Evening Star Newspaper, December 31, 1923, Page 6

L THE EVENING STAR With Sundsy Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D\ C. MONDAY.....December 31, 1923 THEODORE W. NOYES. The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th §t. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42ud, St. Chicago Oftice: Tower Building. Buropean Office: 16 Regent 8t., London, England, The Evening Star, with the Sunday morning edition, s delivered by curriers within the ity ai 80 cents per mouth: daily only, 43 conts per month; Sunday oniy, 20 cents' pep month. Orders be sent by mail or tele- , vhone Main 5000, Collection i3 made by car- Tiers at the eud of each month. Rate by Mail-ePayable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Daily and Sunday..1 yr., $8.40; 1 mo. Daily only. . Sunday only. All Other States. Daily and Sunda: $10.60: 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only..... $7.00: 1 mo., 80c Sunday oniy $3.00: 1 mo., 25¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Ausociated Press is exclusively entitied to the use for republication of all news dis- patclies credited to it or not otherwise credited n this paper and also the local news pub. lished herein. Al rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Prosperity in 1923. When, as the Federal Reserve Board reports for 1923, the American people produce more, spend more and save more than in the year preceding it may be considered that the nation is i a fair way of substantial prosperity. That is the summary of conditions as stated by the board, which has means of knowing the details of the economic situation throughout the country. To produce more goods means ex- pectation of increased buying. That this expectation was realized is shown | by the statement that the people spenl! more in the closing year than they did in the year past. But with all this spending, to absorb the greater volume of production, there was in- creased saving In the form of actual savings deposits and in investments. A more wholesome condition could not be asked. It is noted in the board's report that throughout the vear the business attitude has been one of watchfulness, but at the same time there has been continued industrial activity during the autumn months. There has, .in short, been no overproduction such as a few years ago caused a serious dis- arrangement of economic conditions and started a costly reaction which | it fortunately was checked before gained momentum. This attitude on the part of business has tended to stabilize trade and industry. It is important to note that growth in credits used by member banks has been greater in the agricuitural dis- tricts than in the industrial districts. ‘This shows both need of money and, ‘i effect, the supply of money to the farming areas. That the farmers have been supplied through the ex- tension of credits may be regarded as a sign that a crisis in their situa- tion has been passed. The real test of business activity 1s in the retail trade, which was larger for each month in 1923 than in 1922. ‘The total of the department store sales for the first ten months of the year exceeded those for the corresponding period of last year by 13 per cent. Improved transportation facilities permitted a speedier and more eco- momical distribution of goods, and it is & matter of gratification to note the volume of railroad traffic was the larg- est on record. This is in part due to the fact that there was a larger phys- ical volume of agricultural produc- tion than during the previous pre- ceding vear, and at the same time it it important to note that at the pre- vailing level of farm prices the total value.of. the year's crop is about 12 per cent above that of 1922, In one item of increased production there is occasion for thought. The vear’s cutput of automobiles will be Jnearly 4,000,000, an increase of more than 50 per cent over last year. This means an expenditure of an immense sum of money in one direction alone and involves the employment of a; great army of people in the fabrica- tion and distribution of motor cars. Taken altogether, the review of the Federal Reserve Board is a most hopeful of substantial, enduring prosperity and is a practical New Year message to the American people. | —_——— If every United States official who claims to know all about the farmer's cares is called on to demonstrate his ability to milk cows the 8. P. C. A, may have to be called in. i The Ship Board Problem. Two proposals contained in the | memorandum relating to the Ameri-( can overseas merchant marine sub- | mitted to President Coolidge by Sena- tor Jones of Washington, chairman of the Senate committee on commerce, appear to be absolutely essential i the government-owned boats and ship- ping lines are to be maintained. They are to have the operation of the ves- sels placed under a single, central authority, and for the construction Vf; new and more adequate. tonnagi Senator Jones in his recommenda- tions to the President calls attention to the fact that the United States Shipping Board, composed of seven members, each with an equal vote, was not intended by Congress to col duct shipping lines any more than the | Interstates Commerce Commission was intended to run railroads. It was in- tended to occupy just such e position toward shipping as the Interstate Commerce Commission occupies to- ward the railroads, to'be an adjuster of rates, to prevent discriminations, ete. i But the Shipping Board has sought more and more to go directly into the operation and administration of the sovernment fleet. In a business that requires quickness of decision, details clog the ways while the board argues and votes. ping Board is held responsible by the administration and by the American people Yor the operation of the mer- chant fleet, and he is given one vote against six. How different from a di- rctorate of a great industrial and pri- vately owned corporation, where the chairman is placed in control by the owners to control. As Senator Jones says in his memo- randum to tne President, there have been many -criticisms of ‘the existing methods of handling the ships, and A chairman of the Ship- [ tion be taken trom the bosrd and pisced under an agency with e single r& sponsible head. In the opinjon of Sena- tor Jones, the agency is ready to the hand, the Emergeucy Fleet Corpora- tion. He says the Fleet Corporation can be divorcéd from the Shipping Board and placed in control without legislation. But this is doubtful, cer- tainly if the divorcelnent is to be per- manent. A President might call the board before him and inform its mem- bers that he wishes this action taken, or that he would get a board that would regard his wishes in the matter. A President, however, may go out of office and his policies be changed by his successor. In his recommendations regarding | operation of the vessels aud the con- struction of new tonhage Senator Jones has paralleled to a considerable degree recommendations submitted by Chgirman Edward P. Farley of the Shipping Board, whe is about to re- tire from office because the Senate commerce committee las held him geographically ineligible for member- ship on the board. Chairman Farley, however, has recommended legislation separating the board and the Fleet Corporation, and has gone & step further, propesing the establishment of subsidiary corporations for the more efficient operation of the vessels on various parts of the coast and to enable the government the more readily to dispose of its established lines to private American owners when the time comes that American flag vessels can compete on an equal basis with those of other maritime na- tions. Unless new tonnage is added to the i | the fleet will disappear. Some kind of a building program is essential, Speed- ier and more efficient and economical types of vessels than those construct- ed for the war emergency must be constructed. The British and the Ger- mans are today building such vessels. President Coolidge in bis annual ad- dress to Congress stressed the need of maintaining a merchant marine for national defense and for the benefit of [ American commerce. Under existing conditions the overseas merchant ma- rine for the most part must be main- tained and operated by the govern- jment. And while the government oper- ates the vessels it must, in justice to the people, operate them as efficiently and as economically as possible. The New British Ambassador. When a few months ago Sir Auck- land Geddes, British ambassador to the United States, developed a disease of the eyes which gravely impaired his vision and menaced him with total blindness, the hope was felt and ex- pressed that he would quickly recover and be epabled to resume his diplo- matic dutfes at this Capital, where he has proved to be a most efficient and satisfactory representative. Now it is {announced that, although much improved, he is relinquishing his post definitely, and almost simultaneously comes word that his successor has i been nanred. Sir Esme Howard. whom King George ‘has commissioned to succeed Sir Auckland Geddes, is a diplomatist of wide experience. He will come to Washington from Madrid, where he is now stationed. With a long record of service in the corpe, and with intimate acquaintance with the questions pending between nations, he will without doubt quickly adapt hiniself to this post, one of the greatest im- portance in the British diplomatic range. It is interesting to note that Sir Esme Howard went to Sweden as am- bassador as successor to Sir Cecil Spring Rice, former ambassador at ‘Washingtons He now comes to Wash- ington but one degree removed from him. At Stockholm he was faced with a delicate task. Tt is attributed large- Iy to him that Sweden remained neu- tral during the great war. Had that government joined the central powers, as it was strongly pressed to do, a {most difficult condition would have developed, giving the allies grave em- barrassment. Sir Auckland Geddes, who is return- ing to close up his work in Washing- ton to prepare for his successor, made for himself a warm place in the affec- tions of the American people, and par- ticularly those of the Capital. The misfortune that cut short his career is cause of deep regret. The good wilt that he won here will be extended to his successor. i His position in politics is still strong enough to claim respectful considera- tion for any suggestions Mr. Henry Ford may have to offer for the G. O. P. band wagon’s 1924 model. Claims to recognition by the soviet government are based largely on re- minders’ that it does not at all resem- ble its former self. It is fortunate for candidates that not every state in the Union demands as much exclusive attention as South { Dakota. ' The New Year bootleg salesman i never turns over a new leaf. The Milkers. So many things are goifig on at the Capital in this gay season that the milking match between Magnus Johnson, senator from Minnesota, and Henry Wallace, Secretary of Agri- culture, held in & cow barn at Sol- diers’ Home, was not largely attended {by the public. It would have been instructive. to many of our people ‘who. believe that milk comes from tin cans and glass jars, who have ino acquaintance with' cows and no understanding of the relation between cows and milk. It would have been instructive to ses two men turn from ; the ‘perplexities of state and lay to ‘at the job of pumping milk from cows. Minnesota, an important cow state, will regret that Senator John- son was beaten by a pint by & man Tows who: supports the admin. istration. In parts of Minnesota it is supposed that a man who supports the administration must be Wwithout any of the agricultural virtues. The | Minnesotan challenged' the Iowan, and If -the published accounts are rellable it ‘would gppear. that the challenger held thé Secretary of Agri- culture in light regard as a professor the art of mikios/cows, But, A government merghant fleet eventually | milk bout by & pint. It would be in to. have the opinions of the dairynen at Sol- diers’ Home, cpinions of men who know how to milk cows, as to whether Senator Johnson and Secre- tary Wallace are really worth their salt as milk hands, or whether they sat on milkstools in the presence of two cows just for pictorial purposes. Senator Johnson says that Secretary Wallace may beat him by a pint in a milking match, but that he can wallop him at chopping and splitting wood, and we will probably have another athletic contest between these rastoral gladiators, Help the Veteran: President Coolidge's letter to Julius Barnes, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, in- voking the aid of that organization in placing in employment rehabilitated men and women who were wounded in the world war, is calculated to attract widespread attention to a most im- portant” subject. President Coolidge pointed out that while 45,000 men and women have been returned to work through the efforts of the Veterans' Bureau, 70,000 are still in training, and when released must be furnished places” suitable for their abilities. The Veterans' Bureau, during the past few months, has carried on a campaign with the object of securing the co-operation of Important private industrial establishments in the United States and interesting them in the problem of employing these men and women. Governors of states and mayors of large cities have issued proclamations urging the favorable consideration ‘of employers in the mat- ter of employment of disabled vet- erans. There is still much to be done, how- ever, President Coolidge says, and he feels it incumbent upon him in the in- terest of these men to emphasize the subject. The President suggests that the Chamber of Commerce “of the United States create a permanent com- mittee which will act in solving this problem of employment of disabled veterans. The Veterans' Bureau in ‘Washington will co-operate with the committee in every way needful. Every man and woman in the land sympathizes with the wounded vet- erans who are being brought back to health and usefulness by the govern- ment and through the generous ap- propriations ungrudgingly made by Congress. President Coolidge suggests theé co-ordination of. this sympathy with practical efforts to make it ef- fective and offers a plan. The coun- try will respond. —_———— The quest of the “missing link™ still goes on. Many scientists declare that man while more closely .related to apes than to other animals is not a descendant. However, the missing ink idea is more picturesquely enter- taining. It is to be regretted that there.are no simians sufficiently intel- ligent to eppreciate the compliment and perhaps assist the research. ———— The volume of freight traffic handled in 1923 was nearly 30 per cent greater than that handled in 1922. The ralil- roads, though subject to much criti- cism, are still doing something for their country. —————— The demand for automobiles next year will be unprecedented. It is small wonder that a motor manufacturer finds it necessary to limit the time he can devote to politics. —me—————— { late & New Year resolution with a sufficient local indorsement to take her out of the market for arms and ammunition. 4 i So many large issues are looming up that unless Col. Bryan keeps the subject under agitation the country is *likely to lose sight of evolution. ———te—————— ‘Whisky crossed the Canadian border disguised as sardine shipments. This is one fish story that is true if mot very entertaining. —————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Undiscrimination. A happy New Year we bespeak For all our fellow merf; Yet in the list we ought to seek Exceptions now and then. The burglar and the gunman who Go prowling through the map— Why should they share the greeting due To a deserving chap? A sentiment of generous glee Is fraught with pleasure great; . But it grows valueless when we Do not discriminate. Proof. “'Will this investigation you propose prove anything?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum; “it will at least prove to the public that we are willing to take notice of things and talk them over.” Jud Tunkins says the temperature always goes down as predicted, but it's different with the price of coal. New Year Eve. Prosperity begins to shine; The business outlook’s bright; For everywhere I want to dine They hoost the price tonight. 'The Tables Turned. “Does your wife still give you Christmas cigars?” {“No,” answered Mr, Meekton. “I overheard Henrietta making fun of the cigarettes with which I presented her.” Y iy New Year Resolution. “Are you expecting any disorder on New York?” “No, sir,” answered Cactus Joe. “In order. to preserve the Gulch's reputa- tion as @ pesceable community we have all decided to leave home an' give Soske Ridge a few lessons in how to make another start in life.” “Some folks," said Uncle Eben, *“will have a happy New Year, and ‘others will jes” harely manage to git Mexico has been unable to formu-{ BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Edward W. -Bol 00 peace- |plan prize may be divided among & sroup of Washingtonians who pooled thelr ideas 'and submitted a joint scheme. This syndicated attempt to win ‘the competition is the only secret that has leaked out from the council chamber of the jury of award, headed by Ellhu Root. The i ity of the Washington “best minds" remains a mystery. It is only known that they are persons who specialize in the stydy of international relations. The award jury is reported to be deeply Impressed by the Washington plan, which was brought to New York on November 15, in the closing hours of the competition. It provides for ap- plication to all international contro- versies of the principles of the per- manent International Joint Commission, 50 long and_sutcessfully maintained b the United States and Canada. . > Now and then you will hedr the n_redlc(lon ventured that President Coolidge will not veto a bonus bill if passc « iL. Authorities who h a prophecy say that Mr. Coolidge could justify signing of the bill on the grodnd that the sovereign voice of the people, as represented by Congr: ad spoken In its favor. He 'gue that he had opposed such legislation and still considered it in- advisable, but ‘did not arrogate to himself the right to override “the country’'s will." ‘It is politicians with an eve to 1924 who conjure up such an attitude on the President's part. Republicans who think they know him better say it would be a contra- diction of Calvin Coolidge’'s whole po- litical make-up and is, therefore, in- conceivable. One of the foremost political myths of the season has just been exploded by George E. Brennan of Chicago, the astute democratic “boss' of 1l nois. Early in December the story was sent broadcast from French Lick Springs that Brennan, Murphy and Taggart, there in solemn conclave as: sembled, had decided to guillotine William' G. MecAdoo's aspirations. No such death sentence was pronounced, or even discussed. The democratic es” of Illinols, New York and BY THE WARQUISE DE FONTENOY. Prince Waldemar of Denmark, who is due in New York from Copenhagen. is the youngest brother of Queen Alexandra of Great Britain, and of the widowed Empress Marie of Rus- sia, and the uncle, therefore, of King Christian XI. One of his brothers was the late King George of Greace, Who fell by the hands of an assassin &t Saloniki just ten .years ago. He ica, most of his trips to the United States having been in connection with the interests of the East wsia Ocean Steamship Line of Denmark, the lead- ing maritime concern of the kingddm, in which he was formerly one of the very latest stockholders and of which he assumed the virtual éirection and management on his retirement from the active list of the royal Danish navy as its ranking admiral. This time his visit to America is in connection with the impending marriage of his eoldier son, FPrince Viggo, to Miss Eleanor Groen, daugh- ter of Dr. James O. Green, and a granddaughter of the_ lats Mayor Abram Hewitt of New York. She is, therefore. a niece 6f Miss Sarah Cooper Hewitt and of the late Peter Cooper Hewitt, the inventor. Prince Waldemar is also likely, while on this side of the Atlantie, to visit Ottawa, where another of his soas. Prinoe Eric of Denmark, who owns large ranch in the Province of Al- berta, adjoining -that of his cousi the Prince of Wales, has becomne en gaged to marry Miss Lois Booth of that eity, daughter of a well known Canadian lumber magnate. 1t 1% asserted that Prince Viggo will, after his marriage, spend much of his time in Canada, where he has acquired a ranch in_the vicinity of that of his |brother, Prince Eric. * * ¥ *x Formerly both of these young princes were accounted very rich, and when Prince Rene of Bourbon-Parma, brother of former Empress Zita, mar- ried their only sister, Princess Mar- garet, she was supposed to be very jwealthy. But the fortune which they inherited from their French mother, the late Princess Marie of Orleans, and in which their father, the sexa- genarian Prince Waldemar, had a life interest, and of which he was the trustee, was to a great extent swal- lowed up in the sensational crash of the Landmann Bank of Copenhagen, one of the greatest financial Cisas- ters of the last half century in Scan- jdinavia, involvift, as it did, ruinous losses, not only 'to the great and small agriculturists of a kingdom where agriculture is the staple in- dustry of=the country, but also {o nearly all of the members of the reigning house, including ths Queen Mother ~ Louise, accounted at the i {time of her marriage to be one of |the richest princesses of her day. How hard hit was Prince Waldemar may be gathered by the fact: that when the Landmann Bank wen% on the rocks he was forced to close his hospitable home at_ Coperhagen, known as the Yellow Palace, to sell his automobiles and horses, 16 get rid of most of. his servants and to take up his residence in & mall, unprot: !tious villa in the suburbs of the city, {1t likewise entailed the sale of Prince Eric’'s great model farm in Denmark at Kokkedal which he had purchased with his father's assistance for over $200,000 on which he had lavished a considerable amount {of money in scientific farming, large- {ly by way of promoting and cncour- aging the farming industry of the na- {tion. Fortunately he was able to {Kkeep Intact his large ranch in Alberta. * k¥ Prince Viggo and Prince Erfe still, however, have monetary prospects. For their dead mother’s mother, the old widowed Duchess of Chartres, is still alive. « She is enermously rich and when she dies her big fortune will be divided up between thé chil- dren of her eldest daughter, wife of Gen. Patrick de Macmahon, Duke of Magenta, son of the former president of the republic; the children of her only surviving son, the Royal Duc de Guise, and the children of her dead daughter, the late Princess Waldemar ¢ Denmark, among them the Princes %lm "and Erie. late Duke de Chartres will be remembered in America as having taken part in the war of secession of sixty to seventy years ago, serving throughout the conflict on the s of the principal Union commanders. Indeed, as his randsons, both Prince Viggo and his rother Eric are qualified by inher- itance to membership of the Grand Army, and, especlally in the Soclety of Jo Army of the Potomac. ‘They have an br person of Prince an “-Ix!unnu in - royal marriage ter of Count Calvi di m' it Copenhagen, lnl.:vlou son a 3 o & love match with Princess Yolanda, eldest of the King and Queen of Italy. ~Prince like fl: youngest brothers, Eric an Viggo; s been “obliged to remounce all his rights to & “in_tie Jine of succession to_the Dsuish throne, g6 well as to his fitle, status and hon- o S ths bioods ceased; nce e flll them, and | Prince Waldemar of Denmark Has Refused Several Thrones has been a frequent visitor to Amer- | Indiana had their heads together only on the subject of the democratic con- vention. ~Brennan's support —was sought for New York's ambitions, whereupon he launched and valiantly defénded Chicago's claims. Now that the republicans are going to Cleve- land, Chicago looks upon herself as the democrats’ certain cholce. Diplomatic Washington 1is eagerly speculating over the real reason for, Bir Auckland Geddes' sudden decision to resign the British ambassadorship. Less than a month ago Geddes stated in a London interview that his health and eyesight were restored and that he keenly anticipated the resumption of his duties in the United States early in 1924. His secretaries in ‘Washington had been so informed. One theory is that Sir Auckland fore- sees the :ul]goln'lvll of a labor gov- ernment in Downing street and may not have relished the prospect of serving under the premiership and forelgn secretaryship of Ramsay Mac- donald. If Sir Esme Howard is sent to Washington from Madrid his ap- pointment will denote a return to the British tradition of sending only professional diplomats to foreign em- bssies, Bryce, Reading and Geddes were not professionals. Gen. Dawes has a “date” with Gen. ! Pershing in Paj They are eronies of more than thirty years' standing. The comradeship dates from the days they both lived in Lincoln—Dawes as a young lawyer and Pershing -as a Imilitary instructor at the University of Nebrasks. When it became neces- |sary for the A. E. F. to have a ge eral purchasing agent in Europe Per- shing commandeered the services of {his old friend. He and Dawes will |take time to live over war days in | France before the American economfic |experts begin unofficially te inquire into reparations questions. This observer, during a week in hicago, was asked oftener about Magnus Johnson than about any man !in Washington except Calvin Cool- idge. Johnson's Gridiron dinner story |of the “fifty-fifty” rabbit sausage has eached the west and apparently es- ablished his reputation as a humor- |ist. He may expect to be invited to | match _wits” with George Ade at In- diana Society dinners any time no (Copyright, 1923. | honor his wife shari He retains, however, his title of “prince” and he and his'wife are known as “Prince and Princes Aage,” and as “Count |and Countess Rosenborg,” the latter title being borne by their children, who are barred from the throne, and who are not even “highnesses * K ok % Prince Aage is now serving in th French colonial army with the rank of lieutenant colonel on the gtaff, and has been stationed at Metz, where his second child was born, residence at Copenhagen having become some- what embarrassing by reason of his diminished rank and precédence. For |the same reason the American | Princess Viggo and the Canadian Princess Erle are not likely to be seen much at Copenhagen. The other brother, Prince Axel, married to one of the royal princesses of Sweden, makes his home at Copen- hagen when not at sea. For a sailor by profession, and a captain of the royal navy, he has gone temporarily { on half pay frnom the service in order to take command of one of the finest turbine ofean liners running between Copenhagen and Shanghai, and be- longing_to the Danish East Asia Ocean Steamship Lin During the course of his voyages he has on one oceasion touched at Vancouver, and on several of his trips has had his royal Swedish wife with him. Both the prince and princess, according to | those on board, were unaffected and simple in their relations with the passengers, and much of the pleasure of the latter in the long voyages was derived from this companionship. | Long ocean trips are apt to dreary, even to the most enthusiastic of seafarers. But with a roval prince | to command the boat and a young royal princess to do the. honors on board, the trip quite naturally be- comes interesting. * ¥ ¥ X : While Prince Eric is 'a practical farmer and made an extensive study of scientific farming in Denmark and in England, and knows everything about agriculture, Prince Viggo is | celebrated as the foremost equestrian | and cavalry officer in Denmark, and is never 50 happy or so much at home as when in the saddle. He is a graduate of the celebrated Italian cavalry. school at Turin, which en- joys international fame, and where his brother-in-law, the Italian Count Calvi, married to Pringess Yolanda of Italy, is one of the principal In- structors. g Their father, Prince Waldemar, now about to arrive here, enjoys the dis- tinction of having spurned several | thrones that were pressed upon his | acceptanee, notably that of Bulgaria, | in 1886, which he rejected at the in- { stance of his brother-in-law, the late Emperor Alexander III of Russia, and also that of Albania, in 1913, be- fore it was tendered to’ the German Pringe of Wied. Still another throne that Was proffered to him was that of Finland after the former grandduchy had seceded from Russia, at the time of the revolution at Petrograd in 1917, and when it favored the estab- lishment of a monarchial regime In liew of a republic for its new. na- tional government at Helsingfors. Science Slowly Gains Fight Against Death ‘We can hardly hope to eliminate death, but we are steadily barring | him from the cradle and from youth. According to human experience, he has his rights in age, but it is to the exercise of those rights that civillza- tion would confine him. Death is an interloper, ‘a thief, a usurper, when he comes among the young and im- mature. Last year the death rate for the registration area was 11.8 per 1,000, not quite so good as for the year before, but atill representing a tre- mendous gain over past years, even if reduced to the last half century. In 1918, for instance, the rate was 18.1. e have a right to be Pmml of this achievement, because it repre- sents something real, something_ that brings the democracy of science homé to_ghe millions. e right to Iive is the supremest right. Without. it, other rights are Were occupying Mon, jonte had Comriunism - has lost, rather than gafued ground in China. 'The past fourteen months of Moscow directed propaganda and negotlations in the republic of the far east have acted as a boomerang. Russia, not China, hus suffered most therefrom. A year ago one of the finest brains at the command of the soviet regime was eagerly absorbing information on, China, for Adolf Abramovitch Joffe, premier bolshevist diplomat and mem- ber of the central executive commit- tee of Moscow, had been commis- sloned to visit the far eas Mr. Joffe, who, despite the title of “comrade” in Russia, dellghts In being addressed as “your excellency,” packed his trunks and made the long journey over the transsiberian rallway to Peking. With him went his sten ographer-wife and a large staff, a staff organized, it has since been learned, to man the embassy \which Mr. Joffe hoped to establish ‘at the capital of China, * Kk K Heavy-set, dark bearded ‘and intel- lectual in appearance, Mr. Joffe alighted from his special car at the gates of the Tartar city of Peking on August 12 last year. He was un- officially welcomed by a representa- tive of the foreign office and vocifer- ously acclaimed by a little group of university professors, the chancellor of the national university hailing hh; as “teacher.” he bolshevist diplomat et t work. beginning a long serles of notes L0 the Chinese fareign office that stated the aims and wishes of Rus- a. In less than a month, however, an’ interruption came, for Mr. Joffe Was sent up into Manchuria to negoti- ate, unsuccessfully, with representa- tiv Saps Of the imperial government of He returned to Peking a sick man, but from his bedside he continued ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ~ BY PREDERIC ]. HASKIN . Q. Are all animals natural, swim- mers?—F. F. A. According to the best authori- ties, " all animals, excepting ~man, mopkeys and perhaps' the three-toed sloth, either swim naturally or go through the motions of swimming when suddenly immersed in water. There are, however, several animals that, although they swim naturally, drown as they swim. This is the case with rabbite; mice, moles and the smaller cats, drowning being the re- sult of the fur becoming saturated. Q. What is a split Infinitive?— MW L A “split infinitive” s one in tween the word “to” and the verb form, such as_‘“to heartily laugh.’” Woolley in his Handbook of Composi- tion states that the word “to” as used with the infinitive is not to be classed as a preposition. It is an in- tegral part of the infinitive and hence should not be separated from the verb form. Q. Have'the picturés of any Ameri- cans been used on Philippiné postage stamps?—W., L. P. A. The portraits of seven Ameri- cans have appeared on stamps of the Phillppine _ Islands: _ Washington, Franklin, Lincoln, ‘McKinley, Maj. Gen. H.'W. Lawton, Rear Admiral Sampson and Admiral Dewey. Q. What Is Rohmer?—T. B. A. Sax Rohmer is the pseudonym of Arthur Sarsfield Ward. the real name of Sax Q. How can a concrete floor be given a smooth finish?—H. W. A.‘It‘can be treated with paraflin wax dissolved in turpentine, followed by a coating of powdered wax work- | ed onto the floor in the same manner as a wooden floor is waxed and pol- ished. Another method that might be employed wolld be coating the surface of the floor with liquid soap, which is worked up Into a lather and the direction of not es to the fc gfii"ce, the reBdlng' of Ipeechegml‘:"d‘ o er 'furmu of is work. He said 12 ul’Hl) that his object was to build rlzlhflundahlb with the Chinese people ‘ather than with the government. In this he has falled signally. ! * Kk * The notes became incr = sulting to the forelgn ofice sad the speeches gradually revealed Moscow's true Chinese policy. Many Chinese had beliéved Mr. Joffe when he had said Russia was China's one friend 4gainst the rest of the world. Had not Russia renounced extraterritori ality for her citizens and all claims to the Chinese eastern rallway? But time went on and Mr. Joffe hedged on these statements, He as- serted that the renunciation did not old good forever. Russian troops iet refused E;‘l!:wlnd enene armed invasion by reds of the rail- Yay zone loomed as a possibility. Mr. offe’s early following began to fali away. The professors and other in- tellectuals who had welcomed him had sincerely belleved that he brought relief to their sorely dis- tressed country, but they insisted on using their own powers of observa- tion and judgment as the case de- veloped. Certain of Mr. Joffe's actions and certain other instances of fail- ure to act convinced them of their mistake. What appeal he might have had for the masses he sacrificed on the altar of his {grorance of Chinese psychology. Desire to gain ambassa- idorial dignity cost him the confidence of the unthinking masses. that labor trouble in Chlnlufleu tl;)l‘:.:: political, but that it is not voluntaril so. Rather, clever Chinese politiclans make use of labor for personal ends. Communism holds but scant attrac- ;I:é\ ;‘c‘;k nlt(]o;l Iof small land owners * ok k% The Moscow statesman realized that China could never be “bolshev- ized." He acknowledged it publicly in a joint statement with Dr. Sun Yat Sen. What is more important, he acknowledged it privately when he was not considering the effect on any audience. He was Invited to Japan “for his health,” and he went. His failure In that country has brought about his replacement by another soviet statesman, but that is another story. So are the Dbasic reasons why the Chinese is not psychologically prepared to adopt communism, and so is the possibility that a non-communist China may come to some sort of a working agreement with communist Russia | as regards trade and commerce. But_it is_tremendously apparent that Mr. Joffe's visit to China, that the presence of an able holshevist diplomat in that nation, has reacted | unfavorably for Moscow and has cost | the soviet much of the following it in the Asiatic republic. The pro-communist Chinese saw for themselves and onee they were in possession of facts rather than theo- ries and reports they rejected the doctrines of Marx and Lenin. Trained Men Needed To Manage Schools A trained man or woman for each specialized task is becoming an ac- | cepted fact. We expect sclentific| i | !the beast that is really fit for food is {818, and an Indian tanned robe could rubbed into the floor by means of a scrubbing brush, after which an oc- casional _ application of powdered soap on the floor would serve to keep the surface in good shape. It might be that several applications of liquid s0ap would be necessary before the surface is filled sufficlently to pro- vide a smooth finish which wonld be satisfactory. Q. What tests may be applied to determine whether a stone is a dia- mond?—H. F. A. The genlogical survey says that the ordinary tests to determine the genuineness of a diamond are to test its specific gravity, hardness and re- fractive index. When further proof is desired the stone is burned in an atmosphere of hydrogen. An ordi- nary fire will not affect a diamond if only the atmbsphers of the air is present. Diamonds are the hardest substance known. Q. What is the position of an alien in this country on taking out first American papers? TIs ke considered American or Gaes he retain his own nationality 'until such time as he takes out the second papers?—S. > W. A. An alien Is not consldered an American citizen until he has re- ceived his final naturalization papers. Q. Where was the ZR Shenandoah built?—A. M. A. The airship Shenandoah was de- signed by the Navy Department, fabricated by the naval aircraft fac: tory of Philadeiphia and assembled and erected at the naval air station, | Lekehurst, N. J. It {5 American built, throughout and Is operated by American Navy personnel. Too Many Buffalo. | Canadian Government May Turn 2.000 Over to the Butcher. To the Editor of Toe Star: A short time ago it was stated in the New York papers that the Dominion of Canada was about to kill off 2,000 of the buffalo in the reservation at Wainwright, Alberta. This seems hardly creditable, as the general impression | is that the bison, or buffalo, was rapidly | becoming extinct. One reason for dis- posing of so many of these animals this winter is the fact that there had been | a wonderful Incredso in the herd last | year, which now consists of. 8,400 | animals, and they find the costs” of | maintaining them through the winter | will be a great expense, notwithstand- ing the low cost of fodder, ete., in the northwest. Only two months ago po- tatoes were selling at 18 cents a bushel in North Dakota. Be that as it may. | It is also proposed that a large num- | ber of these buffalo are to be turned over to the packing tompanies of Chi- cago, and, after having been slaugh- tered, to be put on the market. Now, it-is @ tough proposition, when we con- | sider the mastication and digestion of buffalo meat that has been derived from buffalo that are over four or five years of age, an automobile tire. The only part of the loin. The buffalo steak was consid- ered quite a feature at the game dinners of the Grand Pacific Hotel, Chicago. The tongue of the younger buffalo has always been considered a great delicacy. In the northwest during the sixties an excellent buffalo coat, lined with red flannel, could be procured for about be had for about the same price. These were -decorated on the uhder side in which an adverb Is introduced be- | as it might be suggestive of | Q. Is there any certain height that governs aerials?—L. J. N, A. The height is unlimited, Q. What does the design o 10-Cont Dieco meant -t H ¢ A. The design is taken from tha Roman . . The fasces in n bundle of rods having amoni them an ax with the blade projecting, and were borne before the Roman mag- istrates as a badge of authority. . Q. _What natlons have reco gni the Russian government?—G. M A. Soviet Russie has been | recognized by Finland, Poland, | thuania, Esthonia, Latvia, Gern Turkey, Persia and China. It trade relations with Great Britain Norway, Denmark, Italy, Czech slovakia, Austria and othe ope cauntriey, full L an | Q. What became of the eagle boa built during the war?—R. W. 8, The Navy Department says that jonly sixty eagle boats wers built jduring the war. The contract for the remaining number of eagle boats was canceled. Of these sixty | boats, twenty.three are now in com miseion, used for training reser twent 3 out of commissi six have b 1 transferred to Treasury Department, and a ly used for the coust g two were sunk Q. What was it about one log beir A. The phra would be a college® end of it and Mark other.” A previous o name “Johns Hopkins of Mr. Garfield’ Hopkins and Mark Hopkins was pher, teacher and p years of Williams Colleg h ield attended. Johns Hopkins, philanthropist, who founded ths v versity which bears his nam never a teacher or instructo self, Q. - Where were the gardens Caesar gave to the people of Rome S.N. A A. These gardens were on southern slope of the Janiculum and were laid out by Jullus Caesar terraces supported by colonnades, with artificial glens and waterfall No traces of the garden are n visible above ground, but the has vielded a number of importar works of art topkins er used t This remark to Mar 1 Q. Are there an smokeless explosives? A G A. Thé geological survey sa there are ne absolutely smokel plosives. The vapor present S Smokeless powder is simply weak powder giving very much smoke than black gunpowder. Tho smokelessness is the characteris that has attracted attention to such powders, their superior power is im- portant. While black gunpowder im parted to the projectile an Initial velocity of 1700 feet per second initial “velocities of over 3,000 foot seconds have been attained wit} smokeless powders. This has com- pelled fighting modern tles in oper order and at long range and has mad necessary an increase in thickness and_resistance in the armor of bat tleships. (Have you asked Haskin? He does not know all the things that people ask him, but he knows poopl who do know. ' Try him. State yor question briefly, write plainly ar inclose 2 cents in_stamps for return postage. Address Prederic J. Haskin director, The Star Information Bu- reau, 1220 North Capitol street absolutely full fall of snow on top and on t running boards, indicating all-ni parking without shelter. Soon we are to have a gasoline tax. It is a pity that this tax cannot be made to ply ounly to those who drive reckle Iy or excessively. There are some who have motor-mania; they prac- tically live in their cars, run reck lessly and crowd the streets unneces- sarily. THOS. W. Light Horse Collars. To the Editor of The Star: The writer has noticed that quitc 2 number of horses owned by promi- nent business firms are compelled to suffer during the entire working day because of cruelly tight collars and torturesome check reins. Such tor- ture is unnecessary and Senseless. The horses try to. tell their woo by biting at each other, tossing the | neads, trying to 1ift their collars with thelr noses, and sometimes raising their heads to Heaven as if implor- ing mercy. ’ No horse should be compelled to work in pain, From a business stand point it is unwise. A horse is property | to be conserved. It is cheaper to buy | new collars (always lirge enough s that a man's hand can be easily placed between the bottom of the jcollar and the horse’s neck) than tc wear the animal out. to say nothing of the cruelty involved. MRS. CARRIE K. HUNTINGTON. | The Maryland-District Motor-License War To the Editor of The Star: Kindly allow me to expess a pe methods to be ' used on a job that|red. yellow and green characters. It calls for @ specialist. We don't put a criminal lawyer on the job of tun- neling a mountain, nor attempt to| solve a knotty legal tangle with the | best brains of a “cow college.” Yet there are times and places when we employ just about such! methods in our school administration, the most fmportant business in our aystem of government. Too often our schools and our universities are governed almost entirely by doctor, | lawyer, merchant, chief, Wwith but | little heed given to the advice of the trained_educator. Not very intelli- gent. Wo need the splendid work of those business men on these boards, but we need also the specialist in education. The American Association of Uni-| versity Professors, meeting in Co- lumbus, Ohio, has voiced a protest to this system of administration and is going to demand a voice in the government of the institutions in which they teach. Why not? If they know their jobs well enough to be teaching in the Institution, their! opinions are worth something in the | council chambers where matters per- taining to their teaching are weighed. —Tulsa Tribune. Radio Pipes of Pan To the Sheep Herder \ The existence of Robinson Crusos, before the appearance pf the com- panionable Friday, was no more lone- vain and futile. Where we grant it to average people, wes touch the basis or_;:ag Natery: 16,. after all, tty _ The cemetery. is,. a pref god index of human advancement. e legends on its tombstones tell & vivid story of life as it and was, ‘Where we find many infants car- HOdmoll b‘fb:: their time, ll:lly and maidens, many strong men r:‘!-holr prime, whnow instinctively that something was wrong. ~— Just as the cross-marked hills of Flanders field tell of the ravages ‘of ‘war, 50 the tombstones of the avera graveyard tell of the battle f health, and whether it was pitched to or winning scale. ‘When we find R St Tl S ot that the age of scle: cine, 5&!’ and the t.flo:h : Bircaicie Some than that of the sheep. herder. Men not equipped mentally for solitude, an-appreciation of nature, or a stolid indifference to their condl- have gone insane because the at the sound of their own voices. The modern sheep herder hears con- | These were readily recognized from the is understood that the Canadian gov- ernment proposes to donate a number of live buffalo to the Chicago Zoo. The conditions over the border must be greatly to the advantage of the bison. Most authorities refer to this large gre- garious bovine quadruped as nearly ex- tinct. You sometimes can’t 'most al- ways tell about these statements. It is now proposed to ship a number of buffalo from Oklahoma to the it is expected they will continue in a state of normalcy. There seems to be an impression that the buffalo were first discovered by the Europeans in the tablelands of the southwest. The fact is that in early days they roamed in large numbers up and down the Atlantic coast—their skeletons have been found in Virginia. fact that the buffalo has twenty-eight ribs, while the ox may have twenty- horns are alone peculiar to' the buffalo. A few_years ago the feature of the Central Park Zoo was a great buffalo bull, known as the Black Diamond, but for ‘the reason of his disposition’ and evil behaylor he was sold by the au- thoritles to a German butcher, and probably formed a component part of the frankfurters and hot dogs sold. at Coney Island. . During the convention of the Shriners last summer, among other exhibits, the rodeo show 'had a number of buffalo, and onme of them exhibited such a dan- gerouy disposition that it was sent to the abattolr, where it was cut and drawn and slaughtered after the man- ner of other cattle. This meat was distributed among the occupants of the rodeo camp, which included a number of Indians, and surely it was only meet that they should have a taste of the flesh of the buffalo. = And,so it was & grand feast for them, as it had been many moons since lof the poor Indlan had partaken of the buffalo meat es- teemed so highly by their ancestors. At one time . Roosevelt took great interest in what was kmown as the Bison Society. Just what that assocla- tion may think of the slaughter of the Canadian buffalo remains to be seen. « FRANKLIN STEELE. . erts. He listens to storles and the :uwl of the day. Many a man in his city home Is no better informed as to what is going on, and this is be- cause sothe one has thought of the idea of fastening a radio receiving set on_the chuek wagon. ‘pan found company in his pipes. fault with this age | The romantic shepherd played aflute | sec In this passing vear 1923 herders in Wyoming the wagon of an listen to’ the world. or seng. who _sit Motor Problems. To the Editor of The Star: Automobiles are now so numerous that parking space ini the, business tion Is far from being sufficient. Garage space also is lacking for a Zoological Gardens of Mexico, where | five,” more or less. Besides, the stubby | sonal opiniop that the general pul Il is entitled to know the primars | fight which has caused so much il feeling between Maryland and Dix trict residents the last few years, and I believe that The Star may advanc its good services on this question In | expounding the brief statement glver I below. 4 In view of the renewed discussior {ana the plausible arguments whic {are being forwarded, I have noticed | that no one has gone to the root of the controversy to decide the case on its_merits. Having lived in both Maryland anc the District, as well as in other calitles, 1 feel that my view of this { question is ' unprejudiced, and I an {convinced that a review of the his {tory of this “cat-and-dog fight” will {show that the, whole trouble started on the Maryland side of the line when their automobile license fees were in creased out of proportion to those re- quired by the District. Maryland residents at that time came to the District and bought their tags. The Maryland authorities being unable to keep their own peoble in hand, admitted their failure by in stituting arbitrary regulations, den ing recognition of District tags their state. This actfon Was as unjust as it was arbitrary, since it penalized a larg: group of non-residents for the eva sion_and offenses of a few Maryland residénts. Naturally, the District residents protested and have continued to pro test ever since, and, naturally, again having no voice in their own govern ment, their protests have been un Heeded. ‘When the congressional fathers of the District can direct their energies toward this more or.less trivial mat ter. perhaps relief will come. AIl' of us who belleve in elean sportsmanship and justice to all sin- cerely hope that Congress may forc: Maryland “to withdraw its assume: A power and apologize to all those whe [have been meekly bearing. this un- savory load. If Maryland wishes to retain her soverelgn authority as a’ state she should be required to deal with he: own citizens at beme and not federal territory Otherwise, let Congress pass an au tomobile license law to give us ur great many. On the morning after a recent. snowstorm about 20 per cent of the cars seen on the streets had the form taxes and uniform. regulati in all states. SYLVAN J. CFDOm