Evening Star Newspaper, December 15, 1924, Page 6

8 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. ... .December 15, 1924 -THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Busipess Office, 11th S New York Office: it 421 Chicago Offce Tower Bullding. pean Office : 16 Regent St.,London, and. The Evening ar, with the Sunday morning #dition, 1x dell red by earriers within the €ty ‘st 60 cents per month: dally onlv, 43| cents per month: Sunday only. 20 cents per | month, Orders may he sent by mail ot tele- hone Main 5000. Collection is made by car- tiers at the ead of each mopth. Rate by Mail—Payabletin Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dajly and Sunday Daily only.. $6.00; 1 mo., 50c Sunday ouly 2.40; 1 mo,, 20c All Other States. Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00: 1 mo., 85¢ Dai “1yr. $7.00:1mo. 60c 1yr, $3.00;1mo., 2Bc Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press fn exclusively entitied to the wse for republication of il news dis- Jatches credited to it or not otherwire credited n this paper and aiso the loeal news pub 11sbied ~herel, rights of publication of orved. Woodrow Wilson. pauses today in its legisla- tive activities to honor the memory of Woodrow Wilson, who died February 3 last. This particular date has no signifi- cance, but it is appropriate to the sea- son of the year. Congress has oppor- tunity now which it will anniversary of Mr. Wilson's death to pay this tribute to a man who in his eight years of administration exer- cised so important an influence upon American and world affairs, Mr. Wilson survived nearly three Years from the end of his term of office as President. He was during that time an invalid. Yet he main-| tained his intellectual power until very close to the end. He manifested a Xeen interest in matters of legisla- tion, and particularly in the problems of foreign relationship. Estimates of Woodrow Wilson's services to humanity as an advocate of peace and international understand- ing are not affected by political con- siderations. The sincerity of his desire for an effective organization of the nations to the end of settling differ- ences without conflict is universally recognized. He was stricken with ill- ness at the height of his fight for American participation in such an or- ganization. His last days as Prestdent were marked by a despairing struggle to. secure American association with | the League of Nations. The months of his retirement from public life were filled with reflections upon the details of that struggle. Asperities aroused by the contest over the entrance of the United States into the league have softened. Two national campaigns have been fought and the verdict of the American peo- ple has been rendered definitely and distinctly against that proposal. The “solemn referendum” which Mr. Wil- son asked has ylelded its answer in certain terms of rejection. Thus in paying tribute today to him Congress does not reopen the question with which he 0 closely identified. It records its appreciation of his service 1o the country and to mankind. A deep and lasting affection is felt by the people of this country for | Woodrow Wilson. Sympathy for him in his affliction and his disappoint- ment increased after his retirement | from office, and at his death, on the 3d of February, 1924, this sentiment was manifested in expressions of pro- found sorrow by all the people. Now | in formal terms this feeling is being expressed by the representatives of the people in & ceremonial service of | honor to the man who presided over | the uffairs of the country during eight | vears and who led it in war and fn the making of peace in one of its great crises. [ en Opportunities. Fourteen opportunities to make a practical Christmas gift are offered to the people of this city by the Associat- ed Charities. For the fifteenth time a list of 14 family groups has been pre- pared, each group requiring funds for maintenance during the coming year. The total of these amounts needed is $13,388. One of the opportunities has already been taken by the Kiwanis Club, so that there now remain for the public at large to care for only 13 cases. 1t has been the practice in the past 1o close these opportunities by Christ. mas day. Washington should main- taln its record in this respect, Indeed, before dark on the 24th of December every dollar needed for this budget should be subscribed. There is money enough in Washing- ton that can be spared from other uses to complete this Christmas char- ity gift. Every case presented is ‘worthy. These 14 family groups have been chosen with great care. The sums allotted to them have been meas- ured by actual needs. If those funds are subscribed these families will be held together. If the money is not! forthcoming they must be separated. In no more practical way can char- ity, which is the spirit of Christmas, be expressed than by giving to this cause, Let Washington rise to its op- | portunities now and give quickly and abundantly, with the example of the Kiwanis Club stimulating to the end of g record-breaking discharge of this duty. The Fourte ———————— The attitude of France toward the Y.eague of Nations continues to be largely that of one who hopes for the best. The General Business Outlook. Sapient observations, worthy of thoughtful consideration, by two eminent Midwest financiers, who have returned from trips to New York and Washington, are at hand. George M. Reynolds, chairman of the board of the Continental and Commtercial Bank of Chicago, and Melvin A. Taylor, | mittees have and in close contact with what is gen- erally called “big business,” see only hope and optimism for the coming new year, but both of them stress the necessity for caution and breathe the spirit of “watch your step.” They in- timate that the little duck in the pud- dle, which means the average man, would do well to bear in mind the ad- monitions which will be doubtless fol- lowed by the big fellows, Mr. Reynolds, for instance, found every one in the llast happy, cheerful and optfmi But he cautioned that people must not expect the business revival to keep pace with the speed set by the stock market. He was not prepared to say that the limit of stock prices has been reached, but belleves there may be more irregularities of the sort witnessed during last week. He found substantial evidences of im- provement in the business situation | aside trom the barometric forecast of | the stock advances. Mr. Taylor said that if the common sense of the people prevailed there ere two, perhaps more, years of pros- perity ahead. But all depends upon how we proceed. If business men be- come overenthuslastic and attempt to anticipate the futyre tco far there is apt to be a reaction. One temptation to be avoided is that to increase prices. Mr. Taylor regards this as a great danger. Caution must against increase of prices by manufac- turers and agalnst unwise demands for increased wages. He pointed out that the funded debt today is as great as it was in 1920, and if prices and wages go up -another “buyers’ strike” such as was witnessed in that year may be appreliended. Individual econ- omy and industry, of course, will con- tinue as always to be an elementary and necessary part of the general pub- } lic prosperity — e The Traffic Conference. After several months of preparation throuzh committees named in ad- vance, a conference of traflic experts, police heads and motor manufacturers meets today in this city under the call of Secretary Hoover for a two-day consideration of traffc prohlems throughout the country. These com- ready for presentation reports on various aspects of this matter, which is of such vital impur- | tance to the public welfare. They re- late to statistics, traffic control, con- struction and engineering, city plan- ning and zoning, insurance, educa- tion, motor vehicles and public rela- tions. Thus they cover, broadly, the | entire scope of the question. Each city in this country has up to this time been working on its own traffic problem. The result is a con- fusion of practices. In each local code of traffic regulations are good features. In each are bad features. There is no uniformity. No fundamental rules have been established which are founded upon basic laws and therefore applicable to all communities. Nat- urally, of course, each local code is related to the particular conditions of that area. The purpose of this present conference is to study the question in the broadest sense. The waste of lite from badly regu: lated and thoughtlessly moved traffic is shockingly large in the United States. The misuse of the motor car and the misuse of the streets and highways of the country are contrib- uting to a death and disablement toll that is comparable with the cost of | the war. The streets in the cities of this country were designed for slow-moving vehicles. A fast-moving traffic has developed and traffic rules have been adopted to adjust this new form of transportation to old physical condi- | tions. The traffic has developed more rapidly than it has been possible to| change the conditions. Out of the present conference may come some | formula of procedure that will effect | an adjustment and grant a maximum of safety and of traffic movement. ‘Washington is keenly concerned in this matter. With a physical layout {of highways that should yleld the maximum of traffic facility and of safety together, it has become the scene of accidents that put it nearly at the bottom of American cities in point of public safety. It cannot at this present national conference serve as a model. 1ts urgent needs are even now the subject of emergency con- sideration by Congress for legislation. It lacks & proper traffic court and an adequate traffic police force; its laws of punishment are inadequate, and in some respects its traffic code is far from satisfactory. Secretary Hoover, with his high ca- pacity for organization, has started a work of great national importance in thus bringing together representatives of all the interests involved in the traffic problem, and ¥specially in start- ing committees at researches in ad- vance of the actual meeting. There is reason to expect that a distinct ad- vance toward public security and ef- fective traffic movement will be made in consequence of this gathering. ———————— Germany will doubtless be content to handle a cabinet crisis at almost any time, provided it can be relied on as a safety valve to prevent a popular explosion. [ It has been said often that every man’s place,can be filled. The Amert- can Federation of Labor finds itself re. gretfully compelled to put this idea tc a crucial test. ———————————— Christmas Trees and Fire. The Treasury Department puts a ban on Christmas trees because of fire danger. The announcement is made that “no more candlelighted Christ- mas trees will twinkle their holiday cheer through the Treasury Depart- ment as they have in the past.”” Or- ders have gone from the chief clerk that the old practiee must not be fol- be exercised | lowed ‘“‘on account of danger by fire.” ‘The Fire Department will tell you that there j§ danger from fire in Christmas trees, and also that the whiskers of Santa Claus are inflam- mable. The lighted candle on the president of the First Trust and Sav- ings Bank of that city, have given the Tesult of their close scrutiny of trade end financial conditions at present and the prospect for the future. Thege two men, noted in high finance Christmas tree sets fire to the nesdles and branches, and the danger becomes greater when the tree, pre- served because of its beauty, gets dry. It is not likely that the action of the ‘Treasury will have much effect on the " THE EVENING BTAR, WASHINGTON, sentiment for Christmas trees. The number of children who demand that Santa Claus shall dress the tree and the number of parents who second that demand indicate that there will be a forest of Christmas trees in the lving rooms of Washington and that they will be freighted with strange and shining fruits and flowers, little drume and horns, golden fish,: bags of candy, dolls and candles. If Santa Claus is so good as to stop at your house long enough to dress a tree, the mere mortals in the house should take care that the tree and house are not set on fire. Toe Fatalities. lce accidents have already been re- ported, although the season for fce sports has just opened. ¥our boys, three of them 12 years of age and one 9, were drowned Sunday In a lake near Peekskill, N. Y., when the ice broke under them as they were slid- ing.and playing. One of the boya made the others a “dare,” and they fol- luwed, despite the warnings of their clders on shore. The ice was not thick enough to bear their weight, and they went under and were lost. Two older lads who tried to save them were themselves nearly drowned. There will probably be other fatali- ties from this cause ere the Winter ends. A sheet of ice offers a strong temptation,- It 1ooks solid. It bears the welght for a little way. Suddenly it cracks and a life 1s lost. Often these accidents happen far from help. There is little time in any case for rescue, for the victims are carried under the ice by the current and are numbed by the cold so they cannot help them- selves. Or they clutch the edgee and try to clamber out, break the ice anew and fall back exhausted. All fce is dangerous, and particular- Iy in the early part of the season. De- spite warnings, against reason, in the { face even of positive signals, young- sters will persist in skating and slid- ing over the frézen surface. It is one of the penalties of youth that so many are taken, Yet every accident should be noted as a warning. It is to be hoped that this one at Peekskill will serve to keep many children out of } danger this Winter. The Government is expected to de- vise a means of regulating communi- cation not only by telegraph and tele- phone, but also by radio. This would dispose of certain embarrassments for time; at least until some new in- ventor wrests still stranger secrets from science and makes telepathy practical. e —— Denmark law in contempla- | tion authorizing & physician under cir- | cumstances to take the life of a| patient, should proceed with caution Denmark is not so large_a country | that it can risk diminishing its influ- | ence by a sacrifice of man power. ————————— After reading the news from China, and from several American citles where “tongs” flourish, it becomes permissible to wonder how the Chinese secured the reputation of being such placid philosophers. —et—————— Publicity for income tax returns, laboriously made out, reveals the fact that there are still some forms of mental labor involving no pride of authorship. P Many economists persist in believ- ing the only really dangerous in- fluences connected with Sovietism are the vamps who come over with the Russian ballets. X B — At least one person who does not appear particularly worried about the credit due Mr. Young in connection with the Dawes plan is Mr. Young. ——et——————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNBON. Each Man. Each Man imagines he must do Some mighty work toward pulling through This good old world—which, every year, Finds some new trouble drawing near. Each Man strives on to mend his lot; Then fades away and is forgot, While other men will duplicate His efforts to keep matters straight. Eacli Man believes some better mood Is due to his solicitude, The world moves on Wwith steadfast cheer And scarcely knows each Man was here. No Call for Agitation. “What is your opinion of the Dar- winian theory?” “I don't venture to dispute,” an- swered’ Senator Sorghum; “though, of course, I see no reason to come ot strong for it so long as there is abso- lutely no prospect of the lower ani- mals having the ballot.” Language on the Loose. Good diction is of little use In work, however skilled; But when profanity turns loose, The audience is thrilled. Jud Tunkins says the mother-in-law joke is obsolete, but the son-in-law Joke gets more and more prominent. Morononsense, Willie got a little gun; Shot his uncle’s eye out; Vowed that it was neatly done For a first-time tryout. Well Meaning. “Why did . you tell me that inex: | of door to go in, and stepping across {talned for 12 years a force of. 100 cusably shocking play was a simple, sweet-and harmiess comedy!” “Forgive me, dear,” rejoined Miss Cayenne.. "I -was doing my best to keep you from going to see it.” . Not So New. “Crass-word puszies tpach people many new words.” “Maybe, But thoss you hear when a person can’t hit the-corréct com- bination sound strangely familiar.” “When & man makes a flop of some- thin’,” said Uncle Eben, “‘stid o profitin’. by -experience -he's always labdle to think he kin make a success of sumpin’ he don't ‘know nuffin’ ubuut’.." D. G, "MONDAY, DE BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, ° Just inside the plate glass window, at'a table facing the street, sat ‘a woman weeping. 8he was well -dressed in the furs of a hundred little squirrels that had never done her any harm. Her hat was fashionable, and her hand b on the porcelain table bespoke money. Yet there she sat, in the afternoon sunlight of a December day, weeping %0 that all the passersby on a fre- quented street in the Natiohal Capital might see her grief. .Probably not one in & hundred noticed her, or cared & whoop about her if they did. She was pretty, after a fashion. Here was romance, one thought, on display in u restaurant window! Or was {t only foollshness? Yet there was something genuine about the way she wept. Her head was bowed, as if eating, but there was nothing on the table to eat. She held a small lace hand- kerchief clutched in her left hand, while with her right she brushed away a fear that glistened for a mo- ment in the rays of the sun. Shall we enter, and ask her what s wrong? Perhaps this is the be- glaning of a road that will end up In the Potomac River. “Madam,” we shdll say, “may I inquire just why ¥OU are weeping here in the sunshine? “The place is rather public, and If you will do nothing else, L beg of you, retire back a few tabies into th dimmer recesses of the restaurant No, we do not enter. A great city Is a great oity. If a woman wants to shed tears on the marble top of a dairy lunch table, that is distinctly her own business, Her consclonce must be her guide. *ow ok ¥ Restaurants have always fascinated me, suppose, not only because of the food one gets thereln, but even more because of the various types of humanity one is privileged to en- counter at the counter, in the arm chairs, everywhere Inside the portals heralding w certain kind of coffee brewing I speak of the ordinary varfety of dairy lunch or average restaurant found throughout the usiness sec- tion. Of the more pretentious estab- lishments, more later. The curioul little places, t0o, including tearooms and the like, will have to await thelr {urn in these chronicles of everyday ife. Today we turn in at the sign of the coffec, ‘opening a very ordinary sort a sl that has sturdily resisted the scrapping of masculine soles for 15 vears, to my own limited knowledge, and probably as many more, to which the older inhabitants could testify, no doubt. % It is a darkish mort of room, lit by two good sized windows and several large electric lights. The flooring Is a dark brown linoleum. The chairs around the periphery are of the com- mon type found in such places. They t0o, have borne the brunt of the bat- tle, countless thousands of male el- bows having massaged them over the years, Serge. cheviot, tweed clad. arms have held cups of coffee polsed here, and elbows in shirt sleeves alone, and in no sleeves at all, have done the same. This {s a dally temple dedi- cated from the beginning to the eter- nal male. There never has been any compro- mise in this place. There are no white letters on the panes declaring “Ladles and Gentlemen.” or “Ladles and Gents.” Rankly masculine, this place s for men only. Here a man may come for a cup of coffee undisturbed by the prospects of feminine invasion. No woman or girl ever has been known to invade this precinct. Several have been seen 1o get as far as placing their hand on the doorknob, but there they faltered: Thelr heart fafled them. * xR Yes, we are safe here. The wiles and graces of the other sex, all those playful tricks with which they be- guile our fancy andymake us as wax beneath the Summer sun, are here as it they had never been. Beauty and IN TODAY’S grace and charm and blandishment, where are ye now? Our company,” i our dark oak chairs, with . their wide-spreading arme, comprises a very elderly and very .thin man, a serious 'business man, & serious youth, & man in white Inck hind the counter, ‘a-larger gentieman in- white- jacket over by the window, and & group af three earnest gentiemen talking to him. The two countermen do not seem to belong to-this place. -One of them looks llke a clergyman who had changed hig black vestment for one of gleaming ‘white, freshly laundered and starched. Thiy is the large one over by the window, . The snappy mia behind the counter looks for all the world like a success- ful mercantile “ store owner. One wondefs why he gave up his business sult'of light gray for a counterman’s His face {s keen cut; he has a large nope, and he wears large tortolse-shell goggle glasses. The countefman by the window, Who reminds one of a clergyman, has a heavy face, his head being very large. It would be too big it it were not for his broad shoulders and thick chest. Hia face is masaive, his cheeks lined as with care an¥ woes, while his eyes seem to hold the mysterles of the 10 great religions. His associates of the moment are equally serious. One of them is in blue overalls, the other two in ordi- nary buginess.suits. All are solid men, of thick thews, the kind that can tell you offhand what is the mat- ter with the country and how to right it, and why they knew months be- forehand that President Coolidge would win the electlon. The very thin and very old man continues to consume bran at an slarming rate. Already half a heap- | ing bowlful has disappeared, in great spoonfuls. The rest of it is going the same route as fast us the old gentleman can shovel it in. The serious business man drinks his coftee. So does the serious young man. It {s a toss-up which one s the most serious. There is only one seri- ousness that can beat the serious- ness of the middle-aged, and that is the meriousness of the young. The boy in his first 10ng trousers, who has Just heard that another boy s taking hie best girl to the dance tonight can look more woebegone than the busi- neas executive who has secn his rival “scoop” him on & big sale. While the oid man chews his bran like & cow her cud, and middle-age and youth gate tensely into space over thelr mugs of steaming ‘coffes, brown in white, the quartet by the window talks -on, and on, and on, a& {f this was the only thing in the wide, wide world worth. doing. It Is impossible to hear their words, becguse of the street noise and the oceasional opening and slamming of the door, as a pieman and others come in from time to time. * % % A woman entering here? Yes, sir, & woman is opening the door! Bhe is a large lady, almost an Amazon, six feet tall if she Is an inch, and proportionately broad. Her face is chiseled, Itke & feminine George Washington. 8he strides across the lunchroom a3 if she means business. The group by the window has ceased talking and is 100king in her dir:ction. The white-coated Lig man looks more ministerial than ever. The old man stops in his congump- tion of bran. The serious man and the serious youth look toward the counter, where buns and cakes and doughnute and all the rest of the provender are piled high, But they are not looking at the food. They are looking at the snappy counter- man. The woman confronts him. Angry words issue from her lips. The counterman grins foolishly, and drops his eyes beneath his big glasses. As the woman continues to speak, the old man resumes his bran, the serfous man and the serfous youth turn again to their coffee, the group by the window looks into th> s(reet. We mind our own business in this place. SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS. The United States “Army” now con- trolling Nicaragua is ordered to evacuate that country January 1, ac- cording to the voluntary announce- ment made last February by Secre- tary Hughes of the State Department. Since 1913 the American forces have maintained order and preserved the government of Nicaragua, preventing revolutions and safeguarding ' loans made to that government by two New York banking firms. The c stitutional and orderly election last October, in accord with plans Insti- tuted upon the recommendation of an American expert, is taken as justification for the withdrawal of our marines. How much does our occupation Nicaragua justify jealous fears of other Central American countries, as sometimes suggested? How much does this voluntary withdrawal war- rant the suggestion that our Monroe aoctrine {s a closk for our eventual overlordship of the weaker nations of this hemisphere? Tk %k ok % Tpon the recommendation of the administrative officials of the Usnited States, two New York banks in 1911 loaned to the Nicaraguan government $1,000,000 a3 an mdvanced part of a $15,000,000 loan promised in a treaty] which was refused ratification by our: Senate. The two banks also invested $1,000,000 in 51 per cent of the shares of stock ‘of the one raflroad of the country and $153,000 in the control- ling majority of the shares in the only bank. In’addition, our Govern- ment dater invested $5,000,000 ‘in @ treaty right of perpetual control of a transisthmian canal. To protect all these interests, we have main- of marines in Nicaragua, at a cost of not less than $73,000 a year and have sent naval expeditions from time to time, so that our “protectorate” has cost us a total of rmot le: than $1,000,000. - Now we are withdrawing and “trusting to the native govern- ment to pregerve peace and maintain order. R . The countries of Central America have been in civil strife almost cop- tinuously - sin¢e they” achleved {ndo- pendence from Spaln, a century ago. Revolution has followed revolution, and incoming administrations have not always recognized the obligattons of their predécessors. This has jeopardized saftey from foreign in- tervention and put a straln upon the Morirce doctrine. g It 18 not exact to say that the gov- ernment of Nicaragus has alternated between two parties,®the Conserva- tives and the Liberals, for parties, as known in the United States, do not exist there. There are many “blocs,” led by office seekers, who take little heed of party principles, but fight whenever they cah rally a personal following strong enough for their ends.. In. addition to the 'broad divi- sions between Conaervative and Lib- eral leaders, there is a general divi- sion also between adherents of the two leading rival citles; there “personalismo” and also “Tocalismo. * ok kX o From the middle of the_last-oen- tury the warid' has ‘been in view that Great Britain set-up a “protectorate” 75 years ago over the Mosquito Kingdom, a part of Nica- ragua located at the mouth of the 8an Juan River, whose channel is in the proposed route of the projected | canal. The Mosquito Kingdom is peopled mainly by English-speaking negroes. Although the €layton-Bulwer treaty between Great Britain and the United States (1850) bound both countries 10 Tespect the sovereignty of Nich- | ragua, Great Britain refused to rec- | ognize that that bound her to re-| linquish the Mosquito protectorate, which had never been recognized by either Nicaragua or the United States. In 1893 President Zelaya of Nica- ragua made war upon Honduras and used that war as an excuse for ig- noring the British presence in the province of Mosquito, and invaded that_region with his army, en route to Honduras, asserting anew the claim of Nicaraguan sovereignty. Pressure of our Monroe doctrine combined with that action of Zelaya, and Great Britain withdrew her clalms. Zelaya gained control over Hondus nd in the course of his long administration proyed such a disturbing element of ménace to all Central America that the other states combined to threaten him with a gen- eral war. In the face of this menace, in 1907, President Roosevelt united with Pres- ident Porfirio Diaz of Mexico in call- ing a peace conference, which was attended by representatives of all Central American nations. At this conference a Central American Court of Justice was created, as a tribunal of arbitration and.adjudication of i ternational disputes. ! * ok ok x| In 1509 the Liberals started a revo- lution against President Zelaya which received the. tagit support of the United States Government. This en- ocouragement of the rebels' was en- hanced when Zelaya captured and hanged two Americans fighting with the revolutionists. That act resulted in Zelaya's downfall. President Taft, | however, was not satisfled with the new President, Madriz, and refused him recognition, but when -Estrada was duly and constitutionally elected he was given full recognition by the Taft administration. * * % ¥ Foreign creditors were now clamor- ing for their loans. A treaty was ne- gotiated bstween the United States and Nicaragua by which we were to assist that oountry in bprrowing from banks $15,000,000 with which to set- tle all claims and finance the develop- ment of the country. This was re- Jected by the Seriate, but before that rejection two New York banks had ) undertakings. advanced $1,000,000 as & loan and in- vested 31,153,000, as stated above, all of which was secured by control of all, internal taxes and of customs du- ties, In 1911 Gen. Mena “caused the As- sembly to elect him President” for the term beginning January 1, 1913, but he was overthrown by Gen. Dias before assuming office. The American Minister, Mr. Weitsel, demanded of tion the naval base would at. | brought to pass aré Hkely to con- o’ guarantee me- | Doent hostilities there and Jeopardizs | tinue, inasmuch as the rotiring Prasi- Dictator Dias ‘curity. for all Acknowl- CEMBER - 15, 1924. FLOWERS ;For' the-Living Tom. Taggart. /BY GEORGE ADE. Some . people think you can indict & man by calling him a “political boss.” /it he iy shrewd enough. and careful’ enough-to bulld up a succes: ful organization there must be som thing wrong with him. Why? The opponents of Tom Taggart have tried o belittie nis influence and use- fulness by calling him “Boss. Tag- gart.” Hawh they ever stopped to consider that'no one can get & po- litical rulership, extending over many years, in_a State like Indlana except by rendering service to the voters and. pulliug for the welfare of. the Commonwealth? We have ng large cities fn Indiana, no slums, no dis- tricts with haif-assimilated forelgn- ers, no herds of undecided citizens waiting to be. told what to do next Our_electors are free-thinking and given to jumping fences. Those who decide every contest have to be shown and will not respond to the crack of a whip. The Democrats are even more jealous of their individual free- dom than are the Republicans. And vet mome people will tell you that Tom has bossed his party for 30 years and has bossed Indiana for a good part of that time. Of course he has not done anything of the kind, but if you insist that he has named candidates and forced thelir election, then you make him re- sponsible for such United States Sen- ators as David Turple and John Kern and such governors as Tom, Marshall and Sam Ralston. The recent Demo- cratic candidate for governor, Dr. Carleton McCulloch, {s one of the most learned and honored citizens in the State. If you accuse Tom of do- Ing the picking you will have to admit that he picks men of big caliber who serve their constituents honestly and efficiently. What Tom has tried to do at all times is to keep his party in a state of preparedness and he has favor- #d the selection of candidates who rould win on their merits. If the representative Democrats all over Indiana have looked to Tom for ad- vice and friendly guidance it was because they had faith in his judg- ment and realized that he knew more about the situation than they could possibly know and was a square- shooter. For a good many vears the partisans of Indiana have hunted Tom up and leaned on him for support when he was quite willing to be let alone to manage his large private Tom was in the United States Sen- ate for a while. He talked little and voted right, without much regard to party line-ups. He helped to build the Dixie high- way through our State and has ac- tively promoted every sort of enter- prise to make his neighborhood a pleasanter and more attractive reglon Under his direction French Lick Springs has become a magnificent show place and a popular health re- rort. He is kindly, friendly, witty, hospitable, diplomafie, considerate, charitable in his judgments, quick in arriving at conclusions, loyal to his friends and Inclined to make allow- ances for his enemles. He is liked by regiments of people because of his genuine human qualities. One story of his “bossing” must be told. - It is only within recent years that Indiana has made adequate pro- vision for the higher institutions of learning—Indiana University, Purdue and the State Normal. The nearby States.of Ildnots, Wisconsin, Michi- £an aAn@-Ohfo were spending millions’ on their: big universities, while In- diana lagged behind. Tom had been watching the situation and he de- cided that something had to be done. He went to Indianapolis while the| legislature was in session and invited | the Democratic members of both | houses over to a dinner at the Deni- son Hotel, which he owned. After! the feed he got up and begged the| legislators to vote for liberal and permanent appropriations for the‘ three schools. He did more than any | other oitizen of Indiana to protect and encourage the interests of high- er education. Thaf's the kind of a boss he is. - Of course, he came up to wealth and influence from a humble start. America is still the land of opportunity. (Copyright, 1924, by the Bell 8yndicate, Inc.) More Police Needed for Traffic Regulation To the Editor of The Star: 1 desire to commend the thought| expressed in your editorial of De- cember 9, entitled “A Larger Traffic Squad,” and sincerely trust you will continue your efforts in this respect. 1 quite agree with you as to -the de- sirability, If not actual necessity, of having highly tralned men stationed at congested intersections to assist in the orderly movement of traffic, and a sufficient number of motor cycle patrolmen to cope with the reckless and drunken drlvers.. This would| facilitate traffic and promote safety, and should, 1 feel, recelve first con- sideration in the apportionment of available men by those in charge of trafic. We find, however, that, not- withstanding the shortage of avalla- ble men, there are about 20 able- bodied policemen engaged in the use- less and futile ceremony of checking automobiles in*and out of spaces and apprehending the good and peaceful citizen who leaves his automobile longer than the allotted time. While the parking situation is perhaps of some consequence, it certainly fades into insignificance when compared with real regulation of moving vehi- cles and fety of pedestrians. Would it therefore not be prudent to devote all available men to the major subjects of the traffic problems, and, as this force is supplemented, con- sider the minor problems? The parked automobile can neither killl nor injure, and 50 long as it remains stationary it is without the stream of already overcrowded- traffic. All good motorists—and, fortunate- 1y, they are in the great majority— are, as you suggest, readily amen- able to regulations and signals, but the promulgation and attempted en- forcement of unnecessary regul tions tends to detract from a strict observance of the vital regulations. STANLEY D. WILLIS. bility. That was the beginning of the presence of the 100 marines—just prior to the close of the Taft admin- istration. Our marines stormed a fort of the revolutionists and took it, on the ground that it menaced. the rail- road belonging to New York bank- ers. * k% % In 1914 a treaty was négotiated. and in 1916 ratified, whereby the United States gained exclusive Tight in per- etulty to construct and maintain, ree from Nicaraguan taxes, a canal across ‘thé country, in eonsideratiom of $3,000,000. The same treaty gave us a lease of two islands in the Caribbean Sea for a naval base. This lease, for 99 years, is protested by other ~Central American nations, through the Roosevelt-established Peace- court, on the ground that in case we were at war with « Euro- the peace of Central America. ’The' o in the project of an interoceaniv ca-| edging that he was impotent to make | jrotest is ignored by both parties t nal across Nicaragua, in tion to the Panama Canal. It was with that arantes, Dias requested the Unif States to ""‘F' the responst. ) the treaty. » (Copyright, 1924, by Paul V. Collins.) WERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. Kindly inform me vhat salary clerks in the Police Department of this city geceive?—S. M, A. The salaries of these clerks range from $1,240 to $3,300. Q. When was the first cable car run in Washington?—B. H. A. The Capital Traction Co. says that the first cable car was run in Washington, D. C., in 1889, by the Washington, and Georgetown Rafl- road Co., which later became the Capital Traction C Q. When was the corner stone of the Washington Monument laid?—H. B. A. It was lald on July 4, 1848, with Masonic _ceremonies by Benjamin B. French, who was at that time grand master of the Masonic Order of the District of Columbla. Q. In what denominations have gold pieces been coined in the United States?—W. W. R. A. The following gold coins have been minted: Gold dollars, quarter eagles, three dollars, half eagles, eagles, double eagles. Fifty-dollar gold pleces were coined in 1915 to the amount of $150,950. Q. Please transiate “the land of death” into the language of the Sho- shone Indians.—R. E. S. A. There is no word in their language which means “deat Q. What can bo added to water in which English ivy Is growing to keep it from becoming ill-smelling?—W. € 4% The addition 6f a small amount | of charcoal will tend to keep the Water fresh. “You should-add a little | charcoal from time to timg.” I | n Q. Why ts Tubricating ‘il in an| automoblle changed?—J. E. i A. Usually. fhe Libricating oil of | an engine is changed when its vis- cosity has decreased due to dilution with unburned gasoline to such a velue as to render it inadequate to prevent metal-to-metal contact. Q. How many acres are there of farm land which might be tilled, and | how méany of waste land?—3f. E A. According to statistics pub- lished in the 1923 Year Book of the Department of Agriculture, there are in all about 608,000,600 acres of po- tential crop land in " the United| States. That is, land physlcally capa- ble of being utilized for crops some | time in the future. Waste land, that is, land that is absolute desert, rock, etc,, comprises 67,000,000 acres. Q. gard D. R A. The Public Health Service sa that races differ very much in th tance to tuberculosis. The col- ored population of the United States has a death rate from tuberculosis approximately three times as great as that of the white. The American Indian, likewise, is extremely suscep- tible to both pulmonary and other forms of tuberculosis. The diseasc often runs an extremely rapld course to a fatal termination. The Jew, on the other hand, among whose race tuberculosis has been present for many centuries, resists the disease well, and though frequently of frail| physique, often makes a recovery un- der adverse cond s. The Irich, on the other hand, do not resist tubercu- losis well, while the Italians do. some of the uses of where did it origi- Do races differ much with re- to ' their resistance to T.B.2— w. Q. What are excelsior and nate?—A. C. B. A. The Forest excelsior has Service says that been manufactured in the United States for more than years. The name of excelsior orig- inated in America, and the first ma- chine was made here. Later the prod- uct and the method of manufacture were greatly improved hy Europeans and today in France we find excel- sior used for a great variety of pur- poses. They not only use it for pac The inauguration of Plu: co Elias| Calles as Preside of Mexico under peaceful conditions and without miji- tary aseistance is interpreted by the, American press as further assurance that Mexico is at last established on a foundation of stability and progress | after a long period of revolutions. | That Mexido has taken many forward | steps under Obregon is a sourve of | gratification and hope is expressed | that she will go still farther on the | road toward the realization of an| honorable and prosperous destiny | under Calles | “Americans who hope to see Mexico | develop into a prosperous, self-reliant | and deperdable neighbor of the | United States are justified in view- ing with optimism the inauguration| of President Calles,” in the opinion| of the Chicago Dally News, which says: “There are excellent reasons for | thinking that Calles is an executive of patriotic ideals and sterling integ- rity, broad-minded, and with a well poised rather than emotional nature In his native State of Sonora, which lies immediately south of Arizona.| where he served as military governor | during the Villa insurrection and later as constitutional governor, he persistently championed the cause 0(" the peasant and the laborer, fought | gambling and drunkenness and spent | every peso he could scrape together on the development of public schools. President Obregon brought hope of renewed peace. President Calles, en- joving more general public support, has the opportunity to go much| farther in the establishment of sound economic conditions and the develop- ment of the country's resources. * koK X “Calles, who is himself an out- standing demonstration of the man- ner in which the peon may respond | to educational opportunities,” —the | Oakland Tribune agrees, “has a large | task before him, but he speaks like| a man who is not afraid.” Few men, | the Dayton News believes, “hav. come into the presidency there with| such unusual opportunities to render | lasting serylce to the nation as has | Gen. Calles. Unless the world has | misjudged him completely, he has learned the lessons of the past and is prepared to modernize Mexico from one end to the other.” . The fact that Obregon is his sponsor speaks vol- umes, according to the Cleveland Plain’ Dealer, which holds, “it is the wish of the American people that | Calles wifl carry on the work which Obregon so ably commenced and which he advanced as far as wae in ower. M e Atlanta Journal views it: “Obregon's four years at the capital have been, in the main, a period of repose and construction. Outlawry, once rife, has been reduced to scat- tered and occasipnal upflares. Agri- culture and :ndustry have found en- couragement. Public edueation has been promoted. Some advance has been made in economic and social re- adjustment in the, Interest of the ma There has been considerable progress, too, In the betterment of foreign relations, particularly with] the United States. The policles through which all this has been dent and his.successor are of the same school of politics and are backed by-virtually the same forces.” Mex- ico 1s clearly on the high road to suc- | tng | new President of their country. | World, lan ing, mattresses and upholste.ing, but also as a substitute for abeorbent lint used im surgery, for filtration purposes, and to a limited extent for woven floor coverings. In the United States excelsior is used for packing glass, earthenware and many other commodities. It is also employed in mattress maknz, upholstery, includ- ing furniture and carriages, as kennel and stable bedding, for decorative purposes in shop windows and for stuffing dolls and toy anfmals. many birds are there to the United States?—I. Q. How an acre in M. B, A. The Biological Survey says that there are in the United States only about two birds to the acre. Q. What is the income for the fur industry?—W. T. F. A." The board of trade for the fur industry of the United States est! mates the annual turnover in the fur business at $400,000,000. What is the minimum age for employment in the special delivery: section of the. United States Post Office Department?—G. T. A. Twenty-one years is the mini- mum. Q. Q. How long did Robert Frost write before he became famous?” D. D. B. A. The American poet, Robert Frost, wrote for 20 years before his work became known. “A Boy's Will," first published in England in 1913 was the first work really to attract attention. Q. What occasioned the death of the second wife of Henry Longfel- low?—Q. D. A In 1861 Mrs. Longfellow one day playing with her children, amusing them by sealing up bits of their curls in tiny packages. From the burning wax Mrs. Longfaliow's dress caught fire. Her death occurred a few hours later was Q. What is the difference b a mastoden and a mammo s w. A. The mammoth was an elephont —iiow extinct—related to and nearly the same size as the existing ele- phant. It, however, had a long, thick hairy coat and very long upward- turning tusks. The mastoden is anv of the numerous species of extinct el ephants, which differ from the mam- moth chiefly in the molar teeth which have high conical cusps or parallel ridges with littla or no cement {n the inner spaces. Some have small tusks in*the lower jaw besides those in the upper jaw. Q. Is_the cotton boll weevil a men- ace of comparatively recent times?— |s.s R A. Tt was originally Mexican, hav- been found around Monclov State of Coahuila, Mexico, whera as early as 1856 to 1862 it did such dam- age to cotton that cotton-growing there was abandoned. In 1885 the boll weevil crossed the Texas border into the United States. It encroached steadily from year to year until, in 1922, it infested practically the en- tire cotton-growing region of the United States. The only extensive un- infested territory lies in west and northwest Texas. Q. Do fleas have wings?—N. H. A. The flea is a small wingless insect. There are about 100 species known, of which one-third are Amer- ican. (Take advantage of the free informa- tion” bureau, which this newspaper maintains. If there is a question you want answered dow’t hesitate to use this service. Al replies are sent di- rect to the inquirer. Address The Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin director, Twenty-first and C streets norihwest. . Inclose 2 cents in stamps for Teturn postage ) 'Peaceful Induction of Mexican . President Called Hopeful Sign cessful representative government. the Los Angeles Times believes, ha- cause “the groups that believe in vio- lent seizure and occupation are scat- tered or dead. The Mexican people have faith in the rectitude. the cot age and the executive abiiity of their new President. He was their choice and they are ready to hold up his hands, to " support him when attacked whether from within or without. He begins his term under conditions that are exceptionally favorable. Obre gon prepared the way for peace and prosperity. He proved that he i statesman, without aspirations to b come a dictator; and his example will not be lost upon the Mexican people.” S Referring to the peaceful inaugura- tion, the Kansas City Journal de- clares: “Perhaps nothing could have been more auspicious than this ton- crete demonstration of the fact that Mexicans realize the dignity and the solemnity of the inauguration of a They acquitted themselves with the great est credit and the regime of President Calles began under the most favor- able auspices, with his country at peace with all the world, but most of all with itself. The latter is the hap- plest augury of prosperity.and prog- ress in the whole situation™ Presi- dent Calles, notes the New - York “was greeted with cheers by unusually large number of ‘Americans of the North, ow to the presence in the city of delegates of the American Federation of Labor. He begins his administration with the €004 will of the United States, which he reciprocates. May his term of of- fice be peaceful and prosperous.” The El Paso Herald is confident that “President Calles takes office with everything in his favor; health, popu- larity, the nation at peace and work- ing toward prosperity, Gen. Flores. | his opponent in the presidential cam- paign, telegraphs his loyalty to the new 'administration, disavows -any thought of revolution, and save: ‘I am confident there is an era of peace and progress ahead.’ " Although admitting that any change of administration in Mexico is calculated to create apprehension in neighboring nations, the Oklahoma City Oklahoman remarks, ‘Calles Is regarded s a man possessing great strength of character; unquestionably he has the suppért of most Mexicans It is, therefore, to be hoped that he may develop into a wise executive and give his country a peaceful and prosperous administration. Senor Calles “cannot and will not work mir- acles,” in the opinion of the Bos- ton Transcript, “but if he lift the ‘submerged Mexican masses’ out of the slough of fignorant depgndence, he will have performed a service to his country and by so much to the United States. It has become increasingly clear that a strong, enlightened and contented Mexico must be the great- est blessing, and the circumstances of this inauguration point to such a con- sumation. It may-be distant, but one that has had a.beginning.” 1If there Is any American who may be disin- clined to unite with-Mexicans in cry- Ing “Viva Mexico!” atithis time, the Louisville Courler-Journa) declares, “he fails to understand ‘the® hearty accord that now obtains between the Government at Washington and.that at Mexico City, as well as the firm sympathy that unites the -people no¥th of the Rlo Grande with those south of that stream.” &