Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-03
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL KENNEDY.


ton of testimony on the big ship
claims against this Government in
volving payment of many millions of
dollars, which for more than year he
had been arguing before Judge Parker.
This concerns what will be fair price
for the United States TO pay Germany
for merchant ships seized by this Gov
eminent after they had sought haven in
American harbors at the outbreak of
the World War.
Congress passed the act in the Spring
Of 1923 which provided that Germany
should be paid the fair value OF these
ships which had been confiScated.
That act provided for the appoint
ment of judge, called arbiter, whose
decision in question, whether of law
or of value, would be final. Important
among the questions at law was
whether these ships were bona fide
merchant vessels, or whether they had
participated in military engagements.
The law called upon the Department
Of Justice to represent this Government
and Assistant Attorney General Farnum
in charge of the admiralty division, was
assigned to this work. He has been
fighting these cases for the Govern
ment for the last year and q half,
after worldwide search In compiling
documentary evidence regarding values
Of merchant ships. The arbiter during
his lifetime decided some of the pre-
liminary questions. He decided in the
Governments favor in respect to ships
seized in the harbor of Cuba and turned
over to the United States for use dur
ing the war. He also decided in the
Governments favor on few of the
ships held to be warshipS and not
merchant vessels. Those are principally
vessels which had taken part in the
cruiser squadron In the Southern Pacific
before the battle of Falkland Islands
where Admiral Won Sprees feet was
sunk. The German admiral had pre-
viously sunk the British feet in the
battle Of Coronel, when Admiral Grad
dock went down with his fleet. A few
OF these German vessels escaped and
became raiders. But there still re-
manned a very large number Of the
more important ships for determine
ton OF value, and on that issue Mr.
Farnum has been steadily engaged in
presenting evidence for more than a
year, and arguing before Judge Parker
on questions Of law involved in the
valuation.
The arbiter died without making any
decisions on questions of valuation, and
so 1t will be necessary for his successor
TO do this work all over again, and while
the documentary proof is intact, it will
also be necessary for Assistant Attorney
General Farnum to present such proof
before the new arbtter when he is ap-
pointed.
In the Court Of Claims German rep
resentatives said that these ships were
worth $250,000,O00. The naval board,
which appraised the vessels when seized,
said they were worth about $S4, 900 900.
Congress appropriated 100000 900 for
the payment of these ships and for
patent claims which are much smaller
IN comparison. These claims also in
clude one wireless radio station at
Tuekerton, regarding which Mr.. Far
mum has also been presenting testi-
mony,
Judge Parker's position carried a
salary of $4,000. 1t is a presidential
appointment and already the names of
more than half dozen aspirants have
been presented at the White House.
Judge Parker's death means also that q
new umpire must be appointed on the
Mixed Claims Commission, which passes
on the claims Of acknowledgement citizens
for injuries done them by the German
government, such as claims for those
who lost their lives On the Lusitania,
On the Mixed Claims Commission there
Is German agent, an American agent
and the umpire.
+ r
Seldom has the death Of any member
OF Congress caused SO much sincere re-
greet and so much general expression
OF appreciation around Official Wash
lngton and especially in the Capitol, as
the demise of Senator Theodore Z.
Burton of Ohio.
Few men since the founding
fathers" have had as much influence
in important matters affecting the for
uo Fr rah nf tas- i
Representative and Senator Burton. his
sagacious counsel and active endeavors
benehting all parts of the country.
This seems to be the universal opinion
OF those who were In closest touch with
his lahors.
Probably no man of veteran service
in the Capitol-coVering more than half
century-is a better "rememberer''
than William Tyler Page, clerk of the
House. When Mr.. Burton first entered
the House 20 years ago, Page was as
sistant keeper of the archives. He re-
members Burton as a very "young-ap-
pearing man with black hair and black
mustache, extremely modest and I'M
assuming. He drew a seat away over
In the corner on the Republican side
in what was called the Cherokee strip,
and was appointed a member of the
committee on claims, a very unat-
tractiye assignment, but Burton took
1t seriously.
He was given a tough nut to crack
AN old claim, hoary with age, volu-
mtnous in evidence" continued Mr. Page.
Every day for weeks Mr.. Burton would
come to the archives and get the papers
from me and take them to his desk in
the House. He painstakingly waded
through the whole mass q job which
his predecessors on the committee had
StdeStepped, but Burton showed that in
dustry which was to characterize his
whole career. He kept on the job until
he had mastered every feature of that
old claim, 1t involved large amount
of money and seemed doomed to
oblivion. One day Burton reported the
case to the House, and the House later
took 1t up. 1t was vigorously attacked
just because it was a claim-few men
knew anything about its real merits.
Burton, little known to his colleagues,
supported the claim in speech which
attracted much favorable comment. So
convincing were his arguments, and
such was his grasp OF the facts, that
further opposition was dispelled and the
bill went through"
Thus it was that the late Senator
Burton by Studious application to even
thapklesS tasks, with devotion to duty
and tireless industry, won the niche
peculiarly his among public men.
y
10, the poor Indian!"-just as he
and all his friends thought that he had
no friend left, and that his lands and
tribal funds were disposed of without
any consideration for his feelings and
wishes, along comes Secretary Wilbur of
the Interior Department with a fine
sense of justice and orders-"Stop
that!"
One of the Indians complaints has
been that public roads were being built
across the Indian reservations without
so much as by your leave" and that
Indian money was confiscated for costs
of road construction. Secretary Wilbur
nrnmnlsatas this new policy, Mo nllhlic