Evening Star Newspaper, July 26, 1923, Page 6

6 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON . C, THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1923. ° m ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic J. Haskin THE EVENING STAR, With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY.......July 26, 1923 THEODORE W. NOYES, The » Editor Evening Star Newspaper Company lpess Office, 11th St. and Peansylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: Tower Building. Ruropean Otfice: 10 Regent St., London, England. The Evening Star, with the Sunday morning i delivered by ety ‘ents per month; daily Sunday only, 20 cents per mon be sent by ‘mail. or telephone Main lection Is made by carriers at the end of each month. te by Mail—Payablé in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. v and Sunday..1yr., §8.40; 1 mo,, 70c Daily only 1yr., $6.00; 1 mo., 50c Eunday only 1yr., $2.40 1 mo., 20¢ All Other States. Daily and Sunday..1yr., $10.00; 1 mo., $5¢ Daily only 1yr., $7.00; 1 mo., 60 nday only......1yr., $3.00; 1mo.. 25c Member of the Associated Press, a8 in exclusively entitied it and also the local mews pub: Al rights of publication of ispatelies hereln are also reserved. speciul Johngon Still Irreconcilable. Scnator Hivam Johnson, returned pligrim, delivered his message on lsuropean affairs to the American peo- ple at a dinner given in his honor in New York last night. He went to Europe reconcilable.” He re. urned irreconcilable.” The cd happened. Of more immediate importance political point of view is the dec by Senator Johmson in his speech that he will resist the leader ¢t Harding an ex m a ix laration ol s party, President in eiort adhere any 1o have Court of so-called Permanent Internations Justice—the world court—with as much vigor as he resisted the effort of Woodrow Wil- son to have the United States b me of the league of nations In the opinion of wator Johnson adherence to the world court is a step ward involving t ["nited States in it today. most ihe to the ol 1 member foreign 1t would be grave leag ounced eIf to out of Europes The Senator mess as it exis srave mista mistake, Senator an had dedicated him- of keeping America as a as joining i ut caus itse Johnson t he e 1 entunglements attitude to the adminis- tration may be considered a throwing down of the gauntlet reconcilable up in President’s to win the support of the irr to the court, made speech on his west ern tour, when he proposed changes in the court s he court from the league s nas failed. The President might have pat on his fivst propasal of ad- the court with better as- surance of having the protocol 1 tied by the Senate. He may now have lost the the democrats without obtaining the harmony the republicans, which he sought In his nelation f the ourt pi Senator Johnson declare that “nobody in Europe cares a r: for the court: that it would not work. Tn detail the returned traveler laid stress upon the ss of fore ach defiant assumed Johnson by the whole Senate. The effort concilubles it stood nerence to i support among an seltish nations of determined he satd. In . <on sa pursue, just proud part, just o real service—speak our and boldly, Le true to our own insti- hold own ideals, be fair and just to ail peoples, but stand these nations for itself alone, nelusion, Senator was stand John- > cours one way to voice, frankly iations, SIS ing upon our own shores, remain the | wmaster of our own destiny, the cap- tain of our own souls.” Such phrases in the mouths of European leaders might well have been interpreted by Senator Johnson as bolstering up his argument of the supreme selfishness of the rest of the world. [ preach the doctrine of abhorrence of w the California senator said ewhere in his address. He is a lover of peace. He wants the United States to help in its own way to bring about an era of International peace. But he calls to mind the ancient rhyme of the girl who asked her mother if she might go out to swim. and the mother’s reply: “Yes, darling daughter; hang your clothes on a hickory limb. but don’t g0 near the water.” —————— my In order to concentrate the ener- gies of those interested in advancing the interests of the farmer, an early \terview should be arranged between Mr. Magnus Johnson and Mr. Bernard Baruch. —— It the Wilsonlan democrats have their way, the next campaign text hook will be a_work afite sufficient “10 win the Bok league of nations prize. ——— ' Local Coal Situation. Ciose watch is to be kept on the coul situation in the District that the 1¢opie of Washington may be given =uch protection as is possible against ';um coal shortage or a fictitious sMortage for the purpose of practicing aqxiortion. The Coal Consumers’ A/ Lifugue has its plans and the Com- missioners promjise to d6 all within icir. power for the protection of the public. An investigation is being wade with the view of determining * ‘what practical means shall be taken to avoid a coal famine in Washington < ,should there be a coal strike and to f{prevent profiteering in coal whether | Ythere should be war or peace at the Zwines. “There has been much confusion in “ihe coal matter and last winter there was a great inconvenience and some suffering. The price of coal was un- precedented. A good deal of second or third class coal was sold at the price of first.class coal, but the answer of the dealer was that he was de- livering the best coal he could" get. The Public Utilities Commission, not by act of law, but by agreement with the coal dealers, had supervision of prices and quality of coal and had control over its distribution, and it is probably fair to belleve that the dealer s not responsible for the low qual- ity of much of the coal sold or for the remarkable price charged for good and bad coal. ZFhe conference at Atlantic City be- the United States | "{a half trillions. ng further to divorce | » method to render | | tween operators and miners 1s still on and the result is in doubt, but the welght of opinion is that an agree. ment will be reached and that there !will be no shut-down in mining this fall. With no strike or lock-out there should be no shortage. It has been said that since the late strike the out- put of anthracite has been heavy and that the production this summer is breaking the record. If the operators and miners fail to agree it is sald that the government will take over the mines and operate them. It is probable that coal, dealers, or some coal dealers, have taken ad- vantage of the in the coal industry to make higher than normal profits, but the main trouble in the coal matter seems to be farther away than the coal vard or office of the local dealer. The president of the Washington Coal Consumers' League is quoted as ng that in his opinion the local i dealers are not primarily responsible {for high prices, but he charges that { there is a combine between the greater wholesalers and that retallers here land elsewhere may be parties to the | price-fixing combine. This is a matter for investigation. If proof can be {found of such a combine or agree- ment the government should be able to smash the combination, If it can be shown to a moral certainty that there is such a combination and that no legal proof of it can be had a wa: might still be found to break up the bandit league. Marks by the Trillion. German finances are ebbing to the puint where the mark has become ner infintesimal unit of basic sgmputation. Yesterday a new low { point s scored when the exchange jrate stood at 666,666 marks to the dol- lar. Two-thirds of a million for 100 1y an {ing mc new ns, or unt. des- s attests world | the process c country more et at basis of issue is stood deprec sued inations of 10,000 and 20,000, which are The presses are print- The printing presses can the in the form of k. wit disturbing domestic condi- cents From Berlin comes word of |1ong queugs at the banks as people seck bills. In the vaults of the Reichsbank, it is stated, is a stock of | 700,000,000 gold marks, but upstalrs | the tellers arve passing out bundles of .mper. carelessly counted, in denom- stowed away in baskets and suit cases. The larger denominations have been sent to the outer reaches of Germany, {owing to the greater difficulty of trans- | portation. | At present the total issue of marks il\ said to be, roughly, twenty-five and constantl; Last week the issue amounted to five and a arter tr fcent of the total outstanding am This fact me to the perate condition of the currency Theoretically, there is no limit to atinue to grind out paper tokens of higher and higher denominations. But cctually the constant dilution of the exchange value tends o bankruptey. Wi a adds than cent to its currency in a week, without the same time adding to actual wealth, it is risking collapse This fact perfectly well under- at Berlin, But the process of tion is not being blindly pur- 1t is helieved to be deliberate. Stoppage of the printing presses for a w © @ month, could be ordered tions, If there is a stock of gold rks to the amount of seven hun- dred million in the vaults of the Reichsbank it ix actually unnece: continue manufacture tokens. already with currency. ry o ) new nar This constant dilution of the through curre mark enormous additions to t ney | designed to force relinquishment the French and Belgian demand for immediate discharge of the war in- demnity—reparations pavment, it is cuphemistically styled—which is in arrears. Those long queues at the bank windows are the exclamation points of the German protests of pov erty addressed to the world's ears. s one-hundred-thousand-dol- lar prize contest for the best plan for nations is to be conducted with strict secrecy as to the identity of the con- testants. ly be so arranged as to enable Mr. Bok himself to compete. He is a man f recognized literary facility and of earnest ideas on the subject in hand. His generous relationship to the en- | terprise deprives it of one of its most valuable contributors. —_———— When one pugilist defeats another interest immediately asserts itself in arrangements for a new antagonist for the champion. Like the argu- ments in more serious realms of con- tention, a prize fight always leaves counters. ————— Lecturers may not come to America from England next winter as numer- ously as usual. They may have de- cided that their neighbors across the channel are the people need talking to. As in its earlier days the problem in connection with sovietism is to find out precisely what it means. Support for High Pressure. With forty-eight out of seventy-one members of Congress who have been interviewed in a poll The Star is taking on the subject of a high-pressure serv- ice for the District declaring definitely in favor of that means of protection, it is fair to assume that this question will receive sympathetic consideration at the next session. Of the remaining twenty-two members addressed, only one has expressed any doubt of the propriety of an appropriation to in- stall the system, twenty-one announc- ing that they will give the matter careful attention and indicating that they are now inclined to favor it. This is a matter, indeed, as to which there should be no doubt. The com- mon sense of high-pressure installa- tion is obvious. Washington is at present fighting all its fires with fil- tered water taken from the drinking supply. At times that supply is in- adequate. 1f a big fire should occur in the center of the city, in the area of concentrated values — including practically all of the governments remarkable situation | more than 20 per | is flooded | s part of the political game, of | including the U. S. A. in a league of | Yet the conditions can hard. i much to be argued out in future en-) who really | | buildings and records—it 1s doubtful {it there would be water enough to fight it without turning ino the fire mains every drop of the supply and thus depriving the whole District of ‘water. It is not difficult to conceive the downtown district developed in such a blaze that enough water could not be drawn from the mains to fight it and keep it within limits. It would be then necessary to stretch hose !lines from the scene of the fire to the river front and pump the water di- rectly from that limitiess source of supply. The other day a fire was fought in the subdivision of Barry Farms—improperly called Hillsdale— south of the Anacostia river by means of a hose line 5,000 feet in {length, there being no fire hydrants | nearer to the scene of the blaze. It lwouhi not be surprising to find the District at any time in a similar { plight through the lack of a high- pressure system furnishing river water for firefighting purposes within the business area in limitless quan- tities. Al these considerations are so ! blainly reasonable that they quickly persuade those legislators to whom ithe matter is broached, so there is no wonder that favorable responses to The Star's inquiry are so nearly unanimous. ——————— Walter Reed Hospital. At the next session of Congress an effort will be made by Director Hines jof the Veterans' Bureau and Surgeon {General Ircland, acting in co-operation, to secure from Congress appropria- tions to replace some of the temporary structures at Walter Reed Hospital with permanent buildings. No plea of economy should prevail to prevent such allowances of funds. Walter Reed Hospital has become an estab- lished institution. It is now crowded. Its permanent population will not greatly diminish, inasmuch as it has become the principal military hos- pital of the government. Its present equipment is far from being suitable. Many of the buildings are of a “tem- porary” character, hastily constructed during the war and, as already dem- onstrated by misfortune, subject to destruction by fire, with the possible death of their inmates. The government should not expose its wards to any degree of risk. A Walter Reed hundreds of men are being housed in flimsy quarters. At- tention has been called to this danger | before. but without result, Time is surely at hand for a liberal appro- { priation that will begin the process of permanent construction at Walter | Recd Hospital. Unless this institution | {is ubundoned or very materially re. duced in scope it must be developed vith substantial, fireproof. thoroughly | sanitary structures. Delay involves deadly peril that the government should not run. b a | i 1 1 ———— { After going to Europe to study eco- {nomic conditions a statesman often !returns to find those over here more | interesting even though less tragic. B — l Unfavorable comment naturally | rises in the republican party on the | effort of Minneapolis to crowd Alaska out of the spotlight. i —— ; The political experts are slightly modifying the ancient advice to “go northwest, young man, and grow up with the country.” {cent for foreign . CAPITAL KEYNOTES BY PAUL The dignity of the Senate must and shall be preserved. Not from its sa- cred precincts shall the amplifier and the radio send broadcast the wisdom of a Magnus nor the chaste classics of a Lodge. Yes, there will be no ra dio from the upper chamber of Con- gress, howsoever may the less reserved orators of the House scatter their tropes and climaxes, similes and quo- tations from Chauser to Kipling. This decision comes after the elec- tion of the glassblower from the stumps of Minnesota to the seat of senatorial Aristotles and gives rise to the suspicion that too much of the oratory of the Senate would be played to the galleries—not of the Senate chamber itself, but of the distant states of constituents, The Senate is a deliberative body. There is debate, but precious little oratory. Sound and . fury is neither eloguence nor wisdom, ‘and the work of electricity in carrying the nolse abroad would not add to the wise decisions, how- ever much it added to the gayety of the nations. As well supply the Su- preme Court with & long-distance ra- dio. i * k%% Coal costs about the same this year as last. Yet in June, 1922, the United States exported oply 40,284 tons of anthracite, and in June, this year, 418,594 tons. In the twelve months ended June, 1922, the anthracite ex- ports amounted to 2,992,385 tons, and in the twelve months ended June, 1923, 3,773,714 tons. The exports are made at wholesule, or mine prices, while the price to con- sumers seems to have little relation to mine prices, according to the verdict of the Coal Consumers’ League of Wash- ington. Mine prices appear low enough this last June to induce the world to come to Amerlca for ten times as much unthracite as last vear. The world takes also four times as much of our bituminous coal and twice as much of our coke this June as it did in June 1 Evidently our mines are produc- ing more than they did & year ago, but American consumers are not profiting thereby. * ko Adjutant General Davis of the says that there will be needed recruits within this fiscal year. thousand enlisted soldiers will the Army January 1. The authorized strength of the Army is 000, but the present actual strength is 112,000. With a turnover of 4,000 out of a total of 112,000, there will be considerable training neces: The pay of an enlisted man is 3§22 a month, pius board and clothes. In these days of wages in civil life, for ordinary mechanics, ranging from $10 to $15 a day, and for speclal trades as high as it will be interesting to n of di ‘able recruits to the Army. in time of peace, where they will recelve about two days' pay every month. Gen. Davis says it is not difficult to get recruits for foreign service—the spirit of roaming accounts for that—but “Sxeeping the home army filled up is a problem." Congress, in its wisdom, economized on the pay of the Army, after the war, %0 far as enlisted men are concerned although the adjustment of pay of offi- cers was less severe. During the war emlisted men_recelved $30, plus 10 per ervice. This Ta- duced after the war to $22, regurdless of the increasing wages in private life. * * ok x Through the Invitation of the Depart- ment of Commerce, § conference of rep- resentative retail merchants has been held in Washington this month to con- sider problems of mercantile distribu- tion. Thers has been so much comment on the alleged superfluity of so-called “middlemen” that it is interesting to consider the other side of the problem of distribution of all Kinds of goods, from factory or fleld to the ultimate consumer, and welgh the actual service rendered by the middleman or mer- chants. Army 74,000 Fifty leave SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Living and Learning. The general rule is “Live and Jearn,” Said Hezekiah Bings. “You meet with it at every turn Among all sorts of things. { Even the plants that bravely rise And make a natural show | Need watchfui care as well as wise, { To teach them how to grow. | “They need suggestions with a spade And precepts with a rake. And if we fail to give them aid Their hopes they soon forsake. {Like them, the help we must discern That higher knowledge brings, | The general rule is ‘Live and learn, Said Hezekiah Bings. Costume. “Don’t you think you had better or- der @ new dress suit before you go| back to Washington?” inquired the solicitous daughter. “I dunno,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “Us farmers and other toilers jare coming so strong in the halls of legislation that I'm thinking of tak- ing only a few extra suits of overalls.” { | Jud Tunkins says the notices that the man who talks loudest about laughing at your troubles gets just as mad at a mosquito as anybody. Intellectual Distribution. “Why do you decline to go to Amer- ica to lecture?” “I doubt the wisdom,” replied the distinguished European, “of carrying jmy culture abroad and making it available for @ mere admission fee. Tt will be better business to encour- age tourists to come over here and pay their own hotel bills and travel- ing expenses.” Sweet Memories. Oh happy childhood days how nice ‘When we our cake could eat And never think about the price Of sugar or of wheat! Tribute of Genius. “Do you think Bacon had enything to do with writing the Shakespeare plays?” “No, sir,” replied Mr. Stormington Barnes. ‘‘Shakespearc’s genius has never been fully appreciated. He is the only man I ever heard of who could run e box office, boss a gang of stagehands, conduct arguments with the actors and at the same time write immortal poetry.” Tmprovements. “Is Crimson Gulch contemplating any municipal improvements? “I'l say so,” replied Cactus Joe. “We're goin’ to run Three-Finger Sam out of town at daybreak.” “Some folks,” said Uncle Eben, “dresses up an’ stands around like dey expected grateful admiration foh doin’ auffin’ but loafin"." ¢ The first step In clearly stating a proposition is to fix upon definitions. The first act of the retallers’ conferency lwas to adopt a definition formulal recently by the joint commission V. COLLINS agricultural n as fol lows “The rotailer porforms the finkl func- tlon n distribution of exwentinl com- modities and glves fulfillment to il pre- ceding efforts by making merchandise availuble to consumers at the time, place and in the form required by them. “The retuller's true function i that of serving a purchusing agent for his community : us such he selects and carries a reserve supply of merchandise to meet the requirements of the indi- vidual consumer, “When the retaller enters business, he assumes the responsibility of performing 4 public function, that of providing commodities and wservices to his com- munity, economfcally and convenientl and maintaining such environment as is necessary und desirable to the con- sumers who support him. If he fails in his responsibility, and performs only as a distributing agent for the manufa turer, he ceases to be an economic factor in the community which he serves.” * ¥ X ¥ With that statement of what consti- tutes the proper functions of a retafler— or any middleman—the more we have of them the better will the community be served, the cheaper the goods will be— by reasoa of legitimate competition— and the better will the manufacturer or farm producer be served, through readic distribution. ‘The retaller is a gervani of both producer and consumer and very useful to both. If the spread of values or prices between producer and consumer be too great, then the remedy will be not the reducing of the competition between middleman, by. re- ducing their number, but just the re- verse. Increase the number of middle- men and excite greater competition be- tween them. This increased competition | will not be limited to cutting prices, but more effectively will include better choice of goods and more efficient sery- ice to the consumers, * % There is no class of producers which has done so much complain- ing about the “greedy middlemen” as the farmers. They complain that they are gouged by buyers of their fruits, vegetables, poultry and every- thing else raised on the farms, and then that the middlemen overcharge the consumeys. They assume that all the work is done on the farm and all the profit goes to the middlemen who do not earn their profits. Ter- haps the middlemen do gouge at hoth ends of the line, but if there were more ~middlemen in _ competition, would not gouging be restricted? * ok % Whils the farm problems dis- tribution have not been under dis- cussion at the late conference, they do not materially differ from the problems of the merchant and manu- facturer. The wise mer will learn from the merchant It has been urged, quite frequently, that in these days when so many {householders of the city have aut mobiles, they should profit by their new facilities, and as they ride |around the country, stop at farms and take aboard ~their provisions, | fresh from garden and hennery. . Inquiry, which i That seems a very practical sug- gestion, but when one attempts to put it into practice, how many farm- ers fail to put city market prices on | their merchandise? They forget that they have no high market rents to pay, no transportation costs, no loss |due to overstocking, as the market | middleman must have, and lasuy, | that too often they are driving their permanent customers away by tortionate city prices, charged with- out market grading and market con i veniences, which make life easier for the city buyer. It the private customer travels to the farm to get his bargains, should lhD not have the advantage farm !rates, cnough below city market | prices, or enough above market qual- ity. to justify his time, | tion expense and inconvenience? Few | farmers seem able to recognize that some one must pay for distribution, | and that when the customer comes to | the source, the farmer “can not eat |eat his cake and have it too. : (Copyright, 1823, by P. V. Collins.) EDITORIAL DIGEST The Election of Magnus Johnson Presents a Puzzle. As apart as the poles are the com- ments on the result of the special senatorial election in Minnesota. Re- publican papers, for the most part, get some degree of satisfaction from the admittedly bad race the demo- cratic candidate ran. Democratic | writers believe the election of Maf- nus Johnson indicates a “widespread revolt” against President Harding and the republican party. Indepen- dent papers somewhat frankly agree | the outcome s difficult to analyze and that. while the farmer had a lot to do with it, after all other elements must be considered because Min- nesota is a state that contains within its borders every element that goes to make up the population of Amer- ica, All factions admit that there Is widespread dissatisfaction with ex- isting conditions, but the variety of remedies suggested seems limited al- most entirely by the number of the ‘writers. “No legislation can help the far- mers,” asserts the New York Times (independent democratic). “They must help themselves,” and the Times indorses a suggesetion that the re- publicans and democrats “return to sane legislation and leave to Mr. La Follette and his fellow shammans the practice of legislative magic as a cure | for sick agriculture.” Regardless of the various suggestions that are made for rellef of farmer discontent, and the like, the Cincinnati Times Star (republican) inslsts “it has been shown numberless times that no gov- ernment is strong enough to disre- gard economic law. But the mush- heads and the demagogues never get it out of their minds that the power of the government in fiat money and similar enterprises is supreme.” It 1s the opinion of the Salt Lake Deseret News (republican), hcwever, that it was a “soclalistic movement’ which elected Johnson, . while the Syracuse Herald (independent), brushes aside, with logic, the con- tention of the democrats that the re- sult benefits democracy insisting “the moral of the situation is that any political party which professes a capacity to make the country pros- perous, even In unprosperous, times, is only fooling the voters to' whom it addresses its claims.™ What it all after all, suggests the Baltimore Sun (democrat), laying partisanship aside, that “this is no time for patent medicine cures, but there is need for a sane system of agricultural relief which will eradi- cate artificlal burdens and imposi- tions and_give the farmers of the country the protection of a square deal and assurance of a fair liveli- hood in their essential work. To evolve such a system will require the most impartial and expert study. But it must be evolved, if we are to be saved from unsound and perilous panaceas.” Probably true, admits the New York Tribun that, in _additlon, $16 a day Magnus Johnson.” The New Post (independent). golng just a step further, characteries Johnson as “Minnesota’s protest senator.” The Newark Evening News (inde- pendent) makes the suggestion that “today the old guard's concern must | be less as to the effect_that Johnson |and his colleague, Dr. Shipstead, can |have in the Senate than as to whether rhilnnesola‘n electoral vote in 1924 will be counted in a third party colgmn instead of for Mr. Harding.’ | “Responsibility sobers,” insfsts the Duluth News Tribune (republican), |and it feels “when he gets to Wash- ington he will, if he Is honest with himself, find that the republican lead- ers he ‘has so bitterly attacked are, after all, striving to accomplish about the sameé things he aims to do.” This view is about the same as that held | by the Wichita Eagle, which say “Johnson is an honest man and he is close to the people of Minnesota. He may be dominated by Senator La Foi- lette, but it is a foregone conclusion that he will not be dominated by Sen- ator Lodge. Mr. Harding will be stunned by the returns from Minne- sota, but he is the kind of a man who can 'adfust himself to changing cir- cumstances. He is not one to hurl epithets at Mangus Johnson, but rather he s the man to try to adjust his speaking and his methods to the rising tide of liberalism.” In_ thls very connection the Milwaukee Senti- nel” (republican) argues that “wher- ever agricultural discontent breaks into politics the Democratic_party goes out of existence. If the Minne- sota results indicate discontent with the republican party, they show an absolute contempt for the democratic. If the malcontents have any new political plans they look toward the formation of a third party. They are not rushing into the arms of de- mocracy.” Assuming an entirely _opposing viewpoint, Senator Gilbert M. Hitch- cock's Omaha World-Herald (demo- cratic), argues ‘“the majority the sena- tor-elect received was presented by thousands of disgusted, angry and re- { sentful voters, who figured that John- son stood for repudiation of the poli- | cies and lack of policies, subterfuge jand lack of Intelligent leadership of ithe present administration. There is {no other interpretation to be placed ,on the decisive victory of Senator- elect Johnson of Minnesota” 1In a |small ‘part something of the same view is voiced by Senator Arthur Capper's Topeka Capital (indepen- dent republican), which feels “wheat ;was the issue and points out that most democrats in the northwest are ,now members of the farmer-labor {party, so that “Johnson's election embarrasses the administration, r duces the dwindling republican’ ma- {Jority in the Senate and, so far as it 1 will have any effect, will be against | the farmer in putting off the return of normal agricultural conditions.” All of the recent radical gains, as the i Dayton News (democratic) ~analyzes them, means “the farmer wants lower freight rates; .labor wants higher wages; the fast-shrinking dollar of the farmer as well as of the laborer has had a strong effect in determl ing the result of Minnesota's special election.” _ Which brings from the Chicago Dally News (Independent) the declaration that “the Harding administration faces a critical situa- tion, and wisdom as well as courage will be requisite in handling the fm- portant legislation affecting rail- roads, revenue, agricultural and for- elgn policy known to be contemplated by the President and his supporters.” and then argues ‘dollar wheat and transporta- | for 'bricklayers elected ! York The North Window By LEILA MECHLIN An amusing story was recently told by Willlum Lyon Phelps in his monthly eontribution to Heribner'v Magazine of a German public lbra- rian who flourished some fifty years ago and, when akked sbout his work, #uld, with a mingling of asperity and pride: “In this library every book is now on the shelves except one, and T know where that one is and I'm EoIng to get it this afternoon.” A8 Mr. Phelps commented, “times have changed.” The modern librarian 18 not a watchdog: he 15 a middle- man, and the modern art museum di- rector s likewlse no longer a keeper of antiquities hut a public servant. The lbzary tdeal has altered no more than has that of the museum. office of museum director today In quite as great measure does the require {deallsm, knowledge, wis- dom and tact, the attributes,'accord- ing to Mr. Phelps, of the up-to-date Mbrarian K K % A glance at the reports of the various art museums will show this to be a fact, for while every care is taken to bulld up the permanent collections, the object, which is never lost sight of, is not preserva- tion but use. The exhibits are so arranged in most art museums that they can be readily studied, the ex- hibits belng arranged according to careful classification and frequently, lkew chronologlcally. Improve- |ment has been made, also, In the art of display. Pictures are no longer hung in double and triple rows, frame to frame, but with ample jspace. and in wany galleries pic- jtures and furniture and works of the decorative arts are shown to- gether in such wise as to create environment. More than this, every means is used to secure for the pub- lic the utmost benefit, and not one but various ses of citizens are taken into consideration. At the Metropolitan Museum in New York there are special classes arranged for designers, for salesmen, for those {in #he trades. There are classes for school children and school teachers, and though the Metropolitan Mu- seum in New York sets an example it Is not unlque in this branch of activity. * * | It was prophesied some years ago j that the day would come when a city {be as unusual as one today without a public library, and it begins to look us if the prophecy were coming true. Within the last few weeks an- nouncement was made that a lttle town in Mussachusetts, in the Berk- shire region, with a population of less than twenty thousand is to have &n art museum—a separate which would be one of an ~Athenacum group”—library, sclence and art mu- seums o ox \nd shouldn't little towns like Westfield have art museums ot {their own, provided they can afford the luxury? Like so many other things, «rt museums are not inex- pensive trifes. The change in mu- seum policy and fdeal has meant a large increase in the cost of main- tenance. A director who spent his time in residence, as it were, keep- ing a watchful eye over exhibits mostly in glass cases, did not re. quire either a large salary or numerous staff of assistants, but this sort of a museum is no more. The Gleveland Museum of Art reports expenditures in excess of $200,000 during the past year for current ex penses, the latest report of the Metro- politan Museum in New York, shows a deficit of this amount in its yearly maintenance fund, which is many, many times greater. But the con- gressional appropriation for the Na- mal Gallery of Art, covering all {expenses, including the salary of the director and his assistants, is $15,000 The measure of the usefulness of an art museum is to a_great extent the amount of money it can spend, not in purchases, but in making its collections available and valuable to the public. why * ok x * Joseph Pennell, in a recent letter to the New York Times, declared that the government of the United States takes no Interest in art, and gave as his reasons for this conviction the fact that we have no minister or sec- retary of fine arts, no department or bureau of art, no government art schools, no national supporft of art. To an extent Mr. Pinnell is right; he usually is in the main, though he sometimes carries his contentions too Ifar, and in this case it may be that were those things attained which he mentions, the condition which he la- ments would not be improved. A secretary of fine arts would be powerless unless he had the support of Congress, and sufficlent equipment to carry on such work as could come under his department, and unless he were endowed with wisdom of an ex- ceptional order he would not even have the support of the artists of the country. A government art school of the right sort, run on the same lines as West Point or Annapolis, would, indeed be very worth while, provided, of course, that it were conducted as competently as either of these insti- tutions. The government has, with the last few years, established a music school for the trainnig of band musicians, which may prove to be an initial step in this direction. * ok ok ok Mr. Pennell suggests that govern- ment support of art would pay this country better than a great many other things, and in this he is emi- nently right. Art does pay. The bureau of education has just is- sued a_pamphlet entitled “Some In- dustrial Art Schools of Europe and Their Lessons for the United States— Extracts From the Studies Made for the French Government, by Marius Vachon,” translated by Florence N. Levy, formerly editor of the American Art Annual, now director of the Bal- timore Museum of Art. This little pamphlet tells how the countries in Europe have organized their art in- dustries and have educated their de- signers, with the result that they have prospered commercially. As Miss Levy truly Says: “Drawing s the founda- tion of all manufacture. Whether it is the making of a tiny screw or a public building, a letterhead, or a plece of brocade, the ‘man behind the pencil’ is as important in the indus- trial struggle as the ‘man behind the gun’ in the military war.” If the United States is to assume supremacy in the industrial world a great many skilled designers and craftsmen will be required, vet the schools for training such experts in this country are far behind many of the European countries. The manu- facturers of America are beginning to awake to the importance of this situation and are offering active co- operation to those who are assuming leadership in the educational field. Last year Charles R. Richards of Cooper Union, New York, got out, under the auspices of the Educational Assoclation of New York state, a voluminous and most engaging and interesting report on “Art in Indus- try,” setting forth conditions in the various art industries in this coun- try. To supplement this with a re- port on the art industries of Eu- rope, Mr. Richards has gone abroad to make a complete study of the situation in the countries where the best work has been done. Al this should furnish accurate data as a working basis fof the im- provement of conditions here. *Made in America” should stand not only for integrity of material, but for ex- cellence of design. There is abun- dant talent in rica, all that is necessary Is that it be well trained. or town without an art museum would | building | Q. To settle an argument, will you state what was the highest priced vaudeville act ever shown in Wash- ington?—B. A. 8. A. Manager Robbins of Keith's ter says that Singer's Midgets was the most expensive act ever put on here Q. Will the Am {ever take the place here that the Sorbonne occuples in Paris?—K. F. C. A. The American University is a privately endowed institution and, while It expects to grow and to be- come an ever greater power in the educational world, it does not plan to be a national university such as the Sorbonne is. Q Does the temperature effect a bullet causing it to go lower or higher?—J. R. A. The National Rifie Association says that the temperature only af- fects the flight of the bullet as it affects the density of the atmosphere through which the bullet travels. A bright sun or a cloudy day really affects the eyes of the shooter more than it influences the flight of the bullet, so different sights are neces- sary in varying conditions. Q. How much does an American passport cost?—A. McM. A. It costs $10.00. However, it must be vised for each country in which {t 15 to be used and vises vary in price. A British vise, for instance, costs $10.00 Q What is the oldest copper min- ing company in the world?—K. L. K. A. This distinction is claimed by the Great Copper Mining Company of Falun, Sweden, whose letterheads read, “Founded 1225 A. D." This company is sald to have been oper- ating continuously since that perfod, nd produced 000,000 tons of ore and 500,000 tons of pure copper in the period. Q. When was the Statue of Liberty brought to America? H. E. A. A. The head of the Statue of Lib- erty was completed for the Paris ex- position in,1878; the forearm had been sent to America and shown at the centennial exposition, Philadelphia, in 1876. The statue was finished in of the French committee. it to Ambassador 1584, the corner lald on 1855, the president officially presented Morton; on August stone of the pedestal was Bedloes Island; late in June French vessel, Isere. from Rouen, France, landed the statue at New York in 210 packing cases; the work iof putting the purts together w begun in May, 1886, and the statue was unveiled on October 28, 1886. Q. Is the quotation “The Lord tem- BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY. Lord Dunedin’s marriage, at the age of seventy-four, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth Palace, in London, to Miss Jane Findlay, who was decorated not long ago by King George with the Order of the British Empire for her services as director of Scottish savings, is not without an American in- terest. For Lord Dunedin was at one time a frequent visitor to the United States, but under another name, name- Iy, that of Andrew Graham Murra which he bore prior to his elevation to the peerage. On those occasions—he spent several seasons at Newport, R. L—he was ac- companied by his wife, who dled last vear, a sister of Sir Archibald Edmon- stone, who will be remembered as the brother of the Hon. Mrs. George Kep- pel and as the father of voung Lieut. Archibald Edmonstone of the 9th Lanc- ers, who married the daughter of the late Marshall Field the other day in London. Lord Dunedin, who can claim descent from Princess Mary of Scotland, daugh- ter of King Robert III, belongs to the ancient house of Graham of Balbowan, his people hailing from Perthshire, and he inherited a large fortunme from his father, the late Thomas Graham Mur- ray, who was the senior partner of the great Edinburgh firm of lawyers, Todd, Murray & Jameson. He was the cham- pion racquet player at Harrow and played In the university cricket eleven @t Cambridge. His country seat is Stenton, a beauti- ful place in Perthshire, near Dunkeld, on the most picturesque portion of the Tay, nearly opposite Murchly Castle, and sat in the Balfour cabinet as secretary for Scotland. Today he is the keeper of the great seal of Scotland and one of the $30,000 a year lords ultimate ap- peal, having been in turn lord justice general of Scotland and president of her court of sessfons. Clever, tactful, with a remarkable fund of sound common sense and a_knowledge of the world, he is a_man of considerable independénce of character, who, in epite of that, or rather, I should say because of that, has always been a particular favorite at court, especially with Edward VII and with the present king. S Perhaps an illustration of the es- teem in which he is held may be gathered from the fact that he was unanimously elected to the chairman- ship of the joint parliamentary com- mission of investigation into the al- leged scandals relating to the dis tribution of peerages, baronetcies and knighthoods by the various suc- cessive government administrations on recognition of “political™ services Which oft took the form of large monetary contributions to the elec- toral campalgn funds of the political party in power. These honors are nominally be- stowed by the crown, but only on the recommendation 0f the prime minis- ter of the day. There is no premier that has not been obliged to lend himself, more or less openly, to the practise. Great pressure was brought by parliament, by the public press and, especially, by popular clamour, to secure, through this joint legislative commission, an exposure of some of the most notorious and unpleasant transactions of this kind. But Lord Dunedin and the other members of the commission who included the Duke of Devonshire and several of the most respected figures in the public life of Great Britain, realized that once these honors had been be- stowed by the soverelgn at the re- Quest and on the nomination of the government of the day, ‘the honors £oula not be canceled by law, or in any other way revoked without gravely impairing ‘the prestige and the authority of the crown. So the commission, under the guid- ance of Lord Dunedip, contented it- Seif with devising laws for the pun- | fshment, by fine and imprisonment, of those political agents whose main {business had been to offer titles in { i | return for subscriptions to the elec- | toral funds of the rival political parties and to secure future revision, by a small committee of the privy councll, of the recommendations made by the government to the mon- arch for the bestowal of titular hon- ors. * ok ok % Pield” Marshal, the Earl Haig, K. T.. is now, for the first time, inau- gurating his occupancy of the coun- try seat and estate of Bemersyde, which was presented to him some eighteen months ago, as a gift from his fellow countrymen in recognition of ~his services as generalissimo of the British armies in the great war, the fact that it was a national trib- ute being emphasized by the circum- stances that the money needed for the purchase of the property was raised by popular subscription. 1883; on July 4, 1884, M. De Lesseps, | various lean University | pers the wind to the shorn laml taken from the Bible? J. R. W A. Tt is not found in the Bible. It 15 in a book named “The Sentimenta Journcy,” by Lawrence Sterne, clergyman-author of the eighteenth century, Q. How much moncy has the gou ernment spent in co-operation wit states in road building LL Y. A. Since July 11, 1916, Congress ha- authorized federal aid road construc tion in sums aggregating $540,000,0 Not all of this has actually been ap propriated, however, for three items of fifty, sixty-ive and seventy-five millions were authorizations for th fiscal years ending in 1923, 1924 an 1925, and of these the uctual appro priation as vet is but $54,000,00. A: the close of the calendar vear 1982 the government had actually expend ed $139,227,428 on completed roads and its allotment for roads under construction at that time amounted to $149,663,763. Q. Where can I attend an open-a ! college or high school? M. F. H. A. The bureau of education say that there are no open-air colleges o public high schools. The Frances W Parker School, Chicago, Tl and the Frances W. Parker School, San Frar cisco. Calif., have some open-ai classes. Q. When did the first marriage of an actress into the peerage occur E. F. P. A. In 1722 Anastasia Robinson operatic singer, married the third Earl of Peterborough. Since then twenty-flve other actresses huve be come peeresses by marriage Q. Why is_the I so called = S. R. C. A. A post road is the fact that, in the United ~States mail over it Boston post so called fro early days, th was carrie Q. What is the meaning of “clos up” in movie parlance? M. F. K. A. A “close up” is a picture take when the subject stands five feet less from the camera. A “long st is from thirty to fifty feet, and “me dium shot” midway between. Q. How much commerce passe- through the port of New York? C..J A In 1921 some 5,000 vessels. with 2 tonnage of more than 17,000,000, tered the port of New York and al most as many cleared from {t. The carrfed in and out merchandise to the value of more than two and one-haif billlon dollars. (Let The Star Information Bureo Frederic J. Haskin, director, 1220 Nortl Capitol_street, answer your questions The only charge for this service is wents in stamps for return postage. Seventy-Four-Year-Old Lord Dunedin. Well Known in U. S., Wedded in London 1t was a particularly appropriate and welcome gift. For Bemersyde has been In the possession of one another scion of the house of Haik for close upon 800 vears. During five centuries it descended from father to son in order of primogeniturc But, during the reign of Charles ! James Haig, the seventeenth la of Bemersyde, who was a spendthrift was obliged to part with the prop erty to his younger brother Williax in return for financial accommoda tioh. Thereafter Bemersyde, thou always in Halg hands. was never owned by the heir of the line, b passed from younger branch t younger branch. One of the owne Anthony, the twenty-first laird, devi ated from the martial reputation of the family by becoming a Quake But his son, whom he had burdened with the extraordinary name of Zero babel, on succeeding him as twenty second laird, neutralized any pacifi tendencies which may have come to him from his parent by marrying a Gordon of Buthlaw, member of & fam- |, ily then renowned for truculence lawlessness and other most un Quakerlike characteristic Early in the eighteenth John Haig of Bemersyde, son of the then laird. emigrated to America, settled in Charlestown, € C., married there, and left a num- ber of descendants who represent the Haigs of Bemersyde in the Unitec States. Up to five years ago. Bemersvd. was in the possession of Col. Arth Haig, a cousin, twice removed of the fleld marshal. and when the publi movement was first started to ac quire the ancestral home of the fam- ily at Bemersyde for the field mar- shal, he readily lent himself to the transaction and facilitated it in evers way by concessions in the matter of price and in overcoming all sorts of legal dificulties in the way. = * Now, Lord Haig, after having sub jected the old place to extensive anc much needed repairs, and equipping it with modern conveniences, is tak ing up his residence there as the twenty-ninth laird of Bemersyde thus fulfilling the old border legend of his family: “Betide, betide. whate'er betide Haig shall be Haig at Bemersyde Sir Henry Layard, the explorer of the ruins of Nineveh, British cabinet min ister and long-time ambassador of Qugen Victoria at Madrid, where he rep resented the United States during the Spanish American war, had a short way with émniscient youths who gushed ove: Cimabue, Giotto, Daniele da Voltera “Do you seriously think,” he would ask with his peculiar drawl, “that any one of them can compare with Mortadella di Bologna?" Most of them would fall into the trap and discourse learncdly on the chiaroscuro of that great artist A few, more honest, would invite scc by confessing ignorance of his work was only when they reached home and hunted up their books of reference tha they discovered that Mortade! Bologna was a popular Italian He could never have made use of thel name of Gorgonzola for any such pur pose. For there is no place in all the dominions of King Victor Emmanue! that enjoys such world-wide connection with cheese as rgonzola. It is a very odoriferous cheese.esp b clally at its best—or rather worst namely, aged. Gorgonzolu 1s, indeed. « | household word almost everywhere in Europe and in America. ) Yet few people to whom the name 12 | so familiar have the slightest notion of its locality or of its importance as a center of industry, or of its history. The fact of the matter is that it is a dis- gusting little village about seventeen miles from Milan, with which city it is connected by a miserable, broken down steam tram, which runs once a day, and the oddest thing about it is that no cheese Is made at Gorgonzola. The fac- torles where Gorgonzola cheese is pro- duced are situated at & village several miles further on, entitled Villa de / Fornaci. Yet the factories there are only mod- erate In size, 50 much so that one is driven to the conviction that most of the cheese styled Gorgonzola is non-Italian in origin. One would be tempted to add that it is the smell alone that is ex- ported. For Gorgonzola, with its black mud and filth and viscous stream, which serves as an open sewer, stinks to an extent that appeals to the olfactory nerves of those who hanker after this peculiar brand of cheese. There is only one time in the year when sleepy Gor- gonzola wakes up, namely, at election time, when the walls of the grimy look- ing houses and cottages are covered with colored posters conveying high- sounding appeals to the people of Gor- gonzola how to vote, There seems to by, something inexpressibly funny and comic opera mbout Gorgonzola playing a role in politics, almost as if Boston beans were to become a political issuc in New England or eggs and bacon in old England. of Bemersyd century a younger "