Evening Star Newspaper, January 23, 1925, Page 2

OFFICIAL APPROVAL - DENIED DEBT PLEA French Chamber Votes | Against Posting Marin E: Speech on Debt. By the Associated Press PARIS, January 23.—The Chamber of Deputies today rejected a proposal for the ‘“affichage,” or posting, throughout France of Deputy Marin war debt speech of Wednesday majority of 66 votes. The right and center voted in favor of posting the speech, mustering 224 votes, while the whole of the left voted against it, numbering 290 There were a considerable number of abstentions, the house normally com- prising An attempt Yesterday w Quorum. T by a 584 to pass the afiichage blocked by lack of ough some few members of the left voted in favor of posting the speech at that time, they as a body absented, despite having joined Yieartily in applauding M. Marin when he spoke. Left Without The left French Chamber prises the supporters of riot's Radical-Sociallst The effect of th posting of Deputy orded approval which such posting pointed out in t Approval. in the pr Deputies com- Premier Her- government denial of public Marin's speech i arations without the of the would above dispatch, rs of the left, in favor of giving the approval, saluted it with ause at the time of its majority nt of his decl Ch not speech this hear: 5 delivery In substar was an argument inst the United States seeking to ain_repayment the war loans advanced to France. 1t was acclaimed with practical una- nimity by the French press, and Pre- mier Herriot personally congratulat- ed M. Marin in the Chamber when he concluded. M. Marin's address Saysx Government Ix Afrald. Deputy Desjardins kept on shouting that the governmental majority was afraid to indorse rin's theory of justice in dealing with the interallied debts because of “the deplorable ef- fect it had had on the American Sen- After President Painleve had Jammed his hat on his head as a sig- nal that the session was suspended the deputies continued thumping the desks, gesticulating and #houting They quieted down somewhat. how- ever, and the session was resumed, Premier Herriot taking the rostrum The premier's supporters applauded him, but the opposition greeted him th cries of derision The premier ng that the cham- ber was highly amed over the debt question, said he would confine his discussion to the question with- draw the French emba to the o h inf say e policy of Benedict XV during the war. declared the premier, had been “singularly neutral.” He cited 4 quotation which he approved, to the effect that the Vatican had delayed Italy’s entrance into the war and that the American participation was supreme disillusion” for the Holy See, which did everything to prevent it The great papal voice,” said the premier, “was silent during the war, and if it was silent for political rea- sons, then I have the right to follow a political policy in suppressing the Vatican embassy | IMPRESSED BY BORAH. BY HAL O'FLAHERTY. By Cable to T ar and Cliicago Daily News, SUN ECLIPSE What the eclipse Is: sun; time, in Washington, 7 Where total eclipse is visible: How it will affect the layma Approximatel, pend business. beries and burglaries. What one may expect to see: 1t clear weather, in solar brightness, 7:55 a.m.—Moon and the sun. 8:30 am 9 a.m. as if a storm may of white building glittering beads of light. Look quickly west. us be approaching. and the snow 9:04 am.—Sun now eclipsed. circling moon in sun's corona, with gradually from sun's face. 10 Sclentific importance corona; possible discovery of new movements of the moon and i on radio, search for pl eclipse on magnetism of earth and Special plans for observation: cloud line. station WJZ. CAPITAL PREPARES TO VIEW ECLIPSE, 95 PCT. TOTAL HERE (Continued from First Page.) been assembled and is waiting for the hour, Washington has perhaps a larger quota of observers than any other section. The Carnegle Institu- tion of Washington has two expedi- tions there, one from the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism here and the other from the Mount Wilson Ob- servatory. The- Navy Department is sending an expedition up In the dirigible Los Angeles, consisting of the following persons! Capt. Edwin T. Pollock, su- perintendent_of the Naval Observa- tory; Capt. F. B. Littell, Dr. Georg- H. Peters, Dr. C. B. Watts, Dr. C. C. Keigs, Lieut. W. L. Richardson and Chief Photographer A. K The party will board the Lo at Lakehurst tonight Ship to Reach 5,000 Feet. Tomorrow the big ship will slowly at an elevation of 8,000 feet or more, thus assuring one party, at least, of clear weather. This expedition, too, will devote its time largely to photo- graphing the sun’s corona. Two huge cameras have been installed in the Los Angeles for this purpose, and scientists all over the world are wait- ing for the results of this attempt with more than usual interest. The Army, too, has its work map- ped out. Every avallable airplane at Mitchel Field, N. Y., will take the air an hour before the eclipse is due. As the shadow begins to cross the fleld they will attempt to race it and observers will make some important LONDON, January 2 Borah's defens — Senator| of the American debt | in reply to the French deputy Marin, is considered in don to be the most effective ment of America’s side of the troversy so far propounded pared with Deputy Marin's flown figures of speech, which pla the settlement of debt on a senti- | mental basis, Senator Borah's word appear to the English mind to be much nearer the truth, Ever since the armistice, diplomats have fatled cient emphasis on the f other rged with material gains, esy With the Saar Basin and Alsace Lor- vaine, together with huge {ndemni- ties and reparations from Germany Some appreciation of this fact and America’s comparatively insignificant part has developed as a result of Sen- ator Borah'r clear-cut reply to the French thesis For the first time since the note of August, 1922, the press today carries a detailed account of the American war finance balance sheet. The Washington correspondent of the London Times cables a lengthy article, not only submitting figures to prove ‘America’s contention that the debts owned her by the European countries are largely commercial, but quoting a liheral authority in sup- vort of this claim American place suffi- | ct that the from the war| Ity France, allies e Balfour British a Significance in Charge. There is a real signifi willingness to listen arguments. While general policy is de upon the Balfour s changed consfderably Years. At that time, Great Britain expected to wipe out all the war debts, but she now claims from her debtors enough to cover her own pay- ments to America. Logically, she can no longer support the French thesis of cancellation Even if the British policy had re- mained what it was when Mr. Balfour issued his famous note, it Is doubtful 1f the practical-minded British states men would indorse Deputy Marin's emotional plea that France was the only ally to make a blood sacrifice, ind on that score should be allowed to wipe out her external debt. Memories of how much was paid to France for the use of her ports, her railways, her roads, and even her war cquipment, are still too fresh to be ob- scured by exaggerated sentiment of this sort. Deputy Marin's references 10 the British war effort arouse no little resentment, especially when he ®ives this_country credit for holding only a 45-kilometer front compared with France's line of 700 kilometers. His later modification of this state- ment fails to carry weight, and leaves the British mind disposed to discount | his conclusion that the war involved great communistic effort on the part of the allies, with France shed- ding all the blood and the others sup- plving their wealth If anything, Deputy Marin's argu- ment along this line has Injured the French case outside France. Cer- tainly no Britisher will ever admit that any country lost more precious blood during the war than his own. Such a contention merely places the financial settlement on a false plane and makes any attempt at reasonable argument futile. (Copyright, 1925, by Chicago Daily News Co.) ance to to America’ Great Britain’ lared still to rest atement, it has in the past two this Lecture on Hudson Bay. A lecture on Hudson Bay and its animal life and vegetation, illustrated by lantern slides, will be given by ¥rits Johansen of the Canadian De- partment of Marine and Fisheries of Ottawa, at the National Museum, to- morrow, at § pm. In 1920 Mr. Johansen explored the east coast of the bay north to Richmond Gulf in the interest of the biological sciences. The lecture will be free, trum.” observations en route. No ships from Bolling Field have been ordered to participate in this work The last important observation will n be photographic. It will be that what science calls “the flash spec- Just as the totality becomes complete, a tiny band of fuzz appears around the edges of the moon. The fuzz” is nothing less than the flames from the sun which reach too high the moon to obscure them, some mounting 80,000 miles into space. Examination of the lines that can be photographed by sifting this “fuzz through nartcw slits enables the scien- tist to determine what elements make the sun. It was through this spectrum that helium, the gas that raised the Los Angeles from the ground without danger of fire, was discovered. Will something else beneficial to man be found this time? Only the future can tell that. a of Laymen Warned. Experts relterated today their pre- vious warning that laymen who will watch the eclipse should equip them- elves with dark glasses. At the aval Observatory it was suggested that the best way to protect the eyes would be to make a cardboard con- tainer and place In it pieces of de- veloped photographic film. As the sun becomes darker with the progres; of the eclipse pleces could be removed one by one so that the beauty of the phenomenon would not be obscured by too dark a protection. CLEAR SKY FORECAST. Scientists Fill Rhode Island Town for Eclipse. By the Associated Press. WESTERLY, R. I, January 23 This town, selected as one of the vantage points for viewing tomor- row's eclipse of the sun, today was crowded with thousands of scientists and enthusiasts. Among early arrivals were Thomas A Edison and party from West Orange, N. J. Many astronomers and students were arriving to look over the ground and prepar to take photographs of the eclipse. The atmosphere was very clear and it was predicted that conditions to- morrow would be fdeal for making observations. The view to Montauk Point and Block Island, In the direct path of the shadow, was pronounced perfect. Three high hills, Westerly Hospital Hill, Hinckley Hill and Vose Park Hill, have been selected as observ tion points. Many persons planned to go to local shore resorts and many Summer places have been opened. APPARATUS TESTED. Scientists Rehearse for Eclipse Ob- servation. By the Associated Press. NEW HAVEN, Conn, January 23.— A jubilant group of college professors, most of them astronomers, Were gath- ered on the Yale Observatory grounds on top of Prospect Street Hill this morning to practice handling the apparatus set up for securing data concerning tomorrow’s eclipse. No veteran “vamp” on a town fire pump ever moved with more zeal than did the professors whe had the han- dling of the steel framework of the special piece of apparatus which, focussed on the sun, will determine the diameter of the moon at the time of totality of the eclipse, and the framework which holds twin cameras with which the eclipse photographs will be made. The professors were happy because the forecasts were for ideal weather AND FEATURES Darkness of night will prevall in area of totality degrees of darkness in rest of shadow belt 20,000,000 persons will view phenomenon. Street lights will be turned on in some localities. Banks, stock exchanges and other business institutions will sus- sun rises above horizon black nick appears on sun’s edge, w Day has appearance of a moonlight After 30 seconds to 13 minutes, accordi ets between Mercury Thirteen fixed observatories will have tel Dirigible Los Angeles and airplanes War Department will broadcast des ientific description will be broadc: tomorrow. Most of them were out of Bed early today to note the spectaale HE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1925. SCHEDULE TO WATCH The moon will pass between the earth and the sun, obscuring the am. am’; time varies by & few minutes in other sections of totality area. (The eclipse will be only 95 per cent total here.) to 10:22 am.; total eclipse, 9:04 Area 4,600 miles long and 100 to 150 miles wide from a point in Minnesota to a point in the Atlantic Ocean near the Shetland Islands. A huge, blunt pencil of shadow will make a bluck smudge, in & curve, shaped like a sickle. on the earth’s surface. with varying Guards in some cases will keep posts as at night against rob- What One May See. with moon close by, makes first nibble on western rim of sun and hich grows as moon moves between un's surface half obscured Sun a thin crescent, with daylight failing rapidly. Looks Watch for shadow bands on sides Thin crescent of sun breaks up into These are Baily's Rushing from the horizon, the shadow passes from west to cast at a speed of 2,000 miles an hour. beads night. Stars visible. En- Iy streamers of light like halo. & to locality, moon passes 3 am—Old Sol himself again Importance of ¥ clipse. Tests of Einstein theory of relativity, measurement of light from comets, observations on varlable exact diameter, effect of phenomenon and sun, effect of the electricity of atmosphere copes trained will carry observers above ription from airplane through by WOR. Special trains will transport people to favorable localities Sky Will Be Clear For Eclipse Fans, Forecaster Says Mercury to Take Drop to 16 Tonight—Lowest Today 22. Washingtonians stand a very good chance of getting & clear view of the eclipse tomorrow morning, from the way the meteorclogical aspects ap- ear to Forecaster Weightman at the Weather Bureau Fair weather and cold is the look at present for tonight and morrow, he said today, but he doesn't want to be held responsibie if a cloud or two should slip by his blockade and mar things at the strategic mo- ment. Such might happen, he ad- mits, but the probability lies the other way. “Late this afternoon I can tell about it & whole lot better.”” Mr. Welghtman stated. “With additional information then at hand, I will issue a special ‘eclipse’ forecast which should hit the mark pretty accurately out- West May Lose Out. Conditions totality will tomorrow in the Eastern path of be generally favorable morning, he sald, but the Western path of totality may losg out on the big event. It looks as though the Western section will be overcast or partly so Eclipse fans had better watch the big show indoors or else bundle them. selves up in heavy clothing, as a de- cided drop in temperature {s predict- ed overnight. A low mark of about 16 is expected tonight. but as the winds diminish it will warm up slightly tomorrow. The mercury last night went down to 22 degrees Government employes hurrying to work this morning witnessed the phe- nomenon of snow falling while the sun was shining. A playful snow cloud that had wandered away from its fellows was held responsible. —_— Jupiter, which was especi The larger part of the ap; the observatory grounds belongs to the Sproul expedition from Swarth- more College, under charge of Prof. Miller. Every 11y fine. atus in man in the expedition and every Yale man, under Prof. Ernest W. Brown, attached to the observa- tory, went through his assigned task about 12 times Tomorrow the observatory grounds will be entirely closed to visitors be- fore the eclipse and until half an hour after it is over. In the city preparations were being completed ‘today for handling the crowds of observers. It is expected the central green will hold thousands of persons, as observation of the eclipse there will be unobstructed. SCIENTISTS DIVIDE STUDY. Yerkes’ Group Announces Eclipse Program. By the Associated Press. WILLIAMS BAY, Wis., January 23 Division of labor will guide scien- tific observations of the solar eclipse tomorrow, Prof. Edwin RB. Frost, di- rector of Yerkes Observatory of the University of Chicago, said foday, as preparations were made for observa- tions here. Although conditions here wers not expected to favor tests of the Ein- steln theory of relativit tests will be made by one or tw, parties in the Fast, said Prof. Frost. “Many Ameri 1 observatories will have temporary stations at permanent college obrervatories in New York or Connecticut, where the records promise better weather conditions than farther West.,” he said. ‘or example, a party from Swarthmore College will make the Elnstein tests at Yale Observatory, New Haven, Conn, and will take photographs for Prof. Charles Lane Poor of Columbia University. “The Binstein theory requires that the rays of light from a distant body of a star will be bent out from their path when they pass very close to some massive body like the sun, just as if the rays of a light were attract- ed by the sun as matter is attracted. Stars Usually Lost, “It i= only during the moments ‘When the sun is covered by the moon that we can get photographs of stars whose rays nearly graze the sun; at other times these stars are wholly lost in the brilliance of the sunlight. Pictures are taken with the same telescope of the same group of stars at night, half a year before or after the eclipse, when the sun is nowhere near that part of the sky. “The distances between the stars in the plates are measured to the one-ten-thousandths of an inch or less, and it has been found, at two recent eclipses, that the light of each of these stars was bent out of fts path by a very small amount, as ex- Pected by the theory. Thus eclipses have confirmed the Einstein theory. “The present eclipse will not be well suited for repe.ting this test, as the sun is 80 low in the sky in the early morning. “The sun will be near the constel- | clarea CALLED CONTEMPT Doheny Counsel, Seeking Voiding of Indictments, Fights Radio Speech. Thomas J. Walsh, Senator from Montana and chlef prosecutor of the oil inquiry before the United States Senate, was accused of contempt of court today by Attorney Frederic R. Kellogg of New York, one of the coun- j sel for Edward L. Doheny and Ed- ward L. Doheny, jr., ofl magnates, in a brief filed in support of pleas of abatement to the indictment charg- ing the Dohenys with conspiring with Albert B. Fall, former Secretary of the Interior, to defraud the United States In connection with leases of naval ofl reserves. The accusation grew out of a radio speech by the Senator May 6, on the “oil scandal,” while the grand jury was consldering evidence agalnst Fall, the Dohenys and Harry F. Sin- clair, lesses of Teapot Dome. The attention of Senator Walsh was called to the effect such speech might have on the grand jurors then in session through a letter sent by Attorney Frank J. Hogan, chief counsel for the Dohenys, to Senator Walsh, both at his home and at the radio studio be- fore the speect Sees Justice Barred. The delivery of this speech, At- torney Kellogg declares, under the circumstances, was an act which, pursuant to the common law of Eng- land and of this country existing nearly 200 years, constituted a con- tempt of court as an act tending to obstruct the administration of justice and “for which Thomas J. Walsh was legally punishable.” The speech not only subjected Senator Walsh to punishment for contempt, the court is told, but so far tended to impede and obstruct the due administration of justice as to require the quashing of the indictments. M Hogan opened the rgument this morning before Chief Justice Mc- Coy in Criminal Division 2 in support of the pleas of abatement, through w h it is hoped the Indictments against the oll magnates and former Secretary Fall may be quashed. Mr. | Hogan addressed himself chiefly to | the alleged illegal presence of United lNlan»q Attorney Gordon and Assistant \_Aunrno\' General Pagan in the and Jury room during the taking of testimony against the ofl men. He | pointe out that the enate had passed a resolution taking from the Department of Justice all right to prosecute the oil cases and declaring that counsel to handle the cases |should be confirmed by the Senate. Presence Held Legal. Despite this direct order of the Sen- ate, he claimed, the Attorney General| designated Atlee Pomerene, Owen J Roberts and Mr. Pagan to assist him [in presenting the testimony to the grand jury. This attempted appoint- ment, the lawyer asserted, was flle- gal, as being in the face of the Sen- |ate’s resolution. The presence of all | three lawyers, and especially of Mr. Pagan, was a violation of the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings, which requires the exclusion of every un- | authorized person, 1t was contended Mr. Hogan was followed by Attor- ney George P. Hoover, representing Mr. Sinclair, and by Attorney Henry A. Wise, appearing for Mr. Fall. At torney Kellogg then attacked the ac- tion of Senator Walsh as broadcast- ing statements prejudicial to the ac- cused while the grand jury was in | session Mr. Roberts. special counsel for the Government in the oil prosecution, defended the presence of himself and |the other counsel before the grand jury. He pointed out that while he and Mr. Pomerene were appointed by the President to conduct the prosecu- | |tions, there was no prohibition against |them having assistan who were qualified to go into the grand jury room. The act of February %, 1924, relied on by the defense, merely sup- plemented and did not repeal existing law relating to persons entitled to ap- pear in grand jury proceedings, he de- Disputes Effect of Speech. As to the plea of the effect of the radio speech of Senator Walsh, Mr. Roberts asked that it be stricken out { for several reasons. He claimed there »ad been unreasonable delay In Iits filing, which should prevent its con- sideration. It does not set forth any | facts, he sai, showing any prejudice |to the defendants by reason of the matters pleaded. It falls to show that any juror would have voted differ- ently if the speech had not been di livered, he pointed out. | TRIBUTE TO ATTUCKS. Colored Press Club to Honor Vic- | tim of Boston Massacre. | Tribute will be paid the memory of Crispus Attucks, colored victim of the | massacre on Boston Common, March 15, 1770, at the colored Press Club to- night at 1501 eventh street, when an oil painting of Crispus Attucks, done by William Sam Nolsette of this |eity, will be unveiled with appro- priate ceremonies. Monroe Mason of Boston wliil deliver the principal address, and President C. Lucien Skinner of the Crispus At- tucks Press Assoclation will read the following letter from President Cool- tdge: : “I have been pleased to learn that the Crispus Attucks Press Assoclation is to unveil in a few days hence, in its clubrooms, a painting of Crispus Attucks. It seems particularly ap- propriate for such an honor to be done to the memory of this colored man, who, as a victim of the Boston massacre of March 5, 1770, was one of the very first Americans to make the great sacrifice in the cause of our country’s independence. I send my good wishes to the club for this oc- casion.” f The unveiling will mark the initia- tion of a campaign to place a bust of Crispus Attucks in Statuary Hall of the Capitol. —_———c stars will be very near the sun, but Mercury, Venus and Jupiter will be about 25 degrees west of the sun and at about the same altitude. They will offer a fine spectacle for people in the zone of totality, the only regions where they will be visible. PLANS STUDY IN AIR. - Astronomer to Ascend 10,000 Feet to See Eclipse. By the Associated Press. CLEVELAND, Ohio, January 23.— Raymond A. Gordon, secretary of the Cleveland Astronomical Soclety, hopes to see and perhaps photograph the eclipse of the sun tomorrow from an airplane, which will fly to Dunkirk, N. Y, Into the path of totality and rise to an altitude of about 10,000 feet. The plane will be piloted by Cyril C. Caldwell, test pilot of the Glenn L. Martin plant here. Other members of the society, head- ed by Prof. J. J. Nassau, professor of astronomy at Case School 6f Applied Science, arranged to leave here to- night with telescopes and cameras on a special traln for Buffalo. Several hundred other Clevelanders sl of the planets Meroury, Venus and. latlon Capricornus, No very bright!planned to make the trip, i WALSH'S OIL TALK | POSTAL BILL HANG ON POINT OF ORDER Question Raised by Swanson to Be Decided Today—In- volves Rate Increase. The fate of the postal pay and rate increase bill in the Senate rested to- day on a pending point of order to eliminate the proposed rate advances. A vote on ellmination of the en- tire half of the bill carrying the rate increases went over until today after the point of order had been raised ves- terday by Senator Swanson, Demo- crat, Virginia, on the ground that all revenue-raising leglslation must orig- fnate in the House, under the Con- stitution. He was supported gener- ally by Democrats in the ensuing de- bate on the question Should the point of order be sus- tained, the legiglation, then carrying only the pay increase, would be left in the same form as previously given a veto by President Coolidge that was sustained by the Senate, Senator Moses, Republican, New Hampshire, who has charge of the combination bill, indicated that in that event he would not press the bill for Senate approval. REALTOR HITS PLEA FOR RENT BILL ON GROUND OF MORALS (Continued from FKirat Page.) parta of the United States, including the District of Columbia In a statement to the committes Mr. McKeever said: *“The health officer who is respon- sible for the health of the District has made no report or complaint as to rental conditions dangerous to public health. On the contrary, his report shows, and that of the Ur ted States Public Health Service shows. the mortality rate to be low and gen- eral health conditions in Washington good. The mortality rate has de- creased from an average of 19.41 for the five years 1901 to 1905 to 13.4 for the year 1924, while the report- able diseases have decreased from 13,420 cases in 1923 to 6254 in 1924 The mortality rate for 1924 in Wash- ington is about the same in other cities of the same size.” Effect of Rent Control. Senator Ball asked if Mr. McKee- ver's statement did not show that during the period of rent control health conditions have grown better. Mr. McKeever replied: “You might turn it around that w but what 1| am seeking to show is that conditions here are good and do not warrant such legislation as proposed.” Senator Ball Insisted that the con- trol of rentals has heiped the health situation here. He said that with a rent commission, it was impossible to cut off heat in apartments, such as has been testified to before the com- mittee. “You have a public health officer to prevent cutting off heat, if heat is contracted for,” replied Mr. McKeever. “He can haul a landlord into court.”” Police Records Cited. Mr. McKeever said that “our Po- lice Department reports fewer arrests in the month of December than in any previous month of the vear and Mrs. Nina C. Van Winkle, director of the Woman's Bureau of the Metropolitan Police, states that she considers the morals of this city very high—which statement certainly indicates that the peace and morals of the District are nger. “c"l\\“rl‘l!?“re‘f»rent‘o to the welfare (‘:f the District, although we have in the District 38 private and 18 Gov- ernment social agencies who are members of the Washington Council of Social Agencies, we do not find any of these agencies backing or sup- porting this bill or similar legisla- tion as being necessary to the wel- tare of the District.” Mr. McKeever said, on the other hand, that Impartial organizations such as the Merchants and Manufac- turers Association, the Board of Trade, the Bankers' Assoclation, the Bar Association, the Thirteen Club and others, all of which associations are largely made up of tenants, are strongly opposing the Whaley bill. Attacks Tenants' League. The Tenants' League and the pur- pose back of its organization were criticized by Mr. McKeever. He sub- mitted a contract between E. H. Schirmer and Francis M. Butts, to- gether with & copy of the declaration of a suit brought in the Municipal Court by Mr. Butts agalnst Mr. Schirmer. The contract read by Mr. McKeever showed that Francis M. Butts had advanced to E. H. Schirmer on his note dated September 4, 1924, $150 and had agreed to pay an addi- tional $350 to Schirmer for a third interest in the Tenants' League, if he later desired to become the owner of such interest; otherwise, Schirmer would pay back the loan of $150. The contract stated that the Tenants' League would be extremely profitable to its organizers and promoters from dues and other collections; that many persons would become members and that it was planned to extend the organization to other cities. Mr. McKeever said that the suit showed that Mr. Butts had later de- clined to buy a third interest in the league and had asked payment of the fote. He said that he understood now that the note had been paid. Defense Is Promised. Questions by Representative Blan- ton brought out the fact that Mr. Schirmer is the president of the Ten ants’ League. “The real purpose of the organiza- tion,” said Mr. McKeever, “it is ap- parent, was not to help the tenant At this point Mre. Henry C. Brown, secretary of the league, said that Mr. Schirmer was president, but in- sisted that the present organization has nothing to do with the organiza- tion mentioned in the contract read. “All of which we will fully explain when we have another hearing,” said Mrs. Brown. Mr. McKeever lald before the com- mittes seven charts showing the cost of living In Washington as compared to that in other cities, the number of properties advertised for rent, the rent increases there, the houses for sale and why Washington rents are bevond governmental salaries. He said that a report by the Department of Labor showed that Inereases in rent on moderate sized apartment and houses in the District amounted to 36.04 per cent In the Dtsirtc, which is considerably lower than in other cities. Senator Ball asked Mr. Mec- Keever if he did not think that rents had been increased far more than the percentage indicated. Declares Increases Small. Mr. McKeever replied that many rents in the city had not been increased at all, or that the Increases had been small. “You don’t hear about these rents that have not been increased,” said Mr. McKeever. “In the eame way you hear only of the money which has been made on investments in oil; you don’t hear of the thousands of cases where money has been lost.” Mr. McKeever pointed out that other living costs than housing have increased in the District very much more than have rentals. Furniture and furnishings, he said, for example, have increased 122.03. ‘But no effort i made to legislate to fix pricesof the other essen- EVEN BLASE NEW YORK THRILLS AT PROSPECTS OF SUN’S ECLIPSE Cold to All Big Spectacles Over W hich Humans Have Control, It Sees All Kinds of Things Hap- pening in Dark. BY ROBER NEW YORK, January eclipses of the sun occur in this neighborhood only now and then— every 300 years or so—but the one this year 1s well worth while, for it has given blase New York a severe )case of the jumps. Absolutely im- mune to shock or thrill from any earthly spectacle, New York has found a new sensation in something over which it has no control. At that it would have felt more assured from the first if it only could have put the arrangements for the show in the hands of Tex Rickard or Flo Ziegfeld—Tex, because he always pro- vides the right kind of weather for any and every sort of outdoor carni- val, and Flo because he knows all about stars and spectacles For New Yorkers the eclipse has not been regarded as extending much beyond Broadway. If the “provinces” lying within the valley of the shadow looked forward to the most awesome display of nature's handiwork in fix- ing for all eternity the every day affairs of the universe as partly their show, it was merely their good luck 1o be in the line of march. The gods of the universe have been slow in reaching Broadway, have had many trials in other parts of the hinter- land, but at last. a solar eclipse has “arrived”—and New York has puzzled what to do with it or to do under it ¥ Murders, . SMAL 23 —Total been it what Some Skeption. prizefights, princes, world series base bhall games, international polo, cross-word purzles—all these phenomena of the finite mind—leave New York absolutely cold Even the eclipse has found Its skeptics among the population. Not that they doubt- ed the ability of the astronomers to fix the event almost to ths fraction of a second, but the confirmed New Yorker, oscillating between the Bat- te and the Bronx, has made more or less merry wita the elaborate ar- rangements golng on everywhere, and if he could find a “follles” or an in- door fight on tap at the moment of totallty he was prepared to forsake the skyv and stick to the precious bit of earth that he knows so well, for what, after all, s the white light of the sun compared to the white lights of New York after dark? OUSTER OF FOUR - TENANTS SOUGHT | Eviction Notices Served on Earlington Residents Re- fusing to Pay More Rent. The owners and tenants' contro- versy, after a dormant period of two months, again took active form at the Earlington apartments, 3033 Six- teenth street, last night, with the ap- pearance of the Municipal Court mar- shal, who served eviction motices on four occupants. Late in November the Quinter, Thom- as Co., agents of the building, served no- tice of increase in rent. This brought forth a complaint from the tenants, with a subsequent mass meeting of the Tenants’ League of the District, which was addressed by Mrs. Henry C. Brown, its secretary Nothing further was heard after the meeting until last night, when, ac- cording to the marshal, he served summonses for the following persons to appear in court and show reason why they should not be dispossessed of their apartments: W. F. Summy, Frank F. Maxwell, Odell H. Whipple and Sydney Buckler. Declares Payment Refused. According to Mr. Maxwell, the build- ing was bought for $210,000 and was assessed at $171,792.° He states that the reason for the eviction notices is that the four tenants have refused to pay the increase in the rents. He states that he personally has tender- ed his original rent on two occasion: and it has been refused Mr. Quinter of the Quinter, Thomas Co. states that he is acting under direc- tion of an out-of-town owner of apartments. He says that action has been brought against some of the tenants for non-payment of rent since January 1, and that he has had difi- culty in getting prompt payment of rent on a number of occasions. He also states that the rents of the apartments, because of their location at Sixteenth street and Columbia road, were not un- reasonable. 50 Is Awked. Mr. Maxwell stated that his rent when he first moved in eight years ago was only $37.50, and that there were subse- quent raises, with the final determin: tion of the Rent Commission setting the rent at $57.50. The Quinter, Thomas Co. now asks $77.50 for his apartment, which, he declares, is composed of four rooms, kitchen and bath. He complains that It is very small. Mr. Maxwell added that he will op- pose the rent and the suit, and that he is about to bring the matter to the at- tention of Senator Ball, chairman of the committee investigating rental con- ditions here. tials, but only of housing, he added. Senator Ball wanted to know, why, if rents had Increased so little, ob~ jection was now made to a Rent Com- mission. The commission, he said, was intended only for those who charged exorbitant rents. Mr. McKeever insisted thers are plenty of houses and apartments in the Distriet and that through compe- tition the rentals were coming down. Senator Ball sald that he himself had gone around the city, but had been unable to find many apartments for less than $75 or $100. Representative Hammer criticized the statistics placed in the record by Mr. McKeever, saying that he under- stood the Department of Labor was furnished with these figures by the state people. re;]lr.eMcKser:'ervden!ed this and said that the department made its own investigation. Mr. Gore suggested that representatives of the depart- ment be called before the committee. The witness told the committee that if some rents are beyond the reach of Government employes, it is not because rents are too high but because salaries of Government em- ployes are too low. In order to keep pace with the increase in living costs generally, salaries should have been increased 80.2 per cent, he said. As a matter of fact, Government salaries have increased only 20 per cent. The wages of persons employed in trades, on the other hand, he said, have increased from 114 per cent to 198 per cent. Representative Blanton, who has opposed the Whaley bill, told the committee that his secretary received many telephone calls stating that un- less Mr. Blanton let up in his oppo- sition, “they were going down to my district to fight me in the next cam- paign Representative many employes of the Government, the | 1 | were opposed | Whaley bill and that he thought they | ought to have been Most been u 1c he skeptics, however, h in the vast minority this tim New Yorkers have literally in the air over the eclipse month or more. Chills have running up and down thelr spi columns. It has been almost 1 aiting for a hanging, or the awful| calm that preceded the zero hour of battle fn the World ¥ ers are credulous, in spite veneer of all knowledge, and they early were told to look out for rob- bers and every sort of desperado dur- ing the time that darkness should reign upon the Bronx and upper Man hattan Isle To have listened to ings one would have wers golng to up the one grand carnival of erime. The slight fact that darkness was to be of only half a minute’s duration made no difference at all. It was pointed out that New York's robbers are the finest and fastest in the world, and could do much in the twinkling of ar eye ve been | of their| all the warn- thought they town in Authorities Want Light. So impressed were the city author- itles with all these wild-eyed rumors that they were adamant against the wishes of the earnest scientists wanted the people to have full benefit of the wondrous sight and ordered Il the street lights turned full north of Seventy-second street minutes before and after New York's police have fel was better to safe than sorr Nine-tenths of the population the city living within the zone totality long ago arranged not leave home until after the eclipse had pessed. Consequentiy the city's plans for Saturday were thrown all out of gear, stock exchanges delay- ing their opaning to 10:45 o'clock and cutting the usual two-hour Sat- urday session to a meager hour and a quarter. Bank messengers were instructed today not to wander forth in the twilight zone. They used to hang the scientists in the old days or chop off their heads if things did not go just right at eclipse time New Yorkers have reverted to the primitive by looking forward to its Broadway limited eclipse with much of the old-time superstitious fear. (Copyright, ) blast of who themselves to own property here, the passage of the an opportunity to be heard Disputes Pyramiding Figures. Mr. McKeever quoted from Asses- sor Richards to show there is ample housing here. Taking up the dis- cussion of the pyramiding of trusts, Mr. McKeever said that it has been Stated before in the committes that trusts have been placed on property in Washington many times in ex- cess of the value of that property, and that seven or eight trusts have been placed on the same property Inasmuch nobody but an im- becile would loan money on a third or fourth trust,” to say nothing of fifth, sixth, or seventh or eighth trusts, and that any one who has any brains at all who would take the risk of loaning his money on even a third | deed of trust as security would cer- tainly satisfy himself that there was a margin between the total loans on the property and the fair and reason- able marketable value’ of the prop- erty, I thing it is safe to say that if; any one did loan money in excess of | the worth of the property on fourth, | fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth deeds of trust, he was wantonly negligen* of his own interests and a guardlan ought to be appointed to look out for such a person. No Effect on Rents. Mr. MoKeever insisted that the pyramiding of trusts could not affect | rentals. He pointed out that if one| apartment on which the loans were excessive were located on one side of the street and another apartment on which there were no incumbrances | was on the other side of the street, it would be impossible for the owner of the first apartment to fix his rentals higher than those fixed by the owner of the second apartment, merely on | the ground that he had to make the interest on the loans. As a matter of fact, he said, the owner of the apart- ment on which thera were large deeds | of trust would be compelled to keep his apartment rented at such prices as he could. There seems to be no doubt Mr. McKeever, “that a certain New York corporation did make some loans on a few Washington proper- ties for more than the properties | were worth, through one local con- | cern, and it seems to me that either as is stated In the Schirmer-Moore re- | port there was collusion between the officers of that corporation and the people with whom they did business n Washington, or the officers of that corporation were wickedly negligent in the handling of the stockholders money. Only 32 out of the 937 apart- ments in Washington were alleged| to have been involved in such trans- actions, or approximately 3 per cent| of the total number of apartments Only one company and its associates out of nearly 600 concerns licensed | to transact real estate business in the District are alleged to have been connected with any of these trans- actions, said Restriction Is Seen. “It would be impracticable to pass a law against lending in whatever amounts or on whatever securitie the borrower and lender may agree. But to enforce laws against individu- als who use such loans as a means to defrand others is a more practical proposition. To restrict borrowing or lending is to restrict constuction, and to restrict construction is to defeat the purpose of this committes, name- ly, to provide a more ample supply of dwelling: The committee decided to hold its next hearings at 9:15 a.m. Monday, with Roger J. Whiteford appearing to explain the licensing bill pro- posed by the Washington Real Estate Board. Joseph Low, representing Clifton Terrace, which has been prominently mentioned in testimony before the committee, asked to be heard also on Monda The test of the joint resolution pro- posed by Senator Copeland as a sub- stitute for the Whaley bill follows: “Whereas the Congress exercises exclusive legislative power over the District of Columbia, the seat of the Government of the United States; and Cites Duty af Congress. “Whereas it is the duty of the Con- gress to guard the health, comfort and general welfare of the employes of the Government and all who Serve them; and ‘Whereas shelter ‘is a matter of vital consequence to the health, com- fort and general welfare of the em- ployes of the Government and those Who serve them: be it Resolved, That all rental property and apartments for resident purposes in the District are affected with the public interests, and Resolved, That all rents and { <hall | bare, charges, all service in connection therewith, the leasing and all other terms and conditions of the use of such property and apartments shall Blanton sald thatlbe fair and reasonable, and Resolved, That power be invested ANTIPYRAMIDING - BILL INTRODUCED Ball Offers Plan to Base Sale Values on Property Assessment. A bill t minate o atop py perat ent prac od ate Ball of Senate Th it measure provides for any o be un of the j ment in money therefe received s consideratic kind and character of ¢ other than conside v money value constd party red 10 ar Dart False Statement Felony. Giee tion th and the shall give No deed or ply with legal to put District No deed shall real propert District value does not com shall be £ the trust that these provisions n the land bill provides nstrument exe: struction or impr erty shall not section of the 1 per cent above ¢ instrument m sworn state executing it, onetruction name of th mate and tl son making mated cost is fa The bill makes vertise or sell a that does not c« strictions and non-mailable The term corporati tions or NEW FLAG RAISED AT KEY HOME SITE George E. Killeen Legion Post Re places Tattered Emblem Afte: Story in The Star. 5t asonable. nlawful to ad ote, or pap: these h mat the d the es new Star Spangled Ba afternoon from what old home of Francis Scott Key r the Key Bridge i Georgetown, replacing the thread- faded wraith of one that ha hung there most of this Winter. The new edition ¢ put on the buildir sturdy group « erans belonging to ( Post, No. 25, of th Aroused by vesterday's Star Sheveled banner only marker whose inspiring ve him everla f post got toge ranged for t aising today. The ragged remna colors was ¢ removed from t front of the brick building, now unoccupled store, and the legion's ! was put in b but impressive nessed by a small gath ested spectatc e old flax fl zes by a womar tri ization, was an excellent replica the one that Key »udly hailed Fort McHenry in 1514, but wintry ments had played havoc with it ctore that now hides the old home has been vacant for some time. The committee was Comadr. Arthur C. Probey Comdr. William L. Harrington, A William F. Franklin 1 Patrick Curtin, T. B. Brewer and Roy Bate- mian, members of the post Following the cerem Probey announced that cee to it that a fiag in good co is kept always on the building FIRE IN SCHOOL BUILDING Ninth after the princ the streets ace ignited wal the A bright waved thi mains of re th have won cers of ght and a cerem ring « br =1 ic organ- <o p I composed o Senior Vice Adjt Comdr will dition Fire in the Edmonds School and D streets northeast, shortly 8:30 o'clock today, drove pal and four children to when an overheated fu woodwork between first floor and basem Miss A. E. Hopkins, the puplls were on nd floor when the fire broke and through clouds of smoke escaped to the street Miss Hopkins was warned of the fire by Richard Shaw, substitute janitor who discovered the blaze when he was making his rounds of the school preparatory to opening the doors for the morning sessfon. Shaw found flames licking their way through the first floor woodwork and pulled the private box of the school. He fought the flames with fire extingulshers un- til the apparatus arrived. The blaze was extinguished after large holes had been smashed through the flooring. The buflding was closed for repairs. the s of ent. principal, and in the Municipal Court of trict of Columbia to hear and adjudi cate complaints as to rents, charges and service, and to determine and fix the fair and reasonable rent to be charged, and Resolved, That decisions be ren- dered as in all other matters prop- erly presented to the Municipal Court, subject to the same appeal, and Resolved, That failure to obey the orders and decisions of the court shall be regarded as a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine, not exceeding $1,000, or by imprisonment for n exceeding one year, or by both Resolved, That money be appre priated for an additional Municipal Court judge, in order that the court may be able to handle rental mat ters. Representative Bla that it would take Muricipal Court judges to handle all these rental matters. He said that he was more opposed to the Copeland plan than to the Whaley bill. the Dis declared 500 additional ton