NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder 59 
\|_ THE 
National Capital 
Events of Interest from the Seat of 
Government 
By J. E. Jones 
The Breeze Bureau. 
Washington, Aug. 25, 1914. 
Bie aNp Busy Po.irics. 
While the Capital itself has been 
trying to “get the number” of the 
Attorney General, of the United 
States, the President has been so well 
satisfied that he has elevated him to 
a position in the Supreme Court, 
which is supposedly the greatest hon- 
er that can befall a lawyer. Mc- 
Reynolds was practically unknown to 
American politics until President Wil- 
son dug him up. Another new man 
has been elevated to the position, and 
this gentleman, Thomas Watt Gregory 
of Texas, is as obscure so far as any 
knowledge of him by the American 
people is concerned, as a country 
postmaster. It is understood that 
Mr. Gregory was appointed largely 
because of the influence exercised in 
his behalf by Colonel E. M. House, 
who is another man of mystery, 
Colonel House is a Texan, although 
he lives most of the time in New 
York and Washington, in the same 
manner as a good many Senators who 
are supposed to be residents of parti- 
cular states and only get back home 
at election time. Thus Texas, which 
already has the place of Postmaster 
General in the Cabinet, is given a 
second portfolio in President Wilson’s 
official family. Politically Texas, in 
point of being conspicuous, ranks next 
to New Jersey. It may even become 
notorious in a short time, since it 
is probable that the Senatorial con- 
test will be enlivened by the demand 
of the partisans of former Senator 
Bailey that he be returned to the 
Senate. 
Convict LABOR 
The increasing tendency on the part 
of the state governments to use con- 
vict labor in works of public improve- 
ment, such as road construction, has 
caused the office of public roads of 
the Department of Agriculture to 
get in touch with the situation as it 
has been worked out in a number of 
states. The purpose of the federal 
government is to study the question 
with relation to the practical results 
obtained in road improvements, and 
these studies will begin in Colorado 
this month, and thereafter will be car- 
ried into Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Ore- 
gon and Washington, Later the stud- 
ies will extend to Michigan, Illinois, 
New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma, 
Texas, Arizona and New Mexico and 
a number of southern states. This 
road work has been carried on by the 
states with an idea of demonstrating 
that the condition of the convict 
would improve by reason of employ- 
ment in the open. Wonderfully satis- 
factory results have been reported 
from Arizona as the result of the 
policy of Governor Hunt, while Illi- 
nois has also made satisfactory tests 
of the more humanitarian methods of 
treatment fot convicts, while afford- 
ing them privileges of out of door 
activities. The national government 
has gone on the scent with the idea 
of encouraging the movement provid- 
ing it can be fully demonstrated that 
the good roads movement can be ad- 
vanced in this manner. 
Tur Boy Scouts 
Among the advocates of universal 
peace is that splendid organization 
known as the Boy Scouts. Mr. James 
FE. West, Chief Scout Executive, 
proudly points to the fact that the 
scout movement has been organized 
in each of the countries now at war, 
with an enrollment of 350,000 boys, 
and that these boys, true to their 
scout oath and law, will be found in 
the midst of the strife, giving first 
aid, taking the place of the men called 
to war in gathering in the harvests 
and in proctecting women and chil- 
dren. 
He warns against unreliable dis- 
patches which may confound the 
scout activities with hostile move- 
ments and advises scouts in this coun- 
try to do all they can in giving pub- 
licity to the authorized dispatches 
showing the scouts engaged in hu- 
manitarian works made necessary by 
the ravages of war. 
Tur Lost Art oF “WaR CoRRESPON- 
DENTS” 
When the American fleet sailed for 
the Gulf of Mexico most of the met- 
ropolitan newspapers were represent- 
ed by special correspondents, who, 
after spending a week or two in the 
war zone were glad to find a boat re- 
turning to the dear old United States. 
Circumstances connected with the 
European War confirm the experi- 
ences of metropolitan newspapers at 
the time of the Mexican trouble, 
showing that the science of the “war 
correspondent” has become a “lost 
art.’ Richard Harding Davis, John 
Reed, Jack London and a few other 
gentlemen wrote entertainingly of 
the affairs of Vera Cruz, but the real 
stories the American people looked 
for hungrily were furnished by the 
Associated Press and other similar 
organizations. ‘‘Fine writing” will 
always be appreciated, but in hours of 
excitement the dot and dash of the 
telegraph instrument, prompted by 
live wire correspondents at the scene 
of the trouble, interested in telling the 
exact news, is the modern and more 
satisfactory method demanded by the 
American newspaper readers.  Be- 
sides this the scope of operations in 
modern warfare covers scores of 
miles, and long range guns make it 
almost impossible for one army to 
get near enough to another to be seen. 
The day of musketry charge and the 
slashing saber, and hand to hand 
fights has passed. The telegraph wire 
at the scene of battle is inevitably in 
the possession of the contending arm- 
ies, and military authorities do not 
permit interference by correspon- 
dents. In the case of European war- 
fare available telegraph lines if found 
at all, are apt to be hundreds of 
miles away from the scene of the 
struggle. The difficulties of news 
gathering never were greater in war 
matters than now. In order to con- 
trol the natural methods of communi- 
cation the case of Germany and its 
censorship is in point. However, that 
is not a new experience, since no 
foreign country knows even yet what 
happened at Mukden. Neither the 
Japanese nor the Russians would per- 
mit any writers near the scene. Be- 
sides that, no correspondent could of 
himself possibly know what was go- 
ing on over a territory so very many 
miles in extent. 
Wuat CITIES OWE 
The per capita indebtedness of 
New York City is $156.57. Cincin- 
nati; Omaha; Portland, Maine; and 
Galveston, Texas come next upon the 
list in respective order. The indebt- 
edness of the latter city is $113.24 
per capita. ‘Cities with a less showing 
are Detroit, Michigan, with a _ per 
capita indebtedness of $18.09; Wash- 
ington, D. C., $24.09; Johnstown, 
Pennsylvania, $8.92; !Denver, Colo- 
rado, $3.82; and Springfield, Missouri, 
$3-75- 
The Congressional campaign 
throughout the country is exciting a 
great deal of attention and among the 
older members of the House of Rep- 
resentatives there is a decided interest 
felt in the candidacy of Mr. William 
McKinley of Illinois. Mr. McKinley 
was one of the most useful members 
of the House in former days, and the 
Republican minority has missed his 
counsel and leadership. ‘“Son-in-law”’ 
Nick Longworth is also one of the 
energetic Republicans whose return is 
hoped for by his party. 
