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NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder 75 
THE 
||National al Capital 
Events of Interest srest from the Seat of 
Government 
By J. E. Jones 
The Breeze Bureau. 
Washington, Aug. 11, 1914. 
Tur DIFFERENCE IN Wuose Ox Is 
GorED 
Many people who cannot under- 
stand the war enthusiasm in the dif- 
ferent European countries, ought to 
refresh their memories regarding 
their own war of “watchful waiting 
time.” Very recently the United 
States was ablaze with enthusiasm for 
war, and the government held it off 
with difficulty. On a former occa- 
sion, President McKinley stood as 
a check to this same war spirit, and 
only let loose the guns of battle when 
our justification to take up arms 
against the enemy had been fully es- 
tablished. Americans who are won- 
dering whether Europe has gone 
crazy should recall their own excited 
mental condition when the question 
of war or peace confronted the United 
States. 
Our ArMy AND Navy 
Contracts have been assigned for 
three new dreadnaughts for the 
United States navy. These new instru- 
ments of warfare will be forty-one 
feet longer and of 4500 tons greater 
displacement than any now in the 
United States service. It may be that 
before Europe gets through that the 
question of what country has the 
greatest navy will be settled, as our 
chances for first place are very good. 
About the same time that the con- 
tracts were let for the new dread- 
naughts, Major General Leonard 
Wood submitted his annual report to 
the Secretary of War. It shows that 
the actual strength of the army is 
4,306 officers and 80,000 enlisted men 
scattered over the world. The Gen- 
eral declares that to maintain the 
force in the United States for even 
a small expedition in police work of 
the Department that it is vitally im- 
portant that the regular army be sub- 
stantially increased. 
PRESIDENT SEES Two Moons 
The Washington papers gave con- 
siderable prominence to the big chief 
Two Moons of the northern Cheyenne 
tribe, living in the Tongue river coun- 
try, in Montana. The Commissioner 
of Indian affairs took Two Moons to 
see the President. Would it not have 
been more interesting had the scribes 
featured the fact that the President 
saw Two Moons, which is more signi- 
ficant than seeing a single moon, and 
would have made renown for Mr. 
Wilson as a competitor of the man 
who saw: 
“Two moons rise over the city, 
When there ought to have been but 
one.” 
Old Two Moons was a conspicuous 
figure in the Custer massacre, aad can 
talk the Indian sign language. 
Tue RECLAMATION FuND 
A fund of about $80,000,000 has 
been accumulated through the sale 
of public lands which under the old 
law is in the hands of the Interior 
Department for expenditure in re- 
clamation projects without Congres- 
sional limitations. Congress recently 
became somewhat jealous of this 
method of expenditure, and the 
House provided that all expenditures 
in future should be limited to appro- 
priations made from the reclamation 
funds by Congress. Representatives 
from public lands states have vigor- 
ously opposed such a change, but the 
powerful Democratic leader, Under- 
wood, with his southern Democrats, 
are having their own way. 
Nava Lines to SoutH AMERICA 
The probabilities are that the 
United States will carry out the plan 
suggested by the Secretary of the 
Navy and establish naval lines to car- 
ry mails, passengers, and freight to 
South America. Several weeks ago 
Senator Weeks introduced a bill to 
this effect, and it has recently passed 
the Senate. 
THE REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN 
As the fall elections grow nearer, 
it is evident that there is to be a spi- 
rited contest in every part of the 
United States where there is a “fight- 
ing chance” to turn the fortunes of 
battle one way or the other. Na- 
turally the south is undisputed Demo- 
cratic territory, and although the 
Democrats have a big majority in 
Congress at the present time, the 
members of that party who are man- 
aging political affairs have rather 
marveled at the strategic .skill dis- 
played by the new chairman of the 
Republican Congressional Committee. 
It has developed that the minority 
members of the House had a definite 
idea of what they were doing when 
they chose Congressman Frank P. 
Woods of Iowa to conduct their com- 
paign. Mr. Woods is a quiet political 
worker, and now that the campaign is 
on the Democrats are awakening to 
the fact that while they supnosed no- 
thing was being done that Chairman 
Woods has been building bonfires 
under them, and they are therefore 
put to the necessity of stirring them- 
selves in order to escape the conflagra- 
tion. Woods has dispensed with all 
the brass bands, and if the gains that 
the Republicans confidently predict 
are realized in the November elec- 
tions, then the reason will be because 
of the new methods produced by the 
Iowa leader. 
EASTERN RAILROADS LOSE 
Sandwiched in among the news on 
the back pages has appeared the de- 
cision of the Interstate Commerce 
Commission in reference to the appli- 
cation of the eastern railroads for a 
five per cent increase in freight rates. 
The application was made by the rail- 
roads four years ago, and the decision 
is in effect a denial of the petition of 
the roads, although permission for in- 
creased rates on some commodities 
in parts of the territory involved have 
been granted. In New England in 
the trunk line territory everything 
has been denied. It is estimated that 
the average increase will amount to 
one and one-half per cent, adding 
about $15,000,000 to the annual 
freight revenues of the eastern rail- 
roads. The poor old railroads’ may 
not have gotten what they deserve in 
this case, but they have run the coun- 
try so long that no branch of the 
government appears to be courageous 
enough to stand up for them. 
“A DEVICE oF THE Devt,” 
Among the “mortuary tables” dug 
cut by Representative Fowler of II- 
linois in the support of the belief that 
“the automobile is a device of the de- 
vil,” he showed that 1,613 persons 
were killed by automobiles in the year 
1913, and 6,733 injured. The number 
of deaths occurring from automobiles 
is greater than those resulting from 
explosions, electricity, lightning, ele- 
vators and asphyxiation. 
Trmé WaIrs ON ART 
Art appears to be slow-moving, if 
the experience of the government 
with the contractor of the Grant 
Memorial is a fair illustration. Al- 
though the time has long since ex- 
pired when this memorial should be 
completed, the sculptor has asked for 
and received a three years’ extension, 
in which to complete the memorial 
that stands near the Capitol in Wash- 
ington. This work was authorized in 
[QOT. 
Woutp TAKE A Brick to Do It 
Mrs. Browne—I’ve just been to see 
Mrs. Swellman’s new place. She has 
stained glass all through the house. 
Mrs. Parvenu—The idea! Her ser- 
vants are too lazy to remove the 
stains, I suppose. 
