Evening Star Newspaper, September 14, 1927, Page 8

{THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C WEDNESDAY .September 14, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvanta New York Office: 110 Ea Chicago Ofice: Towe European Office: 14 R England. with the Sund ered by carr I The Evening Sta Ing edition 1s d 16 Gity at 60 cents per month: « v per month s may be sent by mail etenhone Main 5000 Collection 18 made & carier at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virgi nday 000 = SH00° 11 J1vr.$300: 1 mo $12.00: 1 mo $5.00: 1 mo. use fo edited 10 1] rizhts of pubhcat natches herein are also 10 Favor American Ships! American goods in American bot- toms is a good slogan for the Ameri- can people and the American merchant marine. President Coolidge, with the strong commonsense which has char- acterized many of his utterances, has recommended to American shippers and to American railroads that they favor American flag ships for the transportation of American goods to It American ship- foreign countries. pers and American railroads would | bear this advice in mind seriously and adhere to it, the merchant marine problem, with which this country has been struggling since the war, might be on the way to solution, even though no le ion providing Gov- ernment ald were passed by Con- gre President Coolidge said that the in- difference of American. shippers and railroads had been called to his at- tention by officials of the Shipping Board. One of the strongest assets of the British merchant marine is the backing which is given it by British merchants and producers and by Eng- larger number of offenders would be punished in view of the disposition of juries to stretch the “benefit of the doubt” principle to cover a multitude of sins. But after all the penalties should be scaled according to the seri- ousness of the offenses and not as a measure of expediency. 1t the Police Court were relieved of traffic trial duty much of the conges- tion would be removed. A traffic court is desirable to deal with the petty ases of rule-breaking that should be disposed of promptly and effective- ly, with a minimum of inconvenience to both prosecution and defense, That measure alone would ease the situa- tion at the Police Court materially. Much of the present congestion is due to failure of appropriations ing the close of the past fiscal vear. Thers were no funds to pay juror fees for several weeks, and cases piled up in consequence. But leven with the arrears disposed of the original condition remains of fnces- sant demands for jury trials in cases that should be handled by the court alone and the lack of enough judges and juries to handle them. If the penalties are too severe for justice they should be lessened, but not to the point of putting a premium on crime in the District by defining it, in terms of punishment, as a misde- meanor. s Park Legislation. Specific legislation to ¢ v into ef- fect the recommendations of the Na- tional Capital Park and Planning Com- mission is being prepared by the ex- ecutive director of the commission, Lieut. Col. Grant, and it is probable that bills will be introduced at the coming session of Congress embracing these projects. In the drafting of these measures advice is being sought from representatives of the local com- munity concerned in the matter of the development of the Capital, and the hope is felt that the program of enactments laid before Congress will bo of a nature to satisfy all, and that there will be no opposition, so that before the adjournment a definite and helpful beginning will have been ef- fected on the great project of the systematic advancement of a park program. The most important of these meas- ures is one that proposes the advance- lish transportation companies. So far as possible they see that British com- merce moves in British ships. If a similar spirit, a similar desire for | American flag ships to move Ameri- can commerce could be developed in this country it would be a great vic- tory for the United States merchant marine. Congress recognized the need of American patronage of Amer- fcan merchant vessels when it put Into the merchant marine law a re- quirement that Government officials ®going abroad on Government business, ®o far as practicable, use American flag vessels. Americans generally have been edu- cated, slowly but surely, to the need of a merchant marine, both for the sake of American foreign commerce, which now rivals the greatest in the world, and for national defense in time of emergency. The Government hag remained firmly back of the mer- chant marine, through operation and control of the Government-owned fleet, built and acquired during the war. It is up to the American ship- ment of ten million dollars from the Federal Treasury for the immediate purchase of park lands, to prevent ex- cessive costs incident to the general increase in values. This would be in the form of a loan to be repaid at a moderate rate of interest in install- ments of $560,000 a year. It is obvious that unless some large amount is thus made available for the taking of lands at their present prices the ultimate cost will be materially greater. The District funds cannot suffice for such wholesale purchases. A bond issue is not favored, and will probably not be considered by Congress. The Treasury is in position to loan the money with installment reimbursement. Appro- priations for the development of tracts thus acquired should be made annual- ly as funds are available. But it is always to be borne in mind in this connection that the principle of na- tional participation in this great proj- ect of Capital park development has been written into the substantive law, and these initial costs should not be rated as strictly a part of the munici- pers, themselves, as the President has so wisely pointed out, to give the neceseary driving force which will keep the American flag constantly on the seven seas. The merchant marine problem is to come before the new Congress, as it has before its predecessors. The main problem today is one of replacement of ships as they become obsolete. A strong sentiment is growing up in both House and Senate for some meas- ure which shall insure a continuance of the American overseas merchant fleet. ‘There is no doubt, however, that American shippers can aid great- Iy by their co-operation to bring about & permanent merchant marine, Gov- ernment-owned or privately-owned, as the case may be. o In calling studious attention to pre- cise definition of the word “choose” the administration has made the dic- tionary as important as the campaign text book. mm Police Court Congestion. In_the first annual report of the new corporation counsel, just submit- ted to the Commissioners, conditions at the Police Court due to congestion are discussed in terms which will chal- lenge consideration and perhaps lead to specific recommendations by the Commissioners. The congestion at the court due to the frequent demand pal expense. In the draft of this pro- posed legislation heed should be given to the equity of the national sharing of the expense, ——— It may be assumed that the threat- ening eruption of Vesuvius is not de- scribed in terms that might imply insignificant danger. For some mys- terious reason, tourists appear to re- gard the possibility of being caught in an eruption as an extra added at- traction. The distinguished historic associations of the volcano may have their influence on the minds who like to be linked with greatness. 5 ———r———————— American steamship officials warn passengers not to try to smuggle in- toxicating liquors from Europe. Jewel smugglers have been known to swal- low valuable articles in order to brin7y them ashore. This method also has been tried with costly drinks, but with unsatisfactory results. s Plans to erect a monument in Mis- sourl to the late Jesse James are evi- dently based on the idea that he was largely misrepresented by the dime- novel biographers. Fame is fre- quently misleading in the direction of censure as well as of compliment. Gate Failed, Thirty-One Hurt! A heavily loaded trolley car was struck by a freight train yesterday for jury trials and the lack of ma- |, 1o Weehawken-Hoboken boundary chinery to try the numerous cases in s class is a matter of grave con- cern, says the corporation counsel, who urges that the facilities for try- ing such cases be increased, and that the penaitics for offenses be made less drastic in order to lessen the number of applications for juries. This would seem to be a dual remedy when one #hould flice. If the present scale of penalties for violations of the law is too high for the purposes of justice it ghould be revised, nat merely because of the lack of facilities for trial, but on the score of disproportionate pun- {shment. If the penalties are just and judicious the cure for the congestion in the court lies not in their reduction, but in the increase of the number of Judges. In other words, ghiould be considered on without reference to the result of jury trial demands. Are the punishments now prescribed too severe? Should they be modified “to make the punish- ment fit the crime”? Police Court congestion is a serious blockade of justice. The local situa- tion has become a scandal. Cases are protracted for many weeks, even for months. It is a well known fact that oftenders are enabled by demanding jury trials and using technical ex- pedients for delay to postpone adjudi- cation until witnesses are unavailable and the cases fail to reach conclu- wion. There is but one assured rem- edy, and that lies in the provision of such facilitles for trial that there is :0 excuse for delay. It may be that a curtailment of the ¥ist of offenses warranting jury ilals the penalty s its merits line and thirty-one persons were severely injured. By a remarkable good fortune no one was killed. This grade crossing, one of the busiest along the New Jersey water front, is “protected” by gates and also by a derailment device, A heavy freight train had just passed when the gates were raised to let a stream of auto and trolley traffic cross the tracks. Another train, however, was approach- ing. The gate tower man tried to lower the gates to prevent further crossing, but they failed to work and the trolley was hit by the freight. So much for the “protection” af- forded by mechanical barriers at busy grade crossings. Dependence upon such devices has been repeatedly proved futile. There should be no such condition in an area of heavy traffic. All grade crossings should be corrected by underpasses or over- head viaducts. The continued main- tenance of such death traps is a re- proach to both States and railroads. The rail lines, long occupying the streets and street-level routes in the large cities, contend priority rights. The State must, however, act to cure these evils, perhaps by dividing the cost of correction between railways and the communities. Disputes over the division of cost effect delays and cost heavily in lives. In the neighborhood of New York and New Jersey and on Long Island long lists of killed and wounded are mount- ing to attest to the tragedy of pro- crastination. In the vicinity of Wash- ington dangerous conditions persist owing to controversies over methods of correction, One especially danger- L ‘would make for surer justice in that & ous crossing very near the District all carries wrist watches' boundary in Maryland, which has been the scene of numerous fatal acci- dents, would have been remedied long ago, but for a difference of opinion concerning the location of a bridge over which the traffic should flow in safety. Just as a plan was recently adopted by the State commission ob- jections were filed and now legal com- plications are threatened that will probably postpone for another period the undertaking of this important work. Human life s apparently not reckoned as of the same value as busi- ness interests. —— e eee— Infantile Paralysis. Public Health Service reports are re- assuring on the score of the danger of a general epidemic of infantile paraly- sis. While the discase is undoubtedly more prevalent this year than last, forty-two States having reported 248 cases for the week ending August 13, as against 89 last year, there is no approach to the morbidity record of 1916, when the mysterious ailment pre- vailed in many parts of the country and took a heavy toll of lives. According to the service records, the disease appeared this’year first to no- ticeable extent in California, and then developed in Ohio and West Virginia. Infantile paralysis seems to spread from a point of infection. It is now prevalent, as already indicated, in forty-two States. Whether all these cases came from the California focus is not known. A fact to be borne in mind in this connection is that the Summer is the season of motor touring on a large scale. Entire familles travel by per- sonal conveyance over wide areas. Living conditions are not always good in the course of these journeys. Tour- ts assemble in camps in the larger cities while in transit. Although sani- tary inspections are maintained at these points by local health author- ities, there is always danger of the spread of disease by this means. It may not be possible to demon- strate the connection between motor touring and the spread of infantile paralysis, yet it is significant that the disease appears mainly during the sea- son of heavy road travel. If there is such a connection, it would seem to be desirable to strengthen the safeguards against the transmission of disease from one community to another at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are on the move for Summer outings. e When Charles E. Hughes said he was too old to run for the presidency he doubtless won a good laugh from Chauncey Depew, John D. Rockefeller and several other highly active citi- zens. — e France has decreed longer skirts for fashionable attire. The limit of display has been reached. I1f there are to be “beauty contests” it is necessary to start anew and have something to take off. e One way to keep prizefights on the level would be to require pugilists to dip their gloves in lampblack so that the referee can see exactly where every punch landed. et Beach pajamas are all right for the Lido, but Mayor Walker will never take a chance on intruding on Gov. Al Smith's pasture by parading in them “on the sidewalks of New York.” ————————— France does not approve of Ameri- cans who make ostentatious demon- strations of wealth. A great many Americans feel the same way about the matter. ————————— Radio wave lengths can never be rendered sufficiently available to ac- commodate all the jazz orchestras that are willing to be heard. —r——————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Shoes. The cost of shoes is pretty high, And yet it does not bring a sigh. My shoes will let me walk my way, With conscience clear and spirits gay. My shoes won't leave me stopped afar, Like tires upon a motor car. My shoes may punctured be, or worn; They will not leave me all forlorn. They stick to earth among the crowds. They join no airplanes in the clouds. ‘When modes of travel I must choose, I'm partial to my plain old shoes. 4 Ovations. “Do you look forward to facing the great crowds who read your printed words and breathlessly await the test that will bring you victory or de- feat?” “I can’t go as strong as that,” an- swered Senator Sorghum. “I am neither a base ball player nor a pugi- list.” Amateur Sapience. ‘What problems easily we solve To help earth smoothly to revolve; Then find that Congress, as of yore, ‘Will come and muss ’em up once more! Jud Tunking says a man who hates peace is usually found running when there is a real fight ahead. The Heartless Hoss. “Do you play the races?"” said Uncle Bill Bottletop. “I've quit. I allus loved hosses. But it has been a case of unrequited af- fection.” Mental Culture. “You should cultivate your mem- ory.” “On the contrary,” answered Miss Cayenne. “After seeing one of the so-called ‘naughty plays’ I am con- vinced that the cultivation of forget- fulness is more desirable.” “They who make great dreams come true,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “are careful not to over- sleep themselves Valueless Accumulation. The theories that men have found Create in thought a wondrous store; And yet we still go groping ‘round, Just as the household we explore. As time files on, with rapid ease, It leaves us an abundant stock Of plain and ornamental keys ‘Which do not fit in any lock. “No workin’ men watches de clock any more,” said Uncle ‘Dey THE EVENING STAR. WASHIN| THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Letters to this column always give the writer something to think about, and he in turn, from time to time, presents a few of them to reade here in the hope that they will serve a like purpose with the general public. Recently we attempted to solve the labor problem, in a mild sort of and i return received several interesting communications, the most interesting one of which was adorned with a sentence clipped from the rle, as follows: There are thousands of mental lahorers who put in hours of endeavor far in excess of those ticked off to the credit of the bricklayer.” The letter follows: “Dear Sir: The clipping above, T think, represents what the head wait- er didn't like. jeneralizing is always dangerous business. As the wife of a bricklayer whose hushand happens to be sitting here now at 9:30 p.m. working over an estimate on a set of plans and who may be working far into the small hours of the morning on estimates, we protest. * “Some years ago, 1 remember a criticism of poetry in which brick- layers were used as the horrible ex- ample of inappreciativeness’ of poetry. Here again you are on danger- ous ground. To soften the above explanation, T wish to say that your writings are much appreciated and often read by “A BRICKLAYER'S WIFE.” * ok k% 1gree with the writer hove letter on the danger of We heartily of the eneralizing in writings that have to do_with the personal equation. Yet it would seem impossible for even a writer who genuinely and honestly tries to re in ny one’s feelings to avoid doing that very thing, now and then! It can only be hoped that the reader will understand something of the problem of the writer, who is not writing for one alone, but for the many-headed person, the general public. Without a certain amount of out- spokenn if one may phrase it that w writing tends to become insipid. Too much sweetness and light makes Jack a dull writer. One would not go to the extreme of certain gentlemen who fondly call themselves the “intelligencia,” what- ever that means, who would wound their dearest friend if by doing so they could turn a clever sentence. Yet, on the other hand, when an honest thought comes to one, if it expresses tho belief of the writer, it would seem incumbent upon him to put it down. Where no harm was intended there can be no harm done. In this way generalizations are put into print that do not exactly fit particular cases. If there is a little sting, after all it will do no harm. There was a little stinger in the quoted letter, but it has done us goed! n from hurt- k- After reading the following missive we almost feel ourselves getting into the class of that good lady and excel- lent writer, Dorothy Dix: “Dear Sir: Several times I have saved articles of yours to write you about, but always after a while would tear them up, as writing and com- menting on editorials is a little out of my line. This is my first real attempt, but mentally I have made thousands. “I usually read your articles, some of them with more interest than others, of course. My attention was attracted years back, when you wrote an article on a sensitive person, whom WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. President Coolidge played to a ca- pacity audience at his first post-vaca- tion White House seance with the newspaper men yesterday and dis- coursed upon nearly every subject un- der the sun except that which they wanted him to talk about. He did not choose, in other words, to am- plify, clarify or justify his 1928 pro- nouncement. The President slid gracefully into the routine of dealing with the Washington correspondents. He expressed pleasure at facing their interrogatory music once again and sent them away with a sheaf of “copy,” though it contained no gleam or glimmer of a notion as to his po- litical future. As Mr. Coolidge's si- lence on the subject hecomes chronic, there’ll be a steadily growing number of people who'll opine he's said all there is to say. The thought that it impugns the President’s good faith to credit him with . willingness to be “drafted” is taking even deeper roots. * ok kK Rob Roy, Mrs. Coolidge's white collie, gave an amazing exhibition of his joy at coming home when the presidential party reached the Whiie House from the West. The dog rode up from the the station in the ex- ecutive limousine with his august mistress. He seemed to sniff that he was back in Washington, stuck his head out of the window of the car, reveled in the bright lights of Penn- sylvania avenue, and, as the White House grounds were approached, could hardly be restrained from jump- ing out in sheer gladness that the end of the long journey was in sight. No sooner had the automobile drawn up at the Executive Mansion than Reb Roy leaped onto the porch at a bound, scampered on the dead run through the big front door, detoured to his well known lounging room on theright, looked it over, raced up the grand staircase, and then came down in time to welcome the President and Mrs. Coolidge at the threshold. Tis beaming eyes and wagging tail were mute evidence that Rob Roy was glad to be home again. * ok kW The Federal Reserve Board's set-to with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chi- cago brings it into conflict with some of the business glants of the Windy City. The governor of the Chicago in- stitution is James M. McDougal, a native Illinoisan, who has been at its head since the bank’s opening in 1914. He was once a national bank ex- aminer. The directors of the Chicago Federal Reserve include George M. Reynolds, president of the Continental and Commercial National Bank, the West's biggest financial establishment, and James Simpson, native Scotsman, now head of the great firm of Marshall Field & Co. William A. Heath, who began life as a bank messenger in Il- linois, is chairman of the board. The concern, which has challenged the control of the central Federal Reserve suthority in Washington, has the vast area of Indiana, Illinois, Towa and parts of Michigan and Wisconsin as uts bailiwick. One of the directors 1s “harles H. MacNider of Mason City, Iowa, father of the Assistant Secre- tary of War. * * One of the little ironies of the sit- uation created by John D. Rockefeller, jr.'s, gift of a §2,000,000 library to the League of Nations is the fact that a young American woman, Miss Florence Wilson, recently lost her job as League librarian. She was required to give way as a result of Germany’s demand tor several official places in the League sun, and the librarian’s post is among those allotted to the new Berlin mem- ber. Miss Wilson is now at the head of the American Library in Paris, which was formed from the volumi- nous collection of books and records taken to the peace conference in 1918 by the American mission. Miss Wilson was i charge of them, The acting you named John, whom every one ad to consider first, his feelings and whatnot. At the time I was engaged to a ‘John' with the exact disposition of the one vou wrote about, and in the course of time 1 did do to this John the very thing you recommended, kicked him out of my life, and am happy ever since. Have married the real article now. “You have written several articles nce, one on the foods you liked, sev- 1 'on radio entertainment, one on my favorite fighter, Dempsey—boy, I was glad to see you also felt him a good fighter!-—and now the article I n really commenting on is yours of September 1 on ‘Sense of Humor. I came to work for the Govern- ment shortly before the war crowd got here. and since then have lived up to the time I got married, with various people, mostly in an apartment with a number of girls, and from my ex- perience with them I feel myself slightly qualified to talk on the well known phrase—'sense of humor.” “I think what most people call a | ‘sense of humor’ s really nothing but witticism. The Trish are noted for it and usually have it (the above John had it in abundance), but witticism is | not a sense of humor, and I don’t think you will find one man in a mil: lion who actually has a sense of humor—the ability to laugh at a joke | on himself. | “To have a real sense of humor one | has to be liberally educated—not along | one line, but many lines—very well read, and then once in a while among that type person you will find one with a real sense of humor. “Most all | enjoy a joke or funny saying, so long as it isn't directed at one's self. Believe me, I use the word ‘sense of humor’ sparingly, as God gave it out sparingly among human mortals, but 1 think you will find witticism aplenty and it is usually directed at the other fellow. “I guess this isn’t a new idea, after all, perhaps hundreds have said the same thing, but with those I have talked with they usually have a dif- ferent conception of a sense of hu- mor than I have. Perhaps even you will disagree with me, but I won't mind. That is my belief from my ex- periences, and if one doesn’t have ex- periences living in Washington as a good majority of girls in this city do, when away from home, all bundied up fn a small apartment, then there must be something lacking in the roof of one's body. “I hope I haven't bored vou with this, but somehow I feel I know you real well. I have a feeling I would get a lot of enjoyment out of an argu- ment with you on any subject that I feel a kindred spirit with you, and, from your articles on human beings and their antics in general, I have a lot. “This is my first experience of this kind, so I hope it will pass. You get so many of them I know this can only be given a passing notice. Sincerely yours, M. B. C.” EE “Dear Sir: Your article in The Star of September 5 in regard to stray dogs and cats is exactly right and in accordance with my opinion reached after much thought. ‘Much as we may love animals, the average person is not fixed for taking proper care of many of them. The best we can do with most of them is to give them some food and some tem- porary shelter, and then let them take their chance at large. I never send them to the pound or to any organi- zation that believes in killing animals. A good word for them in This and That will accomplish much. Yours sincerely, T. W. G.” librarian of the League, pending the definite filling of the place, is Miss Alice C. Bartlett of Boston, who was Miss Wilson's assistant. Together they started the League library in 1919. * K ok kK Thousands of American A. E. F. veterans now en route to Paris for the Legion convention, or already there, possess copies of one of the most attractive books that ever left the pres: It is entitled “A Guide to the American Battleflelds in Europe,” and is the work of the Government Printing Office at Washington. The hook was prepared by the American Battle Monuments Commission, of which Gen. Pershing is the chairman, and is a detailed, accurate description of the area in which Doughboy and Marine made history nine years ago. The work, which runs to nearly 300 pages, is richly ilustrated with pic- tures from the American battle zones. Many of them were supplied by the German government, being scenes be- hind the German lines before the Americans crossed them. A series of graphic regional maps accompanies the book. Gen. Pershing, in thanking the Government Printing Office for turning out so creditable a volume, commented on the patriotic zeal of Public Printer Carter's staff in gef ting it ready for the “‘Second A. E. F. in about a quarter of the time ordi- narily required for a book of its sort. * k% % John Sharp Williams, Democratic sage of Mississippi and former wit of the United States Senate, has emerged from political retirement long enough to say something about “Jim" Reed. Willlams is confident the Missourian could never achieve his ambition to be President, because the friends of Woodrow Wilson would rise en masse to slay Reed. Senator “Jim" today marshals in his own State a legion of Democrats who were dyed-in-the-wool admirers of Wilson. He is evidently persuaded that he could win the Wilsonians in the coun- try at large just as he has concillated them in Missouri. * koK K Indiana unmistakably has plans for Everett Sanders when (and if) his sorvices as assistant to the President of the United States are no longer required. He is being mentioned in no fewer than three different connec- tions. A presidential boom for him has been launched, they’re talking of Sanders for governor of the State and in still other quaters there's sen- timent that he is the ideal Republican candidate for the United States sena- torship which the Hoosiers will be filling in 1928, when Senator Robin- son, Republican, is up for re-election. Sanders loomed at one time in the Cleveland national convention of 1924 as Mr. Coolidge’s prospective running mate. The young Indianian says he's too busy attending to his present job at the White House to btofher about what the future has in store. (Copyright, 1027.) ——e——————— Souvenir Vandals. From the Philadelphia Ledger. An amazing story comes from Teterboro, N. J., where the airship in which Comdr. Byrd and his compan- ions flew to Europe has been kept in storage. It appears that souvenir hunters were given easy access to the airplane and stripped it of every mov- able part, and even of most of the ap- pliances which were supposed to be permanent fixtures. That this form of ‘“collecting” is nothing more than common thievery does not appear to have occurred to the minds of the per- sons who stripped the airship of its essential parts. If they could be found and suitably punished, the effect might be a wholesome deterrent to enthusiases of like mind. It might not also be out of place to hold to strict accountability th ’ho were respon- sible for the care achine. .. ator ¥ess, Repul 7‘; N, 3. & AY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1927. TON, D WEDNESD Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln. according to President Coolidge, those in close touch with him, is no amplifier. His “I do not choose to run for President” statement is to stand alone, with further explanation from him. Politicians who figure that the President is still open to draft for the Republican nomination next year will have to get along the best way they can. The President returned to Washington two days ago. He has said nothing, notwithstanding the Hughes, Slemp and Wood assertions that his Black Hills announcement did not remove all possibility cr prob- ability of his being nominated and elected in 1928, The impression which has been given, however, is that he will not be a candidate for election. This impression may develop into a settled conviction. But according to some of the party leaders, the Cool- idge shadow still hangs over the Re- publican presidential situation. It will continue to do so until the nomination for President has been actually made by the Republican national conven tion, they say. * K K K The Kansas delegation to the Re- publican national convention will cast its votes for Senator Charles Curtis, Republican leader of the Senate, if Mr. Curtis permits. Indeed, already an active movement for a Curtis delega- tion is under way and has been for weeks. But Senator Curtis has given no sign that he would consent to have his name placed before the national convention. He has said, howev that he does not intend to have h name used to kill off the candidacy of some other Republican who might obtain delegates in Kansas. It his name goes before the convention it will be because friends of Senator Curtis believe that he has a chance of obtaining the nomination. Senator Curtis has long been a strong man in the party. He is a regular Republican, but from the West and with an insight into Western problems. In the Sen- ate, where he has become the party leader, his reputation is for straight shooting and firmness, once he has decided on the proper course. Accord- ing to his supporters, both in and out of Kansas, the country would fare well under Senator Curtis as Chief Executive. If Senator Curtis declines to let his name be presented by the Kansas delegation to the Republican national convention, then Hoover, Lowden and Hughes will have their ardent sup- port Lowden is more popular than the others in some of the rural dis- tricts. Hoover is distinctly popular with the business men in the towns and Judge Hughes is widely respect- ed through the State. At present Lowden people are more active in the State than are the friends of either Hoover or Hughes, it is said. EEE Reports from Kansas indicate that the Sunflower State has a probable candidate for the Republican vice presidential nomination, too—Senator Arthur Capper. Senator Capper is very popular in his State as well as in the Senate of the United States, over which he would have to preside if he became V! President. It is quite obvious that Kansas cannot very well put her two Senators into the field, one for President and the other for Vice President. But if the dele- gation to the Republican convention finds that it cannot have Senator Cur- tis for President there is no reason why it cannot try hard to place Sena- tor Capper on the national ticket as the vice presidential nominee. It is pointed out that Senator Capper has been a consistent friend of the farmer, head of the farm bloc in Con- gress and that he would strengthen the Republican ticket in the West. He could be nominated with Secretary Hoover of California or former Secre- tary of State Charles Evans Hughes of New York and keep the geographi- cal balance which is thought to be so necessary in making up the party ticket. * oK ok K The blow has fallen in Indfana, so far as the Republican situation is con- cerned. Indictment and trial of Gov. Ed_Jackson, Mayor Duvall of In- dianapolis and other Republican lead- ers, under charges of conspira felony, etc., is stirring Indiana to its depths. Democrats have taken heart of grace. They see the coming year as their vear in the Hoosier State. They are pianning to put forward a State ticket that will sweep hem into power over the backs of the discredited Re- publicans. There are those who be- lieve that if the Democrats would un- dertake to make Evans Woollen of Indianapolis, one of the great bankers of the Middle West and highly re- sarded throughout the State, governor they would succeed. Mr. Woollen's name has been prominently mentioned as Indiana democracy’s choice for the presidential nomination next year. Carrying the State ticket and carrying the national ticket in Indiana are two different things. It must be admitted, however, that the Republicans are under a cloud just now. The closeness of the senatorial elections last year, when Senator Watson was re-elected by some 11,000 votes, is not particu- larly encouraging to the Republicans in Indiana. * ok ok ok An effort is on foot to draft Everett Sanders, former member of the House and now Secretary to the President, for the Republican gubernatorial nom- | ination next year in Indiana. Mr. San- ders has been in Washington, away entirely from the troubles which have developed in his home State. It was suggested some time ago he should get into the race for the Senate, and some of his friends urged that he do so. But Mr. Sanders would have noth- ing of it. More recently it was said that Mr. Sanders might resign his present position with Mr. Coolidge and #0 back to Indiana to practice law and to get more actively into State poli- tics as well as National. So far, how- ever, nothing has come of it. The Re- publican nomination for governor next year may bring its troubles. Not only will the nominee have to face the Democrats, but unless he be in some sort sympathetic with the old Repub- lican organization, he may have to ftace its opposition, too. * K Kok Gov. Al Smith's presidential boom is riding high, according to reports drifting in from many parts of the country. In one State, however, the Smith movement is causing ruction, Mississippl. Indeed, it is said that a published report that Theodore G. Bilbo, who recently obtained the Dem- ocratic nomination for governor, had received a favorable letter from Gov. Smith's secretary, nearly brought about Bilbo's defeat in the primary, where his opponent was Dennis Mur- phree. In some quarters it is claimed that only the fact this report was not spread to the rural districts saved Bilbo's political skin. Mr. Bilbo de- nied emphatically that he was a Smith man and for a Smith delegation to the Democratic national convention next year. In the first primary he had a lead of 64,000 over his nearest opponent, Murphree. But in the run- off, after the Smith matter had been interjected, his lead over Murphree was less than 10,000. In view of the results in the primary, it is scarcely likely that any of the Democratic office seekers and office holders in Mississippi will wear the Smith colors. Mississippi is dry and is anti-Catholic. Smith supporters in New York are claiming that their candidate may have the Ohio delegation in the na- tional convention. It has been gen- erally supposed that Gov. A. Vic Donahey would have the delegation. But now it is said that the governor may have senatorial aspirations next year, and make the race against Sen- blioaRe oo Q. Is Babe Ruth a cross-hand batter?—A. V. A. He i3 not. He bats left-handed and throws left-handed. Q. What are known as the “depths of the ocean"?—E. H. A. Areas of the ocean floor covered by more than 3,000 fathoms of wat: are known as “depths.” They are in number—32 in the Pacific, 19 in the | Atlantic, 5 in the Indian Ocean & 1 partly in the Atlantic and partly in the Indian Ocean Q. How many railroad ties are in use in the United States?—E. K. D. A. It is estimated that there are one and one-quarter billion railroad ties in use. Q. When did the boll weevil enter South_Carolina?—C. E. D. A. In 1917. B over the entire State. Q. What is the fuselage of an air- plane’—F. L. A. It is the hull, in which the pilot sits and in which essential parts How many ic odors are advancing this idea grant, burnt, acid caprylic.” The last is the odor of cer- tain evil-smelling chemicals. Q. What are the territorial flowers of Hawaii and Alaska?—C. A. A. The flower of Hawaii is the hibiscus; of Alaska, the forget-me-not. Q. Why does the North Star sees to stay in the same place, while all the other stars have a motion even as has the sun?—J. W. H. A. The Naval Observatory says that to an observer of the heavenly bodies they appear as if attached to the linner surface of an immense revolving sphere, the pbserver himself bei t the center. ‘On account of the earth’s diurnal rotation from west to east this imaginary celestial sphere will ap- pear to rotate once a day from east to west. The ends of the axis about which the sphere rotates are the two ANSWERS TO QUESTION BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. | points where the earth's axis of ro- ation, extended {ndefinitely, would rce the delestial sphere. These ts are called the celestial poles. star were situated exactiy at either of these points, it would have no apparent diurnal motion. The North Star is now about one de- m the north celestial pole, and it appears therefore to revolve about the pole in a small circle only 1 in diameter, so that to server it ns to be s in the same place in the sky. Stars farther from pole move in circles, and a star 90 deg 16 pole mo ross great circle, th from t of the horizon to the western. stern | | poi }\'hr‘re is the harbor of Mahon? 5. D. is of rbor of Mahon in eastern coast ¥ blug X1 recently received < e was 0 K ¥ non-Chris ; received by fmportant _character in 't quoted >—R. S. rd of Barabbas, an im- of the Gos- 1im In the New A o | portant ct | pels, | | Testa When offers in himself | questions of our readers, {to furnish facts for all who ask dount, as ask Haskin. He a target for the He agrees Th one that has neve been filled b It would be possi- ble only in Washington and onmly to one who has spent a lifetime in locat- ling sources of information. Haskin | does not know all the things that peo- ple ask him, but he knows people who do know. Try him. State your ques- tions briefly, write plainly and inclose 2 cents in stamps for return postagr. Address Frederic J. Haskin, director, The Evening Star Information Bu- reau, Washington, D. C. is a large ¢ An outpouring of praise for the character and ability of Wayne B. ‘Wheeler, general counsel for the Anti. Saloon League, follows his death under tragic circumstances. Wets and drys alike recognize the dominat- ing place he held in the prohibition movement and many express a doubt that his place can be filled. Appraising him as “a good practical executive,” the Baltimore Sun offers the judgment that “no other official of the Anti-Saloon League who is known to the general public has the combination of qualities which made Mr. Wheeler an extraordinarily effec- tive worker.” As a critic of the dry law, the Sun states that “it would like to see all Government prohibi- tion officials and all the Anti-Saloon League officials as competent as it is possible to get them. When the most competent have failed to enforce the law, it may be easy to convince the voters of its unenforceability.” “If prohibition proves a great and permanent reform,” says the Cincin- nati_Times-Star, Wheeler will be en- titled “to a place among great Ame! icans. If it proves a failure, he will share the fate of other leaders of lost causes. The next generation will de- cide where to put the name of Wayne B. Wheeler in history. Its letters may become luminous on history’ scroll. And they may become the blurred characters of a half-forgotten failure.” The Lansing State Jour- nal feels sure he “will have his place in_history.” The New York Sun holds that “but one Wayne B. Wheeler is born to a generation,” and the Little Rock Ar- kansas Democrat remarks that | and his personality are hidden, for there has not appeared in the public prints the name of a crusader who even remotely resembles \Wayne B. Wheeler.” The Manchester Union adds that “then keen interest in the question is in itself most striking evidence” of his accomplishment. The Butte Daily Post, calling him “distinctively the prohibition lead- er,” recognizes that ‘“at once, the choice of his successor becomes a perplexing problem,” but the Lex- ington Leader contends that 10 man is indispensable in the history of a great reform.” The Charlotte Ob- server, acknowledging the difficulty in finding such a man, asserts the need of one, “if the forces of the Anti- Saloon League are to continue to wield their great power in behalf of tem- perance.” “He exerted more influence on the laws of this country than any in a generation,” says the Newarl Evening News, and, adds the Buffalo Evening News, “he was so decidedly the dominant figure in the league that it wih be difficult to identify the or- ganization without him.” The Colum- | one thing that “makes his place so hard to fill,” namely, that *“for a life long reformer, he was tolerant, and | he kept his personal relations with those who did not agree with him al- ways pleasant.” { Optimism is voiced by the Anniston star, which declares that “he stillf lives in the deeds of his followers.” His influence, it believes, will “con- tinue to be felt and his successors will see to it that his enemies are not allowed to tear down the structure he had built up.” The Utica Observer- Dispatch is satisfied that * whoever is selected will never have to surmount the difficulties which faced the intrepid jeader who has fallen,” but the Day ton Daily News cons drys have lost their commanding gen- eral, and in the very midst of battle.” politician, a born lobbyist and a great | | there be a man to take his place, he | bus Ohio State Journal points out that | | concerned.” Few Among Either Wets or Drys But Find Praise for Wheeler leadership in varlous comments the Ann hile the Worces- to assume th public _caus rbor Tim eu |ter Evening Gazette sees him at | times “as a heroic figure. Many pay tribute to his political shrewdity, the New York E World describing him and his as- ites as “the shrewdest, the sharp- est, most adroit, and altogether the ablest group of practical politiclans this country ever knew.” The Kan- City Post views his policies as practical politics, and that was v-hat Mr. Wheeler was playing in order to assure the success of the dry cause.” The Pasadena Star-News, while giv- ing credit to the W. C. T. U. for its support, holds that “to Mr. Wheeler, more than to any other one person, belongs the distinction of carrying prohibition legislation ‘over the top’ in Congress and in the States.” He is praised as “a game fighter” by the Savannah Press. Calling him a wonder, the St. Louls Post-Dispatch enumerates his quali- ties: “Tireless energy, extraordinary political gacity, a dazzling propa- sandist, ilance that never nodded, most intense convictions, nerve with- out end, every inch a fighter.” His passing, to the Birmingham News, “deprive the League of a militant and unyielding figure, the country of | a vigorous and sincere citizen.” That his work was “not for personal profit” is an outstanding fact to the Phil- adelphia Evening Bulletin. The Blue- field Telegraph estimates his cause as “one of the two great economic and political revolutions of our country”—aimed at slavery and the liquor traffic. The Des Moines Tribune-Capital | points out that “the ‘supergovern- | ment’ charge never took hold, for the reason that he never did more than use the force of publicity to uncover policies of officials who wanted to let law go unenforced.” The Albany Eve- ning News says of his opponents that “if they did not approve the interfer- ence by Wayne Wheeler, they had to admit that he was a worthy oppo- nent—one worth fighting.” But not all voices are raised In per- fect eulogy. The Charleston Evening Post expresses the view that ‘“the cause of real temperance may be ronger without him,” while the Chi- 1go Daily News, commenting on his recent work in Illinois, remarks that “when the organized forces of the league deliberately exalted political success above a clear moral issue, the essential immorality of the cru sader who chooses expediency in pref- erence to the right is unmistakably exposed.” The Dubuque American Tribune adds that ‘“no party boss could have been more intent than he in playing every part of the game for all it was worth. “It is safe to say now,” asserts the St. Paul Pioneer Press, “that the po- | litical philosophy he came to typify regarded with increasing apprehen- on among disinterested statesmen and serious people generally,” and the | Chattanooga Times suggests that “it may be that his going will mark the passing of much of the bitterness and intolerance which has characterized prohibition discussion, and permit the entrance of something like a rule of reason where the liquor question is The Hartford Times ex- judgment that “his method t an example of lobby as:ressive- ness and efficiency, of political tyrann for which there is no American paral- lel.” For the most part, editors seem to agree with the Fort Worth Record- Telegram and the Duluth Herald which express similar views when the former notes that videly divergent forces unite in wholesome respect for a man who believed in himself and | sses the “‘America needs more men like him, President of University of Wisconsin and The average American schoolhoy probably thinks of slavery as a thing that disappeared when Lincoln signed the proclamation of emancipation. But the recent survey made by ths slavery commission of the League of Nations uncovered the fact that there are still about 5,000,000 human beings in bondage here and there throughout the world. There are still 20 countries in which slavery exists. There is no accurate slave census | available, but the most dependable es- timate puts the number of slaves in these 20 countries at 5,000,000. Abyssinia has, in all probability, 2,000,000 slaves. China probably has 2,000,000 slaves. There has been a large number of slaves freed since the World War. Two hundred thousand slaves have been freed in the former German area of Tanganyika, in Africa. Fifty-three thousand slaves have been freed in the Nepal, which is be- tween Tibet and British India. The tide of public opinion is setting strong against slavery, and it is only a question of time until slavery will be wiped from the face of the earth— that s, the sort of slavery. that is rep- resented by the actual ownership of one human being by another. I watched g humanitarian friend of FIVE MILLION SLAVES IN 1927 BY GLENN FRANK, the cause.” former editor of the Century Magazine. mine read in a club corner the news story that carried the facts of the slavi commission’s survey to which I have just referred. He was plainly moved by the facts. He belongs to that vast group of hu- initarians who are moved by such dramatic facts, and, like his feilow humanitarians, he is always ready to organiz new “movement” to eradl- cate the evil facts. We could not afford to lose the humanitarian whose spirit responds quickly to an obvious cry of need, whether it be the sweeping pathos of Mississippi flood sufferers or the bit- ter enslavement of adult blacks In Africa or the bondage of children in China. But we need another sort of humani- tarian whose spirit will respond to the call of less obvious slaveries as well. America has its slaveries as well as Africa. We have slaves to illiteracy. ‘We have slaves to bad heredity. ‘We have slaves to bad environment. ‘We have slaves to soulkilling rou- tine. We have slaves to preventable accl- dents in industry. We have slaves to preventable dis- ease. These cry aloud for emancipation no less than the slaves in Africa. (Covyrisht. 1027.) B