Evening Star Newspaper, January 29, 1921, Page 6

THE EVENING ST With Sundsy Morning Edition. —_—— WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY....January 29, 1821 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editer ‘¥'he Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th 8¢. and Pennsylvania Ave. e York u&-mm;- Butldis, icago Offiee: al Bank BuiMi European Office: 3 8t., Londoa, lm:' The Evening Star, with the Sunday morsing aditien, In delivered'by carviers within the elty 4t 60 cents per month; daily only, 43 cents per month: _only, 20 cente per month. Qr- ders may be sent by mail, or telephone Main £000. Collection is made by carriers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday. Daily only . Sunday only All Other States. Dally and Sunday.1 yr. Daily only . 1y Sunday enly . The Supply Bills. Some uneasiness exists as to the supply bills—as to the enactment of all of them into law before the ses- sion ends. There should be no doubt about the matter. Public interests demand that all the bills be passed, and Mr. Hard- ing has requested the performance. Moreover, Mr. Harding expressed himself, some time ago. For weeks Congress has known his feelings in the premises. Still, there has been delay, and the delay is now giving some concern. The supply bills are supposed to have the right of way; and this is im- portant always at the short session of every Congress. The time limit is three months—not too much time, even with all of it devoted to those bills. But such is never the case. Other measures enter into the equation, with the result that the supply bills are whipped through at top speed, or a jam is created, and some of the bills are caught in it. The card of the Sixty-seventh Con- gress will be crowded. The country is expecting much of that body—prob- ably too much—more than is within the range of a Congress. For this reason the “must” meas- ures of the present Congress should all be disposed of before adjournment day. Let Uncle Sam receive his ra- tions in good time and in the proper way. It is not too late, late as it is. The tariff discussion is rambling? That is nothing new. A tariff discus- sion always rambles. The subject touches at a goed many points. It embraces a good many things. Those ‘who discuss it need a good deal of information. No debater can do it Justice without taking into account much that to the uninitiated appears beside the question. Hence the tariff does not lend itself to rhetoric. The orstor cannot weave garlands of flowers around rates and schedules. Among all the famous Englishmen who have presented bud- gets to parligment, Mr. Gladstone stands out as the omly one who ever held attention to the end. His gift as a speaker was so extraordinary, “he could endow the multiplication table with charm.” Nevertheless, the tariff, in the hands of a cempetent yman, ean be presented most interestingly, without a scrap of ornamentation. John G. Carlisle could do it, and did it. Wil- Ham McKinley, taking the ether side of the question, was quite as capable. Neither was an orator, but both spoke with great ease, and in a way to en- lighten all listeners. The man who wants to know some- thing about productive America, and the necessity of protecting proguctive America, would do well to follow next spring’s tariff debate closely. He will find the subject anything but presy. In both House and Senate are men who can invest it with genuige in- terest. 5 —_—————— The moving picture enterprise whose steck subscribers are mourn- ing the loss of its promoters are in a position te insist that the film con- ¥eys every phase of human emotion from tragedy to pathos. _———————— ‘Turks are threatening to turn sov- fetist. The anneuncement is in ac- | priations committee m: {that the committee and probably the THE EVENING STAR, SBATURDAY, JANUARY 29, :1921—PART 1. ‘we must Gecile Whether an avia-{ly. ‘The police ate very active in ar- tion equipment is more necessary than | resting citizens for breaking traffic a naval or an ordnance equipment. . Our experience has proved that we cannot “take the air” in & hurry. We cannot build planes and train aviators over night, as it were. Our avia- tion drills must be constant to insure & large number of competent pilots and observers and bombers for this duty. The human wastage in this drill is unfortunately high. It must be taken into account in measuring the prospective net result. If the commercial airplane is de- veloped 3nd a large number of ma- chines amd men are .employed in the line of business use, the country will then have a reserve for possible mili- tary service. But today there is no such reserve. The commercial air- plane is in its infancy. It is still a novelty, a luxury. Perhaps ten years from now it will be a commonplace, and it will be as easy to find pilots for military machines as it was in 1917 to find drivers for Army motor trucks. But until that time an in- tensive training system must be es- tablished and, above all, the govern- ment must be prepared to equip it- self quickly with the agencies that this war has proved to be vitally es- sential for defense. —_—— The Bonus. The chairman of the Senate will restore the bonus of $240 a year for the government workers in the legislative bill. This is good news. But it was not unexpected. It was confidently felt that the Senate would restore the item when it was stricken from the bill in the House on point of order. Nobody really be- lieved in the possibility of a final denial of this so-called extra compen- sation to the department employes. But the shock of its refusal by the House on a technicality was felt nevertheless all through the ranks. For the bonus is not a “statutory” provision. It is merely an appropria- tion bill item that can be dropped at any time, and as long as it remains on that basis and is not made part of the basic pay it may be discontinued, and the bare suggestion of its discon- tinuance is enough to give a chill to everybody working for the govern- ‘ment who falls within its range. This matter of $20 a month is to many of the government employes just the difference between meeting bills and not meeting them. It is just the difference between getting through out of debt and incurring liabilities. For there is in the average case no margin that ean be relied upon for curtailment of expense in case the in- ecome is depleted. The plain fact is that almost all of the members of the government working force are just about 160 per cent halance between income and cost all the time. ‘This should be the last time the bonus is subjeeted to point of order. It should be, fn fact, the last time there is any “bonus.” This extra compensation should be written by statute into the pay scale, not merely as a minimum wage system, but as a definite addition to the whole pay range. Reclassification will do it, or Congress ean make a shorter cut to this particular point by enacting a simple provision to the effect that from a certain date, say July 1, 1922 —the bonus taking effect meanwhile— the pay provided by law for every employe of the government, from the lowest range up to, say, $3,500 a year, shall be increased by $240 per- manently. Then there could be no points of order and no discrimination ; and no anxiety on the score of this small but necessary addition to the semi-monthly income. F —— Bergdoll, draft dodger, safe in Ger- many, is now boasting of the manner in which he made his escape from American authority. He has even more than the ordinary criminal’s vanity eoncerning his exploits and ‘more money with which to finance his publicity. The model village established by Frank A. Vanderlip ought to feel con- fident that it will haye the finest of banking facilities as soon as it is big ‘|enough to utilize them. ——m——— German manufacturers are proceed- ing industriously on the theory that cord with the Turkish disposition to|there are circumstances that may put in valuable time thinking of some- | render salesmanship as important as thing desperate. —_—— ‘The impression that the public is not vet admitted into Mr. Harding's: unreserved confidence is sustained by the fact that none of his golf scores are made public. Aviation Defense. There is one phase of our defense diplomaey. ———————— The league of nations is giving Uncle Sam a reputation for ‘“aleof- ness” among Europeans who used to regard the U. 8. A. as democratic. ————————— Some of the Russian financiers who work eover here have an abundance of impressive ideas, but not enough Pproblem that should not be considered | credentials. on the basis of economy or of what 1s called “disarmament,” at the present condition of the world. That is the aviation branch. One of the plainest To Prevent Car Aceidents. There is no particular assurance to lessons taught by the war was that the { the public in the conclusion by the United States was deficient in air-| Public Utilities Commission that the planes. It was also plain that air- planes were a powerful weapon with- out which an army was exposed to disaster. Had we produced at the motorman was at fault in the recent Connecticut avenue hill accident, in which several people were injured. The motorman has been dismissed, rate of our enthusiasm and initial en- | but ‘the fact remains that an opera- ergy when we entered the war in April, 1917, we would have been much more quickly effective in gction and probably the war would have been ended sooner. But our program of sirplane construction and aviation drilling was halting. It was blocked by constant changes of plans, by im- perfect organization and by experi- ments which, while inspired by the laudable desire to reach the maximum of efficiency quickly, left the country lacking in average competence in the air. In the light of our failure to pro- duce an air service adequate for the occasion in the course of our war preparations in 1917-18, it is’ desir- able now to consider what should be done to put the United States on a basis of dependable defense in the air. 1f all the nations are to disarm, if war is to become obsolete, we will, of course, need no such preparation for defense. But that is not assured. It is net necessary to enter into a competitive building program. We ¢hould fix our standard of need and ptoceed to attain it. If-it is expen- itive, through ignorance or incompe- itence or indifference, can jeopardize the lives of passengers. Dismissal of this man may have a moral effect upon all other pperatives on the sys- tem. But what the public wants is assurance that all of the men who operate the cars in Washington are trained, are competent in emergen- cles, are dependable to handle their apparatus in all conditions. If there are conditions of weather in which the cars cannot be so handled assured- ly that no accident will result, then the equipment is at fault. It is stated by the commission that the fault in this case lay in the fact that the motorman did not reverse his cur- ‘rent to full power, but tried to check it by slight reverse. He had been instructed to the contrary. Had any- body watched how the cars were run to see whether this man and others were following instructions? The point is that too much is taken for granted in the handling of the street railway traffic. Orders are given and are supposed to be carried into ef- fect. But they are violated constant. i rules. But on the Washington street car systems every day infractions of rule by operatives have endangered lives without any reprimand or pun- ishment. Few of these are reported, because passengers 8o not care to take the trouble, or shrink from put- ting themselves in the position of company inspectors. It is up to the companies to see that their orders are systematically obeyed. A single accident may cost in damages more than the expense of an efficient in- spection service for a year. —_————— Industrial Philosophy. Call one of the veteran traders in a big stock exchange aside and pe suade him to share with you the se- cret of his success, and, what you would hear from nine out of ten would run somewhat like this: “Buy when the mob is pessimistic. Sell when they think they have the world by the tail. And then sit tight. The turn is just around the corner in each instance.” There is, in the program suggested, food for thought and a basis for cheer in the present day and hour. For the shrewd and effective business philosophy of the veteran trader is no whit less applicable to industry than to industrials; to the whole of busi- ness than to that phase thereof which ‘concerns stock transactions. Busi- ness today, say the pessimists, is go- ing to the dogs. But the veterans in the game are undismayed and face the future with assurance. They have seen too many peaks and hol- lows in the graphic chart of busi- ness progress to miss a heartbeat over the inevitable. They, at that time not so far back when most of us were overoptimistic, sensed that the boom was at the crest and pre- pared for the reaction. That reac- tion has gone far, the normal period of dullness in which all upward or downward movements terminate is upon us, and the grizzled, experi- enced business men of the nation are cutting their cloth accordingly, while the rest of us consign the nation to the demnition bow-wows. Happily, the nation cannot be so consigned. Happily, despite the gloomy forebodings that haunt the faint of heart, the destiny of the United States, its progress toward the consummation of our economic and industrial ideals, cannot be halted. In- terrupted from time to time by the inevitable reactions to our own ex- uberance, that progress will be stead- fastly maintained. So today the words of the veteran trader are per- tinent and timely. “Buy when the mob is pessimistic. And then sit tight. The turn is just around the corner.” ———— A Chicago college professor says Americans know less of their coun- try's history than any other people on earth. Americans have not been very industrious students of history, but they have always been very busy in making it. ————— A bonus of §240 to the government clerks will be valuable, not only as serviceable cash, but in calling at- tention the country over to the fact that they are inadequately compen- sated. P — The democratic statisticians once so energetic in discussing the republican campaign fund as an 270150t nstitu- tion are not disclosing any - tion to interest themselves in its delicit. ————— The state of Lenin’s health is still said to be precarious. In Russia a man in Lenin’s position may feel safer in a sick room than oyt among the popuiace in an open carriage. ————— There is growing doubt in Berlin as to whether recalling Wilhelm would not spoil 2 good woodchopper to make a poor kaiser, ———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Faet and Fancy. ©Oh, Truth is mighty, we observe, And to the top must climb. The climbing needs a bit of nerve, And takes a lot of time. Editorial Digest | p————— Allied Neutrality Toward Russia. President Wilson's latest note on Ar- menia, involving as it does the whole Russlan question, has given rise to a wide range of newspaper comment. To somo the document proves, in the words of the Loulsville Courier-Journal (demo- cratic), that “he is still a leader,” while others ‘agres with the Chicago Tribune (independent republican), that, since it was signed by a_member of the State De- partment and is thus “a part of our forelgn policy,” it is “presumptuous to the point of Insolence.” The main issue raised in the note, most of the writers agree, Is the em- phasis on a “hands off” policy toward Russia as a whole, not merely that part of it which affects Armenla. To this theory the Springfleld Republican (in- dependent) gives its unqualified support : “It comes at u time when the Russian policy that the allies have hitherto pur- sued has Ignominiously broken down and an effort is being made to agree upon a substitute. No better substituto has been proposed than the one which Mr. Wilson advocates.” Unless the “‘menace of invasion” is removed from the Russian people, communism cannot be overthrown, the Brooklyn Eagle (independent demo- cratic) declares, and the allies “should follow the lines laid down by Presi- dent Wilson” for a “unified Russian policy.” The President’s utterance, which the Worcester Telegram (re- publican) thinks is “likely to rank as one of the clearest, most rational and most convincing” of his writings, pre- sents a solution of the Armenian ques- tion, and the problem of the peoples | without and within the borders of the new Russia, which cannot but “appeal to the student, the sociologist and the taxpayer—however it may impress the nervous _ chancelleries.” The Chatta- nooga News (democratic) is another newspaper which thinks this “most discreet of state papers” will bring the President “again into the posi- tion of world leadership,” for, “if his views are adopted, he will become a vital factor in the general peace move- ment."” The “homely but convincing princi- ple that if the bolsheviki are given enough rope they will hang them- selves” is the basis, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal (democratic) con- siders for the President's suggestions. “He would treat Russia in much the same way,” it remarks, “as he treated Mexico, and, if his advice be followed, it is hoped, with equal success,” for “the President is absolutely correct both in his diagnosis and his prog- nosis.” The Boston Post (independ- ent emocratic) finds his doctrine *“sound” Statesmanship, and the Philadelphia | Record (indépendent democratic) feels that it analyzes “‘with perfect accuracy’ the cause of conditions in the near east. Such “strategy” as the President suggests, the New York Globe (inde- pendent) feels, would place the re- sponsibility for renewed hostility on Lenin, “would bring France and Ja- pan to heel,” would “strengthen the moderate parties in Russia” and “give peace to the Balkan states and Po- land.” A large number of writers, however, takeé quite a different view of the matter. The Detroit Free Press (in- dependent) does not accept the “hands off” idea without criticism: “Taken with its context, this conveys the im- pression that Mr. Wilson is rather mixed in his ideas. He offers a cu- rious conglomeration of the theory of watchful waiting and the sacredness of the doctrine of the status quo as taught in article X of the league. He condemns the bolshevist regime as something evil, but advocates a guar- antee of its mneutrality against out- side assault. Altogether, his program i8 a pretty example of opportunism. The “digressions” from the question of Armenia itself, in the opinion of the Buffalo Express (independent re- publican). with regard to the bolshe- viki and Turks “are the circles within circles by which President Wilson's letter completes the whole rownd of futility.” The Boston Herald (inde- pendent republican) finds “the dis- patch an exercise in non sequiturs” leavimg “Armenfa in the lurch.” The Albany Knickerbocker Press (republican) and the Canton News (Gemocratic) agree that the redscome off too easy under Wilson's plan, for, as the former puts it, “while the President is seeking assurances pref- atory to his Armenian task, he might ask for some from Moscow.” Unable to see the logic of Mr. Wil- son’s action, the Baltimore News (in- dependent) suggests that perhaps the President is really simply permitting the allies to refuse his co-operation by “laying down_impossible terms.” The Manchester Union (independent republican), which admits that the note sounds ‘“reasonable” to Ameri- cans, feels that, if read from the viewpoint of London er Paris, “it has ! far-off sound and quality.” Accept Mr. Morgan’s Gift. Members of Congress have little to do in questioning whether they should accept the gift of the London home of J. Pierpont Morgan as a residence for our ambassador there. It is no new thing for the government to ac- cept presents. It allowed Andrew Carnegle to provide the home of the Bureau of American Republics in Washington. It allowed Miss Helen Miller Gould to present the govern- ment a hospital ship in the Spanish war. 1t has accepted, if the records were consulted, countless gifts from individuals, particularly for its great museums, like the Shithsonian, and the collections in the Congressional Library, The Smithsonian was itself the gift of an Englishman named James Smithson. The only thing for Congress legiti- mately to consider is whether any such gift would prove a white ele- phant. If it would, of course we ought mot to accept it. In the case of the Morgan residence there is no such possibility. It is exactly what the government needs. It is none too 0ld Parson Weems, who used to dwell | large for our purposes. It would add *Mid song all fancy free, Abeut George Washington would teli ‘Who chopped the cherry tree. George Washington has left behind Some memories worth while. His wisdom should delight the mind, And shield our hearts from guile. ‘We overlook his language clear ‘Which told the truth so well— And still believe the fables queer That Parson Weems would tell! Work. “Josh has been out gunnin’ ever since daybreak,” said Mrs. Corntassel. “He's all tired out.” “He knew I needed him around the place,” commented Josh's father. “He's one of' these fellers who work | harder dodgin’ work than they would have to work if they kep’ workin'.” Jud Tunkins says he wonders what use there is in goin’ on worryin’ about 8o many questions that he thought were settled for keeps in the party platform. One at a Time. March the Fourth may bring dismay As flarebacks all our pleasure flout, But for the present Ground Hog day Is all we need to think about. A Delicate Estimate. *Were you a dollar-a-year man?” “It depends on how you look at it,” to the dignity and the comfort of our representative at the British capital. r. Morgan deserves the thanks of the nation for his considerate gift. By promptness in acceptance Con- gress should show its appreciation of what he has done.—Boston Herald (independent republican). Sympathy for Mr. Schwab. The warm sympathy and respect for Mr. Schwab expressed by his in- vestigators represent the general feeling. It was the hope and expec- tation of every one that the charge made against him would prove un- founded. To have believed anything else would haye been to doubt the elemental patriotism of a great and typical American. The accusation was incredible, and there is general rejoicing that its faisity has been promptly established—and profound sympathy fer the victim of misdirect- ed zeal. The episode looks both ways on the question of publicity. Jt gives the clear rearon why husiness men dread investigations in the open. However scrupulously honest and law-abiding a man may be, there is always some item which, partly revealed, unfair- ly stated, will Justify sensational headlines. And it is a rare inves- tigator who is above such.methods. But the case also suggests tha more important truth that a denial of pub- licity works even worse evils—if found out. There may have been excellent reasons for calling off the investigators of the Shipping Board books. But they should not have been heeded under the circumstances, Better the most unfair and hostile investigation than the suspicions engendered by a burked revelation. The Schwab charge would undoubt- edly have been discarded without a hearing if full access to the books had been granted. For, better. for worse, complete publicity is the only way for quasi- public business in a republic. The unfortunate and regretable insult to replied Mr. Dustin Stax. “A dollar | Mr. Schwab only reinforces the rule. a year is all I got, but I'd hate to think it's all I was worth.” Sympathy. “I guess mebbe I'll try to start an. other relief fund,” remarked Senator Sorghum. *“For whem?” “For the government workers who lose their jobs when we statesmen make up our minds it's time to econo- mize some more.” —New York Tribune (republican). Enemles of jazz music say there's syn in syncopation.—Saginaw News- Courier. Chicago's _ Cleopatra vamp found plenty of East Mark Antonys.— Ar- kansas Gazette. Gen. Oi is requested to repeat his name twice as an expression of deep regret.—New Orleans Item. The law and the profits are worry- ing & lot of tired business men now. —Columbia (8. C.) Record. Talcing il R deflnlte stan&. on Valuatlons We feel that it is time to take a definite stand on a practice which, it seems to us, is unjustified by the trend of the time. We refer to the practice of using as comparative figures those prices that were being quoted imme- diately preceding the big crash last fall. The value of a thing is what you can buy it for on the day the price is quoted. Not yesterday, or the day before, or a year. be- fore. : Our stocks are clean. Big clearance movements have disposed of the usual season-end lots that the closing months of our fiscal year usually find us with. The merchandise we are offering now was in most cases purchased at present market levels. And so we believe the decent thing to do is to quote PRESENT market valuations. Today marks the beginning of our new fiscal year. From this minute on, the quotations of values based on the higher levels of months ago are a closed book, so far as we are concerned. High" prices are behind us. ‘Before us is an era of reasonable price. You have been longing for the day. It’s here! We are going to sell everything as low as we can, If some of the things that comealong are ob- tained at a concession in price, you shall share in the savings. As we buy, so shall we sell. And when we tell thestory of the savings, we shall quotea VALUATION BASED ON PRES- ENT-DAY. REPLACEMENT. NOT VALUATIONS THAT SOUND I'IKE ANCIENT HISTORY-. We are positive of the fact that the Washing- ton shopping public realize that prices now being quoted are far below those of last fall---they do not care to be reminded of such sky-rocket prices as prevailed six months or a year ago. TRUTH IN ADVERTISING MEANS TRUTH ALLC THE WAY---nothing held back. And when you note a Iansburgh valuation, remember that it is based on the new market. LANSBURGH&BROTHER