Evening Star Newspaper, August 15, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C FRIDAY........August 15, 1924 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Lusiness Office, 11th §t. and Pennsylvania Ave, New York Ofice: 110 East 42nd Bt. cako Office: Tower Building, Laropean Office: 16 Regent St.,London. Eagland. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morniug edition, is deliversd by carriers within the ity at 60 cents per montb: daily only. 45 cents per month: Sanday oniy. 20 cents per month. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phone Main 5000. Coliection is made by car- Fiers at the end of each momth. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. and Sunday..; yr., $8.40; 1 mo,, 700 Daily only "1yr. $6.60; 1 mo., 50c Sunday only 17yr, $2.40; 1 mo, 20c All Other States. Dally and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00 ; 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only =l $7.00: 1 mo., 60¢ Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclnsively entitled fo the ‘use for republication of all news dis- hes credited 10 It oF not otherwise credited his paper and also the local news pub. ed "D Al rights of of A Plain Statement of Principles. President Coolidge’s speech of ac- ceptance makes several distinct im- pressions. First of all is the absence criticism of opposing parties. It contains no attacks upon other parties than that which has just nominated Mr. Coolidge, and in whose name he is speaking to the electorate. It is couched in affirmative, rather than negative terms. It asserts that the Republican party is worthy of con- fidence, that it has achieved results in =overnment for the people's good, that it has accomplished reforms and ef- fected economies, that it is mindful of the welfare of all classes and groups of citizens. Finally, Mr. Coolidge, in pursuance of this line of statement, ys that the government sought by agency is government of common sense. A clear portrait of the man is drawn by the words of this speech. Mr. Cool- idge reveals himself in his brief, clear sentences, his unmistakable meanings, his precise expressions. He states his case with no rhetorical flourishes, no attempts at pyrotechnics. He isa plain man, speaking plainly and to the point. With regard to the matter of his ad- dress, there can be only the criticism of partisanship, seeking any possible deduction as basis of dispute. Mr. Coolidge has, in this statement of his candidacy, forced those in opposition to go behind his words to find ulterior meanings, to seek hidden and secreted matters. That is the prerogative of the political aspirant and campaigner. But it is a difficult task in the case of s0 clear and frank and comprehensive a declaration of principles as this. There is nothing surprising in the speech. It would have been, in fact, surprising to find anything of that nature in it. For Mr. Coolidge is not a sensationalist. He speaks frankly and acts simply, and his speech reveals the man. ‘Written before the delivery of the speech of the Democratic candidate, this address to the voters does not in any manner meet and traverse the as- ult by Mr, Davis upon the record of the Republican party. That assault was pitched mainly upon the scandals of the oil leases. Mr. Coolidge covers that subject briefly and, from his point of view, sufficiently. In three short sentences he covers the ground, so far he is concerned: “The people of this country hate corruption. They know my position. They know the law will be enforced.” Concern for the condition of the farmers is strongly stressed. But remedies for the correction of their sufferings do not lie in false eco- nomics. A confusion of proposals for the relief of agriculture has led to no result. Now the President proposes 4 research for measures that may help 10 secure the result that all desire. Mr. Coolidge qualifies as one capable of understanding the farmers' needs, as one whose “inheritance and personal experience” have bred in him “a keen interest in the welfare of agriculture.” One of the strongest notes in the speech is that which relates to econ- omies of government. The President sets forth that the annual expenses of all the governments in this country, local and Federal, have reached “the stupendous sum of about $7,500,000,- 000.” Of this the National Government costs about $3,500,000,000. This cost of government represents “all the pay of 00.000 wage earners receiving $5 a day, working 300 days in the year.” This figure leads to one of the most striking sentences in the speech: “I ‘want the people of America to be able to work less for the Government and more for themselves.” 5 The plain statement of an honest man! Such is the acceptance speech of Calvin Coolidge, a speech which will undoubtedly make & powerful ap- peal to the people of the country. A determined effort is in evidence 1o make Wall street appear as impor- tant during a campaign as Pennsyl- wvania avenue is during inauguration. The crime news holds its own in srominence in spite of the matters of far more genuine importance to the People now under discussion. Reparations Reactions, London’s reparations conference is marked by one crisis after another. In almost a regular rhythm come the #lterraécions of confidence and despair. 38t at present the despair note is sounded, somewhat less definitely within a few hours as the conditions appear to clear up a bit favoring set- “lement. The ultimate success of the conference in the settlement of all disputes and the formal, final adop- tion of the reparation plan, while not positively assured, seems reasonably certain, in view of the great progress ®hat has been made during the past fortnight. The immediate cause of doubt lies ‘n the refusal of the French to agree o0 withdraw from the Ruhr in less than a year and the insistance of the Germans upon withdrawal in a much . ey tme. Inasmuch as France has agreed to withdraw, the term for continuing occupation would not seem to be & matter of vital differ- ence. A compromise is surely possi- ble and probable. In the case of both the French and German delegates to the conference domestic politles govern their ac- tions. The French premier has gone a long way from the established pol- icy of his government in consenting to a definite withdrawal, and he must do all he can to save his face at home by not going too far. The German chancellor has likewise gone a long way in accepting the reparations plan, and he cannot go much faster or fur- ther without putting his government in jeopardy from the Nationalist and Socialist elements in the Reichstag. One year! A few months! France may well yleld for the sake of the settlement which will be established, certain to bring about a great im- provement in the economic conditions in that country. Germany may as well accept that this present plan is the best possible and make the best of the bargain. French troops will be withdrawn in good season. The pres- tige of getting the time shortened by even a little would probably satisfy the political elenients at Berlin. The world awaits the final act of settlement with eagerness and hope. Much depends upon the outcome. Re- habilitation in general affairs is cer- tain to follow. A possible cause of con- flict will have been removed. This country, upon which the financial terms of the agreement will react, is especially hopeful of an early con- clusion. ——a— The Motor Parking Problem. An actual count of motor cars parked on ‘the downtown streets of this city one day last week between the hours of 10:15 and 11:45 o'clock in the morning showed, as will be noted by an article in the news col- umns today, accompanied by a map, 8,099 machines standing at the curbs. Unquestionably many if not most of these cars were “allday parkers.” Yet the area in which the count was made was that of the congested dis- trict in which allday parking is pro- hibited. Several thousand motorists were obviously, thergfore, on that day disregarding the regulations, taking their chances on discovery and pen- alty. Those chances were in their favor, because there are only 20 men available to the traffic bureau for en- forcing the parking rules, and there were many blocks to cover. The Star has heretofore pointed out that the parking problem will not be solved by the provision of more space | in the streets for the accommodation of standing machines. At present many car owners will not bring their machines downtown in the morning to remain all day, or to be used during the day, because of the difficulty of finding parking space. If more room were assured under the present rules, and with the present difficulty of en- forcing the rules, these car owners would undoubtedly bring their ma- chines down and simply add to the congestion. On the other hand, it has been pointed out that complete enforce- ment of the parking rules would drive machines out of the congested dis- trict into the adjacent territory. which is largely residential, and would mili- tate against the convenience of house- holders, who would find the street spaces in front of their dwellings oc- cupied all day by alien cars. In these circumstances it would seem that the only true cure of the evil 1s to compel the provision of stor- age spaces off the streets, not in the parks, as was so foolishly proposed, but in interior spaces, probably on a commercial basis. Solution will never be found by simply pointing to one difficulty after another. It does follow that because the squad is small it is impossible to en- force the parking time-limit rule. The 20 men now comprising that squad could clean up square by square in a very short time, if it were sought to make a 100 per cent application of the time-limit rule. Of course, it is impossible to cover the entire area every day with only 20 men. But put 20 men on one block or two blocks in a day and then another block or two blocks another day and so on un- til the area has been covered, and the rule would be given a sufficient en- forcement to. start the_ process of in- ducing a new habit of car manage- ment. The whole trouble here is that car owners have acquired the habit of all-day parking, under the encourage- ment of a kindly tolerance in the past. They are taking advantage of the difficulty Of enforcement to persist in that habit. They will continue as long as the authorities seek other remedies for the parking evil than that of absolute prohibition. When abso- lute prohibition is assured, facilities for the care of machines that must be brought into town daily will be provided as an economic response to the public demand. J e — The hanging of a portrait of Lady Astor is entirely a minor consideration in the career of a woman whose at- tainments are bound to claim historic remembrance regardless of pictorial publicity. —————— At the present moment the “dollar diplomacy” often referred to in dis- paraging terms hitherto, is recognized as diplomacy of the most hopeful and helpful description. ————————— Italians are famous for temperament, ‘which is a more reliable asset in art than in politics. —_——— Rum Row Scatters. Already, it is reported, the Govern- ment's war against the rum fleet is ef- fective before any shots have been fired. Evidently scared off by the preparations for an active campaign, the ships on rum row off New York have dwindled within the month from 72 to about 26. Where the missing ones have gone is not known. Maybe they have slipped off to other points along the coast. Perhaps they have sought harbors under other flags. Maybe they are waliting for the pres- 43t energy of Government patrol to be expended, with the idea of return- ing later and perhaps making up for lost profits in the advanced prices due to the shutting off of the supply mean-' while. ‘The rum runners will not fight back. Capture means confiscation of their craft as well as their cargoes, and probably heavy fines, possibly im- prisonment. They can stand fines, and if the prison terms are not too long they can stand them as well. But con- fiscation of ships means heavy losses. They will dodge and run at the first sign of attack, even as they are run- ning now before the attack begins. It is the open boast of the foes of prohibition that it cannot be enforced, that the Volstead act is a dead letter, that the eighteenth amendment has in effect been repealed. Enforcement is undoubtedly difficult, but the law is far from being a dead letter, and the eighteenth amendment stands as a part of the Constitution, with the sup- port of a very great number of the people, certainly sufficient to prevent any formal repeal if that should ever be attempted. Enforcement will become more easy when the off-shore sources of supply are checked through this present cam- paign against the smugglers. The At- lantic seaboard is a long stretch to guard, and even with a most vigorous pursuit of the smugglers some scat- tered importations will probably re- main, But the moral effect of en- forcement at sea, with the reduction by anything over 50 per cent of the present inflow, will be strongly felt as a deterrent against the traffic. In any case, it is the Government's duty to persist in this warfare against lawlessness at any cost. The Presi- dent, in his speech of acceptance, thus briefly disposes of this question: Our country has adopted prohibition and provided by legislation for its en- forcement. It is the duty of the citizen to observe the law, and the duty of the Executive to enforce. 1 propose to do mhy duty as pest I cam When the campaigners of the pres- ent year are mentioned, Mr. Will Hays continues to be numbered among those who have gone to the movies. ———————— While Secretary of State Hughes went abroad for the purpose of attend- ing the Bar Association meeting in London, there are strong hopes that he found opportunity to offer inciden- tal suggestions on other highly im- portant matters. —reor—e—. Pugilists in a few cas ¢ the impression that after all some of their gentlest moments are passed in the | prize ring. —————————————— Earnest, sympathetic and sincere, the address of Calvin Coolidge last night shattered another reputation; that which the President of this coun- try had acquired for coldness. ——————————— Martians may find it possible to communicate with earth. If they do, it is to be hoped that their first con- tact will not be established with Chi cago or Hollywood. When a campaign is on no states- man pretends that all the information needed by the populace can be in- cluded in a 5-foot bookshelf. ———————————— Congress will lock for even harsher criticism if circumstances call upon it to officiate as umpire in a presi- dential election. ————————— Amateur prophets are announcing future Summers that will produce no crops. The farmer, however, will hardly be tempted to hold on to his grain at present price: _SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Ancient Photograph. The old fam’ly album a picture dis-| closes Of just how you looked when a kid. A smile self-approving so sweetly re- poses Your juvenile features amid. That you were the pet of your lady | relations Is plain by the tilt of your chin. You feel after making these few ob- servations You're glad that your hair's getting thin. Ybu're glad that you've got to use glasses for reading. You're glad that your hair’s getting gray. No longer you feel Father Time has been leading Your wearisome footsteps astray. You'd rather grow bald and a trifle rheumatic And depend on a cane or & wig Than again be revealed by a fam'ly ecstatic Precociously posed as a prig. Devotion. “A dog is a wonderfully faithful companion,” remarked the lover of animals. “Yes,” mused Senator Sorghum. “A dog’s intelligence is not such that he is liable to get far enough into politics to be tempted to go back on a friend.” Jud Tunkins says a man's reputa- tion may depend more on the way he advertises than, qn the goods he ac- tually delivers. * Harmony and Discord. * Sweet sounds must fade too soon; ‘The harsh endure emphatic. It's hard to hold the tune; But none escape the “static. Passing Customs. “I can remember when every man in Crimson Guilch carried a gun.” answered Cactus Joe, “but the custom is no longer popular. Carryin’ a gun now makes a man look like he must be either a bootlegger or a cop.” Candidacies. Though lovely woman wakens us to pride, New charms unfolding, A beauty contest never will decide The office holding. * “De man dat claimed ignorance is bliss,” said Uncle Eben, “may have been & hoss trader, an’ havin’ in mind de benefit he got f'um de yuthuh fel- fer's lack of information. Sl BOOTLEGGING RIDAY, A IMMIGRANTS BY EDGAR MELS. ARTICLE V. Bootleggers and their allies, the rum runners, operating along the At- lantic coast, and especlally off New Jersey and Long Island, are doing a land-office business bootlegging im- migrants into the United States. Just how many allens they smuggle in in a stated time there is no way of tell- ing, but the number is considerable. A Washington newspaper man, at the risk of his life, lay night after fight on the sand dunes around Barnegat Bay and Blvalve, N. J., and saw many strange sights. He estimates that the rum runners off the New Jersey coast average 200 during the summer months. Seventy per cent of their crews desert when once in American waters. As the crews average 20 men per ship when undermanned—and they usually are overmanned on their arrival—it is estimated that about 3,000 aliens go overboard each time the fleet makes a turnover. And as some of the boot- legging ships-from the West Indies make 15 trips a vear, while few make less than 9, the conservative tota] of smuggled allens approximates 30,000. A Haven for Smugglers. The favorite haunt of the smugglers is near the large inlet known as Bar- negat Bay. Its entrance is a narrow inlet between shifting sandbars, un- guarded except by a few life-savers on Barnegat Island and the men as- signed to the antiquated lighthousc. The inlgt affords an easy passage for even 'the largest power boats. Smaller sailing vessals can make the passage at flood tide without danger. Once inside the inlet, and Barnegat Bay stretches out for miles to the north, south and west. It is lined with coves and Inlets close to railroad connections. Little danger exists from esplonage or interference from coast guards, revenue officers or immigra- tion officers. Landing charges range from $25 to $50 a head, depending on the point of delivery. If the smuggled alien is set ashore on Barnegat Island and left to catch the daily midday train which lands him in Philadelphla or any of the intermediary stops, the charge is $25. But if he prefers to go to Toms River, where there is even less dan- ger of running into a customs unit, and where there is better traffic con- nection, then the charge is double. The menhaden fishermen are also reaping a harvest. The fish is con- verted Into fertilizer after being seined. The fishermen are supposed to obey the law which says they must stay at least two miles off the coast. But they do their .seining about a mile off shore. The rum run- ners crulse in about the same vi age and the excess crews are placed aboard the fishing boats to be taken ashore with the wriggling cargo. Price, $15 a Head. Once on the fertilizer wharf the alten is safe. He may stay a few days doing odd jobs in an aroma which is indescribable and unforgetable, or he muy leave at once for the interior. The price the manhaden men charge for landing the alien is about $15. with any gratuity the alien may care to bestow, A similar condition, much lesser extent, to a along though prevails The truth about that country as it articles by an observer who spent m ARTICLE XIL When the holshevists in the first| flush of their successes declared war | on God and abolished religion in the Sovict dominions they little foresaw that in a few short years they would not only admit defeat in their cam- paign to extirpate Christianity, but would be setting up an established state religion for themselves. Yet such is the case. The brutal persecution of the Chris- {tian faith, and with it of Mohamme- daniem, creed of other millions in Soviet Russia, has just been called off by the Big Seven. Bolshevism itself is at the same time crystall ing, or rather petrifving, into a reg- ular religion, Leninism, with creed, ritual and rules of conduct built up around the person and writings of bolshevism's dead prophet. The evolution of Leninism into an out-and-out cult came from a variety of causes. The personality even of the hopelessly paralyzed Lenin had absolutely dominated the party and government, and this absolute domi- natior. continued to be exercised from the grave. The oracle, speaking from the curtained sickroom long after the physical Lenin was seen no more by his followers, appealed to the element of mysticism in all Russians, even in bolshevists, and prepared the faithful to accept its guidance from the tomb. The emotional element of religion throve on the stately pomp of the funeral, on the enshrinement of the embalmed body of the prophet, on the pilgrimages to look upon Lenin's face In the open tomb, until it threat- ened to get out of hand altogether. Bosses Distrust Own Powers. Add to these involuntary factors the deliberate determination of the surviving clique of bosses to canon- ize their dead leader, to exalt him as head of a dogmatic political religion out of distrust in their own capacity for leadership and fear that new men with new ideas might threaten their rule. As priests of the Lenin cult, custo- dians and interpreters of the ortho- dox doctrines of Leninism, they could not be blamed if the party went wrong or was assailed by upstarts who had not known Lenin. Further- more, the bolshevist leaders found that human nature, even atheist, ma- terialist, communist human nature, calls for certain esthetic elements which they had discarded along with religion, such as ritual. ceremonial, symbolism and pomp and proceeded to restore these elements of “opium for the people” through the new Lenin religion. The new religion is a thoroughly dogmatic one, too. Everythirg is settled ncw in accordance with the appeal: What did Lenin say,‘or what would Lenin have done? The policies of the bolshevist party and the Rus- sian government are stereotyped on the -basis of Lenin's writings, with no room for evolution or modifica- tlon to meet conditions rising since his death. The government is bring- ing out a complete popular edition of Lenin’s writings and speeches to serve as a bolshevist bible. Editions in English ard German will follow, and it is planned to publish them in all living languages 8o as to make it an evangelium for Communist parties throughout the world. In this the bolshevist leaders are again committing the customary bol- shevist blunder of cutting communist clothing everywhere upon Russian patterns, imagining that Russian expe- rience can be transferred and applied bodily to Western conditions, which is the steady and principal gource of BY SEYMOUR B. CON the oyster beds south of Raltimore. Bivalve, just inside the Delaware Capes, 18 " another favorite landing place. Bivalve, which makes its liv- & fishing for its namesake, is not averse to making $10 a head for land- Ing aliens. Along the sand dunes of Long Island are many, a great many, spots where only hunters venture—and few of these after dark. It is along this dsolated coast that the alien finds a safe landing place. The price here is a bit higher, ranging to $40. To the castward there is little oppor- tunity for smuggling_aliens in. The shores of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are too thickly populated and too well patroled to permit such smuggling. The Maine coast is desolate and barren to a great extent, and the sea usually too rough to permit landings by small boats, Assistant Immigration Commissioner Sibray admits that his department is well nigh powerless to cope with this situation. “How can we handle a situation with insufficient men, and what is as impor- tant, o boats of any kind,” he said to the writer. “We asked the Congress to give us nine motor boats for use on the Canadian frontier, and the request was turned down. And we need the boats a thousana times more along the New Jer- sey and Long Island coast Canrot Properly Pat “We know of conditions there. But how are we to cope with them? We have had less than 50 men in the field up to July 1. Now we have 450. But we need them along the Mexican and Cana- dian frontiers. Of course, we have muc co-operation from both the immigration and the customs inspectors, but even with that help we are in a bad way. “If you will look at the coast line of New Jersey and Long Island you can see at a glance why we cannot patrol it properly. It is too long, has too many inlets and bays and little rivers. And what is more to the point, where are we to get the men and having gotten them, where are the needed power boats? Our only hope lies in the Con- gress. Perhaps at the next session it will realize the desperate needs of this department in the way of additional apons and bo: We should have at leaet 2,000 men, 50 power boats and a sawed.off gun for every man. Only the other day SmUug- glers held up four of our patrols and took their revolvers from them. Had our men been armed with guns there would have been a tale of several dead smugglers instead. Another sore spot in the patrol service 1s the low pay. Men receive $1,620 a r on which to support themselve and their families. Out of this eum they must pay for their arms and munitions. And then, too, each man in the patrol service is risking death every time he goes on his trip of duty. Several men have been killed since the first of the r and as many more wounded. The nugglers are desperate cha place a low valu: ou human s as it is not their own.. With more men, boats and better pay the service will reduce the total of smugsgled-in al Coast. The next and last article of this series will d Canadian border, where thousands pour in annually, many of them atfracted by the high wages prevailing in the auto- mobile factories at Detroit (Copyright, 1924, by Current News Featares, lacorporated. RUSSIA SINCE LENIN is today, in a series of uncensored onths in Russia studying conditions. R. friction between the bolshevist zen- eral headquarters in Moscow and the foreign Communist organizations. Lenin, they forget, wro almost exclusively on Rus tions and in the haze of ignorance and misinformation about the outside orld which hung over isolated Rus- sia down to the time of his final ill- Trials for Heresy to Lenin. Trials for heresy to the Lenin re- liglen are already in vogue great party purge now in progress members are examined first of all on the Lenin texts, and a large share of the expulsions are based on non-con- formity or ignorance of Leninism. Angelica Balabanova, one of the most yminent international representa- -5 of thg Russian movement, was expelled for example as a heretic to Leninism. Trotsky Is suspected largely because he falls to quote Lenin often enough and because he criticized this | slavish adherence to the letter of the Lenin law regardless of altered condi- tions to which it is applied Among the outward symbols of the Lenin cult are the Lenin pictures and busts with which the ikons (religious pictures) of the Russian orthodox Christians are replaced in every bol- shevist household, and the “Lenin corner,” or chapel, which, by order of the party, must be established in every factory, railway station, bar- racks and bolstevist meeting place. Another manifestation of Leninism is the renaming of streets, towrs and even whole provinces for the prophet under his political nom de guerre Lenin, his real fam name Ulianov or his patronymic Ilytch. American readers are familiar with the renaming of St. Petersburg, or Petrograd, into Leningrad. His ratal wn, Simbirsk, Is now Uliansk; Simbirsk Province has become Ulia- novskaia, and the number of smaller towns, counties, city streets which Qow perpetuate his name and fame is legion. Bolshevist newspaper edi- tors are unable to keep track of all of them, but elips by the com- morality are punished, the post office, for example, exacting a flne from unlucky recipients of letters ad- dressed to the old designations of Leningrad, Uliansk and the other me- morial towns and streets. The day of the prophet's death already has been made a national day of mourn- ing. A movemert is on foot to make his birthday a public holiday as well Lenin Becomes Commercinlized. Commercialism, as was to be ex- pected, has crept in. Swarms of ped- dlers, with Lenin buttons, pins and Lenin souvenirs, pester visitors to the Lenin tomb in Red Square. A regu- lar industry has grown up in the production and sale of Lenin busts, pictures, blographies and memorials, and the bolshevist general executive committee has been forced to issue orders against the use of Lenin's plc- ture or name to advertise cigarettes, candy, soap, tollet preparations and patent articles. Official measures to check popular hysteria, caused by stories about miracle-working mani- festations of the Lenin body or name, have also been necessary, miraculous properties attaching in the ignorant Russian mind to the super- natural preservation of the mortal remains of Russian saints, and hence by easy transference to the embalmed body of the bolshevist prophet, ex- hibited for several months after his death in the temporary mausoleum in Red Square. The same urge which led to the establishment of the Lenin religion to meet the instinctive demand of the bolshevist followers. for a faith and creed has also operated to make the campalgn to destroy the old religions futile, to turn it instead to the dis- advantage of bolshevism, as' I will show In the following article‘on re- ligion. (Copyright, 1924, by Publle Ledger -On.) ters, who | life—so ¢ al with the situation on the | In the| UST 15, ‘1924 THIS AND THAT BY C. E. TRACEWELL, Twelve distinct types of men and women there be who conspire to make street car riding a trial to the 8pirit during these hot Summer days. Seven of these bores are men, four aro women, with one grade equally divided between men and women. The four female types, however, are worse than the others put together. A street car Is something like a little world in miniature, wherein the unpleasant men and women seem to make an impression out of all keeping with their worth or impor- tance. This is the basis for the railing sometimes indulged in concerning newspapers, that they print so much crime and disaster news and leave the sweet, pleasant happenings of life unchronicled. Unfortunately there §s no “news,” genorally speaking, in the sweet and the pleasant. Even the one who speaks against crime news would find the other uninteresting, if an attempt were made to play up the “sweetness and 1ight.” Mankind reacts to the stings of life more than to the pats. He ac- cepts the latter complacently, but the former with resentment. And where there iz resentment over real wrongs there interest abides. | Here is my list of street car pests, an even dozen of them, to which the reader may add his own: 1. Haughty, middle-aged womar, who refuses to budge in aisle and re- sents belng touched on elbow. 2. The chap who sits with his feet sprawled out in the aisle. 3. Man who sits sideways on long, stralght seats. 4. Woman who turns around and talks over you to a friend. 5. Man who sits with arm protect- ingly draped around back of seat wherein sits his girl. 6. Fellow who cheerily whistles. 7. Fat lady who glares you out of your seat. 8 Giggly girls. 9. Smart-aleck boys. 10. Loud talkers. 11. Man who won't move over. 12 Mean conductors and motor- men. There you have a list to stagger the imagination. The saving grace is that all 12 are never encountered on the same car. No. §, for instance, is to be met, mainly, on the cars in the evening. 1f a passenger had to run the gant- let of them all at once he would reel off the car a wreck, with more mental fantasies than an alienist can think up on the witness stand. * * % % Take the haughty, middle-aged lady, she who stands in the aisle with a ETip on the seat on either side. Horatius kecping the bridge had { nothing on her. . she say Chey shall not pas: | 1f they do pass, it is only after being murdered with a baleful glare i trom her eves. The slightest touch | of une's horrid hand upon her fair arm and she turns with a glare that | says as plain as words: | “Unhand me, villian! How dare | You. sir. place your perhaps unclean { digits upon my chaste skin! It cer- { tainly is a perfect shame that a lady { cannot take her morning ride on her street car without being pushed and pawed around this way by strange persons who for some unknown rea- son are permitted to ride. This ls where T choose to stand, and T won't | move, and I won't let you move either, you mutt. If you make me move over, I intend to do it just as disagreeably as possible, so there!” * ko % There is the man who sits with his feet out in the aisle for you to stum- ble over. This.is a cute little trick women seldom indulge in. The bird ¥ho does it invariably has big feet, 00, The Dest way to g over this| | human hurdle is to give his shoes a | quick kick as you go by. Undoubt- edly he will not like this procedure upen your part, but he will be too | lazy to get up. He is too lazy to pull his feet in, and is the brother of the guy who hasn't enough brains to_come in out of the rain. The man who sits sideways on the | { long seats is a first cousin. By sitting at an angle, instead of looking straight across the car, he manages to take up half again as much room as necessary, thus depriving the etrap-hanger of & chance to rest him- | self. | ""The way to deal with this public nuisdnce is to back up to the bit of space that shows and precipitate yourself downward into it. This manly demonstration of the right to a seat almost invariable makes him sit around straight. If it does not, continue to sit across his knees and say “Goo-goo.” i * * %k x As for the woman who turns around in her seat and speaks cheer- ily to her friend who happens to be sitting beside vou, the best remedy is to get up and let the two women sit together. This is delightfully satisfactory to the women and re- lieves you of bearing the brunt of | being the buffer for a two-way con- | versation. Nothing short of summary ejection from the car should be the reward of the faithful swain who drapes his arm protectingly around the back of the seat, thus giving his sweet- heart a public hug. The fact that invariably he is thick of neck and brawny of limb mitigates against this treatment, so about the only thing to do with him is to follow the example of his girl and tolerate him. ‘The whistling fool, next in our list, knows plenty of grand opera tunes and is somewhat afraid nobody knows’it. One of the ills of this life, indeed, is just this fear that no one will know just how much we know. The whistler on the street car has such a stock of tunes, with nobody to listen to him at home, evidently, that he courts public approval. He whistles “My Heart at Thy Swest Voice,” while his brain thinks, “Now they know I know it.” In statecraft prime ministers and others have been guilty of the same gesture, * X % X Perhaps the worst bore of all is the fat woman who takes her stand in front of vou, determined to glare you out of your seat. Now, a fat woman swaying from side to side on a strap like an elephant on a chain is a sight to make Mephisto sympa- thetic., The male passenger may read his paper assiduously; he knows whenever he looks up she will be right there glaring at him.\ The strain becomes something awful. Giggly girls and smart-aleck boys are much alike, the one sex running to “tee-hee” and the other to scrap- ping amongst themselves or throw- ing their caps around the car. Street car “loud speakers” are a hopeless lot. There is no use trying to reform them. If a woman laughs at you, you can squelch her in short order by looking at her shoes, and smiling quietly, but when a man in- #ists on making a public forum out of a street car, all you can do Is listen or get off. The mgn who won't move over, like the man’ who sits sideways, is the modern type of the old “end seat hog.” The way to treat him is to force him to move. As for mean motormen and conduc- tors, much can be forgiven them, when it is remembered that they have ::n p-'u up with the above bores all day to the ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. Ts the vote of a State in the electoral college cast as a unit’— R E. T. A. Not necessarily. The eléctors chosen in a State may not all be of the same’ party, and they vote ac- cording to their party affiliations. For example, in 1912 the result in Calfornia was so close that while Roosevelt carried the State, the two Democratic electors receiving the most votes had a slight margin over the two Roosevelt or Progressive electors, receiving the fewest votes. Accordingly the electoral vote of the State was divided, Roosevelt receiv- ing 11 votes and Wilson 2. Q. What is the size of our largest cEnsa and how far can it shoot?>— <. H. A. The Ordnance Department says that the most powerful gun used in the military service is the 18-inch gun, which has a range of 50,000 yards, a length of .50 calibers and weighs 350,000 pounds. Q. Doesn’t Georgia produce more ‘l;'até‘rmcluns than any other State?— A. In 1923 Texas led all the States in the production of watermelons, with 9,195 cars, as compared with 7,189 for Georgia and 5,404 for Florida. Q. Are there any figures to show how much more water is used in this country than in Europe?—K. S. B. A. Comparisons may be made of the per capita consumption of water in American and European cities, which, given in gallons per 24-hour day, is as follows for these cities: New York, 110; Brooklyn, 99; Balti- more, 164; Louisville, 91; Cleveland, 176; Cincinnati, 137; Milwauke, ; Buffalo, 257; Salt Lake City, 220; Los Angeles, 144; Paris, Hamburg, 44; London, 39; Liverpool, 38; Amster- dam, 37; Copenhagen, 27; Dresden, 26, and Berlin, 22. Q. How much money is spent in advertising in a year in this coun- try?—w. J. A. Experts say there is no way of knowing definitaly what adver'ising expenditures total in any given period. Estimates for 1923 range from $850,000,000 to $1,000,000,000. Q. What was the real name of the Mexican bandit who was known as Pancho Villa?—F. R. U. A. Villa's real name was Doreteo Oranga. He assumed the name of Villa at the age of 26, when he made his escape after shooting a captain of one of President Diaz's regiments in a dispute over cards. Q. In various kinds of accidents, don’t men get injured more often than women?—A. N. A Available statistics have to do only with fatalities. There is only one kind of accident—burns—which causes more deaths of females than of males, statistics covering a long period of years showing that three out of five deaths from this cause are women and girls. Q. How much does the Woodrow Wilson Foundation fund amount to? —R. E. G. A It was proposed to raise $1.000,- 000 for the Woodrow Wilson Founda- tion. When the permanent organi; tion was effected December 27, 1922, it was stated that contributions amounted to $800,000. Q. What Is Black Friday?—E. A. M. A. This is a term applied to two IN TODAY’S BY PAUL The Soviet Socialist Republics have just made a treaty with Great Britain following a “trade agreement,” which was entered into March 18, 1 extended to Canada July 3, 1922, The United States turns a deaf ear to all suggestions that we, too, should establish _ diplomatic relations—not with Russia, but with the government of the Soviet Socialist Republ Russia as a nation no longer exists; she is only a unit of what is to be a world dominion of sovietism, ac- cording to its leaders. Our statesmen who follow foreign affairs declare that no nation has gained anything by either a trade agreement or a treaty with the Soviets, but that, in all such cases, the signing of such “scraps of paper” is but an indication of the internal political situation in the country so tying itself up with communism. The Labor party of | England is powerful, and it was hope- ful that by a treaty with the Soviets naw markets would open and unem- ployment in England would be lessened. But our experts point to history of the years since the war, contradicting that hope. * K K % Between March 3, 1918, and March 18, 1921, the Soviet Socialist Republics concluded treaties de jure with Ger- many, Esthonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Persia, Afghanistan, Turkey and Poland. In addition, they have made trade agreements in the last three years with Norway, Austria, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Greece, Swe- den and China. Last July Mexico announced that at an early date she will “resume relations” with the Soviets. The Soviet government is mnow endeavoring to supersede the trade agreements with full treaties—suc- ceeding, up to date, with China and Great Britain, in addition to the nine countries first above recorded. France, Spain, the South and Central American countries, like the United States, have held aloof from any relations with the Soviets, because the fundamental policy of the latter is to seek to overthrow not only the governments of the world but the religion and domestic customs—seek the destruction of capital and selzu of property and the ‘“nationalizin, of trade and family relations. It is contended by American au- thorities upon international relations that, through no trade agreement or treaty, has any country gained ad- vantage for its commerce with the Soviets. As proof of the worthlessness of such diplomacy, it is pointed out, the United States-Russian commerce has more than held its own, as com- pared with the pre-war commerce and present commerce of any trade- agreement or treaty nations. * X X X The three principal countries, as concern trade with the Russians, are | Germany,, England and the United States. For the five vears prior to the World War Russia imported from Germany (r. e. through Germany, though much of the goods originated in other countries) a yearly average of 497,000,000 gold rubles. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 1923, Russia_imported through Germany only 49,707,000 gold rubles of mer- chandise. That was only 11 per cent of her average annual imports through Germany duriag the five pre- war years, although since March, 1918, they have had a full treaty. During the same five pre-war years, Russia imported from England, 150, 000,000 gold rubles per year. During the last fiscal year, her imports from England amounted to only 36,597,000 gold rubles—equivalent to 24.3 per cent of England’s pre-war exports to Russia, although they have had a trade agreement The United States, swith neither treaty nor trade agreement, has maintained 42.8 per cent of our pre- war exports to Russia—viz. the five- year pre-war uverage being 80,261,000 gold rubles and last fiscal year, 36, 597,000 gold rubles. Russia buys from | Burean, disastrous days in the flnancial his tory of the United States. On Frida: September 24, 1869, a panic wa caused in Wall street by the effort o Fisk and Gould to corner the gol market. Again on Friday, September 19, 1873, occurred in the New Yorl Stock Exchange the great financi: crash which caused a panic all ov the country. Good Friday is als known as Black Friday in the Cati: lic Church, because on that day clert cal vestments and altar draperies black. Q. What Is tie total membersh of the Y. M. C. A.7—A. M. A. The Young Men's Christian A< sociation has 900,000 members in (1 United States and Canada, and a t tal world membership of more tha: 1,500,000, Q. How are the metric systems o pacity and length related?— All measures of length are “meter.” of capacity in “liter” and o* weight in “gram.” For practical pur poses it iz assumed that 1 cubi meter equals 1 liter and 1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram. Q. Is the natural United States being W. H. M. A. There are more than 2500007 domestic consumers of natural ga this country and at least one-and half billion cubic feet 0¢ gas is beir wasted by them each year. A slight adjustment of most gas burners a: stoves would result in a saving of 2 least 50 per cent of this 1 Q. How much damage does t peach borer do to the peace crop, ard what can be done to prevent it? L. J. A. The injury done to peach trers each vear by this pest, including the cost of control measures, amounts ! approximately $6.000,000. The use of paradichlorobenzene, a volatile pof son, is the most sucoessful method iscovered, atura gas of th conserved” Q. What is the design on the new 10-cent piece?—L IL J. 2 A._The desien is a reprofuetion of the Roman fasces. which consista a bundle of rods, having among t an ax with the blade projecti: borne before Roman magistrates a badge of authority Q. What was the origin of the sam Browne belt?—C. H. B. A. The Sam Browne belt was d vised by a one-armed British off Gen. Samuel Joseph Browne, the bet ter to support his saber. Q. Are the climate and soil of. Florida adaptable to rice growing — G. K. Rice {s grown to some extent in nearly every county in Florida. Q. What was the use of the mercy seat, described as a part of the ark of the covenant?™—FP. E. G A. The mercy seat was a golden plate on top the ark, on which was sprinkled the blood of sacrificial an mals. (If you have a question you want an swered send it to The Star Information Frederic J. Haskin, Director,, Twenty.first and C ‘streets morthwest The onmly charge for this service 1s 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Do not send your question to The Evening Star.) SPOTLIGHT . COLLINS the United Statese because she can buy here to better advantage than elsewhere, say the economists, and the conclusion from an economi stand- point is that neither trade agrec ments nor treaties create commerce they merely facilitate the handling of such commerce as arises from purely commercial causes. * X X X With the Soviet Socialist Republics a new element enters into commerce through the communistic control of exports and imports by government officials. That is a factor never befors entering commerce. How is it work- ing out? For us? Against our trade? Is it a controlling influence? Prior to the Russian revolution - dividual Russian importers searched the world markets and bought to best advantage, regardiess of politics. To- day commerce is absolutely controlled by Soviet government. Nothing bought -or sold except through t government, whether in foreign domestic commerce. Whether the ac tivity be commercial or diplomatic, if it concerns Russia or the Soviet Socialist Republics, it concerns the spreading of the doctrine of soviet- ism, which is communism, and that is the chief aim of the Soviet officials throughout every act. * oK x % In all treaties the Soviets agree to abstain from propaganda of soviet- ism, yet several of the treaty cou tries have already protested inst the open or secret, and persistently active, violations of such pledees. The American Government takes the firm stand that it will not, by treaty or otherwise, consent to the estab- lishment throughout our country of ostensible consular offices which would maintain relations with lead- { santly growing in ers of communistic and revolution teachings, and thus become dange ous centers of Soviet propaganda of treason. * K ok * In the hearings before the Boran subcommittee of the Senate last Win- ter (S. Res. 50) quotations were read from Lenin's book, “Soviet Republi and Its Problems,” directly announc- s its program civil war in ever (Hearings: Pages 250-254.) Proletariat and the Revolu- sky describes ‘“Ma: Ac (Senate Hearings, page 251.) First of all, we ought to remember- that the main - -ene of revolutionars events is bound to be in the ci Nobody is likely to deny this. It is evident, further, that street demon- strations can turn into a popular rev- olution only when they are a mani festation of the masses; that is, wh. they embrace in the first place the workers of factories and plants + + ¢ To go thus from factory to factory, from plant to plant, inces- numbers, sweep- ing police barriers, * * % takinc possession of buildings, fortifying th- buildings, holding continuous revolu tionary meetings, with audiences coming and going™ etc. * X X X Immeasurable masses of such in- cendiary literature, advocating trea- son and violence, are now in the possession of Communists throughout America. With diplomatic relations established, there would be immunity from the examination of whatever the ambassador and the consuls brought in. In an official Communist report of the proceedings of the Third Internationale s recorded the follow- n 'he American bourgeols state was quick to recognize the Communist parties of America as its historic and deadly enemies. It employed all its power in a vicious onslaught against them. Being outlawed, the Commun- ist parties reorganized as under ground illegal parties. Thus for th present the Communist party « America is prevented from partici- pating in the elections under its own nam Under what other party name, ther, are the Communists masquerading? (Copyright, 1924, by Paul V. Collins.}