Evening Star Newspaper, August 31, 1923, Page 6

rg™ THE EVENING SV1AR, With Sunday Morning Edition. T WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY........August 31, 1923 THEODORE W. NOYES..... The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th St. and Pennssivania Ave. New York Office: 110 Fast 420d St. Chicago Office: Tower Building. European Office: 16 Regent 8t.. London, England. The Evening Star, wil itfon, is delivered b he Sunday morning fers within the eity at 60 cents per month Iy, 45 cents per month; Sunday onlr, 20 cents per month. Or- ders may be sent by mail, or telephone Mal 6000. Collection is made by carriers at the eud of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Vir; Daily and Sunday..1y Daily only. £unday onl; Member of the Associated Press, The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of alf mews dis- patches credited fo it or ot otherwise credited in this paper anc also the local news pub- Mshed “herein. Al rights of publication of dispatches herein are also reserved. Italy and Greece. Greco-Italian animosities, latent only during a period of adjustment in the Albanian territory, where each gov- ernment has aspirations for expan- sion, have suddenly flamed into a blaze that threatens to cause a fresh conflagration in Europe. The other day several Italian officers, serving on the boundary survey which has been in progress for some time, were slain. Immediately the government at Rome presented a series of demands to the government at Athens, requiring prompt response. These demands were drastic. They implied the responsibil- ity of Greece for the crime, required humiliating salutes and acknowledg- ments and reparations and pledges of the punishment of the assassins. The Italian demands, indeed, are strikingly reminiscent of those of Austria upon Serbia in 1914. Greece has replied, accepting four of the Italian demands, with modifica- tions, and rejecting three of® them. Rome declares, it is reported, that the Grecian reply is totally unsatisfactor Sinister moves have been made e dencing a disposition to fight. At the other capitals in Europe feverish ac- tivity is manifested, as the powers seek to prevent a conflict by setting in motion the intermediary machinery of the league of nations, of which both of the now angry governments are mem- bers. This is the first real test of the efficacy of the league as a war-preven. tive agency. There have been disputes heretofore which have been adjusted by league intercession, but they have been comparatively static in nature, not involving immediate war-making emergericies. Now comes a case in which, if intercessory checks are not applied, two nations may fall to blows in a short time over a matter which would seem to be susceptible of ad- Jjustment by reasonable methods. Can the league function quickly enough, or can it function at all on its own in- itiative, to prevent a breach of the peace? 1f war between Greece and Italy results from the assassinations in Al- bania there is no telling where it may spread. For that always inflammable material of the Balkan question is close at hand to catch the flames. The relations between the greater powerS are not at this time so cordial that they can be relied upon to hold strictly 10 a peacemaking course. The chances are that this flare-up will die down and be succeeded by “negotiations” between Rome and Athens, in which each side will seek, in quieter temper, to find a basis of action mutually satisfactory. But there is a sinister significance in the rapidity with which the crime in Al- bania was seized as the basis for im- perative and virtually condemnatory demands by Italy upon Greece, point- ing to a spirit to make for trouble. The league may adjust this case, but the underlying hatred and jealousy will remain. ———— A lack of constructive ideas is com- plained of by both parties to the an- thracite controversy. Constructive ideas are not even sufficiently in evi- dence to show the ultimate consumer how he is going to build a fire, —_———— Dancing masters are going to try to bring back the melodious waltz. If the Jjazz orchestras hope to remain em- ployed right now is the time to start their propaganda. ————— The Check-Off Issue. Attention has been called to what is regarded as a misstatement of the check-off issue in the anthracite dis- pute in The Star's summary of Gov. Pinchot's proposal for the settlement of the controversy. The Star said that “the check-off had been practically nullified as an issué by the abandon- ment of company check-off practice: proposed by the miners and granted by thg operators.” It is noted in cor- rection that the operators ‘“hinged their acquiescence upon a number of conditions which the miners naturally refused to accept.” In other words, according to this statement of the case, the operators, by their condi- tions, kept the check-off as one of the questions at issue. As it was stated at the time, the operators in their answer said that they were entirely willing to abandon all company check-offs and put the miners upon a cash-payment basis for the supplies which have been fur. nished by the companies. Mr. Lewis, the head of the union, stated that this was unsatisfactory, inasmuch as it in" troduced a new element into the case. He did, in fact, virtually reject the operators’ reply as an {nadequate ac- ceptance of the proposal to swap check-offs. It does not follow, however, that this failure immediately to agree upon an exchange of check-offs kept that question in the .case as one of the major issues. 1t has been a subject of contest for many years, a perennial cause of trouble. Every time a strike has threatened in theanthracite regipn the check-off has figured. And no set- tlement has ever been made on the basis of the adoption of the collection of union dues by the companies. Nor is it likely that the operators will ever agree to such collection, they holding that to do so would make the mine { owner the fiscal agent of the organiza- tion that threatens him with suspen- sion of work at intervals and uses the ) funds thus collected as a means of waging war upon him. 1t ha8 never been regarded as likely that the check-off issue would bring about a strike. The miners themselves do not as a class want this system installed, and it is extremely doubtful if a strike called upon the basis of the | check-off issue alone would result in a general laying down of tools. So that, in fact, the check-off issue was nullified, in effect, when_ it was coupled with the other questions, those of , wage§ and of union recognition. It has always been a “trading proposi- tion,” and it will probably remain such as long as the relations between the miners and the operators continue to be subject to the interruptions of strike-making demands. A Hospital Need Illustrated. That something Is wrong in the hos- pital etem of Washington, when it is necessary to carry a sick child to three places for treatment before ac- commodations can be found, is evident from the final facts of a case that has just aroused public sympathy and con- cern. In this instance sound reasons for the rejection of the little patient at the institutions where admission was refused have been advanced by those in charge. At one place. there was no isolation ward for the treat- ment of communicable diseases, such as that from which the child was suf- fering. At the other place the isola- tion ward was “out of commission,” not having been used for so long that it would require several hours to pre- pare it to receive a patient. So to the third hospital the child was taken, and there she died. It is not established that this delay in the treatment of the child precipi- tdted her death. It is, however, dis- tressing to note that there is no fa- cility at the Emergency Hospital for the proper treatment of a communica- ble disease in an emergency case, and commodations are not available at short notice. Possibly if some one had had a chance or had thought to do some telephoning before the round- about journey to a haven or succor for the child was undertaken precious time might have been saved. Another sad feature of the case is that the child had to be carried in a police patrol wagon, all ambulances being in use, with none available. Here arises a question of moment. Should not the police know where cases of this kind may be treated? It would be a valuable adjunct to their equip- ment to have this knowledge. This case illusgates the need of a mid-city establishment where com- municable cases may be treated with- out fail, definitely known and easily reached and entered. Meanwhile it would be desirable to make sure that such isolation wards as are now avail- able should be kept in constant readi- ness to serve in emergencies, however infrequent. | | Senator Weller's Indorsement. President Coolidge, so it is reported, deprecates political activity in his be- half, that is to say, anything like propaganda looking to suggestions for his nomination, deeming the present [time, while he is devoting himself to {the task of getting acquainted with his job, inappropriate. But all of his enthusiastic supporters are not concurring in that policy. They ap- parently think that while he fs 1 buckling to his duty they can carry on with politics on their own account. Senator Weller of Maryland is the latest prominent republican to come forward with a declaration in favor of President Coolidge’s nomination. In a statement addressed to the voters of Maryland he sets forth at length the qualifications of Mr. Coolidge for the presidency. He predicts that President Coolidge will appeal to the people of Maryland as he has to those of Massachusetts and the United States, and concludes by saying: “For these reasons, and in the interest of our party, I urge that the repub- licans of Maryland, at the proper time, give President Coolidge their isupport next year as our standard- bearer.” Senator Weller is a force in politics in Maryland and his appeal will no | doubt be widely read by Maryland re- publicans and have weight in crystal- lizing public opinion in advance of the selection of delegates to the repub- lican national convention of 1924. Meanwhile, Mr. Coolidge continues to apply himself to his work as Presi- dent with no sign of consciousness jthat he is being “boomed.” So long 1as he carries on successfully in the { office to which the death of Mr. Hard- ing has just called him, the people will themselves not be concerned or greatly interested in the pre-conven- tion activities of partisans. ————————— , Lenin is having monuments raised in honor of himself. A long con- valescence enabléd him to think things over. He evidently decided not to trust his commemoration to the hasty and often perfunctory terms of a tomb- stone. ——— In addition to various great achieve- mente the Leviathan has done more than any other vessel to give the ship- ping news a permanent location on the first page. ———— Gov. Pinchot intimates that despite political advancements he is still enough of a forester to know where he can get a big stick if he needs it. —_——— Police-Fire Ball Game. Time draws near for the annual base ball game between the police and fire departments, and in spite of ear- nest effort by all members of “the force” and -the fire department it is said that tickets are not selling as fast as they did last year. Here is a chance for the public of Washington to speed up. Proceeds of the game go to the benefit associations of the firemen and police, and the funds of these as- soclations are never so large as they should be. The good purpose of the associations is understood and appre- ciated by most citizens, the police-fire game has become a regular feature of the ball-playing season, and the cops that at the Children’s Hospital the ac-'| |and laddies have always put up al game worth the money. It has always been a game with plenty of, that de- sirable quality called “action,” and every now and then one of the blue- coated guardians of tae District has made a play which brought the in- mates of the grandstand and tenants lof the bleachers to a point of near- | i frenzy, or toa point of enthusiasm and delight, or a point of paroxysmal cheers. A play of any kind is apt to happen any minute in any inning, It may be a play of stellar or solar bril- liance or it may not. But it is a cinch that policemen will chase the ball as {they would a bootlegger, and that firemen will go after the horsehide sphere as though answering an alarm. The game is almost sure to contain' a large element of swat. Though there is pretty keen rivalry between the gentlemen of the baton !and the gentlemen of the hose any patron of the game may root and howl for either side or both sides with. out courting disfavor of the police or incurring displeasure of the firemen. It is a game that is entitled to public support. . The time is next Monday afternoon, and the hattlefield is American League Park. Not content with giving the public a ball game, the players and the friends will give the public a pa- rade, which .will halt before the Dis- | trict building, where three battalion chiefs will act as judges and give a prize to the best decorated car. Before the game is called in the regular way a circus will be held on the ball lot, and though this is primarily for the amusement of children from St. Jo- seph’s Orphan Asylum, guests of the policemen and firemen, it is believed that most grown.ups will be_interest- ed. Monday at the ball park. ————— If a prize of a hundred thousand dollars suffices to settle the league of nations question some wealthy citizen should be willing to offer at least ninety-nine thousand for some plan to settle a local controversy of such far- reaching consequences as that involv- ing anthracite. —_———— Gasoline is much cheaper in por- tions of the west than hereabouts. The cost of gas necessary to make the journey renders it impossible for the flivverist to seize the opportunity to economize. —_————— The question of tariff revision will be approved with caution by repub- lican leaders. Experience has shown that the need of caution is one of the few points in any tariff program that are absolutely reliable. ———— Greeks are charged with the mas- sacre of members of a boundary com- mission. It is incredible that the Greeks should forget their righteous | indignation and begin imitate Turkish | custom. ———— Like many others in the human race, operators and miners are per- fectly willing to listen to words of wis- dom, but offer no guarantee that they will pay any great attention to them. ——— On the arrival of autumn poets used to refer to “the melancholy days” even when no such thing as a coal strike was thought of. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Front-Porch Fisherman, ‘While others brave the foaming wave, Or trudge along the brook, He much prefers his strength to save In some reposeful nook. But, oh, how well he likes to tell Of luck that strangely ran! It's great to hear of what befel 1 The front-porch fisherman. | No one can say upon what day— No one except himself— He beat the record in a way ‘Worth more than worldly pelf. A friend will bring his little string Of fish he scorns to scan, As he his own great deeds will sing, The front-porch fisherman. Let those who will display their skill Where tempests may arise, And feel the sweet uncertain thrill Beneath the changing skies. They'll hope in vain the praise to gain Of this exultant fan. He views all others with disdain, ‘The front-porch fisherman. We like him, through ‘We bid him seize the chance, And with poetic zeal anew Relate his bright romance. Both great and small upon him call, ‘The hero of the clan. He is the luckiest of us all— ‘The front-porch fisherman! too. When fishing's i { The Busy Public. “Don’t you want to have a grateful public rear monuments to your replied Senator Sorghum. “But I'm not asking too much. The public is terribly busy these days. If | a man can keep from being forgotten ‘while he is alive he's making a pretty fair record.” ' Jud Tunkins says when a man gets | himself on his mind he’s liable to dis- cover that he feels the lack of space same as a fat man in a flat. Limitations. “Do.you think she will succeed in getting a divorce?” “I don’t know,” answered Miss Cay- enne. “She didn'tymarry a man rich enough to enable her to hire a very good lawyer.” As We Have Always Done. These strike threats make us hold our breath, -And fill us with misgiving. Although they scare us 'most to death We'll smile and keep on living. Life’s Real Labor. “The time will.come when nobody will work more than six hours a day.” “You mean working for pay,” an- swered Mr, Chuggins. ‘“Nobody that tries to keep a flivver going: can get off with any such tithe as that “A man dat uses loaded dice in my neighborhood,” said Uncle Bben, “&in’ satisfied with e chance to lose his money. He's got to g0 on an’ risk his life.” {a retrogression by the factory. Yet that CAPITAL KEYNOTES BY PAUL V. COLLINS BY PAUL V. COLLIS. Secretary Wallace of the Depart- ment of Agriculture gives out a re- view of a speech made by President Harding in Seattle, soon after his return from Alaska. The speech: of the President analyzed conditions in Alaska, proving that that territory had not deteriorated, and that there was little justification for complaint that it was being mismanaged by too many bureaus having charge of its varlous natural resources. Alaska has lost in population, but 80 have other regions both in the United States and Canada. The Im- portant’ quertion is as to what kind of population has left the country. The President pointed out, as to Alaska, that it was the floating miners and transients who have left the country—not the home-builders. He sald: “The processes of devel- opment and establishment of a perma- nent and ample civilization lie in the citizenship with homes-in Alaska, not in investors who are seeking Alaskan wealth to enrich homes clsewhere.” To illustrate this point, he said: “In 1910 the total femaie white pop- ulation of Alaska was 6,065; in 1920 it was 7,207, an Increase of 20 per cent. During the same period there was a decrease of 2,030 in the orfental and negro population. In 1910 there were 16,612 dwellings in the territory; in 1920, 17.037. In 1910 there were 17,809 families; in 1920, 18,352." * Xk ok % These statistics are not large, but they iHustrate the principle, which also applies to other analyses of fig- ures. Too much attention has been paid to the decrease in farm popula- tion in the United States, and too lit- tle to the fact that that decrease ap- plies almost wholly to the floating farm population—farm laborers, hired by farmers, and not the farmers themselves. LR There is nothing quite #o misleading as mere statistics without analysis of what the figures really signify. When a factory Installs modern labor-saving machinery which enables one man and the machine to do the work of three, and the factory management dispenses with the surplus help, it is not heralded as is all that has happened to the farmers. ach farmer Is now cultivating fift; seven acres, where his father cultivated only fifty, and the fifty-seven acres are being cultivated with 14 per cent fewer hands than were the fifty acres formerly. On the whole, therefore, agri- culture’ was never sounder than it is today, in spite of the temporary em barrassment of the grain raisers, which will be overcome in another season by raising less grain and turning more to diversified farming—to meet the actual needs of the home market. * X ok % Watch the prices on building material during October and November, advises Gen. R. C. Marshall, jr.,, general man- ager of the Associated General Con- tractors of America. The general ex- pects building activities to slump, this fall, and prices to drop in pro- portion, but he is equally confident that prices will be up again in the spring. The index of cost is now 195 and he predicts it will drop, this fall, to about 160. This index is based .on the costs in 1913, which are taken as 100 for the purposes of comparison. * ok K % It is estimated that the united agitation, last spring, against the high cost of building resulted in post- poning erection to the amount of at least $750,000,000. That vast volume of construction may flood the market next spring, for it has been held back with no tangible benefit and the need is greatly enhanced. There is no reliet for the pressure of homes. The increase of homes in the last five vears, since the war, has barely kept pace with the natural incerase of population and has not at all eaten in on the shortage caused by the almost total suspension during the aT. * ook % The alleged “devil doge,” the ma- rines, marching from Quantico to Fort Deflance, Va, in training for war, seemed surprised that the rain was not postponed. Funny soldier: not to know that it always rains in war! If it were sunny it would be magnificent, but it would not be war. Sunny France got its sobriquet in peace time, while tourists were crowding the Boulevard de Capuci- nes and the Avenue de 1'Opera, byt the idea that the sun shone from 1914 to 1918 is preposterous, Of course the Virginia sands are not real war soil; that must be sticky, like tar— red ‘tar. Hail and driving’ sleet come on long’ marches, but for thirty-mile Jaunts nothing more than steady rain is necessary. . Why, if these devil dogs protest too much ‘about wet feet, somebody will begin to call them angel kittens in- stead. - * %k There Is an Increasing cry for public buildings to be erected in Washington for government use, since not only is the rent cost now borne by the govern- ment enormous, but there is not avail- able the floor space needed, according to the statements of Col. Sherrill, the super- intendent of public buildings and grounds. * kK * Senator Smoot has found the solu- tion of all tax troubles. He proposes a tax on “luxuries” That lets out all the mere necessarles of life, such as are found indispensable by the ul- tra rich. Some one has exclaimed: “Give me the luxurles, and I will dis- pense with the necessaries.” Now that the litter are to be tax-exempt, they will rate with liberty bonds and other perquisites of the tax-dodging invest- or. We y find the celiars ‘of the rich laden with mere food and coal, | instead of taxable wines and furs. Cheap clothing, including cheap shoes, flivvers, while the raiment of King Solomon will bear the burden of sup- porting the government. There will be no more talk of a rales tax, for the tax will be based upon possession and | not on transfer of the property. * k% % The use of a smoke screen to cover the flight of a boozewagon caused a flurry in police circles only for a Gay or two. Police would have to wear or carry gas masks to avoid gas poison, but it was feared at first that the smoke screen might mar the beauty of 16th street, if the bootleggers were not curbed. The chief smoke-screeners seem to have been heroically rounded up, just before the coming of the uni- versal smoke screen incident to the use of bituminous coal. When all the city becomes Pittsburghian or as fog- gy as London, bootleggers may in- fest our best neighborhoods with im- punity, for police may come and po- lice may go, but they'll go on forever— while the cruel strike lasts. * x x % It was quite the thing. during war times, for senators and other pluto- crats to confess that they had ex- ercised economy by having new clothes made out of old. They had their old suits ripped and turned and made over. It remains for a South Carolina preacher and his friend, a millionaire, to propose the same process of economy as to White House reconstruction. He proposes to ex- change a new, up-to-date White House | for the old remodeled relic of Wash- ington's day, so battered and burned by the British in the iyvasion of 1812.; He will tear down the old house, sell the bricks for paperweights and other souvenirs and with the proceeds bulld a palace which would be fit for a king. The audacity of irreverence for the ancient has not been surpassed; no, not in our day and generation. Ail the sentiment and history and memory which put a halo of a century and quarter about the old White House— well, the President has not moved out yet. There is hope. * ok Kk % President Coolidge, Secretary Hughes and Prizefighter Dempsey are dili- gently studying how to pronounce “Buenas dias, Senor,” 8o that the next time they meet a certain gentleman from south of the Rio Grandé they will be able,to recognize him. The United States used to send armies and navies into Mexico to persuade the natives to recognize Uncle Sam. Now that we are limiting the Navy to a tug and a yacht, and the Army to a corporal's guard of devil dogs, isn't it fortunate that Mr. Dempsey is still in our midst, tonight? He-is 80 strong and quick! In fact, he is a whole Monroe doctrine in himself. B-waynus dee-us Seen-yore! (Copyright, 1923, by Paul V. Collins.) WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE Senator Hiram W. Johnson, now en route to California, is visiting his home state for the first time in near- ly a year. That is one of the com- plaints, this observer gathers, that Californians have against Johnson and probably has a good deal to do with his confessed loss of prestige there. Other “native sons” charge that “Hiram" has been too busy trying to remain presidential timber and not busy enough being a United States senator from California. Yet Johnson secured highly advantageous treai ment for California fruit products in the new Fordney-McCumber tariff. Friend W. Richardson, elected gov- ernor of the state in 1922, is the new thorn in Johnson's side, hitherto pricked mainly by Herbert Hoover. Richardson ran far ahead of John- son's majority at last year's election. He was busy up to the late Presi- dent’'s death in organizing California for Harding in 1924, * k X X Gov. Pinchot some weeks ago laid down’the policy for the Pennsylvania state police in case of trouble in the anthracite fields. He conferred with the miners’ leaders and the officers of the state constabulary, impressing both with the necessity of preserving inviolably the rights of free speech and assembly. The police are not to. attempt to break up any lawful meet- ings of men nor interfere with their talking, so long as there s no incite- ment to disorder. Some time ago Gov. Pinchot felt cailed upon to make drastic changes in the special police force maintained by the operators in the coal regions. There were 6,000 of these special constables, and any man nominated by the coal companies was sworn in without question. They were under neither regulation nor disci- pline—a law unto themselves in the world of anthracite. All that has been changed. The coal owners now swear in nobody for police duty that is not vouched for by two reputable residents of the community, and they are subject to instant dismissal if they violate the regulations of the regular state police. * x kX Newspaper correspondents Who traveled to Alaska with President Harding have joined in a round- robin, addressed to Secretary Denby, commending the seamanship of Capt. Allen Buchanan, U. S. 8. Henderson, which took the party to Alaska and back. Secretary Denby replied “The wholesoméness of your com- mendation is vc? gratifying to me Secretary of the Navy and to the officials of the department. I do not hold lightly this expression of appro- bation, for I know that you, by train- ing and experience, are well qualified to give testimony to the character of duty performed upon such a mission as that of the Henderson this year.” The newspaper men's testimonial, Mr. Denby added, has been made part of the official record of Capt. Bu chanan, who has to his credit thir years of gallant service In the Nav * * % X John Hays Hammond, as if his troubles with anthracite were not ab- sorbing enough even for a man of his energy, has just taken on a new Job. He has accepted the chairman- ship of the National Civic Federa- tion’s “department of current eco- nomics and political movements,” ten- dered him by Alton B. Parker, presi- dent of the federation. The subjects with which the new department will concern itself are: (1) Revolutionary movements; (2) industrial reéatlons; (3) principles of representatite gov- ernment, and (4) civies. Mr. Ham- mond is not an alarniist on the sub- ject of bolshevism in the United States, but he thinks gonditions are at work “which unquestionably cre- ate discontent and unrest and sap the vitality of the nation. They must be eradicated. Halfway measures will not suffice. How shall we meet the challenge of the hour?’ Perhaps the new Hammond department of the Civic Federation is going to tell us. * kX ok Secretary Hughes at Minneapolis on Thursday coined an epigram that is destined to become a political slogan for the republican party. He defined America’s policy in foreign affairs as ‘an attitude of independence, not of isolation.” The other day Mr. Hughes' predecessor in the State Department, the eloquent Bainbridge Colby, him- self a gifted phrasemaker, ironically observed that the republican admin- istration’s program of isolation not a policy, but a predicament.” Mr. Hughes, in recent conversation with friends, used a picturesque idiom to describe America's fortuitous escape from the perils of old world politics. “We have been rowing through choppy seas these last six months,’ he said, “but we're all here, and there’s no water in the boat.” * K ok ox Mrs. Coolidge has been an indus- trious knitter ever since she came to ‘Washington. She knits privately and publicly. She used regularly to bring her needles and yarn to the presi- dential box at plenary sessions of the armament _conference in_Continental Memorial Hall hal . During one of ni's eloq flights in French, which few present understood, Mrs. Coolidge attended to h¥r knitting with particular de- votion. (Copyright, 1933.) in July of will go scot free, as will_also A Plea in Pity for The Banished Monk To the Editor of The Star: It was with a feeling of deep regrat and indignation that I read the article in Wednesday’s Star relative to chang- Ing of the quarters of the monkeys at the Zoo. It is really too bad that the little animal who loves thé light, air and sunshine, to say nothing of the companionship of his kind, should be banished, through no fault of his own, to loneliness and gloom for his few re- maining years, perhaps only months. It ! would be far more merciful to chloro- form it. Cannot something be done for the poor little prisoner, or will it take an act of Congress? MRS. WILLIAM E, SMITH. Vice President Wheeler Hailed From New York To the Editor of The Star: Mr. Haskins, in answering cofre- spondents in The Star of yvesterday, spoke of Willlam A. Wheeler, a for- mer Vice President of the United States and serving with President Hayes, as having hailed from Massa- chusetts at the time of his election. Was not this an error? Willlam A, Wheeler was a New Yorker, who served many years in the House of Representatives and hailed from New York at the time of his election as Vice President. Perhaps Mr. Haskins may have had in mind and by inadvertence failed to refer to Henry Wilson, a former senator from Massachusetts, who was i Vice President during Grant's second term, himself having been elected in 1872, and dying_ during his term of | office. JACKSON S. RALSTON. The Law and Women’s Rights to Property To the Editor of The Sta: In your issue of August 23 Elsie Robinson makes the surprising mi statement that “the law of this land glves” the husband “full control over every cent of his wife's earnings.” Because of the rather taking head- ing given to Elsie’s amusing contri- {bution, this absurd mistake might attract more attention than it would otherwise, and therefore’ should be corrected. No “law of this land,” if the United States is meant, regulates the re- spective property rights %f husband and wife. Such interests are deter- mined and controlled by the individ- ual states. While it is true that in a very few states there still remain in- | equalities that should be removed, in most of the states a wife has full control over her own property and earntags. All new legislation tends }to the further protection of the wife and mother. The property laws of the District of Columbia are favorable to women. The so-called “equality amendment,” generally known as the “blanket bill.” does not have the indorsement of the majority of the thinking wom- jen of the country, because there is great danger that it would prove a boomerang and deprive women of the advantages of the protective laws that have been enacted by the various states. Such _statements as that made by Elsie Robinson do much harm be- cause the average woman (and man) does not verify them before getting excited. LAVINIA HAUKE ENGLE. ——— g Pushcart Peddlers And Public Convenience To the Editor of The Star: The police, the pushcart merchants and the public are to be congratu- lated over the regulations enforced to limit the encroachments of some of the peripatetic street venders. There is a noticeable improvement 'n conditions at Pennsylvania avenue and 7th street, where the congestion was especially annoying. The idea entertained by a few per. sons concerning the attitude of busi- ness houses generally was that they objected to the competition of the peddlers. This was erroneous, al- though doubtless their business was injured by the organized, deliberate encroachment upon the rights of pe- destrians and others who are re- quired to visit or remain in that vi- cinity. There is room for all, and all are welcome, but had some of the incon- derate pushcart men not been { checked up no limit would have been placed upon competition among themselves and the old-time “puller- {in" methods that once disgraced New York's Baxter street would have been duplicated or surpassed within sight of the National Capitol. . SNYDER. G. A Case Where Tailless Terriers Were Bred To the Editor of The Star: Reading an article in Monday's Evening Star, “Litter of Taflless Pups Belleved Evolution of Desire for ‘Swank,’ " I thought possibly it might be of interest to dog lovers to give my experience of ten years in breed- ing for short-tail fox terriers. Always being a lover of dogs, and especially fox terriers, of which I breed many, 1 dreaded the job of cut- ting their tails. Finally, I came across an Instrument, the name of which at the present time I've for- gotten, which is used by surgeons and shaped like an old-time lamp trim- mer, half round, which crimps_the skin at the same time it cuts. This is a fine little instrument, and very humane. It is used when the puppies are about ten days old and the tail is only gristle. Crimping the skin on the inside as it cuts acts the same as if a needle and thread had been used, and hardly a drop of blood shows up after the operations And it is much better to cut the pupples’ tails when they are still with the mother, as she helps to heal the d. $ “But T was not satisfied even wWith this method, and always belleving it possible to breed short-tail pups, I made up my mind to give it a trial. I finally came across a female born with @ short tail. And right here I want to say nobody can fool an ex- perienced dog breeder by saying the up was born with a short tail. When orn without a tail, only a stub, you will find on close inspection of ‘the stub that on the end is a small bit of soft gristle, which could not be there if the tail had been cut. I bred the mother to my prize fox, whose tail had been clipped and the result was a litter of four pups all with long tails. I tried again with the same result, living on the hope that some day she would make a mis take ang present me with a bobt 1 was satisfled In my mind if I ceeded the trick would be turned. Working on the principle that, “Like begets like” I would breed the other to-fier son. Well, at last, oing into the barn one morning I discovered a litter of four pups. And there he was, as big as life, a fine boy pup, ‘{'fl' Just a bluff in place al tail. of /% ue time I matea the mother and son with the same old result— three lofi:-ml pups. But I kept right on, Suddenly she opened her heart and presented me with twb fine bob- tail pups! Satisfled that it could be done, that heredity would come into its own, if eare and judgment were used in ‘the mng; :l:nd Ax”‘ i l::l 1 gave up further e : awas, 1 B2V EDWARD R. BENADE. . very ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. What is the oldest church in Washington?—J. K. A. St. Paul's Church, Rock Creek cemetery, is the oldest church within the limits of the District of Columbia. having been established over 200 years ago. Q. Has a President of the United States ever visited Canada?—d T. A. The visit to Vancouver, British Columbia, of the late President Hard- Ing was the first and only time an American President has been in the Dominion during his term of office. It was shortly affer he left Vancouver that Mr. Harding suffered an attack of ptomaine poisoning, which marked the beginning of his fatal illness. Q. Who was Vice President of the Confederacy?—A. T. G. A. Alexander Stephens of Georgia was the Vice President. Q. How many speeches did Roose- velt make in the McKinley-Roosevelt campaign?—A. E. G. A. He made about 700 speeches. To a friend he wrote, “The national ‘clom‘r{,llnce have worked me nearly to eath." Q. How much indemnity has Bel- glum received from Germany’—F. F. A. Up to the present time Belgium has received from Germany $375,000, 000 in cash and notes, leaving $125 000,600 which should be paid this year in cash and $2,000,000,000 to be ulti- mately received if final settlement is made on the basis of the allied claims. Q. 0 wrote the play, “Rip Van Winkle,” which Joe Jefferson used?— G. H. A. The version of the play, Van Winkle,” which Jefferson immor- talized, was by Dion Boucicault. Q. What flag was used by the colonies before the Stars and Stripes became the standard?—L. B. A. The one upon which the colo- nies combined was variously known as the Congress Colors, the Grand Union Flag, and thé First Navy En- sign. It consisted of thirteen stripe alternately red and white, typifying th thirteen colonies, with a union bearing the crosses of St. George and St. An- drew combined—the national flag of Great Britaln—slgnifying the mother country, Q. When were junior high schogls started’—A. G. A. A. The bureau of education says according to Its best information a report of the committee of ten on secondary education in 1593 made recommendations foreshadowing to a certain extent the present day_ re- organization of the American_ high school system and the organization of what they chose to call the junior high school. The first junior high 8chool seems to have been started in Berkeley, Calif., in 1909, Q. Kindly explain the word clops” and its origin?—R. S. A. The word clops” s another version of cyclopes, which is a_Greek plural meaning round-eyed. In the Homeric cycle, the Cyclops were a race of one-eved giants who lived in Sicily as shepherds. “ey Q. What is the average life of the almond tree in California?—L. C. A. The California Agricultural Experiment Station says that, under | the common methods of care most or- chards receive, the trees commence to decrease in their production at from twenty-five to thirty years. What is an ornithopter? — P. L J. A. An ornithopter is a flying ma- chine with flapping wings, or mov- able planes. Q. conductors in A. Among ‘Who are the foremost orchestra America?—F. F. F. the most famous or- BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY. Lord Headley, who has just re- turned to London after spending four weeks at Mecca as an honored guest of King Hussein of the Hedjas, can boast of being the only peer of the British realm who has ever set foot in that holiest of all holy cities of Is- lam, the bourne of pilgrimages of more or.less pious Moslems from all parts of the world, from China, where there is a large Moslem community of several millions; from the American Philippine Islands, from Java and the remainder. of the Dmtch Indies, from the wilds of the Sudan and central Africa, from the mysterious and un- explored regions of the Atlas ranges of Morocco, from Stnegal, Egypt; from central Asia and, above all. from among the near hundred million of devout followers of the prophet in the British empire of India. If Lord Headley, who is the fifth peer of his line and the holder of the Irish baronies of Allanson and Winn. as well as of two of the oldest Brif ish baronetcies, was so cordially re- ceived at Mecca, which the famous Af- rican and oriental explorer, the late Sir Richard Burton, was only aole to visit in the disguise of a dervisn and at the risk of his life, it is because he has been for many years a convert to Islam and rejoices in_the Moslem name of Saiffurrahman Sheikh Rah- mahillah Faruk, which is abbreviated to El Farug, is one of the leaders of the growing Moslem community in England, & constant attendant of the weekly religious ceremonies held un- der the direction of the leading Mo- hammedan imaun, or ecclesiastic, in London, and has been instrumental in raising a considerable amount of money for the erection of the only mosque in the United Kingdom as & tribute to the memory of the Moslem soldiers who fought under the Sritish flag in the grept war. * ok k¥ - Lord Headley is no mere and eccentric crank, like the late Lord in Alderley Park, his country seat in Cheshire, according to Moslem rites, but a very practical man of about fAfty-eight who has heen president of the Society of Engineers and i3 rec- ognized throughout Europe as the greatest authority in the engineering world on the question of the protec- tion and improvement of foreshores. He was a noted athlete in his younger days at Harrow and when at Cam bridge won the ‘middie and heav. weight championships at boxing and has written several standard works on the art of self-defense. He is a frequent contributor to the London Saturday Review, to the Outlook and to other English weeklies, many of hig articles, especially during the war time, being in favor of military and naval preparedness, one of which he commenced with the famous oriental axiom of “Trust in Allah—but tie your amel.” “*He is a frequent guest at the ‘American Luncheon Club in London and on one occasion during the war, in the presence of several ministe of the crown, created a sensation by urging the treating of 3,000 promi- nent Germans, then Interned in England, as hostages and the putting to death of ten of them for every English woman or child killed by a bomb from a German Zeppelin or alrplane. He insisted that the only way of a“mli ‘with Teuton fright- fulness was by means of British counter frightfulness. * ok K K Lord Headley was llkewise active in connection with the British secret service in hunting down German spies and dangerou: i spending night after night disguised as a laboring man, In the worst districts of London and Liverpool. One night, about 2 in the morning, he came to a wmall baker's shop in the east end of London, which was burn- ing merrily, took a leading part > 1 H “Rip { learned | Stanley of Alderley, who was buried' chestra directors in America are: Willem Mengelberg, famous condu. tor of the Concertgebouw of Ams dam, who comes to New York for halt of each season; Josef Stransky, whe shares with Mengelberg the conduc- torship of the Philharmonic, Ameri- ca’s oldest orchestra; Picrre Monteux, a French musician who has revivificd the Boston Symphony Orchestrs; Roberto Moranzoni, an Italian who conducts certain of the Italian operas | at the Metropolitan; Walter Damrosch, who has led the New York Symphony Orchestra for thirty-eight years; Artur Bodanzky, who now has_charge of the current revivals of the Wagner (operas at the Metropolitan; Willem Van Hoogstraten, a young Dutchman | who leads the open-air concerts at ‘lhe Lewisohn Stadium; Frederick | Stock of the Chicago Orchestra; Wal- ter Rothwell of the Los Angeles Phil- harmonic, and Leopold Stokowski of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Q. Just what is meant by an of God"?—1. M. A. An act of God is a cause of in- jury or damage not to be prevented by human means. Q. What flowers should an_old- fashioned gardeh contain?—J. M. A. Among the flowers in our grandmother's garden were larkspur, iris, hollyhock, phlox, peon, colum- bine, spirea, poppy, 'evening prim- rose, rocket, lupine, foxglove, anem- one, bluebell pinks, mignonette, bleeding heart. verbena, candy tuft, | tiger lily and Iilies of the valley. Q. What is the difference in weight of pure air and air that has | been breathed?—C. J. W. A. Equal quantities of pure air and foul air at the same temperature have nearly the same weight. Foul air contains a greater percentage of carbon dioxide—2 per cent greater— and a greater percentage of moisture. Tt is also lighter than pure air, due to its high temperature and molsture content, and, therefore, in a closed room would rise to the upper part ot the room. Q. How many kinds of bread can the government experts bake? CiA. P A. The following are a few of the many miscellaneous types of bread made in the baking laboratories of the Department of Agriculture: Chestnut_flour bread, cassava flour bread, banana, dasheen, potato, wheat, rice, buckwheat, rye, oatmeal, feterita, millet, kafir, milo, barley. white bean, peanut, soy bean, bran, yellow corn meal, sweet potato. white corn meal, kaoliang, ordinary pea. chick-pea and cottonseed. Q. Who were dians”?—M. A. H. A. This is a name given to a tribe of Indlans in New England who!were early won to the Christian faith. Dur- ing the King Philip war they re- mained friendly to the colon company enlisting under Maj. en, In July, 1675. Q. What does the word “shades” mean in speaking of a departed per- son?—G. A. A. It is used in reference to the soul after separation from the body. so called because it is supposedly visible, but not perceptible to touch Q. What is mean act the “praying In- Goo is meant by “overhead expenses” ?>—L. T. A. In_ manufacturing, th “overhead expenses” is general to include all expenditur those for productive labor and for raw materials, but it is used with so many different meanings that it is difieult to give a hard and fast definition. term used except | (Send your questions to The Star Information Burcau. Fr Has- kin, director, 1220 North Capitol street. Give your full name and ad- Greas, w0 that&he information may be sent direct. Inclose 2 cents in stamps Jor return postage.) A British Peer Also An Honored Mohammedan in the extinction of the flames and in the rescue of the property, re- ceiving the most profuse thanks of the baker. who claimed to be an . satian. Three weeks later he hap- pened to find the same shop in flames, and then it occurred to him that on_both nights there kad been the British the second had dropped of hun- a Zeppelin attack upon metropolis and that on visitation the Zeppelin a bomb less than a coup dred yards distant from the great east London waterworks, the baker's shop being situated almost under the walls of the latter. Investiga tion led to the discovery that the baker was a German and that he had set his shop on fire In order to signal {to the Zeppelin the location of the {east ®ondon waterworks. The re sult was that the haker was locked in jail, since which time nothing more has been heard of him. Per- haps he doing time in some Eng- lish convict establishment under a life sentence. Possibly he is one of those nameless Spics who were quiet- 1y shot by a file of soldiers in the moat of the Tower of London at day- break, after conviction in due form by court-martial. * ¥ k % Lord Headley, let me add. is the ichairman and promoter of the influ- ential company which has been form- ed for the recovery of the untold treasures that lie beneath the dread- ed shoals known as the Goodwin ds, all that remain of the former {Island of Lomeare, which belonged to the great Earl Goodwin of the reign of Edward the Confessor. The scheme is to reach the thousands upon thousands of ships that have been engulfed in the last eight cen- turies by these dangerous shoals, consist of quicksands, six miles off the Kentish coast, at the entrance of the strait of Dover, by means of tunnels through the chalk from the shore. s “Smiles” and “Silence,” otherwise the Marquis and Marchioness of iCamden, have just celebrated their silver wedding, and they are so happy and popular a couple that the event has aroused a good deal of sympathetic interest throughout the County of Kent, where Bayham Park, their country place. has been the scene of much festivity in con- nection therewith. Until quite re- cently, the marquis ranked as one of the great ground landlords of the metropolis. being the owner of all that portion of London known as Camden Town, from the rentals of which he derived a very large Income, 1t was nearly 130 years ago that Sif Charles Pratt, the first Lord Camden, who was attorney general and lord high chancellor of George III, ob- tained from the crown a 300-year lease of that territory with a view to its improvement. It is the region in London lying to the north of Regont'’s Park and along Regent's canal. Jlefore Lord Camden died. some 900 houses had been built upon the property on the strength of sub- leases which he had granted. Today the one-time Camden Town estate i< occupied by many thousands of small houses situated on streets whose names, such as Pratt street, Breck- nock street, Bayham street,” Jeffre street, etc. all bear witness to the control of Lord Camden’s family over the property. * %ok x Untjl four vears ago, the present Marquis of Camden was in the habit of renewing the subleases on a con- siderably enhanced figure, demanding, at the same time, a large premium But the heavy taxation of land neces sary to defray the enormous expendi- ture Incurred in connection with the great war caused him, like S0 many other great land owners, to regard real estate as an unsatisfactory i 'vestzient. Accordingly, he gave orders for ihe selling of ali of his metro- politan land end the subleases, thus disarsociating himself entirely from ‘the property. i i