Evening Star Newspaper, March 23, 1926, Page 8

8 THE With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY.......March 23, 1926 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Oftice _11th St and Pennsylvania Ave. New Yok Office: 110 East $2nd St, Chicako Ofloe: Tower Building. European Ofie: 14 Tezent St., London, neland . with the Synday morn- Sy catriers’ within 1y month: daily only, nth: Sunday only. 20 ccnts v mal or The Eve:ns s edition. 1 01y ity st 5o cents pev v per month. Toisphone carrier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 157, $9.0 1 V1o €800 1¥r$3.00% 1 1 All Other States and Canada. y and sunds. £12.00: 1 mo.. $1.0; B SN0 1m $4.00: Tm Member of the Associated Press. hie Assouiated Press is exelusivels entided 1o the use for renublication of all news dis- at hes credited to it not otherwi ted also the local news hts of publication ' e also reserved. oot he A e herel 1 special dispa An Unfair Procedure. Last I'rlday a member of the House of Representatives, in the course of a discussion in that body, raised a question of the propriety of the re- tention by one of the District Com certain legal l'e\ullou-l ps entered into before his induc- | 1 into municipal office. The matter was discussed at some length and assurance was given that this sitva- tion would be investigated. That should have sufficed. There was no reason to question the good faith of the assurance of inquiry. However, vesterday tho same member of the Fouse, taking advantage of the con- sideration of District matters, renewed the attack and, in terms that but for the law of immunity would sub- ject him to suit for slander, proceed- ed to condemn the Commissioner as though he had bleen already con- victed. Against the unfairness of this pro- weding protest should be entered in emphatic terms. The question hav- ing been raised and promise having been made that a complete inquiry would be conducted into the situation, the seemly course would have been to refrain from further comment in the course of debate and to allow the officlal whose conduct has been brought into question an opportunity 1o meet the charge of impropriety. Indeed protest was voiced on the fleor of the House yesterday by mem- bers who felt that persistence in un- restrained condemnation was improp- er and inequitable. Freedom of debate in Congress does not warrant unlicensed attack, includ- Ing accusations of turpitude and ille- gality of procedure. Every person has a right of defense and that right should not be lessened by a prejudg- ment such as that which has just been displayed in this present case. It the District Commissioner has im- properly retained his guardianships assigned to him by the court, the fact can be elicitel. He has in public statement acknowledged his retention of these trusts. He takes the position that there is no impropriety in his so doing and his friends are confident that when the matter is considered fairly by a committee of inquiry he will be able to meect effectively the arraignment to which he has been subjected. But meanwhile his de- nunciation by his accuser may, though 1t surely should not, have prejudiced the minds of those who will in effect sit in judgment upon his conduct, a situation which is repugnant to the American sense of fair play. This matter goes bevond the range of the present case. The practice of unchecked abuse and condemnation without giving an accused person an opportunity to meet allegations is too freely followed and should be sternly checked by Congress. ——— Horses Escape Lights. Chicago has voted down the propo- sition to equip all horses with tail lights at night. Introduced before the ity council Alderman McKinley, the measure would require all eques- trians to carry rear lights, discernible for a reasonable distance. In order to defeat the bill with the least possible delay an amendment was offered re- quiring all dogs and cats to be simi- Jarly equipped. Thus fails another of the ridiculous ordinances which a certain type of iegislator {s attempting to foist on the rcommunity of which he happens to be 4 member. Level-headed men, how- ever, form the majority of every clvic council, and to them is intrusted the responsibility of decent and reasonable aws, — et - The Hohenzollern family has settled down to a. contention involving acres where once it claimed dominion over ingdoms. And the acrcage proposi- tion, at that, appears to be more safe and sensible. e O in six months from now the gen- aral public may expect to experience practical benefit from the recent set- lement of the coal strike. R America’s Automobile Bill. Awmerica’s annual automobile bill is | mounting to u huse total. Including the cost of cars, insurance, upkeep, gasoline and other items. the Bureau of Indust Technology estimates that more than $14.000,000,000 was expended last year by American mo- torists, which makes an averuge of approximately $700 per car. Besides these surprising flgures, the repori 1ssued by the bureau shows that the Natlon’s annual retail investment in automobiles is twice as great as the annual investment in new building that 4,000,000 new cars are produced every year and absorbed by an eager public, and thut exports of motor cars reached a mew total .of $250./60.000 during the past twelve wonths. With more than 15.000,000 cars in the United States and the streets of every city a milling, swiriing, con- fused mass of hurrying pedestrians, automobiles and street cars, it is dit- ficult for the average person to real i "|ing the District been reached and passed. But this is evidently not the case, with 4,000, 000 new cars purchased each year. Trucks, flivvers and limousines in an unending stream pour out of the doors of huge factories throughout the country, and the public is clamor- ing for an additional output. If the cost of modern traffic signals in the various cities bad hcen added to the $14,000,000,000 automobile bil! the total would indeed be staggering. | And the cost of roads and extra traffic police would send the total into un- bellevable figures. There is no gain. saying the fact that the advent of the " automobile into the daily life, private and business, has entirely revolution- ized mode-n civilization. —— ey . Jail and Police Court Needs. In gratifyingly prompt response to the showing of urgent need, the House of Representatives vesterday passed a bill authorizing and instruct- Commissioners to enter into contructs for the erection of an addition to the District jail. The Bureau of the Budget has ap- proved the expenditure of $300,000 for this purpose. The bill as it was passed by the House placed no limit on the expenditure, although as re- ported from committee it contained 4 uutatwn of $125,000, which was stricken out by the House. Thus the measure is started on its way to en- actment, and if it is given equally prompt consideration by the Senate it will become a law in season for this work to be started during the current calendar year. That this proposed addition to the Jail is necessary was vividly shown by an article recently printed in The Star, which related the experience of a representative of this paper who, in order to ascertain conditions, suffered the unpleasant experience of a com- mitment to that institution, where he remained for several days. His dis- closure of the condition there was followed by officlal inspection, which left no doubt of the imperative need of an enlargement of the quarters. With satisfying speed the matter has been taken in hand, and yesterday's action by the House has followed, with the prospect of early execution of this work. This, however, is only one part of the program of improvement which The Star's article has shown to be necessary. There remains to be ef- fected the cure of bad conditions at the Police Court, where the accom- modations are totally inadequate. Prisoners are herded there into cells that are a disgrace to the Capltal. Into u space of about twenty feet square, on the occasion of the “in- spection,” one hundred and twenty- five men were crowded, a situation offensive to decency and a reproach to Washington. The Police Court, though enlarged some years ago, has been outgrown in its facllities. It must be enlarged again. There is not adequate space for the proper func- tioning of the various branches of the court. Accommodations for wit- nesses, for consultations and, as noted, for the safeguarding of pris- oners awaiting trial and transporta- tion are far below requirements. The promptness with which the needs at the jail have been heeded en- courages the hope that a similar measure will be early provided for the rellef of the Police Court situa- tion. The present bill might, indeed, be amended In the Senate to include the latter, with advantage to its ef- fectiveness to meet this urgent need. —————— The Amaryllis Show. One of the reminders that years pass quickly and that Spring is here 1s announcement that the thirteenth annual amaryllis show of the Depart- ment of Agriculture will be opened to the public tomorrow. The show will continue for eight days, from 9 in the morning till 9 In the evening, and will be free for the public, ex- cept for one day or part of it. That will be Friday, when members of Congress and their families will make an amaryllis day of it in the green- houses of the Department of Agricul- ture. The Bureau of Plant Industry of the department brought the ama- ryllis, sometimes called Knight's Star Flower, from South America and has introduced it to thousands of Ameri- cans. More than 36,000 visitors went to the amarylils show last year, and there has been an increase in at- tendance each year since the first public exhibition of the flower in Washington. The amaryllls show has come to bear the same relation to Spring that the Government chrys. anthemum show does to Fall. There is an extensive Interest in free flower shows and it is likely that there will be a large attendance at the show which is about to open. ————— Qorocco is one of the countries that have been kept too busy to permit them to offer any valuable suggestions with a view to universal peace. - oo Drunken Drivers. Thirty-three per cent of automobile drivers arrested in all sections of the United States for operating their cars while under the influence of liquor escape penalties for this serious of. fense, according to a delegate to the Hoover conference on street and high- way safety, which began its sessions in Washington today. The report, which was based on statistics from 185 citles, showed that twenty-one per cent of drivers of this class were sent to jall, forty-six per cent were fined and thirty-three per cent got off alto- gether. Driving an automobile while intoxi- cated s the most serious offense in the entire category of traffic viola- tions. Buch a driver is a menage to all users of the street. If thirty.three per cent of those arrested for this of- ;| fense are not punished, it is no won- der that the death and accident toll is mounting into appalling figures. There are many more, of course, who are not caught, s0.it would seem that at least half of the motorists who are potential killers still race through the thorough- fares unmolested by the courts. It is indeed a serious situation and one that demands immediate action in all communities. Any one convicted Lof this crime should instantly have bis ’ @uiael” lol) T ishment should be the minimum with the maximum a straight jall sentence. Automobile drivers of this ilk cannot be treated leniently. There are no half- | way measures to mect this situation. | Stringent action is the only cure, and !it is high time that this method of precedure should be adopted through- out the country as a step forward in street safety. ——e— Large Increase of Tax-Burden. A pertinent suggestion of the cen: sus bulletins is that the extravagant increases of riunicipal taxatlon in American cities from 1917 to 1922 have been checked; that Washington's in- creases since 1922 have in percentage largely exceeded those of the other cities, and that the point has now been reached in Washington as well as in the other cities where the princi- ples of Coolidge economy can with benefit be observed. Between 1922 and 1923 Washington's property tax in- creased 18.2 per cent; St. Louis, 4.1 per cent; Minneapolis, 5.9 per'cent; Newark, 5.2 per cent; Baltlmore, 12.8 per cent; St. Paul, 2.6 per cent; Provi dence, 3 per cent; Louisville, 15.8 per cent; Denver, 0.2 cent. Peoria de- creased 3.4 per cen’ from 1922 to 1928; and New Orleans, owing to extraordi- nary conditions, decreased between the two years 62.2 per cent. Between the flscal years 1926 Washington's tax rate increased from $12 per thousand to $17 per thousand, an increase of 41 2-3 per cent. The revenue from taxes ou real- ty and tangible personalty increused in two years $6,498,094, the total for the fiscal year 1924 being $10,514,653 and for the fiscal year 1926 $17,012,747. This extraordinary increase in the local taxpayer's burden, {mposed dur- Ing a period when tax rates of other citles, collectively, have been nearly at & standstill, raises District taxation to a helght which should satisty the most vigorous critic of Washington's alleged low tax-burden, and should impress strongly upon all of ‘us, Con- gress included, the vital necessity of halting further local tax burden in- creases until the new conditions can Le thoughtfully studied. These facts and this warning are elaborated in editorial correspondence printed elsewhere in today's Star. —————— Death Penalty for Armed Thieves. During consideration by the Senate District committee of a bill to regu- late the sale of dangerous weapons the suggestion was made that the law be changed to impose capital punish- ment upon all who commit burglary or housebreaking while armed with a deadly weapon. This is in line with the thought recently expressed in The Star that ail hold-ups at pistol point, whether committed outdoors or with- In, be rated as capital offenses, The burglar or the footpad armed with a deadly weapon is a potential murderer. He 1s at least armed to kill, and usually he threatens to kill. He operates on the basis of slaughter it the victim does not yield. Should the victim resist in defense of his property the thief will almost in. variably pull the trigger of his pistol. Many people have been killed in this way. Many more have been awed by the possibility of death and submitted to search of themselves or their prem- ises. At the bottom of every armed crime is the menace of death. The law should counter with the same threat. 1924 and ———————— China carries on her war with great aloofness. Her most eminent philos- ophers have spoken of war as neces- sary and even desirdble from time to time. China is therefore entitled to take pride in her fight as a sort of local institution. —_——t— Europe produces music, drama and philosophy of influential importance. But she has proved unable to produce a single base ball team worthy of serious attention. —————— Superefficlency experts may yet arise to pass judgment on the ef- ficlency of efliciency experts. ——m—— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Springtime Pleasure. ‘When Spring comes smilin® down the road The bootleg flivver brings its load. The dGriver does the best he can To circumvent the hijack man; And he, in turn, may have to stop At order from a motor cop. Oh, days of innocence gone by, ‘When, as we viewed the vernal sky, The youths and lasses, gayly dressed, Sang simple songs and danced their best, ‘Where now each wants to grab a gun And get somebody on the run! A Valued Servant. “Your constituents have stood by you a great many years.” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “They say I am o servant of the peo- ple, and I have endeared myself to every family out home as the only servant in their experience who hasn’t threatened to quit.” Celestial Anticipation. Man yearns to view Some hallowed spot Where skies are blue And Jaws are not. Jud Tunking says the gasoline sta- tions get finer every year, but the rest of the production isn't keeping up in quality with the scenery. ‘Talent in Demand. ““What became of that magician who advertised a show in the Gulch?” “He's livin® easy,” answered Cactus Joe. “After he showed a few tricks in dealin’ poker hands some of the boys persuaded him to retire from the stage and give lessons.” Force of Habit. “‘Oh. let's have Peace forevermore!™ ‘The Nations sweetly shout: And then proceed, just as before, To have their quarrels out. “De man that’s always thinkin' 'bout hisself,” said Uncle Kben, “is gineter find his audience complainin’ dat he picked 2 mighty uninterestin’ HE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTO! EVENING STAR]ze that the saturation point has not] iicense to drive revoked. That pun- D. C., TUESDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Every one has secen a young girl listening with interest to a young man talking about himself. “And I sald—and he said—and then I said—and he said—it was my big chance—and I made good—I said—-" With smiles and nods, the young woman encourages him to talk his heart out about the most interesting topic in the world. As for her, dear young lady, she Is terribly bored, but no one would ever know it, least of all the young man. It the observer has the privilege of watching her talk to many young men, he will discover that she treats them all alike, most of us, men or women, re- gard the great affairs of the world, over which some few men labor with @ great labor. ‘We are sure it would pain some of the statesmen awfully if they could suspect, for a single instant, that ordinarfly they simply do not enter iuto our lives at all. They see their names in print, and lnusl' Imagine thut the whole world Is talking about them, when the calm truth i{s that Johnny's adventure in eating too much apple ple, with its resulting stomach ache, entirely en- grosses our attentfon. ‘What does the tariff questio: the average home? - Gl We may as well admit it, once and gt;‘re u‘l'}filth is 021’;, a word, and then ch probably 9 o [ us first spell "!urrfl?" RS s L Prohibition is a mighty iss we do not bother n)lll‘“h r:bmllu Way or the other. Here are the and the “drys” pounding away ut cach other. but what we aro interested in is, 'What's on the radio tonight” Charge us with indifterence, it you please. Declare that a great issus is at stake, Remind us, ‘on the one hund, that the youth of the land is im. u;;c;;lrl’zd. EI()n“m:s other, assert most ously that our libe: E Doiis b rties are the We listen respectfully, but all the time we are wondering where we are golng to get the money to pay the :l;:l?r‘ for andlm‘l in our front yard ring & particularly lon, of fishin’ worm. 2 R Arsseen That man’s interest in the big worm Wwas touching (upon. our pocketbook). “That’s the biggest fishin’ wurm I ever saw." he sald. Someway we felt he should have had a meter hitched to him, so that we could have seen the cost (to us) of his intense interest in zoology 2 “Come here, Bill, and lookit this big wurm,” he called to his helper. (Fifty cents.) “Didja ever see such a wurm?” (One dollar,) “'He must think Spring is here.” (Dollar-ifty.) “Lookit that baby squirm!" (Two dollars.) “Wonder it they’'s any more like that?” (Two- fifty.) “How'd ja like to put him on the end of a hook?” (Three bucks.) Did you say something about pro- hibition? « in but . one And the Locarno pact! IUs the name of a place—sSwitzer- land, ain’t it>—but that is about all we know about it, to be ubsolutely honest in the matter. We remember having seen a picture of Austen Chamberlaln, or however you spell his name, all dressed up in a fine high hat, with a smug look upon his classic British featu: and we recall the article sald he wus the ‘“cat’'s whiskers” in that affair. Just what the pact was about, or who won, or who will win, or what it Is supposed to do, we are as ignorant as those young chaps quizzed by ‘Thomas A. Edison. Perhaps we should know all about Locarno, but the sad fact s that we do not. We were personally much more interested in that story that came from KEngland recently about the judges who decided that a tom- cat has a right to roam where it darn pleases. Having a tomcat of our own, we can enter fully into that story and revel with the wise judges. We can seo those old boys, in their black gowns and their big wigs, getting an Englishman’s full sense of humor out of the thing. But we have no little Locarno in our home, and we feel quite sure we would bo terribly ill at ease in the presence of the grand Sir Austen. What should we suy to him? *“AbhL, 8ir Austen, charmed, I am sure!” No, that would never do. Well hLow would this go: “Hello, Mr. Chamberlain! ¥ ok 4 Think, too, of all the personal, private axes ground so industriously in_our presence. Here is a young man at our door- step, eager to convert us to the merite—and purchase—of an Inferno electric refrigerator. How eloquent he Iow bright his eyes, how flushed his cheeks, as he sets forth the virtues of his par- ticular machine, and shrinkingly damns with faint praise tho rival ice- makers When we recall, however, that only last week this young fellow had never heard of an electric refrigerator, but had a line of washing machines which ha was hawking about, we fecl to gently cloge the door in tine voung gentleman, with a bright eye, and immaculately dressed, stops us in the corridor at the office and lectures us for full half an hour upon the tremendous desirabiiity of our buying some of the stocks and bonds he 18 anxious for us to acquire. “Yes—yes,” we say, but all the time we are thinking about something else. Why should we rebuff the young man? He would not be able to see why the whole wide world is not interested in his bonds as he is. 'Why, man, this is the greatest little proposition in town——" Al, this infernal bashfulness of ours, which prevents us from holding him firmly by the coat, and declaring, in a masterful vol “Young fellow, if thoee stocks and bonds of yours were as fine as you say they are, you would hang on to them; you would dodge around the corner to keep from meeting me, for fear I would ask to buy some of them!"” Charge us not with Jindifference. all ye advocates, all ye internatiol politicians, all yo who labor that the universe may wag according to your ideas of proper wagging. We are simply living our lives. that is all. We admire you for your en- thuslasins, even if sometimes you do bore us terribly. We are but simple foli, who have found ourselves in a delightful world, and are trying to make the best of it. We leave the problems to you. Don as many sfik hats you please, and earnestly exhort from as many and a&s high rostrums as you can find. Enjoy yourself to the limit. We have our own axes to grind! RESULTS OF GENEVA FIASCO BY FRANK GENEVA.—In the first estimate of “he results of the Geneva flasco one fact stands out beyond all else. Al- though Germany has not entered the League of Nations and her position at times here seemed likely to become hu- millating, she emerges with an unmis- takable gain of prestige. She has successfully maintained her position that the council of the league should not be increased beyond the Locarno Umit, actually or apparently to her detriment, but she has by concession escaped from any appearance of obstinacy or truculence. In her first appearance at the world assembly sinco the war she has re- sumed her position as a great power. The fact that she did not enter has evoked expressions of regret as im- pressive as any applause which might have attended her entrance. More- over, It is now clear that her return will be sought eagerly by all natlons for whom the Locarno pact is fmpor- tant. Germany s in a position no too, having come once in vain, to ask not only assurances but even condi- tions on her return. As Germany has won in many di- rections, Britain has certainly lost, since British influence has at all times been insignificant and the fallure of Chamberlain a source of humiliatjon. But so far as Great Britain is concerned, no material in- jury has been done, for the British position remains too strong to be af- fected. Chamberlain, to the British mind, seems not unlikely to disappear. * £ * % By contrast, while Briand has won new golden opinions by his efforts, the real faflure and true defeat of the conference have been French. Seek- ing to procure admission for Poland, France has not only not succeeded but has weakened her position by sac- rificing not alone Czechoslovakia but the feelings of the little entente, which resents the effort to wseat oland at its expense. PA.ll things considered, Luther and Stresemann may well succeed in meet- ing home criticism and continulng in office. Chamberlain, by contrast, seems certain to be retired, while Briand has not been able to reconstruct his po- litical situation at home by forelgn success and seems doomed to fall with his new cabinet. The influence of Italy has not been definitely expressed, but it has been generally apprecfated that behind the scenes Italy has been working for the reconstruction of central Europe under her direction, thus to replace France at Belgrade and Bucharest, in_the little entente generally. How far Italy is indlrectly responsible for the Bra- zillan stand is a matter of conjecture, but given Italy's open hostllity to the league, its present misfortune and fail- ure are bound to be counted as satis- factory to her. * * Changes in the French, Yolish and British cabinets seem inevitable. The whole political machinery of Europe may be transformed, yet one of the rather surprising repercussions is the growing conviction, met on all sides, that, so far from compromising, this latest meeting at Geneva may tend materially to improve Franco-German relations. Only the passing of Briand and the coming of Poincare might in- terrupt the unmistakable current of reconciliation. But, obscure as the international consequences are, apart from the Ger- man aspect, there is a common agree- ment that the League of Nations has suffered @ ehattering blow. Its sup- porters in_various countries are all iware of the Lattle they have now to wage for it at home. In the first phase of the recent conference the pact of Locarno seemed to be in danger. But that danger, on the surface, at least, has been avoided. There are many reasons for accepting Dr. Strese mann's assurance that for Germany, H. SIMONDs. as for other Locarno powers, it will continue to be regarded as if it ware legally in force. * % % On the other hand, in later phases the meeting of the league replaced Locarno’s danger point. It Is the common belief here now that at the end Locarno has been saved perhaps at the expense of the league, but at all events the league has not escaped disaster such as for a moment men- aced Locarno. It is worth recording, too, that de- |epite all bitterness of controversy us |carried on Ly the press and public !opinion of several natfons, the Geneva relations Letween have been marked by impressive good nature, Representativ of the press and leaders of the various national delegations have fraternized to a sur- prising degree, There has been noth- Ing to suggest that the nations meet- ing here were only a few years ago divided by a terrific war. It is hard to convey any motion of the seeming paradox that while all the old European differences and di- visions have shown themselves here to an amazing degree, mevertheless there has been present, also, a new spirit of good humor and little or nothing to suggest a continuing state of personal bitterness. Thus, despite disaster to the league and failure of the meeting ftself, there is not the smallest reason to translate this into any evidence of any existing menace to peuce, or any apparent concealed return to a pre-war or war state of mind. * % % % At Geneva, Europe has failed lam- entably to formulate peace, though the failure in the last anal- ysls was not due to European cause: but, despite fallure, there Is no escap- ing the sense that it has been d& peaceful Europe which has negoti- ated here; that a process of readjust- meont and appeasements is likely to suffer no considerable interruption be- cause Germany was not permitted to enter the league. The European na- {tions have quarreled violently here, but their quarrels have been at all times marked by an absence of a circumstances which lead to breaks or disclose irreconcilable hatreds. Those who believe the league is an es- gential machine in the making of world peace and its maintenance may well be pessimistic. But as to the gen- eral situation in Europe, Geneva has supplied many reasons for optimism, none for pessimism, In a word, as far as International conditions are concerned, Geneva's peaceful quarrel was more reminiscent of American national political conventions than European debates where peace and war were fssues just around the cor- ner. o (Copyright. 1 - Ambitious Debbin. From the Worcester Evening b Perhaps the horse that the restaurant only wanted to demon- strate that he could do whatever an automobile can do. Bitter Ending. From the Morgantown New Dominion. Bitter ending is all right occasion- ally, but as a regular occupation it doesn't seem to pay. Stands a Plent, From the Passaic Daily Herald. Aristide Briand is what the boxing critics might call a glutton for pun- tshment. oo Palpitating. From the Norfolk Daily News. Even the fluctuating franc cam't uite keep pace with the changes In the French cabinet, | ! MARCH _2: NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM I1.G. M. s CALVIN COOLIDGE: The Man Who Is President. William Allen White. The Macmillan Co. ‘The competent study of any notable personality is an achievement of wide usefulness. And certainly the broader the Influence of the one so presented, the greater in exact correspondence is the general benefit of the projection. In a country like ours this applies especlally to political leaders. A fully enfranchised commonwealth like the United States makes demands upon its citizenry that are both heavy and im- perative. Under our political system it is of prime importance that there be a widespread and intelligent infor- mation upon many points vital to the well-being of the people as a whole. Important, too, that there be a clear common understanding of the human ugencies by way of which these points are eeized and directed into channels | of fair and fmpartial benefaction. On the part of the citizon body there l:-nu ld be in active operation the power of sound judgment applied not only to great political measures, but to the leaders as well, who are respon- sibla for the highest fruition of these measures. A study of personality during the lifetime of its possessor offers specfal advantages. Such close-range im- mediate consideration lacks, to be sure, those truer proportions that the perspective of time yields. This lack is balanced, however, by the possi- bility of tallying active leadership with the problems and promises and opportuniti upon which such leadership rests. There is hardly a better lesson in the political school- ing of the Democratic electorate than a vivid concrete projection of politi- 1 leaders in action. Measures are in themselves abstruct and elusive, obscure {n origin, inflnite in applica- tion. When, however, these measures become embodied in the character and personality and performance of an outstanding man, both measures and the man draw near in a sizable and appreclable capacity. Wk The competent expositor of char- acter and personality is an explorer, an adventurer of rare powers and gifts. Within him passion and dis- passion come to equal terms with each other. One {s devoted to the pursuit of truth; the other to true appraisal and fair judgments. With- out such teamwork, without dispas- sfon to check the zeal of a passionate interest, the projection of a person- ality would become, on the one hand, empty culogy, or on the other, worth- less condemnation. or the competent study of char- acter this adventurer in the life of another must be the patient and plodding man, laborio y collecting and ordering the obvious facts con- cerning the one into whom he ha for the time being moved Ly a self- enacted law of pre-emption. Trained and intuitive also must this explorer ba to apprehend those hidden and subtler facts of ancestry—old strains of blood persisting out of their own remote and allen settings to press irresistible claims upon this distant son of theirs who is acting himself out in an infinitely more complex and puzzling present. Hardly more than begun yet is this competent study in personality. For now the adventurer in souls must give up the personal tenancy of his subject to move out into the field to be occupled. And this field the expositor must know like the palm of his hand. All of its vital aspects must be familiar to him—each in fts origin, its direction, its probable con- clusion. And now only is he ready to set the drama of one man's life in acts whove climbing interest and stress reveal the quality of this life in its reactions upon its surroundings. For the making of this drama there must be, besldes, a flooding and sym- pathetic imagination, which, leaping out in chosen word and phrase, em- bodies and projects the personality under consideration in the very warmth and color and movement of life itself. *ox ey ‘William Allen White here presents a study in personality, that of Presi- dent Coolidge, “The Man Who Is President. Surely no theme could claim greater interest and appeal at the present time. And, as for the author himself, it would be the old foolery of carrying coais to Newcastle over aguin to restate the generally recognized competency of William Allen White in the field of political and personal letters. A vigorous man who strikes out with short hard words of whose meaning there is no doubt in i the world. A waywise man, practiced in the behaviors of other men and in the attitude of the political world. { A thoroughgoing man who harrows his themes as the farmer plows his flelds. A fine hand at pictures, mak- ing them out of words. A fair man seeing two sides of the same object at one and the same time. Consider- ing the rate at which he travels, a deliberate man, as well. Let us, for the moment, forget the steps of this adventure for the sake of emphasizing its ultimate effect. Here, for one time in a thousand or more, stands a_recorded life that is all of a plece, Its essentials of char- acter —even of attitude barring changes in outer circumstances—are identical with those operating through - |the same blood five generations ago. A steadfastness here that is amazing and assuring, It is these traits that have produced the truly progressive rather than one that advances v way of sudden flights and enforced rests. It seemed to me, reading here, that this story of a boy—a youth, a man—moving out of one job into the next one higher up, just because he had exhausted and finished the one, was a story calculated to do much by example just now at the time when 1'it & youth needs anything he needs steadying. Certainly this is not a boy's sto. Rather is it the study of a grown man who deliberately chose the road of politics as the one that he intended to travel. This choice accounts entirely for the leg- end of the “Coolidge luc! No more luck here than there is in the suc- cess of any other business or career proverly pursued. The other Coolidge legends also dis- appear in this association with the whole man. Indeed, Mr. White's study presents a hard-working New Englander, prudent because New England fmplies thrift and prudence, | A quietly sagacious man, always { granting more than his promise indi- cates, a friendly man unaccustomed {to the gestures of affection, a silent man in a chattering world. Altogeth- er a man who inspires confidence, one whose life, while it looks a bit drab, reads like the story which many of us would be delfghted and proud to fill as the chief character. So much of Mr. Coolidge's life is known, in patches, that this full survey is of special interest in rounding out the half views already in posgession. As an interpreter Mr. White does admi- rable service to readers here. Again, m filling out backgrounds—these a part also of the general interpretative character of the study—he is espe- cfally happy. Here the setting of ancestry and the Vermont homestead and the father of Mr. Coolidge and the neighborhood come together in a | combination that & a9 interesting as | Jit Is illuminating. A fine story won. | derfully well told—except for an oc- | cavional graceless moment - on the part of the author that is as unwel- come to the reader as it is unneces- gary in any essential bearing upon the study of any personality. However— $hat is the author'a bard luck. | | ANSWERS TO QUESTION BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Who is Irving secretary?—V. G. L. A. “Arthur Johnston, & young pian- {9t from Berlin's publishing house,” says Alexander Woollcott, “usually serves the musically illiterate Berlin @3 amanuensis.” . Berlin's musical Q. What are the principal commmodi- tiex sent abroad by the Great Lakes St Lawrence route?—A. W, If. A. The most important ones ure grain, coal, pulp weod, sand, fron and steel, petroleum, sugar and lumber. Q. Iow many newspapers are there | in" London? B. W, A, A. There are 23 dally newspapers published in-London. The number of muste hulls and theaters n tetropoll- tan London fs 9. How many theaters? Q. To what substances does the | term dynamite apply?—R. W. A. Any explosive substance con- slsting of nitroglycerin and an absorh- ent. which 1s fired by detonation, is termed dynarmite. Q. What is TUnion’—L. C. A. The records of the Weather Bu- reau show that the smallest annual amount of precipitation in the United States 1s recelved in the southeastern portion of California and the western portion of Arizona. Q. Is it true that there will be a shortage of seed corn, due to the gc-l;es which occurred in October?— A The Department of Agriculturs Bays it {8 not likely that there any widespread shortage of in the Spring of 1926, but it i3 ex- tremely likely that many individual farmers and even some entire com- munitites will find that the seed corn on which they had counted will not grow. Tests already made of many lots of seed in the corn belt indicate that the germinating power of much of the corn was injured by the low tem- peratures which occurred in October, before corn hud dried out thoroughly. Q. What was the total output ef currency of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1925 compared with 19247—A, M. D. A. A comparative statement of de- liveries of finished work of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the fiscal years 1924 and 1925 shows: To. tal sheets 23, ; total sheets, 1924, 195,931.340. The total face value for 1925 was $2,987,649,400. The total fuce value in 1924 v $3,159,922,400. w much was paid for the violin made by Stradivarius? —T. M. M. A. An American now owns the in- strument, for which it is sald he paid $60,000. Q. How many people are buried in Arlington National Cemetery?—J. F A. The total number buried in A lington Cemetery, including E familles and nurses, was 3 of this number 80,426 are known, while 4,713 are unknown. These are the unknown dead of the Civil War. There were 408 buried in the Confederate section. This number also includes families of veterans. Nine soldiers of the Revolutionary War are buried in Arlington. There are a few soldiers of t?‘e dryest State in lhei the War of 1812. The number of World War dead returned to the United States and reinterred in_Arlington Cemetery upon request of relatives is 32, This number includes soldiers saflors and marines, hoth officers and enlisted men. The Unknown Soldie represent the unknown dead. Q. Who was the original of *“Ji Eludso?-- W, W A. Oliver Fai Fashion, was of Juhn 1 ‘hiid. engineer of the al of the her. s the first professionai organized™ professional associu s organized March 17, 1871, at Collier’s Suloon, and Thirtleth streets. New York Cit: The convention wis called by Henry adwick, the veteran base ba editor. Q. borr When was the monk Rasputl: JOR | . know: it was about | Q. Please give ¢ Octagon llouse ir A P A. It was built a centuy and a quarter member o one of the most distinguished early Washington families, Col. Johr Tayloe, and was designed by Thorn ton, the architect of the Capitol. 1@ i8 now the headquarters of the Ame: - fcan Institute of Architects, the A icun Federation of Artsand th ological Institution of Am the burning of ihe White the British, ¥ 1 son_establishe in the Octagon House on the s 1 floor the was sigued He b far is the Th—( Q. How from the A. The minor planet Egeria 1s about lion m from th nd the earth is about 43 N les fro the sun. If the orbits of both pl were circular and in the same p the maximum and minimur d. n between the earth and Egeria woul be respectively the sum and the dif ference of these two figures; but the orbits are not i are inclined to each of 16 or 17 degrees, an tion of the maximum and minimu | distances on the two planets would be hat laborivus, Q. How lar, ien Ga in San Franci M A. It covers 1,013 acres. cost $50¢ 000 when first established, and $6,000, 000 since 1 Government statistics bring out the fact that the uncducated man ha only I chance in &0 to attain dis tinction. There is no reason why an one should live under such handicap in these days of free schools and free information. This paper supports i Washington, . ¢, the largest frec information burcau in eristenee. It will procure for yow the answer io any question you iay ask. Avail yourself of its facilities jor your self {improvement. Inclos | for return postage. ning Ktar Information Lu eric J. Haskin, director, W D. C. t! 9 mi Pay ashingtou, BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. ‘Tha population of the United States next 4th of July will be 117, 409,040, according to the latest calcu- lation of the Census Bureau. ‘The census of 1820 showed a popu- lation of only 105,710620. The in- crease of nearly 00,000 in six years shows an average growth of 2,000,000 a year, in spite of our re- striction of tmmigration and also in spite of the decrease in the number of births per 1,000 familles. The net. Increase {s attributed to the lowering of the death rate, particularly of in- fants under § years of age. It is credited, therefore, to the advance in medical sclence, sanitation and particularly to increased intelligence as to the laws of health. ® % % % That we have not yet reached the limit of improvement in conservation of human life is indicated by Dr. Louis I Dublin of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., who in an address stated that compared with the 1910 census we may yet reduce the death rate through preventive medicine, applied sanitary sclence, industrial hygiene, the popularization of annual physical examinations and their hy- gienic follow-up, with the following results: Age 0-5, assumed reduction pos- sible from 1910 rate, approximately two-thirds; 5-10, two-thirds to one- half; 10-60, onehalf; 60-70, onehalf to no reduction; 70 and over, no re- ductlon. Sclentists do not always hold out the encouragement supposed to be due the human race because of this science of health and longevity. The scientific im- provement does not tend to enhance the high average of the race, for it conserves the weaklings who would otherwise succumb to their weak- nesses and leave only “the survival of the fittest.” One authority points out that “vice and disease purify the race because they kill the weak and viclous.” Another modern scientist offsets the conservation of the weak, and points to the automobile as equalizing the conservation of science, it being the modern ‘“foolkiller,” vet he con- fes: that the automobile, like war, ten‘:‘g‘o strike down the vigorous ratherthan the weaklings. A table of deaths shows that organic heart disease has greatly increased its rate of victims since 1900, which is at- tributed partly to the rapid pace of modern lite. In 1900 the number of deaths per 100,000 population, due to organic heart disease, was 128.4, while now it is in excess of 181.4. Throughout the world the death rate from contagious disease has been remarkably reduced, with little reduction as to organic dis- cases. Child mortality in 1900 was 17.6, while in 1828 it had fallen to only 12.3. These figures refer to the registration area of the United States, which {s assumed to indicate the trend for the whole. * % ¥ % What will be the effect of the con- servation of life and its resultant per- sistent increase of population? A cen- tury ago, Malthus pointed out that at the rate the world population was growing the time was not distant when there would be more people than the world could feed. Since then the tmprovements in farm machinery and knowledge of agriculture have been 80 great that optimists have been sager to cast ridicule upon the Mal- thusian foreboding. We have been as- ured that the United States never could be overcrowded, but that we might feed 600,000,000 east of the Rocky Mountains and 300,000,000 west of the Rockies. Recognized statis- ticlans warn us that such vaunting is not based on facts. The time is not distant, they say, when the United States will reach saturation of popu- lation, as have China, Japan, Ttaly, Holland and certain other regions. In a book, “Population Problems.” written by several professors of economics of leading universities and compiled by Dr. Dublin—published this month—Dr. Dublin says in the preface: “The population question, important today most pressing everywhere, is n the United States. It is acute enoug in the countries of Europe and A but there the issue is clearer, becaus. those parts of the world have v tually reached a saturation point. nnid in most cases } a population fairly homogeneous as regards blood and culture, It is not too much to say that the hope of the world rests on a happy solut of our pop tion question. * . open spaces, America has a partic larly interesting and perplexing protb- lem which insistently bids for atten tion.” In the same book, Dr. A. B. Wolfe, professor of economics of the Uni- versity of Ohlo, savs: “One brief but riotous centu doubled the world's population. total number of pecple now_on eartiy is put conservatively at 1.7 billions At the present rate the numbe: doubles every 60 years. A continua tion of this rate would result at the end of the next centurfes ir populations of 5-7-17-60-171 billions." Rossiter in the ne book Lt that by the year the United States and Europe will contain 1,980 000,000—which is 300,000,000 more than the whole world contains today Pitkin informs us that the farmers of the world need to food supply 23,000,000 pounds annu ally to prevent famine. Wolfe adds: “If our own presen: rate of doubling every five decades were to continue, persons now living would see a population in the United States of 250,000,000. Unless, there fore, this increase is quickly retarded the saturation point only a few generations off, most—not thou | sands of years, is popularly sup posed. “Much time has been wasted in esti mating the exact number of million: this country can suppert. Dispute over a few score millions is unimpor tant, for in the absence of an in probable revolution in agriculture W shall soon be confronted with the pointed choice of reducing either ou: birth rate or our standard of Iiv ing. - In order to avold admit ting early danger of overpopulation. they (optimists) institute an fmag inary emigration to the jungles of South America, or grasp at the straw of synthetic food and ultraatomic energy. Even if it could be demo: strated that this country conld sup port 500,000,000 1 , by elin inating wast up mea! cui bon The s of living would continue to fall and the prob lem of numbers continue to get worse. “s & @ Those who tod: sue tha we can find a way to support double or treble our present population are Simply falling vietims to our unthink ing American worship of s and growth, without Inquiring human values involved. A ory of population would consider these matters: “All this faith overlooks: “1. Omly inferfor lands, limited in extent, remain for settlement. Progress itself involves a pari It is inconceivahle that techni intain the pace i called ‘the worn t i s . dox. cal advance can 1 set in what Wall derful century,’ aund what Keynes thinks may prove to have been ‘magnificent episode in history. “3. The engineering and economi problems are confused. Some things technically possible are possible eco nomically only at a prohibitive cost and a lower standard of living. “4. There is a limit to the degrec to which cheapened manufactures can offset increasing costs in the ex tractive industries. “5. Per capita agricultural yiell should be calculated on the basis of all the lubor engaged, both direct and indirect, in the production of asri cultural commodities, as in farm ma chinery and fertilizer und In tran: portation of farm produets.” Since we double population every years, children of toda¥ will see the United States with 234,000,000 o 250,000,000 and conditions comparabl tAodt‘houe in overcrowded Italy and in (Copyright, 2920, by Paul V. Collaal