Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-22
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

Preston s. Arkwright, president of the
Georgia Power Co., according to all re-
ports, gave a good account of himself,
IN his three-day appearance on the
witness stand at the Federal Trade
Commission last week, testifying in de-
tense OF the propaganda activities of
the public utility companies. His can
dor was no less than his courage and
force. The utilities defense in its
larger aspects did not fare so well, in
the face Of Chairman McCulloch's re-
fusalS to permit their counsel to tell
their side of the story in his own
fashion, eliminating in the chairman'S
exclusion of host of exhibits offered
to show that the utilities had been the
target of inSidious attack and as base
for the argument that in their propa-
ganda work they were fighting fire with
fire. The chairman took the position
that facts, not motives, were all that the
commission was interested in, and only
facts which directly pertained to the
conduct of the power companies them
selves. In consequence, the hearings
came to an abrupt halt, and fms was
written to the propaganda phase of
the commissions investigation. When
public hearings are resumed next
month, the taking of testimony on the
financial Set-up of the utilities will
! start, two years after the Senate ordered
the investigation.
In a recent bulletin from the Office
Of Ivy Lee, New York publlcist, figures
are cited to show the astounding
growth of the idea of international con-
ference as n measure for preserving
peace, as reflected in the number of
such conferences which have assembled
in recent years. prior to 80 years ago
! there had been no such conferences ex-
cept 70 settle wars" says Mr.. Lee. THE
number which have met since then is
indicated by the following table: 1870
AZ, 8 conferences; 1850-59, 20; 1860-69,
143; 1907, 10; 1917, 140, and 1927, 367."
If Mr.. Lees figures mean what they ap-
pear to mean, then in the year 1927 an
international conference of some kind
| or other, looking to some aspect or other
OF preserving peace, was held at the
rate Of one for each day in the year,
Sundays included. In the face of this
| showing quite evidently Mr.. Hoover has
! no patent on the idea of settling trou-
blesome questions via the conference
and commission route.
X X y X
In Wisconsin Progressive Republicans
are urging Philip La Toilette to run Cor
governor. In 1928, a stalwart, for the
| first time in many years, broke into the
governorship. 1t is argued that there
is still magic enough in the name La
Toilette to win. Philip has much more
of the fire and vim of his father than
young Bob, who succeeded his father in
the Senate, though Bob, jr., is proving
himself an able citizen in his own right.
At present Philip is prosecuting attor-
ney of Dane County the first elective
position his father held when he began
his memorable public career. If the son
should go into the governorship race,
the Badger State will have another one
| OF its exciting contests, in which the
La Toilette family will be the central
| figure.
Not the least of the troubles of the
Navy Department Is the business of de-
Gliding on the names for new cruisers
the fewer the cruisers, the greater the
scramble. Since Congress authorized
! Is new cruisers year ago, petitions
backed by congressional letters of more
or less weight, from nearly thousand
| thriving municipalities craving the
honor of seeing the name of their city
borne by one of the new ships, have
poured In upon the Secretary of the
Navy and on the White House. Mr..
Hoovers famous announcement to
suspend cruiser construction, If 1t &C.
complished nothing else, at least halted
the assigning OF names for the blue
print ships. So of the first batch of
fve, only one has been named. That
honor, announced recently, went to
indianapolis. One more Is to be named
soon. The other three will remain
nameless until the President lifts the
ban.