Evening Star Newspaper, November 12, 1923, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sn-d.! Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.....November 12, 1823 The Evening Star Newspaper Company Busizess Office, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave, ew York Omc 0 East 42nd St. Chicago Offie Tower Bullding. European Office: 16 Regent St., London, England, The Evening Star, with the Sunday morning edition, is delivered by carriers within the oty 60 cents per month: duily only, 45 conts per mouth; Sunday only, 20 cents’ per month. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phione Main 5000, ~Collection iy made by car- riers at the end of each month. Rate by Mafl—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Daily and Sunday. Daily only.. . . 3 Sunday only. .40; 1 mo., 20¢ All Other States. Daily and Sunday.l yr., $10.0¢ Daily only Sunday eni; Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitied to the ‘use for republcation of all news dis- patebes credited to It or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news pub- lished herein. ~ All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. e e Tax Reduction or Bonus? Secretary Mellon's letter to Acting Chairman Green of the House commit- tee on ways and means proposes a program of tax reduction which, in the circumstances, is in effect a definition of the issue between that measure and 1he adjusted compensation or soldie #Aonus. For months past the prediction 2as been confidently made that a #onus bill would be passed by the new Congress, possibly at the first session so0n to open, and that there was.suf- ficlent strength assured for it in both houses to carry it over a presidential veto. Tax-reduction plans have neces- sarily been predicated upon such a Ppossibility. Mr. Mellon's letter indi- cates that the administration is not disposed to wait for the proponents of the bonus to make the issue. This let- ter must be regarded as a strategic move, in effect an appeal to the coun- try to consider first the advantages of the outlined plan of tax reduction, net- ting, according to the Secretary’s esti- mate, a saving of $323,000,000 to the taxpayers. . If this program, as outlined by the Secretary of the Treasury, is adopted in legislation, the smaller taxpayers would receive substantial relief, as it would reduce the normal tax rates of 4 and 8§ per cent on personal incomes 03 and 6 per cent, respectively; wodld provide for a 25 per cent reduction in tax on earned incomes as opposed to income from investments and busi- ness, which is a change in adminis- trative policy, and would abolish all surtax charges against incomes of less than $10,000. This plan also would re- adjust surtaxes on incomes over $10,- 000 and reduce the maximum surtex, now 42 per cent, on incomes of $200, 000 and over, to 25 per cent on in- comes of §100,000 and over. This, it is urged, would soon yield an increase rather than a decrease of revenue. The so-called nuisance taxes and the taxes on admissions and telephone and telegraph services would be abolished. In one respget Secretary Mellon's recommendations go to the point of encouragement of industry-promoting investments by discouraging invest- ments in tax-free securities. At pres- ent there is a pronounced and, in ef- fect, pernicious tendency toward in- vestment in tax-free bonds issued by states and municipalities, encouraging the issue of such loans, which even- tually must be paid out of taxation, and depriving railroads and other in- dustrial enterprises in large measure of the revenues necessary for their rehabilitation from war-time exhaus- tion ‘and their proper development to meet the new demands of business of the funds necessary for maintenance and® expansion. As the issue is thus presented by this letter, which must be viewed as expressing the policy of the adminis- tration, Congress will be calied upon to determine whether to grant relief through lowered taxes to perhaps 15,- 000,000 taxpayers who would be fa- vorably affected by the proposed re- vision, or to grant adjusted compensa- tion or bonus to about one-third of that number. The situation simply is this: A bonus’ must be paid out of taxes. There is no other source from which it can bé granted. If the bonus is taken out of tax money the govern- ment cannot possibly reduce its rev- enue. If the bonus is not granted the government can, as Mr. Mellon shows, safely reduce its revenues from taxa- tion and carry on its program of ade- quate maintenance and systematic debt reduction. To ggant the bonus and reduce the revenues together would mean a complete change of policy respecting the liquidation of the war debt, involying postponement for & long period of the final payment of the bills incurred in America’'s par- ticipation in the great war. That is the issue, therefore, which Secretary Mellon's letter, presumably with the indorsement of President Cool- idge, lays before Congress on the eve of the session—tax reduction for fif- teen millions or a bonus for five mil- lons. . But the issue between tax reduction ssas thus proposed and adjusted com- jpensation or bonus should not preclude The enactment in any case of legisla- tion designed to make adequate pro- vision for those veterans of the war who were disabled, by wounds or dis- ease, and who now heed aid from the government. They should be helped. with sympathetic consideration of their'needs, up to the point of 100 per sent thoroughness, whether taxes are' reduced, increased or remain as they are. b Armistice day has put one holiday in the calendar which must be set aside for serious and reverential re- flection apart from considerations of popular pleasure. : Another Coal Strike? From New York comes the disquiet- ing report of strong indications of a coal strike in the bituminous fields next April, under circumstances which would portend a long and disastrous struggle between operators and miners if once entered upon. To be sure, the indications of a strike are ‘supported largely by circumstantial evidence, but are strorg enough to cause alarm. It is pointed out that for the first time in thirty years the operators in union and non-union fields have joined - in resisting the United Mine Workers of America. The union flelds render about 60 per cent of the total annual production. This combiration is con- strued as forecasting the willingness of the operators to come to grips with the union. ¢ It is asserted that practically all the operators who now recognize the union have accepted membership in the National Coal Association end in the so-called special committee, both headed by John C. Brydon, who led the attack on the union before the United States Coal Commission. It is claimed that the miners' union is in better financial condition than ever Dbefore, and that all factional friction within' the union ranks has been al- layed. Last September President Lewis of the mine workers' union announced that there was $2,000,000 in the cof- fers, which is being constantly added to by dues from the 600,000 members. Moreover, it is said that the bitu- minous miners are jealous of the 10 per cent increase in wages recently granted the anthracite workers, and are likely to resist strenuously more suggested reductions and to press pos- sible claims for increases. This is a dolorous prospect. Con- gress should take cognizance of the conditions when it assembles and- pro- vide a governmental agency to protect the business of the country and the welfare of the home. ‘Will Britain Go.It Alone? In a summary of the proceedings of the imperial conference which has been in session at London, issued here vesterday, occurs the following para- graph, which has a marked signifi- cance in view of recent happenings regarding the reparations problem: It is felt that in such an event (if the scheme of a common inquiry to be fol- lowed by common action were to break down) it would be desirable for the Eritish government to con- sider very carefully the alternative of summoning a conference itself, in order to examine the financial and economic problem in its widest aspect. This can be taken as meaning only that if, as now seems probable, the proposed international expert inquiry into German capacity to pay, partici- pated in by the United States, is not held because of insistence by France upon certain restrictions, Great Brit- ain herself should take the lead and seek international action with France exclude and presumably with the United States included. This government could not conceiv- ably contribute to or take part in sucl a move, with France or any other of the allied powers excluded or refusing to join. The willingness of the United States to participate in an expert in- quiry expressed In Secretary Hughes® letter to Lord Curzon is predicated upon the participation of all the powers, and the proposal came to noth- ing because of the French conditions, which, in the view of the American government, precluded a satisfactory survey and settlement. The United States went as far as it could possibly g0 then, and it can go no further now or later on the basis of a conference from which France is absent. Nor is it likely that Great Britain will make*such a move. To do so would be to effect a separation from France in FEuropean matters. It would be, in effect, a dissolution of the alliance upon which European stability depends and British security as well. ‘The imperial conference at London does not, of course, establish the policy of the government at London. The sentiments that have been expressed at the conference are merely advisory. The ministry itself must determine the course of the government, subject to parliamentary approval. The proposi- tion for England to proceed alone—an international conference on repara- tions without France would be virtuai- 1y going it alone—is hardly likely to receive assent. The declaration of the conference—expressed, it is to be noted indirectly—may be regarded as merely a gesture of impatience. —_———————— In considering retrenchment in naval expenditures, Japanese states- manship is inclined to concede that the earthquake from within is more entitled to attention than any remote chance of bombardment from without. L ————— When a plot to put him back on the throne is mentioned Wilhelm Hohen- zollern will be excused i he looks at the calendar to see just how long it will be till the 1st of April. —_——ee California’s confidence in Hiram Johnson is such that there is a belief on the Pacific coast that he can teach the state of Ohio something about politics. —_—————————— Almost anybody can declare himself a dictator, but it requires both luck and skill to secure the necessary pub- lic indorsement. The Warehouse Fires. It the two warehouse fires which broke out a few hours apart in Wash. ington Friday had started simul- taneously there might have been a story of disaster to tell. Each of these fires taxed the capacity of the fire de- partment, caused large loss and in each case a section of the city was threatened with destruction. The mat- ter emphasizes and gives an object lesson that the District fire depart- ment is not as large and well equipped as it ought to be. Each of these fires was quite a large and stubborn one for Washington, but neither was in the downtown or cen- tral section of the clty in which the installation of a high-pressure water system is proposed. Thé event is a warning, but we have had many warnings and Washington's fire dan- ger has often been pointed out by the chief of the fire department, by the heads of the District government and by citizens. Though each of these fires called into actién most of the firemen and fire apparatus of the city, it was not such a fire as would attract much com- ment in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York or other big cities, and in any of those cities would probably have been quickly extinguished. Enough fire- men, engines, hose and water would have been brought to bear to do the work in short order. In our case it was thought for some time that each fire might not be held within the build- ing where it started and that it might spread. There i3 no criticlsm of our fire de- partment. Only praise is heard for the speed with whick the alarms were answered and for the energy and ex- pedition of the firemen. Engines went at top speed, hose was spun out as fast as any firemen could do it, and all the water which -the engines could pump and with all the force they could pump it was turned on the fire. The only complaint made is that th fire department is smaller than the city needs. If these fires had come within a few minutes of each other, and in the downtown district, there would probably have been a staggering loss of property. The Commissioners, with a small sum lately found avail- able, have ordered some new equip- ment to replace worn-out and obsolete apparatus, but a larger and stronger fire force i8 known to be needed. ———— The Hohenzoliern Pawn. Light is beginning to trickle through the mystery of ex-Crown Prince Frederick William’s flight from Holland. Putting bits together from the dispatches from Paris, Berlin, | London and The Hague, it would ap | pear that an intimation was sent from the last-named capital to Wieringen that this would be an opportuné time for the younger Hohenzollern to slip over the border before the government of the Netherlands was involved in any definite international obligation. It would also appear that some sort of an intimation went from Berlin to the same effect. And it is, more- over, suggested in a recent dispatch that no less a person than Chan- cellor Stresemann engineered the move. The motive, it would seem, for the virtual invitation for Frederick William to return to Silesia was to split the monarchical party in Ger- many by setting up a Hohenzollern in Sllesia to counterbalance a Wittels- bach in Bavaria. Then came the beer hall flasco. The Bavarian monarchical movement flivvered. Wittelsbach stock is down, Ludendorff is to go Into exile, Hitler has been captured and is likely to be tried for treason, von Kahr is a sadly discredited dictator and Berlin finds that the monarchical movement ‘was, after all, not much more than a pumpkin head on a stick. So Germany now has Frederick Wil- liam back, end no particular use for him. Holland is in the difficult posi- tion of having connived at his escape despite certain pledges given to the allies that it would appear are now to be repudiated, and France and Eng- land have on their hands the problem of whether to make an issue of this young man by demanding his return to Holland, which does not want him, or letting him stayewhere he is, a monarchical lay figure of little ims portance and no particular following. ———————— President Ebert calls upon America to express its opinion in a clear and definite way; yet when asked about his views as to cancellation of debts re- plied, “You put the question very di- rectly. I would not put it quite that way; but it might lead to the same thing.” Which proves that a clear and definite expression of opinion may be found as difficult in one language as in another. ———— The Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, in its most commende- ble publicity, gives a few rules for health which may be followed bene- ficially not only by those in immediate danger of illness but by any one who wishes to keep in reasonably good physical form. Common Sense is a good old doctor and deserves the prom- inent consideration now being shown him. Having gone thus far in politics it remains for the Ku Klux to throw off all disguise and come forward with an avowed klandidate of its own. Jefferson thought Norfolk would one day be a greater city than New York. Norfolk still thinks so. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. ‘The Public. Just who is this “Public” we mention So often, with awe or disdain; The umpire of every contention; The source of our profit or pain? Is it only & child to be cheated Or a monster whose mood none can bend? 1t is tamed by & phrase well repeated. It will turn in its rage on a friend. It's the sum of the forces within us, The passion, the wisdom, the greed, The powers that release us-or pin us By the rules of ambition or need. 1t is good, it is bad, as time passes, Like each individual elf; Though it shifts into all kinds of classes, ‘The Public's just you and myself. Ilumination. “Do you burn the, midnight oil in the pursuit of knowledge' “No,” enswered Senator Sorghum. “The process is more expensive now. You've got to burn electric lights and give dinner parties. Jud Tunkins says history repeats it- self, but so does luck in horse racing, and you can't tell just when und how the repetition is due. Nothing Without Labor. Said a visitor from a foreign land, “Your government's bard to under- stand.” ) % Sald Uncle Sam, with a patient smile, “That's true. But the study is well worth while.” Generous at Times. “Republics are - ungrateful,” re- marked the ready-made philosopher. “Sometimes,” replied Farmer Corn- tossel. “And yet every now and then somebody gets elected to office in & way that shows & republic kin be ter- rible forgiving. By ‘Companionship Grown Difficult. ““You used to be ¢onsidered & man of remarkably good habits.” “Don’t refer to my past,”” sald Mr, Meekton. “It begins to look as if T wasn't any company at all to Hen- rietta because I can’t enjoy playing cards or smoking cigarettes.” ‘De boss done gimme a fine silk hat,” said Uncle Eben. “T ain! yet de- cided whether I'll use it foh politics or preachin’y” £ WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE President Coolidgs has taken a leaf out of Woodrow Wilson’s notebook. He is sald to have formulated four- teen points as major topics of dis- cussion in his malden message to Congret They have been arrived at as the result of careful sifting and resifting of the mass of Informa- tion Mr. Coolldge has absorbed, largely from his iIncessant White House confabs with men and women of affairs. The President's plan has Jjust been disclosed by a Boston news- paper man, who appears to have dis- covered fourteen stout manila en- velopes neatly stacked on the Cool- ldge work table. Each isadorned with a label indicating that the contents refer to a specific subject. Here's a guess as to the titles of the four- teen points: First, farm relief; sec- ond, rallroad: third, world court; fourth, soldiers’ bonus: fifth, prohl- bition and law enforcement; sixth, merchant marine; seventh, the bud- get; elght governmental reorgani- zation: ninth, taxation; tenth, civil service: eleventh, starvation relief for Germany: twelfth, forsign policy; thirteenth, Veterans' Bureau; four- teenth, conservation. * ok x ok Nobody could have attended the re- cent inaugural of Willlam Mather Lewls as president of George Wash- ington University without sensing that that venerable institution is on the verge of a new birth of useful- ness. Other university and college presidents, present by the score, agreed that the opportunity for a really great university at the Na- tional Capital is at hand. Its back- ground is unique, as far as the United States is concerned. Except for the universities of London, Paris and Ber- lin, there is no institution in the world with such a wealth of poten- tiality in the way of local atmosphere. Dr. Lewis is young, virile, energetic, experienced and ambitious. His in- augural address breathed a grasp of university problems, which extorted | the unstinted admiration of the im- pressive company of intellectuals that heard it. * Kk k% The democratic party has a fond- ness for state governors as presiden- | tial candidates. It nearly won with | Tilden in 1876; it elected Cleveland in | 1884, and it triumphed with Wilson in 1912, In 1920 it experimented with still_another governor—Cox—and in | 1924, if a dark horse is to win the| nomination, wiseacres already are predicting it will be yet again a dem- ocratic state executive. Thus bound | Jjust triumphantly re-elected; Silzer of | Kansas, a factor in, but not the nominee, of | the democratic national convention. ! Chiefly on Appointment of former United States Senator Frank B. Kellogg as ambassador to Great Britain has been recelved with varied comment by the editors of the nation. It being the first really bis plum handed out by President Coolidge muth of the dis- cussion, naturally, is along political lines. “The people the country over will be pleased with this selection,” the Duluth Herald (independent) asserts while the St. Paul Dispatch feels Mr. Kellogg “is a finished product of American citizenship who combines ability and dignity.” There will, of course, “be talk of lame ducks,” the nsas City Journal (republican) sBggests, “but if President Coolidge continues to make such admirable appointments as this, even if he recog- nizes abundant merit which the short- sighted voter refused to réward, he will materially strengthen the service which he is rendering the American people.” Although the Boston Tran- script (independent republican) would have preferred “the appointment of Elihu Root,” inasmuch as “that ap- Dpointment was not open to the Presi- dent, he has done an excellent thing jin_ naming Mr. Kellogg, a man of ability, of eloquence, of character and ability.” Selection of an “ambassador from the west distinctly breaks the precedent,” the Philddelphia Bulletin independent republican) points out, and it will give the middle west a | more immediate and personal interest in the London mission and help dissi- pate the notlon that only the Atlantic seaboard is greatly concerned in weal and woe overseas. On many points the appointment is to be commended as an exhibition of judgment on the part of President Coolidge.” * ok ok * Mr. Kellogg, the Cincinnati Enquirer (independent) feels, “has the finish, the training and the ability that should make him a capable diplomat, as his senatorial service marked him a statesman,” while the Brooklyn Eagle (independent-democratic) de- clares “the choice s creditable to the judgment of President Coolidge, who will doubtless feel safer in regard to Mr. Kellogg's public utterances while abroad than Mr. Harding was ever able to feel while Col. Harvey ranged the banquet halls of Britain.” Al- though he is “without experience in the diplomatic field,” the Columbus State Journal (independent) believes ' “both by nature and training Mr. Kel- logg s much better gualified for the Dost than the man now there.” He als¢ can be expected “to keep within the letter of his instructions” the Peoria Transcript (independent-demo- cratic) suggests. “There will be little of a sensational nature emanating from the American embassy in Lon- don during Mr. Kellogg's occupancy of it the Roanoke World News (in- dependent-democratic) is convinced, and the Detroit Free Press (independ- ent), declares his “record holds out a promise rnhe}- oll‘) ndenq.sblg than a howy career in London. *hPhe American ambassador to the court of St. James has been for many years a gentleman with white hair,” the Detroit News (independent) says. “Frank B. Kellogg has this qualifica- tion. Before indorsing his appoint- ment we should like to examine a photograph of his legs.” There will be opposition to his ocnfirmation, the Omaha World Herald (democratic) says, because “the progressives are against him because he is a stand- patter and the isolationists because he supported the league of nationa Wwith ‘mild reservations’ and later de- clared for American bership in the world court.” An “exoellent ap- pointment,” the Roanoke Times (in- dependent democratic) asserts. but the Baltimore Evening Sun would like to know “what Battling Bob and Mag- nus will say about Lame Duck Kel- logg being a representative of their section.” There “are any number of men better fitted in every way for the piace than xdl:g." = the - Des Moines Tribune idependent). “The best that can be said for him is that he will likely be a great improvemont over the retiring incumbent.” * k% % The Utica Observer-Dispatch (in- dependent) expects “Mr. Kellogg will make 2 mark as ambassador to Great Britain. He 1s polished, a fine speaker, & man of fortune, and dur- ing his senatorial fame he gave, clgse sttention to foreign relations A governor, leaders belleve, is almost certain to be on the ticket—as tail, if not head. * ok k% Jules Jusserand will probably make his first public exposition of the French reparations position at Phila- delphia on November 30. On that date —St. Andrew’'s day—the ambassador will be the guest and chief speaker at the annual dinner of the St. An- drew’s Society. M. Jusserand has re- turned to his duties at Washington much refreshed after a vacation in France and apparently in training for the strenuous season which French diplomacy faces both in the United States and in Europe. * k * k It is a curlous circumstance that the men chiefly concerned with the “Life of Grover Cleveland,” which has just been published, should both be republicans. The foreword, a glow- ing_tribute to Cleveland, is supplied by Elihu Root, while the compiler of the blography is Robert McNutt Mo- Elroy, also a republican. McElroy, who {s Edwards professor of history at Princeton, was a member of Leon- ard Wood's pre-convention committee in 1920, one of Wood's most ardent boosters at Chicago and later active in the Harding and Coolidge cam- paign as a speaker. He {8 a Ken- tuckian. * kX * Ambassador Herriok's recent lo- quacity at Paris has caused an in- quiry to be made—unofficially—into the -oratorical outpourings of our major diplomatic representatives abroad. Honors for taciturnity fall to Alanson B. Houghton, ambassador to Germany. Though Mr. Houghton has bees at ‘g post ‘much in the public limelight, 'he has maintained a silence that makes him fit ideally into the sphinx_administration now estabilsh- ed at Washington. Houghton's com- plled utterances since he went to Ber- lin in February, 1922, wouldn't fifi a vest-pocket memorandum book. He leads a double residential life when in the United States, maintaining homes in Corning, N. Y., and South Dartmouth, Mass. * k * x Senator Arthur Capper, generalis- simo of the farm bloc, is convinced the country once called “the enemy’s” by William Jennings Bryan—namely, the east—is beginning to sit up and take notice. Capper’s latest oratorical effort, delivered at a county fair in Kansas, is entitled “The East Begins to See” Its argument is tfiat the Atlantic seaboard and the Allegheny mountain region no longer look upon the rural west as the economic Cin- derella of the nation. There's a cer- tain Wall street newspaper—“edited per—that still misunderstands the ests. | (Copyright, 1923.) Kellogg Appointment Debated Political Lines He is sensibly conservative.” His appointment “will remove the in- Aluence of the east from this most important foreign post,” the Lan- iing State Journal says. “As an attorney who has successtully ap- peared in the big national trust cases, he should be able to defend the Unit- ed States in the old world.” He is not a “standpatter,” the Petergburg Prog- ress-Index (democratic) insists, and “while he hardly will measure up to the high standard which had existed for that office prior to the appoint- ment of its present occupant, he is S0 far superior to George Harvey in every way that only the most critical | will ‘be inclined to find fault with his appointment.” While he “probably will not make a joke of himself,” the Milwaukee Journal (independent) is convinced, “there is nothing to sug- Zest a successor of the line of John Hay or Choate or Walter Page. It is too bad. A dozen names will oc- cur readily of men whose ability, experience and standing would have promised a new and brighter chap- ter for American diplomacy. To his own part of the country, particularly te his own state which repudiated him, this will seem just another lame duck appointment” Inasmuch as a poor man was barred, it is the opin- fon of the Duluth News Tribune (in- dependent), that “since a man of wealth had to be chosen it is for- tunate that & man of Mr. Kellogg's attainments and mental trends was selected.” The New York Times (independent democratic), is convinced there will not be much of a fight against Mr. Kellogg’s confirmation, because “even to admit the shadow of a doubt that a senator might not measure up to the requirements of a high office would be to undermine the founda- tiops of senatorial complacency. That would be terrible to_think of.” This is also the view of the Loulsville Courler-Journal (democratic), which feels “should democratic senators re- sist confirmation they must do so on better bvidence of the nominee's un- fitness than is now before the pub- lic if they are to avoid doing more harm to their own party than to the administratio; Hits Aid to Germany. Writer Says U. S. Has Neither Legal Nor Moral Right. To the Editor of The Sta The papers report that the Presi- dent will recommend to Congress the appropriation of $25,000,000 to feed the Germans. Even though this were a meritori- ous object, by what authority can Congress add this burden to our already overtaxed people, and expend it for such a purpose? The powers of our national gov- ernment are clearly defined in the .Constitution. Its powers of taxation are limited to raising money “to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States.” I can zee no authority in this language to appropriate money to feed a foreign people. And even though Congress had the power I am opposed to any appropriation for such a purpose, for the reasons that the German government, with the full approval and hearty support of the German people, made an un- provoked attack upon the civilization of the world and for universal domination; that when she met with defeat, ~instead of accepting it manfully and trying in good faith to make recompense for her wanton destruction, she has welshed and whimpered like a cur; and further- more, even conceding that her people are in distress, which is not true to the extent represented, her leaders and people of wealth have deliberate- ly brought about the existing condi- tions to avold and if possible” escape payment of her just obligations. There is today ample wealth among the industrialists of Germany to relieve their people, to whom they owe this duty, and especially as they have thus far evaded every other obligation. God Himself extends neither for- giveness nor help to the unrepentent and the unregenerate. Are we to be more merciful than He? 1 have been uncompromisingly op- posed to the soldier bonus, but if Congress can appropriate money for such a purpose as this, it can no longer deny a bonus to our soldiers &": fought to protect vs from Ger- dom n. BY FRANK H. HEDGES Better death than desecration! Rather than permit the entrance of “forelgn devils” in to the sacred precincts of the Forbidden ecity In Peking, 'lhl palace home of the de- posed boy emperor, the officials of the old Manchu court who hold sway over that plot of ground allowed the flames to .take thelr toll of gorgeous buildings and of ancient records. American marines, the first on the scene to offer help when the sky above the Forbidden city was colored by the glare of the fire, were politely informed that no foreigmer might cross the moat, no matter how desgperate the need. It was a concession that must have mortified thelr Manchu hearts when old-fashioned pumps from the Italian legation were permitted to force water across the purple walls of the litle inclosure, but only Chinese were allowed to map the lines of hose that ran from the pumps to the burning palace. The flames were stayed before the whole of the For- bldden city had been destroyed, which is not surprising, since the buildings are of brick, a form of adobe, earthen tiles and very little woodwork. The Manchu princes, dukes and minor officials who guard the person of the deposed boy emperor of China are, perhaps, the world's greatest re- actionarfes. ' The present means but little to them and the future Jess. They live entirely in the past. Their dreams are not dreams of a great and reunited republic of China, tak- ing her place at the council tables of the world on equal footing with ail other powers. Instead, they cherish memories of the day when the Son of Heaven ruled the east, and the west was still the unknown land of the barbarian. To this they ‘would return, but they cannot. * k% % Much as the American, the Briton or the French man may consider his country ‘and his civilization superior to that of China, his conceit is as nothing beside that of the Chinese reactionary. Superior as many may feel to what they choose to call, wrongly, “uncivilized China,” it is as nothing compared with ~the self- assurance of the Chinese regarding the superiority of his own civilization over that of the west. His is an ancient land that has endured through the centuries, an ancient culture that was built up before the days of Athens and Rome, a system that has survived throughout time while others have crumbled and per- ished. What has the young, young west to teach him? ‘This is not true of all Chinese, but it is true of the educated reaction- arfes and of the mass of uneducated into the picture Ritchie of Maryland, | by dyspeptic individuals,® says Cap- |millions, who know but little of any nation save their own. The Chinese New Jersey, Brown of New Hamp-|west, but otherwise fw SEgitor: [ shire, Sweet of Colorudo and Davis of | Statcaman Gapper finds this section of | the. Merits and pencts of omtzin merits and benefits of certain Smith of New York will be the country kindly toward its inter- |aspects of our eivillzation, particu- larly of our mechanical culture. Although he may still believe the tenets of Confucius superior to any system of ethics _enunciated else- where, he {s not blind to the ad- vantages of the railroad, the tele- phone, the automobile and all the other methods by which we have harnessed the vast power of steam, electricity and gas to serve mankind. He recognizes their worth and he longs to transplant them to his native land o that his countrymen may be served likewise by nature. But in attempting to do so he en- counters a blind antagonism. At first the Chinese who believes that his race alone has produced the good things of this earth is stubbornly opposed to innovation. The returned Chinese student from America, how- ever, makes a small beginning, and the Chinese are quick to grasp the advantages offered them. The trains on the few railways of the republic are crowded in a way that would not be. tolerated in this country. In Byking and other cities there is a demand for telephones 8o _great that it cannot be supplted. Motor cars lare seldom seen outside the port | cities, it is true. but China must first learn’ that good roads are essential to automobiles. * ¥ ok % It is a slow and difficult process, this meeting and partial mingling of two great civilizations, and forms the most fascinating problem in the world today. It is a problem that calls for infinite wisdom, It is neither wise nor best that China should blindly adopt as ner own that which the west has to give. In many respects the Chinese is right in the belief in the superiority of his own peculiar culture, especially as applied to his own nation and race. The foreizner who would impose his institutions and customs on an ancient people is foolishly near- sighted. It cannot be done cessfully, nor is it desirable that it should be done. The Chinese reac- tionary who rejects all that the west has to offer is quite as foolish in his partisanship as is the zealous for- eigner. China can no longer live without the west, nor is it good that she attempt to do so. The course that must be taken lies | between these two extremes, but it is a course that is difficult to follow and that is veiled in the mists of ignorance and lack of experience. The reactionary must swallow his bitter prejudices and_ the foreigner must forset his blind faith in the superiority of his way of doing things. Together, but with the Chinese leading, they must take the customs and institutions that have come down through the centuries, and, using them as a_base, rear a new structure on the farther shores of the Pacifie. It must be a process of adapthtion, mot of adoption, of using the tools that the west has fashioned for the shaping of the blocks of marble produced by China, of taking only that which is best from the west and blending it with that which is peculiarly Chinese so that the result may be an enduring mortar that will hold in place the enormous _stones of ancient China that the China of today is building up into a new state. Discusses the Origin Of Monroe Doctrine To the Editor of The Star: Your recent editorial on the Mon- roe doctrine is both very interesting and informing. In toughing on the genesis of that doctrine you state that George Canning, the British prime minister, looks to our gov- ernment on the subject that was the mmediate occasion of the Monroe :uronnnclmemo. 1 presume that Jou mean to say that Canning’s let- fer was the first concrete Suggestion lof the American policy set forth in document. lh;(tl' Frederic J. Haskin of your staff recently, at my request. made an extensive investigation of the question of Canning’s claim to credit for inspiring the Monroe doctrine, and very kindly sent me the result of his researches. He cites Canning’s own implied claim to priority in this, besides citing several circum- stances, seemingly well authenticated, that tend to support that claim. The credit attrihuted to George Canning in this conneotion is nothing new. I have uu\::.l‘ri~ in print off and on ears oot long agb. some one wrote a book in which was discussed Presi- dent Monroe's indeptedness _to his American advisers for the doctrine. and the book was gravely reviewed in the Nation. I was surprised to note that no mention was made of Canning, although the principal point in controversy was as to What ex- tent Mr. Monroe was aided by his Secretary of State, Mr. J. Q. Adams. T have .no doubt that The Star is correct about the matter, to wit, that the germ of the idea of the promul- tion of the Monroe doctrine came ‘rom George Canning, and_ that it ‘waa seized upon and.worked out by several of the close friends and ad- of the Presid: under_the lat- Y% guidance, R G. KDMONDEON, suc- | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. What was the nationalf 3 Chidrles . Bteinmetsits ¢ °F OF A. Dr. Steinmetz was born in Bres- lau, Germany. Q. Is reading injurious to the eyes of a sick person?—K. L A. There is a direct relationship between the condition of the eyes and the condition of the body generally, according to the national committee for the prevention of blindness. In consequence, persons recovering from serfous illness may subject their eyes to severe strain by reading small type or poorly printed matter. The committee advocates that books se- lected for invalids should be printed in large, distinct type, and that pa- tients should not try to read too many books while in a weakened stage, Q. Are many of the moving pictures taken in New York?—A. G. A. Of the pictures made In the United States in 1922, 84 per cent were made in California and 12 per cent were made in New York. The remaining 4 per cent were nfade in various places. Q. Why is the English court known as the Court of St. James?—R. M. B. A. This name is derived from the palace of St. James which fronts on Pall Mall, London. The palace was originally a hospital dedicated to St. James. It was reconstructed and made Into a manor by Hepry VIII who gonnected it through a park with Whitehall, which was then the royal palace. St. James Palace was the royal residence and seat of Brit- ish government from Willlam III to Victoria. In 1837 the royal residence was transferred to Buckingham Palace, but many offices are still lo- cated in the old palace, and its name is still closely associated with the British governmen! . How many kernals of oats vg.w it take to fill a standard grain sack?—Y. J. A._ Thers are approximately 150, 000 kernals of oats in & standard- size sack. Q. Is Robert Ringling, who sings in grand opera. a member of the fam- ily of circus fame?—R. T. M. A. Robert Ringling is the son of the manager of the Ringling circus. According to Etude be inherits his musical tastes from his parents, his mother being a skilled pianist and his father an accomplished violinist. Q. What is ambergris’—H. S. H. A. Ambergris is a fatty secretion formed in some sperm whales. It is aken from whales directly, but more tten it is found floating in the water, especlally in the waters of the tropics. Tt {s also found cast up on beaches in lumps which sometimes exceed 200 pounds in weight. On exposure to the air it develops a sweet, earthy odor, in place of its original disagreeable odor. Ambergris has a high the manufacture of perfumes, and the price is increasing, due to the rarity of the sperm whale and the growing demand for the material. Q. Where did the polonaise origi- nate?—D. L. g A. The polonaise, a Polish dance, is belleved to have originated at the coronation of Henry d'Anjou, at Cra- cow, 1574. Somber Note in Wedding Due BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY. Since the Politica, the leading daily newspaper of Belgrade, has secn fit to violently attack the Serbian government in the matter, there can be mo indiscretion in revealing the fact that the festivities there in con- nection with the marriage of Prince Paul of Serbia the other day, and of the christening of the newborn son and heir of the King and Queen of Serbia, did not pass off without a dis- agreeable contretemps. A somber note was furnished to both ceremonies by the crape shroud- ed and unwelcome presence of Queen Sophia of Greece, who, as the ex- kaiser's most aggressive and least pleasant sister, distinguished herself throughout the war by her intense janimosity to the powers of the en- tente, helping Germany in every way, and so gravely prejudicing the posi- tion of her husband, the much harass- ed and rather stupid King Constan- tine, that he was twice dethrondd first in 1916, and then in 1922, and sent off throughly discredited to die in_exile. The Duke of York and his duchess represented the royal family of Eng- land at the double ceremonies at Bel- grade, which the King and Queen of Rumania likewise attended. Now not only Serbia, but alro Rumania, was _overrun, devastated and plun- dered by the kaiser’s armies, the Teu- ton destruction of the two countries having been of a particularly bar- barous and ruthless character. * ¥ ¥ ¥ The Serbians, in particular, had reason to bitterly complain of Queen Sophia’s visit. For they had an of- {fensive and defensive treaty with {Greece by the terms of which the latter was called upon to come to their assistance in the event of for- eign Invasion. Venizelos, when prime { minister of Greece in the early stages {of the great war, made preparations to live up to the terms of this treaty, but was arbitrarily prevented from idoing so by King Constatine, at the instance of Queen Sophia, with the result that the entire cabinet re- signed. The King and Queen of Greece thereupon permitted the establish- ment of all kinds of naval bases for Germany on the Greek coast, furnish- ed Berlin with much valuable informa- tion and even went so far as to trans- fer the possession of a Greek frontier stronghold, in such a fashion to Ger- man_ troops as to enable the latter to attack Serbia at one of her par- ticularly vulnerable points. The result of Queen Sophia's presence at Belgrade was that the festivities were cut short and that the Duke and Duchess of York, who pointedly held aloof from her throughout their stay, left as quickly as pessible. The bride of Prince Paul, it is true, was Prince Olga of Greece. She is not the daughter, however, but merely a niece of Queen Sophia, reason to force herself upon the Serblan king and queen and their Serblan king and queen and the their guests, creating a most dis- agreeable impression upon all the participants in the ceremony and upon the people of Serbia generally. It is a characteristic piece of tact- lessness of Queert Sophia, whose me- morfal at Athens consists of the slaughter houses on the Chicago plan with which she endowed the city, whereas her Romanoff mother-in- law, Queen Olga, has her equally characteristic memorial there in the magnificent Evangelican _hospital, which she built, endowed and, to a great extent, managed, as long as she made her home in Greece. * ok k% Sir George Lloyd, who was un- known as an administrator and as a politician when he was suddenly ap- pointed to the governorship of Bom- bay in 1918, his only qualification for the office being extensive travels in the orlent and especially in central Asia; has made his mark in India and is leaving there, on the com- pletion of his very successful term of office, a magnificent memorial thereof. For the great barrage over the Indus at Sukkur is to bear his £ com- | mercial value as a material used in| Q. State ‘the number of fatal ac- cidents in this country, and the chier causes—E. C. D. A. The National Safety Council says that fn 1932 there were approx- Iimately 75,300 fatalities due to acci- dent. Of some 206 daily fatalities, 35 followed automobile accidents; 25 were due to falls; 16 were the resuit of burns, and 19 of drowning. Q. When isinglass In the side cur tains of an automobile becomes opaque, how can it be restored to transparency?—W. B. W. A. Vinegar will clean the isinglass in curtains of automobiles quite satis- factorily. Q. Why does the cross on the steeple of a Greek Catholic Church have a slanting cross-piece, as well as two straight cross-pieces?—J. R. Q. A. The slanting arm of the cross is added in deference to the tradition that one foot of Christ was drawn higher than the other as He hung upon the cross. Q. When did Providence become the only capital of Rhode Island?—A. J. H. A. There were two seats of govern ment in Rhode Island until 1900, one session of the legislature being held in Newport each term. Since 1900 Providence has been the only capital. Q. Are many snakes poisonous?— A. Of the several thousands of dif- ferent speci snakes, only about one-third ha b . The {bite of not mor would cause death to man Q. How many foreigners are legall allowed to enter the United States one day? In one week?—V. L. A. According to the Labor Reviow the total number of immigrants ad- missible to the United States during the fiscal year 1923-24 is 357,803. Th averages 980 immigrants a day or 6.360 2 week. Q. What is neat's-foot oil?—L L A. This oil is obtained from the feet of such animals as oxen and sheep. It is commercially valuable as an in- dustrial oil, because it remains liquid at a freezing temperature, and it can therefore be used in lubricating ex- posed machinery. Neat's-foot oll is pale vellow and is practically odor- less. 1 Q. How is coal formed? 0. A. A. The general theory regarding the formation of coal is that it results from the decomposition of vegetaticn in swamps under tremendous pres- sure at a high temperature. The first state is peat; second, lignite; third, bituminous; fourth, anthracite, and the final state is graphite. (The Star Information answer your question. plies strictly to information. The bureau ocannot give advice on legal, medical and financial matters. It does not attempt to scttle domestic troubies, nor to undertake exhaustive rescarch on | any subject.r. Inciosc 2 cents in stamps |for return postage and send your | query to The Star Information Bureau, ‘rederic J. Haskin, Director, 1 orth Capitol Street. ) Bureau will This offer ap- Serbian Royal to Queen Sophia name, and will be known, from hence- forth'as Llovd dam It will be the biggest dam in the world, even muth larger than the gi- gantic Assuan dam over the Nile, and five times the length of London { bridee. It will, with the five canals | constructed in connection therewith, | bring under cultivation a_now bar- ren region extending over 8,000,000 acres which is at present an arid mere descrt, but which will be rendered, by means of this irrigation scheme, available for the cultivation of cot- ton, rice, wheat, e Indeed, the region will be changed into @ vast granary to_which the great Indian seaport of Karachi wiil serve as the point of export and distribution. The canals, five in number, will, to- gether. form a length of 7,000 miles. Two of the three canals carrying off water from the right bank of the Indus are each wider than the Suez canal, > the so-called Rohri canal, on the left bank, is nearly three times the breadth of the Suez canal, with a volume of water equal to the maxi- {mum discharge of the River Thames at_its mouth. 1t may be safely said that the Lloyd dam and its system of canals {s the greatest constructive work ever, as yet, undertaken in India with & view to relieving the frequent famines due to the overcrowding of the teemirn population of over 300,000,000. Th famines have been, for centuries, ane of the most difficult problems with which various suceessive govern- ments of India have had to d being so largely the result of the periodical failure of the monsoo that is to sa to climatic conditi The Lloyd dam and its canals, in- volving the expenditure, to the Brit- ish government, of $74,000,000, will g0 far to obviate and solve the famine problem and will leave lasting mark upon India of the benc- fits and advantages of its adminis- tration by the British crown. * ok k% Sir George Lloyd has devoted the greater part of his five-year term to getting this irrigation scheme under way, overcoming all sorts of appar- ently insuperable obstacles, and it is only right and just that the great dam, which is the chief feature of the system, should bear his name, and that he should have been able to lay its foundation stone the other da with much pomp and ceremony, be- fore leaving Bombay. He has mads good in India and done justice to the wisdom of King George's appoint- ment, largely at the instance of his mother, Queen Alexandra, who had Lady Lloyd with her for many years as_one of her favorite maids-of-ho Previous to his appointment governor of Bombay, Sir George Lloyd saw service in Egypt, on the peninsula_of Gallipoli, in Mesopo- tamia and under Gen. Allenby in Palestine. At the outset of the war, the then Capt. George Am- brose Lloyd was appointed by Lord Kitchener to assist in organizing the linle"lk(ncb service of the was de- partment in the near east. Owing to his perfect mastery of Arabic, the result of twenty years' travel and study in India, he was one of the three English officers charged with the organization of the force of the Grand Shereef of Mecca at the out- break of the latter’s insurrection against the Sublime Porte. He was also sent on a special mis- sion to Russian military headquarers, via Archangel. in 1916, and was pres- ent with the Russian army in Galicia at the time of its invasion of Ausrian Poland and Hungary. Sir George's wife {s the former Hon. Blanche Las- celles, a daughter of a younger broth- er of thé present Earl of Harewood. Wants Law to Compel Support of Children To the Editor of The Star: ‘While the Florence Crittenton Home is calling for aid, I would make an in- quiry: ‘Why do they not go to the root of thq matter and through legislation oblige the fathers of illegitimate children to support them? Instead, they pamper to them by establishing fine houses for the un- fortunate women and children, where- as, if they would demand money for their support it would deter many & man from assuming such a bur- den and place one handicap in his way. MARIA W. CARTER.