Evening Star Newspaper, August 22, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 1927. 8 , THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.......August 22, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvants New York Office: 110 Chicago Office European Office: 14 Engl Ave Tower Ruil ine. Rexent St.. London and. The Evening Star with the Sunday mom red by earriers within per month: dally only, Sundays only. 20 eents Orders m © sent by mall or Tephone Main 5000, Collection s made by earrier at end of each month. + Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. afly and Sun 1yr. $0.00: 1 mo. 78 finh onls. 1vr.. $8.00: 1 mo.. §0c junday on! 1vr. $3.00° 1 mo’. 25 All Other States and Cana 1vr. (l; 00: 1 mo. $1.00 1yl §A00° 1 mo. 7he oo 8000 T me: 35 Member of the Associated Press. n‘ Associated Press {s exclusively entitled 10'tho Dee. for Tepunfication of ail maws rl!v‘hfll credited to it or not otherwise cred- ted_in this paper and also the loeal news All iizhts ches herei e herein - publish. of special disp The Last Stage. Refusal by Justice Brandeis of the United States Supreme Court, closely followed by a refusal by Justice Stone, *to intervens in the Sacco-Vanzetti case closes another door to delay in ‘the execution of the two men, which, unless staved by a further reprieve by the governor, will take place in a few hours, The Chief Justice has also feclined to act. The only hope felt by the defense is that the governor may be persuaded to grant further reprieve to permit examination of the files of the Department of Justice relating to the case. That, however, is a forlorn expectation, as it is well understood that Gov. Fuller is already acquainted with the contents of the files, which, it is declared by an official of the de- partment, contain nothing that in any way bears upon the guilt or innocence of the two men and reveal no activi- ' | Which, however, does not deter adven- about the underground regions and the experiences of those whe are caught beneath the surface. There have been numerous instances of miners trapped by falling rock due to explosions and slips, and as long as there is a chance for their rescue in- tense efforts are made to reach them. Some years ago a group of such men were thus entombed, and after many days were finally reached and brought alive to the surface. They had sub- sisted in part on an infusion made from the bark of the timbers sup- porting the roof of the chamber in which they were caught. Their return to the surface was an occasion of uni- versal rejolcing. The region in which Ashley had his harrowing experience is honeycombed with caves. They have not been fully explored, and it is possible that their ramifications will never be solved. There are in the western part of Vir- sinia underground passages that still remain to be traced and made acces- sible, extensions of caverns that have been exploited and visited by great numbers of people. The development of these deep and far-reaching passages is a matter of considerable danger, turous splrits, such as the man who has just had a narrow escape from death In the pursuit of sclentific knowledge. ) Smith's Boom Will Not Down. The Al 8mith boom not only refuses to down but grows in strength. No candidate for a presidential nomina. tlon of a major party ever faced graver opposition. As a wet and as a Catholic Gov. Smith has been de- nounced by Democrats in many States. But his achievements, political and ad- ministrative, in New York, and his gift of winning men have kept him in the forefront of the Democratic race, It is astonishing that this should have been so. In 1924 the opposition to the nomination of William Gibbs McAdoo rallied largely about Gov. Smith. It was a question then, not of electing Smith, but of “stopping McAdoo.” But today it 1s a question of electing Smith, ties by the Federal Government which in any degree prejudiced the interests of the defendants. Thus the case seems to have been closed. Intense agitation, however, Is to be expected during these last few hours remaining before the sentence bt the law 1s executed. Largely signed petitions, containing numerous names that are well known to the American people, have gone to the governor ask- ing for a last-minute reprieve on the general ground that the guilt of the condemned men has not been proved. Partisans of Sacco and Vanzetti are soeking to organize demonstrations in their behalf. Outrages may be com- mitted, though precautions have been taken to forestall violence and mob nanifestations. ‘The point raised regarding the con- tents of the Federal files is not a new one. It has heretofore been urged that the United States Government under- took to influence the course of the lJaw fn Massachusetts because of the known radical character of the ac- ~cused men. Examination of the files of the Department of Justice has not been permitted previously because of their confidential character. Quite re- cently, however, they have been sub- mitted to reading by unprejudiced per- #ons, who have found in them nothing -that warrants the suggestion that the *Federal influence was exercised to put the lives of Sacco and Vanzettl in Jeopardy. It is to be doubted whether there Is # sincere bellef on the part of the “counsel for the condemned men that the department files contain anything »that would change the situation if re- vealed. The suggestion of a reprieve for the purpose of their examination is obviously a move for delay, in the hope that with the grant of additional time the wave of fomented feeling for these men may cause the governor of the State to yield. At the same time there is clear proof that the substan- tial public sentiment of the country supports the governor in his decision “that the men are guilty, and that they have had a fair trial and should pay the penalty which the law of the State imposes for murder. So strong 18 that feeling that a further reprieve, adding to the already intolerable delays that have occurred in this case, would be strongly condemned throughout the eountry. —————— ‘There is a class of people who have regarded it as clever to call them- selves “parlor socialists.”” As serious political and economic reform is de- manded, they subside into bridge whist, &8s some qf their habitual line of com- ment might cause embarrassment if taken too seriously. ———— Underground Perils, The experience of Lawrence Ashley, & geologist, who was trapped for six days in a cave in Tennessee and made his way out by tunneling along the trail of an air current, is one of the classics of human life. Last Monday, seeking to explore a newly discovered entrance, he entered the cave with a two-day supply of food and materials for making light, and after examining the interior to his satisfaction he found on returning that a landslip had occurred at the entrance and he was imprisoned. He managed to locafe a stream of fresh air, however, and de- ciding that it came from the surface, he followed it, digging steadily, though with decreasing strength as his food as exhausted. Luckily his carbide supply sufficed to keep his light burn- ing and yesterday he reached the sur- face. Meanwhile rescue parties had been organized and had searched the cave, coming to the conclusion that Ashley had been drowned in the stream which flows through the cav- ern. As he emerged yesterday in an exhausted condition an effort was about to be made to drag this river for his body. This experience of Ashley brings to mind the recent fatality in the same region, when Floyd Collins was simi- larly trapped in a cavern and, despite all efforts at rescue, died. The Col- lins case attracted nation-wide atten- tion. Bulletins from the scene of the sccident were sent at frequent inter- wvals. An intense sympathetic reaction was caused among millions, and when the word went forth that Collins was 9 dead profound sorrow was fel | There is something highly dr: e Marion L. Fox, executive secretary of the McAdoo organization in 1924, in of his bravery he now wears the high. est award of the British empire, the Albert medal. Stanley Gibbs richly deserves all honors that may come to him for his epic combat with one of the most deadly of swimming crea- tures, Aside from the danger, there is something particularly revolting to ® human to be in close contact with the slimy cannibals of the sea. Yet Gibbs thought of nothing else than that his friend was in peril of his life. All honor to such a lad! ———————— Life-Saving Legislation. Another effort will be made at the coming session of Congress to extend the life of the Federal maternity and infancy act, more familiarly known as the Sheppard-Towner bill. The act was originally passed in 1921, author- izing apprépriations of $1,240,000 for five years, and was extended a year longer by a joint resolution of the last Congress. The legislation has been subject to attack, chiefly on the ground that it is a meddlesome ges- ‘ture by the Federal Government to- ward the duties of the States, while the medical profession has not looked upon it any too kindly, scenting in its provisions the encroachment of pub- lic health agencies in the fleld of the private practitioner, Color is- fre- quently lent to the statement of op- ponents who claim that the bill fur- nishes “old maids" with the fulfill- ment of a long-sought ambition to tell mothers how to raise their children. The Department of Labor, in state- ments setting forth the need of the legislation, mentions a drop of four points in the infant mortality rate re- corded since the work of educating mothers began. Of the twenty-six States that were in the death regis- tration area during the period of the law’s operation, seventeen show re- duced Infant death rates, three show unchanged rates and six increased rates. Opponents of the measure mis represent its scope when they claim that it enables the Federal Govern- ment to meddle in the business of the tates. It is no more meddlesome than Federal aid in highway building, Federal aid in hog-raising or Federal aid in fighting the cattle tick., No the September issue of the Atlantic Monthly, gives Smith the best chance for the Democratic nomination next year. Furthermore, Mr. Fox asserts that the New York governor is the only Democrat who has a chance of election. The politicians, Mr. Fox de- clares, have sensed the latter condi- tion, and are bent upon the nomina- tion of Smith. He sees the failure of Smith to be nominated as a death no- tice of the Democratic party in the North and East, where he says the Catholics cast fifty per cent of the Democratic votes. A rejection of Smith by the Democratic convention, he argues, will be attributed by the Catholics to the fact he is a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Fox attempts to analyze the probable strength of Gov. Smith in a general election, predicting that he can carry one hundred electoral votes in the East, hold the solid South for the Democrats and pick up the rest of the votes needed to elect him in the Middle West and West, Smith's suc- cess in the East he predicates on Smith's ability to carry New York State in a presidential election. While the New York governor is undeniably strong in his own State, it is many a year since the State went Democratic in a presidential election. New York clings to the Republican party when it comes to the control of Federal Government. Whether Smith could carry the State against Mr. Hughes, for example, or Mr. Coolidge should the latter finally be drafted for the Republican nomination requires some consideration, i Mr. Fox is even more optimistic in his prediction that Gov. Smith could carry States of the Middle West. He lists Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kentucky, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Oklahoma as probable Smith States. Several of these States have been consistently in the Repub- lican column In national elections, in- ecluding Missourl, in recent years. From the chairman of the Demo- cratic State committee of Missouri, Samuel W. Fordyce, however, has just come a prediction that after Sena- tor Jim Reed the Missourl delegation would favor Gov. Smith. This perhaps has greater significance in connection with the Democratic nomination than with the election. Mr. Fordyce in giv- ing his sypport to Smith, should Reed miss the nomination, declares that Missouri is “wet.” He describes him- self as a Scotch Presbyterian, but in- sists that Smith’s Catholicism will not prevent his supporting the New York governor. Gov. Smith’s candidacy for the Democratic nomination, if it may be called such in view of his constant denial that he is a candidate for any office, may not succeed in the end, but the feeling will not down among Demo- cratic politicians that they are forced to take him in 1924, Some of them will take him hopefully, and others with the hope that his defeat at the polls will finally eliminate him as a storm center in the party. R President Coolidge remains a puzzle State is forced to accept the Federal funds and the money is used for the dissemination of information, in the use of which there is no coercion. The part of the Federal Government is the part of an advisory agency alone, or of a centralized clearing house deal- ing in statistics and information. Re- duction of infant mortality by four points in siy years, whether or not it is due directly to the maternity bill, is a worth-while achievement. Possibil- ity of further reduction is sufficient propaganda in favor of continuing the legislation. ———— ‘There is an occasional crisis in pub- lic affairs when the plain citizen is expected to think hard and not waste too much valuable energy in trying to decide matters offhand, with more or less limited information. —————— One of the mysteries of anarchy in its variov forms is the number of people it brings to attention who have not enough regular employment to prevent them from mounting the soap box at a moment's notice. ————— One of the pleasures of pugilism lies in the fact that nebody ever gets hurt sufficiently to prevent him from ar- riving on time and in pretty good form to collect his share of the gate money. ————— It might give general satisfaction it Mr. Levine would bring his pilot over on an ocean liner and stage a formal encounter, with a reasonable charge for ringside seats. —————— Nobody admits that he is seeking a presidential nomination at this partic- ular stage of proceedings. Only one man has had the decision to announce that he “‘does not choose.” ———————— The world is imitative, and it may be that Charles Lindbergh, the very exceptional man, made flying seem too easy. —————————— ‘The liberal prizes offered represent by far the least of the cost to the world of experimental aviation. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Consideration for Others. I may not join the joyous fling. I do not sing. At happiness I have no chance. I cannot dance. Yet sacrifices we must make For others’ sake. If I should try, what woe 'twould bring To dance or sing! Playing Politics. *Are you a total abstainer?” “I'am,” answered Senator Sorghum. “But I hope you won't mention it. I can't afford to lose the bootleg vote.” Bygones. Sometimes in sorrowing I pause To think about the past And shed a furtive tear because Those old times couldn’t last. ‘We cannot ride in horse cars now to many wise personages, who fail to see why he should have gone West it he did not intend, politically speak- ing, to grow up with the country. An Heroic Fight. From faroff Australia comes a atory of herolsm that commands at- tention. It is that of an elghteen- year-old boy’s courageous bare-hapded Aght with a twelve-foot man-eating shark to save his companion from its attack. Stanley Gibbs was swimming with his young pal, Mervyn Allum. Suddenly the latter was dragged under tha surface. Without hesitating an instant, although he knew what had happened, Gibbs dived down to do battle with the shark. In a mad struggle that followed Gibbs actually got himself astride the animal and pummeled with hands and feet, and while he did not inflict any particular damage, the surprise of the attack and the novel manner of it finally caused the fish to release its victim. The fact that young Allum dled from his wounds on the way to the hospital detracts none from the glory of Gibbs® sccomplishment. And In recognition Nor “bike” with weary folks. Unnecessary persistence has an irritating effect on others; at the same time it deprives its perpetrator of just so much nerve force which he might better turn to better ends. As an example of this, there may be instanced the stick-to-it-iveness of the fine young gentleman who for the past four years has persisted in opening a certain padlock as a joke. There is in this town a typewriter desk of the metal variety, with let- down top, under which the writing machine rests when the desk is closed. An iron bar, a chain, a padlock and a key conspire to deter unwanted users from pounding the typewriter keys out of alignment. Ivery one knows what some one else can do to one's typewriter or fountain pen! The lock, unfortunately, was of a frail sister type. A jerk at the han- dle of the desk and the hasp flew open. This would never do. A sec- ond and sturdier padlock was added to the chain, so that when the first was forced, the second still held. * ok ok X From that day to this, some person unknown has persisted in pulling for- cibly on the bar, loosening the weak lock. The actlon does him no good, for the other lock still holds, and one wonders what fun he can get out of it, except that action always con- ducive to a vast amount of merriment to persons of a certain type of mind, a small irritation to another. Think of the vast amount of time and energy consumed by this utterly needless and absolutely futile perform- ance during the four solid years it hus been going on! Suppose the perpetrator of this a tion, which, undoubtedly, he regards as just a small joke (or perhaps it has become a habit by this time), would expend the same time in helping some one else? Suppose over four years, he had put in the same amount of labor and time glving coins to blind men? Today he would have the satisfac- tion of feeling that for a considerable space in his life he had done some- thing worth while. In a new book which is destined, unless we much miss our guess, to take its place as one of the world’s great confessionals, a great public character is quoted as having said, “Never pass a blind man, Nan." Let this saying be commended to the unlocker of padlocks. Persistency in dropping coins into the tin cups of blind men, or whatever sort of recep- tacle they carry, would be persistency in a good cause, at least. * ok ok ok Another type of unfortunate per- sistency is a young man who, offended at what another wrote, which he took unto himself, in the way some folks will, persists in refusing to speak to the writer, This writer, in telling us about the matter, says that his only regret is the genuine one that the abused per- son so persistently misuses divine energy. “When I think of the vast amount of effort he takes to refrain from speaking to me,” he said, with his humorous, understanding smile, “it saddens me. I am not worth such an expenditure. Let him put that same time and labor on doing & good deed— any good deed—to his’ fellow human beings. “I know from personal experience WASHINGTON Alien smuggling across the borders is diminishing, and the smuggling of aliens, liquor and dope by airplane, which has been carried on extensively between Mexico and southern Cali- fornia, has been checked. This is the conclusion of Assistant Secretary of bor Carl R. White, who has just returned to Washington after a six- week survey of conditions along both the Northern and Southern bor- ders. Incidentally it appears that Mr. White has turned down the requests of the Immigration Service Border Patrol for alrplanes with which to guard the air routes of the border emugglers, The close co-operation of the Army and the Navy with the border patrol makes separate airplane equipment for the Immigration Serv- ice Patrol unnecessary at this time, in_his opinion. He accompanied a subcommittee of the House appro- priations committee, which toured the country starting at New York, pro- ceeding to New England, then to the Pacific Coast along the Canadian border and back to the Eastern sea- board, via the Southern border, taking a close-up view of the activities of the Federal service, immigration, smug- gling and prohibition enforcement. The congressional members of the Er!y included Milton W. Shreve of nnsylvanio, Anthony J. Griffin of New York and Willlam B. Oliver of Alabama. P The trite saying, “A prophet is not without honor save in his own coun- try,” applies to Senator Moses of Net Hampshire, who maintained months ago that the President would nat be a candidate in 1928, and at that time was all alone in that prophecy. It was Moses who let the public into the secret of President Wilson's serious condition toward the close of the lat- ter's administration. The New Hamp- shire Senator was scoffed at and the President’s physician, Rear Admiral Cary T. Grayson, scornfully inquired i Moses was a doctor, that he could diagnose Mr. Wilson’s case. “I am just as good a doctor as Grayson is a rear admiral,” shot back Moses with that grin which arouses the ire of his opponents. Two years ago, after his return from Europe, Sen- ator Moses declared that the United States had about the same chance of collecting the French war debt as a celluloid dog would have to catch a rabbit in Hades. And his pungent characterization of the Volstead act as a “jackass” law may rafk with that famous remark of Gen. Sherman about war, * ok ok ok Two pithy statements culled from current news dispatches are worthy of greater permanence than is usually accorded the daily grist of remarks and comment which crowd a news- paper. John W. Davis, the Demo- cratic standard bearer in 1924, arriv- We've lost some things; but anyhow ‘We have the same old jokes. Jud Tunkins says he's not going to New York this year. There's no use. He's already broke. “It is useless,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “to seek to rule by fear. Our dragon, created to excite terror, is now used only for decorative pur- poses.” Modern Question. “George and Mabel have at last de- cided on marriage.” “Which kind,” inquired Miss Ca: enne, “trial or life sentence?” Rural Diversion. I'm goin' to the country fair; Though products of the farm I'll hunt, These things will most entice me there— Hoss racing and a flyirig stunt. “A man dat makes trouble,” said Uncle Eben, “is sure to find he has produced & lot of stuff wifgut a mar- ket,” L —_— | NS ing home from Europe and interview- ed as to politics, sald, “A Democrat is always filled with hope. If he were not, he would not be a good Demo- crat.” Gen. Harbord, addressing the Iowa Legion and advising ‘“keeping a political eye on those two lads’™ Secretary of War Dwight F. Davis and his understudy, Assistant Secre- tary Hanford MacNider—said, “Both are a long way under 50, both wear- ers of the Distinguished Service Cross won on the western front, both spoke English until they went to Harvard, and’they can still be understood.” L The United States Army Band, which s stationed at Washington Bar- racks and is the new rival of the re- nowned Marine Band, will make the first public concert tour in its history next Winter, yisiting Philadelphia, New York, Boston and other Eastern cities. Official announcement to this effect has just been made by Capt; William J. Stannard, the conductor, The band is already known to millions of the radio audience, for it been on the air more often than any other musical organization. It is an out- growth of the famous A. E. F. band which Gen. Pershing organized in France. This disintegrated after the armistice, but Pershing, on his return to Washington as chief of staff, fos- !tered the organization of a peace-time Army Band to rank with any in the that there is nothing In the world harder than the self.ordained per- sistence of refusing to speak to another simply because of a real or fancied grudge. ‘There have been cases of married couples who have lived side by side for the last 30 years of their lives without speaking. Think of the teli this foolishness took wupon their hearts and minds! They paid for it. “And so will this misguided young man pay. He has paid for a year, and doesn't realize it. The speaking to me is not the point. It makes no difference to either of us whether he speaks or not. But let him, for the ®ood of his own Immortal soul, release the energy to better purposes.” * ok ok % We are reminded of a gentleman who lived in a grand home not far from a small apartment house build- ing. Evidently this householder was somewhat impressed with the social gap which separated him, in his large house, from the young couples who were inhabiting the varfous two and three rcom apartments. The gentleman was fond of garden- ing—which was distinctly in his favor—and in this ocgupation spent the hours between supper and dark. Never once in the memory of those who looked out the windows of those apartments was this man ever caught deigning to cast a glance upward at the people in the offending flats, To have looked at them, as one ten- ant with a flair for psychology said, would have been to admit that they were fellow human beings! So steadfastly, through a group of varfous misfortunes that happened to his family, he kept his head down. It was admirable persistency, but wrongly directed. If he had put it to some good use in his business, or among his friends; if he had gone out of his way as steadfastly to find per- s0n8 he might have helped! R Children who persist in doing use- less things, or making themselves annoying to others without rhyme or reagon, ought to be gently diverted from their purpose. It might seem a little thing, but habits are habits, and little ones grow into big ones, even as children do. There are many observers of these things who assert that misfortunes come to those who indulge in such futfle persistence, not because there is any obscure relationship, defying analysis, but simply because one who so misuses the divine agencies of heart and mind given him by the Creator is in every other way mak- ing mistakes in their application. It will be noted above that the man in the large house who refused to recognize his poorer neighbors as human beings lived a life attended by family misfortune. Is it not con- ceivable that one who never had a glance for the babies of others often failed in the proper treatment of his own offspring? It is reasonable to believe that he ‘who persists without mind or heart in one direction will persist, in other and unknown ways, in courses of ac- tion that will bring heartache and misery to many others. There is a cause and effect in life which cannot be measured by the yardstick, or punched out on the cash register, but which exists none the less surely. Men do not fool others half so much as they fool themselves. OBSERVATIONS world. The Army Band headed the Harding funeral procession, the De- fense Day parade, the Coolidge in- augural, the Lindbergh Washington welcome and many lesser affairs. A double sextet of 12 saxophones, two dance orchestras and a 50-piece sym- phonic concert orchestra are embraced within the entire aggregation of 100 pieces. * ok k ¥ A great public protest inst the proposed reduction in the of our paper money is predicted by the Plate Printers Union, which compr! the men engaged in the business of print- ing the bank notes. They point out that the proposal is not new and has been agitated for half a century, every time evoking so much opposition from banks and business men and from members of Congress that the plan was abandoned. A bill to prohibit any change in the size or color of paper money without the consent of Congress was offered recently by Sena- for Sheppard of Texas, and the plate printers predict it will be pressed in the next session. Meantime the Treasyry is going ahead with its prep- arations for printing the reduced size notes, which will not, however, be ready for distribution for another 12 months. * x x ¥ The General Federation of Women's Clubs takes occasion to remind the public_that it also has a convention next June, a biennial election of offi- cers and a lively contest for president. The convention will be held at San Antonio, Tex. The two leading presi- dential contenders so far in view are Mrs. John F. Sippel of Baltimore, in- dorsed by Maryland and Delaware, and Mrs., Edward Franklin White of Indianapelis. Mrs. White is now first vice president of the federation and Mrs.sSippel is chairman of the finance committee. Mrs. Grace Morrison Poole of Massachusetts, now recording secretary, is the only candidate thus far announced for first vice president. Mrs. Eugene B. Lawson of Oklahoma and Mrs, George Thomas Palmer of Illinois are rivals for second vice pres- ident, Mrs. William R. Alvord of Michigan .and Mrs. Henry C. Taylor of Fowa are candidates for secretary. Mrs. H.' G. Reynolds of Kentucky, present treasurer, is slated for re-elec- tion, unopposed. It is worth noting that every one of these prominent clubwomen is married and all but one have children. Mrs. Lawson of Oklahoma has the further distinction of being the granddaughter of the last tribal chief of the Delaware Indians, the Rev. Charles Journeycake. He was a Baptist minister as well as an Indian chieftain. (Copyrizht. 1027.) Prohibition Has Not Caused Revenue Failure To the Editor of The Sta: I note by a Washington dispatch which appeared in The Star that dur- ing the six years just past the in- terest-bearing national debt has been reduced by close to six billions, mak- ing a saving of $269,000,000 in annual interest, and that taxes have been re- duced three times, and every year has shown a surplus. Were the wets mistaken when they adjured us by all the gods at once that prohibition would mean a ruinous raise in taxes and a cajamitous de- crease in revenue? CHARLES P. NELSON. Minneapolis, Minn. v e Listen, Don’t Talk! From the Nashville Banner. . It's difficult to do, but it leads t popularity if you can recall that at least 99 out of every 100 acquaintances do not give a hang about what you did while on your vacation. —_———————— An n Shingles. Octogena From the Loulsville Time: oan who patch- no doubt de- PHILOSOPHIES BY GLENN FRANK In o radio talk last year Andrew W. Mellon sald: “Because business is big it is not necessarily a menace.” Commenting upon this sentence at the time, a business journal, Nation's Business, said: “Bigness is not necessarily a men- ace. The elephant may be gentler than the mouse, but there lurk possi- bilitles of danger in the elephant that are not in the mouse, and most of us prefer our elephants properly guarded and guided. “Bigness itself isn’t bad, but big- ness brings responsibility. “None of us is much disturbed about the shortcomings of his neighborhood grocer. If he sells bad potatoes, there's another man around the corner with whom we can trade. But if all the grocers were in one chain, the problem of poor potatoes would dis- turb us all, and we should take refuge in legislation, in potato price-fixing and potato inspectors.” There {8 nothing quite as important to the masses of Americans as a sound philosophy ot bigness. One of the bad by-products of the muck-raking era was an uncritical susplicion of all bigness in business. Qur reaction to the many exposures of graft and greed in many big busi- nesses was distressingly mechanical. Bigness seemed to us the devil we must fight We set out upon a trust-busting theory of reform—little businesses was our goal. But little businesses are, in the main, out of step with the tendency of the time in effective organization; it will not serve the situation, how- ever, for us to revert to a worship of big husiness. Uncritical suspicion of big business and uncritical servility to big business are alike beside the point. Big business can serve the social order and its masses far more to the common good than little business; granted business statesmanship in its councils, big business is a better in. strument of social reform than little business. The real peril of bigness is twofold: First, bigness brings power, and power carries a subtle temptation to its own prostitution. Second, bigness stimulates a hunger for bigger business, and businesses may become so big that they break down under their own weight, their complexity outstripping the available fund of administrative genius. The solution of the problem of big business does not lie with the sleep- less regulator, but with the states. manlike administrator, who, as I have said so often, can see the possibility of using bigness so that wages may be raised, hours shortened, prices low- ered, and total profits increased by virtue of the magnitude of operation. «Copyrizht. 1927.) Protest Against Radical Agitation in America To the Editor of The Star: The average native-born citizen in this_country is apt to accept general conditions calmly, and too often with- out comment of a forceful nature, when it comes to the realization of a genuine menace to our people and our Government. The average American will say, “Oh, everything is all right. Nothing can happen to us,” and go on with his or her routine in life, while the anarchist hordes avail themselves of the “freedom of speech” granted under the Constitution to speak openly and insultingly of the very Govern- ment which protects them in their actual strivings to destroy that Gov- ernment and bring ruin to the coun- try whieh has allowed them to enter its gates and become citizens with the tolerant nattve-born of the land. It is because of this toleration on the part of our own people that the deadly poison of this allen menace has been allowed to spread through- out the country, and not only in the United States but throughout the world has anarchy misled and pois- oned the minds of people of other na- tions against the United States, so that even murderers, convicted here of black erime and outspoken hatred of otir laws and Government, are held up before the world as “martyrs” who are persecuted and sent to death be- cause they are glorious martyrs in the cause of radicalism. Not because they have committed dastardly crimes, mind you, but because the United States “kills people who speak freely and honestly.” And so the ignorant mobs elsewhere, as well as here, howl against the country of the Stars and Stripes and_yell that the persecuted “martyrs,” Vanzettl and Sacco, must be freed. And we, the native-bornm, read the papers, discuss with those of our own class and general way of thinking the grave problem of the enemy in our midst, say our laws are too lax; then let it go at that, because no plcture of the truth presents itself to our imaginations or stirs our toler- ant attitude toward even destruction by a bomb. This attitude of mind exists largely because the average citizen of this country who is loyal to its Constitu- tion and its Government as an Amerl- can hps such an honest, wholesome belief in everything being well with us as a nation, and attending strictly to one's own business and keeping out of trouble, that it all goes to the ex- treme of shutting our eyes to the black fact that these radicals and anarchists are trying mighty hard to get us into trouble whenever and wherever they can accomplish it, and that it is our business now to open our tolerant eyes and deal those poison-spreaders the surprise of their lives—the surprise of showing them that real Americans exist in no small numbers and that when we speak we mean business! We do not stand for being ordered about by a horde of bomb-lovers: and venomous reds who care nothing for Vanzetti and Sacco, but merely yearn to blow up the United States and its real citizens as an innocent pastime. Deportation— each and all!’ As a native-born citizen, therefore, of this country, one who through several generations of native-born has inherited ‘deep, fervent loyalty and reverence for our flag, for all that this country was meant to be at its best, for the United States as a homeland, I write this letter of passionate pro. st against further permitting these anarchists to hold their rabid meet- ings in this city or elsewhere in this land; against their children being taught the red propaganda and then attending our schools and poisoning the minds of other pupils against the only country which permits such out- spoken disloyalty to go unpunished. America offers these hateful radical: her unlimited opportunities for good. Here they can live in comfort, schools are open to them, food in plenty, wages paid them that many a man or woman struggling along on the small income of school teachers and clerk- ships may well envy the alien. Yet they accept the bounty of our land, then turn viclously and curse our Constitution and our laws and seek to kill and to destroy. They should meet just punishment. Citizens of the United States, we who stand by our flag and the very name America, it is time to show these haters of our fair land that the native-born can exercise free speech in a way to be reckoned with, and that there is a propaganda for loyalty and love of country no less than a prop- aganda for hate. Now is the time to let these radicals feel the iron glove, hard and relentlessly. . ADA LOUISE TOWNSEND. ————rt———— No Limit. From the Lynchburg Daily Advanee. The trouble with friend wife in spending her vacation is that she doesn’t confine herself to just spen How many new motion picture plays are shown each year?—J. W. A. It is estimated that there is an average of 800 feature motion pie- tures presented each year in the United States. In addition, there are, of course, numerous short subjects, but it is not possible to keep an accu- | rate cliuek on these. Q. 1”2 man committed a crime in New .:sey for which the penalty was hanging—if the State changed its method to electrocution before sentence was imposed—would the man be hanged or electrocuted?—J. A A. The New Jersey State prison says that “this story no doubt is a flickering of a certain murder and hanging case occurring during the time of the introduction and passing of our electrocution law in 1906. This particular murder case occurred in Middlesex County, this State, and upon conviction ~the ~murderer was sen- tenced to be hanged. This occurred after tha electrocution law had gone in effect. The sentence of hanging was due to the fact that the crime was committed before the act provid ing for electrocution became a law. This man was hanged according to the sentence and was the last hang- ing in New Jersey. This occurred some time in 1907.” Q.'How do the majority of deaf- mutes communicate?—J. E. D. A. Of the 31,230 deaf mutes, 10 years of age or over, in the United States, reporting on their means of communication, 16,901 were able to read lips; 7,526 used speech, finger spelling, writing and sign language. Q. Are swans considered edible?— 'A. The meat of the cygnet or young swan is a greatly esteemed delicacy and “swanpits” are main- tained for the fattening of these birds. A royal license is required for the keeping of swans in England, the birds formerly having been exclu- sively the property of the crown. Q. How many street cars are in use in the United States?—I. D, T. A. The number of passenger cars operated by electric railways in the United States is approximately 75,000, Q. How can a sunflower plant be made to produce double flowers?—D. P. D. The Bureau of Plant Industry says that it is not uncommon for a sunflower to produce double flowers. The species can be perpetuated by planting the seeds of the double-flow- ered plant. While every flower will not be double, there will be an in- creased number. This has been worked out by botanists in the past and seed for double-flowered sunflow- ers are now on the market. Why are people from Indiana called Hoosiers?—M. M. A. The origin of the @word “Hoosfer” is obscure. It first ap- peared in literature January 1, 1833, in a poem by John Finley, entitled— “The Hoosier Nest,” and soon after- ward the newspapers were discussing the origin of the term. Among the theories suggested is one advanced by James Whitcomb Riley, according to whom the earlier settlers were ‘so pugnacious that they even bit off the ears of their opponents. Any one. therefore, seeing an ear lying upon a dramshop floor would merely inquire “Whose ear?” Another idea is that the term came from the custom of Indiana settlers of answering a knock at the door by calling, “Who's yere?" ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Do all mammals have hair?—L. . M. A. Halir is the characteristic cover- Ing of mammals. Hairs are not want- ing on any mammals, but vary greatly in abundance, some being densely clothed. while others possess it only on limited parts of the body. Q. What is the cost per mile on air passenger routes in the United States?—E. J. C. A. On the seven regular air pas. senger routes now operating in the United States the average cost per mile is 16 cents. Q. How much of Norway is in th® Arctic Zone?—R. J. A. It reaches 300 miles beyond the Arctic Circle. Q. Are some places safer than others in a thunderstorm?—H. S. A. The Weather Bureau says that inside a steel frame building, a rein. forced concrete building, or a house with properly installed lightning rods, is a safe place to be during a thun- derstorm. Inside a house of any kind, and well away from the walls, is bet- ter than being out in the open. Espe- clally dangerous places are close to a wire fence, under a tall tree, and on the top of a hill. Q. Why is the Angelus so called? —L. L. ,A. This short devotion at morning, noon, and night derives its name from the first word of the introductory prayer—Angelus Domini, ete. Q. How heavy do gold fish get? caught one welghing five poun E. 8. A. A goldfish weighing five pounds is quite large. Generally speaking, goldfish in and about Maryland at- tain a weight of two and two and one-hal? pounds. Of course, the weight depends upon food and heat. They usually grow larger in the Southern States. . How old is Fritz Kreisler? Where was he born?—L. G. A. The violinist was Vienna, in 1875. Q. What are the oldest laces in existence?—S. G. A. They are knotted hair nets and breast nets from the tombs of Thebes and other parts of Egypt, some dat- ing as far back as 2500 B.C. Q. What will remove liquid glass stains from crockery in which eggs have been preserved?—D. C. T. A. The Poultry Division says that the best way to remove water glass stains from crockery is by use of vinegar and water. . What is a_point on the cotton market?—C. D. H. A. On the cotton market, a point is equal to five cents on each bale of 500 pounds, or $5.00 on 100 bales, this being the usual contract. Gen. Robert E. Lee said: “The thorough education of people is the most eficacious means of promoting the prosperity of the Nation.” These words of the distinguished Southern general are none the less true mow than when he spoke them. Our Wash- ington Information Bureau is one of the greatest agencies for the distridus tion of free information and educa- tional data in the world. Its services are free to readers of this paper. All you need to do is to send in your query, fogether with two cents im stamps for return postage. Address the Evening Star Information Bureas, born in Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Wash- ington, D. C. Even though there have been de- nials that the French Mont Blanc is the Alpine peak selected by Italians for rechristening in honor of Premier Mussolini, the American press finds the incident a subject for much inter- ested and generally facetious com- ment. Some observers are convinced that future Italian geographies will carry the name of the dictator for the famous snow-capped mountain. Referring to Mussolini's early pe- riods of “trials and tribulations” when he was “sent, an exile, from pillar to post in several cantons of Switzer- land,” and “lifted his eyes to the Alps and found them cold,” the New York Sun remarks: ‘“But all that is over. Even the everlasting hills sing his praises. In future, when the dawn comes up like thunder and touches that ‘highest Italian peak,’ every tourist in the neighborhood will re- member. In the meantime, the French are going to hoist their flag on the top of Mons Blanc and nail it to the mast, just for remembrance.” “Nature, history or diplomacy,” says the Indianapolis Star, “has played a scurvy trick on the Italiane in depriving them of the opportunity to rename the loftiest peak in central Europe. Although surrounded by less- er eminences, some of which are in Italy, Mont Blanc itself, 15,782 feet high, is wholly in French territory. the French nation just now has no particular love for either Mussolini or his Fascist movement, it probably will not appreciate the wonderful opportu- nity to win the gratitude of the black shirts by ylelding this snow-capped wonder of nature. In view of the Fascists’ determination to emphasize their domination on earth and sky and sea, the organization’s next step may be to stand solemnly on the beach and rechristen the Mediterra- nean so that future generations will note the Italian boot extending into the Mussolinian sea.” * ok ok k “Although the Fascisti are weaken- ing as to Mont Blanc and are claim- ing that the mountain which they have christened ‘Mount Benito Mus- solini’ is not actually Mont Blanc it- self, but only the highest on Italian soil of the several mountains culmi- nating in the famous French peak, according to the Lo ille Times, “the impression given in the original cable- grams on the subject persists, and it cannot be denied that the precedent thus set forth is a most interesting one, Indeed, if the Italians abandon the idea, American ingenuity will doubtless claim it, for as great as is ['this country’s supply of natural won- its supply of heroes is greater and in many instances even somewhat more picturesque. * * * Imagine what a boon it would be to our tourists to be no longer obliged to try to pronounce strange foreign names in recounting the sights they have seen in other climes! “The whole thing,” as it appeals to the Worcester Evening Gazette, *ha: an atmosphere of comic opera—or, better, burlesque—which is furnishing the best international entertainment the world has seen for many a day. But there is danger in it as well. Fasclsmo doesn't understand a joke, doesn’t know a joke when it sees one, doesn’t realize this is a joke, and is entirely capable of getting quite snooty about it. Serious international | situations have been created by sillier things.” So also the New Orleans Item recalls that “wars have started ver less,” and it points out that there is little friendship and confi- dence at present between France and Italy,” that “irritation from this inci- dent might be enough to cause a seri- ous situation.” & “Mont Blanc it has been for cen- and Mont Blanc it will re- Naming of Peak for Mussolini Subject of Facetious Comment peak after him.” The Ledger sees “an amazing freshness and audacity about the gesture of these Italian enthusiasts. * ok ok ok The New York World, accepting the report that the peak selected was “the highest within the Italian bound- ary,” concludes: “So another ‘frontier Incident’ is happily avoided. The less- er mountain peak belongs to the Italians. They can call it anything they like."” The poetic tribute paid to the Alpine monarch by Coleridge is quoted by the Shreveport Journal: ““Hast thou a charm to stay the morn- ing star In his steep course? So long he seems to pause On thy bald, awful head, O sovereign Blanc! The Arve and Arveiron at thy base Rave ceaselassly; but thou, most awful mount, Risest from forth thy silent sea of pines, How silently!" “The poetry, howeve fon of the Journal, “doesn't fit the situation. Mussolini has an awfully bald head, but he never rises silently. And it is not at all certain that he or his work will endure as long as the mountain, or that his name will sup- plant in general use the French name, which means ‘white mountain.’ He is hardly dazzling enough for that, even with all his Fascist glor: The great mountain, as viewed by the Omaha World-Herald, “rears its lofty white summit a mile and a half into the eternal snows and gazes coldly and imperturbably down upon all this pother. It has little to fear,” con- tinues that paper, “from the ambition of an upstart dictator or his courtiers. It bears its name upon its brow in the white mantle which it donned eons before Caesar was whelped, and which it will continue to wear eons after the bones of Mussolini are resolved again into nameless, unidentified atoms.” The Springfield Daily News holds that “Mussolini and his adoring fol- lowers are really too modest in claim- ing nothing more than Mont Blanc as 2 namesake for their matchless states- man. Even Hercules,” says that pa- per, “could have a mountain named for him. Mussolini the Great should not be content with an honor so slight. Since Italy is now Mussolini, why not shape nomenclature to fit the facts and call it that? The King- dom of Mussolini, with its capital at Rome on the banks of the Benito, *-* * that would be an honor worthy of the man who now bestrides Italy like a colossus and a half.” in the opin- Why Some Railways Use the Left Track To the Editor of The Star: Referring to a question in a recent number of The Star as to why certain railways in the United States run trains on the left track, there is an- other reason than that assigned by Mr. Haskin. On asking the same question some years ago of a railway man I was reminded that, owing to the danger from protruding lumber or other movable freight overlapping the sides of open cars, accidents were li- able to happen to passing trains. Ac- cordingly, since the engineer stands on the right side of the cab, the left- hand passing enables him to look ahead and act promptly at the ap- pearance of a threatening situation. Why the Lake Shore changed. its method_is not apparent, since, aside from the reason here given, there seems to be no preference for either method. In this connection it is ta be noted that the two tracks of the New York Central which adhere to the left-side passing are those devoted to freight . , 4 WM. J. SEELYR. G