Evening Star Newspaper, February 29, 1924, Page 6

o THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY......February 20, 1924 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 11th St. and Pecnsylvania A Office: 110 East 42nd St. Tower Bullding Buropean Office: 16 Regent St., London, England. The Evenipg Star, with the Sunday morning edition, is delivered by carriers within the City ‘@i 60 ‘cents per month: dally only, 45 cents per month; Sunday on‘g. 20° cents’ pe month. Orders may be sent by il or tele- phone Main 3000, “Collection is made by car- riers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia. Dally and Sunday..1yr., 1'm Daily only. Sunday only All Other States. Dally and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only . 1yr., $7.00:1mo, 80c Sunday only......15r., $3.00;1mo.,26c $3.40; $6.00 Member of the Assoclated Press. Tise Assoclated Press is exclusively entitied fo the use for republication of all Tewa dis- Jiatches credited to It or not otherwise credited n this paper and also the local news pub- lished ‘herein. Al rights of publication of ®epecial dispatches Berein are lso reserved, -_— Disappointed and Grieved. The District Commissioners, backed by some of the civic, trade and busi- ness organizations and the organized motorists of the city, reached an agreement with the Maryland authori- ties under the terms of which tag reciprocity and a uniform gasoline tax should be established between and in the two communities, There was no tax-dodging by Wash- ington motorists in this agreement to shift the form of motor taxation from a tax on automobiles as per- sonalty to a’tax on gascline. They would under the mew system pay more revenue inta the Treasury than under the old, and a sacrifice by the District was involved in substituting for the personal tax on motors a tax on gaso- line, for the proceeds of the former tax were applied under the law ex- clusively to the District’s 60 per cent share of District appropriations while the proceeds of the latter tax, though equitably they ought to be ap- plied in the same way, were as a new tax subject in application of proceeds 1o the caprice of Congress. under the agreement District s were more heavily taxed than before, and the District taxpay- ers in general ran the risk of an ad- ditional sacrifice. This wise and fair agreement, bene- ficial to both neighboring communities and a special courtesy to Maryland, W formulated into a bill, and the strict and Maryland submitted the bill to Congress, the District's legisla- ture, with the petition that it be enact- ed Into law. The bill was opposed in the House on the ground that Maryland ought to crant tagreciprocity to the District, @s it did to the states, for nothing, and e bill was submitted as a substitute for our agreement with Maryland by which the District’s legislature should, in effect, compel tag-reciprocity for nothing by threatening, in case .of refusal by Maryland, to withhold from that state her share of the federal aid to the states for road-building. An- other amendment proposed retention of the persona] tax on motors, with an exemption of $1,008 trom every au- tomobile assessment for taxation. In the end Maryland obtained from the House everything shg sought un- der the agreement, but every conten- tlon in behalf of the unrepresented District was abandoned or denied. Her proposition of comity to Maryland was transformed into a new super- fluops, dangerous - precedent - creating million-dollar tax. She asked for bread and received a stone; she asked for a fish and received a serpent; she asked | for something wholesome and received something hurtful. The Senate District subcommittee has restored to the bill the full per- sonal tax provision omitted by mistak in the House draft (not suggesting ol considering a compromise by accom- panying restoration of the tax with an assessment exemption of $1,000 or $500), and now calls upon the disap-|about the 28th or 20th, unless they | tion. pointed, and grieved District to ex- press its approval of the new million. dollar tax with which it is to be blistered. and on {ts failure to respond with enthusiasm to this request it is vigorously scolded and threatened with the serious punishment of diminished interest in fighting for fair play in legislation for the District. The Sénate subcommittee and the District committee as a whole contain some of the strongest, fost intelli- gently interested and most sympa- thetic of the Capital's legislators. The Capital community is gratefully appre- clative of the faithful, helpful legis- lative labors of these proven friends of the unrepresented and helpless Cap- ital, and if any one of these friends should seriously and persistently threaten to become an unfriend of the District if the latter refused to turn u petitioning somersault, the Capital community might be conceived as in the end proceeding to somersault. But will such a demgnd, backed by such a threat, be pressed upon the District? No. Our lggislators, with full .power to shape the lawa of the Capital, will not insist also upon ar- bitrary and monopolistic power to frame its petitions. Ow petition for what we want has been rejected. Is it’ conceivable that our friends will compel. us by threats of injury t petition for what we do not want? The nation's ward has been and is being chastised for presuming to have and to hold firmly opinions and wishes concerning the question of, its own taxation. Ought the nation's ward in order to avoid further threatened punishment be required to kiss with & amile the rod of chastisement? Code messages, apricots, peaches and the like suggest that the oil news got mixed up with reports on the fruit crop. " ‘While not making so many speeches, Senator Hiram Johnson {s still busily engaged in getting his papers on file. Gov. Smith’s Reform Bills. Following a period when everything seemed promising for Gov. Smith carrying through his proposed con- structive legislation pending in the New. York legislature, the erstwhile favorable; outlook im -clouding- over, 'Wora from A!b'any s that there n' little, i any, | ment being reached Between the re- publican assembly and the democratic senate, and that the session will prob- Inbly end without anything being ac- i complished on these measures. A crisis was reached yesterday when Speaker Machold of the as sembly declined the suggestion of Gov. Smith to meet Elihu Root and other prominent republicans in conference "over democratic and republican views ton the constructive legislation, with | the hope of reaching a compromise. The effort had been encouraged by the recent success of Gov. Smith in win- ning republican support in the senate for his bills. Speaker Machold refused in a rather curt letter, in which he held that it was not the constitutional prerogativi of the chief executive nor of the chosen leaders of the more numerous branch of the legislature to meet be- hind closed doors and determine legis- lation. He contended that the proper place for the outside conferees to pre- sent their views is in open session of the appropriate committees of the ‘legislature. 1f the legislature adjourns without constructive action it will make the third fallure of Gov. Smith to get his legislation through. This will afford ground for speculation upon the politi- cal effect of the deadlock. A Big Favorite-Son Crop. It begins to look as if a record- breaking crop of democratic favorite sons would be developed this spring. Scarcely a day passes mow without a nomination. The Virginia assem- bly has put the name of Carter Glass forward ag Virginia's choice for the presidency. This is not new. Senator Glass' was indorsed by his state and supported in convention four years ago. And Kentucky also has a favor- ite son, Senator Stanley having just reccived indorsement of his own home town. There are several states yet to be heard from, and doubtless before the primary season gets well under way nearly all of them will chalk up the names of their most eminent dem- ocrats. North Carolina has already done so, in presenting Josephus Dan- iels. Michigan is soon to decide whether Senator Ferris will be offered as that state’s most suitable citizen for the presidential role. There are some who will be led to think that this lively proposing of favorite sons has been in some way induced by Mr. McAdoo's recent mis- adventure. Time was not so long ago when he was easily the overshadow- ing aspirant for the democratic noml- nation. It was a case of “McAdoo against the fleld” in the race for the two-thirds point at New York. Now, notwithstanding the Chicago meeting which proclaimed that Mr. McAdoo's candidacy was as good &8s ever, there comes this springing up of booms here, there and everywhere, adding to the field. Of course, these local nominations would perhaps have come along anyway, even if' Mr. Do- heny had not appeared before the naval oil committee and if Mr. Mc- Adoo had not been embarrassed by a statement of his perfectly legitimate legal connection with the ofl indus- try. But somehow there seems to be s feeling of distinct hopefulness on the part of these local nominators. It Is a laudable work that is thus being done. The democratic party should have a chance to choose from {a wide field of presidential possibili- ties. Of course, there are certain em- barrassments in numbers. As a mat- ter of practical procedure, the mere | recital of their merita at the Ne\v'l { York meeting by their proposers andl seconders will take many hours. It begins to look as if two days wouldl be filled with nominating speeches. The positive as well a8 negative mer- its of each favorite son must be set forth clearly and strongly, and that, of course, will take time. So that; hose who want to attend the con- vention which opens June 26 at Madi- 18on Square Garden and see real ac- tion might well time their visits for | really prefer to listen to the eulogis- {tic eloquence of tky godfathers who put the favorite sons of their states in nomination. ————— ‘There was a time when Mr. McAdoo frankly stated that he could not afford to work for a government salary. ‘Time has changed his situation. A moderate thrift would enable & man of his earning capacity to lay by enough to permit him to serve as a dollara-year man. ——r——— ‘The landlord who complains that Americans would rather spend their money on amusements and automo- biles than pay rent merely announces @ trait of humen nature. Landlords themselves would rather motor to the pictures than spend all their money on taxes and overhead charges. —————————— Now and then even the Department of Justice is baffled. Mr. Daugherty is reported to have said that he f8 trying in vain to find out exactly what the charges against him are. Cipher Messages. Cryptographers will be greatly stim- ulated in their studies of mystic writ- ing by the introduction into the naval | ol inquiry of telegrams written in ipher. Doubtless thousands of stu- dents of secret codes will start imme-" diately to figure out the hidden: meanings, unless they are revealed in further testimony. For there is no more fascinating study than the so- lution of codes. It has all the lure of the difficult pursuit of the con- cealed. During the late war much was heard of codes in use by the military and diplomatic forces. There were tales of stolen codes, and doubtless some of them were true. In war time e code is most jealously guarded; and, on the other hand, the most des- perate attempts are made by enemy powers to obtain possession of the keys. It becomes'necessary to change codes from time to time, occasionally in the course of a single message, for purpose of confusion. A mixing of two codes, with a secret key to dif- ferentiate between them, has been un- dertaken to the same, end of perfect concealment. . The Sght-between the code-makers < THE EVENING' STAR, and the code-readers Is persistent. It is lkelihood of en agree- {a battle of wits. The code-maker tries to devise & system of symbols which ‘will leave no clue on the surface. The code-reader, skilled by practice and gifted with powers of deduction and analysis, detects signs of relationship between apparently detached and un- related words and letters and works out a solution. ) It s said that there is no code that cannot be solved, in time. Perhaps that is true. But it would seem that by the use of absolutely arbitrary words, involving an elaborate key, a code can be devised that will defy detection. Sometimes a little known book is chosen, with prearrangement of numeral referencel which point to pages, lines and words. Unless the title of the book is discovered the key- eeker is likely to be completely baffled. Code reading requlires time, patience and shrewdness, with imagination and highly developed deductive powers. ‘Writers of fiction have made the gume seem comparatively easy by their tales of skill in the solution of code mysteries. But it is always to be remembered that such cases are founded upon preknowledge of the key. It is easy to work back from a known fact to a show of logical in- ference leading up to the solution. Edgar Allen Poe's great short story, “The Gold Bug," stimulated a keen Interest im cryptology. From that came many other tales of hid- den treasure and of crime and mys- tery in which codes figured, with keen-minded solvers of the problems mastering the secrets. Probably now the code messages in the oil inquiry will become the subject of concen- trated study by an army of amateur code students. ————te Rost Cards. Apparently there is no falling off in the post card habit. People are still confining their correspondence -in great volume to the unsealed medium of communication. During this cur- rent year the departmeént, it is an- nounced, contemplates the sale of 1,253,000,000 cards, and is preparing for & sale of about 1,500,000,000 in 1826. These are simply the plain of- ficlal post cards, and do not include the fancy or picture cards that are sold by the million everywhere throughout the country, souvenirs of visits, advertisements of resorts, citis hotels, places of entertainment. Per. haps the postal records would show the volume of post card use, includ- ing both the plain officlal kind and the unofficial fancy sort. Certainly the total number would be an immense one as thus recorded. A large part of the plain post card use is for announcements and notifica- tions. Organlzations find them of great service s a cheap, quick method of reaching members. They are easily printed, feeding readily into a press. They are quick in preparation, re quiring no sealing and stamping. A written card requires only two opera tions, the writing of the message and the writing of the address, whereas a letter requires four, the message, the Lm.ldress, the sealing and the stamping. These are the considerations that make for large and increasing post card use. Post cards are still used for private correspondence, but not freely. The old joke about the country postmaster and the fun he got out of reading the post cards has undoubtedly militated against intrusting confidential mes- sages to this medium. Still, some very interesting megeages are written on post cards, and ‘particularly on the souvenir cards “sent back home” by travelers. The use of post cards for correspondence has developed a con- cise and cryptic style. Habitual post card users are given to abbreviations and ellipses, which make the reading of such cards a fascinating mental exercise. —_——— Perhaps Mr. Vanderlip made the mistake of introducing his gossip just at the time when the demand for rumor had reached the point of satura- —_———— ‘The season approaches for the usual climatic reminder that early March is no proper time of year to hold an In- auguration. ————— Among the valuable Doheny assets are a number of interesting auto- graphs on his pay roll. —_———— One of the effects of the oil inquiry has been a slight interference with the Florida hotel business. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Evolutionary Impulse, In evolution I believe, ‘Though others disagree. On some occasions I perceive It's time to climb a tree. ‘When dangers seem to threaten thick I'd feel more near complete If I could use, In grabbing quick, Not only hands, but feet. ‘The party higher up, I find, From trouble may be free. This evolution suits my mind. I long to climb & tree. No Retirement, “Do you think a man could retire comfortably on & hundred thousand dollars’ “I couldn’t,” answered Senator Sor- ghum, with much emphasis. “If I were to show up with that much money people would keep me awake nights asking how I got it.” Jud Tunkins says the farmer is luckler than most people in having so much time to talk about his troubles. Truth and Fiction. Investigations make us sad As gentle dreams disperse. Though idle gossip may be bad, The facts are even worse. Official Responsibilities. “You could easily be elected sheriff. ‘You’re one of the most popular men in Crimson Gulch.’ \ “Yes,” answered Cactus Joe. “I'm popular now. But I wouldn’t be ten minutes after I was elected sheriff.” “De trouble wif a lowbrow,” said Uncle Eben, “is dat he's too liable to CAN YOUR TAXES BE CUT? A Series of Articles on the Cost of Governments ‘Where the Money Goes, and Why. BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR, Author of “Can Europe Hold Together?” CHAPTER V. ‘What It Costs to Run Congress. Five large bulldings in Washington |nrov|du working space for the great legislative department of the govern- ment of the United States; the branch which makes all the federal laws—all except those made by the United States Supreme Court. The Caplitol, the most magnificent buflding In Washington and one of the most majestic capitol build- ings in the world, Is the most Important of the five. Begun September, 1795, and finished, as it stands today, in 1859, |1t represents a tota] cash expenditure Iof 25,000,000, The Senate office building, in Wwhich all the offices of the senators are lo- cated, Is another. It was bullt in 1908 at a cost of $3,500,000. The House office building, in’ whicn all the offices of the members of the House of Repre- sentatives are located, waa built_in 1908, and also cost $3,500,000. The Library of Congress, completed in 1897 At & cost of $7,000,000, ia the fourth. The other {5 a large red brick bullding xifl‘,'en over exclusively to the printing office. ‘The legislative department of the United States government is tbe first one mentioned in the American Consti- tution. After long and stormy debate, ;lhe constitutional convention of 1787 adopted the bicameral system providing for two legislative houses, the Senate, to consist of two members from each state in the Unlon, and the House of Representativig to consist of a varying number, depending on the population of each state. The Constitution required a senator to be at least thirty years of age and u representative to be at least twenty-five. . How Comgress Has Grown. When the first session of the first Congress met in New York city, April 6, 1789, there were sixty-five represen- tatives and twenty-six senators from thirteen states. This was a workable | organization—it was not too large, nor was it too small. But It was repre- sentative. Since then, the number of states has Increased from fthirteen to forty-eight; the number of senators, from twenty-six to_ninety-six. *_The populatien has grown from 3. 929,000 in 1790, to 105,700,000 in 1920, and the members of the House of Rep- resentatives have likewise grown in number from the original eixty-five to 435 members, The very growth of the membership of Congress seems to decrease its own lefciency. Both houses of Congress to- day—certainly the House of Represen- tatives—have much too large a member- ship to do effective work. The Constitution, with regard to the great legislative department of the government of the United States, makes two important provisions: (1) The Congress thall assemble at least once In every year, and (2) The senitors und Tepresentatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. _ Remember, the government of the United States 18 a government of dele- gated powers. It has only the power given to it by the thirtcen aifferent statcs. These states gave certain spe- cific powers to it. These powers were enumerated in the Constitution so that no misunderstanding would ever arise. Here are the powers given to Congrees as shown in the United States Consti- tution : What Congress Can Do. 1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, 1mposts and excises; to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States: but all dutles, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout | the United States. 2. To borrow money on the credit of the United States. 3. To regulate commerce with for- eign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes. 4. To establish a uniform rule of naturalization and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies through- out the United States. . To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin and fix the standard of weights and measures. 6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United State 7. To establish post offices and post roads. 8. To grant patents and copyrights In order that science and the arts may be stimulated. . 9. To constitute tribunals inferior to_the Supreme Court. 10. To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations. 11. To declare war, grant laws of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures ‘on land and sea. Time Limit on Army Budget. 12, To raise and support armie: but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years. 13. To provide and maintain a navy. 14. To make rules for the govern- ment and regulation of the land and naval forces. 15. To provide for calling forth the militla to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and re- pel Invasions. 16. To provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia, and for governing them. * 17. To exercise exclusive jurisdic- tion’ over the District of Columbla., also over all forts, arsenals, mags. zines, dry docks and other needful buildings. 18, To make all laws necessary and proper for carrying them -into execution. The Work and the Cost. Thess are all the powers given to Congress. There are just elghteen of them. They are clean cut and plain, The last one, No. 18, looks necessary, but it has become the open door through which many other. powers, not originally given by the states, have passed into national control, for the eighteenth has been very liber- ally inferpreted by the United States Supreme Court. ince April §, 1789, Congress has held 157 scparate sessions. This s an average of & little more than once & year. The first two sessions were held in New York city. The next eleven sessions, ending May 14, 1800, were held in Philadelphia. Since tha: time—for. the last 124 years—Con: gresa has met in Washington. Congress_has great powers given to it. The Supreme Court greatly en- larged them by favorable Interpreta tion. Today. Congress is the most im- portant political body in America. Nine of our Presidents—John Adams, Jeffrson, Van Buren, Tyler, Filimors, Johnson, ‘Arthar, Roosevelt and Coo! idge—ns Vice Presidents, have pre sided_over: the United States Senate. The Presidents of the United States who served in the United States Sen- te as members were Andrew Jack- son, Benjamin Harrison and Harding. Garfleld had been elected to the Sen: ate, but did not take his seat./ An- drew Johmson served in the Senate after he had been President. No Speaker of the House of Represent- atives has ever been elgcted . Presi- dent of the United BStates, though John Quincy Adams, Plerce, Lincoln, Garfleld ‘and -McKinley served in the House. To this_last can be added such names as Webster, Clay, Cal- houn and John Sherman-—to mention only a distinguished few of those Who'have passed on. All right. Now what does this de- partment of government cost the American people? The legisiative department, in ‘ashin; n’ m¢ Gont very little, Congress spent $425 000 during the first four years o Washington's administration. That is an average of approximately $100,- 000 per year. But there were the pnly about one-eighth as many con- gressmen and ourth &’ many. i i - only $33,000 fn 19Z3. senators. gress recelved $6 per diem while.Con- gress was in session. $7.500 Senator's Salary. Today each senator of the United |in absolute.contravention.of ‘the facts, {Sunl. States recelves a salary of $7,600 & vear, @ private secretary, & sten- (réferendum on leglslation for veter-|recoive?—H. A. P. ographer, and at least two large well furnished. offices in the Senate Office buflding. He also is given a traveling bonus of 20 cents & ‘mile to and from hington from_his home state for each seasion ‘of Con- gress. This is a relic of the old| days when horse transportation was used, and necessarily more expensive than travel Is today. In 1923 the people of the United States pald $2,314,000, for the total expenses of the ‘Senate, of which $763,000 went into -the ries and miléage of ‘the ninety on The balance was mostly for help. - | The 435 members of the House of Representatives each recelve $7,50U a salary, & private secrefary and & bonus of 20 cents & mile, to and from each one ‘large furnished room House Office building. was pald for the House of Repre- sentatives a total of $6,588.000, of which the salaries and mileage of congressmen took $3,731,000. The rest was nearly all for salaries of officers and employes. The next big spending bureau of the legislative department is the government- printing office. There was spent 33,011,000 in the division for 1923. The appropriation for 1924 is increased $100,000; unquestionably ! there is waste in ' this particular office. ~Much government printing today Is waste, and much un- necessary. Cost of Congressional Library. I The Library of Congress—the most | beautiful library in the world—also under the legislative department, re- cefved $1,064,000 to carry on for 1923. Today it contalns over 3,000,000 ! volumes. The library is an old one. Established In 1800, it was destroyed by the British in 1814,+ when the! Capitol was burned. It began again | by the purchase by Congress of the | library of former President Thomas Jefterson, containing 6.760 volumes. , Jefferson had fallen on days of finan- | clal adversity. Congress gave him a | check for 323,650 for them. Again, ! in 1851, {t was destroyed by fire. The ' next year Congress appropriated 375,000 to begin again. From that time it has steadily grown in In-! flyence. Today the collection is housed in! the most exquisite library building in the world, which cost approximate- 1y $7,000.000. The library itself has the largest collection on the American | continent, and third in the world. No department of government is more necessary to gbvernment than a well | ordered, well balanced library. Thlli the present Congressional Library is. ! The architect of the Capitol cost a ! total of $1.221,000 for 1923. The largest Item was $642.000 for the Capltol power plant. This looks too high. Light and power are furnished for the Capitol, the House building "’ and the Senate. Every electric light in every oflice in the Capitol, the House building and the Senate build- ing seems to be lit at all times. This item Is cut for 1924 to $439000. The balance for the architect includes care of grounds and the care of the three bulldings mentioned above. 833,000 to Draft Bills. In connection with the legisiative departiment of the American govern- ment, the legislative drafting service should be mentioned. , This service does the bill drafting for all con- gressmen and senators free of charge. | It s highly important work. Its; object s to frame a bill just as! carefully as an architect plans and | builds a building. The service cost' The money was ' in the well spent. To sum up, @ total of $14,014,000 was epent by the legislative depa ment of the United States for the fiscal year 1923. It s small in com= parison with. the government's total cost. For every $1,000 which the govern- ment spent for that year, the legisla- tive department spent just 41 ceats. In 1923 the United States spent every nineteen days for pensions as muc as was spent by this department ior the whole year. Again! The government of the United States spent every eleven days for the Veterans' Bureau as much as was spent by the department | for the whole of 192 Last year the government epent every thirteen days in the War De- partment as much as was spent on all the congressmen and senators and Congressional_Library and printing office and Botanic Garden, the secretarles, stenographers and en- glneers_combined. Important as Is the legislative de- partment, the people of the Unired States must look elsewhere for hig cuts in government expenses. They cannot be found here. Coprright, 1624, In Cniteq States and Great ¢ i ‘ln‘ by North American Newspaper Alllance. Al rights reserved. Tomorrow: A Department for = Year on Twelve Hours’ Interest. COURAGE “I am l’l:‘: master of,my fate, 1 captain of my soi = peain oL HEN Y. GARY, THE FARMER BOY. Catastrophe forced Elbert H. Gary to quit being a clerk and embark for born on’a farm near little ‘Wheaton, Ill, and, as & boy, had to help in the flelds when not attending the country school. Later he became = pupfl in Naperville and worked in the county clerk’s office in his spare time. After graduation from ‘Wheaton College he taught school in the country two winters and then studled law in his uncle's office at Naperville. Graduating from the law depart- ment of the University of Chicago, when twenty years old, he obtained work in the office of the clerk of the courts of Cook county, in Chicago, starting at $12 & week. In three years he was earning $45 a week. Then came the Chicago fire that de- stroyed the courthouse and much of the city. Gary's position was gone, and he, at twenty-seven, rented a room in'a wooden building and “hung out_his shingle.” The first year he made $2,800 and In & few years had a successful practice. He was chosen mayor of Wheaton when it took@ut & city charter and o afterward was elected countv judge. Resigning from the bench, he be- came attorney for several corpora tions, and at forty-five was instru- mental - in, forming the Consolidated Steel and Wire Company, with its $4,000,000° capital, that at’ that time was considered a monstrous concern and Jater became the $12,000,000 American Steel and Wire Company. Then, with Robert Bacon, he formed the $200,000,000 Federal Steel Com- any and was chosen its president, at 100,000 & year, .the, largest salary known at that time. Three years later he was called to help in the organization of the United States Steel Corporation, with a cap ftalization of $1,400,000,000, and has been _greatly responsible - for its growth to the position of one of the strongest corporations in the world. Judge Gary- is. seventy-five years old, still is head. the corporation, n‘fl‘lll.r:fl c'l:tcd, lol'uh!l hh‘i“nl“l' l.m; 80 .his {nteres o benevolont and elacational mey ments. " . The Star February 27?7 iand the one | The smaller snakes Reéferendum on Bonus. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vote Was Strongly Opposed. To the Edjtor of The Star: On ‘February 26 The Star published letter from Mr. John R. Dower in which he states that the Chamber of Commerce of the United States took & referendum on -the question of ad- And_each member of Con- |Susted’ compensation for veterans ang|' Q. What color is the Egyptian lotus? that the vote was 4,116 in favor and 2,657 opposed to adjusted compensa- tion. This statement of the vote is .The national chamber submitted a ans to_its membership which called for a vote on four separate Droposi- tions, The questions and the result- Ing vote were as follow 1. Do you favor a national system of reclamation to be initiated through adequate federal appropriations and to be carried out for the purpose of affording_ex-service men opportunity | A. B. to cultiviite the sofl? 1,260% votes in fayor, 461% votes opposed. 2. Do you favor national legislation and appropriations to enable ex-serv- ice men to build homes?: 1,023 votes in_favor, 677 votes opposed. 8. Do you favor national leglslation and appropriations to enable ex-serv- Ice men to obtain vocational educa- tion? 1,379% votes In favor, 325% votes_opposed. 4. Do you favor natlonal legisla- on, apd at least[tion for a general bonus, whether|yet incomplete, but is being built in paid in cash immedidtely or with pay- ment deferred through use of certifl- | the cathedrals of Canterbury and In 1823 there lcates? 46735 votes in favor, 1,231% ivotes opposed. ~ * ok k¥ Under the by-laws of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States a two-thirds majority of the votes cast 1s required to commit the organiza- tion to a given policy. As a result of the above vote the chamber was, therefore, committed In favor of quea- tions 1 and 3. The vote was not suf- ficient to commit the chamber either in favor of or against question 2. On the fourth question, by a 72 per cent majority, the chamber was committed against a general bonus either in cash or with payment déferred through certificates. The figures used by Mr. Dower would Indicate that 6,763 votes were cast in the referendum; the total voting strength of the membership of ithe national chamber is less than half that number. We would appreciate it if The Star will print this letter from us, as the continued use of this erroneous state- ment by bonus advocates, which has repeatedly been called to their atten- tion, shows a distinct lack of good ethics. The national chamber is committed v & vote of its organization members against the cash or deferred certifi- cate form of bonus to the able-bodled soldier. It has used and will continue to use what influence it has against this measure as a result of a mandate given to it by more than a two-thirds vote. FRANK C PAGE, Manager, Resolutions and Referenda Department. Wanderlusters Organized To the Editor of The Stary May I call your attention to one mistake In an editorlal printed In The Wash- ington Wanderlusters were formally organized September 22, 1922, and hold regular meetings in tho Public Library. The meetings and walks are open and we welcome any one who may be interested in outdoor activitles. Your editorial Is very fine and should be read by all walk lov- The Red Triangle is doing a commendable work on a slightly dif- ferent line from the Wanderlusters. In any further editorial dealing with walking in the country will you not incorporate a protest against indiscriminate killing of harmless snakes? In this vicinity we have but one snake whose bite {5 at all poison- ous and then rarely fatal; I refer to the copperhead. A large majority of men and boys seem to think that a snake is a snake and should be killed on sight, regardless of variety. The most beautiful of our snakes which ha the reputation of a robber is our common blacksnake. While we must 1admit that these snakes take a toll of eggg and fledglings in the spring, yet the percentage is very small and Is overcome by the great gond dnne by them in keeping down the de- structive field mice, young raboits and other animals that ruin the crops of the farmer. Another snake, called by some persons the hog-nosed viper and by others buff adder, is a re- pulsive<looking reptile, but extremely Interesting to_stud. A dirty orange body with dirty brown markings makes no appeal to one's esthetic sense, yet this snake has a distinct place as & valuable aid to the farmer. such as the green, and red-and- garter, grass black banded destroy numerous va- { rieties of beetles and worms. All of these should be proteeted. The Wan- derlusters’ tenth anniversary hike will be taken the third Sunday in April. W. PALMER HALL, President Washington Wanderlusters., s nd, Umpire’s Chest Protector. To the Editor of The Star: The passing of Thomas J. Lynch, at one time president of the National Base Ball League and previous to that time its star umpire, recalls to my mind an incident, or rather an accident, that occurred while he was umpiring a ball game between the old Nationals and the Troy, N. Y. club, when the grounds In this city were located at 16th and S streets north- west. While standing behind the catcher, ClIff Baker, a sharp foul tip from the bat of Fred Dunlap—the best second baseman, past or present, who ever guarded that bag—hit Lynch in the chest, causing & hemor- thage from which he lost & quantity of blood at the plate. Lynch was a short, slender man and the loss of blood so weakened him that he was unable to finish the game and was removed to his hotel, where it took several days for him to recuperate. He vowed he would not risk his life agaln under such conditions, but, lov- Ing base ball, its excitement and be- ing ingenious, he had A. G. Spalding make him the first rubber inflated chest protector ever worn by an um- pire. Then he felt safe from a repeti- tion of a similar accident and resum- ed his duties. When the chest protec- tor first made its appearance, natu- rally it caused general comment around the circuit, but it was not long afterward that the league pro- vided chest protectors for its umDPN Tom Lynch was a feature of every ball game he ever umpired. He had personality, was characteristic to a degree, honest and courageous, and his “Str-eek one, Stre-eek two, You're out” was the talk all over the cir- cuit. W. J. DURYER. Ulster County Gazette. To the Editor of The 8t: 1 notice in The Star that another copy of the Ulster County Gazette containing an account of the burial of Gen. Wash- Ington has bobbed up. At almost every recurrence of the birthday of Washington one of those coples bobs up in some part of the country. I notice that the owner of the copy mentioned in The Star does not know how his father got possession of it. Doubtless he bought it, as many thousands of other persons did. A short time before the civil war. the first of these editions made its ap- pearance. At that tim been difficult to find & farmhouse be- tween: the Allegheny mountains and the Mississipp! river that did not con- tain a copy, and most of-the inhabt<| tants of the cities and .towns also 'ownéd one or more. They sold at 25 cents a_copy. Along about 1870. an- other edition flooded the middle west, and later a third and a fourth edition. Many of the purchasers, if_not ali of them, were led to believe the money received by the sale of the coples was to be used in-making the final pay- ment for Mount Vernon. If the owner of the one mentioned in The Star will .examine his copy carefully, he will find the date on which.it was copy- righted. ‘1 am not sure that the edi tion lol.(l before the civil war wa: t the later editions b 24 o H. SMITE, been given | it would have | WASHINGTON, D. ‘0., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1924. . ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. What hours and days is the ‘White House open to visitors?—F. K. A. It is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day except Sunday. -G, M. P. A. It is white. The lotus was the symbol of the rising again of the Q. How many letters does the Pope A. It is said that he receives about 22,000 pleces of mail a day. Twenty- five secretaries are necessary to handle it . Q. How many members of Congress have at some time practiced law?— A. A recent survey placed the num- ber of lawyers in the Senate at 58 House, 255. Q. Please describe the plan of the cathedral In which Woodrow Wilson's hody is entombed and-tell its dénom| nation—C. G. P: A. This Epfscopal cathedral is called the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, and is situated at Wisconsin avenue and Woodley road. It Is as gothic style and ranks in length with York, and suggests the mighty Dur- ham 1n its beaut: Q.. Wil frozen milk make children sick?—H. C. A. The authoritles say that when milk freezes the solids and the wa- tery substances separate, giving it an ineipid taste, but there Is no chemical change, and they therefore See no reason why such milk should make children ill. Q. Is the Salvation Army active in India?—A. L. A. The Salvation Army has 32,000 stations in India, carrying on work in more than 4,000 villag Gen. Bramwell Booth is especially in- terested In the convict settlement of 2,000 families in Telugu country. Q. What is the richest college In the country?—G. Y. L. A. Harvard University has the largest endowment of any college or university, its fund totaling 352,938, Q. How are ‘fnade?—W. D. D, A. In making phonograph records the recording apparatus and the oper- ator are placed on one side of a horn and the artists on the other. A fun- nel or horn extends through a screen ; and concentrates the sound waves on the diaphragm of the recorder, "4 wax record is rotated at a speed of seventy-elght revolutions per minute and receives the impressions of the recording needle as the artist sings or plays into the horn. When sev. eral instrumeats or singers are I cording, the recording instrument im prints the form corresponding to the complex sound wave produced by all the Sounds combined. A plaster cast is made of the original wax record. It is dusted with graphite and elec- { troplated until a copper record about nine millimeters thick formed. This s the master record. Working “negatives” are made from it by tak- {ing wax impressions of it and copper electroplates in turn from them. They phonograph records olal records by means of a hydraulic prégs. - Commorclal records ‘contain sheilac and, finely powdered charcoal, barfam sulphate, earthy coloring matters-and cotton flock. Q. Is there &n organization in Washington that deals with problems of soclal hyglene?—W. A. S. A. The Soeial Hyglene Soclety of the District of Columbla Is just such a body. The work is carried on chiéfly through its five bureaus—edu- cation, research, venereal diseases, social service, legislation and law enforcement. Q. What will clean tombstones that have turned dark and look dirty’— A L8 A. Wash the surface with a mix- ture of finely powdered pumice stone and vinegar and leave it for several zfl;;l;!; then brush it hard and wash .. Q. Do elephants make a noise when charging?—M. C. A. An African elephant when about to charge gives vent. to a shrill, loud trumpet, while the Indian elephant curls up its trunk and charges in silence. Q. Please expluin the significance of the phrase ‘comity of nations."— A.S.W. A. It is an expression in Interna- tional law which defines that spirit of courtesy which causes one nation to. recognize the laws and institutions of another In such a manner as to permit them to take effcct within its own territory. Q. What Is a staple shoe?—R. R. K. A. Staple is a general term applied to shoes embodying such features of style and make-up as render them subject to repeated demands from customers, nguished 1 “novelty,’ ¢ “freak? or the cialty.’ Q. What relation was Marion land to V. ia Terhune Van Water?—W A. Marion Harland was de plume under which Mrs Payson Terhune wrote. T woman died on June 2, 1922, leaving three children, all of them wriers o note. Two of them are daughters— Mrs. Virginia Terhune Van De Water and Mrs. Christine Terhune Herrick— ne other a son, Albert Payson Terhune, the nom Edward s noted Q. What was George Washington's first battle?—A. J. A. The engagement at Great Mead- ows, Pa.,, May 28, 1754, in the French and ‘Indian war, is known 3 | ington's first fight.” He surpris French camp, killed the commandan and nine men and captured the others, with casualties to his own force of one killed and three wounded. (Any reader can get the answer to any question by writing The Star Injormation Bureaw, Frederic J Has- kin, Director, 1220 North Capitol street. This offer applies strictly to information. The bureau cannot givs advice on legal, medical and finan~ cial matters, nor undertake exhaust- ive research on any subject rite your question plainly and briefiy Give full name and address end n- close 2 cents in _stamps for return are nickel-plated and polished,” and then used for pressing out commel N TODAY'S Upon the subject of aviation de- velopment in the United States the ! House of Representatives is accused 3¢ being “heavier than air.” In spite {ot the practical demonstrations of transcontinental airplane mail serv—i ice, the necessary appropriation of only $1,500,000 for a year's flights has . been, thrown out of the post office { appropriation bill. The estimated| {cost of $1.800 a trip would be cov-| ered by the postage of the letters it icarried. so that the actual expense lot & twenty-elght-hour service. in !place of a four-day train service, ! would be borne by its beneficlaries! { The sponsors feared that it was not ! safe to bring the project up for gen- i eral discusslon In the House, lest de- | | pate would demonstrate that those| who have given least attention to the practical advantages of the service iwould be loud in protest against the “extravagance of the experiment The point of order raised by Repre- sentative Cramton against the item in the appropriation bill as “new legislation.” which was aga'nst the rules as to appropriation bills, was not opposed. The air service appro priation was thrown out in the House, but will be restored in the Senate, taken up and agreed to in conferénce and finally passed by 1 both branches. * ok % ¥ The great white way—greatest in all the world—stretches from Chl- {cago to Cheyenne, with lights every three miles visible for seven miles— sometimes for ten miles. There are beacon lights every twenty-five, miles which are visible from fifty' to elghty miles, and searchlight; boacons at each of the five terminal fields having a candlepower of 500, 000,000 and a visibility as far as 100 to 130 miles. The Post Officce Department 15 airplanes in at least two regu- , T Tviges, From New Orieans a ship starts for South America at 10 2.m. and reaches Pilot Town, at the, mouth of the Mississippi river, at 9: o'clock that evening. - An airplane With late mail leaves New Orleans lmp‘m-m to operate its own air- | planes, says Alr Mail Supt. Egge. It! does not so handle its rail or steamer | ces. The Seattle service Isi through contract with a private air- plane company, which has the privi- lege of carrying passengers and ex- press for its own profit, and the gov- ernment pays a fixed rate per pound for carrylng the mail, just as it does tp ralironds and steamships. But be- fore it will be possible to patronize private airplane enterprises such projects must be created. No_such | service exists today. The Unitedj States is behind all other first-class nations n_establishing air secrvice, yet we gave the airplanc to the world. % * oK ok % There has been much said of the tmportance of subsidizing a merchant marife, not only for its value In Peacefn] commerce but because it will be, Indispensable iIn case of war In supplying transports and other aux- \liary . service of defense for the Navy. No less vital is the develop- ment of the &ir service, because com- mercial airplanes can be quickly con- verted Into scouting planes for. the Army, and, what (s still more im- portant, the airplane factorles will * K kK 4 o'clock and arrives at Pilot Fown before dark, awaiting the ship. Thereby the mail service to South America avolds & delay of several daye awaliting the next ship. Stmilar ohastrs are in operation with mall from Seattle, overtaking ships after they have gone several hours ahead. | It 18 mot the jdeal way of han-' dling the air mall for the Post Office e in astive operation, ready to be Instantly turned to making Army Dorihers parauit plancs and scout planes, after the patterns and specifi- Sations furnished by the War De- partment. It is impracticable to put in storage thousands of planes and keep them for jndefinite emergencies. | A i organization which will be ‘and from London to New postage. All replies are sent dircct to the inquirer.) SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS They deteriorate so that in thre ears the linen and other fragile ma- erial becomes useless. The whole subject Is in such a state of inventive transition, say Army officers, that what i« standard today will be utterly obsolete next year. The only prac- tical method of airplane preparedness is to keep up a strong commercial available for military use. But how shall a country whose outstanding principles of statesmanship forbid even a hint of subsidizing ever compete witl European countries, where all com- mercial airplanes are heavily sub sidized? Handicapped by public, and esp clally legisiative indifference, Ame ican aeronautics have made achieve ments of which we may be The transcontinental mall fii pass any regularly scheduled formances in Europe. B There Is a successful air passe 'service between Paris and London. But while the passenger pays §15, France pays the company another $15 and England pays another $13, so that the company recelves at least $45 for the fare. There are many such routes in Europe—all subsidized—all train- ing aviators—all keeping factories making planes and all, In time of peace, preparing against war. In long distance fiights Ensla has to her credit the trip from Londo: to Melbourne, Australia, 15.000 miles York and return. 7,050 mile: the Urited States Army flight New York to Alacka and retu 9.000 miles, and the Army flight New York to Rio Janeiro, 6, * ¥ ¥ X There are now pending in Congress two _bills to create laws for the regulation and encouragement of aeronautics. One Introduced in the Senate, known as the “Wadsworth short bill,” has already been favora- bly reported by. the committee on military affairs and is on the calen- dar awaiting consideration. It pro- vides that all such civil aircraft used in the, United States must be owned and Wanaged by American citizens. It establishes a board under the De- partment of Commerce, which shall investigate routes and landing sta- tions and formulate rules of navi- gation. The Winslow bill In the House and the “Wadsworth long bill" in the Senate are simply in committees. They are identical bills, establishing laws and regulations covering many phases of interstate and foreizn air- plane traffic, and even touching on such Intrastate conditions as mayv affect interstate commerce on througi: trips. * X % X The whole subject of regulating commerce in the air is so new that whatever laws are passed must blaze the way. The old common law gave a landowner title to all the blue sky above his land—he owned from the center of the earth to the nith. Statutes put limitations on his « terranean title and often the jur- chase of a farm does not include minerals under the surface, Cases have already come into.court wherein farmers forbld trespassing over thelr fields, no matter how high an alr- plane may be fiying. Common law also requires—at least in Spanish countries—that to perfect a_ title the claimant must taks physical possession by entering upon - the premises. To claim & farm he must walk around its border: It may be that under the common law, in the absence of statutes to 1imft, it will be construed that = farmer has no title to the heisars beyond what he can cllmb and Shat he'has mo claim upon an aviator for damages for trespass if the aviator simply passes over and does not land nor drop anythin, forced landing his ¢! only actual damages dona by the landing. These aré instances of the problems before the legislators and’ thé courts. Thete are no precedents except by analogy to the use of the ocean or other navigable water on which land abuts. (Copyright, 1924, by Paul V. Celllas.).