Evening Star Newspaper, March 5, 1926, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY.. ..March 5, 1926 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and FNew York Office Chicago_Office: Tower Buropean Office: 14 Regent St.. England. Ave. Pennsylvania TT10° Eam 42nd S 0 East 4 Building. ndon, The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- ‘ng edition, is delivered by carriers within city at' 60 cents per month: daily only, Sunday only. 20 cents per month. Orders may._be sent by mail or ielephone Main 5000. Collection is mads by carrier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. ity and Sunday. ...1yr. $0.00: 1 mo. v only 1y uday only All Other States and Canada. Pailv and Sunday.1y ally only ......1 45 cents per month N4 Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled all news dis- t atherwian erad. ited in this paper and also the local news herein. Al rights of publication sctal dispatihes herein are also reservi Lights and the Law. And now the special reculations wovernin, Mc on streets controlled by automatic signal lights are de- ed to be not legal. This 1s made 1 confused and weary public rendered by the same rt who recently pedestrian 1s nuil and void this traffic situation Capital Is turning and sensible and turning rules are automatic Iznown L Nagtonal - new absolutely ne« sness of the - of the every motorist period had passed. ended 4 announ ade of that fact, the rested a motorist for against red al a + was brought 1o court, was dismissed because rts on the four cor- rsection and the traf- do not state which of the the motorist should obey.” This made despite the fact that of the four so1s of lights 1otorist; that every mot ond the possibility of doub: him;: that the simple tha of ten corld understand them, and ed deflance with the pros- 1 nts will be the are not poct of areld about time that ms { the District got d out some plan to end the ther wwed by | 18t such incidents as this Is it not possible for the traffic director to rec- ommend a des! regulation and have the Commissioners approve it ind the police and judges enforce it? Is it not possible for a regula.ion to be drawn so that no legal fault can be found with it, even if it is necessary to incorporate in it such seemingly evident information as to obedience to the light staring in the face of the motorist and not the one three blocks behind him? Continued violation of the turning rules on these automatically controlled streets makes them useless as safety factors in the traffic of the city. Un- less quick action is taken by District authorities, motorists, finding them- elves able to “get away” with fla- grant violation of common-sense rules, will be quick to take advantage of the situation and an era of confusion, recklessn and lawlessness will soon be upon Washington. e e If 2 man has real talent as a speak- er it is easy for any lecture manager to compete with the Government in the matter of salary. Mitchell ran no pecuniary risk in resigning from the Army. —_————— One of the few people mot visibly ngitated when Muscle Shoals is men- tioned is Henry Ford, who seems per- fectly content to keep cool and enjoy some good old-fashioned music. A There Is no doubt of business pros- perity, but some of the speculators have tried to speed without giving proper attention to signal —————— An Invitation Withdrawn. Capt. Roald Amundsen, noted polar ~xplorer, in an Interview in New York before sailing for Europe, comments somewhat attitude f the National Geographic Society In regard to the North Pole discovery. He told reporters that he had recelved in invitation to appear before the soclety this month, but that after his visit to Dr. Cook, who is languishing in a prison cell in Texas, and his statements concerning the relative claims of Dr. Cook and Admiral Peary to the discovery of the Pole, the so- ciety withdrew its invitation, although e had promptly notified Dr. Gilbert Grosvenor, president of the society, that he had been misquoted. Misquoted or not, there is no ques- tion that Capt. Amundsen made state- ments following his visit to Dr. Cook which serfously reflected on Admiral Peary, whose claim to have discovered the North Pole is accepted by the world. Dr. Cook, the discredited claimant, is in jail for deceit in ofl promotion in Texas. To say that the doctor’s claim 1s just as good as Ad- miral Peary's or “just as plausible,” or anything approximating these phrases, is nothing more than an at- tempt to revive an issue long since settled to public satisfaction, espectally in view of Dr. Cook's life-long record of questionable veracity. Admiral Peary is acknowledged as the discoverer. Dr. Cook is branded, by his own actions, as a faker. Any attempt to recpen controversy on the subject is a gratuitous insult to the memary of the gallant admiral, who tirst planted ghe Stars and Stripes on 'the apex of the earth. And so what- ever utterances Capt. Amundsen made after his visit to Dr. Cook showed extremely bad taste and a total lack of appreciation for the hon- ors that have been heaped upon him since he arrived in America after his harrowing experiences in the Far North. In the light of these circumstances it is not at all surprising that the in- vitation of the National Geographic Society should be promptly withdrawn. In fact, Capt. Amundsen could have expected no less. No contract had been entered into and no public an- nouncement made of the lecture. Therefore the society was not bound in any way, and it was eminently fitting that it should refuse to hear the views of a man who championed a discredited faker and cast slurs on the veracity of the noted discoverer, now dead, of the North Pole. Capt. Amundsen has proved himselt a brave man when conducting expedi- tions to the extremities of the earth. There is no dissent on this point. But brave man that he is, he cannot arouse the sympathy of Americans when he seeks to attack the validity of Admiral Peary's claim to the dis- covery of the North Pnle. In fact, the feeling is just the apposite of sym- pathy, and Americans wll doubtless be just as well pleased if Amundsen confines himself strictly to the ex- ploration of the unknown spots of the world. The Stock Deflation. Evidence that the stock market re- action which began last Saturday and continued for three days this week was simply @ "vholesome correction of nflation that has been developing w months is afforded by the rapidity with which the tendency of : was changed and the market upward trend. There was in the proper sense of the The weaker holdings ‘“‘went * sensationally and in some cases far below intrinsic values. Even the es felt the effect of brief spasm of correction was there any reason to doubt the fundamental soundness of conditions. As one result of this flurry the stock market is replete with attractive bar- gains for the investor who is paying outright for his stock and content to wait for his profits and to take them in reasonable measure. The specula- tor, however, will probably rush in with buying orders on a margin, hop- ing for quick and large returns. If the latter dominates for a little while the market ma again become top heavy, only to be “shaken down" later, just as it has been during the past | few days. The turn in the market which ended the bear raid was brought about by | the concerted buying of securities by | large financial interests, able to place ord for heavy blocks of stocks with ish for inunediate payment. This is | calied “supporting the market a familiar spectacle. 1t is like bringing of reserves to the fighting {line in the crisis of a battle. Repeat- edly these heavy resources have in the been thrown into the breach to or to forestall panic in the stock | exchanges. Sometimes this has hap- pened on such occasions as a great na- | tional or world disaster, when a catas- trophic sudden happening has seemed to shake public confidence in the sta- bility of affairs. It is well remember- led, as an example, that when Presi- dent McKinley was shot at Buffalo on a September afterncon in 1901 the leaders of finance in New York met and arranged to “support the market” the next morning against any possible raid that might be started on the strength of that tragedy. As a result of their concert of effort there was not the slightest disturbance of the financial system of the country. So long as the earning power of the leading industries and commercial cor- porations of the country is unimpaired there is no occasion for panic. The moment confidence in the continued stability of business is shaken, with good cause, the stock exchange be- comes weak and the hour arrives for speculators to seek cover and for in- vestors to prepare to buy for long- time holding for future profits. —ate————— A demand that the status of Battery Cove be settled as a step toward estab- lishing the legal authority of Virginia over bootleg producers is reasonable enough from the viewpoint of Repre- sentative Moore, whose natural im- pulse would be to assume that his State would do the job more thor- oughly than the District of Columbia. —————————— Government workers are not expect- ing any enthusiastic support from Representative Davey of Ohio for the bill to improve their positions slightly in the matter of minimum compensa- tion. George and Al Some complication is possible as a result of the announced candidacy of George F. Brennan, Democratic leader of Illinois, for the Senate. Mr. Bren- nan is a very close friend of Gov. Al- fred E. Smith of New York. He was one of the most earnest Smith boomers at the Madisop Square Garden conven- tion in 1924. Last Fall he arranged the attendance of Gov. Smith at a ple- nic of Cook County Democrats in Chl- cago, an occasion that was regarded as a clear announcement that the Gov- ernor's hat was in the ring for 1928. Now that the Illinois Democratic lead- er is out for the senatorship it is re. garded as probable that. Gov. Smith will be asked to take a hand in the fight in Ilinois in behalf of his great and good friend. And there is where the complication arises. For Mr. Bren- nan in his announcement of candidacy has made it known that he will run on a wet platform, and regard the vote as a referendum on the prohibition question. Will Gov. Smith, if he is invited to go to Illinois to help his friend Brennan, and if he accepts, find his frank avowal of wetness an em- barrassment? Will he decline the in- vitation on the score of a possible ef- fect upon his own prospects? Or will Mr. Brennan generously eschew the advantage of campaign aid by the Governor of New York because of the possible injury to the latter's chances which identification with a wet cam- paign might entail? When asked »Yovp A 8 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1926. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. the possibility of his going to Illinois to stump for his friend Gov. Smith smiled cryptically, and said that he had not yet been invited. Is that a notice to his friend at Chicago that he s “willin’ ”? Or is it a token that he Would prefer not to be asked? Prob- ably there is a perfect understanding between the two, but just what it Is comes not yet to the public view. In the light of the earnest but none the less futile services rendered in 1924 by Mr. Brennan in behalf of Gov. Smith, a little reciprocity now will be quite in orde.r‘ Feline Rights. Although the court of appeals in Leeds, England, has in a formal deci- ston ruled that a cat has a perfect right to roam, day and night, and to kill the pigeons and chickens of its owner's neighbors, the finding does not really end the case; The court holds that the responsibility rests upon the owners of the poultry to keep them out of the way of the cats, and not upon the owner of the cat to keep it from attacking. But suppose the cat trespasses upon the premises of the poultry? May the owner of the birds slay the cat? The court has not so ruled. The ques- tion is not before it. Should the pigeons fly into the yard of the cat's owner, they, of course, do so at their own risk. Should the chickens come over into the cat's garden, they are inviting disaster. The law Is clear as crystal on that point. Put the court at Leeds said that the cat has s right to roam day and night. It is the :at's nature to roam, espe- clally at night. Pigeons and chickens are supposed to be indoors after dark. Any nocturnal depredations a cat may commit are, therefore, on the premises of the poultry. Does the native right of the cat to wander give it the right to prey upon pigeons and chickens peacefully roosting In their own homes? Soclety has not granted the predatory human that right. It is a sacred fundament of British law that the Englishman’s home is his castle. Has the English pigeon or domestic fowl any less title to security and sanctity of domicile? It is clear that the court at Leeds confined itself to a rather narrow limit of considera- tion, unless, indeed, it holds to a much broader definition of feline prerogative than human right. So far as is known, the decision is not subject to appeal, but it would be interesting to hear what the lord chancellor has to say on this important question. —_—————————— The Senate does not demand that young La Follette preserve a modest silence as & student of statesmanship. They know he has had years of oppor- tunity to learn the game from the in- side under able tuition. ———— st Defeated officeholders who desire to establish thelr wives in their places in office are seldom in a position to stay at home and wash the dishes while the lady of the household governmentally officiates. ————————— There are moments in political con- troversy that make it a great relief to be able to turn to the sport page for topics of conversation which involve no possibility of serious come-back. —_——ete———— By smashing cameras the Passaic police proved that they are among the comparatively few people in the coun- try who do not cherish a secret ambi- tlon to get into the movies. ——at————— The phrase ‘“cold-blood finance” has been often employed. Yet there are moments when nothing could be more temperamental than the New York Stock Market. ———t— Diplomatic moves become compli- cated. It is regrettable that they can- not be made as readily comprehensible in popular attention as the chess prob- lems. ————- It will be no pleasure to the police to contemplate the possibility of hav- ing to enforce blue laws in addition to the traffic regulations. During the slight fuel misunder- standing, the coal dust twins were left to do the work. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Relief. I don't believe in ghosts at all; Such thought brings no concern, And yet my fears are far from small ‘Whichever way I turn; For I believe in motor cops And horns with banshee tone, And wild, mysterious “Go “‘Stops,” And brakes that screech and groan. and I know that perils hover 'round That I cannot foresee. I boldly try to stand my ground, But am compelled to flee. No superstitions I recall, To these I am averse. I don’t belleve in ghosts at all— But I am sure of worse! Reminiscence, “Are you fond of old-fashioned fid- dlers?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum; “only a violln doesn't make quite enough noise to suit me. What I long to hear is a big brass band at the head of a street parade after a successful political campaign.” Gathering Up the Fuel. Our coal affords us little joy As blizzards boldly bluster. A shovel sometimes we employ; Sometimes a feather duster. Jud Tunkins says the reason Eve wasn't called a flapper is that when her clothes were first described the word hadn't been invented. Similarity of Sound. “In the old days,” sald Mr. Storm- ington, “a bad actor was likely to be greeted with ‘boos.’ ™ “Well,” rejoined Uncle Bill Bottle- top, reaching for his flask, “I don't see any sense in the idea, but I'll treat anyhow. “Tain' no doubt,” sald Uncle Eben, “dat politics is purer. It is so organ- ized dat de days when you could get two dollars foh a vote is gone for- ever.” ] Letters are among the most inter- esting forms of composition. They possess an interest far above that of the mere writing. Whether they be written well or i1, letters furnish peeps into thg, heart, as the eyes do into the soul. It is scarcely possible for one to read 2 letter and not know more about the writer than when it was begun. The mind of the letter writer, like murder, will out, only, in most cases, the revelation is pleasing, rather than otherwise. Even in the case of the famous letter of Benjamin Franklin, when he ended, “You are my enemy, and I am yours, B. Frank- lin"—even in such a case the fine art of letter writing throws a charm over all. ‘What is more delightful than a pleasant letter from a friend? There is a slight trepidation before opening the envelope—will one be pleased or not with the contents? No matter from whom the letter comes, always there is this initial doubt. Like the future itself, a let- ter cannot be read through the enve- lope. The seal must be broken, one must be face to face with the con- tents, before the letter stands out. Though the contents deal with trivial matters, or so would strike others, they possess for the reader all the charm of great matters. So and so has been sick, but is well again; the town has changed a great deal; a radio set has been installed; old Sam Jones hasn't spoken to his wife for a year! * ok ok ok Because all letters are interesting, and pleasant ones doubly so, we have shared, from time to time, some of those received in the course of this work, with the readers hereof. The following comes from Charles Town, W. Va.: “Let me thank you for the pleasure you have given me in ‘This and That," nof only for what you have sald but for the happy memories you have awakened. “Many months ago you told us of your backyard garden on Estey alley, the flowers that grew therein, and of the humming-bird that visited them. “The story of that humming-bird was a magic wand which made a sil- very-haired woman a child again— held high in the arms of a dear uncle to look down through a mass of coral huneysuckle all abloom, at the nest of a ruby-throated humming-bird. “I saw the mother bird on her nest, later the tiny eggs and, still later, the fledglings. And I have not seen the coral honeysuckle and the ruby-throat- ed humming-bird since I left Indlana —my native State—early in Cleve- land’s administration! “In y I have wandered about your garden with you, for you have many of my favorite flowers, and T have loved and grown flowers all my life. Estey alley reminded me of an alley in one of our cities—a private alley—which. 1 transformed from an eyesore to a thing of beauty by teach- ing a neighbor that an alley was not a depository for trash—and enlisting the aid of the mayor, so that she never knew to whom she owed the les- son. ““After the removal of the trash 1 planted flowers along the side, for a wire fence permitted the light and air to reach them. Marigolds, asters, calendulas, zinnias, etc., made a vivid splash of color, and the janitor of the apartment adjoining mowed the grass “There were no ‘bush-hoppers’ in the nelghborhood, and by giving flow- ters and later seed to the children about I enlisted their aid in preserving the flowers. “I liked the trashman, the seed cata- Political _lines were broken in the Interstate Commerce Commission vote against the Nickel Plate merger. Among the seven commissioners who smashed the Van Sweringens’ dresm of a mighty em- pire of steel rails were five Repub- licans (Messrs. Aitchison, Meyer, Esch, Campbell and Cox); one Demo- erat (Mr. McManamy) and one inde- pendent (Mr. Eastman). The one vote in approval of the merger was cast by Mr. Lewls, a Fepublican commfs- sioner. The three ¢ummissioners who did not participate in the decislon were Messrs. Woedlock and Taylor, Democrats, and Mr. Hall, Repub- lican. * ¥ kK Col. Eenry W. Anderson, who be- longs t: that exclusive and limited company known as Virginia Repub- licans, somes out of the Nickel Plate controvesny with a considerably en- hanced repatation. Anderson led the fight fop tWe minority stockholders of the Chesapeake and Ohlo. He dld battle for many month with Newton D. Baker, former Secretary of War, who captained the array of eminent counsel which the Van Swer- ingens flung into the breach. In Anderson made a_vigorous be Warren G. Ilinrdlng's nning mate as the Republican can- dldate for Vice President. Anderson 1820 Col. campalgn to is now at the head of the American- Mexican Mixed Claims Commission returned from Mexico World War he was erican Red Cross commissioner to :h‘: Balkan states. Five years ago he made an unsuccessful campaign for the governorship of Virginia. * X Mrs. Coolidge has just made & salesgirl in a Washington depafllnmf:; o happiest woman Sorea PP The otdher day hthe st Lady of the Land went shop- };':; for Sipper buckles and looked at some’in the store she is accus- tomed to patronize for footwear. Mrs. Coolidge didn't make a purchase, al- though a clever young clerk did her best to make a sale of a $15 padr, without the slightest knowledge of the identity of her distinguished cus- tomer. Soon after the episode the firm received a letter from the White House, reciting exactly what Mrs. Coolidge’s experjences were, and pre- senting her congratulations to em- ployers fortunate enough to have working for them so polite and so persuasive a saleswoman. * k k¥ Speaker Longworth’s more intl- tlmg.te circle of friends has long known of his musical talent, but it astonished a dinner party of Con- .men who recently were edified by it for the first time. Longworth not only plays the piano and violin, but sings. He also composes—not only music, but words for songs. There doesn't seem to be anything he can’t do with a fiddle. On the occa- slon above mentioned the Speaker held the dinner company spellbound with a rendition of ‘‘Humoresque” that Fritz Kreisler might have en- vied. Then placing the violin at the back of his neck, he played on it a iig. As the next stunt Longworth put his fiddle behind his back and bowed off a plece of jazz. But his colleagues thought the Speaker was at his best when he sat down at the plano and played his own accom- paniment to a ballad of his own com- position about a Bostonian whose hobby was collecting cast-off gar- ments of kings and queens. ““Nick" has been convulsing his cronfes with that particular ditty since his Har- vard days in t:m ;uy:eue;, * and recently City. During the United States. The United States Senate finally got the World Court out of its system after three years of effort. But Mus- logs (I have always had a bunch of them) and Jack Spratt. I never doubted his existence—for I knew a cat in Indiana quite as clever as he, who would lie in his mistress’ arms and pat her cheek with velvet paw. But he was not my cat. “I wonder how many of your read- ers had read any of Rhoda Brough- ton’s novels? I read several of them, and found them at our stationer’s in appearance very like the Congres- sional Record, which I had to read for many years as part of my day's work —just to skim through it and see what our lawmakers were doing. “I felt rather ashamed of the paper covers, but not of reading the simple stories of English life so delightfully told. I was glad to read in one of our papers a letter to Miss Broughton written by the officers of the ‘Queen’s navy, and signed by them, thanking her for her stories, which had been put in the libraries of the English ships. “Forgive me for saying so much. and believe me, “Gratefully yours, M. M. B.” ¥ oK KWk ‘The above, as any reader can see, was like a letter from home to the writer of this column. Another, for- warded by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ani- mals from Boston, is from a Philadel- phia teacher: “I wish to thank you for your noble article, ‘Seen In Washington, D. C.’ reprinted in the magazine Our Dumb Friends. Surely your forceful, eloquent appeal cannot be without effect, al- though I deeply sympathize with the mood that made you think it futile. “Must not those of us that try, in this as in other matters, to make ‘reason and the will of God prevail,’ often fortify ourselves with certain precious promises? I've just refound lately a verse which gave me a ‘lively hope,’ and I send it to you, along with my deepest gratitude. “‘He that goeth forth and weepeth, leaving precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.’ 1 assure you that it Is the greatest comfort to me to have a voice like yours lifted against this sin of trap- ping and fur-wearing. Always, al- ways, I have been opposed to the cruelty, but had I not been, your words would have converted me. “And through them, I hope to con- vince others, for I shall read your article to my high school students. My sister and I both teach; she has a Band of Mercy in her school. We have found our pupils, both boys and girls, in general very susceptible to ideas of kindness and mercy, al- though it is hard to get a girl to re- nounce a fur coat, if she has the chance to get one. Such a lack of imagination! * * ¢ Take heart, I pray you, unknown brother, even of your own goodness. There are nights when the untold suffering of the help- less creatures bears so heavily upon me that I cannot sleep—that I wish no longer to live in a world in which such things can happen. But again 1 h to live, to help. ‘And 1 remember how much we have advanced from Cleopatra's time and what strides humane societies have made in the last decades. Then [ am comforted; and I think of Isaiah’s words, ‘They helped every one his neighbor, and every one said to his brother, “Be of good courage.” ' “My thanks for your inspiring ar- ticle, which I shall read to classes as long as I live and work—unless, which it may please God, it shall be- come unnecessary to do so. “Yours, LE" WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE ruthlessly cle Shoals is develobing considerably greater longevity. Nor does age seem to affect its abilitv to rile the emo- tions of Senators who favor this or that disposition of Uncle Sam's princi- pal white element. A man up a tree would think that so clean-cut a propo- sition as Government ownership or private ownership of Muscle Shoals could be debated in calm and reason. But Muscle Shoals is never on the Senate calendar without precipitating verbal fisticuffs all over the chamber. Once this week Norrls of Nebraska, on one side of the afsle, and Heflin of Alabama, McKellar of Tennesseo and Smith and Blease of South Carolina, on the other, were all on thelr feet af the same moment, each trying to get in a word edgewlse In heated affirma- tion or contradiction. No_shorthand reporter lives who can “take” the Senate when it ties itself into one of these town-meeting knots. * Kk Kk & The Grand Army of the Republic is making what is likely to be its last stand—a fight for a $60.000.000 in- crease in the pensions of Civil War veterans and their widows. Pending in both houses of Congress are bills providing for an increase of veterans’ pensions from $50 to $72 a month and for widows of veterans from $30 to $50. The fight for passage of the bills is being led by “the drummer boy of Shiloh,” Maj. Gen. John Lin- coln Clem. The Coolidge economy program is the snag against which the bills have run, though they are favored unanimously by the pensions committees of both House and Sen- ate. The G. A. R. points out that Uncle Sam will not have to be super- generous to the men who saved the Union for many vears longer. There are only 115,000 of them left. They're Joining their comrades in the Great Beyond at the rate of more than 20,000 a year. Veterans' widows are vanishing almost as fast. Though £60,000,000 1s the initial annual total the increases would require, the re- curring sums would materially di- minish from year to year. * ok ok % Ohio, which is thinking of running its one woman Supreme Court justice for the United States Senate on tHe Democratic ticket, fow is flirting with the idea of nominating a Republican woman for governor. She is Mrs. Evalyn Frances Snow of Mount Ver- non. Mrs. Snow has opened cam- paign headquarters at the State cap- ital, Columbus, and avowed herself an aspirant for the gubernatorial nomination in the August primaries, The Buckeye dame who would scale the dizzy heights now occupied by Govs. Ross of Wyoming and Fergu- son of Texas won State-wide fame a few years ago as motion-picture censor In the Ohio Department of Education. Her fight for cleaner movies was full of excitement. One of Mrs. Snow's sons is American vice consul at Leeds, England. * ok ok ¥ A bill in the Senate seeks to im- prove upon the sacred anonymity of the Unknown Soldier's tomb at Ar- lington. When “Buddie” was laid to rest on Armistice day, 1911, a cer- tain Western newspaper telegraphed its Washington correspondent to “rush names of all unknown soldiers from our State.” (Copyright, 1926.) Domestic Dollars and Sense. From the Okmulgee Dally Democrat. ‘The dollars of the family are not carried in the wife's name as often as the sense. Drifting Into Oblivion. From the Waterbury Democrat. As a race, we forget easily, and “Grange” in the headlines once more signifies an organization of farmers. State Buildings Plan | Is Thirty Years Old To the Editor of The Star: The ably written contribution ap- pearing in your edition of last Sunday by Mr. Frederic J. Haskin on “State Buildings in Washington” was a valuable contribution to the already somewhat extensive literature upon this important subject. He summed up the proposition in his usual fellcitous style, showing the ad- vantages, not only to the National Capital, but to the whole Nation, of such a permanent exposition at ‘Washington. He might have added the following list of advantages to accrue from such an institution: 1. The benefits to interstate com- merce. 2. The immense advantage to the Agricultural, Commerce and other ex- ecutive departments of having so much authoritative data directly at hand regarding each State. The enormous and abiding in- terest such a permanent American exhibit at Washington would excite in other countries, attracting num- berless visitors here. He might also have referred to the practicability of defraying all ¢ of these buildings and exhibits, as well as running expenses, by charg- ing small admission fees and rentals for space for exhibits until each State could afford to throw its doors its exhibition rooms open to the pub- le. The proposition is so important and has so many sides to it that it is a wonder it has not been taken up by Congress more seriously long ere this. In the preparation of his article Mr. Haskin overlooked one interest- ing feature which he will pardon me for mentioning, as I am sure he is always desirous of making all his statements historically correct. His indication that this ldea of State buildings was first set forth 18 years ago by a Washington banker is not strictly in accord with the known facts. The idea is really an old one. 1 have before me a copy of The Evening Star of June 19, 1907, nearly 29 years ago, in which, on page 13, patt 2, appears an article by the late Louis P. Shoemaker on State buildings for Washington, in which he sets forth in much detail the plans now heing discussed. He de- sires that the Government shall set aside a certaln number of acres foc the use of each State in Rock Creek Park. At about that time a bill was introduced In Congress by the late Senator John B. Henderson of Mis- sour{ embodying this idea. His widow, the well known social leader of this city, Mrs. John B. Henderson, has since shown keen interest in the development of the plan. An even earlier writer on the subject was the architect, F. W. Fitzpatrick, who first planned one large structure for al the States, but was finally convinced that nothing but a separate building and exhibit for each State would meet the requirements. In June, 1906, the writer of this :lrt}- cle, knowing nothing of previous ei- forts in this direction, sent a letter 1o a Washington newspaper from Nash ville, Tenn., outlining a permanent in- ternational exposition at Washington. The editor of the paper afterward as- sured him that many members of the diplomatic corps here expressed to him their warm support of the idea, which was also well received nationally, and especlally by the press of Boston. On February 24, 1907, this writer published an article of several columns in The Star detailing plans for a per- manent international exposition at Washington, and the information is fmparted therein that “this sort of a scheme was projected about 1880 by the National Fair Asscciation, com- posed of Willlam M. Galt, Willlam B. Clark, Horatlo Browning and others, who secured a tract of land at Ivy City in the District for that purpose, | but it failed.” Copies of this article | and others appearing in Chicago peri- | odcals and elsewhere upon the sub- ject were sent to all the leading news- papers of the world. At a meeting of the Brightwood Citi zens' Association, held a good many years ago, at which the writer made an address and exhibited plans for such a permanent exposition, the I Judge Ashley M. Gould, who was pres ent, stated that this idea of State buildings had been incorporated in the original L’Enfant plans for the City of Washington. The idea is so logical and of such obvious importance and benefit to all concerned that it is really remarkable that Congress has been so slow to make it a reality. In 1912 an ambitious effort was made to start the “Wagld's Permanent Ex- position” at Washington, and the progenitors of the movement had ! astonishing success in obtaining sup- port for the movement among mem- bers of the diplomatic corps as well ax business men and organizations all over the country. It was poorly | financed and fell by the wayside. The | present movement for State buildin; rests upon a much more solid basi No one can deny that the more recent revival of this plan and the shaping of its coming realization ave largely due to the work of Col. Robert N. Harper, ably seconded by Mr. Frank M. Lowe and a few other far- sighted citizens, whose financial stand- ing and ability are of immense value to the undertaking, the realization of which will be the most magnificent de velopment that Washington has seen since the laying of the corner stone of the Capitol. LINDSAY S. PERKINS. Make Haste With Larger Annuities To the Editor of The St I see by your paper that the Fed- eral employes’ Increased pension plan is walting for the actuaries’ report, | and I understand that the fund for the pensions, as it stands under the present system is enough to carry it along for many years without having ;lofw,ll on the Government for any re- ef. If this is so, why cannot the bill be passed at once, 8o as to give rellef to the retired employes? There will be many years in which to alter the plan for retirement, when it becomes ap- parent that the Government aid will be_needed. It looks to me like a case where two surgeons are arguing about the best way to operate on an emergency pa- tient, and when they get through thelr argument the patient is dead. A. C. DAY. The Credit Side. From the Daytona Beach Journal. Financiers and moralists may worry about the extension of the credit buy- ing system, but the retail credit men find it satisfactory. If American business went back to a cash basis, says the president of the Retail Credit Men's Association, its volume of sales would decrease 95 per cent. That would mean prostration and paralysis of modern business. One person in 50 Is a ‘“‘deadbeat,” this authority says. Whether regard- ed as a high or low percentage, that doesn’t do much practical harm to the system. The deadbeats are continu- ously weeded out and refused credit, 80 that of all credit allowed less than one cent on the dollar is lost. Retail credit merchants can afford this loss, he says, because their sales cost is less and their sales volume greater than the cash merchant's. How s0? Because people naturally h\;y m&re when they hk;e credit than when they pay cash, and they do less shopping areuné and wasting clerks’ time. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Where did boxwood trees come from?—M. E. B. rlA. They are native to India and Af- ca. Q. What will remove candle wax stains made by colored candles”—N. T. A. Scrape away as much of the wax as possible. Place the stained spot between two pieces of blotting paper and press with a warm iron. Most of the grease will be absorbed by the blotting paper. Then sponge with denatured alcohol to remove the dye. Q Is o ! the American buffalo a bison? W, A. The American bison is the one existing species of the European wild ox, Bos (bison) bonasus, known in Russia as a_zubr, together with the nearly allied New World animal known in Europe as the North American bison, but in its own country as the buffalo. The American bison is dis- tinguished from its European cousin by the following among other features: The hindquarters are weaker and fall away more suddenly, while the withers are proportionately higher; especially characteristic is the great mass of brown or blackish-brown hair clothing its head, neck and forepart of the body; the shape of the skull and horns is also different, the horns being shorter, thicker, blunter and more sharply curved, while the fore- head of the skull is more convex, and the sockets of the eyes are more dis tinetly tubular. Q. Who originated the idea of air- plane sky-writing?—F. W. 8. A. Art Smith, an aviator from Fort Wayne, Ind., is credited with it. Q. Are Knut Hamsun's books avail- able in other languages”—D. B. A. It is sald that his works have been translated into 17 languages. Q. Is there a limit to the time in which_a will may be contested?— F. H. K. A. There is nothing in common law limiting the time in which a later will than the one admitted to probate may be produced after an estate has been administered in accordance with a will admitted to probate. Unless a later will be found, it is final. Q. Why Is it that a United States flag 13 placed at the stern of a ship? A. The origin of the custom is ob- scure. Several theorles have been ad vanced, one of the most substantial being that, in the case of old sailing vessels, the flag was flown over the captain's quarters, which are aft on board ship. Q. Is Helen Taft still a college dean?—T. C. E. A. Mrs. Frederick J. Manning (Helen Herron Taft) is dean of Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa. Q. What are In reality the skins sold so widely for cleaning purpos and called chamols skins? Are they or any of them, the actual skins of the Alpine antelope, or is it only a trade name?—FILLING STATION. A. The soft, pliable leather known as chamols .was originally obtained from the Alpine antelope, hut practi- cally all of the skins known under this trade name on the market today are procured from the sheep, goat, calf and other animals, such as the coyote. Q. How can ivory be distinguished rom its imitations?—M. M. B A. Genuine fvory can he detected by examining its structure. In pure tvory little waves may be seen under the microscope, iIf not by the naked eve. ivory is artificial little holes can be detected in the bone. Q. Does the eldest son inherit the property in Ireland as he does in Eng land?—N. J. C. A. The law of primogeniture, ex- cept on_entailed estates, does not ob- tain in Treland as in England. Unless entailed the property is divided equal- Iy among the children. Q. How high do ocean waves get when there is a storm at sea?—). B. A. Waves rarely attain a greater height than 50 feet, but they appear to be much_ higher when seen from ship. The ship rolls toward the wave hence the increasing apparent hefght. ‘Waves frequently reach an enormous size in midocean and ulso on rocky coasts. The height of waves is deter mined by observation and of a tide gauge. Q. How many gorlllas are there in this country?—C. G. H. A. The Natlonal Zoological Park says that at the present time there is by means only one gorilla in the United States, It was housed for several years in the New York Zoological Park, but has recently been transferred to Jacksons ville, Fla. Q. Is military training compulsery in Australia?—J. N. H. A. By a fede law of 1910, mili- tary training in Australia is compul- sory on all male citizens between the ages of 12 a 28, d in the cadet corps from 1 ars: in the ofti- zen_ soldier: to with short pe- riods of training in the field. The uni- versal training law was continued in 1922, but its operation is restricted to the more populous centers and con- fined to youths between and 21 years of age. Q. Why is the sulphur-bottom whale s0 named?>—W, F. W, A. It 18 so called because of the dirty white or yellowish color of its belly. put of elactricity o € annual output of el utility power plants 801,000,000 Kilowatt- hours, an » of 11.5 per cent over the output r 1924, Of this quantity, about 34 per cent was pro duced by the use of water power, a slight increase over the percentage for 1924. It would have require consumption of 23,000,000 tons o to generate this per cent. Q. Where J. M. P. i A. As a mythical river, the Styx is described as a branch of Oceanus flowing from its tenth source. tricity by publi in 19825 is the River Styx?— Q. How fast does the heart beat?— N rate of heart beat hout 72 t faster in won 50 that in s ¥ be 40 to 100 a min- before and after birth it averages from 120 to 140. During lextreme age fts frequency is In creased. It is influenced by many conditions of bodily health and en- vironment, such as sleep, position, temperature, meals and emotlons. Exercise may increase it to 200 or more, Q. 1s the v known?—G The story of The average in an adult Lady Godiva gen- iodiva is as | wite Lord of Cove released her towns Coventry from the heavy taxation imposed upon it by her husband, by riding through the town clothed only in her long hair. In St. Michael's Church there is a stained glass window commem- orating her magnanimous action, and in a niche is an ¢ of “peeping Tom,” who was said to have been struck blind as he peeped at her he- hind his shutters, Q. Is there a Don with the Volg: A. The rivern connected by nal links the Don with tributary the Ok, enters the Volga | Q. When di take place?—F A. It commenced about 538 B.C. when it was taken hy C'vrus, and con |tinued unti! 146 R.C. By this time it | was reduced to more than i age. | = | ..Q What was France?—A. G. N. A. This was the name given to a receptacle provided in the rear of the | building in which the tribunal of the | revolution sat. Any person could drop I"ll(? E o |2 st @ or, which usua death. Trial the decline of Babylon " Black Hole of in many he Q. How did the term tabloid origi nate?—E. R It origin mark of ted a an glish copyright It business | firm. This is a special department de- voted solely to the handling of queries | This paper puts at your disposal the services of an ¢ g tion | in Washington any | capacity that relates to information This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benetits to which you are entitled. Your obliga- tion is only 2 cents in stamps inclosed with your inquiry for dircct reply Address The Evening Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, di rector, Washington, D. C. Bouquets and Brickbats for Curbing of Investigations Both brickbats and bouquets have been forthcoming from the press in comments on the Senate Republican caucus decision to check the grow- ing crop of senatorial investigations by requiring preliminary surveys by ding committees. While the attempt at the recent caucus of Serate Republicans to curb unnecessary senatorial investigations may glve rise to charges that the administration is seeking to conceal defects and_frregularities,’ says the Springfield Union (Republican), “there is very little in the newly adopted procedure to warrant such accusa- tions. It is not the intention to pre- vent {mportant finvestigations, nor would it be possible under the new program to do so. The one desire of the caucus was to place a check on reckless and useless resolutions for investigations, to make individual Senators ing such resolutions and the Senate think twice before adopting them.” The Harrisburg Telegraph (Repub- lican) declares that “sincere investi- gations of real faults are one thing: political probes of trumped-up charges are quite another, and these latter act after the manner of the justly celebrated Australian boomerang.” * ¥ X ¥ The Canton Daily cratic), while uphols vestigations, eays: “At the same time the public will have a tendency to approve a change away from the in- vestigation habit, which started with the smelling’ committees after the Republican_ascendency of 1918, and News (Demo ng justified in- was thereafter adopted by the Demo- crats and independent Republicans in succeeding Congresses.” The Bristol Herald-Courler (independent Demo- cratic), also remarks: “The proposal of Republicans in Congress to put a curb on investigations reminds that it was they who ted the investi- gation fad. They wanted to and they did investigate everything in connec tion with the conduct of the Wilson administration during the World War At one time,” recalls the Herald- Courfer, “they had more than 50 in- vestigating committees at work with the hope of finding something dis- creditable to the administration, but they failed utterly. More recent in- vestigations caused by Democrats in Congress have been more fruitful. Albert B. Fall and Harry M. Daugh- erty are living testimony to that fact.” * ok kK “The removal of Daugherty and Denby was well worth the cost of the inquests.” observes the Newark Evening News (independent), and the Buffalo Evening News (Republican) declares emphatically “there can Le no question as to the worth of the Teapot Dome investigation: nor as to the louchll’ affairs in the Depar \ think twice before introduc- | ment of Justice when Harry M. Daugherty was Attorney General; nor yet as to that touching affair in the Veterans' Bureau, d the paper claims that “the public holds that these matters were proper subfects for inguiry and that the expend! tures made for them were fustified. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Independ ent Democratic) holds that “nothing would do more to undermine public confidence than to permit the coun- try to susnect that the agents of the Governmer tempted to shleld a powerful official.” As to the right of Congress to carry on its investig: World (Independs “The idea that ( have the constitutiol vestigate any executive department and its proceedings is absurdity,” while the F (independent) affirms its bellef “one of the ehief duties of Cc is to keep track of the condu Gover nt busingss. When body produces evidence to sho it is being inefficiently or cor carrfed on,” continues the Sun, “Con- gress has no more important duty than to inform ftself as to the truth of the charges.” * ok ¥k As to this the Portland Journal (independent) asks: not bring all the facts to Ught? Why not let the public know: sghat the situation 18?" The Charlotté Observ- er (Democratic) decl “By all means let the arbitrary and waste- fnl legislative inquiry be checked, but the right of Congrees or the legisla- ture to look Into the conduct of nublie officials and to vrobe dals must not be denfed or Impaired Concerning the proposal made by the majority party the Lincoln State Journal (independent Republican) re marks: “We cannot belleve that the Senate as a_whole can be got to accept this scheme. In view of what nown now of fofmer movements against Senate investigations this effort to bottle up the Senate will set the world to wondering what new | Fall or Doheny is around the corne: now.” On the other hand, the Duluth Herald (independent), while agree ing that “it would be disastrous, of course, If anything were done that would provide immunity for real raseals,” still feels, however, that “if Congress makes it impossible for its members to promote investigations through mere spleen or for self-ad- vertising, it will be for the public good." Savs the Philadelphia Bulle- tin (independent Republican): *Pro posal that every such move for in- vestigation shall be referred to Sen- ate committee with jurisdiction over the matter to be investigated is only requiring the production of reaspn- able grounds for the charge.”