Evening Star Newspaper, February 27, 1925, Page 6

THE E‘VENING STAR]:Ol did not check the secret hostili- With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY......February 27, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. . . Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd_St. Gotcago s’ Tower' Bulaing. European Office : 16 Regent 8t.,London, England. The Evening i the Sunday morning #ditlon, 1s delivered by carrlers within the ety at 60 cents per month: dally enly, 45 cents per month: Sunday only, 20 cents per month. Onders may be sent mail or tele. phone Matn 5000, Colirction {s made by car- rlers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable In Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..1 yr, $8.40; 1 mo., 70c Dally only - ¥ 1mo., 50c Sunday only.. ; 1mo., 20¢ All Other & Daily and Sunday.1y Datly only. Sunday only tates. $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ $7.00; 1 mo., 60c $3.00; 1 mo,, 25¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Assoctated Press s exclusively entitied to the use for republication of all news dis- Ppatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and aléo the local mews pub- lished ‘herein. Al rights of publication of @pecial dispatches hersin are also reserved. Ditching Farm Legislation. It is to be assumed that members of the House knew what they were doing yesterday when they passed the Dickinson substitute for the Haugen :0-operative marketing bill. What ey were doing was to render highly improbable that there will be any farm relfef legislation at the present session of Congress. The House, therefore, goes on record as preferring no legis- lation at all to that recommended by the agricultural commission appointed by President Coolidge. Thus responsi- bility is squarely and fairly placed for faflure to make good pre-election Promises to the farmers. An attempt may be made by the Senate to put through the agricul- tural commission’s bill and bring sbout in conference reconcilement of the differences between the houses, , but there is no reasonable hope for a successful outcome. No one belleves the Senate will accept the Dickinson substitute. As one member of the House aptly put it, Congress might as well go out on the front steps of the Capitol and give three cheers for the farmer, so far as any practical bene- fits are concerned. It is the old, old story of the triumph of politics over common sense. It would almost seem that professional ‘“friends of the farmer” in Congress are afraid to do A reparations plan has been adopted which some leading Germans frankly declare will be observed only fn the first installment. Meanwhile guns are being made, alrplanes are being provided for in unit manufac- tures, apparently commerctal dye works are, it is believed, turning out quantities of explosive and gasmaking materfals. The spirit of revenge s evi- dent in all of these evidences of war preparation thus brought to light. Uneasiness is felt in France over these manifestations, for unquestion- ably France would be the object of a war of vengeance if undertaken by Germany. Uneasiness is felt in Eng- land as well, though not in the same degree. Tt is felt in this country, though in still less degree. It is felt, of course, in Poland and Belgium. But what can any or all of these nations do? The only practical thing that can be done is to continue to bring out the facts, to disclose and expose Ger- many's secret preparations, to keep pace with her warmaking measures, if they are serously designed as such, with revelations and with proper prep- arations for defense. Germany, of course, is In no danger of invasion. Any measures she may adopt of a militant character are de- signed for offensive, and not defenstve warfare. The hope of the allied coun- tries will be that by the pursuance of a policy of peace toward Germany on their part, with every guarantee of continued peace, and by the exposure of the machinations and preparations of the war party in Germany, the peo- ple of that country will be aroused to the point of repudiating and abandon- ing these dangerous measures and those who are forwarding them. For surely the German people themselves cannot wish for another war. Legislation by Absence. When the 16 Indiana State Senators went on strike and hopped into a big motor bus and fled from Indianapolis for sanctuary in Ohio, In order to break a quorum and prevent action on a gerrymandering bill, they reckoned shrewdly. The Legislature must ad- journ by statutory limitation on the 9th of March. They would have to remain in exile only about 10 days to make thelr absence effective. They doubtless reasoned that even though they might be arrested and their ex- tradition sought they could delay pro- ceedings long enough to tide them over that period. The only other Dem- ocratic members—two in number— were {ll at home and could not be anything practical in his behalf lest they lose whatever political advantage there may be in rural discontent. The Haugen bill, embodying the recommendations of the Coolidge agri- cultural commission, was & carefully worked out program for Federal en- couragement of co-operative market- ing, designed to safeguard the inter- ests of both the public and the farm- ers themselves, protecting the latter especially from unsound practices and dishonest exploiters. It provided for the Federal licensing of co-operative marketing associations, for & moderate amount of inspection and a minimum of regulation. A Federal co-operating marketing board, responsible to the President, was to give advice and as- sistance. The Dickinson substitute abolishes all licensing, inspection and regulatory features and provides for a Federal board, to be appointed by the co-operative marketing associa- tions. Its chief result would be to provide fat Government jobs for a number of * professional co-operative marketing men, whose activities would ‘e confined to giving the same kind of advice they already are giving in their lower-pald positions with the co- operatives. As there already is in the Department of Agriculture a bureau which specializes on co-operative mar- Xketing advice, it is difficult to see how the Dickinson bill would be of any Dbenefit at all to the actual farmers. —_— e Rumors that members of Congress are betting on whether they will se- cure a pay raise must be regarded as without foundation. No discreet em- ploye seeking salary promotion should admit e predilection for gambling in any form. —_—re————— Every effort will be made to retain the relative merits of battleships and aircraft as a topic for technical debate without being obliged to submit it for practical decision in actual warfare. Germany’s War Spirit. Suspicion that Germany is not faith- fully observing the terms of the Ver: sallles treaty in the matter of disarm- ament have been entertained in the-al- lled countries ever since the armistice. An interallled commission has been stationed in Germany to observe the process of disarmament and has made numerous reports, all showing plain evidences of a disposition on the part of the government at Berlin to evade woth the spirit and the letter of the obligations subscribed to at Versaities. Now comes another report, whictr has been submitted to the interallied mili- tary councll at Paris, and will be shortly laid before the council of al- lied Ambassadors. In yesterday's Star uppeared a synopsis of its conclusion. Six and a third years have elapsed since the armistice, and Germany's ‘war wounds are healing, hdve, indeed, practically all healed. In physical harm, outside of the loss of man power, she suffered nothing. Not a building within the area which now constitutes Germany was injured. Not an acre. of ground was torn by shells. There are no marks in the entire realm today to remind the people of the conflict outside of the maimed sur- vivors and the cemetery crosses over the graves of those who fell. But throughout Germany is felt @ pulse of war preparation manifest in drills of so-called police, of the tralning of. of- ficers as members of secret organiza- tions, of the manufacture of war ma- terials under guise of innocent com- mercial fabrication. These are the find- ings of the allied commission. A grave problem is presented by these disclosures. How can Germany be made to obey the law that was im- posed upon her by the treaty of Ver- sallles? Occupation of certain parts of her area did not specifically bring about reparations payments, which ‘wers deliberately evaded. Customs con- moved. They had the quorum ef- fectively broken. If they did not re- turn to the State capitol before March 9 it would be imposible for the Legis- lature to pass the appropriation bills, and the State government would be “broke.” So they were in a strong strategic position. There i no wonder, therefore, that they won their point and are now returning under pledge that no further attempt will be made to pass the redistricting bill. This is legislation by absence, or rather the negation of legislation. It cannot be commended as the ideal of lawmaking methods. It is susceptible of serious abuse. Obviously, if a quorum can be effectively broken by the departure of the minority from the jurisdiction, as was done in Ten- nessee in 1920 and in Rhode Island last year and has just been done in Indiand, 2 premium is put upon ab- stention from duty. Indiana has a statute which penal- izes willful absence from the 'legis- lative chambers. But the process of law to enforce attendance or to punish recalcitrants is not speedy, and, as in THE EVENING vislon over thelr conduct and ideas of propriety. . Some parents, indeed, need spanking rather than the chil- dren who are allowed to run loose and get into bad company. At any rate, if these Philadelphia fathers apply the rod with spirit to the satisfaction of the court they will probably at the end of the prescribed period have a keener conception of thelr own dutles toward their offspring. The Speakership Candidates. ‘Tonight the Republican members of the next House of Representatives meet in caucus to select the party’s candidate for Speaker, who will be elected by vote of the House when the Sixty-ninth Congress convenes. They have the choice of two men of high ability, long service and unquestioned party loyalty, Nicholas Longworth of Ohio and Martin B. Madden of Illinois. They are fortunate in having two such men for their selection. At the same time they are in some difficulty in making a choice, high are the merits of each and so strong their claims for this recognition and reward. Each man is now completing his tenth term in Congress, his twentieth year of service. Representative Madden's 50 this case, may be just slow enough to be ineffective. . The Sixty-eighth Congress of the United States is nearing a close. If a group of members of either house were to take train or bus, or both, and leave the District of Columbia for some place sufficiently remote to pre- vent thelr return before noon on the 4th of March, they might by this ma- neuver check all further action by the two houses upon important measures. Writs might pursue them, but with- out effect in season, with the period of the session determined by the Con- stitution, and therefore unchangeable. It is hardly, however, to be expected that such tactics will ever be pursued by members of Congress, whatever the example set by State legislators. Re- sponsibility for flight to evade the dis- charge of duty and to block proceed- ings 18 too heavy to be incurred. Those 16 Indiana Senators may gain credit in the eyes of their constituents by their bold stroke in breaking the quorum. On the other hand, they may be only inviting reprisals at the next election. e ———— The invention of an anti-automobile armor for pedestrians may be In order. There are moments of peril that make a street situation lpok less like a case of mere traffic congestion than of ac- tual warfare. ———e— A reduction in income tax is a prompt and practical way of giving the general public the benefit of a gov- ernmental program of economy. o Appropriate Punishment. Two boys were arrested in Phila- delphia the other day for robbery of a hardware store. Their parents were mulcted. for $45 in damages for the goods stolen, the boys were brought into the Juvenile Court for punish- ment, and the judge sentenced them to be spanked dally for 47 days in reim. bursement. Though the dispatch re- lating to the matter does not so state, it may be assumed that the spank- ings are to be administered by the two fathers. It is & question whether in the interest of justice and for the efficiency of the cure the court might not well have stipulated that each boy was to be spanked by his pal's father rather than his own. At any rate, spanking is the order of the day now for somre weeks to come for these. young hopefuls, and without doubt the court will watch their fu- ture careers with interest to see whether the penalty is effective. This Philadelphia judge has put the cases of these boys squarely. up to their parents. There is where the re. sponsibility belongs. . Many fathers and mothers are letting their children drift elong with little or no super- gervice has been continuous, beginning with the Fifty-ninth Congress, March 4, 1905. Representative Longworth's service, though covering an equal period of time, has not been continu- ous. He first took his seat in the Fifty- eighth Congress in 1903, but was ab- sent from the Sixty-third Congress. Repregentative Madden has served with ability as chairman of the appro- priations committee, and Representa- tive Longworth, specializing on the tariff, has risen to the position of floor leader for his party. Kach man has rendered valuable service as a legisla- tor. Each has a claim for considera- tion now that the speakership is to pass from the present holder, who ad- vances to a senatorial seat. The friends of each claim that they have enough votes now pledged to elect their man at tonight's caucus. The country may rest assured that whether the speaker- ship falls to Representative Longworth or Representative Madden it will be in capable hands, and that the highest traditions of that honorable office, which has been held by some of the most eminent of American statesmen, will be maintained. e The New Illinois Senator. Appointment of Charles S. Deneen as Senator from Illinois to fill out the term of the late Senator Medill Mc- Cormick is in all respects a most sut- able action. Kormer Gov. Deneen is a Senator-elect. He will take his seat as 2 member of the Sixty-ninth Congress on the 5th of March, when the upper house meets in extraordinary session. In ordinary 'circumstances the re- mainder of the term in this Congress would be permitted to lapse. But in the present situation it is important that every seat be occupied. Senator Deneen will actually serve in the Sixty- eighth Congress only three or four days, but his vote may be needed on close questions, and it is well that he should be enrolled. He is a man of high ability, end his election to the Senate in November last was hailed with gratification by those in Wash- ington who knew his merits and quali- fications. oo The latest and most reckless type of criminal is the hitand-run motor driver. The injury he inflicts may be accidental in some degree, but his flight gives him a status no better than that of the deliberate assassin. He is worthy of the concentrated at- tention of a large section of the police force. That Mussolini should be tempo- rarily ill is not surprising. He has worked long and bard at a task that permitted no vacations whatever. Muscle Shoals still remains a natu- ral resource with a wonderful future, but a negligible present. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Depending on Sister. Ethelinda’s going to learn To do @ song and dance. Her brothers each at school, in turn, Wil have a proper chance. A course in law will do for Bill. It's medicine for Jake. And Tom bas great artistic skill; A painter he should make. But, for the intellectual group Much patience is required. And, for our sandwiches and soup Some cash will be desired. There must Be one equipped to earn The family sustenance; So, Ethelinda’s going to learn To do a song and dance. Non-Interference. “How do you manage to get re- elected so frequently?” “I don’t know,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I leave the managing to our organization out home and refrain from asking questions.” Fortified for March Four. The weather man we now agree Shall scare us not a bit; If his report adverse should be, ‘We'll simply veto it. Jud Tunkins says sorrow always fol- lows joy. As soon as the inauguration is over we'll have to begin to talk about the fruit crop bein’ a failure. . Head Work. “A woman need not be dependent on a man. “Of course, not, Henrlet! Meekton. “She can do her own thinking.” “No doubt of it. A woman can think for herself. But the only person in this village who can bob her hair satis- factorily is e man.” " said Mr. Exclusive. The oyster is a haughty churl ‘Who dwells aloof and hoards a pearl, And never is on speaking terms ‘With-anything but crabs end germ.s. “You ain' gineter git much benefit fum a shorter workin’ day,” said Uncle Eben, “if you keeps goin’ in foh a longer dancin’ night.” ¥ STAR, WASHIL O, FRIDAY THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Washington has a Judiciary Square, why not a Literary Square? Bverywhere the visitor finds statues of warriors, men who helped make end save the republic, and this s as it shuold be. Ido not belleve we have too mauny such memori But certalnly the great literary men—and women—of the United States are not remembered here as they ought to be, Aside from a very few statues, such as that to Long- fellow on Connecticut avenue, the writers of America are not brought to mind as one strolls the streets. Yet “the pen s mightier than the sword,” it has been maid. In any event, the pen is mighty. Espectally in this Federal City fs this exempli- fied. Surely the National Capital should have a public statue to the memory of Harriet Beecher Stowe, for instance. A Literary Square, situated in one of the newer portions of the District, Where circles and small parks are apt to be few, would be in itself a graoe- ful testimonial on the part of the Congress of the United States to all the writers, great and near-great, Who have done their part toward making the couprty famous. Such a square might have in It herofc statues to the chief literary lights of past days, with the minor writers remembered in inscriptions or small tablets. Space ought to be left for the inclusion of memorials to writers of today, who in the future Will be admitted to be as great as thelr fllustrious predecessors. Literary Square would prove an in- spiration not only to the children and others who might walk there, but also to the writing fraternity, prob- ably the most sensitive group of peo- ple—America articulate. * % ok % The {dea for Literary Square came to me upon reading a letter from Jesse Jonathan Haas of this city, In the course of which Mr. Haas sug- gested that there ought to be erected statues here of Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe, “facing each other.” Mr. Haas said: “Permit me to thank and congratulate you on your most beautiful story of our ‘Grey Poet.’ Such articles are of more real valua than the tariff—price of wheat— Jazz—and police storfes that take so much space in today’s news, “I have read and studled Walt Whitman hince 1895—and have ba- fore me the David McKay edition you mention (copyright 1900), and pur- chased in 1302—also many clippings. 100th anniversary photos, etc. “There is one verse that I love to quote, viz, ‘I think I could turn and ltve with animals, they are so plactd and self contained, I stand and look at them long and long,’ etc. Perhaps no greater philosophy In all literature than within his pages if men would seck— “To think that this country has produced two great poets—Poe and Whitman. If we never did anything else it was worth while—Poe, the poet of beauty—a blue white dla- mond, flawless In his matchless scin- tillations; Whitman, the poet of truth, usefulness, {n its startling statements burning like coal to dazeling white- ness— “Poe, the diamond—Whitman, the coal—both carbon—one teaches beauty—things to admire (like the dlamond), the other teaches life and the stores of coal, its formatfon to the great purpose of man. “Who knows whether to rank Whit- man above Poe, or Poe above Whit- man—I can't—you can't—time alone will tell. These two men should have statues in this city facing each other, for their names will live when great generals of battles ars for- gotten. “Like Sapho’—a fragment of Poe and Whitman will mean more {n the ages to come than all the money of steel and ore. May I appeal to you to keep up these stories of literature, especially poetry, so that our youth can read that there are some great and good things in America and be- fore which the critics of Europe bow their heads?” i N Literary Square might advanta- geously be situated in the midst of the new Glover Parkway, a some- what formal area in the greater park in which it 18 to be hoped the beauty of nature will be kept, as far as con- sistent, with proper parkway treat- ment. The statues which might be in- cluded {n it? There is & question for a literary commission, composed of men who have spent their entire lives with literature and are in a com- manding position, a colgn of ven- tage, as it were, where they might sur- vey the whole field and determine the entrants to this outdoor hall of fame. Certainly such a literary commis- sion would have to consider such men as Willlam Cullen Bryant, Edgar Allan _Poe, Walt Whitman, James Russell Lowell, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sidney Lanier and John Greenleaf Whittler. Curtis Hidden Page, in his “The Chief American Poets,” gives selec- tions from the above authors. The frontisplece shows their portraits, with Longfellow occupying the hogor position in the center of the page. Whatever one's {deas may be about the elder poets, he will have to stop and think a long time before he dares rule one of them out. Personally, I would not be so keen on keeping Sid- ney Lanfer. Perhaps some one else might not care for Whittier. Then some one might come to me and say, “Read the ‘Marshes of Glynn' again, and to the other, “Read ‘Snow- bound.” " Among the writers of prose who ought to o into Literary Square would be Nathaniel Hawthorne, James Fenimore Cooper, Herman Melville, Washington Irving, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Stephen Crane, O. Henry, Mark Twaln and Benjamin Franklin. * ok % K I am not sure but that Longfellow should occupy the honor position in the center of the square. Emerson might dispute the honor with him. If we would put the author of the “Psalm of Life” in the center, at the four corners we might place Poe, Whitman, Emerson and Hawthorne. On Longfellow's status we might place simply his name and the verses: Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate: Still achleving, still pursuiog, arn to labor and to walt Despite all the clamor that Long- fellow 18 “sugary,” there is no author who has expressed the genfus of this, our land, better than did Longfellow in the above lines. Cooper, the author of pioneer and sea storfes, ought to find a place, as should Herman Melville, whose “Moby Dick,” “Typee” and “Omoo” are com- ing into thelr own at last after so many years of belng regarded as literary curfosities. Stephen Crane, who wrote “The Red Badge of Courage,” ought not to have a statue in the square, perhaps, but certainly he should be honored with a tablet or something of that sort. As for Sldney Porter (O. Henry) and Samuel Clements, by all means they should be honored in Literary Square, the former being the legiti- mate successor to Hawthorne, master of the short story, and the latter be- ing the unparalleled chronicler of American boyhood. Benjamin Franklin, who wrots one of the greatest autoblographies in the world, ought to go in. His liter- ary style had a charm all its own, one which deserves to be known by his countrymen more than it is. Space should be left in Literary Square for additions to be made in the years to come. I nominate Booth Tarkington and Sinclair Lewls. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM 5iLE John W. Davis is a better sport than John Adams was. The late Democratic candidate for the presi- dency is going to be in Washington on March 4, the day Calvin Coolidge is inaugurated. John Adams was so enraged over his defeat for re-elec- tion in 1800 that he declined to at- tend the inauguration of Thomas Jef- ferson, who beat him, on March 4, 1801. Mr. Davis is not coming to the Capital to see his conqueror in- ducted Into office” It's law business that will bring him here. He is counsel for the Cement Manufac- turers’ Protective Association in an appeal case before the Supreme Court to oppose dissolution demanded by the Government under the Sherman anti-trust act. Mr. Davis is expected in Washington on March 2. The duration of his visit depends on the date the cement case is called up for argument. He will be the guest of former Secretary of State Robert Lansing whila here. The Woman's Natlonal Democratic Club wants Mr. Davls to preside over its get-together dinner in Washington on the night of March 7, when Gov. Nellie Ross of ‘Wyoming will be the guest of honor. * kK ¥ No finer funeral eulogies have been uttered in a long time than the ones which Senator Reed of Missour! and Pepper of Pennsylvania pronounced over Medill McCormick’s bler. It was an unfamillar performance for the Missourl Democrat, whose autobiog- raphy proudly attests that as a public prosecutor in Kansas City he secured 285 convictions out of 287 cases. There was nothing of Reed's “police court manner,” as Lodge once called it, in his panegyri¢ on MocCormick. Reed could play 2 Roman senator in “Jullus Caesar’ without a make-up, 1ooking every inch the part, and his eloquence at the McCormick obsequles was In full keeping with such a role. Pepper’s oratory lacks the sonorous polish of Reed’s, but the Pennsyl- vanian, too, struck an extraordinarily high note. -His quotation of Mc- Cormick’s favorite passage from the Bible, faultlessly delivered, made a deep impression on an audience in- ured to forensic fireworks. R Geoerge Willlam, Cardinal Munde- lefn of Chicago, who is now in Rome, told Washingtonians recertly that he narrowly missed becoming a sailor instead of a priest. Brought up on the oceanside in New York, he had an early longing to go to Annapolis and follow the career of a naval officer. Until the hour of his final decision to ‘| enter the church, Mundelein veered almost irresistibly toward the sea as a calling. Not many know that it was only three of four years ago that the cardinal, then Archbishop of Chicago, was g0 broken in health that he faced the possibility of retirement. Some one told him the Panama Canal Zone was the climate he needed for restora- tive purposes. There he spent nearly two months, and came away, & glant refreshed. Cardinal Mundelein’s new college for priests, at Chicaga, will introduce an innoovation in theo- logical seminarfes. ~West Point physical requirements will be imposed upon ail candidates for admission. DR Secretary Hughes will say good-bye to the Latin American diplomatic corps in Washington at a farewell luncheon in his hondr ir the Pan- American Palace on Monday, March 2. Our Central and South American friends part official company from Mr. Hughes with particularly keen regret. No Secretary of State in co- temporary times has dome more to cement genuinely cordial relations among the sister republics of this hemisphere. Washington Amba:sa- dors and Ministers from European and other states have been honoring Mr. and Mrs. Hughes privately during the weeks since his resignation was announced. The retiring Secretary has not encouraged anything savor- ing of an organized or formal send- off, although opinion Is universal that he should not have been allowed to leave Washington without some sig- nal demonstration of regard. * % % % Washington will lose its most ac- complished and wittlest toastmaster general when Col. Samuel E. Winslow of Massachusetts retires from Congress on March 4. Representative Winslow says he's going back to his regular Job, that of manufacturing ice and roller skates at Worcester, after six successive terms in the House. His friends insist that he is by no means out of public life for good. One day they talk of sending him to the United States Senate. He ison the threshold of §3. National approval has been voiced with regard to Winslow's fare- well act in Congress—the proposal of a law whereby the teaching and-study of the United States Constitution should be made compulsory in public and private schools and colleges of the country, * k% % Senator Magnus Johnson of Minne- sota, who, in distingulshed company, will be able shortly to write “ex” in front of his title, is going to mount the Chautauqua platform next Sum- mer. It will be 2 malden experience. Ohlo, Indiana, Illinols, Iowa and other Midwest regions will be the regions he will spellbind. Johnson has not yet decided upon his subject, but it is sure to deal with his brief but pyro- technical career in the United States Senate. Meantime Magnus Vox will return to his dairy farm in Minnesota, see that his boys have kept it In run- ning order, and then go forth to en- lighten the multitudes that congre- gate In Main street In Summer and Autumn beneath the big brown tents. Willls, Lenroot, Harrison, Fess and other brother Senators with Chau- tauqua pedigrees are putting Magnus through a course of sprouts. * Kk * Representative Martin Luther Davey of Ohfo, who {s a tree expert in private life, is engaged in a lively passage-at-arms with the Arboreal authorities of Central Park, in New York. In a recent address before the Ohfo Socfety in Gotham, Davey as- serted that tree conditions in Central Park are steadily going from bad to worse. The statement was challenged by Wesley B. Leach, chief forester of New York's department of parks. But Representative Davey returns to the charge Wwith blazing artillery. He challenges Leach to produce the offi- clal figures showihg the number of trees cut down and removed from Central Park eath year for -ths last decade. The Ohioan, one of the babies of the House, asserts roundly that “the condition of Central Park is a disgrace to the greatest oity in the world.” Although a Democrat, Mr. Davey apparently has no hesitation in taking a fling at one of Mayor Hylan's pet departmentgs and officials. (Copyright, 2] The Motor Bus Bugaboo. From the Boston Transcript. Only 13 street raliways went into the hands of receivers last xear, while 22 came out. And this happened with motor busses running 1In Increasing numbers, < i Ll FEBRUARY 27, 1925 Satirists Share Barbs On Electric Horse. Jokes in and out of Congress at the expense of the President’s *hobby- horse” have inspired editorial com- ment, chiefly in lighter vein, with shafts directed by some agalnst con- gressional Jjokers and by others against the White House horse. A portion of the press takes occasion to commend Mr. Coolidge for his “economy” hobby. Among the papers which ridicule certain verses read into the Congres- sional Record by Representative Vin- son of Kentucky {s the Kansas City Star, which says that such lines de- prive their author of all “benefit of clergy.” The Star continues: “We abandon him to the full penalty ac- cruing to those Congressmen who be- long to the haw-haw school of Amer- ican humor.” More severe is the con- demnation of the Hartford Courant, which declares: “Perhaps the Worst ‘poetry’ that ever perpetrated in the world was that injected into the de- Iiberation of the House the other day on the President's exercise, which exercise had caused a feeling of un- controllable mirth to rise in certaln congressional minds. But no feeling of mirth ought to be held responsi- ble for the kind of ‘poetry’ evolved.” The Witchita Beacon aims a blow at the House as a whole, saying: “It may not be able to handle the Muscle Shoals situation. It may not be able to reduce taxes. It may not know what is golng on In the Veterans' Bureau or the aviation section. It may not know what to do for the American farmers. But just give it free rein to discuss electric hobby- horses and it is the greatest deliber- ative body on earth.” A humorous vision of the dent's early days is given by the Omaha World-Herald, which eays: “We can imagine Calvin Coolidge lug- Presi- g!ng sap buckets on his tather’s stony Vermont farm and yearning for .a rocking horse. We can imagine him registering a vow and keeping it ever in mind as State legislator, as mayor, as lleutenant governor, as governor and as Vice President. Came a day when he was called to a higher duty. The old longing was forgotten for the moment but it returned. Again we See him In deep thought. He thumbs the stubs in his check book, counts the loose change in his pocket. A look of determination comes over his strong face, he bangs the table with his fist and declares, in spite of his Puritan ancestry, ‘By God, I'll do it” And so the President has a rocking horse. EREE Members of the cabinet share in the humorous situation viewed by the Huntington Advertiser, which asserts that “with Coolidge affecting the life strenuous astride @ hobby- horss and Secretary of Navy Wilbur writing bedtime stories, we need not be surprised if we hear that Secre- tary of State Hughes has been seen on the streets in a pair of bell-bot- tom trousers.” In reply to the jibes the Minneapolis Tribune observes: “If the Democratic punsters will look into the matter they will find elec- trical hobbyhorses in every big club, hotel and transatlantic line gymna- sium. Thousands of men get their exercise in this way every day. And, if they will go a bit further, they will find that it is an excellent way to shake the cobwebs from the brain.” A human touch is found in the sit- uation by the Peoria Journal, which declares that the President “was never a hero of the people, but the hobbyhorse may make him one.” The Journal continues: ¥'Politically, to canonize a man, the American people must find the dross of com- monplace humanity in an otherwise unique personality. His uniqueness is his silence. His dross of every- dayness may be the hobbyhorse. Read- ing about it is like seeing him with his collar off. Yes he has a neck like the rest of us.”” The Buffalo News belleves Representative Vinson “gave the horse an appropriate name, ‘Economy, and observes: “The country will have no cause for complaint so long as the President chooses to rlde that hobby.” A plan to back Representa- tive Vinson up to the mechanical steed and then press the button la- beled “snort and kick” is advocated by the Milwaukee Journal. Several papers take occasion to emphasize ‘“‘economy” -as the real hobby. “There are many statesmen who can add to their popularity by riding it occasionally,” says the Okla- homa City Times. “On the whole, the public seems well pleased with his equitation,” states the Kalamazoo ‘Strict economy 1s the win- " says the Columbus Ohio State Journal. Penobscot in Limelight. Ice Breaker Again Occupies Place in City Annals. News comes from Maine, as always at this time of year, that a Penob- scot ice breaker has been seen. This s a privilege few have enjoyed. Just what the ice breaker was doing when seen the report does not tell, but he must have been having a good time, for there is still plenty of ice to break in Maine. This fce breaker was seen in company with a pack of young procks. It is very much to be desired that the next person who sees an lce breaker or a prock will furnish a more accurate description of these animals than any of the accounts now avallable. The Maine plunkus or ding-maul is well known. It has a small body, but a tafl about 6 or 8 feet long, with a lump of bony gristle at the end as large as a foot ball. This is its sole but sufficient means of de- fense. The mountain gouger or bowger is also often seen in Maine. He is an animal that captures those inexpert woodsmen who lose their sense of direction and go astray in the woods. Iess common are the kickle-snifters, who live in old men's beards and In circular lakes; the swamp gahoon, an animal that makes snowshoe tracks, and the tree squeak, which makes a noise like trees rubbing together in the wind. Other Maine woods animals are the kangagee, the mountain rabbit and the philamaloo bird, the screbowil, the swamp swiver, the wampus cat and the whiffenpufr. The side-hill badger s known else- where—that creature provided with two short legs on one side ‘and two long legs on the other to enable him to browse comfortably on the sides of steep mountains. The wunk fs a strange animal that digs a hole and pulls the hole In after it. In some localities hunting the wunk's hole takes the place of cross-word puz- zles, but in the nature of things it is & pastime rarely successful. Then there is the lurloo, and the winno- welver, the twittering teeper, the tcheucker and the drowsy cover. In short, the woods are full of a va- rlety of interesting creatures that have been shamefully neglected by the natural sclentists. We call upon the sclentists to give us further in- formation about these animals, The public has a right to know more about them than such poetical sta- tistics as James Whitcomb Riley com- piled in “The Flying Islands of the Night”: But Dwainle hid And answers not iz, Spirklana —New York Herald-Tribune. Real Farm Relief. From the Houston (Tex.) Dispatch. ‘While the politicians in Washington are talking farm relief, real farm re- lief is proceeding on the 400,000 farms of Texas as the farmers follow thelir old gray mules in the freshly turned urows ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIG J. HASKIN Q. How long should meters homes register correctly?—M. B. A. A large power compan: esti- mates the average life of a house- type meter at 22 years. In ma cases, however, the development of new types makes it advisable to re- place meters before they are worn out. They are tested and adjusted for accuracy at intervals specified by the Public Utilities Commission of the State or District. The interval is usually 30 to 50 months, depending upon the type of meter. In general deterloration tends to make the meter register too low. Q. Are lightning rode ever put on trees?—L. R. P. A. Valuable trees are sometimes rodded. No trees are immune from lightning, but & tall oak is the most susceptible. Q. Did Lawrence Washington or George Washington bufld Mount Ver- non?—J. R, M. A. Lawrence Washington built the original villa In 1743. It consisted of the middle portion of the present mansion. In 1784-85, George Wash- Ington built the additions at each end, erected several of tha outbuild- ings and adorned the grounds. Q. When we he first wealth statistics taken?—J. R. W. A. They were first taken in the United States in 1850. At that time the wealth of the country was $7,135,- 780,000. In 1922, the total wealth had risen to $320,803,860,000, while the per capita wealth has risen from $307.69 to $2,918.00. (_cg Why won't fleld corn pop?—G. A. The reason common field corn does not pop like popeorn is that pop- corn Is a special variety of Indian corn, which on exposure to dry heat is popped or burst open by expansion of the ofl. If is a difference in char- acteristics of the two varieties. Q. What was the name of the dog that led the pack when antitoxin was taken to Nome?—J. H. A. His name was Balto. Dispatches say that this dog died shortly after- ward as a result of his exposure dur- ing this trip. Q. What was the Association Test.— M H. M. A. It was resolved in the Conti- nental Congress, March 4, 1776, and the resolve approved by the Commit- tee of Safety at Exeter, April 12, that all males above 21 years of age (luna- tics, {diots and negroes excepted) N should be asked to sign the Associa-| ion Test, whose text was as follows: We, the subscribers, do solemnly en- gage and promise that we will, to the utmost of our power, at the risk of our lives and fortunes, with arms, oppose the hostile proceedings of the British fleets and armies against the United States Colonfes.” Q. Why is cream of tartar used In candy and cake frosting?—H. C. W. A. It is ueed to make the product creamier. The cream of tartar changes the sugar into sirup and the candy 1s smoother. Q. Is the Prince Albert whose pic- ture appears on the tins of smoking tobacco the present King of Eng- land>—T. R. G A. The Prince #lbert pictured was the husband of Queen Victoria of England. He was Albert, Duke of Saxony, Prince of Coburg and Gotha Q. Please give some data about the peacock?—L. C. R. A The common peafowl s the best known varlety of peafowl and has @ beautiful plumage. Peafow are kept largely for ornament. The are quite domestic in their habits, and their care and management and feeding are similar to that of turkeys and turkey poults. Peafowl forage widely and only need extra feed ‘dur- ing Winter and when rearing their young if they have a good range. From one to five peahens will pair with one peacock and usually hide thelr eggs in a secluded spot. Their eggs may be taken from the nest and hatched under turkey hens or com- mon fowls or left to be reared by the peafowl. The young are rather diffi- cult to raise under domestication un- | B The the where the Winters ars cold. period of incubation is 28 days same as for turkey eggs Q. Are the Fhilinpines peopled to a great extent with foreigners® E M. A. The census of 1918 estimated the population at 10,350,640, of wh! all but 72,000 were Filipinos Q. What is the difference betwee red and pink salmon?—H. M. B. A. The Bureau-of Fisheries says the difference between a pink and red salmon is supposed to be In the f: content, it being generally assumed that the red has more oil than tho pink. It is possible, however, that the form in which the oil occurs ! the meat may effect the color. Red and pink salmon are equally digest ble. Q. What is the capital of the Union of South Africa?—F. E. W. A 'he Union of th Africa has for its capitals Capt Town, the of the Legislature, and Pretoria, seat of the governn long have fingerprints bee 0. C. A. The taking of fingerprints known to have been practiced in th East at a very early period, wher thumbprints were a mon manual. The permanent c thumbprints was scientifically in 1823 by J. ¥ kinje, a professor of physiology, who read a paper before the University of Breslau advocating a system of cla sification. His work was taken up by Bewick, an English drafts: who made a number of impressi and later by Sir Francis Galtor Sir William Herschel Q. How large is the Cholula, Mexico?—J. R A. Its base is 1,400 feet square amn the altitude 200 feet. iz 130,666,600 cubic fee pyramid Q. When was the first en of population made in this country E S R A. The first census 1790. . was taken Q. What salary does the Speaker of the House of Representatives re ceive?—J. M. C. £ A. The Speaker of the Houss re- cefves $12,000, while other Represent atives receive § Q. What is the “cabal”?—-E. O. B. A. The ootmed interesting Listor: sons in the English cab Arlington, Buckingh Landerdale, signed France against the ) initial letters of the five names unit ed epell ‘Cabal” The term means an intrigue or a plot origin of the word etherlands. Q. How much sirup is nece making chocelate milkshake?—H. A. Use from one to two tablespoo fuls of sirup for one glass of milk. Q. What will take the cement off bricks?—J. C. D. A. The Portland Cement Associa- tion suggests a solution of 20 per cent of hydrochloric acid—that 1s, one part acid, four parts water. Scrub t brickwork with this solution and rinse with clear water. Q. Do the foreign countries use Christmas wreaths?—S. W. H. A .The use of the Christmas wreath is believed by authorities to be traceable to the pagan cuStom of decorating buildings and places of worship at the feast which took place at the same time as our Christmas. The wreath is not used to such a great extent in Europe as in America, although decorati with evergreens are much used (The Star Information Burea answer your question. This offer ap- plies strictly to information. The bu- reau cannot give advice on legal, medi- cal and financial matters. It does not attempt to settle domestio troubles, mor undertake echaustive ggsearch on’ any subject. Write your guestion plainly and briefly. Give full name and address and inclose 2 cents in stamps for re- turn postage. Al replifs are sent direct to the inguirer. Address Frederio less they are given considerable care and attention. Peafowls thrive much better in Southern climates than Haskin, Director, The Star Information Bureau, Twenty-first and C streets northwest, Washington, D. C.) HE STORY OF THE FRENCH DEBT By WILLIAM P. HELM, Jr. ARTICLE VI Any detailed study of the French debt to America today—which in- cludes $407,000,000 for surplus ma- terials stored in France at the time of the armistice—at once raises two questions: Why did the United States sell France her surplus materials at about one-fourth of their cost? Why not sell them elsewhere at better figures and terms? The answer is that the United States had virtually no choice but to sell the goods where they were sold, for the best price and under the best terms obtainable. The Liquidation Commission sums it up in its report as follows: “We had either to sell to the French government or tear down and salvage the constituent materials. ‘“Under a salvage program many of the properties would have turned out to be distinct llabilities instead of assets, especially as we would have been required, at a very heavy overhead expense, to have negotiated and settled a very large number of claims for rents, damages and res- torations. “It {s estimated that it would have required the labor of 40,000 men for a period of six or eight months to dismantle these Installations and salvage the constituent materials. This labor would have fallen on our Army Engineer Corps, for com- petent French labor was not ob- tainable. Final Price Held Falr. “Under agreement reached with M. Morel, however, the selling value of each plece of property was arrived at, not by considering its salvage value to the United States, but by taking into account every factor en- tering into the determination of the net utilization value of such piece of property to the French govern- ment. On the whole, it is belleved that the result obtained was a fa one, alike to America and to France. In making its first offer to the French government, the American Liquidation Commission, as shown in_previous articles, fixed the “fair value” of the supplies at $749,000,000. That sum represented a price which, in the ‘commission’s judgment, would have enabled France to classify, sort and condition the supplies and re- sell them at wholesale without loss. But obviously, although the bulk of the materials’ was badly needed by the French people, the French gov- ernment should properly have been allowed an element of profit for carrying oh this work, It was for that reason that the commission ~discounted the “fair value” by 25 per cent, bringing it down t0$562,000,000. At that figure the French government could have. sold the goods, at prevailing wholesale prices, at a profit of one-third, after paying all handling and selling costs. The profit, in that case, would have amounted to about $187,000,000— nearly 2,000,000,000 francs—a tidy sum in the French treasury. As. an instance of the manner in which the American commission scaled dowhi 't}ié cost price in dealing with France may be cited the nego- lations—barracks, camps, hospitals warehouses, railroad yards, etc.—of a more or less permanent nature French soil. Inventory by Army Officers. An inventory mittee of America: | the Engineering y | Gen. Jadwin, ana a 500-page report, covering each item, both as to war cost and estimated normal cost, was prepared. Savs the commiss “The Jadwin report showed total s made by a Corps, * headed lun!ons covering the varfous insts | war costs of all American installa- tlons in France, including transpor- tation and handling of materials, sol dier labor and ail other elements, at $165,661,000 and normal costs of the same properties at $81,543,000 The joint ‘American and French commit- tee, after making deduetipns for the estimated - liabllities assumed by France for rents, requisitions, resto- rations and damages, placed the net present estimated value of all Ameri- jcan installation: 256,000. From that sum was deducted 25 per cent, thus fixing the price fo Fran in the first offer, at about $29,500,000. And as France pald—or rather prom- ised to pay—only 70 per cent of th price named in the first American offer, the net cost of these installa- tions to France was scaled down 20 per cent and became somewhat less than $21,000,000. And there we are in a nutshell Cost to the American taxpayer, $165,- 000,000; cost to France, $21,000,000— not in cash, but on 10 years' time. Recently the suggestion was warr Iy applauded in the French Chamber of Deputies that the debt should be canceled entirely. What was the opportunity tb confronted France when she pu chased the American surplus mate- rials? In a word, and on the bas the liquidation it was this? Chance for Cash Profit. France had in her possession badl in France at $39.- commission’s r needed surplus materials worth $749 - 000,000 at wholesale prices. She had glven America her promise to pay $407,000,000. She could have sold the entire accumulation at a net profit as estimated -by. the commission, of about $342,000,000, or approximately 3,500,000,000. francs. At the same time ‘her population would have re- ceived 4t wholeaals cost materials of which, in the main, they stood in great need. Moreover, France would ‘have had avallable Rot only the cash repre- senting the profit, but the entire pro- ceeds of the sales, amounting to be- .tween 7,600,000,000 and 8,000,000,000 francs, ‘for her obligation, for the phrchase price did not mature for 10 years. . 5 In othen words, through the trans- action France stood to make a profit of 3,500,000,000 francs and to have the use of not less than.4,000,000,000 francs addditfonal for 10 years. Whether this was dofe or not canuot be said from information at hand. The point is made that such were the possibilities. (Copyright, 1935.) 5 -