Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-02
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Conan Doyle, Phillips Oppenheim and
all other writer's of fiction in which
mystery, intrigue and cunning figure
would ind gold mine of inspiration in
the Shearer naval investigation now oc-
cupying the Senate stage. Gilbert and
Sullivan, too, would turn for envy In
their graves II they could but realize
missing. 1t Is by long odds the best
show Capitol Hill has put on in many a
moon. Shearer has been both an actor
and theater manager in his day. He
still has all the tricks of the trade. He
can turn on pathos, denunciation, COM
edy, irony or patriotism at q seconds
notice. The alleged boss of the Geneva
wrecking crew is as agile as q Tunney
in taking advantage Of any opening his
now and then the audience in the COM
mittee room gets the impression that he
Is worrying them. Seventy-five per cent
OF the throng which jams its way daily
into the hearings consists of women.
It's ever thus when Congress has a
sensation.
Rear Admiral j. M. Reeves, U. 8. NJ,
OF the General Navy Board, created q
strong impression with his straight
from the-shoulder, sailorlike denial of
the charge that he went around Geneva
In the Summer of 1927 voicine the hope
that the Coolidge conference" would
fail. Reeves is completing his fortieth
successive year in the naval service, In
which he has literally grown gray. The
rear admiral looks like the Mahan tyne
OF sailorman, with his Van Dyke beard
and scholarly bearing. He spoke his
piece like a born orator. It was evident
ly carefully thought out in advance. It
did not contain superfiuous syllable.
Reeves did not back water a single inch
in declaring that American naval ON.
GERS demand a Yankee feet second to
none. He made it perfectly plain that
they promptly took up and stoutly
maintained that position at Geneva.
But he argued convincingly that it was
farthest from their thought or desire
that the effort to arrive at parity with
Britain should prove abortive.
II X X
The committee room in which the
Shearer melodrama holds the boards IL
the first one of the corridor to the
right in the Senate wing Of the Capt.
toll. It has been the scene of q good
many other famous congressional in
QUESTIONS. Only two adornments re-
lieve the rooms otherwise barren as
pect-a flag plastered to one of the
walls and large-sized framed cam
paign Autograph of Warren @. Hard
Ing. The picture Of the late President
is relic OF the time the room was the
headquarters Of the Senate committee
on printing and the late Senator Frank
B. Willis of Ohio was its chairman.
The present chairman of the printing
committee is an absentee during the
special session - Senator Shipstead,
Farmer-Labor, Of Minnesota, who is
not yet out of the woods into which a
stubborn illness banished him several
months ago.
The Pope's foes In the Senate ought
really to look into Rome's latest designs
on the United States Navy. The "Fisht-
of all days, October IL as the date Of
their annual foot ball clash with the
Navy team. october IL Is Columbus
day. While Americans Of all classes
and creeds commemorate the anniver-
sary of the great Christopher's birth,
the knights Of Columbus always dignity
1t with special interest. OF course, II
the Navy sinks the Vatican gridironers
a week from Saturday, when they meet
mean that another Roman design on
American institutions has been wrecked
A year or two ago, when Army rolled
Notre Dame in the mud at New York,
the West Point coach commiserated
with Knute Roclsne, the famous Irish
mentor. "say, buddie," retorted the
redoubtable Dane, "you didn't beat us.
The Pope will annul this game on Mon
day!"
There Is now being distributed in
Washington gayly colored little book
let entitled Documents With Reference
to the Sino-R Russian Dispute Of 1929"
It's an official publication Of the Ma
tionalist government and bears the i'm
print of the Far Eastern information
Bureau at Marking. The booklet, which
is being distributed by the Chinese le-
nation, contains the full text of Nam
kings ohicial statements On the
Chinese Eastern Railway row, including
facsimiles Of seized Russian documents
ara ss0kloer nyoofen az Soviet RusgiA's