davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
The Profits of Kidnaping

TVHE kidnapping Of en-yearold Charlie Mattson from
Il his home in Tacoma sends shiver down the spine
of every father and mother in the United States.
had seemed after the passage of the Lndbergh law
the execution Of Bruno Richard Hauptmann and the
capture and imprisonment of of other kdnapers
by Mr. Hoovers G-men that this foulest Of crimes had
been virtually stamped out.
The American people know that it has not, and
probably never will be- UNTIL THE PAYMENT OF
RANSOM is MADE CRIMINAL OFFENSE
Harsh such provision may appear, it would re-
move the only incentive for Kidnapping If there
no money in 'snatching, the crime itself would cease
Such has been the experience Of other countries
In most civilized nations the payer is held to
have compounded felony"
The comparative immunity of Canada, for example,
from the kdnaper and the short shrift given to him
the rare occasions when he has operated there proof
of the wisdom of the law.
Yet Tacoma where the Weyerhauser and Mattson
knapngs took place. is just this side Of the Canadian
border-not far from Vancouver where thus far chill
dren have been safe.
For the griefstrcken parents of little Charlie there
is all sympathy.
But that sympathy would not have to be extended it
likely, if payments had been prohibited
and the crime made improbable for the criminals who
commit it.
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

Charles K. Fa1rman
ningS of this nation no one
can contend that the great
statesman's mind has not been a
deciding factor in the growth OF
these United States. Patriotic clti-
zens throughout the length and
the breadth of the land have
bowed with reverence at the ac-
complishments of Thomas Jeffer-
son. For a long time back they
have considered it fitting and
proper that a memorial should be
raised to his name. The heck of it
is that they've never decided just
what the memorial should be.
That is, all of the various mil
lions of the country haven't
seemed to be able to get together
on the proposition in the good old
dem ocratic spirit.
It will therefore be a shock to
perhaps some of these who have
been awaiting the outcome of the
deliberations of the Thomas JET
ferson Memorial Commission that
we already have a modest me-
mortal to this man situated IN
the most appropriate of all places
the Capitol.
It is perhaps the thought Of
the gentlemen on the commission
and those who inspired the COM
missions ppoint m ent that
Thomas jefferson is due conSid-
erable more attention than a
statue among the galaxy Of ma
tional heroes that are now strung
around Statuary Hall and through
the corridors.
It is not my intention to take
sides for or against any of the
sites or plans that have been ad-
vanced to honor this forefather
of our nation but to recount just
what a tough time Thomas Jeffer-
son has had to get anything out
of Congress, 10 these many years.
HONORS
Despite the difficulties. and
there were plenty of them, the
bronze of Thomas jefferson was
the first statue ever to be placed
in the rotunda of the Capitol.
The fact that it was moved from
there and finally put back is be-
side the point.
He was the first to have that
honor as he was the first in a lot
of things when this country
needed men of purpose and dis
cernment.
The story concerning this statue
is contained in a volume written
by Charles e. Fairman. art cura-
lboE nE fha Capitol En his book
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

trainers of the Constitution evil
IDENTIFY unintentionally overlooked
considering the Federal district in
shaping the article for the adnis-
sion of territories to statehood,
and possibly failed to vision the
future of the small strip Of land
included in Maryland'S grant.
The remedy is to poll congreS-
Sional representatives on the
anomalous situation that exists
and urge the adoption of an
amendment to the Constitution
which will grant residents Of the
District the rights to which these
highly intelligent and for the most
part native-born citizens are en-
titled.
Research has disclosed that the
Districts population, based on the
1880 census, exceeds that of eight
States, and the voting-age popula-
tion, estimated at 433, 900, exceeds
that of 10 States; that during the
last fiscal year the District paid
in national taxes more than ST.
900, 900, exceeding the amount
paid in such taxes by 25 Of the
States individually, and that dur
ing the World War the District
sent more men to the colorS than
any one of II States.
To know the facts, to sense the
Injustice of the existing status and
not to make some move in the di-
rection of correcting it, is not
Americanism in the true sense Of
the word. We believe public senti-
ment can be sufficiently aroused
to rectify the inequity at the COM
Ing session Of Congress.
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
A JustifiabIe Plea
(Daily Press. RiUerSide, CalJ.,
Dec. S, 1856

Dec. ,, 1856
When a journal such as the
Washington Times voices a plea
for the support of the country to
end an injustice which has been
allowed through the indifference
and apathy of legislators to con-
tinue unrectified, this paper is dis
posed to raise it's voice for the en-
listment of a public sentiment
that will abolish the peculiar vote
less status that exists with respect
to the residents of the District of
Columbia.
It is encouraging to note that
already many leading daily news
papers in various parts Of the
country are taking up the cudgels
for the more than $4,000 Amer
leans who are said to be affected.
With entire justice, they are point
ing out that these citizens-if, in
deed, persons deprived of the
electoral franchise may be said
to be citizens-are protesting only
against that which was a potent
battle cry in the Revolutionary
War-taxation without representa-
tion.
In other words, the residents Of
Washington have borne the duties
and obligations of citizenship but
have been deprived Of the rights
which Americans must admit are
Justly theirs and which are en-
joyed in every other corner OF
the 48 States.
It has been well said that the
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

COSC! hunger, WearI41eSS, pain
:. and endless racking risk.
"The others they dursn't do it;
they said they valued their
life.
(They've served me since as
shippers. went, and I took
my wife.
Over the world I drove 'em,
married at twenty-three,
And your mother saving the
money and making a man
of me-"
And now Mary was gone, these
many lonely years. and he was
dying. and they'd all forget
what he'd done, and what that
doing had cost. Yes, he knew
what they'd be saying-even his
worthless son
"I didn't begin with the askings.
I took my job and I stuck;
And I took the chances they
wouldn't, an now they're
calling it luck!"
SAVING FACE
"An' now they're calling 1t
luck!" Yes, Dad, that's what the
weak and lazy, the stupid and en-
vious, will always call it, to save
their own faces. And never so
often as today.
For these children Of a Ma
chine Age, when life comes
ready-made, can't understand the
hardshipS we encountered, the
sacrifices we made, in those diff
ficult handmade days before Big
Business arrived. Nor can they,
bred in an era of movies, auto
mobiles, cabarets. public dances,
possibly picture the monotony we
endured-the grim colorleSsnesS
of our daily grind.
Yet, even as they eXasperate us,
we should pity them, Dad. For be-
cause of this Machine Age they
are facing tests and burdens OF
which we knew nothing. We knew
a harder physical life, a duller
mental outlook. But those very
hardshipS were more normal and
easier to bear than the hectic ex'
citement of these years, the cruel
competition, the mercilesS speed
and pressure.
The old days gave man a chance
tough though it was. But the
Machine Age humiliateS man
robs him of his natural incentive
and curiosity belittles and
burns him out.
So, after all, confess I agree
with AL, Dad. In spite of our cal
louses, patches and pitiful pay
rolls, our 12-hour days, Six-day
weeks and vacationless years.
suspect we had the breaks!
(Thts column tDelconIeS and
requests comments. Letters pre-
Senting personal problems may
also be sent. All letters 1OiH be
handled contidentiGlly and an
Swered promptly if stamped, Gd-
dressed envelopes are incIuded.)
(Copyright. 1924. By King Features
~. SgRdeOAGA &0AkA
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

G11OSG kI1OW1G-d1lS.
"Soft? What you mean 'soft'?'
glares Dad smellin' a dirty dig
somewhere.
'Well you know. you've got
things easy. Always had. All you
old codgerS-never did know what
tough going was, the way we
young fellows do. Things were
sweet when you started. No cut
throat competition. no high
pressure speed. You just walked
into jobs, n drifted along. Never
had to fight for 'em or work to
keep 'em. And now look how swell
you have it! Nice house
salary. Just luck, that's all"
So naturally the war was on.
And has been blazing, all guns,
ever since. With Dad insisting
that "these young squirts don't
know what hardship means
and won't I tell 'em so! I'll try
my darndest, Dad. And, since I'm
one of the horse m buggy hang
overs, too. it'll be a work of love.
For they say the same thing to
me. Smart, supercilious young
things, dropping into my office tI
give me the once over. and to
assure me that I got this way
through luck! Did I? I wonder
AN EXAMPLE
Ever read Kipling'S poem, "The
Mary Gloster," Dad? They re-
mind me of that.
He was dying, at last, the old
skipper-after a lifetime filled
with storms on sea and shore.
Dying Baronet-"Sir Anthony
Gloster"- with no one to watch
his passing save the pampered,
weakling son whom he despiSed.
And, as the tide ebbed. memories
marched before his glazing eyes.
What q great fight it had been. .
climbing up out of poverty and de-
spair, hand over hand, as many
time he'd climb the ice-Sheeted
ShroudS.
Master at two-and-tWenty,
and married at twenty-three
Ten thousand men on the pay
roll and forty freighterS al
seal"
But what could this soft. ef
fsminaAa Ananl iSbeping hE hi
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
Votes for Washington

National representation IN Congress and the right to
Hrough the Gcto Of the peopIe Of the variows States and
their congressional representatives. Following fen
of the editorials printed by newspapers throughout the
country pledglng support to the movement for adoption
of constitutional amendment granting the District of
Columbia representation IN Congress and IN the Electoral
College. They printed IN response to letter from
The Washington Times outlining the Districts VoteIess
status.
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

dozen or more active candidates
for each vacancy. AS titular leader
of the party in power he might
we'll be reluctant to ALLEVIATE the
enthusiasm of some of his strong
est supporters in the last cam.
paign, at the very outset of the
era of good feeling"
Furthermore, Mr.. Roosevelt may
we'll take the position that his
Cabinet has a share in the over.
whelming vote Of confidence
which he received last November.
AS members Of his official family
they are an integral part of his
Administration. Why break up
the team so soon after its ire
mendouS victory?
There is a way in which Mr..
Roosevelt can retain omplete
freedom to make changes in his
Cabinet without alternating party
leaders, and without impeding the
orderly progress of his AdminiStra-
ton by surrounding himself with
new Cabinet members at the be-
ginning of new term.
If the President withholds his
acceptance Of the designations of
his Cabinet until later day while
insisting that they be submitted
in accord with custom, he can
choose his own time for making
such replacements and let the
announcement of the new Cabinet
officers be the first word to reach
the public that a change is to be
made.
BY following such a course, Mr..
Roosevelt would protect himself
against the pressure Of the "inS"
who wish to remain and the "outs"
who wish to climb into the Cabinet
regardless of whether the Presi-
dent desires them to be members
of his official family.
COMPLETELY FREE
The truth is the majority by
which Mr.. Roosevelt was reelected
last November was so overwhelm.
ing that he is left completely in.
dependent of obligations, be they
financial. sectional, or partisan, in
the makeup of his Cabinet for
the next four years.
No President since Washington
has been so completely free to re-
tain or dismiss his Cabinet as a
whole or to keep the better quail
fled and let the less qualified go
their way. All this he can do, any
one of these courses he can follow,
without disrupting party harmony,
without weakening his leadership
at either end of Constitution Ave
nue., and without any losses in his
national following.
If the President is not sur.
rounded during the next four years
by a Cabinet made up of men who
he believes to be the best qualified
to hold their respective portfolios
that the country can produce, Mr..
Roosevelt will have only himself
to blame.
Meantime, those in the conf
dence of the President have no
hesitancy in passing the word that
to become an active candidate for
a place in the Cabinet Of Mr..
Roosevelt is to lose all chance of
being considered for it, and that
to bring pressure upon him to re-
main in the Cabinet is the quickest
and Surest way to be retired from
the Cabinet at an early date.
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
ArmOry Needed

al 1IlO1 y 4NONNANu
YTNHE recommendation contained in the annual report
of the chief of the National Guard Bureau that Con
gress appropriate funds to construct an armory for the
District National Guard is clear recognition by re-
sponsbe authority of the disgraceful manner In which
the citizen soldiers of the National Capital are being
treated
Mai. Gen. Albert H. Blanding is perfectly justified in
using his annual report on the state of the guard
tionalIy to call attention to the local condition.
TITS TO BE HOPED THAT CONGRESS- WILL AC-
CEPT THE WORD OF THE CHIEF OFFICER OF
THE NATIONAL GUARD THAT SUCH AN ARMORY
Is A NECESSITY ALTHOUGH 1T HAS IN PAST
YEARS STEADFASTLY IGNORED WHAT HAS
BEEN so OBVIOUS A NEED.
Local units of the guard are forced to their
headquarters an aged and dapidated hotel which the
District government acquired for the express purpose
of tearing down.
If the guard is forced to use this structure much
longer the District will be saved the expense of wreck
ing tit will collapse Of its accord.
Comprehensive plans for construction Of a fitting
ar1nory here already available.
Even the proposed site for the amory has been given
general approvathe space selected being at the end
of East Capitol Street.
THERE 1T is PROPOSED TO CONSTRUCT A
PROPER ARMORY, COMBINING THIS ESSENTIAL
STRUCTURE WITH A BADLY NEEDED LARGE,
PUBLIC AUDITORIUM AND A STADIUM WHICH
COULD BE USED BY THE GUARD FOR DRILL
PURPOSES AND FOR GENERAL ATHLETIC CON-
TESTS WHICH DRAW HUGE CROWDS.
Many armories for National Guard units throughout
the country constructed under the Public Works
Administration with Federal funds
1T is SIGNIFICANT OF THE POLITICAL I'M
POTENCE OF WASHINGTON THAT ALTHOUGH
THE NEED FOR SUCH A STRUCTURE HERE WAS
MORE PRESSING THAN IN MANY OTHER LO-
CALITIES NOT A CENT WAS MADE AVAILABLE
FOR THAT PURPOSE.
This was not because the need not presented to
the proper auhoritiesthey told often and vvidy
Of the neglect to which the citizen soldiers Of the Capital
were subjected.
General Blandings report gives encouragement to
those who want the existing condition remedied.
It should also aid in preserving the morale of the local
guardsmen who have labored under difficulties
to maintain highly efficient and capable organization.
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

lin Paris under the supervision Of
Lieutenant Levy.
MYSTERIOUS
Mr.. Fairman says that the
movements of the statue were
cloaked in mystery. It was put in
the rotunda at first. The gift was
made by letters directed to the
Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives and the Vice President.
The two letters were turned over
to the respective Library Commit
tees of the House and Senate.
Each body of Congress passed
the necessary legislation for &C
ceptance of the gift and sent
them to the other House for con-
currence. But they were never
concurred in.
Later the statue was removed
from the rotunda and placed IN
the grounds East of the Executive
Mansion. Nobody seems to know
why this was done because it was
originally planned that it should
be placed in a park East OF the
Capitol.
In 1847 it was moved back to
the Capitol.
Forty years after it was offered
to the nation, Mr.. Jonas P. Levy
wrote to Congress and said that II
the country wasn't going to accept
the statue he thought it ought to
be sent back to the heirs Of the
donors.
IN CAPITOL
That seemed to have aroused
that particular Congress and a
resolution was passed.
No one, according to Mr.. Fair
man. seems to know how the
statue was moved back and forth
from the White House grounds to
the Capitol or why.
At any rate today Thomas JET
ferson is honored with his statue
in the Capitol right across the
doorway from George Washing
ton, regardless of what decision
the Thomas jefferson Memorial
Commission comes to when it
does.
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
Cabinet Requirements
By J. T. Williams, Jr.

Changes in the Cabinet of the
President is a subject about which
much is seen in the newspapers
these days but little is heard
around the White House.
Under the American system OF
Government the Cabinet is the
official family of the President
Membership in the Cabinet de-
pends upon and is limited by the
pleasure of the President. subject
at the outset to the advice and
consent of the Senate, to which
Cabinet nominations must be
made.
almost the only reference in
the Constitution to the Cabinet
is that contained in the article
enumerating the powers Of the
President. Among these is the
power to require the opinion in
writing of the principal officer
In each of the executive depart
mentS upon any subject relating
to the duties of their respective
Offices
FIRST CABINET
These departments, each headed
by a Cabinet officer, have been
created from time to time by acts
Of Congress. The first President
George Washington was given
only four Cabinet officers:
Secretary of State, Secretary oi
the Treasury, Secretary Of War
and Attorney General.
Increases in the number have
finally resulted in the present
Cabinet Of 10 members, and it ap
pears probable that President
Roosevelt may recommend a fur
ther increase during his SECOND
term.
It is customary in the CLOSING
days Of the first term of PreSl
dent who has been reelected fol
a second term for the members o.
his Cabinet and for all Ambassa
dors and Ministers to place theil
designations in the hands of tn
President before his second inau
guration.
Adherence to this traditiona
course would seem to be altogether
wise for this reason: It leaves thC
President entirely free to recon
struct his Cabinet at the beginning
of his second term, retaining thoSC
members whose services he still re
quires and letting the others g
without prejudice.
There are several members o.
President Roosevelt's Cabinet whC
are believed to be ready and will
ing to return to private life for ont
reason or another. They may de
fer their going until some tim'
after the beginning of the Presi
dents second term. In fact, unless
urgent personal reasons dictate
their course, they are under obi
cations to him to accommodate
his convenience regarding the time
of their resignation and in th(
meantime to keep their own coun
sci lest he be embarrassed by th'
pressure of candidates to succeed
them.
There are several reasons TO
the belief, widely held in the Fed
eral City, that Mr.. Roosevelt is no
disposed to reorgariize his Cabine
as the first act Of his second ao
ministration. To do so now woulC
compel him to choose between
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

usual Congress
sional morasS
Of indecision I
give you the
story Of t h e
bronze statue
of Thomas JEFF
f ferson that
now graces the
rotunda of the
Capitol Of this
country.
From t h e
early e begin
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

a nd tn e
W a r m, bright
rooms, stuffing
themselves with
t h e humping
good feast.
"P r e t t y
soft for you,
Dad" says AL,
t h e youngest
son-in-law. Al
just lost h i S
job-never did
keep any 10 b
m ore tn a n
three months.
Bright enough.
but one of
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
ENJOYED

One of the incest holiday par
ties given last week was the one
proffered to his staff by Senator
Pat Harrison of Mississippi. Sena-
tor Harrison as chairman OF the
Finance Committee Of the Senate
has a large group attached to the
committee as well as his personal
secretary and clerks.
The husbands and wives OF the
staff were invited. Mrs. Harrison
acted as hostess and from all re-
ports it was a grand party.
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
BOTH WAYS

Senator Pat McCarran, of Ne
vada, has a warm spot in his
heart for the famous town OF
Reno. known far and wide as the
great unhitching post Of the coun.
try, this city comes in for a lot
of kidding when friends drop in
on the jovial statesmen.
The other day he opined that
the city was being libeled. He
said that records show the city
is a great honeymoon center and
more people get married there
than get divorced.
"As a matter of fact" the
Senator said, "this is the only
inland city in the world where
the tide comes In. The tied
comes In and the united 80 out"
E&nollGht &oNN Get Il
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
The Greatest Show on Earth = By

statue, the work Of David dan
gers, was offered to the nation as
a gift by Uriah r. Levy, a lieuten-
ant in the U. S. Navy in 1884. The
original from which the cast was
made was sculptured by dangers
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

'Mr. Fairman devotes a whole page
of discussion and full length por-
trait of the statue to what he
considers a valuable addition to
the works of art in the Capitol.
According to Mr.. Fairman the
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
Keep This Pledge

Resolved: That 1t be the sense of this convention
that committee should be @opointed By the Congress
of the United States to make study of and to report
on the granting to the dents of the District of
Columbia the right of sMffrdIe Unanimously adopted
by the Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia,
June &c. 1886.
The Washington times., 1936-12-31

In a timid attempt to add an
extra stick of fuel to q problem
that seems begged down in the
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
Listen, World!
BY Elsie Robinson
IAN, NOW THEY'RE CALLING TT LUCK"

Dads sore. Started with one
Of those misunderstanding
brawls. All the kids home, sitting
The Washington times., 1936-12-31
By Frank M. Smith
MYSTERIOUS
By MOntier

lin Paris under the supervision of
Lieutenant Levy.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-11-21

JULIA CRAIG, pretty young
secretary 20 GEORGE WOOD
NOBD. lawyer, 10 ambitious "a
become . night club singer. Julia
shares an apartment with AMY
SANDERS.
PETER KEMP, young lawyer.
Is IN love with Julia but they
quarrel and Julia declares she
never wants 20 see him again.
WoodfoTd gives = party aboard
hts yacht and asks Julia TO come
10 sing for his guests, including
CTNTRA LEE, dancer; MRS. JO-
SEPH, widow; HUGO NASH, and
ROYAL NESBITT. Julia goes,
later regrets II when she finds the
cruise h 70 be much longer than
. weekend.
The yacht lands ut Evergreen
Island where WoodfOrd has q
lodge. Julia meets TOM PAYSON,
camping nearby, who offers 70
help her get away, but he Is DIS
covered and forced 70 leave the
island.
The men 20 hunting and Mes
bitt is injured. W00dford's party
leaves at once 10 get Nesbitt TO =
doctor.
Julia tells Woodford she Is Civ.
ing up her job In his Office.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-11-21

RICHARD WAGNER, great Ger.
~ man composer. achieved much
OF his fame through the opera
known as "Die Meistersinger Won
Nurnberg."
1.-THE Mastersingers," first pro.
duced In Munich In 1868. Is noted
especially for the prize song by
which Q young swain won the
love OF the city's most eligible
maiden. but It's gaiety and It's
charm are said 10 have surpassed
all other Wagnerian operas.
Essentially O satire on the must.
cal customs OF the time OF the
Reformation. this opera also pre-.
sents a pleasant romance. It was
brought to America In 1886. and
has been repeated almost an.
nually. For nearly Eve hours Il
keeps Its audiences enrapt by It's
tunes and Its story II Is the one
great flight opera" that differen-
tiates II from Wagner's generally
heavy masterpieces
This opera Is the subject Of one
OF the nine stamps issued by Ger
many In 1888, in honor Of Richard
Wagner.