Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-02

| Idaho. whose borders are securely re-
mote from the sea. will lead the coming
congressional battle for naval retrench-
ment. At least her two most dtStin-
| guished members, respectively, of the
| Senate and HouSe-Senator Borah and
Representative French, both Repub-
| licans-will be found fomenting Presi-
cent Hoover's program for cutting naval
expenditure to the bone. Mr.. French for
years has been chairman of the sub
committee of the Appropriations Com
mittee in charge of naval funds. He is
a consistent advocate Of hauling IN the
Nays sails. 1t behooves the friends OF
| preparedness to realize that they have
first-claSs fight on their hands. SEN
ator Hale of Maine and Representative
Britten Of Illinois, respectively chair
men OF the Senate and House Naval
Affairs Committees, will need all the
support they can get both in and out Of
Congress. The situation provoked by
the White House blast against the fleet
| budget is made to order for paciflSt pur-
poses. 1t will require the combined re-
sources and resourcefulness of organiza-
tons like the Navy League, the D. A. R.,
the American Legion and other advo-
Gates of national defense TO meet the
attack which Frederick J. Libby and
his sisters will launch on Capitol Hill
They are no unworthy foemen.
x
H. G.. Wells. who Is due in the United
| States shortly on reverse English visit
to observe and not to lecture-will be
in Washington during the closing days
of October. The author of The Out
line of History is coming for the pur-
pose of X-raying the depression and
how the richest country on the face OF
the earth is bearing up under 1t. Wells
was in Washington 10 years ago. He
was here to report the armament con-
ference for the British press. His
American writing colleagues have never
forgotten the spool perpetrated ON him
by H. L. Mencken at barbecue given
for the conference correspondents at
Folly Quarters, famous estate of the
late Van Lear Black, near Baltimore.
Mencken was acting as Wells special
host. During the day "Heinie" told the
Englishman that. the foreign visitors
having seen a Wild West show, Negro
plantation singers, an OK roasted In the
open, an old-faShioned bar in full
operation and other aspects of Ameri-
can life, the piece de resistance was
yet to come-a lynching. Wells Swal-
lowed the story, hook, line and sinker-
according to Mencken.
X x 4 4
"Old Hickory II" is the title of q
four-page folder now being circulated
hereabouts on behalf of Alfalfa Bill, "
otherwise the Hon. William Henry
Murray, Governor of Oklahoma. It's
Eeing peddled In quarters where its
sponsor, I. H. Nakdimen Of the East
Oklahoma Publishing Co., thinks it will
GO the most good-afnong the Wash
ington correspondents. The author of
the glowing tribute to the life and
times of Alfalfa Bill' is Andrew De
Shong of the Dallas Daily Times-Her-
aid. The folder is adorned with a por-
trait of Gov. Murray, dropping mus
Alfalfa Bill" Is only the latest Of the
nicknames accumulated by Gov. Muir
ray during his dizzy ascent of the lad
der of fame. "Cockleburr Bill" Sage
of Tishomingo" and Dollar Bill" were
some of the official SobriquetS in days
gone by. No matter what the rest of
the country thinks about 1t, Alfalfa
Bill's" hat Is evidently in the Demo
cratic ring for 1882.
X X X \
One of Senator Borah's ardent ad-
mirers is bob" Washburn, famous
columnist of the Boston Evening
Transcript. In conversation with New
Highlander who doesn't share WASH
burns esteem of the Senator. Bob
observed that it mustn't be forgotten
that Borah was sent to the Senate not
to represent Massachusetts,, but Idaho
which he seems to suit. In fact, Wash
burn said, Borah measures up in sub
stance to the test of the Episcopal
ritual, "Ha has done his duty in that
state into which it has pleased God to
call him."
4 ~
Washington's ever widening group Of
educational institutions has just re-
ceived an addition in the form OF
school exclusively for younger boys
Raueed 10 their interests and capacities