Evening Star Newspaper, October 6, 1927, Page 8

8 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY.....October 6, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St and Pennaylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East d st. Chicago _Office: Tower Builcing. European Office: 14 Regent St.. London. England. The Evening Star with the Sunday morn tng edition 18 delivered by carriers within 106 Ciy at 60 conta per month: da i 45 cenly ber munih Sunfavs onth - Onde % Telerhons Main 5000: Colinetion is made Ly Carler at ond of sach month Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland e1d Virginia. " e ga00-1 Bally and,dundar... -1 vr $h00: 1 o Sundar onlv. 1 vr. $300° 1 mo All Other States and Canada. + and Sunday.1 vr. §1200- 1 mo. $1 B I e aar. gr00 dmo. o ' on LTI N 81001 mol 35e Member of the Associated Press. ¥ 18 exolsively entitly republication of all news dis 4°to it or not otnerwise cred: ver and also the local news r plication An Unfair Charge. the declaration of the com- r vehicles for Vir- mbia motor- ys must of that State is not as to vehicles deliver- i it i= plain that there is to *h thing as v with ot of bases the Dist he commissioner the an ement to the District off cials upon the ruling of the attorney general of Virginia in a recent case in Fairfax County. A wholesale vio- n of the law by Washingtonians d, and the entire blame for the condition is laid upon the District tn the following terms: 1f the District authorities would co- operate with Virg and break up the wholesale violating of the secur- Ing of District tazs by logal residents of Virginia there would be no more trouble.” Just how does the Virginia com- missioner arrive at the conclusion that the responsibility of taking a census of the motor-owning population of the Old Dominion rests upon the Dis- trict of Columbia? If the officials of adjoining Virginia counties and cities make no attempt to hold bena fide ents to account, should the Dis- trict of Colum employ an army of motcr license sleuths to follow up all applicants for t to learn whether they are residents of Virginia? The charze of a wholesale violation 1s as untrue as it is unfair. Undoubt- edly Virginians in considerable num- ber fllegally use District tags. But how great is that number compared to the many hundreds of Virginia motor owners who daily bring their cars to Washington and park them in the public streets for eight to ten hours out of every twenty-four? A check- up on District licenses in Virginia overnight as against Virginia licenses “parked” on the streets of Washing- ton all day would show a vastly great- er number of the latter. Another phase of the question which the Virginia officials have apparently failed to consider is the detriment to Virginia’s own interests. During the year 1927 a campaign has systemati- cally been conducted by the industrial Interests to develop northern Virginia. During the latter part of 1926 the Northern Virginia Bureau was organ- 1zed for the purpose of co-ordinating the three areas including Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax counties in a campaign to “tell the worl why northern Virginia is a desirable place in which to live, to work and to in- vest. Through widespread publicity it has been sought to interest Wash- ingtonians particularly in the indus- trial. residential and financial advan- tages afforded by northern Virginia. Surveys showing exhaustive research into matters of community health, taxation and population growth have been made public, setting forth in at- tractive terms the wonderful oppor- tunities afforded in the “low-taxed” areas. ‘What with the heavy income taxes | Imposed upon residents of the State | whose salaries are not earned within Its borders, plus the tax upon incomes earned within the State by persons | living in the District of Columbia or elsewhere, plus burdensome real estate taxes, plus a multiplicity of other taxes, certainly the Virginia of- s and the struggling industrial erprises are continually working at ss-purposes. The rule of conduct &eems to be, “Let not thy right hand know what thy left hand doeth.” This latest blow to the development hoost- ers is not calculated to win the ap- proval of the Virginia people. ———raee— Human nature is generous. bile Columb! recipre onng Base ball fans crowd the streets before the | bulletin boards regardlsss of the fact that the home team has been elim- inated. oo Mexico has suppressed a rebellion. The frequency with which this has to be done does not make the proce: seem easier as greater practice is at- ed. —— vt A Routine Step. The Tr Depariment’s action yesterday in ordering increased duties on a list of French imports, equal to increases fixed by France on similar American produets, is a routine step which has little or no bearing on the tariff dispute now in progress hetween the two nations. The goods affected hin a list of those to which ountervailing” principle of tariff rates s applied. The list is a small one, comprising not many more th & dozen different commodities. Change: in rates brought about by raising or lowering the duties on these dities on the part of one country automatically to change the rates portionately in the other country. France notified the United States of 1zed rates on a few commodities about through the recently effective Franco-German commercial treaty. The rates on thes ties were automatically changed by the United States. More important statement credited 4 ury com- cha brought however, is the to Assistant Sec- ganeral automo- retary Lowman, in charge of customs, that the American policy is one of reciprocity: “They go up, we go up; they go down, we go down.” This view, If correctly stated, will be of interest to the State Department and to France. It is directly opposed to what has heen emphasized, in other quarters, as our policy, which fe: “They go up, thereby discriminating against us, we go up; they go down, we go down, but no lower for one couatry than for another.” This con- flict of opinion gives semblance to the theory that there may be too many cooks preparing our tariff stew—a the- ory, however, which is not borne out | by fact. In the meantime the nature | [of the stew, when done, is awaited | ———— ! Mexico's “Revolt” Questioned. Some suspicion has been expressed regarding the verity of the military mutiny in Mexico, in the course of which Gens. Serrano and Gomez, can didates for the presidency in opposi tion to Obregon, have been eliminated. It is intimated that there was in fact no actual revolt, but that the whole aff: was staged by the Mexican gov- ernment as a means of getting rid of two troublesome aspirants. Serrano has captured, tried by court. martial and executed. Gomez has aed and, at latest accounts, . and it is likely that in a short time he will have suffered the | same fate. If the revolution was ‘n | fact a plot on the part of the Calles government to insure a clear field for Obregon it has undoubtedly been suc- cessful Rut there is no reason to question | the good faith of the Mexican govern- ment in this matter. The fact that a | rigid censorship has been established | at Mexico City, and that news filters through it only in consonance “‘fih‘ the government's wishes, may have inspired the idea that the mutin was | a frame-up. But there has bee: con- | irmation of the official accoun s of | recent happenings. There is evidence that Gens. Serrano and Gomez led their troops out of barracks without orders and started a revolution. Had they not been presidential candidates their action would have been com- paratively insignificant. It was their political status that gave the revolt its chief meaning. ‘The history of Mexico is replete with instances of troublesome persons who have been caught in arms against the government, and, while being held | prisoner, put out of the way under the law of “escaping fugitives.” Por- firio Diaz applied this procedure to rid himself of troublesome enemies. But of late years this process of elimination has been less frequently applied, and there is reason to doubt the suggestion that Serrano and Gomez have been the victims of the fugitive penalty. The enterprise of Gomez and Ser- rano, secking to start a revolution with less than a thousand men, was a desperately hopeless one. But it may be that they were deluded by the Dbelief that disaffection was prevalent in the army, and that the mutiny of these forces under their personal cem- mand would be the signal for a general walkout by the federal troops. Many a revolution in Latin America has Dbeen started with such slender mate- rial, and some of them have succeed- ed. But Mexico has gained in sta- bility in the last few years. Elections been | {on the part THE EVENING STAR that George now knows what the au- tomobile and train look like. Education, however acquired, is a valuable asset, but George at this time probably does not agree. If he is convicted of the charge of making “corn” he will have a further oppor- tunity of delving into the intricacles of modern civilization. Perhaps there will be a radio in the steam-heated, electric-lighted prison to which he is sent, and it is not beyond the bounds of reason that at exercise time he may see an airplane overhead. Whether or not George will appreciate this broad- ening of his education is a moot ques- tion, but he will have plenty to talk about when he gets back home, and perhaps he may inspire a desire of his friends and rela- I tives to see something of the outside | world, which cannot fail to aid them even if they do it the w v George did. | s s Sheer Arrogance. For a demonstration of sheer arro gance and incompetence to drive an automobile there has probably never been a more flagrant case than that of the Countess of Kinnoull, who was ar- rested recently in London. This affair has drawy international attention be- cause of its unusual aspects. The | countess, a short time ago, as ar- vested for dangerous driving shortly after she had told a pedestrian to “Go to hell™ when he complained that sh: had nearly run over him. Taken to court she was found guilty, fined one hundred dollars and barred from driv. ing in t Britain for three y She has just announced through her attorney that she is unaffected by the entire affair, as she does not care to drive again in England, but will take her cars to the Continent England is undoubtedly pleased to get rid of this undesirable person, and Londoners are probably hoping that she will never return. The judge's action was probahly the wistest under the circumstances, but it does seem that a jail term for this person might have resulted in the saving of a few continental lives. - Turkey will be dear this Fall. So will ham and eggs. So will pork and beans. It has become customary to read the Thanksgiving proclamation without reference to the market re- ports. e The millionaire who marries a chorus beauty cannot hope for a quiet wedding. The press agent always fig- ures that the lady is likely to return to her art and that no chance for in- cidental publicity should be neglected. —————— Germany never asks whether Hin- denburg is too old to be President. A nation accustomed to value every re- source does not neglect the wisdom that only experience can bring. ‘When the New Yorker selects a city for trying shows “on the dog” ques- tion arises as to whether relations should not be established between art and the 8. P. C. A, ot Numerous opportunities are pre- sented to President Coolidge to listen attentively to various ingenious theo- ries as to what he actually meant by the word “‘choose.” ——r———— Improvement is reported by the Soviet government. This report is is- sued whenever Trotsky retires and whenever he returns. — e by orderly process, though not yet developed to the point of full depend- ability, are sufficiently established to put a heavy discount on the old meth- od of political changes through re- volt. While it is deplorable that blood should be shed, the sacrifice of these two men, and perhaps some of their followers, may be regarded as the in- cidental cost of constitutional prcce- dure in the neighboring republic. Cer- tainly the fate of Serrano and Gomez should serve to assure an orderly election, the results of which will be accepted by the Mexican people with- out miiant reaction. —— e No Place Like Home. Charles A. Levine, the first trans- Even in serious endeavor Charles Levine manages to provoke a,smile. He may claim consideration as the Nick Altrock of aviation. ——e— A safe and sane flyer, Lindbergh shows the strain of banqueting. The perils of aviation are not entirely in the air. ——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Glimpses. Little bit o' woodland. Little piece o' sky. Little patch o' garden And a wanderin® butterfly. Little bit o' singin’ commodi- | atlantic airplane passenger, has de- cided to call it a day and consz home to the dear old United States. The compelling reason for his change in plans—he expected to stay for some time longer in Europe—was the crash | o: his aerial taxi, the Golumbia, in which he made the overscas trip. The plane was so badly damaged in a { forced landing that Levine ordered it crated to be sent home. The aviator-passenger has had an adventurous time since that morning | some months ago when he soared out through the mist over the ocean with Clarence Chamberlin as his pilot and | Germany as his destination. He has | had quarrels with several pilots whom he successively selected to bring him back across the ocean; he has made a hzzardous solo flight over the English ! Channel; he has been feted through- lout Europe, and has met Mussolini and has been reccived by the Pope. What more could an adventurous spirlt ask? The city of New York is determined | to accord him official honors when he | returns home. That is all right, for | whatever else is sald of Levine no|ins? one can deny that he has a full share| “Very much,” answered Senator | of pluck ana that he has furnished, in | Sorghum. “A wise statesman studies I many of his escapades, a comedy re-'his public and learns to be interested | liet for the serious art of fiying. in anything that interests everybody | — et else.” So long as he can be his own pub- | licity man, Mr. Levine apparently does | not much care who his pilot may be. ! — s Forced Education. Tn these days of airplanes and radios it is difcult to believe that there is lany citizen of the good old United | States who has never seen a train or lan automobile. Such a person, how | as just made his appearance in Sluetield, W. Va., and, strange as it | may seem, his sight of these modern miracles was not taken voluntarily. It would naturally be supposed |that never having seen such com. monplaces as the automobile and train a trip to a city would be made | with the idea of broadening the | education, but George Dunford, the | man in question, would probably have ent the 'rest of his life without bothering to make such an expedition |it the Federal dry agents had not | found a large still near his home at By the mockin'bird so gay— Little bit o' Heaven life That’s granted by the way. So, as you endeavor Faithfully to go, ‘When the sky is storr Or with hope aglow, There's a gentle promise Handed down to men By just some little glimpses Of Heaven, now and then. Jud Tunkins says we should forgive our enemies, at the same time taking reasonable precaution not to be an- noyed by them. Discarded Friend. My old straw hat I tossed away ‘When Autumn came. ‘What comfort could it bring today Atop my frame? Do not discard a faithful friend And leave him flat, How much I missed, at Summer’s end, My old straw ha Gulded Interest. “Are you interested in prizefight- “A man who has no regrets,” said | Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “finds comfort in a short memory and small conscience.” al Reminiscent Variations. A song of long ago With sentimental chime— The jazz band, swift or slow, Repeats it all’ the time. Burdens of Wealth. “What would you do if you had a million dollars' “Hire more lawyers,” answered Bill the burg, wearily. ever, Laborlous Laugh. He said he was a “Soclalist,” And, as he wrote for money, He sought to prove a humorist Could be more wise than funny. | “Don’t mind de man who tells you {to laugh at yoh troubles,” said Uncle | Eben. “Take ‘em serious an' git rid of 'em. Laughin' is liable to make WASHINGTO! “Much Ado About Nothing™ is not only a play; it is a descriptive phrase which fits many a person's daily thoughts and actions. A man who spends countless min- utes, even hours, deciding whether to have his next coat made with three buttons down the front or only two ought to toss up a coin for it and go on_to something important. Even those who thoroughly believe that ado ought to be ahout something find_themselves now and then facing similarly momentous problem: Whether the suit shall have two or three buttons down the front' The two-hutton k s ndard, with that unflinching standardization which the delight of the masculine soul. “We were here vesterday, we are here today. we will be here tomorrow.,” say the good old two-button sack proudly displaying their r or their clover-leaf lape! may be. ‘That's all right, buddy,” declares the nobby three-button ~sack suit. “Look at the snappy lines 1 mana to achieve, with my lapels not so long and_higher set. Take a look at me, buddy, and put in another button.” * X ok ok led lapels s the case Perhaps it may be truly said that he who has no greater problem to decide than the above is a most fortunate| man. There are whole sroups of human beinzs, however, who upon occasion spend their time in no more profitab deration of similarly harassi questions, An orzanization meeting once spent half of its total twohour meeting time in 56 ng the momentous question of whether at the next mer ing two or three members should es cort the speaker of the evening to the “hair. Remember, these gentlemen who en gaged s heatedly in the two-three problem business were not young fel lows who were trying to impress their arious sweethearts with their col- legiate taste in garments, but were staid iness men of affairs, “g getters” in every sense of that much | abused term, men who would look | down upon triviality with fine scorn, Yet here they were debating with the utmost heat the terribly puzziing con: at its monthly an hour and a question of whether two members of | Eimme cornbeef hash!" and sighs with | the body should cons ary escort from the rear of the hall to | the rostrum, or whether the distin. | guished group should consist of full three members, | ne were heartily in favor of two, | others stuck out for three members. | Those iy favor of the twain backed up | thelr stand with judicious arguments, running back to the time of Caesar and Cleopatra, when the latter lovely lady was declared to have had but two slaves escort Julius to her throne upan the oceasion of his historic first | visit. This argument Was received with | hearty and perhaps merited derision by the adherents of the three-member | party. These sturdily defended necessity for a trio, pointing ou utter distinguishedness of the d guished guest-to-he and the una: -| able fact that; three are greater than | two, and that such a zuest demanded | an escort of honor commensurate with | his importance in the hody politic. ‘hy, even four members—" one | stanch advocate started to say—but | at this point the president of the or- | ganization, evidently fearing that an| argument on the comparative merits of three versus four would be quite itute the honor- | tin- | | they fall into s { that one generally D. C, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6. 1927 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. as protracted as the issue under dis- cussion, called for a vote in a master- ful manner, only to have the whole question settled by compromise, when all hands agreed that the escort and its size should be left to the executive | committee for future decision. Cer. | tainly a plain case of much ado about nothing., PR | The gambling hahit of tossing a yeoin might be used in all such cd | whether of individuals or of organt | tions, with resulting good to the per- son or persons in doubt. Doubt, in so far as it leads to needed consideration of puzzling questions, is zood, but when it merely complicates decisions that had better be made in stantly, or most so, doubt becomes monster of horrid mien, which to 2| he hated needs but to be seen, to para- phrase Pope. Proper doubts bid the doubter stop, |look and listen, but the absurd inde- | cision that inflicts a certain proportion | of humanity is a bird of a different | feather. Indecision, queerly enough, bothers | itself mostly with the trivial, the un important questions met in everyday living, which do not amount to much {in themselves, but which together go | to make up a large slice of the day's | happenings and thoughts, Thus many a man who dismisses | weighty problems, and rightly enough, | as being too heavy for him, turns his | attention to long-drawn-out conside tions of unimportant questions. Even experienced themselves puzzled by a menu card {unexpectedly thrust in front of their es by the fellow in the dress suit. Suddenly ronted with the choice of alas” more foodstuffs than all the men in Christendom could require, unable to decide hetween half a | chicken on the one plate and filet of sole on the other! To make no more of this complication than is necessary, there is an indefatigable array of veg- | etables, desserts, drinks and whatnots, the chief aim of which seems to he not to serve as food hut simply to hard beset with doubt the already doubtful diner. The result of this little comedy is n hears the glare of the waiter on the hack of his neck as long as he can, then yells out, “Oh, relief, even though he knows that corned beef hash is the very last thin. in the world that he wanted. There ought to be another law to the effect that waiters, after the cere- monious presentation of the bill of fare, be required to retire to a se- cluded spot for at least five minutes in order to give the diner time for due consideration. They can make a man wait long enough ordinarily. * ok ok % Life at all turns is beset with simi lar unimportant dec:sion: olehills out of which we make mountains. The trouble largely lies in the fact that there is seemingly best thing, but there usual 5 never one Iy are two the | perfectly good things, or three or| the | four of them, each about as good as| the other, between which the per- plexed citizen must make his choice. Reckless personages of the hasty type thus come to pose as men of decision, as, indeed, they are, al- | though the rest of us may affect to| look down upon their ‘“snap judg- ments.” They at least choose some- thing and do 1t immediately, making little ado about either something or nothing. Their freedom from worry is its own reward. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL ¥ PARIS, France. The League of Nations Assembly, representing _more than 50 nations with wide differences in world com- merce, will hold a diplomatic confer- ence at Geneva October 17 upon the subject of trade barriers, including tariffs and prohibitions on imports and exports now hampering the ideal de- velopment of world commerce. The | confrerees will not be limited to busi- ness men, but will consist largely of diplomats. The standards of business ethics | differ and the methods of trade are not | alike the world over. ions ar self-centered as are most indj Therefore, the success of such a con- ference depends as much upon diplo- macy as upon the methods advanced i men of world outlook on the conduct of husiness representing the greatest commercial interests of the world. *x ok ¥ X Fortunately, the world of commerce is no longer unorganized and impo- tent. It can speak the composite judgment of experience in the light of organized knowledge of conditions through what tional Chamber of Commerce, made up ’. COLLINS. merly minister of commerce of France—the Herbert Hoover of France. He has long been prominent in French business, and is now a Sena- tor. On the board of directors are six of the leading business men of the United States. At the last meeting of the interna- tional chamber Alberto Pinelli of Italy was elected president. EE The great issue before the interna- tional chamber at present is how to eliminate or modify what is generally termed “trade barriers.” Quoting the resolutions adopted at the last meet- ing, held at Stockholm, trade barriers are defined as follows: “Trade barriers, in the International sense, are those arbitrary national restraints on the free movement of goods, capital and services, which not only hamper trade and traders but | limit the economical production and distribution of goods, capital and serv- | fces, to the detriment of all peoples. | They inevitably tend to depress the | standards of living.” is called the Interna.| Concretely expressed, trade barriers | refer to obstacles to transportation of diners-out find | re puzzlement, heing | of authorized representatives of vari- | £00ds, prohibitions of importation and ous national chambers of commerce of the several leading nations of Eu- rope and America. These national | malities, “red tape,” “rationalization,” | or, as better known here, “standardi- chambers of commerce, {zation” of types of manufactures the National Chamber of Commerce | Whereby multiplicity of shapes and of the United States, are organized | Other non-essential characteristics is from the hundreds of local chambers | Simplified, and the abolishment of “all of commerce, which in turn are made | artificial hindrances in the way of up of the many business firms, com- | free international movement of cap- | exportation, customs dutles and for- | panies and individual manufacturers and_distributors of each local com- munity. The national chamber gives no deci- sion on any business problem without first submitting the problem to all of its component local chambers in referendum. The reference is accom- panied with careful analyses for and against its proposed sclution. The research bureau at national headquar- ters delves into history, precedent and logie, just as an attorney for defense would” study the case of his client, and, expertly analyzing the question, present the arguments, but without power to decide the problem. local member unit then subm problem, with smpanying argu- ments pro and con, to its membership and takes a_vote upon it, either at a meeting or by mail. There are 1 ach local “organization member: the National Chamber of the United States, with a membership of 800,000 corporations, firnis and individual business men, all permitted to vote through the deci- sion of the majority in each of the unit organizations. * % Kk X There is no political pull in such a referendum; there are no “diplomats” with their nationalistic prejudice fecting the ultimate decisfon of the National Chamber of Commerce, which decision controls the vote of our na- tional chamber in the final decision of the international chamber. ~Thus the business of the civilized world has been highly, efficlently and benefi- cently organized, representing 44 na- tions—the leading nations of the world of commerce, ganized business has come about all within the last seven years. It was Dbegun in Paris in 1920 as a direct out- growth of the International Trade Conference, held under auspices of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, in Atlantic City in Oc- tober, 1919. The trade conference was spasmodic; the International Chamber of Commerce is permanent, with head ters in Parts and with units in all 44 nations, A board of directors, composed of rep- resentatives of each member country, governs the activities at international headquarters through a secretary in direct charge of details. International public opinion is sounded by means of referenda to all the nations and re- corded at the blcanial general meet- ings of the chamber. The president is elected for two years. He is chair- " of of Commere War Creek, forty miles from Blue- field. It was for this reason, therefore, ‘em want to hang around and be so clable.” man of the board of directors and pre- sides at all meetings. The first presi- dent was M. Etienne Clementel, for- This advance of or-| * K ok % While one of the first:mentioned | “trade barriers” is customs duties— i. e, tariffs on imports—the natural in- ference that the aim is to secure free trade in behalf of importers and ex- porters, regardless of “protection to home industry,” is denied emphati- | international chamber, located in | Washington. There is no disputing that free trade is the hobby of a strong element, but it is because of that very condition that the impor- tance of such a world-wide organiza- tion to meet it is emphasized. An article in the Nation's Business, organ of the Natfonal Chamber of Commerce, written by Cyril J. C. Quinn, manager, American section, In- ternational Chagnber of Commerce, ns a statement to the effect that ent manifesto of European bank- and business men, protesting nst the toriff walls and obstruc- tions of trade between all European "xmliuns, had no reference to the tariff which protects the American indus- tris with our high wages, against the ruinous competition of Furopean low wages. Mr. Quinn write: ““Th recognize the difference be- { tween a tariff wall surrounding an cco- nomically self-sufficient continent and a tariff wall which separates iron ore from the coal that is needed to turn it into pig iron and steel: a tarift wall between Vienna .and the plains of Hungary that feed it. * * ® Think- ing Europeans realize that the im- pairment of American purchasing power will do Europe no good and bring Europe no benefit. “To avoid misunderstanding, the American group has made itself per- fectly and coherently clear on this point. It stated in its report to the inaugural meeting of the central com- mittee on trade barriers: “‘The American committee believes that the central committee must of necessity recognize that the question of the tariff policy to be pursued by a nation is a matter of domestic con- cern, and that each nation must re. serve to itself the d ion of a matter which is so definitely one of national policy. * * * The United States has been able to achieve a standard of living which is acknowledged high. | Our good fortune in reaching this standard has been partially due to our fortunate possession of raw mate- rials which have made for a large de- gree of national economle self-suffi- ciency. ® ® * American business and American labor have come to the considered decision that these living A cally by the American office of the| PHILOSOPHIES BY GLENN FRANK As I read the many modern attacks on the theory and practice of democ- niscent note, sounded by earlier men in earlier Jecades and earlier centuries. Let me match Mr. Mencken's lat with this statement from Animel's Journal under date of June 21, 1871: “Wisdom, which means balance and harmony, is only met with in individ- uals, “Democracy, which means the rule of the masses, gives preponderance to instinet, to nature, to the | that is to say, to blind impul petual vacillation between cont becomes its only mode of progre: cause it represents that childish form of prejudice, which fails in love and cools, adores and curses, with the came haste and unreason. A siucces- sion of opposing follies gives an im pression of change which the people readily identify with improvement. demceracy, but I have no sort of illu- sion as to the use it will make of its right, so longz, at any rate, as wisdom is the exception and conceit the rule. “Numbers make law, but goodness has nothing to do with figure: racy rests upon this legal fiction, that the majority has mot only force but reason on its side—that it possesses not only the right to act but the wis The fictio: its flatter: flattered dom necessary for action. is dangerous because of the demagogues have alw: the private feelings of the ma “Democracy will finally m: absurd @y handing over the dec; of all that is greatest to all that is most_imeapable. yemocracy’s abstract principle equality dispenses the ignorant from the necessity of self-training. the foolish man_from that of I ment. and tells the child that there is no need for him to hecome a man. and the good-for-nothing that self-improve. ment is of no account.” It gome one to give us an exhau: compilation of the sober of sober observers on democra through the centuries, from the Greek philosophers down. Democracy does need to_ diagnose itself, and such a book would help in he diagnosis. The regrettable thinz is that as we reawaken to some of the weaknesses of democras men of other generations saw in vance, we are doing the intellectually lazy thing of going over bag and bag- ships, now mild and | mizhty. when we should be rethinking the whele theory of democracy. My guess is that the future belongs to a revision of democracy, not to a refection of democracy. ‘opyrizht. MeClure Newspaper Syndicate.) rd Discrimination Denied of ive | gage to dictat To the Editor of The Star: Certain statements in the Washing- ton papers have tended to give the | impression that it is the policy of the | Virginia_authorities to against Washington motorists. State- ments of this ®xort are =0 apt to pro- voke groundless antagonisms and to interfere with the exceedingly cordial relations now existing between the | | corrected. The action of the Virginia authorities is not directed against the residents of the Di: ct of Columbia, | but against a_certain small propor- tion of the residents of Virginia who, while gladly availing themselves of the improved roads being rapidly built in the State, seek to evade their just proportion of the resultant tax operating under the much cheaper | District of Columbia_licenses, even | though they are actually residents of Virginia. Having observed that other com- munities were paying off bonds issued for roads long since worn out, the State of Virginia determined to build its highways on a “pa ou-go” basis. During the past vear the State expended 42 ‘per cent of its total in- come on roads, and it has in the past five years constructed many hundreds of miles of wide, straight, concrete roads, and it will not be long before every part of the State can be reached over roads of this character. The money to build these roads is derived from the 4.cent tax on gaso- line and from the automobile license fees. Because of the pay-as-you-go plan, these license fees are much higher than those in the District of Columbia, but the people seem to be satisfied fo pay the tax in order to get good roads quickly and without the burden of a great interest-carrying debt. But, as stated, a few persons, though resident in the State, some of them the year around and’ who daily use the ‘improved roads, have persisted for a long period in securing the cheap District of Columbia licenses. Naturally, the man who was paying his full ‘share of the tax objected to also paying the share of his tax- dodging’ neighbor, and after long de- lay and much patience upon the part |0t the authorities action is being taken against some of these persons. Further, an important commercial concern, having its place of business in Virginia and operating a large fleet trucks between Virginia and s _operating under Dis- These trucks are used ctically _exclusively for hauling om the plant of the concern into Washington. The owner of those trucks takes the position that since he personally is a resident of Washington he has a right to avoid the payment of the Virginia tax. His example was promptly followed by another owner of a large fleet of trucks, a contractor, who lives in Arlington County and has lived there for mot less than 20 years. Incouraged by the example of the manufacturer, the contractor at- tempts to domicile his trucks in the District and operate them in Virginia under District licenses. That is to say, the manufacturer contends that it is the domicile of the owner that is controlling, while the contractor con- tends that it is the domicile of the trucks that is controiling. But the net result is that Mister Little Home Owner is paying the tax of both of them. It is this conditions that the authorities are attempting to reach. In conclusion, I want to s during the period when an bile war existed between | declined to take advantage of the sit- uation and yielded as full reciprocity to the people of the District as she did to those of the several States. attitude of the S sufficient guars £ of these questions in the future will be equitable and just. FRANK G. CAMPBELL. standards must be protected, and that no action which will tend to lower them can have other than an unfor- tunate effect. This conviction is there- fore hardened to the belief that these living standards must be protected ainst lower wage scales and living dards, and the American people ve indicated their intention to pay the price of that protection. When there is equality of wage scales and living standards, American manufac- turers will not be disposed to ask for protection in securing to themselves the extensive home market.”" That sounds as truly “protective” as if it had been written at a conference of Clay, McKinley, Dingley and Me- Cumber. It is not wholly approved Dby exporters and importers who seek “volume of trade,” but it expresses the voice of the American committee, backed by the National Chamber of Commerce of the United States, be hind which are the 1,500 local cham- hers, with their 800,000 manufacturers and distributors mainly interested in the prosperity of the home market. 1t cannot be overcome at the Geneva conference of diplomats. (Copyright,- 1027, by Paul V. Colline.) racy, I hear in them a strangely remi- | t'is not that I deny the right of | Democ- | man | seli-jndg- | would be a distinet service for | judgments | . that | ¥ - { tion o in Virginia Tag Attitude | discriminate | two jurisdictions that they should be | ANSWERS TO BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. with saflors’ uniforms for a feature”?—D. C. H. A. The Navy Department says that “‘sailor by the United States Government can- not he worn by civilians. However, similar uniforms may be worn. Q. Whut color is the Spirit of St. ™ M. How by far is it from Detroit to automobile, going . M. is across the Detroit nd is reache g hout one mile. or to Fort Erie is 271 ort Buffalo is about e *nthe of a mile in lensih. The road from Windsor to Fort Erie is an excellent paved one. Q. How many telephones are there in the United States>—V. R A. The numbe telephones in this country on Jan 1, 1927, was 17, 799,000. Q. What was sinator of Abra M. A. John Wilkes Booth, | sin of Abraham Lincoln ! brew ancestry, but a Prot |a member of the Episcopal . Does a mest. blood?—F. H. A. A mestee is the offspring of a white person and a quadroon. It is a | West Indian word, a contraction of ;m», iz0. the religion of the the assas- was of He- nt, being hurch. have colored Gid the last bi « 1 Survey Q. In what perio twith tees die’—A A. Th Riologic the last toothed bird of ch they e record lived in the Aceons | period several miilion years ago. e ays that Q. When was the Order of the East- orn Star founded?—F. A. C. A. Preuss’ Dictionary of Organiza tions states that the organization wa: | first established in 1788. It became ob- | solete and was re-established in 1867. | Q. T= the population of the world in- creasing or decreasing?—C. F. M. An English scientist, Sir Daniel has estimated that the popula- f the earth is increasing at th=> rate of 5,000,000 a vear. [st Q. How many coiors are { there?—P. J. H. | A. Strictly speaking, there are but {three primary colors—red, blue and yellow. The secondary colors are or ange, composed of red and vellow; vio- let, red and blue; green, vellow and |blue. All the complementary colors | are prepared by mixing the above. primary Q. Is open river bathing permitted in Paris as in Washington?’—F. 0. Y. A. Bathing in the Seine is prohibited in Par adopted in 1658, but the law has b come a dead letter and while bathing in open places still is guarded against, inclosures with bath houses and nu- merous laundry boats are moored on the banks in the very center of the city. Q. Are people still injured in the Fourth of July celebrations?—A. A. There were 195 deaths and 79 injuries reported as a result of Inde- pendence Day celebrations this Sum- mer. More than 150 of the deaths were of young folk under 20. Q. What part of the weight of a live lobster is edible’—B. E. T. A. Four pounds of live lobster will give one pound of meat. Q. Please define radio.—J. A. D. A. The Loomis Radio College s: | meaning, is the art of carrying on communication by means of electri waves which are radiated from trans “Smithy” Anvil In Auto Age The country learns with surprise that the blacksmith is still the vigor- ous character of history and litera- ture, and that in the United States his army is marching 70,000 strong. The smithy, in one form or another, seems to have survived the onslaught of the motor car, and even to have profited by added business from the horseless earriage truck and tractor. “He is still at the anvil in an age of motor cars,” observes the Boston Transcript. “It is true that in many cases the village smithy has been suc- ceeded by the garage. It is recalled that a northern New England town some time ago advertised for a black- smith who would ‘relight the fires at its old-time forge. Horseshoers and Blacksmiths, holding in Jersey City their annual conven tion, w are 70,000 blacksmiths in the United States today. * * * While the fact remains that were it not for the motor car the number of blacksmiths in the country would far exceed 70,000, we have evidence that the trade still flourishes, * ¢ ¢ The trade has since the days of Tubal Cain heen glorified in song and story still eists, even if the ashes are cold in many a village smithy. *x ¥ x % Quoting statistics from the Depart- ment of Agriculture, which show that there were 15,788,000 horses in use on farms in the country on January 1, 1926, and assuming that “there must be several million more in use in the cities,” the Buffalo Evening News says: “What with the work that they provide and the odd jobs that fall to a smith, the trade should afford a good livelihood for those remaining in it. The smith today is not as mighty a man as he was when he moved the poet to song, but he still is a factor in industry. As long as the horse remains his forge fire will continue to i bur “Though the spreading chestnut tree no longer may cast its shadows around the high, red flame of his to the Atlanta Jour- still ‘are str still_the poet’ smith, a_mighty man is he.’ May the kind increase, and with them the music of hammer on anvil while the sparks swarm upward. Around the forge and its stalwart master hang from the days of Homer down that we could never be content to lose them from life’s picture. In Georgia, hap- where old customs find congenial nts, the smithy is to be seen pros- pering, and its village Vulcan still earns the tribute: “‘His brow is wet with honest sweat, He earns whate'er he can. And looks the whole world in the face, For he owes not any man.'” * k ox % Reverting also to statistics, the Da: ton Daily News finds that of the millions of horses in the country the decline was only 65,000 between the census of 1910 and that of 1920. “Not at all a bad showing,” the Dayton paper comments, “in view of the t tor's inroads and other factors tendin: toward motorization of the farm. The decrease in value, however, was ap- proximately $300,000,000, or 15 per cent. The automobile is responsible for that. The horse is no longer so marketable a commodity, but there are certain flelds of service in which it seems indispensable.” “The 300 craftsmen and their fami- lies attending the convention,” :tates the Newark Evening News, “heard the prophecy that the number of horseshoers and blacksmiths in the country will increase rather than grow smaller, A surprising assertion, but one which cne is prepared to believe. the official sailors' uniform authotized | across | ham Lincoln?—H. ! by a decree of Louis XIV, | that radio, in the generally accepted | But the Master | t it understood that there | that | so many rich memories of humankind | QUESTIONS Q. cCould an orchestra be equipped | mitting stations and picked up by re- | cefving stations. Q. Does the wind against a train affect the distribution of its weight | upon the two rails”—H. E. J. A If the wind is directly against the cars—straight across the track— the rail on the side next to the wind will have less load. The difference increases with the strength of the wind or push of the wind against the cars, Q. How many words should be ad- |auired in a scholastic year of study of a foreign language?—K. M. J. A. One college informs us that it considers 1.000 words a fa vocabu- ach year of the foreign lan- ruction Most of the first- Laoks contain a vecabulary of hout 1,000 to 0 Wi Q. How cleancd A. Soak ckles in kerosene for one hour, then brush them well. Q. When t-to-const tele- phone service inaugurated’—B. E. 8 A. The first coast-to.coast telephone ervice was started from New York t, | San_ Francisco on On the same day established from P cisco. the word times in the Biblc pted form of ““thoroughly T fin sever an “throug H. A. Tt is obsolete or archaic rodern versisns of the Bible use the Iy." any ministers of are t e in the { v of them are Suma tha vited Ro- to the Federal Coun- rhook. there are ministers, are Roman Accordin Churches deno cil of of tions Of this number Catholic priests, Q. I E. P A. The Bureau of Standards says that there may be 8 or 10 ounces of radium in the world today, but it has no definite figures. Q. What city h house in the United A w much radium is there?— o the finest opera States?—W. L. D, Probably the Auditorium Thea- ter, Chicago. is the finest. It was built in 1 at a cost of about 34,000,000, Q. What does the “Kalina” mean’—A. A. It is a word w old, withered vine. It to an old potato vine that bearing. Hawalian 1. ‘h means any » applied finished werd Q. How did the number of slaves compare with the number of free | negroes at the time of the Civil War? | =J. D. | A. In 1860 there were 3,950,000 | slaves and 448,000 free negroes in the United States. | Q. How wide are motion picture | films>—P. T. A. The standard sional inches. width of profes- motion picture film is 1% | Any reader can get the answer to | any question by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. | Haskin, dircctor, Washington, D. C. This offer applies strictly to informa- tion. The bureaw cannot give advice | on legal, medical and financial mat- ters. It does not attempt to seltle | domestic troubles, mor undertake ex- haustive research om any subject. | Write your question plainly and | briefly. Give fuil name and address |and inclose 2 cents in stamps for return postage. The reply is sent direct to the inquirer. Address The | Evening Star Information Bureaw, | Frederic_J. Haskin, director, Wash- ington, D. €. Still Rings , Press Declares American industry is quick to adapt itself to new conditions, and there re- mains the American horse, which is not proceeding to become _extinct nearly o rapidly as was prophesied a few years ago.” And the Asheville Times add: “Geologists tell us that the horse as a creature is about 3,000.- 000 years old. He has, therefore, had scme opportunity to struggle with en- vironment, either favorable or unfa- vorable. No doubt he will still be here and thousands of village and city hlacksnriths will still be shoeing horses | long after the automobile has been | displaced by the airplane as man's | favorite medium of locomotion.” x % X % With a response to the request of | the horseshoers and blacksmiths that he information be broadcast that the blacksmith has not gone the way of the spreading chestnut tree,”” the Binghamton Press remarks: “Few | modern_employments give a man the | sense of being his own master as did | the blacksmith’s trade. Few men to- forced to earn a Lveli- ve so good an opportunity to | work at their own sweet will, own pace, and in their own still with us and intends to stay, even if the pleasant shop of the m'ghty |arm and the falling hammer and the | pungent odor of singed hoots is not so blacksmith shop was a pleasant place,” observes the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “as many a man who used as a boy to stop on his way home from school to watch the hammer fall and the sparks fly will recall. * * ¢ The smith’s work seemed to keep him both hearty and jolly, and what more can one ask of one’s job? He still lives, it seems, and long may be con- tinue to do so, despite the mechanical horse with rubber shoes." The Chicago Daily News see: less automobiles to be mended,” and |adds: “Joyriders who wreck their | cars, break the springs or fracture | other parts, as many do in reckles driving, make more welding jobs than | were dreamed of in the old horse-and- buggy days. In relatively few cases did blacksmiths permit themselves to | he frightened out of business by the automobile. Most of them went along with it, and they find in automobile repair work more profit than w: er to be made out of shoeing horses. UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today | end- Maj. Gen. Barnett denles the report recently cabled to this country that the Marine brigade now in France has been split up into small details and assigned to provost guard duty. Brigade is still intact as fighting unit. * * ¢ Navy Department verifies story of recent raid on large convoy of mer- chant vessels by six submarines, but vs the one merchant vessel sunk and another badly damaged were not American vessels. * ® ¢ Secretary Daniels issues report of 22-minute fight hetween United States destroyer and U-boat, in which submarine s thought to have been sunk. * ® * President Wilson praises work of Con- gress as session ends, signs all bills passed, and declares needs of country have been fully met. * ¢ ¢ Septem-® ber U-boat losses at low mark, largely due to the efficlent work of our de- stroyers. War Risk Insurance Bureau reduces premiums on American ves- sels and cargoes traversing the wes zone nearly 23 per cent.