Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-26
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

American naval forces in Chinese
waters. upon which the burden Of
protecting Yankee life and property
in the troubled shanghai area will
fall, are small, but effective. Their
commander-in-chief is Admiral Clar-
ence s. Williams. whose flag has
flown over our Asiatic fleet since Oc-
tober. 1926. Admiral Williams, an
Ohioan, was transferred to the Far
Eastern command following his presl-
dency of the Naval War College at
Newport. He is considered one of the
students and one of the diplomats Of
the sea service. Williams squadron
consists of the armored cruiser Pitts
burgh (f1agship), u destroyers, OF
which 2 are mine-layers; II sub
marines, about a dozen river gunboatS
and q corresponding complement OF
auxiliary craft. The admiraps force
numbers some 5000 officers and men,
including sailors and Marines. In an
emergency roundly 1000 of them
could be landed for service ashore.
The American Asiatic fleet is based on
Manila, but has been supplemented,
on account of the Chinese troubles, by
personnel from Guam. At Tientsin
rison of 500, and at the legation in
Picking there is a Marine guard Of 300
men. So, all told, Uncle Sam has
about 5000 fellows in khaki and blue
ready for frolic or fight in China.
R X X u
Coolidge stories, like income tax
and the poor, are with us always.
Here's one which is not of recent
vintage, but has not yet made many
rounds at Washington. 1t dates back
to Gals" days in the Massachusetts
State Senate. The President was
merely a promising young lawyer
| from Northampton in those times but
| fellow legislators were accustomed to
put up to him certain ticklish ques-
tions for decision. Once upon time
| Senator Coolidge was asked to arbi-
trate a grammatical controversy-to
determine whether a hen "sits" or
SETS. The sorrel-topped statesman
| twanged this reply: "That doesn t
| seem to me to be as important as the
| question whether a hen has laid or
| lied when she cackles."
| X X X x
| WAYNE B. Wheeler generalissimo
/ Of all the drys, winds up his letters
| nowadays on prohibition issues in a
1
the war" signs the man who will go
down in history as the one who put
| America on the water wagon. Dry
Headquarters, where Wheeler reigns
| at the foot of Capitol Hill, is sleepless-
| Nv active during these times of inces-
SAINT assault on the eighteenth amend
ment and the Volstead act. No wet
meeting, demonstration, resolution,
speech or movement anywhere, In or
out of Congress, escapes the Vigilant
eve of the Anti-Saloon League chief
| tain. Almost before wet arguments
are dry, as it were, Wheeler clears for
action with his Monograph batteries.
X 4 X X
| James c. Davis of Iowa, a former
| director general of the United States
railroad administration, is reported on
Capitol Hill to be under consideration
| for the Interstate Commerce commits
sionership. Mr.. Davis was the able
| liquidator of the transportation sys-
tenn controlled. by the Government
during the World War. A lawyer by
profession, he is one or the country's
acknowledged authorities on railroad
economics. When he resigned his of
| fee last year, after winding up a bill
lion-dollar transaction, President Cool
| fdge paid him a remarkable public
| tribute. Davis, who happens to be in
Washington on private business, as
sures this observer that the Interstate
| Commerce commissionership story is
news to him. He Is devoting himself
exclusively, he AYERS, to his big law
practice at Des Moines.
4 X u y
| washington is familiar with the
| corn belt, the wheat belt, the cotton
| belt and more or less with the oil
belt. Now comes the swine belt, and
deposes, through Senator Arthur Cap
per. Republican, of Kansas, that the
most important of all farm relief
| bills now before Congress is the meas
ure to stop the packers from main
tanning privately owned packer stock
xerda alongside the central livestock