Show National M Men Mn n and Affairs Senate Committee Lacks Dignity When Out of Natural Habitat Republicans Send Out Democratic ers ers Europe Studies U S Wealth Wealth's Umbrellas Umbrella Dy ROBERT RoneRT T SMALL Special Correspondent of ot The Standard Copyright ht 1928 1926 Consolidated Press Association HEREAFTER congressional In l i committees probably probably ably will remain at home homo in Wash Washington ington When they go out Into the wilds like wilds like they Chicago Chicago they da d donot not so seem em to fare so eo well Recalcitrant w nes ea flanked by priced high-priced lawyers defy the thc committee and tell U t to do Its ita worst They grin with glee when threatened with citation for con con- contempt con contempt tempt of at the senate Evidently out In those open spaces whore where men are contributors they ver very generally hold the senate in con con- contempt contempt con contempt tempt It Is strange In the cir cir- circumstances cir circumstances I that they should spend so much money trying to elect I their friends to such a body It is a a tact fact however that a senate committee is far more for for- formidable for formidable in Its natural habitat In Washington than It Is on the road There Is something In the surroundings of the national cap cap- capItal capital cap capital ital that lends dignity and respect to congressional committees and congressional Investigations In Washington they are surrounded by the power and panoply of ot gov- gov government gov government ov Usually the are held in one of the big rooms of the tho senate office building Till The building Itself la Is Impressive It If ono one can enn Imagine the United States Slates supreme court leaving its dignified bench in tho capitol and holdinG sessions In a a hotel room It wilt willbe be possible to visualize some Bome of oC the loss ot of prestige which goe goes with a change of at environment It requires far tar more courage to defy a II senate committee in Wash Wash- Washington Washington ington than thon It does docs In Chicago al- al although although al although though of course It has been done Mr Harry Sinclair did tt It some Bome years and more ago and thus far tar he has neither been pun pun- punIshed punished shed nor purged of the contempt Nevertheless taken by and large a a senate committee feels far more at home and far more pow pow- powerful powerful erful in Washington than In any other part of ot the country The They fare forth ferth occa occasionally to te try to get nearer to the tho seat scat ot of and possibly to save some money mOlley Ito to Uncle Sam in the tho upkeep of oC witnesses summoned but the chances are arc in the future that thal where an Inquiry is so poignant as asto asto asto to find reluctant and defiant the hearings will w be bo held In Washington Another circumstance which may or ma may not have had something some some- something thing to do with Ith the lessening or of respect for senate committees of Investigation Is the fact tact that very seldom are all the members of at atthe the committee present In Chi Chi- Chicago Chicago Chicago cago for In Instance Senator Rood of at Missouri had to conduct the thc slush fund hearings hearings alone Senator Senator La Follette Follette as with him part art of ot the time The committee has five members The two out and out Republican mem mem- members members bers bels of or the committee Senators Goff of West est Virginia and 1 Mc Nary Mc-Nary Ic- Ic Nary of Oregon passed up the Chicago hearings entirely Sena Sena- Senator Senator Senator tor King of ot Utah Democrat also was absent It Is a 8 little too much to expect a wealthy witness and his la lawyers ers to to have any great amount of at o fear of at a one man one committee Then too It must be remembered that Sena Sena- Senator Senator Senator tor Reed Is Ie lust just a Democrat w while ile the defiant witnesses es were Republicans Republicans That lent a Q sort of at par partisan dean color to the alleged contempt It Is Inevitable that people throughout the country find It dlf- dlf dif difficult to under understand tand how It Is that thata thata a senate controlled by the Re- Re Republicans Republicans Re Republicans publicans should send forth an Investigating committee headed by bya bya It a Democrat It Is apparent they thoy do not view the senate as In earn earn- earliest earnest earnest est They may find differently however when certain possible present their credentials before the tho senate bar American travelers not ot of o the tourist class recently returned tram front Europe are not Inclined to I be seriously resentful of ot the Indig by Americans ut the hands of o Paris crowds They The are a little more resentful ot of the thO themore more calculated anti American anti propaganda finding Its way woy ill in some Bome ot of the French and English newspapers which plainly Is In Inspired by political or selfish mo- mo motives motives mo motives tives But Jut these Americans Americans frankly say SUy It Is easy to understand tho the Eur- Eur European Eur Eur- European European attitude toward the United States Europeans feel that the United States Instead of suffer suffering ing from the world war grew rich out of ot It And the American say they are constantly confronted by American official statistics to sub substantiate the European claims One On traveler tram from Washington ton just returned from the other outer side said ho he was startled upon told by an Enl English business mon man manof manof ot of the gain In American national wealth during what may be called the wet war wa period He did not be be lIeve the th Englishman until he ro- ro re returned turned to Washington and checked check check- checked checked ed up the th statistics himself This is I what he found During war the th United United States Slates lent ten billions of at dell dollars au to the Al AI Allies Al- Al Allies lies lIel The Englishman had ked asked It if the American knew that Am Am- American American loans loan to Europe had been more than offset effect by the gain cain to in American national wealth The American said he ho did not know The Englishman asserted that from 2 1912 to 1922 1022 embracing the whole period of at war Americas America's national wealth Increased by lit billions billion ot of dollars dollan Therefore said ld the English English- Englishman Englishman man It If you cancelled the war ward d debts to Europe you would still be a 8 gainer by 1 H billions of dol- dol dollars dol dollars lars Ins What other country could show a 8 result like that t The doubting doubling Washingtonian ha has found that his friend friends friend's figures figure were correct Of course courso the in- in increase In Increase crease In national wealth In the United States Is due to increase In prices and property values or orto orto orto to what some might characterize 0 as the decreased purchasing price of th the dollar But Dut the figures the cold hard figures published by our own government proclaim us to the world UI as a the great Croe Croe- Croesus Croesus sus among the nations nation and as al hav hav- hav- hav havIng having having ing gained In wealth during the war thirteen times as much as W we we lent to Europe Perhaps these overlooked facts will help to ex- ex explain ex explain I plain the attitude of the unthinking ing European masses as they sea Americans spending their mone money lavishly la on the luxuries ot of life at home and abroad Men often otten have been pictured as a the great conservative Be sex ex x An observer In a New York subway train a day or two ago had hi his at- at attention attention at attention drawn to the fact tact that fourths three fourths of the men In the car carried carrl d umbrellas while only one or o r two to women were equipped with rain parasols as the French call them And there was only II a threat of ot rain In the air Themen The Tha Themen men were clothed In heavy woolen suits suite the women In hi the usual light summer nothingness Yet the ladles were wiping willing to risk a wet wet- wetting wetting wetting ting and the men cautious ani ant animal male mala mal were all prepared to defend themselves from any sort ot of down down- downpour pour |