Evening Star Newspaper, October 15, 1924, Page 6

“THE. EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editiea. WASHINGTON, D. C. ‘WEDNESDAY. . .October 15, 1924 “THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Busiess Office, 11th 8 New York Office: 110 East 4 s Chicazo Office: Tower Building. European Office: 16 Regent 8t.,London, The Evening Star. with the Sunday morning edition, Is delivered by carriers within the city at 00 cents per month: daily only, 45 cents per month: Sunday only, 20 cents’ per month. ~ Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phone Main 3000, ~Collection i made by car- Fiers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advaace, Maryland d Virxinin. Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $8.40;1 mo., 70c Daily only ......1yr.,$6.00;1 mo., (0c Sunday only ... All Other States. Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00:1 mo., 85¢ Daily only Sunday only Member of the Axsociated Presn. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for iepublication of all news d patches credited to it or not otherwise credited per and also the local news pub. lished ‘herein. ~All rights of publication of special d. hes herein are aiso reserved. A Sweeping -Gesture. Mr. Davis' speech at Springfield, I, in which he hinted at a purpose to ask for a repudiation by the people if he has failed to make good on his promises of reform in Government in two years of service as President is Dot to be taken too literally or seri- ously as a pledge of actual submission to a recall vote. Indeed, examination of the text of his remarks does not warrant the deduction that it is in eny sense a pledge of resubmission to the popular will. According to the dispatches, the candidate said: If when four years have elapsed, aye, if when two years have gone, and we have becn as false to our promises as other men have been, if corruption again has raised its ugly head and thrown it- self into the conduct of your Govern- ment, if privilege has not Bken wiped off the statute books and from the laws that control you, I shall not only not in- Voke your. further suffrage, but I shall commend it to you as American citizens to repeat your vote of protest and con- demnation. Precisely what that means is not al- together clear, in terms of political practice. There are three “ifs.” One Telates the false promises, one to cor- Tuption in Government and the third to the elimination of “privilege.” On two of these counts Congress must be taken into the reckoning. On the point of corruption a prospective executive can speak with some degree of final- ity. Taken altogther, this passage of the speech means that Mr. Davis pledges both himself and Congress to keep all promises, to prevent corrup- tion of all kinds and to eliminate “privilege” from the statute books. Two years hence a general election for Congress will be held. From the beginning of American politics the people have acted and voted in judg- ment In midterm of the presidency, and it has often happened that they have, in effect, repudiated the execu- tive by casting out his supporting legislative majority and replacing it Wwith an opposition in at least the House. No pledge on the part of a candidate for the presidency is need- ed to assure such a vote two years later if his party should fail in its per- formances. But a recall election is quite an- other thing. It is entirely new in Fed- efal affairs. There is no provision of law for it, and it is not to be con- ceived that a recall law could possibly be enacted at the first session of the new Congress about to be elected, ‘which would be necessary to permit a Natlon-wide vote in 1926. Therefore the hint of a presidential recall is to be accepted as merely a gesture of the campaigner, and not in the least as a practical pledge of submission in two years to possible repudiation. Furthermore, there stand the “i The conditions precedent to recall and repudiation remain indefinite, It is not within the bounds of imagination that any party in official control would %0 far confess failure as to invite a test of public will in an extraordinary submission to the voters. Two years hence the Democratic party, if suc- cessful now in both presidential and congressional races, will be pointing with pride to its achievements and with scorn to the failures of the op- wosition, whatever has happened. And equally so will the Republican party, if similarly successtul this year, be pointing with pride and scoring with scorn and denunciation, respectively. Confession of failure is rot of the essence of politics, in any country. The candidate who even hints at the possibility of failure weakens his case. To pledge submission to the voters in case of failure is merely to recite the requirements of the calendar of terms of office. Mr. Davis has simply in- dulged in a figure of speech which, like all such rhetorical devices in gen- eral, is likely to be misunderstood and ‘which may prove bothersome here- after. It is only three weeks till the Na- tional election. And soon after that comes Thanksgiving day. ———— End of a Wonder Voyage. ‘The dirigible airship ZR-3 has made the Atlantic crossing in less than three days, traveling many -miles out of a direct course between her place of departure and the American coast. It is a matter to set down conspic- uously in the world's annals. Since an hour or two after midnight air and wire messages concerning the movements of the ship have been thany, and difference in time is con- , fusing to readers in the time zone of ‘Washington.. At 3:15 this morning by the airship’s chronometer her crew and passengers picked up High- . 1and Light, at the tip of Cape Cod. The Boston navy yard, at 3 o'clock “Wastern time, reported that the ZR-3 ‘was 120 miles off shore and opposite “Boston. At a few minutes after 4 o’'clock watchers at Boston heard the ship’s motors and saw her lights high above the city. Just before and after dawn messages were coming from scores of places along the east- ern coast southwest of Boston that City. Long ‘before The Star reaches its readers today the wondership will no doubt be riding. at her.’ mooring mast at Lakehurst, and the memora- ble voyage from Friedrichshafen, Germany, will be ended. - Reports yesterday morning showed that the ZR-3 was in latitude 45 north and longitude 44 west, that point being something ~mare than midway between the Azores and New York and over the New York-Gibral- tar steamship lane. High wind was reported west in that course, and the ZR-3 felt the east edge of the wind flow. To find calmer weather her navigator changed the ship's course, ran away from the heavy wind area and into fog off the northeast coast. From Germany down to the Bay of Biscay and out to the Azores, it was plaried to cross to Bermuda and sail north te the Virginia Capes. More than half way from the Azores to the American coast the ship headed northwest and entered America off Boston. ‘The change of plan made ft impos- sible that the ZR-3 should pass over Washington on her way to Lake- hurst, but with this famous ship under the ownership of the Ameri- can Government we shall see her often in the Washington sky. The cruise of the ZR-3 is one of the re- markable events in air navigation, and millions of people feel a thrill of satistaction that the great voyage has been safely made. The Close Vote in Congress. The death of Senator Brandegee of Connecticut and of Representative Mudd of Maryland accentuates the cloveness of the vote in the Senate and House, 'together with the impor- tance which might attach to filling of the vacancies should a change in the political complexion of the dele- gations occur. In Maryland, as an in- stance, should the rockribbed Repub- lican fifth district, represented by Mr. Mudd with a following so intensely personal as to overshadow politics, break from its moorings and drift over to the Democrats, it would break the deadlock in the State's representa- tion, and on the choice for President, should the election be thrown into the House, Maryland would vote for the Democratic candidate. The Democrats are now to have an opportunity to essay an effort to break into the already attenuated majority of the Republicans in the Senate, and no doubt will make a special effort to reduce it further. Un- der the State law the governor may not appoint Senator Brandegee's suc- cessor; neither will his successor be elected on the regular State ticket in the November national elections. It will be necessary to hold a special State election, and the issue will be devoid of any State or local issues other than the straight question of a choice for Senator. There will be sev- eral candidates for the nomination on the Republican ticket gnd a half dozen or more on the Democratic ticket. Both these elections will be watched with more than passing interest on account of the tense situation existent in the Senate and the possibility of what may come in the House. German Loan Oversubscribed. Notwithstanding the suggestion of Mayor Hylan of New Yérk that the security for the German reparation loan is not adequate—a suggestion which was plainly raised solely for campaign purposes—the American portion of the loan was oversubscribed at least five times within 15 minutes after the books were opened yester- day. While this was expected, it was nevertheless a striking evidence of the confidence of American investors, in the soundness of the Dawes plan. In its terms the loan is attractive, offering better than 7% per cent at the below-par rate .of flotation and running for 25 years. The security is reassuring, for these bonds have priority as a lien upon German re- sources. The purpose for which the issue is made is the rehabilitation of Germany's credit by enabling her to meet her war obligations, thus mak- ing for the revival of European indus- try and therefore the quickening of trade, in which this country will par- ticipate. ‘This spectacle of a virtually instant absorption of the loan by American investors cannot fail to impress Eu- rope profoundly, not only with the re- sources of this country, but with its good faith in willingness to help in the restoration of prosperity to the war-crippled countries. In- this most. substantial manner the Americdn peo- ple are doing their part, and whether their motive is one of public spirit or one of profit, they are contributing in a most practical manner to the re- vival of Europe. —_— e ‘When the decision by ballot is made, the public invariably rallies to the support of the selected standard bearer. Campaign controversies’ grow intense, but never implacable. There are no irreconcilables in the ranks of American patriotisi. oo A mystery is dispelled by facing it frankly. Any candidate may now mention the Ku Klux Klan by name without fear of serfous consequences. ——————————— 1It, as has been boldly asserted, J. P. Morgan owns both political parties, he 1s not showing extraordinary tal- ents for rigid discipline. —————— Automobile Thieves. In sentencing two convicts for steal- ing an d@utomobile and joy-riding Jus- tice Siddons+mald that. he “will deal severely with all cases of this char- acter which come before him for sen- tence.” There is o objection on the public’s part to a tightening up in the administration of the law and in giving to convicts the punishment provided by law. ‘A larger measure of “sternness” in the .courts might help 1o reduce the number of criminals. ‘There is a school of thought which teaches that offenders. be punished lightly and treated as men who have temporarily gone astray and who may be_recalled to rectitude by kindness. ‘There has been a wide swing in popu- 1a¥ approval of that theory. It is ad- mitted that long ago from the present point of view cruelty and barbarity were: committed against men in the name of ‘the law, and that all the figors of the law did not wipe out crime. The ‘‘soft treatment” school has come to have a vogue. It is popu- lar, "but perhaps it goes to the ex. treme. It may be that while justice 100 or 300 years ago was a blood- thirsty goddess, today she inclines too far toward gentleness. It is a perplex- ing question that must be left to the Judges. But stealing an automobile is such an easy crime to commit, has become a common crime and often causes more loss to a man than a burglar would cause him by carrying off his household goods, that it might be a good plan to keep convicted auto- mobile thieves under guard for a rea- sonable time. It may not cure the thief of being a thief and it may not make the stealing of automobiles a lost art, but it may help some. Frank B. Brandegee. In the twentieth year. of his serv- ice in :the Senate, in which he had spent very nearly one-third of his life, Frank B. Brandegee of Connecticut yesterday surrendered to his financial difficulties, which, unknown to his tricnds, had lately overwhelmed him, and by his own act passed into death. It was a tragic end to a career that had won the respectful admiration of the people of his State and of all who had in his years of duty in Washing- ton come to know and appreciate his qualities. Mr. Brandegee was not a showy man. He was quiet in his methods as a legislator, reserved in his demeanor, somewhat of a recluse in his social life. In the Senate he worked dili- gently and with highest efficiency. He rarely took part in debate, but when- ever he did so he spoke with force and always with & wit that insured him close attention. He was independent in his views, sometimes in disagree- ment with his party, but never an in- surgent in deed. - To those who were closest to Sena- tor Brandegee his act of self-destruc- tion was a great shock, as it now ap- pears that no thought of despondency sufficient to cause so desperate a deed had been created. Undoubtedly he could have secured assistance had he sought help. But it was not of his nature to seek aid. He had lived alone and worked alone and he died alone, confessing by his suicide a failure which was not dishonorable, but which to him was unbearable. e - Versatility is a distinguishing char- acteristic of German manufacture which aims to supply the world with everything from Christmas toys to Zeppelins. —_————— For the present Gov. Al Smith is ap- parently content to concern himself with local issues in New York, with- out attempting to drag Tammany into national politics. Question is still raised from time to time in Illinois as to whether capital punishment is to be escaped only by killers so fortunate as to have Lawyer Darrow on their side. ———— Our own solar system is described as rushing through space. The orator who declared ‘“the sun do move” is finding more sclentific backing than he expected. —_— e Time for the November election draws near. If there is anything ac- tually new to be said on several sub- jects, there should be no delay. ———————— As base ball passes, foot ball ar- rives; the presidential game is never permitted to enjoy undivided atten- tion. . ——— e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Paramount Topic. Got to mention politics, As all patriots should. Got to study all the tricks Turned for ill or good. Must proceed to ponder well +Problems great or small, Though we'd rather, truth to tell, Talk about base ball! "Mongst the puzzles of finance And taxation’s gloom, 'Mongst predictions that enhance Fears of dismal gloom, Through the wintry eventide Pleasures we'll recall, And with hope as well as pride Talk about base ball. "Wisdom of the People. “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the best of men. “Undoubtedly,” answered Senator Sorghum. ‘“The only trouble is that ‘when. you put a little nonsense into your talk it's liable to prove the only part that some of your auditors take serfously.” 3 Ultimate Appeal. I was a Socialist—a Red— A Communist—so I have said. But when some threat to me I saw, Oh, how I hollered, for the Law! Jud Tunkins says whatever he may do in a street car, a real gentleman will always get up and give a lady his seat in a barber shop. Generous, Indeed. In spite of ‘cares that rise anew "To trouble Europe’s toilsome way, Of lecturers she'll send a few . Té educate the U. S. A. Discussing Terms, “It sounds fair’ en Farmer Corntossel, can’t meet the terms. ‘What's the deal. ‘My. boy Josh has set his mind on art. He says he's worth five hundred a week of anybody's money as a mo- tion_picture star, but he's willin' to work around the old home a little while.for half the money.” —_— e Executive Responsibility. I'm sure I'd toll and never shirk Could I the task pursue Of thinking up some sort of work For other folks to do. ‘‘Deymused.to tell us 'bout death om & pale horse,” said Uncle ““What dey's talkin’ 'bout now ‘white A most pleasant hornet's nest has | been stirred up as the result of the article recently appearing in this col- umn about “Great Books That No- body Reads.” Dr. George F. Bowerman of the Public Library called over the tele- phone to tell me that Washingtonians do read Bunyan's “Pllgrim's Prog- ress,” Milton's “Paradise Lost” and even Josephus' “History of the Jew: He produced figures to prove it, too. Even Spinoza's “Ethics” was drawn out of the Public Library elght times in 1923 and twelve times so far in 1924, Readers from as far away as Har- pers Ferry wrote to share their love of good books with me, and to recall the days when they read the very books I sald nobody ever—well, hard- 1y ever'—reads. The point made in the previous ar- ticle was simply this: “Such a list is interesting and in- formative, not because it may or may not be accurate, but because it makes one think about great things—great books." * x k% Truly, the love of good books is one of the greatest possessions a man may have. A book lover gets as much pleasure in talking about books as the base ball fan does in talking about the world series. It is a real pleasure, then, to be able to share with the readers of ‘This and That” a few of the letters eived upon thiss ubject. Writing from Harpers Ferry, F. H. to chant, albeit almost in- audibly, through a crevice in an other- wise impenetrable wall of anonymity, Rehold in me That novelty, A Y wh read Josephus. “It was a weighty volume, bound in an odd sort of velvet-like fabric, faded into a darkish pink, from what must once have been a flaming red. Properly ®0. It was a gory book. Dime thrillers ‘were cambric tea after it. “Before that I had read ‘Pllgrim's Progress' in a volume whose wood cuts allowed your imagination to rest—it could add nothing to them. I remember most clearly the sinister figure of Apollyon. “But having been exposed to most of the English classics through the chap- eronage of ‘required readings’ for high school and college preparatory exami- nations, I am ‘off of them for life.” No educational device has so efficiently anaesthetised for so many human beings what might otherwise have been a love for literature, and thereby released an enormous amount of interest for and in moving pictures, strip cartoons and other peoples’ affafrs. “Mainly I am here to say a few words for S. Pepys. 1 claim the championship. 1 have read his diary five times so far. 1 began with the Everyman edition, and finished as the satisfied owner of the Wheatley edition. As the picture of a personality, with the warts included, as the picture of a society, including every- thing which academic histories omit as trivialities and yet which alone recon- struct for us the evervday life of a peo- ple, it is unequaled. Stevenson fails ignobly, it scems to me, to grasp the significance of the ‘diary.’ And, aside from the perhaps patronizing attitude with which we may view this curious personality, we may learn through studying it from other sources than the diary that perhaps without Pepys there wouid have been no Trafalgar a century and more after. No man has a better rizht to the title of ‘the father of the British navy.' This may be news, though how many have read the Many will agree with F. H. P., who, by the way, lives in this city, in all he has to say concerning the evils of “required reading” in the schools. Theoretically the system is good, ac- tually it is harmful to its thousands every year. Préviously in this col- umn’ the fallacy of cramming the Editors Divided American editorial comment on the recently adopted protocol of the League of Nations divides generally along the old lines of difference over the league itself. Champions of the league fdea greet as a long step to- ward ending war the protocol, de- signed to establish compulsory arbi- tration through a world-wide peace conference to be held next June. Op- ponents find nothing to please and most of them see in the protocol fur- ther evidence of the wisdom of the United States in remaining aloof. Tak- ing first the unfavorable criticism, we find the New York Herald-Tribune (Republican) declaring: “It is this arbitrary power of inter- vention which makes it a potential threat to the United States. This country might be willing to submit disputes to a genuine world court of! arbitration, but not to the more lim- ited league court. In trying to sub- ject all nations to its operations the league is clearly promoting war as well as promoting peace. For that reason the protocol must count for the present more as a gesture than as an achievement.” “Undoubtedly,” says the - Chicago Daily News (independent), “the orig- inal ‘intention of the committee that drafted the protocol was fo make war practically impossible. That intention commanded universal sympathy. As amended at the Instance of Japan however, the protocol appears to con- template and justify war on a nation which in certain circumstances mere- ly exercises its sovereign rights in accordance with settled international law. Surely it is absurd to brand such conduct as provocative, and it s equally absurd to permit one nation to dictate to another in matters of dD,— mestic legislation and to wage war if the dictation is resented or simply ignored.” This, the St. Paul Dispatch (independent), claims, “reduces the whole protocol to absurdity.” If through such means the league be- comes a superstate, the Portland Ex- press ‘(Republican) maintains, “there would be danger of the league becom- {ng a menacing power against non- members that refused to surrender their domestic rights, and the theoret- ical end of war, as planned in the document, might cause the breakipg out of a new world war.” B As a whole, the Philadelphia Bul- letin (independent Republican) finds “the protocol a logical development of the most objectionable features of the covenant, those features . that caused American distrust and in- spired the American reservations.” In the circumstances, the Springfield Union (Republican) thinks “it is for- tunate that we have had our Defenss As the Boston Transcript “The United States has not the slightest objection to the league members subjecting themselves and even their domstic legislation to com- pulsory and unrestricted arbitration. Neither inust the league nor any of ijts members object to the American people withholding themslves from that system and insisting that they themselves shall be the sole makers of their domestic laws and the zole judges of what interests of the United States they will or will not submit_to arbitration. Only if ani- mated by such a spirit can this latest act of the League of Nations prove to_be truly a protocol of peace. < -From such a consistent advocate of the league as the New York World comes the confident assurance that, far from belng a danger (o -the Unit- BY C. E. TRACEWELL. classics down the throats of children not prepared for them has been touched upon. The way to do it 18 to expose the children to the best literature and allow it to “take,” if it will, * k %k % R. A. B, writing from the Racquet Club, sald: ““This and That' of Saturday after- noon was fine. When a lad my read to the children ‘Josephus.’ was Sunday afternoons. Think of children and golf-playing fathers having to do this! Terrible. We were fascinated with the siege of Jerusalem. “When a sick child my nurse read Bunyan's ‘Pilgrim’'s Progress.’ She just reveled in the hell and brim- sto of it. Also ‘Paradise Lost.’ “When a young man 1 bought Carlyle's ‘History of the French Rev- olution’ and did not care for it, al- though I finished it. “l read the ‘Divine Comedy’ a long distance north of Washington. ‘Julius Caesar’ 1 always liked, and read it often, as well as [amlet. ‘I.es Miserables’ 1 have read, well as many of Victor Hugo's.” a® ¥ x5 Alas for my proud boast that 1 was the only person in Washington wh had read Baruch Spinoza's “KEthics! G. C. W. wrot, “It may please you to know that only recently 1 finished reading for the second time the ‘Kthics,’ that masterplece of the great Dutch Jew Spinoza. “1 doubt whether we are the only oneg in Washington who shared the pleasure of reading it—quite likely the Dutch Minister or some of his as- sociates are familiar with it “How many Washington lawyers, do you suppose, have read or care to read Grotius' ‘Mare Liberum'”” If there are any attorneys—or others—who have read t formi- dable volume by Grotus, let them come forward, in the name of great books! Dr. Bowerman, the librarian at the Public Library, says he has 21 copies of “Pilgrim's Progre in the aduilt department, and that when he went to get a copy all were out! He had not been presented with the figures for the children’'s department. Kant's “Critique of Pure Reason” was drawn out of the libra 15 times in 1923 and 20 times in 1924, the li- brarian said, which, with the 20 times Spinoza's hics” was with- drawn, made a to of 50 times two were taken out In the two years. The librarian went on to say as Divine Comed ¢ active.' The five “History of the French Ri have been out six times year. “Josephus” had a circulation of 19 times in 1923 and 15 times out so far this vear. There is also a juve- nile edition Now all this is interesting and very encouraging until it is remembered that Washington is a great educa- tional center. Here we have a num- ber of great high the George Washington Univer: tholic Uni- versity, Georgetow. niversity, the American University and other insti- tutions of learning. Who knows but what nearly all the withdrawals of these books are made as required reading in the schools; and who can say just how much of each book the reader reads, out of it? Nobody, not even a librarian! When I say “read a book,” I mean read it for the love of it. There is little love in “required reading. Wherefore, In comparison with the tremendous ~ circulations of other books, notably the novels, these books are certainly the ones that hardly any one reads! We have 500,000 resi- waded through Carlyle's undoubtedly great work! Again On League Protocol ed States, “the negotiations at Gen- eva promise an immense insurance of our national interest ana national safety.” bine to make this new treaty signifi- cant,” in the opinion of the Rochester Times-Union (independent), which holds that “in the first place, it is the product of the free, untrammeled de- liberations of the statesmen of vir- tually the whole world. * * * The powers at Geneva have not only ban- ned aggressive war, but they have set up coercive machinery to punish the aggressor. All these decisions repre- sent a solid gain. There is still much work to be done. But the very fact that such an agreement can be formu- ated is of happy augury.” In re- gard to the amendment that has caused so much criticism, the Knox- ville Sentinel (independent Demo- cratic) nsists “it would be absurd to imagine that the nations of Europe, which .are as jealous of their na- tionalities as we are of ours, and espe- cially that Great Britain and her do- minions of Canada, Australia and others, which are more vitally con- cerned in the immigration subject than we are, would have even tenta- tively agreed to approve the protocol if it permitted Japan to obtrude that issue Into the jurisdictlon of the league.” * % %k In fact, all that has happened at Geneva confirms the belief of the New York Times (independent Demo- cratic) that “if the league had not existed it would have had to be in- vented, and that it stands today be- fore the world stronger and giving greater promise than ever.” Regard- less of “practical obstacles in the way,” the Richmond News-Leader (independent Democratic) is sure “agreement on a protocol and its sub- mission to the powers are together the most hopeful effort in the direc- tion of world peace that has been made since most public men lost their idealism in the reaction that came during the peace conference. The “millennium has not arrived,” con- tinues the Newark News (independ- ent), and “war has mot been com- pletely abolished; but a new proced- ure for the amicable settlement of disputes has been devised so com- prehensive in its scope, so specific in its requirements and so versatile in its means of adjudication that war is made more remote and more difficult than any one had dreamed it could be.” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (in- dependent) believes the protocol of- fers a fulfillment at last of the hope of all humanity for the outlawing of war. . \ Discounting overenthusiastic com- mendations, the Houston Chronicle (Independent) does not doubt “that at the end of nearly six years the' leading statesmen of Europe are seri- ously and honestly trying to avoid war in the future” And while the protocol may require amendments and additions, the Dayton News (inde pendent Democratic) concludes “the fact remains that this protocol of the fifth assembly represents a mighty stride along the rocky road that leads to peace.” It is lucky that Washington cata- |5 comb was not disco Daugherty investigatifp. What a ro. mance Gaston B. M could hay woven around it!—Portland Bxpress. i during the | John W. | This, | confidence, or, even if he reads it, how much he | | corroborate the theory dents here —and six of them have | “There are several things that com- | Politics at Large BY N. 0. MESSENGER. Politicians take note of a stiffen- ing up of John W. Davis' asserted spirit of confidence in his hopes of carrying the election, due to his re- cent visit to the Middle West and the reception accorded him, especlally in Indiana. The Republican leaders see in his attitude an effort to check the movement which they claim has set in among the Democrats to g0 to the support of President Coolidge in the face of the alleged menace of Bryanfsm. The Republicans assert that conservative Democrats are coming over to the Republican side in increasing numbers for fear the election might go into the House. It is believed that this danger is realized by’ the Democratic managers and that they have. encouraged Mr. Davis to seek to hold his fSllowers in line by assuring them' that all s not lost and that they should stick by their party, as he belleves they still have more than .a. fighting chance. &, It Is a fact that some of the most careful observers In the country, who have visited the various States, some of them from coast to coast, agree in the main that Mr. Davis still con- tinues to run third in the race and that the battle remains between President Coglidge and Senator La Follette, with President Coolidge far and away id the lead. There has been observable within the past fort- night a marked lessening of appre- hension of the election going into Congress as one of the features of the general situation, * K K % President Coolidge is going to ad- here to his policy of keeping off the stump entirely and having very lit- tle to say in his public addresses upon the campaign. In this policy he is approved by the rank and file of his managers, with only some dissent from his supporters in the Middle West, who wanted him to talk more to the farmers. They are outnum- bered, however, by other supporters, who think that he can rest his for- tunes upon what he has said about the farm situation. * ok ok % One hears it said on all sides from Republicans that the campaign is practically set and the belief ex- pressed there s not much remain- ing to be done in campaigning in the intervening wee before election day for President Coolidge to accom- plish. Whatever whirlwind cam- paign there is to be made must de- volve upon Senator La Follette and Davis to undertake. The Republican leaders think that it is D to the opposition to show cause. they say, does not mean that they are to let go all holds nor rest upon their oars in a spirit of over- but they will keep the fires burning. What they mean is| that they think that from now on| what will come to their ticket may be regarded as “velvet.” * x ok % Reports from New York from well posted quarters say that Gov. Alfred E. Smith is running ahead of Col. Theodore Roosevelt in the governor- ship race and seems to be far ahead in the lead in the campaign. The governor is said to be intent upon a whirlwind campalgn and that he is subordinating National issues to State issues. This is construed by many to indicate that he thinks the na- tional ticket is hopéless in New York and that he intends to save the State ticket at any rate. These reports upon which the campaign started out as asserted it would be in New York. Republican leaders take violent ex- ceptions to the claim that Gov. Smith has the brighter prospect of carrying the governorship, however, insisting that the expected big Coolidge vote will carry the governorship along with it They expect a vote of half a million for Roosevelt upstate, to overcome the Democratic vote in the greater city. * k k% Senator La Follette has abandoned his California arffl Pacific coast tour and is going to put in the hardest licks this side of the Rocky Moun- tains, as affording the most fruitful field for his efforts. Senator La Fol- lette was disposed to take much glee in what was thought to have been studied omission by Senator Borah of praise of President Coolidge in his opening address in Idaho. Correction | by Senator Borah, however, disclosed | that he had praised the President so that what seemed to be an omission hecame added emphasis of his sup- port of the President by reason of its reiteration. * * k * Reports from Towa to the Republi- can leaders are that Senator Brook- hart's assault upon President Cool- idge has turned out the boomerang it was expected to be and has caused | a reaction in President Coolidge’s fa- vor among the Republicans of the State. At that, the Iowa fight is re- garded by neutral observers as very close, the outcome to be decided by the amount of strength to be polled by normal Republican- plurality of the State. * X k% > The creation of the national 'Demo- cratic labor committee working in the behalf of retention of the regular Democrats in labor’s ranks to the Da- vis candidacy is bringing results it is sald by Democratic leaders. Coun- trywide attention has been attracted to the efforts of the executive council of the Federation of Labor to swing the labor vote en bloc to Senator La Follette and Democratic voters are reported as_thoroughly alive to the situation. The attention of Republi- cans has also been attracted and Re- publican leaders are arousing their voters to the situation. . * X * ¥ In the interest of the hour over the presidential situation Samuel Gompers is not overlooking . the House of Representatives. His or- ganization is at work in all the States on the individual candidacies of members of the House of Repre- sentatives, and the veteran ; leader has just issued a call for the labor vote to bestir itself 'to see to it that a House friendly to the special.in- terests of labor should be ‘electéd if possible. “America needs a Congress for the people,” he says. “There is in your district a. candidate who deserves your help and support, irrespective of party affiliation. There is a can- didate who is for the people and agpinst the great reactionaries. Take off your coat for that candidate. See that reaction is defeated. In 1922 the people of the United States fol- lowed the lead of labor and elected 170 such members of the House of Representatives. Because of that great achievement .the present Con- gress has enacted no law: hostile to the people’s interest.” Mr. Gompers claims that Congress “stopped the flood of emigration} it blocked the sales tax, it exposed the Veterans' Bureau graft, it forced Daugherty out, it drove Fall re- tirement; it gave the people the facts about the oil scandal” Mr. Gompers says: “That's what a forward-looking Congress means to labor. In this election it is possible to elect enough such men so that the interests of the people can domi- nate the next Congress. The people can easily enough elect 250 faithful members of Congress who will stand true in defense of freedom and the rights of people.” A national amendment to have the ‘Washington ball team supplant Con- ress is not being talked af. ~But shouldn't it be?—St. Pafil Dispatch. “Did he dle a natural death?” “Yes, he was run over on the street."—De- troft News, ANSWERS TO QUESTION S BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How many people were kilied by automobliles last year?—G. A. A. The National Safety Council says the number of automobile fatalities for the year 1923 in the United States has not been determined, but the latest estimates place it as 15700, with an additional 1,750 which oc- curred at grade crossings, making an approximate total of 17,450. Q. What department preceded the Bureau of Standards?—G. A. E. A. The National Bureau of Stan- dards was established by act of Con- gress approved March 31, 1901, which became effective July 1, 1901. Before that time it was the office of Stand- ard Welght and Measures of the Treasury Department. Q. What is meant By neutral cor- ners in a prize ring?—F. N. A. The two unoccupled corners-are the neutral corners. Q. At this season when one reads 50 much of Mediterranean cruises, I am wondering if you can tell me the name of the first steamer to make such a trip.—A. N. 8. A. You will recall the Quaker City, immortalized by Mark Twain in “In- nocents Abroad.” This was the first steamer to attempt such a cruise. Q. Are members of the Canadian Parliament paid a salary?—T. B. A. Members of both houses are paid. In Great Britain only members of the House of Commons receive re- muneration. Q. What are “naval stores” and where are they produced in this coun- try?—N. 8. T. A. Spirits of turpentine, rosin, tar and pitch constitute what is known in commerce as naval stores. These com- modities are produced in this country entirely from the longleaf and slash pines of the South. The industry em- ploys between 40,000 and 50,000 men. Savannah, Jacksonville, Pensacola, Mobile and New Orleans are the chief shipping ports. The annual crop of naval stores is produced in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louis- iana and Texas. Q. Is there any treatment which will waterproof wood?—W. W. A. The Forest Products Laboratory knows of no treatment which wiil absolutely waterproof wood. Thor- ough treatment with coal-tar creo- sote will reduce the tendency to change moisture content to some extent, but will not prevent such changes. As a measure to prevent decay waterproofing is not necessary and thorough treatment with coal- tar creosote will be satisfactory. Q. What is gallic acid?—G. A. F. A. It is an organic acid that ex- ists ready formed in small quantities in gallnuts, in Chinese tea, in valonia, in sumac and other vegetable prod- ucts. ~Gallic acid has also been pre- pared artificially by chemical meth- ods. It is a colorless substance, crys- tallizing In the form of silky neegles that are soluble In cold water. %his acid will reduce the salts of gold, sil- ver and platinum and has been em- ployed in developing photographs. It is also used in medicines. Q. Was “Buffalo BII” Pahaska’—B. B. McC. A. Willlam F. Cody, knew as “Buffalo Bill,” Pahaska by the “long hair. Q. Does a captain in the Army recelve the same pay as a captain in the Navy? A. The rank of captain ever called whom we was ' called Indians, meaning in IN TODAY’S BY PAUL V. the A meat industry is soon to be in- troduced into the United States, the outgrowth of the efforts of a mis- slonary who, a generation ago, sought only to replace the food sourcgs of the starving Alaskan Eskimos, largely bereft of their natural resources of fish and game through the coming of the competition of civilization. Perhaps there never was a stranger reversal of natural conditions than that which now develops in the slaughtering of 5,000 reindeer in far- off, frozen Alaska and the shipment of the refrigerated meat for the tables, of the the well-to-do families of the States. This is the first shipment in quantity, although a limited amount has come from time to time for the high-priced restaurants. If the ship- ments this Fall and Winter create a steady demand for venison, a regular packing business will develop, with no limit to its possibilities. It will supply opportunities for industry in Alaska such as had never been dream- ed by Dr. Sheldon Jackson, the mis- sionary who in 1891 thought only of saving the starving Eskimos. * X % * The entire plan of introducing rein- deer into Alaska originated by Dr. Jackson, who after doing great work among the Indians of our Western plains was transferred to Alaska and almost at once saw that the natives were in danger of starving because the fish canneries had taken posses- sion of the rivers, and the hunters, with their high-powered rifles, were driving away the game or killing it. He returned to Washington to ap- peal to Congress for an appropria- tion of $15,000 with which to try the experiment of nsporting reindeer from Siberia and leasing them to the natives for breeding. But Congress lacked the vision or the sympathy of the missionary, and adjourned without making any appropriation, although it was urged by the Department of the Interior_through its Bureau of Edue cation. Dr. Jackson was given official appointment with the Bureau of Edu- cation, for the purpose of carrying out his plans. After adjournment of Congress, Dr. Jackson faced the alternative of seeing hundreds, or perhaps thou- sands, of Eskimos starve to death before the next Congress could act, or of soliciting the funds from private sources. He succeeded in raising $2,000 by contribution, and the Gov- ernment agreed to supply the trans- portation free. With the $2,000 he invested in goods to barter with Si- berian owners for the animals, and he succeeded in getting ten reindeer. These became the nucleus of the 66,- 000 now estimated as existing in Alaska, in addition to all that have been slaughtered in the 33 years since that first importation. The next year, with additional private funds, he imported 171 more head, and each year & few more until in 10 years a total of 1,280 were brought in. * ¥ K % Practically _all the reindeer are in the Seward Peninsula, north of the mouth of the gréat Yukon River and near the coast of Bering Sea. While the peninsula now has 66,000 head, the Biological Survey of the Depart- ment of Agriculture estimates the natural pasturage there capable of sustaining 200,000 head, and thé Sew- ard Peninsula is only a small part of Alaska. The first reindeer were farmed out to Eskimos, who contracted to care for them and at the end of five years to return to the Government an equal number of young reindeer, of the same proportion of the sexes, the keeper to get the rest of the increase for his-labor. There were restric- tions as to their selling or killing any in the meanwhile, except by per- it from Government officials. No ‘femile deer were slaughtéred. Sev- dral Laplanders, experienced with reindeer in their native land, were induced to migrate to Alaska to teach the natives the art of handling the . Army is not the same as captain in the Navy. An Army captain and z Navy senior lieutenant receive the same salary, while the pay Army colonel and a Navy captain is the same. Q. Was muslin goods named for a person or a place?—W. N. G. A. Muslin Is an Eastern word de- rived from Mosul, a city in Mesopo- tamia, on the River Tigris. It was applied to a kind of light cotton £00ds of open texture made in that city. In the Middle Ages, Marco Polo reported that caravans from Mosul brought goods of great fineness to Eastern markets, whence they were dlslr}bu(ed to Europe. The finest ma- terial from Mosul was so delicate that an_entire breadth could be drawn through a lady's ring. Q. What will'remove mercury from old mirrors?—N. B. S. A. The Bureau of Standards says nitric acid shoul@ be used to remove the old mercury from old mirrors only if they were made In the davs when tin amalgam was used. For the more modern mirrors it sug- gests that you try one of the re- ducing solutions used in photogra phy, such a solution of “hypo” and potassium ferricyanide (red prussiate of potash). Q. What river in the United States is known as the Dardanelles of the New World?—K. F. S. A. The Detroit River is sometimes referred to by that name. Q. What kind of grass is it that Luther Burbank developed corn from? —E. D. M. A. Luther Burbank's experiments cording to reports, were made with wild teosinte grass. Q. How 'many subtreasuries are there in the United States?’—G. E. F. A. The subtreasuries of the United States have been .discontinued and the work taken over by the Federal Reserve banks. There were nine subtreasuries, located in the follow- ing cities: Philadelphia, New York, New Orleans, Boston, St. Louis, Bal- timore, Chicago, Cincinnati and San Francisco. Q. How much ourrent does an electric flat iron consume?—C. W. H A." Electric irons come In weights of 3, 4, 5 and 6 pounds. The lightest consumes about 350 watts and the heaviest about 580. The 4-pound iron is probably the one most popu- ar. Q. In poker, can the last card be dealt by any one?—A. G. T. A The last card of the pack must not be dealt. When only two caras remain and more than one is asked for, they must be mixed with the discards and abandoned hands, shuf- fled and cut. Discards of those who have not yet drawn cards must not be gathered. Q. I have an oil .stove in which the wick holders have become so charred with carbon that the wicks will not turn up. What will remove it?—C. P. L A. There is no solvent for carbon Unless the carbon in your wick holders can be removed mechanicall it will be necessary to purchase new holders. (Have you o question you want an- swered? Send it to The Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, direc- tor, Twenty-first and C streets morth- west. The only charge for this ser: ice is 2 cents in stamps for return pos: age.) SPOTLIGHT . COLLINS. reindeer. The question of Alaskan starvation was thus successful solved. But soon another phase of Alaska reindeer raising developed, of which the general slaughtering this Fall marks its culmination. In recent years ownership of most of the ani- mals has passed out of the hands of the simple .Eskimo into the po session of large corporations. Four packing companies have entered the field and ome of these companies now owns 45,000 of the 66,000 total rein- deer in Alaska. Conservationists e; press fear that unless active Go ment restrictions are put about “the industry, it will not be many years before the original object of the mis- sionary will be lost and the Eski- mo will again be facing the over- competjtion of too much civilization, like that which controls the salmon fisheries. Who, then, they. ask, will find a new food source for the native Eskimos? * % k % Two years ago Congress made an appropriation for scientific work with the reindeer, through the Biological Survey of the Department of Agri- culture. This work covers the study of diseases and parasites which in- fect the deer and better breeding and handling of the animals. The crude practice has been to drive the refndeer all day over the trail, hitched to sleds, or ridden, and then at night while the drivers slept the reindeer would be turned out to graze upon the wild moss. The hungry beasts were glven no time to sleep and recuperate and withina few days of such driving they succumbed to exhaustion. The Biological Sur- vey experts are trying to impress upon the drivers the necessity of better feeding by supplying gathered moss or grain and giving the tired animals a chance to sleep. No cultivated pasture is ever needed for reindeer. They eat moss which grows in abundance and which is not relished” by other live stock. That is their Winter pasturage, which they dig from beneath the snow. In Sum- mer they eat the lush grasses of the valleys. It is now a part of the offi- cials duty to guard against the dan- geor of owners allowing great herds 10 feed upon the moss in Summer, in- stead of conserving it for <Winter pasturage. If a moss field be over- consumed it cannot be restored within 25 or 30 years. The Government is now dividing the pasturage into fixed allotments, with strict regulations to preserve the lichen for Winter use only. * k% % The reindeer are small, but they can haul three times as much as an equal number of dogs, and, when butchered, they dress out about 155 pounds of venison, with none of the gamey flavor of wild animals. It is the purpose of the Biologieal Survey to cross reindeer with the large do- mesticated caribou, producing a much heavier, stronger animal, just as the beef animal has been produced by selective breeding. The horse was once no larger than a dog, and cen- turies have produced the present steed. The reindeer is never thoroughly broken to harness. Unlike David Harum’s horse, it s not true of the reindeer that “a woman can drive it as well as a man.” It is timid and has a habit of suddenly leaping from the trail and facing about toward the driver, when it must be taken in hand and gently set right upon the path. The does have been milked for but- ter, but they yield only a teacupful at & milking—if the milker survives the strain. But the reindeer is equal to three dogs, is better eating than a horse, and is swifter. than an ox and nimbfer jn climbing a steep trail than a yqke of oXen. It therefore Has o mission to Bértorm, bioth in Alaska and upon the tables of the feasting American. (Capyzight, 1924, by Pasl V. Culttes)