Evening Star Newspaper, May 2, 1927, Page 8

{THE EVENING STAR ©_With_Sunday Morning FEdition. WASHINGTON, D. & {MONDAY..........May 2, 1927 STHEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor fThe Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: t. and Pepnsyivania Ave. Now Fork Sice: 110 East dind st. Chicago Office: Tower Buiiding. European Office: 14 Regent St.. London, Englane 111) The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- | #ng edition. is delivered by carriers within the city ‘at 60 centa per ) 48 cenis per month: Sunday .20 cents e, month, - Ordecs mag be sent by mail or elephone Main 5000, Collection is made by carrier at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. ailv and Sundav....] §T. aily only - Sunday only All Other States an gm!y and Sunday..l yr. Daily onlv .......1 unday onl. . Canada. 00: 1 mo., $ $8.00' 1 mo.. $4.00: 1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled | o the use for republication of all new Patches credited to it or not otherw ted in this paper and aleo the loc published herein Al rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. The Levee Problem. | Combining relief work in the flooded reas of the lower Mississippi Valley with a survey of the conditions to de termine methods of preventing future visitations of this character, Secre tary Hoover h ned to Washing- ton. In conjunction with Gen. Jadwin, rs of the Army, he needs of A these two official: ve ied a statement which summarizes | their conclusions as to means of fu.| ture protection gainst floods. This Statement is epitomized in the follow- | ing concluding sentence: “Levees are the practicable, feasible and economi- cal means for affording flood protec- tion for the valley as a whole.” This statement of Secretary Hoover and Gen. Jadwin negatives the pro- posal for the creation of great storage Yeservol o impound surplus waters mt times of freshet. Such a plan, they feel, would be enormously expensive without assuredly affording relief. Reservol would be of value in the upper rivers in the regulation of local floods to help the navigation and for power purposes, but, conclude these officials, they would have but small influence on the great floods in the main trunk of the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. Levees have been the mainstay of protection for many years, but they have not prevented floods. That is probably because they have not been built with sufficient strength. The present floods are due in the main to the breaking of these barriers. In a few instances the waters have flowed over the tops of the embankments without breaking them, but the dam- age has been chiefly done through breaches in these walls, through which torrents have poured to inundate vast @reas. It is a fallacy, point out the two of- ficials who have just surveyed the situation, that the building of levees has caused the raising of the bed of the stream, tending to transform it into a steadily rising trough. The bed of the stream may be rising, but it is mainly due to the silt washed down into it from the tributaries. Dredging operations on a vast scale may even- tually be necessary to redeem the Mississippl from this condition. No prention is made of this possibility in the present report. But considering that iralculable quantities of valu- able soil have been deposited in the ‘bed of the river during many years it ‘would be perhaps an economic advan- tage, indeed a rich investment in fer- tility, as well as a move to increase the channel capacity of the river, to undertake dredging operations, pump- 4ng the reclaimed soil into the areas Pehind the levees. # Itis, in any case, evident that meas-. ‘ures on a large scale must be adopted to lessen the danger. The losses that have been incurred so far in the gourse of this present flood are beyond «computation. Great sums must be ex- yended by the United States to repair and strengthen and expand the levee system. No great amount of time should be necessary to determine the best method. Gen. Jadwin and Secre- tary Hoover have already outlined a Proposal. Reforestation and reservoirs, =nd perhaps contour plowing, to lessen the risk of soil scouring, may in ad- dition be eventually undertaken. But there Is no doubt that at least the strengthening of the levees must be undertaken and on a large scale, re- gardless of the present cost. —— survey of the Great engineers will allow discus- sions of literary morals to take care of themselves for a while and concen- trate on some method of censoring the Mise'ssipp! River. —tate—e— Smith or Walsh? Will the dry Democrats who oppose the norination of Gov. Alfred Smith of New York for President favor the nomination of Senator Thomas J. Walsh of Montana, a dry? Both Gov. Smith and Senator Walsh ars members of the Catholic Church. ‘According to news dispatches, oppo- nents of Gov. Smith are booming the Montana Senator in the hope of di- viding Smith support in the Demo- cratic national convention. There is also the suggestion that those who earnestly believe in the nomination of Senator Walsh hope that with him as a candldate in the general election next year it would possible to unite the dry Democrats of the South and West and the Catholic Democrats of the North and East This, at first blush, seems little more than a hope, and a slim one at that. Senator Walsh, able and popu- lar chairman of the 1924 Democratic natlonal convention, could scarcely make headway in the big States of the North and East against the Repub- lican mominee. These States are Re- publican, as the political history of vears has shown. Predictions that Gov. Smith could carry them are based on the fact that he is recog- nized as a wet, and many Republicans in New York, Massachusetts, Con- necticut and w Jersey are strongly wet in their leanings. With Walsh as a candidate for the Presidency, the Democrats would have to abandon all idea of carrying electoral votes in be month: daily only, | | ot war!’ | | dent Wilson. crat who could not obtain Republican votes there could hope to carry any of these States. | Remain the Southern and the West- | ern States upon which to pin Demo- | cratic hope in the event of the nomina- tion of Senator Walsh, Democrats have looked eagerly to such a com- bination. Woodrow Wilson's success |in 1916 with Southern and Western | electoral votes has been the basis of | much hopeful discussion. Walsh is of the West. He is far away from Wall | Street. He won national reputation as the Investigator of the Teapot Dome oil scandals. But that the West will | follow him now is still a question. The | West has been strongly Republican ex- cept in 1916, when the “He kept us out slogan greatly benefited Presi- No such issue presents itself now to aid Senator Walsh. The South, Democratic always, will L\nlc for the next nominee of the party |in all pro ability, no matter who he may be. This is true of Gov. Smith, it political leaders are to be credited, as well as of Senator Walsh, although the South is strongly dry. It is re- | puted to be strongly anti-Catholic, too, | nomination of Walsh would | not lay the r At least, | however, it might test the sincerity of Southern leaders who are saying should be no bar to a candidate, provided that he be dry and stand on a dry plat- form. Smith or the and the ligious issue. those that religion presidential another candi da ts must make up their minds whether they will make a Dbid in 1928 for the Presidency with a combination of the South and the North and the East, with a com- bination seeking to align the South and the West. s a0 Our Duty. Ten healing years have assuaged in some degree the poignancy of that sorrow felt by all of us as, one by one, our young men and women were laid as sacrifices upon the consuming altar of war. There remain, in its place, a tender memory and a solemn pride in the consecration of their lives and in the manner of their death: emotions to be cherished while we live, to be im- planted tn the hearts of those who come after us. It is for such purpose that Washington is asked this week to make possible, through generous giv- ing, a material symbol of love and reverence for her sons and daughters who died in the World War. The wounds of war healed quickly. The vitality and strength of our Na- tion shortened its convalescence after a catastrophic upheaval which exacted a heavier toll from others. Momen- tarily restrained, perhaps, but un- weakened, we have gone forward to reap a harvest, in the manifold bless- ings of peace, sprung from seed sown with the lives of our men and women who died that there might be such peace. And enjoying as we do today the fruits of our place upon the earth, we should pause a moment lest in our comfort and security we forget the idealistic spirit of sacrifice for coun- try that has paved our way. In the past our Nation was founded upon this spirit; such a spirit since has pre- served our integrity. Only upon its perpetuation may we reckon the safety of our future. It was our greatest in- heritance. It must be our chief legacy. No one can discount the importanc of this effort by Washington to build a suitable monument which will sanc- tify the memory of the dead and honor the service of the living. Every Wash- ingtonian should welcome an opportu- nity, now given, to become one of its builders. Walsh, Democr or or Banditry and Blackmail. Nearly two weeks ago Clifford N. Hicks, a young attorney in St. Louis, was held up by a gang of bandits and robbed of $5,000. Yesterday his bullet- riddled body was found in a clump of bushes outside of the city. A brother of the dead man states that the attorney had since the robbery received several letters warning him to leave the city immediately. The police believe that Hicks had recog- nized some of the bandits and that fearing he would expose themi the; first threatened him and then kid- naped and killed him. If this theory is correct urban banditry has de- veloped a new phase. The hold-up men are not content to take their victim's cash, but seek to buy their immunity by threats of death. But if that is the case it would seem to be strange that Hicks had not moved to secure the arrest of the thieves and thus insure his own safety. The case is a mysterious one. There may be something in it more than a simple | robbery, but it assuredly shows the extent to which the highwaymen of the present are going in order to pur- sue their criminal profession. et “Poet Laureate” is made an official title by the West Virginia Legislature. The salary is only $900 a year. The opportunities to set a praiseworthy pace in a new-literature are unlimited and permit results that should be their own best reward. oo The Navy at New York. One hundred and sixteen cruisers, battleships and destroyers are at an- chor in the North River at New York, the lirgest assemblage of Amer- ican war vessels ever gathered in those waters. They stretch for sev- eral miles in impressive array oppo- site the Manhattan shore and are ob- jects of the keenest interest to a vast multitude of people. Yesterday two great tides flowed between ships and shore—thousands of landsmen sought to visit the warcraft and thousands of sailors got shore leave. The lands- men were eager to tread the decks, and the sailors were just as keen to tread the pavements. These two tides of ship visitors and shore visitors illustrate the difference in points of view. To the landsman a fighting ship s an object of interest and curiosity. To the seaman there is nothing so desirable as a stable, level foothold. For a few hours each craves that which he cannot have in his usual routine. But put the sailors ashore and the landsmen afloat for days, and both crowds would be un- happy. Jack ashore has a good time for a little while, but he likes to go back to the swaying decks. The landsman feels cramped and confined when he treads the decks after the THE EVENING ardently for the *great open spaces” of the town. The spectacle of this armada of one hundred and sixteen warships gives the people an idea of the great organ- ization necessary for the maintenance of national prestige and assurance of protection. And yet in New York has been just illustrated the slender mar- gin between efficiency and helpless- ness of one of these modern monsters of national defense. The battleship Colorado ran its nose upon a reef that stretches between Governors Island and the Battery and was stuc there for hours. Not until she had been lightened by the removal of the greater part of her oil fuel supply d her ammunition was it possible to pull her free by the use of twenty-three tugs and mine sweeper Just a mar- gin of a few inches caused her to touch bottom and to be transformed from a powerful naval unit into a vir tually helpless hulk. The suggests that a bit of work is neces sary to effect a clearance of the most important harbor in the United States to insure the safe passage at all stages of water of the largest American warcraft. it e A Neglected Opportunity. Chase Circle has been for a long time, known to perhaps as many visitors to Washington as any other “‘circle,” yet it remains today an utterly bare plot of grass, unadorned by statues, flowers of in is Chevy existence and or benches. Here, at one of the pivotal points of the great metropolitan area, no effort whatsoever has been made either by the District of Columbia or by M land to utilize a natural space. Perhaps this is the way the District line is marked in the National Capital of the United States, visitors might speculate. Perhaps they wonder why a memorial to some eminent man has not been placed in this spot, passed daily by thousands upon thousands of persons. This circle is a striking instance of lost opportunities. Here is a wonder- ful setting for a great statue to some national hero. There might be de- veloped here, at comparatively little expense, a circular garden, in which could be propagated fine roses, glori- ous iris, ‘peonies, dahlias. Tulips might make glad the Spring here, and vivid cannas strike a bright note in the heat of Summer, Artistic winding paths might’invite strollers. Benches at interval$ might call the weary to rest. 3 The grass, however, is good. Pedes- trians will agree that the grass is very well, as far as it goes, perhaps for the reason that no one walks there, and the automobilists are too busy speeding by even to take a look. ‘Who cares? Personal popularity is an asset in politics. Gov. Al Smith enjoys it to an extraordinary degree. But politics is politics, and when the game becomes swift, personal popularity is very like- 1y to look like a small white chip. ——————— “Music week” is to be a feature of cach year. Much music is bad. One of the best lines in many a program is, “Please stand b; Comets are supposed to presage war. Civilization would have been in a sad state, indeed, if every comet had been followed by a war. oo It should not become a happy-go- lucky practice to wait till the trouble happens and then send for Herbert Hoover. .o Democrats in mentioning presiden- tial candidates point with pride to one of the world’s finest collections of dark horses. o For practical purposes in Italian politics a bulletproof vest is still re- garded as more reliable than a black shirt. e~ His career so far has pointed to Mussolint as the world’s greatest ex- pert in the management of the pad- lock. oo A There is oil under the sea. This an- nouncement enhances the possibility of speculation to an unlimited extent, oo SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Song and Sorrowing. Despite disaster and dismay, ‘When life is going wrong, ‘We still must strive for moments gay, And sing the fleeting song. The song will bid us grateful be | That we securely live. | And teach us further ways to see, To labor and to give. Safe Argument. “Are you in favor. of daylight sav- ing?” “It has lts advantages,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It gives people something to argue about that in- volves no possible mutual insinuations as to moral character,” Jud Tunkins says a singer in a for- eigh language has a great advantage. If you don't understand the words they sometimes don’t sound so fool- ish. ] Contests. Iy daughter won the prize in the beauty contest.” “Are you proud?” | “Not very. Her mother is still com- peting for honorable mention in the dishwashing contest.” Indifferent Detail. “The men no longer object to bobbed hair.” “Present garb makes a conservative gentleman afrald to look twice at a lady,” rejoined Miss Cayenne. ‘“‘He won't have a chance to mnotice how she w Evening Concert. Insomnia is scheming With methods very deep. They sing so0 much of “Dreaming” I cannot even sleep. “A rascal,” saild Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, * likely to become so proud of his finesse that he exposes himself by boasting.” “And other.things dat calls foh strengthin’ up de levees,” saill Uncle that section pf the country. No Demo- novelty has worn off and he wishes Eben, “is dese here crime waves,” incident | Some - time ago we mentally vowed that we would never write another article upon any phase of radio. Not a line, we cheerfully told ourself. We were sick of radio—tired of bat- teries, loud speake: {ubes, an- nouncers, orchestras, bands (especially bands), lady singers who could not sing, gentleman pianists who could not play, static, speeches, particularly talks by ladies Yet here we are at it aggin, as {reader can see, for two very good | sons, to ‘wit: 1. 'Radio is intriguing. 2. What are “big men” This second “reason” may sound n mbiguous, we offer an ex planation immediately. Perhaps it | helps explain the first. Radio broadcasting is fascinating, : other reasons, because it con- tinually offers the mind something to think about Our curiosity as to “big men” aroused by the mental antics broadeaster at a banquet If he used the term “big men” once used it 50 times, and repeated it time with such heartfelt fervor we felt as it he wanted us to rate ourself before the loud speaker each time he called forth the name of one of the aforementioned “big men.” S0 was of a he | each | that Dros * k% x ¥ The “biggest men” of various pro- fessions were present, he told us with bated breath, a certain oily quality of obsequiousness fairly oozing from our lond speaker. We looked around to see if any of was dripping down upon our rug. It is an old friend, and has never been used as a pr rug. We did not know how it. might take such an ac tion upon our part “Mr. Goofritz, the eminent story writer, has just gurgled the announcer, - bergasted, himself, any one could tell, by his close proximity to the cele- brated Mr. Goofritz. Honestly, we believe that speaker had spoken up all that was in his mind, his speech would have gone something like this: “Bow low, ladies and gentlemen, make a deep obeisance, bend the knee and touch your lowly forcheads to the ground—here comes the great Mr. Soofritz! “Think, ladies and gentleman, vou bend the knee, this baby draw: down $2,000 apiece for a single short story! Think how long you and 1 have to work for that sum! “Why, he is actually so close to me that T could reach out my unhallowed hand and touch him, only 1 do not dare to soil his coat “Kindly realize that it is a real privilege for you, off there in your plebelan living rooms, to be even hearing about this great man. Two thousand bucks for a short story! You have got to hand it to him!" Well, we do. Mr. Goofri hearty admiration. ess of padding a finest point in the American_short story When Poe and Hawthorne received $20 or so for a story, there were few advertisements, and a writer was un- der no necessity of filling in around ads for shovels and rouge and other necessities of that sort. Today, however, a magazine short story writer has got to extend his plot, as it were, in order to take care of the extra pages. The way the experts do it, without once losing the interest of it short in long ago earned our He has the proc- tale down to the history of the Herbert Hoover, unknown to the world at large, has been in lraiqing for a long time for the Mississippl flood job on which he's now engaged. Ever since he settled down in Wash- ington during the World War, Hoo- ver's favorite pastime has been to steal away into the woods with his two boys and a comrade or two and play at building dams, levees and break- waters. Many an idea for construc- tive engineering schemes has come to Hoover, he says, from these miniature experiments _along the waters _ of humble brooks and forest streains. The Secretary of Commerce, in khaki breeches and flannel shirt, functions as the foreman of his gang on these occasions and speedily infects his com- panions with his own enthusiasm for the work in hand. Hoover's fondness for everything concerned with hy- draulics and geology springs, of course, from his profession of a min- ing engineer, It happens that the flood disaster in the Southwest gives opportunity for the play of Hoover's dual talents—that of an engineer and that of an expert relief administrator. * Kk %k ok seethes with conven- many tongues The national ‘Washington tionites of both : and varied intere ‘ conventions of the great political parties may never come here, but American men and women immersed in other activities favor the Capital more and more from year to @as the ideal scene for their recur conclaves. The National League of Women Votes and the American So- ciety of International Law held the boards last week, and this week the Pan-American Commercial Conference and the annual meeting of the Cham- ber of Commerce of the United Statg! have the center of the stage. No sooner will the business men of the three Americas have left Washington than the members of the American Medical ciation, in their thou- sands, will take possession of the Federal city, and for a week conduct what is expected 1o be the largest and most important convention in the profession’s history. ‘Washington is becoming the natural pi for meet- ings of national orgar izations because their members unfailingly derive stim- ulus and inspiration from close con- |tact with the atmosphere in which the urge and surge of public servic are more perceptible than anywhere else in the United States. * ok sk % c much ever leaked out Te at took place when *Cal’ oolidge and “Al” Smith hobnobbed in the Adirondacks t Summer. Equal- Iy Jittle seeped through to an outside and curfous world when the President and the governor met under the same Yoof at a New York hotel, on April 25. ‘What did ooze out to this observer in Gotham the other day was an authen- tic and hitherto unpublished *Cal” and “Al” episode at White Pine Camp in July, 1926, Smith, discussing N York State’s comprehensive and con- structive water-power program, cas- lally suggested to Coolidge that the |"United States Government ought to | buy the Erie Canal. “What would it cost us?” queried the President. “Oh, about §$900,000,000," quoth the gov- ernor. Coolidge béthought himself a moment, and then rejoined, ‘Gov- ernor, I guess you've been listening to some of that St. Lawrence water- way talk.” That ended the incident for the time being. When their visit was nearly over, “Al” said to “Cal,” “What shall T tell the newspaper men we talked about?” Said “Cal,” ‘em you tried to sell me the Canal and T told vou to sell it to York City for its water supply!” * ¥ K X Some inside: close-ups of the China situation have just been supplied to the White House and the State De- partment by Charles MacVeagh, American Ambassador to Japan, re. cently arrived in the United States on leave. As the principal power nearest to the trouble area, Japan is peculiarly well informed on conditions and developments in China, and Mr. Not ve arding w! STAR, WASHINGTON, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. - | erie, if the| their readers, is really quite marvelous. Especially the fine art of handiing con- versation has reached a point only equaled by Dumas the elder some hun- dred years or so ago. * * X x Surely we revere Goofritz—but we | refuse to prostrate ourselves. Doesn't | he get $2,000 for a story? Oughtn't | that to satisfy him? But we had no time for further rev “Big men” were pouring in by | this time, and our good announcer positively was almost gasping with his proximity to greatmess, | “Mr. Doolittel, the big man with the | doughnut works: Mr. Henrietta, an. | other big man; Mr. Dumboots, & big man of the sauerkraut industry—' | These and a hundred “big men,” |each so labeled throughout the ether, | were hurled into our ears with painful {accuracy, but not so forcetully as to |prevent us from recalling that for every “big man” mentioned, at the | present bang two or |three equally large fellows who were not there, evidently. So we fell to thinking what, after all, is a “big man”? . “Big men” are all the bigger for be ing real human beings. No real “big man” we ever had the fortune 'of knowing ever had the slightest desire for others to sit around in a worship- ful pose. Most “blg men” are just plain men with more purposeful energy than most of us. They become “big” be- cause they force results, and results are what count in this big world. Their “bigness” is a curious combi- nation of factors, emanating from the man himself and from the rest of the world in about equal proportions. Without the willingness on the part | of the public to respect bigness, as | exemplified perhaps too painfully by our radio announcer, “big men” might have a hard time of it. Special gifts have a great deal to do with the bigness of big men. Good fortune, too, plays its part. Physical energy, although it may not always be displayed in musculaturs, s a factor. The charm lies not in any one essen- tial of success, but rather in the total combination of them, guided by that purposeful energy of which we spoke. This does not mean that a man must { necessarily have a singletrack mind, o called, for many of the big men have widespread interests and quick minds that leap and play over the facts of the universe, in so far as we have discovered them. And the very last thing that one of ese “big men” expects or wants the rest of his fellow men to do is to pros- trate themselves in his path. & He had much rather have them get us; iven in his moments of ease, as when he attends banquets, he rather wonders at himself, no doubt, and in the secret recesses of his heart is glad that the world is full of obsequi- ous gentlemen who get a reverent tone in their voices when speaking of “big men.” They keep his path of success well oiled. But he would rather look an honest man in the eye and be met by an honest eye than to have any amount of well aimed “ap- pleswuce” plastered over him for the obvious benefit of the plasterer. So we refused to prostrate ourselves before our loud speaker, and finally we shut off the set in disgust, and learned afterward that many others did the same thing and felt much the same way about it. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. MacVeagh brought to Washington much of the first-hand knowledge in possession of the Tokio government. When the Kellogg resignation rumor sprouted at the end of the Winter Ambassador MacVeagh was among the numerous company of men mentioned as the next Secretary of State, and his impending departure from Japan was adduced as corroborative detail. As a matter of fact, the Ambassador, who left Mrs: MacVeagh behind in Tokio, has come home chiefly on ac- count of private affairs. He has now gone to New York to attend to them, will return to Washington for another visit about the middle of the month, and then sail for Japan in time to re- sume his duties there in June. *ok k% An after-dinner speaker at a Wash- ington function the other night aired the view that more first-class men do not enter Federal service because of the “‘obscurity” to which it con- demns them and their achievements in it. Presidents of the United States, including the present incumbent, sel- dom observe any organized reluctance to join Uncle Sam’s pay roll. The assertion in question happened to be made in the presencr of a member of the new Federal Radio Commission. Before the ink on the Executive signa- ture to the Dill-White bill creating the commission was dry, the White House was in receipt of no fewer than 900 applications for the five jobs at its disposal. When it became neces- sary for the President to appoint an- other Secretary of Agriculture in 1925, it was revealed that there were at least 40 or 50 aspirants, including dirt farmers, for the place Dr. “Bill” Jardine eventually inherited. The authority ‘who claims that fear of obscurity deters $50,000-a-year men from seeking Federal service would he nearer the truth if he said that big men, once in high national office, usually vow never again to take it because of the character-assassination practiced by professional political gunmen in and out of Congress. ERE ‘Washington newsgatherers deplore the departure from the State Depart- ment of former Assistant Secretary of State J. Butler Wright, who is about to enter upon his new post as American Minister to Hungary. Wright proved to be ome of the rare birds in our diplomatic service, who are not afraid of their own shadows {when it comes to imparting public jinformation to reporters and corre- spondents. There is no case on rec- ord of Wright's ever divulging a state j secret, but there were few occasions on which he did not go out of his way to supply the press with its legitimate needs. That type of offi- clal is not often encountered among men who seem to be trained to re- gard everything a State Department knows as a deep and terrible mystery from which the veil must under no circumstances be lifted. Wright is particularly popular with the “camera men” of the Washington news fra- ternity. As the official chaperon of visiting kings, queens, princes and all newly arrived foreign envoys, Wright was in position to do many favors for the insistent knights of the rotogravure section, and they were always freely granted. L Mrs. Maud Wood Park, former president of the National League of ‘Women Voters, introduced an inno- vation at the recent convention banquet of that organization in Wash- ington. She addressed the assembl company as “Gentlemen and Ladles.” The subtle compliment to the hitherto dominant sex shared the humor honors of the evening with a quip by Merlin . Aylesworth, president of the National Broadeasting Co. During the discussion following his speech, Aylesworth was asked if tele- vision is likely seriously to affect radio broadcasting as the air audien now knows it. “Only in one respect,” retorted Aylesworth. “It'll undoubt- edly cost a lot of bromdcasteis their obs.” J (Copyrizht. lflé"\i D. €, MONDAY, MAY 2 B 19 Commercialism Opposed ! Suggestions Are Made for Fu-& ture of Sixteenth Street. To the Editor ot The Star A most interesting Philadelphia_Saturday (April 9, 1927) describes our > Capitol as “Nobody's Capitol degenerated into an archite tural and scenic hodge-podge.” A sug-| gestion is given that the figure of | “Grief" at the foot of the Capitol| should be dubbed as follows | “This statue is erected to symbo-| lize the sorrow of a Nation for the | beauty that has been lost to the Na-| tion’s Capitol and the people of| America. | Let us still be cheerful in the fact that the pendulum of affairs having | struck low now swings easier to a corresponding height { The burning question is, who and | what is to blame for turning the town over, mot to commercialism, whose interests are identical with our | own, but to exploiters rampan The modus operandi of the ci ploiter is to turn an avalanche huge commercial trucks and bus: on_the section to be exploited. Bedlam let loose finally sells out. | They ave now trying that same game on the Meridian Hill section; bedlam again let loose, difficult to| cross the street alive, plastering and house foundations quivering, ear split- ting, religion tottering and threats that Sixteenth street will in future be a nolsy, commercial thoroughfare. | Such kind advice about Sixteenth street (a future permanent commer cial thoroughfare) had the desired ef- | fect on the British embassy. They together with three of the former British Ambassadors, had planned to build on Meridian Hill. The Eng- lish are already living on a nois commercial thoroughfare, and here was an apparent choice of jumping, | s0 to speak, from the frying pan into | the fire. In other words, they flew | to another location Of course, affairs are already much changed on the Meridian Hill section in that delays caused by the new corner lighting system has turned much traffic to the quicker transit of side streets. But the trucks are still ther The conceit of the trucking frater- nity is beyond conception. It takes it for granted that huge motor traffic vehicles, the kind belonging to rail- ways, can long be turned loose on asphalt pavements for which taxpay- ers pay the damages. Such will in future go on commercial railways. Either that or private home dwellings will in future he but relics of the past—that Is, if our Capitol is to| remain “Nobody's Capitol.” ! There is plenty of room in town for both permanent home dwellers and | necessary commercialism. Say half of the town for both. That magic name of “fatherland” implies more than a high-up apart- ment. It implies parents of children in a real home, however small or palatial. It implies a bit of land sur- rounding; also a touch of a garden; also a dog or two. No other than that is the ideal place for bringing up the kind of children that make for a coun- try's support and that represent in time of need the finest of patriotic en- thusiasm. The splendid future of Sixteenth street is now owing much (o its ene- mies. It will now become the most magnificent thoroughfare in America It will be the one and only thorough- fare of the same length, breadth and geographic advantage to select for the driving of private vehicles and taxis only. Parallel commercial streets will | take care of commerclal traffic. The straight, broad continuation of | Sixteenth street for several miles be- yond the District line (on the way to Baltimore) will be more than ever ef- fective. On reaching the National Capitol fanc that hilltop whence a vista is ob- tained for several miles down the street’s ample width, edged on one side with villas, the other side the Rock Creek Park. As Thomas Jefferson was one of | the companion advisers of George Washington in planning for the fu- ture National Capitol, why not let that monumental arch commemorate Thomas Jefferson? He would be clasping hands, so to speak, with the monumental shaft of George Wash- ington, standing on the axis of Six- teenth street at the other end of the District line. Again reaching Meridian Hilltop, the vista changes to the City of Washington itself. The name of Sixteenth street will be changed again to “Avenue of the Presidents.” Let us worry no longer-about a “Nobody's Capitol.” City planners and students of municipal affairs general- ly, along with men commissioned by Congress to study general conditions of our District affaivs, trend in the way of “Somebody’s Capitol,” with a background of the greatest and rich- est country on earth. MRS. JOHN B, HENDERSON, Commends Letter on ““Atrocities in Mexico” To the Editor of The Star The letter by Mr. Burke on “Atroci: ties in Mexico” is very fine and he writes as one who knows Mexico. I, too, have lived in Mexico many yea and c: 'mpathize with his feeling: It is interesting to quote our Mr. Borah, who so ongly attacked the Yolicy of the President of the United Btates a few months ago, when the feeling against Mexico was running pretty high. The statement by Mr. Borah was uttered directly after 18 Americans were nu cred at Santa Isabel, Mexice, January, 1916, It was as follows: | “I would protect the American pas: port when issued at whatever cost. 1 would make éven the fiends of Mexico know its worth. I do not believe that anything is to be gained by this policy of waiting for a nation like Mexico to settle its difficulties when these difficulties involve the rights of our own pecple.” I wonder whatever brought about Mr. Borah's change of heart? It cer tainly could not have been because Mexico behaved since 1916 to the ex- tent that her good behavior cleansed the slate. For Mexico has not behaved —in fact, is today in worse turmoil than when she had her darkest revo- lution, even including the “Decena Tragica” in Mexico City. In closing let me express the satis- faction that I obtained from the speech of President Coolidge before the United Press in New York on April 25. His words regarding Mexico. must have caused shivers among the one-half of 1 per cent in Mexico who now run that country at the expense of the other 9914 THOMAS McVITT, r——— Quality of American Humor Takes Plunge From the Youngstown Daily Vindicator. Refinement has, perhaps, never been a characteristic of American humor. Mark Twain in his day had hard work to get himself accepted by the critics, and as for Josh Billings and Bill Nye, refinement was the least of their worries. But, at any rate, American humorists of the past were not given to the telling of questionable anecdotes; if they were boisterous they were not obscene. Today the trend is in the other direction. When men get together they seem to feel that they are called on to tell nasty stories, and now, along with the general disappea; ance of restraint, the same thing i spreading to mixed gatherings. A Chi- cago investigator finds that the “hot one,” farmerly confined to smoking cars, is irotted out at the best dinner tables without even causing a gasp, and the jokesmiths “get away with murder.” The ity of American humor, he says, s getting lower and Tower. All of which i no comment, ticle in_the| Evening Post ation of domain of the an arch on 80 true as to require Capitol"—"a | su the | [ bor and capital in Italy will sweat as |as e . ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ). HASKIN. Is there such a deformity of the Q. shoulder blades known as “wings"? 1| have heard this expression used, but sed it was merely facetious.— N. An official bulletin of the United ites Children’s Bureau in describing ymptoms of malnutrition in a child says, “Because of lack of muscular tone his shoulders are usually round ed, the shoulder blades sometimes standing out to such an extent as to produce the deformity known as ‘wings." " Q. When was the first the horse made?—J. J. F. A. Domestic breeds of horses exist- ed in Europe from prehistoric times. The first mention of the British horse occurs in ‘'Caesar.” Though used ex- tensively in warfare and other pur- suits, agriculture seems to have been the first use to which horses were put. The earliest suggestion that horses were used in agriculture is derived from a plece of Bayeux tap- »stry where the horse is represented s drawing a harrow. mention of 2 books are written in peranto?—R. P. L. A. There are some 4,000 books and zines published in Esperanto Q. What part of the Democratic party in New York State is included in Tammany Hall>—W. G. A. It designates the Democratic party in the county of New York. Q. How much soil is washed down into the ocean each year?—V. M. E. A. Geologists have estimated the amount of soil annually carried into the sea to be more than 1,000,000,000 tons. Is it a misdemeanor American coins or Q | graph H. M. G A. Persons are prohibited from pub- lishing any pictures, illustrations or cuts of coins of the United States. to phe bills? Q. How tall was Alexander Hamil- ton?—N. B. A. A. Claude Bowers, in “Jefferson and Hamilton,” describes Hamilton as be- ing 5 feet 7 inches tall, slender and well poised, with blue eyes, good com- plexion and reddish hair, which he wore powdered and drawn back from his forehead. He was considered a handsome man Q. How much do the heaviest cows welgh?—W. P. W. A. The average bull weighs 1,800 pounds and the average cow weighs between 1,300 and 1,400 pounds. How- ever, there are beef bulls on record as weighing 2,500 pounds and cows as heavy as 2,000 pounds. Q. T recently read something about the flattest thing in the world. What is it?—E. A. B. A. The flattest surface in the world are three disks in the Bureau of Standards made from clear fused quartz or silica glass, Q. Where is the largest aircraft beacon, and what is its candlepower?— A. N. A. The largest aircraft beacon in the world is mounted on Mount Va- lerfan, near Dijon, France, and has a candlepower of 1,000,000,000. In clear weather it has a visibility of 300 miles. Q. Is the law of primogeniture still existent in England”? If so, how long has it been in force there?—G. A. T. A. The law by which the first-born on or next male heir of an ancestor dying intestate takes all the real es- tate is still in force. Entailed estates cannot be diverted by will without the consent of the heir. The system was brought to England by the Normans in 1066 A. D. Q. How hot is an oxy-acetylene flame?—C. F. 8. A. The cetylene flame is capa- ble of producing a temperature of about 6,000 degrees Farenheit, the A sensation has been created n the industrial world by Mussolini's pro- mulgation of a “charter of labor" for Italy. While there are all shades of | opinion as to the ultimate results of the new order in the industrial life of that country, the practical control of both capital and labor by the dictator is regarded as at least a great experi- ment. “The commonweal, in the Fascist sense, I a great impresario that pulls the strings on which dangle every variety of human puppets,” observes the Louisville Courler-Journal, and the Milwaukee Journal, viewing Italy as “slowly but inescapably sinking into universal serfdom,” predicts that “la- they never have before, and each, glorying in the sweat of the other and fearful of consequences should they fail. will perform prodigies.” The Waterbury Republican insists that “when a state sets by law the reward for labor, as a Communistic, and now a Fascist, state does, it means that men are mnot rewarded according to their deserts.”” The Italian system abolishes the right to strike or to order a lockout, and estab- lishes the industrial court, while the state may intervene where industry is The assertion is made ew York Times that “so far concerns the maintenance of in- dustrial pesce and the inculeation of the principle of co-operation, the Fascist purpose does not differ from the goal toward which the democratic nations are moving at their own democratic pace.” However, the Times does find that “the Faseist program apparently looks beyond industrial peace to compulsory industrial eff- and concludes: “Fasecism is only a method. Its apologists assert that it is the only method possible for Italy. Perhaps that is so. But that would mean that Fascism has no uni- versal valldity and carries no intrinsic challenge to democracy.” o x Quoting Mussolini's declaration of “the state’s undisputed right directly to control all forces of production, standing as the guardian of capital and labor, establishing equality of rights and duties between them, com- pelling them to carry out their tasks for the common good, punishing in- highest attained outside of the electrio are. Q or whom was San Diego named? —V. MeD. A. The name “San Diego” is a cor- ruption of Saint Iago. This ix the name of the patron saint of Spain. Q. What States have passed laws for the protection of thelr native plants” Why don’t all States have such laws?—A. M. fteen States—California, Col- orado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin—have passed laws for the protection of thelr native plants, In other States bills along similar lines have been introduced, but thus far have failed to pass. Unfortunately, such laws are dificult or impossible to enforce, and they have had little effect on the situation, Q. What is the surname of the Prince of Wales? Which of his Chris- tian names is he called by his fam- |ily?—M. N { His surname is Windsor, | stated that he is usually c or Davy in the family circl Q. How much money is invested in China by Americans?— A. Commercial, $70,000, ary, $80,000,000. Q. Has the United States Bureau of Education compiled many statistics regarding educational matters?—A. C. A. It has compiled the largest li- { brary of educational statistics in the | wor d It is lled David e. 0, mission- How are the fundations laid in | ca so that houses are not washed awi A. ¥ A. The city of Venice is almost en ;(:rel,\' built upon mud flats, and the | foundations of the buildings secured by piling. Q. How is flint rock cut?—C. L. W. | A. While it is a fact that flint is o much harder than steel that a knife drawn across a plece of flint will leave a metallic deposit on the stone, flint is exceedingly brittle and easily flaked. It is chipped off in the | direction in which the flakes run. Q | e | Veni When was the Granite Raiiroad at Quincy, Mass., built B. M. A. This small industrial road was built from the Quincy granite quar- ries to Boston for the Bunker Hill Monument in 1828. The line was three miles long, and horses, not steam, were used for motive power. Q. How much does a torpedo cost? —P. F. K. A. The c of torpedoes depends upon their size. The price ranges from $10,000 to $15,000 apiece. Q. Is it true that cedar trees grow- ing near apple trees will cause the apple trees to die>—E. H. J. A. The Department of Agriculture says that the presence of a cedar tree in an orchard may or may not be detrimental, depending upon the vari- ety of the apples. The disease known as cedar rust requires both a cedar tree and an apple tree in order to complete the life cycle. Some varieties of apples are immune, whide others are highly resistant. Find out whatever you want to know. There is no room for igno- rance in this busy world. The person who loses out is the one who guesses. The person who gets on is always the one who acts upon reliable informa- tion. This paper employs Frederic J. Haskin to conduct an information bureau in hington for the free use of the publi There is no charge ecxcept 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Write to him today for any facts you desire. Address The Eve- ning Star Information Bureau, Fred- eric J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Mussolini’s Charter of Labor Viewed as Great Experiment grip on everything in Italy,” the Rich- mond News-Leader remarks, “his charter of labor can be enforced. The moment he falls, it falls with him." That paper feels that “‘the ideal of & partnership with labor, which he sets forth speciously as the ‘co-opgration of the classes,’ can never be a reality” when labor has no part in shaping the terms of the partnership.” »BE The Detroit Free Press admits that “perhaps Mussolini, having boldly for- mulated principles which other men in power may have cherished but have never dared put forward, is destined to show the world that the thing can be done,” but the Free Press raises the points, “If the success of his system is to depend wholly upon his own genius, then what must become of it when he has let go of the reins?"” emarkable and well worth watch- ing,” is the judgment of the Chicago Daily News, which describes the char- ter as “‘a strange compromise between Socialism and Individualism.” The Binghamton Press finds Mussolini “in complete agreement with Marx and Lenin in asserting that all power vests with the state.” The Memphis Commercial Appeal utters the chal- lenge: “If Mussolini can prove that the agencies of government are supe- rior to the makers and supporters of" government, then his experiment will prove a success, If not—well, then we shall see.” Upholding constitutional govern- ment, the Omaha World-Herald feels sure that “there is no_danger that either Commurism or Fasclsm will be able to gain an effective hold upon the hearts or minds of Americans.” “There is little difference between Mussolini's system and the Soviet system of Russia,” states the Buffalo Evening News, while the Lossell Leader thinks it will amount “pra tically to government ownership.”” The Duluth Herald makes the forecas “Both Italy and Russia will find that the more they govern, the more they will have to govern; that the more high-handed the ruling powers become, the more high-handed they will hav to be; that sometimes, sooner or later, the breaking point will come, and then both will collapse.” The Water- town Times also looks for ultimate trouble, because “the individual will. allow his cherished right to be taken, fractions and maintaining peace be- tween them at any cost,” the Spokane Spokesman-Review declares: “Indus- trial labor is one fraction of the gen- eral public. Employing capital is an- other. The two fractions are not greater than the whole, and under true democracy must be subordinate to the government, which, as Musso- lini points out, is the agent of the en- tire public.” “The proof of the pudding is in the eating,” affirms the Rochester Times- Union, which believes the future re- sults “will be well worth study.” That paper also points out that there is similarity to the Kansas Industrial Court act, “which has been pretty thoroughly demolished by the deci- slons of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Ann Arbor Times-News advises: “There is no reason why Italy should not have a czar if the people like it, and if it gets results, which it ap- pears to be doing. If a thing works and is accepted as right by the people | most concerned, why argue against it? It is well to remember now and then that ‘Bast is East and West is West.” But the Akron Beacon-Journal is amazed that “they are inclined to throw up their caps and cheer the despot.” “As long linl retains his from him up to a certain point, then he rebels.” UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today American steamer Rockingham, with $2,000,000 cargo, reported sunk by U-boat * ¢ * Patrols pick up 83 men, with 13 still missing * * * ‘Whole world faces U-boat peril, cabi- net officials tell conferenca of gover- nors in Washington @ ¢ ¢ Sink 400,000 tons of shipping in one week * * * Germany's output is 1,200 U-boats a year * * * French mis sion assured American army will go to France as soon as vessels can be procured * * * Secretary McAdoo offers $2,000,000,000 of first Liberty Loan * * * Registration plan for draft bill is ready, requiring eligibles to report 15 days after bill is signed by President * * Witk daity was expandipires esiziced witl y war ex itures ted at $31,176,000 * * * Food specu- lators assailed in Senate. . .