Evening star., 1932-10-02
Capital Sidelights
RY WILL p. KENNEDY.

BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
In George Washington's boyhood home
town, less than 30 miles from this In
comparable city he founded. they are
preparing, on Sunday. October 16. to
celebrate the 155th anniversary of re-
ligious liberty and the separation OF
church and state, with the clerical
heads OF more than IS religious de-
nominations participating.
It was in Fredericksburg, Va, in 1777
that the committee of distinguished
Virginians, headed by Thomas Jeffer-
son, drew the act Of religious liberty.
But for many more reasons than
this, as our good friends Gov. John @.
Pollard and former Representative r.
Walton Moore point out Fredericksburg
with good reason claims to be Amer
ica's most historic city" From early
Colonial days Fredericksburg has been
the center Of events that have borne
vital part in the history Of the Ma
tion-too often overlooked.
In 1927 the town was officially laid
out and named In honor Of Frederick,
Prince of Wales. 1t was to Fredericks-
burg that George washington came as
youth, grew to manhood, and became
a member Of the Masonic order, Ken
more, built in 1852, the home OF Betty
Lewis, the only sister of George Wash
ington; the home of his mother, Mary
Washington; the Rising Sun Tavern;
the James Monroe law ONCE. and the
Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop are pre-
served As national shrines.
Other places OF historic interest are
the only home in America Of John Paul
Jones, the home Of Matthew Fontaine
Maury, the pathfinder Of the seas; the
old slave block, Presbyterian Church
with two cannon balls in one Of its
columns; st. Georges Church and
burying ground. the sentry box, the
monument to Mary Washington.
Fredericksburg was the scene of the
greatest battles of the Civil War The
National Cemetery, historic Maryes
Heights and the Stone Wall are in
walking distance. Nearby are the bat
tlefelds of Salem Church, Chancellors-
vile (where Stonewah Jackson was
wounded), the Wilderness. Bloody Angle
Spotsylvania Court House and Hamil-
tons Crossing Within this space more
men were engaged and there were more
casualties than there previously had
been on any similar area in the whole
wide world. The Government Is build
ing battlefield park. marking and pre-
serving the battle lines, which Is tc
serve as q great open-air school fol
graduates of West Point, Military Acad.
emy and National Guard and State
Militia officers.
Thirty-seven miles from Fredericks-
burg is Wakefield, the birthplace o.
Washington, and couple of miles be.
yond Is Stratford, the birthplace of Gen
Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest mill
tary leaders Of all times.
Just now, when the special House
investigating committee, headed By
Representative Shannon of Missouri, in.
cited by representatives OF the United
States Chamber of Commerce, IS making
much-to-do about Government compe'
tition with private business. Repre-
sentative Arthur Lamneck of Ohio ex.
presses his views on the subject:
Uncle Sam is now competing with
private industries in several hundred
lines Of business activity" says Mr.
Lamneck. He is doing a cutthroat
business. He produces and buys in
large quantities so that he can easily
undersell the individual merchant. He
pays no taxes, has no overhead ex-
penses, and yet most Of his business
ventures have been failures. His losses
however, are included in the estimate:
of the various bureaus, boards and COM
missions, so that the merchants who
suffer this unfair competition are com
PEELED as taxpayers to help make ur
these shortages through increased taxes
In other words, it is made his patriotic
duty to come to the aid Of the Govern
ment in this matter. That is adding
sharp practice that destroys and little
becomes the dignity Of a great Nation
which boasts of its wealth and natural
resources. However. Uncle Sam seems
to enjoy it, although he does not profit
by his ventures into business.
Uncle Sam is banker, manufac-
turer, merchant, lumberman. farmer
everything he should not be in busi-
ness way. He is really poor business
man. Perhaps that is because he ha:
too many irons in the fire. 1t tool
the depression to reveal all of this, but
unabashed he appealed to Congress Il
meet the deficits and give him new
start Worse than that, he wanted Il
expand into the hot dog business. and
asked for appropriations, for sizabls
appropriations. for restaurants in new
post Office buildings
Where Uncle Sam is not in direci
competition with private business he
insists upon his right to interfere under
regulatory laws with various branche;
of business, including transportation
companies, railroads. shipping. etc. The
railroads cannot build spur of track
to coal mine or anywhere else with
out his permission to do so. If the
shipping companies want@ new flag tt
fan the ocean breezes, those in au-
thority are told to see to it that il
has 48 stars and 13 stripes"
Where does the taxpayers money
go?" Representative William H Sutphir
of New Jersey attempts to give us ar
answer that is interesting, after point.
ing out that every dollar spent by the
Government represents the coined sweat
of labor taken from the American pub.
lie In the form Of taxes" During the
past u years since 1860-the cost o.
maintaining our Federal Government
has increased from $63,000, 900 to ovel
"a. 900. .000 600 per annum," he calls at.
ton, land the cost Of government pei
person increased from 50 IN 1850 to $3s
in 1882, or 1900 per cent.
In 1911 our Government expense!
were $726.424 $50" he explains, anc
had grown to $4,21s, $50 ,33s in 1881, ar
increase Of 467' per cent In 20 short
years. But the most remarkable feature
of these past 20 years." as he sees it, ii
the fact that while governmental cost.
were increasing 467 per cent our ma.
tional wealth increased only "a per cent
and our population only "a per cent
Recent years, he emphasizes, capped
the climax Of the widest orgy Of spend.
ing this Nation or the world has evei
seen"
Representative Sutphin calls attention
that the new Department Of Commerce
Building costs more than the entire
Louisiana Purchase. or about one-third
of the total area of the United States.
He points to the achievement Of the
Federal Farm Board with $500 900 ,00(
to stabilize" prices. which stabilized
the price of wheat from 81 80 to rs cent.
L.