Evening Star Newspaper, September 28, 1924, Page 30

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY.....September 28, 1924 -— THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor ¥he Evening Star Newspaper Company B!l!h s Office, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. ago Office: : Turopean Office: 16 Regent 8t.,London, Bagland. ' The Evening Star. with the Sunday morning edition. ix delivered by carriers within the eiky af 60 cents per month: daily onl cents per month: Kunday only. 20 cents per month. . Orders may be sent by mail or tele- poone Main 5000. Collecticn is made by car- Tiers at the cod of cach month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. " Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..15r., $8.40; 1 mo., 70¢ Daily only . S15¥r., $6.00; 1 mo., 50c Sunday only . .1yr, $2.40; 1 mo,, 20c All Other States. Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only 15 Sunday only 1yr., Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled 10 the use for republication of all news dis. Patches credited 1o it or not otherwise credited 3n this paper and also the local news pub- lished ‘herein. Al rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Indictments Dismissed. Yesterday a judge in the District Supreme Court, at the request of the district attorney, dismissed 167 indict- ments which had been pending for many years. This brought to a total ©f 409 the cases that have been within the past week cleared from the court dockets. If there is no chance of trial, and no prespect of conviction, cases of this character should un- doubtedly be dismissed. But the ques- tion comes why there has been such an accumulation, why so many have been accused by grand juries and left 10 remain under accusation for so long a time? Is there too great a con- * gestion in the courts? Or have cases been brought on inadequate testimony that would not stand the test of trial? Court: congestton undoubtedly has much to do with these accumulations. Witnesses drift out of reach while cases are held on the dockets, and| when the time comes for trial testi mony on which indictments have been brought is lacking. But this is not the case in the majority of instances. It can hardly be believed that so great an exodus of witnesses has occurred as would be involved in 400 indict ments, now canceled. The assump- tion must be that in many instances indictments are brought not stand trial test Efforts have been made in recent years to secure an enlargement of the bench to assure speedier trials of local criminal cases. Congress, however, has not granted adequate relief in this respect and the courts remain crowd- ed. It is not, of course, for the grand juries to take into consideration the congestion of the calendar and to re- lax in their procedurc to prevent further congestion. They must, under their ocaths, proceed with presenta tions in the light of the facts laid be- fore them regardless of the chances of early or even delayed trial. Whatever the cause. the spectacle of 100 indictments canceled in a sin- gle week for lack of time or for lack of evidence for trial is calculated to raise a question in the minds of the public whether the law is working ef- fectively in the District. Justice is Certainly far from speedy and far from certain when such a state of things prevails. : ————— Plane Speeds. A maval fiyer yesterday at Port Washington, N. Y.. broke his owa fyrmer world scaplane record in a 30-minute flight at an average speed | His former | of miles an hour record 169.89 miles an hour, so that the new record is very greatly in excess of the old. At one time while traveling on ared 4% miles. he attained a maxi- mum of 2425 miles an hour. This performance brings up the auestion of speed in long-distance fiy- ing. The planes which recently en- circled the globe made an average of about 75 miles an hour, or about one- third of the average speed of Lieut. Rittenhouse yesterday. If the Ritten- house speed could be maintained for Thalf a dozen hours a plane could cover 1.350 miles at a stretch, while the world-circling planes could cover in the same time only 430. If planes as speedy as that in which Rittenhouse made his new record coyld be equipped to carry sufficient fuel, they could “make the world flight, given suitable weather conditions, in a very few wecks. But the problem in the distance fly- ‘ing is chiefly one of fuel. The high- speed planes have a low carrying capacity. They are usually one-man machines, whereas the world flyers were two-man machines and had tanks for large tuel storage. The addition of weight cuts down the speed, and con- sequently the range of a single flight. The question arises whether speedier planes can be used with heavier weights. That will undoubtedly be the cffort of those now engaged in air- plane development. The world flight ~has at least demonstrated that the air- plane is not yet an efficient means “of globe-encircling transport, in point of time. ———— Thé speech that Secretary of the /Navy Wilbur did not deliver occa- sioned more comment than many ora- ‘tions having every advantage of mega- phone and microphone. Russia’s Disaster. «- A grievous disaster has overtaken Leningrad, the former capital of Rus- ‘sia, once named St. Petersburg, then ;Petrograd and now bearing the name of Russia’s Soviet “liberator.” Floods have occurred as a consequence of “heavy rains, with enormous property -damage, rgnning into the millions of dollars—net rubles.” Now comes epi- demic disease, an outbreak of spotted typhus. e particularly deadly afflic- tion, difficult to combat and certain, ‘it not checked, to take an enormous toll of life. ‘Leningrad, to use its latest name, has been a city of horrors and devas: tation ever since the bolshevik revolu- tion. During -the months when the Soviet government was established ‘there it was held virtually in a state of siege. The people were subjected to the most drasiic restrictions. Business which will | the course, which meas. | was suspended. Bread lines were con- stant. Buildings fell into disrepair. Streets were choked with refuse. The municipal machinery broke down. After the migration of the govern- ment to Moscow conditions became even worse. Visitors to the erstwhile proud city of the czars describe it as in a terrible state, with hunger the common condition of the people, with ‘miles of closed shops, with dwellings boarded against missiles, a scene of desolation. In none of the accounts of condi- tions in Russia since the Soviet sys- tem was established is there any sign of efficient administration. The chief effort of the coterie of rulers has been to hold the people in repression, to maintain a great armed force and to compel the peasantry to submit them- selves to the exactions of property- sharing and crop seizure. In the ordi- nary affairs of city life there has been the grossest incompetence or indiffer- ence on the part of the rulers. If epidemic has developed now in Leningrad the consequences may be gravely serious. Terrible suffering will be felt by a people already sunk in despair. Undernourishment has been the rule in Russia for six or seven ycars, and the people are not in condition to withstand disease, es- pecially of such a virulent type as typhus. There is but feeble organiza. tion of sanitation and state hospital service is sadly lacking. During the American relief works | in Russia it was found by the field forces that there was no disposition on the part of the Soviet officials to help the people, so long as others were willing and ready to render aid. Since the conclusion of that work there has been no revival of enterprise. The eco- nomic situation remains as bad as ever. The people are as destitute of { necessitics. This disaster at Lenin- grad may bring the Russian people to a realization of the terrible penalty they are paying for a mockery of trecdom ——————— Nearer the Goal. Two up with two to play! Thus stands the American League base ball | race, with Washington in the lead. Friday evening found the Capital's population saddened and fearful. The team had slipped in Boston while the Yanks were winning. The margin was cut down to a single game. A tie [wou)d result from a similar scoring The outiook was bleak. | on Saturday. ! Then the spirit that has carried the | Nationals through the season to the top and held them there against | heavy odds revived, and vesterday | | they went out and won a ball game, won it by persistence and clever man- agement, with a change of batters at the psychological moment and changes of pitchers to suit emergencies. Mean- while New York was losing in Phila- delphia, and the cherished margin of two games was restored. All was not plain sailing yesterday. Starting with a two-run lead, the team | was soon reduced to trailing. Then | came the time when, with bases load- ed. a pinch hitter, a newcomer, in-| [eligible for world series games, but | quite competent to help Washington [to a pennant, came through with a | | timely rap that cleared the bas Later in the game the stage was set | for a similar performance by the enemy, a friendly enemy, yet none the less determined to win if possible. The | bases were loaded. Two were out. and Washington's one-time favorite, Shanks, had his glorious opportu- nity—and failed. Tomorrow the conflict will be re- sumed. for today is a day of rest in Boston. The mathematical chances for a Washington final victory are in- creased. To lose out in the regular E&tasnn is now impossible. A tie is the utmost that can befall, with a three-game series with New York to| follow. To win beyond the possibility of failure it is necessary for the home team to take only one game, or for New York to lose one. Frazzied nerves are almost epldemic here at present. Yet yesterday's suc- cess was tonic. Tomorrow may bring the final cure. When the last light flashes on The Ster's scoreboard to signal the passing of the menace there will be a mighty sigh of relief, and then will come the wait for Satur- day’s encounter between the Nationals and the Giants, now virtually assured to be the victors in their respective leagues. oo According to the income tax statis- tics Gaston B. Means, while some- what indefinite and conflicting in his deductions, has managed to make his detective work fairly lucrative. ———— The only reasonable objection a male can have to bobbed hair for women is that it means a longer lapse of time on Saturday evening before the barber says “next!” ————— Youthful Tlinois murderers may still have the solicitude of Attorney Darrow, but they are not having any- thing like the publicity secured for Leopold and Loeb. Another Illinois Crime. The year 1924 may stand in history as a period of unusually shocking crimes in this country. The Chicago atrocity, in which youth figured to the dismay of American parents, is now followed by another homicide in the same State, a dual killing, by per- sons of mature years, and in such a relationship as to leave no conceiva- ble justification. The Hight-Sweetin murders at Mount Vernon, IIl, have few, if any, parallels for callous fiend- ishness. A minister of the gospel In- fatuated with the wife of a parish- iorier gives poison to his own wife and induces the other woman to poison her husband. They have confessed their crime. Disregard for human life has reached a point where no security is felt at present. The menace of the law’s pun- ishment has lost its deterrent effect. Means for taking life are easily ob- tained. No moral and no legal pro- hibitions avail when the impulse to kill is felt. Whether this is due to the weakening of the penalties and an in- crease of the chance of escaping the extreme punishment formerly univer- sally edministered for murder, or ‘whether it is due to a general break- ing down of morality is not to be exactly determined. But the records | with the THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTO stand as a shocking evidence that capital crime is' {ncreasing in this country, while capital punishment is decreasing. This latest case in Iilinols is the more shocking because of the fact that the instigator of the double mur- der is a preacher, who had previously led a blameless life, with no tendency toward wrongdoing. How he could think that the crime would be unsus- pected and undiscovered is beyond un- derstanding. The sudden death of his wife and the husband of the woman of his infatuation would inevitably arouse suspicion. Those deaths could not be explained on the ground of mere coincidence. The circumstances would surely raise a question and the means of death employed would leave their incriminating traces. 1t is @ crude crime, diabolical in its inception, clumsy in its execution and virtually certain of discovery. The new psycho-criminology may declare it to be a crime of degeneracy and mental irresponsibility. To the aver- age mind, however, it appears to be a reversal to the brute type without the slightest extenuation or excuse. Swift punishment should follow to check the rising sense of fear that the law which forbids the taking of lifie save as penalty for its violation has ceased of effect in this country. —_——— When Gen. Smedley Butler went to Philadelphia he doubtless supposed he was only called on to deal with new conditions of lawlessness. He could not have known that he was expected to uproot a long-engrafted political system. —_————————— It might be desirable for the Su- preme Court of the United States hereafter, when after close disputa- tion it reaches a decision, to make it unanimous instead of encouraging criticlsm by publishing minority opin- ions. —_———— New York police have decided to put more clothes on a burlesque show and to take the United States Army uni- form off an unpatriotic play. As has been remarked, “the apparel oft pro- claims the man"—including the show- man. ——————————— It is believed that Gov. Al Smith will, by running for Governor of New York, increase the presidential strength of John W. Davis—unless Tammany reverts to the old idea of issuing trading stamps. e opinfon frequently changes lapse of years, and the League of Nations is evidently willing to wait: taking, in the meantime, rea- sonable precautions against being for- gotten. Public ! ————— A referendum might burden Con- gress with the task of investigating not only the Department of Justice but the entire judiciary system. — T It is seldom that a campaign has developed so many statesmen ap- parently engaged in rehearsing (he, familiar speech, “T told you so.” | e Russia still has some brands of Sovietism™” on hand, but most of | them are designed for shipment and not for local consumption. i The *made-in Germany" mark no| longer causes objection. Even our most distinguished dirigible will carry one. —r——— Nations, like individuals, are likely at times to be vociferous creditors but silent debtors. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Warfare, “In days of old when knights were bols So runs the ancient lay— Each raised his lance and took a chance ‘With champions in the fray. Today they stand, not hand to hand, A foeman to dismay, But try to shoot some poor galoot A hundred miles away' Self-Distrust. “I agreed heartily with every word you said,” remarked the oid friend. “You felt that all my arguments ‘were susceptible of entire and immedi- ate proof?” inquired Senator Sorghum. “Certainly. “Well, I wish you would come around and give me your ideas so that T can use 'em the next time I happen to be heckled.” Selectivity. We're bidden in the campaign test To name the man we like the best. We choose, before the strife has ceased, The man whom we dislike the least. Jud Tunkins says agriculture might be all right if you could get the fine work in @ wheat field that is put on a putting green. Delicate Question. “I am looking for subscribers to a volume which will indicate ‘Who's Who' in Crimson Gulch.” “Take my advice, stranger,” said Cactus Joe, “‘and drop the question. Don't start another feud.” Sidereal Complications. An apple fell And hit Sir Isaac Newton on the head. He said, “Well! Well! Into e tough experience I'm led! “Above me glow New stars since this concussion on my brow. Tl try to show The laws that keep them moving. anyhow.” And then he saw The apple’s juice grow hard and un- refined— The Volstead law' With that of gravitation was com- bined! “Some o' dis new religion,” said Uncle Eben, “leaves me wonderin’ whether heaven is sypposed to be listénin’ to a prayei or a campaign speech.” 3 D. C. SEPTEMBER Apathy of the Average Voter " A Feature of BY THOMAS R. MARSHALL. Former Vice President of the United States. Despite the efforts of politicians and their organizations to get things to moving, this: year's presidential campaign was slow «in getting under way. Enthusiasm was not apparent. Party managers and candidates set out early to arouse the people to a sense of the importance of the election, but the people did not re- spond. This was revealed in different ways, particularly by the failure of State fair visitors to express their preferences through the straw ballot- ing that was conducted in the Mid- dle West. In spite of the bally hoo- ing of partisans, not one in 50 of the visitors availed themselves of the opportunity of recording how they voted four years ago and of revealing their Intentions this year. To account for this situation is a difficult task. No one kmows with certainty the cause of the apparent apathy. Like any other attempt to analyze the mystery of the human mind, it is, at the best, but a guess. * ¥ ¥ % Tt is to be assumed that if the voters were enthusiastic, they would embrace the opportunity to cast a straw vote in order to impress others. The psychologic effect of the straw vote has always been regarded as potent. 1If Democrats or Republicans were up and doing, no doubt they would cast all the straw votes they could get their hands on. It is also to be assumed that if the voters were dissatisfied with the two old parties, if they had lost confidence in the ability and integrity of the major political organizations and had reach- ed the conclusion that Republican and Democratic promises were cam- paign bunk, these voters, by reason of their dissatisfaction, would eagerly register thelr protest against the existing order of things by voting, whenever opportunity offered, for the Independent-Progressive candidates. As a matter of fact, they did nothing of the kind. Political apathy is one of those things we can argue about, be quite certain about, and yet know nothing about. But is seems to me as though the average man is more interested in how he, himself, is getting on in the world than in how the Republic is getting on. The questions both- ering him are simple to state, yet complex when they involve answers. How may necessities and some of the luxuries of life be procured on a small income? Is there any way to get them for less than is now being demanded? Questions similarly sim- ple appear to be running through his | mind. ~ Unless 1 am mistaken the average voter is somewhat dublous | as to the ability of any candidate or any party to work out the consumma- tion he desires, which contemplates keeping the standard of living as high as it ts now and at the same| time reducing the cost of it. ko % 1t is not surprising that the aver- age voter is muddied over the tarift question. He realizes that he Is pa ng more for manufactured articles than he would pay if the tariff were on a revenue basis, and if he could stop at that point he very probably would vote the Democratic ticket. But straightway comes to him the. | party. 1924 Campaign argument that if we open the custom house doors to the products of Europe, workers of the United States will have their wages cut, factories will close, and a worse condition of low-priced goods. less work and lower wages will ensue. Other ques- tions which the campaign has devel- oped are equally muddling. But in this respect the 1924 campaign is no difterent from others that have prs- ceded it. There is, however, a difference this year. Campalgns of other years, which were fought for the basic prin- ciple of equal and exact justice to all men and special privileges to none, were conducted upon a theory that some specific interest ought to be regulated or destroyed. This year all the parties are catering to the workers. Consider the laboring man of the cities; although he has the highest wage in the history of the human family and can dictate terms to those who desire to employ him, still_the parties and politicians are alarmed for fear they cannot please him. The farmer, less fortunate in his economic situation, is also giving the parties much concern, but with more reason. * x % % It may be a wise political course to appeal to classes within our popula- tion, but I doubt it. The average worker is not unlike the rest of us. He is a law-abiding, self-rexpecting American citizen. 1 doubt if he is flattered or impressed when patted on the back and told that he is a poor, down-trodden individual. He is not of a lower order of society and politicians need not assume that they can take him by the boot straps and lift him to a higher plane. Per- sonally, 1 despise a patronizing at- titude more than anything in the world. [ care nothing about the wealth men may accumulate. My sole objection to certain rich men is the lordly air with which they strut and look upon their fellow- men as inferiors. So I have the feeling that no one is going to make much in this cam- paign by talking about the soiled linen of a man who works with his hands. Manhood in America is not marked by the grade of apparel which one may happen to wear. One may array himself in purple and be a very disreputable character. Con- versely, his hands may be calloused and his attire reveal evidences of hard labor, let he may be one of America best. After all, in the United States men are men first, then doctors, lawyers, merchants, me- chanics and farmers. They naturaily resent any disposition to treat them as inferiors by virtue of the work they are doing and to repel efforts to deliver them to some political % Working men and women very cheerfully stand together for wages and working conditions. They are quite willing to submit questions of this kind to the judgment of their leaders. But I never believed that they were willing to allow any set of men to dictate their political beliefs. The worker is the equal of any other, neither the master of an- other nor his slave. As an American citizen he is apt to his own judg- ment and vote as he pleases when the election comes on. (Copyright, 1924, by st Century Press.) THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. The Department of State is the long arm of the Government that reaches across the seas. It has important duties of a domestic character, but its ief function is to conduct under di- rection of the President, the relations of the United States with all foreign nations. Tts Secretary is the ranking member of the Cabinet and after the Vice President is next in line of suc- cession to the Presidency. Through him, in conformity with the prec- edent established by George Wash- ington, all foreign diplomats must be presented to and communicate with the President. The early foreign Secretaries, Robert R. Livingston and John Jay, had a staff consisting of one clerk and occupied but two small rooms as offices. Today the department fills halt of the great State and War Building, and instead of a Secretary and one clerk it has a home person- nel of more than 600 persons and maintains abroad an army of work- ers 3,400 strong, scattered through- out the world. The origin of American diplomacy came before the Revolution. Gov- ernment records show that before the Constitution was adopted the early American diplomats were paid on a somewhat peculiar basis of fixing compensation. Franklin, while rep- resenting the Nation in Paris, re- ceived a salary of $4,444.04 a year, while Jefferson, when he was later sent to Paris, was paid at the rate of $11,111.01. Ambassadors today are paid $17,600 a year. When Jefferson became the first Secretary of State, he received $3,500 a year. It is significant of those old days that communication with Franklin and Jefferson and the others who were American ministers abroad was difficult in the extreme. The ancient records of the department show that hand-written copies of letters were prepared, sometimes as many as seven copies being made, and for- warded by different vessels to keep them from British hands. Special ciphers were used even them, and sometimes invisible ink. Frequently the coverings of these early diplo- matic communications bore the in- struction to the shipmaster, “To be sunk in case of danger from the enemy.” For with these precautions many of the letters came into the hands of the British. Jefferson organized the mint. He sent to the President examples of the experimental coins, saying they had been made “by putting a silver plug worth three-fourths of a cent into a copper one worth one-fourth of a cent.” The Long Arm of State. There are now American diplomatic missions in 51 countries. Twelve of these are headed by ambassadors at the major capitals of the world. That is the highest diplomatic rank. Besides these there are 34 ministers. There are over 500 American pro- fessional consular officers scattered over the world, and working with them are about 2,200 vice consuls, consular agents, clerks, interpreters and other American office personnel. To_outline the general instructions under which they work requires more than 3,000 paragraphs in the Consular Regulations, and there is an endless variety of forms and re- ports pouring back to the United States from every consulate. There are more than 400 consular offices lo- cated in foreign trade centers and some in_very remote places. Probably the most inaccessible is that at Chung King, far back in the interior of China, almost on the fron- tier of Tibet. To reach it requires six weeks’ travel from Shanghai by river. Much of the distance is traversed in a small river boat, pulled by a hun- dred Chinese coolies, who are paid a cent a day each. So deep are some of the gorges in this water route that at times the towing ropes seem to stand straight up in the air. In some parts of the world the con- suls also have judicial functions. Usually they manage to settle out of Gourt difficulties involving American citisens. But. théere was a case in Turkey where a naturalized Ameri- can of Greek birth was compialned of by his ncighbors, who said that terrible, unbearable odors came from his residence. The American consul investigated and found the objec- tionable odors even worse than re- ported. In the basement of his house the Greek-American had set up great vats filled with a vile com- pound into which he and the mem- bers of his family were dipping new Persian rugs. He frankly explained that he was making old rugs out of new oncs because they brought high prices from credulous tourists. The consuls are the overseas tax collectors of the Government and they also act as its paymaster abroad. Americans do not escape the income tax man by living away from home. It is recorded that one consul sent into the Treasury in one year $30,000 in tax collections. Millions of Cards. The card index of the Department of State covers diplomatic matters and all’ matters in which the con- sular service has a hand. Through this index the State Department offi- clals have at their finger tips a mil- lion facts. The smallest and seem- ingly the most insignificant matter of today may affect the diplomacy of the world a decade hence. 1t is im- portant that information concerning these things be filed away and equally important that it be made readily accessible when needed. That the volume of this information is large is demonstrated by the fact that it has required nearly 4,000,000 cards to index the matter accumu- lated. That it covers a wide range is shown by the fact that it may relate to an international situation affecting all of the governments of the earth, or to the registration of the marriage of John Smith and Susie Brown in Singapore. One phase of State Department work is of vital importance—the creation at home of enlightened pub- lic opinion on matters relating to foreign affairs. It is through the newspapers and the corps of trained correspondents they maintain in Washington that the Secretary of State seeks to inform the American people of what is going on in inter- national affairs, and to point out the interests common to all Americans in any circumstances for the preserva- tion of which his policy is shaped. By reason of the fact that he is en- gaged in delicate diplomatic corre- spondence, he is unable to talk pub- licly of what he is attempting to do. He is the official spokesman of the Government on such matters and every word he utters has weight in the foreign offices abroad, so his public statements must be guarded and carefully thought out. 1In this emergency the Secretary falls back on his conferences with the news- paper men. The press conferences are held in a room in the State De- partment and no unauthorized per- son may be present. It is not true in Washington as it is in foreign cap- itals, however, that separate confer- ences are held for the Rome corre- spondents and for those who rep- resent foreign newspapers. Always the Helping Ha: With his far-reachifig army of workers over the world, it is not strange that it is upon the Secretary of State the task devolves in any great disaster or emergency of caring for the Americans abroad who may be in distress. It was thus that the diplomatic and consular services on the outbreak of the ‘World War became the centers of relief for the thousands of Americans who had been caught unawares in the Dbelligerent countries. Millions were distributed to them when the banks abroad were closed. Each embassy or legation or consulate be- came a rescue station and was swamped with Americans, many of them wealthy, but unable in the con- fusion of war to obtain money for food and shelter. The gold wi rushed abroad in a cruiser and de- tachments of .the ship's crew carried it to the Ambassadors or Ministers in inland capitals. In one instance two marines were given the task of moving $20,000 in gold across a 8. 1924—PART 2 Capital Sidelights BY WILL P. KENNEDY. You can’'t subdue young America. It was at the most impressive re- ligious spectacle the National Cap- ital has ever seen, following the march of more than 106,000 men in the Holy Name parade. President Coolidge, impressed, as were all observers, by the solemn fervor of these Catholic men in giv- ing public testimony of their devo- tion to God and country, with bowed head and very solemn mein, was about to enter the speakers' stand MEN AND AFFAIRS BY ROBERT T. SMALL Germany is going to make a col- lection of soldier letters from the front and publish them as a contribu- tion to the history of the World War. There could be no more interesting volume—if the letters were printed without first being treated to the blue pencil of the censor. For even in the years after the war it has been realized that it Is not always best for on the Washington Monument grounds | the truth to be known, for the closing event of the conven- tion. . The hierarchy of the Catholic Church had stepped aside to make way for the dignitaries of state, and all the air a solemn stillness held. A young urchin, imbued with the principle that all men are created equal, exercising the right guaran- teed in the Constitution of freedom of speech and operating on the un- derstanding that in this free land of ours each man is the peer of any king, sang out, “Hello, Cal,” and the President was surprised into a smile. * k% ¥ W. A. Jump, the administrative as- sistant to Secretary Wallace, who is virtually business manager for this great department, knows the trials of messenger boys—for he used to be one.a surprisingly few years ago. His first job in the department was to ride a bicycle and carry papers between the Munsey Building, on E street where it runs into Pennsyl- vanta avenue, and the administrative offices of the department, making trips every 15 minutes. Calamity befell him, for his wheel was stolen and for several weeks he learned the bitter lesson of taking precautions against the dishonest among his fellows, for he had to walk, and says today that he could draw from memory a picture of every crack in the pavement between the two bulldings. * % % % The Coolidge-Dawes campaign is being carried into many foreign lands. An article on President Coolidge by Arthur MacDonald of this city has been published In Spanish at Havana and Buenos Aires, in Jugoslavic and in French by the Revue Parlemen- taire in Paris A similar article on Charles G. Dawes ' by the same writer has just appeared in the Mer- cure de France in Paris. Both of these articles have been copied in other foreign papers. Mr. MacDonald explains that one reason for having this article pub- lished in foreign countries is to illus- trate the fact that a man can rise to the highest political offices in our country and be a poor man, while ‘unfortunately too many foreigners do not believe this principle,” he says. * x x % The House District committee will suffer a number of changes in the next Congress, from the chairman down, and amonw those who will not be present will be Representative Charles F. X. O'Brien of the twelfth New Jersey district, who, unless there is an unprecedented Republican land- slide, will be succeeded by a woman. Mr. O'Brien has gone to the more lucrative job of county register. Woman ~ congressmen are not a novelty—we have had Miss Jeanette Rankin of Montana, Miss Alice Robertson of Oklahoma and Mrs. Mae Nolan of California. But when Mrs Mary T. Norton comes in from New Jersey and takes her place among the lawmakers of the land we will have 4 congresswoman of a different type. First, those other three were Re- publicans and Mrs. Norton is a2 Demo- crat. Second, she is a politician among politicians and a “team work- er”” She was the first Democratic woman frecholder of Hudson County. Her brother and guide was a noted orator and educator. Her husband, not a politician himsel?, is a manu- facturer and takes pride in his wife's political activities. The word “or- ganization” doesn't frighten her. She is very likely to be the first congresswoman from the East, the first Democratic congresswoman from any section, is a *“machine” candidate, and when she lands in Congress gives promise of being an all-round worker. * ¥ % % Sightseers thronged the Capitol this Summer and carried away mental pictures to adorn what were too often the bare walls of their edu- cation. For example. when they look in at the Supreme Court room they are told that it used to be the Senate chamber, before the Senate and House wings were built. This hall was designed after the model of a Greek theater, a semi-circular chamber with low combed. ceiling, and a small gallery back and above the seats occupled by the dignified, solemn, black-robed justices. The white capitals on the lonic columns of Potomac marble back of the judges' seats are copied from the Temple of Minerva. It is called the handsomest courtroom in the world. But what atirs the fancy of the visitors and prompts them to do some higher-class reading when they get back home are reminders by the guides that in this hall Webster made his famous reply to Hayne; that there Benton and John Randolph made their great speeches, and that Clay and Webster fought forensically from opposite sides of this chamber. Calhoun was one about his superiority over Clay in debate, saying “I had him on his back. I was his master. mercy.” Then down the aisle strode Clay. He shook his finger vigorously | ner. in Calhoun’s face and spit out: “He my master—I would not own him for my slave.” Also in this Supreme Court room nearly a half century ago sat the famous electoral commission which decided whether Hayes (Republican) or Tilden (Democrat) should be Pres- ident, in favor of the former. The decision hinged on 19 votes. * k¥ ¥ The schools are opening & new year nd entering a new era, for they are tuning in"” on life, according to Dr. John J. Tigert, United States com- missioner of education. The story is told of a teacher who asked Willie to locate several cities. He replied, “I can’t locate em, but I know how | The German soldiers were prolific letter writers. They had fine powers of Self-expression. Their letters will form a part of the real literature of the war. Germane are introspective. They brood over things, and the brooding man makes the ready letter writer. It is no disparagement to the American dough- boy to say that while he was all right with the pistol he was nowhere when it came to epistles. The British Tommy was the worst of all. His letters home were a washout. The British themselves used to tell the story of the Tommy who, after being six months at the front, was urged by his platoon com- mander to send a note home to his grieving mother. This is what the Tommy wrote: “Dear Mother: This war is a bugger. Please tell aunty. The French poilu was fairly good with the pen. but old Fritz was the champion of champions. It was always a great day at allied general headquar- ters when a batch of unfinished let- ters home were taken from German prisoners. They gave a vivid picture of the morale behind the enemy lines, and wherever a note of discouragement was found in one it was printed for all the allied armies to read. Often letters from home to the men at the front also were captured. These. were very de- preesing toward the close. There was one that told of a woman in the neigh- borhood who, after having three sons killed In action, lost two of her daugh- ters in the explosion of a munitions plant. Of course, the soldier at the front got a very limited view of the war. But as to that very desirable thing called “at- mosphere” he had it in large chunks. The infantryman in the trenches al- ways felt he was up there fighting the war alone, backed up by artillery that didn't fire half enough and by an air force which never came anywhere near the firing line. One German wrote back home : “Apparently the fatherland has no fiyers. The English got everywhere over our lines. Some of their ma- chines fly very low. Soon they will be_spatching the caps off our heads.” The British Tommies never ceased to “grous” about the manner in which they were neglected by the airmen. They sald they never saw anything but Maltese crosses over their heads, and evidently the British air force was a myt The German letters, despite all the editing they may receive, will be weil worth reading. It is doubtful If tMe United States or Great Britain could issue such a volume. * % %k Visitors to the White House thess days are occasionally startled by what seems to them an apparition It looks as though John W. Davis had moved in on Calvin Coolidge. He can be seen in the outer corridors of the executive offices chatting with visitors and with others, who appear to be fellow workers. Every now and then he disappears into the President’'s inner sanctum. It makes the unwary look more than twice Yet there Is nothing the matter with thelr eyes nor with their senses They are not “seeing things at night The man is there. But it is not John W. Davis. It is Dick Jervis, chief of the secret service detachment, and he has been attached to the White House ever since Mr. Taft was in- auguratd. Dick's halr has turned gray since he has been at the White House. It is not yet as snowy as that which crowns the head of the Demo- cratic nominee but otherwise in fea- ture and stature Dick and John are almost as like as two black-cyed Susans. What would happen if Mr. Davis should be elected and Mr. Jervis should remain at the White House no one knows. Probably Mr. Davis would be using the secret service man for a part of the hand-shaking duty. Dick could get by as a “doubl® without the siightest difficulty £k X o The Agricultural Department is worried by the steady onward march of the Mexican bean beetle. He has penetrated as far north as Pennsyl vania and is making progress in 2 northeasterly direction at the rate of about 30 miles a vear. He attacks all growing beans, and it is easy to see that his objective is Boston. And oh, my countrymen, what will the Cabots and the Lowclis do for Satur- day night supper and Sunday morn- ing breakfast when the beans have all been beetled? It is said the Mexican bug may stop off in Long Island long enough to gobble up some of the elite who kave been saying “bean” for been ever since the Prince of Wales journed so long amongst them. * ¥ % % There have been =0 many scares from time to time in these parlous prohibition days about denatured al- cohol, one scoflaw in Washington has begun to insist that his bootlegger shall serve him only with “good-na- tured” alcohol. And he means it both Fifty Years Ago In The Star Saturday, September 19, 1874, a fire occurred in a mill at Fall River, Mass., o causing the death Mill Fire Horror of more than a at Fall River, °CoT¢ of people many others. and the injury of The disaster was re- ported briefly in The Star of that date and more fully in the issue of Sep- tember 21. The bullding was occu- pied by 400 men, women and children. The fire, it appears, caught from the heat generated by improperly oiled machinery. There were few appli- ances for an emergency of that char- acter beyond some palls of water. There were numerous fire escapes on the sides of the buildings. but none on the ends, where, in this instance, they would have been useful. The elevator refused to work at the criti- cal moment or many might have been rescued by that source. To add to the horror, the fire apparatus was unable to reach the scene until many minutes after the alarm was sounded because of the imperfect working of the alarm system. At first the wrong number of strokes was sounded so that the firemen were confused as to the loca- tion of the blaze, and when they ar- rived on the spot the saving of the building was an impossibility. “The excitement was terrible,” says The Star's account of the catastrophe, “men, women and children running through the streets in a half-crazed manner, many being not more than half clad. Not until after the flames had gained great headway was the alarm sounded. At that time the flames were pouring out of the lower windows. The attic, or spoolroom, contained from 50 to 35 young girls, and the first they knew of the presence of the approaching fire was a dense, suffocating volume of smoke. Of course, this pro- duced a panic, and the girls were almost paralyzed with fright. As the flames were leaping up the staircase there was now no possible means of escape, and the crowd of shrieking, half-crazed girls fled to the northern section of the building. and, realizing that the flames must 6oon reach them. day boasting | some began praying for help. One or two heroic men, by means of a rope, landed several of them safely on the He was at my |ground. Others jumped from the win- dows, preferring death in such a man- Many of those who threw them- Ives from the windows were in the sixth story, and, of course, werp nearly all instantly kiled, or so badly injured as to live but a short time.” = + % In The Star of September 21, 1874, Is a news article stating that doubt 7 een ex- ‘Was Charlie Ross pressea by cer- tain newspapers Abducted? in Pennsylvania as to the genuinene; of the abduction of Charlie Ross, the little Philadelphia boy. One paper published an article to the effect that the child had actually been taken by his mother, who had been displaced in the affections of her husband by to tune in on every blamed one of | nother woman, and who had adopted o This story carries a first-rate idea for teachers, Dr. Tigert believes. Mil- lions of children are coming from the free, playful, natural social child life to the different atmosphere and life of the school. The majority of teachers try, m takenly, to change most of the:child’s physical and mental habits in a day. The shift from hours of activity to hours of sitting still will cause fli- ness among them if the teacher is not careful, From learning what is interesting and appeals to them they are too often forced to change sud- denly to set lessons about things that they do not use daily and that they probably feel never will be any help. By e e sy frontier where train service had been suspended and where there was no other m of transportation over a gap of several miles. The gold was in_kegs which could not be car- ried. But they could be rolled, and rolled they were. Badly battered, but with their contents intact, they were finally turned over to the em- bassy and the penniless American refugees. More recently, it was through the American embassy at Tokio and the American consulate: elsewhere in Japan,that relief meas. ures, not for ericans alone, but for stricken Japanese as well, went forward almost as soon as the great tremor that wrecked cities and brought death to tens of thousands had ceased to vibrate. The long arm of the Government reaches aoross the B Oopyright, 1930) this means of gaining possession of her child. * * % In its issue of September 22, 1874, The Star, editorially quoting from an article printe y Need of & NeW another Washing- ton newspaper on Hotel Here. (ne gubject of a need of a new hotel in Washington of large accommodations and of the Saratoga type. sald: “We are glad to hear that a number of our influential citizens have had the matter of the erection of a hotel of the character above stated under consideration, and that, appreciating the great importance to the city of such a feature, belleving at the same time 1t will be a remunerative in- vestment, they are ready to unite in carrying it through If a proper site can be obtained for the structure. It Is held as a desideratum for the site that it should be on or near Pennsylvania avenue, west of Four- teenth street, and in the vicinity of the White House, and that it should cover a whole square, with roem for a spacious tree-shaded court and roomy halls, parlors, corridors, plazzas, etc., affording opportunity for promenading. dancing, soclal inter- course and all the features that make hotel life at Saratoga so essentially bright, cheerful and exhilarating. There should be suites of rooms specially designed by their comforts, convenfences and elegancies to invite family parties of wealth and culture to make Washington their Winter home; and all the rooms should be planned to be attractive through having a cheerful outlook. such as could be afforded through having the hotel placed on pleasant streets, and with a spacious court with lawns and trees. “An opera house might well he made a feature of this grand hote! affording an _opportunity for the guests, an audience in themselves, to attend in any weather without ex- posure of health or damage to dress. As the ground in the neighborhood designated is already occupied by buildings of considerable value and with different owners, some of whom. if willing to sell at all. would prob- ably set a fancy price upon their property, the work of secnring an ade Quate site for a hotel of the character named is not a small part of the task Doubtless the very best ground for the purpose is Mr. Corcoran's own square. and, as has been suggested. he could do no greater service to the ty than by himself carrying out the project of the erection of a hotel that will aid in making Washington the Winter Saratoga of the country. This hotel would Ly no means injure the value of his present adjacent Arling- ton Hotel. but would doubtless add to its present proeperity, just as the prosperity of all the hotels at Sara- toga seem to be enhanced by th erection of new ones, by which t general attractions of the place as pleasure resort are increased Fifty vears ago therc was a decided difference of opinion as to the rela- tive merits of ‘Wood or Concrete wood-block and “‘concrete pave- Pavements. ments. According to The Star of September 23, 1874, a committee from Columbus, Ohto, came to Washington to ascertain by in- spection of the local pavements the best for use in that city. The com- mittee, it appea was inclined to favor the concrete. One of the Co- lumbus papers, however, held the opinion that while concrete was more permanent and easily repaired than Wwood it was not so pleasant for man and horse. The Star said “Without entering into the contro- versy between wood and concrete, we can say for the information of the Ohio paper that the concrete here is considered the more agreeable pave- ment for man and beast, and, curi- ously enough, veteran city horses, when allowed their choice of streets, will invariably seek those paved with conerete. One would suppose that the wood pavement would be pleasant to their feet, through its elasticity, but it would Seem that there is too much vibration about it to suit them, and they always put their feet down upon it with a certain degree of hesitancy . or tenderness, over a bridge. tainly show the concrete. as they do-in going Anyway, they cer- marked preference for Pleads Stage Freedom. Objects to Officer's Criticism of “What Price Glory.” To the Editor of The Star: Permit me to call the attention of your readers to the dangerous attack on the freedom of the stage now be- ing made by officers of the United States Army and Navy. The play under fire—'What Price Glory"—is running in New York City. The au- thors, who served during the World War, say “they want to give a pic- ture of war as it really is; not as it has been presented theatrically for thousands of vears.”” The characters are profane, say “damn” occasionally, run after women and get drunk. Rear Admiral Plunkett and other public defenders fear that this will discour- age recruiting and are trying to sup- press “What Price Glory.” Americans who care to protect our historic liberties should protest to President Coolidge, Secretary of the Navy Wilbur and Secretary of War Weeks. The suppression of this play would establish a precedent against any criticism, any frank presentation of Army or Navy life, in future. Such worship of the uniform flourished rankly in the central empires under the old regime, but with the downfall of kaiserdom it came to an end, and it is now possible in Germany and Austria to subject the army and navy to criticism as every other institu- tion is subjected. Surely the war was not fought for the purpose of trans- planting Prussian military tyranny to America. Another play, “Rain,* which 'has been running in New York for over a year, shows a missionary in a far from creditable aspect. But the clergy® have not demanded its suppression, possibly because they feel that the chureh is on the whole strong enough) to stand up before a play. Whatl makes military and naval men s® much more sensitive? MARY WINSOR ,