Evening Star Newspaper, February 10, 1921, Page 6

EVENING STAR, 7 With Sunday Morning Edition. . WASHINGTON, D. C ¥...February 10. 1921 ropean Ofbice: 3 Tegent St.. Laudon, Fagland. The sing Star, with the Sinday momning TL“"M by carriers within the city 60 cents per month; dally only, 45 cents per th; Sunday oaly, 20 cents ]'('YI my:::"" 3!;Ir— Sra may e aent by mail, or teiephone Main lection 1 made by carriers at the w0d of cach month. . Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Pafly and Sunday..1y Daily only Sunday only........1yr., $2 All Other State: Taily and Sunday.1yr., $10.00 aily only 1y Sunday only & —_—————— The First Message. Speculation turns for a from the complexion of the cabinet ‘®nd the tone of the inaugural address wnd centers on Mr. Harding's first Snessage to Congress. Will it be gen- ®rai in terms, and short? or will it sover the subjects Mr. Harding thinks Congress should consider and dispose ®f at the special session? In a short message the President ®ould touch upon the condition of the »$6.00° 40; 1 mo., 20¢ moment or country. the necessity for neliora- tion, the meaning of the November mandate, and the obligations of those called to power 1o do the utmost to deserve the confidence shown in their | propriated for the preparation of the nized that despite all considerations of economy something must be done at once to end the menace to the pre- clous records that are now scattered in various places and exposed to a high percentage of risk of destruc- tion. The archives building is to be more than a mere filing place. Tt is to be the custodial home of the pe! manent papers of the government, not of current use, but requiring pres- ervation. Such a building, if prop- erly planned, will be of use as a place of reference. It should be designed to facilitate research, supplementary, as it were, to the Library of Con- £r It should be more than a vault and much more than a warchouse. ted, the site now favored ate demands an architec- tural creation in keeping with the sur- roundings. As the amendment was adopted by the Senate $10,000 is ap- working drawings in accordance with the plans prepared by the supervising architect and “approved as by law providing for said building.” No funds yvet, however, have been granted for the construction itself. At the next session this item should he car ried through, with the funds made immediately available to permit im- mediate beginning on the work. The Formal Election. Although the people of the country have had a distinct impression e since the 2d of November that W G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge had been chosen President and Vice Pr dent of the United States, they were not actually elected to th offices until yvesterday, when Congress ar- selection. This could be followed with ®pecial messages from time to time @s subjects ripened for legislative ac- tion. On the other hand Wng the matters tion of Congress would necessarily be long. They are numerous and im- portant, and none could be dismissed wfth & few words. The difficulty about a long message is that, no matter how well written or what i contents may be, it rarely enjoys a wide circulation. Its length Pprejudices the public against it. Only those charged as a duty with reading and digesting it give it the attention it really deserves. In other quarters 4§t is skimmed when read at all. As a rule, Mr. Wilson's messages ‘have been short, well prepared, and ‘80 have in every instance commanded attention. The general public has pead and discussed them promptly. 2 message cover- ting the atten- Chairmanship Gossip. In the matter of the chairmanship of the democratic national committee . the Cox people will stand pat on George White. He is in office, and “/they want him to remain. They be- ‘Neve he did his best by the ticket - 'last year, and, in the circumstances, 1did well. They are willing to trust % him further, and he is willing to serve them further. The resigning mood which possessed him for a brief sea- . son immediately after the election has + passed. .} The Bryan people have as vet put| forward no candidate. Presumably they would prefer a man from the west, the northwest, or the middle section. They are prejudiced against fhe east, and particularly New York. | That is still “the enemy's country,” n the Bryanite view of matters. " It is when we come to the McAdoo «Apeople that most interest is awakened. “A number of names are mentioned, mome of national consequence. Either Mr. Baruch or Mr. Burleson would ! please beyond measure. The former bas a strong pull in business circles, and the latter a strong pull in political . circles. In fact, Mr. Burleson has been accounted the politician of the ‘Wilson forces. It is doubted, however, if either ©could be induced to accept the place, ‘though both are devoted to the for- tunes of Mr. McAdoo. Mr. Baruch is "8 man of large fortune and business activity, while Mr. Burleson is on the eve of retiring to private life after Dearly a quarter century of office. The air is full of gossip, and the ‘wand is not in sight. Mr. White's de- _elsion to stick has filled the situation &nd the subject full of ginger. ————— Brindell's sentence 80 far is for a eomparatively emall number of years. Future trials, however, may cause | him to feel that retribution is a serfal {/h numerous installments. ——— ‘Talk of a commercial boycott in Fu- ' zope 1s not encouraging to the econo- Lmists who belicve that a prosperous t ifoture depends on encouraging trade relations. ——— Gov. Cox expects to lead the demo- eratic party again, but not in the mme direction, - The Archives Buflding, After voting for the appropriation of §436,000 to purchase n site for an wrchives huilding the Senate yester-|t; take action to gecure greater pub- @zy reconsidered and alopted & pro-|lic safety, One of the members hav- vision for the construction of such a building on a block of land already | prana Jury noteq the fact that mar. owned by the governmant, sftuated be. tween I35, C, 14th and 15th wtreets. This is one of the “five squnres” hought by the government some years mgo for the purpose, it was then con. of threc department Iulldings, to house the drpartments of State, Jas- tice and Commerce and Labor, as it “was then orzanized. Since then it Bns been generally recognized that fhis area is too emall for three bulld- ings of the kind contemplatad, and mothing has heen done with the land B0 acquired save its rental to private faterests and lately the use of the par. ficalar square mow chosen for the Wrehives site for one of the “tempo- Jmry” war buildings, If the mmend. ‘gment adopted by tho Semate yester- #ay stands the archives buflding win foce the ellipse. ‘This will warrant | #nd, indecd, demand a plan in har- | The Board of Trade directors the tempiated, of eonstructing u nmn| met in joint session and, canvassing the electoral votes, discovered tha 404 votes had been cast for them and 127 votes had been cast for their op- ponents. Not until then, with each house going formally on record in at- testation of the fact that the votes of the “electoral college” had been so cast, were Harding and Coolidge ac- tually “elected.” In order to comprehend this seem- ing anomaly. it is necessary to recall the fact that when the constitutional provisions were adopted for the elec tion of the Prd¥sident and Vice Presi- dent communications in this country were difficult and slow. The horse was the only motive power and the roads were bad. Although the coun- try was comparatively small, it re- quired many weeks to travel from end to end. Consequently the ballots were slowly collected from the polling places to the counting places. The electors were not necessarily quickly known outside of the states of their selection. Short of swift couriers moving by horseback bearing the tid- ings the country could not possibly know for weeks after the election day —and elections were held on different days until a comparatively recent pe- riod—how the politics pendulum had swung. Had modern facilities for communi- cation and travel been developed when the system of election was devised it would have been possible to hold the formal canvass of the vote much more quickly after election day, pos- sibly as soon as the 1st of December, with the opening of Congress. But there is no disposition now, save in connection with the change of the inauguration to an earlier date, to amend the Constitution or the statutes in respect to the counting of the WHE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. @, THURSDXY, FEBRUARY 10, 192 arms in the District of Columbia will be checked. Tt will no longer be pos- sible for a drink-maddened or passion- inflamed or unbalanced person to get a gun in a hurry and to take human life. It will be necessary then for every person who buys a gun to go before a judge or some other desig- nated official and attest to his require- ment and his character before he can arm himself. Such a law will not interfere with the right of self-defense or the right to “bear arms” guaran- teed by the Constitution. There is no fundamental right to bear arms for criminal purposes. That checked by a pistol-buying regulation. As long as this matter is simply de- bated and considered as a possibility the murders will continue and the grand jury will be kept busy and the courts will be congested with crime cases. If the Board of Trade can now bring this matter to a focus in Con gress and get the necessary law it will confer a great boon upon the com munity. and will take a step for pub- lic safety great as 1y that ever been taken before in Washing ton. has —— Waiting for the Car. Many people have acquired the bad habit of standing out in the middle of the street while walting for the ars long in advance of their arrival. When a platform is provided it s safe and desirable for intending pas- sengers to wait for the cars the But where no platform has been es- tablished it is much better, safer for the passenger and more considerate for the other street wi on the curb until the car has reached the stopping point. Under the rule which requires vehicles to be halted fifteen feet back of a stopping street car there is a disposition on the part of most drivers to push ahead of a car to reach the crossing point first and so get clearance. If the street is cluttered up with people the passage of the motor or wagon is impeded and an accident is very likely to hap- pen. This practice of standing out in the middle of the street before the car comes is due probably to the lack of accommodations on the cars. body wants to be first and to have a chance for any seat that may be available or for comfortable standing room. People are so eager to get users to on the platforms befuce the outgoing passengers can leave. If everybody would wait at the curb until the car is actually at hand all would have equal chance. A few “step hogs” would, perhaps, break ranks and rush out for the car, boarding it while in motion, but the majority would be as well served and there would be infi- nitely léss danger from the traffic. No rule can ever be devised, how- ever, to meet this case. The only restraint that can be put upon car- waiters is to convince them that when they go into the street before a car's arrival they assume all risks from passing vehicles that have right of way and are being driven at a proper rate of speed. —_——— The New York legislature proposes to stop theater ticket speculation. This step will be regarded by Broad- way as another effort on the part of upstate politicians to nterfere in a metropolitan life which they do not votes. As long as the inauguration is held in March a formal canvass in early February is all that is required. Only one instance has arisen in our history when an earlier date would have been desirable. That was in 876, when in consequence of the con- test over the votes of South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Oregon the election was referred to a special com- mission, which barely had time to complete its work in season for the constitutional change of administra- tion. —_—— It is evidently the opinfon of the Secretary of the Treasury in discuss- ing matters with Congress that a statesman should be well informed, but never garrulous. —_———— Mr. Dawes of Chicago will not be in politics, but nevertheless he can get an audifence any time he chooses to make a speech. ————— Old King Alcohol is another of those old monarchs reports of whose death are hard to authenticate. ————— Selecting 8 cabinet has not been rendered casier for Mr. Harding by the advice 5o generously extended. ——— If there were anything ifn a name, Grover Cleveland Bergdoll would have to change his, —_———— A Move for & Weapons Law. other afternoon referred to the com- mittes on public order the matter of firearms regulation with instructions ing recently merved ns foreman of the der 18 committed easfly in the Dis trict berzuss it is an easy matter to procure firearms, This eubject has demandsd remsdial attention for & long time, Crimse after crime has heen committed here in direct consaquence of the facility with which deadly weapons can be obtained. Ingane per- {sone have armed themselves and| | taken lite. Many murders have been | committed in the past decade directly traceuble to the fuct that it is merely necessary to give a fictitions name at a gunshop in ovder to obtain a pistol and ammunition, The remedy for {hs conditiom 1s simple, and the wonder is fimt It has never heen adoptad and at lsast given & trial, All that is necessry ig to provide by law that ne person shall sell, exchange or give a deadly weapon #ave upon the presentation of a per- mit to own such a weapon, issued by mony with the strueturcs bordering fhe same space on the west, that no- fable group comprising the Pan-Ameri- gan Union, Continental Hall, the Red {Cross memorial huilding and the Cor- ‘porsm Gallery of Art. “_ The-government has been haiting in mmnm of a suitable arehives @ competent authority specified tn the law, that permit te he granted upon the payment, perhaps, of a small license fee and after inquiry into the character of the applicant aad the circumstances of need, With such a law emzsted snd en- understand. —_—— As between government and private ownership, there are railway experts who always favor whichever plan is not in effect at the time of writing. ———— Rumors of strained world relations must be accepted as indications that even trained diplomacy is not free from idle gossip. —_——— There are doubts as to whether a nation that frankly asks to be for- given its debts is equally willing to forgive its debtors. ———— A number of economists in Con- gress hesitate when they consider the expense that attaches to the enfq ment of blue laws. —————e————e Congressional stenographers may find themselves expected to qualify as experts for purposes of literary expurgation. —————— Referring a question to the Inter- state Commerce Commission at least assures it a perfod of dignified re- pose. ——————e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A HighPriced Item. On Washington a hope is set By men both far and nigh Who eagerly desirs to get A finger in the ple, The cost of ltving doth pursue Our lives and play us tricks— How much of such expense is due To ple in polities? Jud Tunkins seys & woman can always make a man fond of his work or his home by threatening to make him go shopping with her, Aftor the Landslide. “History repeats itself,” sald the ready-made phflosopher, '"True enough,” answered Benator Serghum, “but that doesn’t mean the same politicians keep responding to the encores,” A Fles, Instead of figuring out with care Boms form of txzew new, Oh, statesmen, halp us to prepare For thowo already due] — A Practical Wisher, . Do you wish when you see & load of hay?" ! "Yes," replled Farmer Corntossel, “If '8 my hay, And T'Il ssy that hay has heen beingin’ price enough to make a mumber of wishes come true.” “Nothing,” exclaimed the fastidlous boarder, “NMastrates the evlls of pro- all that is | Every- |, aboard in many cases that they jump |} Editorial Digest The Unpardonable Debs, President Wilson's curt “denied” written acr the recommendation for pardon of Eugene V. Debs received the “okeh” of the majority of the American press. Clemency would have made “a mockery of the law.” the New York Mail (independ- ent) believe ment that thus reflecting a senti- On the however, rity which di and, in the words of the (independent), Dec.18....... tion “inexpli- °l that holding Debs is mak- martyr of nd urging this the Rock Argus (demo- Debs sinned no most of those who, simi- ince been par- rts that “if Jan. 29 per a referendum were taken in the na. Feb. 5, 11.00 tion Debs would win his freedom by ja large margin® Both the New York { Evening World (democratic) and the wooga News (independent atic) call for “an abatement of Spirit” as the latter puts it The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (inde- pendent) thinks that Mr. Wilson has “forfeited a gracious opportunity for, while Debs was “justly “war-time = conviction and publi - Qs ¢ been reles come.’ offense, war-time opinion 3 - and othe: 1, “the t rs of radical CGindepe that I're. inated democ home pardon of a man “who has been persecuted for his po- litical faith More tempered is the language of the Baitimore ning Sun (inde- Wholesale Selli Price of Beseelfl::‘ Washi below, as published in the news- papers, averaged as follows, showing the tendency of the market: Week RANGE Av.Prics Ending MMV ErIACRT e Crto Swift & Company U.S. A. Only the Better Grade Prompt Delivery B. J. Werner 912 New York Ave. PHONE FRANKLIN 7626. ee-...1853 ceomm.... 1622 ot aome - 16.63 17.00. Assures It at All Times lighting one of these efficient little “chill chasers. pendent democratic), which pleads that “what Americ needs most now fis to forzet the il bring about a co-operation on the part of all ele- ments in the suntry,” and it doubts if “the denial clemeney for Debs and a of the mover serve this end (independent) e § “a surpr ccumed that tens to add tha was serious and there element of willfulne: n it The Toledo Blade (independent re- publican) points out t ther 1 be no discrimination President L chance,” is offense < strong cannot let Debs o -dom will come some day shortly, but it must come in company with that handed out to all the draft dodgers, to all the rters, to all the men who fell | foul of the Ar Wy and N nishied for it 1 sentiment is expressed by New York Tribune (republican), which represents the opposite view of | that held by the radical writers. To the Tribune E true fanatic” . and and extra speach second nature i be adminis ¢ vitally concern- B y of the nation™ warning for ail time “to inflam- tory tongues tempted to imperil the nation in its hour of crisis To this the Lynchbury y discipline i M v S oD OSSOSO S DO OD OO DD S DD DD DODDIDIDIODOOD I we (dem- ocratic) agre ‘Debs’ crime was one that deservod a heavier sentence than he received, and Debs not only does not repent’ of his crime, but glories in it This ture of Debs “unrepent- ance” s stressed by the Boston Tran- script (independent republican), and to yield to a drive for such a prison- er's pardon would, it believes, “have important and hurtful consequences In the enforcement of law in the future.” The Buffalo Commercial (in- dependent) thinks the President is to be commended. With this sentiment the Port Huron Times-Herald (in- dependent) i3 in accord, as it believes is “every hundred per cent American citizen regardless of party affiliation.” Answering the “war-is-over” plea for Debs, the Newark News (inde- pendent) grants the fact, but adds that “it is altogether another thing to say that so early in the train of the cessation of armed conflict there should be bland forgiveness all around,” and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (independent democratic) thinks that Debs “has not yet patd his debt to the nation” and “Ameri- cans will generally agree” that he is still “where he belongs.” The other argument, that the of- fender is a political prisoner, 18 scoff- ed at by the Elmira Star-Gazette (independent), which declares “there are no political prisoners in the United States” and conviction of Debs “was not made because of any of Debs’ political opinfons, but because of definite overt acts agalnst the gov- ernment of the United States.” The Housing ‘“Conspiracy.” That the housing situation is ona of the weak spota in the general move- ment toward natfonal recovery admits | of no denifals. With insufficient hous- ing to meet the increasing demand of willlng workers for comfortable places fn which to reside, rents are bound to remain high, and Ao long as the greater portion of thelr wages must be applied to meet this expense they are in no position voluntarily to consent to a lowering of sxisting wage achedules. Yot wage reductions must occur, clsa the cost of living will re- main high, 1f, as Secretary Alexander says, there In an unholy combination intent on maintaining present high prices for bullding material and lubor, thus rtagnating the buflding Industry, thera Is ample law, both state and foderal, to destroy such combination, and the sooner {t §s invokad to remedy the situation the better for the whoie country. Public sentiment demands action.—— Richmond Times - Dispatch (democratic). Battleships and Aircraft, Whethar he has his own way or not, Brig. Gen. Mitchell of the Army air servics has performed a valuable mervico tn bringing beforn Congress and the country the importance of de- veloping aireraft. His challenge to vy to be permitted to attack a ship from the air by way of demonstrating that the big surface ship 18 ohsolete i marsly 2 dramatic means of focusing attention upon the much-neglected subject of our sShame- ful fallure to daveiop aircraft for military and naval purposes. It may take mnother war to sattle Aefinitely whether or not the battle- ship is n thing of the past, but we know already that aircraft are the great defonsive and offensive weapons of tha future, Yet we have done next to nothing in develoning alreraft sinoe the war endad, The cost of the kind of air program ndvocatad by Gen. Mitohell {s trivinl as compared with our projected maval progrmme, and it could not he interpreted, as fiflure battleship buflding would he, as & sign of our purposs to dominate the world by force, Gen. Mitchell should he thanked for stirring up Consress on this question, and he happens to bho right in his ndyocacy of o separate alr service to put his ideas into of- fect—Brooklyn Kagle (independent democratic). SO Fighting bolshevism now i like shadow boxing.—El Paso Herald, Debs and Berger might be mald to represant the inu and outs of mocial- izm.—Cedar Raplds (Tows) Gaszette, A Nohraska economist. that a farmers wifs enrns 34,004 a sar, _ Frequently she gets tho §d.—— lew York Horal Porhaps Prof. Minstein, who In tafk- fng of measuring the universe, would have no difficulty in making out an fn.- como tax return,—Boston Globo, The_farmers are now clamering to pave Washington epen German mer- ets for American farm products, Wa thought Germany got her fill of them when she met our Army.—Manila Bul- Jotin, Totels that haven't heen raided are becoming as out-of-date as the one- time prominent citisen who never was threatened with eppendicitis—Denver Times. Fhare are m 15t of pecpls whe feel P S S S S e S S S S S S S S S S S S S S I P PSS BURCHELL’S Famous Bouquet COFFEE 25c¢ per pound N. W. BURCHELL 1325 F St. N.W. S5 S5DDDDDOOIS DI DD ODDDSo: Victrola house in need of their radiant warmth. 4 Sizes—$6.50—3$7—$7.50—$8 Washington Gas Light Co. Sales Department Flonzaley Quartet A Little Copper Reflector Gas Heater When the house becomes chilled overnight and the furnace is slow in reheating, your dressing and breakfast will be more comfortahle by just And on mild days, when just a little heat is needed, they can help save quite a little in coal. They are of neat appearance, well constructed, and finished with an ebany black enamel; extremely light and easily carried to any part of a 419 10th Street N. W. DODDIDODIODD i CECECCCECECCECCECEEECCECCECECSCECEScEcEccy at the Central High School Auditorium on February 14 The Philadelphia Orchestra at the New National Theatre on February 15 Kreisler at National Theater on February 17 Rachmaninoff at the New National Theatre on February 24 BN Extraordinary interest attaches to the appearance of these great artists because of the double opportunity it affords the music-loving public. It is a privilege in itself to hear these famous artists, and added importance is given to the events in that they enable you to compare their exquisite interpretations with their Victor Records. Attend the performances of these artists and note the quali- ties that distinguish their renditions. Then go to any Victor dealer’s and hear the Victor Records by the same artists. Note how faithfully their interpretations are portrayed on the Victrola. It is because of this absolute fidelity that these great artists make Victor Records; that the greatest artists of all the world are Victor artists, Victrolas in great variety of styles from $25 to $1500. New Victor Records demonstrated at all' dealers on the 1st of each month. -9, PAY. OPP. Hear these famous Victor artists! 5 “*Victrola” identify all our products. Losk under the lid! Look on the labelt VICTOR TALKING MACHINBECO., ictor Talking Machiném Camden, New Jersey N3] forced, with & proper pemaity for vio- | crastinatisn mere fhan the.csld ster. Pramiscuens eaile of fire-lage ogy” ahout Congress does, but they haven't his vecabulsry. —Norfolk (Neb.) News. ccccccccTo ccsccoseca SO3D3> DOOSD2DOOOOD==S: SDSDSDDSSSOD SOSODOIDDDIIODODSSDODSOODOIIOIDOOSOIDIODIDISISIDIODIDISODIDIOODOD DODODODDIDODIDOOIDOIDIDDOD DD, >> EEEES