Evening Star Newspaper, June 29, 1925, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. .June 29, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. ... The Evening Star Newspaper Company ess_OMm 11 se Tt Bennvivanta Ave, Ney, Yok Office: 110 Enst 42nd St. Chicago Office: Tower Bl Buropean Omee: 13 Regent St England. Tondon. Tbe Fvening Star. with the Sunday morn- Ine edition. s delivered by carriers within the Gty 3t 60 cents per month: daily only. 43" cents “per month: Sunday oniy. 20 cents Per month " Orders may be sent by mall or t2lenhione Main 5000; Collection is made by ca:rier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dails B % Daily Saty Sunday: Sunday only ... aily and Sun 2% Snly Suaday only Member of the Associated Press. The Assoctated Press is exclusively entitled 1o the use for republication of all news dis- DPatches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ited in this paper and also the local news published herein. Al rights of publication ©f special dispatihes herein are also reserved. == American Tariff and Foreign Debts. The free-trade and low-tariff hounds will soon be in full cry. Already there are signs and sounds of the coming at tack on the protective tariff. The at- tack s not confined to the Democrats From the other side of the Atlantic Ocean comes the suggestion. threat, that if the American tariffl wall i= not lowered so as to permit the sale of Buropean goods in the United States there will not be the slightest chance of Europe's ever paying this country its billions of dollars of war debt. And from some so-called Ameri- can international ban who have enormous credits abroad upon which they hope to realize, comes a wail, too. They fear there will be no chance of zetting their money back unless some- thing is done to permit the foreigner: to make money, and the easiest way for them to make money Is to sell =oods fn the United States, where to- day there is plenty of money. he Democratic slogan for has been low tariff for the benefit of the American The Demo- cratic slur on the protective tarift has been that it enriches the few to the loss of the many. The Democratic arguments have a pleasing sound. But why Is it that our foreign competitors are seeking also a reduction of the American tariff? What is one man's gain usually is another man's loss in the commercial world. If Europe can hecome richer through a reduction of the American protective tariff it is that the United States will be- poorer. For not all the money that the European manufacturers and traders make through selling their ods in America will come back to this country in the form of debt pay ments, thereby reducing America’s own war debt and American taxes. appreciable share of these earnings will stick fast to the coffers of the Europeans. The American consumer is doing pretty well just now. Wages are good and employment is not lacking. In- dustry, generally speaking, is in good shape. But suppose the tariff is even years consum: come lowered and cheaper European goods | are permitted to flood the country. Where, then, will the consumers, the manufacturers and the farmers find themselves? Of what avail If prices are cheap, if they have little money to purchase? The answer is that it is far better to protect American markets, which, after all, consume the heaviest proportion of American production, than to turn those markets over to the cheap goods of the foreigner, with a own output. The eyes of the Democrats turn longingly to the American farmer, par- ticularly the farmer of the great West. The Democratic hope is that the farmers, who have been through a period of depression following the war, will rise and smite the Republic- ans and their tariff. They hoped it u vear ago, when radicals put a third ticket in the field. They hope it now, believing that the farmers have grown tired of paying higher prices for the svods they must purchase because of the protective tariff, which keeps out the cheaper foreign goods. The Amer- fcan farmer, hc is in better case than he was a year or two ago. The American farmer also is diversify- ing his crops more today than ever before, and he finds that many of his crops are protected by the tariff, He is inclined to ask further protection for his products, rather than to ask that the protective tariff be thrown overboard. The standard of living-in this coun try is far higher than it is abroad, for the laborer as well for the em- ployer. The standard of living has continued to rise under the system of protection afforded American indus- try. Reductions of the t by the Den: astrously vever, as s have resulted dis- when the Democratic tariff tinkers have had their way. War burst upon the world in 1914, when American industries were beginning to feel the effects of the last Democratic tariff law. When the war was over the Republicans came into power, and the protective tariff was again re- newed. So far the Republicans have had the better of the tariff argument. 1f the European nations cannot pay their debts to America, it would be far Detter they remained unpaid than to ruin American industry, lower wages and force the workers into distress. Tn hard times the poor be- come poorer more rapidly than do the rich. ————— No member of a secret society would feel comfortable and contented if com- pelled to wear a mask and gown in 1de on a hot August day. e States and Grade Crossings. Scarcely a Sunday passes during _the warmer season without the oceur. Srence of one or more grade-crossing tragedies in this country. Yesterday’s &core was two such happenings, with a total of 11 deaths, 5 in one group and 6 in another. Both of these accidents oc- curredtin. closely settled parts of the country, one near Bloomington, IIL., and the-'other at Ashtabula, Ohio. There I8 no reason to believe that in. { the naval consequent reduction of America's | ff proposed | either case the driver of the car was unaware of the presence of the grade crossing. They probably took a chance, as have hundreds of other drivers be- fore, and lost their bets. If only the drivers of cars were killed in these circumstances the case would not be so bad. But almost in- variably others are killed with them, often thelr own families. They, of course, do not deliberately risk the lives of their wives and children, but some habit of haste, some unreasoning urge sends them onto the tracks when they know there is danger. Next November the people of the State of New York will vote on a bond issue of $300,000,000 for the aboli- tion of grade crossings in that State. Of this sum the State will spend di- rectly $75,000,000, while the remainder of the sum will be loaned to the rail- roads and local governments to en- able them to expedite the work of elimination. If the amendment is adopted means will be provided for ridding the State of 4,000 dangerous crossings within a quarter of a cen- tury. If it is defeated, as some are now urging for political reasons, noth- ing will be done systemmtically to abolish iiess deadly nulsances, which during 11 months of 1924 cost 140 deaths and 428 minor casualties in New York State alone. Slimination of grade crossings is not merely a railroad matter. It is for the States and the local governments to initiate. With the rapid development of motor traffic conditions have changed during the past 25 vears. The responsibility, which formerly rested upon the railroads, has now been shift. ed to the communities and Common- wealths. The railroads are unable without assistance to eliminate these crossings. For them to do so without aid would bankrupt them. Public se- curity demands the cure of this dead- Iy evil. It is for the States to start the work. China’s Five Demands. Although the acute disturbances in Canton and elsewhere in China have ceased, thero is a feeling of keen anxlety regarding the situation in that country. Late dispatches indicate that there is reason for this apprehension regarding not only the coast cities but some interior regions. Two developments are reported to- day which would seem to bring the situation nearer to a crisis. A repre- sentative of the Chinese foreign office has presented at Shameen, the foreign quarter in Canton, five demands by the Chinese government, which in- clude that the British and French con- suls apologize and be replaced by others, that all forelgn gunboats leave the port, that Shameen be handed {back to the Chinese, that compensa- tion be made for all deaths and that officers apologize. As a ~ British and request- British Shameen. measure of precautior ** French consuls ge ed all foreigners . and French subjects v. An | At Peking it is announced that a man- date has Leen issued appointing three Chinese delegates to negotiate with a committes representing the foreign legations at the capital for a settle- ment of the disturbed conditions, the discussions to begin later this week. It is to be noted that while the Pe- king government has named delegates to negotiate with a legation commit- tee formal demands have been made by the foreign office directly upon the British and French representatives at Canton. This illustrates the difficulty of dealing with the situation. The presentation of demands at Canton in- stead of at Peking complicates the case. The Peking government, in fact, has but little authority outside of a small area around the capital. The de- mands presented at Canton are by no means likely to be considered serious- ly. Thus far the British and French authorities have maintained consist- ently the position that the outbreaks and tragedies have been due to as- g1 ce actions by Chinese mobs. Apologies, compensations and official replacement are not to be expected | short of a complete reversal of posi- tion. The surrender of Shameen to the Chinese involves the crux of the whole situation. It could not be effect- ed without joint action by the powers fnvolving a total abandonment of the Western policy toward China. Tt A number of Democrats seem in- clined to take advantage of the fact that Col. Bryan's attention is en- grossed by evolution to shape up a program for the next presidential con- vention without waiting for his advice or consent. —rm——— That the next session of Congress will be a busy one, there is no room to doubt. Tts work would be highly interesting and important, even if it had no more to do than to referee the police situation in this c e In looking for a solution of her prob- lems Europe, without meaning to be uncomplimentary, naturally regards Uncle Sam'’s check book as more en- lightening than his general literature. —r—————— Civilization does not like to admit that war is at this moment in progress. A battle in China is usually referred to with delicacy as a riot. Rocky Mountain Quakes. A period of instability in the earth crust is occurring in the northern Rocky Mountain region and on the Pacific coast, marked by a series of quakes that have caused some dam- age, but fortunately thus far, no loss of life. The temblors have been comparatively slight, covering portions of five States. It is re- markable that in so wide an area so little damage has been done. Esti- mates of the property losses in the entire réglon of disturbance approxi- mate about a milllon dollars, which is trifing considering the immense ex- tent of the space and in contradt to the damage done by similar happen- ings in other piris of the world. The range of the quakes appears to be spreading and later developments may be much more serious. The present shaking of the crust is evidently due to readjustments. Quakes have occurred before in this section along lines of known “faults" in ‘the mountain strata, but no great disasters have been recorded within the period 6f American national his- THE EVENING tory. Farther West, along the Pacific coast, quakes have been more or less frequent. That which destroyed a por- tlon of San Franclsco some years ago was the worst of the serfes. Condl- tions, however, are different in the Rocky Mountain reglon than in the Sierra slope. Greater stability is be- lieved to have been established there, and the present quakes in that se: tion are therefore somewhat surpris- ing. ————————— Tommy Daly, Infant Hero. “Don’t cry, mamma, I'll fix it,” little Tommy Daly cried to his mother. With childish hands he beat out the flames that enveloped her clothing, flames that caught and scorched and burned Tommy's own clothing and little face and body so that later he died in a New York hospital. The ~mother; though se- riously burned, will live. Tommy's sacrifice was not in vain. Tommy was only 5 years old, only a’ little boy. But no man could have done more. Tragedy stepped in at a time when the Dalys were pre- paring for a joyous plenic. The mother .was cooking the picnic chicken, while Tommy and his still littler sister Reta watched with ad- miring eyes. The pot boiled over; the gas for a moment was extinguish- ed, but caught again and flames shot out, setting fire to Mrs. Daly's cloth- ing, Tommy's and his sister's. Tommy and Reta ran for the door. Then Tommy heard his mother scream and without hesitating he ran back and put his arms around her, fighting the fire. “Don't cry, mamma, I'll fix {t."” Greater love hath no little boy than to lay down his life for his mother. Tommy Daly had love and courage, two attributes that frequently go to- gether in human beings. The pity of it all lles in the un- necessary accident that snuffed out the life of Tommy and burned his mother and sister. But the glory Tommy himself. “Of such are the kingdom of Heaven.” S The acquittal of Shepherd brings to a close another of the strange homi- cide cases which of late have so con- spicuously affiicted Chicago. Even a great city may have its periods of bad luck, and the grand jurors of the Lake City have been compelled in duty to be something of a disappointment to the town boosters, ———— The Riffs are industriously present- ing themselves as & means of prevent- ing the French soldiery from getting out of fighting condition. If France annoys some of her neighbors by ap- pearing in firstrate fighting trim she can place some of the blame on the Moroccan: — e By starting the conversation on money matters, European diplomats may hope gradually to interest the U. S. A. progressively in the more subtle and intricate phases of discus- sion. —————————— The importance attached to radio equipment of a polar expedition should cause the Eskimos to lose no time in practicing up on their jazz. —_————————— The incarceration of Dr. Cook has its advantage in eliminating an cle- ment of fictitious uncertainty in con- nection with Arctic exploration, —ae— No expert accountant has under- taken to show the amount of money Europe might have saved by cutting down her propaganda expense ac- count. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Wonder. Uncle Jim is a wonder. will thunder In tones that inspire us with awe. On our great Constitution, likewise, evolution, Offhand he can lay down the law. He can reel off statistics; he ranks with the mystics ‘Who revel in erudite lore. He will fashion his phrases in mar- velous mazes ‘Which patiently we must explore, His wisdom From Adam’s old story to Darwin's new glory All chronicles he has unfurled. He's prepared with orations about our relations At home or elsewhers in the world. With his vast store of knowledge that beats any college Passed out, for the price of a sons, In perpetual season, there's really no reason Why Congress wrong. should ever go Influencing Opinion. “Are there any lobbyists in Wash- ington?” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “The old-time lobbyist who used to buy dinners for everybody has been replaced by the propagandist who ex- pects you to pay to hear him lecture.” Summer Solemnity. Here 18 a solemn bit of rhyme Fit for grave cogitations; The Sinners still work overtime ‘While Good Men take vacations. Jud Tunkins says most every con- troversy, instead of settling a question, leaves him in doubt about something he had previously regarded as per- fectly clear. . Decorative Incident. The bathing suit upon the shore Concealment would provide of yore. At present it's less innocent And merely means embellishment. Trying to be Charitable. “Are there any redeeming traits whatever in & bgotlegger?”» “Well,” answered Uncle Bill Bottle- top, “we must at least admit that a bootlegger keeps on the move and never makes any trouble for the police by parking overtime.” “De world owes you a livin’,” said Uncle Eben, :‘but you got fo work hard remindin’ de world dat you's on hand tryin’ to collect,” . - the | STAR, WASHINGTON, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. The forthcoming ‘“evolution trial* in Tennessee bad its duplicate in ireece thousands of years ago, vwhen ocrates was put to death ‘“for not worshiping the gods the city wor- ships.” The real question then was not whether Socrates corrupted the youth f Athens; and the question today will not be whether man is descended from a monkey; but the question behind the question was and is whether man is to think with the brain God gave him. Fear not, gentle reader, I am not going to discuss evolution. Socrates is my theme. I never recall his tragic end but what I become indignant, much as I do every time I think of the treatment given the late Prof. Langley, whose airplane was dubbed “Langley's Folly."” Socrates was an ugly old boy who lived in Athens between 469 and 399 B.C., as near as the historians can figure it. The date of his death fs probably authentic, as his trial and death by poisoning made a stir in his day, as it has ever since. Of all secular flgures in history there was none less deserving the treatment he recefved than he, and this was felt so keenly that even at his trial he would have been pardoned if he had humbled himself o bit. Humble himself, that flat-nosed, thick-lipped, prominent-eved, bald’ headed, sq son-of-a-gun? Not on his life! To this day we may all be proud, as men, that there lived one of anclent Greece who refused to bend the knee when he thought he was right. ow oKk “Socrates is guilty of crime, first, for not worshiping the gods the city wor- ships, and_for introducing new af vinities of his own: next, for corrupt- ing the yvouth. The penalty due is death.” So read the indictment against the man who always listened to the warn- ing of an internal volce, a sort of di- vine Mentor, who told him what to do, espectally warned him against doing wrong. ‘Since his day it has been called “the still, small voice,” and Is responsible for more good than all the public volces in the world. Plato in his “Apolog: rates speak as follows this voice, with which familiar to some degree “O my judges, 1 should like to tell you of a wonderful circumstance. Hitherto the famillar oracle within me has constantly been in the habit of opposing me, even about trifles if T was golng to make a slip or error about anything; and now, as you see, there has come upon me that which may be thought, and is generally be- lieved to be, the last and worst evil. “But the oracle made no sign of opposition, either as I was leaving my house and going out in the wmiorning. or when 1 was going up into this court, or while I was speaking, at anything which I was going to suy. “What do I take to be the explana- tion of this? I will tell you. I regard this as a proof that what has hap- pened to me is a good, and that those of us who think that death is an evil are in error. This s a great proof to me of what I am saying, for the cus- tomary sign would surely have op. posed me had I been going to evil and not to good.” * ok ok makes “oc- concerning we are all After all the centuries, it is well to read, now and then, the wholesome, brave reflections of Socrates on death, for, after all, death is something we all fuce—and automobiles have been introduced’ since 399 B. C. “Let us reflect, and we shall see,” sald Socrates, “that there is great reason to hope that death is a good, {for one of two things—either death is ja state of nothingness and utter un- | consciousness, or as men say, there is a change and migration of the soul from this world to another.” If death is but a dreamless sleep, he Calvin Coolidge, who will be fifty- three years old on the Fourth of July —the only one of our Presidents to| be born on the same day as the Re- public ftself—is one of the youngest looking men of his age in public life Both his wiry frame and head of strawberry blond halr are of the sort that accentuate eternal youth. But the real cause of the President’s inability to grow old is tempermental. The word worry is not in the Cool- idge lexicon. He has, like all men, his moments of anxisty, but he rare- ly lets them obsess him, and, of course, he takes refuge in silence un der those circumstances to a degree that is not common in many. The President is a little stouter and is developing around the temples a wisp or two of gray, but in other physical respects he is utterly unchanged by the responisbilities he has_borne since August, 1923. Mr. Coolldge is precisely the type of man and mind that should enable him to live to a ripe old age. Probably the principal worry he gives his doctors is his invincible dislike of play. * ok Kk K This observer has left Washington at the outset of an expedition of ex- ploration to our great West. Wash- ington, and the East generally, are notorfously and traditionally unin- formed, or at least underinformed, as to what our fellow citizens, Midwest, North and Far West, are saying and thinking. Thelr expectations and prejudices on national and interna- tional affairs were never of greater moment than now. Men of the West sit in many of the seats of the mighty at Washington. They will preside over Senate and House in the Sixty- ninth Congress. Six members of the cabinet hail from the open spaces. Nearly all of the important committee- ships in both branches of Congress have Western chairmen. Senator Curtis of Kansas is administration leader in the Senate and chairman of its now conspicuous committee’ on rules. * ok ok * For all of these reasons it is well to know what is on the mind of the ‘West. Issues of transcendent impor- tance to that region will be in the executive and legislative limelight during the next year, and ever after- ward. Coolidge strength in the West is at high-water mark. To plumb fits real depths and X-ray its durability will be one of the principal inquiries to which the writer will devote him- self. If the star of American empire| continues to “take its way Westward as persistently as it has during the past 10 vears, one-time Eastern domi- nation of our national politics will be a dim and distant memory. * koK ok We are in the midst of another war with Spain, bloodless and wholly eco- mnomic in character. Secretary Kellogg and Ambassador Moore at Madrid for several months past have been bring- ing pressure to bear on King Alfon- z0’s government to enter into a com- mercial treaty with the United States. America has barred the entry- of Malaga grapes from Spain, on account of an insect pest, and this is resented by the Spanish, who in the past have shipped us large quantities of grapes. The United States on its part, object to the fact that Great Britain receives preferential tariff u:,m(‘r:eb:tt from Spain. Secretary Kellogg nt upon -gfimu most-favored-nation rights for our exports to that country. In 1924 we sold the Spanish $71,162,000 avorth ¢f goods and bought from them {to that other world—may | tion . TRACEWELL. says, it will not be anything to us, and he continues: But if death is the journey to an- other place, and there, as men say, all the dead are, what good, O, my friends and judges, can be greater than this? If, indeed, when the pllgrim ar- rives in the world below, he is de- livered from the professors of justice in this world and finds the true judges * * * that pilgrimage will be worth making. “What would not a man give if he might converse with Orpheus and Musaeus and Hesiod and Homer? Nay, if this be true, let me die again and again. 1, too, shall have a wonderful interest in u place where I can con- verse with Palamedes, and Ajax, the son of Telamon, and other heroes of old, who have suffered death through an unjust judgment; and there will be no small pleasure, s I think, in comparing my own sufferings with theirs. ‘Above all, T shall be able to con: tinue my search into true and false knowledge; as in this world, so also in that; 1 shall find out who is wise, and who pretends to be wise, and is not. ~Besides being happier in that world than in this, they will be im- mortal, if what is said is true. “Wherefore, O judges, be of good cheer about death, and know this of & truth—that no evil can happen to a4 good man, either in life or after death. He and his are not neglected by the gods, nor has my own ap- proaching_end happened by mere chance. But 1 see clearly that to die and be released was better for me, and, therefore, the oracle gave no sign. For which reason, also, I am not angry with my accusers or my condemners; they have done me no harm, although neither of them meant to do me any good, and for this I may gently blame them. * * = The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways—I to die, and you to live. Which is better, God only knows.” * ¥ * » The last moments of this strange, great character are described by Plato in his “Phaedo,” as follows: “When he came out and sat down with us again after his bath, but not much was said. Soon the jailer, who was the servant of the Eleven, enter- ed and stood by him, saying: ‘To you, Socrates, whom I know to be the noblest and gentlest and best of all who ever came to this place, I will not impute the angry feelings of other men, who rage and swear at me | when, in obedience to the authorities, I bid them drink the polson—indeed, I am sure that you will not be angry with me, for others, as you are aware, and not I, are the guilty cause. And so, fare-you-well, and try to bear lightly what needs must be; you know my errand.’ ‘Then bursting into tears he turned away and went out. Socrates looked at him and said: ‘I return your good wishes and will do as you bid.’ Then turning to us, he sald: ‘How charming the man i{s.* * * But we must do as he says. Crito, let the cup be brought, Socrates asked the jailer if he might make a libation out of the cup of hem- lock, and said: “I must pray to the £ods to prosper my journey from this this, then, which is my prayer, be granted.” “Then holding the cup to his lips, quite readily and cheerfully he drank off the poison,” says Plato, adding that no sooner did his bosom friends see this, than they broke into weep- ing, one uttering “a loud cry which made cowards of us all.” “What is this strange outcry?" asked Socrates. “I have heard that a man should die in peace. “Such was the end,” says Plato, “of our friend, who 1 may truly call the wisest, and justest, and best of all men whom I have ever known.” WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. 3 000 worth. So the trade bal. ance is very heavily in our favor. Mr. Kellogg hopeful that eventually commercial peace will re-established with the land of the Grandees. As a special favor to Spain, the Secretary of State has caused a Special investi- gator from the Department of Agri- culture to be sent there to look into the grape pest menace. * % % % Herbert Hoover is putting in inter- ested hours at Leland Stanford Uni- versity, inspecting the great “Hoover War Liberty.” Tt 1s one of the world's greatest historical workshops. Hoover endowed it in order that American students In_ historical research might have at their disposal exhaustive data on the World War and the reconstruc- veriod. The library contains rewspapers, war orders, proclama- tions, posters, pamphlets and officlal documents galore. More than 125,000 items of one kind and another are on its shelves and in its files. Notable European scholars, at Heover's invi- tation. collaborated with Ephraim D. Adams, professor of history at Stan. ford, in organizing the library. It has been six years in the building. * .k % ¥ Brig. Gen. William D. Connor, U. S. A, is in the midst of an official visit in Japan. Gen. Connor is in command of American military forces in China, with headquarters at Tientsin. His chief of staff and two staft officers went to Japan with Gen. Connor. The visit is fn the nature of a return cour- tes for the visit which Lieut. Gen. Wada and other Japanese officers re- cently paid to the United States. The American officers are the recipients of boundless hospitality from their Japa- nese comrades. X ok x * Thirty-four of the State Legislatures have rejected the child labor amend- ment in one form or another. Twenty- five of these have officially certified the fact to the Secretary of State. As it takes 36 States to ratify a proposed amendment, and only 13 to reject it, 12 more than necessary have disapproved. The farmers have been among the most vigorous opponents of the child labor amendment. The Farm Journal of Philadelphia ‘“respectfully invites Secretary Kellogg to take his courage in his hand and establish a useful precedent. Let him proclaim officially what everybody knows—that the so- called child labor amendment was knocked cold months ago.” * ok ¥ % This week marks the opening at Honolulu of the Institute of Pacific Relations. Americans, Japanese, Aus- tralians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Chinese will participate. It is to be a round table discussion of Pa- cific problems along the lines origina ed by the Institute of Politics at Wil- liamstown, Mass. The burning issues that agitate white and yellow civiliga- tions, like emigration and immigra- tion, will be in the limelight. Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur, president of Leland Stanford University, who is a brother of the Secretary of the Navy, is one of the prime movers in the Hawaiian confabulation, which is intended to be a more or-less permanent establish- ment. s (Copyrihs. 1925.) Accorded Right of Way. From the Birmingham Age-Herald. A Minnesota judge ruled that cows have the right of wa; Every moter- ist kKnows ‘that. A C.,. MONDAY, JUNE 29, 1925, Keep Approaches to Car Intersections Clear To the Editor of The Star The congestion of traffic at busy street intersections during hours when street cars carry peak loads could be greatly lessened were the parking ban extended during these hours to the approaches of such in- tersections. Because automobiles park at either end of loading platforms and opposite car stops and stand on car tracks while awaiting signals from traffic officers, street car passengers are un- necessarily delayed, being held on cars within short distances of their destinations. Few streets are sufficiently wide to accommodate moving and parked automobiles and street cars simul- taneously on one side of the thorough- fare. For example, the approaches to { Columbla. road and Eighteenth street from downtown between the hours of 4 and 6 p.m. are usually congested because automoblles are permitted to park during those hours near that intersection. Two lines of moving automobiles usually form on both Eighteenth street and Columbia road, one line standing on the car tracks and the other between the parked automobiles and the tracks, completely blocking the right of way of the Mount Ij]!mn!. Chevy Chase and Rock Creek Bridge cars. Stmilar conditions obtain in the opposite directions during the morning peak. Other busy intersections, especially where there are transfer points, are similiarly affected. notably Fourteenth and U streets northwest. Passengers on Rock Creek Bridge and Chevy Chase cars coming through U street Wwho transfer to Fourteenth street at this point are sometimes stalled be. tween Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets because automobiles parked on the north side of U street do not leave sufficlent room for both the street cars and moving motor traffic. During the morning peak loads automobiles are not permitted to park on the south side of U street for some distance east of Fourteenth street, nor is moving traffic, other than street cars, permitted to enter the zone. Evidently parking should not be permitted during peak hours in blocks having car stops or platforms near busy street intersections. Automobile traffic should be required to keep off the tracks so that street cars may come up to platforms or stops with- out delay. This is a concession that should be readily granted street car passengers in view of the fact that it takes much longer to travel from point to point in a street car than in an automobile. Pedestrians are repeatedly stopped and delayed at street crossings when walking about town, notwithstanding the traffic regulations give them a theoretical right of way at such points. The former regulations gave street cars the right of way over their own tracks and prohibited other vehicles to come to a stop on a highway in such a manner as to block moving traffic. Were motormen required to report tag numbers of vehicles stand- Ing on car tracks and action taken against such offenders, it is probable that the right of way of the street cars would be respected and pas- sengers subjected to less inconveni- ence. The use of streets having car tracks for through automobile traffic should be discouraged. Curbing constructed along the outer tracks, as on Penn- sylvania avenue " southeast, would prevent motor traffic monopolizing the right of way if the practice could not otherwise be stopped. During snow- storms thousands of street car pas- sengers have been unable to get about the city because automobile have used the cleared rights of way of the cars and so packed the snow and fce upon the tracks as to tie up the system. Serious delays are caused both autolsts and street car passengers be- cause of failure to prohihit parking in the downtown section of Four- teenth street. This thoroughfare some distance below and above the Avenue is one of the most congested reets during jpeak hours. The con- estion is increased because automo biles are permitted to park at the erds of joacire platforms between G street and New York avenue, and H and T streets At these points trafic must sgueeze through the neck of a Lottle, as it were, the space per mitting the paseage of but one auto- mobile at 2 time. On a certain section of Park avenue, New York. no parking or standing of cars is permitted at any time, afford- ing the congested metropolis at ieast one thoroughfare through which traffic can flow from one end of town to the other without interruption. The setting aside of one completely clear highway downtown for maving traffic only would serve to lessen the congestion in other streets of the congested area. LEWIS L. YOUNG. Vandal Children. To the Editor of The Star: As a reader of The Star since 1857, may I express through its columns my surprise and indignation at the ruthless destruction of the beautiful work of art in Dupont Circle. Every evening, during the late warm weather, swarms of youth and chil- dren have chosen the lovely work of the sculptor, French, as their play- thing: climbing upon it, throwing stones and dirt at it, and, as a con- sequence, the upper part of the bill of the “sea gull” is entirely broken oft—disfiguring this whole statue, as I see it. I found admonition and entreaties to these young vandals of no_account. T believe in giving the children of this city as much playground as is possible, but to turn them loose to | destroy in this way will most cer- tainly cultivate in them irreverence and destructive habits never to be cured. I am begging your attention to the matter that a timely prevention of their acts may save the work of art and also-the tendencies of these uncontrolled children. MRS. FRANCES A. CALVERT. “Qur Cat, Too.” To the Editor of The Star: Now, while talking of cats, I've a cat story I am aching to tell. Simba. That's her name. Got it in remembrance of a pet monkey her master once owned in Kongo Belge. Simba was a waddling kitten when glven to hih and soon evinced marked ownership of him and a feminine purry fondness for being scratched on the back and cuddled. The big dog, Noma (also for an Afric predecessor), was the kitten’'s playmate, bedfellow and fag in general. But if another dog appeared in the yard (an unfenced one of several lots), Simba would stalk him, back arched, tail humped uyp, and then a flerce dart across the yard right at the dog! No shinning up a tree for that Kkitten at a dog’s approach. First time I saw the tiny thing throw a dog out of the grounds I simply shrieked—it was worth ‘going miles to see,” like Katisha's elbow! She ‘was just a gray streak across the yard at that dog, who fled in frantic haste. Clear into the adjacent lot she chased him! Then, while that dumfounded, routed, .tafl:down dog stood and glared after her, the kitten returned to her owh yard, stiff-leg- gedly stalking across.thé grass, every inch’ thehluxhtl victor! - | Too, she would watch for her mas- er’s automobile {n “the evening, at the time he was due from the city. On -the front portico, head out, at ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERI Q. What base ball game was play- ed upon the opening of the old Polo Grounds in New York City?—G. T. D. A. Pittsburgh had the honor of opening the old Polo Grounds in New York City, July 8, 183%. The Glants won the game, the score being 7 to 5. Q. Which of the Barrymores is the eldest?—F. R. T. A. Lionel Barrymore. He was born in 1878. Ethel was born in 1879 and John was born in 1882. Q. Why was the gun that bom- R"%“ Paris called Big Bertha’—G "A." It was nicknamed Big Bertha in allusion to Bertha Krupp, the owner of the Krupp munitions plant. Q. How many churches are there in the United States for colored peo ple?—C. B. W. A. There are about 45,000. Q. Please give a brief history of the Leicestershire Regiment.—D. B. §. A. The Leicestershire Regiment was raised chiefly in London in 16§8. Among the first duties to be performed by certain companies was to mount guard at Windsor Castle. The regi- ment served in Flanders under King Willlam, 1693-97. It was with Marl- borough and at Gibraltar and Minor: It proceeded to Nova Scotia and took part in the capture of Louisburg, Cape Breton, 1758. At the beginning of the American Revolution, it landed at Boston on the 1st of January, 1776, and was actively engaged throughout this war. After the close of the war it proceeded to Nova Scotla in 1783. While in America the regiment r ceived the county title of “The Leices- tershire.” Tt returned to England in 1804, and then went to India, remain- ing there for 20 vears. It took part in the Crimean war and then again went to India. Q. When the United States ac- quired Florida how much was paid in settlement of claims and how much public land was acquired’—P. W. A. By the eleventh article of the treaty between the United States and Spain the United States agreed to make satisfaction to her own citizens for their claims on Spain to the amount of $5,000,000. The actual sum paid, however, was $6,489,768. By the treaty 59,268 square miles of territory were added to the national public do- main. Q. Do snakes cause leprosy?—H. H. A. Snakes are eaten by the Chi- nese, natives of Australia and by those of many other countries, but the flesh is reckoned unwholesome and liable to occasion leprosy. Q. What {s the proportion of white doctors and colored doctors to popu- lation?—W. 8. A. One estimate is that in the United States there is one white doc- tor to every 563 white persons and one colored doctor to every 3,194 colored persons. Q. What are the duties of the par- liamentarian of a woman's club?— E. M. R. A. A parliamentarian acts as “a court of last resort” when questions concerning parliamentary procedure arise. Such questions under discus. sion are referred to the parliamenta- rian for decision. Many clubs find it helpful to conduct classes in parlia- mentary law in order that all the mem- bers may become familiar with the method of procedure. Q. What is the origin of the term A-17—M. G. A. In Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping the character of a ship’s hull is designated by letters and that of the anchors, cables and stores by figures. A-1, therefore, means that the hull is first rate and also the anchor, cable and stores. Q. Of what does a bee colony con- sist?>—T. F. A. Normally, a colony consists of one queen bee, the mother of the col- on: thousands of undeveloped fe- Underwood of The recent statement by Senator Underwood of Alabama in favor of a big slash in surtaxes, even to'the ex- tent of restoring the pre-war maxi- mum rate of 13 per cent, has brought him into a prominent position in the country-wide tax discussion. Signifi- cance is attached to his utterances be- cause of his conspicuous position in the South. Referring to Senator Underwood as ‘“‘one of the highest, if not the high- est authority in the United States on taxation,” the Birmingham News says of the Senator’s recent utterances in Montgomerv. on the subject: “He makes it plain that it is the manifest interest and duty of the South to aid in bringing down these war rates. for the South is in greatest need of money for development, enterprise, backed with money, and initiative, backed with money. But there {s no incentive for money to go into pro- ductive enterprises when it is prac- tically confiscated.” The address is deseribed by the Springfield Illincis State Journal as ‘“one of the most remarkable public discussions of taxa- tion that this country has heard in recent year: and one that could not fail ‘“to convince those Americans who are inspired by a will to do jus- tice.” Payments by European na- tions, a Treasury surplus and ingome tax payments which ‘“exceed all ex- pectations” are cited by the Charlotte Observer with the query as to why the taxes cannot be lowered and the comment: “Opportunity seems to be at hand for a material lightening of the burden. “Ve might even hope for a return of the pre-war level advo- cated by Mr. Underwood.” * K x % The experience of the Alabama Senator is recognized by the Sacra- mento Union with the statement “The real statesmen of the countr: regardless of party affiliation, are coming to the same conclusion on the most ‘important governmental issue now pending. Senator Underwood was the co-author of the first revenue law of the Wilson administration. He took a conspicuous part in framing war-time taxation bills. He knows when abnormal taxation strangles normal business, and he has the cour- age to assist in applying a remedy.” Particular significance is seen by the Providence Journal in the fact that ‘“the rhan who, in many quarters, is regarded as the ablest. Senator now representing the South, has come out 80 whole-heartedly in advocacy of the general views held by Secretary Mel- lon on the surtax issue.” Further in- — extreme edge, eyes on the road that leads to the boulevard. Then a rush down the steps, down to the corner and up the road, to meet the car, almost before I would recognize it myself. When it reached her she'd turn, be at her master’'s feet and be- tween them and .all.over them, purr- ing her welcome and following to the house. Don't know yet if she knows that car by sight, or if she recognizes the engine's sound, but only oné¢e has she ever made the mistake of going to meet the wrong car! -And it’s a that - watching C J. HASKIN. males, called workers, which normally lay no eggs but build the comb, gather stores, clean the hive and feed the voung and do other work. During part of the vear there are also pres ent some hundreds of males, or drones whose only service is to mate with young queens. Q. TIs bobbed hair a modern custom land when and where did it origi- —A. R. C. A. Bobbing the hair was a fad at the court of Louis XIV of France, and a form of bob was popular at the cour! of James I of England. The custom did not, however, become widespread until the outbreak of the World War. Q. When and by whom was the Council of Trent summoned, and how long did it last’—K. C. B. A. The Council of Trent wa: moned by Pope Pius IIT in 1545 ecumenical council lasted nearly 20 years, as it was frequently interrupted by wars and other causes. Its object was reform in the Catholic Church and a repudiation of the doctrines of Luther and other Protestant reformers. Q. Did Gen. Lee take up quarters in a house or did he go into camp during the Civil War’—W. R. C. A. Col. W. H. Tavlor, who served on Gen. Lee's staff in the war, says in a biography of the latter that through out the Civil War Gen. Lee used the army ration and lived the army life It was not until the last yvear of his service that he consented to take up quarters in a house Q. By whom named?—W. L. E. A. This province was not named in honor of the William Penn of Ameri can fame, but in honor of his father, Sir William Penn, who had been high in the favor of King Charles II of England. William Penn had selected the name “New Wales” for his gran: on account of the hills. The fact that the name Penn was Welsh for head or highland determined the King 1o adopt it for the new territory, and its reported beauty added the title' ‘vania.” was Pennsylvania Q. Why s heroin considered a more dangerous drug'than either opium or morphine”—P. A. A. Heroin is made in the form of a white powder, and can be “sniffed"” as easily and secretly as a pinch of snuff. Q. Why are diamonds so generally used in engagement rings?—C. M. S A. There is an old superstition that the diamond originated in the fires of love. The stone was particularly es- teemed in Italy in the Middle Ages, as it was supposed to have the power of maintaining harmony between hus band and wife. 3 Q. What were the casualtles in the Memorial day race?—J. McG. A. The Indianapolis Speedway As- sociation says that only one person was slightly injured, and none killed in the automobile races on Memorial cay, 1925. Q. How is the height tain calculated>—M. A. W. A. The height of a mountain may be determined in several ways—by the aneroid barometer or by vertical angles and also by the line of = spirits level. This is known as level ing and is considered the most ac curate procedure. (No man can take knowledge from vou. It is the pass key to the door of success. It is life’s greatest treasure Enowledge may be acquired dy the simple effort of using the free infor- mation service that The Star main | tains for the pleasure and prosit of |its readers. The scope of this bureau is national and international, and no subject is too elementary or too broad to enlist the personal aftention of a specialist. Send your query with £ cents in stamps for return postage to | Frederic J. Haskin, Director, The Star Information Bureau, 21st and C streets morthwest the South Is New Tax Fight Factor dorsement is given by the Nashville Banner. with the thought that Mr Underwood “both leads and interprets the intelligent judgment of the South knows that the South realizes as well as does the North that the power to tax is the power to destroy; and that the private owners of property can be destroyed through the power to tax.” “The Alabama statesman, and he is one of the few statesmen that we have,” remarks the Saginaw News Courier, “makes it plain that taxation should be regarded as absolutely a non-partisan question and that the real proposition is to have wealth bear its full share of the burden of government. That is to say, he be- lieves high surtaxes drive capital from investment.” * * x ok “The Democrats are out-Melloning Mellon,” declares the Philadelphia Public Ledger. “Senator Harrison wants ‘taxes cut to the bone,’ Senator Glass favors a 20 per cent rate as the maximum surtax. Senator Underwood has urged a reduction as low as 13 per cent. That main line of division will be between those who wish to increase the normal exemption and those who wish to cut down the surtaxes.” Doubt as to the effect of Senator Un- derwood's stand, however, is expressed by the Asheville Times, which con- tends “there is small reason for be lieving that he will gain much sup port within the ranks of his own par; ty for his scheme of tax reduction,’ referring to the low rate advocated by the Alabama Senator. So also the Syracuse Herald holds that “individ ual opinions cannot be accepted as & switch of the Democratic opposition in Congress to the support of the Mel- lon surtax policy.” “If the Democrats in Congress fail to follow such of their number as Underwood, preferring to join the so called Progressives in a wild-goose chase of trying to ‘make the rich pay’. their action will be plainly political,’ in the opinion of the New Haven Reg- ister, and the Manchester, N. H., Tnion considers that Senator Under wood “has put himself at the front of a party movement that will keep his colleagues occupied for some time to com The St. Joseph News Press. however, says that the “examples of Messrs. Underwood, Smoot, Mellon and Glass should be kept steadily in view, and irrelevant partisanship and factionalism should be rigidly ex- cluded.” On the other hand, Kalamazoo Gazette suggests that new movement in the Democratic ranks may result in actual cleavage within the Jeffersonian party on the taxation issue.” Another source of trouble is feared by the Albany News, ‘which urges that since both Republi cans and Democrats are convinced that “higher surtaxes should be cut down, efforts to obtain credit for these reductions should be avoided.” It is observed by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Senators Under- wood and Glass have been criticized by Democrats for their position, but it says in reply: “The South needs capi- tal. Its representatives im Congress should be the last to consént to any- thing that will hamper the free em ployment of capital in productive en terprise. The Democratic party, ‘which lergerly and distinctively is the party of the South, would do well to follow Glass and Underwood upon a policy of sound taxation for the pres- perity of alk"” .