Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-22

This Is St. Lawrence waterway week
end on the Rapidan. It pivots around
Col. Hanford MacNider, newly appoint
ed American Minister to Canada, who
is about to take up his post at Ottawa.
The President and the Army engineers
want to acquaint him with Americas
views and houes about the big ditch
that some day is to link the Atlantic
with the Great Lakes. These do not In
ali respects coincide with the views ana
hopes of Canada. There, too, as IN
the United States, rival schools OF
thoupht exist as to how the scheme
should be carried out. Montreal, now
the Dominion's principal port, Is lar
from enthusiastic over the st. Lawrence
waterway project. The metropolis OF
Quebec, the mecca OF so many tnrsCy
Of a vast ocean traffic, long centered IN
Montreal, being diverted TO inland
points like Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit
and Chicago. The new Conservative
government in Canada Is waterway
minded. but a little less inclined 70
make concessions to the United States
than the late Mackenzie King Liperal
regime. All these angles are pelng
thrashed out at the Presidents VIZ
ginia camp. When Col. MacNloer P.gT,
sents his credentials in Ottawa, neil
have the absolute "low down" on Uncle
Sans waterway attitude.
This weeks Army orders, restoring
a large group OF ofhcers 10 tnelr WIro
war rank, included full generalshlp
for peyton C. March, chief of staff dur
ing the final and critical months OF the
war in 1918 and until 1921. Just previ-
Gus to heading the staff, Gen. Marcn
was Gen. Pershing's Artillery. COM
mander in France. No overweening al
lection existed between them over
there" Time, according TO their re-
spective friends, has not softeneo tne
asperities of their feud. Both Persnlng
and March have volumes OF war
the ARMY is that each Of them Is
waiting for the others book to appear
first, SO that the last to enter the ut
erary arena may be in position TO talk
back.
Among the forthcoming political de-
velopmerlts awaited with interest Is the
confidently expected revelation OF Ruth
Hanna Mccormick as wet, or &C least
willing to-be-wet, senatorial candidate.
If the impending Illinois State Re-
favor of modification or repeal, Mrs
Mccormick is credited with willingness
to bend her neck, now devoid Of damp
ness, to the party yoke. She Will JUSTIFY
her prohibition about-face, IL and when
she carries out that maneuver, on the
ground that a good Republican has no
alternative but to obey the organiza-
tons mandate. The resourceful Ruth
has plenty Of eminent company In
adopting this program Of pliability.
Those uncompromising senatorial
knights of the water wagon-Jones OF
Washington and Walsh Of Montana
have made public pledge Of their readi-
ness to be as wet or as dry as their
sovereign celebrates want 'em to be.
Ogden L. Mills, Undersecretary Of the
Treasury, who returned from Europe
this week, set an example which he
doubtless would Ike to see followed by
his globe-trotting fellow citizens. He
refused to avail himself Of "the cour-
tesies of the port" The collector OF
the port of New York, Philip Elting,
and q group of other Treasury oficials
arrived at Quarantine In revenue cut
ter to take Col. Mills of the olympic,
but the undersecretary insisted on en-
tering New York like an ordinary pas
Benger. There he underwent the rigors
Of the customs at the pier. "Courtesies
of the port" nowadays dosn't mean
what they once did. In former days
homecomers who had pull enough at
washington were permitted to disem-
bark virtually without any inspection
c9 their baggage. "Courtesies" today.