Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1924, Page 22

JUSSERAND DINNER COMMITTEE NAMED Taft Heads Grouo From Va-| rious Organizations Ar- ranging Testimonial. Chief Justice Willlam Howard Taft h omr organi mive a tee representing the various ations in Washington that will testimonial dinner to Jules Jus nd retiring French Ambassa- dor to the United States, and Mme. Jusserand, at the Willard Hotel Jan- uard 10 at 7:30. The personnel of the committee includes high Government officials, members of Congress and prominent citizens of the District, as follow Secretary Hughes, Spe Secretary Hoover, drew of State Charles E. aker Frederick H. Gillett, of Commerce Herbert Representative A. Piatt An- of Massachusetts, Senator David A. Reed of Pennsylvania, For- mer Secretary of State Robert Lan- sing, Gilbert H. Grosvenor, president of the National Geographic Soclety: Vernon L. Kellogg, se tary of the National Academy of ences; Wil- am Mather Lewlis. president of sorge Washington University; John €. Merriam, president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington; Charles D. Walcott, secretary of the Smith- sonian Institution; Theodore W, oyes, Frederic William Wile, Mrs Anthony Wayne Cook, president general of the Daughters of the American Revolution: John Barton Payne, chairman of the American Red Cross; James Parmelee, ott H. Gen. John J. Pers g, Maj. n. John A. Lejeune, commandant of Marine Corps: Charles Moore, Richards, Alice Frye Biggs, lin Jameson, James Brown John Joy Edson, William S William T alliher, Rev. Clark, Charles J Bell, e Judd, Herbert Putnam, Rudolph Kauffmann, John Hays Bammond and George F. Bowerman. A gold medal designed by Herbert Adams, wi L presented 1o’ Ambas- sador Jusserand at the dinner. Speak- er Gillett will be toastmaster. Music will be furnished by the United States Marine Band, T4ENTER VIRGINIA oodwin, the PRIMARY CAMPAIGN Others May Be on List for State Offices Before Vot- ing Next August. RICH. Lo elal). —F have ND, Va. December 27 (Spe- urteen candidates already come to the front in the Vi ginia campaign for governor ‘and other State offices. The primarles will be held in August and by that time other names probably will be announced. The list so far follows: For governor—Harry F. Byrd, Walter Mapp. C. Lee Moore and Don P. Halsey (the latter believed to be more than likely to offer). Lieutenant governor—Col. J. West.* who is thus far without oppo- sition Attorney ders general—John * with no_opposition. Secretary of the Commonwealth— B. 0. James.® without opposition. Superintendent of Public Instrue- tion—Harris Hart.* no opposition Commissioner of Agriculture — George W. Koiner,® no opposition Treasurer—I5. R. Coombs. John M. Purcell® and A. H. Willlams. Corporation commission—Louis Epes and James P. Woods. Those marked with a star are the race to succced themselves. R. Saun- in ¥ight for Treasurer. State Treasurer Purcell is the only officer who has to face. opposition up to this time. One of the real fights of the campaign will be that for the State corporation commission. That body has lately assumed control of affairs which have for years been committed to the localities for their adjudication—the matter of rates for utilitles in local! limits. The st Winter declined to vest the commission with that power, despite the efforts of powerful con- cerns in Virginla to accomplish this. The real bonc of contention is the Virginia Rallway & Power Co., oper- ating street cars, power plants and furnishing electric lights in Ricl mond, Petersburg, Norfolk and Ports- mouth. Senator Epes, one of the candidates, is against the actlon of the commis- sion, having taken that position and expressed his views prior to the deci- sion of the commission that it had the Tight to pass on the matter of rapes. The Senate passed the bill to give au- thority to the commission and the house proceeded to defeat it by a large vote. That matter is to be one of the leading tssues the coming year, and the counties and cities are ex- pected to make a big fight to elect members of the popular branch who will respond to thelr wishes in the premises. seee Archer H. Williams of Wythe, who several months ago announced that ha would make the race for State treasurer, is hard at work on his campaign. and he invites all who may desire to measure lances with him in the contest to step right out in front and start something. Mr. Williams pays handsome compliments to Coombs and Purcell, his rivals, saying they are good men. The Inconsiderate Suitor. From the Youth's Companion. The young man and the girl were standing outside the front door, hav- ing a final chat before he took his leave. He was leaning against the door post, talking In low tones. Pres- ently the voung lady looked round to discover her father in the door- way clad in a dressing gown. “Why, father, what in the world is the matter?” she inquired. “John,” said the father, address- ing himself to the young man, “you know I have never complained about vour staying late, and 1 am not go- ing to complain of that now, but for zoodness sake stop leaning against the bell push and let the rest of the family get some sleep. —_— Not His Full Duty. From the Topeka Capital. Young Abraham, playing on the dock while @is father stood near, slippd and fell into the bay. A strang- er promptly went into the water after him, and after considerable effort brought the boy to shore again to his distracted father. Abraham, sr., seized the boy in his arms, and the stranger, seeing that his services were no longer needed, started awa. “Vait, vait!” screamed Abraham after him. “Vot haf’ you done vid the boy's hat?” LT e Telephone development in Canada dates from the vear 1880, when the fArst company in the Dominion was In- corporated by act of Parliament, ’ been appointed chairman of the | MILLION-DOLLAR Until Bubble of Special Dixpatch to The Star. DANVILLE, Va. December Danville’s million-dollar mystery blew up with a bang this afternoon when it became known that Emmett L. Griffin's vision of fnheriting the $900,000 Floras estate in Washington was nothing more than a bill collect- Ing device. Griffin says it is no hoax, but a fact, and that he visited Washington, D. ., December 19 and saw the property a fine estate two miles and a half from the city. Griffin, a furniture factory employe, was presented with a letter on the street a few days ago, sald to have been addressed to him by E. T. Kadi- son of Richmond, Va. representing himself to be administrator of the es- tate. According to an Assoclated Press dispatch from Richmond, Kad- ison is credit man for a clothing store and the story of the inheritance is a vuse to collect $74 said to be due the store on Griffin’s account. Traced by Cellectors. Griffin was traced from Richmoud { to Greensboro, according to the Rich- mond dispatch, and from Greensboro to this city, where he worked In a bottling plant for four months. The letter was sald to have been addressed to him in care of the bottling plant Ue recently changed his place of em- ployment to a furniture factory. An mploye of the bottling plant pre- ented the letter to him, it is said. Docember 6. He went to Richmond December 9, and with Kadlson, Grif- fin says, he went to Washington ten days later. Griffin declares Kadi- son is really the administrator, and that the estate was left to his sister by one Floras, whom she married a good many years ago, and_by her to him. He was promised $500 on ac- -ount by Kadison, and will go to Washington, January 2. he says, to take possession of his estate. Griffin. left early this morning, os- tensibly for Greensboro, N. C., where, he said. he was going to buy an au- tomaobile. When he returns, however, there may be reckonings, as, for instance, with Jeff Dooley, who is said to have tendered him a small loan recently on the promise of being set up in business when Gritin came into his inheritance; with Will Durham, who also tendered Griffin a loan on the premise of being glven a grocery store as soon as the money was real- ized, and the unidentified fellow fac- tory worker who, it was said, mag- nanimously gave to Griffin his last week's unopened pay envelope. Up until this afternoon, when the denouement was made {n Richmond, Griffin was recelving congratulations on his good fortune, but the atmos- phere changed quickly when the truth leaked out, and in several quarters there was cager interest in bis re- turn. Told Accurate Story. n told his story with meticu- lous regard for detail. He told of his visit to \Washington, his confer- ence with the administrators, the spe- ific clause of the will deeding the roperty to him and of his visit to Grifh GERMANY AT WORK, HOPE IS REVIVED Harden Says Nation Has Found “Place in"""Sun Through Labors. BY MAXIMILIAN HARDEN. By Radio to The Star. BERLIN, December 27.—“A light shining in the wilderness '—these words of St. John, appropriate to Christmas season! 'mwy ‘also ‘apply to the realm of social and economie val- ues. True, only the faintest gleam, which the smallest breath might ex- tinguish, shines in Germany, but. it lightens the darkness of an other- wise hopeless year. In less sophisticated days the Dawes committee men would have been regarded as miracle workers, for it is almost a miracle that they reawakened Germany's courage, en- ergy and industry, even while they burdened her with heavier duties than even Premiers Poincare and Theunis dared dream of. People Are Worki The German people are working today as never before. They have rid themselves of the illusion that salvation can come from outside by virtue of complaints or threats, or from withine by Soclalism or other experiments. The Communists, who in Paris forced Premier Herriot to take to his bed, cannot frighten adults in Ber- lin. All that proletariat Germany is demanding today is increased wages. The return to the belief that only work can advance the individual or the nation is perhaps the greatest achievement of 1924. The clerk, who must work hard for his $40 a month, puts his whole energy into his badly paid toil because he realizes that only by each. contributing his maximum can the condition of all be improved. Results Now Apparent. Already, in the year since the mark was stabilized, results are apparert and people who formerly could buy only the barest necessities can now purchase woolen. clothing and sheets and underwear for the children, as well as pots for the kitchen. And this buying has brought further pros- perity in its train. Business men who did not believe that capital could be found for doing an -in- creased business are getting more optimistic. The chlef lack in economic. Germany the past year has been capital credit. Usurious rates of interest, high stock transfer taxes and high prices of raw stuffs have forced prices above the means of the middle class and -made Germany the most expensive country in_the world. Is It not miraculous that. despite all this, the Dawes agreement, while opening an era of tremendous repa- rations payments, should also have revived courage, hope and confidence in the future? The people felt an unholy joy when the newly rich lost the fortunes they had quickly won in speculation on the fall of the franc. But the “leitmotiv” is always the same—exports! They made Germany great before 1914, and they will make her great again if the country’s energy is directed that way. Agreements Are Seem. \ Several commercial agreements ap- pear on the horizon and there is serious talk of an iron and steel trust which .would bring healthy blood into Germany's tired industries. To prevent dumping, those interested have declded to pay wages which will enable the workers to come nearer to an existence that is worthy of human beings. So far, economy has not appeared among the upper 10,000—the taste for travel and luxury are unchecked. PROVES BILL COLLECTOR’S RUSE ;Danville, Va. “Heir” Lives in Dreams of Affluence Exploded by Merchant. INHERITANCE Great Wedlth Is the 1,000-acre farm and its -.'z-rooml mansion, just outside Washington, where he was to reside after January 6. the date on which, he Insisted, all ould be his. He admitted that he| was not altogether familiar with the family tree. and therc was a Vague- ness about who the Floras family wus, when questioned. He explained his educational shortcomings, but told In a simple and convincing way of the sieps taken recently leading | to realization of the estate. Griffin s 32 years of age and has five children. He was born at Frank- Hn, Va, and married Miss Emma Vaughan of Raleigh, N. C. He came here last May from Greensboro and worked at a bottling plant. Later he| was employed on a construction job, and last November began working at the furniture factory. | _According to Richmond advices. Kadlson, was not in that city yester- day when irquirles were made for him of N. Askin, proprietor of the chain stores, and would not be back | before Monday. Where he had gone was not aisclosed. Griffin denies he owes the clothing | concern §74. but admits an unsettled account of $38. This he will pay when he comes into possession of his fortune, e says, and he will pay back a large number of other persons who | have been quite friendly since he re- celved notice of his large legacy. Prepares to Buy Car. Griffin returned with his wife to- night from Greensboro, N. C., and was in the act of executing a note for | $2,700 for the purchase of a handsome car when he was shown a newspa- per declaring the Floras estate story a myth. He refused to believe it, but stated with no little feeling that he intended to “play the wild” with somebody. He showed two letters signed by “E. T. Kadlson” of Rich- mond, which he says bore the first word of the estate. He then related the circumstances of his two trips to Richmond in the interest of the estate, insisting that Kadlson never mentioned a debt to him. “Kadison pald my expenses Washington on December 20," said, “and accompanied me. there at night, and he Introduced me in an office to four men he represent- | ed as being the administrators of the estate. 1 do not recall thelr names. One of them said he was the family lawyer, and I signed several papers, but I cannot tell what they were. The lawyer man told me he would send me $500 on January 24 so T could take my wife and family to Washing- ton January 26 to take over the estate. Kadison the next day took me a piece out of Washington and show- ed me a large farm, which he said would be mine.” Griffin sald he was unable to un- derstand how all this should take place to enforce collection of a bill. Kadison while in Richmond. Griffin states, never broached the Askin debt | to him, and he insists tonight that he never doubted that the estate would be his until he saw newspapers this evening carrylng explanation of the story. U.S. TO TAKE PART INGREAT EXHIBIT Chamber of Commerce Ex- position to Show Work of Federal Industries. Uncle Sam will be the biggest in- dividual exhibitor at the Chamber of Commerce Industrial exposition, which will be the chamber’s first big venture in the New Washington Auditorfum, March 21 to 28. Invitations have been extended the Government to demonstrate its in- ustrial activities in Washington, which are the biggest of their kind in the country: the Bureau of En- graving and Printing, the Govern- ment_Printing Office and the Naval Gun Factory. “It will be the first time the peo- ple-of Washington Have*been intro- duced to their local Industries, which have contributed over $70,000,000 an- nually to the city's prosperity,” Charles J. Stockmar, dommittee chairman, said. ‘Will Show Whole History. “The exposition ‘will*sho% if the two magnificent halls of the Wash- fngton Auditorium the whole history of Washington's 'industrial “achfeve- ment.” A special committee has undertaken to inform the members of the cham- ber of the exposition plans and every effort will be made to have the affair the most elaborately staged and most successful yet seen in the District. Whole-hearted co-operation has been pledged, not only on account of the exposition itself, but also be- cause ‘it will be the first big event to be staged by the Chamber of Com- merce in the auditorium, the finish- ing touches to which will have been installed by March 15. Arrangements are now being made to have a number of entertainment features daily, afternoons and eve- nings, throughout the exposition, which will rival the best In current theatrical attractions. ‘Will Arrange Special Hours. At the request of some of the ex- hibitors, special hours will also be arranged for showing to picked guests of the heads of local indus- tries. Floor plans have been drawn which will permit all booths in the audi- torium to front on either two or three sides, with some spaces front- ing on four sides. A. E. Seymour, Chamber of Com- merge secretary, is assisting in work- ing out the details of the floor plan 20 as to allow ample space for visitors, with many alsles running through the two floors of the audi- torium. “No_stock-selling schemes will' be permitted, nor will we permit pro- motion agencies to take space,” A. L. Stern, managing director, sald. ““The Chamber of Commerce has Bone on record- as indorsing only those industries which will add both materially and esthetically to the city,” Stockman said. -— _ Mary L. Goldsmith is the country's only woman radio ruler, being the only woman radio commissioner in the United States Department of Com- merce. T Many of the plllars of spiritual life have sunk into the mire or rotted away. But the first condition of ail social progress in Europe today, ‘mamely, a reasonable international and domestic economy, is throwing its first ray of light on the thres- hold of the new year. “A light is shining in the wilder- ness” and that light is life. ACoRsEiant, 19240 WAR T0 PRESERVE FRANG LAUNGHED Energies of Government, Backed by Morgan Loan, Put Into Fight. BY WILLIAM BIRD. By ‘Radio to The Star. PARIS, December governmental energies, backed Dby the $100,000,000 recently lent the country by America, through -J. P. Morgan, now e being devoted to stemming a wave of financial d featism. This “whispering campaign has been golng on for many weeks past, and wherever one moves in financial circles one hears alarming rumors of the approaching collapse of the franc and a resultant inflation of the currency. The sudden and unexpected resig- nation of President Robineau of the Bank of France, who has struggled without interruption since the war to prevent such an inflation, is de- clared to have been provoked by the present cabinet's program along in- flation lines. Business at Standstill. The principal result of this “whis- pering campalgn” thus far has been to bring business to a practical standstill. This Is reflected in re- ports of the Christmas trade, which show that French wholesale and re- tail merchants reaped the most meager harvest since 1914. Indeed, as far as Paris shops are concerned, they “apparently did less business than usual during the holiday sea- son, instead of being marked by the usual rush. So far, governmental measures to curb the defeatist propaganda have failed to touch the source of trouble. The principal steps have been taken against the Communists and op- erators of the forelgn stock ex- changes, whereas most authoritles declare the bearist tendencles are particularly noticeable among certain French groups who desire the rapid fall of the franc for the purpose of stimulating exports and trade, as well as of helping to rid the treasury of the burden of internal bonds, the interest on which today represents practically halt of France's national budget. cri 27.—France's Nearing He 1t is considered Ifkely here that the next three months will see this crisis come to a head and will de- clde whether France will continue along the lines of consolidating her liabllities or will launch into the perilous policy of inflation. There is no avowed inflationist party here, but certain manufacturing Interests which are wielding a powerful in- fluence are understood to be behind this tendency. What is particularly disquieting is the recent sharp rise in prices, which almost always In the past has been followed by a fall in the franc. All the necessities have advanced con- stantly during the last three months and the suspicion is widely held that this is due In great part to the big interests, which are eager to force inflatfon. It is declared by good au- thorities that the Index figures, when they are published at the end of the vear, will astonish the public by the unusually rapid advance in the cost of living. Undoubtedly, also, the repeated In- sistence of America’s intention of forcing France into a settlement of her debt has much to do with the depression. Ambassador Jusserand's negotiations with Secretary Mellon are blamed largely for beginning this discussion. Undoubtedly, Ambassa- dor Jusserand acted on Instructions from Paris, but, inasmuch as he is about to retire anyhow, there is a diplomatic tendency to make him the goat in the affair and to disavow his act by some sort of a semli-of- Jficial reprimand. Consolidation Urged. The advocates of sound money in France are urging an immediate con- golidation of the franc at some rea- sonable figure and the permanent abandonment of the pre-war ex- change value as an unattainable ideal. Tt is held that what France needs Is a currency of fixed value, S0 that contracts can be made and prices quoted on a permanent basis. ‘The present uncertainty about to- morrow’s rate of exchange makes it impossible to take a long view in business transactions, and there is the constant danger that the de. featest movement on the stock ex- change will upset the market and throw the country into a panic like the one of a vear ago, when J. P. Morgan's timely intervention saved the franc from rufn. (Copyright, 1924.) — ROAD EXPERTGE;T CONCRETE’S ELASTICITY Science of Highway Building May Be Revolutionized by Bal- timore -Inquiry. Special Dispateh to The Star. BALTIMORE, December 7.—The science of modern road bulilding may be revolutionized by investiga- tions belng made by scientists of the Johns Hopkins University and the Bureau of Public Roads of the United States Department of Agriculture, A formal agreement has bBeen en- tered into by the two institutions whereby laboratory - tests - will be started at the university within the next week or two. Special labora- tory equipment is under construction at Homewood. Prof. J. Trueman Thompson of the department of civil engineering has been appointed in charge of the re- search. \ The tests will center about the elastic properties of concrete under the impact of moving or rapidly ap- plied loads, “In my previous work for the bu- reau,” Mr. Thompson said, “we made an important discovery. We learned that, although the force applied upon a concrete pavement by a moving ve- hicle may be several times as great that applied by the same vehicle standing still, nevertheless it does not follow that the actual construc- tion of the road should be based upon this relationship. , Concrete behaves quite differently under the force of impact of rapidly applied loads. This phenomenon is due simply to what are called the ‘elastic properties’ of concrete.”” a Wax Figures Famous. From_the Birmingham Age-Herald. The curious coHection: of wax fig- ures exhibited in London by Mme. Tussaud are famed all over the world. Mme. Tussaud, of course, has been dead for over a century. She lived among some of the famous charac- ters of the French Revolution, and framed their.portraits from direct ob- servation. It was her business. one day to model the horrible counten- ance of the assassinated Marat, whom she dtested, and on another to re- produce the features of Charlotte Corday, the beautiful assassin, whom she detested, and on another to re- she was herself, in prison- and in danger of the all-devouring guillotine. She. escaped from- France and ‘took Buried Under Tons Of Debris 7 Hours, Man Is Rescued Spent a Lot of Time at Prayer, Blast Victim Says After Rescue. By the Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo., December Burfed for more than seven hours under tons bf debris by an explosion that demolished a three-story bulld- ing here today, Aureney Wilkins, 25, negro, was rescued by firemen, little worse for his experlence. “It was powerful cold there” the negro smilingly observed when hoist- ed from the wrecked basement. “I spent a whole lot of my time pray- ing."” 7/ He was suffering f{rom exposure and a slight cut on the head. When the building collapsed, Wil- kins was thrown Into the basement, where he crouched against a wall in a pocket formed by fallen timbers. Harold Dixon, who ' escaped unin- jured, said the explosion followed soon after Wilkins had lighted a clgarette near a gasoline vat The explosion was not heard out- side the bullding. The first warning to those outside came when the walls began crumbling. The structure was a total loss. = REACTION CLOUDS BRITISH NEW YEAR Fall of MacDonald Puts Eu- ropean Conciliation Policy in Danger. BY A. GARDINER. 1 By Radio to The Star. i LONDON, December England { has been absorbed this week in the| celebration of Christmas, and all tivities of public life have been s pended for the domestic gayelies of | the season. The exodus from London just before Christmas was unprece- | dented. The main stream of holiday makers in search of the sun flowed to Swit- zerland for Winter sports and to the Riviera, but an unusually large pro- portion went this year to Madeira. whose visitors inciuded those ex- tremely dissimilar spirits, Lord Bir- kenhcad and George Bernard Shaw. Ramsay MacDonald, former premier, who, it was understood, Intended to| visit Amerlca, has gone instead to| the West Indies until the reopening | of Parliament | Ware of Reaction. | In view of these circumstances, public affairs are quiescent, but the | advent of the new year |Is ov«-r-} shadowed by many immediate prob- lems, the most difficult of which con- cern the return of the allles to Ger- many. This situation has been com- promised by a wave of reaction which came in the Autumn with the fall of the MacDonald ministry in England, the sweeping victory of the Repub- lcan party in America and the re- sult of the German elections. Premier Herriot's position in France, fn view of this tendency, is felt to be weakened, and prospects of the mora conciliatory pelicy, which was inaugurated during 1924, becoming firmly established are none too cheer- ful. Evacuation of Cologne. The most critical element in the immediate situation turns on the question of the evacuation of the Cologne area according to the terms of the treaty. It is understood the council of ambassadors will advise the allles to postpone the date of the evacuation on the ground that agents of the Control Commission have not completed their investigations and that delay in the proposed conversa- tions regarding the protocol maki immedlate evacuation inadvisable. But the German Nationallsts are exasperated at the suggestion of de- lay and suspect it is related to an indisposition on the part of France to carry out the terms of the evacu: tion of the Ruhr. They point out that occupation of the Ruhr is illegal under the terms of the Versailles treaty and that it is now proposed to commit a further illegality in re- gard to Cologne in the interests of maintenance of the original illegallty in the Ruhr. Movement to Right. The outlook is made more difficult by the movement of Germany to the Right and the strengthening of the Natlonalists’ position. Thus reaction evokes reaction, and the fall of Mac- Donald in England is seen to have definitely chilled the atmosphere of the European situation. The question of evacuation turns largely on the subject of the dis- armament of Germany, in regard to which widely different views pre- vall. But it is obvious that any| serlous failure to carry out the evacuation undertakings will be con- construed by Germany {nto an attempt on the part of the allies to get be- hind the Dawes agreement and re- turn to a policy of nancuony_ Moanwhile, the hitch in the Franco- German trade negotiations continues owing to the political disagreement in regard to the Saar Valley. The French- claim that territory as a bar- galning counter in the negotiations, but the Germans refuse to recognize this claim and under the Versailles treaty their insistance that the Saar cannot be regarded as French terri- torry is indisputable. Much curlosity prevails here re- garding the silence of the Labor dele- gation to. Russia which has not yet returned. Thelr extravagant praises of the working of the Soviet system while in Russia aroused great com- ment here and thelr return was awaited with extreme interest. But now “mum’s the word” and it is supposed the delegates are having an uncomfortable time of it with labor leaders here who have no disposition | to be tarred with the communist brush. (Copyright, 1924.) —_— ‘Where Was the Cat? From Capper's Weekly. Smith had been instructed by his wife to bring home a 3-pound roast for dinner. Returning, he laid the meat on the kitchen table, under which the cat was innocently drowsing. A few minutes later he was called to account by Mrs. Smith, who wanted to know what he had done with the meat. Smith blamed its disappear- ance on the cat, but his better-half stoutly maintained that pussy couldn't have eaten that much meat. To 'settle the argument the pet was placed on the kitchen scales. She welghed exactly 3. pounds, and Smith turned in triumph to his wife. “There's your meat,” he exclaimed. “Then where's the cat?” inquired Mrs. Smith. —_— Statistics show that young men of 30_years.and under are responsible for 70 per cent of the defalcations ! had turned to psychology. BAN ON AMERIGAN POTATOES FOUGHT Britain’s Embargo, Puzzling to Officials Here, Evokes Protests. The British embargo on American potatoes brought appeals yesterday to several Government departments for co-operation In an effort to have the ban modified. Senator Hale of Maine, acting on protests {rom Maine growers, called at the State and Agricultural Depart- ments to discuss the situation, but in the absenck of detailed information action was deferred. At the same time, confirmation of dispatches telling of the embargo reached the British embassy and the Department of Agriculture. At the embassy it was announced that the embargo, which appiies only to England and Wales, became effec- tive December 23, but that potatoes then en route would be allowed to enter. Maine potato growers, Senator Hale sald, would be particularly hard hit by the British action, because of a surplus of the product in that State this year. Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey and New York also would be affected, he said. Ofcials Are Pussled. At the Agricultural Department some officials, although hesitating to comment fn the absence of detailed information, said they were puzzled at the development. The Colorado beetle, or the common potato bug, the pest which the embargo is ailmed at, is held by these officials to be very easlly controlled, and it, long ago, ceased to cause American farmer: great concern. The British Isles, however, have been free of the bee- tle. The department’s advices also de- clared that Canadian potatoes were not included in the embargo, and It was pointed out that the beetla per- haps is more firmly established in certain Canadian provimsces than in the United States. The only statement at the Depart- ment of Agriculture was to the effect that the department always is con- cerned over any restriction of the market for American products. The British Isles normally are potato ex- porters, it was said, but are import- ing this year, due to a short home crop. It was thought this situation might have caused the embargo to be placed as a protection against the bectle during the importing period. Transpostation of the insect to England from the United States would largely be accidental, it was said by some officlals, who described the bug as a leaf feeder and as more likely to be carried in greenstuffs than in potato sack A Charming Thought. From the Paris Cy: Tt was after no. dinner and the talk This dis- turbing question had just been put “When does old age really begin?’ To establish a formula was proving rather difficult, when one lady, who did not look her years, found the following: “To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.” Country Folk See Ghost of Bride at Old Castle Ruins Wailing Figure Carries Light—W oman Killed On Wedding Night. By the Associated Press. LONDON, December 27.—The coun- try folks of England who are fre- quently in the throes of a ghost scare, have another one on their hands now, for a mysterious veiled figure is re- ported to have been seen flitting about the ruins of Lovel Castle near Witney, Oxfordshire. The many old unused castles and abbeys, which dot the English prov- inces, furnish ideal visitation places for these nocturnal wanderers, and at most seasons there are ghostly ap- pearances some place in the broad land, which attract the attention of the country people. Many vears of such happenings, in- stead of causing the rural folk to be- come accustomed to them, have sharp- ened their interest, and nowadays the report of a ghostly visit is sufficient to arouse a whole countryside. In a few cases these apparitions have been explained, but mostly they have either vanished, or are still re- appearing without the formality of satisfying anybody's curiosity. This latest eerie tale has all Ox- fordshire and its surrounding coun- ties In a state of tension. The ef- forts of the bravest to find out what the apparation is, have thus far been unavailing, and even learned scien- tists cannot produce a scientific an- swer. The neighbors believe that the walling figure, carrying a light, which flits in and out of the castle, is the ghost of the bride of one of the Lords Lovel, who was suffocated on her wedding night. As the story goes, she hid in an old oak chest during the festival in a game of hide and seck, and the lid sprang shut, her young lord finding her body some hours later. The tragedy for many years cast a spell about the castle, but the mani- festations were not reported until the recent death of the last of the family. WILL INSTALL—OFFICERS. President’s Own Garrison to Meet Thursday Night. Officers of the President’'s Own Gar- rison, No. 104, the Army and Navy Union, U. 8. A, will be installed next Thursday at 8 p.m .in A. R. Hall, 1412 Pennsylvania avenue northwest The new officers are headed by C. L. Fox, commander-elect; Paul J. Schnelder, semfor vice commander- elect; C. O. Howard, junior vice com- mander; J. F. Mclirce, paymaster; George Kastner, officer of the da Willlam D. Benson, officer of the guard; Rudolph Zella, officer of the watch; Judson Norcross Knappen, chaplain-elect. Members of the ex- ecutive council are: Maj. W. L. Peake, superintendent of the District Jail, holdover and incumbent council mem- ber; Arthur J. Hogan, retlring com- mander of the garrison, and Miss M. E. Naylor, former national and gar- rison officer and former member of the councll. CAPTAL SENTENC SSUEUP N BRTA Growth of Views Against Law Seen, But Nation Not “Mushy” About It. Correspondence of The Star and New York World. LONDON, December 20.—The recent agitation in Hull over the execution of Willlam George Smith for the mur- der of the woman he was living wi is being quoted as evidence that t British people are now definitely on- posed to capital punishment. Contra- rily, it is stated, the fact that Smith was executed without any disorder despite of threats of storming the jail and hanging the hangman, shows Britain after all is resigned to execu- tion as punishment for murder. The fact is that Britain probably lics midway between the two. Except in crimes committed by for- eigners, Britain is less susceptible to the “crime passionelle” than ans country along the same parallels of latitude — which are generally sup- posed to control national tempera ment. Yet of recent vears there have been several outbreaks against the infliction of the extreme penalty. Ordinary Sordid Affair. In the Smith case at Hull there was less to explain the outbreak of local popular feeling than in other some- what similar cases. The Smith mur- der was an ordinary sordid affair which attracted little attention even in the local press—so that it cannot by any means be described as a “press stunt” Yet for two days prior to his execution Smith became a national char: nd will doubtless be the subject for a serious crusade aga capital puhishment. A jury of his own countrymen re- fused to accept pleas in extenuat as to his youth—he was 26—his prev ous good character and the absolute lack of premeditation, and found him guilty of murder —in the British equivalent of first degree. They made no recommendation to mercy, and the judge passed sentence of death, wi which the home secretary—or rathe two home secretaries, one Labor and one Conservative—found no reason to disagree. Somewhat Similar Case. The following day a man name | Hines was charged, also at Hull, wi the murder of his wife in somewh similar circumstances, but the jury changed the charge to manslaughte and the judge passed sentence of 10 years' penal servitude. It was con- tended on behalf of Smith the crim wera so sjmilar the penalty should have been the same. Actually ther was a considerable difference. Hine murdered his own wife, after her c fession of frequent infidelity. A the jury took a different view Hence it would seem that, tain circumstances, Britain is wedd. to capital punishment, hut that the Ps always a strong element in fa of “mer: s exemplified by pen servitude for life, or 20 years, accord ing to *British ideas—where there the slightest excuse, or extenuating circumstances. in cor An electrically-heated collar i 32 Years at 935 F. Street uality Diamonds From the House With a Reputation for Quality Whether for an investment or for sheer joy of possession, fine diamonds offer the greatest value for your money. In buying diamonds , select the right store—then there will be no doubt about se- lecting the right diamonds! Our stocks of high- class diamonds afford a wonderful choice for those who are satisfied with nothing short of the best. 1 Perfect Pure White Diamond of superfine quality and rare brilliancy. Weighs one-half carat. ous value at— *185 1 Beautiful White sure appeal, both for its fine color and cut. 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