Evening Star Newspaper, February 15, 1925, Page 38

THE EVENING: STAR With Sundiy Merning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY......Febtuary 15, 1025 THEODORE W. NOYES Editor The Evening Star Newdpapér Company Business Office, 11th St. 24 Penrtsivania A New York Office: 110 Ecst 42nd Chicago Ofice: Tower Bulldisg. European Office: 16 Regeat 8t.,Londen, Engla: The Evening Star, with the day morning edition, is deélivered by crriers within the city at 80 cents r menth; d 45 unday only, 1y be seat by mall o . Collection is made by riers at the end of éach montd. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advanmee, Daily only Sunday only .....1yr. §2.40}1 mo., 20c All Other States. Daily and Sunday.1 yr. 0.00;1 mo., 86¢c Daily only . 1vr, $7.00:1 mo., 60c Sunday only ....1yr, $3.00;1 mo.,28c Member of the Assselited Preas. The Associated Prées is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- patches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and alto the local news pub. lished ‘herein All_ rights of publication of 0 Arms Conference Obstacles. Prospects that the Geneva protocol for an arbitration and security treaty will be revised to eliminate the pro- vision for a conference on the limita- tion of armaments have served to re- vive propaganda for the calling of such a conference by the United States Government. Both in Europe and on this side of the Atlantic it Is urged that the breakdown of the Geneva protocol conferencé plan gives President Coolidge an opportunity to step into the breach and call the na- tions of the world to Washington to discuss and agree upon a plan for the limitation of both naval and land armaments. But the President and his Secretary of State are not likely to be hurried into {ssuing such a call, for in the way of a successful outcome are obstacles which it is dificult at this time to see a way of overcoming. In the first nace, what would this Government Have to offer the governments of Eu- rope as an inducemeént that they limit their .armaments on.land? Our own land armaments are not of a size to rive Europe any concern, and any re- ductions we might offer to make would be relatively inconsequentlal. There is an- element of American opinion which holds we should offer cancella- tion or reduction of war debts in ex- change for European dissrmament, but it is of inconsiderable volume. Americans generally are hot In any such altruistic state of mind, nor are they likely to be. Moreover, it ie doubt- ful if we could even purchase disarma- ment by cancellation of debts, for it certainly is true that the debts owed America are in no way responsible for Europe being armed. In addition to lack of anything to offer in exchange for disarmament the American Government would be handi- capped by the fact that it has no rel tions with the government of Russi The Washington Government, not having recognized the government of the Boviets, could not well invite Mos- cow ta send delegates to-a conference here, and: to call ‘& conference on the limitation of land armaments without including Russia would be an act of pure futility. Poland and the other border states could not afford to dis- arm while Russia remained armed, and the same considerations would prevent France and the nations of the little entente from reducing their force It s not to be doubted that the European nations generally would zladly attend such a conference called by the American Government, but they would come more in the hope of cutting down their debts than in ex- pectation of cutting down their armles. The White House Roof. ance the casé would have madé mere- 1y & minor item of news. What made it interesting to the public, wam the fact that there was a chance to save a life. & Na An epidemic of diphtherid develops at Nome, Alaska. It is necessary to send remedies from a distance,. The Midwinter conditions make this ex- tremely difficult, and extraordinary measures are adopted for the rellef of the stricken community. Immediately millions of people become interested, and when at last a dog team bearing antitoxin is driven through the whole country cheers the performance. Yet every day country doctors are riding their circuits in wild and difficult parts of the land attending their patients, sometimes caring for numbers of vic- tims of contagious disease, and noth- ing is heard of them because nothing is noted of their quiet heroism in de- votion to duty. It is the unusual that makes the news value, and, as in the case of Floyd Collins, the element of struggle for life. A man snuffed out of exist- ence by a fall of rock is rated as just another casuelty. A man trapped and rescued by dint of protracted and cost- Iy endeavors becomes an object of natlon-wide attention and concern, A famous editor, when asked his definition of news, gave the following illustration: 1f a dog bites & man, that is not news, because it is a common- place, but if the man bites the dog It is news, because it Is unusual. It is the unusual in any happening that ap- peals to public interest. e The New Secretary of Agrioulture. In selecting Dr. Willlam M. Jardine to be Secretary of Agriculture after March 4 President Coolidge has picked a well qualified, ell-around man to head a department which promises to’ be second to none in importance during the next few years. To begin with,. Dr. Jardine qualifies primarily as a “dirt farmer.” He was born on a farm, has farmed all his life, and is still engaged extensively in tilling the soil. He has had a practical and varfed experience in the production end of agriculture, his activities hav- ing ranged from grein growing and &eneral cropping to live stock breed. ing and feeding. Buperimposed upon his practical knowledge, Dr. Jardine qualifies as an expert.on several lines of farm production, is an able executive and has a national reputation as an agri- cultural educator and economist. Moreover, appearing before Senate and House committeés as a member of the President's agricultural com- misajon, he showed a thorough grasp’ of the problem of co-operative market- ing, which Mr. Coolidge regards as of paramount importance in solving the problems of the farmer. 80 much for the professional equip- ment of the new Secretary. But what stands out even more conspicuously as a desirable attribute is his mental and moral courage. At a time when an overwhelming majority of sup- posed spokesmen for the American farmer were clamoring for artificial stimulation of farm produce prices by means of what amounted to a Govern: meént subsidy Dr. Jardine came out strongly .in opposition to the McNary- Haugen bill creating a Federal export commission. This required courage of no mean order, as was shown by immediate demands that he should be discharged from the presidency of the Kansas State College of Agriculture. But Dr. Jardine belleved the theory back of the McNary-Haugen bill was unsound economics, and believing it, he feit it his duty to say so, regardless of personal consequences. Appointment of Dr. Jardine also promises well in that it is expected to end the conflicts which have arisen between the Department of Agricul- ture and other branches of the Gov- ernment. Dr. Jardine believes in co- operation. ———— Tramp steamers off the Atlantic Congress has before it & bill to ap-| coast hoist signals that there is rum propriate $50,000 for repair of the ‘White House roof and for fixing a few other things about the house. The Bureau of the Budget has indorsed the proposed expenditure. It is officially said that the money will be used to make the reof safe, that there is dan- Ker that the roof will cave in under snow or that the 1id may be lifted by wind. One statement is that the White House attic is a firetrap be- cause of exposed electric wires. Uncle Sam should meke the repairs prompt- 1y. It ought not to appear in the rec- ord that Uncle Sam is a hard-hearted and tight-fisted landlord, and that he refuses to fix the roof of one of his houses which is occupied by prom- inent tenants. 7 “Tt ought not to be necessary that this case against Uncle Sam should be carried to Congress and printed in the néwspapers. He should fix the roof. The people of Washington esteem the ‘White House as one of the old, sub- stantial, respectable and respected dwellings of the city, and they would 1ike to feel that its roof is safe. ——————— A few men, like Elihu Root, lead sach busy lives that they bave to wait till they are 80 yvears of age to find time for a big birthday party. -The Appeal of the Unusual. Had Floyd Collins been_crushed to death or immediately suffocated by a Tock fall in his exploration. of a cave in Kentucky the tragedy would have been briefly noted in-the news dis- natches, and after perhaps-a day or two the case would have been forgot- t&n by all except those of the imme- diate neighborhood and, of course, his reatives and friends. But Floyd Col- lins was trapped and lived, and his plight and the efforts to release him became a news, factor of first impor- tance, certain to remain such and to command the attention of the country until releass is effected or until his body 1s found. This case illustrates the relativity of news. Floyd Collins is a type of the séntimental factor in news values. A fow Years ago a man was lost in Death Valley, Calit., and efforts were made to find him. From day to day the dispatches from the Weat told the story of the search, and when the wanderer was finally brought back there was great rejolcing. Had he been found dead in the valley witho: previous knowisdge of his disa i on board. The fact that these signals can be seen and understood by prohibi. tion agents as easily as by others does not appear to make any special differ- ence. —————m————— The principles and personnel of bol- shevism change so rapidly that any prudent orator is likely to follow the example of the A. F. of L. leader in declining to identify himself with so fickle an audience. ———————— The business of the United States Senate was recently delayed by a traf- fic congestion. Even the mention of motor regulations is enough to cause a tie-up, ————— A program of economy may here- after be expected to find something to do with battleships other than sink- ing them. N The Cost of Carelessness. A $2,000,008 fire in Kansas City destroyed an exhibition pavilion and 375 motor vehicles that were as. sembled In it for @ show. The fire started among some flimsy decoration materidl,” doubtless through faulty wiring. . The flames spread very quickly from the annex in which they originated, and in a few moments after the first blaze the building was doomed. Fortunately the show was over for the night. Thousands of peoplée had crowded the pavilion throughout the evening, and the last of them had. gone only a little while before the fire started. Had the short-circuit ‘occurred about an hour earlier, & terrible catastrophe would doubtless have resuited. Delpits all warnings of fire-preven- tion agencies and the teachings of experience, fire-making conditions are permitted In’ this country. In this case bad electric wiring wis per- mitted, probably through lax super- vision. Decorations that were no better than tinder were hung, ap- parently without safeguard against ignition. ©f course, it was somebody’'s busfness to see that these conditions did not prevail, but somebody was negligent. During the fire many ex- plosions occurred as the flames reached the gasoline tanks of the motor cars. Those tanks were sup- posed to have been drained, for it is a fixed rule in exhibitions of this character that they must be put in position with émpty tanks. But'lt'is ‘THE : SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. ., FEBRUARY' 15, 1925—PART Abolition of the Grand Jury Latest Proposal of “Reformers” known that in many cases this rule is not observed. This cannot be classed as one of the unpreventable fires. Few indeed are unpreventable. - Carelessness is the cause of virtually all of the big property-destroying blazes that occur in this country, costing enormous sums annually. g S et The Magic Carpet. Announcemeént is made by the League of American Inventors that a member of that organization has per- fected a “magic cloth” set which ren- ders perfect receiving service. It con- sists merely of a piece of cloth of a certain type, a crystal detector, a ground wire and a pair of ear phones. In the “Tales of the Arabian Nights" is a story of a magic carpet which transported at lightning speed those sitting upon it wherever they wished to go. Here is now a veritable magic carpet. For the radio transports those who use it over great distances, or rather brings to them through vast spaces words and songs of far-distant speakers and singers. There is thus an appropriaténess in this new device of such simplicity—a piece of cloth, & crystal and a few wires, and presto! space is annihilated, time becomes a figment. Perhaps the radio devotees who go in for “distance” and the collection of far-away stations have been inspired by their memory of the childhood tale of the magic carpet. They have in- voked & genil who at their bidding has brought them wonders. They have sailed through the air for thousands of miles. Twisting their dials, they have been successively in Atlanta and Boston, and Chicago and Denver, and Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. Some have even been in London, but these are exceptionally fortunate, for the going is not so good toward the East. ‘The magic carpet of radio sails over this continent with little difficulty, but as yet it cannot readily make the ocean crossing save under very high power. The true magic of these latter-day wonders is not fully grasped by those who usé them, the telegraph, the tele- phone, the Xray, the talking machine, the electric car, the auto mobilé, the airplane and the dirigible. They are all wonderful. And they have all come within & brief span of years. Save for the telegraph, all of these have been developed within half a century. Mankind has been riding on a magic carpet, indeed, during these marvelous decades. S ——— e — Fashion in Street Addre: Persons seem to be getting the habit of writing phonetically the letter designations of Washington streets. The practice of addressing mail to, or giving one's address as Eye street, and not I street, is extending, and one now finds residents of Kay street. The need of the change in style is not evident. It there were a J and I street it would be safe to write a J street it would often be mistaken for I stréet and I for J, because some writers do not drop J below the line. It may be said _that 1 street would often be confused with First street. Siight attention to . penmanship, or particularly in using the typewriter, Ought to carry a letter t6 I street or lo First street. Kay street is not common, but it has come into print and handwritten correspondence, and there are indications tiat the habit of making it Kay street is growing. Many persons are writing You street because there is Vee street and U and V are often indifferently written. One would think that it takes less time to write U plainly than to write You, but many persons hold the contrary opin- fon. Perhaps the new style will come to include Eee street, Eff street, Gee, Aitch, Em, En, Ell, Pea, Kew, Ess, Tea and Doubleyou streets. ——reee At a time when everybody is willing and anxious to add to the conversa- tion, President Coolidge gives silence an effect of interesting contrast. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Past and Future. Of mocking birds we used to sing That warbled near a tomb, But now we do not hear a thing Of sentimental gloom. About the past no tear we shed With feelings all perplexed. ‘We simply smile and go ahead To see what happens next. Fatherly Cares. “George Washington is the father of his country!” “I suppose 80,” enswered Senator Sorghum. “But ‘circumstances have relieved him of the usual responsi- bility of paying the bills for the entire family.” Fragile Tenure. ‘Vicissitudes cause men to sob. No one can shirk Disclosing Conditions might be better. As 500n as one accepts a job, He starts to work Composing A resignation letter. Jud Tunkins says he believes in evo- lution, but he can't deny .that some folks have made a mighty poor job of it.” Economles. . Each day a higher price of gas ‘With sorrow we diskivver! If we're to pay the bill, alas, ‘We've got to pawn the flivver! Summens. » “Is that g fite alarm?” Inquired the startied stranger. . “Nope,” answered Cactus Joe, “that is the Crimson Guilch angelus sum- moning us.to.the engine house for the dally poker game.” Smuggling. Some grape juice stood & while forgot In a neglected hall. And Nature smuggled in a lot Of ‘wicked alcohol! BY THOMAS R. MARSHALL, Former Vice President of the United States. In the old days reformation called for reatoration of original principles. Strange as it now seems, Martin Lu- ther believed that he died a good Ro- man Catholle. It was not his idea to be a schismatic. His idea of refor- mation contemplated restoration of the original faith. Definitions change, however, with the changing years. If the reformer of today were tempting to restore faith in God and government; If he were seeking a re- turn to what he conceived to be the ancient principles in church and state; If he were striving to redeem, this definite knowledge of his en- deavors would win converts. We would understand that he had in mind fixed principles, which in the beginnings of religion and -govern- ment were deemed essential to the salvation and welfare of mankind. ‘We might accept his argument that these great principles had become obscured by the folly, ignorance, cu- pidity and self-seeking of men. If the present-day reformer would recall original principles, as he un- derstands them, show that they had been obliterated or destroyed in the lite of the church or nation, and then would reveal how the reforms he urges would restore these basic prin- ciples and recreate in man a faith in God and government which all might understand and to which we might fearlessly cling, it would be quite easy for many of us to yield our sup- port. *x o¥ x But the reformer does no such thing. Reformation to him does not mean to restore. It means to change, to alter, to amend, to substitute. In no instance that 1 now recall within Tecent years has it meant to restore. In the church the reformer fs not trying to get back to the anclent faith. He is not seeking to destroy the barnacles which impede the prog- ress of the religious ship. Now and then he may seek to show that the things which he is trying to ac- complish were the real purposes which the fathers of\his faith had In mind, but ordinarily antiquity means nothing to him. His proposed réformation is more apt to contem- plate the adoption of his views as a substitute for the views of the fa- thers. Rather than a restorer. he is &n iconoclast, marrying and destroy- ing the beautiful works of art which the religion of the centuries has pro- fuced. 1 had believed (and hoped) that so- called reformation, which In reality is nothing else than a desire to im- press one’s individual views upon the mass of mankind, had about run ite course In our political lite. As I ob- served the pendulum 1 was beginning to feel that the ewing away from representative government had al- BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN Despite the fact that the Federal Trade Commission is dally engaged in efforts to prevent unfair compe- tition in business, and sincerely de- ires to help business men as much as possible, it is probably one of the or Eye street, but | most unpopular bureaus of the Fed- the planners of the city saw that with | eral Government. Poasibly this is due in part to the wording of the law, which is written negatively, setting forth what may not be done, instead of what may be. It seems a natural reaction of members of the human race to object to being told they may not do cértain things Woodrow Wilson, under whose ad- ministration this commission was formed, originally had the idea of making it a sort of get-together or- ganization, where business men of the Nation might come to confer with Government officials as to busine ethics. The law was written, how- ever, in such a manner as to defeat that plan. The Supreme Court divides unfair methods of competition into two classes: First, methods opposed to good morals because characterized by deception, bad faith, fraud, or oppres- sion; and, second, methods regarded as against public policy because of dangerous tendency unduly to hinder competition or create monopoly. The first class {a unlawful in itself, while the second class may or may mot be unlawful, depending upon the circum- stances and conditions. As an aid to business men in de- termining what is considered unlaw ful by the commission, it has In its annual report for 1924 printed a list of methods of competition which it condemns. Some of the outstanding are as follows: Misbranding of fabrigs and other commodities, respecting the materials or Ingredients of which they are com- Dosed, their quality, origin or source. The use of false or misleading ad- y ment SEiving away of goods in larke quantities to hamper and embarrass small competitors, and selling goods at cost to accomplish the same pur- pose. . Use of misleading trade names ca culated to create the impression that a dealer is a manufacturer, selling directly to the consumer, With cor- responding savings - Discriminating in price. Securing business by advertising a “free-trial” offer proposition, when as a matter of fact only a “money-back' \opportunity Is offered the prospective customer, etc. When Imitation Is Unfalr. Passing off of prodruct:. !ltllll::ll:r of one manufacturer or - ::.It’ol:.:hon ot another by imitation of product, dress of goods, or by simulation of appropriation of ad- vertising or of corporate or trade names, or of places of business, and passing off by a manufacturer of an inferior product fof a superior prod- uct theretofore made, advertised and im. .o;gh:):uhe of monopolistic concerns of concealed subsidiaries for carrying on their business, such concerns being held out as not connected with the controlling company. = An example of misbranding a prod- uct is given with regard to a certain manufacturer of stockings and un- derwear. The articles made by this ufacturer bore such labeis as Natural Merino,” “Gray Wool,” “Na- tural Wool” or “Australian Wool, which would naturally lead to-the inference by the public that these were made of all wool. - As & matter of fact they contained about 90 per cent cotton, and 10 per cent wool. The commission maintained that since these labels were misleading - that they must be changed to.read “wool and cotton,” “worsted wool and cot- ton,” etc. The company held that they were not misleading their cus- tomers—the retaflers—and that there- fore they were within their legal rights. The courts, however, upheld the -decision of the commission that the public should also be protected. The mlnu(lcturlr':f a well knolwn depilatory made rather an amusing defense when accused of false adver- tising. His advertisement made the statement at - this depllatory - would remove hafr so that it would not grow again. A complaint was brought before the commission to the effect that the hair did grow again and cordingly the manufacturer was ask- ed for an explanation. His reply was, “If Noah had been a business man,’™| “While. new hair may grow in, tech. sald Uncle Eben, “he certain’y could have controtied de meat supply, wif dat arkful of animats® ~** nically our advertisements are cor- rect, since certainly t|lu hair which is removed can not again grow.” The growth in popularity of the The Federal Trade Commission most reached the limit of the arc. I doubted if there was anything fur- ther to be thought of which would take us away from the old order. We had adopted universal su¥rage with no restrictions upon the brllot save that of age, preferential primaries, in many places the initiative and refer- endum, and in other places the récall of public officials. . We had reachéd the point where compliance with the law was nothing, while compliance with the opinion of the individual was everything. * * ¥ . T thought, as I have sald, that we had about reached the end and swung as far away from our old ideas as we could, but another “reform” is now proposed. We are asked to cast into the lumber room of the law the grand jury, which is the most ancient, honorable and important body that has come down to us through the slow centuries of English jurispru- dence. The reformer insists that it must go because it is the “most ignorant, most irresponsible and oftentimes most partisan tribunal known to our law,” and because it sits and adjudicates behind closed doors. For one, 1 protest. T/ grand jury is mot ignorant, irresponsible nd partisan, not nearly as much so as its critics,-who care nothing about the reason for an inatitution if they can only -get themselves into the limelight by proposing its destruc- tion. A great mistake was made, in my opinion, when the number.of grand jurors was reduced. Originally com- posed of 24 men, the grand jury had for its purpose the indictment of the gullty and the protection of the in- nocent, s0 that the smut ef slander might not rest upon garments where it did not belong. The momeént of beginning the investigation of crime openly marks the moment when sus- picion of gullt arises in the minds of many. I should hesitate to say how often a juror has answered me that he believed It was the law that a man when indicted should prove his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. 1 * * % % The world is full of bad men. Crime has been with us since the days of Cain. Criminals should be punished, of course, but we must continue to throw around the inno- cent man the protection which the grand jury affords. It Is quite easy to blacken the reputaion of any man. We cannot destroy his character, but & whisper or a shaking of heads may ruin him. No man should be subjected to an open investigation as to wheth- er or not he shall be tried for crime. The reformer in this as in other matters overlooks the question of justice. He apparently sees no dif- ference between the advocacy of new and untried theories and the restora- tion of oid principles. _(Copyright, 1925, by 21t Century Press.) chain and cut-rate stores is working considerable hardship on the corner Brocery and neighborhood drug store and they are accordingly obliged to eXxert every emergy to combating this competition, Fighting Chain Stores. A Kroup of independent grocers together and made the proposition v a large manufacturer of crackers that they would buy in carléads, tha same s the chain atores, and ‘would buy nder the same terms. The manu facturers, however, deciined to meet their proposition and “com- plaint with the commissfen. % The commission made.an Investiga- tion and advised the cracker pro- ducers 10 the effect that if they. were 80ing to sell to this group of grocers at all they must do 86 under the same terms which they gave to the chain stores. In other words, they must not discriminate in price. Of course the commission could not tell the company ft must sell to certain per sons. In this particular case, how- ever, the courts upheld the company and the eommission was unable to ald the smail dealers. 4iAuy one may file a ¢ commission simply by writi letter.. It is not necessary to employ & lawyer or go to any expense what- ever. The commission will investi- gate the case, render a decision and take it through the courts, all' with- out cost to the complainant. Also the name of the complainant is not divulged. A great many complaints of at- tempts monopoly are brought, and some of the largest cases now being investigated are of this nature. It is interesting to note that while the Federal Government is opposed to monopoly in domestic trade, it an- courages It in forelgn trade. This is for the protection of American manu- facturers selling their goods in for. eign countries. It appears that most FEuropean manufacturers of a certain product, When entering fofeign markets, will &et together and send one representa- tive for the whide trade, instead of each manufacturer sending some one from his own plant. Therefore, it be- comes immediately apparent the diffi- culty an American salesman would have if he had to bid against not only his foreign competitors, but other Amer- fcan representative: It would be practically impossible for him to compete with the European concerns. In addition to the work of seeing that “fair play” prevails in American business, the commission makes many special investigations. There is considerable criticism of the Federal Trade Commission, some People going so far as to suggest that the money.appropriated for its sup- port is a total loss. The report of the commission, however, shows that the farmers of 11 Western States Were saved.$30,000,000 on their steel Dbills by the, oxder to cease and desist issued in what is known as - the Pittsburgh plus case. Under this system a.man In the State of Ne- braska who ordered steel was charged the Pittsburgh price, plus freight charges from Pittsburgh, while the steel was made in Omaha. The steel company has complied with the order and discontinued the practice of add- ing an imaginary freight bill to the price. . The money saved by. this one order would support the commission for many years to come. complaint with Soviets and Christmas. From the Springfield Dally News It was Joshua who commanded the sun to stand still, and along came King Canute, who tried to command, the ‘waves. of the sea to recede, but, 8o his- tory. relates, with much less success. The Soviets in Russia have undertaken about as hard & proposition as Canute, | because they are attempting to take Christmas away from the Russian people. This year, as before, every effort was made to divert the annual holiday celebration into something" akin to an snti-religious demonstration, but they failed to stir the imagination of the peasantry,” and their endeavors, therefore, were vain. This is about the third time the Soviets have trfed to destroy Christmas. ‘Their intense antagonism against anything bespeak- ing religion is so manifest as to mark it at once as selfish and insincere. As well try to make the sun stop shining by. turning one’s back upon it as to endeavor; as the bolsheviki have done, to disrupt Christmas by frowning upon it. _The best tests of Sovietam ary the. absurdities it engages ia. ed 9 &, 1 Capital Sidelights Congress has just had its attention directed to a court functioning iIn Washington about which the best- informed people of this country know little, but which the poor and lowly of every land coming to our shores n the stesrage by the thousands 100k to for a larger measure of justice and hope and they ever received else- where, Representative John L. Cable 6f Ohio, after pointing out that there ia a rule as old as the law itself that every man is entitled to his day In court, gives us a glimpse of the “Immigrants’ Court.” First he explains how an immigrant arriving at Ellis Island, his passports in proper shape and he himselt within his country’s quota, receives a “visa,” and then when examined thoroughly by a public health doctor is found to be physically in a condition that might affect his ability to earn a living. He then gets his firat “day in court” be- fore a board of special inquiry at the port, and the findings then made, with a record of the case, are sent to Wash- ington on appeal for final decision by the Secretary of Labor. -Similarly, the case is dealt wita of the half-breed who climbs through & hole in the fence hetween California and Mexico. He iz arrested by the Immigration inspector for his “first day in court.” And then just as appeals are made to the Supreme Court of the United Btates from the lesser courts all over the country, so these case of the humble immigrants are taken on ap- peal to the “Immigrants’ Court” In Washington, which last year had more than 15,000 appeal cases. After the World War the suffering people of Europe threatened a human inundation of the United States. Al- most every alien denied admission by boards of ‘special Inquiry appealed to the Secretary of Labor, up to a rate of 3,000 a month. Secretary Davis says: “At some times the situation has been such that the hangman's job was a gentleman's job compared with mine. Nearly all of the races of the world were coming in, and my office and that entire floor of the Department of Labor Building became a veritable bedlam, with polyglot cries of anguish and desperation surpassing anything heard about the Tower of Babel. showing how Secretary Davis heart into the bitter task, we ‘We do not decide upon the bility of a bag of salt or coffee or sugar or the amount of duty or tribute .which shall be paid as a right o enter this land of ours. We are dealing with human rights, human liberties, human ambitions, human ties and human love. It is a source of pride to me that in the application of these rigid laws to human situa- tions 1 have not become hardensd and grown cold toward those who seek 1o better themselves in a better land. I shall always remember the groans and distressing scenes which bave been a part of the administra- tion of immigration laws, as long as 1 ve." To cure the situation, Secretary Davis called to his ofice Robe Carl White, an able, efficient and hard- headed Hoosier, to establish a clear- ing house of some kind to handle these distressing cases, grown so nu.- merous that no one man, no matter how tirelessly he might work, could dispose of alone. Mr. White estab- lished the “Immigrants’ Court,” com- monly known as the Secretary's board of review. Men experienced in the immigration law, and who could say “no” for the benefit of America—who would not be swaved by persuasive arguments of highly paid lawyers or by political power or members of Con- gress—were inducted Into office. Daily hearings are held—at times as many as 40 a day. There is a regularly established courtroom in the Department of Labor building. The alien may appear in person or represented by welfare organization or legal counsel. Often a Senator or member of the House appears in per- son. - An “opinion” is written by a member of the court in every case. Representative Cable has put into the Congressional Record a summary of the kind, character and amount of work done by this court. * Xk * Recently the erstwhile stald and August, somber and solemn Senate of the United States has been lapsing into poetic expression, brightening the customary heavy and serious rou- tine. For example, in the debate over confirmation of Harlan F. Stone Sen- ator Norris of Nebraska lapsed into moralizing over the influence of hu- man nature in cloge decisions and the way that difficult cases are often de- termined by the viewpoint of the in- dividual—"a part of the man that re. mains as part of the judge,” he de- clared. “A great American poet \has ex- pressed in beautiful language the Rope that this viewpoint might even survive death jtself,” sald Senator Norris, “and g0 on in it human way through all eternity. When writing of the change that is brought about by death, he said: “WIIl_death change me so That 1 sit_among the lary saint Turniog a deaf ear to the sore complaints Of wouls that suffer? Methinks—God pardon If the thonght be sin— That a world of pain were better, if therein and desires One’s heart might still be huma Of human pity drop upon its Some cooling tears * X ¥ The House also has acquired a pen- chant for versification—mostly quota- tions from famous bards, although such original verses as those on “Cal's Hobby . Horse” do occasionally in- trude. The tree has been a favorite theme. Last week it was Joyce Kil- mer's “Only God Can Make a Tree, and this week Representative John D. Clark of New York treats us to Henry Abbey’s “What Do We Plant.” What do we plant when we plant the tree? We plant the ship which will cross the sea; We plant the mast to carry the sails We plant the planks to withstand the gales— The keel, the keelson, the beam, the knee. We piant the ship when we plant the tree. What do we plant when we plant the tree? We plant the houses for you and me: We plant the rafters, the shingles, the floors; We pi studding, the lath, ihe doors, The Deams and siding, sll parts ‘that be: We plant the house when we plant the tree. What do we plant when we plant the tree? A thousand things that we duily see. We plant the spire that out-towers the crag; We plant the staft for our country’ We plant the shade from the hot sun free: We plant all these when we plant the tree. Of course, you'guessed right, Rep- resentative Clark was speaking on reforestation. ‘He told this little joke on himself: “I do not come here as an orator," he ‘said, “although as a youngster T had aspirations in that line. They lasted until I was sent to Kingston as a committes of one to bring into Delhi & famous orator. As we jour- neyed: back to my beloved hiils, I sought to impress on the Senator the fact that there were two orators in that automobile. As we were passing through one of the small villages in my district, whers they have the chureh and cemetery in the same plot, I called the Senator's attention to the church as the place where I had made my first great speech. - The Senator, pointing to the cemetery, replied: “And “there, by gosh, is the dience.” . - - s * % % % In the course of a plea to “Save American Agriculture from Ruin,” Representative Israel M. Foster -of Ohio quoted B. F. Yoakum, railroad financier, giving the following illus- tration of how the farmer has no voice in determining the price he gets for his products, but has to accept ‘whatever the distribution element of- fers him, and the distribution element also determines- what the consumer must pay. “The commissioner of markets of New York not long ago cited a case where a farmer shipped 10 carloads of onions to that market, expecting . to the in hi Tonid Mivs denrat hikk Sboet t1.008 MEN AND BY ROBERT Apparently President Coolidge Is playing a lone hand among the rulers of the world in his advocacy of strict offcial and personal economy.. Al- though the United States is in a Set- ter condition than any other country to stand a bit of “splurging” on the part of its Chlef Executive, It is the only country which really s practic- Ing a saving program in that direc- tion, The British Parliamen ing $75,000 as “pin mone Prince of Wales to take with hifm on his forthcoming journey to South America set aside in this incidental manner as much as the United States pays Its President for a year's work This country gives the President $25,- 000 a year for traveling expenses, but Mr. Coolidge has decided he will use very little of It, letting the rest go back into the Treasury at the end of | the fiscal year. * ¥ * % Nothing Is sacred in Washington any more. Executive sessions of the Senate, supposed to be deep state secrets, are about as private in reality as the Jife of a gold fish in a glitter- ing globe. But worst of all has been the revelation of the great White House secret—the electric hobby horse. Only three or four persons| were supposed to know anything about the electric nag. -The world was led to presume that the only exercise the President took was in the form of walks about the down- town section of ‘the city. But some- how or other the mechanical horse | got temperamental, got the colly- | wobbles or something appertaining to the insides. Some one has sald It was only a crossed wire. But any- way it was enough to send the auto- matic equine to the hospital and out the windows of the workshop the Executive secret flew—flew on the wings of the winds, flew to the Capitol, to the cloakrooms, to the gal- lerles, to_the tea tables. The news covered Washington like the dew— every wagging longue sparkled with it. The President Is represented as being a bit peeved with the whole proceeding, but those who have laughed the loudest and the longest should understand that riding a mechanleal horse is no Banbury Cross affalr. These horses are to be found | In the most strenuous of the modern | gymnasiums. No Atlantic liner is complete without an entire squad of them. The Prince of Wales rode one all the way over on his last trip to America. Of course, there has been a lot of talk about the prince tum- bling every time he takes a mount, but Fifty Years Ago In The Star Not for many years has the Wash- ington Navy Yard been regarded as a possible item in the defenses of the Capital. This idea, however, was ad- vanced in a measure Navy Yard as by The star half a century ago in its 8 Defense. (i iiner comments on the proposal to abolish the naval es- tablishments in this city, in its issue of February 10, 1875: “The gentlemen of the congres- sional committee who recommend the | abolition of the Washington Navy Yard seem to forget that about 60 years since the Potomac bore on its usually placid bosom a number of British warships which made things rather warm in this vieinity for a time and even compelled the Presi- dent to take to his heels in flight to get out of the reach of missiles of death and destruction. How would the Capital figure after the abolition of the navy vard here in case of war with a foreign country? It was dem- onstrated during the rebellion that a fleet of war vessels can ‘run’ any number of forts and batteries, and consequently Forts Foote and Wash- ington would present no serious ob- stacles to the passage of a fleet up the river. Even supposing that 'in such an emergency we were fortunate enough to have a fleet of gunboats between us and the advancing enemy, they would be llable to be disabled, and with no facilities here for speed- ily repairing them they might soon become the prey of the enemy and the Capital left at the mercy of the foe.” « * ¥ Street rallway companies 50 years ago were trying to find a method of protecting themselves from the pe- R culations of their Street Railway employes. But their devices to thix end Bell Panches. . 1o"%o¢ Telishea by the latter. In The Star of Febru- ary 11, 1875, the following on the subject: “The introduction of what is com- monly known as the ‘bell punch’ on certain lines of street railways has met with strong opposition from the conductors, on the ground that its in- troduction by the companies assumed the dishonesty of conductors as a class. This view has also been taken by mamy others, but scarcely with justice. A charge that the companies Tregard all their employes as dishonest is too sweeping. They doubtless be- leve the great majority of them trustworthy men, but are compelled to recognize the fact that a few of them, and it is always difficult to tel) which ones, are not entitled to their confidence. ' Hence they apply a gen- eral rule which they claim is effectual against the cupidity of the few, while it ought not to be regarded as de- tracting from the good name of the many. “Aside from the objection ‘to the bell punch referred to, it is an unhandy contrivance, as it is worn on the person of the conductor, and ail improvements on it are in order. Two street car lines in Brooklyn have adopted a new device which will just as effectually prevent peculation as the punch, while not being as dis- tastetul to the conductors. Each car contains at either end a clock-like contrivance, on the dlals of which are numbers ranging from 0 to 90. The contrivance has hands like the hands of.a clock and a strap, which hangs from it, when puiled rings a bell within the Instrument. The con- ductor pulls the strap every time he collects a fare, and the event is duly registered on the face of the.register. But even this contrivance would seem to be open to the objection that pas- sengers might pull it by mistake.” * * * The protest against carrying elec- tric ‘wires in the streets of Washing- 3 ton was sound 50 years Unsightly ago. though the city wa P l not freed of these incum- Poles. rances until several dec- ades Jater. In The Star of February 12, 1875, is printed. “We have reason to complain in Washington of the high-handed and insolent manner in which the tele- graph companies take possession of our streets and not only disfigure the principal thoroughfares with thé huge, . .clumsy telegraph _poles—or rather logs—but also without ap- —— a car and relieved his financial em- barrassment, but instead, the whole shipment was dumped by the con- signee in the Jersey meadows be- cause, at the time, the market was AFFAIRS T. SMALL. his riding in the polo games he played in and around New York last Autumn soon set all the ridicule at rest and won for the heir to the Bri:ish throns the unbounded admiration of Amer- ica's very best men in the saddle. President Coolidge is endeavoring in his own characteristic way to keep fit for public duty. Perhaps he wantx to get a little more confidence in the ddle before riding further on his splendid charger, General, wbo spends 80 much time with oats and clover in the White House stables. No one may expect Mr. Coolidgs ever to blossom forth as a rough rider in “T. R fashion, but when it comes to a long siege of official duty, with- out break or let up, the wiry littie man now in the Executive chair un- questionably can outlast some of the best hurdlers and huntsmen in official life today. * X X % The state of mind of the religiouc fanatics who have been walting i» vain for the end of the world thes{ past few days has best been {llus- tratad by the Hon. “Jim” McGraw of Oklahoma, who has been spend- Ing some time in Washington re- cently. Jim says thera is a classic story in the oil country of the oil man” who tried to get into Heaven He encountered St. Peter, who told him there wera enough ofl men al- ready within the pearly gates—the quota was filled and no more could be accommodated. ‘Maybe I could get a few of them out for you,' suggested the new a plicant. = “Just give me a chai Then there will be plenty of room.” St. Peter was rather taken with the fellow and acquiesced in the scheme. Once inside the newcomer got exceedingly busy. Wherever he encountered an oil man he would vhisper in his ear: “Have vou heard about the big oll strike down in hell? Thousands of barrels and everything." Pretty soon there was a wild exodus. St. Peter was amazed. The scheme had yorked to perfection. The newcomer was about the only ofl man left. In a day or two St Peter noticed that even he was gei- ting uneasy. Next day the newcomer was streaking out “What's the matter?" Peter; “where you going “I've been thinking.” said the de- parting guest, “that there might he some truth in that story after ail.” The inference heing that some of the end-of-the-worlders had begun to believe their own predictions. (Copyright. 1 asked St Heard and Seen The underdog has been written about in song and story, but nobody has patd much attention to the undercat. The former has become a sort of proverd, the term being applied to little men in struggle with big ones, or to any | person ground down by a ruthiess heel. The undercat, on the other hand, has vers few to mourn it. Yet Tom and Tabby have their viclesitudes no less than their canine friends. I never see a homeless kitten but what I think of the undercat. Even more than the smaller dog in an affray, a lost or homeless kitten ought to stir the heart of sympathy. The cat, of course, has to face a state of affairs which does not worry dogs. The cat is a victim of a sort of ingrained antipathy from mans. Nature, however. as If to adjust the matter, has given the cat, if not exactly “nine lives,” at least an amazing ability to face dangers and come ofit unscathed. Else how could one explain the perils, seemingly worse than those of Paullne, which a kitten manages to sscape? Thoughtless small bors, perhaps a fow cruel ones, too, automobiles, dogs—these are but a few of the hazards encoun- tered by the kitfen that has no home but is looking for one * * x One afternoon last week a small gras and white kitten strolled down a res dential street. Perhaps he was a pet, perhaps not. He was lost. at any rate He had something the matter with one eg. Boys held him up by the hind legs. Big dogs chased him up a tree. En- aconced on a limb, the soft little animal trembled for its life. A dozen boys “sicked” the dogs on to leap up at it. At this state of the affair a lady issued forth with a small step-stool, which she placed against the trae. Mounting the steps the good angel of that forelorn stray plucked ths cat' from the tree. The boys and dogs turned to other amusement. * * % Bearing the cat through the house. the woman put it out on the back porch. This house already had a cat, and cats are very jealous. The kitten sat on the back porch, contented to be free for a while from pursuit. When the woman took it out a piece of meat the kitten greedily seized the food, as if it had not had any for a long tima. And my, how it did purr! Its purr was loud as the role of a kettle drum, as sustained as the song of the bubbling teakettle. But time and cats must move on Each has a mysterious urge to go forward. Time is large, implacable: a kitten is little, and soft. Yet yes- terday is gone, and today soon will be. So It was with the little under- kitten. C. E. TRACEWELL. parent authority from any quarter other than their own selfish will, they plant these towering nuisances in t most conspicuous and offensive posi- tions, directly in front of private houses, on the handsomest residence streets in the city. All the thought, cultivation and money expended in building residences and beautifying the grounds on these streets goes for naught when the telegraph fiend comes along with his assortment of crooked timber and, despite prayers and denunciations, proceeds to plant the clumsy trunks, up and down, in vistas of such hideous deformity asx to be perfectly maddening to the eye of taste.” 5 * * % It seems strange now to think that there should have ever been objec- 2 tion to the establish- A National ment of such an insti- Museum. tution as the National . Museum in this city, and Vet, according to The Star of Febru- ary 13, 1876, a New York mewspaper did protest on the ground that the Government could “hardly afford to g0 into the show business.” The Star sald “Many other nations, notable, not- ably Great Britain, are engaged in this same show business, and national museums are considered prominent points of interests at European cap- itals. Great Britain has for years maintained a museum, the finest ir the world, and expends yearly no lest than £150,000 to increase its attrac- tiveness. Our own Government has already at its disposal the nucleus of a great national collection. The Smithsonian Institution is ready to contribute its large and valuable col- lection to the Government whenever the latter finds a suitable depository for :it. The Army Medical Museum would form an exceedingly valuable branch of the national institution, while the Patent Office and almost threatened with a glut. The shipper!every bureau of the Government could received a freight bill from the con-| signee instead of the expected check in payment for his year's toil and in- vestment. 3 make jects interesting contributions of ob- of value. A small appropri- ation yearly by Congress would se- cure the continual growth of the “This sort of thing happens con- stantly at every big market center in the United .States,” .declared Mr. Yoakum. : museum until in a very few years it would become one of the most inter- esting points to students and visitors at the Capital.”