Evening Star Newspaper, November 1, 1926, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASBHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY......November 1, 1926 —_— THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Penpevivania Ave, N rtars Ofce: A0 £ Aaine. cago Office:. Tower Buildine. Ruropean ‘()meerLt‘ Kegent St.. London. ngland. cents ver month: Sundays only. 2 Por month. Orders may_ be eent by ‘mail or lephone Main 5000, Collection is made by carrier at end of each month. Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. B All Other States and Canada. lv and Sunday....1yr. $0.00: 1 mo.. 78¢ Ennv and Sunday..1 yr. $12.00: 1 mo. $1.00 ly only . 1 vr. 86.00: L mo.. fec ay only 11578300} 1 mo.. 26¢ aily only. “..i13r. $8.00:1mo. 76 unday only " 3 $400i1mo. 38e <At Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively enttled €0 tha Tike for renutication of all news dia- atches credited 10 1t or not otherwise cred tad I fhis naner and also the local news publishad herein. A1l rizhts of publication f epecial dispatches herein are also reserved Tomorrow’s Elections. Republicans and Democrats “fight The 1t out” tomorrow at the polls contest has resoived into es of minor engagements. There is no country-wide battle, with the excep- tlon of the fight for control of the National House of Representatives. In State after Sta gubernatorial elections will be de- cided, not on mational but on local party. issues or lines party winning control of the House in the Seventieth Con- gress will have the better of the argu- ment nationally. the s in the Sef atic victories which Democ series of Democi would give them a majority of the upper house,'could not with justice be deemed a national victory. If the en- tire membership of the Senate was up for re-election, instead of one-third, the situation would be different. Dem- ocratic Senators now representing States that usually go Republican would be in serious jeopardy. Bayard in Delaware, Copeland in New York, Ferris in Michigan, Dill in Washing- ton, King in Utah, Wheeler in Mon- tana, all Democrats, would be fight- ing for their political lives, whereas under the constitutional provisions re- lating to the Senate they do not come up for re-election until 1928, Prohibition, campaign als, the Ku Klux Klan, personal likes and dis- Hkes, hatreds, all are issues in many of the State elec these issues have caused the entry of third candidates, which always compli- cates an election. This is true in 1llinois, where Hugh Magill is the independent Republican candidate for the Senate and is drawing votes from both Smith and Brennan, the Repub- lican "and Democratic nominees, re- spectively. Tt is true in New York, where Franklin W. Cristman, another independent Republican, bone dry, is aligned against Wadsworth and Wa; ner, both wet, in the Senate race. It 1s true in far western Oregon, where Senator Stantield, Republican, has re- fused to abide by the decision of his party’s primary and is seeking re- election as an independent. The wet and dry issue has leaped into far greater prominence in the present campaign than any other sin- glo issuc. And yet it is not a party issue. In New York, the wet banner is carried by Wadsworth, a Repub- lican, while across the State line, in Massachusetts rtor Butler, Repub- wn, is the candidate of the drys for In Kentucky a dry Demo- crat, Barkl king election to the Senate, entative Harry Iawes, a wet Democrat, is striving mightily for victory in the senatorial contest in Missouri. Gov. Al Smith in New York is the wet hope, while Gov. A. Vic Donahey, a bone-dry Demo- crat, is choice of his party in Ohio. Wet hopes are high. But the drys counter with the argument that even 1f a handful of Senatorial and House clections o against them tomorrow, 1 will still hold huge dry major- s in both Senate and House. Wet tories will be hailed as a rising tide resentment against the Volstead law. Failures of anti-prohibition can- didates, on the other hand, will be a wet blanket for the wet cause. While there have been efforts here and there to make President Coolidge and his administration i es in the campaign, s have been made by who hope to galn rength thereb; Democrats have ayed away from this issue where they could. A Democratic sweep will be interpreted widely as a repudiation of the Republican admin- istration. But so involved are the contests in many of the States, with party lines shattered, that such an interpretation may be wide of the mark. e A homicide mystery attracts more attention than an international com- plication. The police overwhelm the diplomats in interest, but not in prac- tical influence. Houdini. Probably the first thought in most minds, stimulated by the news of the death of Eric Weiss, far better known throughout the world as Harry Hou- dini, the “magician Did he ever tell how he did his tricks?” Did he earry the secret of his marvelous power to the grave? For Houdini, to use the name which, In imitation of a famous per- former of earlier times, he adopted when he became well known as an adept at legerdemain, was unquestion- ably one of the most mystifying men who ever lived. He claimed no super- natural powers. In fact, he derided the thought of such powers, and dur- ing the later years of his life he en- gaged in a bitter controversy with the believers in occult phenomena in pro- test against what is broadly called mediumship. Houdini’s speclalty was the mastery over shackles and confinements of all kinds. Beginning with the loosen- ing of tightly tied ropes during the period when he was a circus per- former, entering that business as an mcrobat as a young boy, he progressed to handcuffs, and then broadened hls! scope until he challenged the world to devise a method of restraint which he could not solve. So far as known he, Won every contest. | This remarkable person was always | a showman, an entertainer, and an in- defatigable and exceptionally success- ful advertiser. He gained his great prestige by the employment of sensa- tional feats performed in public. In London he bested Scotland Yard's most skilled shacklers and thereby won an engagement for six months at the leading music hall of that city. He had developed the art of adver- tising to the highest pitch. Although he wrote several books, Houdini never actually told his secret. Perhaps he could not formulate it. Some will probably always believe that despite his own demur he was gifted with supernormal powers. Some will hold that he was possessed of extraor- dinary qualities of bone and muscle. Whatever the secret of his perform- ance, it left beholders gasping in amazement. He did things that ac- cording to all the laws of nature ap- parently could not be done. Yet he did them. And now he is dead with- out telling. dead in consequence of an injury received in the course of a per- formance, slighted until it developed into u deadly malady from which he could not recover. The shackies of death conquered him at last. ———————— Mussolini “Lives in Danger.” Benito Mussolini's followers in Italy believe that he has a charmed life, that he is protected from death at the hands of an assassin by a providential intervention to preserve him for his work of redeeming the country. There is abundance of evidence that he is fa- vored by fortune in this respect. On four known occasions he has been spared from death by the narrowest of margins, and two other attempts upon his life are reported, though they are not definitely established. The latest attack upon him was com- mitted yesterday at Bologna, where a routh fired point blank nt the “Duce,” missing his body by the slightest frac- tion of an inch, slicing his outer gar- ment. The assailunt was immediately seized by a mob of frenzied people and beaten and stabbed to death betore the guards could intervene. On November §, 1925, Mussolini was saved from death by a close margin. Information had come to the authori- ties that he was to be fired upon from a balcony opposite that on which he was to appear for a speech in Rome. A few minutes before the time for his appearance police raided a hotel room and captured a man with a high- power rifle equipped with telescopic sights which he had trained upon the place where Mussolini was to stand. On April 7 last a deranged English woman fired at him as he was leaving a session of the Congress of Surgeons in Rome, wounding him in the face. On the 10th of September last a bomb was thrown at him as he was riding in Rome, but it bounded off the thick glass of the window and fell into the street and exploded, wounding a num- ber of bystanders. The assailant was captured. Yesterday's was the fourth attack within a year, Circumstantial accounts of two other attempts upon Mussolini’s life were published in Paris in April, 1923, One alleged that one of the royal guards at the Chigi Palace had fired at and missed the premier, who wrest- ed the weapon from his assailant’s hand and later caused him to be lib- erated. The other tale was that in driving back to Rome from the coun- try Mussolini had taken the wheel to relieve the chauffeur when a shot was fired, intended for the premier, but killing the chauffeur, the assassin escaping. No official verification of these attacks was ever made. When, shortly after the attack upon him by Miss Gibson, Mussolini went to Tripoli, his closest friends tried to dissuade him from making the trip, in view of the peril. He answered, “I have chosen ‘Live in danger’ as the slogan of my life Assuredly he s living “in danger. \ —_— caene It is now hoped in pugilistic circles that the Sesquicentennial celebration by Dempsey and Tunney was only a preliminary bout. ——————————— Halloween parties as usual revealed numerous children who were willing to look grotesque in order to gratify the whims of fond parents, Bandit Feuds. Notorious criminals meet their death in a variety of ways. Some of them—not enough, however—are kil ed by the police and some make the long journey via the electric chair, but in a large percentage of bandit deaths it will be found that fellow gangsters are inadvertently the bene- factors of soclety by “bumping off” the other “guy” because of some sav- age quarrel. A striking {llustration of the vio- lent end that faces those who live by violence was given yesterday in De- troit, when a bandit killed a fellow criminal, his woman companion and a policeman before he was in turn killed by a police officer who had been wounded in the exchange of gunfire, “Jimmy" Cunniffe, notorious East- ern killer-bandit and wanted for the recent mall robbery in New Jersey, was the first victim of William Olsen, bank robber, following a dispute in the fashlonable apartment occupied by Cunniffe and the woman. Olsen, standing In the room which had been wrecked in the fight, with tables over- turned and $10,000 scattered on the floor, next turned his attention to Cunniffe’s companion and killed her instantly. By this time the police had arrived on the scene and Olsen reloaded to glve them battle. In the fight which followed the bank robber succeeded in killing Patrolman Ernest Jones and wounding Patrolman Ephraim Ran- cour and Earl Burns, a resident of the apartment, before he fell, mortal- 1y wounded, at Rancour’s return fire. Thus ends another chapter in the civil war between organized soclety and those of the underworld. Al though treachery in the ranks of the criminals inaugurated this stirring chapter and accounted for the death of one of the bandits, the police, as usual, peid Zor thalr devotian to duty by the sacrifice of Patrolman Jones. That is the only unfortunate part of the episode. Criminals, living violent lives and having violent minds, sooner or later must do mortal combat with others of thelr ilk. Fierce jealousles and un- leashed passions, knowing no other action, instinctively turn to the lethal weapon for quick revenge. It is this factor that is of tremendous aid to the forces of law and order. Coupled with continued vigllance and alertness on the part of the police it may eventu- ally be the means of ridding the coun- try of a large part of its criminal population. P S ——— Alphabetic Short Cuts. It fs reported from Boston that a new authorized abbreviation has been adopted by the Army to designate an airplane. Hereafter the letters “AP” will indicate a military fiying machine. This, it 1s explained, accompanies “AC” for Afr Corps In substitution for the "“AS" meaning Alr Service. “AWOL” continues in its place as the official symbol for “absent without leave,” while “MP* will as heretofore mean the Army's policemen. Though not mentioned, it is probable that “KP” will still serve to denote that unpleasant tour of duty around the cook shop, one of the outstanding functions of which is peeling spuds. These Army abbreviations are inter- esting. They should be preserved as part of the vernacular of the service. The tendency to express titles and functions by grouped initial letters has never been tarried in this country to the extreme that was the case in England during the Great War, when practically every officlal organization and military unit and auxillary service was popularly known by a string of letters. Commissions, boards, special services and volunteer organizations bore these titles in the form of new synthetic words comprised of initial letters. ‘Well remembered are the “Anzacs,” those hard-fighting forces composed of colonial and dominion troops. They wrote some of the most glorious chap- ters of the history of the war. The word 1s not often heard now, but it remains indelibly in the record. Our own fight- ing unit overseas was known as the “A. E. F.,” a combination that did not mako a word for pronunciation, but that stands as a symbol and is still often used to indicate those who crossed the Atlantic to fight. This tendency to condense the war- time titles and designations was some- what significant of the urgency of the occasion. There was a thought of the need of saving time. In England the war was 8o close at hand and every- body was at such high pitch that these short cuts expressed the intensity ot the emergency. On this side that ten- sion was somewhat less in evidence, and although some of the extraor- dinary official bodies that grew out of the war had their letter names, as a rule there was little of the alphabetic abbreviation. oo The late Israel Zangwill, in his little story “The Great Ilow Street Mys- tery,” referred to the morbid desire of a detective to perpetrate a crime which would defy investigation. Re- cent events indicate that his analysis of human nature was correct. ———— Queen Marte is learning what so many distinguished visitors have found out. Being a welcome and honored guest in America is a pleas- ant experience, but it requires physi- cal endurance, Sam Foss’ poem about the “FHouse by the Side of the Road” had no ref- erence to the bootleg attractions of some of the modern roadhouses. —————— As Houdinl faced the greatest mys- tery of all, many admirers cherished a lingering hope that he would still find a means of escape. e~ The approach of Thanksgiving day again calls for gratitude for the menu, regardless of the scale of prices. P SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. November. The moon shines so bright where the frost glistens white; The birds have forgotten their tune. November grows sad where the scene was so glad In the blossoming fragrance of June! The sunlight anew from the clouds have glanced through Perhaps for a moment at noon. It's a thing fine to see and we wel- come with glee ‘That faint distant echo of June. Delicate Discretion. “Are you in favor of the referen- dum?” ‘“Are you?” rejolned Senator Sor- ghum. “No." “Then why drag me into the ques- tion? A proper politiclan never of- fends a possible customer to his face.” Evolutionary Speculation. They say a man was once an ape; ‘The ape was once a fish. The “has-been” now assumes a shape That gives him high “posish.” Jud Tunkins says the man who hated work used to be called a tramp. Now he manages to be referred to as a bolshevist. Request. “Was that last number by request?” “It was,” answered the radio di- rector. “Whose request?” “That of the feller who wanted to break in and recite.” Cost of Living. This world is but a fleeting show, As well we know! As well we know. A ticket doth our wealth entice. It's worth the price! It's worth the price! “A mistake,” said Hi Ho the sage of Chinatown, “is of little consequence in life, unless made by some one who can back it up by great authority.” “David slew Goliah,” said Uncle glants n de Eben, “an’ ever since dat ti has been contented to live side shows” H l l BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Six fairly well defined types of men may be found in almost any office. There are others, of course, but these will be found to include most of those you know. They are: ‘The Kindly Man. The Mean Man. The Sullen Man. The Kidder. The Suspiclous Fellow. . The Egotistical Man. Almost any officemate may be fit- ted into one or another of the ahove classifications. The joke of it is that no man will put himself into any other place than No. 1. The types are well diversified, how- ever. The “ruling passion,” as Pope put it, of every modern worker is not hard to find. It merely takes a lit- tle consideration upon the part of a sclentific observer, then all fall neatly into their places. The open practice of this game can- not be recommended, for obvious rea- sons, but there is no reason why one cannot amuse himself, at times, in mentally placing the round pegs in the round holes, and the square pegs in the square holes. The fit may not be, probably will not be, exact, but .it will be near enough for all practical purposes. * K % Take the kindly man. One is just as likely to find him (despite the opinion of some) in a high place as in a low place. Some of the meanest men in the world hold petty positions, in all walks of life. (This may help account, in some measure, for their dispositions.) Throughout the ages various “sys- tems” have been worked out to put the ‘“‘dispositions” of men upon an in- tellectual basis, with precious little result. A man s either kind to others or he {s mean to those with whom he comes Into contact. There may be no hard and fast_division, but the divid- ing line is sensed just the same. There is a certain genial quality about the kindly man that is unmis- takable. Dogs on the street run to greet him. He i{s made the victim of all the beggars in town. Men who want matches to light their pipes never hesitate to ask him. Perhaps he is Imposed on, eften enough, but, if so, he gives no particu- lar sign of being annoyed by the fact. He may be handsome or ugly, but his handscmeness is not held against him, nor his ugliness, either. Often men are slow to recognize his worth, because he makes no pre- tense, and pretense is what the world loves most of all. In time, however, as his genuine qualities are recog- nized, generally he wins the place his merits entitle him to. o L Sorawe The mean.man is the antithesis of the one we have just considered. He is the victim of various sorts of complexes, so that his ways of looking at the world in general, and especial- ly at_other men, are warped from the standpoint of truth. He generally has a poor sense of humor, unlike our No. 4 specimen, but seems to suffer from an aggravation of the complaint of our No. 3. Psychologists, wiser than men of | oid, do noc say that such a man Is) possessed of the devil, but simply declare that he is a deviation from the normal human being, and should be treated as a medical case. (This, by the way, is a kindly man's way of looking at him.) Why need we go into any consider- ation of the mean man? He does not have to be “the meanest man in the world" to merit the unspoken desig- nation he is given. He may fondly imagine that he conceals himself, but he conceals noth- ing. Most men are far wiser than most men give them credit for being. Because one says nothing is no sign he does not think! * k x % The sullen man may or may not be a kindly one. This is a pecullar case, varying with circumstances. Generally the victim is difficult to talk to: one has to work hard to engage him in con- versation. Sometimes he is gay, other times morose. Physically he seems to suf- fer with a sort of indigestion, or “dys- pepsta,” it used to be called. The lat- ter term, however, is under the ban now, we believe. Children often seem to have this disposition_innately, as it were, and are blamed for various faults which they do not possess, as a result of their one chronic disease. This is too bad. Both sullen adults and children need rational, sympa- thetic treatment. * k % % No. 4, the “kidder,” suffers from an o’erweening sense of humor, that does not know where to draw the line. Generally he is suffered in silence by right-thinking people, for there is not much -.one can do with him, ex- cept hit him in the head with a club, or avold him as much as possible, and one scarcely finds himself able to do either. * ok kX The suspicious fellow (our No. 5) is utterly unable to accept any statement made to him at its face value. Always he seeks for a hidden mo- tive The curious part is that he in- variably finds it! Every public man is a ‘“crook,” ac- cording to ‘the suspicious man, who, if he gets cast in life as a detectlv finds his disposition assisting him ma- terially, since a police official must be suspicious. In ordinary walks of life, however, the suspicious man is a hard one to get along with, since he invariably at- tributes unworthy motives (out of his own mind) to utterly honest men. * ok K K The egotistical man is legion. He vaunteth himself, and is puffed up, often over nothing, sometimes over something, it does not make much difference to this chap. He struts because he likes to strut. Usually he is harmless. At his worst he merely irritates. Six tvpes, from kind to mean, and the only hopeless one the mean. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS The State Department is closely guarding the details of a confidential inquiry received from the British for- elgn office concerning the ability of American coal producers to continue to supply England’s present require- ments for American coal. For many months large shipments of coal have been moving from our Atlantic ports to England to help out in the extrem¢ coal shortage there—the result of the long tle-up in the English mines. The shipments have gone forward with little publicity because of the ever present possibility that the English trade unions would protest to the United Mine Workers’ organization here and seek to have American miners refuse to mine coal which was to be used to help “break” the Brit- ish strike. What the English gov: ernment sought in its note to the State Department was official assur- ance that the present volume of coal shipments could be continued through the Winter, If the necessity for them kept up. The State Department re- ferred the inquiry to the Commerce Department and has sent back to Lon- don the latter's facts, figures and fore- casts on the subject. But not a word is obtainable from either department as to the nature of our reply. Leaders among American coal operators give it as their own opinion that there will be no dearth of coal this Winter, both to supply the American market and to continue the English shipments. EE O ‘Will Rogers’ adventures in Europe as ‘“‘Ambassador without portfolio” have now been put in book form under the alluring title of “Letters of a Self- Made Diplomat to His President.” He writes on the title page: ‘“This collec- tion of historical human documents is respectfully dedicated to three ladies who have the keenest sense of humor that it has been my good fortune to encounter. They appreciate jokes even on their own husbands—Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, Lady Nancy Astor, Mrs. Alice Longworth.” Washington observers will approve this tribute. B Speaking of books, “Ilderim, a Tale of Light and Shade,” by Marie, Queen of Rumania, dedicated to *‘Carol, my big son,” is just off the press of an enterprising New York publisher, got- ten up In an expensive de luxe form to “commemorate” the Queen's Ameri- can tour. * k% ok week's meeting of the Presi. dent’s cabinet was a dull affair. Seven of the ten cabinet members were ab- sent, all out of town on the firing line for the Republican cause. Of the other three it was announced at the White House as further emphasis of the duty of citizens to vote that Sec- retary Mellon and Secretary of Agri- culture Jardine were both going home to vote and that Secretary Kellogg, who comes from Minnesota, was cast. ing his ballot by malil. R The White House spokesman has corrected another inaccurate press re- port. Mrs. Goodhue, Mr. Coolidge’s mother-in-law, occupies his old home at Northampton, Mass. He is glad to have her do so, according to the spokesman. But the newspapers now refer to it as Mrs. Goodhue’s home, and in so doing convey the impression that she owns the house. Such is not the fact. It may be stated on the highest authority that Mr. Coolldge owns it and wants the country to know it. P The little Union Church, across the road from the home of the late Col. John C. Coolidge, at Plyntouth Notch, Vt., 1s undergoing extensive repalirs, financed by the generosity of visiting tourists there in recent Summers. The old shingle roof on the church, which Col. John' laid himself a generation ago, is being replaced, and other reno- vations are in order. T he edificc has been a mecca for visitors to the Cool- idge birthplace, and a collfct.lon box near the pulpit, labeled “Donations for Repairs,” has ylelded a generous return. * %8 % World War i ins _ holding “bonus,” officially §ermed “adjusted service,” certific: be able to borrow next yesr § the aggregate more than a quarter of a billion dol- lars on the security of their certifi- cates. The loan “value” of the certifi- cates, after they have been two years in force, is approximately 814 cents for each dollar of face value. Gen. Hines, head of the Veterans' Bureau, in making public the figures, expresses the hope that the veterans will not sxercise the loan privileges to any zreat extent. In any event, loans can- 10t be made on the certificates by the Government. Veterans who borrow must do so through ban companies. There are 2. icates now outstanding value of $2,975,000,000. LI Mr. and Mrs. Coolidge travel in a private train on their trip home to Norhampton to vote at a total cost of the price of two round- trip tickets. They occupy a sump- tuous private car for the price of two lower berths. Private citizens pay about $100 a day rental for a pri- vate car, plus 25 full fares for every mile the car moves. As for a private train, the cost runs Into the thou- sands. The railroad travel bills of other Presidents has been big. They have been charged regular rates. But Mr. Coolidge started something when he made his first journey as President in a drawing room of a regular train. The rallroads balked at the risks. When they found he would not hire a private train they wanted to donate him one, but the law forbids that. So they accomplished the same result by indirection. The President's train on the railroad reports appears as a sepe- rate section of a regular train, run as a separate section for “operating convenience and safetv.” As a regular train the regular tariff applies. But only members of the President’s party can get ahoard the President’s “sec- tion.” Each member provides his own ticket, The private car, the private baggage car, the diner and the de luxe club car are added without extra charge. * % % % Emerging from her long period of mourning, Mrs. Woodrow Wilson made her first official public appearance in ‘Washington, since the death of her husband, when she was the guest of honor at a reception tendered her by the Women's ational Democratic Club. Ostensib] he reception was to welcome Mrs. Wilson home after her six-month European visit. But the affair was generally taken to mark her entrance as an active participant in the political councils of the Demo- crats. It is not anticipated that she will assume any official position, but rather that she will wield henceforth an extensive influence among the wom- en of her party. (Covyright. 1926.) THINK IT OVER Ambassadors Abroad. By William Mather Lewis, President George Washington University. A recent university graduate with a bent for international affairs and pondering on his life work said to me: “I wish our Foreign Service, like that of European countries, offered a ca- reer. I am not interested in any un- derpaid political job and it seems to me that is about all that our Gov- ernment offers {ts representatives abroad.” This young man represents a very large number Wwho are unaware of the great strides the United States has made in putting its foreign offices upon a high plane. ‘The Rogers act, which became ef- fective in 1924, combined the work of the diplomatic service and the consu- lar service under the head of the Foreign Service. A young man enter- ing the service has now before him steady stages of advancement in ac- cordance with his ability. The salary scale is also arranged to encourage continuance in the service. The ‘“‘For- glven tralning eign Service officer unclassified,” one who has recently passed the examina- receives from B1, ?o’?‘z“u‘&‘:o e, ves from §1,! ,000 & year. ‘While in the u group he is ‘under experts ln the Urges Alley Buying. Correspondent Would Have Con- gress Act on Purchase. To the Editor of The Star: A session of Congress is now ap- proaching, and consideration of an important question for the good of this city should not be passed by. years a great hue and cry, breaking out spasmodically, has been heard regarding conditions in the alleys. No one seems to know remedy this evil, so they apply to the police and to the sanitary inspectors and the health doctors. The District Commissioners have to listen to dele- gations of philanthroplc people who are able to live In fine houses and have flower gardens In their back yards, about the dreadful conditions of the alleys where the poorer classes are forced to reside. The police try to keep order, and the sanitary in- spectors and health doctors make the owners clean up and spend all their income in repairs, and still conditions are unsightly and insanitary. Coun- gress passes laws requiring the ten- ants to move out by a certain time, and the owner to tear down and de- stroy his property. The result of this is nothing more than taking property | without making just compensation, and such a plan cannot survive, and no agitation or regulation along this line will avall to correct the evil. The ownership of property along the alleys is a vested right and as sacred as the ownership of property on Connecticut avenue. Vested in- For | how to Q. If two bells of identical tone were placed in different parts of a house, by striking one, could the oth- & be made to sound?—M. C. R. A. The Bureau of Standards says that if the natural frequency of the second bell is equal to or some mul- tiple of the frequency of the first bell, it would vibrate. Q Who was the first Baptist mis- sionarv to India?—Z. C. T. A. Willam Carey, born 1761, was an English shoemaker, who at the age of 25 had acquired a liberal edu- cation and became a Baptist minister. During his pastorate he studled Greek, Latin and Hebrew, and in 1793 was sent out as the first Baptist mis- sionary to India. Through his ef- forts the Bible, or the greater part of it, was translated into 40 different languages and dlalects. Q. How old is the motor cycle?— W. G. M. A. The earliest known attempt at a twowheeled vehicle which would proceed under its own power is said to have been made by W. W. Austin ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Who has jurisdiction over the N. F. " -calied “Leper Island” at Molokai is under the jurisdiction of the Territorial Board of Health of Hawali. Q. How can the height of a meteor be judged?—G. W. R. A. The Naval Obs SavE that meteors being cold nvisible until heated by friction with the air, it 1s certain that the atmesphere ex- tends at least as far as the highest point at which they become visible. Determination of the heizht of & meteor requires observation by two observers separated by some distance, the principles being fundamentally the same as when a survevor gets the location of an inac c sights from two points. . Why do flies gather on screen doors before a storm?—S. L. A. The W reau saye that an approaching storm is marked by increasing humidity and. often. lowoer temperature, owing, largely. to cloudi ness. On such occasions house flles gather about screen doors and win of Winthrop, Mass., In 1868. It was propelled by a coal-burning steam en- gine. Other more or less similar af- fairs followed in 1884 and 1886. In 1895 a cycle propelled by a combus- tion engine using gasoline was exhib- fted at Madison Square Garden, in terest must be dealt with accordIng ' New York City. This has been called to law, and constitutional safeguards | the first a and property rights cannot be taken away by the police or sanitary In- spectors or District Commissioners or delegations of esthetlc women. The owners of these properties, like the owners of other properties, natu- rally object to giving up all they have in this world to the end that the scenery may be improved and the atmospher2 rendered more fragrant to please the delicate nostrils and the artistic tastes of those who are able to_have better surroundings. ‘Why not deal with the subject In a business way? When other muni- cipalities find it in the public interest and promotive of the public health to open a street or build a bridge or fill up a swamp or remove a nuisance, it first acquires the property by paying a falr price, fixed by agreement, if possible; if not, by condemnation. Why not apply this method to the solution of the alley problem and take over some each year? It has been tried and found to work better than any other system. The city is suffering for want of playgrounds, garages, parks and breathing spaces. One of the grandest improvements that can be conceived of is to convert the alleys and adjacent lots gradually into clean, open spaces. Improvement of the entire vicinity will immediately begin. The money it would take is nothing compared to the benefits to be derived. No philanthropist could employ his fortune in a better work, because from this beginning improve- ment would grow and spread and the vice spots be wiped out forever. ‘The suggestion that the inhabitants of the alleys would be ousted from their homes is without merit. Areas of unoccupied land are close at hand and distance has been annihilated by modern transportation. While our city is yet young, Congress should relieve the congested portions, open breathing spaces, and let the alley dwellers find health and homes suit- able for the upbuilding of a future 'citizenship for the greatest Nation on earth. JOHN H. NELSON. Dogwood Drive Urged. Refusing to Buy Leaves and Ber- ries Advocated to Save Trees. To the Editor of The Star: The good work of the Wild Flower Preservation Society and Washington newspapers last Spring in the cam- palgn to save the dogwood brought notable results. Only very thought- less and selfish people, or young children, continued to destroy the trees for the blossoms. Naturally the emphasis at t on_the blossoms. At this season it is apparent, how- ever, that such a campaign is again in order if we are to have any dog- wood trees left in this vicinity. The blossoms are past, but In their places are the equally attractive bright red berries and brilliant leaves that com- plete the cycle of loveliness of this particular tree. It seems indeed to suffer the penalties of what might be called a fatal beauty. I notice with sorrow that the city markets are full of branches of it at this season, which are readily sold for the bright color of leaves and berries and carried home to fill rooms with their cheer for a few days and then find a place In the trash bin. When one realizes the extent of denudation of growing trees that this entails, it is tragic. The spectal form of vandalism hidden in the beautiful array of Autumn colors In our market stalls is just as ruin- ous to the tree victim as stripping it of bloom—more So, because each ber- ry contains the carefully matured seeds that the tree relies upon for perpetuation of its speces. It is evl- dent that much of the foliage offered for sale must be taken from trees on land belonging to others, as is always the case In the Spring. - If patrons of the markets would reajize the serlousness of the dogwood situation and refuse to buy any part of this fast disappearing tree, at the same time volcing their disapproval of its sale, the problem would quick- Iy be solved. The branches are read. fly identified by their bronza or scar. let lanceolate leaves and blg bright red berries. Make these unsalable! Refuse to he a party to the obliter- ation of a beautiful tree, by refusing to buy its dismembered parts-and by discountenancing such practice to your dealer and your friends. Other- wise there will be little dogwood left to glorify our woods with its white stars in the Spring. MABEL STINER ALLEN. at time was put To Restore Memory. From the Cincinnati Enquirer. m::n h:yv bPeis S‘l;lfleflflR from loss of 0 sal e patient. “Wha shall I do? Lo s “Why don't you lend money to your acquaintances?” asked the doctor. ‘Then you'll have a perfect memory." Clean-Up Suggested. From the Baltimore Sun. A Washington laundry has started a radio station with the call WASH. They ougltt to make a clean-up. State Department. From that point the salary increases through the dif- ferent grades to $9,000. In addition to this, those who have been in the service more than 15 years will re- celve a pension upon reaching the retirement age of 6 Nor does one’s advancement in the service end when one has come to the highest grade in the ranks. J. Butler Wright, Third Assistant Secretary of State, says: “It Is interesting to ob- serve that of the 14 Ambassadors representing this country abroad, 4 began their careers in the lower ranks of the service; and of the 37 Ministers, 16 are, in this sense, ‘service’ men.” It is extremely important that we arouse the interest of our most capa- ble young men in the importance of our overseas interests. University officials and parents would do well to get in touch with the State Depart- ppearance of the motor cycle in the form in which it is known today. Q. Is the Government collecting more or less income tax this year?— O. M. L. A. Income tax collections show an increase over last year. For the third quarter of 1928 the total oollected is $108,000,000 more than that of the same perfod in 1925. Almost $88,500,- 000 of this irfcrease is in corporation taxes. Q. How much do opera glasses magnify ?—M. P. A. Thelr magnifylng power is low, from two to three times usually. Q. Of what country is the onfon a native?—N. T. A. It has been known so long and so generally that it is merely sur- mised that its original home was western Asia and adjacent parts of Africa. Q. Were lake dwellings built in the early days of man because there wag little land?—R. O. D. A. The land surrounding the known sites of lake dwellings was much as it s now. It js believed that the huts were built over the water because such dwellings were easy to defend from attack. Q. How long ha trained nurses?—M. E. D. A. It was early in the twelfth century that a so-called “School for Nurses™” was organized by the Abbess Hildegarde from among her friends and associates In hospitals. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that the movement was given a distinet impetus, for which Florence Nightingale was respon- sible. Q. What is the new Belgian coin worth in American money?—T. H. A. The new Belgian gold unit, called the “belga,” is equal in value to about 14 cents in our money, which would give approximately 7.208 belgas to the dollar. Q. What is artesian well water?— A. Artesian well water comes from an arteslan well which is made by boring into the earth until the water is reached, which, from inter- nal pressure, flows spontaneously, like a fountain. This rm has been used freely in the United States to apply to aimost any deep bored well. Q. Should beef bhe eaten rare?— there been A. Most members of the medical profession say that beef should be cooked until well done, the same as lamb, veal or pork. This is because meat of any kind is apt to contain tapeworms and other organisms. Proper cooking will kill these at the exg stage. Q. DId the Great Lakes ever ex- tend farther south in Ohio?—T. 8. A. At one time much of the State was covered with water, which is shown by existing raised beaches. dows from the outside, if there Is fire or other source of heat Inside the room. This is especially noticeable In the late Summer and early 1. What is the highest altiiude to ed and that which an airplane has ascen air pressure at B what was the height?— A. The ation_says th record 1s 40,00 sure at that pounds. three and five-tenths The American altitude record is 38.000 feet. Q. What proportion of ths energy capacity of gasoline-is actually put to use in an automohile?—: A. Popular Science says that only 8 per cent is used, the enzine wast- ing 97 per cent. If full use were made soline energy, a small car could £0 450 miles on one gallon of gas Q. How many courts can decide in fringement suits?—A. R. . A. Infringement of a patent occurs when the invention protected by the patent is made, sold or used by any one not an owner of the patent and not authorized to do so by the patent owner. After an infringement suft brought In one of the United States and District Courts has heen heard decided, an appeal from the des of such District Court may he t the Circuit Court of Appeals of the United States judicial circuit embrac- ing the district in which that District Court is located. In rare instances, declsions of the Circuit Courts of Ap- peals are reviewed by the United States Supreme Court,” when carrfed up under writs of certiorari, but only when decisions of different Circuit Courts of Appeals on the same patent or point are at variance, or when some important point of law, previ- ously undecided, is involved. Q. Why can't_one skate on gl since it s smoother than ice?—O. One can skate on ice because the pressure of a sl @ on ice raises the melting point of the ice, causing it to meit and lubricate the surf: This obviously does not apphy to Q. Does West Point have compul- sory athletic_training?—C. J A. It has had such training for the past six years. Q. Of the varfous ways of spelling the fruft known as “papaw,” which 18 preferred—A. R A. The Department of A s that the name {s writien In rious ways, including “‘papaw,” “pawpaw" and aw-paw.” There are four post offices bearing this ame, one of which, according to the Official Postal Guide, Is written “Pawpaw the others, “Paw Paw.” The f griculture " preferred by the best authorities, if applied to a frult, i Letters are going every minute from our free Information Burcau in Wash- ington telling readers whatever they want to know. They are in_answer to all kinds of querics, on all kinds of subjects, from all kinds of people. Make use of this free service, which The Evening Star is maintaining for you. Its only purpose is to heip you and we want you to bemejit from it Get the habit of writing to The Eve- ning Star Information Burcaw, Fred- eric J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. . Inclose 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Revives Old No recent public statement has aroused more earnest discusslon than the manifesto by leading bankers of the world in favor of the removal of tarlff walls as a means of improving economic conditions. American opin- jon both in the press and among pub- lic men {s divided, with some ignoring of party lines. “Reallzing somewhat tardily what a powerful weapon they have placed in the hands of the world’s freetraders,” declares the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (independent Democratic), “some of the good Republican signers of this new international creed for business men are declaring that it applies to Europe only. If it does, the more fools they are for signing it. To urge economic unity for Europe and not in Europe against America.” The Balti- more Evening Sun (independent) argues that while ‘‘the bankers sald nothing about the high tariff wall sur- rounding this country,” yet “every- thing that makes a high tariff wrong in Europe can be urged against a bigh tariff in America with equal force. ‘The International banking houses,” the Sun belleves, “are stead- ily veering toward hostility to pro- tection.” Quoting Secretary Mellon's state- ment that the manifesto “appears to be directed to European conditions,” the Lynchburg News (Democratic) also insists that “it applles to American conditions or it doesn’t apply at all. Nothing recently has been more amus- ing,” continues the News, ‘“than efforts of intelligent men to prove that economic laws change with the flag under which they are operating.” The New York Evening Post (Inde- pendent) says that “a tariff which is 8o flexible that no one can plan for the immediate future with certainty is harmful; but it is only somewhat more harmful than a tariff which ignores changing conditions. Europe needs to lower her tariff walls without delay,” says the Post, “and we need to keep an eye upon ours, with a view to such modifications as altered circumstances dictate.” * % x % “Middle West farmers who are af- forded no protection are thinking seri- ously on this matter at last,” observes the Burlington Gazette (independent) with the further statement that “free trade is not wanted, but unselflsh tarift revision might help America as well as Europe.” “This country certainly has noth- ing to fear from greater trade free- dom or free trade among European states,” according to the Topeka Daily Capital (Republican), “if it creates better European markets or greater European prosperity and purchasing power. A general leveling of Euro- ment and secure information relative ; pean trade barriers would open wider to the requirements for entrance into Uncle Sam’s Foreign - 1820 the fanls markets to gpAmerican goods, and in course.of time lead to lower in the United Statea” clude America is to urge a union of | Bankers’ Tariff Manifesto American Issue The Charlotte Observer (Democratic) 1s Impressed by » fact that political interests appear su t appear an vises that “between the political and the business view it is generally the safe policy to hook arms with bist The St. Lonis Post-Dispatch (independent) b s “the policy would redound to the benel people on both sides of The Des Moines Tribune Republican) insists that with an in- tercontinental economic unity stand ing out as far and away the biggest new fact, politically imposed economic barrlers—meaning tariffs—have even tually got to go.” Dental that “a declaration in favor of the removal of tariff barriers in Europe stulifies the American protec- tive policy™ 1s made by the Wall Street Journal (financial), which emphasizes the “triangular transaction in interna tlonal exchange,” and holds th. not true that in order to debts to us the countries must export to the United State: true that they must export where." some- The Journal concludes that “with a short session of Congress be. fore us, tariff Is not a practical ques- tion today.” * k& x The San Francisco Bulletin pendent) takes the position that the express assurance that nothing in the manifesto has any bearing on American tariff policy, the various proposals may be commended as a con- structive program looking to the eco- nomic restoration of Europe.” “Protection has had a marked in- fluence on the American standard of living,” as viewed by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Independent Demo- cratic), and that fact probably has banished forever the idea of free trade which once was firmly held by one of the major political parties as an ar ticle of political faith.” The Man- chester Unlon (independent Republi- can) thinks “no nation welcomes foreign interference in regard to its domestic policles, and if the interna- tional financiers hoped to influence the American electorate, they may be said to have hit upon a strangely Inoppor- tune season.” The Toledo Blade (In- dependent Republican) adds that “‘we need no tariff tinkering now and must submit to none.” ‘The_Kansas City Journal (Republi. can) suggests that “Mr. Morgan and his banker associates on this side of the Atlantic must have become as un- familiar with American views as they are well acquainted with Old World desires if they think the United States will close its own factories in order to enable European competing concerns to run at capacity.” And the South Bend Tribune (independent Repub- lican) concludes that “no tariff tinker- & that 'Il:flhol:;l'dlm ;:.,&wmeu of employed m.llions United ‘States is tolerable.”