Miscellaneous Mentions

GENERAL WILLIAM MITCHELL (Army Air Service): "How is the Admiral of the obsolete battleships today?"

ADMIRAL ANDREW LONG (U. S. N.) : "Fine. How is the General of the hot air service?"

Secretary of War Weeks was so pleased with this story that he is reported to have told it in Cabinet meeting.

Some day, perhaps, a historian will be able to reconstruct the story of our Nation from its 50-cent pieces. Last week, the President signed a bill authorizing the striking of special half dollars to commemorate 1) the 75th anniversary of California's admission to the Union (1850), 2) the 100th anniversary of the founding of Fort Vancouver,* Wash., 3) the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Bennington./- Senator A. O. Stanley, Kentucky lame duck, recently voted against a traffic bill for the District of Columbia whereby any motorist would be sent to jail if he failed to stop after an accident. But a few days after, the Senator was struck by a passing automobile, which hurled him in front of an oncoming street car. The motorist sped away. Mr. Stanley strove to rise. His knees would not support him. Then, with great presence of mind, he rolled off the streetcar tracks and was safe-- with a lacerated nose, bruised shoulder and one or more fractured ribs.

Charles Evans Hughes who, during his closing Cabinet days, heard much of cooperative marketing, made an appropriate provision for his retirement to private life by an essay in cooperative housing. He purchased a floor containing 14 rooms and 5 baths in an apartment building being constructed at 1,020 Fifth Ave., Manhattan.

The Kansas Legislature, ever active, last week partly passed three bills. The Senate passed a bill to repeal the law of 1909 prohibiting the sale of cigarets* also a bill to "admit" the Ku Klux Klan to Kansas without a charter. The House passed a bill to repeal the law of 1877 which provides compulsory service for all males aged 16 to 65 in fighting grasshoppers. The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill to repeal a statute, some years out of fashion, which imposed a fine of $100 on any woman wearing a hatpin which protruded more than two inches.

The Nebraska Senate defeated a bill providing that the Ten Commandments should be placarded in every public school of the state. It was objected to as an entering wedge for sectarian education.

At an election in which less than one-third of the voters participated, Kansas City (Mo.) adopted a city manager plan of government, providing that there should be nine elective city councilors including one who is to be mayor, other offices being appointive. Among those who voted, the plan carried almost 5 to 1. When the charter becomes effective, in April, 1926, Kansas City will join the 300 odd U. S. cities having this type of government.

Charles G. Dawes, brand new Vice President, chose as his personal secretary one Z. Ross Bartley, member of the Washington Staff of the Associated

Press. During last fall's campaign, Bartley was assigned to report Mr. Dawes' doings.

Mr. Bartley has two distinct advantages as a secretary: 1) He knows who's who in Washington; 2) as a newspaper man, he should be able to prepare and get published good political publicity for the Vice President.

Following the example of Rhode Island Senators (TIME, June 30 et seq.), 14 Democratic members of the Indiana Senate took up their tents and left the state. They did it to prevent the passage of a bill which they alleged was a gerrymander. Last year, the exiled Rhode Island Senators stayed away seven months. But Indiana has a law which imposes a $1,000 fine for deliberate absence or refusal to vote. Grand jury proceedings were begun against the absentees; but before there were any indictments, the absentees "arranged matters," came back smiling after a pleasant little visit to Ohio.

The Delaware Legislature passed a bill imposing a $25 fine for a first offense and revocation of license for a second offense upon any school teacher who fails to read five verses of the Bible and have the children recite the Lord's Prayer at the opening of school each day.

Joseph P. Tumulty, onetime Secretary of Woodrow Wilson, wrote to Editor William Allen White, who has written a biography of Mr. Wilson, protesting against certain statements put in Mr. Tumulty's mouth in that book. One of Mr. Tumulty's points:

"A merely amusing aspect of it is the use of some words alien to my normal vocabulary. It just happens that 'papa,' for example, is a word which my family recognizes as one I dislike and forbid them to use; and now, when they read in your book of my using this word for my own father, they laugh quite a bit."

To this Mr. White replied:

"I had already changed the word 'papa' to 'pop.'"

*Vancouver was founded in 1828 as a trading post of the Hudson's Bay Co. /-The Battle of Bennington was Aug. 16, 1777. *This law has not been rigidly enforced for several years. Its effect has been to increase the cost of a 15-cent package of cigarets to 25 cents.