Evening Star Newspaper, July 1, 1925, Page 6

(] THE EVENING STAR, WASHI NGTON D._C, WEDNESDAY, JULY¥ 1, 1925. _ — e "THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. THE EVENING STAR With Sundey Merning Editios. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY......July 1, 1825 Editr The Evening Star Newspapet Company 11th St. Pennsylvan I THEODORE W. NOYES. nin Ave. New Fork' Gfice: T10. Eaut £200 S¢. Chicago Office: er Building. Ruropean Office: i The Evening: Star. with the Sanduy mora- fhe edition. is delivered by carriers within the city at' 60 cents per month: daily only. cents per month: Sunday un|¥,‘.’&ar“|en:: month.Orders may be sent o 45 Fferhons Srain 00, - Caliection is carrier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginie. Daily and Sunday 1y only . Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Prens js exclusivety enticled 1o the At Tor Fopuniiation of At news die- Patches credited to it or not L Lt mieer 2 ol B bl 2ac shed hereir. oF special dispatches Rerein ate aleo reserved. 2 - : Santa Barbara’s Need. Now that the earth has ceased quaking in Califernia and the extent of the Santa Barbara disaster is de- termined, with a surprisingly small foss of life. the financial aspect of the catastrophe is of primary considera- tion. It now appears that the dam- age to property amounts to from $20.-} 000,000 to $25,000,000. Only az.m.ooo[ In earthquake insurance was carried by the property owners of Santa Bar bara, or one-tenth of the lowest esti mate of loss. Plans for rebuilding have been started already, Indeed, before the earth had ceased quaking the citizens were at work on ways and means of restoration. They had provided a re- volving fand of $2.500,600 to assist in clearing up the debris and starting the reconstruction. ‘The banks of Santa Barbara have sought.a loan of $20,000,000 from the financial insti- tutions of the country, which um- ‘doubtedly will be forthcoming at once. \Supplies and funds for the fmmediate physical relief of the people are abundantly assured. The only prob- lem in conmection with this reliet work is the difficulty of receipt and storage of goods owing to the dis- ruption of the rajlway facilities. “In the rebuilding of Santa Barbara particular care will be exercised to re- store the city to its original attractive- ness. It was one of the most artistically designed communities in the United States, with a distinctive character of architecture. Its “Mission” was one of the noted landmarks of Amer- jea. A special plea for help has been sounded for the restoration of the Mis- sion. Engineers have gone from S: Francisco and Los Angeles to study the reconstruction problem and to give advice. Those in the former city have had experience in this work following the disaster of 1906. Greatly rejoicing that the disaster at Santa Barbara is much less costly in terms of lives than seemed at first likely, the country will lend every Possible aid to the stricken city for its recove The people of Santa Barbara have shown heroic spirit in facing the disaster. They hope to carry their own work, but will, of course, need immediate assistance, which will be abundantly forthcoming. ————————— Rhode Island “Speeds Them.” Rhode Island is a little State, but it 18 not a slow one. Being a little State, its road system is comparatively small in mileage, but its traffic is heavy, for it is a busy Commonwealth. After studying the situation the head of the newly created State police force has decided that the only way to get the traffic over the roads is to speed it up, and so orders have just been issued that drivers must make 35 miles an hour on all heavily traveled traffic arteries or “‘quit the road.” The high- ways, the State police commander declares, “are too expensive to be oluttered up with traffic moving at 12 or 15 miles an hour.” The rate of 35 miles an hour may be r-safe one if cars are in good order, if hrakes are dependable and if drivers are careful. Speed in itself is not the essence of danger. An incompetent or reckless driver may do great damage to others as well as to himself at half the 35-mile rate by breaking some fundamental rule of the rcad. Of course, the reckless driver, going at miles, is the greatest menace, for e speed creates a deadly momentum In case anything goes wrong. Rhode Island’s problem of keeping the roads clear by keeping the traffic moving is experienced in all of the «congested portions of the country. In fhe neighborhood of New York it is particularly acute. Motor traffic has increased so greatly that in the metro- politan area highways that were ade- quate 20 or even 10 years ago are now «choked on ordinary occasions. It has | heen . estimated that In 25 years it/ will be nec ¢ to treble the width of the main arteries of travel leading | fto New York. e e ———— —_— The iliness. of President Coolidge’s | father chanzed what was cxpected to | Le a vacation for the Nation's Chief | Executive to a son of care and | Zaxlety. Even the highest office in the %nd, the highest office in the world, “nnot relieve its occupant from the anxietfes ‘of the simple, human citizen. . . o Weather and Western Polities. . ‘Weather, crops and politics are fre- quently closely interrelated. Any one of them is a gamble. The trio con- sgitute @ parlay that is difficult for any party 16 figure. In the great agricul- tural: Northwest toiay are two United States Senate vacancies which must be filled by next December, when Con- gress reassembles, if Wisconsin and North - Dakota are to be fully repre- sented In the upper house. ;.Comes now the report that the elec- tion- of these Senators will go over tintil- after the crops are harvested. There will be no campaign, it is said, While the farmers have their thoughts primarily on their crops, and no elec- tion while they are at work in the fields. It the weather holds good and the b a crops are good and - prices are - fair, then, it i» believed, the conservatives may be expected to poll their full strength. There is always a deaire not torock the boat when the progress is satisfactory. But, on the othery hand, if the weather is cantankerous, if the erops are too small to bring an ade- quate return, and if the pricas of [ srain and other produce fall off,wor if any one of these contingencfes arises, and particularly the last, beware| of the radical. \ In agreeing to a postponement Wof elections until the Fall both political elements are playing their luck. Buf in the meantime both schools o thought will not be entirely idle. The progressives have been in the saddle so long in Wisconsin, under the leader- ship of the late Senator La Follette, that a reversal in the selection of his successor may well be doubted. In North Daketa the adherents of the late Semator Ladd and the Non- Partisan League have been in control also. The contest, therefore, will be an effort on the part of the more con- servative wing of the Republican party in these States to gain two sena- torial seats which the progressives and the radicals have held. The weather has been the accident of politics many times in the United States. In the oid days, when the weather was bad and the rcads were muddy, farmers stayed away from the polls. Today, when the roads are hard and the flivvers plentitui, the situation is very different, and the farmer will vote despite the weather. But the crops and prices will continue to have their influence as long as there are elections. e e—e— Soft Coml Crisis Threatened. A coal cloud has arisen on the in- dustrial horizon. Not is there danger of a conflict between the op- erators and miners in the anthracite district of Pennsylvania, but fll feel- ing is growing in the bituminous fields. It is time that the fullest lisht be shed on both situations, so that the public may know where the re- sponsibility will Be zhould there be a suspension of work in the mines. Public opinion is a vast power in the United States, a po<er that may be used with good effect in the interest of the public at large. President John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers of America, in an address yesterday, made serious charges against some of the railroad companies and large bituminous cor- porations, involving an abandonment of the wage agreement eatered into at Jacksonville, Fla., in 1924 cover- ing the bituminous union mines. He asserted that a huge conspiracy exists to wreck the United Mine Workers. If the operators are in fact violat- ing wage agreements with the work- ers, the matter should be clearly set forth. If large consumers of coal are placing their orders with non-union mines merely for the purpose of wreck- ing the union, it is a matter that the public will take into consideration in passing judgment should a conflict arise. On the other hand, there have been complaints from the bituminous in- dustry that business is not so good, and if this be true, then the facts should be fully developed. Periodically, the public is threat- ened with the discomforts which fol- low a coal strike. Fuel in this coun- try, with its great industries that de- pend upon coal té feed its furnaces and furnish employment and material to the people and its millions of homes that must be heated to maintain health, has taken on a vast public interest. Unless the industry can be operated without undue interference with the public’s needs, there is every indication that eventually the coal mining industry will be dealt with as are other public utilities; and regu- lated by the Government. This may not be a pleasant prospect for the coal operators, or in fact, for the coal miners, but it is one that they would do well to consider. [ The industry of Senator Wheeler's enemies in keeping him before the public relieves him of the need of per- sonal effort in that direction. Mon- tana indorses the old Scotch song, “Speak well o' my lad, speak ill o' my lad. but aye be speaking o' him.” R only, An American woman donned a toreador’s garb in Madrid and bravely held her ground. If the Spaniards wish to scare an Amerjcan girl they may as well disregard the bull and start some kind of a mouse fight. ——— One way to obstruct Col. Bryan's activities in the evolution case would be to defer the trial until the Winter demand for Florida real estate sales- men is on. S The Japanese continue to admire California as a geographical location in spite of the fact that our side of the Pacific offers no immunity from earthquake perils. —————— Foreign Debt Discussions. Discontinuance of the debt-funding negotiations between the United States and Ttaly does not signify any breach of procedure. The parley is merely adjourned for a few weeks pending the assembly of essential data at Rome for submission to the American com- ion to set forth Italy’s financial situation and capacity to pay. This recent meeting has effected its purpose of laying the foundations for definitive dealing. The American commission has stated as a fundamental proposal that the basic terms of debt payment must be similar to those effected with Great Britain, an interest rate of 3 per cent for the first 10 years and 3% per cent thereafter, With a 62-year period for payment. Italy's representatives have declared the inability of their govern- ment to meet those terms. There is no disposition on the part of this Gov- ernment to force impossible terms. It must, however, observe good faith with England: It is pessible that the British government may express its willingness that special terms be made with other debtor nations. Indeed, Great Britain is soon to discuss the Ttalo-British debt, the government at Rome having formally notified London of its readiness to start discussion. The debt meeting at London will prob- mi: / ably afford an opportunity for Yiégo-. tiations for the adoption of a differ- ential in favor of Italy in the case of the American debt. It is evident that these debt negotia- tions, that with Italy soon to be fol- lowed by a parley with Belgium and later doubtless with France, will be protracted. All of the debtor nations will profess their willingness to dls- charge these obligations, and protest their ability to pay on the same terms that have been adopted in the case of the British debt. This is an unpleas- ant business, collecting from the allies of the United States in the Great War moneys due from them, having been borrowed from this country for the prosecution of the war in Europe. The ole of an international banker is not 4an agreeable one, but it cannot be @landoned. The only warrant for the release of these foreign debtors that cat possibly be given is by Congress repwesenting the people of this coun- try. A vote to that effect is altogether unlikely. e — Pictures by Wire. THe wonder of the telephoned pic- turetis having application, and news- papers in many parts of the United Statets, several thousand miles from the Racific coast, are showing to their subscribers pictures of earthquake re- sults fin California, and this within a few Bours after shocks wrecked build- ings., A man gets so used to new thinga in physics that he accepts them withog't sense of amazement, and no doubt, there dre persons who look at these . earthquake telephone pictures, some jof which are very good, in a matten-of-fact way as though it were a progy thing for a photographer to snapshwt a scene on the Pacific, hand the negative to a telephone company and hatve nawspapers on the Atlantic coast put millions of copies of the pi ture in wirculation a few minutes after the cammera’s shutter snapped. It is an- other of! the wonders of our tine, and it is Tikely that electric transmission of pictures will supersede mail trans- mission. Sending public news by let- ter mailismacks of the eighteenth cen- tur; and perhaps long before the twentieth century is half gone the elec- trically transmittdd news picture will be a commonplac: —_————— There is indignation in England be- cause a British colonel was persuaded by an alert publicity promoter to give a parade in honor of a film relating to military activities, thereby bestowing a priceless amount of commercial pub- licity. The plain American press agent may yet be relied on to counter- act the inftuence of the astute foreign propagandist. = Germany burdened Hindenburg with the gravest responsibilities at an age when a prominent figure in public life ought, in all fairness, to be confronted with no greater anxiety than that per- taining to his dally golf score. ———————— Literature is taking up American pugilism as a picturesque subject, and is leaving it to be inferred that, after all, our list of really great fighters may be summarized as John L. Sul livan and others. oo In the “relations of nations” Uncle Sam continues to be regarded as the rich relative from whom something Fandsome is properly to be expected. ————— Radio communication with the Arctic regions should afford grateful rPli-{.; The Eskimos have not yet become ac- quainted with the arts of ragtime. — e For the present California has put aside the radio, and fastened attention on the seismograph. e History repeats itself. A ereater Santa Barbarg is sure to arise on the ruins of the old. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JORNSON. Facing the Fireworks. The Fourth I mean to celebrate ‘Where small boys gayly congregate. The smoldering punk I'll strew about; Rejoicing while beholders shout, ‘When rockets blaze across the sky And land upon a roof nearby. My patriotism I shall prove By keeping sparks upon the move And when a backfire comes my way T'll face the chance without dismay. For sacrifices, great or small, On me My Country does not call. And vet T boldly shall prepare To give my eyebrows and my hair. Live Issues. ““Are vou going to make a speech on the Fourth of July?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I'm going to stick to the time-honored custom, although I must admit I'm kind o' discouraged by the fact that my constituents don’t seem to be at- taching as much importance to the Declaration of Independence as they do to traffic regulations and prohibition.” Let Well Enough Alone. The Monkey is a gentle brute. He never learned a gun to shoot Nor hunt out poisons that would suit A purpose wickedly astute. He's rather comical and cute And does not drink the leg-de-boot— The Monkey is a gentle brute, So, wherefore should he evolute? Jud Tunkins says if we're to assert ourselves as an artistic nation therell have to be a law to prevent bow- legged girls from getting theirselves photographed. After the Drought. “We're going to see about some laws to enable you to borrow more money,” said the affablé Congressman. “Much obliged,” rejoined Farmer Corntossel. - “Is there any chance of your seein’ about how I can pay back some of what I already owe?” Lure of the Pole. (Apologies to John Howard Payne.) Way up around that Arctic station Gladly I'd roam, Happy in its refrigeration, Far from the Hot Town at Home. “A friend will kindly tell you about yoh faults,” said Uncle Eben. “You naturally wants to do him de same favor. An’ dat's where friendship ceases. | Star asserts: “Judge Kennedy struck Shakespeare so dominates his lit- erary age that the prose writers of the period are more or less forgotten, yet there were three excellent one: that no reader interested in English literature should overlook. They were Francis Bacon, Sir Thomas Browne and Robert Burton, given here in the order of merit. Per- haps it is hardly fair to say that Bacon is forgotten. He is rather neg- lected, except in the schools. Bacon still exercises sway over men's minds by the charm of his familiar essays, which come home to their hearts and bosoms, by his posi- tion as primary instigator of modern sclentific progress, and through the belief by many that he in reality wrote Shakespeare's plays. I have no desire to even begin to go into the merits of the Shakespeare. Bacon controversy. That requires a lifetime of study, and even then one cannot be positive. Certainly there are some very ingenious and plaus- ible theories to show that Bacon wrote the tragedies and comedies. From the standpoint of the Bacon- ists, one of the most telling argu- ments is that Bacon was famillar with court life, and could more easily have produced the plays dealing with that aspect of society. He was a prolific writer, a regular H. G. Wells, in his way. On the theory that the more a man has to do the more he can do, Bacon could :nve written all the plays—but, did e? The controversy still rages, and probably always will. The average reader perhaps will be content to as- sume that Shakespeare wrote the plays, and forget about it. Anyway that js more or less what the world has been doing. * & o The idea that an old writer cealed, in some clever way, g truths which he was afraid to tell his . vet wanted to leave to pos- alWways been an appealing Bacon almost annually crops up as a subject for this sort of thing, vet the general reading public is still waiting for the “great discovery Until the mystery is solved. then, most of us will be content to take our Bacon in his essa where he deals calmly — perhaps too calmiy — with such ‘subjects as books, friends, etc. His are among the very first fa. miliar essays in the Knglish lan- guage, and, as such, are still among the best. The point is that when a decent man puts his mind to thinking about books, say, he is very likely to say all there is to be said upon the subject, in the abstract. Later writers can only make the subject theirs by a fresh viewpoint. They in no way alter the truths of the former writer. Thus every age has its men who write upon the same subject, vet each does it in his own way, alded by the spirit of his age. we of today will find much still to interest and instruct us in Bacon's essays, which the sophisticated prob- ably will insist on calling trite, but which are simply true. To some any- thing that is true is trite. Taine, in his “History of English Literature,” gives a sample of Bacon's style, and says: his is his mode of thought, by symbols, not by analysis; instead of explaining his idea, he transposes and translates it—translates it entire. to the smallest detalls, inclosing all in the majesty of a grand period, or in the brevity of a striking sentence. “Thence springs a style of admir- | able richness, gravity and vigor, now solemn and symmetrical, now concise and piercing, always elaborate and full of color- There is nothing in English prose superior to his diction.” Taine declares that this is especially true in the Essays. * ko % Bacon lived from 1561 to 1626. Rob- ert Burton, celebrated author of ““The Anatomy of Melancholy.” was born in 1577 and died in 1644. His tremendous book is little read any more, yet to the curious it has much to offer. The “Anatomy” is a sort of hodge- podge, in which one may find all sorts of specimens of the learning of an- clent days, extending back to the Greeks and Romans. Taine says of him: “The discrimination of ideas has not yet been effected: doctor and poet, man of letters and savant. he is ali at once: for want of dams, ideas pour like different liquids into the same vat, with strange spluttering and bubbling, with an unsavory smell and odd effect. But the vat is full and produced potent compounds which no preceding uge had known.” Burton, to use a modern slang rhrase, “had the blues.” He is prob- ably one of the mast notorious “blues™ writer in history. If he had lived today probably he would have zone to the doctor and had himself treated for indigestion or hardening of the ar- teries or something. Certainly no so-calied “normal indi- vidual” could have produced such a monumental mass as this standing curlosity of literature. He was sald to have had a ‘“melancholy” tempera- ment, but today it is more or less generally agreed that one does not come by such a disposition excepi through physical malfunctionings of some sort. Where in the old davs men were be- lieved to have been born with certain innate dispositions—*complexions,” as they were called—men today are re- garded more lenfently by the m~dical rrofession, which believes that lesions in the brain and elsewhere compel us all to certain actions and is of | thinki Parhaps if some one had faken Bur- ton to some sort of “cure” he would have saved himself the effort of writ- ing his “Anatomy” and us the worry of reading it. ko Sir Thomas Browne, to me, is the most readable of this trio under dis- cussion. 1 confess Bacon tires me. Burton can be read only in small doses. Perhaps some may feel the same about Browne, but to me he is a great writer of English prose. His subjects, of course, are some- what heavy, according to popular opinion. This is particularly true in his “Religlo Medici,” which created a sensation in his day. This “skeptical” work was circulated privately at first, but made public by the author after several unauthorized versions were circulated. It is a queer mixture of doubts and convictions— one which the present age can view with equanimity. but which went on the “black list" of its age. It may still be there. I do not know. What we of today are interested in is the man’s ability to handle English. He did have a certain grand way of saying things that sticks in memory. “The iniquity of oblivion blindly scattereth her poppy, and deals with the memory of men without distinc- tion to merit of perpetuity. Who knows whether the best of men: be known or whether there be not more remarkable persons forgot than any that stand remembered in the known accounts of time? Without the favor of the everlasting register, the first man had been as unknown as the last. “Oblivion is not to be hired. The greater part must be content to be as though they had not been, to be found in the register of God, not in the record of man. Taine says of him, “No one has spoken with a more eloquent emotion of death, the vast night of forgetful- ness, of the all-devouring pit, of hu- man vanity, which tries to.create an ephemeral immortality out of glory or sculptured stones. No one has reveal- in more glowing or orizinal ex- i the poetic sap which flows 11 the minds of the age.” Decision on Teapot Dome Stirs Caustic Comment American comment is strongly crit- | ical of the court decision in Wyoming sustaining the Sinclair lease of the Teapot Dome naval oil reserve. The action by Judge T. Blake Kennedy at Cheyenne against the Government is contrasted with that of Judge Mc- Cormick in California on the Elk Hills lease to the Doheny interests. Ot the Wyoming decision, the Du- luth Herald finds that “many suspi- clous persons will call it a white- wash.” Condemnation comes from the Phil- adelphia Public Ledger. “The pub- lic,” states that paper, “will not b satisfied for a moment with the W oming decision in the Teapot Dome ofl lease. The casual and debonair manner in which the United States District judge swept aside the evi- dence that formed the basis for the Government’s allegations of fraud and conspiracy makes the court findings worthless, if not meaningless. The sooner the ol cases are taken to the highest tribunal the better. The pub- lic and the Washington administra- tion are anxious to get at the bottom of the matter. The Wyoming deci- sion does not constitute even a step in that direction.” In harmony with this view is that of the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, which declares: “A manifest want of confidence in Fed- eral courts now and then is not with- out its reasons. In the decision of Federal Judge Kennedy at Cheyenne against the Government in the Sin- clair lease of the Teapot Dome oil reserve we get one of those reasons.” So far as the litigation of the leases has gone, adds the New York Herald- Tribue, “it has proved anything but helpful to the Nation or satisfactory to the public's sense of justice.” * k x * “The one suspicious circumstance attached to the whole affair,” the Charlotte Observer suggests, “was the $25,000 ‘loan’ to Fall, but there was explanation on that score that satisfled the judge. And, of course, Mr. Fall's ‘faith in the court’ was confirmed. If the Wyoming jurist has the details lined up right. then the country has been tremendously agitated about a matter that, in law, was perfectly all right.” On still another point the Cincinnati Times- from the records all exhibits and| records of Albert B. Fall's bank ac- count. But the act of the judge will not strike the record from the public memory. And rightly so. In the public mind the burden of proof is on those who made the leases to show that the Government was not betrayed by Secretary Fall to Messrs. Doheny and Sinclair. Where there is so much admitted rottenness the taint would seem deep.” An_inclination to leave the whole matter to the country’s highest tribu- nal is indicated by the Scranton Times, and the Albany News commends quiet, orderly processes, declaring that the public “may well be satisfied to await the decisions of the United States Supreme Court on legal aspects in these cases.” In that court, ac- cording to the Wheeling Intelligencer, “only testimony that is genuine evi- dence is considered,” and the contro- versy can be settled “once and for all time.” Looking also to the Supreme Court, the Lafayette Journal and Courler remarks that “thus far it has been proved that the various issues not only were debatable, but subject to ‘divergent interpretations. * ¥ ok ok i Judge Kennedy's decision 1s cited by the Anaconda Standard in support of the contention that '‘the storm in the Senate was merely a tempest in a tea- pot.” The scandal is “a punctured toy balloon,” says the El Paso Herald, while the Providence Journal con- demns the use of the charges for cam- palgn material in the presidential elec- tion, and the Lansing State Journal finds in the Kennedy decision grounds for “absolving Secretary Denby and Admiral Robison, both Michigan men, from irregularity” in the transaction. Still turther, the Casper, Wyo., Trib. une holds that “the Attorney General of the United States may see the folly of carrving further a prosec tion founded on political persecution. As to the future of the matter, how- ever, “Judge Kennedy's decision has not settled the case, nor has it removed the overpowering stench.” says the Omaha World-Herald uspicion_is not removed by the dictum of Judge Kennedy, and it is well that appeal will be taken,’ es the Dayton News. “The fact stands out that the ofl changed hands, the money changed hands and when the burden of proof was on Sinclair and Fall, there was a stench that nauseated the Nation,” adds the Portland Oregon Journal. “In the nature of things, the battle is just begun,” asserts the San Bernar- dino Sun. “Needless to say, the court’s ruling does not satisfy the public,” is the view of the St. Paul Ploneer-Press. “Yet the court finds this Teapot Dome lease not tainted by fraud, but sweet, sound and whole- some; God save the United States,” is the comment of the Great Falls Trib- une. But so long as “the Govern- ment thinks it has a case it should prosecute it to the end,” in the judg- ment of the Charleston, W. Va., Mail. “The failure of the Government,” in the opinion of the Hartford Times, “is not so much a vindication of justice as a_demonstration of the manner in which justice may be cheated by skilled legalists.” "And the Morgan- town New Dominion comments: “The public has a notion, which may be crude, but is nevertheless deep &nd abiding, that law somehow ought to square with morality.” Painleve, Absent Minded, Runs Into Difficulties Like so many famous professors of science, Prime Minister Painleve, who, of course, is known to the world primarily as one of its greatest mod- ern mathematicians, is excessively ab- sent minded. During a recent debate on Morocco in the Chamber of Dep: ties—a debate of crucial importance to his ministry—M. Painleve discov- ered as he was making an address shat he had forgotten the name of his foreign minister (M. Briand). “I am ready to meet the wishes of the Cham- ber,” he said, “and the question of Morocco, which is so important, can be discussed today, tomorrow or Wed- nesday. Tomorrow, however, may be unsuitable because my friend, M. . Here M. Painleve forgot the name, hesitated and stammered and pointed to M. Briand. “I mean,” he went on, “M— M— the ex-premier ——" and then again he came to a halt, blushing. “M——" he tried once again and the Chamber, inter- rupting with tfoars of laughter, shouted M. Briand's name. It was only then that M. Painleve was able to continue. ‘‘Yes,” he went on. “Thank you, that it. M) B— B— will be detained in the Senate to: morrow, and so perhaps it will be better for us to postpone the debate tll Wednesday.” Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln Massachusetts has its first Con- gresswoman, Mrs. John Jacob Rogers, widow of the late Representative Rogers. Her election in the fifth Massa- chusetts congressional district yester- day over former Gov. Eugene N. Foss, the Democratic candidate, is hailed here as a Republican triumph and an indication that the Coolldge admin- istration has lost no whit of its popu tarity. When the late Representative Roger: died, cut short in the midst of promising career, he was very popu lar in his district. Immediately there was 3 demand that his widow be given his seat in the House—a sentimental idea that has found expression in a number of other cases where men in public office have died in this country in recent years. It is a strange form of nepotism. So far, however, its re- sults have been negligible. For the women who have been elected to Con- gress to fill the terms of their de- ceased husbands have not been re- elected. What happens to Mrs. Rogers in 1926, therefore, will be of consider- able interest. If she is a candidate to succeed herself, she will face a vastly different situation. Her own record of service will be a deciding factor when the primaries are held. * o ok ok The Democrats had pinned their hopes on former Gov. Foss. But the Democrat who carries a normally Re- publican district in Massachusetts to- day must go some, in the face of the strong hold which President Coolidge has on the State. The desire not to send to Congress a man who would be opposed to the President, or to take a step which might be interpreted as a slap at the State’s most distinguished citizen, no doubt had as much, if not more, to do with the election of Mrs. Rogers than any other single factor, including the favor with which her husband had been regarded. President Coolidge can have today from Massa- chusetts pretty much anything he de- sires. It was the potency of his favor and the fact that he himself was a candidate for the presidency last year that pulled Senator Gillett through in his race with former Sena- tor David I. Walsh. And it is largely on this same strong leverage that the friends of Senator Wiliam M. Butler depend in the contest which Senator Butler faces against Senator Walsh next y * % % 3 The fitth Massachusetis district is normally Republican by about 10,000 t0 15,000. Mrs. Rogers apparently re- cefved this full vote. It contains the cities of Lowell and Woburn and about 30 towns. The textile industry is important in the district, and be- cause there has been considerable un- employment in the mills, the Demo- crats hoped for victorv. Mr. Foss en- deavored to make the people believe that a man would be more effective in dealing with important economic ques- tions involved in the tariff and pro- posed reciprocity with Canada than would a woman. Mrs. Rogers is the third woman to be elected to the Sixty-ninth Congress. Miss Mary T. Norton of Jersey City, N. J, and Mrs. Jullus Kahn of Cali- fornia are the others. Miss Norton is a Democrat and Mrs. Kahn a Repub- lcan. As a matter of fact, there have been very few women elected to the House of Representatives, although the suffrage amendment to the Fed- eral Constitution has been operative since 1920, and women had the vote in a number of States prior to the adoption of that amendment. So far there have been no women elected to the Senate, and only one, from Georgla, has gotten her foot inside the upper house even for a few brief hours through appointment by Gov. Hardwick. \ * ok ok ok In this connection it now appears that Mrs. Robert M. La Follette, widow of the late Senator from Wis- consin, has turned her face against the proposal advanced by some of her friends that she be a candidate to suc- ceed Senator La Follette. The word that comes from Wisconsin is that Robert La Follette, jr., will enter the primaries for the Republican nomina- tion for the Senate. No formal an- nouncement of his candidacy has yet been made by “Bob” La Follette, jr. But unless present plans go awry, that is what may be expected. And if the younger La Follette does enter the race, the chances are that he will be nominated and that he will be elected. La Follette is a name to conjure with in Wisconsin. But in addition to that, young Bob is not a stranger to politics or to the voters of the State. He is at present and has been for some time chairman of the Republican State committee of Wis- consin. He managed his father's cam- paign. He has shown himself a good campaigner and a forceful speaker. He has been closely associated with his father in his senatorial work for the last eight vears. * ok % % Should Mr. La Follette decide not to be candidate to succeed his father, there will be a number of others who will seek the nomination among the La Follette followers, including Rep- resentative John M. Nelson, the na- tional campaign manager for the La Follette-Wheeler ticket last year, and Representative Frear. It is pos- sible that Gov. Blaine himself might cast his hat in the ring, but it is be- lieved that the governor will wait until next year to oppose Senator Lenroot for the Republican nomina- tion for the Senate. The “stalwarts” or regular Repub- licans, as distinguished from the La Follette followers in Wisconsin, have called a meeting to be held at Osh- kosh July 4, and it is expected at that time a State organization will be set up and a candidate selected to make the race for the Republican nomina- tion in the primaries, which are ex- pected early this Fall, prior to the actual election of a Senator to fill the unexpired term of La Follette, which runs until March 3, 1929. Among those most prominently men- tioned as probable candidates among the regulars ars Francis E. McGo ern, three times Governor of Wi consin; Roy F. Wilcox, formerly State Senator, and a candidate for governor against Blaine in 1920, and Judge A. C. Backus of Milwaukee, publisher of the Milwaukee Sentinel. McGovern was at one time a La Follette man, but he broke with the late Senator in 1912, following,K Roosevelt into the Progressive party of those days. He succeeded in winning the nomimation for the Senate in 1914, but his suc- cess was temporary and resulted in the election of a Democratic Senator, an almost unheard-of thing in Wis- consin, Senator Husting. After Mc- Govern had won the Republican nom- ination the La Follette followers in large numbers voted Yor Husting, which turned the trick for him. * ok k% This bit of political history, by the way, is of some interest in the present situation. Should the stal: warts’' candidate succeed in winning the Republican nomination Martin Lueck, who is the probable Democra- tic nominee for the Senate, may re- ceive La Follette support just as Husting did a decade ago, with the result that the Democrats will pick: up a Senate seat. Lueck was the candidate of the Democrats for gov- ernor in 1924, and made a good race against Blaine, the vote being Blaine, 412,000, and Lueck; 317,000. If the vounger La Folleite is nominated there is the chance, too, that some of the stalwarts may throw their votes to the Democratic nominee, t0o, and thus give him a chance to nose out a victor. If La Follette is elected Senator, he will be the “baby” of the Senate in vears. -He. is § s old, the I Q. In what play did Sarah Bern- lhardl make her debut?—C. B. A. She appeared first at the Come- dle Francaise in 1862 at the age of 17, in Racine’s “Iphigenie,” with little success. Q. What is the significance of the Jewish festival, the Feast of Weeks” —H. C. N. A. This commemorated the givin lon Mount Sinal to the Jewish people tival. Shabouth, or the Feast of Weeks, comes seven weeks after the Passover; the one is at the beginning of the barley harvest, then through the seven weeks during which the various grains ripen and are harvest ed, ending with the wheat harvest which terminates the festival. Q. How long has the Almanach de Gotha been published?—T. A. A. It has appeared at tha since 1764, and contains information re- garding reigning farhilies und govern- ments, finances, population, commerce, etc., of the different states through- out the world. Q. When were first States postage stamps issued?’—R. G. A. The first official use of postage stamps was_sanctioned by act of Congress of March, 1847. On July 1, 1847, the first stamps were issued. They were a 5-cent and a 10-cent ‘The 5-cent stamp bore the of Franklin, while the 10- cent stamp bore the portrait of Wash- ington from Stuart’s painting. Pro- fessional stamps were issued prior to 1847 and were used by postmasters at some of the larger offices. They con- sisted of an impression placed upon letters with impressions such as “pald 5c,” the name of the office, etc These stamps are very rare and are among the most valuable known. Q. When is Father's day?—0. M. G. A. The third Sunday in June is ob- served as Father's day. It was first celebrated in Spokane in 1910 and proved so popular that by 1914 it was being observed generally throughout the country. Q. What is the recent discovery con- cerning color-blindness? G. A. A. Prof. H. E. Roaf has described a new method for the investigation of color-blindness. It consists in finding the wave length of light by which a color-match given by a color-blind per- son appears ulso to match for one of normal vision. It is evident when this has been found that the region of the spectrum in which the defect lies must also have been removed. The problem, therefore, is one of cutting off different regions of the spectrum and finding the wave-length limits of the smallest decrease in the spectrum for which the original and the comparison color match to a normal person. In 2§ cases It was found that the defect is always in the red end of the spectrum. Q. Where is Mooseheart?—S. H. A. Mooseheart, which is the head- quarters of the Loyal Order of Moose, is located near Aurora, Il It consists of 1,000 acres of land, homes and buildings, where are cared for orphans and dependent members of the Order of Moose.s Secretary of Labor Davis is one of the chief of- ficials of this order and is greatly interested in the welfare of the chil- dren at Mooseheart. Q. Who first used incendiary lets in the war?—J. M. A. The British were the first to use incendiary bullets in the World War. America undertook to develop and improve incendiary bullets. bul- Q. How much was Michelangelo paid for the supervision of the con- struction of St. Peter's?—S. A. D. A. The architect, sculptor - and painter, Michelangelo, undertook this work for the repose of his soul with- out emolument. Q. Who are the nine famous men whose busts appear on the east front of the Library of Congress?—H. F. ‘These men, in order from left to right, are as follows: Demosthenes, Frankl!i BY GEORGE E. ROBERTS. Sir Esme Howard, British Ambas- sador at Washington, made a notable speech a short time ago before the American Iron and Steel Institute, touching particularly upon Great Bri ain’s dependence upon foreign trade, the grave state of unemployment in her industries and the general need for balanced trade relations to restore prosperity throughout the world and .to enable his country to meet her in- debtedness to the United States. He said, in part: “The main and gPeatest factor on which we have to rely is the re- establishment of permanent peace in Europe and the increase of purchas- ing power in foreign markets. “If Great Britain cannot sell her products abroad she cannot, of course, continue to buy raw materials and manufactured goods in the United States in the same heavy quantities as has been her custom. It is, I am sure, fully realized that Great Britain could scarcely carry on an unfavor- able trade balance with the United States forever and yet pay the 32 odd million pounds per annum required to meet her indebtedness to the United States Government. “We intend to meet our just debts, but there may come a time when, un- less the world situation changes for the better, unless we can return to something like pre-war conditions of credit and trade, it would be impos- sible both to make heavy purchases of raw materials from the United States and to pay the interest on our debt. It does not require a high-class mathematician to see that. The pur- S S W— minimum age specified by the Con- stitution for senatorial quatifisation. * %k ok Should Senator Osear W. Under- wood of Alabama decline to be a can- didate to succeeq himself in the clec: tions next vear, as it is now asserted in some quarters he will decline, the loss will be to the country and.to his State. There is no more able, no more patriotic:. member of the Senate on either side of the center aisle, which divides the Democrats and the Repub- licans. He has mnever hesitated to announce himself on important ques- tions of principle and policy. A Southern man, had he recefved the solid support of the South in the last Democratic national convention it is extremely likely that he would have been the party's nominee for President. Already H. L. Black and former Gov. Thomas E. Kilby have announced their intention of seeking Senator Underwood's seat. * kL % The Democrats have their eye on the Senate seat now occupied by Sen- ator Willis of Ohfo, Republican. For« mer Gov. James M. Cox, the Demo- tic national standard bearer In 20 and the present governor, A.. V. Donahey, are both being talked of in this connection.. One or.the other is likely to receive the Democratic nomi- nation. Gov. Cox is already feeling out the situation.* He is a newspaper publisher, and has a wie popularity in the State. of the law of the Ten Commandments | and also is observed us a harvest fes- | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Macaulay, Hawthorne, Scott Dante. and Q. Why was Guiseppe Crespi called “Lo Spagnuolo”?—C. C. W. | "A. The Italian painter was given | this nickname because of his love of finery. Q.. Who was {ie United States Am bassador to Great Britain from 1903 19052 What is his present ad | dress>—A. E. K A. Joseph 1i. Choate was | sador " uring this period | May 14, 1917. Amb He died | Q Whatisa jetty?—H. s | Al It is a dike at the mouth of a river or across a harbor bar to in- crease the current by narrowing the channel and thus scouring out a deeper bed to accommodate naviga- tion. Q. What kind of animal does the tur “hamster” come from?—G. M. | “A. Hamster is a trade name used in the fur industry for a species of field rat found in Central Europe and Russia. The pelt is of a light color, with back and sides contrasting, and is often dyed to represent sable nad mink. Q. Did George Washington make rules governing the use of intoxicants by his employes?—A. N. D. A. In “George Washington,-Coun- try Gentleman,” is the following state- ment: “Some of the contracts (entered into with hired employes) contain pe- culiar stipulations. That with a cer- tain overseer provided: ‘And whereas there are a number of whiskey stilis very contiguous to the said planta tions, and many idle drunkewas and | dissolute people continually resorting | the same priding themseives in de bauching and well inclined per sons the d Violett doth prom- |ise as well for his own sake as his employees to avoid them he ought.’ Q. Please tell me how 1o fix the breast of a pheasant to use it for hat trimming.—R. K. N. A. It the skin is blood-stained, soak it in lukewarm water and swab off with a plece of cotton. If the skin is grease-stained, place it in gaso line and soak well. Dry it by covering with corn meal, which will absorb the gasoline; put on fresh meal from time to time until skin is thoroughly dry. The skin should then be rubbed with a little white arsenic on the inside. Q. Was it customary for Lincoln to occupy a rocking chair in the box at Ford's Theater?—G. T. K A. Capt. Oldroyd says that ‘‘the rocking chair had not been in the box during the season until that night.” Q. When were wild flowers domes- ticated?—W. T. A. It is not possible to answer def initely. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Assyrians, Romans and Chi nese cultivated flowers for use and pleasure and propagated many plants One of the most anciént exampies of cultivated plants is a drawing repre senting figs, found in the Pyramid of Gizeh, in Egypt. Authors have as- signed a date varying between 1,500 and 4,200 years before the Christian era. The first notions concerning gardening were introduced into Japan by the Koreans in 604 A.D. In China 2,700 yvears B. C. the Emperor Chen- nung instituted a ceremony in which every year five species of useful plants were sown. | Q. What isa tramp vessel>—J. 8. X | A. Steamers are called tramp steam |ers when they do not belong to any regular steamship company, but are |operated by individuals. . Why does the woodpecker peck? | . H. C. | A. The Biological Survey says that |a woodpecker pecks in order to diz out a nest and to obtain food. When {he drums, however, it is either for pleasure or it serves as a call to birds of the same specie: (Let The Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haakin, director, Twenty first and C streets morthwest, answer your question. The only charge for this service is 2 cents in stamps for re- turn postage. Sees Britain’s Foreign Trade Factor in Debt Settlement chases would obviously have to be cut down." Quotes Value Figures. The Ambassador quoted the valie figures for the trade between the United Kingdom and the United States in the last calendar year, which showed a commodity movement aggregating $882,000.000 this way angd $404,000,000 | the other way and called attention to the fact that the interest and dividends from American investments, which be fore the war went far in the settlement of England’s unfavorable trade account with us, have been much reduced by the war-time sales of securities in the home market. Great Britain's ability to make pay ments is not dependent upon the state of her direct trade with us. If she has balances in her favor with other countries, she may use them in the settlement with us, but, as the Ambassador pointed out, her trade with Russia, central Europe, and, in- deed, all parts of the world, has suf- fered. However, so long as Great Britain is creditor in the general clearings she can meet her payments to_the United States. The Ambassador's main theme, that international payments, whether upon debts or for current purchases, must be made in the long run in a country's own products or services, cannot be challenged in any final way, although writers higgle over it. Of course, Great Britain could meet balances |temporarily adverse by borrowing, as she has made arrangements for doing over the next two years in resuming gold payments. As long as a coun- try can borrow, obviously it need not pay, but in the long run ability to borrow depends upon ability to pay in some other way. Britain’s Default Not Probable. It is not probable that Great Britain ever will default on the debt to the United States, because she has vast means of payment outside of har own territory and outside of current trade, but, assuming the possibility of conditions such as the Ambassador deserfbes, undoubtedly she would have to ask-a readjustment either of the debt or of our policy toward imports. Moreover, the Dawes commission has established a distinction between the ability of a country to raise a given sum by taxation within its own terri- tory and ability to pay that sum in other countries and other currencies, and there is no reason to doubt that the United States 1l recognize this distinction. There is more interest, however, in the application of this principle in the settlements with France, Belgium, Italy and the other European debtors than in the remote possibility of its ap- plication to the case of Great Britain. Their abilities to make payments abroad are much less than hers. Of eourse, a general revival of industry and the establishment of balanced trade relations, such as Ambassador Howard pleads for. would change the ntire situation. The changes in in- s‘mry of the next 25 vears may be 80 great that debts which appear very formidable now will have a wholly different appearance then. This is ona of the factors which justified caution on the part of responsible public ~M- cials in dealing with the debt prc .