Evening Star Newspaper, March 17, 1924, Page 6

EVENING _STA CAN_ YOUR TAXES BE CUT? A Series of Articles on the Cost of Government; ‘Where the Money Goes, and Wh THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. "MONDAY........March 17, 1924 ' THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor _The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Ofie. 11th St. and Peansyivania Ave. Chicago Office: Tower Building. Eoropean Otlice: 16 RegentSt., London, England. ‘The Erening Star, with the Sunday morning edition, s delivered by carriers within the iclts af 60 cents per month: daily only, 45 “ents per month: Sunday only, 20 centa’ per month. © Orders may be sent by mail or tele- peone ‘Main G0M. Collection is made by car- rlers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia. Daily and All Other States. Daily and Sunda; Daily only Sunday oniy Member of the Associsted Press. “Ube Associatel Press is evceusively entitl to the use for republication of all news dis- patebes credited 1o it or not otherwise credited in_this paper and also the local news pub. lihed berein. Al rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. b 2 o Centralized Welfare Control. The nearly unanimous opinion ex- pressed by those attending the publ tearing before the Welfare Code Com- sission last Friday indorsed the project oMentralizing control of pub- fic welfare work in the District of Columbia under a single directing toard. In this indorsement the com- munity as a whole will most enthu- siastically concur. The National Capital is dceply con- cerned that a system which has proved itself as wasteful of energy, ineffective of achievement and conducive of mcrimonious wrangling shall be scrapped in faver of @ plan recom- mended by logic and experience. Tt is a bappy fact that there are in Congress today many who have ex- vressed a deep interest in the project of bringing order to the admintétration of civic welfare in the Capital of the nation, and eventually making the administration plase of our community endeavor a model for the uation as a whole. To fail to take legitimate advantage of this fact would be a grave oversight on the part of those charged with the responsibility of administering the welfare work of the Distriet. The present effort must not be per- mitted to slacken or fail. The project of centralized administration should be vigorously pushed, not only by the commission charged with framing the ~xact method, but by the united volce of the civic bodies of Washington as the commission’s recommendations are made public. Necfied new legislation, providing with other things for inothers’ pensions, a wisely located lome for feeble-minded, effective chool-attendance regulations and a iser basis for Juvenile Court pro- cedure should be framed and urged upon Congress as essential to placing the District’s job of caring for its de- pendents upon a sound basis. No time was ever more auspicious than the present for the solution of the problems involved. The code com- mission is to be congratulated upon the methodical processes with which it has operated to date; upon the prog- ress already made and the prospects of great achievement twhich lie ahead. Let the city, in proffering these congratulations, defermine to afford that wholchearted and uneni- mous backing essential to the fruition of the commission’s carefully matur- ing plan. Amaryllis. We come again to the season of the | amaryllis, and the blooming of the flowers is a reminder of the passing of time to those persons who are in need of such reminder. It does not seem a long twelve-month since Washingto- nians and non-Washingtonians trooped through the greenhouses of the De- partment of Agricultire to attend the tenth annual amaryllis show. Yet the eleventh annual amaryllis show is open to the public and will remain open day and evening for a week, and no doubt will continue so long as crowds press for entrance and the flowers bear the strain of being stared at. ‘The amaryllis is a stout-hearted and strong-spirited flower, and bears well the tension of its annual exhibi- tion. Botanists say that the show is brighter and redder this year than wver. There are considerably more than a thousand bulbs, and they aver- #ge two stems to the plant and four hlooms to the stem. Not all of them are scarlet or crimson. The amaryllis specialists have been striving to pro- duce. white blooms and have succeed- ed. Some of these pale members are Tlooming among their ruddy, glowing kin. Speaking of “vicious piffie,” a great deal of the testimony has failed to provide the slightcst element of in- nocuous persiflage. Even the code comedy discussion had its sinister sug- sestions. England admires the horsemanship of the Prince of Wales, but does not care to risk an heir apparent on the outcome of a steeplechase. There are indications of a tendency to establish $100,000 as 2 minimum wage. Germany Must Pay. A cabled outline of the report of the first committee of experts dealing with German reparations, of which Charles G. Dawes is chairman, justi- ties the belief that Germany's tlays of artful dodging are about over, and that she now must begin to pay. In ~stimating the paying capacity of Ger- many the committee reduces the prob- iem to,a’ very simple formula. It is that the German people must be taxed as heavily as are the peoples of any allied power. There is no attempt to fix @ sum total of reparations. That 35 left to be determined by the future. All that is insisted upon today is that t;erman ecapital and German labor must bear as heavy a burden of taxa- tion as is borne by the capital and labor of Frarce, of Belgium and of Eritain. When they do that there will accrue sums avallable for the payment 1 of reparations, and these available Vsums will steadily increase as German b} industry approaches maximum produc- ) tivity. The plan of the experts, of course, contemplates stabilimation of the cur- rency and balancing of the German (budget. The first is to be accom- | plished by establishment of & bank of !issue and discontinuance of govern- ment issues of fiat money. When ade- quate taxes are imposed the budget will automatically be balumrd This is rendered less difficult by the fact that the German government has prac- tically no internal debts to contend with. The huge indebiedness which existed at the signing of the armistice has lurgely been paid off in the de- based currency issued by Berlin, and today the slate is almost clean. With no internal debt to contend with, and with the German people taxed @s heavily as are the people of | Great Britain, for instance, ability to} pay reasonable reparations can no longer be a subject for dispute. Taxa- tion equal to that of Great Britain | would give the German government a |revenue, over and above necessary { budgetary expenses, sufficient to meet interest charges on a debt of five to seven billions of dollars, and this sur- plus will increase as productivity in- creases. That such sums could not i regularly be transported out of Ger- many and paid over to the allies in ash without disaster will be admitted, and the Dawes plan does not contem- plate any such procedure. [nstead. payments by the German government will be deposited in the bank of issue, | which is to be under joint German and allied control, and can be checked against for the purchase of German godds and for such services as the German railroads and steamship lines may render, as well as for neutral clearances. Some cash undoubtedly will be ‘withdrawn, but in the main the translation of.payments will be in kind. Some annoying and even difficult details remain to be worked out, but it is apparent that the Dawes commit- tee has gotten at the heart of the prob- jlem. Its discoveries consist of iwo major facts. One is that the German | people are not taxed as heavily as are | the peoples of allied nations. The | |other that, Germany having no in- { ternal debt, when the German people | jare equally taxed there will bo sums | available for the payment of repara- tions. Capucity to pay having (hus | been established, it remains to be de- | | termined how best the sums to become 'iu\':uhblc can be translated into actual | payments outside the German borders, {But the fundamental fact that Ger- lmfl.ny has capacity to pay having been established, arranging the exact forms | of payment ought not to present any insuperable difficulties. It now remains for the plan to be accepted by the nations chiefly in in- {terest. It is inconceivable that Ger- ! many should refuse, for refusal would | amount to a confession of unwilling- | ness to pay. and would bring down upon her the wrath of the world. For France, too, there is involved @ ques- tion of good faith and fair intent. The; plan provides for the immediate pay- | ment of minimum sums. and all the | measures of coercion which France has taken have not resulted in pro- duction of even the minimum sums. It has been charged that collection of reparations was not the main desire ! of France. Opportunity now is offered | France to show that her detractors; were in error. St. Patrick’s Day. People are honoring throughout | the world today the apostle and patron | saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. The day | |is observed at Washington by the| { Ancient Order of Hibernlans and the ! ! Ladies'’ Auxiliery of that order, and with solemn high mass at St. Pat rick's Church. In other times, addition to the usual religious serv- | ice, we celebrated the day here with a { parade. The St. Patrick's day parade | was a feature which it was !hwlhli would never pass away, and it mi with ug an impressive yearly event.] Many of onr oler citizens have marched in the St. Patrick's day pa- | rade. There was always a bruuami show of green sashes worn by the marshal and his aldes, and the green | flag with a golden harp floated besidel the Stars and Stripes and the bend | played Irish tunes. 1 St. Patrick is one of those im- mortals whose spirits are marching on. Though his soul passed to a finer sphere than earth about 1,500 years lago. fis memory remains & force among men. It may be that church historians have the facts concerning this remarkable man, but the secular historians are at variance as to when ‘and where he was born, when and | where he disi and when he began his mission in Ireland to supplant Druidic paganism with the cross. There is no doubt that he did that remarkable work, and that his memory hdlds al place secure in sacred and profane; history. He was a man of holiness and grace, and must have been a man of splendid will and persuasive and organizing power. To contend against the power of Druidism among the Celts of Ireland, to win native princes ! from the pagan® superstition of their | ancestors and to give thousands of | men a knowledge of God was the work of a great man. Ordinary men do not exert such power over other men. A | secular historian has said that at the time of his death Ireland was still more pagan than Christian, yet he had | dealt a death blow to Druidism, which was shortly to disappear before the onward march of the ideas he set in motion. PF ) ——————— Popular agitation over tax reduction may now be expected to subside a lit- tle until June brings around a call for the second installment. | Its financial possibilities may yet increase 9o far as to include pugilism' emong the world's leading industries. —————— The Upper Marlboro Fire, A few hours before the fire broke out at Upper Mariboro the Maryland senate passed a bill, introduced by the Prince Georges county delegation and which had been already passed by the house of delegates, directing the county commissioners to pay $500 a year to the civic officers of the county meat fer protection against fire and for certain improvements. In The Star's news story of the fire it ‘such a serious con- flagration promptly started a move- ment for the establishment of a fire company and a fire-main system for the county seat.” The village should have the usual small-town means of fighting fire. Upper Marlboro is one of the old towns of this region. On the organi- | zation of Prince Georges county, in 16956, the court, according to county historfans, was built at Mount Cal- vert, near where the railroad from ‘Washington to Chesapeake Beach crosses the Patuxent, about three miles southeast of Upper Marlboro. The town of Upper Marlboro was laid off in 1704, and it was about that time that the county court was re- moved from Mount Calvert. At Upper Mariboro are the home site and the grave of Dr. William Beanes, who was assoclated with the writing of “The Star Spangled Banner.” It ‘was to secure the release of this man, then a prisoner on a ship of the Eng- lish fleet, that Francis Scott Key ‘went on board the English flagship and was compelled to remain during the bombardment of Fort McHenry. There are tablets on the spot which tell that the Marlboro High School oc- cupies the site of Dr. Beanes' house, that Gen. Ross made his headquarters there on August 22 and 23 on his| march to Bladensburg and Washing- ton, and that there Dr. Beanes was taken into custody by the English for causing the arrest of marauders from the English army. Another tab- {let teils “Within these walls rest the remains of William Beanes, 1749-1828, Prince Georges County Physician, Planter, Patriot.” B Personally, D'Annunzio does not care a great deal about the title “Prince of Monte Nevoso.” His ac- ceptance of the distinction, however, will prevent him from appearing In- different to well intending eompliment and the customs of his time. The poet- soldler’'s career has this time schooled him to an indifference alike toward epithets of abuse and titles of favor. —————————— Many people who paid money to see the Dempsey-Carpentier pictures did not krow they were being illegally displayed. If they had known it a few | might have remained away. but not enough to affect the box office meri- ously. The public reserves the right to be shocked without admitting any obligution to discourage the causes of offense. —_——— The Shenandoah will not be risked in an Arctic flight until further ex- periments have been completed. So far as practical present considerations €0, the big airship is viewed as more valuable than the north pole itself. —_——— ‘When he said he worked for money the same as a lawyer, Mr, Gaston Means refrained from mentioning any particular lawyer, thus obviating the possibility of a slander suit. —————— Having made his income tax return, the amateur arithmetician is now wondering whether his troubles are over or only beginning. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Detective Stories, I am svearning for the glory of the ol detective story That we used to read in happy days gone by. ‘Where the villain worked obscurely | and expressed murely, In an effort to evade the public eye. himself de- arise in such profusion ) That attention quite bewildered ofien roams. he studied dereliction, it was in the form of fiction— How we miss our old companion, Sherlock Holmes! ‘When No one halts the action frantic with an episode romantic To express himself with literary charm. No one, as he solves a riidle, stops awhile to play the fiddle Just to show he feels no personal alarm. Bona-fide reputation feared no cross- examination That might range from subway passages to domes. Mr. Doyle, so influential with folks now ron-residential, Can't you give us back our dear old Sherlock Holmes! Safety First. “The next speech I make,” re- marked Senator Sorghum, “will be on the Einstein theory.” “But you don’t understand it.” “That's all right, I might as well discuss that as some of the other things that have gotten clear beyond l comprehension.” Jud Tunkins says it's a mistake to believe the worst merely because it generally seems the most interesting. Subtle Fimance. Did you know that man who showed you so much attention is a fortune hunter?” “I was well aware of the fact,” re- plidd Miss Cayenne. “So I encour- aged him as much as poesible. I thought his evident impression as to my financial prospects might improve father's credit.” Ancther Theory. The earth with steady motion turns. ‘There is no way to stop. 8o, now and then, mankind discerns The underworld on top. Alcobelic Vapors. “The licker around here is gettin’ ‘worse every day,” exclaimed Uncle Bill Bottletop. “It smells just like the denatured alcohol you use to keep a radiater from freezing.” “How. do you know?” ‘Last night, when I got home late, my wife stood at the top of the stairs, sniffed @ few times and then told me to take the flivver right out of the parior and put it in the garage.” “De way some o' dese politicians is been.actin’,” mid Uncle Eben, “makes me skeered to shake hands wif a stranger foh fear he might try o force some suspicious money on me,” CHAPTER XXII. Some Independent ::e-a-s Depart- ment Not all departments of the govern- ment are under the supervision of & cabinet officer. Some large spending bureaus are independent and respen- sible only to the President. As a matter of fact, the growth of inde- pendent departments, free from all cabinet control, has become a real tendency in the federal government activities today. The war greatly ac- celerated this movement. Now let us take a look at some of these departments. (1) The Civil Service Commission, while a relatively small spending bu. reau, deserves special mentiui. It was organized on March 9, 1883, for the purpose of decreasing political influence in the selection of govern- mental employes. The first classifica- tion of the service under the civil service commission applied to the de- partments in Washington and to post offices and customhouses having as many as fifty employes, embracing 13,294 employes. That was forty-one years ago. On June 30, 1923, there were 548,531 officers and employes in the executive civil mervice. During the fiscal year 1923 the commission examined 204,200 persons. Of these 57,694 were ap- pointed. At the end of the fiscal year 1923 the Civil Service Commission had @ force of 293 clerks and examiners and 32 sub-clerks and employes In Washington, and 184 elsewhere. This bureau spent approximately $72! in 1923, and the estimate for creases this amount by about § L C. C. Holds Great Power. (2) The Interstate Commerce Com- mission was created February 4, 1887, to regulate commerce. The commis- sion has been given through the suc- ceeding years greater and greater au- thority by Congress. The number of commissioners has been increased from five orig'nally to eleven mem- bers now. It is doubtful if there is any department that has greater power over the lives and business ac- tivities of the nation than the Inter- state Commerce Commission has. It regulates and almost directs the op- eration of all the raflroads in the United States and many other inter- state business relationships. Its power and responsibility, however, were greatly enlarged in 1920, when the putting into cffect of the Each-Cum- mins transportation act was given 0 it. The eleven commissioners are ap- pointed by the Pres. nt with the approval of the Senate. On June 20, 1823, there were 1875 persons work: ing 'In_this diviston of the govern- {ment. which spent $5,027,000 in the ’uscfl year 1923; about the same is estimated for 192, (3) The Rallroad Administration has been one of the big spending buresus since the government operation dur- ing the war. That chapter we are not taking up at this time. But this administration cost for the fiscal year 1923 a total of $60,990.000. Then the advances under the transportation act of 1920 took another $39,620,000 for the year. Together these two items amounted to $100,610,000. A whole article would be needed to elaborate on the activities of this de- partment during the last six years. However, the railroads repaid in 11823 a total of $99,297,000 of loans {advanced earifer. so fia total net out- lay from the federal Treasury for the | year, exclusive of loans granted, was $1.323.000. For 1924 an estimate of $68,426,000 is made by the bureau of i the budget as expense under the { transportation act of 1920. Railroad ; administration at the end of the fiscal { year 1923 had a total of 1,038 per- i sons employed in its service. j Tarif Board Independent. { (4) A word should be said about the Tarift Commission, which is another federal agency independent of any cabinet control. This bureau was created by an act of Congress approved lSeptamher 8, 1916. It was given and in | Hints of underworld collusion NOW { power to investigate the administra- tion, operation and effects of the cus- toms laws and their relation to the federal revenues. This commission is‘nould be a much more important fact-finding body than it really is. { Its real power for good will become i manifest only when politics is more jand more driven out of tariff making. That day seems very far away at this time. For 1933 the commission spent $398,500. This 1s increased to an estimated amount of $764.000 for 1924. There are 130 experts and clerks connected with this work, (5) No review would be complete without giving an account of the work of the Federal Trade Commis- {sion. This was created by an act jof Congress passed September 26, 1914, in which the commission's pow- ers and duties were defined. Its five members were appointed for a term of seven vears by the President of the United States, with- the approval of the Senate. EKach commissioner receives $10,000 a year salary. The Federal Trade Commission act states that “unfair methods of com- | clared unlawtul” and empowers and | directs the commission to. prevent “persons, partnerships or corpora- tions, except banks and common car- j riers subject to the acts to regulate commerce, {rom using unfair methods of_competition in commerce. There we have the meat of the commission's activities. During 1923 among the important inquiries un- der_way which were directed to be made by Congress or by the President ! were the following: Cotton trade, grain_trade, flour milling, foreign ownership in the petroleum indust | coal dealers, house furnishings, ex- i 1 BY JOHN Many mistaken ideas: have been taken into the currency of common thought. ' They are accepted at fall value. They pass for truth. Of the false assumptions that by everyday use have hardened into the habit of thought none is more false | than the belief that & quarrel “clears | the air.” This sadly mistaken bellet in the cleansing quarrel is most frequently applied to the domestic lives and affairs of young married folks. Elders hardly take the trouble to warn young husbands and young wives against an oecasional quarrel. It is almost as if they belleve in squabbles and harsh words as cura- tive agents for inward grouches. Poison must bée removed from wounds. Bolls have to be lanced. e is no analogy in the life Pos95,91 the not’to be met by the same medicine. Unless it be in the rarest of cases a quatrel does not clear the air or better relations in married life or in any other kind of life. Eveéty harsh ana wordy Loz oo only' serves to separate those Who should grow_to- gether.. The principal function of a quarrel is to make bad matters worse and to add scars that are never quite *"Wards are things. They are entities. Once we send them forth, we can- not have them back, not really. They petition in commerce are hereby de- | BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR, Author of “Can Europe Hold Together?" port grain trade and national wealth Income and debt. Spoken of as Fightiag Arm. ‘“The fighting forces of the United States”—this was said in a Washing- ton hotel lobby during the war— “consists of the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Federal Trade Commission.” It has done some remarkable work. Recall just a bit of its history—it: coal report of 1917, that resulted in the war regulation'of fuel, food and other necessities, port {n 1918, a fearless trumpet blast by Victor Murdock against the war gougers: its packer reports in 1918 and 1919. It forced the aluminum trust to unswallow and disgorge its one competitor, the Aluminum.Roll- ing Mills Company of Cleveland. When President Harding asked the commission just why consumers’ prices were not falling commensur- ately with the fall of farm prices and raw materials generally, this commission pointed out very ciearly, in a communication which every American should read, that trade as- sociations, and particularly the open- price assoclations of manufacturers and dealers, were the most impor- tant obstruction, In other words, merly called the free market has largely vanished into memory. Only a month ago the commission submitted its report to Congre showing the ramification and mono- polistic contracts and activities of the Radio Corporation of America, behind which are those gigantic in terests, the General Electric Com pany, the Westinghouse, and by con- tract’ the great American Telegraph and Telephone Company. As_monopolistic power tends more and more to concentrate into fewer and fewer large corporations, the American people will come to have greater and greater need for just {such a champlon as the Federal Trade Commission. _The people should therefore watch it and guard it very carefully. . For the fiscal year 1923 this com- mission spent $356,000. For 1924 the bureau of the budget has estimated { the appropriation of this commission lm $997,000, and at $923,000 for 1925. Fileet Corporution’s Work. (6) The Emergency Fleet Corpora- tion, another independent bureau, began operations April 16, 1917. Its lduty was to “purchasi i equip, lease, charter, maintain and ! operate merchant vessels in the com- merce of the United States” The jgovernment plunged into the <hipping | business with characteristic dash. In November, 1918, the corporation owned 603 vessels of about 3,329,000 deadweight tons. But the Shi Board moved fast and furious. penses were not considcred. It would 1seem as though any one would under- stand that business after the war would not fipcrease but decrease. This fact was‘ignored. The war was over, but building continued. On June 30, 1921, the corporation owned 1,980 vesselé of about 12.144,000 dead- weight tons. That was the peak. ‘We had spent more than $3,500,000,000 getting ready—for what? = Then world-wide _depression set in. We were all rigged up but had no place to sail. On June 30, 1923, th¥re were 4.575,000 gross tons of our vessels tied up and idle. So the corporation began selling these ships right and left to private interests. That story some day will be told, Here's one example: Two hundred and twenty-six wooden vesscls, which cost the government over $300.000,000 to construct, were sold to the Western Marine and Salvage Company for $750,000; that ie, the United tes got back just 75 cents out of ever: 3300 spent on these vessels. These vessels were not to be used again a: ocean carriers, but the corporation removed the machinery and sold the hulls to Cuba, Brazil and other for- eign countries, and then sold the machinery to the same purchasers, who promptly reinstalled them and proceeded to operate the vessels. This is one illustration of how we did it. | There are scores. The waste, incom | petency, mismanagement and sabot- aging connected with this business since 1917 is a shameful chapter in our history. Cost $57,000,000 in 1923. On September 1, 1823, the corpora- tion still had 1.345 vessels of about 9,261,000 deadweight tons. Manv ves- sels since that time have been dis- posed of to private groups at a frac- tion of their original cost. A total of ington and 1,636 outside of Washing- ton, making a grand total of 3.05¢ people working for the corporation at the end of the fiscal year 1923, For the fiscal year 1923 the corpo- ration cost the government, in round figures, $56,893,000. For 1924 the amount is estimated at about $2,000,- 000 less. But there is no question that squandered and wasted for purely selfish purposes. There are many other independent boards, commissions and bureaus con- nected with the conduct of the gov- ernment’s_business. porary. They grew up during the war. Others are the result of further regulations, imposed by the govern- ment itself. Undoubtedly there is much waste and some considerable duplication in the work. But outside of those already enumerated, the other bureaus afe costing relatively little. Many of them could be merged with other bureaus and departments. Some should be abolished. From the viewpoint of the tax- paver, little immediate saving can be made along this line, but proper business methods of economy and efii- ciency are very urgent and impor- tant in the growing business of gov- ernment. (Copyright, 1924, in United States and Great ritain by North American Newspaper Alliance. All rights reserved.) (Tomerrow—Reorgunising the Gov- ernment Bureaus.) BLOWING UP OR CHECKING OFF CARLYLE can and do leave ugly wounds If they are not handled with judgment and with care. There is no cure in a quarrel. 1t is purposeless, fruitless, hopeless. ‘We must all at some time or other, many times, be face to face with cir. able. Anger is at the surface, ready to take over everything. There are three things we can do. We can sup. press it all and carry an inward grouch., We can blow up in quarrel or fight. We can “check it off.” So many of us choose the first or the second plan. few of us check it off. There is a distinet difference between one state of mind and another. Suppressing cures nothing. Blowing up affords only momentary relief. But thinking the thing through, howevyer hard that is to do, with all the self-control that we can bring to bear—that cures and cures permanently. ‘There is real healing in the seif- control which enables us to think {hings through and them, with utter finality, ‘‘check off” the anger for all time, Think over, talk over. Believe me, there is no healing in a quarrel. (Copyriht, 1924, by the Associated Newspgpers.) Remembering Happier Days. From the Oblo State Journal. ‘We suppose President Coolidge oc- casionally looks back longingly to the quiet, humdrum days when the Boston policemen vire on strike. . i S Its profiteering re- | what the orthodox economists for-| construct, | this great national asset has been | Many are tem- | cumstances and situations that are so | irritating as to be next to unbear- ! WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1924, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul” ' —HENLEY. Duse's Life of Sorrow. Trouble almost as deep as that of characters she portrays has been the lot of Signora Eleanora Duse_almost since her birth, Daughter of strolling players in Italy, she endured hardships and pri- vations while traveling with them and others during her childhood that seriously impaired her health. First appearing as Cozette in “Les Miserables” when seven years old, she was star of the little troupe in “Francesca da Rimini” when thirteen. Her Juliet, played when she was four- { teen, was praised, but recognition did not come before she was twenty. | When Turin approved of her, then Florence, then Rome, and America, Epgland ‘and the rest ‘of the civilized world acclaimed her art and her “magnificent personality™ Crowds applauded and royalty honored her. Then to Paris. Invited by the “Di- vine Sarah” to occupy Bernhardt's own theater, she allowed her rival to persuade her to play “Camille.” As this was Bérnhardt's most successful role, Duse’s portrayal met with indif- ference. Wedded before she was twenty years old to Signor Checchi, an Itai- | and they were separated. In the height of her career she met Gabriel D'Annunzio, the poet. For years she gave her life to his suc- i cess, inspired him to great things and presented his plays in a way that i made them more than their merits | deserved. He tired of her, they quar- reled, and he betrayed, in a novel, the miseries of her lifc that she had told in confidence. The shock was so Ereat that for a time It was feared shé would not live. She retired to { private life and helped girls who as- pired to the stage and soldiers wounded in the world war. Pinally her fortune vanished and ishe was compelled again to appear before the footlights. In Turin stu- dents enthusiastically took the places of the horses and drew her to the ho- tel. London audiences cried “Brava,” and New York paid $30,000 the open- ing night to sce her, at sixty-four, i prove that hardships, sorrows, dis- appointments, ill-health and disillu- sionment had not killed her powers | as an actress and as a woman. | (Copyright, 1928.) estions French Loan. Writer Condemns Earlier Actions of Country. To the Editor of The Star: An editorial in The Evening Star of {March 13 headed “American Dollars ifor France" describes how American soldiers saved France, and now Ameri- ican dollars are to be sent to her as- sistance. This causes me to turn back 4 few pages of history, and 1 find the ollowing concerning France's seizure of American vessels: Report of Timothy Pickering, United |States Secretary of State, dated Janu- ry 18, 1799: “Those unjust and cruel idepredations on American commerce {which have brought distress on multi- tudes and ruin on many of our citi- {zens and occasioned 1 total loss of Iproperty to the United States of prob- |ably more than $20,000.000. besides lsubjecting our fellow citizens to in- {sults, stripes, wounds, torture and im- {prisonment. great deal more mig the indignities serican citizen: dealing with {1 ht be quoted France neerning {visited upon iall in history period of this country. Because of vour editorial 1 wish to sk three questions. In the vour newspaper dated March 1 i laccount of how Senator Shipstead in | the Senate “recalled tha 1. Morgan | {& Co. louned France $4¢ the wanted to know oan had in causing this eountry to ienter the ? So do 1. Also 1 would 1like an answer to his other question, if the loaning of $100,000,000 to France {will cause this country to take part in the next European war? The third question is “Did J. P. Morgan & Co. arrange for this loan to boost ‘th French currency because J. P. M. & Co, owned a large number of French |bonds . Will you kindly state just what ai {France gave the United States to icause this country to send the flower iof our young manhood to France to ibe slaughtered? Also to loan millions of dollars to France? Was it because lof the indignities visited upon our lcitizens In_the carly days of our r {public? W beca of France’ fwillingness to join with England dur- {ing the il war to disrupt this na- Was because of the part It tion? it country went to war with Spain? ; MARY DE WITT MARTIN. | Terrors of Deafness. [Sociel)' to Preserve Faculty of i Hearing Urged. {To the Editor of The Sta | To others than her friends and { relatives, the reported suicide of one whose power of hearing had vanish- !ed may appear unimportant. Yet, it { should awaken thought in the minds of many who have friends drifting {along the same road toward hopeless | despondency. That tragic ending of {a useful life indicates how crippling _lamity loss of hearing icause it is an invisible calamity, rarely does it meet with the symp: thetic understanding so quickly ex- 1tended to the blind. : ’ ! "One whose hearing has vanished in {adult life may appear hale and hearty iand present no indication of a loss of | self-reliance, or of the hopeless de- spondency that is crowding the vic- | tim close to the border line. . Wants Hearing Conserved. conserve one's hearing is just triotic a duty as saving one's The average individual has eth examined at least once a Why not have periodic exami- | nations of the ears? It Is possible to purchase teeth, but even a King's {ransom will not always restore hear- he { "¥robably there are thousands in Washington whose power of hearing is vanishing. These thousands can help themeelves and help others by organizing a conservation of heartng society and learning how to care | properly for the ears. Another help- {ful aid in lessening the terrors that | beset. the adult whose hearing has vanished is to become efficient in the use of lip-reading while a remnant of | i emains. & ;""‘""“ = FRED DE LAND. i i | o ias pal teeth. ihis_te: ivear. In a Few Words In_ the next half century American population W e dou- {bled until it exceeds 200,000,000, | Then you will have an unempioyment | problem such as the world has never seen_before. Where Eugland has had 5,000,000 out of work the United States will have 20,000,000 jobless, ~REV. G.A-STUDDERT KENNEDY. What Spain needs is a new Christo- pher Columbus to discover its com- mercial possibilities. 1f I _were a young man I would g0 to Spain to build my future. —AMBASSADOR ALEXANDER P, MOORE. Criminal law in the United States is ilogical and archaic. It is based on a condition existing 200 years ago in England, and which never has ex- isted_here, —HERBERT 8. HADLEY, (Chancel« lor, Washington University). 1 am_ one of those who believe women in politics means better poli- tics, not worse politics. 1 am confi- dent that women will bring into publto life those virtues thev. huve ro long displayed in American home SECRETARY OF LABOR DAVIS. century the lan actor-Journalist, she was unhappy | early | sue of | times the usual strength. /300,000 and | hat part thati maves—A, V. 1t $ gained for $3,50 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. . Why is March 17 St. Patrick’s day?—S. P. 8. ° A. The 17th of March s called St. Patrick's day because of its being the anniversary of the day of this saint’s death. It is celebrated by the Irish all over the world. Green is worn on this day in memory of the Emerald Isle. Q. What is the flag of Afghanis- tan?—B. G. A. The Afghan flag consists of the following design: A mosque between two triangular pennants, over a five- pointed star and inclosed within a combination of a circle and hexagon, all in flat white upon a black back- ground. Q. When was the Key Bridge in Washington, D. C., opened to traffic and to street cars?—M. H. A._ It was opened to traffic January 17, 1933, and street cars first ran across it on December 2, 1923. Q. What people belong to teh Xanthrocroi and Melanchroi races and what color are they?—A. M. P. A. Professor Huxley forty-five years ago used these terms to desig- |nate by the former the blond and by the latier the brunette portion of the Caucasian race. 1 Q. Where is the shortest lin the United States?—A F. |4 A, The shortest raifroud reporting to the Interstate Commerce Commis- ision is the Durham (N. C.) Union {Station Company. The road is sixtcen |one-hundredths ot a mile in length. Q. Do all the Forida Seminoles speak the same language’—A. G. S. A. There are two distinct lan guages spoken by these Florida In- |dians. Thé speech of the North Giade Indians differs from that of the South Glade red men to such an extent that |an interpreter is necessary between l hem. Q. Please give some information about the dead letter office.—AL ) _A. The dead letter office is a divi- sion of the Post Office Department {under the control of the fourth as- ‘sistant postmaster general, to which unciaimed letters, parcels, etc.. sent from local post offices. It re sives about 16,500,000 dead lette: and parcels a yvear, and 9,000,000 post rds and postals. The loss to the neral public through the careless directing of such matter is about $500,000 annually. No letters or pack- ages are sent to the dead letter office have been given a direc- e e at the post otfice to which they are addressed, and all available methods to locate the addresses have Leen exhausted. | Q. Can ocean steamers travei the canals of Venice?—E. C. T. A. Steamers are able to traverse the broad Guidecca canal. The remain- ing canals of the town are not suf- ficiently wide to allow the passage of ocen-going steamers, though small { pleasure steamers do ply the larger | canals. Q. What is the origin of the Lithu- | anians?—G. M. ! A The Lithuanians are of Indo- European origin. Little is known | concerning their early history, and {nothing of the exzct time of their {appearance in the country they now {inhabit. They are mentioned Uy ! Ptolemy. ! Q. How is cafe au lait prepared’— | P. M, | A. Aad five cups of hot milk to one | and one-half cups of coffec made four This is a the usual pieasant change from breakfast coffee. Q. Has Lima, Peru. a tropical cli- ! A. Although near the equator, the climate of Peru is delightful. A i ‘; The great transatlantic steamer | Orduna of the Royal Mail line of Great {Britain is forfeit to the United tates—unless a fine of serious el promptly paid. “The court lawards it and the law doth give it.” | Possibly that quotation is premature, 1,418 persons were employed in Wash- |France attempted to play when this|for the court has not yet decided the I penalty, but already the officials of {the Treasury and of the prohibition jenforcement bureau are confident that the extreme penalty will be adjudged. The charges are not only violation !of the liquor laws, but also of cus- {toms laws in entering goods ot [ named in the manifest and covered by a customs officer’s permit to land. For many months government op- |eratives have been watching the Orduna, as she sold liquor at her bar, hile tied up at the dock in New "\“"D:ke hn,r\mr.p The detectives drank Ithe liquor so purchased while they fraternized with the ship's officers. But their cvidence was not deemed te until last week they bar- St 0 worth of liquor, and w it taken out of the ssores an phied upon the deck. They accepteu i forty cases of Scotch, seven and one- i half of gin, five of wine, two of cham- pagne, a case of cognac, 700 bottles of Ale and twenty barrels of beer. for {Which they paid $1.920 cash. That iwas all that their trucks would haul {in_one load. Tn addition they bought !s15 rth of narcotics. {3100 oeh liquer made & conspicuous ipile as it lay upon deck. Not even |Phe captain in command of the ship {could overlook it. Patronage of the {bar for individual drinks might not have been noticed by the captain, but tho withdrawal from the ship's seal- od stores of this wholesale lot could not be hidden. Seals broken? Testi- mony of petty officers indicates that They had' duplicate seals for later use. hip was seized by order of vntiea " Sates District Attorney Hayward, who personaily led the of- ficere boarding the ship and seizing the “evidence”” The law provides that a ship so seized may be delivered to the own- ers, prior to settlement of the case, under bond to the amount of double the value of the vessel—not double the probable fine, but double the value of the ship. The law does not specify that the ship shall be confiscated as the pen- alty for violation of the legal pro- Visions, in lieu of, or as additional penalty, but it is held as security for the payment of whatever fine is im- posed by the court. In case the fine 1 is not paid, then the ship will be duly advertised and sold at auction, and from the proceeds of the sale, the fine and court costs, together with any liens against the vessel. will be paid, and any balance will be given to the owners. All liquors, however, are absolutely confiscated and de- stroyed, regardless of other penal- ties. i * xR ¥ 5 When the Orduna was seized the district attorney demanded a bond of $3,000,000, but the Department of Jus- tice directed him to reduce that de- mand to $1,000,000; vet it is not clear that the 15,000-ton modern ~vessel could be replaced for only $500,000, thereby justifying a bond of only $1,000,000. (Section 26.) t has already cost the owners a ,000 premium on their bond. and the loss of; all their store of liquors 4 railroad | | { i i | | | about Lorado Taft’—D. G northward-flow| the near-by climate to s hottest days ter above 50 the coldest d; ing ocean current anc mountains temper the uch a degree that th: of summer rarely regis Jegrees [Fahrenheit, an of win don bElow €0 degrees Fanrenneit. ~o 0" Q. What is ¥ T the best bait to tra; A. A very successful bait is fresh fish, the trap being scented with muskrat musk. The most important thing is for the trapper to leave no ?fi?f}.—:ofi’ 'gn!!thuboula be handled s tha v i ith sl ave been dipped in Q. Is commercial catgut prepared g\ucn [embranes of horses oF catar. A. It is prepared from the inte: tines of sheep and rarely from horses or mules and never from cats. "%. Pleule mx‘amenwnuh" there ix country the world namec Helvetia—H. 8. K. A. Helvetia was the old Romar name for what corresponds to mod ern Switzerland. The name is still used poetically in reference to this country. is ck What shadow boxing?- G. 5 A. Shadow boxing is boxing with out an opponent. Q. What kind of a gas is laughing gas? When were anesthetics dis- covered?—H. T. A. Laughing zas is nitrous oxide 1880 Sir Humphrey Davy sug ase an an anesthetic, bur s in 1844 that Dr. Horace We demonstrated its use for painlessx extraction of teeth. Dr. Crawford Long used ether for an operation in 1842, but it came into general use in 1846. Chloroform began (o be usec about a year later. In Q. What is the disease called th« pip?—J. K. / A. Pip is a condition of the tongu« caused by some such ailment as cold, which compels a bird to breathe througn the mouth. The continuai pas=ing of air over the tongue causes it to become dry, hard and scaly especially about the tip. Q. Are the red corpuscles reali: red when viewed singly?—C. B. A. So-called “red” blood corpusele- are in reality straw color when seer singly, but when seen in mass they appear red and do give the blood its red color, bright red when full ot oxygen, dark red, almost purple, whe: deprived of ir oxygen throug! tissue absorpt Q. What is a word which reads the same ward?—A. D. Il A. Such a word, or sentence. « verse, is called a palindrome. Q. t sentenc or for or back informatior \ A. Lorado Taft was born at Elm- wood, 1ll.. 1860. He studied at North- western University and at the Ecoir des Beaux_Arts, Paris. He is repre sented in Washington by his Colum- bus Memorial, crected before the Tnion Station. His first work of con siderable note was the figure Black Hawk at Oregon, 1ll. Prob. ably Mr. Taft's greatest work is hi- Fountain of Time, on the campus of the University of Chicago. 1t is made of concrete, composed of red and llow gravel mixed with Portland white cement. A hundred figures pas before the huge shrouded figure of Time. The motif of the work is found in two lines from a poem by Austin Dobson: “Time goes. Ah, no! Time stays; ning and turning it into energy (Did_you write @ letter to Frederi Haskin? You can gsk our Information Burean any question of fact and_get the answer in a persona! letter. This is u part of Ihat best pur- pose of this newspaper—SERVICE There is 1o charge except 2 cemts i stamps for return postage. Get the habit of asking questions of Frederic J Haski, director, The Star Information Bureaw, 1220 North Capitol Street.) Please give or N TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS and narcotics, regardless of the fine vet to come. The Orduna is now ir midocean, having sailed under bond the Great Sahara. bootleggers are losing al such as is boasted amongst thieves. Within an ho after the capture of the Orduna som: of its officers had turned state’'s evi dence, hoping to get light sentences for themselves, whatever happened to the “higher ups.” The court told them that their sentences would be measured as they measured the tru and the whole truth in their testi- mony. * % % Not only is this vessel ceized, but in the shadow of the Statue of Lih erty officers are even now lying in wait to enlighten the world that the American Constitution and federa: laws will be obeyed by aliens as well as -Americans. Three other first class ocean liners will also be taker as soon as they again enter our j risdiction, for the evidence is eac case is already complete. ¥ okk % Tn other countries. as well the United States, capture and “libel” of alien ships for violation of c toms Jaws is not unusual, but has so great a vessel as the Ordunx been seized. If, in addition, the oth er three ships be taken, the procerds will run into millions of dollars au the seizures will create a world-wid sensation. never The outstanding feature of the sit uation, however, is not the amount of money involved. but the demonstra- tion to the world that the United } States law—inclusive of its prohi- bition of liquor—can no longer be flouted. From the day when (he seizure of the Orduna was made the shipping werld took an absolutely changed attitude regarding respect for American law and its enforcement While the Orduna incident differs materdally from the acts of the boot- leggers in Rum row—the vessels hoy- ering just outside our three-mile 1imit at sea—this seizure of the great og:ln liner becomes a warning to all such that they may look for drastr enforcement hereafter. * X% % There is now pending a treaty with Great Britath, which has already ) been ratified by our Senate and which the State Department expects to be ratified by Great Britain within & few days, whereby this country will have the recognized right of search and seizure of any suspected British vessel within one hours sail from any American port, instead of the old international limit of three miles In consideration of that extension of the right of search, this country w!l! permit’ British vessels to enter our ports with liquor under seal in their ship's stores, the seal not to be broken until after one hour's sail out of port. ‘In case such vessels undertake tc evade the sanctity of the government seals by getting possession of and using duplicate seals to hoodwink in spectors, they will do sq at their peril, for they will be subject to seizure, regardless of the new paet No protest has been made by the British government against enforce- i ment of our laws. The phrase “one hour's sail” makes the limit fit the speed of the vessel concerned. Other nations will be asked to make agree- ments with the United States simllar to that of Great Britain. y (Cepyeight, 1024, by Paul V. Ceiliaa) J ¢ A