Evening Star Newspaper, August 14, 1927, Page 38

2 THE EVENING STAR Y With Sunday I_lmhx Editlo. . L S —— WASHINGTON, D. C. STNDAY........August 14, 1027 A ———. THEODORE W. NOYES. ... Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company P Business Office: RBuropean Office: 14 Rexent St.. England. ing. London, | e Even'-r Star with the Sunday marn- fag edition 1s deilvered by carriers within the city at 60 cents per month: 45 cents per month: Sundsyve mr month, Orders may e sent lephione Main 3000, C-llection earrier at end of each month. + is made Ly ‘Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. ly and_Sanda; 1vr. $9.00: 1 mo. Iy only’ ay onl All Other States and Canada. fly and Sunday.1yr. £12.40: 1 mo, 00 iy only .. $5.00: 1 mo. ~ 75¢ ay only $4°00: 1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Pro xolusively entitled Lo the use for repub ion of ail news dis- hes credited 1o it or not otherwise cred- in this paper and also the local news gublished herein. Al rights of vul f special dispatches herein are also reserved S The District Will Pay. Gen. Lord's action in permitting the Isertion in the regular District ap- propriation bill of an item for §1 ¥00 for preliminary work at Gravelly | Polnt, selected as the site of the Dis-| trlet airport, goes far to assure the pltimate success of the project. Con- fréss certainly has no reason to de- hur. If the expens dredging and | Miing in land at Gravelly Point are | jhared between the District and the Federal Governmeant on the present fasis of apportioning the expense of sther items in the District supply | Mlts, the Federal Government will jJave made a remarkably fine bargain. By contributing its customary “lump fum” of $9,000,000 for a number of fears to come, the Federal Govern- nent will complete some necessary fredzing and reclamation work on the Potomac largely at the expense of District taxpayers. In return the Dis- wriet taxpayers will have the great peasure of alluding to a plot of fround opposite Hains Point on the Firginia side of the river as the “mu- Meipal airport,” and doubtless will tafn much satisfaction thereby. Con- ss probably will go even further. bongress will gladly consent to have e District include other items in its npual appiopriation bills for the erec- fion of hangars and other equipment fecessary for an airport. Congress )85 never interposed serious objec- fon to having the District spend its % money for Federal projects. *An airport in the District—there is fo serious harm in calling it a “mu- Mcipal airport”—is as much a Fed- il project as it is a District under- pking. The benefits to be derived wlil revert in large measure to the ad- tantage of the Federal establishment. If Congress returns to the equitable Watem, provided by law, of bearing a hir share of the cost of maintaining He'Capital city by contributing pro- Mirtionately as the District con- mibutes, the airport would rightly find tselt in the District appropriation bill. Yt Congress continues its unfair Jgactice of appropriating a lump sum, tlegardiess of the amount paid by the Piétrict, insertion of the airport item ti"the appropriation bill is utterly un- hir. It provides a dangerous prece- lent. There is no telling to what ex- fes it might be carried. Again is shown the absolute necessity it & thorough inquiry by fair-minded flembers of Congress to determine an iquitable and mutually satisfactory {ystem of distributing the cost of im- wving and maintaining the Capital the United States. ——.——————— " Investigate Investments. ! e saneness and importance of the n, “Before you invest, investi- fate,” was never better illustrated n in the fraud of the “air-driven tomobile” which has just been ex- sed in Kansas City, Mo. Thousands it, dollars had been taken by the un- pulous promoters from careless stors before the Better Business Bifeau took a hand and discovered Mat concealed batteries in the up- pdistery of the seats drove the car it ‘'more than forty miles an hour for teyeral hours, Numerous persons vere found who had invested "from Jie to ten thousand dollars in the de- tice. The fraud had been practiced for-a period of more than fourteen fears. When a prospect was lined up )y one of the company salesmen he Would be given a demonstration in fhe: “air-driven car,” which, it was faimed, was to revolutionize the au- fomobile industry. Charmed with his Ixperience, the prospect would then be In a fine humor to hand over his Metime savings, little realizing that ‘here was no such animal* as an tutomobile that ran without motive pi\er. At any event the fraud is jow ended and investors throughout e country will do well to take heed ¥ the lessons in this case and tuck them away in the old memory for future use of s e Recent experiences may have con- vinced Henry Ford that a trip by ‘ane with Lindbergh is really much fer than motoring. 5 ———— Irish Reaction to “Humor.” Irish-Americans in Washington are botly protesting a particularly atro- Mous moving picture which rightly Miirs their indig not only be tause of its of traditional tacial characteristics, but because of Its “slap-s method, of dep! Seeply revgrent and sacred religious gesture. It is to be hoped that the Irish will be successful in having the picture banned, for its rough vulgarity Mfends the sensibilities and its humor {s.of the custard pie variety, arrived AtZon the legitimate stage by having the_ pretty heroine say “Go to hell,” An. expression which for some unac- tduntable resson sends the audience Into hysterics of mirth. But let not Jhe attempted censorship go teo fa What would life be it Mike and Pat, fwo of the world's best loved figuros Were driven into obscurity? Granting that the Irishman who wves his race—and what Irishman s not—is resentful of an awkward tempt to satirize certain imaginary lencies of his people, suppose the ation ¢! The cation | “average American” really saw him- self as others see him on the screen, he would be classified as one of two types. He would spend his life in the free and open cow country, and with lariat and six-shooter spur his spirited steed hither and yon rescuing maldens in distress, or else ride madly about stealing cows, horses and “Old Prospectors’ "' daughters. He would find himself carousing at a night club and rescuing, In the nick of time, the banker’s daughter lured to the luxu- rious apartment of z despicable villain, Jor else he would lure the banke: daughter to his own luxurlous apart ment and be slain by the fai hero. Or, in the “Great North W there would ‘“come a day” with the lumber king's daughter in the clutch- es of four-and-forty roughnecks, and he must fight them all to reclaim her therefrom, or else put himself at the | head of the four-and-forty roughnecks |ana seize the lumber king's daughter {for his own “sinister designs.” moving picture industry ast that despite its gigs to exhibit in- {grown so | proportions it cont {fantile characteristics, such as the pic- ture to which the local Irish-Ameri- cans have strenuously objected. The adequacy of an iron censorship is questionable. Its danger is that in s0 crush the potentially good, resulting only in the fertilization of mediocrity. As others have found before them, the moving pictures will discover that re- ligion, morality and traditions of race are not fit subjects for slap-stick ridi- cule. There are certain intangible considerations to be put in the balance against such heavy weights as box office receipt Aviation and Prizes. Three aspirants for the Dole prize of §35,000 for an airplane flight from Los Angeles to the Hawaiian Islands have been killed, planes have crashed in preparatory flights, and narrow es- capes from death have been numerous. Yesterday Capt. Arthur V. Rogers lost his life in the first trip in his new plane, two days ago Lieuts. G. W. D. Covell and R. S. Waggener, U. S. N,, were killed, and in a recent crash into the water of Oakland Bay three avia- tors narrowly escaped death. All of these and the remaining nine aviators were preparing for the race. The nine survivors, fiyers whose planes have not crashed, are waiting for the start, which will be at-noon next Tues- day, and are adopting the fatalistic attitude that they are perhaps safer in the air than on the ground. In consideration of these facts the average person is inclined to wonder a bit whether or not the offering of a large prize for a hazardous air un- dertaking is the factor calculated to aid best the steady and sane develop- ment of aviation. Entrants have flocked to Los Angeles to attempt to win the small-sized fortune which goes to the victor in the 2,400-mile ocean derby. Planes of various types have appeared overnight in the hands of the contestants and any kind of plane seems all right for those who would risk their lives in the race. Can it be possible that all of these men and machines have the qualities necessary to complete a flight of more than two thousand miles over the ocean with only a small mark as the objective? Is it not to be assumed that some of the planes are not only suppressing the palpably bad it may | THE SUNDAY er than that in New York. Formerly a dime was an ample tip for the sup- posed service of “watching the cur.” Now fifteen cents is the usual largess, while sometimes a quarter changes hands. Just what is given in ex- change for this fee is a mystory. Al most every car owner locks his ma- chine as he pulls it up to the curb and the solicitor thereupon disappears. After the game the car owner is some- times unable to find the guardian and gets away without paying, for it is customary to pay upon departure rather than upon arrival. In New York, it seems, the fee is given when the car is parked. ot course, nobody has any right to charge for parking spaces in the reets. These Washington operators make no pretense of holding conces- sions, but the New Yorkers engaged in this business actually appear to |have parceled out the street spaces, |working on a system. It is hinted that there is a bit of graft in ths New { York game, through an arrangem:nt between the ‘“concessionaires” and the police force. That, however, not proved. There is certainly no evi- dence in Washington of such a sys- tem. After all, it is strictly up to the motorist whether he pays anything or not. JESSS—— Turkish Strikers. A dispatch from Adana, Turkey, tells of the futile effort of a hundred striking railway employes to thwart the effort of the government to run a train to Aleppo by lying on the track in front of the engine. It seems that a thousand of the railway men went on strike the other day for higher wages, this belng the first’large dem- onstration of this kind experienced in the Turkish republic. That Turkey under the rule of Kemal is up to date, however, is proved by the methods adopted to insure continued service. Motor trucks were used to carry on the postal service and trains were run despite the shortage of labor and the obstacles put in the way of traffie. When the hundred strikers stretched themselves on the track in front of the engine at Adana direct action was employed. The police fired a few shots from their revolvers and the strikers immediately scampered as the train pulled out of the station. It would have been interesting to know what happened if the shots had been omit- ted and the train been started. Would these men have remained on the rails, or would the oncoming train have driven them off as did the shooting? It is very doubtful whether their fanaticism would have held them in place. ———aeee. Charges are made that naval equip- ment is being built abroad in secret. It might be a benefit if Judge Gary could be called in to organize interna- tional relationships on lines of strictly a gentlemen's game, where no partici- pant can be suspected of holding something up his sleeve. e A great film producer says that hereafter screen stars will be required to have brains. Judging from the sal- aries they have been able to collect, they have at least splendid business mentality. 3 ———————————— Several statesmen have become so interested in cowboy activities that defective in design, but hurried in construction? With such a high per- centage of accidents does it not dem- onstrate that a big money prize will bring out machines and men utterly unfitted for the task at hand and that almost anything will be attempted when there is a big award at stake? It very apparently does. It is all right in a swimming race for an aspirant to walk across the country to enter it because he does not have the necessary funds for rail- road fare. It is good exercise for him. And no harm is done if, in preparing for an automobile race, a contestant decides to rebuild his car. If his en- gine stops he stops and that is ail there is to it. But an airplane race is an entirely different affair and should be treated in a different manner. In the air a motor stoppage or plane de- fect or faulty piloting will in the large majority of cases result in a fatal ac- cident. These aviation fundamentals cannot be minimized nor should they be. And it is for this reason that a great many people are beginning to wonder whether it is perhaps the best plan to let the development of flying take its natural course without the ar- tificlal stimulation of money awards that, because of their size, tempt a disregard of the immutable laws of the air. ———— ‘Warnings are given that a number of years must elapse before long-dis- tance flying is to be undertaken with- out the greatest precaution. As Col. Lindbergh is usually correct in his statements, it may be proper to in- quire whether our intrepid sky lads are not being sometimes tempted to risk life in trying to perform the im- possible. R Parking “Concessions.” Discovery that enterprising persons have set- up in busfness as guardians of motor cars in the public street spaces of Greater New York has caused quite a commotion in that city. One of the metropolitan newspapers the other day learned that groups of men have in effect taken possession of street spaces at points of large public assembjage such as Coney Is- land. Later it was found that the | streets near the Polo Grounds, the ene of base ball contests, have been similarly pre-empted. These self-ap- pointed guardians have been taking | tees of from twenty-five to fifty cents for the privilege of parking cars. Washingtonians know this to be an old practice around the ball park, but there is no evidence of an organiza- tion as in the case of the New York “parking concession” operators, Every local resident who drives to the “stadium” s hafled by a would-be guardian of his car. Cholce parking spaces are pointed out. The driver usually sees these places himself, but the curbstone brokers of square feet are unabashed by such initiative. They set up no claims of ownership over these openings, but subtly give the impression that unless a fee s perhaps they could be persuaded to ride and risk a fall were it not for sus- picions of trying to copy the Prince of Wales, —————————— Anarchists used to meet in the cor- ner saloon. There are anarchists still remaining. There would doubtless be still more if the corner saloon were in existence, For one Summer at least Rapid City has struck a pace that makes its name very appropriate. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Right of Way. ‘When Maggie grabs the telephone And says, “Oh, is it you?” The service straightway is her own Until the chat is through. Stocks may go up, stocks may go down, ‘While ruin dogs your pace. Her radiant smile dispels your frown ‘While you your steps retrace. And so you do the best you can, Nor dull delays bemoan. What are the sordid cares of man ‘When Cupid holds the phone? Seekers and Deservers. “A great many men have sought the office of President of the U. 8. A.” “The number of men who have sought it,” said Senator Sorghum, “is greater than the number of those who have striven to deserve it.” ‘Wandering Words. He who knows what he would say Ot ‘words employs but few. But he whose mind has lost ite way ‘Will grab an hour or two. Jud Tunkins says a man in office has power. When he gets out of office he wonders why so few people care to listen to his advice. Responsibilities. “We want you to run for Congress,” said the whispering boss. “All right,” answered Farmer Corn- tossel. “I'll git into the race if you'll agree to find me a hired man who will take half as much interest in the little old farm as I will be expected to take in politics.” Love of Dumb Animals. “It is possible to carry love for dumb animals too far.” “Yes,” rejolned Miss Cayenne. “Nero insisted on feeding Christians to the lions.” “A man who can do nothing,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is compelled to take a desperate chance and assume the ability to instruct others.” Also, a Night Shift. The fdle gossip talks a lot To pass the time away. We call her “idle.” She is not. She works twelve hours a day. “A college perfesser,” said Uncle granted the parked car will be in dan- ‘ger of theft, The local scale ol re-taking is low- Eben, “commands respect. But it looks to me like de perfesser ” de saxophone draws better wages.” _STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, AUGUST 14, EVERYDAY RELIGION BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D., Bishop of Washington. As We Believe. “As thou hast believed, so be {t done unto thee."—Matthew, vili.13. Do our religious beliefs have any bearing upon the practical and imme- diate concerns of our life? This is a question that has been repeatedly asked through the ages. There are those who hold that religion is a sep- arate and distinct matter, apart from and wholly unrelated to our physical or material interests; that it 18 purely esthetic, a matter that appeals solely to the tastes and emotions. That it has a refining influence upon life is unquestioned and unchallenged. Again that it tends to regulate habits and more or less to affect one’s outlook is also readily admitted. What was he attitude of the great Master and her? 1In the incident from which the text is taken we have a striking illustration of what He conceived to be the high purpose and value of re- ligious bellef. A soldler of rank had come to Him on behalf of a favored servant, who was ‘‘grievously tor- mented.” Struck with the generosity of His readiness to respond to his ap- peal, the officer said, “I am not worthy that thou shouldest come un- der my roof; but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed.” Im- pressed with the man's humility and evident faith in His power, Jesus marveled and daclared, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Is- racl.” Turning to the soldier, He said, i, and as thou hast be- done unto thee.” Re- peatedly in His intercourse with men He emphasized the vital relation that existed between religious bellef and man’s physical and material well-be- ing. Indeed, the major portion of His ministry was given to ministering to the afflicted and the distres: Stern religionists of His day criticized and condemned Him because of the em- phasis He laid upon this aspect of His teaching. TIn this respect He differs widely from other great relf- glous teachers. What a man believes must affect, for good or ill, his inter- ests, both physical and material. On one occasion where His aid was sought it is said of Him that “He could there do no mighty work be- cause of their unbelief.” The undue emphasis given to future rewards that accrue to a deep religious faith and that finds its compensations in a world beyond the present has doubt- less caused many people to misinter- pret and misconcelve its relation and value to the world in which we live. What we believe does affect our habit of life as well as our outlook, and does have a determining effect upon all those things that vitally concern us. Our soclal and political beliefs deter- mine and regulate our daily course of action. They give tone and color to our whole outlook and attitude toward life. The wise man of old said, “As a man thinketh In his heart, so is he.” He would seem to say that the exter- nal things of life do not affect us so Jargely as do our thoughts concerning them. A striking illustration of what we have fn mind was brought to our attention by a distinguished surgeon whose fame s practically universal, A patlent came to him who was seri- ously afflicted with a seemingly incur- able malady. He was greatly de- pressed mentally and in the course of his recital told the doctor that one of the serious aspects of his trou- ble was that he had experienced the loss of his faith. After repeated and unavailing treatments the great sur- geon conceived that there might be some relation between the physical ailment and the man's mental condi- tion. Upon a subsequent t he seriously discussed with his patient the matter of his impaired religious belief. He recounted to him his own personal experience in the matter, urging him to seek for the recovery of that which he had seemingly lost. Using such scientific skill as he po: sessed, together with his persuasiv powers, he came at length to effect a remarkable cure and coincident with the recovery of the patient’s religious belief came his complete physical health, In relating the incident to me the great surgeon declared that it was a_ fine demonstration of the relation that religious belief bears to our physical well-being and happiness, To the mind of Christ religious be- lief had a disciplinary value. He did not maintaln that what He taught men was a “cure-all. He did main tain that it had a determining effect upon life here and now. “I have made a man every whit whole” w His assertion. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that profound religious belief not only insures tranquillity and peace of mind, but it also effects a finer and more normal habit of living and a rep of mind that issues in physical and mental satisfaction. “As (::ou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” SAFEGUARDING YOUR PURSE BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Varlous agencles safeguard your purse—you being the numerous and prosperous American people and your purse being the wallet or the roll in your pocket, the money you have in bank or otherwise cached, or your wealth as represented in real estate, bonds and other investments. The primary one is the variously constituted police arm of the law that protects you nst having your pocket picked, being held up, having your house burglarized, your place of business rifled, or your safe cracked, or having your automobile stolen. An- other is the law that guards you or gives you redress against those who would or do swindla or victimize you in innumerable ways. Then there are agencies, private or semi-private in character, that forewarn you of the machinations of the would-be de- spoilers of your purse and lengthen and strenkthen the arm of the law in apprehending and punishing them. Of the latter, none, perhaps, is doing more for you and saving you_ more money every year than the Better Business Bureau. This organization, which is a unit only in the common purpose and methods of operation, is composed of the National Better Busi- ness Bureau and local bureaus in some 40-0dd cities. Each local bu- reau is a distinct entity, supported by and owing alleglance to only its own community, and it is not a member of or subsidiary to the national bureau. All the locals and the national co- operate and work in harmony to a commoh end, which is epitomized in the masthead slogan of the monthly organ of the national organization— “To {ncrease public confidence in busi- ness by promoting fair play in adver- tising and selling.” In short, the better business move- ment aims to protect the public against merchants who make false or misleading statements in their adver- tising and against the promoters and sellers of fake stocks and other al- leged securities. Started 15 Years Ago. This movement was started some 15 years ago in Indianapolis at a meeting of the Advertising Clubs of the World, now known as the Intcrnational Ad- vertising Assoclation. A delegate in that convention arose and voiced the complaint that advertising was not bringing in the returns it should and that advertisers were becoming dis- satisfied as a result, all of which prom- ised disastrous consequences to the advertising business. He wanted to know the reason for that state of affairs. There was a round of discussion, largely in amplification of the com- plaint, and then another delegate arose and threw a bomb into the con- vention. He said the reason advertis- ing was not bringing in the returns it should was that so much, adver- tising was untruthful in whole or in part and that the public had lost con- fidence in it. He laid down the dictum that advertising to be fruitful must be truthful, and, furthermore, he de- clared that the time had come for the advertising men of the Nation and of the world to do a big job of house- cleaning. This suggestion was adopted unan- imously almost as soon as it had been offered. The convention committed itself unreservedly to the idea of truth in advertising, and created a vigilance committee, national in scope, to do everything possible to put the idea over with advertisers, with advertis- ing mediums and with the public. Shortly thereafter a local commit- teo was created by the Advertising Club of Indianapolis and it was not long before similar committees sprang up in other cities. In the beginning all these committees functioned as subsidiaries of advertising clubs. Later on as the movement expanded the vigilance committees hecame Better Business Bureaus and independent of the advertising organizations. They are now closely affiliated with the ad- vertising organizations, ~but they are distincs, separately incorporated bodies, and each is responsible only to its own directorate or board and to its public. The bureaus are financed by merchants, manufacturers and bankers and other financial interests, and other activities are furthered im- measurably by the co-operation of newspapers and other publications. Ohio Heads the List. Of the forty-odd local bureaus, Ohio heads the list with, six. The others are scattered from coast to coast and from the northern to the southern boundaries of the country. With rare exceptions, all are successful, growing organizations, broadening their activities each year and gaining in public confidence by reason of the services they have rendered. One or two locals have “flopped,” to use an expressive phrase; one, for example, hecause of fallure of the necessary fi- nancial support following a general disaster in its community, and another because its manager decided he would rather serve certain predatory inter- ests than the somewhat intangible and { often unappreciative public interest. That there has not been a more rapid growth in the number of locals is ascribed primarily to the fact that no concerted extension effort has been made. The national bureau derives none of its financial support from the locals, nor are its funds subscribed for the purpose, in part, of establish- ing locals. While it encourages new organizations and assi them in every way possible, it cannot engage in a campaign of extension. The result is that when a new local is formed it is because the merchants, financial interests, newspapers and ad- vertising agencies of a community de- cide that it is needed and get together to put it over. No appeal is made to the general public to support any of the bureaus, while, on the other hand, the public is urged constantly to avail itself of the services of the bureaus. Thus the average citizen has at his command a highly efficient organiza- tion that costs him nothing and may save him a lot of money—does, in fact, save him money whether or not he ap- peals to it, in that its general activ- ities tend to safeguard him against being exploited by unscrupulous or wholly dishonest advertisers. Publicity Aids Protection. Newspaper co-operation and that of other publications with the work of the bureaus take two forms. The first 1S to refuse to accept advertising that is not wholly truthful, and the second is to donate space in which the bureaus may carry on a campaign of education to quicken the public in- terest. St. Louls is the city where this co-operation has been developed to the greatest extent, and it is said that more than 100 publications there regularly publish the warnings of the Better Business Bureau. In several centers billboard adver- tlsing is also used by the bureaus, and the movies and the radio have been found valuable publicity adjuncts. For the first 10 years of their exist- ence the Better Business Bureaus were devoted to one fleld of advertising— that of merchandising. They strove to make merchants keep faith with the public and to be prepared to make good all the statements they put into their enticing advertisements. Then gradually the bureaus extended their activities to the field of financial ad- vertising. - Coal Market Favors Consumers of Fuel BY HARDEN COLFAX. Publication recently of a Bureau of Mines survey, disclosing the largest stocks of soft coal on hand, July 1, ever recorded on that date, may have been cold comfort for the mine oper- ators, but it certainly showed the con- sumer to be in a happy position. The buyers’ market will continue. Only extreme and wholly unexpected conditions could bring about any ma- terial advances in price, although, with the arrival of cold weather, slight increases here and there may develop. ‘The effects of this quarterly stock re- port on the struggle between the operators and organized miners, which has been golng on in parts of the unionized field since April 1, remain to he measured. The report shows that with production running below the capacity of the non-union mines and those unionized mines which are operating under temporary agree- ments, the stock {n hand plus this restricted output are sufficient to sup- ply consumption for months ahead. * ok ok * Tn the districts which consume an- thracite, principally the northeastern section of the country, there are no signs that any unusual situation will develop next Winter. As a matter of fact, the anthracite producers are pre- pdring to launch an advertising cam- paign to keep thelr product in popular demand, and thelr service bureaus are busy in an effort to show consumers how best to use hard coal. There is no labor disturbance in the anthra- cite fields. The Bureau of Mines reports 6£,000,- 000 tons of soft coal as consumers’ stocks on July 1. This {8 a decrease of only 13,000,000 tons since the cessa- tion of work in parts of the unionized fields on April 1, and it is the largest Summer accumulation of any year on record. It is only 1,000,000 tons less than bituminous coal stocks on Armi- stice day, when every effort had been strained to gather a large reserve for war purposes. Compared with a year ago, the supply of bituminous coal on July 1 was an increase of 28,000,000 tons, equivalent to 59 per cent. * ¥ % ¥ Consumption of cdal has decreased during the warm months, running about 8,920,000 tons a week during the second quarter of the year., To those who have imagined ‘there has been an unusual slump it may be surpris- | five feet. 1997_PART 2." - Capital Sidelights Apropos of the graveyard set up in the plaza between Union Station and the Capitol by the tombstone makers under a grandiloquent name that has suggested many facetious ‘“‘wise cracks” about the burial ground of politiclans, we are reminded: ‘When the Congressional Cemetery was established {n the extreme south- east corner of the District in 1807 it was chosen by Congress as the place of interment for practically all Sena- tors, Representatives and executive officers who died in offic This prac- tice continued until 1835, and since extremely few from official life | have been interred there. Meanwhile the custom had grown up of erecting a cenotaph in memory of each Senator or Representative who died in office, notwithstanding that they were burled elsewhere, ese official monuments are unique in their ugliness and form the most striking feature of the cemetery. They are of sandstone, and consist of six-foot square bases, surmounted by a pyra- midal top reaching a height of about The inscriptions show great careléssness. From the time the first one was set up, in 1807, for Senator Uriah Tracy of Connecticut, the pattérn was ad- hered to until 1877, when an act abol- ishing the custom was passed on mo- tion of Senator George F. Hoar of Massachusetts. He argued that “it certainly added new terrors to death to propose that in any contingency, whatever might be the poverty or degradation of a member of Congress, his body should be put under a struc- | ture similar to those.” * K X K The names of Cabin John Bridge and Cabin John Run are attributed to o hermit fisherman, Capt. (or Cabin) John, who is sald to have formerly lived at the juncture of Cabin John Run with Bowie Run. Tradition has evolved a romance which would iden- | tify this obscure hermit as the hus- band of the “Female Stranger’ whose | tombstone in Alexandria stands as an | unsolved mystery. * kX X At the outbreak of the Civil War the name of Jefferson Davis, formerly Secretary of War and later President of the Confederacy, was obliterated from the inscription on Cabin John | The space remained blank | Iridge. until the second Roosevelt adminis- tration, when it was restored by act of Congress. * ok K K A recent reference to James Bar- bour of Orange, Va., in an article as to littleknown historical facts about sections of the OId Dominion easily accessible from Washington has reminded a friend of the writer con- cerning the following lines written by §. T. Coleridge, one of the greatest of English poets, in the album of Mr. Barbour's daughter, when she was visiting him while serving as Minister at the Court of St. James. They are dated “Grove, Highgate, Aug., 1829,” and are as follows: “Child of my -muse! gentle hand Go cross the main; forelgn land; *Tis not the clod beneath our feet we name Our country, each heaven-sanctioned tie the same— Laws, manners, language, faith, an- cestral blood, Domestic honor, awe of womanhood With kindly pride thou wilt rejoice to see Britain with elbow room and doubly free. Go seek thy countrymen! car In Barbour’s thou seek'st no And if one s Still lingers of that fratricidal war, Look to the main who brings thee from afar; Be thou the olive leaf and she the dove, And sa; it greet thee with a brother's ove. * K K % On a visit last week to President Monroe's old home, Oak Hill, near Aldie, Loudoun County, Va., Rep- resentative R. Walton Moore, whose ancestors, Col. John Fairfax and Sen- ator Henry Fairfax, formerly owned the estate and did much to preserve it, standing in front of one of the fire- places presented by Gen. Lafayette, recalled an amusing incident that he had gleaned in the course of his ex- tensive historical research. Lafayette knew Monroe first when they both served with Washington in the Revolution, and then in Paris near the close of the Reign of Terror, when Monroe secured the release from prison of Mme. Lafayette. When Monroe's new home at Oak Hill was completed, Lafayette was the first honored guest and drove out with President John Quincy Adams, who had heen Mon- roe’'s Secretary of State, across the old Chain Bridge, which has just been closed to traffic. Representative Moore says that it was then a toll bridge with the toll collector’s station on the Virginia end. President Adams had not been accustomed to paying toil and started to drive by, but was stopped by the toll collector, who did not recognize Adams and Lafayette. ‘With some chagrin the President paid the fee. Then as he d-ove along some one “tipped off” the toll col- lector, who forthwith ran up the hill after the President’s carriage, calling to him to stop. When Mr. Adams had allowed the collector to overtake them, the abashed man sputtered apologles and tried ineffectually to force the President to take back the coins. _— ing to learn that this is more than half a million tons a week above con- sumption for the corresponding period last year. The decrease of 22 per cent as compared with consumption in the first quarter of 1927 is explainable largely by seasonal causes—milder weather bringing down not only house- hold consumption and the amounts re- quired for heating factories, office buildings and other structures, but also relieving requirements of rail- road locomotives, which consume less fuel in Summer, and the consumption of electric utilities, whose demand falls off owing to the longer hours of day- light. Exports in recent months have been about normal, domestic consump- ion plus exports totaling 9,305,000 tons weekly, in terms of bituminous coal. Production plus imports have been running around 8,217,000 tons a week. The average deficit of 1,088,000 tons a week has been supplied out of con- sumers’ stocks and out of the extraor- dinary quantity of coal which was in transit on April 1 and was not in- cluded in the count taken as of that date. Even should production fail to be accelerated as Winter approaches, the deficit probably would not exceed 2,000,000 tons a week, and at that rate stocks of 62,000,000 tons plus produc- tion would last 31 \\'er\:(s. * * But production will increase when demand improves. Neither the non- union mines nor those unionized mines which are working by separate agree- ments are runping to capacity, with rare exceptions. Even at very low prices, bituminous coal is not moving in a way to make either the average mine owner or worker feel excessively happy. Distribution of bituminous coal s considered satisfactory. The greatest decline in stocks, naturally, has been in the Middle West, where normal re- quirements are filled by mines which in the main have been closed by the suspension of operations in the union- ized flelds. But there is nothing ap- proaching the danger point, even there. Public {litles have more than two months’ stock in their bins. Industrial plants, in general, are well supplied. Coal, both bituminous and anthracite, on the Lake docks for shipment to the Northwest on July 1, |is was in unusually large quantity for b that season. As for anthracite, retail 1 well stocked te. dealers were ocked on that da - o, (Copsright, 1927.) LATERAL STREET CUTTING IS SERIOUS MUNICIPAL PROBLEM BY BEN McKELWAY. In 1899 that section of “X" street to be discussed here was some distance “out in the country.” It was bor- dered by flelds which turned yellow with goldenrod about this time of year, and a small stream in one of them provided an ideal site for bull- frog and tadpole round-ups by small boys out of school. The street runs north and south,. conpecting, as a short cut, two big traffic arteries. The distance between these two arteries is about half a mile. In 1899 it was de- cided, on account of the traffic, to macadamize this half-mile stretch of “X" street and to cobblestone the gut- ters. This was done by the District and for 20 years “X" street performed its duty as a short cut. Trees planted about the same time grew to maturity, providing it with a_border such as those for which the District Is famed. years ago construction of ceeded briskly toward the west, and soon “X" street found itself running through a brand-new com- munity. But the houses were extend- ing west and had not yet begun to run north along “X" street. Then. one morning, gangs with pick and shovel appeared on “X" street and be- gan staking out plots for a block or so along one side. They were fol- lowed by steam shovels, and soon the foundations for a row of houses were being laid. At the same time other gangs of workmen appeared on “X" street and dug a long, narrow trench that ran along one side for its entire length. Pipes for water, gas, electric- ity and telephone wires were placed in the trench and it was covered up. Presently a repair gang of the District government appeared and took over the job of smoothing away the rough scar left by the trench, and within a reasonable time *X" street was passable again. But hardly had this trench been filled and repaired than another gang of men appeared and made a series of short, lateral cuts in the street. In these cuts connecti pipes were laid from the houses, ju. compfted, to the mains so recently covered up. When the lateral cuts were filled in, repair gangs of the District government again appeared and smoothed them over, the reappear- ance of the steam rollers affording in- anse enjoyment to the juvenile citi- | zens of the block. * ok ok K But the end was not yet. A new | gang was busily at work some dis- |tance up the street digging founda- tions for another short row of houses. And following them came another gang with more picks and shovels and dug a new set of short, lateral cuts for connecting pipes. The Dis- trict repair gang came back and duti- fully smoothed them over, and while they were doing it still another set of men selected another unoccupied spot along “X" street and began digging madly for some more foundations which presaged another series of lat- eral cuts, later to call out the Dis- trict repair gang again. This process has now continued for about four years. Rows of houses now border “X' street. The goldenrod of the flelds has gone and the chirping bullfrogs have saught other climes, for the stream that gave them birth now runs under somebody’s cellar. But in all the four years past “X" street has seldom been without a gang | of workmen either digging or covering up parts of its misused surface along its short half mile of length. About a vear ago, when “X" street became weil nigh impassable because of the frequency with which it had been cut up, a repair gang appeared upon the scene and with many uten- sils of their trade did a fairly good job of temporary resurfacing. But that had not been long completed and the repairmen turned the corner en route to other fields of activity, when another gang came down thé street and with flendish haste tore up the newly repaired surface in order to make some more cuts for connecting pipes. - Eventually, “X” street will be Fifty Years Ago In The Star Fifty vears ago a report reached this count v that the American flag had been hoisted in Samoa Samoan in token of the sover- eignty of this country Tslands. (305 0ce ielands. This was not true, though steps had been taken toward a closer relationship which later developed into the assign- ment of one of the islands to the United States in protectorate. The Star of August 10, 1877, say: “Although our Government has re- celved no official advices on the sub- ject there is reason to believe that there is some truth in the report that the American flag has been hoisted at Samoa and allegiance tendered to the United States. Commodore Wilkes of the United States Navy surveyed the islands in 1839 and by arrangements with the native chiefs took the harbor of Pango Pango, one of the safest and best harbors in the Pacific, under the protection of this country. In 1875 President Grant sent a special agent named A. B. Steinburger to the islands, who represented that the chiefs were desirous that the whole group should be protected by the United States, but in 1875 a native king was eclected and Steinburger be- came his prime minister, “The annexation of these islands to the United States might be very de- sirable in a commercial point of view. since the valley lands are said to be remarkably fertile and ddapted to the culture of tobacco, cotton, sugar and fruits of various kinds. The timber is al®® said to be very valuable. If the question of annexation comes up we ray expect to hear the politicians inquiring how the natives will vote at elections and how political repre- sentation in Congress will be affected thereby."” 3 * * % Some time after the Custer mas- sacre Sitting Bull and his braves fled M to Canada to get out Sitting Bull of reach of the aveng- 2 ing forces of the United in Canada. &7, °“fe Star ot August 11, 1877, has the following | about the problem that resulted: “Our Canadian friends are restiv owing to the presence of Sitting Bu and his band, who have squatted within their territory and whose future movements and acts are a matter of conjecture. Sitting Bull brought with him over the border rather an unsavory reputation and, according to a late report, his war- rlors make no secret of their intention to return to the Yellowstone Valley after they have recuperated and re- new their war against the whites. The trouble seems to be that there is no treaty stipulation which pro- hibits the Indians from either side crossing the border at will, and con- sequently moral suasion is the only means that can be employed to effect the removal of Sitting Bull from his present camping ground. Gen. Sher- man is represented as saying that he thinks the Canadian government will be responsible for depredations which they may commit if they effect a permanent lodgment on British terri- tory and make raids across the border, which is rather rough on the Cana- dians, considering that Sitting Bul and his band are unwelcome guests. The Commissioner of Indian Affairs looks upon the presence of these Indians just over the boundary line as a standing menace, and perhaps it justice to our Canadi suspicion when the beautiful white stretch of concrete i3 completed somebody will cuts are lateral, curb to the longitudinal mains, which oft world, mo paved with concrete. There should be no occasion to dig it up then. But is strongly founded that decide to build on one of the few re- maining lots, and the inevitable gang will appear again and jovfully, but with great effort, with yawning chasms. mar the surface SR Filling in lateral cuts in the Dis trict's streets has come to be one of the greatest problems with which the highway department has to deal. year there were some 60,000 cuts filled in at a cost of about $500,000. The cost 18 charged against the property Fully 95 per cent of these running from the owners. follow the direction of the street. There are about 300 working days in the year, which means that cuts must be filled in all over the District at the rate of about 200 a day. The cuts cannot be repaired immediately, for the earth must have a chance to settle. But when there is a hard rain and much traffic, the cuts become 8o deep that repairs must be made quickly. Cuts left unrepaired, with churning traffic and after washing rains, become actual menaces to life and limb. The evil seems to be comparable to cutting teeth. It is something that is widely recognized as a deplorable nuisance, but so far nothing has. been suggested to do away with it. In the case of “X" street it would seem fea- sible to have required all the owners of abutting property to have made their water connections at the same time. In this manner, the constant work of repairing new cuts, stretching now over about four years, wou, have been done away with. But this sys- tem was tried as long ago as 1890. At that time owners of property were re- quired to make their water connec- tions when the longitudinal mains wera laid. When the time came to construct the houses the street was not disturbed. But the plan was un- successful and the requirement was revoked. * kX % Something has been done about the longitudinal cuts. When a street is to be paved, the District usually | waits until it is at least 75 per cent “built up” before ordering the work, and in any case a committee of engi- neers at the District Building inspects the project and either suggests or srders the public service corporations to complete their longitudinal mal before the paving work begins. This saves tearing up the street for longi- tudinal mains after it is paved. But the lateral cuts continue to be a prob- lem. There is no uniformity about the time of their completion. A street may be 75 per cent “bullt up, and when the paving is completed the property owners of the remaining 25 per cent vacant land decide to build, and immediately the newly laid sur- tace is torn up. This is unfair to the other property owners who have been assessed and have paid for the new street. A repalred street is not as good as a new street. In addition, the growing number of automobiles and their con- stant passage over filled-in cuts have made the problem more vexatious. In the old days it was considered good practice to leave the cut uncepaired for some time, while the earth settled. Now repairs must be made within very short time, especially if there is a perfod of bad weather. Unless this is done, there will be broken axles, broken springs and perhaps broken necks to pay for the delay. So the process continues of paving a street one week and tearing it up the next. It is going on in communities where. there is much building activity and.is. a bothersome type of growing pain which the District now is suffering. Any one with a practical suggestion for remedy will be received with open irms by C. B. Hunt, the engineer of highways. This and That By Charles E. Tracewell. If there were any proof needed of the essential cleanness of the house cat, it might be found in the unvary- ing preference of the creature for & clean place to sleep. Jack Spratt, for instance, likes noth- ing so well as a fresh tablecloth, bed- spread, pile of ironed clothes, or fresh linen spread out for tomorrow’s wear. ‘The other night we missed him from his usual sleeping place in the hall, to discover him curled in a striped ball squarely in the middle of a brand- new shirt. ‘Those who have followed the adven- tures of Spratt for three years know without being told that the cat slept on the shirt all night long. * K K * When the clothes are brought up, after being ironed, and placed on the guest room bed for the night, befors disposal in their proper places on the morrow, Jack immediately makes a bee-line for them. ‘Turkish bath tqwels, in particular, meet his approval. Upon them sheds some hundreds of gray hairs, tipped with white, or vice versa. A clean sheet, too, s a favorite with Jack. His judgment is unerring. If it has been just placed on the bed, Jack knows it and acts accordingly. If he has had a dust roll in the gar den, he is particularly pleased with a sheet or bedspread. Dirt is the cat's taleum powder; they like nothing bet- ter than to roll in a well mulched flow- er bed. * e Those who do not like cats—we won- der if there are any such reading here?—may say that a cat just hap- pens to climb on clean clothes for its night's rest. ‘This, however, is not the truth. Jack Spratt, for instance, had not honored the couch where the shirt was spread out for several months. He positively had not slept on the couch for two or three months, yet the very first time the shirt was placed there, up he hopped. How else is there to account for it except that he appreciates cleanljne: * ok ox % Cats invariably seek the best and softest chairs in the house. Even stray Kkittens, brought in for a few moments, despite Spratt’s hisses, jump immediately into the big fellow's fa- vorite chair, The cat is so clean, naturally, that he puts the cleanest dog to shame. As a matter of fact, there is no such thing as a clean dog. in civilization, unless its master washes it thoroughly and often. Most cats, on the other paw, keep themselves quite scrupulous, mostly due to thelr assiduous licking, partly due to the fact that they do not sweat. They will, of course, shed hair, and this accounts for the bellef of their traducers that they are dirty and harbor germs. * ok ok K To the contrary, the house cat is the cleanest creature in the world, in a natural state, ‘What dirt there is on him, he wipes on the rugs, chairs, sofas and so on! Then he washes himself for several hours at a stretch with his pink tongue, polishing his fur until it glistens, 4 His saliya is a natural antiseptic. He is the cleanest of animals, the only naturally clean creature in 'lha elous., i 80 odorless that the e G G e