Evening Star Newspaper, December 22, 1926, Page 8

2 meughh:l uf Bu office: ania Ave wox York gRlF 76" ‘E-g‘ a8t it St Sunday morn- i m‘fl‘in —— Eu'#'m "fiq’! i lephons flm"m Tection 16 made by carrier at ‘of each mont] unday only . Member of the Associated Press. t or ot nlha":& od. and also the o St slaR to o n are aleo R 0 Dublished hetein, of epecial dispato That Troublesome Senate Seat. Congress is about to adjourn over the holidays, with the Senate facing a difficult problem immediately upon reconvening. That problem is precipi- tated by the announcement just made in Chicago that Col. Frank L. Smith has decided to accept the appointment as Senator to fill the McKinley va- cancy, tendered to him by Gov. Small of Illinois. He has so declared him- self despite the plainest of indications that members of his own party, al- though they are running under a narrow partisan majority in the Sen. ate, do not desire to have this issue presented at the short session. There are three possible courses—to admit the applicant for the vacant ®eat without any question as to his eredentials and his right to sit; to per. mit him to take the oath of office and then to proceed to oust; and to re- fuse him the oath and thus to bar him from his seat at the outset. A reso- lution to the effect of the third course has been presented, in anticipation of his appearance, and it will probably be preseed for action upon the offer- ing of the credentials. Col. Smith has, in effect, been al- ready Investigated by a senatorial committee, which has made a report of the elicited facts in terms that are unfavorable to him. It is established that in the primary in which he won the nominaiion immense sums of money, furnished mainly by a public wutility magnate of Illinois, were used. But the office to which he was elected after thus winning the nomination is not, in law, the same as that to which he now has been appointed, though the same in fact. It was made vacant by death after the election, and the selection of the winner of the election by the governor of the State is simply & coincidence, though of definite po- Ntical significance. The charges of impropriety of expenditure in the primary do not reach the appoint- ment to fill the vacancy, but the prospective incumpbent is the same man. Hence the demand that he be not permitted to sit as Senator pend- ing a full consideration and determina- tion of the case against him as Sena- torelect with credentials addressed to the Seventieth Congress. The practical difficulty which the Republican leaders of the Senate face is that in any form the Smith case is lkely to cause debate and delay, . Which at the short session cannot fail to be seriously embarrassing, and may possibly block the regular and neces- sary legislation and compel the call ing of an extra session of the new Congress. A small group of Senators wish to force an extra session. The Smith case may be the means of foro- ing it. Hence the indignation that is felt by the regular Republicans at the action of the Governor of Ilinois in naming Col. Smith and at Col. Smith himself in accepting the appointment and preparing to present himself im- mediately after the holiday recess. Something may happen during the recess to clarify the situation, Per- _ suasion will doubtless be brought to bear upon the appointes to induce him to change his purpose. ——————— To win Europe’s friendship by can. celing debts might eventually lead to an alternative of still more debt or less friendship. The game of finance has its rules, and a sacrifice of them in sympethy involves a sacrifice of pride and respect worth more, per- haps, than money. B — Shopping early becomes & demon- stration in relativity. Up to the day before Christmas it is considered pos- sible to obey the slogan. A Come-Back Through the Alr. The theory that “you cannot talk back over the radio” has been definite. ly exploded. An example comes from Helsingfors, Finland. It concerns the new broadcasting apparatus just in. stalled in the Finnish Diet to enable the nation to listen to the wisdom of the legislators via the air route, ‘The first night of its operation, an importsnt debate was scheduled—one of the legislators had a pet matter ‘which he wished to bring before the Diet. It had to do with the necessary but none too interesting question of ham and eggs in Finland and was entirely at variance with the subject to be debated. In fact it was strongly reminiscent of scenes in our own Congress when subjects—oh, well, laugh that off! In any event, after listening to an hour of this hamand- egg thing, one of the constituents, 1tving about one hundred miles away, became excessively bored. He there- upon got on the long-distance phone and to an official of the Diet he gave the following curt measage: “Tell that fellow to shut up or he will never again be elected from this part of the country.” The message was ac- cordingly given and the surprised orator abruptly left off discussing the ham-and-egg situation and took his seat and did mot e much as peep during the vest of the sesslen. £o now @ Jegsca 2ao beens stven for the alry announcer to be silenced; speakers of great volume and endur- ance but with lttle interest can be told to “pipe down"; alleged funny men, the kind who laugh heartily at their own jokes when they are a thousand miles away and seemingly out of reach of the most indignant listener, can be controlled; and, best of all, the off-key singer can be told “where to get off.” It requires simply a phone call or telegram to the offending station. If by any chance this new method should not prove as effective as In the Finland instance, there is only one thing to do, turn off the machine and completely ignore the whole program. ot A Base Ball Scandal. HY._ EVENING BTAR, WASHINGTON, D. 0, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1926 THE EVENING sTAR' the great radlo public. It ta possible ’ perfod. It is possible to erect an ele- With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY...December 23, 1926 st e N, S 3 'THEODORE W. NOYES. ... Editor THEODORE W. NOYES. ... Bditor vated road, the entire length of the city of New York, in about one-fifth of the time necessary to drive a tun- nel and with little if any more ob- struction to surface travel during the process. Still they have become ar- chaic and New York is now figuring on the elimination of all these relics, notwithstanding the fact that their in- stallation caused the town to pride it- self on having the most modern and efliclent means of rapid transit In the world. e The Street Car Collision. Seven persons were injured and many others were shaken up when two street cars of the Washington Rallway and Electric Co. were in a collision yesterday at North Capitol and H streets. Crowded with Christ- All devotees of base ball—and they are leglon—will at the same time re- gret and rejoice at the disclosure of a scandal affecting the integrity of the game which has just come, involving the names of four famous players, two of them leaders in every sense of the word. They will regret the happening because of the clouding of the names of the men, whom they have regarded as the highest types of players. They will rejoice because of the evident determination on the part of those now in control of the sport to keep it above suspicion and to maintain the highest possible stand ard of honesty. It is reassuring to those who form the great base ball public, who sup- port the game by their constant at tendance, that. this scandal relates to a happening of more than seven years ago. By a coincidence, which may be significant of a low state of sport- ing morality in 1919, it was in that same season that the so-called “Black Sox" scandal occurred, when a world champlonship series was “thrown" to give the professional gamblers a heavy winning. The men implicated in that transaction have all been elim- inated from organized base ball and the game has been redeemed from its taint of corruption. There may have been “something In the air” that sea. son to cause the ball players to seek venal profits at the expense of the public's confidence in the integrity of the sport. This present case has to do with the alleged “throwing” of a game in Detroit whereby the team of that city was to win in order to gain a notch in the league race, and four players, two on each team, were to profit in private betting. One of the four brings the accusation. The base ball comumissioner, whose appointment to that office grew out of the “Black Sox” scandal, and who has just been retalned at a higher salary for. a seven-year period. produces certain evidence which has been under con- sideration by him for several months. All four of the men involved are now out of the big league game, two by waiver and two by recent resignation. Private jealousy on the part of the of the game in onder that a big win- ning in bets might be made. Denials have been entered, but the fact stands game. It is evident that the men in charge of the morals of the sport are determined that no person who is un- suspicion of ever having tam- with the good faith of the pub- in the honesty of the sport shall A ted continue in service in authority. ‘This scandal will furnish material speculation for the Winter months. serves notice that the game must kept upon the high plane that was established after the sorry exhibition of greed and duplicity of seven years or possibly two, of the men involved. It may all be a case of spite work, with three actually innocent victims. But the game is bigger than any in- dividual and it is gratifying that Judge Landis has given the case to the public for discussion and judg- ment, as an evidence of the deter- mination that organized base ball is to be conducted according to the high- est principles of square dealing and sincerity of effort on the part of every participant. ——— e ————— To recognize possibility of another war is necessary In order to avert such a catastrophe. Danger unsus- pected is danger redoubled. ——e————————— New York to Scrap the “L.” A movement is under way in New York to scrap the elevated rallroads which have for a great many years supplied that city with rapid transit facilitl The transit commission of Greater New York is about to con- sider methods of replacing these aerial lines with subways, and although the process of undertaking will cover a long period New Yorkers are begin- ning to contemplate the situation when those now antiquated routes of travel will have disappeared. It is difficult to picture New York ‘without the stilted rail lines that net the city. They have been in use for nearly fifty . When the first road on the Wi Side was bullt it was one of the wonders of the time, It was halled as an alltime solution of the transit problem, then becoming dificult. Nobody foresaw the tre- mendous growth of the city, its ex- pansion northward and eastward, its development into & community of six million urban dwellers and more than ten million with the suburbs added. The elevated roads in New York have become & nuisance, with their noise and with the darkening of the streets. They are no longer a nuisance on the score of smoke and soot, for the power is electrical. But they make a tremendous clatter and the structures obstruct the thoroughtares and cause & serious depreciation of property. In. deed they cost the city of New York heavily in the early stages when as a result of long protracted litigation damages were assessed for loss of “easements,” chlefly in the obscura- mas shoppers and running over slip- pery rails, the vehicles met with a terrific crash and it was only on ac- count of the comparatively slow speed being made that futalities did not re. sult. As it was the impact threw the rear trucks of one of the cars off the track and it careened dangerously to- ward the curb. With the advent of the air brake on city street cars, collisions have be: come somewhat of a rarity. In the old days the motorman would churn madly with the hand brake when an accident appeared imminent, often- times failing to stop his heavy ca: But neither air brakes nor hand brakes are of avail if the tracks have not been properly sanded in wet weather. As a matter of fact, the air brake is sometimes more dangerous under these circumstances than the manual apparatus because wheels have more of a tendency to skid when pressure s applied abruptly. The real cause of yesterday's acci- dent has not been ascertained, al- though it is apparent that either the brakes were defective or failed to hold on the grease-like rails. In the inves- tigation which is already under way it should be determined whether or not precautions had been taken to sand the tracks and inspect the brakes. In wet weather especially careful and conscientious supervision must be the watchword of those charged with the responsibility of transporting the public. —_—atee. Japanese are as much In the dark about the physical state of the emperor as they were about the war scare men- tioned by the Fall-Doheny forces. It is apparently a Japanese philosophy that people are likely to be happler when they do not know too much. e —————— Ships on the ocean are regarded as less important, in case of argument, than ships in the air. A responsible supply of both might be regarded as the ideal equipment. B Official announcement is made that one of the important problems of the police at present is that of “holding down™ “hold-ups.” The smiling and generous Mr. Do- heny has, no doubt, convinced a circle of friends that the theory about there being no Santa Claus is a fallacy. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Boredom. Oh, list to the chapple Who cannot be happy, Affecting a wearisome grace! ‘Ho, Hum!" he is yawning; A New Year is dawning With greetings all over the place! That New Year will show us The snowdrift below us That causes.old auto to skid, And gray skies above us That don't seem to love us— They'd be of no use it they did. The same old orations, .| The same stage gyrations Will greet us by night and by day. The serfous question Of traffic congestion Will cause the same doubt and delay. Each old year that faded, When it had paraded, Proved much like the next year to come. When gayly I'm greeting The friends that I'm meeting, What I really think is “Ho, Hum!" Money in Bulk. “The public has grown more op- posed to the use of maney in elec- tions.” “It has grown unwieldy,” answered Senator Sorghum, ‘“Where a candi- date could once get by with a ‘barrel’ he now needs a hogshead or even a freight car.” Cautlon, ‘When lights so gayly shine ‘Through holidays so fair, The Christmas tree is fine; The Christmas treat needs care. “Men should benefit by example,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “But, alas, it has been known since the first stone was laid in the Great ‘Wall that good habits are never as contagious as the bad ones!" Jud Tunkins says the man who tells the children there is no Santa Claus makes life harder for himself. Instead of hanging up stockings the young- sters bring out suit cases and trunks and leave the empty garage's doors open. Ethical Restraint. “It's wrong to refer to ‘bootleg licker’ as Christmas cheer,” said Bill Bottletop. “Doesn’t it make people hilarious?"” “Most likely it makes ‘em want to fight. The only man around here that gets comfort and prosperity out of it is the undertaker. And, of course, he's too polite to be cheerful.” Evolution. Though Science be disputed, This much I plainly see: It I have evoluted, How thankful I should be! And, as the years go flying, ‘With higher life in store, All patiently I'm trying To evolute some more! “De man dat uses loaded dice,” sald Uncle Eben, “cleans up so fast dat|each THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES K. TRACEWELL. WASHINGTON, December Mr. Santa Claus, North Pole. Dear Sir: Please don’t send me any for Christmas, On_behalf of the men of Washing- ton, I beseech you not to send any of us neckties. It wouldn't be so bad if you did the selecting yourself, but when you turn the matter over to our dear wives, aunts and so on, it is something else again. A woman's idea of a’necktie for a man is a queer thing. Even the dearest women have darn poor ideas of what men like in neck- ties. Somehow they seem to have got the idea that red is the proper color, tint and shade for the four-in-hand Red, of course, is a wonderful color, but when applied to necktias to adorn the manly neck, usually it is not so good, It Is true that there is something very Christmasy about it—holly ber- ries, and all that sort of thing; paper used for wrapping gifts; seals, string, stickers. i/ No doubt of it, red is the great Christmas color, the glowing tints of which, in bright ribbons on wreaths, and in a multitude of places, beckon to us with cheer and help make Christmas what it is. Gentlemen, however, do not wish to emulate Christmas tre They have no desire to look like walking parcels done up in bright paper, all bound round with snappy string. * koK ok And then those patterns! Shall we call them futurist? Shall we call them cubist? Shall we call them subterranean? Surely, the man who name: Pullman cars must have collabor with the fellow who hitches the mon- ickers to collars, and then gone into conference with the deft swingers of colors for the circus lithographs. Swirls, circles, triangles, stripes, domes, plllars, cubes, polyhedrons— these are but a few of the designs commonly found by unsuspecting males on their Christmas neckties, Dear Santa Claus, if you have any influence whatever In this matter, deter them from giving us neckties. You have a large stock of stuff-—play up some of your other wares, talk up anything, “sell 'em” on anything but necktie You know how it is yourself, Santa Claus. When Mrs. Santa Claus proudly handed you that big cravat—you re- member the one (you bet you do; you'll never forget it) and waited for your manifestation of pleasure—well, now what did you do? How did you feel? What did you say? It was in the year 1913, as we get the story. (Maybe it helped bring on the war.) You had just returned to the house, prior to unlimbering the reindeer for the big night, when your good spouse handed you a neat box, rather long, all done up in fancy paper, string, stickers and a seal, “Don't open until Christmas." The joke was on you. Your sleigh was crammed with sim- tlar packages, which it always gave you a pain to deiiver, but you had signed a solemn compact with human- D. C., 1926, necktien ity. and you had to make good. Usually, however, you put such packages down at the bottom of the pile, underneath everything else, hop- ing that they would be carried out with the wrappings. * Kk “Open Iit, Santy,” sald your wife. “Ho, ho, ho, it says not to!" was your uproarfous reply. (This Is in the best tradition. You are generally represented as something of a nut, you know.) hee hee!"- screamed your “Don’t you mind that sign, Nobody does.” ‘Hio ho ho, no, nohody does! ho, ho, no, nobody does!" “That's why you never begin work until Christmas eve,” reminded your chubby spouse. (I don't know why I use that particular word, Santa Claus, but it just seems to fit.) “Ho ho h d ha ha ha, shall 1 open my own Christmas gift' now?” ou said, hoping against hope. “Tee hee hee, who has a_better ‘hristmas gift than Ho ight-o, right-o, righto, my mer- v spouse, old Santa Claus has every right, gid-ap, gidap, gid So chortling, ou leaped three times into the air, cracked your heels together nine times and tore off the wrapping from your parcel. You then dragged forth a Christmas tle. M Santa Claus had purchased it for 68 cents the day before, but she thought you wouldn't know that. Hadn't the handsome young man as- sured her that he was wearing one Just like it, only, unfortunately, he had mislaid it that morning and had to be content with this plain blue one? s ‘Ho ho ho, that's a beauty, my loyal spouse!” you had heartily de- clared, throwing an added portion of into your notoriously . You thought it wouldn't hurt anything. 't. ‘“Tee hee hee, do you like it, Santy?" You held the livid thing up for bet. inspection. ‘Do I like it? Ho ho ho! I love it, oh, ho ho ho, it's a beauty, my dear, oh ho ho ho, it's a knock-out, my love, oh ho ho ho!" And you crammed it back Into {ts Fox—but you had not reckoned with Mrs. Claus. “Aren't you going to wear it, Santy?" Well, you supposed y well buckle down to it. Blitzen would be a bit harder to manage, if he caught sight of it, but luckily you wore whiskers. By George! whis- kers did come in handy, some time! “Ho ho ho, you bet I'm going to wear {t!" Hastily you swept up your whiskers over one shoulder, un- hitched your modest bow of black, and wreathed yourself in the brightest tie In the world, all aglow with erim- son, flecked with dark purple spots. “It’s beautiful, tee hee hee!" proud- ly chimed your spouse. ‘‘The young man said it was a wow—what did he mean by that?” “Darned if T know, ho ho ho!" you lied, giving Mrs. Santa Claus a kiss. Now, Santa Claus, don't forget— that was the Christmas you set so many chimneys afire. Appealingly yours, TEMPLETON JONES. u might as WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Quakers traditionally are men of peace, but the principal Quaker in Congress—Representative Thomas S. Butler, Republican, of Pennsylvania— a bellever in peace by preparedness. He is the outstanding leader in the pending fight to bring the American Navy's cruiser strength up to Wash- ington_treaty parity with that of Great Britain. The veteran Congress- man, who first came to the House with the advent of the McKinley ad- ministration in 1897, is the chairman of the House committee on naval af- fal The fleet never had a stancher advocate than the 71-year-old Friend from Willlam Penn's commonwealth. By a curlous coincidence, the strug- gle for an adequate Navy is a case of Quaker against Quaker. The spear- head of the national pacifist move- ment at Washington is a Friend, like Butler—Frederick J. Libby, executive secre! of the National Council for Prevention of War. Libby's ex- chequer, as recently disclosed to a committee of the Senate, is largely supplied by Philadelphia Quakers who have a different attitude toward ways keeping the peace than “Fighting Tom" Butler. * % * X One of the “Japanese war scare” incidents that were not briught out at the Fall-Doheny trial relates .0 what is said to have been the real cause of ‘the “scare” in 1921. The story is now making the rounds of Washington, It is to the effect that what excited the emotions of the Navy Depart- ment was not a Japanese moblilization plan for war on the United States. The disquieting news from the ¥ar East concerned some huge subter- ranean ofl storage tanks that the Toklo government was constructing. These tanks were destroyed by the earthquake that wrought such terrible Samage in Japan in the Fall of 1923. The seas of oil that were released by the shocks along the coast were mat- ters of picturesque description at the time. ® ¥ kK . ben Clark, jr., of Utah, for- Church, is one of the towers of strength at the ‘command of the Cool- ldge administration in the pending crisis with Mexico. ~Mr. Un:rk was brought on from Salt Lake City last July to be a counselor of the Amer- ican agency on the Mexican-American Claims Commission in ‘Washington. He is a thorough sh;derlflr;'r vl;:‘elfi":: w and particulal - e to the tortuous state of with Amarlmx; in Mexico. As a protege of E?nh:;)r Reed Smoot of Utah, Mr. Clark is in position to keep that pow- erful personage on Capitol Hill fully acquainted with developments beyond the Rio Grande. It will not be many days now before these assume the importance of & paramount lssue at ‘Washington. L Representative Wallace ‘White, jr., Republican, of Maine, who s in charge of the House bill on radio, was asked this week how he is progress- ing in the attempt to reach a com- promise with Senator Dill, Democrat, of Washington, who 18 in charge of the Senate radio bill. “All I can say is,” sald Mr, White, “that we are all filled with the Christmas spirit. Translated into English, that means that the holidays are likely to come and go with radio still a bone of contention ‘twixt the two houses. * X k¥ Senator_John B. Kendrick, Demo- erat, of Wyoming, spent the week before the congressional recess buying neckties. They weren't for his own . He got them' for the 45 or 60 working attaches of the Sen- ate, whom, for vears, the sheep-rais- ing solon has aiways remembered in that way. Kendrick takes the trouble to size tp the boys and men he buys ties for, and hleldom“fnfll: to nnyr;len; the particular of Partic affairs cravat best suited to his ulu" beauty. _Assistani the Kendriok necktio list. To the pages of the Sen- ate the Senator gives gold pleces. * ok ok Ok Gifford Pinchot's four-year term as Governor of Pennsylvania comes to an end at midnight of December 31, 1926, but his family quite evidently has no intention of quitting politics. A day or two ago_the governor’ lady, Mrs. Cornelia Bryce Pinchot— herself no mean politiclan—flitted through Washington for a series of conferences on Capitol Hill. She was in executive session with Senator Norris, Republican progressive, of Nebraska, among others. Presumably forthcoming events in the Vare-Wil- son election contest in Pennsylvania were the object of Mrs. Pinchot's visit. The soon-to-be ex-governor probably has not entirely suppressed his presidential bee. Perhaps his wife came to insulate :omfl wires for 1928. * ok Kk President Coolidge arranged to give the other Government workers at Washington a half-holiday on the eve of Christmas, but will put in a full eight-hour day himself. As indication of that industrious intention, he noti- fled the newspaper correspondents who beard the ‘“officlal spokesman twice a week in his White House den that the President will be on that more or less communicative job on Friday, Decembex; 2:, as usual. * * Whenever a sedate Senator of the United States wishes to remark some- |. thing—which now and then he does— he is supposed to rise for the purpose. One day during the Cape Cod Canal debate, that courtly statesman, Sam- uel M. Shortridge of California, en- gaged in a protracted cross-fire col- loquy with Senator Robert B. Howell of Nebraska, but did not stand up. v President Dawes' attention hap- pened to be occupled by Senator Hiram W. Johnson of California, who had gone to the presiding officer's rostrum. As soon as Johnson left and Dawes could again command a view of proceedings, Shortridge unfolded his 6 feet 4 inches of stature, arose, bowed and sald, “I beg pardon, Mr. Vice President.” The Chesterfleldian code prevails in the Senate—when the man with the gavel is looking. (Copyrixht. 1026.) —oe—s Safer in Frozen North Than on U. S. Highways From the Yokima Morning Herald. Donald B. MacMillan has returned from a 4,000-mile voyage to the Arc- tic. After sailing through uncharted seas 300 miles north of the Arctic Cir- cle he reported that he and his 25 companions did not have a case of ill- ness or an accldent of any kind. Three women were members of the party. It would have been more dangerous for these explorers to remain at home. The dangers of the frozen North do not compare with the dangers of being shot as an innocent bystander, of being struck by & hitand-run motorist, of dying from ptomaine poisoning-or being killed by a nervous or disgruntled bandit. ‘When the November magazines ar- rive they will have pictures of a Puritan and his wife and child on thelr way to church to attend a Thanksgiving service. The Puritan's face will be stern and cold. In his hands will be a blunderbuss, and he will be deplicted as ready to d his little family against the hostile In- dians who lurk behind the trees. Those were brave and dangerous days. No one knew when a band of savages might raid a settlement and murder the colonists. Going to a Thanksgiving service to- day, or, in fact, going anywhere with- in the confines of civilization, also has its dangers. They have Increased at an enormous rate. A man takes his life in his hand even if he crosses the street. Perhaps the best way to be safe is to go into the' jungles of the troplcs, where only the lions, tigers and snakes are foes, or sall into the Arctic as MacMillan did. Civilization has a long list of assets on one lldnhnl the ledger, but on &A of all llabllities, ) Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln. Potentlal candidates for office some- times need protection from their friends. Gov. A. Vic Donahey, the pride of Ohlo democracy and a presi- dentlal possibility in 1928, has recently experienced the truth of this asser- tion. Although the governor, accord- ing to reports, was opposed and is opposed to any effort on the part of his friends to make him an open can- didate for the Democratic nomination, Democratic State Chairman Dye and Representative Martin Davey of Ohio sponsored a gathering here last week which was heralded far and near as a “boom™ for Donahey. Although Gov. Donahey's name was not put forward formally in connection with the nomination, Chairman Dye, in a statement issued after the Davey din- ner, admitted that his visit to Wash- ington would be interpreted as having a bearing on the Donahey candidacy. He then proceeded to say that both Gov. Al Smith and William Gibbs Mc- Adoo were impossible as candidat for the Democratic nomination in 1928. Mr. Dye may be right, but there was litila wisdom in _stirring up the enmity of the friends of Al Smith and of McAdoo by making th statement. It is no secret that Gov. Smith will control a vast number of delegates in the convention, and that in the end he probably will have a veto power strong enough halt the nomination of any candidate of whom he does not approve. * ok oK K Mr. Dye's statement, in which the ailabllity of Gov. Donahey as the Democratic nominee for President was mentioned if not fully discussed, has been sent, it appears, to some, if not all, of the Democratic membe Congress, by Representative Da It drew a response from at member, Representative Cocl Missouri, elected to fill the vacancy in the House caused by the retire- ment of Senator Harry Hawes, who himself was elected to the Senate. Mr. Cochran suggests in his reply to Mr. Davey that the Ohio man is overlooking the fact that Missouri has a favorite son—Senator James A. Reed—and that if the Democrats really are looking for a candidate to carry them to victory, Senator Reed is the man. So the Davey dinner apparently has stirred the political caldron more than was anticipated. Senator Reed before he came back to Washington declared that he was not seeking the nomination for President. He made it clear that in his opinion the office of President should seek the man rather than be sought by any candidate. * ok ok % A year or two ago suggestions that Senator Reed be the nominee of the Democratic party for President would have been hailed with derision in some Democratic circles—those which had been particularly close to the late President Wilson. But Senator Reed today occupies a commanding posi- tion in the Democratic party. He is an outstanding figure in the Senate. He heads the slush fund committee of the Senate. He playel a promi- nent part in the wet-and-dry investi- gations by the Senate Judiciary com- mittee last session of Congress. And finally he took a prominent part in the campaign in Missouri which sulted in the election of Senator Hawes, The drys will oppose the nomination of Senator Reed and the Anti-Saloon League would in " all probability do its best to defeat him in convention and in the general elec- tion should he be nominated. ‘But Senator Reed, like Gov. Dona- not putting himself forward hey, o nomination. Perhaps the sx;nl:flon will in the end go to the man who declares most ‘vehemently that he does not want it. The Demo- | L. take it into their heads nomination on such a man. the candidate who makes ve fight early in the game enemies as well as friends, Democrats need, above all things, is a candidate with as few enemies in the party as possible. * k¥ ¥ ‘The tance by Col. Frank L. Smith of the appointment to the Sen- ate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator McKinley of Iiil- nois, re ed from Chicago, has given the Republican leaders of the Senate something to think about. Some of them are anxious to dispose of the case of Col. Smith as speedily as possible in order to make sure the final passage of all appropriation bills and adjournment March 4 until next December. But there are some Sen- ators who insist that there shall be a full investigation of Col. Smith's case, with full opportunity for him to be heard, before the Senate acts on his case. Senator Wadsworth of New York is one of those who are demand- ing a day in court for Col. Smith. PR Two courses, at least, are open to the Senate ip this case. One is to seat him when Col. Smith presents his credentials after Christmas and then take up his case on its merits and unseat him if he is found to be unfit for office. The other course is to deny him the right to take the oath of office and after further exami- nation decline to let him qualify and send him back to Illfnois without his ever having been seated. The first course might expedite the disposition of the Smith case. There is considerable difference of opinion among those who have studied the precedents over the right of Col. Smith to be sworn in immediately upon presentation of his credentials, and difference of opinion, particularly on constitutional rights, leads to long de- bate in the Senate. If he were seated in the regular routine way and then a committee should report to unseat him because of the contributions to his prlmn? campaign fund by Samuel Insull and other utility magnates— Col. Smith was chairman of the Public Utllities Commission of the State at the time—the debate might be more Mmited. * Kk K Col. Smith's friends out in Illinols take a very different view of the case than does a majority of the Senate apparently. They see the will of the people of Illinois, as expressed at the polls in November, about to be over- ridden by the Senate. They point out that Col. Smith was elected to the Senate for the term beginning March 4 next long after the disclosure of his campaign expenditures and contribu- tions, and that the people chose him notwithstanding the disclosure. Col. Smith will come to the Senate now, not by virtue of that election, but by virtue of appointment by the governor. But the case made against him now will be based upon the facts found by the Senate committee in its investigation of the Illinols primaries last Summer. If he is turned out of the Senate now, although he may seek to return and fight it out 3n.ln in the next Congress he will in all prob- abllity never be seated. If he is turn- ed out now the governor will have to appoint another man for the rest of the t session, or leave Illinois represented by a single Senator. If Col, Swith is turned out of the next Senate the governor, according to in- formation available here, will have to call a special election, since he is not empowered to fill a vancancy in the Senate when the term is new and has naver been filled by electio: a0 That Small, Still Voice. From the Gregasboro Daily Record. Consclenge always tells the truth, says a p rapher. But it often suf- its velos is crats may to pin the Certainly an ‘will make and what the ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How many plants contain caf- feine?—J. R. W. A. Tt is found in only five plan namely, coffee, tea, cassina, guarana and Paraguayan tea, or yerba mate. Q. gloves in championship bouts? is used for L. W. W. New gloves are used. The legal way of taping the hands is with soft gauze bandages. Q. Does an Army garrison fly an American flag when the weather is bad?—A. J. L. A. The garrison storm flag is a na- tional flag, made of bunting. This flag has a 9-foot 6-inch fly and 5-foot hoist. The regular post flag has a 9- foot fly and 10-foot holst. Q. How are charcoal briquettes made?—C. E. B. A. The making of charcoal bri- quettes is not a standard commercial process in this country. and formulas used are not a matter of general knoweldge. Do boxers have to wear new ‘What bandaging the hands?— Was Washington ever in the White louse?—E. G. A. Washington never actually oc- cupied the mansion, but it is sald that in company with his wife he alked through the rooms only a few days before his death, in 1799. Q. How can I make indelible some autographs that are written in pencil? —A. de C. A. The Bureau of Standards susg- gests spraying with the fixative used by artists for preventing the smuds- ing of crayon and charcoal drawings. The fixative is a weak solution of bleached shellac in alcohol. The color is so pale and the film of shellac left V-]on the paper is so thin that it cannot be noticed. Be careful not to close the book or turn the pages before the alcohol evaporates and the shellac loses its tackiness. Artists' supply houses sell a cheap tin sprayer, but an old atomizer for spraying the throat can be used. The solutlon should be well rinsed out of the tubes with alcohol if you wish to use the atomizer again. Q. How many vessels are there in the naval transportation service?— E. J. C. A. The Secretary of the Navy says that at the beginning of the fiscal year 1926 there were in regular ac- tive service 10 vessels—1 collier, 2 oilers, 2 transports, 1 ammunition ship and 4 cargo vessels. . How many acres of peat land are there in this country?—D. S. A. There are approximately 113, 537,000 acres of wet land in the United States. Of this amount about 79,000, 000 acres are of potential economic importance. Q. What is corned meat?—C. M. A. It is the prepared meat which has been cured by soaking in, with or without injecting into it, a solution of common salt, with or without one or more of the following, each in its proper proportion: Sodium nitrite, so- dium nitrate, potassium, nitrate, sugar, a sirup, honey, and with or without the use of spice. Q. What is the enlisted strength of the Navy?—F. C. H. A. While the authorized enlisted strength of the Navy is 86,000, the average during the fiscal year 1926 was 82,138 men. Q. 1Is it possible to get coins made in specified years from the Depart- ment of the Treasury?—C. D. L. A. It does not keep coins segre- gated according to years. Q. What proportion of immigrants enter this country via New York?— o L A. A sharp shift of the immigra- tion tide away from New York is re- vealed by the present-day incoming movement. Ellis Island, always the Nation’s main gateway during the pe- riod of unrestricted immigration, for- merly handled more than 72 per cent of the total arrivals, while less than one-half of the immigrants are now recorded as coming that way. Q. Please tell me the name of Ken Maynard’s horse—G. M. A. “Tarzan” is the name of the white horse belonging to Ken May- nard. Q. How many States have public pensions for aged dependents?—J. R. A. The close of 1925 found old-age pension laws in effect in three States —Nevada, Montana ‘and Wisconsin— and in Alaska, while the adoption of similar legislation was being consid- ered rather widely. Q. Explain the original meaning of the word ‘“‘petticoat.”—A, P. A. Originally (1400-1600) it was & short coat or garment worn by men under the long overcoat. Later (about 1625) the name was applied to the skirt of a woman's dress or robe, Modern usage refers to it as an under- skirt Q. How many acres has Harvey Firestone developed in rubber planta. tions in Liberia?—D. R. A. Harvey Firestone has secured from the government of Liberia a 99- year lease on 1,000,000 acres of land to be developed for rubber planting. Two hundred thousand acres, planted 16 years ago, are now in full produc- tion. Q. What is kapok?—T. M. A. It is the silky wool which in- vests the seed of a specles of silk- cotton tree found in the Kast and West Indles. Within recent years kapok has become a considerable ar- ticle for export from Ceylon, Java and Mexico. Like the wool ot some allled trees, as the cottonwood, it is used for stuffing pillows, etc. Q. What is the design of tho memo- rial window to President Roosevelt recently unveiled at Oyster Bay?—FH. T S.- A. The window in the Masonic Temple, of which President Roosevelt was master, depicts a knight in full armor, with sword sheathed, standing before a tall castle—symbolism Roo: velt prepared to defend his principl The lower central panel has the presi- dential eagles. Q. Can a Senator be on two com- mittes at once?—A. G. A. A. A Senator may serve on several committees at the same time and asually does so. Q. How often do people have colds? ~D. D. A. Colds are so prevalent that they average a loss of 10 days’ activity to each individual yearly. Q. When was Christmas first cele- brated?—V. A. A. The observance of the celebra- tion began about the fourth century. It became a general custom only in the thirteenth century. Q. Who got the proceeds of the Army-Navy game’—R. K. A. The receipts of the Army-Navy foot ball game are distributed be- tween the Army-Navy Athletic Asso- clation and the South Park Board Commission. The receipts which go to the Army-Navy Athletic Associa- tion take care of the expenses of the athletics of the two schools. Q. In the expression ‘“each and every” is the idea repeated, or do the gor;u convey different meanings?— 'A.'It 1s an example of tautology; that is, the idea is repeated. Q. What percentage of forest fires are caused by lightning?—R. M. K. A. It is estimated that lightning is responsible for from one-quarter to one-half of the fires in the West, and of the country as a whole, 10 per cent. Q. How many people are there in Samoa?—C. S. B. A. The census made of the Samoan population in May, 1926, showed a total of 8,676. This was an increase of 618 over the census of 1920. Q. How can orange juice be kept?— J. L. W. A. The cleared juice keeps well aft- er bottling if pasteurized at 180° F. This does not injure the flavor per- ceptibly. Q. Do letter carriers furnish their uniforms, caps, etc.”—A. R. N. A. The Post Office Department says that letter carriers and substitutes are required to procure uniforms at their own expense. Find out whatever you want to know. There is no room for ignorance in this dusy world. The person who loses out {s the one who guesses. The person who gets on is always the one who acts upon reliable information. This paper employs Frederic J. Has- kein to conduct an information dureau in Washington for the free use of the pubdlic. There is no charge, except 2 cents in stamps for return postage. ‘Write to him today for any facts you desire. Address The Evening Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Has- kin, director, Washington, D. C. Press Reviews Lakes-to-Sea “Deep Waterway” Projects Interest in lakesto-the-sea deep waterway projects has been intensified by a report of the United States Army engineers favoring development jointly with Canada of a route through the St. Lawrence River rather than the pro- sed all-American canal through New ork State to the Hudson. Declaring that “Gen. Jadwin and his engineers show no prejudice,” the Milwaukee Journal summarizes their explanation that “the New York canal is feasible from an engineering view- point,” and that, in fact, “if agreement between Canada and the United States is not reached in the matter of the St. Lawrence it should be built.” But, continues the Journal, “it is not feasi- ble from a commercial viewpoint. ‘Where it would cost $173,000,000 to build a ship canal through the St. Lawrence, it would cost $560,000,000 to make a shipping lane across New York. Nor do the Army engineers see any advantage in that canal, even from a military standpoint. In either case—on the St. Lawrence or from the Lakes to the Hudson—the ship- ping lane would be so near the inter- hational border that it could be reached by unfriendly forces should trouble ever come between the United States and Canada.” * K k¥ ‘The interest of New York in the -American’ route,” according to the Wichita Beacon, “is purely selfish, the object being to divert all traffic from the Middle West to New York and its harbor, which is already overcrowded. The St. Lawrence route would provide a more direct shipment from Chicago to Liverpool, being al- most on a line between the two points. In view of the great difference in ex- pense, there i{s only one reasonable solution of the problem. That is the St. Lawrence route.” The Grand Rapids Herald asks: “Confronting this final exhibit of the multiple advantages of the St. Law- rence waterway over the Hudson River route, how can Congress do aught but give heed to the former and farget the latter? These are not the findings of isolated ignoramuses. They are the expert opinions of the coun: |y try's best engineers, fortified by simi- lar opinions of other experts, as al- ready recorded.” The point that “the press of the upper Mississippi is practically unai mous for the St. Lawrence" is made by the Louisville Courier-Journal, with the explanation, “It takes the posi- tion that the Ontario-Hudson canal would only congest more the over- crowded port of New York, ‘which is now the most expensive shipping terminal in the country. * ok ok The Appleton Post-Crescent insists that “all ion which cannot be classed as or political, and par opinion, is agreed that the St. Lawrence route is the more feasible, will afford better relief for the Middle West and is a better investment for the United States as a navigation proposition. The alleged military value of the all-American route is imaginary and of no prac- tical standing. It is time this ques- tion was taken out of politics and de- cided on its merits.” Asserting that “‘Chicago’s diversion of water to which Canada has as great a right as the United States is a stumbling block in the way of the St. Lawrence outlet,” the Duluth Herald says, “Therefore, Duluth and the in- terior must fieht that diversion, and must fight anything that stands in the way of this great achlevement, which would add 10 cents to the price of every bushel of wheat raised {n the Northwest and make Duluth an ocean port.” The Kalamazoo Gazette adds that “it is to be hoped that no con- siderable body of our Federal law- makers will be decelved by Chicago's show of maternal solicitation for the welfare of the Middle West. The re- port submitted by Gen. Jadwin and his group of engineering experts ought to be the final and decisive answer to all the speclous propaganda in favor of an ‘all-American’ canal.” * ok ok x In support of the all-American proj- ect, the Chicago Tribune argues that “the taxpayers of the United States ‘will be called upon to lay out millions of dollars, and it is only natural our citizens prefer to have the money spent entirely within the national fron- tiers. As a matter of fact, the desire to build the channel on our own soil isnot entirely a matter of sentiment. The al erican route would serve to link the Nation more closely together, to increase the Interdependence of thy Middle West and our seaboard, and to keep all the profits to be derived from the new route within our own coun- try.” The Tribune also feels that “Canada has been persistently unsym- pathetic to the legitimate aspirations of the United States for a water route from the Lakes to the Gulf, and has fought the diversion of lake water at , needed to make the Missis- sipp! route a success.” The Albany Evening News refers to Gen, Jadwin's statement that ‘‘con- struction of the all-American canal probably would be justified in the near future if the St. wrence plans do not meet approval,” and asks, ‘‘Then, if that is so, why not build the all- Quoting fur! ther the general's statement that “the St. Lawrence is the more Pronon\g'ul “But this is a permanent investment, and a permanent investment cannot be judged on the basls of first cost. A permanent investment should be in with Amerioa, not in & joint project