Evening Star Newspaper, July 21, 1926, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. ‘WEDNESDAY.....July 21, 1926 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company an Tl Chicago Office: Tower Building. European Office: 14 Regent St., London, ngland. The Evening Star, with the Sunday morn- g edition, §s d~livered by carrlers within the city at' 60 cents per month: daily only. 5 cents per month: Sunday only. 20 cents per month. Orders may be sent telephone Main 5000, Collection is carrier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday....1yr.. $9.0 Daily only . 1yr.$6 ¢ Sunday only ", All Other States and Canada. 12.00: 1 mo.. $1.90 S8.00: 1o, T8¢ Daily and Sunday.1lyr. § 1y 1¥r. $4.00: 1 mo.. aily onl Sunday only Tyr Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press fs exclusively entitl to’ the ‘uso for renuhlication £ all news di patches credited to it or not otherwise cred: ited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of ial dispatch served == District Day at Philadelphia. Washington is preparjng to pay its respects to the Declaration of In- dependence at Philadelphia on the sixth of October. A committee of citizens, selected by the District Com- missioners, is now at work upon plans for the occasion. At the initial meet- ing, heid last night, it was suggested that advantage should be taken of the opportunity thus offered to demon- strate the fact that the District of Columbia, alone of all the American commonwealths, 1s without repre- sentation in its law-making and tax- A new campal against this ob- noxious form of “literature” has been started, to contend against the reap- pearance of these salacious prints. Section 872 of the District Code prohibits the distribution of lewd and Indecent pictures. That it has been repeatedly violated is evident to any person who has ever looked over the stocks of some of the stands where periodicals are displayed for sale. Re- cently there has been a remarkable increase in the production of these prints. There is evidently a market for them. Some of them are denied the use of the mails on the ground of their improper character. Others 7| get by with the plen that they are published in the interest of art. All are offered to feed a debased taste in indecency and somebody is making a heavy profit on this noxious trade. The great evil of this matter is that. the prints that are thus promiscuously offered to the public fall into the hands of the young, doing them serious in- jury. The vendor does not discrimi- nate in taking the coins of buyers. Everybody’s money is good to him, adult or child. These prints are as demoralizing in their effects as habit- forming drugs. ‘Washington should be closed to this trafic. The renewed efforts of the District attorney to Tid the Capital of this poison will be followed “with keen interest and if they are success- ful they will win for all engaged in the work a heartfelt vote of thanks from the community. e Midsummer Heat in Paris. There is no occasion for anxiety on the score of the outbreak of tem- perament yesterday im Paris when a crowd of French people made an at- tack upon a group of Americans. The Incident, to be sure, is an indication of a feeling of animosity on the part ing body and without voice in the selection of the Federal executive. Surely there could be no better place or more fitting time for such a demonstration. The Sesquicenten- nigl is held in celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of In- dependence. That instrument, which laid the foundation for the new re- public, declares that governments de- rive their just powers from the con- sent of the governed. It has been, from the beginning of the life of the new Nation, denied at the very seat of Government. The fact that this condition has prevailed for a century and more, ever since the formation of the District from the ten miles square bestowed upon the Nation by Maryland and Virginia, and has not been corrected to date, does not lessen the justice of the demand, now being made by the Capital community, for the final grant to the residents of this remaining space of the original Capi- tal grant of the basic American right of representation. It is proposed that on District day at Philadelphia the story of the dis- franchisement of the Washingtonian be told in speech, in print and in pageant. Let this be done. There is surely sufficient enterprise and generosity in fiscal terms here in this city to execute and to finance such a plan. Washington’s virtual solidarity of demand for the right of national representation has been recently demonstrated at the hearings held be- fore the House judiclary committee on the joint resolution proposing an emendment to the Constitution en- abling Congress to enact a law ad- mitting the District to a voice in the selection of President and in the mak- ing of the laws. It would cost but a small sum to put on the stage at Philadelphia in October an adequate demonstration of the District’s present plight, which is so plainly contrary to the great Instrument the sesquicentennial of which is being there celebrated. It would call for but small expenditure of energy to prepare for a dignified, effective statement of the Capital's case, in terms that would reach the ears and eyes of a great multitude and through radio and print a far greater number of American citizens. Washington’s plea for the right of national representation is addressed to the people Of the whole country. At present it is being made to Con- gress, which must adopt the joint resolution proposing the amendment. But Congress represents the people of the country. It is responsive to public sentiment. It is therefore suitable and desirable at all times to carry this plea to all the people, of all the States, so that their immediate representatives in Congress may per- haps heed the reaction of approval. Recently an extensive correspond- ence has been conducted by the citi- zens' committee on national repre- sentation with representative citizens of the United States, residents of every State, a veritable cross-section of the national community. Hundreds of letters have been sent to them, ac- companying the printed reports of the hearings before the judiciary com- mittee, and asking expression of opinion on this question of the Dis- trict’s claim to full American citizen- ship. The response has been over- whelmingly favorable. = With prac- tically no dissent, those responding— and there have been scores of answers already in the short time elapsing—have expressed their agree- ment with the District’s plea, in some es l_helr astonishment at the denial of the French toward this country growing out of the terms proposed for the liquidation of the French debt to the United States. It is unpleas- ant to find them excited to the point of open hostilities upon representa- tives of this country touring France. But, after all, account must be taken of the immediate condition in France. The franc is falling in terms of in- ternational exchange. It is so low that the national finances are in a deplorably shaky condition. Business is distressed. A feeling verging on panic prevails in commercial and financial circles. Naturally, the people generally are in a highly nervous state. They have been told by poli- ticlans that the immediate cause of the finantial distress is the failure of the United States to deal gener- ously with France in the matter of the war debt, by “generously” mean- ing the failure of this Government to cancel the debt. There have probably been some provocations on the part of touring Americans. Unfortunately, some of our people who go to foreign coun- tries fail to restrain their own emo- tions and prejudices and are prone to express criticism. They do not “do as the Romans do” when they are in Rome, or elsewhere. It is reported in this case that much agitation yes- terday in Paris was due to the cbn- duct of a group of youths from a New England State, who stationed themselves at a street corner and in- sulted passers-by and tripped them from their footing. It is not improb- able. “The American play spirit is often rough. And there may have been some provocation for the attack upon the omnibus, in verbal ' ex- changes instituted by some of the passengers, The fact that millions of American dollars are pouring into France and other countries in Europe irom the pockets of American travelers gives the latter no privileges. The French have not particularly invited them. They are going over there because they wish to do so, for their own pleasure and profit. They are®going at a particularly difficult time and they should comport themselves with the most circumspect regard for the sensitiveness of a highly tempera- mental people, who are just at pres- ent feeling especially critical of and even hostile toward Americans. This incident will pass, probably without any unfavorable results. It should be a warning, however, of the extreme delicacy of the relations be- tween the two nations. There is every reason for them to be warm and sincere friends, and the hope of all Americans is that the present breach of manners will soon be fol- lowed by manifestations on both sides of cordial regard and confidence. ———.—— A fish caught by a President of the United States is worthy of a place in any collection. Gov. Smith has made a suitable disposition of his gift in presenting it to a museum. The Thrillers of Yesteryear. A third of a century ago devotees of the theater greatly enjoyed a type of play that has now passed from the boards to the movie screen. . This was the “thriller” or melodrama, the play of swift adventure, of deep, dark plot- ting, of unrelieved villainy and une blemished heroism. There were many plays of that type, and most of them appealed so strongly to the public taste that their authors and producers waxed wealthy in purveying them to the people. One of the most prolific of this basic American right. Surely this fact is encouragement for the belief that a suitable demon- stration of the demand for National Representation in Congress and the electoral college at Philadelphia on the sixth of October will - produce zood results. Let this, therefore, be the keynote of the Capital's tribute to the Dedlaration of Independence. Ordinary agriculture fails to win Harry Thaw from reminiscences of the old roof gardening days. —_———— Printed Poison. Promises given several months ago by dealers in perlodicals in this city to keep off the distribution stands in Washington the objectionable maga- zines that, under the specious title of “art,” present perniclous matter for the public consumption have ap- parently nog bsen kept in good faith, N of the thriller playwrights was Lin- coln J. Carter, whose “The Fast Mail,” his first play, was.a great and lasting success. Carter has just dled at Go- shen, Ind., after an illness of a year. Many present-day patrons of the theater, whether the entertainment of- fered is of the “spoken’ or the “silent” sort, have had no acquaintance with this type of drama that Carter and numerous others presented to the American public’ several decades ago. They have missed something. They have failed to know the deep thrills of the climaxes when all seemed lost to'virtue and when vileness was about to score. Perhaps the hero was strapped to a board just going through a giant buzz saw, or was bound to a railroad k with a train throbbing just off /stage in close approach, or was lashed to a chair with his mortal enemy advancing with a red-hot bar of iron to rob him of his sight or his finite variety of “situations. course, the heroine had her perils, too, graver even than those of the hero, sometimes, - It depended upon the makeup of the interpreting company, ‘Whether the “star”./was masculine or feminin ‘Will they come back, these stirring melodramas of the old stage? Perhaps they are a bit outdated and can never be revived in popularity. Some of the best of them will be perennial, suit- able for occasional presentation. But it would seem that the talents of the melodramatist must now be employed in the making of scenarios for the movies. There is a wider rangs of possibility on the screen. The camera can do some marvelous things. But unless the synchronized speaking movie comes into vogue the theater public will miss a great d in the absence of the voices. Those soul- stirring tones of emotion! .How they thrilled us in those days agone! The quavering -voice of pathetic old age, the shrill treble of innocent youth, the harsh hissings of wickeliness, the mel- lifluous richness of virtue, Gone, all gone, from that lively arena of the thriller! ————— Traffic Congestion. Americans are paying heavily for the present-day traffic congestion on city streets and country roads. A prominent traffic research specialist estimates that it costs the citizens of New York $1,000,000 a day because of the delay in the conduct of business and those of Chicago at least $600,000 a day for the same reason. Traffic congestlon is cited as one of the rea- sons for the higher cost of living. In one American city, it has been discovered, it costs as much to de- liver potatoes from the freight station to the consumer as it does to trans- port them thousands of miles by rail. It costs six cents a minute to keep a truck of average size on the street regardless of whether it is running or not, and a taxicab company has estimated that if it could save only two minutes on each trip the saving would amount to more than $100,000 a year. Traffic congestion is a problem that concerns every thinking perron. With the tremendous increase in the num- ber of automobiles and the inadequacy of traffic control in many citles, it is no wonder that costs are rapldly mounting. The public will continue to buy automobiles, but citles can correct and improve their traffic con- trol equipment. m.} Money spent for autol c signals, for policemen and equipment coupled with an intelligent traffic administra- tion will return threefold to the investors in better business and pros- perity. The problem is becoming more acute each day. American cities should turn the searchlight of investi- gation upon themseives to see whether | /o they are doing everything possible to meet it. o Intimations that Charles Evans Hughes has ideas of running for the presidency again command credence. ‘A man must do something with his time. fi ————————— Apparently there is so much illicit liquor in circulation that the, bootleg vote commands consideration among practical politicians. —_—— e * The Weather Bureau plods along with remarkably reliable predictions, but fn.llsys reveal the personal charm that was once lent to it by Willis Moore. o The North Pole reveals no practical benefits for humanity aside from its permanent intellectual stimulus as a subject for argument. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Road. We're speeding along with Father Time. He sits at the steering wheel. Steep is the grade we may have to P e What will the height reveal? There’s always a hope to bring us cheer, In spite of the present ill, And we wait to see what we're draw- ing near On the road, just over the hill. The pace is fast, but the hours are slow And the day grows weary and warm; But there’s always a change ahead, we know, For beauty—or maybe storm. So we journey along with a jocund smile And we never feebly swerve. We're sure there is something well worth while Just waiting arcund the curve. Refuge in the Unknowable. “What do you intend to talk about in your next speech?” “The Einstein theory.' “Can you explain it?” “I can come as 'nmear explaining it as anybody I have listened to. And it has the advantage of not making you enemies, no matter what you say.” v Habiliment. ‘When Baby goes to bed she wears A little garment cute, ‘Which is more clothing, nurse de- clares, ‘Than Mother’s bathing suit. Jud Tunkins says a radio announcer is important to a program in the same way that a drum wajor used to be to a brass band. Prompt Action. g “What do you do when you catch & bootlegger in Crimson Gulch?” ““We arrest him,” answered Cactus Joe, “thereby preventin' him from carryin’ his supplies along to any other settlement.” Fast Work. These modern methods we deplore And often we repine. You scarcely get a job before You're called on to resign. “A friend,” said Uncle Eben, “Is a man who remembers you even when lite, Just samples,these, of a0 in.’hg don’t need you in bl business’ BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. A reader living in that community of home lovers, Takoma Park, call our bluff about never writing on a toplc suggested by any one else. Of the four rules recently pro- mulgated here for the conduct of this column, the one given above has been violated upon occasion, it need hardly be said. Every rule, of course, has its exception! “Dear Mr. Philosopher,” says the letter, “the number of people who read This and That would, no doubt, amaze, as well as please, you, were you able to take a census of the ad- dicts to your column. “It is but a natural consequence that - some of ' your readers feel impelled to let you know that they appreciate your worthwhile contribu- tions to the cause of making life in the ordinary a bit more worth while. “It follows, as the night doth the day, however, that opinions should differ—may the first cause be blessed! This note is to warn the proprietor of This and That that many of the suggestions set forth in his lines have been acted upon with no small degree of satisfaction. “Last night’s article, however (ah, there’s the rub!), contained a ‘set of rules’ of your evolution by which you are guided iy writing, one of these being that you nevér write upon sub- Jects suggested by others. “Please do not expect us to be- lieve that you were not facetious in connection with this ‘rule, as you well know that there is nothing new under- the sun, and Mark Twain has treated this subject admirably in his discourse with the brilllant young man who thought himself capable of originating an idea, but was firally compelled to admit that, without as-)| sociation, thought is impossible. It is only a matter of degree and form. “‘And if Arthur Schopenhauer con- sidered the subject of the inanity of whip cracking enough to hold it worthy of an essay, and recommended five blows with a heavy stick be awarded offenders, I do not under- stand why you should permit your facetious little rule to stand in" the. way of writing a good article upon gmm subject of ‘Trucks and Their o Very truly yours, R. R. §.” * K x x We are reminded of the famous lines from ‘“Pinafore” which run: “What, never?” “Well, hardly eve: R. R. 8. has suggested a topic dear to our heart—or should we say ears? We are the proud possessor of very keen senses, and have suffered long from city noises, in particular. Often enough <we pine for the si- lence of the great open spaces, where the bullfrogs rumble like thunder, and the darn birds cheep incessantly. The city doth, indeed, get on our nerves, from time to time, but we love it, for all that. How could we ever get used again to being unable to read the street car advertisements! It cheers us immensely every morn- ing to watch that happy family dining on macaroni. Mother sits at the head of the table, and is dishing out gen- erous portions to her three little ones. Happy smiles of supreme anticipa- tion illumine the children’s faces, shin- ing above their neat Buster Brown collars, How we envy them! It we could get that much fun out of a platter macaroni, we would put in our order for two barrels at once. It cer- tainly pays to be an advertising child, trusting, smiling, loving macaroni above all dishes. Not a one of the children we know would get any kick out of macaroni. ‘Shucks!” they would pout, “Ain’t yu ever goin’ to have anything else ’sides this eld stuff?"’( | See these model children beam, however., Little Billle, who is get- ting the first helping, has the broad- est. grin of all, for he is about to taste the transcendent delights of this grand food. Johnny, who comes next, has a slightly lesser smile, but from ear to ear, at that, while Susfe, at the end, positively smirks, * ¥ k % Then there is the chipper lad who has his mouth crammed with raisin tart. We have never been able to look at that young man without feeling an almost irresistible desire to punch him in the jaw, he is so arrogantly healthy. Certainly his table manners are of the worst—but what an appetite! Perhaps the reason we hate the kid is that we envy hisinterior arrangement. Any young fellow who can so stuff himself with tarts is a man. As for ourselves, we do not like raisins, al- though we are forced to take them sometimes in rice pudding, etc. Every man to his taste. Though we are com- pelled to look at this confoundedly fm- pudent boy until we are 90 years old, we will not like raisins, and we here and now notify the packers that they are wasting their advertising money, 80 far as we are concerned, The collar manufacturers, we no- tice, have given up the fine young fel- low with blonde hair, who looked as if the bone development in his jaw had been secured at the expense of the usual skull contents, and have hired a dark-haired chap with a mustache to pose in thefr very latest collar crea- tion. The trend, evidently, is away from the handsome callow youth to the handsome business sap. Between the two we find it hard to choose. The ‘first didn’t look as if he had enough sense to come In out of the rain, and the second looks as if he would be afraid to go out into it. ‘We never knew but one man who looked like one of thése collar felloyws, and he was a right decent chap*who couldn’t help his looks, and finally took to. soft shirts with collars at- tached. Our brain, while riding on the bus, is a queer mixture of soaps, tomato soup, boys’ magazines, raisin tarts, oni, all jostled around together by the motion of the vehicle and the Jjuxtaposition of the separate ads. There seems to be no rhyme or rea- son about the placing of public vehicle advertisements. You are just as apt as not to see a soap placed alongside a white flour cake, or the soup ad next the plea for the greater use of chipped soap for washing machines. The color work on street car ads is particularly good. We doubt if there is a rider in Washington who has not felt his mouth water when looking at that handsome piece of checolate cake. No doubt 7,678,943 separate cakes have been constructed as the result of that picture. ‘We resent, however, the so-called “command” ads. We will not, mister— positively will not—buy our boy a copy of your magazine when we step off. the bus. In the first place, there is no newsstand there, and in the second place we are too busy trying to avoid being run over. And, for Heaven's sake, put some other sort of animal in—we are tired of looking at that hippopotamus! WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. This year's Institute of Politics at Williamstown, Mass., will be attended by an uncommonly noted aggregation of statesmen, educators, diplomats, editors and military and naval men. The round tables, as usual, will be conducted in an international spirit, with Americans actively debating problems of mutual interest with authorities from Europe, Asla and South America. Disarmament, se- curity, competition in raw materials and its effect upon world peace, pub- lic apinion in foreign affairs and the future role of chemistry in interna- tional relations are some of -the widely diversified problems to be tackled. The institute convenes on July 28 and lasts until August 26. Dr. Albert E. Zimmermann of Hol- land, who put Austria on its feet as Jeremiah Smith of Boston put Hun- gary on its feet, will be one of the foreign stars at Willlamstown. States- men of Greece, Germany, India, Scot- land, Italy and France will be among the distinguished foreigners at the institute. Numerous members of the diplomatic corps at Washington, in- cluding Japanese and Chinese, will go to Williamstown for the round tables. * ok ok ok Miss Millle Morris of AWashington, an employe of the miscellaneous tax division of the Treasury Department, almost qualifies for the fame that Sir Walter Raleigh won when he spread his cloak for Queen Elizabeth over the most celebrated mud puddle in history. Miss Morris end her sister were recently touring in the Yellow- stone Park and chanced to be in the party that ineluded the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden. As the party was observing the Norris Geyser a sel, Frank J. Hogan, during a House hearing, hardly a line of the long and bitter controversy that raged around the Commissioner’s head was, pub- lished in the newspapers of the coun- try. Now that President Coolldge will have to deal with District affairs from White Pine Camp, on which the Na~ tion’s gaze these days is concentrated, ‘Washington’s municipal joys and woes may get some of the limelight they deserve. “There’s an astonishing ignorance among the American peo- ple, by and large, about the govern- ance of the Capital City. Its voteless plight is far from generally known. How the Federal metropolis is admin- istered is as Greek to millions of citi- zens. Usually Washington’s political disabilities only have to be called to an enlightened American’s attention to evoke expressions of protest and sympathy. 5 * x ok * Andrew W. Mellon, though ac- knowledged to be one of the world's financial geniuses, is addicted to an old-fashioned and completely out-of- date business habit. He still has his letters copied by the ancient copy- book method, and they reach destina- tion with the familiar evidence of hav- ing been run through a wringer. In law an actual copy of a letter is prob- -ably prima facie proof, while the car- bon copy with which the business world of today is better acquainted might be no evidence at all. Carbons seldom bear the writer’s signature, for ne thing. For another thing, a man often edits a phrase or g sentence into the letter he signs wl(zout troubling to have a secretary change the car- bon.” “Uncle Andy” is' a careful man and his partiality for copying a let- . violent rainstorm broke out. The Misses Morris happened to be pro- vided with rubbers. Noticing that the Crown Princess and her lady-in- waiting. Miss Christine de Reuters- ward, were without goloshes, the Washington women gallantly prof- fered their own to Princess Louise and her attendant. They were grate- fully accepted, and when the entire party, more or less drenched, reached the shelter of a hotel, the Swedish royalties caused the Washingtonians to be cordially and specially thanked for their courtesy. * K % % They’re an optimistic band over there on the Quay Woodrow Wilson, across which the palace of the League of Nations looks out upon Lake Le- man at Genevac An_‘“American group ) sional bulletin from league headquar- ters to sympathizing friends in the United States. The latest to reach this side, describing the recent ses- sion of the league council as having “made history and marked a mile- in the development of the league,” says: “It 48 unfortunate that America is not amo those present, to lend her hand 2nd influence in this work, which is becoming with every session more important. We shall come in eventually because logic, time and the course of his- tory argue the impossibility of staying out indefinitely. We, more than any other nation, the original bullder of the league, will come in when the institution has been de- veloped by other hands, and when the ‘stone that the builder rejected’ become a corner stone indeed: Let us hope we shall come in early enough to play some part yet in this development and to regain the moral leadership we have so large- 1y lost, * ¥ % % ‘Washington's biggest local news in a decade—the vicissitudes of Freder- ick A. Fenning, one of the Commis- sioners of the District of Columbla— has attracted amazingly little atten- tion beyond the’ confines of the Cap- ftal. Untll a member of Congress dnkwall- 86 FaNAES- Coums at Genevat sends an occa-| ter “‘as 1s” shows it. - ¢ * k ok * F. Trubee Davison, the new Assist- ant Secretary of War for aviation, is going to keep a weather eye on one project not directly connected with his Army duties. That is the completion of a magnificent ocean drive along the south shore of Long Island from New York to Montauk Point. One of Mr. Davison’s last speeches in thé New York Assembly was a plea for the ma- terialization of such a project. He pointed out that it offers no difficul- ties from an engineering standpoint, if there are causeways, bridges and occasional deviations from a straight line. Until the ocean drive is laid out, one has to travel along the south share of Long Island for nearly 70 miles without a glimpse of the Atlan- tie. * k * X “Young Teddy” Roosevelt, former Assistant Secretary of War, is putting in the last two weeks of July as a rookie at Plattsburg. Citizens' Military Training Camp. He was there in the _capacity as a younger man in 1911. "Addressing this month’s contin- gent of lads at Plattsburg, after a box- ing bout one y this week, the colonel recalled his distinguished fa- ther's visit to the camp 15, years ago, and “T. R.'s” speech, in which young America was adjured: “Don’t flinch, {don't foul, and hit the line hard!” . * kK ok There’s music in the air at the Venezuelan legation in Washington, for the new minister from that coun- try, Semor Dr. Don Carlos Grisanti, not only is an accomplished pianist, but heads a family of daughters, all of whom are musiclans: The girls play the violin, harp, guitar and some in- stuments native to the Latin coun- tries, One of the treats the Grisantis are fond of providing for’thelr guests at the legation is an informal family concert. The minister is a professor of w and author of standard text books on jurisprudence. . (Covyrizht. 1926.) An Urgent Need. ¥From the Sprinkfield Daily News, What the country really needs is Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln. Towa today holds the attention of the political world. The Republican State convention is meeting. An effort is to be ‘made, it is said, to launch a presidential boom® for former Gov. Frank O. Lowden of Jlinois, an Iowan by birth and education, and at the same time to condemn the Cool- idge administration because of its fail- ure to support the McNary-Haugen or -its principles. Either action by the convention would create a considerable sensation. ‘Whaen Senator Alpert B. Cummins went back to Iowa a week ago and expressed the opinion that President Coolidge would not be a’ candidate to succeed himself in 1928, he started a line of public conversation that prom- ises to run until the Winter or Spring of 1928. But it is not a discussion in ‘which tdho Pre;ldem hlm}?elt :fi,‘yhl: expected to take part. Nor 3 W‘I:(l:l the proper time arrives, Presi- dent Coolidge will state his position in regard to the presidential nomination quite clearly. But until that time ar- rives, effosts to “smoke him out” will be about as effective as a drop of water thrown on a burning ofl well. Immediately after Senator Cummins had made his statement regarding n:'- probability of Presiderit Coolidge's candidacy for the presidency two years hence, other Republicans leap- ed into the breach, insisting that the President would be the ®hoice of the Republican party and the country, yond all doubt. - * ok * The truth of the matter is that had it not been for the discontent in the corn belt, such a prophecy regarding Mr. Coolidge would not have been made at this time or perhaps at all Without the slightest desire to belittle the corn belt, it is scarcely likely that the entire country will be guided by that section alone in the selection of a Republican nominee for President in 1928, Furthermore, notwithstand- ing the resentment of the people of the corn belt because of the failure of Congress to enact legislation which many of them desired for the bene- fit of the farmers, President Coolidge has still the liking and admiration of a great host in that section. The Pres- ident has been stronger than his party in both East and West, ever since he stepped into the White House. He is stronger today than the party. Dur- ing the years he has been President, the people have come more and more to look upon him as an essentially safe and sane President. Prosperity has in- creased. Times have been better even for the farmers. It would be idle to say that there are no politicians in the Republican party—some of them party leaders— who would like to see President Cool- idge step aside. Some of them would like to wear the presidential business coat themselves. * But the people gen- erally are not greatly concerned over the personal ambitions of these gentle- men. * K ¥ % ‘Whatever feeling of resentment the corn belt has against President Cool- idge because of his opposition to the principles of the McNary-Haugen farm relief bill—the demand of the “belt” —President Coolidge and his policies have been intenselywsatisfactory to the great populous States of the East and the North, and, while the Republican party is anathema in the States of the South, Mr. Coolidge has the re- gard of thousands upon thousands of the Southern Democrats. They like his tax reduction and economy. But, above all, they feel “safe” with him at the head of the Government. Senator Cummins has started a dis- cussion that was bound to be started sooner or later, particularly in view of the fact that the third térm issue will be raised if Mr. Coolidge seeks 10 succeed himself. The President’s +juccession to the last year and a half of the late President Harding’s term will be interpreted in-many quarters as holding office for a “term.” The third term has been a stumbling block ‘in the pathway of former Presidents, notably President Grant and Presi- dent Roosevelt, although had the lat- ter lived he probably would have been the Republican nominee in 1924 and in such case would have been elected. * ok * * Much water must run over the dam before 1928. If the Democrats and certain radicals in the Republican party are successful in the congres- sional elections this Fall, it may have its effect upon the possible candidacy of the President. But more impor- tant than any other element is “good times” in the country generally. Should the country enter upon a period of depression—and there is nothing to indicate such a period at this writing—Mr. Coolidge and his party both would suffer reverses. Even if the Democrats win both Sen- ate and House this Fall, whieh is un- likely, it would by no means augur Democratic success in the national elections in 1928, if the country con- tinues prosperous. In the first place, a Democratic Congress could change the laws not at.all, unless the Presi- dent gave his approval, for it is un- thinkable that the Democrats would be so strong in Congress as to control by a two-thirds vote necessary to override a presidential veto. The next Congress, if Democratic, largely would be a do-nothing Congress, with politics as the main subject of dis- cussion. * Furthermore, the Democratic party nationally has still its troubles. With Gov. Al Smith of New York and Wil- liam Gibbs McAdoo not only potential but active candidates today for the presidential nomination in 1928, the prospects are not bright. Gov. Smith has the wet support in the party. McAdoo, on the other hand, is likely to be candidate of the party drys. Nor is the religious issue, as represented by their two candidates, to be over- looked. Gov. Smith's attentions to the dignitaries of the Catholic Church who came here from Rome for the Eucharistic Congress are being used against him by intolerant Protestants throughout the country. * ok kX% ‘The farm issue, which Senator Cum- mins visualized as the rock upon which the Coolidge candidacy—if there be a <Coolldge candidacy—is |likely to come to grief, is the only is- sue that has really come to the fore in the last year.. It must not be for- gotten that it was an issue also in 1924, when President Coolidge swept the country. But if the Republicans failed to please the corn belt, the Democrats in Congress equally muffed the ball. The Democrats ~voted against the McNary-Haugen bill in large numbers, and they algo voted against the Fess bill, which was the administration farm relief measure. With such a record the Democrats can scarcely make much of an ap- peal to the farmers of the Middle West and the West. 5 * k% * The Republican leaders in Pennsyl- vania: are planning to move heaven and earth if. nece: to get Repre- sentative Willlam S. Vare seated in the Senate securely, if he be elected next November. In one way, it might be to the Mellon interest to have Mr. Vare ditched by the Senate because of the excessive expenditures in the primary campalgn last May. John S. Fisher, the Mellon candidate for governor, in all probability would be in position to appoint a Mellon man to the Senate. But that would be.a dangerous proceeding with Mr. Vare and the Philadelphia’ machine to be reckoned with later. Senator David A. Reed, who must run again in 1928, is slated at present as the defender of Mr. Vare when he to the Senate in 1927. Reed 18 ind if he is suc- ezl * ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS / BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How much does fice cream weigh?—R. W. A. The Bureau of Standards says that the weight of a unit volume of ice cream depends upon the charac- ter of the ingredients and the pro- portion of air incorporated .in the product. Fruit and nut ice cream, also chocolate ice cream, will run heavier than vanilla ice cream. Dif- ferent ice creams may range from four and one-half pounds to five and three-fourths pou: per gallon. Q._Are there any snakes in Scot- land?—L. R. G. A. Like Ireland, Scotland1s singu- larly free from snakes, while only two species are known in England. Q. How dld soccer get its name?— A i a variant of Socker, which is derived from assoc, the ab- breviation of assoclation, the game played under association rules. Q. How hot is Italy in the Summer- time?—A. G. E. A. The mean Summer temperature at no station in Italy exceeds 80° F., while nowhere except in the elevated valleys of Piedmont is the mean Sum- mer temperature lower than 70°. Q. How is spuff made?—A. C. T. A. The madufacture of snuff is the be. | most complex, tedious and difficult un- dertaking of the tobacco manufacture, but it is now of but little importance. The tobacco best suited for snuff- malking is the thick, fleshy leaf of a dark color, but scraps and waste pieces resulting from the preparation of smoking mixtures and cigars and the midribs of leaves are largely used. The material is moistened with a so- lution of common salt and placed in very large heaps to ferment for some weeks. Varjous flavoring materials, such as licorice, tonka beans (Dip- teryx odorata) and other ingredients are added, the natures of which are often trade secrets. The mass Is dried, ground and allowed to ferment again, the process being repeated if necessary. The peculiar properties of snuff are dependent on the presence of free nicotine, free ammonia and the aromatic principles developed dur- ing fermentation. Q. In what manner was the rudder of a Spanish galleon suspended?— N. H. A. Paul E. Garber of the Smith- sonian Institution says that the rud- der swung on pintles fastened to the rudder by iron straps, but free to turn in the bend of similar straps on the hull. The rudder straps were above the hull straps and the pintles were recessed into the rudder, flush with the hinged edge. The rudder ex- tended above the water line and was THE FREN BY FRANK In the great discussion which is now going on in France over the question of a financial liquidation, the real issue has changed materially from the earlier phases. The diffi- culty is no longer one of taxation, for it is quite clear to all informed observers, French and foreign alike, that there is no real chance of impos- ing larger tax burdens. This is due not to the obvious reluctance of the French people to bear the burden, but to the simple economic fact that tax- ation has reached, if it has not passed, the point of maximum yield and that new taxes would diminish, not in- crease, revenue. ‘What France is wrestling with is the issue of stabilization, which means in practice writing off five-sixths of the value of most investments. If the present franc were valued at the current market—that 1s, at something like two and a half cents—this would represent a shrinkage from 19.3 cents. Thus the franc would assure a fixed value of between a seventh and an eighth of the pre-war figure. Of course, the same result would come if a new franc were adoptéd, as the renten mark was adopted in Ger- many. * % ¥ X This stabilization would have for its first result the wiping out of between 80 and 90 per cent of the actual value of the vast mass of government se- ‘curities which exist and represent the war and victory loans. These have been absorbed by the French people at various values, beginning when the franc was at par in 1914. It would also operate similarly for the $6,000,- 000,000 of government securities which represented the pre-war debt of France. Of course, this step would not ac- tually take anything from the present market value of the franc, but what it ‘would do_would\be to abolish all possibility of any Iater return of the franc to par or to some relatively high level. When one considers that the French people have in huge numbers invested their savings in French gov- ernment securities, it s possible to ap- preciate the extent of the blow which will fall with stabilization. The whole middle class, too—the people with small but fixed incomes derived . from their investments in government and other securities—will Sufter also. If the Germans’ experi- ence is any criterion, they will be brought to the point of starvatfon, because their income which was once sufficient, measured in values of the pre-war franc, will sink to insignifi- cance when stabilization operates to raise all the prices in France. . * ok ok X Once stabilization comes, of course, the first effect will be an enormous rise in prices. Today, while the French’ franc is worth but one-eighth of its pre-war value abroad, at home its purchasing power is very much higher. “Outside of Paris and one or two other regions in France the cost of Mving, measured in American or British money, is almost absurdly low. Thus, the mass of French peo- nomination and re-election would be pretty well assured. But Mr. Vare will face a terrific ‘contest in all prob: ability. ' Should the Democrats win control of the Senate in the Fall, Vare's seating would be nothing short of a le. Even if the Republicans continue in control of the Senate, the c‘:,humu . are decidedly against Mr. ‘are. The Democrats are capltalizing as strongly as they can the charges of corruption in the Republican Pennsyl- vania primaries. They hope to make the issue effective in the elections in November. Their eyes are turned hopefully now to the senatorial inves- tigation of the Illinois Republican pri- ‘mary, which is soon to get under way. * Kk ok k Mr. Vare, if he be unseated by the Senate, may go back to Pennsylvania and attempt to come back again, either through appointment by the governor or by re-election, or by both. ‘The late Willlam A. Clark of Mon- tana, millioniare mine operator, a Democrat, was charged with having bribed and bought his way into the Senate in 1898, when the State legis- latures elected United States Sen- ators. A Senate committee which in- Vi ted the charges held Clark’s election was null and void. But he resigned his seat before he was thrown out, went back to Mon- tana and was again elected, and this time seated. It was shown that Clark had -expended $142,000 in his cam- paign for election. This amount pales into insignificance when it is cen- ed with in the the It e shaped into the post below "!z):t bend of‘:ho p:oph " The rudder post passed thro the poop to the lower deck. The tiller had at its rear a rectangular’ mortise through which the rudder post projected. Q. Is thers a difference between ;}lu%fln‘lfl and huckleberries?—M. A. There is & botanical difference be- tween blueberries and huckleberries. ‘The blueberry is a fiofter and richer ber rdinarily grows on smaller bushes. The blueberry s biue, and the huckleberry is blue-black and has larger seeds. Q. When_was Natchitoches found- ed?—C. G. H. A. The Louisiana Historical Society says that “Martin, Gayarre and For- tier all place the founding of Natchi- toches as having taken place in 1714 by St. Denis, under the command of Cadillac. A fort was built three years later. This refers to the town,l 'I“: parish was presumably part of wanderings of De Soto in 1542. The first mention of grants in Natchi- toches seems to have been in 1718 to the Brossart brothers, whose settle- ment flourished.” Q. Has the head of Tut-ankh-Amen been uncovered?—P. T. D. e b iy e i wrappings of wi ve moved, are appearing in current Eng- lish magazines. Q. What kind of rubber rings are best to use in canning?—H. T. T. A. In buying rings for canning a simple test to determine whether or niot. they are made of a rubber that will withstand the temperature o% processing is to double the rings to* gether and press the fold with thg finger. If the rubber is of good qual- ity, it will nct crack under this treat. ment. Q. Who is the ruler of Liechten~ stein?—L. G. A. The principality of Liechten- stein is a sovereign state, the relgn- ing prince of which is John II. The posts and telegraph are administered by Switzerland. Frederic J. Haskin is employed by this paper to handle the inquiries of our readers, and you are invited to call upon him as freely and as often as you please. Ask anything that is a matter of fact and the authority will be quoted you. There is no charge for this service. Ask what you want, sign your name and address, and in- close 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Has- kin, Director, Washington, D. C. CH FRANC H. SIMONDS realization of the actual situation, be- cause while the cost'of living has risen with inflation, it has not risen in _anything like the degree that would balance the shrinkage of the franc on the foreign exchange. ‘What every cabinet in France and every individual politician is fearful of is the political effect of the inev- itable consequences of inflation. They believe, justly enough, that when the pinch comes the people will ascribe it, not to the inflation, but to the sta- bilization, and that they will be po- litically ruined for having adopted the course which all sensible persons know must in the end be accepted. Eventually stabilization ‘will restore the French situation, but along the way many politiclans may be wrecked by the popular emotion. The new uproar over the American debt is, too, a direct consequence of the situation'with respect of stablii- zation. All the holders of French governmental securities are faced with the prospect of having the value of these securities reduced by between 80 and 90 per cent. But while this process is operating they see them- selves called upon to pay back debts to war allles which have been re- duced far less. Thus the French im- vestor sees his own securities well- nigh wiped out, the returns which he expected from German reparations cut down by the Dawes report and his debts to the allies maintained at what he regards as astronomical lev- els, Hence the present revoit. * ok X % The financial expert perceives that reorganization of French finances can only be accomplished by foreign ald. which in practice means American and British loans. He sees that these loans can only be obtained by the acceptance of the obligation to pay the debts owed to Britain and the United States. Therefore, he advo- cated ratification of the Mellon-Beren- ger and Caillaux-Churchill conven- tions. He shares the belief of his fellow countrymen that the accords are unfair to France and perhaps even impossible of realization, but he 1is ready to sign now to get the loan and settle later as the situation may demand. | But the mass of the Frénch people are up in arms against a course which to their mind involves the permanent destruction of nine-tenths of the value of their own securities and the mort- gaging of France abroad for a period of two generations. Not being experts, the mass of the people do not under- stand the situation, do not perceive the necessities and, in effect, will not permit their politicians to put through the required legislation. Moreover, there is a very wide- spread suspicion in France that Brit- ish and American finance, backed by the respective governments, is de- liberately seeking to dominate and control France by means of debts and loans, and public opinion is becoming aroused and even hysterical. All of which is.disclosed in such incidents as the resolution of the war-mutilated to parade on Bastille day in protest against the American debt settlement. * ok k% That the French government can now push through the Mellon-Beren- ger treaty is totally unlikely, and there are many signs that it appre- clates the fact. France must come much nearer to total collapse before public opinion will consent. But even when it does consent under duress it remains to be seen whether a later generation will carry out the contract. The conviction of the whole French nation is that we have taken advan- tage of French misfortune, the result of French sacrifices in the war, to impose a Shylock settlement upon France, and that this settiement fis against right, justice and even de- cency. And this conviction is likely to spread rather than disappear, with the inevitable consequence that we 1 ¥ ple have not yet been brought to the - } \ shall be increasingly unpopular in ’ France for many years. It would be a mistake, too, gard the French situation as unique. For better or for worse, the debt ques- tion has destroyed our prestige, popu- larity and influence in Europe as a whole, save only as this general feel- ing is temporarily restrained by the grim fact that we have the money and the power. Thus while peoples in increasing measure denounce us, governments are forced by their n cessities to preserve friendly relations and even to endeavor to suppress too violent popular expressions of resent- ment. In this latter operation they to re- are patently working against popular ; feeling, us the Briand government / found when it sought to prevent the, Bastille day protest of the French vet- erans. (Copyright. 1826.) ! P