing n8
ures as 10 the relatively small amount
OF life insurance carried by the Amer
lean people. While the Nations aggre-
cate wealth IL estimate al 1892 600
400 900. he said that there Ia only
about S72, 600 900 900 Of life insurance
in force. DR.. Huebner reckOns that
that Is only some per cent Of the
Ca pital value" Of human life in this
country. wherefrom he deduces that
Uncle Sans sOns and daughters place
an amazingly low assessment IN their
own worth.
Two Of the country's legal Titans-
James NJ. Beck, former Solicitor Gen.
eral Of the United States. and Newton
d. Baker. former Secretary Of War;
have Just locked horns before the Su.
preme Court. They confront each
other In the long standing controversy
between States bordering on the Great
Lakes lOhio Michigan. Pennsylvania
and Minnesota. On the one hand, and
illinois and the Mississippi River
States, OH the other. Beck represents
The state Of Illinois and the Sa nitary
District Of Chicago. Baker is counsel
for the cOmmonw ealths that seek to
restrain diversion OF the waters Of
Lakes Michigan, Superior. Erie, On.
tariO and Huron to the Mississippi
watershed. Missouri, Tennessee Ken
lucky and Louisiana obtained permis-
sion to intervene a. defends nts, In
order to support Illinois. Thus nine of
orr sovereign States are involved Mr.
Beck a couple Of years ago, when act
ion to the Secretary Of War autl1oriz-
ing the water diversion II IL now
sought TO restrain. So today, ~ pri-