Evening Star Newspaper, February 26, 1922, Page 34

THE EVENING STAR, With Sunday me'flun. WASHINGTON, D. C. AY . H .February 26, 1922 Zonon W.WovEs. .. Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Sugigess Office, 11th S& and Pennsylvania Ave. “3" New York : 150 Nassao 8t. ieago Office: First Natlonal Bank Ralldine. European Otfice: 3 Regent Bt., Landon, Eogland. The Evening Star, A edition, 1s delfvered by cartiers within the €Y at 60 cents per morth: dally ealy, 43 cents per month: Sunday ouls, 20 cents per month. Or- ders may be sent by mall, or telephone Main 5000. Collection is made by carriers at the end of each month. s I—Pmble in Advance. ' Maryland and Virginia. Raily and Sunday..1yr., $8.40; 1 mo., 70c Daiiy. only.. 157., $6.00: 1 mo., 50c 1yr., $2.40; 1 mo,, 20¢ All Other States. Dally and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo., §6c fly_onl: 00: 1 0c Sawday on 5 250 No War Scrimping Now. The Senate appropriations commit- tee.is now shaping the District bill, antd the principle upon which the bill i440 be based as well as the figures of itemis of ippropriations are to be de- termined. Washington appeals to the Senate and, through the Senate, to Congress 16 increase the sums of aupropriation in the House bill by millions to meot in time of peace the accumulated un- it needs, neglected in time of war, as for instance those for water-supply in- czease, school buildings, street con- ruction, improvement and repair, ete.,ete. ‘Washington urges that its munici- pal appropriations bill shouid be han- dled by its local legislature on dif- ferent basic lines of principle from these wisely followed by the national legislature in changing national ap- pro@riations from the war to the peace basis. Washington urges that the govern- ment's radical reductions of war ex- yenditures, whether made through the budget bureau or directly by the Ilouse, do not in reason apply to the niunicipal expenditures of the Capital city. Mundcipal peace-time expenses were cut down and municipal needs neglect- ed.in the war time, when all our re- sotirces were diverted and devoted to the -winning of the war. ‘We were patriotically extravagant 17 oltr war_expenditures, and now that necessity for them has passed we must drastically cut down in these war ex- penditures. Through the budget bureau and by direct action of the House deep cuts have been properly made in national and especially war expenditures. ‘Bat the principle on whjch these re- duetions are wisely made does not ap- yly at all to municipal éxpenditures, which are now to be increased in order to make up for war-time neglects, and not to be decreased. Under the pro- cedure which is beiig followed Wash- ington's municipal expenditures are cut. Tn both periods inconsistently and unjustly. They are cut in war time with resulting neglect of municipal needs, and they are cut again in peace time (when they ought to be increased) through confusion of District's mu- nicipal eppropriations with national war-time appropriations, end the ap- plication of the same principle of dras- tic cutting to both. We are told that we must economize now that the war is over. That means, ‘when rightly understood, that we must economize in those matters which re- late to war-making and war-prepared- ness. We have been wisely extrava- gant in war expenditures and this ex- travagance is now to cease. ‘We have not been extravagant, but ecrimping end neglectful, in outlays for- municipal maintenance and de- velopment, and especially in outlays for * permanent public improvements, which have had no direct relation to ‘war-making. . These wise projects of permanent munieipal upbuilding, properly pushed asi@é in order to give Uncle S8am full swing in the war-making function, are now to receive the thoughtful, liberal and sympathetic consideration which they deserve. The thoughtful District legislator who examines into District conditions dispovers an appalling accumulation of ‘unmet municipal needs, neglected in the war time, which demand the wise and economical expenditure of mflitens, now that Uncle Sam’s call to_us to sacrifice everything else to the mation's defense ceases to sound in ofir ears. S 11l 8. Hays speaks with authority whén he states that the motion picture is already the principal amusement of the ‘majority of all the people. In en- tertainment as well as politics Hays knows a landslide when he sees it. Rate by Mail —_————— Lloyd George's suggestion of a truce for_ten years should be welcomed by eveg.the most militaristic statesmen. Tenbyears is not e long vacation for so energetic a performer as old Mars. A:wax figure of Kerensky sold in Berin for one paper ruble. The in- cident is remarkable as demonstrating that. there is still something a paper ruble will buy. 77 c—————tt e Learning has advanced and con- science has improved so that every na- tion is expected to read the treaties over caretully before starting a fight. 7 ——————— Setting Labor Free. No more important forward step in the batterment of relations between employers and employes has been taken than the agreement entered into between the federal government and the International Union of Bricklay- ers,, Masons and Plasterers, under which all union rules restrictive of output are to be abrogated and other practices abandoned which have oper- ated ' to retard building operations. ‘The agreement is to be entered as a decrée of the United States court in New. York, thereby establishing a precadent in interpretation of law for 1He ‘guidance-of other labor unions in their rules and practices. “The principal provisions of the de- cree are that: 3~—There Is to de no limit to the pro- ductive capacity of the individual workman within the wosking day or anysother time. $++There is to be no limit upon the of the employers to purchas +material wherever and when 7l 1 tever and from whomever they may choose, whether those materials be union-made or otherwise. -There is to be no favoritism shown by labor toward employer or trade assocfations and no discrimina- ! tions are to be indulged in against the independent employer who may :ll%lnba a member of such an organiza- 4—The lalior organization is not to be used, or permit itself to be used, by material men or contractors or isubcontractors as an instrument for the collection of debts or enforcement of alleged claims. That these limitations on their powers were accepted voluntarily by the officers of the trades unions affect- ed is an encouraging sign that labor leaderseare coming to have & better understanding of economic laws and forces. They are abandoning the fal- lacy that it is possible to have more by producing less. When workers everywhere, unionized and unorgan- ized, in white collars and in overalls, recognize that only through increased production can there be increased con- sumption and bettered standards of itving, one of the greatest obstacles to prosperity will have been removed. The building industry, languishing since the war and now far in arrears of the nation's needs, ought to feel an immediate stimulus as a result of this iagreement. Revival of the building in- dustry will in turn stimulate activity in other lines, and there wiil be whole {loaves for workers in place of halt loaves or none. —————— The Alleys. Tke alley question is still with us and it will be till there shall be pro- vided other habitations for alley dwell: ers at rentals within their means. It {is not good public policy that a part of ;qu popuiation should live in squalid :and insanitary surroundings either In ithe alleys or in crowded tenements outside the aileys. Such conditions im- pair their health, tend to make them public charges, shorten life and spread disease among other people. People dwell in alley houses because jthe rents are lower than elsewhere, Innd generally the rents are about as {high as alley dwellers can afford to pay. Rents are very high everywhere in Washington, and they are also very high in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, S8an Francisco and New Orleans and in third and fourth class cities. Rents have gone up in the al- leys of Washington until there.is more crowding of tenants than when the matter of the alley population became a public question many years @go. Alley tenements ought to be outlawed, but if they should be outlawed now where are these people to go? More prosperous men and women encounter trouble in finding rooms, and genefally tind the rent higher than their circum- stances warrant them in paying. In the erection of new houses for those persons who are crowded to- i gether in alley houses there ought to be & mixture of philanthropy and busi- ness, with plenty of business. If the government is to participate in the work of relieving the house shortage the rental return should cover the cost of erection and upkeep, with sufficient surplus for depreclation, renewal and taxes. The new houses should be made to pay their way and not be set up as a charge against taxpayers. Subsidiz- ing people only puts them on the road to becoming public charges. Government undertakings which do not pay their way, which provide cheaper advantages for certain classes of people and are a charge on the whole taxpaying body, ought not to be carried very far. In some lnes the government runs enterprises which are not only subsidized by taxpayers’ meney but which compete unfairly with certain taxpayers, force them out of business, destroy that tax resource and put that much more strain on re- madning tax resources. It is a scheme of things which has been carried to a burdensome and dangerous extent In England, and which may be carried to a burdensome extent in this country. i Missouri may be inclined to wonder whether Senator Reed cannot find argument enough in his own state without picking a long-distance quar- rel with Ambassador Harvey. $ Figures quoted in connection with the engagements of songbirds leave it in question whether grand opera is to be rated as a branch of art or of high finance. —_———— The frades unlons are not inclined to offer any needless encouragement to the type of workman who thinks his card entitles him to a loafing job. i The public's duty to co-operate with prohibition is clearly recognized. Again the ultimate consumer is held re- sponsible. Two French Opinions. Louis P. Loucheur, former minister of the liberated regions of France, as- serted a few days ago’that France never would be able to pay a sou of the debt of three billlon odd dollars {owed by the government of that coun- itry to the government of the Wnited States. Yet M. Loucheur is one of those Frenchmen who insist that Ger- many can and must pay the full amount of reparations assessed, amounting to about fifty-three billion dollars. And this notwitastanding that the estimated national wealth of France is flve times that of Germany. Now comes Andre Tardien, former French high commissioner to the United States, who proclaims that France will pay every franc she owes, not only to this country, but to Great Britain. He speaks, he says, for the French people, who never would con- sent to acknowledgment that France ‘was bankrupt. Neither M. Loucheur nor Capt. Tar- ieu is in position to speak officially for the French government, though the latter is an influential member of the chamber of deputies. Each is a leader of.a school of French thought, but which voices the largér volume of French opinjon it is not posaible to tell. It was Tardieu who, as French commissioner, negotiated the loans this gover-ment made to France, and he leaves no doubt that in his mind, at least, payment of them is a motal as waell as a legal obligation. The only condition Tardieu would make is that this country should not press France too hard, that she be given a chance before beginning pay- ments to recover somewhat from her warbrought difficulties and to make some collections from Germany in the i way of reparations. There ought not to be any difficulty on that score. Once France demonstrates her wilngness and intent to pay she will find the American government and the Amer- ican people considerate end sympa- thetic to the last degree. The Amer- ican people would be glad to have their money ‘back, of course, but they are in no such hurry as would lead them to push a solvent but embarrassed debtor to the wall. Know Your Business. It is a sound general proposition the: no man should put his money into or lend his name to & business he does not understand. History shows many instances of men who have come to grief in that way. Some of them have come to grief in the banking business, brokerage houses and in as- soclation with other forms of financial undertaking. A man is a great success in his par- ticular fleld of knowledge &nd en- deavor. He has brains and honesty. His honesty has been proved by all tests. He has established credit with the public. His name can be used as a commercial asset. Great rewards are heild out to him. He has no doubt, that the business is all right and that he can master it in all its detalls in a short time. He has never been able to make any money worth speaking about, and here is his opportunity! For a while the sun shines and then a crash! Iie had never really learned much about the business. He is “broke,” and pebple losing money in the firm’s fall are apt to blame him most whose name gave prominence to the firm. John Burke, whom all Washington people and millions of other Amer- icans kpew as treasurer of the United States, is reported to have said after the failure of the firm of Kardox & Burke: 14 “The whole thing reminds me of the adage, ‘Cobbler, stick to your last.’ I am a lawyer. I made a mistake by go- ing into the brokerage business, con- cerning which I knew too little. I want this situation cleared up. All the transactions of the firm should be opened wide to the public. I know that such a process would absolve me per- sonally from all blame, and I have not the slightest doubt that It would clear up insinuations made against the firm.” § A shoemaker need not stick to his last. There have been shoemakers, tailors, carpenters and blacksmiths who have succeeded in the law, states- manship, commerce and the church. But a shoemaker ought not to leave his bench and throw away his tools to enter upon another trade before he has learned it. 5 It happens not infrequently that a lawyer arises to intimate that very few members of the profession are as well educated in its requirements as they ought to be. In this respect law- yers somewhat resemble actors. i There would be a lively and perhaps enlightening hour or so if George Har- vey could be persuaded to run over for a joint debate with Mr. Reed of Missouri. Motion picture enterprise has un- doubtedly established itself as a great industry, although Hollywooll*is still inclined to regard it as more or less of a craze. The experts accord to the public the comforting assurance that the Calvert Street bridge is not to be judged by appearances. ? Ordinarily eager for publicity, film players are known to ahrink from pub- licity when they are wanted as wit- nesses. - i An investigation seldom gfves much definite and practical promise until it gets Into the hands of & grand jury. SHOOTING STARS. Hero Worship. We're disappeinted, more or less, Through all our mortal lives, T guess. ‘You must remember as a boy The stories that you heard with joy. ©Oh, how you envied the estate Of Jack the Giant Killer great! Or, leaning against the mother's knee, You listened and you longed to be Like Joseph, patigt, wise and grave, ‘Who fed his brethren and forgave. In later days our fancies climb Toward Julius Caesar in hjs prime, Or, seeking gain by strife or stealth, Toward Croesus rolling in his wealth. Listen, oh, friend! The later dream As futile as the first must gleam. About as good a chance you stand Of taking tyrannous command By means of politics or gold, Like Caesar or like Croesus old, As you enjoyed in childish hours Of having Jack's enormous powers, Or reaching Joseph's height immense Of goodness and of influence. The One Exception. “The life of & man in your high posi- tion should be as an open book.” “lI am perfectly willing,” replied Senator Sorghum, “to acquaint the public with every detail of my private history—except my daily golf scores.” Jud Tunkins says & political party is no good without harmony, and so- vietism sounds to him like a jazz band in the distance. Vintage Stuff. “Just what is poetry?” men still in- quire. ‘We seldom understand what we ad- mire, But poetry, like wine—this much we know— | E If good, must have been made long years ago. Modernized. “I think I can make & great success of Othello,” sald Mr. Stormington Barnes. “How?" inquired the manager. “Instead of allowing Desdemona to expire, we'll bring her to with music and make the show a bedrogm farce.” “De more you knows,” said Uncle Eben, “de more you finds out dat you didn’t .know. what you thought you aia” 3 The President and the Campaign. This question is under some inter- esting discussion: What part will the President take in the contest for the election of another republican Con- gress? It is conceded,’ of. course, on all Lands, ‘ that he desires another. It would be strange, if he did not. For not only will the next Congress if re’ publican have opportunity to supple- ment such work as the present Con- gress may do, but it will meet on the eve of the inauguration of the next presidential campaign and make & rec- ord entering into the next republican national platform. Plain stumping is out of the ques- tion. That is not expected. That would offend agalnst convention and tradi- tion. It may be mentioned, however, that the President is a prize stumper, end on the stump would draw recoed crowds this year. He would easily head the procession, and be worth in votes a great deal to his party. But he can serve with effect off the stump, and presumably will be drawn upon for all the service he can render. A word from him—a letter written in season—will go far in debatable ter- ritory, and bolster up here and there a weak candidacy. The President is a party men in party matters, lauds party work, and knows how to perform it. He has what is called ““a human side,” and is approachable on that side to all his friends and supporters. And when the ball opens and all get into action we may expect to see him approached by a great many per- sons who know his power and disposi- tion and are standing in need of his assistance. The President's trip to Alaska, if he makes it, will take piace before the campaigns are formully opened. But politics by that time will be the wear everywhere, and in his journey across the continent and back he will be met by large assemblages at the stopping places and greeted in a manner that will call for responses from him. And he will be very likely to respond in the key desired. e e . The Hawkeye State. For half a century Iowa has been very prominent in the Senate. In that time four of her representatives in that body—DMr. Allison, Mr. Dolliver, Mr. Cummins and Mr. Kenyon—have been mentioned in presidential specu- lation. Mr. Allison was often mentioned. A full, fair and industrious man, greatly respected throughout the country both for character and ability, he seemed just to miss the prize. He lacked self- ish push. He had no epectacular qualities. He made no appeal to the hurrah spirit. But that he would have made a great President was often af- firmed by those who knew him well and were competent to judge. Mr. Dolliver was an orator of a high class, and a student of government as well. At the republican national con- vention in 1900 he was the choice of many delegates for the vice presiden- tial nomination; and had the nomine- tion fallen to him the opportunity that came to0 Theodore Roosevelt would have come to him. He died premature- 1y, and to the general regret. There was much more work for him to do, and that he would have done it well and increased his reputation there is no doubt. Mr. Cuthmins came to the Senate on the strength of a record he had made in the governorship of Iowa, and in the Senate has justified the appraise- ment of that record. He is now seven- ty-two, and has probably outlived any aspirations he may once have cher- ished for the country's chief prize. But he has not outlived his usefulness in the Senate, where he stands in the front rank, and is his party's leading authority on the transportation ques- tion. o Mr. Kenyon retires while young, leaving the turbulent waters of politics for the snug haven of the federal bench. He took the mention of his name for the presidency good-natured- 1y, but not seriously enough to cause him to put aside an opportunity to en- ter the field for which he had long en- tertained a predilection. The black silk gown will probably prove as be- coming to him as the toga. ——at——————— New York and 1924, In his absence at Palm Beach, en- joying life on those “yellow sands” and striving for an answer to the old riddle about what the wild waves may be saying, Mayor Hylan is made the subject at home of a puff for the presi- dency. A good man, it is said, elose to the peopl?; familiar with' thejr needs and wants and disposed to serve them at all times in all things; popular, as last November's verdict at the polls strik- ingly showed—what better man, it is asked; could New York present two vears hence for the national leader- saip of the democratic party? Doubtless the compliment will be appreciated by his honor, but it is doubttul if more than a personal com- pliment is conveyed. We shall prob- ably not see the New York democracy mustering behind this local favorite as its cholce for President in 1924. Today, former Gov. “Al” Smith {s highly fancled by his party friends at home. He was highly fancled by them at San Francisco two years ago, but the fancy did not spread. Outside the New York delegation no Smith men were developed. The Smith boom faded away. Why Smith now? He failed of re-election to the governor- ship that year, and since then has been in private life. The fact is that former Secretary McAdoo is now, as in 1920, New York’s foremost democrat in a truly national sense. His neck-and-neck race with Gov. Cox at Spn Francisco stamped him as poss of both speed and staying power, and he has lost nothing since_in quallties that enter into the ncl:} game. Tammany did not cotton to Mr. Me- Adoo at that time, and is not cotton- ing to him now. Nevertheless, he has a strong hold on his party in many stutes; and it seems very likely that in the next two years McAdoo senti- ment will show itself here and there in quarters that spell mucli in national candidate-making. - D. C, FEBRUARY 26, 1922—PART 2 Politics at Home|Urges That Nations Outlaw Arming of Merchant Ships BY THOMAS R. MARSHALL, Former Vice President of the United States. UCCEEDING generations have continued to quote the com- ment, “He never sald a fool- ish thing or did a wise ong” about the English monarch who relgned but did not in troublous times rule. Each day brings {its incident of the right thing being said and the wrong thing being done, yet we are prone to belleve that wisdom of conduct follows wisdom of expression. It s an interesting study ‘whether more good comes to the world through clinging to a prin- ciple under changed conditions than comes to it by the too early desertion of that principle. - The uncertainty in reaching a correct conclusion arises from the fact that upon nearly every condition of life there bear two or more great principles which abstract- edly mnay not be denled. One of theee principles ordinarily has to do with the intellectual concept of man. The other 18 brought into play through the pasglons of his primal inetinct. And when they run amuck nobody knows what may happen. * ox ok x International relations bear a marked similarily to the rela- tions which exist between indi- viduals. Principles which govern nations when under serene skles seem to clash with principles which govern in the storm of contro- versy. A fair weather rule seems applicable only when the weather 18 falr. One of my observations as awyer was that the most brutal and seemingly unjustified homi- cldes were committed by qalet men of mild demeanor. 1 had hoped that the submarine would be deciared an international outlaw by the Washington confer- ence and that by such declara- tion it would become looked upon by clvil'zed mankind as the sting- ing Indlan cobra. But I am not inclined to be censorious of the conference. I realize that con- ferences must be compromising and that all that is best cannot always be obtained. The men who gulde the destinies of the world ap- parently did not hold my view of the submarine. * k k¥ It has long been recognized as a principle of warfare that merchant vessels of neutral nations might after warning be searched upon the high "seas for contraband of war. The right to sink them, at least until passengers and crew had been removed, Was never con- ceded, however. With the growth of modern warfare, what consti- tutes contraband of war has be- come almost impossible to tell. It no longer consists of arms and am- munition and supplies for fighting men. It may include some article of use in home life. but without which_a people could not wage war. T doubt whether an interna- tional conference would be able to get the nations of the world to agree on a schedule of the articles which_all would say are contra- band. It Is quite apparent that the things which England must import to carry on a war would differ ma- terially from those which would be §equlrad by France or Germany or taly. While America was yet neutral in the European war disputes as to what eonstituted contrabnd of war arose-and jsgsue was drawr on the question under what circum- stances American vessels might be towed into English ports and their cargoes confiscated. The imperial German government, bringing for- ward the anclent doctrine that “in the midst of war the laws aro si- lent,” threw itself behind the doc- trine of self-preservation and made itself ‘judge of what was needful to be done in order to preserve the empire and to win the war. Hu- man _life, was not permitted to stand in the way of accomplish- ment. Ruthless and relentless, the The contention that wages are so high that we cannot compete in foreign trade is brushed aside as “inaccurate in general, though it may apply in a few indus- » by Dr. Julius Klein, director of the United States bureau of for- eign and domestic commerce. In re- ply to direct, specific questions, he told the House appropriations com- mittee that the danger to our export trade from the “pauper wages” of Europe is exaggerated. Al the same time he gave Congress- men a new and positive size-up of the importance to general prosperity in this country of maintaining and de- veloping and promoting foreign com- merce. “Forelgn trade,” he said, “rep- resents the margin between prosperity ana depression in this country.” As il- lustration, Dr. Klein pointed to the situation in the shoe Industry. In 1914 3.5 per cent of the total output of the shoe factories in the United States went into foreign trade. To- day that percentage is exactly doub- led, and it is going up every year. Seventecn per cent of the total out- put of factories producing industrial machinery goes into foreign trade to- day, which means that the 2,000,000 persons supported by that industry are directly dependent upon foreign trade. * kK K The most striking feature of our oxport and import business today, he says, is the prospect of formidable European competition. The foreign countries are relatively more aggres- sive than we are and the very large amount of foreign trade we have Dbeen developing is going to be Wiped out unless we are very careful. Our ex- {ports to the world have moro than doubled since before the war. l’oint- ing out that the war did nor create our foreign trade but simply accel- erated it, Dr. Klein warns Congress: “\We must make every effort to de- fend this valuable prize in the mar- kets of the world.” Congressmen &p- parently agree with him, for in the annual appropriation bill reported to the House an increase ot $304,900 was_included for the bureau, in spite of the economy program, with the prospect that the increase will be doubled before the Senate passes this measure. ‘The reason why high wages paid to men In the mines, fields and fac- tories in this country will not prove an insurmountable barrier in the con- test for world trade, Dr. Klein finds first of all in the greater productive capacity of our workmen. Taking the coal industry as an example, he cites a far imore advanced Industrial technique by the American mining and handling companles in machinery for keeping the mfnes dry, pumping apparatus, lifting and hoisting me- chanical devices, devices for deliver- ing toal on board ships, etc., which, under normul conditions, puts Ameri- can coal, f. o. b, at Norfolk cheaper than European coal at Cardiff. * k% x It is the same story that goes back to Richard Henry Dama's “Two Years Betore the Mast,” where he points out the fact that it would fake fewer Americans to Tun & givea: ship ‘than 1 1 L eSS Sl e el el B eI A | I Germans went about their work in their own way. * K ok * Whatever else has gone to the scrap heap under the blighting in- fluences of modern warfare, the sacredness of the lives of those not actively engaged in mllitary operation still appeals to mankind. The 'world is still hoping and pray- ing that through Mr. Wilson's ideas or through President Hard- ing’s efforts or through the {nter- position of Divine Providence, the submarine horror shall never again be repeated. Diplomacy is yet to demonstrate whether it can do anything to lessen the loss of human life in the hour of international passion, whether it can compel men who are bound to wreck and bankrupt the world to leave on the face of it a few more human beings to carry on the work of rehabilita- tion “aftcr the storm of their pas- slon shall have spent its force. Burely, loss of life on the high seas may be reduced. At any rate, it is not asking too much that civilized man put out of commls- sion certain principles which may have found favor once, but under conditions that no longer exist. < * ok ok K For instance, what earthly rea- son now exists for the arming Of purely merchant vessels? I should 1like to be told how you are to de- termine, if vessels are to be armed, how many guns a mere merchant ship may carry and how many will make of it & war machine. It is as easy to say when the pullet be- comes a hen or the shoat becomes a pig, as to tell when a merchant vessel, carrying guns, becomes & warrfor. In the old days, whem pirates Infested the seven seas, and when it was the custom of government to fit out privateers, William G. McAdoo, war-time Sec- retary of the Treasury, felt lonesome when he stood on the platform to ad- dress the conference of bar associa- tions at Memorial Continental Hall 1ast week. He was as lonesome, standing on that platform, as was a certain col- ored soldier upon a certain battlefield of France. Mr. McAdoo said: “This soldler was a speedy runner. He and his mates had been anticipat- ing the day when they would go over the top, and at last the hour came. “They went over, but for a con- siderable distance Into the field all was sllence. There was no indic: tion of any enemy. This colored youth made remarkable progress, so much so that soon he had outdis- tanced all his comrades, but without noticing it. “Then suddenly .hells began to burst to his right and left. He look- ed around. As far as he could see ge was the only one in a great ex- e ‘Good Lawd.’ he exclaimed, * aln't nobody in dis wah but me!' * * ¥ The conference of bar associations was notable for ono thing in addition to its tangible accompiishments. It began its various sessions lale each morning, the opening session being delayed an hour behind sched- uled time, owing to the lelsurely manner of delegates assemblylng. It has often been charged that no meeting ever begins exactly on sched- ‘ule time in Washington, and the blame is usually put upon the local residents. Since all but a few of the delegates were from the states, the delays in starting the sessions must be charged to them, not to the District this time. The beautiful weather experienced during the conference, with lower 17th street, the White House grounds and the Ellipse beginning to take on a merchant vessel was authorized |the appearance of early spring. to carry a gun In order to ward off |might have had something to do attack and to escape. Save In a |with it few negligible instances in the * China seas, the ocean has been swept clean of pirates. Privateers no longer exist. In the hour of peace, merchant vessels of the world can sail any sea and enter any port without the slightest danger to life or cargo. There is always danger of & neutral nation being involved in warfare when its merchant ves- gels are.armed. War is always prosecuted only In self-defence. Brutal and unprovoked as it may statesmen invariably * * Little Helen had been instructed by her mother to be sure when she Vis- ited a certain lady to leave promptly when the lady's husband came home in the evening. “Now you come right home, as 1 have told you,” warned her mother. The child carried out these instruc- tions in 2 rather literal manner, not having had very many l:ave beem, 2 declere that they were driven to a:‘:“:fl;‘r‘hfi":n‘hlch to learn the defend themselves. Captains Sf | 'When the gontleman opened his beings. Put them on armed neu- front door that evening Helen was R ipe in the midst of dan. |mindful of her mother's instructions. ger, cne will run, another will “Well,” she sald, in response to his Cwait pttack. a third will believe [Breeting. “I've got to go now. that the “Lord helps those who help themselves.” A fight takes place between an armed mer- chantman and a belligerent ship. The merchantman will insist that he was attacked. The belligerent will deny that he began the fight. Forthwith the neutral nation is in the war. EE If the merchantman were not armed there could be no dispute about attack. There would be no excuse for sinking the ves- pel, no justification for taking human life. A shot athwart her bow would bring the merchant- man to. The vessel could be searched for contraband of war. It could be towed into port. 1 cannot belleve that a bel- ligerent ship would fire just the same, even though the merchant- man were not armed. Human na- tyre has not returned to such a strfe o barbarism. But if so, though unarmed neutrals were treated as combatants, there could be no dispute as to who made the attack, who committed the . international - offense, Wwho broke .the law of nations. The moral_opinion of mankind would demand the wiping from exist- ence of a nation whose navy should be guilty of such an out- rage. {Capyright, 1922, by Thomas R. Marshall.) High Wages No Export Barrier Americanit would take Englishmen, because of j understand Germany's the American adaptation of labor- saving devices. Any one going into a rolling mill_in Pittsburgh and then visiting the big German piants at Es- sen or the big British plants is im- Dpressed, first of all, in the American plants with the fact that few men are in sight, whereas in the British and German plants large numbers are seen everywhere. * % % % The difference in wages between those paid American workmen and VYheir European competitors is, ot course, an item well worth consider- ing, and we should be sure to com- pare not only the wages, but the cost of goods per unit. We should also be very sure that in any such compari- son we are considering the same or similar articles. For instance, very frequently it is stated that a plece of cutlery made in Germany now costs 50 many cents as compared to the cost here of several dollars, whereas the given plece of cutlery made in the “United States is reaily a very different and much superior article. Dr. Kle.ln aleo dissipates the idea that Germany’s manufacturing industries are being r. very rapidly—‘only very gradfnl h2 says. Germany Is very active in promoting foreign trade by placing her export sales service at the disposal of countries having merchandise to_sell. Her own industrial recovery is not progressing as rapidly as is generally supposed. ' The serious feature from the point of view of competition with our OWD exports is that she is resorting to a very considerable artificlal stimulus, a variety of indirect official aids to trade, suchias lo;‘ taxes and very low freight on the government GeE I.Ya & rallways .of ngland, Germany, France—depend- ing, of course, on the eommnduyp:nre our principal competitors in foreign trade. Japan, Italy, Spain and Belgium in iron, steel, glass and cutlery. Eng- land is both our greatest competitor and best customer. Similarly, we are selling machinery in Germany today and at the same time the Germans are en- deavoring to sell similar lines abroad in competition with us. x K %k & The whole matter of watching foreign compétition has speclai reference to banking facilities, Dr. Klein told the ap- propriations committee. Our exporters are now served by a number of foreign branches of American banks authorized under the federal reserve syStem. That puts us in an advantageous position which we did not have before the war; it liberates us from a certain amount of dependence upon the British and Ger- man banks. They controlled a large part of American foreign b fore the war through that means.AQu: titles ‘of paper connected with export transactions passed through thelr hands, and inevitably a large amount of val- uable ‘Information trickled has of the foreign competitors of American houses. This banking compe- tition is now taking & very aggressive form, which the bureau of foreign and domesticy commerce realizes it must wateh. most carefully 50 as to give proper adviee to American exporters. Amerk can manufacturers are very chlidlike in making their first essayals in foreign trade, The credit problem is not seri- ously embarrassing the intelligent American exporter—its intricacies have And away she went. * * % On the street car going home the other afternoon was a small creature dressed in corduroy breeches and a white shirt with a Lord Byron col- lar. Greeted as a boy, a second look made one suspicious that this was a little girl. There was something about the miid brown eyes and the smooth hair that suggested the girl. But those corduroy breeches— “] saw them make that!” the chiid suddenly cried, pointing to the copy of The Star in my hand. “That's fine! If you'll come down some day I'll show you all through.” Great was his—her—scorn of my durbness. “Why, I saw them!" came the wide- eyed exclamation. CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Heard and Seen| years upon | Fifty Years Ago in The Star In the early days of the republic a prejudice existed against any sort of uniforms or costumes Gowns for for officials save those of the Army and Navy. Lawyers. 7y, “was a reaction against the monarchical usages of the old world. Though from time to time gowns were proposed far judges, the movement gained no headway for |many years. In The Star of February 21, 1872, another angle of this matter is discussed. Though since then the silk gown has been very generally adopted by judges, the distinctive Earb for lawyers has never found . or. ‘Since the recent removal of the criminal court in St. Louls into the palatial ‘Four Courts’ with its elo- gant Brussels carpefs, velvet rugs and walnut furniture, the legal gen- try iIn that city have come out strong in’ favor of the proposition of one of the judges for the donning of black silk ‘gowns by the lawyers in court. This is not altogether the result of the aristocratic spiendor of thelr gor- geous surroundinge, above noticed, nor is it due entirely to the abiding faith St. Louls lawyers have in com- mon_ with their fellow citizens that thelr city is the federal capital of the future and they must do all in their power 1o enhance its dignity and that of §ts chief ornament, the bar. even In such a matter as the lexai costume. We grieve to say it, but the silk gown was advocated on no such practical grounds. The true reason why the poet cal Judge Primm pro- posed it and the lawyers favored it was simply, In the language of the judge himself, ‘because it is often difficult to distinguieh the counsel from the prisoner and often one is taken for the other’ This is shock- ing, positively shocking. If it ia necessary the distinction should he made; however, the eilk gown wili have to be generally edopted, for it 15 not always possible in other cities beside St. Louls to distingulsh the lawyer from his client merely by the moral excellence stamped upon thr countenance of the former.” x » * A jury in a damage sult fifty years ago decided that the street rallway company could not Jury's Decision compel the use of transfers at the on Transfers. junction point. The case had been pending some time in court, and the conclusion is thus set forth’ in The Star of February 4. i2: “A question of interest to street car passengers was decided yesterday in the case of Thomas J. Davis against the Washington and George- town Railroad Company. The plain- tiff complains that a transfer ticket entitling himgto g0 up Tth street was refused becalise he did not get on the 7th street car at the point of junction, but walked up to near the Patent Office and got on @ car there In other words. the case involved the whole question of tlie right of the corn- pany to refuse to recognize transfer tickets not presented at the point of junction. It was argued on behalf of the company that they have the right fo make the regulation that transfers should only be received at the junc- tions to prevent fraud on the com- pany. On the other hand, it was maintained that the by-laws or reg- ulations in relation to transfers set up by the company are not authorized by law or their charter and, ther. fore, are void. Judge MacArthur i structed the jury that if they thouel the rule in relation to tramsfers. which made them good at the junc- tion only, a reasonable one, they should find for the defendant, other- wise not. The jury decided that it was not reasonable, or authorized by the company's charter, returning a verdict for plaintiff with damages at 5 cents, the price of the ticket. The company must now make up its mind to consuit the public con- venience, instead of its own, in the matter of accepting transfers not presented at the junction.” DIGEST OF FOREIGN PRESS ‘When France Paid Reparations. FRANKFORT. —A writer in the Frankfurter Zeitung details France's difficulties in raising indemnities in- curred by Napoleon's fall. He says: “If we recall the tremendous diffi- culties which France had to contend with 105 years ago when she had to pay the reparations debts to Napo- leon's conquerors, it reminds us of our present situation. present position i it would seem interesting to compare 1 with France's position at that time, the more 8o if wWe replace in the fol- lowing historical study taken from the memoirs of Gabriel Julien Ouv- rard, the word ‘France’ by ‘Germany” and compare the allies of that time (Prussia, Austria, Russia and Eng- land) with the present allies, the ‘holy alliance’ with the ‘league of nations,’ Wellington with Foch, Metternich with Liloyd George, Richelieu with Rathenau. “According to the Paris peace trealy of November, 1815, France had to pay for three years'the cost of an allied army of occupation consisting of 150,- 000 men, which was reckoned at 160,- 000,000 francs & year, thus making a total of 4,800,000,000 francs, also a war indemnity of 700,000,000 francs, payable in five yearly installments of 140,000,000 francs cach, and besides that the cost of reparations, whicn meant satisfying the demands of ail the communities and private individ- uals in the countries where the war bad taken place. “When the first Vear's payment was due France tried to obtain the neces- sary money, but this was impossible in the financialiy impoverished coun- try, and a royal order to collect a forced loan of 100,000,000 francs among the rich subjects was quite unsuccessful. It only proved that forced measures against the will of the stock exchange only ruined the credit of the land. “Then Gabriel Julien Ouvrard ap- peared on the scene and tried to help the government with his advice. He put himself at the service of the Duke de Richelieu, the finance minister of Louts XVIII, and advised him to ob- tain from the allled governments the permission to make the payments in 5 per cent French state papers, in- stead of in ready money, as had been demanded. Baring Bros. in London and Hope & Co. in Amsterdam, who were both aware of Ouvrard's far- sighted intelligence and with whom he had conferred previously, were willing, with another English com- pany. to negotiate this loan with the allied powers at the rate of 70 per cent. The proposition, however, did not please the allies, who wanted to have ‘Teady money. Metternich alone suprorted France's proposal. “The consequence iwas,'" continues the writer, “that already, in 1816, Franco couid no longer carry out her engagements, although Alexander | Baring had ‘helped with a loan of ,100,000 pounds sterling. There was then no other choice but to consider | Ouvrard’s plan, which had been | scorned. At that time nothing could be decided among the allies without the consent of Wellington, the con- querer of Waterloo. Although.Ouv- rard, as finance and industrial mag- nate and former lieutenant in the French and Spanish armies, could acarcely be a very acceptable person with Wellington, they relied on the ractical and fmpartial mind of the Englishman and were not disappoint- ed. After & meeting with Ouvrard Weliington realised that the proposed big credit operation was the only means to get out of the present di- lemma. rough his influence the ‘other allies were also £oon of the same opinfon. They consented to ac- cept the first indemnity instaliment of 140,000,000 francs the 1 - 000 occupation expenses for the first | year in French stoci. " “The era of state finance recon- struction had begun,” he continues. | “Rothschild’s Bank alone had nego- tiated loans between 1815 and 1826 with the five European great powers | for 1,250,000,000 francs. “What Ouvrard had foreseen came |to pass. France was able to consoli- {date the whole of her war debt and free herself from the burden of & | were able to satisfy their most press- long occupation; the allied powers In trying 0o gnancial necessities and start re- construction: the stock exchange re- t} ceived a new impetus, which was so followed by the fresh business life: through the ‘holy ailiance’ a modera- tion of the hatred toward France was brought about by the fact that the community of former enemy powers and their citizens, the English ship- owners, the German business men, the Russian landowners, ROW DPOSSess- ed French stock and were consequent- Iy interested in the prosperity of their former opponent. “Just the last point was perhaps the finest in the whole of Ouvrard's combination. “And today, just as a hundred years ago and as ever in history, the wcrld needs individualities who try to solve problems by new or long-for- gotten means instead of in the regu- lar way." Prince Yamagata, Maker of Japan. LONDON.—The Tokio correspond- ent of the Times telegraphs the fol- lowing concerning Prince Yamagata's career: “The scenes which have attended the closing days of Prince Yamagata's life have served to reveal the hold that this outstanding figure of Japanese modern life has upon the nation. The story has often been told how Yama- gata, when Commodore Perry's black ships arrived off the coast, placed his sword between his teeth and swam out to attack the hated invader single- handed. This story is apocryphal, doubtless, but it strikingly illustrates i the character of the man who, per- haps, was the chief directing figure of Japanese policies for over a period of half a century, and, owing to the peculiar position of the country during the Meiji era, was, with such men as Ito and Inouye, the sole di- recting brain under the emperor. “When Yamagata returned from his European tour in the early 70’'s he made one recommendation fol- lowing what he saw in Europe— namely, the adoption of universal military service. This was the be- ginning of the huge military machine i which exists today and of which Yamagata was repeatedly chief of the general staff. Discipline was inbred in him, and this instinct made him impatient of so-called representative government and extremely contemp- | tuous of parliamentary fnstitutions. It is not an easy task to assign to Yamagata his just place in the trans- formation of modern Japam, byt onc may assert that no serious political move has been made in recent times consent. in the Meijl era, when it would have meant destruc- tion in Japan for a statesman to be guided by the national sentiment in his relations with foreign powers. But nothing was more natural and appropriate in Japan than the pre- eminence of statesmen of the type of Yamagata. They are the makers of jJapan; in their hands had lain the power that very few statesmen of any country had wielded—a power almost uncontrolled. It is in accord with the best sentiment of the Japa- nese people that the wise and ex- perienced should be heard, and who was wiser and more experienced thun the soldier who for sixty years play- ed & manful part in the great batte of Japan !orr"thu right of nal