The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-19
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
BY JACK STINNETT

WASHINGTON, April 1S.-The Navy build
ing press room is one of the busiest spots in
the capital these days and not because of the
news that flows out of tEere-but because of
the news that flows in.
There's a news ticker machine there and,
from starting time to curfew, eager watchers
follow is hammering type fingers, to learn
of the latest developments in the Allied-Nazi
naval battles in the North Sea.
The reason: There has been no such op-
portunity for students of naval maneuvers to
kibitz since the World war. Oddly enough,
the white collar empIoyes-civilian clerks
are Just ds thick around the news barrel as
the navy men-and discuss the battle prob
lens with just as much outward authority.
The Thomas Jefferson memorial is in trouble
again. The memorial commission, looking over
a hundred designs for the statue of Jeffer-
son, turned up their noses at all of them,
but finally said the model submitted by Lee
Lawrie, New York sculptor, which "on first
glance is disappointing because of the made
quacy of the likeness and of the detailed
forms in the legs and hands, and the eN-
treme emaciation of the figure"-undoubted-
ly would be all right when these points were
developed.
With this doubtful enthusiasm, although
they said complimentary things about the
possibilities of Mr.. Yawrie's completed statue
when 1t is set up IN the MeLnolIdl III III
Tidal Basin, the commission
Mr.. Lawrie's design, awarded funds for an ad-
ditional "revised sketch model
From its inception the jefferson Memorial
has been humping into difficulties. The origin
al proposal to place it in the Tidal Basin,
which is thanked by the Lincoln Memorial
and the Washington monument, brought a
storm of protest, with claims that it would
spoil the beauty of the basin and destroy the
famous cherry trees.
The White House was picketed by women,
bearing placards with such designs as: "Oh
Congress, Spare That Tree" and Hasten, Has
ten, Spare the Basin" White House police
compared it to the wars of the sutfraggettes'
One indignant lady chained herself to a tree.
A group, equally indignant. had a better idea
it chained one of the wor&men to a tree.
Not until the President assured the ladies'
that not only would all the trees be spared,
but nearly a thousand more would be planted,
did the furore die down. Even then, the fight
over the memorial site continued in congress
until after the cornerstone was laid.
1t is expected now that the 100000 bronze
statue will be ready to dedicate in the So
100000 marble shrine in time for the blcenten-
NAL of Jefferson's birth April IS, 1943-that is,
barring more trouble.
The United States senators are three-bell
boys. Whenever one of the gentlemen from
so-and-so wants to use the elevators, he rings
three times and no matter who's going which
way, he must detour to take the senator TO
his destination-that is, of course, unless some
other senator has gotten the elevator first.
It's the same with the subway from the capt.
tol to the senate building. If you are halfway
over and a senator rings three from the rear,
back you go. This theory that a senator's time
is more valuable than any one elses ID prac-
ticed only in the capitol, however. in the
buildings downtown, three rings only get a
senator a dirty ook-just as in the case Of
any ordinary mortal.
Thought for today: The ommerc depart
ment reports that United States investors have
a 1921, 900, 900 stake in the Scandinavian coun-
tries, Sweden, Denmark and Norway-a little
more than enough to take care of next years
parity payments t. the farmers.
The day Hitler took over Denmark, marched
on Norway and threatened again to shake up
the borders of the western world, the National
Geographic society started issuing a million
new 1O-color maps of Europe and the Near
East. The society's harried mapmakers scanned
the headlines found some consolation in the
fact that they might not have to change +be
colors. (Only if Germany absorbed the sai7ad
territory and called it Germany, as in the oases
of Austria and parts of Poland. wonld color
changes be necessary
The Bill of Rights was made not o,1u e.,
the wise and the just. 1t was invented ~ ~
low a man to make a damn fool of bir,seIf -
his own way.-William Allen White Konsos
| e6it0r and author