Evening Star Newspaper, October 22, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sundny Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY. . .October 22, 1924 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office. 11th St. and Pennsyivania Ave New York Oficé: 110 East 3 Chicago Office: Tower Buildig, Europeau Office: 16 Kegent St.,London, England. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morning editon, i delivered by carriers within the ity nis per mouth; dally only, 43 cents per munti: Suuduy ouiv, 20 cents per month. ~ Orders may be xent by mail or tele- phone Main 5000. Collect.on is made by car- rlers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Puyable in Advance. Maryland and Virginin. Daily and Sunday. 1 yr., $8.40;1 mo., 70¢ | Daily only Sunday only .. .1yr, $6.00;1 mo., 60c 1yr., $2.40;1 mo., 20¢ Other States. . $10.00:1 mo., 85¢ $7.00:1 mo., 60¢ $2.00;1 mo., 25¢ Al Daily s Daily onl Sunday only day.1yr 1yr, tyr., Member of the Associated Press. The Associn o the use for reps patches credit in this pape Tished " special d s puass: Al i Al news pub rights of publication of e 1 ure ulso reserved. The Warning Whistle. confusion The trial resulting new from the scheme of handling t at street intersections should not be accepted as evidence of the impracticability of the question. T n involved the blow- ing of @ v traflic as aw intent to change | the dire w of traf An inter 1s between the warning whistle and the actual shift | was proposed, as probable time necessary for clearing the street in- tersection prior to making the change. ‘This interval may, as In Head- ley announces, have been too long, yet the pian in its essentials is sound and practical and should be continued. Such confusion as resulted was in a | measure inevitalle. for any alteration | in traffic control regulations is almost | sure to confuse at first. Yet there were | certain factors contributed to that confusion which were largely avoidable and which can readily be vesterday of a afli heme in policemen | rni pector whie corrected. The public was not ap-| prised of what was to be done under | the new plan, and why. And the| traffic police were, from their actions, | either not fully cted as to how | to function the new plan or, | having been so instructed, were them- | selves confused | The first of the avoidable factors which contributed to yesterday's con- fusion may be corrected by the issu- ence from the traflic bureau of a simple statement to the public through the local press of what is being at- tempted. The nd, through the issuance by the same office of In-| struc long the following lines | to the officers concerned: “When you are about to change the | direction of the flow of traffic from say north and south to east and west | act in this fashion. Face the traffic running from the north to the south and, as you blow a long blast on your | whistle, catch the eye of the driver of | a car back of the sidewalk intersection | and halt him with a hand signal. Motion all south bound traffic ahead of this car on its legitimate way. Then turn to face the traffic running from south to north and act as above, un- | less, as will probably be the case, it | has already halted. With the inter-| section thus cleared of vehicular traf- fic, permit such north and south bound cars as have signaled that they wish to turn to the left to do so, motioning pedestrians out of their | way. Then and not until then, release the flow of east and west bound | traffic.” All this sounds on paper like a some- what complicated scheme. Yet in operation, once the public understands what is happening, it is simplicity it- self. The plan is perfectly adapted to one-man intersection control, and is so operated at many of the busiest corners in New York City. As an alternative to the old local system of “blow, g0, and the devil take the hind- it has much to recommend it. ins under —r—e—————— Florida Fruit Crop. We get good news in the news. papers sometimes. The Department of Agriculture sends out word that the Florida orange and grapefruit crops will be bumpers. It that the com- mercial orange crop of Florida for the season 1924-25 is forecast at 13,400,000 boxes, or 1,000,000 more boxes than tast season, and that the grapefruit forecast is 8,600,000, or 600,000 larger than last season. With 13,400,000 erates of oranges and £,600,000 crates of grapefruit, sun.iemented by a few thousand carloads of citrus fruit from California, we ought to be able to get plong at breakfast with the assistance »f Maryland and Virginia apples and grapes and the spiced peaches and preserved pears that have kept things busy and upset in the kitchen this Fall. —~————— Tt will be many years before any- body laughs again when it is stated that Washington expects to win the base ball pennant. PR — As usual the prophets who an- pounced that there would be no re- Yuction in coal prices were correct. s Deadlock in the House. There has been a large volume of lalk, some apprehensive and some, ap- parently, hopeful, that the presidential electors to be chosen next month will be unable to select a President of the nited States, and that the contest will be thrown into the House of Rep- resentatives for the selection of the Prepident and into the Senate for the gelection of the Vice President, as pro- vided by the Constitution. And much has been made of the fact that the House, as now constituted, would be deadlocked, as between the two major parties, and therefore unable to dis- charge its constitutional function of selecting a President from among the three candidates receiving the highest mumber of votes in the electoral col- lege. ‘The Constitution provides that in the event of the House being called upon to select the President the vote shall be by States, each State having one vote, and that a majority of the ‘whole number shall be required glection, Though the- Constitutic silent on the subject, it is & natural construction that the vote of each State shall be determined by the politi- cal preferences of a majority of mem- bers of the delegation from that State. It so happens that five of the State delegations have an equal number of Republican and Democratic members, and, therefore, if they stuck strictly to party lines, their votes eould be cast neither for Coolidge nor Davis. But these five States must be counted in the whole number, making it nec- essary that the successful candidate shall receive the votes of 25 States. And as political control of the 43 other State delegations is so divided that neither Coolidge nor Davis could be elected without the votes of some or all of the five deadlocked States, there is widespread bellef that the House would be unable to elect a President, and that it would devolve upon the Senate to select a Vice President, who would become President by default. Many suggestions have been put forward for averting such an outcome, which, to say the least, would usher in @ period of political demoralization. One of the latest is advanced by Charles D, Hilles, vice chairman of the Republican natienal committee, who proposes that the five “dead- locked™ delegations shall pledge them- selves in advance to vote for which- ever candidate for President received the largest number of popular votes in their respective States. But against this it is argued that it would be il- logical for five States to accept the 1924 popular vote for guldance, while the course of the 43 other States was determined by the congressional dis- trict votes of 1 3 Another suggestion, which lacks constitutional authority or the war- int of precedent, but does not seem to be expressly prohibited, is that the deadlock States should split their votes, each casting a half vote for Coolidge and a half vote for Davis. But it is argued that if a State with four Republican and four Democratic Representatives were permitted to cast @ half vote for each of the candi- dates it might be insisted that a dele- gation otherwise divided had an equal right to cast fractional votes in ac- cordance with its division. For ex- ample, that a delegation of three Democrats and one Republican would have a right to cast three-fourths a vote for Davis and one- fourth for Coclidge. Any such at- tempt to split the vote of States, it is feared, would result in a disputed election which might have to be car- ried to the courts for an interpreta- tion of the Constitution. It is to be hoped that the machinery provided for the election of a Presi- dent in event of failure of the electoral college to do so will not be put to a test, but contemplation of the possi- bility, in view of the present situation in the House, shows the impractical nature of the provision and the neces- sity of amending the Constitution to provide a stmpler and more certain method. ——e—s Government Building Program. The Public Buildings Commission believes that Congress at its next ses- sion will appropriate money for a Gov- ernment building program in Wash- ington continuing over a pericd of vears, and which would provide space needed for the proper conduct of pub- lic business. President Coolidge, in his first budget message, recommend- ed that $5,000,000 be spent each year for the construction of Government buildings at the Capital until the re- quirements of the Government were met. The program would call for the expenditure of $50,000,000, and by spending $5,000,000 could be concluded in 10 years. A general building pro- gram is favored by the President, the Budget Bureau, the Public Buildings Commission and by many members of Congress, and the commission at fts late meeting expressed the opinion that there is every prospect that the necessary legislation will be enacted at the next session of Congress. The Federal housing situation at the Capital is unsatisfactory. The officer in charge of public buildings and grounds shows that unless the remedy is promptly applied conditions must grow worse with the increase in pub- lic business and the establishment of new offices. Col. Sherrill has said that temporary bulldings which furnish more than 3,000,000 square feet of the space in which Government work is done are deteriorating so fast that within five years they will be useless. The Government must construct build- ings and rent private buildings. Much of the Government business is now carried on in rented quarters not de- signed for Government work, and Fed- eral bureaus and parts of bureaus are scattered about the city. Many of the Government offices, both public owned and private owned, are crowded to a degree which operates against efficient conduct of business, and in many Gov- ernment offices the fire danger is pres- ent. Tons of irreplaceable records on which the Government depends from day to day are exposed to fire hazards which a modern business firm would not tolerate. ——————————— Publicity can accomplish much, but not everything. No race horse ever had better press notices than Epinard. . The Chinese war may stop the sup- ply of firecrackers for America. There is no unmixed evil. e Rainbow Pool. The Rainbow Pool in connection with the Lincoin Memorial is not only to be a thing of beauty, but a play- ground, or @ play pool, or an aquatic playground. The superintendent of public ‘buildings and grounds has said: “The attention of the public is called to the splendid opportunities that will be afforded by the pool for model yacht racing, which is now growing to be so popular throughout the United States. It is hoped that this sport will be actively taken up and become a feature of great Interest here in the future.” Salling of toy boats is & children’s sport that goes back in to the ages. One sees many pictures of children in northern Eu- rope with toy boats in their arms and pictures of children romping ebout shallow ponds sending little boats on ‘wonderful voyages or welcoming them home from a long cruise—a cruise per- haps a hundred yards long. In Wash- ington little children sail boats on Rock Creek, byt most Washingten s THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1924 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN children exercise their clippers and frigates in the bathtub. With this vast expanse of sea in Rainbow Pool chil- dren can send little boats on more ad- venturous voyages than the Argo- nauts made to bring back to old Greece the golden fleece. The superintendent of public build- ings and grounds also says: “It may be possible to allow the children to en- Jjoy the basins by wading along the edges during suitable seasons, as the water {5 very shallow and slopes off so gradually that wading could be done without danger.” Can any grown-up get more fun out of Atlantic breakers or the gentle ripples of the Potomac or the more or less imposing swells of the Chesapeake than a tot can get from wading in knee-deep water in the wading season? Then there will be ducks and swans to feed. The superintendent says that there are plans to Introduce into the reflecting basin ‘“’certain ornamental fowl, such as swans.” The few ducks and swans in Rock Creck Park lead fat lives because of contributions from children. Graybeards and baldheads may not see much fun in passing cake to a goose, but little children under- stand such things better, and the ducks and swans flap their wings in applause. When these ‘‘ornamental fowl such as swans” come to live in Rainbow Pool they need have no fear of famine. In winter Rainbow Pool will be a skating pond when the Washington climate turns out a bit of old-fashioned winter. Already there has been ice- skating on the pool, and when freez- ing weather comes young persons and others will be invited to the ice. ——or—s. The betting odds are not always re- liable. If they were, the contest to which they refer would be decided in advance and rendered unnecessary. However, as related to the coming clection, they afford Mr. Coolldge every encouragement to go on keep- ing cool. o Sclentists are figuring on how much time will elapse before the resources of agriculture will be inadequate to meet the food requirements of hu- manity. When that situation arrives prices should be high enough to meet the requirements of the most exacting farmer. —r——— A lady friend of Count Salm Hoogstraeten is quoted in these epi grammatic terms: “America is no place for a gentleman to make a liv- ing.” Again the old matter of word definition arises as a decided factor. “What is a gentleman?” — e Up to the present time no man could be more disinclined to grab the center of the stage than Gov. Bryan. Whether his self-effacing mood con- tinues may depend on circumstances as they develop. — e Chinese are at present so thorough- ly imbued with a war spirit that these tong demonstrations in America may be regarded perhaps as sympathetic demonstrations by homesick patriots. ————————— Financial institutions report a year- 1y increase in savings deposits. In ad- dition to the slogan of “the full dinner pail” there is now that of the growing bank account. E von ————————————— The Prince of Wales might have had an even better time on this con tinent if he had known more about base ball. e There i3 at least one point of agree- ment. All candidates are positively in favor of the United States Constitu- tion. ————————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Cheerless Companion. When we are filled with gentle glee And life is smoothly gliding, There comes a man who hates to see A world in joy abiding. The Weather Prophet brings regret Amid our gay endeavor And tells us we are going to get ‘The Coldest Winter Ever! ‘We've struggled with taxation’s cares. We've braved the higher rental. We're nearly through campaign af- fairs— The task was monumental. Just when we need repose complete That Weather Man 8o clever Informs us we're about to méet ‘The Coldest Winter Ever! Leadership. “Are you asserting yourself as a leader of the people?” “Not exactly,” answered Senator Sorghum. *“There are moments in this campaign when I don't feel absolutely sure which way I am going myself.” Remainder. A dressmaker, charmingly deft, Made costumes of substance bereft, Curtailing them yearly, While charging more dearly, Till only the waistband was left. Jud Tunkins says it's gect to be a wonderful show that makes as big an impression as the electric lights and the billboards. Morals. The drama old & moral brought, Quite plainly understood— “You will,” it very plainly taught, Be happy if you're good. But now its morals are but sad And just a bit grotesque. “You may,” it says, “if youarebad Be rather picturesque.” The Voter. ““Why don’t you run for office?’ “Haven't time,” answered Farmer Corntossel. “An’ besides, the feller that does the votin' is the one that gets the most compliments before election an’ the least responsibility after.” Ordeals. What rest can weary mortals know? ‘When we've concluded this cam- paign, In four short years we've got to go Through the same process once again. THIS AND THAT BY C. E. TRACEWELL. “It i1s & common calamit; time we have all been mad, Baptista Mantuanus. Whether one cares to go that far or not, sharing even partly In such an opinfon will make him view with true charity the cases of those strange characters which every great city knows—those persons who are just a little bit “off.” Washington at one time had & larger share of them than it pos- sesses today. What has become of them, in the passage of the years, who can say? Two decades ago almost every neighborhood in the Natlonal Capital had one or more of these harmless persons whose actions were a source of unending delight to tha children, especially the boys, who persisted in baiting them Today the lads are forced to con- centrate their efforts on the worthy lamplighter, screaming at _ him: “Guiny, Guiny lamplighter! Guiny, Guiny lamplighter!” If the industrious street lamp man is wise, he pays not the slightest bit of attention to the thoughtless in- sults of the boys, but goes on about his business with his peculiar half- run, half-walk. If he is not so wise—and mors often than not he {s not—he will reply with {mprecations in mingled English and Itallan, whereat the boys will scream out thelr taunts louder and longer than ever. at some sald John * K ok % Poor, harmless, seeming ferocious creatures of our childhood days! For all the harm we did them, for all the misery we caused them, forgive us, O Lord. We did not know any better. There was O1d Booze. How this colored man came to be given this name 8o unanimously by the boys of an entire nelghborhood is not difficult to figure out. He was a thick-set fellow, black as coal, with a breath that always smelled of liquor. Hls business in life seemed to be grass cutting, for which work he had wheelbarrow, rake and sickle. It was the sickle that gave Old Booze his great charm. Boys, like men, like a sport best in which there is a bit of danger. That was why Old Booze easily was the peer of all his fellows. The muttered Imprecations of these men and women — yes, there were women, too—were very enthralling to the boys, but the real spice of such baiting came when pursuit was offered. When 014 Booze tore after one with his whetted sickle gleaming in the sun, it was almost as good as a cir- cus and twice as exciting. No boy expected to get caught, of course Gee, he would cut your heart out, I'll bet, if he caught As far as the memory of man run- | neth, Old Booze never managed to catch up with a one of his tormenter: As soon as he hove in sight, trun- dling his barrow, some boy would begin to cry Old Booze! 0Old Booze! Old Booze! Old Booze! Other boys would take it up. From | up the street, from down the thor-| oughfare, across lots—there were lots | of lots in those days!—cries would arise: “0ld Booz ola Ya-a-aidy Old Booze The elderly colored man who thus bore a slang designation for intoxi- cating liquors did his best not to be annoyed. His poor brain, however— not a trained mind, be it remem- | bored—at last fell before the vocal onslaughts. “Old .Booze! Old Booze!" Persistently, with maddening regu- larity, that name rang out. No won- der Old Booze got sore. DId you ever have a child keep repeating a word or phrase in your hearing until you thought you would go crazy? If 8o You can sympathize with the predicament of Booze, bent on cutting grass and minding his own business. That was one trait even the children had to admit Old Boosze possessed Ya-a-a'| 0ld Booze!" | Boo-0-0-00ze! 1f you let him alone he would let you alone. Boys would gather behind a hedge, Press Welcomes Backed by Masons and K. of C. The Hamilton-Jefferson Assocta- iton, a non-secret, non-sectarian and non-partisan organization, recently formed at Utlca, N. Y., is approved by the press as a potentially great move- ment. Launched by the Masons and Knights of Columbus, and composed equally of Protestants and Catholics, the organization will look upon the Federal Constitution as an “antidote for the avils of the day,” and have for its purpose the promotion of the spirit of tolerance in America. “With an equal number of Protes- tants and Catholics, none of whom s working to further the interest of his creed or his party, but with all inter- ested In having better government, better understanding, more kindnes: and helpfulness in ordinary life,” the Indianapolis News believes “a long step may be taken in the direction of breaking down bigotry.” A combina- tion of these organizations, the Jack- son Citizen-Patriot agrees, “may well form the focusing point of a clear vis ioned and all-embracing patriotism, and “the example might well be foi- lowed in every community throughout the land.” There are possibilities of immense &ood resulting from such an enter- prise, in the opinion of the Dayton News, which says: “Out of the com- radeship of citizens who are assoclat- ed with different but not rival relig- fous views and lodges may come simi- lar associations all over the nation in which the Constitution shall become recognized ‘as an antidote for the evils of the day’ We need to pro- mote this spirit of tolerance in Amer- ica, because it is the foundation stone of our democracy. When such asso- ciation can be engaged in as has been demonstrated in Utlca, there is hope that many of the vexatious questions of the hour can be solved with jus- tice and charity. The outstanding evil of the hour in this country is in- tolerance. * % %k % ‘A splendid manifestation of the fundamental democracy by which we live,” is the way the Detroit New: characterizes the movement, and It adds: “Perhaps it may be the needed summons to a reassertion of that sturdy, free-minded Americanism which staked its life on an uncom- promising liberty, and, in doing so, dedicated to the world a gospel of social 1iving which has become the guidepost of modern civilization There 1is only one ‘l100-per-cent American citizen. The Constitution defines him. No minority group can outlaw him, for he is the Nation. For him, the true American, those men in Utica spoke, and their message should find an eager audience the length and breadth of the land.” The Louisville Courler-Journal is sure “much good should result from such a soclety which alms at fostering patri- otice ideals and @ spirit of tolerance in economics, politics and religlon,” and “any patriotic movement In- spired by the example- of Jefferson or embodying the tolerant attitude of our Constitution appears -certain of success.” “If this movement can gain head- way and spread to all parts of the try, as there seems every reason t hope that it wilL" the St. Joseph Gasgette is confident “it will go far- B ‘wel- stick their heads out and shriek: “Old Booze! Old Booze! The gulding cord between restraint and non-restraint would give way. Much as a cat, lashing its tall, after much teasing, slants back Its ears, bares its teeth and claws and makes a spring, 5o Old Booze picked up his trusty sickle, gave a shout and bore down on his detractor Head up, eyes shing, sickle gleaming, the old colored man stamp- ed across the lawns directly for his persecutors. His wildly thrashing arms spelled destruction to all who came within thelr reach. Then the mothers of the block would get into action, call oft their boys and placate Old Booze with kindly words, whereupon he would return to his work, muttering, mut- tering, muttering. - * ok ok % Pat was another of these charac- ters. He was such a typical Irishman that his name fitted him from the ground up. He, too, was stocky, and he, too. earned his living by tending lawns and dolng odd jobs. Pat, like & true Irishman, needed no weapon of defense -other than his brawny arms and capable fists. “Pat! Pat! Ya-a-a Pat Herolcally Pat resisted the lure of the taunts. Give them credit—they never sought vengeance until the in- sult became grievous. The mere yvelllng of one's name, of course, if the inflection were prop- erly done, was almost enough to make one want to draw blood. Ceaseless repetition almost snapped the cord. The stroke that cut it was the fol- This lyric was the crowning insult, the last straw that broke Pat's humped back. This effusion gave him the deepest hurt of all. For them little brats to say he ate a rat, be- gorrah! Down he ran upon them; fast they Gleefully the boys cried: And poor old Pat, mutter- ing to his befuddled self, went back to his Job of clipping the hedge. What was he muttering? How do I know? I was half way down the block by that time! * ok % % 01d Annie was one of the female characters In this Summer drama Just what she did, roaming into a neighborhood, to justify her existence is something unknown at this dis- tance In time and space. She, to: owing to her succumbing to the taunts of the boys, was baited regu- larly. Old Annie Old Annie!" This aspersion upon her age always drew her righteous anger. No mat- ter where she was, all a boy had to do was cast it at her, when she was after him as fast as she could go, which was not very fast, owing to her long skirts. There Is a legend of the evening when Annie began to dance to the tunes of a hurdy-gurdy. At last she began to feel the rhythm, much as a Python priestess of old might have, and one by one her garments began to flutter to the ground. While the neighborhood was watching in fasci- nated horror, the police patrol sud- denly descended upon the scene. * k% % w is divinest sense roing ey Much sease ‘he starkest madness. "Tis the malority In this, as all Assent. and s ne: Demur—you're straightway dangerous And handled with & chain So Emily Dickinson, perhaps great- est of woman poets, wrote long ago To apply the quotation to the poor creatures of this sketch may seem somewhat of a stretch, yet it brings out the point I want to make, that these characters were not as “crazy” as commonly reputed, but had about them, as eccentric as they were, points of undoubted merit “I teach that all men are mad,” said Horace. Out of this common bond let us hold In pleasant remembrancy these queer characters of our youth, who, perhaps, in the final analysis, were not so queer, after all. Movement fare than anything which has occur- red during the twentleth century, for “the growing distrust between Protestants and Catholics, which has been evinced the country over, has provided a greater menace against our national security and prosperity than any single problem since the days of slavery, and the fact that it has been unnecessary has only made the condi- tlon more bewildering.” In this connectio: the Chicago Tribune remarks, “Americans are many, and thelr differences are pro- found in some ways, in others shal- low. But as Americans they must learn to tolerate diversity. That is the binding {ssue of the Nation. The Toleration League may have a fu- ture or it may not. But the centri- petal forces of this nation must dom- inate the centrifugal forces. If they do not, there will be inevitable shat- tering and dispersion.” The Miami News-Metropolis sees a hopeful sign for better times in “the growing tendency to enthrone toler- ance In the country, foster justice and to give to all citizenship regard- less of creed or color equal oppor- tunity to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Although the Springfleld Union feels that group organization has proceeded to absurd lengths In this country, it neverthe- less, concludes: “Strangely enough, the number of organizations that have grown up in the interest of tolerance, that greatest of all vir- tues In modern life, is exceedingly small. Not only is there room, there is apparently a necessity even in this organization-swamped country for a group such as that recently formed at Utica. One may predict, and hope that this idea will take hold, that prominent men in other citles will see the advantage of counteracting the bigotry of the times by banding themselves into societies similar to the Hamilton-Jefferson Association.” Costs Doom All Cities, Henry Ford Believes According to Henry Ford, the city, any city, is doomed. “The cost of maintaining interest on debts, of keeping up water sup- ply, sewerage and sanitary systems, of traffic control and of policing great masses of people,” he says, “is so great as to offset the benefits of the city.” Even so, what are we going to do about it? Assume, for the sake of argument, that we bundle the family, with all our goods and chattels, into the walting Ford and hle ourselves to a suburban home. There we find.the community in- sisting on better living conditions— on water mains, sanitary sewer sys- tems, good pavements and sidewalks, adequate police and fire protection. Suburban as well as urban dwellers are demanding modern standards of living. That means increased taxa- tion. ‘Whither shall the speeding Ford take us in quest of primeval dis 1 Ll to Politics at Large BY N. 0. MESSENGER. The East Is at last thoroughly alarmed over the menace of the choice of the presidency possibly belng thrown into Congress, with the re- sultant traln of grave possibilities and unrest in business, upsetting of industry and all the other sad conse- quences which may follow. Several recent events have served to accen- tuate the danger apprehended, not- withstanding the reassurances of the Republican leaders and the favorable news from neutral observers fore- casting a Coolidge victory at the polls November 4. One of the Incidents which operated to renew the alarm over the possibil- ities of the election going to Congress was the statement of Willlam G. Mc- Adoo this week. Politiclans and others construed Mr. McAdoo's re- marks as an almost overt Invitation to the La Follette people for an al- liance with the Democrats to prevent the Republicans from securing a ma- Jority of the electoral college and thus paving the way for an alliance which would make it possible to bring about the election of Charles W. Bryan as Vice President and thereby the capture of the presidency * ok The recent statement from Chair- man Bulter of the Republican natfon- al committee asserting that he had definite knowledge of a conspiracy between Democratic and third party leaders in at least 160 conferences to accomplish this purpose added to the alarm. It Is recalled that John W. Davis himself had gone out of his way to take up the cudgels for Senator Wheeler—the third party candidate for Vice President, in his controversy over Wheeler's alleged frame-up n the indictment now pend- ing against him. Numerous minor instances have served to strengthen the bellef in many quarters that there is In fact a working understanding for the carrying out of a genuine effort to give up the cards that it would be impossible for the Re- publicans to obtaln a majority of the electorfal college. In all circles in New York little 1s talked about but the possible nienace of this suspected conspiracy and its direful effects. It is believed that the result of this will bring thousands of conservative Democrats the support of the Republican ticket and that their example will be widely followed throughout the | country. There is thought to be no| doubt_that this will be the case in{ New York, New Jersey and New Eng- |ana. * Kk k¥ The higher leaders in the Repub- !lican party privately do not expect | anything short of a substantial vic- tory at the polls November 4, but welcome these exhibitions of prospec- | tive conservative Democratic support as a measure of safety. Their con- fidence In a victory over all in the | electoral college is based not only | upen their own reports from their | captains at large, but upon the re- | {ports of neutral observers who have | been making a country-wide survey of | | political conditions. They are not de- | | pending altogether upon’ the polls re- | cently taken, realizing that these often | | go astray, but upon more substantial | | assurances. | Good news, for {instance, comes |from Missouri, where reports show {that La Follette is slipping and that the battle in Missouri will be be- | tween Davis and Coolidge. La Fol- lette appears to have made a bad {break in that State in his recent spasch in St. Louis and to have ostranged the Gern vote upon which he had counted. They are sald to have shocked the German | {descended vote with the radicalism of his speech and just at a time | when he seemed to be in the way of securing a large vote from that nent. His recent repudiation by | Charles’ Nagel. one of the most po- tential leaders among the German descended voters, also added to his { aiscomfiture > £ e La Follette's invasion of the East | after the abandonment of his foray of the Far West is awaited with some |anxiety by the managers. I under- stand from Standard Oil sources that in the industrial sections of New York and New Jersey La Follette has re- cently lost some of the support which earlier had been seemingly likely to be given to him. Apparently he has been apprised of this and is coming back to build up his fences. He is going to make a drive in New Eng- land as well as In this State and in New Jersey in the closing days of the campalgn. Earnest missionary work Is being done by both the old partfes In the labor unions of these sections and the La Follette doctrines are being fought with great vigor. The governorship contest in New York State is working up to a white heat. Col. Roosevelt, the Republican candldate for governor, has developed unexpected vigor as a campaigner and is putting Gov. Smith to his paces. It is well known that Col. Roosevelt is counting upon taking advantage of the expected heavy vot. to be cast for President Coolidge to swell his vote in the State at large and possibly to bring the State ticket through with the presidential ticket. There is no thought in the minds of practical politicians other than that Coolidge will carry New York State by a plurality of all the way from 500,000 to possibly 700.000. Fair-. minded Democrats when they talk— not for publicatibn—admit the proba- bility of Coolidge carrying New York State. Some of the more optimistic of the Republicans predict that he will even carry New York City. But not all the Republicans are confident that Roosevelt can beat Gov. Smith when they get down to brass tacks. The betting men, while putting their odds at 4 to 1 on Coolidge carrying New York, hedge their bets and will not wager on Roosevelt coming through with him. In New Jersey an emphatic Coolidge victory is prac- tlcally conceded by the best informed politiclans when they get away from their political prejudices. Senator Edge, Republican candidate, also is regarded as assured of re-election by a vote larger than he received on his first electlon. * k% % As the country at large s surveyed from New York headquarters it pre- sents a very pro-Republican aspect looking forward to November 4. From East Port, Me., to the banks of the Mississippi River a solid phalanx of sure Republican States is viewed with the possible exception of Maryland, which is yet considered as a Republi- can possibility. Beyond the Mis- sissippi, with the exception of pos- sibly Minnesota, which, however, has not yet been abandoned and surely with the exception of North Dakota, the Republicans see no break in their ranks. The latest news from Cali- fornia is exceedingly hopeful, likewise from the State of Washington, Okla- homa is probably lost, but Kansas is regarded as certain, Colorado prob- able and Wyoming and the mountain States sure. Kentucky is regarded as a Republican possibility, but the old timers do not pin much hope upon Tennessee. It Coolldge gets clear cut majority in the electoral college, thus prevent- ing the election being thrown into Congress, a large part of the credit will be 1ald to the conservative Dem- ocratic vote now being more thoroughly aroused to the menace of the possibility without their ald to | was the Republicans of the election going to Congress, which would spell di: ter to every material interest of the sountrgh Q. Did President Coolidge “drop” the name John after becoming Presi- dent?—G. K. A. When he was a boy, the Presi- dent was called Calvin to distinguish him from his father, for whom he is named. The form “Calvin Coolidge” was, however, not definitely adopted until about the time of the Presi- dent's graduation from college. Q. Are the comedians billed as The E\:{nrx Brothers really brothers?—F. T. A. These comedians are brothers. They are grandsons of a man who was at one time the leading ma- giclan of Germany. The Marx broth- ers number five, but one is not on the stage. Q. How are Senate pages appoint- ed—H. B. B A. The pages of the United States Congress are appointed by the sergeant- at-arms of the Senate and doorkeeper of the House through the individual Senators and Representatives. There are only 21 pages appointed and they must be between the ages of 12 and 16 years. They receive $3.30 per dav for the time they are employed, that is, when Congress is in session Q. Of what are the strings of mus- ical instruments made’—G. T. A. Formerly strings were made of catgut, but modern strings are made from the intestines of sheep, or from wire, either plain or covered. strings are still used, however, for such instruments as banjos, harps and mandolins. Q. Are any of Tolstol's family still 1iving?—D. C. A. A. A Russian paper at Prague stated that his children are still liv- ing in Russia, for the most part in great poverty. The Tolstol estate at assmaya Poljana has been nation- alized and is to be made a center of Soviet culture under the department of education and the central museum, Q. Have women ever invented any- thing?—R. C. B. A. The Patent Office records show over 5,000 patents granted to women. Q. How many varieties of turkeys are there?—J. R. K. A. According to the Standard of Perfection there ars seven varleties; the bronze, Narragansett, white, black, buff, slate and the Bourbon. Q. Was there ever a real great player of the harmonica?—F. G A. Miss Marianne Davies was the first great player of the harmonica. There have been others since her day. Q. Were the Rules of Civility which Washington wrote as a boy original with him?—R. L. A. The rules were taken from a popular book—"The Young Man's Companion,” by W. Mather. Q. What are the commercial uses for apple wood?—S. W. S. A. Apple wood is hard enough that when stained it can be used as an imitation of ebony. It is also em- ploved in the manufacture of furni- | ture, shoe lasts, buttons, ~Oriental wood and other small cogwheels, imitations of olive objects. he land_ that to Gen. Lafayetta? Q. Where was government gave — B. C. A. Under Act of Congress of De- cember 28, 1824, a full township of land, containing 23,028.50 acres, being township 1 north, range 1 east, ad- joining Tallahassee, Fla., on the east, granted to Gen. Lafayette, and title formally passed to him on July 4, 1825. All of the land in said town- IN TODAY’S ship not disposed of fayette or his agents under his d rection, passed on to his helrs, an it is believed that they have disposed of all the iand in this township by Gen. La- Where D. Cincinnatus Heine Miller, bet- known as Joaquin Miller, was born In Wabash District of Indlana in 1841. The name Joaquin is sup posed to have been taken from Joaquin Murietta, a Mexican bandit of whom Miller wrote a defense Q per s Jomquin Miller Please give comparative vi acre of Porto Rico and N Hall sweet potatoes?—J. C. V. A. The Department of Agricult ays that the vield of Porto Rico ncy Hall sweet potatoes is as @ rule about equal on the same type of soil. They generally consider 150 to 220 bushels of either variets very fair ever, they records of 400 o shels to the acre. The Porto Rico variety clined to produce a good sized potatoes, but these a of fine quality. Q. i ny ove ut When did the monthly pay ments of pensions begin?—H. § A. Pensions are now pald month this schedule having started in Se tember, 1922. Q. What is the Commemoration 0de?—C. J. R A. In 1865 an ode by James Ru sell Lowell was read at e at Cambridge, Mass, in con tion of Harvard men in the Civil War. as the Commem emor is knoy m Ode. Q maple tre A. The What month of the year ars s tapped for sugar?—J. K cu ry time In the Spring for ta maple trees when the weath s reached that stage when it night and thaws in the da: The first in dication of the rising sap in the tree is the signal for tapping. The seasc may begin any time from early Feh ruary until the first of April, depend ing upon the particular conditions each year. Sometimes the season i very ear] and again It may be ex ceedingly late. Q. Was Burchard's “Rum, Roman ism and Rebelllon” statement made in a campaign speech?—R. T. A. On October 29, 1884, just before the election, Samuel D. Burchard was one of a deputat i Blaine and assum deputation he said, licans and don’t propose to leave o party and identify ourselves the party whose antecedents been rum, Romanism and rebellion. have Q. How large is the furniture ir dustry in the United States?—R. H. 1 A. The annual output of this in dustry averages about $300,000,000. Q. Has an amendment to the Cor stitution ever been repealed?—H. A. A. No amendment to the Consti tution has ever been repealed. This | could be accomplished with exactly | the same procedure that followec in the passage and adoption of an | amendment (Have you asked Haskin? He does not | know all the things that people ask him { but he knows peopte who do know. Try | Mm, State your question plainly and briefly. Write plainly and inclose ¢ | cents in stamps for return postage. Ad. dress Frederic J. Haskin, director, The Star Information Bureau, Twenty-firs ! and € streets northwest.) 5 SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS. A news item informs the Ameri- can public that Germans have under- taken to build up a great dve in- dustry fn Japan, and that, with the cheap labor of that country, Japan will be able to compete successfully with American production of dves. Such an undertaking can hardly be appreciated without recalling the marvelous romance of the creation of the manufacture of dyes in this coun- try in the last eight vears and demonstration of the peril of war and the handicaps of peace, wheme no such productive and commercial independ- ence exists. ok K Kk There 1s one dve of which a single ounce is sufficient to supply the United States for a vear, vet the dearth of which constituted one of the perils of the war, in 1§17, when not a pennyweight could be gotten at any price outside of Germany. Every amateur photographer knows | that with ordinary plates he cannot photograph red, but not every photog- rapher understands that even the greenest foliage is red underneath the green coloring matter, called chlorophyll. When leaves lose their chlorophyll in Autumn, then the red appears. It was there all the time, but aid not show because the green was more abundant and was stronger. That explains the glorious color of the forests at this season. During the war the enemy camou- flaged their batteries by overcasting them with foliage painted on burlap. But when our aviators photographed such camouflage with the plates which had been treated with this special dye, which the chemists of our Department of Agriculture learned to produce, the negatives clearly differentiated between the real follage which has red beneath the green and the camoufiage which had no red. * ® ¥ X ‘When the war stopped Germany | trom ehipping her dyes—of which she then held a monopoly—it was a d aster to the entire industrial world. In the United States it came near to closing hundreds of manufactorles of silks, woolens and cotton and it came near to throwing hundreds of thousands of working people out of employment. Such was the desperate demand for dyes that scores of companies started to make them. The dyes produced, in most cases, were worthless, being not “fast” either under the sun or water tests. Prices were exorbitant, but failures came not from extortionate prices, but because of defective qual- ity. Dishonest dealers palmed off real German dyes of low grade as “American” and it is alleged that they had a double purpose—the im- mediate profits and the hope of dis- crediting and discouraging American efforts in the interest of German prestige. Today, American dyes are equal to the finest that Germany car. produce, and we are supplying 96 per cent of our own needs, besides exporting 15,000,000 pounds annually, in_direct competition with Germany. The in- dustry is row in the hands of suc cesstul dye manufacturers whose capital devoted exclusively to dye production is estimated between $100,000,000 and $125,000,000. The manufacture is founded upon broader sclentific knowledge than is in prac tice in Germany, where the working chemist in the factory simply follows irstructions covering his particular part of the process, and only a few know the whole process. In America there has been a continual shifting of the personnel in the factories, so that there Is no secret process not known to all rival American makers. Besides, Americans have now in their employ some of the most expert of German chemists, and are paying them us sslaries—as high as the | special | 25,000 a vear. We now possess 1000 dyes; the Germans had onl 9006 before the war. But one must know what are the best combinatior « and methods for each dve and for each kind of stuff dved. The field of dves is not limited t textiles, The of is fr dispensable to botanists and espe {cially to bacteriologists. The latter :flnd certain bacilli invisible under the | most powerful microscopes, unless ned. Tests for tvphoid, diphtheria | and many other diseases are depend | ent upon the stain to disclose the | bacilli. After the German stains were shut out b the war, American sub- itutes were found unreliable, wher | handled by the methods found satis- factory with the imported stains Strange to say, the American stains | were too purelacking all adulterat ing colors, and it was these adulter | ants which were ne ary in tinting | certain varieties amoeba and bacilli. Only after the chemists had added invisib! adulterants dfd these bacilll and amoeba become tangible under the microscopes. i e Et { Practically all dyes now used arr nthetic, and are derived from coal tar. Not all, however. The weavers |of ‘Oriental rugs have long . boasted | that their vegetable dyes were more permanent as well as richer in colo than the coal tar dves, although today it is hard to find a kenu v(‘ietv ble dyed rug even in the Orient. & Indigo, a vegetable, is the cIN the “natural dyes” and is still ex tensively used for high grade color ing. Madder comes from a plant | Logwood has no substitute so good |as the genuine, for a strong blue- Iblack; it is derived from forest |tree which grows in Central America |and the West Indies. Safflower! If the should fail, all Gove would be out of their jobs, for it is saower which makes red tape—ot rather which makes the tape red. How children would weep if the cochineal bug should die, for that is what makes candy red: also some other things that are brilliant red Annatto seed, which grow upon South and Central American shrut make yellow. The sturdy oak is a symbol of fortitude and courage; vet it is “yellow” when ft dyes. Fustic a tropical tree, is also yellow. grandmothers all knew these and used them. * ok The great unsolved problem fs the of so-called “vat” dyes. produced in Ger use safower erop rent officials | Derfecting | These twere first many about 1910, with indigo and alazarin—blue and madder. They are called “vat” dyes becauss the: can be used only in large quantities hence in vats. The process of using vat dyes is complicated, requiring a chemical change in the application; but the: are absolutely fast and strong in color, insoluble in water and Im- pervious to sunlight. In fact, the more they are exposed to sun and water the stronger and faster do the colors become. Americans now produce in vat dves two oranges, one yellow, several blues, a violet, two pinks, a red, 4 brown, but no satisfactory green. We DOwW pro- duce 1,750,000 pounds of vat dyes, but use 3,000,000 pounds. X xixw Our dye exports go mostly to the Orlent. ~ The Chinese demand vast quantities of blue andg yellow. Li Hung Chang remarked that if the Chinese were to add one inch to the length of thelr shirt tails it would upset the cotton markets of the world. Hence it will be understood that the dyeing of the blue clothes of the Yellow Kingdom is a great en- terprise, which we shall not sur- render to Japan and Germany with- out a struggle. Y