Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-16
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE.

Almost everybody knows what shadow
boxing is. It's the motions through
which pugilists go, usually for exhibit
ton purposes. They jab, duck, upper
cut, textbook and feint just as if they
had an opponent in front of them. 1t
doesn't mean a thing. Shadow boxing
isn't confined TO the prize ring Now
and then statesmen indulge in it. BY
order Of Secretary StimSon, Senator
Dwight Morrow and Ambassador Dawes
are going to do some shadow boxing in
London. They will study the Anglo
Franco-Italian naval agreement and
see what the United States should do
about it. Why should they? We
haven't done a single thing about the
London naval pact which this new tri-
partite European deal supplements ex-
cept ratify it. Congress has virtually
converted the treaty into a scrap of
paper. Not a penny has been appro-
priated to carry our part of it into eff
feet, though the pact is a year old 1t
will be two years old before the next
Congress can get around to doing any
thing with it. At the recent log-rolling
session Congress refused to appropriate
S74,000,000 toward constructing the
treaty navy" At the next session, If
we're going to catch up, Sl50,00O,0OO
will be required Will the pacifistS and
cheese parerS be any more inclined TO
give the larger sum their imperial ap-
prevail than they were the half OF 1t this
Winter?
X Y x
Perhaps President Hoover's life
aboard battleship during the next
fortnight may incline him to appoint
another commissioned find out exactly
why there Is no red-bloOded effort 10
start the treaty Navy. The blame Is
distributable in several quarters. In
the first place, it is not OF record that
the administration itself is at any
pains to bring about the necessary
legislation. Two members Of the cabi-
net@Secretary of State Stimson and
Secretary of the Navy Adams-helped
negotiate the treaty. Did anybody IN
Washington this Winter or before, ever
hear either of these worthy servants
of the State boldly advocate that their
London masterpiece should be con-
verted from parchment into steel? DID
anybody catch the three senatorial
members of the American delegation
raising their influential voices for
treaty action? Reed of Pennsylvania
was busy keeping the mollycoddles from
DESTROYING the Army-he'S chairman
Of military affairs. Robinson of Ar
kansas was busy keeping the drought
controversy to the fore. Morrow OF
new Jersey WAS buSy htCpA4lB oI4A-'
There are Navy folks who blame Sen
ator Hale of Maine. chairman of naval
affairs, for his conspicuous lack Of
punch on behalf of the S74,000,000 con-
struction bill. Hale was bitter foe OF
the treaty.
Mai. Gen. Herbert B. Crosby mem
Der of the District of Columbia Board
of Commissioners, who is in charge
Of police affairs, is ready to depose
and say that Friday, the 18th far
from being jinX, is a mascot. Last
Friday, which was one of the sup
posedly unlucky combinations of day
arrives at his Office in a state of sus-
pended animation, found that the first
three letters he opened were all COM
mendatiCns of the Washington police
force. Commissioner Crosby wasn't so
lucky in one respect a year ago, when
he entered Office. The general is an
Cavalry in the Army when drafted for
his present lob. Almost the very hour
he became a Commissioner of the Dis
trict the new local budget, barring
mounted police, took effect!
x X X
Mabel Walker Willebrandt turned up
at the Federal Farm Board Offices at
o'clock in the morning the other
day for a conference with board law
| yer-perhaps about grape concentrate.
| She was pleasantly accosted by an
oldish gentleman in the elevator. who
remarked: Don't believe I've ever
seen you here before, Miss. What d.