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Show A , .. ' can membership In the International I Court of Justice that pressure will Vie brought to benr. upon the senate to in-duce It to sanction the proposal. It now generally is believed in Wash-ington that the quick transmittal to the senate In the last days of the last session of the Hughes explana-tion of the International Court pro-posal was prompted by two things, a faint hope that It might produce ac-tion at once, and the larger hope that the people would read the secretary's explanation, and would take It to mean what the administration holds It to mean, that membership In the tri-bunal does not necessarily mean en-trance into the League of Rations, or even the opening wedge for such an entrance. Of course It Is impossible to say what the result of the President' ' speeehmnklng will be, but Wushingtou students of past situations widen re-semble the present one say that gen-erally the people, If properly ap-proached, are much more likely to ap-prove the nction of a President than to approve of a disposition to counter-action by congress. The President, the argument la, Is an individual and moreover, he Is the President. Furth-ermore he speaks, directly and per-sonally, and underlying everything that he says there Is the basic appeal of his high office, an office to which the people have chosen him. Would Go Over Heads of Solons. IWfflS SHIES SMI HARD TO "GET BY" IN WASHING-TON ON $7,500 A YEAR, SOLONS SAY. BILL ASKS $2,500 INCREASE Senators and Representatives Do Not Complain Openly, but Drafts on Their Purses Are Heavy, Including Charity Demands, Loans, etc. By EDWARD B. CLARK Washington. It probably can be taken for granted that most of the members of congress elected last fall are hoping In their hearts that by some fortuitous chance the bill that Representative Upshuw presented to Increase the pay of senutors and rep-resentatives from $7,500 to $10,000 a year will be sanctioned so that they can reap the benefit. Generally speaking, It may be said tiie chances seem to be that the In-coming congress will withhold Its ap-proval of the Upshaw measure, not because It does not want the money but because of fear of criticism from the country. It may seem strange to men of smnll salaries to hear that a great ninny congressmen, who are not spend-thrifts, by any manner of means, have a hard time living on their Incomes, at lenst while In the city of Wash- - lngton. As a rule senators and mem-bers do not complain openly, but the drafts on their purses are heavy, not only to meet the bigl cost of living In Washington but to meet charity de-mands, loan demands and many other kinds of demands. It was not so many years ago that the senators and members of con-gress voted an Increase in their sal-aries from $5,000 to $7,500, At the same time there was nn Increase voted in the salaries of many other officers of government. The excuse was the high cost of living, and as America probably realized, It was more or less a legitimate excuse. The Increase passed with burely a word of protest from the country. It may not be so, however, If an attempt Is ' nmde to tack another twenty-riv- e hundred on to the existing congressional wage. Some Urge $20,000 a Year. There are some Americans who have trged that representatives and senators In congress should be paid at least $20,000 a year. Men who have urged this have said the comfortably large Hilary would Induce men of high po-sition and professional attainments to enter politics and thus the country would benefit by better-considere- d legislation. This argument may or may not be well based. As things are today, the average ability In con-gress Is fairly high, but not excep-tionally high. In truth, the Judgment of men seems to be that representa-tion In the two houses of congress Is that of the average quality of Ameri-can mentality and American manhood, and that this quality Is Just what the spirit of our Institutions demands. Some years ago, before the great war, congress raised the pay of fcrmy officers and did It ungrudgingly, for It was shown that with the In-crease In prices of things the army men could not live on their pay and keep out of debt. It was Just about this time also Unit the pay of the President of the United States was Increased, and with the lncreuse there was the passage of a bill pro-viding for money to pay the Presi-dent's traveling expenses. Carrying out their arguiueut the ad-ministration's friends suy that con-g-e-almost lnvariubly represents a variety of views, and that because of the conflict of emotions and expressed opinions In the two houses, the Pres-ident, who has only one emotion and one opinion to express, Is more likely to be heeded by the country. Of course, ail this means simply nn appeal to the people over the heads of sen-ators and representatives It Is said In Washington that this apparently is what President Harding Intends to do, and bis friends express the hope that with his gift for appealing speeches, and with the prestige of his high po-sition, lu will be able to make the impression that he desires and to reap the beneht thereof when congress comes together once more. The friends of the administration's policy of entrance In the International Court of Justice admit that the first proposal to the senate was discour-aging. There wns only one Repub-Uca- n who, when the Democrats for reasons of their own proposed to give support to the presidential plan, was willing to vote In behalf of the admin-istration endeavor. Of course the cir-cumstances In this particular case were exceptional, and the Republican senators naturally did not want It to appear that they were following a Democratic lend In the matter. Woodrow Wilson when he was Pres-ident was stricken while making a tour of the country o t behalf of his League of Nations proposal. He had made only a few sneeches of appeal to the people before Illness overtook him. Many Measures Fall. Thousands of bills failed of passage at the last session of congress. The Sixty-sevent- h congress died, and ev-ery bill died with it. There must be a resurrection of every meas-ure which died and was burled If re-newed life Is to be given the legisla-tion suggested. When a congress dies proposed legislation dies with It. Moving operations still are In prog-ress. Of course In one sense the de-parture of men disappointed of was a moving spectacle, but the moving which Is taking place now Is such as Is seen in many & city of the country on that moving dny of nil moving dnys. May first. Out of the house and senate office buildings per-sonal belongings of senators and mem-bers are going dally. The men who failed of will have In their houses Borne perhaps more or less pain-ful reminders of their active days as It was Theodore Roosevelt who, while president, urged thut an allow-ance be made to the chief officer of government for his expenses while traveling. Roosevelt however, was cureful to ask that the luw granting the money for transportation should not take effect until he had gone out of office. There have been times when con gress showed an evident desire to grub a little something to put down to Its own cash account. About fifteen years ago one session of congress lasted until noon of the December day thut the new session began. The rep-resentatives urgued they . were en-titled to mileage for the new session, ulihougli they already had drawn mileage to puy their way to Washing-ton for the previous session, and of course there was no chance to go home and buck again between sessions when one merged Into the other, as was the case in this Instance. The representatives looked about for someone who would be brave enough to put In a bill providing for jnlleugo for miles never traveled. They had great difficulty In finding a volunteer. Finally, however, they In-duced a representative who afterwards became vice president of the United States to introduce the mileage bill. It should be suld for lilm that he be-lieved technically the mileage measure wns legitimate. He Introduced the bill nnd the house somewhat vocifer-ously approved. Then came not a murmur but a roar from the country. The representatives were called grafters and other things not quite so polite. Harding Plans Twenty Speeches. It Is understood that President Harding on his early summer trip through the country will make twen-ty speeches In twenty principal places. Men dose to the administra-tion say that It Is the Intention of the President to try to create such public sentiment in behalf of Ameri--I national legislators. Congress, In a way, however. Is not defunct. There are several commit-tees of congress which are here nnd are working. The members on these committees of course ore confined to holdover congressmen either of the sen-ate or of the house. One committee Is Investigating the street railway sit-uation of the national capital. There has been a demand here for five-ce-fnres, and so a committee of congress, which Is really the city council of Washington, will dig Into matters to see whether or not. as the petitioners claim, the companies can make money out of five cents a passenger, or wheth-er or not, as the companies claim, they will go Into bankruptcy If uny such cut In rate Is attempted. Prior to this the story hns been told of what the capltol looks like In sum-mer, nml what Is done to It In the way of cleaning nnd repairing. There are other things, however, which must be done by the persons who bold execu-tive positions In the capltol. Contracts must be made for supplies for tiie comfort of congressmen during the coming year. The lawmakers need tow-el- s nnd stationery, and ice, and scores upon scores of other things to keep them contented and more or less hap-py when the two houses are In ses-sion. All these tilings must be con-tracted for and be ready for delivery on the dot. AH the documents which benr on legislation, proposed or enacted dur-ing the last congress, must be pre-served for reference purposes for con-gresses which are to come. There Is an almost appalling number of these documents. It Is necessary to sepnrata them into subjects and to Index them, and to store them where they may be available for reference purpose? in the next congress or the congresses there-after Of course It Is possible to clas-sify most of the bills with reference to the committees which gave them consideration. This helps. fiBi wr 4pl --NY wikTb2IffessJfelyw riiW' itelwimfwte Wllif1 mfi tmiml TttiBiyBttinfl 'yaMOjff,,..,m, 'Mhmidkkf THE AMERICAN TREE pfe- - slfewrM t By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN REBS 1 Trees 1 Trees! .fjverybody seems to be talking trees these days and not only trees but forests and forest conservation and reforesta-tion and a nntlonal forestry policy tand g and every other phase of the subject, from the prac-tical to the sentimental. These are of course fitting topics for nation-wide discussion along about Arbor Dny time. In fact, there are many Indications that the American peo-ple are getting awake to i the fact that a country without trees is "buldhesded and boneheaded" and it Is high time that they got busy on the nation's forestry problem. President Harding Is strong In his belief that a national forest policy Is necessary, as Is shown by his letter to Representative John D. Clarke of New York, chairman of the agricultural committee of the house, which held extensive hearings, had a bill drafted and sent it to hlra for an expression of his views. The President's letter says In part: "The federal government has made fine progress In Its scheme of forest reserves, the development of methods of forest protection against fire and In-sect and plant pests, in promoting reforestation and methods of timber conservation, and In Its re-search looking toward Improved methods of timber utilization. Some of the states have formulated state programs along the same general lines and of recent years especially there has been a steadily growing Interest on the part of private owners of forest lands. I am very glad, therefore, that the committee on ngriculture feels that we have come to a time when definite provision should be made for larger between the federal govern-ment, the states and the private owners, with a view to working out a national policy covering the growth, protection, conservation and use of timber. "When we remember that substantially one-four- th of the nntlonal area Is forest land or poten-tial forest land of little or no value save for timber production, the need of such policy becomes appar-ent Alrendy we have consumed or destroyed six-ty per cent of our original timber wealth, and we ' are now using timber at a rate four time as fast as we are growing It. Millions of acres which were once covered with fine forests and which are suit-able only for the growing of timber are now en-tirely bnrrcn. Prosperous communities built up while these virgin forests we-- e being harvested have disappeared, transportation lines have been torn up, and social and Industrial decay has fol-lowed. The growing of timber Is the most practl-m- l use to which these lands can be put, and popu-lation nnd Industry of these regions may be re-stored only by restoring the forests. To this end both federal and state governments may wci lend every proper encouragement. "As we have consumed our forest growth jenr-es-t to the centers of population and Industry It has become necessary to ship the timber needed for constantly Increasing distances at steadily growing transportation cost and Inconvenience and with consequent Increases In tho price of lumber. This has added to our difficulty in meeting the housing problem and Is bound to mean lower standards of housing nnd less adequate farm Improvements. These are vital matters, striking directly at our sources of national strength. Regrowth of our for-ests on cut-ove- r lands which are most suitable for that purpose In the more populous portions of the United States is therefore highly desirable. "It Is Interesting to note that probably 150,000, 000 acres of forest land, or nearly one-thir- d of sncl land In the country, is owned In small parcels bj farmers. ... It Is desirable and proper tha federal and state governments give the maxlmuit encouragement to timber growing of this sort, espe-cially by making available the Information needed , to grow the character of timber best adapted to the resieetlve regions, by making tree planting ma-terial available at the lowest possible cost, and by concessions In taxation which would Justify the farmer In setting aside some of his higher priced land for this purpose. "The draft bill which you have presented con-templates between national and state authorities to protect timber from fire, the federal government to bear a part of the expense. . . I heartily concur In the policy of Inducing all the forest states to pass satisfactory protection legis-lation, by providing that the secretary of agricul-ture may withhold with them In forest protection unless the requirements which he shall propose are adequately met. . . . "The tnxnjlon of privately owned forest lands Is a matter of state policy and varies widely In differ-ent states. . . . and It Is suggested that the secretary of agriculture be given ample authority to study the taxation policies of the several stntes regarding timber lands and growing timber, togeth-er with their particular effects upon reforestation and to collaborate with proper agencies of the states In devising Improved methods of taxing for-est lands adapted to their conditions. . . . "Reing firmly convinced that nntlonal leadership In conserving, protecting and encouraging the growth of our timber resources Is absolutely neces-sary, I feel that legislation along the line proposed In the draft which you have submitted represents an Imimrtant step In the perfection of a truly na-tional forest policy." Col. W. R. Greeley is bend of the forest service of the Agricultural department, which hns charge of the national forests. These number 149 In 25 states and contain 150,837,282 acres. The forest sen ice runs the biggest lumbering and grazing business In the world. Forester Greeley, In his lost annual report, hns this to luy, among other things: "The problem hns two main features. The first feature is the rising cost of timber products, which . is due primarily to heavier transportation charges from more and more distant sources of supply. The cut of lumber Is decreasing In ail the Eastern states; In prnctlcully ever ntate west of the Great Plains It Is Increasing. The large sawmills of the country are In full migration westward to the last great virgin timber supply on the Pacific coast. During the past thirty years the pineries of the South have been the mainstay of the densely iopu-late- d Central and Eastern states for softwood lum-ber. Their cut Is dwindling. Every year scores of sawmills are dismantled. "The second feature of our forest problem Is the unproductive condition of Immense areas of land which are not adapted to ngriculture. The amount of unproductive land left In the wake of the saw-mills or abandoned by the farmer has assumed enormous proportions. Our merchantable timber Is being cut at the rate of four or five million acres annuully, nnd enormous areas of logged-of- f land have accumulated wMch are not fit for cultivation but on which little or no new timber Is being grown. What to do with unnsed and unproductive lnnd Is one of the most fundamental economic and social problems of the United States. "The use of these vast areas of nontlllnble lnnd for growing successive crops of timber would in-sure ultimately a supply of forest products ade-quate for all nntlonal requirements. It would go far toward maintaining a virile rural population and stable rural communities In the regions of In-ferior soil and limited agriculture." Minnesota affords a concrete example of the fore-goln- u generalities. Twenty years ago Minnesota was at the top of Do lumber-producin- g states. Now It soiidi out of fit ett $;to,ow,00'J p year for timber products and hauls lumber 1,000 to ZfiKf miles from the west and south. It would take a book to tell all of the activities of the country in respect to our friends the trees. Here, however, are some of the many: The United States senate has appointed a com mlttee which will this summer take a trip through the northwest to mnke a survey and recommend a conservation and reforestation policy. Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi Is chairman. He says It Is a crime for the government to delay longer In talking action. Arbor Day this spring will see the planting of millions of trees. In addition many of the states will have a "Planting Week" in the fall, which Is the best time to plant several valuable kinds ot trees. Texas and Alabama led off with Arbor Day on February 22. Rhode Island will be the last to celebrate, on May 11. Arbor Day originated In 1872 with J. Sterllnf Morton of Nebraska, afterward, secretary of agri-culture under Cleveland. Charles Lathrop Pack, president of the American Tree association, calls upon all good Americans to begin to get ready for the celebration of the Arbor Day Centenary In 1072 by planting trees now. The General Federation of Women's Clubs, with Its nutlon-wid- e membership of 2,500,000, will carry out a "National Gorden Week Campaign," April 22-2- In which Arbor Day plantings and the plant-ing of "Trees for Remembrance" are urged. Mrs. John D. Shermnn, chairman of the department of applied education, Is In charge of the campaign. The American Tree association of Washington, D. C, Is a new organization. Mr. Pack, after thre years of endeavor to unite the foresters In a na tlounl forest policy, withdrew from the presidency of the American Forestry association and founded the new organization, which will devote all Its energies to secure nation-wid- e planting of trees by tiie people, ile Is a man of means and a tree enthusiust who has made a scientific study of for-estry. He Is Identified with the "Hall of Fame for Trees" and with the 'Trees for Remembrance" movement He was chairman of the National War Garden commission, 1918-10- , and is author of 'The Wnr Garden Victorious." The assocle.lon hns no Initiation fee and no dues; planting a tree makes the planter a member and entitles him to nn en-graved certificate and a place on a national honor roll to be featured at the centenary In W12. Mrs. Harding was awnrded the first membership certificate, as she planted the Armistice elms in Washington. The association has Just brought out two books by Mr. Pack: "Trees as Good Citi-zens" and "The School Rook of Forestry." The principal purpose of the former Is to simplify the problems of those who would grow shade trees It covers nil phases of the subject. Mr. Pack hns also organized the American Nature association, which hns begun the publication of the Nature Magazine, which is devoted In part to trees. The Roonvllle, N. Y., high school bus plunted 1,000 pines Various New York cities have ordered over trees from the state conservation commis-sion ; Glens Fails takes 300,000. The Illinois Forestry association, under Presi-dent Henry C. Cowies, Is drafting legislation pro-viding for farm forestry courses in the state col-lege of ngriculture and for forestry demonstrations at the state experiment station. Each post of the Woman's Relief Corps, G. A. R., will plant In 1023, a memorial tree for Clara Ilar-to-n. W. T. Cox, state forester of Minnesota, hns plant-ed 30,000 trees along hlghwnys; the program culls for trees along the 7,000 miles of the trunk high-way system. The California redwood lumbermen have decided to plnce ftelr forests under scientific forestry man-agement ; thS mwios that these forests will be pa petuul. |