Evening Star Newspaper, May 5, 1921, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR, With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY........May 5 1921 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 150 Nassau St. Chieago Office: First National Bank Building. European Offce: 8 Regent St., Loudon, England. The Evening Star, with the Sunday morning edition. 1x delivered by carriers within the city at 60 cents per month: daily only, 45 cents per month; Sunday only, 30 cents per month. €ers may be sent by mall, or telephon 8000. Collection is made by carriers ead of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Daily and Sunda; Daily only.. Bunday only. All Other States. 11 day.1yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ Datly Sty -omeay 137, $7.00:1mo., ;gg Deficiencies and Economy. President Harding's warning to ex- ecutive officers to curtail their esti- mates for deficiency appropriations brings sharply to notice the question of the cost of government. The other day Secretary Mellon noted the urgent need of economy in departmental ex- penditures in consideration of the state of the Treasury. Thus the case is clearly stated and Congress has ample warrant for effecting heavy cuts in appropriations. There are two classes of deficiencies. One is genuine and the other is not. The true deficiency is caused by some change in conditions or some emer- gency which throws out of gear early reckonings of cost or need. A de- ficiency appropriation which covers new work or projects is not justified in submission. Sometimes deflciencies are caused by the refusal of Congress to appro- priate sufficiently to meet the require- ments of regularly established works and organizations. against the introduction of the over. head trolley into Washington. This city had a combination of horse and cable cars—the former on lines that could not be “cableized” because of curves—and could have had trolley service long before it was given com- plete rapid transit equipment. But it preferred to wait rather than have its streets gridironed with trolley tracks and high-current wires and the public safety menaced. The Star is proud to have been instrumental in preventing this imposition and in keeping the streets of the capital clear of high- current wires. The present admirable system of underground electric con- duction is the result. Many cities hold still to the old-style overhead trolley. It is a cheaper method of construction, and in some slight degree cheaper in maintenance. But the merits of the underground conduit system are so obvious that many cities are contemplating over- head wire prohibition and the replace- ment of the “underground” for the exposed conductor. A city with a system like Washington is assuredly safer than one which is threaded through and through with wires bear- ing deadly currents. It was well to give a public demon- istration in Chicago of the anniver- sary of the trolley, for it brought viv- idly to public mind the great advance that has been made in transportation. People are prone to live intensely in the present and to forget or to ignore progress that has been achieved. Congress and Summer. The proposition for a summer recess is advanced upon two grounds—(1) the weather, and (2) the advisability of discussing with the home folks the latest developments in the world sit- uation as they bear upon home af- fairs. ‘Washington is not a scorcher in the good old summertime, but a comfort- able place when comfort exists any- where. The summer sessions of the The executive of-|past decade did not knock legislators ficers are justified then in going back |out, or produce fagged legislation. for more money. The budget system |Capitol Hill, much the greater part of may lessen the deficiency evil. It cer- | the period, was a cool place. All the tainly should have the effect of pro- |breezes that blew found it, and ca- viding sufficiently for the upkeep of the ressed it. government in regular appropriations. Economies to the extent of The world situation is such that f two or |important developments may be ex- three hundred million dollars are sug- pected to continue right along for gested as possible. effected. however, These cannot be | months to come, and even longer. We it the deficiencies |shail have them all summer, Whether naw sought to be filled are for actual | Congress is in recess or not. administrative work, for which pro- Congress has made an excellent vision was only partially made in the |start. 1In its few weecks of action it regular appropriations. The cry of economy is wholesome It tends to check extravagant enthusi has disposed of several matters of great moment, and outlined its pur- poses as to others. It is getting into asm and enterprise on the part of new- | a .very promising stride. ly starting executive administrators Hence the suggestion of those who who see opportunities for work beyond | OPPose a recess that Congress had that already laid down. Apart from |better keep on while the keeping on the extraordinary war enterprises of |18 good. Thus far no great friction the government little has been under- | has appeared. The members gathered taken during the past half decade in |expecting to do business, and have administrative extension. Until the been doing it. Treagury has turned the corner, so to Congress has been getting acquaint- speak, by showing the right sort of a |ed With the President, and the Presi- balance between income and expendi- dent with it. The outlook is such, in- ture there can be no new development. | deed, that if Congress stays on the job All “deficieney” estimates for this sort until the job is finished, it will have | leben of work must be pigeonholed. The Silesian Qutbreak. Polish insurgents in Upper Silesia are gravely imperiling the peace of eentral Europe. These forces have refused to accept the findings of the allied commission based on the plebi- scite recently held, by virtue of which a portion of the former German area was transferred to Poland and a larger portion to Germany. These troops, estimated at about 20,000, have occupied all of the southern por- tion of Upper Silesia save a few of the large towns, and, accroding to re- cent information, are moving north- ward. [Italian troops constitute the chiet plebiscite forces in the area, an a pitched battle has been fought be- tween them and the insurgents. something substantial to show for itself before the snow flies, and which will count in its favor in next year's campaign. \ It is upon decrease in the high cost of living that the possibility of pain- less wage reduction largely depends. And it is upon decrease of production price that the reduction of H. C. L.| must be based. In the big game of economics the question of whose move it is figures importantly. — A suggestion is before the legisla- ture that the state of Illinois be divided in two. Certain exclusive po- litical tendencies have developed in 4 | Chicago as in other large cities. § Henry Ford does not intend to per- THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, MA their duty to the public. Men of the lynching spirit rarely risk their own skins. The Georgia authorities are well ad- vised in pushing on mow that they have made a good start. The convic- tion of Willlams was an inspiration to them to free the state of peonage and the lynchings that attend it. A Political Marathon. As a rule, they order things soberly in Virginia, with due regard to cere- mony and the conventions. Humor is not a factor in the local equation. Just now, however, the people are tickled over an exception to the rule. A race for governor approaches. There are two candidates for the demo- cratic nomination, which is equivalent to election. Harry St. George Tucker is sixty-nine years old. E. Lee Trinkle is much younger. The Trinkleites that the office requires physical vigor and “pep.” ‘‘Very well,” replies Mr. Tucker in substance. “Let me show how young I am—how much vigor I still possess. I challenge Mr. Trinkle to a foot race—two hundred yards— the winner to take the nomination.” Mr. Tucker is tall and spare—a racer in figure, and, as his challenge shows, in spirit. Mr. Trinkle is short and rotund—built on anything but rac- ing lines. On the track—even at so short a distance as two hundred vards —he might prove to be a “roarer.” ‘Will there be a race? It would make for good entertainment. People would come from good distances to see. It might easily be made a national event —a sort of new and up-to-date Mara- thon. It would make prize newspaper copy—subordinating for the day polo, tennis, horse racing, and even base ball. And thus one of the oldest and most sedate of our states would give a pointer to, and might arouse the jealousy of, the sportiest of our com- monwealths. ——————— A sailor enjoys shore leave, but would, as a rule, rather employ it in lighter entertainment than strike con- troversy. —_— The fact that talent has to be im- ported to start a political disturbance indicates that Venezuela is, after all, a naturally peaceful nation. Preparation for possible conflict | with Germany remains a historical i custom in France. i SHOOTING STARS. -~ BY PHIL. JER JOHNSON. “'Fraids.” Dar was two men dat fit an’ fussed Till deir dispositions was ter’ble mussed— Dey fit an’ fussed, an' dey fussed and fit Till dey got de habit and couldn't quit! Says 'Rastus Pinkley, “Jes’ watch me, I'll git Lem Snow whur he ought to be. When he walks pas’ ‘bout half pas’ | He'll think dat a ghos' broke out o ‘hebben.” De same ideas often come | To men dat keeps a thinkin’ some. “Jes' give me a sheet!” exclaimed Lem 8now, “An’ kivver me up so's my feet won't show.” Dem two live ghos’ dey prowled around, And each got skeefed at de slightes’ sound. +De work dey did got less an’ less, An’ dey couldn’ sleep foh de nervous- ness. Now, Uncle Eben is a wise old bird. He listened ‘thout mentionin’ what he heard. It 'peared to him dar was ginter to be De bigges’ ghos’ fight dat he ever did see. The Poles cannot, of course, be per-|Mit the interest in his business enter-| one night when de moon was behind mitted to nullify the plebiscite by mili- prises to take his attention entirely tary action. The allies must inter-|#Way from the study of political vene. The peace treaty provides for | machinery. the reference of the nationality ques- tion to a vote of the people, which has demonstrated a very pronounced pro-German feeling save in a few dis- tricts. If Poland can nullity the; plebiscite through the action of an in- surgent force there is danger of greatly weakening the whole peace adjustment. The government at War- saw will probably be warned by the allies to take a hand itself and insure the withdrawal of these irregular troops. If that government is con- niving at the Silesian insurgency it| is playing in bad faith. ‘ The ex-kalser is now suspected of being as much of a woodchopper as he was a painter, poet, musician or anything else that happened to strike his fancy. ! Their business activities do not sug- gest any expectations on the part of the Krupps that disarmament will be- come a fact in the near future. l The trip of Bill Haywood is ascribed to a reasonable wish to see and under- stand a little of the sovietism he has Conditions in central Europe are|been advocating for this country. delicate to the point of almost general disturbance. Poland is in none too safe a position on its eastern side to risk alicnating allied sympathy and support by this extremely foolish Silesian adventure. ———————— Berlin has a temporary currency system which insures a large volume of money unless the paper supply runs out or the pressmen strike. ——————— It is a long time since a railroad management has seriously considered | lowering rates so as to offer induce- mente for a larger volume of traffic. What Lenin desires from newcom- ers s ial assistance and not general advice. Thirty-Three Years of Trolleys. Celebration in Chicago of the thirty- third anniversary of the installation of electric cars in this country is a sharp reminder of the really short period within which this public facility has been available. A third of a cen- tury ago there were only two means of motive power in the streets of American cities, cable and horse. The first overhead trolley car was regarded as a very doubtful experiment. The | l Villa remains valuable in his ob- scurity as a reminder that the revoly- tion habit may be cured. As a historian D'Annunzio is much less punctual and energetic than as a military man. Georgia Authorities Aroused. ‘This is from Atlanta: “Gov. Dorsey announced today that he would call upon every solicitor general in the state to immediately prosecute all cases of mob violence and cruelty to negroes and would do all in his power to ‘bring the real situation in Georgia before its clt-| izens' and to co-operate with federal officials in their peonage Investiga-| tions In the same dispatch it is stated that the Department of Justice “will send unlimited assistance from Wash- ington to cover every angle of the peonage conditions that are declared to exist in parts of Georgia.” There also appears today a dispatch from Louisville, Ga., giving an account of the arrest of three of six men ac- cused of attempted lynching, and of their being held without bail pending action by a grand jury. Striking thus while the iron is hot— while the hideous story of John Wil liams' murder farm is fresh in the direst predictions were made regard- | public mind—the state authorities of ing the use of high-power electric cur- rents. The electricity would escape epnd run all over and do all kinds of dagmage. It did, in truth, do some damage to trees and water mains, and, when wires broke, to human beings. Georgla and the national authorities, co-operating, cun hope to achic sults of value. Gov. Dorsey's action is hizhly pralseworthy. Formidable as the lynching spirit is, whether inspired by the peonage evil But it was a great improvement over | or other evils, it yet hesitates in the the old horse cars and even over the | presence of authorities fully aroused cable. and thoroughly in earnest. It will not Revival of this memory of the ear.|buck the law when the law is in the lest trolley car brings to mind afresh | hands of officials duly sensible of their the struggle in Washington for and|oaths and determined to discharge|as much applause as a home Tun. a cloud Dey met one another, each in his shroud. Each wanted to run wif all his heart, But deir knees was shakin’ so dey couldn't start. Saye ol' Uncle Eben, as he sot on de fence, “Why don't you stop bluffin’ and show some sense? Run, you big 'Fraid—little 'Fraid, too! Runnin’ is all a 'Fraid kin hope -to do.” Dey shook so hard dat de sheets drop- ped down— Dey fell on deir knees on de cold, wet ground— Each open his eyes when he pray'r was through, Sayin’ “Praise de Lord! It's only me and you!" Says o' Uncle Eben, “Lemme see you © start A-workin’ together ‘stid of actin® smart. Don’t waste yoh time on dem foolish jokes, - 1A-braggin’ an’ paradin’ an’ a scarin’ folks. ‘\Ve'll git along, better—take his fr'm | me. | Each makin’ de bes’ of what he's made to be. | Don’ 'Fraid nobody. Dar's work to do. | An* don’t let no 'Fraid come a-'fraid- | in’ you!" Mismanaged Fame. “Did Bacon write the Shakespeare plays?” “I don't know, ington Barnes. ‘‘Whoever wrote ’em showed carelessness in not employing a press agent to look after his per- sonal interests.” Points in the Pacific. An old volcano in a surly mood May form an island of importance strange, Or coral insect buildings may intrude To cause vast diplomatic inter- change. Practical Interchange. “A soft answer turneth away “| wrath,” remarked the expert in quota- tions. “True,” replied Mr. Dustin Stax; “but in regular business a soft answer isn’t as valuable as a hard bargain.” Jud Tunkins says a successful orator is a man who can attract as big a crowd a8 goes to see @ ball game and who can say something that will get declare that Mr. Tucker is too old;! " replied Mr. Storm-| Editorial Digest A Peace-Time War Chief Creation of the position of “chief of staff for war,” with Gen. Pershing as the incumbent, is commented upon with satisfaction by the majority of the newspapers. The chief satisfac- tion derived by editorial writers seems to be from the fact that Sec- retary Weeks has at last found some- thing for a full general to do that will neither disturb the Army organi- zation, ruffie the feelings of FPer- shing’s high-ranking inferiors, nor yet prove unworthy of the titular { head of armies of the United States. Some writers feel that this has not been aitogether successfully accom- plished by the formation of the new body, and “friction” is predicted by some. One of the few to see a slight to| Gen. Pershing in the act is the Sioux City Tribune (independent), which declares that it means he will be “shelved.” The paper says: “Gen. Pershing is supposed to prepare for the function in time of war of an Army with which he is to have noth- ing to do in times of peace. The only army Gen. Pershing would have any command over these days would be a paper army." This charge, the Cincinnati’ Com- mercial Tribune (republican) asserts, is “given impetus by the democratic press” and “the American people will Inot readily accept” it, for they do not believe Pershing “is being dis- criminated against,” and “if they did | they would become vigorously vocal in protest.” However. the Hartford Times (democratic) finds it hard “to { understand” what Secretary Weeks | has achleved. | So far as stated the function of the new organization, in the opinion 1of the New York Times (independent democratic), “in every case overlaps he activities of the carefully or- ganized general staff.” Further, since the President, as commander-in-chief in time of war “may select whom he pleases to lead an army in the fleld, the assumption that in the event of | war Gen. Pershing would command, because in time of peace he is to have a general headquarters staff and | assist in preparing the Army for ac- tive service, is_untenable.” The plan, indeed. to the Boston Post (independ- ent_democratic), “resolves itself into nothing very different from that of the ‘strategy board’ which proved generally useless as applied to the Navy in the Spanish war.” The Buffalo Commercial (independ- ent) sees “both merits and demerits” in it, for while “it will enable us to be ready for immediate action should we be forced into another war! it talso “may be said to provide an Army bureaucracy aside from the present xeneral staft.” ~“But,” the Commercial concludes, “it, at least, means_preparedness, the lesson we learned in 1917." For the rest, the papers are gener- ous in their praise both of the plan itself and the reward it means for the general. The Baltimore News (in- ! dependent) takes a matter-of-fact view of the situation when it says: “Gen. Pershing has become, all by himself, a problom. and this seems an excellent way to solve him. It gives him a job commensurate with his rank, and a job that should conceiv- ably be of service.” The Florida Times-Union (demo- cratic) thinks that there will be ‘general _approval” of the appoint- ment of Pershing “to have charge of this important matter,” and the St. Louis Globe-Democrat (republican), warning its readers that “experience and sound judgment must net cease to pian for the future” of our nation- al security, asks. “If Pershing is not the man" to keep America “up to date,” then “who is?’" Since there must “certainly” be a place in “the high Army organization” for the for- mer commander of the A. E. F., “thig innovation seems to provide the ideal assignment,” since, as the Wilming- ton (Del.) Star (democratic) puts it, Gen. Pershing’'s “service in France I8 sufficient: justification for the selec- tion.” and, in the phrase of the Day- ton News (democratic), “hardly any one man in the United States is het- | ter prepared for handling the job of | the “reorganization work of the mili- tary forces.” This task of keeping! the country nstantly” ready for anm| emergency Is_“worthy of the best” in the opinion of the Philadelphia Bullf- tin (independent republicam), with which a “chief engineer of war” may Le endowed. | As to the plan itself, the Indianapo- | lis Star (independent republican) thinks that it will permit America to “enter the field with more con- fidence,” and the New York Giob (independent) considers it “a sensibl move toward” meeting the “difficul ties of a shift from peace to war.” a plan the outcome of whicl jthe ‘New Bedford Standard (republi can) hesitates to predict, but whic it declares “basically sound.” With-! lout involving “great armaments or {armies.” the Kansas City Journal (re- publican) believes that Gen. Per- shing can formulate plans which will save “precious time and billions of dollars” if the need comes. and with bim at the head the Fresno Repub- {lican (independent) fecls we can well “use a small share of the budget of the United States to strengthen the defensive arm of the government.” A Leaki;ng Vacuum. Apropos of Sccretary Hughes' final pronouncement on the state of Rus- | #la asan “economic vacuum,” in which he declared that the soviets “at the most liberal estimates,” have not more than $175,000,000 of gold in their possession. it is interesting to note certain observations of Eugene Szatmary, correspondent of the Chi- cago Tribune, from Reval. That port. he says, is the only gateway for the trade of Russia. And it is & booming beehive of commerce. Of 600 locomotives which have been ordercd in Germany and Sweden 260 already have been delivered. A thou- sand Russian locomotives are being {sent to neighboring countries to be { repaired. Textile mills in_Esthonia | are working on hig orders for thread and goods. Large orders are to be placed_In German chemlical and tex- tile pfants. The goods bought by the Russian government to date amount to $800,000,000. Already 600,- 000.000 gold rubles, or more than | $300,000,000, have been paid out by Litvinoft to the sellers of goods to Russia. A Russian trade mission, with detailed orders to buy raw ma- terials, machines and textles, is about to start for England. Mr. Hughes, by citing pre-war fig- ures, declares that our trade with Russia never amounted to anything, Perhaps it didn’t, and perhaps that is a good reason for predicting that it never will. But somehow his “economic vacuum” seems to have sprung a leak. In any case, it i§ interesting to note that the trade currents of the most economically desolated regions of Europe are be- kinning again to liven up. while we twiddle our thumbs and sit in judg- ment on a “present political and eco- nomic system.” theoretically at va- riance with ours, but-in practical op- eration very much the same.—St. Louis Post Dispatch (independent). It's when a man has sense that the dollars take care of themselves.—Du- luth Herald. Bride, don't try to make your hubby happy. Just let him be—Columbia (Mo.) Missourian. The world's problems call for more arithmetic_and less triggernometry. —Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. About 4,500,000 ver dollars have been coined since February under the Pitman act. What's being done with them?—Cleveland Plain Dealer. The way to be successful is to begin at the bottom, unless you are going to dig @ well.—Norfolk Ledger-Dis- patch. By what @ happy chance the lost Atlantis sank before John RBull and Uncle Sam had to go to war about her'—Boston Herald. After reading some of Mr. Daniel's stories on the Navy one wonders where he ever dug up so much in- formation.—Buffalo Xpress. Britain, remarks some one, is a bit of land entirely surrounded by hot water. Germany, it might be added, just now, is a country presenting en- ormous bluffs on every side—San Fraacisco Chronicle, e 5, 1921. - Saks & (Jompany Seventh Street Pennsylvania Avenue These are Saks Suits—with all that name implies and all the confidence it inspires *45 and *50 grades reduced to "29.73 They are Single and Double Breasted—in our designer’s interpretation of the present season’s Fashions—both Young Men’s and Conservative. Tweeds, Cassimeres, Worsteds—in attrac- tive patterns, including Shepherd Checks. Look closely to the making—there’s the tell- tale of value—for weaves are only part—the character of the workmanship is by far the most important. 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