Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-02

Senate action in voting to build the
three 10.000-ton cruisers OF the 1924
program over the Presidents protest
means that the upper house differs
radically with Mr.. Coolidge as to
what constitutes adequate prepared
ness" Friends Of national defense In
and out of Congress have always felt
that the administrators prepared
ness policy is too much attuned to
national economy and not sufficiently
governed by the requirements OF ma
tional security. 1t In not only the
Senate that In In disagreement with
the Presidents conception OF "sde-
Quate prepa redness." Mr.. Coolidge .
own executive advisers on military
and naval matters-respectivel the
Secretary of War and the Secretary
of the Navy--favor considerably more
liberal treatment Of the defensive es-
tabIishment than the President ID &C.
customed to approve. The cabinet Of
ficers, with whom direct responsl-
bility for maintenance of the forces
rests, reflect the views of their pro-
fessional subordinates. These are the
General Staff of the Army and the
General Board of the Navy. STAFF and
| board are the highly trained brains of
the two services. They are not per-
mitted to say so, but 1t is an open
secret that the White House theory
of adequate preparedness and their
opinions on that score are as far
apart as the poles.
At a meeting Of the American His
| torical Association in Washington the
| interesting fact was mentioned tnat
the country boa SITS two women VINO
were alike daughters. wives ana
mothers Of United States Senators
| They are still alive. One is MRS.
| Gtephen r. Elkins of West Virginia,
| the other Mrs. Eugene Hale of Maine.
| Mrs. EIkins Ia a daughter OF Henry
| G.. Davis Of West Virginia, who was
| in the Senate from 1871 to 1888. Her
husband, stephen B. Elkins, was
West Virginia Senator from 1895 UNI
| til 1911. Her son, Davis Elkins, rep
resented West Virginia from 1919 to
| 1925. Mrs Hale Is daughter OF
| Zachariah Chandler of Michigan, q
member OF the Senate from 1857 until
| 1879. Her husband, Eugene Hale.
| represented Maine from 1881 10 lSll.
| Her son. Frederick Hale, became q
| Senator from Maine In 1917 ana 10
! still in Office Mrs. Medhl McCormlck
| of Illinois is within third or the
proud records Of Mrs. Elkins and Mrs.
1 Hale, Sn@ IL the 0Nd@ hNNt ~ $50
| Senator Marcus A. Hanna OF Ohio
and the widow Of Senator Medlll Nc
Cormick OF Illinois. Now and then
tbs said that Mrs. Mccormick markers
| to be a Senator herself.
n +
If Col. Frank l.. Smith is kept out
of the Senate, thus compelling Illinois
| to worry along with a single seat In
| that body. it will at least be an ex-
| perience to which the Prairie State
! is not unaccustomed On four diner
! emit occasions Illinois is recorded in
Senate annals az ''unrepresented" for
varying reasons. In 1849 she went
nine months with only one Senator.
| James Shields, elected to take his seat
| on March of that year, had to wait
until December because he had not
| been an American citizen for the term
| of years required by law. In lSOS
| Illinois had but one seat in the Sen
| ate, pending the final settlement OF
| the Lorimer case. At first the seat
| was untitled because Of the Legisla-
lures failure to elect. and later 1t re-
manned empty until Lorimer's resigna-
ton from the House OF Representa-
tives. On two later occasions--for
| periods ranging from three weeks to
1 nine months. in 1912 and 1at3-Illinois
answered the Senate roll call but once.
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Viscount dAlte, Portuguese Min