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Show jMEN AND AFFAIRS AT WASHINGTON I I By R. T. S. 4 : (Copyright, i t Th- Standard- Bbcamlner) ! WA0HINOTON, April 16 President ii ir.iing s Interest in the upbuilding of an American merchant marine was not born of the war fleet be found on the government's hands when he entered en-tered the White House. "It began awiij' back on Main street." said the president in reciting the story to a circle of close friends. Tlie president is glad he came from a Main street town He believes It brought him nearer the people, it Ip 1 1 1 r 1 nit to et in touch even with your near neighbors In a big city In the dd days at Marion Mr. Harding Har-ding read B great deal on the subject ol -hipping. He was fascinated b the atories of the old Yankee clippers that used to bring their cargoes Into port ahead of all competitors. It seemed seem-ed to him strange that a people once so dominant In sea trade should bave lapsed Into i complete lethargy on the. subject. Taking a trip abroad Mr. Harding was once more impressed with a sense of American Insufficiency as he saw harbor after harbor filled with craft of all nations save one the United States. When eventually he ca-mo to the United States senate, the merchant marine was nnnermost In lr Hnr. - diner's mind. He asked to be assigned assign-ed to the committee on commerce so thai he might further study th ub-eci ub-eci and perhaps l f some assistance assist-ance in framing legislation which would put the American flag permanently perma-nently back upon the seas. The world i war was on, however, when Mr. Harding Har-ding took his senate seat and the country still was not back on a peace basis when he resign. 1 aft.-r lils nomination nom-ination for th pi sidency. The whole Question ol the ship subsidy, sub-sidy, as proposed by the president and r Chairman Lasker of the shipping board is a very simple one after all . It involves no direct appropriation, no, new taxation I it involve- paying out in subsidies I 10 per cent of the duties collected on imports. ., .-iv common sense propo- sltion. since the duties come from ship I... rue irood.-. An-.- -hipping llii" making mak-ing above 10 per cent profit on nc-tUal nc-tUal capita! invested would Immedl- it"l begin paying b.-n.k t I he government govern-ment am- money advanced. That Is the ship subsidy problem in la nutshelnPresldent Harding bellevei .that unbss something is done now for the merchant marine, there la no hope in th future Ralph i ' i prohibit iu enfoi ci men! ; officer for the state of New York, who Is recruiting an "'ariiiy" of ex-soldiers I to battle the bootleggers on the Can-j Can-j adlan border this summer, Is well J known in Washington a something of ii ordivir.ee expert. . n.j ..iiglit to make a fine commander of the D, e. P., meaning ..1 . ova-' the 1 r K.-pedll K.-pedll lonarj i ..i i - When the world war closed, Mr. Day WAS at work with D f isaOl i ites on B machine gun which, ft claimed, claim-ed, would revolutionize .u least one phase of modern warfare. The gun i was of the centrifugal force type, fired Without powder. Th. pi in ;,, mount each gun on a Ford chassis and ns the motor not only to propel the , carriage, but to operate the gun as well. In some of the later experi-, experi-, ments with the weapon, a liberty engine en-gine was also mounted on the Ford I chassis to furnish heavier motor pow- er for the gun. Oddly enough the bul-lets bul-lets fir- .1 were nlc kle plated '.alls ued as bearings In the Ford cr., acer.ig-i acer.ig-i ing perhaps three-eights of an inch In diameter. These were fed 'o the gun from a big hopper and fin could bo l maintained at the rate of 3000 shots a j minute. At the shorter rangi the .ic-curacy .ic-curacy of the gun was unite Remarkable. Remark-able. It was ollamed by the Inventor of the weapon that it would tna'ce an ideal riot gun for the police. ,red with (he mechanism running at slow I speed, the bullets could be ejected at la speed which would check a mob without penetrating the flesh. At high I speed, these same bullets could be sent tearing through a three-Inch oak plank. Washington ordnance officers who I watched the experiments with the gun j are wondering now If a battery of these weapons Is to be opened on the unsuspecting bootleggers Perhaps the speed could be pitchced .lust high eno igh to break all the bottles and save the rum runners for long terms or hard labor In Jail. It is difficult to think of any more cruel punishment 'for a gentleman bootlegger than hard i work. The state department naturally is the home of the nomad. The young men In the permanent branch of the diplomatic service are kept lonstant-: lonstant-: y on the move and Just recentlv there I ha been a great shifting of billets. One of the real world rovers of the department i William ie Hurley, le hxs been serving as spevial as- t slstant to the last three under secretaries secre-taries ..i state. Messrs. Polk. Davlfl and Fletcher, and who is remaining over to act for a time under the new un-l der secretary. Mr. PhlUlpa It Is re-i ported, however, that Hurley soon will I be on the move aaln, probably to Tibet I or some equally remote spot. Wher-I Wher-I ever he lands, howeer, there will be 'onic'im .1 the station t. meet him ami say h you Bill In his travels young William has had some vastly intricate experiences. I A long time prior to theouthreak of) the world war in 1914, he hud made his headquarters in London where he I kept sort of open house for tho Can-I Can-I adlan officers and the great number i of Americans w ho went over with tho Canadian battalions. When America entered the war, he w ent to duty in the American embassy and has been on government service ever since. In the early days of the- war. Hurley Hur-ley had the unique distinction of using us-ing a newspaper as a passport and getting by with it He was returning from Australia ir England in Beptem-ber Beptem-ber 19 14 when the steamer stopped1 at Malta Hurley wanted to go ashore With the rest of the gang, but two Milie.se not cats officials camo i on board and demanded to see the f passports of those wishing to land fori the day. nuriey ueing a pia.n American cit- izen had no passports. Americans Bcarcely knew what passports were i before the war With scant courtesy i the Maltese persons threw Hurley out" , line, loiter on, however, a second, ,oil less- fierce Maltese tapped him on j t he arm. 'Haven't ou somethlns that would show you are un American" he asked Hurley registered thought. None of i all his letters was addressed "My Dear American.'' His clothes were all I made in London. No, there was nothing. no-thing. Then he remembered. He had an Australian paper which had given him a wrlteup. It referred to him as "a Jolly, laughing American, a bit dra- matic in his manner " Hurley hauled the paper from his stateroom, and breaking Into the line of passengers, be placed It triumphantly before the I fierce Maltese "There you are," lie said, "see it? i -. Jolly, laughing American.' so I ha! ha! and ha' ha!" Then Hurley struck a pose, to carry j out the dramatic part. "A-la-rlght, a'rlghl, you go ashore, you go ashore," nooded the much Impressed Im-pressed official. Thereupon he stamped the newspa-eV. newspa-eV. Hurley showed it at the gang plank and the under Maltese officials summoned th- harbor master's boat t.. take th t .llstlnguished American ashore. 'Wait,'' said Hurley, when he stepped step-ped out at the dock. And the boat waited, it was there with steam up when he was ready to go back on board. |