Evening Star Newspaper, August 25, 1926, Page 8

OHE EVENING STAR 4 \ith Sunday Morning Fdition. WASHINGTON, D. C. \VEDNESDAY. . . August 25, 1926 THEODORE v EODORE W. NOYES . 5 e Evening Star Newspaper Company 11t st o Benparivanta A . . “and Penneyivania Ave, # New York Offics: 110 East 32nd St. Tower Building. 14 Rerent St.. London, England. Chicago Ofticc |o Buropean Ofice: 1 e The Evening Star, with the Sunday morn ng edition. fs delivered by earriers within . Editor clerk whom Sage, it is belleved, thrust between himself and the blackmailer. Suit was afterward instituted by this clerk against Mr. Sage on the score of his terrible injuries. Another case of a bomber destroyed by his own infernal machine was that of the man who attempted to place a high explosive in the vestibule of the Mitchell Palmer in this city during the war. By some mischance the con- tainer was dropped or kicked and ft detonated, literally blowing the fanatic to bits and doing considerable damage The city at’ 60 cents per month: dnlg g:r}{.- to the property, though not injuring +45 cents per month: Sunday only. Per month. Orders may be sent by 1rlephone Main 5000. Collection is made by ~tirrier at the end of each month. ‘Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Eunday only “Baily and_ sunday Raily on) / Funday only Member of the Associated Press. The Aesoc £o the use Yiat-hes o dted in this paver nblished her All rig pecial disp: case 15 exe Blication lited to it or no hews dic otherwise cred- nte of publication Big Business and Publicity. The stock exchange is an extremely sensitive barometer. Tt rises and falls In response o slight varviations of yressure. It is subject to “‘puffs” of passing force. When the market is stagnant these influences have slight- effect than when it is active in » bull advances or bear depres- Just at present Wall Street i= bullish. The market is unusually metive, prices are high, optimism pre- wails, the public is participating in share buying and selling, there is much speculation and there 1= a Jieavy volume of investment. In this condition the stock barometer is un- nsually sensitive. A short time ago a quick upward movement in a certain stock, which has been a feature of the market for fome weeks past, was caused by the Jublication of an interview with one of the banking leaders of New York, \hich expressed the most favorable judgment of the earning and dividend paving powers of the corporation. “Jater the interview was modified, but fhe bulls had had their opportunity 10 use it to cause a sharp advanct A bad crop report affects the mar- ket. A disaster may do so.. A sud- den foreign political crisis is apt to Jnock points off the stocks. In just the same way a turn for the better Jn any of these situations will cause the list to react upward. Yesterday the market was affected fn a peculiar manner by the publi- caton of advance sheets of an article in a leading magazine by a Harvard professor, o noted economist, dealing with the matter of. publicity in the finanelal affairs of corporations and cuggesting that the Federal Trade Commission exercise the powers al- ready vested in it to compel the sub- mission of more complete and com- prehensible reports. Quickly the word spread that the economist had men- tloned certain large companies, and hefore the full text of the article was known the bears were abla to make a raid on a long list of stocks, in- cInding those of companies that were Jot thus mentioned: in fact, some that were particulagly pointed out as of commendable e pursuing a policy publicity Unquestionably, greater publici cepecially for the information of the stockholders, is desirable in the case of corporations the securitics of which widely distributed and which do large volumes of business. 'he withholding of information from s<hareholders is highly reprehensible. teports that conceal essential facts or cloud conditions are mischievous. They affect only the ‘immediate interests of investors, but furnish the fuctors of false price movements in hoth the stock and the commodity markets, In this case it is pointed out that the Federal Trade Commis- has the power to compel 1 and explicit statements and to prevent what this economist critic calls “enigmatic accounting™ and mis- 1eading halance sheets. Ihe Federal Trade Commission can perform mo more valuable service to the public th to require corpora- tions to render their reports in terms that will inform stockholders and the of the exact condi- tions, whether favorable or unfavora- Tha day of secrecy in business management, especially the manage- ment of husinesses that serve the whela community and include hun- dreds of thousands, almost millions, of persons as owners in greater or loss desree, has passed. are not sion now publle at large e roea Bvery fatlure to swim the English Channel 1s & new compliment to Miss Lderle intending to be <o, of hoosters. always the best - & New Jersey was more seriously emed when resting her publicity on the sea serpent instead of the Hall-Mills mys el oo Crazy Bomb Makers. In variation from the usual hold-up method was the tragedy in Pittsburgh vesterday, when an escaped lunatic walked into a bank, carrying a small bhag, 1d presented a note for 00 to the teller, demanding pay- nunder death. The 1eiler, to guin time, showed the note to ar bank workers and quietly sum- oned assistance. As several persons, including a s 1 policeman, ap- .proached the window the man repeat- o4 his threat, and immedlately after- ward kicked his bag vigorously. It exploded with a terrific force. The maniac was instantly killed and the policeman was fatally injured, dying waon afterward. Twenty-four other persons were seriously wourded. The - of the bank was badly mer penalty of act brings to mind the ttack upon Russell Sage About thirty-five years ago, when the ~ew York banker was approached by . man with a demand for money, re- fusal of which caused him to explode # bomb which destroyed him and In- ’ jured many others, especially sively entitled 1 and aleo the local mewa ches herein are also reserved. The feeble imitator, without | any other person than the bomber. The Pittsburgh bomber was obvious- ly a madman. Had he been an ordl- nary hold-up man he would have pre- sented a pistol after the conventional style of the highwayman., That he made his threat with a bomb is plain evidence that he was demented. A book was found that contained the names of several persons of prom- inence in Plttsburgh against whom he presumably had grievances. The question arises how such & per- son, who, according to one report, was recently an inmate of a hospital for the insane, can get materials for an infernal machine of this character. It is well known that under the loose weapon laws in this country any per- son can arm himself for criminal pur- poses. An insane person at large from an fnstitution can get a gun in Washington, for example, without the least difficulty. But bomb-making is different from ordinary armament. It requires high explosives that can be bought only at special places. It must be assembled from materials the sale of which should be scrupulously safe- guarded against misuse. It may be possible in this case to trace the “makings” of the infernal machine contrived by the maniac, but will that disclosure lsad to any reformatory, corrective measures to protect soclety from criminal fanaticism which may at any time take heavy toll of inno- cent lives? e Eight Miles Up. A new altitude record for airplanes is expected to be established when the instruments on the machine of Lieut. Callizo, the French aviator, are officially tested. Monday after- noon he took off from Le Bourget and on returning to the ground two hours and twenty-five minutes later his “ceiling” was unofficlally found to be 41,811 feet, more than 2,000 feet higher than his present world's rec- ord of 39,576 feet. The latter figure is the mark that Lieut. John A. Macready of the United States Army has attempted many times to break. Lieut. Mac- ready was the holder of the world’s record until Lieut. Callizo made his startling flight a couple of years ago. Since that time Macready has made several unsuccessful attempts to win back the title. On his: latest flight he reached a “ceiling” of 38,704 feet, less than a thousand feet short of the mark, but was unable to go high- er on account of the failure of his supercharger, a device to preserve sea-level pressure at great heights. If the new record is officfally found to be 41,811 feet, as friends of Lieut. Callizo confiflently expect, Macready has an even harder task before him if he still covets the return of his title as the world's premier altitude fiver. Lieut. Callizo's feat in fiying ap- proximately eight miles above the earth is remarkable. Altitude fiying is fraught with dangers and hard- ships that cannot be conceived by the Jayman. Terrific cold, lack of proper oxygzen nourishment for the lungs and other factors mske it a | hazardous task at best. American sportsmanship, however, will not be content to have the | taurels rest continually in France. It | Macready, who has been the mest | persistent challenger, does not make further efforts, some other American aviator will “tune up” his machine and take a shot at the newest mark. | 1t a French fiver can drive a French machine eight miles into the air an American fiyer can surely do the same with an American machine. Therefore, it is not unduly optimistic | to expect the world’s altitude title to | return to America at an early date. ————— The title “shefk’ applied to the late Rudolph Valentino was evidently not of his own seeking. Iis grace as an artist and his appeal of personality were eagerly seized upon by publicity promoters who, according to figures quoted, will profit from insurance on his life in a, sum exceeding that of the private fortune he has left. —————————— Street Trees. The annual repert of the superin- tendent of trees and parking shows a net loss of 443 street trees for the past !fiscal year. With a large mileage of | new streets, there should have been an increase in the planting of trees, During the year there were two or three storms which destroyed many trees and greatly injured a large num- ber, and there was heavy mortality among trees because of the widening of streets. Disease and decay, to which trees are maturally liable, took their toll, and injury, to which street trees are especially exposed, brought about considerable loss. Two hundred and thirty-six trees were destroyed by storm, 169 by lack of moisture, 90 by abnormal moisture, 62 by gas leaking from pipes, 51 by being filled around, |23 by being girdled by vandals, 5 by root mutilations, 6 by insects and 589 from causes not explained. If Washington is to be worthy of its fame as a tree-shaded city there should be a speeding up in the work of planting trees and in caring for those it has. The number of trees ‘“re- moved to make way for street im- provements,” meaning, no doubt, street widening, was 382, and nearly all these were downtown trees. It is the downtown section of the city which seriously needs trees, but the | problem has become difficult. The planting of trees along streets that have been widened may not be carried out. The prospect is that there will not be space for a strip of parking be- tween the curb and walkway, and if a park strip is left it may be too nar- house of former Attorney. General, THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON tree roots to get necessary moisture. Sidewalk vaults are bullt as business grows, and a sldewalk vault ends all chance for a tree at that place. The best care possible for trees must be given those that stand along the streets, and replacements should be made with trees of specles that have proved thelr hardiness under city con- ditions. On the very wide streets the Eastern planes and Western syca- mores have done well, but except on wide streets the sycamore has proved not to be a good street tree. Along many streets between the river and Florida avenue are lines of silver maples, which are fragile trees. In the seventles and eighties they were be- lieved excellent treed for street plant- ing. They are fast growing and give abundant shade. Wind has taken a heavy toll of those trees, and when they die or fall they are replaced by Norway maples or red oaks, which are now popular street trees and seem best suited for city planting. The trees and parking office of the District government deserves praise for work it has done in view of the small allowance of money granted it. There is a great work for that office in taking care of street trees, in re- Miacing casualties and planting trees on new streets. There has recently been an enlargement of nursery facil Ities by the transfer to the District by the War Department of a tract of land in Anacostia Park, but that “made” | land is not suitable for the growth of trees needed for streets. The hardy and long-lived trees grow on high land, In the new nursery tract water is too near the surface of the land for the successful growing of red oaks and hard maples and perhaps even for the pin oaks which for twenty or thirty Vears have been popular as street trees, but whose popularity seems to be waning. The city must depend on the Fort Dupont nursery, on high land to be acquired for nursery use, or on purchases from private nur- serfes. The superintendent of trees and parking reports that of the 1,754 trees planted last year 300 were red oaks bought from a private nursery. —————— The publicity given a favorite movie star when he dies, as compared with that accorded a highly eminent educator, illustrates the relative im- portance attached to a five-thousand- foot film and a five-foot bookshelf. —_———— ‘When Mussolini succeeds in restor- ing the glory of ancient Rome, he may, In view of advantages in fore. knowledge of development, make the title “realtor” more significant of power than even that of “dictator.” ———— Uncle Sam is, perhaps, warranted in inquiring why he should seek mem- bership in European political organ- izations when he knows in advance that he will be unpopular. ————————— A disposition in Europe to offend American tourists must be accepted by any conservative financier as evi- dence of grave carelessness in money matters. —————— Fame {is ephemeral. In a few weeks ‘“Paul Smith” will be forgotten and people will cease inquiring who he was. French dressmakers decree longer skirts. Judging from the fashion pic: tures, the French dressmakers are the only people who are wearing them. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. County Fair. The sights they see in gay Paree Are wonderful, indeed. - With gasoline we reach each scene In unremitting speed. We scarch the skies for some new prize 'Mongst suns away out there— I hail the worth of Mother Earth; I'm goin’ to the Falr. The laws that rule the molecule Or guide the universe— I let ’em ride, as they abide For better or for worse. The golden grain, the fancy strain Of stock shall claim my care As T forget both doubt and debt-— I'm goin’ to the Fair! The Note of Novelty. “Are you going to hecome a candi- date for the presidency?” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I'm goin’' to make an effort to be unique and original and pretend I don’t want the job.” Direction. The airship traveled with great speed When to the sky it hopped; But faster still—we saw no need— ‘When vertically it dropped. Jud Tunkins says he wouldn’t have minded bein’ run down by a. lady in a flivver if she hadn't started a line o’ talk that prevented a man trvin’ to be a gentleman from answerin’' her “Love,” sald Hi Ho, the Chinese philosopher, “is the great inspiration of the modern realtor who has a small flat to rent at an exorbitant price.” Ever Practical. - “What is your favorite flower?” “I don’t want to seem cold and un- sentimental,” answered Farmer Corn- tossel, “but there’s nothin’ that cheers me up like a good, healthy potato blossom.” Relaxation. If T a million dollars had I'd gratify one wish. In coarse attire I would be clad And with some thoughtless country lad I'd squander time, and fish. An Exacting Patron. “Why do you object to my show?” asked the burlesque manager. “The girls don't wear enough clothes.” 4 “They wear quite as many as you see on the streets.” “That's the point. Why should I pay money simply to see the same old stuff?” “Speakin’ of marksmanship,” sald Uncle Eben, “a crapshooter generally has to admit dat his alm in life was a bank Fow and become too hard-packed for pretty poor.” BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘We listened, the other evening, to what we regard as perfect radio re- ception. On our own set, too—a statement which every “fan” will ap- preclate. The hour and a half of music was furnished by two.commercial firms, the first taking an hour and the other the remaining time. It was significant that neither or- ganization hired a brass band to broadcast. The fine band has its place, but one's living room is not the place—hardly. ‘When one is spending hard dollars for the evanescent but no less tangi- ble thing known as “good will,” he wants his music to please everybody. So what did the two firms do? Did they engage the facilities of three sta- tions (WEAF, WJZ and WRC) to put on some eminent brass band, because it sounded good in the public square or out over the water? They did not. They secured the services of a group of clever singers and instrumentalists, in the first in- stance, and of a most capable small organization composed principally of string and wind instruments, in the second. It may be noted, in passing, that no business firm has hired, to our knowl- edge, a brass band for regular pub- lcity work over radio. We believe there is sound artistic as well as com- merclal sense in this boycott of the band. Business men know that radio broadcasting goes into the home, and they also realize that the sort of mu- sic one has in his home, normally, is voice, piano, small ensembles, violin, flute, etc. Who ever heard of ‘a brass band in the living room? * K ok K Our reception of the small string and woodwind ensemble especially pleased us, and served to make plain a few ideas that have been kicking around in our head for expression for a long time. The ensemble came over in such beautiful fashion that there was no suggestion of any agency whatever between the distant players and our- selves. The music simply permeated the atmosphere. There was ‘music in the air,” in the best and true sense. What a miracle it was! Distant broadcasting apparatus, players, hun- dreds of miles of wire, great tubes, radio recefving set, little tubes, bat- tertes, loud speaker, ourself—ail, all was forgot, and there was nothing, for the time being, but music every- where. 1t was just the sort of music that we, personally, prefer in the home— and we believe that it was the sort that most folk like to hear best. Both {n quantity and quality it was superb. This was music far from the crash of swinging march or surging fox- trot. It was tuneful, well orchestrated musio, written by the masters, who loved melody with alt their souls, yet know theory well enough to in- corporate something else. This “something else is the divine dream quality, without which music is something' less than musioc, al- though it may be a great deal more than nofse. The dream quality in music is what makes one lose all sense of place, of orchestra, of one's own self, and be- come simply a great ear, drinking in a precious combination of large and spaclous sounds. * * % We hope we have made it plain that we believe the militaty band has no place in the home, under any cir- cumstances, and that the popular ance orchestra has place only upon occasion. For a steady musical diet, nothing but true home' music, provided by volce, piano, violin, violoncello, small orchestras, etc., will serve, in our set opinion, Seemingly the big business interests that have “gone in” for radio adver- tising have felt exactly the same way about it, in the main, for practically every one of these features has been of the quality mentioned. Even the capable dance orchestras that broadcast as advertising “stunts” are lacking in brass instruments, and have evolved a style of playing that makes an art of what lesser orches- tras only manage to turn into musical hash. They say there is nothing new un- der the sun, but it would seem that this coupling of commerce and music, in radio advertising, is something en- tirely novel, and distinctly worth while. This is especlally true since the singers and instrumentalists engaged by the firms are all high-class per- formers. The other night when we (and Heaven alone knows how many hundreds of thousands more!) listened to the program that pleased us so much, we heard a program that posi- tively could not be duplicated in any place of entertainment in Washing- ton. There was music for every mood. and finely played—and yet we enjoy- ed it because a shoe manufacturer and a rug and carpet house wanted to. carry their good names into our ears and minds! If there is nothing new under the sun, certainly there is something dis- tinctly new under the electric light. * k ok % With the recent declded perfecting of tubes and loud speakers, in par- ticular, radio in the home becomes true musie. There are four outstanding qualities in the better radlo reception of today. The first is that radio is lifelike. The listener knows that real people, although they may be hundreds of miles away,, are at that very time playing, singing, talking. . They may make mistakes, or they may give a glorious performance. ~The human element is decidedly there. The second fine “quality” in radio is that of trueness to pitch. A child brought up on radio is going to get a correct awareness, if one may put it so, of music played onsthe key, not off pitch. As this keenness of ear is fundamental to ability as a performer, or real appreclation as a listener, it is of great importance in music, no matter how played or heard. Radio also gives (in the third place) a better blend of instruments than any other form of music liable to he heard in the home. The vari- ous' instruments, especially of the small orchestra, “stand out,” as one might see the various trees in a for- est, all blending into ore woods, but each a distinct tree. Yet, with this blending, this fine harmony, comes (our fourth point) absolute distinctness of individual in- struments, so that the listener may hear every instrument' and every tone, if he listens for them. This is the music of dreams, no mat- ter how one receives it. Those who are furnishing it via radio are bene- fiting us, and if they benefit them- selves at the same time, well, why not? More Power to them! WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS Wayne B. Wheeler, generalissimo of the Anti-Saloon Ieague, has brand- ed us “Tinkham's Tinkle” the public letter which (ieorge Holden Tirkha Bay State millionaire Representative, ortsman and ardent wet, sent to Attorney General Sargent demanding that the Departmeht of Justice in stitute criminal proceedings against the Anti-Saloon League for violation of the corrupt practice act. Tinkham has retorted that ““Wheeler's squeal” is abusive, evasive and mendacious. This lively repartee being finished, attention focuses on Mr. Sargent and the interesting question is—what reply will the Attorney General make to the original Tinkham letter? Tinkham, loyal Coolidge Republican that he is, in his zeal to see the “wick- ed drys” in jail has put his party chieftains in somewhat of a hole. Mr. Sargent is faced with a real dilemma. He cannot easily fgnore the Tinkham letter. If he denies the Tinkham assertions that the Anti- Saloon League has heen disclosed to be a political organization he will be offering an opinion which runs counter to the pretty unanimous view of the “man in the street.” And if the Attorney General concedes that the Jeague is political in its activitie: and so amenable to the Federal cor- rupt practice law, what reason can he offer for not prosecuting the league officlals for failure to make public reports of their receipts and expenditures as the law requires? His last alternative would be to prosecute Wheeler et al. as Tinkhain demands, and what a fine kettle of fish that would be for the Coolldge administration! % e President Lincoln's gold watch and the famous Healey portrait of Lin- coln, two of the most cherished po sessions of his son, Robert Todd Lin- coln, are likely soon to be presented to the Government by his son's widow, according to her friends. So far Mrs. Lincoln has withheld a announce- ment, but she is quoted by her friends as stating that it was her husband’s wish that these priceless = Lincoln relics should become the property of the American people, and she intends to see that this wish is fulfilled. Tt is anticipated that the watch will be de- posited in the National Museum and that the painting will be hung in the White House. Robert Lincoln told his friends that in his opinion the Healey portrait was the best likeness of his father ever painted. For half a cen- tury it has been on the wall in the Robert Lincoln home here. The gold chain which belonged to the watch is understood to have been lost to the Lincoln heirs many vears ago and to be now in the possession of a wealthy Chicago collector. An effort is to be made to secure its return to the watch. * ok k% Paralleling the experience of Texas with the Fergusons, when ‘Ma” was governor and “Pa.”’ who had heen dis- qualified from holding office by im- peachment proceedings, was the suid- ing hand of the administration, Wash- ington learns that Mrs. John . Langley, who is coming to Congress from Kentucky to occupy the seat her husband lost when he went to Atlanta to serve a two-year term for paftici pating in illegal whisky withdrawals from Government bonded warehouses, proposes to appoint him as her secre- tary. He will be an “asuistant con- gressman” as Ferguson was “assist- ant governor.” Mrs. Langley hopes to overcome the difficulty presented by the fact that her husband is now in prison with most of his sentence still remaining to be served, by securing his pardon or release on parole. Lang- ley entered Atlanta January 15 of this vear and will be eligible for parole on September 14. Already the prelimi- hary steps for parole application to the Department of Justice are under way. * % x % Most of the Washington news this Summer appears in print under a Paul Smithe date line. Cabinet offi- Mr. | !cers and bureau, chiefs, Congress- men and publicists, if they have any announcements to make, jour- neyv to the Adirondacks and hand them out from Mr. Coolidge’s door- step. Two recent bits of Washing- ton news which did not appear via the Paul Smiths route were the Navy Department announcement that the KFord Alrcraft Co. at De- troit had been given a contract for the construction of an all-metal air- ship, the first of a large fleet of this type which is in prospect, and the good news for Federal employves that the Government's travel allow- ance was raised from $4 to $6 per day, effective October 1. ¥k ok ok A recent news dispatch from Paul Smiths, chronicling the visit of Sen- ator Wadsworth of New York, con- tained this delicate and intimate de- tail: “Although having refused to be photographed with Gov. Smith, the President personally arranged for movles and snapshots of the Senator and himself, indicating® in that way that he is willing to stand with Senator Wadsworth in spite of the dry attacks upon him. The President, however, will not become involved in the prohibition question nor in Phe State campaign.” The absence of Secretary Everett Sanders evidently puts the added burden upon the President of at- tending personally to the picture- making. The secretary, after an ill- ness which brought him In haste to a Boston hospital, is'now cruis- ing in_the West Indies on a United Fruit Line ship. Mrs. Sanders ac- companies him on his vovage of convalescence. * k kX Success of the Coolidge program af thrift is exemplified in the cur- rent report of Gen. Lord, director of the budget. Government depart- ments were advised some time ago by Gen. Lord that they could save money by discounting their bills and paying cash, as any thrifty and prosperous private merchant does. This practice is now in effect and Gen. Lord reports that as a result of this economy the total savings to date include $12.75_saved by the executlve department, 78 cents saved by the National Park Commission, 48 cents saved by the United States Bureau of Efficiency, and 18 cents saved by the Federal Power Com- miésion. However, this hardly puts the facts in their true light, for it appears that the grand total of the saving effected by all departments by the discounting practice since the system was put into vogue amounts to $2,381,505. These are Gen. Lord's figures. * K kK Thermit, a mixture of aduminum metal and iron_oxide, which gener- ates a heat of 5,000 degrees Fahren- heit, will probably end the menace of the iceberg in the North Atlantic and in transatlantic shipping lanes. It has been successfully used to destroy icebergs off Newfoundland by Canadian authorities, according ito information received by the Navy Department. The United States Coast Guard has used TNT and other high explosives without suc- cess on icebergs because of the blanketing effect which ice and {dampness have on any explosives. Thermit, which is not an explosive, develops its terrific heat in a few seconds, causing great cracks in the ice and also the formation of gases which cause the ice to give and ex- plode. { | (Copyright. 1926.) Political Paradox. From the Lynchbyrg News. Pennsylvania and_ Illinols have that the proved the paradox the politics the more it costa. A are-going ~ ~D. C. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25 192. Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln. The serious situation in New York Republican ranks, growing out of the wet stand taken by Senator James W. Wadsworth, the outstanding party leader today in the Empire State, and the opposition which has develop- ed to him among the dry Republicans upstate, has aroused the Republican leaders generally from President Cool- idge down. The defeat of Senator Wadsworth, a stanch ° Republican and supporter of the administration, would be a body blow. Not only would it ¢ lessen the Republican \strength in the Senate—it might even throw the control of the Senate from the Republicans to the Democrats. Furthermore, it would give the Demo- crats two Senators from New York for the first time in many years, and the prestige of the Republican party and administration would receive a severe jolt in the State, which casts the greatest number of electoral votes in 1928, when a President is chosen. * ok Kk More and more the probable results of the 1926 congressional elections are being figured with an eye to the presidential race in 1928. With the continuance of the present prosperity in the United States it would appear on the surface that nothing could pre- vent the election of a Republican President, nor the renomination and re-election of President Coolidge if he makes the race, as so many of his friends now believe he will do. But the results of the congressional elec- tions will be looked upon as something more than a straw to show which way the wind is blowing. The elec- tion of a Democratic majority in the Senate or House or in both would not only hearten the Democrats, but would have a certain psychological effect upon the !voters throughout the country. The defeat of Senator Wadsworth would be little less serious to the Re- publicans and the Coolidge adminis- tration than the defeat of Senator Willjam M. Butler of Massachusetts, the friend of the President and his campaign marager in 1924. And that would be serious indeed. First, some of the Democratic speakers, includ- ing Gov. Ritchie of Maryland and former Senator Stanley of Kentucky, wae’nt into the dBay State and told the 'voters that they ought to beat Senator Butler because to strike at him would be to strike at President Coolidge and the administration. Now Senator, Butler and other speakers for him have declared that the senatorial fight in Massachusetts this year is really a forerunner of the presiden- tial contest in 1928, and that the Re- publicans must win or first blood will go to the Democrats. All of this is not particularly pleasing to former Senator David I. Walsh, the Demo- cratic candidate for the Senate against Senator Butler. He has a difficult enough job to win in a State so strongly = Republican as Massachu- setts without stacking up against President Coolidge. * K ok The rift in Republican ranks over the wet and dry question has as- sumed such proportions that, in an effort to placate the upstate drys, the leaders, including Senator Wads- worth, have determined that the Re- publican candidate for governor must be reasonably dry, or at least strong for law enforcement. With such a can- didate on_the ticket, the hope is that the dry Republicans will be willing also to vote for Wadsworth and not split the ticket. The matter has been discussed with President Coolidge him- self at his Summer home in the Adirondacks. And while the Presi- dent has not thrown himself into the contest in support of Wadsworth, it has become generally known that he would consider it a great misfortune if Mr. Wadsworth were turned down by the dry Republicans. The effort of Senator Wadsworth during the cam- paign will be to force his Democratic opponent to discuss national issues entirely and to keep away from the wet and dry question. He may find this difficult, however, if he is com- stantly prodded from one side, at least, by the dry candidate, Christ- man, who will run as an independent dry candidate if he fails to get the Republican nomination, as he will. There is always the hope, to be sure, that Senator Wadsworth will pick up 4 number of wet Democratic votes. But if Judge Wagner, extremely pop- ular with Tammany and the New York Democracy, is the Democratic nominee for the Senate, as now seems probable, it may be much more dif- ficult to obtain Democratic votes for Senator Wadsworth than has been supposed. If Wagner can be elected on the ticket with Gov. Al Smith, it will be an additional boost for the governor when the Democratic na- tional convention rolls round in 1928. * ok ok % Apparently the Republican leaders in New York are not doing things by halves when it comes to sidestepping the wet and dry question in the selec- tion of a gubernatorial candidate. Simultaneously with the reports from Paul Smiths that the Republican nominee would be a law enforcement man came an announcement by Presi- dent Nicholas Murray Butler of Co- lumbla University, a_ strong wet, and previously prominently mentfoned for the nomination, that he would not ac- cept it if it were offered to him. In New York as in Massachusetts, the plea of the Republicans will be for victory to suppert the hands of Presi- dent Coolidge, and the President is just as popular in New York as he is in Massachusetts, During the 64 years elapsing since the second year of James Buchanan's administration each change of party control of the Congress or of one of the houses has presaged a change in party control nationally, except in the one instance when in 1874 the Repub- licans lost control of the House while Grant was President. The Hayes-Til- den contest followed and was decided in favor of the Republican, but only after a bitter fight. The Republicans have had control of both the Senate and House since the election of 1918, when the country turned down the Democratic agminis- tration even during the prosecution of a war. In 1922, to be sure, the political pendulum swung away from the Republicans and the Democrats gained many seats in both houses. But they did not win actual control or a majority in either the Senate or the House. * ok ok ok It has frequently been pointed out that the Democrats have the benefit of all the breaks in the contest for the Senate this vear; that while 27 Re- publican Senators must seek re-elec- tion, only 7 Democratg are up, and all of them from States of the solid South. 1In 1928, however, the comest for the Senate will be a different mat- ter. If the Republicans are successful this year in retaining a majority of the Senate, even though the margin _be small, they will have a good chance of gaining back a number of seats now held by Democrats two years hence. In 1928, 20 of the 32 Senators who come up for re-election will be Democrats and only 12 Republicans. Some of these Democrats will have a desperate struggle to come back, in all probability. Among them _are Bayard of Delaware, Copeland of New York, Dill of Washington, Ferris of Michigan, Gerry of Rhode Island, Kendrick of Wyoming, Neely of West Virginia, Pittman of Nevada and ‘Wheeler of Montana. Senator Ship- stead of Minnesota, the sole member of the Farmer-Labor party in the Sen- ate, will be up for re-election, too. All of these Senators were last elected in 1922, when the political \pendulum swung away from the Republicans midway in the Harding administra- tion. it in I’Il:"-fll be a presi- year, and Republicans strong the mational tickei ANSWERS: TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How far north is golf played? —C. A. 8. ‘We find record of the game he- | ing played as far north as Carcross, in the Arctic Circl Q. When were electric ironk electric fans first used?—B. A. The first practical electric iron was marketed about 1905. Electric fans were introduced 10 vears earlier. About 16,000,000 homes are using electric irons, and electric fans in 2,600,000 homes, Q. What price did Romney’'s “Mis- tress Davenport’ bring?—A. H. A. This celebrated portrait was bought by Sir Joseph Duveen for approximately $300,000, the highest price ever paid for a single work of art at an auction - Q. What were the duties grand marshal and a grand chamber- lain at an emperor's court?—F. E. G. A. The grand marshal of an em- 's court was_in charge of all guards and police of the empire. The grand chamberlain regulated Teremonial etiquette and arranged for court ceremonials. He decided who should be recelved at court, ap- pointed physicians, purvevors and at- tendants. Q. Is the Labrador Current, which brings down the icebergs, of any benefit to this country?—M. R. L. A. The National Gepgraphic So- ciety- says that while if’ is a danger carrfer it does teem with marine life, affording breeding and feeding grounds for the best food fish. of a pel the Q. What is an oratorio?>—R. H. A. An oratorio is a sacred composi- tion for solo voices, chorus or orches- tra. It is usually semi-dramatic and the text is usually taken from the Scriptures. It is sung without action, scenery or costume. Q. How far away could dark horses be seen by the light of the full moon in southern Oregon?—W. R. B. A. This distance depends largely on whether or not the horses are moving, on the keenness of one's Vi- sion, on the nature of the background and other circumstances. If the con- ditions are reasonably favorable, mov- ing horses might be seen a mile away in the light of the full moon. Q. What was meant by the Line of | Demarcation?—H. S. A. The Line of Demarcation, estab- lished by:Pope Alexander VI, May 4, 1493, assigned to Spain all the lands she had discovered or might discover west of the line running from the North Pole to the South Pole distant 100 leagues west of any of the Azores and Cape Verde Islands. Contention as to the exact location of the line existed over centuries. The treaty of Saragossa, 1529, fixed the line at 23715 leagues east of the Moluceas. Spain did . however, observe these pro vigions. Had she done so, the Philip pine Islands would have been included in the territory awarded to Portugal Q. What kind of fish is the crap pie?—P. C. A. It is a sunfish found in the rivers of the Mississippi Valley and Alleghenies. It is a food fish re sembling in appearance and habits the calico bass. Q. What is demography’— M. L. T A. In a broad sense it fined as the sclence of statistics ap plied to questions concerning the so clal well-being of the people. In a narrow sense it deals exclusively with vital statistics. Q. Why was it easier to hear WCAP than WRC when both broad cast_on the same wave length?” M. H. A. The Department of Commerce says that as a geweralization this wa< not the case. People living ne: the WRC station got this station more clearly, while those nearer WCAP could hear its broadcastine more distinctly. Q. What associa interested in —G. Y. Among them are the Amer ical Education Association, ) dle West Soclety of Physical I tion and Hyglene, National Phy Fducation Association, Natlonal ciety for the Directors of Education for Women, Society Directors of Physical Education Colleges and Soclety of Physical ucation and Hyglene. jons are physieal particu edue & Physical tor This is a special department devoted solely to the handling of queries. This papers puts at your disposal the sery ices of an extensive organization in Washington to serve you in any ca pacity that relates fo information This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your odN- gation is only 2 cents in stamps in closed 1with your inquiry for direct reply. Address “The Evening Star In formation Bureaw, Frederic J. Haski Director, Washington. D. C. Official Liquor “Poisoning” Subject of Bitter Argument A new Volstead law tempest has been aroused by the charge that, in denaturing alcohol, for industrial pur- poses, the Government has been in- troducing poison into the product. Many editors denounce the practice as wholesale poisoning of drinkers. Others belleve the drinking public sumes the risk when warned advance. “The denaturing process,” the New York World explains, “was innocently enough employed at first to distin- guish between industrial and potable alcohol for purposes of taxati Nobody was poisoned, because it w possible to buy taxed beer, wines, liquors and grain alcohol. Poisoning alcohol now, when these things are not legally obtainable, means poison- ing @eople. The poisoning is admit- ted; the consequences are known."” The Chattanooga Times declares “it will be for the taxpayers and the friends of taxpavers to say whether they approve that sort of way to im pose a death sentence for a mere statutory misdemeanor.” The San Francisco Bulletin concedes it is true that “the vietims of poisoning would be lawhreaker but insists that “as vet poisoning has not been ordered as a legal punishment for violations of the Volstead law.” “To pour good alcohol down a sewer for fear somebody might get it and drink 1 says the Newark Evening News, “Is spectacular and mainly un- economic. A resort on the part of the Government to wholesale poisoning of the unwary drinker in order to save prohibition goes beyond the realm of popular government intb the vagaries of a Caligula. The Hart- ford Times believes ‘‘the Government should rely on humane chemists and not on executioners. There must be some way to ‘fix’ alcohol so that the cost of “‘unfixing’ will be prohibitive and its effect, when taken internally, will be to create intense discomfort, but not to blind or slay.” The Spring- field Unlon also declares that uni they “can discover a formula that Will so denature alcohol as to leave it harmless and yet unsuitable for conversion to beverage purposes, the Government will hardly solve its problem of freeing itself from the responsibility of polsoning that whicl may be used in spite of the poison.” * K ok K “If, by accident, a Government stool pigeon now and then hecomes a poi- son-liquor victim,” suggests the Oma- ha World-Herald, “he may be written down as a martyr to the cause.” On the other hand, “if people will violate the law in order to buy and drink what they know is deadly pol- son,” argues the 'washville Banner, “4t is difficult to see what the Govern- ment is to do about it."” The Chicago Dally News points out that “‘at least the Government chemists and agents for the enforcement of prohibition have been careful to warn drinkers of the grave risk they incur.” The Ann Arbor Times-News thinks that “‘eventually, if enough poison-liquor deaths occur, the liquor-consuming public will awake to the realities and turn against the men who are reaping financial harvest by vending pol- Referring to recent cases, the News adds that “for that mat- ter, it would seem that 30 deaths are quite enough for Buffalo. “When chemists in the employ of the bootlegging industry failed in the task set for them,” states the Hamlil- ton Spectator, “the poison alcohol was sold, anyway, and it quite evidently had a ready market. President Cool- idge’'s opposition to the poisoning of industrial alcohol will save human lives, but it will submerge the United States in Industrial aicohol. The boot- leggers will applauq it more heartily than will those who would like to see prohibition given a test in the United States.” The Jamestown ~Evening Journal believes that ‘“‘the chemists who prepare formulas containing poi- may swing many of the Republican senatorial candidates into office over their Democratic opponents. * Kk % Another matter which is giving the Republican leaderg no little worry is the situation that ‘has developed in Tllinois over the candidacy of €ol.[of Frank L. Smith for the Senate. The way in which his candidacy has been linked up with that of Samuel Insull, public utilities magnate, through th contribution of $125,000 by Insull to the Smith primary campaign fund, has caused a furor. Efforts to get Col. Smith to withdraw and permit the Republicans to name anothe ~man have been, so far, unavailing.--Even if he be elected he is not likely to be seated. And if an independent were named and entered the race, making a Democratic victory almost certain, the Republicans would be in equally bad case. The Republicans are hoping that Col. Smith will find it convenient; to withdraw bifore it is too late. / son which the stills will not eliminate are really enforcing prohibition more effectively than the enforcement off cers, for the fact that this poison lig uor is on the market, directs suspi cion against all liquor.” * oK K K “Any drinker who does not wish to be a victim on the prohibition altar,” advises the Worcester Tele gram, “must apparently reform hia habits or employ a_ private chemist and have his bootleg analyzed. It isn't safe to trust the stuff any more, even when it's a gift from a personal friend who brought ‘just two bottles across the line from Canad The Bridgeport Post condemns “the prac tice of flooding the country with dead Iy poison under Governmant auspices' as “merely a_ cheap and disgraceful way for the Government to dodge its own duty of properly supervising the distribution_of alcohol for industrial The President,” continues ‘sees the moral enormity of the Government’s course. His sugges tioa is that the prohibitlon unit a find some ‘denaturant’ that js nolr-poisonous. Though he believes i law enforcement, he doés mot think that it fis necessary to outdo the Borgia family in order to prevent people from taking a drink.” Quoting Gen. Andrews to the effect that “‘the Government has not sought to treat industrial alcohol so as to make it deadly if used as a base for bootleg liquor,” the Baltimore Fvening Sun admits that Gen. Andrews “un- doubtedly belleves that what he says is true,” but the Sun contends that “there is direct testimony on the part of Government .experts that the United States for years has used lethal poisons to denature alcohol otherwise pure and fit for heverage purposes. and that it continues to do so. The Government for a long time to come will continue to use the taxpayes money to hira chemists to put poisons into the alcohol that the taxpayers drink.” The Y¥assaic Dally Herald commends Andrews' statement that the chemists “are seeking a formula that will make denatured alcohol mora obnoxious, and in a way that the unpalatable ingredlent cannot be re moved,” but offers the query, “What then Is the meaning of the announce ment by his subordinates that a dead 1y, irremovable substance s to be put into industrial alcohol?"” THINK IT OVER Plays That Have Not Been Written. By William Mather Lewis, President Georse Washington University. A Shakespearean actor was belng shown through a unlversity library by the professor of English Iliterature. Turning to his guide, he saéd.“If I had your literary ability and your -Jppor- tunity to consult books I would write a great play based on the life of 8t. Paul. There are elements in his career with dramatic possibilities aec- ond to none.” He then sketched enthusiasm the scene of Pas version, his appearance before pa, his shipwrecks, his speech at Hill, his detention days in Rome. And before he had finished agreed with him that had overlooked one of opportunities. And Paul is not the history whose matic possibilf been developed. by way of apology material for them Nothing is farther Every well stocked ping, dramas. : recently has issued an port on “The Drama in tion.” It says of a certain fi-‘. A‘ ;M may educational When it contains both of these ities, nothing exceeds it in In the Children's Park Tl B s " around Feare gy e sreat cromdn dren which swarmed the va rlous h vitalizing of rej ploasire a8 Wtk ot oe as _sharp attention