NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder 
3) THE, 
| National Capital 
Events of Interest from the Seat of 
Government 
By J. E. Jones 
a i ee A 
EO 
? es ee —_— = ee eee ee ee eee eee ae en ere 2 
The Breeze Bureau. 
Washington, Aug. 18, 1914. 
THE War SPIRIT 
A raft of army officers are being 
sent to Europe to watch the manner 
in which misguided men fight. When 
it is all over, humanity ought to make 
such a demand for a world’s court 
that there will be no more reason for 
countries going to war in future than 
for men to engage in street fights, or 
for one city to take up arms against 
another. To the credit of the United 
States, it may be said that a condi- 
tion more serious than that which 
provoked war in Europe has been 
intelligently handled in our affairs 
with Mexico, and the chances are 
that peace will ultimately be restored 
in that stricken country and our dif- 
ferences with the people of Mexico 
adjusted. And while President Wil- 
son is to be commended for what he 
has done in this direction, it is inter- 
esting to know that his predecessor 
in office, Mr. Taft, predicts that the 
waste of blood and treasure in the 
European war will be so appalling 
that it will sober up the leading na- 
tions of the world and make irresist- 
ably for lasting peace. 
SmeLL oF Powper RepLAces APPLE 
SHIPMENTS 
One of the most highly developed 
branches in American agriculture is 
that of fruit growing, and it is be- 
lieved that the war in Europe will se- 
riously affect this industry. During 
last year the United States shipped 
nearly $3,000,000 worth of fruit to 
Europe. In European countries, Am- 
erican fruits are more or less of a 
luxury, and experts believe that the 
consumption will fall off. rapidly now 
that the Europeans are spending their 
money for powder instead of Ameri- 
can apples, of which 1,500,000 _bar- 
rels valued at $6,500,000 were shipped 
to Europe last year. 
Tue ItcH FOR SPOILS 
That there are still spoilsmen in 
high places was recently evidenced in 
the House of Representatives by the 
attempt led by Representative Cullop 
of Indiana, to take assistant postmas- 
ters throughout the country out of 
civil service. The proposition had 
the support principally of southern 
spoilsmen, who now that they have 
had a taste of office after having wait- 
ed for so many years, have been dem- 
‘onstrating a greedy eagerness hereto- 
fore almost unheard of. 
How Azsovut Your MiLkK BorrLEe? 
The Agricultural Department at 
Washington has figured it out that the 
average life of a milk bottle is only 
22.5 trips along the milk route. The 
estimate carried out respecting aver- 
age conditions throughout the country 
indicates that the big milk dealers are 
obliged to lay in a supply of bottles 
every three weeks. ‘Therefore if a 
dealer who handles 10,000 bottles a 
day puts water in the milk, how can 
you blame him, since his customers 
through various systems of waste en- 
tail upon him the expense of $5,575 
per year for bottles. It has been de- 
termined that 1,500,000 bottles were 
rescued from city dumps during three 
years by the milk bottle clearing house 
in a single city. 
Now, Wuo’tt, Buirp MiLapy’s 
FROCK ? 
Now let us see whether America 
can originate her own styles. Paris 
has lost its grip, and the fashionable 
women of the United States will have 
to take a chance on American tailors, 
since all the great dressmaking estab- 
lishments of Paris are closed. ‘There 
will be no fall creations from Paris, 
and therefore the modistes of Paw- 
tucket, Kokomo, Kalamazoo, Osh- 
kosh, Laramie and Snohomish will 
come into their own. 
Brain Foop 
It may be all right to tell the child- 
ren that fish and other articles are 
brain food, but a Washington gentle- 
man has been advertising himself as 
a food expert, and has been coining 
wealth by what he called the “New 
Brain Diet System,” has been indicted 
by the Grand Jury of the District of 
Columbia for misuse of the mails. 
Tue FEepeRAL TRADE COMMISSION 
The Federal Trade Commission bill 
finally found its way through both 
Houses, and the organization of that 
body will shortly take place. It is ex- 
pected that Mr. Joseph E. Davies of 
Wisconsin, at present Commissioner 
of Corporations, will be chairman of- 
the new commission. This commis- 
sion has extensive powers, and one 
of the things it is expected to do is 
to proceed against “unfair competi- 
tion.” ‘The proposed Commission is 
to operate with respect to all corpo- 
rations engaged in interstate com- 
merce, excepting banks and common 
carriers, in about the same manner 
that the Interstate Commerce Com- 
mission is dealing with the railroads. 
It therefore follows that all classes 
59 
of business which have “shade meth- 
ods,” whether incorporated or not, 
should begin “shaking in their boots,” 
for while Mr. Davies has always been 
counted a very peaceful citizen, yet 
it is recognized that he has the right 
kind of back-bone to take the lead in 
investigating business conditions 
throughout the country, with the idea 
that there will follow better methods 
among not only the great corporate 
institutions, but in all industries that 
have to do with public welfare. The 
President is also expected to name ad- 
ditional members of the Commission 
who will support such a policy as Mr. 
Davies has initiated in the Bureau of 
Corporations, and which will be ab- 
sorbed by the new commission. 
Wuere Is Your CONGRESSMAN? 
The United States government em- 
ploys Congressmen as a board of di- 
rectors for the national government. 
Each member is paid a salary suffic- 
ien to keep him on the job. Yet one- 
half of the total membership is ab- 
sent from duty, and in consequence 
most of ‘the time there has not been 
a quorum in the House of Represent- 
atives. | Leader Underwood has 
stormed and Speaker Clark has 
threatened arrest of the absentees. In 
the meantime politicians have been 
running about the country, or have 
been at home fixing up their political 
fences—thereby putting their person- 
al comforts and needs above the de- 
mands of their position. Mr. Under- 
wood, in speaking of the situation, 
declared that “under existing condi- 
tions it is not safe not to have a quo- 
rum in Washington and I hope that 
the membership will stay here, at least 
until we can see farther into the fu- 
ture.” His reference was prompted 
by the war in Europe and the demor- 
alization that has come to business in 
the United States in consequence. 
Uncié Sam AND JOHN BULL 
The United States is still prepared 
to carry out its arrangement with 
Great Britain to celebrate one hun- 
dred years of peace at the end of the 
present year, and if Great Britain’s 
engagements are not too numerous, 
the love feast promises to be a giddy 
affair, as Uncle Sam and John Bull 
have been the greatest chums in the 
civilized world—until Europe recently 
became uncivilized. Since that time 
John Bull has been so seriously en- 
gaged that he has not even had time 
to inspect the new series of postage 
stamps being manufactured in Wash- 
ington as part of the celebration inci- 
dent to the signing of the treaty of 
Ghent. 
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