Evening Star Newspaper, March 11, 1921, Page 6

. With Sunday Morning Edition. ¢+ WASHINGTON, D. C. "FRIDAY . coauew . March 11, 1921 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office. 11th St. and Penneylvania Ave. New York Office: Tribune Building. Office: Pirst National Bauk Building. Office; 3 Regent St., London, Eagland. The Eyesing Star, with the Sunday morning ered rriers within the city iaily only, 45 cents per cents per month. Or- gent by mail, or telephone Main ection is made by carriers at the ead of each month. ‘1 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dalily and Sunday..1 $8.40; 1 mo. only .........1yr., $6.00; 1 mo. Sunday only .......1yr., $2.4 All Other States. Vaily and Sunday.1y Daily only Sunday only — Press and Administration. + 'This is a news note: “Following the example of the Sec- retary of State and the Secre v of the Navy. the Secretary of War has concluded to the affairs of the Army with the members of the press in the forenoon as well as in the aft- ernoon, instead of only in the after- noon, as heretofo “Each of the Secreta med has publicly declared that offi cts of general interest will be made public Ppromptly.” An excellent policy, wisely America is a country of n readers. They want the news prompt-| 1y, and the newspapers want to pre- sent it in reliable form. This is especially true at this time. | The people are on their toes about| public events. They read with avidity they seldom show. Wi on at home and abroad is of the liveliest concern to them. They are looking to the new admin- | istration for bi Big things | are on the carpet everywhere. At home here we are in a nervous and unsettled state. We follow eagerly every suggestion made in ponsible quarters, and every action taken in official quarters. Wh wh fores and results are closely appr The head of the administrat the foundation of his | Journaliam. Both as editc and as| « publisher he knows the obligations of | Journalism to the public weal; and the high esteem in which he is held shows how faithfully he has discharged them. | Nothing could be more fitting and ap- propriate, therefore, than the estab- lishing of close relations Letween the | @aily press of the country and those | selected by Mr. Harding to direct the | business of the different departments . . ef the government. by ‘month: adopted. n t goes A Question of Patronage. A nice question | . mrisen, and may give the President | ;and his official advisers something to | _think about. It is this: Should there ~ mot be a new deal? That is to say,| should not republicans who have never ‘held office be preferred to those who held office under Roosevelt or Taft it success in | o {—to carry a concealed weapon—is ¢ pr in patronage has | s and lost their places when Wilson . eame in? | Those who hold this view go frankly ' upon the old proposition: Pass the cake around. Republicans who have never had a taste should get a help- | ing now. H » Those seeking restoration to the service answer by saying that their experience in office should be taken | nto account; that if restored to their " old places or appointed to new ones they would require no time for train- ing; that they would shake down at once into their duties, and things pro- oeed as smoothly as though no changes had taken place. There are signs that the admin- dstration will not hurry, or suffer itself | _to be hurried, in this matter; that so much business of greater importance | + 88 in hand, and so much depends on ! how the p-ogram is started, office seekers m.st assist by holding their “horses- .md waiting until the appoint- ing Jower can get around to them. There is no suggestion that the| power will not arrive; that few| ehanges are on the cards. On the contrary, there is general confidence t, in time, deserving republicans, | well backed, will enter in and po jsess the kingdom won in November. —_—— i Lenin appears inclined io encour-| age Trotsky's prominence in sovie affairs in proportion to the probabil- _ity of difficulty in meeting the pay roll. ———————————— The elimination of waste is a prob- | jem which will not be completely | . wolved until irresponsible propaganda ‘ceases to waste words. —_——————— As & good husiness nation Germany 48 reminded that a successful future! often depends on fortitude in taking & present loss. High-Pressure Advantages. In connection with the sug stion of the establishment of a high sure fire service, with special mains | in the downtown business di et and pumps on the riverside, the fact is .poted that in the present conditions,!| ly laid through F street, there is not; water enough to supply the engines | in a multiplealarm fire. If a large| fire ‘should occur in one of the big| business blocks even that enlarged | conduit would not serve. There not fire plugs enough, for one thing, to permit a concentration of steamers | within an effective radius. In a five- alarm fire some of the apparatus would be over a mile away. One of the features of the high-pres. sure service plan is the installation of street traps for fire plugs below the | surface. These plugs can be. raised | and coupled with special devices car- ried by the engines, an ope only a few moments, and permitt the use of perhaps half a doz lines each. At present there is stror objection to the placing of fire hydrants on the curbs. Merchants do not like them in front of their own premises, though recognizing thetr wvaluge in protection. With the high- pressure system these plugs could, stated, be sunken, would not interfer ‘with the traffic, and could be multi plied 8o freely throughout the zone for | have b with a new 1Zinch main recent-| possible great danger that it would 7 < District fire department within prac- ticable range of a burning block. Although it is not desirable to cause delay by a reconsideration of the water increase plans, it is appropriate to renew the recommendation for high- pressure service in connection with the item of $200,000 to begin work on the water supply increase. In- stallation of high service is directly in line with this project of increasing the supply. At present all of the fire-fighting water is drawn from the supply mains through the filtration beds. This from the point of view of the city's supply is a waste. River water will serve just exactly as well as filtered water to put out fires. In- deed, in view of the fact of the limited pressure in the supply mains and the practically unlimited pressure that could be put into the special fire mains served by pumps at the riverside, the unfiltered Potomac water is better for defensive purposes. Even if this proj- ect—which a few years ago could have been installed for $100,000—costs half a million, it will be the best possible investment as a measure of both water conservation and public protection. _— e ce———————— Constitution and Guns. Some people have got’a totally wrong idea of the meaning of the con- stitutional provision that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” They think th entities them to go armed with what are known to the law as ‘“con- led weapons.” They think this gives the right to go without any re- straint whatever and buy weaponsand that any law limiting that right by imj a permit requirement is an fringement of the Constitution. This view of the matter is wholly The provision in question is comprised in the second amendment, which in full reads as follows: “A well rezulated militia being necessary to security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Thus the Constitution does not mean that the individual has an unabridge- able right to go armed, but it means that the people of the states may main- tain armed militia forces. Thus the right to bear : as constitutionally ated is merely the tive arms-bearing for purposes of s curit Any person who thinks that he is constitutionally entitled to hear arms erroneous. tain to receive a rude shock if he cite: the Constitution as his warrant if caught with an unpermitted gun in his pocket. The courts have nevér up- | beld pleas against concealed-weapons acts on the constitutional ground. Nor {would they sustain a plea against a ! ol-buying permit law under which servation of the public security was ought by checking the freedom of gun-getting . The * rity of the free state™ is now amply safeguarded by the maintenance of a federal Army, by state militia and by state and municipal police force: It is not necessary save in very rare cases for individuals to arm themselves. In frontier days indi- vidual aFmament was necessary. In isolated and dangerous places it is vet. But in citics there is no need pi tof individual promiscuous armament{worker is still being soughc by prac- and no constitutional right exists for it. Winter's Night Attack. Winter made a feeble effort last night to check the.advance of Spring. Taking advantage of the absence of the Sun on the other side of the world jand being tipped off that March was friendly to his purpose, he spread a layer of frost on the grass and bud- ding plants. The attack was not pressed with great coolth and vigor hecause Winter is an old and broken fellow quickiy passing to the has-been class. But he did his best, or his worst, to mar the decorations that are being hung out by the trees and shrubs as welcome signs to Spring. Winter, though his reign has been la failure, is loath to yield his scepter that a mere maid with a diadem of dai and a royal robe of buttercups and cherry blossoms shall sit upon his throne. One would think that Old Winter, seeing Miss Spring approach— and Miss Spring is a Southern Beauty would arise, grab a strap, lift his crown and say, “Miss Spring, please have my seat!” But Winter and other ctant in such matters. However, thanks to the weakened condition of Winter and the fact that he is on tAe run, the frost did no harm. The Sun, hearing of the attack, h: 1 home to Washington, and came lloping over the hills of the Eastern branch earlier than usual. Plans for the reception of Miss Spring go mer- rily on and many well known flowers men are rel te { prominent in hud and blossom circles :n appointed on the committee. Miss Spring is being escorted to Wash- gton by troops of gay and tuneful birds, and by companies of the softest Statisticians have never taken up the question of how a nation involved much distress could afford any- antly magnificent Of late ye learned to regard an extra session as a part of the regular order of busi- ness, ——————— lue”’ is no longer a fashionable color among lawmakers. ——mr——————— Felicitating America. President Harding has the good wishes of all nations, great and small. He has r d assurances by cable from many of them, sent since the de- {livery of his inaugural address, and h knowledge of what that address nifics as réspects America’s future ' 1d affairs. The nations have a larger acquaint- anee with America now than ever be- fore. 1t cannot be said from the out- givings of their newspapers that their cducation in that particular is com- plete. There fs something for them still to learn. But they are interested in the subject, and making progress. In time they will come to know us b tand for, and what we are sceking to accomplish. wel we ;h feasible to concentrate the unurgl Mr. Harding believes in the Ameri- THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1921 can government as expressed by its founders. His policles comprehend its still further advancement on the founders’ lines. In his judgment, any material departure from those lines would weaken the government as a stabilizing influence in the world, and thereby injure the world. Hence the stand he has taken and is expected to maintain. Our growth has been phenomenal. ‘We are over a hundred millions strong, and still multiplying. Our resources are beyond calculation. Our produc- tivity when conditions are favorable and we are feeling fit is in keeping with our industry and capacity. Why should not the nations rejoice in the existence of a government expressing and accomplishing so much, and free {from predatory instincts or actions? Egg-Rolling Again. Resumption of the Easter Monday egg-rolling in the White House grounds will mark another step to- Iwnrd the restoration of old practices which have become traditional in the National Capital. The egg-rolling fes- tival was stopped five years ago, part- ly in consequence of the congestion in Washington and also on account of the war-time conditions abroad which had their reflection here. Now it is announced that the gates will be thrown open on Easter Monday, a fortnight from next Monday, and the children will be invited to enter with their baskets of eggs and their lunches. | The Marine Band will be stationed in the groynds and it is possible that the President and his wife will join the throng personally. This cgg-rolling custom dates back | 1y beyond the memory of liv-| ing Washingtonians. It has not al-y ways been at the White House. It started oh the terraces of the Capitol. Those grounds then sloped westward from the walks immediately about | the building and the marble ter g walls had not been erected. There was {a long and broad slope of ground, well turfed, down which the children rolled their eggs and usually rolled after {them. When the marble terrace work | {was started the egg-rolling had to be | { shifted and the White House grounds | were open then to the children. The actual origin of eggrolling is not clear. One local ‘custom that has | almost grown out of vogue hes “egg-picking.” Some children continue it, but it is not as popular a| game as in the past. Many an elder | Washingtonian now remembers the | {time when he had the hardest pointed egg in the neighborhood, and some perhaps chuckle in recollection over) the possession of an unsuspected col- {ored “ginny” egg, which being nat- urally harder than the product of the | { hen, was usually barred from the game. ST e 1 According to Police Commissioner Enright of New York, a balmy winter | explains a slight increase in crime. In some circles of metropolitan so- ciety crime is evidently regarded as! an outdoor sport. l A method of enforcing the Volstead act that will restore the rum-runner to usefulness as a plain, productive tical economists. i The tariff is more interesting than | iever before, owing to a popular hope that it may be made the means of simplifying the income tax arithmetic. * Russia is wondering why the pub- lic ever desired to get rid of a com- paratively mild and sympathetic man like the late Czar Nicholas. & No indemnity figure could be pro- posed sufficiently low to make the German taxpayer feel that the war was worth it. } The office chair Mr. Daniels took home as a souvenir probably feels more restful than it has in many years past. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Other people’s troubles My sympathy secures. Yet, when a kettle bubbles, And the kettle isn't yours, If too eager in your fretting You will be misunderstood; In hot water you are getting, And not doing any good. It's human nature, surely, For every one to try To have, placed all securely, A finger in the pie— Other people’s troubles, In kindness you draw near, But the difficulty doubles | When you try to interfere. Led by Conscience. “What first led you to go into poli- tics? “My conscience,” replied Senator Sorghum. *As a young man 1 had so| ! high an opinion of my abilities that T thought it would be an unpardonable lack of patriotism if I neglected to give my country the benefit of my services.” The Last Word. “A woman always has the last word,” commented Mr. Growcher. “It isn't entirely her fault,” replied | Miss Cayenne. “Some men are too | dull or too bashful to do a reasonable | share in keeping up the conversa- tion.” | Strong Rhetoric Needed. When with my income tax at hand In figuring T pause, I truly wish I could command | Some help from Mr. Dawes! Jud Tunkins says all the unrest of any consequence in his vicinity is caused by a jazz band. } O A Doubtful Transaction. “1 understand the Crimson Gulch posse’ took some bootleggers into cus- tody.” “Yes, sir replied Cactus = Joe. “And it cost us citizens quite a sum of money, paid in advance, to per- suade them rum runners to map their route in this direction and get their stuff confiscated.” | the profiteer The Canton (Ohio) > i eratic) s it “has repeatedly ques- tioned the validity of a law which, {in peace times, should dictate to a Itry that will make it possible for or- Editorial Digest | The End of the Lever Act. The stamp of “unconstitutionality” placed upon the Lever act, originally designed to protect the public from war-time profiteering, remains un- questioned as to its validity by the American newspapers, but there is a| large number of writers who feel| that the people will suffer when even | this false bulwark is removed. Con- ceding that it was *“a bluff” that worked to some extent at least dur- ing war time, fear is expressed by some that now that it has been all- ed” the profiteer will be encouraged. | There are those, of course, who think that the “illegal law better out of the way and the stimulus which ¢ its removal has given business will more than make up for the escape of a few offenders. The Vortland Oregonian ent republican) takes : view of the matter. Although turns out that the T gigantic bluff in t (independ- a practh no support either in Constitution or; law,” it mnevertheless rked,” be- | use it was backed by “the unite opinion.” endent) e de- overwhelming force of public The New York Post (inde finds it “unfortunate” that 1 cision had to be e which permit- ted nullification f hundreds of prosecutior nd admits that it lesson on the way not to draft a law.", The Boston T (independ- ent republican) likewise agrees with the soundness of the Supreme Court ruling, but also feels that the la “has served its purpose.” The Buffalo Commercial (independent), too, con- | siders that “it checked the greed o nd the labor leader. That the results of the act “in prac- tice fell far short of the necessities of the situation.” the Baltimore Sun believ (independent democratic) but grants that they had “a great chological effect.”” ays the Fort Worth Star-Telegram | ndependent democratic): “The de-! cision of the Supreme Court puts an end to the intolerable interference in | business which has been practiced under the Lever act. Not only was it intolerable in time of peace, but ac tnally defeated. rather than served the purpose which it was intended to serve.’™ Probably no re nt court_decision. the Brooklyn gle (independent democratic) bel ., “has done %o much to settle business conditions. for, in the words of the Detroit Free Press (independent) it will “place a quietus on the activitics of some peo- ple who have been trving to use the Lever act as an excuse for sticking their fingers into things with which they have no concern.” ws (demo- | dealor what he should charge for anvthing he had for sale.” 3 In the opinion of tha Pittsburgh Ga- zette-Times (republican). the act was lgeizure of despotic power by the government of a democratic repub- lic. nted to by the proble simply “hecause the country was at war, and they were willing to make any sacri- fice necessary to win." However, another side to this phase of the question is recognized by many papers. among them the Sioux City (lowa) Journal yrflr\\xhllrxn)' which grants that “the act was an interfer- ence with busine: but continues. “There is a point at which it becomes the right and duty of the government to interfere with busine The St. Louis Star (independent) sugzests that now since the Supreme Cou has “cleared out some of the trash” the neonle can “demand some- | thing constructive to take its place. and the Fort Wavne Journal-Gazette (democratic) predicts that “soomer or later there will be a law in this coun- ! ganized society to protect . itself against exploitation.” That this will not b so easv of accomplishment is the fear of the Ohio State Journal (Columbus. republican), which feels | that “the main thing the government could do successfullv to protect the public to some degree against the greedily powerful” would be negative Tather than positive. As it is. the aholition of the Lever act. the Hart- ford Times (democratic) regrets, “leaves the country without any pro- tection against price-gouging excent the little it may secure through the ust act and conspiracy stat- The “moral” effect of the decision will he detrimental, the Birmingham Age-Herald (independent democratic) telieves, for “it will give comfort to unscrupulous firms and individuals” | and “it will strengt the convic- tion of the profiteers’ victims, who constitute a considerable part of the nation’s population, that their gov- ernment cannot prevent them from being exploited.” These “immediate and lasting effects of the ruling.” the Rochester Herald (independent) thinks, “will be profoundly harmful.” 2 1 Ending the Long Day. i The agreeable intelligence comes | that the Steel Corporation. yielding to public opinion. has at Iast foynd % way fo Het rid of the seven.day week, with its twenty-four-hour “tur at the changing of 'night shifts, and hopes soon to announce | the entire abolition of the twelve- | honr day among all its workers. For many years the twelve-hour ! day, which has applied to approxi- mathy one-fifth of the corporation’s employes, has been steadily criticised. | The company has pleaded that to{ eliminate it was almost an oneraungl impossibility, because the heat of the furnaces is continuous; that twelve hours on duty did not mean twelve hours of work (rest periods being .numerous); that.many of the men preferred a system under which their wages were exceptionally high. erless, the bombardment has gone on, it being asserted that there must ! he some way to end such long hours. | Now. by its action the corporation in eftect. concedes that the instinc- | tive assumption of the non-expert | was right and that the experts were | WIong. i3 k i The Steel Corporation does not seem fairly open to the accusation that it has pursued a heartless labor- | crushing policy. although this is the hack charge of radicals. It has led in raising wages, in welfare work, in providine safety appliances, in pensions and in making it easy for its employes to become partners in ownership. But it is big. and this, in the eves of many. makes it bad. But with the elimination of the twelve-hour day, perhaps, the attacks on it will be lesé energetic, for here was a matter with respect to which, | prima facie, it was wrong. i The struggle for the eight-hour day | has taken thirty years. Barring agri- | cultural labor in certain parts of the ! country and certain professionals and wami-professionals and those who | work for themselves, it can survey | the field as a conqueror. And that | the short day is better for every one is now conceded. Organizea labor properly takes much pride fin its| great achievement.—New York Trib- | une (republican). : Getting married is like vaceination. | Sometimes it takes.—New York Tele- graph. One of the surest cures for insan- ity, we judge, is an acquittal by the Jury.—Spokane Spokesman-Review. { Reane says the postage | taste the same. under Toledo Blade. Lima stamps will Will Hays. Driving an automobile while drunk may become almost as dangerous as crossing a street while sober.—Phila- delphia North American. Just to see a woman driving an automobile is all the proof we need that “the female of the species is deadlier _than the male."—Columbia (S. C.) Record. ‘With fewer members of the train crew there will not be 8o many chances to ignore signals.—Muncle (Ind.) Star. “Nicky” Arnstein had to walk into the district attorney’s office before he could be arrested. And it begins to look as If he will have to lm.-:kl into a_cell if he ever to go to Jall—New York Mall % Planned for the early Easter! 5.,65 3 for °16* at which price wise men will stock up for Easter and the enlire summer HERE’S an opportunity, men, to stock up on shirts—shirts that are famous for their high quality materials and expert workmanship—even to the minutest details. Judge their qual- ity by the materials. —White jersey silks —Heavy white Crepe de Chine These rank among the finest silk shirtings made. Every shirt first quality; the satisfaction that accompanies The Hecht Co. label. $16.50. —Novelty tub silks —Satin striped broadcloths —Satin striped crepe de chines —Satin striped Em- pire silks sold with All sizes, $5.05; 3 shirts, Soriety Brand and The Hecht Co. Spring Suits ' —and their quality is evident HESE are not this spring’s suits. - They represent our maker’s sur- plus stock—acquired at the close of last season purposely for this sale. And now, having said our worst about them, we’ll tell you the best. In our judgment you can’t get such QUALITY suits anywhere at these prices—stores are asking as much or more for their winter goods. The sale started today with about 1,000 suits in materials and models approved for spring. Solid colors and plenty of the popular fancies. We've started something ——come in and finish it In progress sale of men’s $5 and $6 spring felts and 53 35 derbies KN O X HAT'S $2 3.50 3 3 350 Bociety Brand and our own suits at each of the above prices. for men who know and want only the BEST Sale of Mfr’'s sample brief cases double-stitched, $7.50 cases $8.00 cases $8.50 cases Just as illustrated, with choice of 14 or 15 inch sizes, with choice of one, two or three pockets. \) 4.65 Genuine cowhide leather: nickel trimmings; reinforced handles. Black, brown or tan, $4.65.