Evening Star Newspaper, March 14, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C MONDAY........March 14, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business OMce: 1 izania Ave. wep ol SR AT <. : Tower Buildink. Eurcbean Offce: ) Teerent St.. Loadon, England. e Sunday morn- o eariera. Within ger, month:, dally only. S The Evening Star. with %: red 4 e o dnya only. 20 cent Eve Slition. da dellver t 60 satisfactory uniform for the sandlot baso ball star. Gone are the days when the follower of Ike Walton had a rod and a reel and a line, and let it §0 at that. Not only is the equipment of the angler, the hunter and the golfer more diverse and complete with the passing vears, but his (and her) clothing for varfous outdoor diversions has become an elaborate wardrobe in itself. Americans today buy in large quan- tities goods which, not so many dec- ades since, were only known to and used by a few. Snowshoes and skis are now sold by the thousands of pairs. Girls use up hockey sticks and et s Der month: o oniy. 20 eontd r month. Ords v he enhone Matn HG00 Fofiection 16 made b carrier at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 5e 00: 1 mo. 78 ., 25¢ ally and 00! nday oniy 3 All Other States and Canada. F-”v and Sunday..1yr. $12.00: 1 mo. $1,00 ai only.. 1yr. S8 I $8.00: 1 mo.. 76c indas only. 1yr. $4.00i1mo.. 30c TMGMMI’ of the Associated Press. he Associated Press is exclusivaly entitled $o the use for republication of all news dis- Atches credited to it or not otherwise cred red i {hip, paper and also_the local newe Spblial ed Dorein Al riehts of publication of speciai dispatches herein are also reserved. New Public Utilities Commission. The new Public Utilitles Commis- slon is now appointed, confirmed, sworn in, organized and functioning. It has two new members, who have been approved as capable and well fitted for the positions, who can de- vote all of their time to the work. There is a People's Counsel—an attorney whose duty it is to prepare the people’s case for presentation to the commission and the courts and Whose undivided attentfon can be paid to the work of seeing that the best interests and rights of the peo- ple served by the public utilities are presented and fought for. The most important aid to the new Public Utllitles Commission is be- leved to be the law that has just passed Congress giving authority for the commission to assess the utility corporations for funds with which to make valuations of their properties on which rates will be based. Effort is now being made to find out just what limitations the con- troller general will place upon the use of these funds. Unless the controller general in- terposes some objections, the public will for the first time be put on even terms with the public utilities cor- porations in presenting each case to the commission and to the courts. The first job being tackled by the new Public Utilities Commission is the Chesapeake and Potomac Tele- phone Company rate case—but this is not a big problem. They are merely to bring the valuation up to date. The valuation was made as of December 31, 1924. This was taken to court and Justice McCoy is ready to render his decision. The first real test of the new Public Utilities Commission comes in the Gas Company valuation case. Work on the new valuation will be started soon. The commission is now preparing its organization, prelim- inary to the hearings. The public is watching the han- dling of this first big case before the new Public Utilities Commission with special interest. Toadstools. The eating of toadstools continues. ‘Worll comes that four persons in San Francisco were poisoned by eating toadstools which they mistook for mushrooms. Although authorities declare that the edible mushrooms are easily dis- tinguished from the polsonous fungi popularly called toadstools, it is un. questionably true that the average person is no judge. X All the characters of these queer creations of Nature must be taken to- gether in determining which fungus & person has discovered. The place of growth, the size, the nature of its flesh and whether it changes color ‘when broken, the “frill,” the “gills,” the spores—these are some of the characteristics which have to be con- sidered. 1t will be readily seen that the aver- age city resident in the country for & _hollday is no fit judge of which are mushrooms and which are toadstools. gyer_; country people, who belleve themselyés thorourhly familiar with the characteristics of both, make mis- ‘While the tastiness of the mush- rooms may be admitted, the deadly character of the fungi usually lumped oft, toadstools, in the vernaculgr, must also be taken into consideration. Degthly sickness, or even death it- #elf, may result from a too ready as- sumption that one knows his mush- rooms when he sees them. In this matter, as in many others, it is best to “pdey safe.” Know before you eat. Do not guess. \BY an éxceedingly audacious demon- stration Louis Borno has at least called the attention of a previously indifferent public to the name of the President of Haitl. s S 1LY Spending for Sport. 3rie anndal bill pald by the people of the United States to gratify their love of sport is astounding. Accord- ing to one prominent New York sport- ing editor, this country s spending several billion dollars each vear, and, based on his tentative figures, the United States sports bill for ten years would clear all the ‘war debts of all nations. The manufacture alone of sport- fnz and athletic goods was authori- tatively valued for 1925 at more than $40,000,000, nor does this include fire- arms or ammurition. By the time this product was carried and sold to the consumer it Is estimated that it totaled $100,000,000 in value. Each | innumerable worse ways of spending gymnasium shoes, basket balls and tennis rackets as fast as men. The fewer the wild ducks, the more decoys are sold. For almost every trout, bass, salmon or pike taken out the streams and lakes during a season, some inventive genius invents a new fly, plug or spinner. So it goes, and those jaundiced or antiquated ones who refuse to admit that there are money are advised to take up prompt- Iy one or more of these same sports. They will be the better for it, and so will the Nation. For every man who neglects his business and for every woman who neglects her household in favor of the golf course or the saddle or the paddle or the tennis court, there THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. way to the third, however, while trav- eling along a lonely country road i there was a sudden explosion which blew both cars high into the air and landed them upside down, in- juring the five guards, one of them seriously. The bandits who had mined the highway then stepped out calmly, grabbed the bags of currency and made off at high speed. And 50 the war between the under- world and society progresses. No weapon is too terrifying for use by the criminals. Pistols, rifles, shot- guns, poison gas, machine guns and dynamite, each has its use in the hands of the viclously inclined gangs of the United States. Now comes the mined road with bandits able to set off explosives from a safe dis- tance, that may wipe out every liv- ing thing and leave the loot at their mercy. The surprising thing about the en- tire situation as it is revealed from day to day is that there are still those in this fair land who weep over, sympathize with and send pres- ents to these vicious characters when the authorities are lucky enough to catch them. This is the type of citi- zen who balks at the prospect of severe laws to give the bandit a full dose of justice and shudders at the thought of prison life, which, in- are twenty whose efficiency is im- vroved and whose lifetime of useful- ness is prolonged. ———— Mr. Borah and the Salary Increase. Consistency, a jewel, Is sometimes costly. Senator Willilam E. Borah of Idaho has declined to accept the $2,600 increase in pay voted by Congress two years ago. He was opposed to voting the increase. He moved to re- consider the vote by which it passed the Senate. But his colleagues did not give him a vote on the question. The increase went through without a rec- ord vote in efther house of Congress. Senator Borah will be dubbed quixotic in many quarters. But it is impossible to withhold from the Idaho Senator a meed of admiration for his firmness in the course which he advo- cated. All the more so because Sena- tor Borah is not a wealthy man. He has made no parade of his position. In fact, he has jealously guarded the secret of his return of $2,500 a year to the Treasury. How different from those who make a virtue of their self-dental and smugly tell the world! There is a nice question whether a legislative body should increase the pay of its own members and the mem- bers- should benefit by the increase voted during their terms of office. Senator Borah answers the question, for himself, in the negative. He has stuck to his decision. . His attitude has been that if re-elected in 1032, when his constituents will be fully aware of the salary increase, he may then accept it. But until the people he represents have elected him to fill a $10,000 job instead of a $7,600 job he will stick to the latter. No one can increase the pay of Con- gress except Congress itself. But Con- gress might with considerable pro- priety have voted, as Senator Borah doubtless would have considered more justifiable, an increase of pay to be- gin with the new term of office. Un- fortunately this might have worked a seeming injustice in the case of Senators. One-third of the Senate is elected every two years. It would scarcely seem fair to pay one Senator from New York $10,000 and his colleague only $7,500. But that situation would have arisen’ had such a plan been followed. So far as the House is concerned, the problem would have presented no such difficulty. The entire House goes out of office on the same day, and the new House comes in as a whole immediately thereafter. The pay of the national legislators in this country far exceeds the pay of any similar body of men the world over. In Great Britain members of the House of Commons receive in the neighborhood of $2,000 a year. A Sen- ator or a Representative in this coun- try would consider himself hardly used if he were offered such a stipend. The lower salary has at once its ad- vantages and its disadvantages, If the salary be high enough to become a real consideration, the office becomes a real job. To be re-elected a member may sacrifice his best judgment on public questions in order to make votes for himself. On the other hand, it might happen that with a small salary allowance many men of ability and integrity, but of moderate means, might find it impossible to become candidates for Senator or Representa- tive and the country be the loser thereby. To open the lists only to men of wealth would be detrimental to the country. Judging from his popularity with the voters of Idaho in the past, the people of his State would be perfectly willing to elect Mr. Borah to the Sen- ate at a salary of $10,000, or even $15,000 or $20,000 a year. It might not be amiss for his constituents to- day to adopt some method of inform- ing him of their desires in this regard. Before the Senate adjourned recent- ly Senator Borah had the novel ex- perience of being twitted by Senator Heflin of Alabama as a man who pro- tested agninst the salary increase in public and hurriedly gathered it in after the increase had been voted. How many men in the Senate, or out, could have sat silent and smiled, as Mr. Borah did, under such clrcum- stances? How many could have denied themselves the opportunity to an- nounce, dramatically, that they had refused the money? — ——— It is entirely probable that the Haitlan government has the capacity of a United States Senator for start- ing trouble in a new place. — e An Audacious Hold-Up. For sheer audacity no hold-up in the annals of crime exceeds the high- way robbery recently of the heavily year marks an Increase in figures, and the making of sporting goods now ranks distinctly as big business. More and more is the United States becoming a sport-loving nation, and more and more are its devotees will- ing—nay, anxious—to unstrap the bank roll for the purpose of proper, complete and often artistic equipment. Gone are the days when the removal of the coat and collar and the assump- tign of & pair of bicycle clips made & armored pay car of the Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Company. Obviously planned weeks in advance this dar- ing coup netted one hundred and two thousand dollars. Leaving Pitts- burgh about noon with. money for the pay rolls of several mines of the compeny, the armored car and an escort car guarded by five employes, were unmolested at the first two branches that were visited. On their ) cidentally, is a much better, cleaner and more sanitary life than that en- joyed by two-thirds of the unfortu- nates before they were incarcerated. This class of citizen forgets the agon- ies undergone by the guards who were catapulted sixty feet In the air by the explosion; it forgets, likewise, the flash of a gun which,in other hold-ups, has sent faithful guards to eternity, and it seems to take little heed of the suffering of the families whose loved ones have been killed or in- jured by the activities of the under- world. Should conditions interrupt the time-honored custom of egg-rolling in the White House grounds a charming tradition will be threatened with ef- facement. There has been a certain pleasure in the idea of contact by the President with the youngsters whose parents fully expect them cach to be President some day. e e ‘War can be long postponed, if not entirely prevented, if there can be an ironclad gentlemen’s agreement that there/shall be no armament activities while the subject of disarmament is under discussion. —— et The abundance of beautiful Irish melodies so conspicuously in timely evidence calls attention to the fact that St. Patrick, among his many ac- complishments, included that of the musician. “Moving is the order of the day" in the rural communities, we see from a perusal of the old home town paper. Thousands of Government employes weekly open with pleasure the old paper, which tells of the everyday life of everyday folks. They may laugh, now and then, at some of the nalve statements which pass therein as ‘“‘news,” but it is a laugh tinged with understanding. The small communities out in the country, such places as Busy Bee and Pious Chapel, Brooktown and Chal- mer, Highview, Meadley—these and many others live the basic life of the Unijted States. It is a matter of importance in such places that those who rent farms are moving, changing around, every one trying io better himself. The correspondence from Longview sums up the situation as follows: “There has been many changes in the neighborhood the past week. Cy Chisman and family moved from the Rowe Farm, near the Rowe Bridge, to a farm near the old Dutch Church, about 12 miles from Busy Corners, and Archie Dusenberry and family have moved to the home vacated by Mr. Chisman. “Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Gelch have moved from the Allen McClintock Farm, at Hisman, to a part of Mr. and Mrs. Lem Conrad's house. Mr. Gelch {8 farming for Mr. Conrad. “Mr. and Mrs. James Coop moved from the Heinrich Farm to a farm in the Pious Chapel neighborhood and Mr. Dulin and family are mov: ing from Rev. and Mrs. Ball's farm to the farm vacated by Mr. and Mrs. Coop. “Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bugler are moving to the Square Grove neigh- borhood, where he will work in a blacksmith shop.” %k * News? Certainly it is new When Laowis Hasterly .begins work- ing on last Thursday for Howard Brewster do not all the residents of Longview want to know about it? They most surely do, just as much as the residents of the District of Columbia desire to learn of the ap- pointment of the new Public Utilities Commissioners. Longviewlans get just as much “kick” out of hearing that Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Frost and daughter were Sunday guests of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lea and baby as any Wash-. Ingtonian does from the soclal items of this city. “The Headley Aid Society will meet this Thursday for an ali-day meet. ing at the church. There will be work. The men will also cut wood in the grove.” Picture the ladies knotting com- forts and making quilts. See the sturdy gentlemen of the community cutting wood in the grove. There is a pure picture of rural life, and let him sneer who has become so- “citi- fied” that he cannot appreciate, The rest of us will go on to read about the good time the Literary Circle had the other dgy: “The Literary Circle met with Mrs. A. D. Boomerang last Wednesday aft- ernoon. A large number of members and guests were present. ‘At the close of an interesting pro- gram a delicious luricheon was served ———— e A St. Louls girl bandit changed her hat every time she held up a res- taurdnt. A feminine hat hides the features sufficiently to make a change of headwear a complete disguise. ————— Crime waves have become so numer- ous that in some communities a police whistle has about as much chance as a toy horn in a brass band. y ————— It is being alleged that Philadelphia retains among its interesting land- marks, specimens of the old-fashioned saloon. £ Florida will stop racétrack gambling. The real estate game can take care of all the loose change available. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHENSON. An Assurance. Still we sing the same old song; “There is surely something wrong! Wrong with what we eat or drink, ‘What we say, or what we think, ‘What we play, or what we sing— Something's wrong with everything!” land radio music enjoyed.” City newspapers might emulate the brevity of that notice with much good to their readers. The dull “papers’ According to the Jewish Daily Bulletin of New York, Senator “Jim" Reed's appearance as Henry Ford's counsel at Detroit this week has the 1928 presidential campaign In, view. The Bulletin’s “well informed” au- thority points out that ‘“Senator Reed's consent to serve as Ford's lawyer is a move to win the sym- pathy of the Ku Klux Kian and the dry elements” for the Mirsourian’s candidacy. “Both these element: observes the Bulletin, “find in Henry Ford a spokesman and a protagonist. His legal activities, Senator Reed hopes, will win the drys who are sup- porting McAdoo, as well as reconcil- jate the Klan, which Reed in the past has attacked.” The Jewish publica- tion, which assumes responsibility for the statement, adds that “in addition to the $100,000 retainer given Senator Reed by Mr. Ford for his services in the Sapiro trial, the Missourfan is to receive court fees of $2,500 a day.” Then a mockingbird drew near, ‘With assurance sweet to hear Of the skies once more so blue, As the blossoms smile anew. ‘This is the burden of his song: “Life goes on; there's nothing wrong.” Rules. “Your friends say the United States Senate needs new rules.” “Either that,” answered Senator Sorghum, *“or a little more respect for the old ones.” Jud Tunkins says a man who gives a traffic cop an argument is one of the people who might get justice if they were not looking for trouble. “Envy,” said Hi Ho, the mage of Chinatown, “is to be feared; yet it is something we must all seek to de- serve.” Measurements. Our bootlegs in thelr measurement Have made a change complete. For holding gallons they are meant Instead of merely feet. Manipulating the Market. “How is Crimson Gulch progress- ing?” “Fine,” answered Cactus Joe. now have a real estate boom. at this map!” “But why have you put all the streets so close together?” “So's to get more corner lots.” Music and Commerce. My Radio! My Radio! Your tunes I can’t forget, Although the source from which you flow Is the Switzer Cheese Quartet. “De man dat plays wif loaded dice,” sald Uncle Eben, “is sure to win once or twice; an’ jes’ as sure to hit trouble befo' he quits. “We Look ————————— Puzzling Problem. From the New York Sun. The Kansas State Bank deposit fund is bankrupt. Who shall guarantee the guarantor? O —— Prisons’ Outstanding Needs. From the Ohio State Journal. ‘The most discouraging fact is not that the prisons are so overcrowded, but that they ought to be more so. Our Modern Mas. * ok Kk K Senator Henry W. Keyes, Repub- lican, of New Hampshire, who has spiked the guns of the slush fund in- vestigating committes by the simple ruse of refusing to O. K. its expense account, is one of the few members of the upper house who officlally de- scribe themselves asfarmers. Washing- ton politiclans see the dextrous hand of Farmer Keyes' canny colleague, George Higgins Moses, in the subtle ex- pedient that has apparently put the committee out of action till further notice. Senator Moses was Senator “Dave" Reed's principal co-conspira- tor in the fillbuster that prevented a vote on the slush resolution. As f. newspaper man, diplomat and poll ticlan rolled into one, Moses has few peers on Capitol Hill in the realm of resourcéfulness, and the betting is that it was his little scheme to have the chairman of the Senate commit- tee on audit and control of the con- tingent expenses of the Senate with- hold approval of additional expendi- ture by the Reed probers. Hard- hearted Democrats are suggesting that one of the reasons Senator Keyes cleared for action is that there's some curosity about the 1926 Republican senatorial campaign in New Hamp- shire, which Moses won at the end of a bitter contest. * K Ok X There's music in the air, off the coast of Nicaragua where an Ameri- can squadron rides at anchor, be- cause Rear Admiral Jullan L. Latimer is in command. Among Admiral Lati- mer's many, claims to fame in the Navy is his love of music, especially orchestral. He's known as the officer who always insists on having the best band in the fleet aboard the ship which flies his flag. U. S. S. Rochester, flag- ship of our forces in Central American waters, carries an accomplished or- ganization of musiclans, and their concerts are among the things that make life worth living for the whole squadron. Latimer likes dancing, too, and the quarterdeck of the Rochester is frequently turned into a ballroom whenever her skipper puts in at a harbor in either home or foreign waters. When the cruiser was on guard off Tacna-Arica last vear, Admiral Latimer's dancing parties were oases in a desert of Latin American ennui. * ok ok ok Senator Burton K. Wheeler, Demo- crat, of Montana, is following in the footsteps of his Republican colleague from Connecticut, Senator Hiram Bingham, and heading for China via Panama. Accompanied by his. wife and three eldest children, the Mon- tanan will sail from New York on March 22. He expects to be gone un- til August 1. Wheeler shares the view of many members of Congress that affairs in the Far East will domi- nate international discussion at Wash- From the Baltimore Sun. Terrible anxiety is suffered by daughters these days over where their mothers are spending the eveni lnfton next Winter, and he is grati- fylng a long cherished ambition to explore the other side of the world at first hand. Before he comes home, | by members are carefuly omitted, and the chief interest centered on the de- lightful luncheon and the radio music, as it should. Our private opinion, however, is that none of the ladles listened 'to the radfo. No lady we know has ever been known to listen 40 a radio, and_we doubt that the gentlewomen of Headley are any dif- ferent from those in the Capital City of these United States. * % %X % “John Christley was a victim of a recent surprise when the members of the Bible class of the Busy Bee Church gathered at the home in honor of his birthday.” Delicious refresh- ments also were served here. Re- freshments are invariably “delicious,” we note, no matter in what commun- ity served. This is a good sign. Down at Chalmer we pick up this interesting item: “Thomas Olde left Monday for Chicago, where he ex- pects to be employed.” Tom’s trust in Chicago is touching, or inspiring, either way you choose to look at it. Albert Turnipseed's fourteenth birthday was celebrated with a big party, attended by 25 persons. ‘A sumptuous dinner was enjoyed and games were played.” Perhaps the reader here is not ac- quainted with what a ‘‘sumptuous dinner” in the small places really means. Well, it means fried chicken and mashed potatoes and corn on the cob and beans and peas and celery and tomatoes and squash and eggplant and jelly and ‘‘high biscuits’” and how chow" and radishes, to start oft with, and pie and cake and ice cream and pudding and coffee and milk and water, to end with, and in between about a score more delicacies that are crammed on the table some- how or other. * K Kk “Dave Garrick is assisting Otto Copeland with his corn husking. “Mrs. Albert Hall assisted Mrs. Jack Benjamin cook for corn shred- ders Monday and Tuesday of last week." Those who attended the film, "“The Big Parade,” from Brooktown rural route 16 got their names in the paper, but no more so than those who at- tended the high school picnic in the Joe Young woods, south of town. Mrs. Tip Draper, we see, is quite ill with tonsilitis. Arnold Coonrod was a Sunday guest of Helen Le Beau. Look out for another wedding in this vieinity! So the record goes. These, the “big events” of our common human nature, will strike a responsive chord in the hearts of those who remember their humanity. ..Such is the stuff of Jife—visits, parties,” movings, illness, work. Most persons, whether in ecity or country, have little to do, after all, with the great and the near-great. Their association with the ‘grand moments” “of history is only via the reading route, ‘What one actually does today is more important—to him—than what some one else did. To read the home town newspaper s to bring one's self near to this truth of existence. There will, too, perhaps be a dull pain in the reading, which one may not be able to trace at first, bu he will finally discover to balhvlvshll’c': gret that he no longer lives in a place where he “knows everybody" and every one knows him, WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Wheeler plans to visit the Philippines, Japan and Indla. * ok ok ok Our greatest ship, S. S. Leviathan, is about to celebrate a golden jubilee. On March 19 she will embark upon her fiftieth sailing. Since the Levi- athan entered the American flag serv- ice In 1923, she has had . phenome- nal career. She remains the largest vessel in the world. During the past four years she has carried more than 100,000 passengers. In 1926 the Levi- athan transported more peopl faan Europe to New York than any other liner, the average carryings per trip being 190 more than these of her nearest rival. On July 3 last year, the queen of the American merchant ma. rine safled from New York with 2 424 passengers, the year's record, But that's a bagatelle alongside the 10,000 ?::‘fhrl:gl! the former German Vater- ed acr land ferrled across the Atlantic trip * k % X% Representative R. Walton Mo Democrat, of Virginia, is out W‘ll?lren' novel suggestion for preventing Sen- ate fillbusters without radical tamper- ing with the antediluvian rules that now aid and abet them. “T think the ;lght of free a’nd full discussion should D olreserved” says Representative oore, “but would it not be possible to do this and at the same time amend the rules sq as to put a majority in complete control during a period of say, 30 days prior to the end of a :«evualonA Representative Moore thinks t's pretty clear that public sentiment will demand the drastic change Vice President Dawes has advocated, un- less a fair compromise can be pro. vided. The Virginian says Julius Caesar in the Roman Senate was the world’s first filibusterer, * ok k% The father of Muscle Shoals Laflin Summers, has just fi:h‘:’é‘é away' at his home on Long Island at the early age of 56. A consulting en- gineer by profession, Summers prompt- Iy placed his eminent services at the disposal of the Government when the United States entered the war, and became one of the leading $1-a-year men of the War Industries Board Bernard M. Baruch, chairman of the board, in a tribute fo Summers’ mem. ory, says: “There is no one on the munitions side of the war who did more for the allied cause than Ieland Summers. He pitched his tent at Washington, paid his own expenses. worked like a demon and recetved & check for but $1. At the end of the war he was of priceless value to the American delegation at Parls, and was more responsible than anybody else for many of the economic ciauses of the peace treaty. Muscle Shoals was his creation. His idea that. it would make us independent of Chilean nitrate was fully justified.” Summers’ nickname at Washington was “Bus. ter,” after the tenacious dog that never quit a fight. When Summers belleved he was right, he never gave :-’1‘3 l?tn'd" says Baruch, “he usually was (Copyright. 1927.) s Fail to Practict Safety First. From the New York Sun. Mayor Walker holds that drunken- ness is always an accident. There are a good many convivial persons who do not practice safety first, A Suburbanite’s Wish. From the Los Angeles Dally Times. A suburban mhn says he's heard lots of people speak harshly of kid- napers, but he wishes his would nap a little late on Sunday morning. In the Spotlight. From the Topeka (Kans.) Capital. Sun spots may account for the epi- demic of student suicides and of fist fights in Congress. No other theory geems to be satisfactorys -.- MARCH 14, 1927. ! s Complains of Dogs ! Disturbing N To the Editor of The Star: 1 cannot refrain from expressing my sincere gratitude for the article written by your correspondent on the | question of dogs in the city and print- ed in yesterday's Star. Surely that man is a brave man and deserving of the plaudits of those residents of this fair city who day and night endure mental suffering imposed upon them by that selfish class of inhumanitarian city dog owners. Not long ago this city passed a regulation requiring owners of ehick ens to obtain permission of a certain number of their neighbors before they would be permitted to raise chickens, but to date no such regulation has been promulgated for dogs. And, be it remembered, that a chicken is not nearly so noisy as a dog, and is, in addition, productive and posse d of an economic value, whereas the dog is absolutely useless in the city. The only recourse one has at pres ent is to swear out a warrant for the owner of an offending dog. But how many of us care to swear out war- rants for our neighbors? And even if we did, I can i gine what a sweet time I would have of it if T started swearing out warrants for all the owners of nolsy and peace-disturbing dogs in my neighborhood. The first big difficulty would be to find the own ers of the numerous canine night prowlers and howlers that infest the alley in the rear of my house. But, of course, I know, und others know, why there is no great effort made to eliminate the dog in the city, It would offend too many intluential owners of this particular nuisan whereas chickens are owned by the poor and middle class, who as a rule think too much of themselves to per- mit a dirty dog to slobber over them. Be it d in favor of the owner of those slobbering little lounge lizards, however, that they at least are not very disturbing to one's peace of mind when out of sight. The other class of dogs—the real dogs, those that prowl the streets and alleys and poke their noses through the back fences and howl and bark at every other dog and every person and every cat—these are the dogs that disturb the peacc of mind of the entire neighborhood, in or out of sight and day and night. These last are not so much the of- fenders againsf good taste, but of good sleep. 0Y A. TOMLINSON. ———— Outlook Is Brighter For Rail Stockholder From the Wall Street Journal. In its first two months 1927 has brought a beginning of fulfillment of the prophecy that it was to be a year of realization for the raflroad stock- holder. This week the Pere Marquette has taken steps toward the declara- tion of a stock dividend, the St. Louls. San Francisco has increased its p: ments to common stockholders and the Wabash has Inaugurated divi- dends on its B stock. Last month the Rock Island declared the first divi- dend on its common shares since fl:e readjustment’ of the company’s finances in 1916. Such a movement wa forecast and even begun last year, when the Penn- sylvania and the Southern raised their rates and Reading and Lehigh Valley declared extra disbursements, both of which are likely to be re peated. It is perhaps only a coinci- dence that the carriers which last year expanded the income of their stockholders were among the stronger companies and those so far taking similar action this vear are less defl- nitely in that category. In none of these cases is the action taken open to criticlsm as unwarranted by current earnings. So, far from being a matter of sur- prisé, a more liberal division of rail- road income with the owners of the properties was inevitable if their managers were to avoid stultifying themselves before the regulatory commissions and the public. For many vears they have asserted the necessity of greater net revenues to attract the needed capital into the business. . For two years past heavy traffic combined with more competent and energetic handling thereof and the better facilities provided with bor- rowed money have afforded practically all railroad companies a growing mar- gin of net income. The very condi- tion for expansion through sale of stock in preference to the dangerous expedient of amassing mortgage debt, which railroad managers have long been insisting upon as essential, has in a measure been realized. Much can be said for the practice of “ploughing back" profits from oper- ation instead of dividing them imme- diately with those who have assumed the risks of the undertaking, but that policy carries within fitself its own limitations. Its justification is the ultimate benefit of the stockholder, who is asked to forego present re- turns in exchange for greater future compensation. Obviously, a denial of both the immediate and ultimate bene- fits, after the time has clearly arrived for the latter to be harvested, raises a question of good faith, not merely as between management and stock- holders but equally as between car- riers and public. Nations Breed Ills, Nof Spots Sun Shows From the Elmira Star-Gazette. Most of our major ills, says a Mos- cow professor, are due to sun spots. These spots, he adds, run in cycles and have so profound an effect on man- kind that wars, revolutions, famines, social and political upheavals of all kinds follow in their train. The sun spot business apparently is something that sclence hasn't quite made up its mind about yet, and the ordinary man is entitled to believe it or not, as he wishes. It's a comforting doctrine, in a way. It relieves us of responsibility, When some one mentions the World ‘War or the present uprising in China we can blame these terrible tragedies on the far-distant sun, which can’t answer back, and absolve ourselves and our generation of all blame. But somehow it seems just a little bit too easy to be true. For all we know, the sun spots may, as it is claimed, have a profound effect on all of our activities. Yet we might as well remind our- gelves that all of the sun spots be- tween here and the pole star would never bring about a World War if mankind had not already planted the seeds. The World War, to cite a single world upheaval, was the crop of the seed that many generations had sown. It was the fruit of blind greed. and autocratic self-seeking and narrow na- tionalism and bitter trade rivalry. As the world had planted, so did it reap. ‘We may talk about sun spots until we are blue in the face, but that will not enable us to look on the World ‘War as something for which no one was to blame. Nor will it enable us to sidestep responsibility for what may be ahead of us. ‘What we, as a Nation, are now will determine what is going to happen to us in the near future. If we are blind and reckless and selfish and materialistic, as the nations of Europe were before 1914, we may rest assured that we will garner a crop similar to the one they garnered. Fortunately, on the other hand, if we make justice our daily ideal and work forever for the establishment of the kingdomi of righteousness, in its broadest sefjse, we can rest assured that certsinitragedies will be spa us, But, elfher way, we mustn’t to blame 48 sun spots for all of it, ghts | red trylthe Albany Evening . 1s it possible in Southampton, England, for the tide to appear to ebb and flow more than twice in 24 | hours?—J. H. G. | A. It has two extra tides. The tide | of the English C s it high | { water first by w olent and | y of Spithead. | onsulates | R.E. M. | Q. How many are there in New A. There are Q. In the manufacture of electric | light bulbs, are any made primarily to, give heat instead of light?>—P. P. A. The Bureau of Standards says that large carbon filament lamps are probably still made in small quantities for heating purposes. They are used {in so-called “cozy glow” or “radiant | | €low” bathroom heaters. Wire resist ance units are now very generally used instead of lamps. Such lamps called “heater 5 | | For what purpose was the star- L. B. introduced into Its food habits neficial and the acity for good | feed to a large extent oni Q. ling brought to Ameri A. The starling wa New York City in 1890 are on the whole birds pos: in that th linsect pe Q.»\\'hh"h of the Protestant denom- | | Inations malntains the most mission- arles abroad?—W. 4V, L. A. The Protestant denomination in jthe United States which is sending | the greatest number of missionaries to foreign fields is the Presbyterian, re- porting in the Fede “ouncil of | Churches Year Book, 1 Amer- ican missionaries, with native staff. - 1 860 | Q. How can isinglass in automo- biles be cleaned?—W. K. | Isinglass in automobile cur- may be cleaned with vinegar. Q. In what locality in the United States does the thermometer fall the lowest?—J. O, C. A. The lowest recorded tempera- ture for the United States proper is 65 degrees below zero, which was ob- served near Miles City, Mont., in Jan uary, 1888, Q. WIill the World War ex-service men who are receiving $50 a month for arrested T. B. get it all their lives?—W. L. A. A World War veteran recelving the arrested tuberculosis compensa- tion of $50 a month will do so as long as he lives. Q. T hard-boiled some eggs and ac cidentally let the pan boil dry. The eggshells exploded; why was this? —J. 0. P. A. The eggshells broke after the eggs had boiled dry because the mois- ture inside of the dry shell expanded and burst the shell. Q. Of what kind of paper were the paper suits made that Germans wore during the war?—E. E. M. A. Cloth made of cellulose yarn was used to make the so-called paper suilts worn in Germany during the war. The cellulose is transformed into paper and cut into strips and these strips are spun. The waste from other fibrous materials such as cotton and flax is introduced to make a thread in the manufacture of the yarn. Q. When is the best time of year to dig up and reset evergreen trees?— N A. The Bureau of Plant Industry says the best time to replant cedars and other evergreen trees is March or August. . Q. Where is Europe?—A. S. A. Lake Ladoga, on the border be- tween southeast Finland and north- west Russia, is the largest. It has a surface area of 7,004 square miles. the largest lake in | water occurs ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Why are various selections. of music called “Humoreske”>—R. L. A. Grove's Dictionary of Music an Musiclans says of the word “Hu moreske” (Humoresque): “A titly adopted by Schumann for his ‘Op. 20 and ‘Op. §8, No. 2, the former fo1 v solo, the latter for plano, vio lin and violoncello. Heller and Grieg have also used the term for pian forte pieces—‘Op. 64’ and ‘Opp. 9 nn‘z 16, respectively. There i3 nothin particularly ‘humorous’ in any of these, and the term ‘caprice’ migh{ equally weil be applied to them. Ruw binstein also entitled his Don Quixote ‘Humoreske,’ but the ‘humor’ is there of a more obvious and boisterous kind.” Q. Who were Jack London's par ents?—M. L. G. A. Jack London was the son of a trapper, John London, and his seo ond wife, Flora Wellman London The father lived in Springfield County >a., and the mother in Massill Ohio. The elder London was of Eng- lish extraction and his wife English and Welsh. Q. What is meant by the “establish ment of the port"?—R. E. V. The Naval Observatory says high 50 minutes later each day, on an average. High water fol- lows the transit of the moon aeross the meridian of any place by a certain interval, which is known as the “es- tablishment of the por ‘This in- terval is approximatel the same throughout the year for any one place, but differs widely for different plac Was “Tess of the Storm Coun- r¥" filmed more than once’—B. P. A. It has been filmed tw Mary Pickford was starred in both produc- tions. Q. What language” A s fl'\o longest word in any It may be found in the Ek. klesinzousal of Aristophanes, an ex- cellent comedy, and placed in the mouth of one of the actors. It con- sists of 169 letters and makes 77 syl- lables. Q. How long has New Orleans had a Mardl Gras festival>—N. G. A. It has observed the celebration for about 70 years. Q. What was the family relation- ship between Rufus Putnam and Is- rael Putnam?—B. L. D. A. They were cousins. Both served with distinction during the Revolu tionary War, but the career of Israel Putnam was longer and perhaps more spectacular than *that of his cousin. His rank was also higher. stal set that will Q. Is there a ¢ receive from over 500 miles?>—E. S. A. The Loomis Radio College says that the best crystal detector receiver made would not give 500-mile recep- tion. While, under certain circum- stances of freak reception, crystals may have beeri heard of as bringing in signals for such a distance, no one would think of expecting this under normal operating conditions. The average distance range of such a re- ceiving set is about 25 miles. When in doubt—ask Haskin. He offers himself as a target for the ques- tions of our readers. He agrees to furnish facts for all who ask. This is a. large contract—one that has never been filled before. It would be possible only in Washington and only to one who has spent a lifetime in lo- cating sources of information. Haskin does mot know all the things that people ask him, but he knows people who do know. Try him. State your question briefly, write plainly and én- close 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Address Frederic J. Haakin, Director, the Evening Star Informa- tion Bureau, Washington, D. C. Majority opinion upholds the view that the deadlock in which the United States Senate found itself at the close of the last session demonstrated the wisdom of Vice President Dawes’ fight for revision of the Senate rules. Some observers still insist, however, that the rules are adequate to meet any vital situation, and that n the mat- ter of defeating legislation desired by a majority results are much the same in the House, where rules are more stringent. Quoting Vice President Dawes’ clos- ing remarks as Congress adjourned, !the Cincinnati Times-Star (Republican) remarks: “Thus the Vice President returnied to his text. The Senate itself had involuntarily preached the sermon in support of it. Moving from fili- buster to filibuster, passing sleepless nights without getting _anywhere, vainly invoking cloture when cloture was unavailing, letting legislation on which majorities had set their heart go by the board, failing even to pass an important appropriation bill, secretly infuriated by the growing smile on the face of its presiding officer, ‘the greatest deliberative body in the world’ went wailing and curs- ing to a calamitous finish. On a certain historic occasion Dawes ar- rived at the Senaie a few minutes late; hence some of the doggerel about his tardy ‘ride’ written into the Con- gressional Record. But at leas Vice President had a ride. Hitc the post by their own rules, tI eminent gentlemen who' assailed him never got started.” * kK K teemed United States Sen- ate had carefully rehearsed the entire proceedings, with _ Vice President Dawes in the role of stage manager,” according to the Roanoke Times (Democratic), “It could -hardly ha put on a performance better calcu- lated to serve the Vice President ends in the fight to which he is com- mitted for reform of the Senate rules. The filibuster which clogged the wheels throughout the closing days of the session, blocking the passage of much Important legislation, can- not fail to have the effect of center- ing national attention on the Dawes campaign for revision of the rules. The Indianapolis News (independent) asserts that “such exhibitions bring the subject closer home and make i more apparent that Mr. Dawes right in his demand that something be done.” “Mr. Dawes smiles and says ‘T told you so'; he did, and he told the truth is the comment of the Adrian Tel gram (independent), while the Colum- ia Record (Democratic) suggests that the filibuster has obviously pro- vided ammunition for Vice President “If the (Republican) holds that “if the Vice President s not indulging in a few sardonic grins he has a larger meas- ure of control over natural impulses than has been credited to him.” The New Orleans Item (independent Demo- cratic) belleves that “the net result, by common consent, is a great strengthening of the campaign for rules that will prevent such exhibi- tions by putting sane limits on mere obstructive talk.” The Passaic Her- ald (independent) says that “when Mr. Dawes goes to the country again with his plea for a change in those rules he ought to have a stronger body of public opinion behind him. * k k% ‘Gen. Dawes was right,” observes News (independ. | snt Repul Dawes Rules Fig Through Deadlock of Senate | should, be abolished. |Tran: ht Stronger one man or two men can hold up the entire Senate hour after hour, and keep it from transacting the business of the Nation, something is wrong somewhere.” The Great Falls Tribune (Democrati¢) declares: “The whole pro- ceedings are a shame and disgrace to the Senate, and make it evident that Vice President Dawes is correct when that Senate rules need revi- . * The Utica Observer-Dispatch (independent) contends that “to con- tinue to operate under such a system is a confession of weakness.” The ‘Worcester Telegram (republican) re- fers to “the ponderously silly rules of the Senate,” and the Flint Daily Jour- nal (independent) is of the opinion that “probably the filibuster can be used no more mischievously than at the close of @ congressional session.” “The Senators who have opposed any material change in the Senate rules were the ones who made use of the filibuster. which has become a sort of blackmail,” charges the Los Angeles Times (independent Republican), which goes on to sdy: “One has but to read over a list of important legislation, already passed by -the House, which failed of passage on account of the filibuster, to appreciate the damage that has been done.” The Loulsville Courjer-Journal (Democratic) insists that “corruption in its last ditch caused the casualties,” and that paper remarks: “A militant and adept mi- nority takes the credit for the events by which the Sixty-ninth Congress will be remembered, and at the close had administration leaders blocking legisla- tion by a filibuster against a resolu- tion to continue the warfare on fraud.” * K X K Opposed to these comments is that of the Lynchburg News (Democratie), which maintains that ‘“events haye proved that the cloture rule can made effective because it has n made very effective in two instances.¥ The News favors abolition of the she session as a remedy for recent evils. The Omaha World-Herald (indepemd- ent) says that “take it all in all, itils an open question if Senate talk 't been better for the country t House action.” That paper decla: “The House has its own pecul| method of stifling legislation, e r n | against the will of a non-partisan jority. One need look no further for an example than is offered by Senator Norris’ lame duck amendment to the Constitution. Three times that reso- lution has passed the Senate, only to be put in cold storage in the House. There is no reasonable likelihood that this amendment would meet serious opposition if given a free and fair chance, but it is kept safely preserved in committee because that is the wilt of a small coterie of leader “If a remedy is really wanted for the filibustering habit,” advises the phis Press-Scimitar (independent), present shjort session of Congress The Peoria pt (independent) agrees that “the short session of Congress consti- tutes a real menace and is chiefly re- sponsible for filibusters and abuses of Senate rules.” The Seattle Times (inde- pendent Republican) states: “It is a debatable question whether fililbusters do any actual harm. * * * Whether one likes filibusters or condemns them depends largely upon whose legisla- tion is blocked.” The Springfield Union ublican) believes: “The senatorial that makes action by unanimous co: sent possible has passed. What we have now is not the historic Senate— not the greatest deliberative body on earth—but a notorlously Dolitical body,” O tacuretly