Evening Star Newspaper, November 2, 1927, Page 8

{THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. - WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY . . November 2, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: _ 11th St 63\“ f‘e]rl;!" Tower ani nl K> he Regent B Lokidon. 2K Ruropean Office: England The Eveming Star with the Sunday mermn- ing edition is delivered Dby carrie the city at 60 cents per moath: * Sundave ¢ ieiephone ‘Main 8000 “Colie ion ie” niaie o5 carrier at end of each month. Rate b: il yable in Advance. \llr)hnd and Virginia. iy and Sunday ...1sr. 20.00: 1 m aily onlv o $6.00° 1 me unday only. .. VS5O0 mo Al Other States and Canada, E:IV onls junday only. \Iember of tlle Associated Press. SIE00: 1 o %4001 mo’ 1l cation of all news dia- ol ‘or not othorwise cred . hn- :fifd"‘f:ner and also the local news published herein. Al rt of publication of epecial dispatches herein are al The National Crime Problem. One of the subjects to be discussed by the National Crime Commission at Its meeting in this city beginning to- day is that of the criminal fence. In the conviction, as Chairman Child states in his opening address—read by proxy in his unavoidable absence trom the meeting—that the “brazenly open operations of the receivers and sellers of stolen goods are responsible for practically all the thefts of mer- chandise on a large scale in this coun- try and are directly responsible for the many murders incidental thereto,” the commission has named a special com- mittee of men prominent in the com- mercial activities of the country to take up the framing of legislation to suppress this traffic. ‘Wholesale thievery of merchandise has become a veritable industry. The character and amount of goods taken signify clearly that a market for such loot is always available to the thieves. Within a few hours such a theft has occurred in this city. A local shop was entered by thieves and was stripped of goods worth $20,000, in- cluding fur coats, scarfs and dresses. It stands to reason that this mate- rial cannot be disposed of by the thieves themselves unless through an established clearing house. It is, in fact, known that such clearing houses exist in the large cities, that they supply the trade with stock. So firm- ly intrenched in political power and influence are these establishments in certain places that police activities against them are checked at the point of action and nothing is done to break up this traffic, which is costing the country an immense sum and inci- dentally is leading, as stated by Chair- man Child, to many crimes of vio- lence. Legislation may not reach the crim- nal fence if he has the protection of political influences. But agitation of the quesfion through the National Crime Commission and local commis- sions working in co-operation with it may so arouse public interest in this subject that legislation will be effec- tive. ‘The cost of wholesale thievery goes back to the buyers of goods. In most | Revenue Bureau site is located the tarmers’ outdoor market, for which, likewise, no other provision has yet been made. Considering the length of time that this whole building project has been in contemplation and in actual prep- aration, it is somewhat anomalous that the work of construction should at this stage be delayed in the least by interferences due to lack of anticipa- tory provision. But in view of the long lapse of time that has occurred while this great project was in for- mulation and going through the pre- paratory stages there is no disposition now to complain of this comparatively Lslight obstruction and delay inasmuch as it is assured that within three months, relatively a very short time, the masonry piles mill rise in tangible evidence that the Capital-making work that is to effect such a marked trans- formation of Washington is under way at last. These interferencss, however, teach a lesson that should be learned in con- nection with other moves in this same program. For example, in the plan- ning and in the provisions for the pro- posed municipal center there should be the fullest study of all the aspects of the project and definite provision for every detail so that when the work i3 undertaken there may be no inter- ruptions and no discommoding of the public's business and no dangerous temporary housing of public workers pending completion and occupancy. e Lowden and the McNary Bill. Friends of Gov. Lowden are seeking to turn the Corn Belt and Southern Farm Conference, now in session in St. Louis, into a Lowden-for-President | meeting. Gov. Adam McMullen of | Nebraska is one of these. ' In an ad- dress delivered yesterday, the Ne-/ braska governor again paid his re- spects to the Progressive group of Senators, which is urging the nom- ination of Senator George Norris, and particularly to Senator Borah. Mc- Mullen charged that the Idaho Sena- tor sought to divide the Western farm- ers in the interest of Eastern reac- tionaries, through his advocacy of the nomination of Senator Norris. Mr. Lowden’s candidacy for the Re- publican nomination for President is bound up with the McNary-Haugen farm bill and its equalization fee principle—that is, in the agricultural West. His support of that measure cannot help him in the East. The friends of that particular kind of bill for farm aid have undertaken to make the campaign for that measure and for Lowden’s nomination synonymous. And in doing so they may have made a political blunder. Some of the sup- porters of the McNary-Haugen bill are by no means friendly to the nom- iration of Mr. Lowden, on the ground that he is not a dyed-in-the-wool Progressive. Hence the Progressive | group in the Senate is already show- ing its teeth at the mention of Mr. Lowden's name. If the coming Congress should suc- ceed in passing farm legislation that is satisfactory to the farmers of the West, and there seem better and brighter chances than in the past, Mr. Lowden and the McNary-Haugen bill, as originally written, pass out of the political picture next year. That would not suit either Mr. Lowden or many of the supporters of the -Mec- | Nary-Haugen bill. It is becoming doubtful that either ‘cases the merchants are protected by Insurance. The cost of that insurance goes into the retail price of the wares dealt in by the firm. The losses to the Insurance companies in turn go back into the rates for insurance, which thus pile up on the buyers in a vicious circle. There is no possibility of determin- ing the total volume of goods thievery n this country. Indeed the lack of ac- curate crime statistics is one of the most serious handicaps checking the ‘work of crime correction and preven- tion. This likewise will be a subject of discussion at the meeting of the national commission. So incomplete. the friends of the McNary-Haugen bill or the friends of Mr. Lowden took the wisest step when they placed the passage of the bill and Mr. Lowden's nomination in the same basket. Mr. Lowden has lost caste in the East with- out gaining the solid support of the West. The McNary-Haugen bill sup- porters are beginning to fear that pos- sibly the Lowden candidacy may have something to do with the passage of another farm aid bill. It is a pity that farm aid, which i= really needed, should be so intertwined with the political situation. But it | seems unavoidable. Sooner or later, every issue in this country is han. .80 sketchy, in fact, are the records in the States with reference to the commission of crime and punishments administered that it is today impos- sible to determine whether there is an Increase or relatively a decrease in the amount and cost of lawbreaking and in the penalties inflicted. Some time ago an effort was made to se- cure through an established research bureau in New York City a compila- tion of these figures. Afier a prelim- inary study the report was made that it would cost a million and a half of dollars to gather approximately full statistics from about three-fourths of the States in the Union for one year. Uniform legislation 1s necessary to effect the correction of this grave na- tional evil. It must aim at a stand- ardization of the laws and the prac- tices in the States. It is to secure this codification, =0 to speak, of the criminal laws of the country that the National Crime Commission is now | conducting its invaluable work in pro- motion of which this present meeting s being held, ——— In the =hifting conditions of author- ity even a member of the jury is not sure about how long he can hold his Job. e Building Plans Approved. Definite and final approval having been given to plans for the new home for the Department of Commerce and the Internal Revenue Bureau, by the Public Buildings Commission, the first #pecific step will now be taken toward the erection of the great group of Gov- ernment structures that are to occupy the Mail-Avenue triangle. Work, in- deed, has already started in the clear- ing of the sites for these two buildings. The land for the former of the two, the new Commerce Building, is now and has been for two decades Gov- ernment property. The land to be oc- cupied by the other is in part owned by the Government and the proceed- ings to secure the remainder are in progress with prospect of early com- pletion. But obstructive tenancy of the two sites may cause some delay. On the Commerce Building site now stand some old buildings occupied by certain District bureaus, provision for which bas not been made, and also one of the temporary war-time struc- dled politically. After all, the only manner in which the people can deal wlth important issues is through the | ballot box. With the farmers them- selves divided over the McNary- Haugen bill, the situation either for Mr. Lowden or for the McNary- Haugen bill does not appear the best. ———— Herbert Hoover would be an invinci- | ble candidate if he could be sure of ballots in the same generous and sin- | cers abundance that he receives bou- quets. | —_———— | A Thanksgiving proclamation ad-| mits no responsibility in connection with the prospective price of turkey. e A Recanted Decision. After announcing that she had abandoned a transatlantic flight for the year, Mrs. Frances Grayson has suddenly decided to make another at. tempt within the next month with a new pilot. Back in New York from her flying base at Old Orchard, Me., the sponsor of the Dawn amphibian overseas plane promptly accepted the resignation of her pilot and engaged Bernt Balchen, who was a member of Comdr. Byrd's crew, for the control she announced that the Dawn would be flown back to Old Orchard and thence to Copen- hagen. carrying out her original plans, As far as persistence is concerned, Mrs. Grayson is showing one of the attributes of Charles Levine, the first transatlantic passenger, and the joint holder of the world endurance record. It cannot be denied that Mre. Gra has a high degree of courage also. But it appears that it is courage unmixed with caution. Her plane has repeated- v demonstrated its inability to attain altitude with sufficient gasoline aboard to make the overseas journey. Twice zasoline has had to be dumped imme-. diately after the take-off to prevent a bad crash. On the third false start to Europe of the Dawn, the ship rapidly lost altl- tude when four hours out from Old Orchard and the pilot was unable to get it above the fog hanging low over the ocean. Wisely he turned back and limped into port with only one motor functioning properly. This a tion caused a split between Mrs. Gray- tures in which is quartered one of the rnlu of the Internal Revenue Bureau, or which there is no present avail- /able space elsewhere. On the Internal son and Wilmer Stultz, who was op- erating the plane. She hds impugned his courage for turning hack and he replied that shil was asleep and sick and knew not of his decision to THE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTON, D. swing around, while the navigator was busily sending radio messages to notables unaware of the precarious sit- uation confronting them. The wise thing for Mrs. Grayson to do is to give up her flight plan for the year. She will find no pilot will- ing to fly heedlessly to certain death. and it is apparent that she knows little herself about the science of aero- nautics. Weather conditions are any- thing but propitious at this time of the year and the combination of plane, weather and pilot make it appear ob- vious that she should put her ambi- tion to be the first woman to span the ocean by airplane into mothballs for the Winter. —o———————— The Tipping Evil. Labor unions are portrayed as be- Ing heartily in favor of the abolition of the practice of “tipping.” as the giving of largess for individual serv- ice is widely called. Certainly the practice has much against it and little for it, but that little is deep seat- ed in human nature. It is probably true ‘that nine out of tén men “tip" not because they want to but be- cause they believe that they have to. It is the common belief among guests at hotels, restaurants and in other places where “tipping” is the custom that the individual will receive poor service if he fails to dispense liber- ally. The question is not whether one shall tip, but how much? The standard answer for the service of 1 meal is ten per cent of the check. and this is to be hid carelessly be- neath a napkin or left at the side of the plate. No doubt fully fifty per cent of the “tipping evil” may he laid at the door of the timid traveler, who {does not dare to expect and demand what he has paid for unless he puts himself in the position of employer as well as guest and pay the man for a service he already is more or less paid for. The fact that he may not | be adequately paid is no concern ot |the outsider unless his business be ipecific investigations of just that character. On the side of the tip taker it may be said that there are certain human natures, among both rich and poor, which are not satisfied to do their work without extra reward, but must demand some compensation on the side. Many persons are never so happy as when getting something for nothing, or when they think they ire getting something for nothing. It is extremely difficult, therefore, to foresee a future in which there will be no such thing as “tipping,” unless a universal movement is put on foot by employers of such labor to stop the custom. Certainly a “tipless” land would more nearly ap- proach the America of dreams and ideals than the present country of forced “tips” and graceless receiving. —————— English statesmanship sees a men- ace in a proposal to tunnel from Spain to Africa. With the airplane in serv- ice, howeflr, the Rock of Gibraltar may find less strategic threat in a tun. nel than in the ordinary means of transportation. —————— Ingenious rumors as to election pos- sibilities indicate that many loud and industrious politicians are not them- selves concerned in the pursuit of office. It is only natural for most of the cheering to come from the grand- stand. ———————— A mistrial means immeasurable diffi- culty and delay. Justice has little to do with the Einstein theory, although the time dimension does figure’ impor- tantly. ————— The schoolboys who recited “To be a Roman was greater.than a king!" did not know that the particular Ro- man in the case would prove to be Mussolini. —————— There are now so many automobiles that the motto of the big manufac- turers is likely to become “Not more, but better.” e Congress will be expected to study errors of the past, but only with a view to constructive work for the future. ——te +A novelist may find it easy to attain notoriety by sneering at an epitaph and approaching a reputation on the terms of a grave-robber. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Relaxation. Men ought to work as well as play, For toil may make a holiday When all the merry sports have left The spirit weary and bereft. When time and bets are lost in fun, Toward serious things our minds next run; In the pursuit of honest care That office desk looks pretty fair, Unfinished Business. “Are you going to start any Investi- gations?"” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It will probably be more than I can do to keep up with those that have already been started.” Discarded Instrument. Jazz has improved Beyond a doubt; At least they've moved That cowbell out. Jud Tunkins says there is no doubt about the finality of the words “I do not choose” when his wife employs | them, Standardization. “American methods are becoming standardized,” remarked the econ- omist. “They are,” answered Miss Cayenner “Even the floral decorations of wed- dings and funerals are beginning to look all alike.” ““An envious man,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is willing to de- stroy everything, n himselt.” Gentlemen of the Jury. Most jurors are polite. How sorry seems life's plan When some one heaves in sight Who proves no gentleman. “A professional fortune-teller,” said Uncle Ehen, “is de only gerson 1 knows of dat kin go (hrou.h 1 nulla’ but 'M news,” C., WEDNESDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Why do so many men dislike their first name? This is an unsolvable mystery. The number of *‘J. Thomas Judkins” and Frank Tompkins” in the land show the fact, but the reason therefor is not so evident. Not only are there certain names which no man likes, seemingly, but also there are initial monickers which the individual dislikes on his own account. Thus so good and renowned a name “harles” is heartily despised by who had it wished’ upon them at birth. They answer to the “Charlie” with more pleasure, but, of course, never write it that way. Thus such men find themselves thinking of themselves as “Charlie,” but signing themselves *“Charles,” the latter be- ing the official designallon of the per- son, as it were. Perhaps the remarkable flight of Charles A. Lindbergh did more to put his ancient and honorable first name in good standing with thousands of owners of the same than any event in history, at least since Charlemagne became “the great.” * ok ok % Let it be said again that there seems no particular and impeachable reason for personal spleen against the name. It is a good name, but many who wear it feel in the position of the enemy of one Dr. Fell, who described his emotions in the following verse: I do not like thee, Dr. Fell; The reason why I cannot tell But 1 do not like thee, Dr. 1. There would seem to be less reason for shrinking from the display of so fine a_name as “John.” vet this is per- haps ®he most disliked name of all, if one may judge from the number of full names appearing in print with the name abbreviated. “John" has heen shrinking through the ages, especially in the familiar English form. A century or less ago it it “Jno.” Just what good this did is difficult to see, as the word in English origi- nally possesses but four letters, and lhe insertion of an “n” hetween the J" and “o" and the placing of a period after the whole gives exactly four characters to be written, so that the abbreviated form is no abbrevia- tion at all. We moderns are doing a bit better. To cut plain “John” to plain *“J.” is to lop off half of the unwanted cog- nomen. If one thinks it is not wanted, just notice the number of *J. This” and “J. That” you see in the papers. Dislike, of course, does not always play a part, and no one else can say that it does, in any individual case. The desire to ‘“part” one's name, as the phrase is, seems to appeal might- ily to many men. (Women are not so given to this little trick.) Thus, by using an initial at the be- ginning, the middle name, usually an old family name, is given prominence. ‘This is a legitimate and natural way to write one’s name when one is the proud possessor of a good old family name, especially if it really happens to sound particularly well. If the present writer had been chris- tened. for instance, “Charles Green- wood.” he might be forgiven today for signing this eolumn *“C. Greenwood Tracewell.” Well, maybe! name of as quite the thing to abbreviate | Then there are certain names which the masculine world has come to look upon as somewhat effeminate, such as “Percy,” “Reginald” and “Clarence,” to select some shining examples. “Al- gernon,” too, comes within this classi- fication. Perhaps the poetry is responsible to some measure for this attitude of the raw masculine nature. Percy Bysshe Shelley and Algernon Swinburne have much to answer for in the next world. Yet their first names were wished upon them, and to their eternal credit it must be admitted that they did not hide them behind an initial and a period, but let them shine forth in the | light of day. Perhaps one commonly sees these names abbreviated less than others— such as “John”—for the owners know there is no escaping them. so proudly display them before the world. Percy Grainger, the late Reginald de Koven and Clarence Darrow—these are famous names, more so than if their owners had gone in for abbre- viation. * ok ok * One’s dislike for certain names, espe- cially if it happens to be one's own, often may be traced back to grade school days. It is not until years later that the average man realizes just what a pow- erful influence for good or bad those first school days were, with their so- cial contacts, their adjustment of the individual to the crowd. It you do not care for yvour first name, the chances are distinctly bet- ter than two to one that some young gentleman of those old days bore your same name. Perhaps he gave vou a hlecody nose in a fight, or maybe you did the same for him. At any rate, he made ¥n unpleasant impression upon you. You had gone hack to the old home town during your Summer vacation, and while there had visited the wagon works, the biggest industry in town. A wagon works when one is 9 years old is a greater place and distinctly a more interesting one than the Legis- lature. Here one was made a present of a fine hickory spoke, a veritable club, fit to slay Capt. Kidd or knock 20 as- sorted garden variety of pirates into a cocked hat or to make a whole tribe of Indians bite the dust. There was *“heft” to it that was so satisfying that nothing would do you upon your first day at school in the Fall but to take the spoke along. The boys admired it immensely you had the feeling of a conqueror— until Johnny Doolittle came Jobn was the school bully, hig as you, and undoubtedly one of the meanest cusses that ever lived. Johnny walked up ecalmly, asked for the spoke—and got it. Also, Johnny kept it. You knew he would when you saw him coming. and all the other bovs did, too. There was nothing to it. however, but to resign the spoke like a little man and make the best of it, as many a person has had to do before and since when confronted with harsh power. Years later you found vourself sign- ing vour name *“J. Henry Jones” and you didn’t know why. And tomorrow, if Johnny Doolittle should come in and ask vou for a job you would find some excuse other than the right one for not giving it to him. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. It's a delegation of all the talents that President Toolidge has selected as the United States’ spokesmen at the sixth Conference of Pan-American States in Havana in January. Charles E. Hughes' appointment as chairman assures the American delegation in- comparable distinction. The Presi- dent and Secretary Kellogg pondered many weeks before choosing the men who will represent us at Havana. Mr. Coolidge was intent upon picking “big men,” regardless of any special qualifications for Pan-American diplo- macy. But the delegation does include at least three persons who can legiti- mately be described as experts in Latin American affairs. Dr. Leo. S. Rowe, director general of the Pam- American Union, is probably the best posted man in the Western Hemi- sphere in the field of Pan-American relations. He speaks Spanish like, grandee. Dr. James Brown Scol generalissimo of the Carnegie Endow- ment for International Peace, also knows his Latin American onions and can converse about them with the fluency of a Spaniard. Scott for the past few years has been immersed in an effort to bring about a codification of Pan-American law. Henry P. Fletcher, American Ambassador to Italy, is another Havana delegate who knows Spanish well and has had long and practical experience as an Ameri- can diplomat in South America and Mexico. Rowe and Fletcher were dele- gates to the fifth conference in Chile in 1922, * k¥ Politicians are discussing the im- plications of Mr. Hughes' designa- tion for the Pan-American Confer- ence because it will mean his ab- sence from the United States during six or seven of the critical weeks of the pre-convention campaign. Two diametrically different construc- tions can be put upon the incident. In the first place, Hughes' acceptance of the appointment may be his way of signaling that he still considers himself “too old” to run for Presi- dent. On the other hand, the former Secretary of State may consider Havana an opportunity for so emi- nent national d international serv- ice that it would be a first-class stepping stone to higher honors next Summer. AN the world knows that Uncle Sam’'s Latin American fences are badly in need of repair. If Hughes—a fervent believer in the necessity of pan-American unity and amity—should contrive at Havana to place our relations beyond the Rio Grande and the Equator on a footing of firmer friendship, it's eas- fly within the range of possibilities that he could capitalize it into a formidable political issue. * Kk ok Senator Peter Norbeck's declara- tion in favor of Lowden for President is about as unmistakable an indica- tion of Coolidge's do-not-choose de- termination as has come out of the political woods for some time. Nor- beck was the President’s official host in South Dakota last Summer. The senior Senator from the Black Hills commonwealth was more or less con- stantly in the executive picture while the presidential family was in the State. He must have heen as close to the Coolidge throne as any one ever gets when the immortal pronounce- ment forthcame on August 2. It's hardly likely Norbeck would not be singing in the Draft-Coolidge chorus at this time if he really thought the President is still in the running. * ok ok ok Columbus, Ohio, which, in common h cities everywhere in the country, long has envied the beauteous glory of Washington's Japanese cherry trees, has just become the victim of the Fed- eral law which debars importation and replanting of foreign saplings. Th: City of Tokio recently presented Columbus with a gift of 3,000 cherry saplings, such as the Empress of Japan 20 years ago gave to Mrs. Wil- liam Howard Taft, when the latter was First Lady of the Land, and which are now annually in blocm in Potomac Park at Washington, trees destined for Columbus were spe- cially planted more than two vears ago and were prepared for shipment to Ohi» this Autumn. Just about the time they were to be dispatched, the Tokio municipal authorities were in- formed that a Government order from Washington required abandonment of the project. The American restriction is designed to keep out roreign plant diseases. * ok ok ok Senator Thomas Walsh, Demo- crat, of Montana, is the latest member of the senatorial sexagenarian club to cherish presidential ambitions. Walsh, who has just returned from his an- nual trip to Europe, is not avowing any aspirations, but his close friends are positive that he is in that coy and subtle state of mind which poli- ticians call “receptive.” Wisconsin, the brilliant Montana lawyer-states- man’s native heath, is said to be ready to send a Walsh delegation to the Democratic convention, and so is Minnesota. Montana, of course, is prepared at any time to adopt him as a favorite son. George F. Milton, who is Willlam G. McAdoo’s unofficial spokesman and an uncompromising anti-Smith Tenness.> Democrat, is backing Walsh, who measures up to the Miltonian dry standard. Walsh m-de many friends at the Democratic national dissension in Madison Square Garden four vears ago. and, though a Roman Catholic, would be accept- able—Milton says—to Dixie. ERE Herbert Hoover sidestepped this week an opportunity to be drawn into the seething maelstrom of Philadel- phia Republican politics. The Vare organization, which is fighting a back- to-the-wall municipal campaign to elect Vare's personal henchman, Harry A. Mackey, mayor on Novem- ber 8, invited the Secrdlary of Com- merce to participate in a _so-called “business men's rally” on behalf of the ‘whole Vare ticket. But Hoover, who is said to be becoming a very astute political fly, did not walk into the Philadelphia spider's parlor. He sent word that “pressure of business’” required his undivided attention at ‘Washington. Philadelphia reports in- dicate that attempts to secure speeches from other members of the Coolidge cabinet for the Vare cause were equal- ly unavailing. * * Representative Thomas S. Butler, Republican, of Pennsylvania, is now busily at_work drawing up a bill for a congressional appropriation of funds necessary to transport ‘‘over there” and back, including shelter while there, the thousands of gold-star mothers who, Butler thinks, should be given Government aid in visiting our 30.000-odd soldier graves in Eu- rope. Mr. Butler has assured himself of the enthusiastic co-operation of the American Red Cross. Judge John Barton Payne, chairman of the, Red Cross, says it will heartily and gladly place its full facilities at the gold-star mothers’ disposal, if so requested by Congress. Mrs. N. N. Nock, a Wash- ington gold-star mother, who recently visited France during the American Legion convention, is assisting Repre- sentative Butler in working out prac- tical plans for the great pilgrimage of maternal piety. (Copyrizht. 19 ———te— Flighty Age. From the Los Angcles Times. Future historians may speak of this time as the dawn of the era of wings or they may just call it the flighty age. ——eee Peaceful Times. From the Santa Barbara Daily News. ‘We are a changed people, and even a red-headed hoy can attend school without having a fight every day. -, Barely. From the Williamsport Sun. A New York taxicab driver, held ur by young hi 'men and robbed of his money a clothing, can at least truthfully that he barely es- caped with his 2 dential race next year. NOVEMBER 2. 1¥¥. Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln. South Dakota must continue to be ced in the Lowden column, at least for the present. Senator Peter Nor- beck, senior Senator and an influen- tial Republican leader of the State, has publicly declared his allegiance to the Lowden-for-President camp. Senator McMaster, the junior Senator, while a personal friend of Senator Norris of Nebraska, has not yet an- noanced himse'. for Norris for Presi- dent as the group of Republican Pro- gressive Senators now meeting con- stantly in Washington would like him to do. The fact of the matter is that the Lowden movement gained consider- able headway in South Daketa last Summer, after President Coolidge issued his "I do not choose” statement in the Black Hills. There is a group of Progressive leaders in the State, among them Senator Norbeck, which has pretty well dominated the delega- tions to (he Republican national con- ventions in recent ars, In 192 many of these Progri es got behind Gen. Leonard Wood for the presiden- tial nomination, as the friend of Presi- dent Roosevelt. In a three-cornered primary, Gen. Wood won the delega- tion, with Hiram Johnson running second and Lowden third. Four years later, the Progressives in Dakota undertook to give Senator Hiram Johnson of California the dele- gation, and did so. This was the only presidential primary State which John- son won in 1924, and his presidential boom did not get far at the time. * ok ok K 1t is more or less the same group of Progressives in South Dakota which gave Wood and then Johnson the delegations in 1920 and 1924 that is now hacking the Lowden movement. A number of Progressive newspapers the State have become more or less committed to the condidacy of Mr. cd The difficulty which the ris movement will face in South I'.kota is not that the Progressives are opposed to Semator Norris, but that the Norris movement has come so late. Had his candidacy been launched three or four months ago, the whole situation probably would be much different today. Lowden was picked then by the Progressives in the State as more nearly representing their views than any other man who stood a chance for the presidential nomination. In South Dakota the Republicans generally have accepted the Presi- dent’s Black Hills statement as re- moving him definitely from the presi- The people of the State wish a Western man named for President, if they can have him. Lowden or Dawes, Curtis or Norris, probably would please them. The farm_organizations are not in- clined to Secretary Hoover, although he would have support in the cities. * % Xk X Senator Curtis of Kansas, Repub- lican leader of the Senate, has been deluged with congratulatory letters and telegrams since he entered his Indian pony in the presidential sweep- stakes of 1928. They have run into the hundreds and even thousands, and come from all parts of the country. During a meeting of the officers and members of the executive committee of the Farmers’ Union, the Farm Bu- reau and the Kansas Grange, in To- peka last week, some of the officers made it quite clear that they would be glad to support Senator Curtis for the presidential nomination. At the same time they said that they would not stand for any movement to swing the Kansas delegation to Mr. Hoover, it it was found impossible to nominate Senator Curtis. Ralph Snyder, head of the Farm Bureau, and C. E. Brast- ed of the Farmers' Union were quoted to that effect. If they cannot have Senator Curtis, then they want Frank O. Lowden, they say. Nevertheless there is ao little Hoo- ver sentimagt in Kansas. A number of the old Pyogressives, including Wil liam Allen \White and former Gov. Henry Allen, are friendly to Mr. Hoover's candidacy. In Kansas there is no primary election of Wdelegates. ‘They are chosen in caucus and con- vention. That the delegation will be solid for Senator Curtis is predicted ith great confidence. But where the delegation will go if Senator Curtis cannot be nominated is another ques- tion. * ok * % “And, again, I'return to the funda- mentals of democratic government. If we are to maintain and promote these ideals we must maintain two-party And party government means organization, it means loyalty, it means discipline, it means princ ples, it means courage and responsi- bility in government. That is why I am a partisan member of my party.” That sounds as though it might have come from as strong a partisan as the late Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts. As a matter of fact, it is part of a speech delivered by Her- bert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce and potential nominee of the Republi- can party, in I 3 Angeles, September 2, 1926. Yet Mr. Hoover is sometimes accused by his enemies on the ground that he is not a partisan and does not play politics as the politicians want the game played. * ok ok K Col. Robert N. Harper, assistant treasurer of the Democratic national committee, who has been attending the American Bankers' Association convention in Houston, Tex. nomination of Gov. Al Smith of New York for President next year. “If we believe in the principles of the Democratic party,” said = Col. Harper, “we should back the only Democrat who has a chance to be the next President. That man is Al Smith of New York.” Col. Harper would pick Representa- tive Cordell Hull of Tennessee, former chairman of the Democratic national committee, as a running mate for Gov. Smith. Col. Harper is confident that Gov. Smith would be stronger in the States of the South than many of his opponents admit. The colonel him- self is from Virginia. He takes no stock in the prejudice against Smith because of his affiliation with the Catholic Church. “Any citizen Yhas a right to be President,” he said. “What could be better proof of our vaunted boasts of American being the land of oppor- tunity for the common man than the election of a man who says his only college degree is F. S. M., from Fulton Street Market. Smith is a veritable dynamo of governmental ener Col. Harper, a Democrat of the old school, is urging a return to Jefferso- sonian principles. He believes that a tariff should be worked out which would not measurably affect the man- ufacturing interests of the Kast, but which would be of great benefit to the South and the Wast. Mr. Hull, a student of the tariff and t laws, he said, could well work out such a tariff. * ok ox ok The only Democrat who is widely discussed in the South today in con- nection with the nomination for Presi- dent is Gov. Al Smith. Most of the discussion is distinctly hostile to the New York governor. No mistake about that! He is a wet and he is a Catholic. But the fact remains that no other presidential possibility is the talk” to any extent. Except In North Carolina and to some extent in Alabama and Georgia there is little mention of Gov. Donahey of Ohio as the rallying point against Smith. Whether the South will become s familiar with the Smith idea that in the end it will perhaps not go to the length of embracing it, but suffer it. remains to be.seéen. Reports brought from Dixieland indicate that there will be strong opposition in the Democratie national convention to any abolition of the two-thirds rule by which candi- for Fresident and Vice Presi South ; Q. How do the big ho(ke\‘ teams get and keep their players?—E. A. A. The players are sold Ju!t as those on professional base ball teams are. Q. How long does it (ake to fatten | poultry for market?—N. A. In commercial (anemns plants the birds are fattened for from 7 to 10 da mers usually keep them on | fattening rations about two weeks, sometimes a little Jonger. Q. Waat was the Agora?—\. P. ! A, In ancient Greece it the [Dlace of assembly, usually”the market | lace. Q. 2 'lhl-lc are gome amphibian planes in the Army Afr Service. Am- | phibians are :o constructed as to be lable to land either on the earth or on the wate The Army has no actual seaplanes. Q. When should a transplanted so berries?’—G. H Huu the Army any seaplanes’— | a holly bush be the holly 1. Onl duce ber; bush is November 1 to April he female holly plants pro- es. Q. When waus the State of Penn yania lnst complotely under water?— N A. The State of Pennsylvania has been under water many Mmes but not completely inundated since the car- boniferous period. Q. Pleace give the date of the first | issue of the complete works of Shake- speare and i alue.—C. C. G. A. The 1 folio edition of Shake- speare is the first edition of his com- that it will produce | A. The proper time to transplant| ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. hard as flint, but not_so brittle. In this country they were made largely from sandstone quarried in Ulster County, N. Y.; Lancaster County, Pa., and \lomznmerytoumy, Va. Q. How long have spectacles been used?—0. W, A. Spectacle lenses were well known in the thirteenth century, and their invention is credited to Salvino d'Ar- mato degli Armati, about 1255. Q. How many the world?—G. R. A. The number of lepers in the world is estimated to be about 3,008, 000 two-thirds of them being in China. Q. Please e of the phrase J. G. A. It is an expression in interna- tional law which defines that spirit of courtesy which causes one nation to | recognize the laws and institutions of | another in such a_manner as to per- | mit them to take effect within its own | territory. lepers are there in plat: |n the signific Q. What causes blushing?—P. 8. A. Blushing is redness due to sus- pension of the action of the local vaso- motor nerves, allowing the arteries and capillaries to dilate so that there is an increased flow of blood to the arts that redden. It is usually at- tributed to self-consciousness, occa- sioned by mental shock. Poise is necessary in order to eradicate this | habit. Q. Do vlenhanlfl make a noise when Lh’lrg.ng" . E. C. A. An African elephant when ahout ‘!n charge gives vent to a shrill, loud | trumpet. while the Indian elephant |eurls up its trunk and charges in plete works. The folio edition of that vear is almost pricel Q. monds in the world compare with lhn( . R. an anlhornl\ that the diamond represents fully four or five times the value of other gems found, including precious and semi- precious. India was the original home of the diamond as a jewel. For cen- turies India remained the sole source of Europe's diamond supply. About 1730 diamonds were discovered in Bra- zil. Tn 1867 diamonds were discovered in South Africa. South African dia- monds constitute more than 90 per cent of the world's supply. From their discovery to the present time they have ylelded 90,000,000 carats. The diamonds of the world probably repre- sent a value of $5,000,000,000. Q. How much copper is used in the making of pins in this country?— H. A.S. A. Five million pounds are used annually in the United States in mak- ing ordinary pins. which are composed mainly of brass that contains 65 per cent copper. Q. Does the male gorilla sleep on the ground? A A. He zenerallv sleeps at the foot of a tree to guard his family against the leopard. This beast is practically the only foe the gorilla fears. Q. Should rubber rings he used a second time on fruit jars?—A. M. E, A. Use only the hest grade of rub- bers, and use only once. Test by stretching. If they spring back like elastic, they are in good condition. Q. What_does the name ' Waikiki mean?—P. A. 1t means ‘~|‘»unin§ water."” Q. What were old mllhtonu made of?—T. M. A. The millstones used in the early grist mills abroad were made of huhr- stone, a form of silica, which was as New hope for “‘art and music and poetry and inspiration in a too me- chanical world” is found by some newspaper observers in the announce- ment that science has developed an electrical device capable of solving in- tricate mathematical problems. The quotation is from the Brooklyn Eagle, which thinks the human mind may give its time and attention to higher things if factory handling of equations at last has arrived. It is explained that the new con- trivance will “solve any second-order equation and will make a computation in from eight minutes to-a few hours which would take from a month to a year to work out by ordinary meth- Nevertheless, there is general objection to the name “thinking ma- chine” to what the San Francisco Bulletin describes as merely “an elab- oration of the arithmetic adding ma- chine into one equal to algebraic equa- tions.” “Does it really think?” asks the Charleston Daily Mail. “Can a child operate it? Can one who quit mathe- matics when he met up with cube root so manipulate the machine that it will of its own innate powers solve a ‘sec- ond-order differential equation’? Hard- ly. Nevertheless, even if the human tactor cannot be dispensed with and the human mind and human knowl- edge of a high and specialized type should be necessary to operate the machine, yet no doubt it is a wonder- tul ‘piece of mechanism.” The Chattanooga Times wonders, “since the problems which the ma- chine solves are too complex for the human brain, how does a human brain know that the answer which the de- vice turns out is the answer to the problem?” The Santa Rosa Press- Democrat points out, too, that “it takes a human intellect to make the machinery.” * K ok % “Those of us who have an adequate respect for mathematics,” says the Providence Journal, “will readily per- ceive that an instrument capable of the most intricate calculations should easily be susceptible of development to the point of dealing efficiently with any problem with which the human mind may be concerned. At present there are a thousand and one things that baffle us. In a few years possi- bly this will no longer be so. We shall be able to take our most vexa- tious problems, feed them into the machine and get the perfect wlutlnm within an hour or two. * Edu- cation will become a superfiuity. Facetiously suggesting that the ma- chine may be applied to politics, the Newark Evening News obser: that “the variety of uses to which the ma- chine could be put in the political | fleld alone is wide,” and that “even such a master mind as Mussolini might be transported with delight over this great handmaiden of politics. The idea is novel” concludes the News. “but what difference would it make to the electorate whether it has its think- ing done for it by such a machine as this or by a political machine?” The fear that “calculating machines may cause men to lose their old-time facility in handling figure: pressed by the Richmond News- —_— —_—————— dent are nominated. There will be no delegations from the solid South voting for Smith. To support Smith outwardly for the mnomination in those States would, it is said, be politi- cal suicide. But there is a growing How does the value of the dia- 1% silence. [ 42, What | tice?—M. l‘nr‘flr' Jjustice is that ideal jus- rding to which crimes should hed and virtues rewarded, re- authors and critics of the preudo classical school as proper to a poem, drama or other lit- erary work. | is meant by poetic jus- B. Q. How many visitors went to the national parks and monuments la: Summer?- . T. A. During the travel year ended September 30 they reached a total of 97.840. These figures exceed by 482,935 the high mark of 2,314,905, reached last year. Q. Are there more negroes than whites in South Carolina?—N. C. A. For the first time since 1820 the vhites are in the majority. While the 1320 census showed that 51.4 per cent of the population was colored, the esti- mate for 1925 showed that the whites had gained and were 50.5 per cent of the population. The percentage of negroes was at its peak in 1880, when it was 60.7. Q. Are surnames used in Sweden?— A. They are not .universally used |in Sweden. Comparatively few peas- ants have surnames. The children take the father’'s Christian name in addition to their own. ! Find out whatever you want te know. There is no room for ignora. in this busy world. The person who loses out is the one who guesses. The person 1who gets on is always the one who acts upon reliable information. This paper employs Frederic J. Haa- Kin to conduct an information bureaw in Washington for the free use of the public. There is no charge, except 2 cents in stamps for return poslage. Write to him today for any facts you desire. Address The Evening Star Information Bureaw, Frederic J. Has- in, director, Washington, D. C. New Calclilatlng Contrivanee Called Aid to Higher Things Leader, with the explanation: “Some of the difficult processes may be so completely mechanized it the man- ual method will virtually be forgotten. But how many hours of tedious, con- centrated labor machines have saved, and how many thousands of costly errors they have prevented! If only some genius will now devise a very small machine that the parent can use secretly in ‘helping’ the youngster with his arithmetic. humanity's debt to the makers will overflow in odes and monuments.” * ok ko the field to hitherto inae- research along electrical in the opinion of the Butler Eagle, while the Elmira Star-Gazette is interested in the prospect that “ine tricate problems may be solved with- out going to the trouble of thinking them through.” The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, however, while ad- miti Ing that age,” nevertheless holds that “it takes a human intellect to make the ma- chinery.” If science can invent one m: which outdoes the human Flint Daily Journal asks, possible that it may produce another? Shall we some day make use of m chanical devices which can think bet- ter than we can, which will have bet- ter memories and keener perception than we have? Some of the ordinary meters and checking devices in com- cial use today would appear to be such marvels to the ancients Thi Journal, however, admits that the new invention “is too complicated to be understood by any but a mathe- matical expert.” The attitude of the average person toward the mechanical mind and the results to be expected in future gen- erations are the subjects of specula- tion by the Washington Courthouse Herald. which states: “Seems imposs sible. It is impossible—of course, it is But we mustn't say that, because we have seen too much of the ‘impossi- ble’ accomplished during the Ilast decade. With this new machine, now, that will do aur listening. our figuring and our diagraming and charting fo us, what we are beginning to wol about is what use the coming generas tions will have for that part of us W& call a mind.” UNITED STATES . N WORLD WAR - Ten Years Ago Today § First contingent of American the trenches enjoy game of * jing” with German sharpshooters, {the result that many a German do no more sniping. * ¢ * Com report of U-bpat attack on trans Finland shows loss of nine lives. men were drowned, indicating ship’s companv took to small * * Since United States ent the war more than ,000,000 of food has been burned in this try, enough to ration an arm! 300,000 for a year. Estimated most of this loss can be charged to German spies or sympathizers. * ¢ » Government quickly mnondt to Kerensky’s plea on behalf of Russia by pmlng an additional su.'m‘m at Russia's disposal. voices full faith in that eountryn% termination to carry the war through to a successful finish, * * » 'n.. mans retreated from polnu llon. the inclination to “let nature take its course™ in the convention and if Al Smith gets a majority of the dele- gates not to prevent his nbmination Chemin des Dames in t tor of front in Frunc& b new retreat, inasmuch as French Dl'w“ through a long fll.lbulhr against hlm. endal Furtherm - leads %f Siuith 18 nominated c South in the general s s 4y