Evening star., 1938-06-29
Washington Observations
New Deals Success in Primaries to Give Idea as to
Party's Choice in 1910.
We Idea as TO

coping, which will make Q total
height Of Z feet ~ inches. No
changes in the existing fencing on
Pennsylvania avenue are being made
except where repaling Is necessary,
and broken panels and ornaments
require restoration. On all sides the
original granite has been reset to the
proper line and grade and cleaned.
The work has been in progress for 13
or IA weeks and is scheduled for
completion about August l. The con-
tractor is young University Of WIS.,
consin engineer, r. H. Martell, who
superintended the construction Of the
new Post ONCE Department.
X \ ~
Our $4,000, ,000, ,000-odd defaulting
war debtors came in for some pointed
attention, though in reverse English,
at the hands of President Roosevelt
and Secretary Hull during the Swedish
Tercentenary celebration at Whining
ton on Monday. Referring to Finland,
which also figures in the commemora-
ton, F. D. R. said: Finland, small
in size but mighty in honor, occupies
an especially warm place in the
American heart" Secretary Hull
observed: TT is hardly necessary
for me to remind you Of the reasons
for the high esteem in which Finland
Is held in this country"
*tA
According to the National Civil
Service Reform League, credit for the
new executive orders providing for
extension and improvement of the
civil service belongs jointly to Pres
ident Roosevelt and the baby member
Of the Civil Service Commission, Sam
uel H. Ordway, jr, who was appointed
last fall as the Republican represen-
tative on the commission. Mr.. Ord
way has devoted most of his energy
to adoption Of the new program, which
is hailed as more comprehensive even
than the great extensions in the
direction Of merit system made by
Presidents Cleveland, Theodore Roose-
welt, Taft and Wilson. Native New
Yorker. and still on the sunny side
of 40, Mr.. Ordway is a graduate both
Of Harvard College and Harvard Law
School. While at Cambridge he edited
the Harvard Advocate and was cap
tain OF the fencing team. Engaged
IN law practice and civic work In
New York City. he was Mayor La
Guardia's municipal civil service COM
missioner when drafted for duty at
Washington.
There is apparently nothing new
even under the sun which never sets
on the British Empire. Into these
hands has just come fascinating
autobiography of q newspaperman,
THE World Of Action" by Valentine
Williams, now one Of Britain's bril-
liant younger novelists, who was my
World War colleague in Fleet street
In his opening chapter, captioned
The Continuity Of History" williams
quotes an amazingly opposite extract
from q letter written by his late
father, also q famous British journal
ist. from Paris, on September 10, 1870,
few days after proclamation Of the
French Republic and the revolution
which overthrew Napoleon III. It
reads almost as If it might have been
written this week, after Prime Minister
Chamberlain once again proclaimed
John Bulls inability to protect the
Union Jack from attack by Gen.
Frances insurgent air pirates OF the
east coast Of Spain.
Here Is how the pusillanimous Brit
ain Of 68 years ago looked to q trained
international observer:
What an eventful year this will be