Evening Star Newspaper, November 9, 1925, Page 6

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HE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. November 9, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Bustness Office 11th St. and Pennsvivania A N%"'“ank (‘)‘l’{" e !'_]n Eufi Q’.’r; St. Buropean Office: 14 Regont St.. London, 3 England. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- inx edition. is delivered by carriers within ° Sty at’ 60 cents per month: dajly only. 48 cents per month: Sunday only. 20 cents per month_ " Orders may he sent by mail or telephone Main 5000, Coliction is made by carrier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dally and Sund: Dally only. §r€6.00 Sunday only ¥ri$2.40 All Other States. Datly and Sund . 15r.810.00:1m Duily only. .. 1¥r 700 Sunday only’ 1yr ] $3.00: Member of the Associated Press. The Assoctated Press fs exclusively entitled to 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 Dublished herein. Al rights of publication of special dispatehes herein are also reserved. ‘Where the Fault Lies. Who shall enforce the prohibition law? Gov. Gifford Pinchot of Penn- sylvania and other “dry” leaders, ad- dressing the Anti-Saloon League's convention in Chicago, insist that it must be enforced by the Federal Gov- ernment. Assistant Secretary Lin- coln C. Andrews of the Treasury, di- recting head of the Federal prohibi- tion enforcement, addressing the same convention, declared that better co- operation of the States and local com- munities was an essential in proper enforcement of the law. The eighteenth amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the manu- facture, sale or transportation of in- toxicating liquors within or their im- portation into the United States, in its second section, says: “The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power 10 enforce this article by appropriate legislation."” Clearly it seems to hawe been the in- tent of those who framed and adopted the prohibition amendment to the Constitution that the entire burden of the enforcement of prohibition was not to be placed upon the Federal Government The addresses delivered at the Chi- loon League convention the friends of prohibition can be interpreted in only one way, that the prohibition. law is not being enforced, certainly not with that degree of ef- ficiency and success that has been the hope of the friends of prohibition. Ritter criticism of the highest officials in the land, Federal and State, em- anates from the convention. Diatribes that might have been expected from the “wets,” rather than the “drys.” Gov. Pinchot, however, has cited s of alleged misuse of Federal permits for the withdrawal of mil- lions of gallons of alcohol which he charges have found their way into the bootleg trade. It is a remarkable and terrible arraignment. If it can be pported By evidence, only one con- sion is possible; that something is vitally wrong with the prohibition machinery. stant Secretary Andrews has urged that local communities carry on a campaign of education against the violation of the law and in sup- port of prohibition. If prohibition is to be really effective it can only come through such a campaign of educa- tion. Unless the people really believe in prohibition, unless they are willing to support prohibition “for me as well as thee,” there is little chance of its ever being properly enforced. The Federal (overnment is expending some ten million dollars this year for s prohibition enforcement unit; the ederal courts and the United States attorneys and marshals and all their forces are giving much of their time to the enforcement of this law; the Coast Guard is being used extensivi Iy to dry up the sources of supply from abroad. But unless the people themselves are willing to obey the law there is no hope for it. The peo- ple of the American colonies were not willing to obey certain tax laws which the British sought to impose upon them, nor was Great Britain, even with the use of its army and navy, able to enforce these laws. Unless the American people of today are willing to obey the prohibition law, the Federal Government nor any other is likely to have a marked de- gree of success in enforcing it. Friends of prohibition may talk un- til they are hoarse about the need of great and better enforcement umits, Federal or State, or both. It is the people in the last analysis who en- force all laws. If there is no will to live up to prohibition there will be lit- tle substance to law enforcement. Passing the buck from State to Fed- eral government, or vice versa, will avail little. S Ponzi is in Florida. This informa- tion may prompt some of the reck- less realtors to take precautions inst being beaten in the specula- tive game in which they have special- ized. - Assurances by Mr. Hoover of the Nation's prosperity should have their influence in securing neceded school appropriations for the Nation's Capi- tal. o Mail Even Earlier! Postmaster General New has {ssued an order suspending mail deliveries this vear on Christmas day. He be- lieves that the postal employes should have a holiday on Christmas along with all other workers, Government and otherwise. So he urges the pub- lic to make a special effort to mail early for Christmas to enable the postal workers to get everything dis- tributed before that day. Two years ago, as a result of the “mafl-early” plea, which was very generally heeded by the people, it was possible to stop work in all city post offices at noon on Christmas. Last year t3e time for closing was ‘moved back to 11 o'clock in the morn- ing, which permitted one street de- lvery in the forenoon. This year it 1s planned to go a step further and to eliminate all regular deliveries, granting the postal workers a full day of rest save for the delivery of special mail and the dispatch to and receipt from trains of outgoing and incoming mafls. These latter, how- ever, will not be “worked” or pre- pared for delivery. It is possible by general response to this plea to have all the Christras mall delivered before 1aidnight of the 24th, with no accumulation to be “worked" by the postdl force on the 26th of December. It is to the advan- tage of every holiday mailer to co- operate to this end. By advancing gift- making and buying two or three days this can be done. The volume of Christmas mall increases annually. Gifts and cards are intrusted to the Government for transmission by the millions. They must be carefully han- dled and scrupulously delivered. A few years ago, before the “‘mail-early movement was general, the accumula- tion of maifl matter in the three or four days prior to Christmas could not be handled by even greatly en- larged postal forces. Now, with only slight enlargements, these malls are worked with little difficulty. Still there is room for improvement, and it is for this that the Postmaster General now pleads, to make a 100 per cent malil delivery before the dawn of Christmas, and thus to enable the postal forcde to take a full holiday. Everybody will be happler if this re- quest is heeded, merchants, buyers, gift-senders, gift-recelvers and postal workers, e Stickers on Automobiles. Complaints are being registered by the motorists of Washington against the practice of defacing private auto- moblles with stickers without the au- thority of the owners of the cars. Advertising matter and campaign drive solicitations of varfous kinds have been promiscuously pasted on the windows and windshields of auto- mobiles throughout the city. Yester- day many car owners who left their machines on the street for briet periods found huge stickers for a of their windshields. In some cases the notices were placed In such a way as to obscure the vision of the driver, and, until they could be removed, con- tributed materially to the traffic dan- gers of the National Capital. Such a short-sighted policy can create nothing but antagonisin. Tres- pass and invasion of private property rights will not aid either an advertis- ing or a philanthropic campaign. Noth- ing can be gained by such’ methods, and continuation of them is likely to put worthy projects on the black list of a large proportion of the residents of the clty. ‘ Pasting of stickers should be left to the discretion of the individual auto- mobile owner. If he elects to use one on his windshield he does it with the full knowledge that it will not only take a good deal of time and trouble to remove it, but may interfere with proper vision. He likewise knows that he must use care in the opera- tion or the glass will be marred by the instrument used in the removal proc- ess. Aside from this, he should be the one to decide whether he cares to operate his car as & moving adver- tisement. To have this decision made for him, however, breeds resentment and re- sults in & poor prospect for whatever campaign is in progréss. Immediate orders rescinding such instructions should be {ssued by every organization to its agents, so that motorists will escape molestation and the city will act as a unit in the sup- port of worthy projects. ‘Walker and the Hylanites. Mayor-elect Walker of New York now finds himself up against a hard proposition. He has just been named for the highest municipal office to suc- ¢eed a man who will have been eight years in office on January 1. Both are Democrats. The incumbent filled the municipal positions open to his appointment with members of his own political faith. Ordinarily there would be no overturn on a mayoralty shift from one Democrat to another. But in view of certain recent unpleas- ant happenings a very large change is expected, and now the mayor-elect is flooded with applications for jobs. The incumbents are declaring their 100 per cent Democracy and claiming the right of retention in office. It may be necessary for the mayor-elect to go back into the pre-primary rec- ords and find out who was who and whom for at that time. Mayor Hylan worked up quite a municipal organiza- tion for the purpose of getting a third nomination, and now those who were enrolled as his advocates and support- ers and proponents are wondering whether their Democracy is regarded as tainted. Inasmuch as most of these jobs are lucrative in both official and unofficial compensations the pressure for their retention by the incumbents and for their procurement by as- pirants is bearing upon the mayor- elect so heavily that he is reported to be wondering whether the mayoralty 15, after all, really worth while. ————————— There is no practical method as yet available for preventing reckless boot- leggers from obstructing traffic. Highbrows and Roughnecks. ‘The following sentences have just been uttered in a public statement in San Francisco by an eminent citizen: We do not want a race of mollycod- dles. The manicure shop is not the place where men are bred. I would rather trust the fate of the Nation te a genuine roughneck than to a high- brow. . Our Natlon probably will be saved, for a few years at least, by the young men who cannot go to a college or a university. There was a time when a father, realizing that,_his son was not up to standard, picked out a school that was known to be hard- boiled. A master of arts or a doctor of philosophy is mow a boy whose parents have money enough to keep him in college until the professors are tired of looking at him. Who was this speaking? made man without any of the advan- tages of the higher education? No. It was one of the leading educators of this country, Dr. J. B. Finley, formerly of the University of California and just sailing for Mexico City to become dean of English in the university there. It is not usual for a higher educator campaign fund pasted on the inside ! A self- THE EVENING to take this point of view of the utllity of collegiate and university training, and it is therefore the more striking as a commentary upon the trend of young American manhood. This is not to be rated as a pessi- mistic view. Dr. Finley is known as an optimist, a cheerful observer of condi- tions. His criticisms are constructive. There is undoubtedly need of more hard work in the trades and the coun- mercial occupations than in the intel- lectual pursuits to which the higher educational institutions lead. Work {s the salvation of any race. It makes for a stronger citizenship, a more wholesome social condition and & clearer realization of the responsi- bilities of the members of the soclal organization. Most of the radicalism that prevalls today in this country comes out of the higher educational institutions. Theorizing upon the in- stitutions of government and relations of classes has led many an under- graduate into the field of pseudo-com- munism or parlor socialism. The young man who has to hustle for his livelihood in order to secure and main- tain & home has no time for vagaries of this character. Colleges and universities In this country are essential. They are play- Ing a vitally important part in the evolution of the Nation. They are con- tributing richly to its culture and its practical advancement. But the miils and the shops, the practical works of all kinds, are also doing thelr part, and the youth who is denied higher educa- tion by reason of family conditions, lack of means, the necessity to gain a competence early In life gains some- thing that many a colleglan misses. ——e—s Assertions by *Pussyfoot” Johnson that Europe is trying to smash pro- hibitfon in America will arouse no in- dignation. The cause of peace will be advanced, and the conditions will not be hard to meet, it all Europeans in choosing weapons consent to lay down the sword and take up the corkscrew. ————————— The song “Sidewalks of New York" still holds an influential appeal for Al Smith. It might have been a great help to Hylan if the author had been sufficiently foresighted to make it “Btreet Cars of New York.” —_— e Farm products may be high, but the Department of Agriculture's efforts are looked to for a compensating advantage In placing a handsome chrysanthemum within the reach of every thrifty citizen. ————— The warning of Senator Sheppard that the saloon must be exterminated, root and branch, should go further and provide that its successor, the bootlegger outfit, be destroyed, flask and flivver. ——ee—. French francs at twenty-two to the dollar make the United States nickel look comparatively like good money, even though it does not quite meas- ure up to a car fare. —————— ‘When the vogue of the “Charles ton” wanes other cities may claim terpsichorean celebrity. A dance fea- turing Tennessee monkey shines might be called the “Dayton.” ————— Year by year the District of Colum- bia is acquiring more snow plows. There is every hope that all fnaugura- tion day exigencies will be success- fully met. ———— New discoveries in King Tut's tomb reveal luxurious evidences that the old Egyptians had none of our mod- ern ideas about economy and tax re- duction. Threats against his life do not dis- turb Mussolini. No dictatorship is re- garded as complete without certain demonstrations of this kind. SHOOTING STARS. BY .PHILANDER JOHNSON. Rough Little Game. Be kind, be good, be gentle. Be fond and free from guile. Be ever sentimental And wear & winsome smile. The poets, night and morning Give such advice prolix. It you would heed their warning, Keep out of politics. Be patient and forgiving. All injuries forget. Be glad that you are living— But when your course is set To hold your disposition Unmarred by envious tricks, ©Oh, heed this admonition! Keep out of politics! No Togas. “You are still wearing the sena- torial toga?"” “I am doing nothing of the kind,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I saw a picture of one of those togas, and it looks too ladylike to suit me. As a conservative male patriot I shall stick to my Prince Albert coat.” No Argument. ‘The radio lets you talk at ease And find of joy no lack, For you may say just what you please And none can answer back. Variable. ‘“‘Are you a wet or a dry?” “I'm what you might call variable, whispered Uncle Bill Bottletop. *“I always try to adjust my opinions so's not to offend present company.” Jud Tunkins says a man has to take his chances on being accused of butting in or else of being work shy. Taking a Transfer. “Do you enjoy grand opera?” “Yes,” declared Mr. Cumrox. “It's always a pleasure to round my wife and daughters up in a box and hear ‘em criticize the singers instead of me.” The Ancient Thanksgiving. This world is hurrying on its way And with a wonderment profound We read of that departed day When turkey cost two bits per pound. “Idle gossip,” sald Uncle Eben, “is a pastime dat kin git to be mo’ dan- gerous In its way dan even foot ball,” |its STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY, N VEMBER 9. 1925 : : ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Tax Publicity And Everybody’s Business BY WILLIAM P. HELM, JR. Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of siz articles by Mr. Helm dealing whth the resulls of the tar publicity law. The aseond article will be published tomorror. Tax publicity, as practiced by the Federal Government, has stripped the last garment from the form of Ameri- can business. It stands today stark naked, revealing unadorned its full- ness of income, its curves of expense and its dimples of pfofit. The tax collector has done his work thor- oughly; there is today no secret left. Take the motor car, for instance. On every new car turned out by our , the average profit was $39. The tax collect r compiled the informa- tion; the United States Government stands back of the figures. Or, take the case of coal. Federal Government informs ghe world that the profits of the coal industry during that prosperous yvear were somewhat more than $77,000,000 —an average profit of about 12 cents a ton. Natlonal banks, by the same token, are disclosed in the light of having made profits averaging $8,000 for each bank during the year—a shriv- eled figure when compared with some of our ideas as to bankers’ profits. But it Is the average, compiled by the Government from the books of all the national banks. S The Thanks to the income tax law a modicum of publicity, business has become ~ evervbody's business. This development of the past 10 years or less. Yesterday business secrets as to costs and profits were jealously guarded. To day anybody who wants to delve into such secrets may do so to his heart's content without stirring from easy chair. get the information from the Bureau of Internal Revenue. It has been compiled and printed and will be fur- nished on request. Such procedure is not undertaken under authority of the revenue law of 1924, which provided for a meas ure of publicity for personal tax re- turns. The authority goes back fur- ther to the basic tax law, enacted more than 10 years ago. That en- actment gave the bureau authority to compile facts and figures and make them public in general totals with out disclosing individual returns. In fact, it s a penitentiary offense to disciose individual returns, and they are not disclosed, but the totals for each line of business are. Tax pay- ments, however, are disclosed. Most of the bus States is done by corporations and most of the taxes paid to the Federal | Their | Government s paid by them. Federal tax payments on 1923 busi ness totaled more than $837,000,000. In making these payments, as every one knows, the corporations were re- quired to submit to the Government detailed returns, teiling the intimate story of their success or failure dur- ing the year. Aok ok ‘These returns have been given to the Government's statisticlans and totals have been run up for all the corporations in the country, nearly 400,000. They have been divided into two classes—those that have made money and those that didn’t. Inci- dentally the totals show that 42 per cent of all the corporations in the country failed to make any profit at all during our most prosperous year, the present one alone excepted, since the war. Fifty-eight per cent made money: the others lost it. Running a corporation, therefore, is a hazardous busine: Even in the banner vear of 1923 it was more haz- ardous than six years before, or in 1917. In that year 66 corporations out of every 100 made money. The pros. | his | All he has to do is to| ess of the United | pect has fmproved, however, taken as a whole, since 1921. During that bleak and hungry year more than half of the corporations doing busi- ness in the United States, the figures show, lost money. every 100 declared a deficit then, in- stead of dividends. The 1923 showing discloses how far we have traveled since then. The mortality rate has been reduced 20 per cent. Doing business in the United States is hazardous or not, according to the lhu!lnea In the mining business, Un- cle Sam's experts figure, 72 per cent money in 1923 and only 28 per cent operated at a profit. This was large- 1y due to the poor showing made by the coal industry. Of 3,872 companies engaged in mining coal 2,481 lost §: which was composed of the larger and stronger companies, ran to more than bringing the industry as a whole to a net profit of about $77,000,000. * ok k¥ With that figure in mind, turn to the production figures of the coal in- dustry, likewise compiled by the Fed- eral Government. They show that 1 630,000,000 tons of anthracite and bi- tuminous coal were produced. Thus the equation comes down thing ke this: | 000 ton: per ton, cents, And there you have the truth about the co:l industry. Ten years ago, be- | fore the Federal tax law was fully | operative, the figures had never been | compiled.” Tt was all guesswork then: today it is worked out to the decimal | of a cent. Other revelations similarly disclosed by this unexpected sidelight of the old tax law are that 58 per cent of the corporations engaged in agriculture lost money in 1923 37 per cent of all the manufacturing plants of every description wound up the year with a deficit; two out of every three con- struction companies made a profit, and only 65 per cent of the country's banking and financial made money. The average trading corporation—department store, jobber, { retailer and the like—stood only a two- to-one chance to make money, for | nearly one-third failed to do so. K ok % Another thing: The Government has listed the gross sales of all its corpo- rations. They run to more than $119, 000,000,000. “The net profits, after taxes were paid, mount to $6,697,000,- 000. Here is a profit of about 535 per cent on the turnover for all of American business conducted through- out the entire year by corporation Certainly it cannot be termed exces- {ve, taking it as a whole And still another thing: The total taxes of all kinds paid by these cor- porations ran to more than $2,570,- | 000,000, or about 40 per cent of their | profits. In other words, where the stockholders got $1 the tax collector got 40 cents—a high lev The Government has prepared fts disclosures in great detail. It has grouped the 400,000 corporations into separate classifications, covering virtually every big business in the country. It shows the profits, losses, percentage of failures and so on in each case. The lists run the range from cotton farming to airplane manufacture; from keeping a restau rant to wrecking a building. They cover thoroughly manufacturing, agri- culture, finance, transportation, con- struction, trade and personal service rom them can be learned with exact precision the state of each in- dustry. Into their details the writer will delve in the subsequent articles of this serfes, selecting those of most general appeal, Production, 630,000, © net profit, $77,000,000; profit on the average, about 12 (Copyright. 1925.) WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC Alders and abettors of “Al" Smith's presidential fortunes in Washington are carefully analyzing the signifi- cance of the recent Virginia State election. The Ku Klux Klan concen- trated its attack on the Democratic candidate for State treasurer, John Purcell, a Roman Catholic. He was elected, but ran about 50 per cent be- | hind the rest of the ticket. The votes he lost were almost exclusively Demo- cratic votes. What the Smith people are trying to figure out is whether the New York governor, as a presidential nominee in 1928, could carry a typical- ly Southern State like the Old Domin- ion by a safe, if reduced, Democratic majority, as Purcell did, or whether no_Southern State would be safe for a Smith candidacy. There is talk of sending the governor into Dixie in order that Southern Democrats may inspect him at close range. His friends are ready to match “Al's” per- sonality against religious prejudice, and give odds on the outcome in his favor. * ok K K Col. William Mitchell has found his first publicly avowed supporter in the United States Senate—Arthur Capper, Republican, of Kansas. The farm editor-statesman told an audience at the Kansas State Unlversity, in Law- rence, the other day that he thinks Mitchell is “on the right track,” and that he (Capper) will support him to the extent of the Senator's powers. Perhaps it's senatorial courtesy that inclines the leader of the farm bloc in the colonel's direction. Mitchell's father, the late John L. Mitchell, was a member of the United States Senate between 1893 and 1899, during parts of the Cleveland and McKinley admin- istrations. It's the ancestral seat in Congress, from the State of Wiscon- sin, that the flying colonel is said to have his eye on. There's been talk that conviction of an officer by court- martial would debar him from hold- ing civil office under the Government. Authorities consulted by this observer say there is no ground for such an assumption. * ko k ok One of the things you hear about at the State Department nowadays is that our ministry of foreign affairs has never run more smoothly than under the suave hand of Frank B. Kellogg. He has just entered upon his ninth month if the secretaryship and his subordinates vouch for the statement_that he already commands a loyal, devoted and harmonious or- ganization, They smile at the epithet of “Nervous Nellie” which Kellogg's political foes occasionally visit upon him. If they dared be so famillar, the Secretary of State’s young men would dub him ‘“‘Courtly Frank,” for they say there’s never been a more force- ful or more courteous and considerate boss at the department. Kellogg comes early and works late, except on the couple of days a week he steals away for an afternoon of golf with Assoclate Justice Sutherland, Senator Hale and Judge John Barton Payne. Golf, he says, is keeping the Coolidge premier fit for his endlessly arduous job. P When Sir Esme Howard, Brit- ish Ambassador, drove up to the ‘White House offices last week to present Arthur Henderson, former British home secretary, to the Presi- dent, his Britannic majesty’'s envoy arrived in a Detroit-made limousine. It is as new as a freshly minted dol- lar, for it is a 1926 model not yet WILLIAM WILE. on the market and was specially sup- plied to the Ambassador as a cour- Hitherto British chiefs of mis- in Washington have almost al- scorned anything but an Eng- lish car de luxe. Sir Esme evidently finds our native products to his liking. On the shining doors of his new auto- mobile Britain’s royal coat of arms is emblazoned. * % ok % Recognition of the new Persian regime of Reza Kahn gives timeliness to the book just written by the Amer- ican administrator general of Per- sian finances, Arthur C. Millspaugh, formerly of the State Department. It is called “The American Task in Persia.” Millspaugh, who has spent two years at Teheran, has operated under the an who was just raised from the premiership to the throne. A native of Michigan, graduate of Albion College, the University of Illi- nois and Johns Hopkins, Dr. Mills- paugh was the petroleum adviser to the State Department when Persta commandered his services. He recent- ly returned to his post after a visit to this country. His book pays high tribute to the organizing powers of Reza Khan Pahlevi (his full name), whom Millspaugh considers to be the maker of modern Persia. The Amer- ican economist believes that the de- sire and capacity of the Persian peo- ple for progress are sincere and genuine, * ok ok % Some of the real “brains” of the ways and means committee which has done so rapid-fire a job in working out a tax bill were contributed by Repre- sentative Ogden L. Mills, Republican, of New York. That scion of two. of America’s famous families is regarded as one of the up-and-coming young men in New York G. O. P. politics. He has just turned 41, and his friends have an eve on the Empire State governorship or United States sena- torship for him some day. Mills had a_splendid activeservice record in France. He is serving his third suc- cessive term in the House. He is a lawyer by profession, rich in his own right, and director of half a dozen of the country’s biggest corporations. During the 1924 national campaign Mills was attached to Chairman But- ler's organization in an executive ca- pacity. Harvard is his alma mater. * k% “What's in a name?” may have been Mussolini's soliloquy when he designated Count Volpi as chief of Italy’s debt mission to Washington. In Italian Volpi means “two foxes.” If one fox shouldn’t prove equal to coping with Mellon, Mussolini appar- ently thought two might serve the purpose. Volpi brought another ad- vantage to America in addition to his suggestive name. He does not speak English, As all diplomats know, not to understand the language of the party one is negotiating with is a priceless asset. 'The other fellow’s Stuff has to be translated. That gives time for deliberation. Bismarck, it is said, used to boast that he could keep silent in seven European languages— they were the ones he didn't know. (Covyright. 1925.) Balkan Jawbreakers. from the Syracuse Herald. One blessed aftermath of the ended war is that we won't have to wrestle with Demirkapu and Desmishissar any more, Fifty-two out of | of all the corporations involved lost | 900,000 and only 1,391 made a profit. | The net income of the latter group, | | $133,000,000, however, offsetting loss- es reported by the other group and | to_some- | institutions | Greenough’s Washington Now in Smithsonian To the Editor of The Star: Greenough's much criticized me- morial of the “Father of His Coun- try,” that stood for so long a time on the plaza in front of the Capitol, was by the act of Congress approved May 22, 1908, turned over to the ten- der mercies of the Smithsonian In- stitution. It was removed in Novem- ber, 1908, and was placed in the west | hall of the Smithsonian Building, in | the division of the lower inverte- | brates. This division is now assigned to the division of graphic arts. The statue was removed from the | former location when Olmsted, the | landscape architect, made the im- provement on the Plaza of the Capi- tol during the Roosevelt administr: tion, and it was quite an undertaking | to transport the statue to its present |location, as it welghed over 20 tons. | The pedestal, which was designed by | Petrie, whereon are the words, "First |in Peace, First in War, First in the | Hearts of His Countrymen,” was |abandoned and placed on the dump. It was, however, afterward utilized and used as one of the corner stones of the Government power house that generates the electric supply for the Capitol. The stone is in plain view at the northeast corner of the build. ing, but the words, “First in War, are'the only ones exposed to view. * k ¥ ¥ The statue was completed in Italy in 1840. In 1841 it arrived in this coun- try, and was placed in the center of the Rotunda of the Capitol, and oc- cupled the spot whereon once stood | the statue of Thomas Jefferson. It re- mained but a few months in this lo- cality, as it was found that it inter- fered with the pedestrian traffic | across the Rotunda. In 1842 it was ! removed to the plaza at the east front of the Capitol. In 1846 it was surrounded by an iron railing of 13 angles. For many years it was cov- |ered over during Winter by an un- | slghtly wooden shed. It would have been most appro- | priate had the statue been transferred to Mount Vernon and placed under a classic structure with an iron grill on all sides, so that it might be viewed from every direction. At present it seems to be in rather a dilapidated condition, and much in need of a thorough' cleansing, but perhaps the cleaning of the statue would em- | phasize many blemishes and cracks | caused by its long exposure to the elements. This statue represents the | expenditure of $50,000, the last ap- | propriation being for $5,000 for its removal to the present site. | * x % ¥ | On the back of the statue is the in- | scription: “Simulacrum istud ad Mag- | num. Libertatis examplum nec sine |ipsadura turum. Horatius Green. jough.” (“Horatius Greenough made this statue as a grand example of liberty, nor without would it endure.’) On the right-hand side of the chalr is a | bas-relief of the God of the Sun | in his chariot; on the left are seen | the Hercules Twins strangling Tyran- ny. On the left-hand side of the back stands the figure of a diminutive In- dian in a meditative mood; on the right-hind side is a mpresentation of Columbus contemplating a ball which he holds in his right hand, supposed to be the world. Just what will be the future dispo- sition of this historical work s not | clear. Certainly it is deserving “of more consideration, notwithstanding | the adverse criticism as to its artistic | merits. It occupled its position on the Plaza for 66 years and 16 Presidents during the inauguration ceremony had gazed on the classic form of the Father of His Country. Since |1842 and up to November, 1908, it had weathered the storms and defled the lightning, but, alas, the ef- fects of exposure to the elements had its result. About 40 years ago the iron ralling which protected the statue was removed, thus giving the vandals an opportunity to disfigure the monument, by the writing of names and chipping off small pieces. It is surprising that the statue today is in as good condition as it is. * o ox % During one of the inaugural cere- monies a large crowd having assem- bled in front of the Capitol, some pa- triotic citizens, seeking a place of van- tage, clambered up on the pedestal, and as they sought to maintain a better foothold tue statue suffered con- siderable damage. The right arm of the figure of Columbus was fractured and dislocated, and “Lo the poor In- | dian” was wrenched from his position behind the chair and broken to atoms, and it was necessary to reconstruct the redman. Even George hi..seif did not escape, the great toe of his left foot being crushed and mutilated, but fortunately after receiving first aid a new member was skillfully grafted on, and he was again able to “toe the mark.” The restoring of the mutilated digit of George was marvelously well done, by a painless operation of a surgical lapidary. So neatly did the toe heal that the scar is hardly per- ceptible, It is hard to realize that the effigy of Washington was chiseled from a solid block of marble. The drapery is really wonderful and the tracery in the back of the chair is marvelous. The details are carefully carried out. It is said that modeling in the nude is the highest test of the sculptor's art; be that as it may, there is a cer- tain incongruity in representing the Father of His Country without a stitch to his neck, so to speak. The present location of the statue, while it protects it, obscures the figure from general view. It is too bad that George should be so secluded. May his statue rest in peace, but not in pieces. FRANKLIN STEELE. Gatti Sees a Great Light. rom the Wichita Beacon. At the opening of the Metropolitan Opera season of New York last night the three woman principals were Amer- cans—Rosa Ponselle of Meriden, Conn. Jeanne Gordon of New York and Merle Alcock from somewhere in Missourl. Half of the aggregate of 32 sopranos are Americans, one of them being the y(lluthful Marion Talley of Kansas City. Among the male singers the Ameri- can-born element is not so pronounced, however. Mr. Giullo Gatti Casazza says that American male singers do not work as hard as the women, and, therefore, they do not climb as high. But this canny Itallan impresario knows that there is a pronounced movement in the United States in the direction of American singers and American music and some complaint that he has shut his eyes to American musical achievement, and he is gonig to think a thought or two about the box offices as he goes his artistic way. The Movie Audience. From the Cleveland News. The daily attendance of movies fluc- tuates between 13,000,000 and 20,000,- 000. Estimating the cinema attend- ance in another way, it can be sald that somebody in every family in the United States sees a motion picture daily. Admissions bring proprietors $1,000,000,000 yearly. Did _you ever imagine, when you visited your first nickelodeon, that you were attending the dedication of a bil- lion-dollar industry? BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How often does mall leave this country for the Philippines?—C. M. K. A. The Post Office Department says that steamers carrying mall to the Philippines leave the west coast ap- proximately five or six times per month. Q. How much damage does the Hes- :l{AnRfly do to the wheat crop?—C. A. The Bureau of Entomology says that the wheat crop was reduced by at least 40,000,000 bushels as a result of the infestation of the Hessian fly. Q. How 1s the mass of the world determined?—M. A. D. 4 A. It 1is determined by means of the torsion balance, an instru- ment for measuring very minute forces. By means of this instrument the attractive force of a large metal ball is accurately measured, and by comparing this force with the earth’s attraction the mass of the earth may be ascertained. Q. Please tell how to make a sub- stitute for whipped cream.—R. M. A. Beat the whites of two eggs un- til very stiff and dry. Add slowly to one-fourth cup of condensed milk, beating constantly. Heat one-fourth pound marshmallows in double boiler until soft, then add them to milk and egg. Flavor to taste. Q. How grow?—E. H. A. The average height of corn is between 7 and 8§ feet. }?lgh does corn usually Q. Who made the statuary group in front of Gallaudet College’—R. A. S. A. This group, composed of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and his first pupil, Alice Cogswell, is the work of Daniel Chester French. Both teacher and pupil are represented making the let- ter f".A\ in the sign language of the eat. Q. What —M. R. A. The seven liberal arts include grammar, dlalectics, rhetoric, music, arithmetic, geometry and astronomy. Q. What dispute between the United States and Great Britain was declded by the Emperor of Germany? —M. H. A. The dispute between the United are the liberal arts? music not limited to study in any one school are the following: The Clar- ence Barker Musical Scholarship, for at least two years of study, prefer- ably abroad, under the direction of the department of music of Colum bie. University; the Enid Williams Scholarship, for study at the Uni- versity of California or elsewhe: open to undergraduates; the George Ladd Prix de Parls, for study in~ Paris, open to students of muslc ar the University of California, award ed for two years; Jnitard Musical Scholarships, for students of Amer- fcan birth and cltizenship; the Mosenthal Fellowship, for apolicants with abllity to compose full orches- tra; Pulitzer Traveling Scholarship, awarded each year to that student from any part of the United States who shows the greatest promise in serious composition in tba forms—orchestral, choral or ber music. Q. Did large chan the Dutch people wealthy ones—wear wooden shoes the year 1837?—R. G- A. The Royal tion says that the wealthy Dutch people of 1837 did not wear wooden shoes. In fact, wooden shoes have always been worn only by servan farmers and peasants Q. Are patents granted by the Irish N. R. A. Our latest information is tha patent, design and arh legislation is pending. Also that ap plications may be filed now and thr priority dates will [ applications corrs British_ patent after December who has already applied fc or design in Great Britain cember 6, 1921, may now priority date of British ap, ventions Free State a patent ter De- connec- ns and pow- me as for tered. The requiremen tlon with application for ers of attorney are the s Great Britain. States and Great Britain that was | S arbitrated by a German Emperor was in relation to the San Juan water boundary. In 1871 the German Em-| peror rendered a decision sustaining | the American claim. “ Q. How does the Aurora Borealls | look?—L. M. | A. The Aurora Borealls is a lumi- | nous phenomenon seen usually at | night in the northern latitudes. It consists for the most part of lflng,; slender beams of light of varfous col- ars, which form an arc in the heav- | ens. Scientists believe that the Au- | rora Borealis is the result of electrical i discharge through the upper regions | of the atmosphere, though under‘ conditions not vet entirely under- | stood. 1 Q. What is the per capita con- sumption of apples in the United States?—C. R. M. A.—The Department of Agriculture | says that it is about half an apple a day for every man, woman and child in the country. Q. How much honey does a swarm | of bees produce in a year?—H. L. D. A. The average beehive ylelds about 17 pounds of honey | early. Q. Can pockmarks be removed?— . W A. Pockmarks are sometimes re- moved with success by methods em- ployed by plastic surgeons and derma. tologistd. ‘There is, however, no sim. | ple way that this can be accomplished by the layman. Q. Why is a French called>—N. V. A. No reason can be advanced for the name, since the seam is not typical | of French sewing. In France, tha| same seam is known as an English seam. seam so Q. Are the Jews in a majority in Palestine>—H. M. W. A. The Jews are in a minority in Palestine. There are three times as| many Arabs as Jews. Christians, however, are fewer in number than Jews. Q. Are there any scholarships in music available for study abroad, or if not abroad, in this country?—G. R. T A. Outstanding scholarships in | mounts used ¥ Q. What s the ori mortgage on real estate’—J. C A. Explorers on the site of ancient Babylon have dug up clay tablets on which were recorded reemer; from borrower to lender harvest of certain fields was pledged as Modern mortgage law is traced hac to the An; xons. Recor two form mort ges; th a life pledge and the mort-gage « dead pledge. Under the lif the | title to erty : until s as the off the det the borrower paid off the d at a specified time when gage was canceled. In case of to pay he forfeited the p: in_of securi n Q. When were hor. to America?—J. D. } A. The earliest horses w the primitive anc s of the |1can horse, were brought over breeding en entury date ] Cortez. Q. Why are foreign _troops tloned in China?—P. T. D, A. For many years there has heen no stable government in Chin the country has been in a s disorder. The government is there- fore unable to assume the responsi- bility of the protection of the lives foreigners; the powers, too, wish tn maintain a hold on the only security for the many unpaid loans—the re- turns of the custo collections. (8top a minute and think about this fact. You can ask The Star Informa- tion Bureaw any question of fact and get the answer in a personal letter It is a great educational idea intro- duced into the lives of the most in- telligent people in the world—Ameri- can mewspaper readers. It is a part of that best purpose of a newspaper— service. There is no charge ercept 2 cents in_stamps for return postage. Get the habit of asking questions. Address your letter to The Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C.) Attitude of Government On Irrigation Under Fire Much of the debate in the press on the subject of irrigation and reclama- tion centers around the statement by | Secretary Work that settlers for the available farm land not yet under cultivation are more urgently needed than s the reclamation of more desert | ‘With so many people worrying about how this country is to feed its population of 200,000,000 or 800,000,000 some time in the future,” the Sioux | City Tribune maintains “if the be-| lief can be built up that the Govern- ment should not undertake this de- velopment now, there will be no loud protest if they are furned over to private interests.” The Tribune adds that Secretary Work “may not have any such idea in mind in his state- ment, but the effect of what he says will be the same as {f he aid.” * ok ok ok Justification for the pushing of irri- gatlon projects is found by the Seattle Daily Times in the fact that at pres- ent “urban America is land hungry. 1t cites the recent “tendency to buy in Dixfe,” and the new interest in “abandoned New England farms” and continues: ‘“The West should not overlook this popular tendency to- ward farm ownership. Washington. among other States, has an emplre awaiting only water to blossom like the rose. Irrigation should not be al- lowed to lag because of our failure to press it. Present indications are that by the time Congress, always delib- erate as well as a deliberative body, has sanctioned the project and pro- vided the money, land-hungry America will be clamoring for it, willingly abandoning city jobs for rural inde- pendence.” “The Department of the Interior,”/ according to the Huntington Adver- tiser, “promises to be a storm center during the next session of Congress. ‘Western Senators and Representa- tives, particularly those from the public lands States, are working themselves into a frenzy over the shortcomings of the department in irrigation and reclamation projects.” The Advertiser refers to an admis- slon by Secretary Work that the de- partment “has wasted public funds' and that “$26,000,000 has been spent on irrigating worthless land,” but con- tends that “if the department has ir- rigated desert land that no amount of moisture would cause to produce more and better cactus, it is because Con- gress has forced it to such projects.’ * K K K The reclamation act of 1902 ‘“‘seems to be a failure,” as viewed by the Asbury Park Press, which explains: Mliteracy and Imitation. From the Detroit News. A dry agent in New York is said to be unable to read. Still, the labels nowadays are so unreliable, “Many who have studied the situation have concluded that it failed because it made conditions too hard for the new settlers, necessitating too much capital on their part to begin with, and giving them too little time to pay, while doing nothing to help them market their products that a new and more tion act would solve the problen Quoting a complaint from the North- west that the Government Is willing to give France 62 years to settle her debt, while it orfeiting the hold- ings of men who located on reclaimed lands because they cannot pay water rent as soon as it the Winono Republic: “it is inevitable that should be drawn, and who have done their t make their land pa self should feel aggrieved when the Government sticks to the strict letter of the recla- mation act and is more liberal regard- ing foreign loans.”. The Republican- Herald, however, rejects any idea of a desire to “be severe with the domes- tic_debtos . “Secretary Work's pessimistic con- clusions,” in the opinion of the Reno Gazette, “will not produce a favorable reaction in the Western States con cerned. Their Representatives may well inquire whether Secretary Work 1s wholly in sympathy with reclama- tion development from the funds which they contribute to reclamation.” * % ox Close attention should be given, it is advised by the Knoxville Sentinel, “to the recent recommendations of Secretary Work for a broad conserva- tion poliey covering the Nation's en- tire natural resources. It has long been felt,” continues the Sentinel, “that a general scheme of co-ordina- tion was lacking, and this seems good time to work out a permanent plan for our resources that will bene- fit both present and future geners tions.” The prediction that “this is bound to be one of the biggest sub jects to come before Congress soon is made by the Port Huron Times Herald, with the declaration that tha “Nation cannot live for the present alone”; that ‘“‘conservation looks to the future”; and that “it is probable many of us will live to see splendil results of the conservation policy. An address at Chicago by Dr. Ell wood Mead, commissioner of reclama- tion, upholding the idea that there should be “a vigorous revision of Government policy and the assump tion by the States directly concerned of a full share of responsibility.” is indorsed by the Springfleld ub- lican, with the statement that “tne maneuverings of communities to get Government construction which can't be made to pay, or of settlers to get immunity from obligations which others must meet, are dezacralizing complications; and the mom. difficult of all to deal with.” The Charleston Daily Mail adds: “The ting culti vable land can more than supply food for the population of the United States. More farms, then, farms that are not needed, mean less profit for those now cultivating the sofl.” paraliel settlers led to

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