Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-03-12
Capital Sidelights
BIZ Will p. Kennedu.

1t has taken the Japanese a long time
to learn the power and self determine
ton of the American people. Japan
was "a hermit nation" when Commo-
dore Matthew Calbraith Perry, young
brother of Capt. Oliver Hazard Perry,
hero OF Lake Erie, went there with q
squadron in 1852 and, after many diff
culties, negotiated treaty safeguard
ing the rights of American commerce
In japanese waters. The United States
Government was incomprehensible to
the Japs-they considered it upside
down." A japanese had affronted one
OF Perry's officers and the excuse,
please" officials endeavored to make
the punishment fit the crime" They
inquired about the rank of the offended
American officer, and, learning that he
was subordinate to a commodore. who
in turn was under the Secretary of
Navy, whose superior was the President,
they thought finally they had reached
the end Of the chase and that the
President was supreme, as the Mikado
was. but cautiously they checked again,
and were told that "the people" were
above the President-and 1t is chroni-
cled: "Of this they could make moth
ing"
Senator Arthur Walsh, of New Jersey
began his career in 1915 at the age of
10 as concert violinist and recording
Vi0lipist for Thopoor ra3,.. H. -.
inventions. He now IS executive vice
president and director of Thomas A.
Edison, Inc, and an official in several
affiliated corporations. He played Edi-
sons favorite ballad, "I1l Take You
Home Again, Kathleen" at the funeral
service of the Wizard" at Menlo Park.
The ballad was written at the time
Edison invented his photograph and
he had recording made. Senator
Walsh about that time became general
manager of the photograph division.
In 1929 Edison was induced by Henry
Ford to sing this favorite ballad at
party in Detroit celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the invention of the
electric light
Senator Walsh Of New Jersey is the
fourth Walsh to serve in the Senate
all Democrats. First, there was Patrick
born in Ballingarry, Ireland, who emf
grated to this country at the age of IL
and settled in Charleston, S. c., in
1852. Five years later he was a Journey
man printer. He attended Georgetown
University, 1859-1861< For 80 years he
was connected with newspapers at
Augusta, Ga, most of the time as man.
ager and editor of the Augusta Chron-
lcle, and treasurer and general man.
ager of the Southern Associated Press,
He attended the convention that nom
mated Cleveland and Hendricks and
was for four years a member of the
Democratic National Executive Com
mlttee. He served in the United States
Senate from April q 1894, to March 3,
1895, and was Mayor of Augusta at the
time of his death in 1899 Next came
Thomas j. Walsh of Montana. who
entered the Senate in 1912 and who
died In 1888 on the eve of the Inaugural
ton OF President Roosevelt who had
chosen him to be Attorney General.
The third was David Ignatius Walsh of
Massachusetts,. who was Governor of
that State when the new Senator from
New Jersey was winning honors with
his violin. He served in the Senate one
term Q9l9-1925) and after an absence
OF one year was elected successor to the
late Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. He
has served continuously since Decem-
per 6, 1926, and is chairman of the
Naval Affairs Committee.
THOMAS Jefferson was presented with
a gold medal by the Agricultural So
clety of the Seine for inventing a pillow
with mold board of least resistance,
worked out on an algebraic formula.
The late Speaker Champ Clark said
that achievement made every plow-
man, horse, mule and steer Jefferson's
debtor from that day to this
The late Speaker Champ Clark, father
of the present Senator Bennett Champ
Clark, told an interesting story of how
mules solved problem that man could
not solve. He quoted former Repre-
sentative and Senator Medill McCor-
mick about the famous Cyrus Nc
Cormick horsepower reaper, which
crowded out the scythe and cradle. Mr..
Clark described the combined reaper,
header, thresher and sacker, drawn by
"a horses and mules, as "the greatest
curiosity I ever saw" Senator McCor-
mick told the late Speaker that while
it cut the grain fairly we'll, it left so
much standing that there was
waste and complaint among the farm
ers. All sorts of experiments were
tried to correct the defect One day