Evening Star Newspaper, December 19, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.....December 19, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Oftice: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office” Tower Building. European Office: 14 nt St.. London England. The Evening Star with the Sunday morn delivered by carrers within : daily only Por momte” Srde Wi or 5 - Tloohons ‘Main 5000, Solie carrier at end of each month Rate by Mail—Payable in Maryland and Virginia. ly and Sune .1vr. $900: 1 mo. 7 e, Sundar: i vr §0.00: 4 o av only $ i ai Su 78¢ J1vr $300° 1 mo All Other States and Canada. B:“’ and Sunday. ) vr.. $12.00: 1 mo.. $1.90 ily only. 1yr. 00: 1 mo. 7bc Sunday 1 $100° 1 mo. 35c Member of the Associated Press. Associated Press s exclusively entitled use for republication of all news dis- ‘credited to it or not otherwise cred- this paper and also the loc: viblished herein. rights of pub: of special dispatches herein are also - patch The Sea’s Toll. The sea continues to take its toll of those who navigate it below the sur- face. Another submarine has been y |appointed advisers would have him| |no room in the world of civilization in a toast to those who were his hosts. Yet some of these experts on how the world should be run would have had him dash his champagne glass to the floor and plunge into a vigorous attack on the terrible consequences of alco- holic consumption. Lindbergh would not mow be the ambassador of good will from the United States if he had “put his foot into it” when offered champagne or if he had told the Mexican President that such things as bullfights were too disgusting for him to see. Medals and invitations would not be pouring in upon him if he demonstrated the intolerance of spirit that his self- | do. Some hundreds of millions of peo- ple have found the flying colonel to be pretty much all right and these hundreds of millions pay no compl ments to Intolerance and marrow- mindedness, especially when com- | pared to sterling ability, cleanness of mind and act and the diplomacy of a | man such as Lindy. £ sty it The Market Site. The more the question of the loca- tion of the farmers’ market, soon to be ousted from its present site by the Government building works, is con- sidered, the more urgent it appears that a permanent site for it should be immediately selected and provision made for its acquisition in one meas- sunk in collision and now lies on the ocean floor off Cape Cod with forty- three men. Six of them, it is believed, have survived the shock and inrush of the waters and are awaiting rescue, sending pitiful messages of inquiry to the divers by code with blows upon the steel sheath of the ship. Every possible effort is being made to res- cue them, but at this season of the year conditions are unpropitious and the salvage work is attended with the greatest difficulty. While hope re- mains for these six men, it cannot be a high one and it will indeed be a marvel of good fortune if they are brought alive to the surface. Yet, as in all other cases of submarine dis- aster, no pains will be spared to this end. It would seem from all accounts of the catastrophe that the collision was unavoidable. The Coast Guard ship Paulding, a former naval destroyer, was returning to Provincetown from patrol duty. Suddenly, without warn- ing, the structure of a submarine ap- peared directly in the course. There ‘was no time to swing and almost in- stantly after the undersea craft was sighted the two ships were in collision, the Paulding being struck amidships while the submarine, fatally injured, sank immediately. The Paulding her- self was so badly hurt that she barely made port. Perhaps it will never be known why the S-4, which was on a trial trip, chanced to be brought to the surface in the course of the Paulding, for her navigator has probably perished. Ap- parently no blame attaches to the sur- face craft. She had no warning of the presence of the S-4 in nearby waters and could not avert the collision wher the submarine was sighted a few fathoms off the bow as it was emerg- ing from the depths. A little more than two years ago another American submarine, the S-51, was rammed by the steamer City of Rome off Block Island, at night, and thirty-four men were lost. In that case the submarine was running on the surface and her lights were not adequately noted by the liner's com- mander, who was afterward tried for the collision, but was acquitted of lame. This latest collision occurred _daylight. Had the submersible running awash she would have Jeen seen in plenty of time to avert collision. Many submarine accidents have been due to failures of mechanism which have caused the craft to sink and fill. In one or two cases the trapped crews have perished from suf- focation. During the war there were, of course. many losses incident to di- rect conflict. The ocean floor, particu- larly around the coast of England and France, is strewn with the wrecks of these undersea craft. Theirs was the fortune of war. But the loss of a sub- surface ship in peace time seems need- less. It is to be regarded as proof that navigation below the surface is not yet brought to the point of cer- tainty and safety of surface sailing. Still, it must always be remembered that collisions are continually occur- ring between surface ships with loss of life. This tragedy simply adds ta the price that is paid to that most ravenous of all the elements, the sea, for man’s use of it. ——————————— An invitation to a bullfight in Mex- fco is a formal compliment. The com- bat involves no great test of human endurance. A hot tamale or chile con carne contest would be something to make many a brave man tremble. —_————————— Lindbergh and Bullfights. There were any number of busy- bodies throughout the United States who must have had a pretty bad day of it yesterday. They had become all worked up over the possibility of Col. Charles A. Lindbergh attending a2 Mexican bullfight. the national sport of the republic. They had sent him letters and telegrams imploring him to avoid as he would the plague such a spectacle. Lindbergh, however, very properly refused to pay the slightest attention to those who would have him insult the country in which he was a guest and attended a fight staged in his honor. ‘Whether or not Lindbergh enjoyed the fight is beyond the point. If he had not accepted the invitation he would have at one gesture swept away the benefits of his spectacular non-stop flight, which, more than any- thing else, has linked closer the two countries. Refusal would have cre- ated an impossible situation and Lindy 18 not the lad to tangle up, intention- ally or otherwise, international affairs of delicacy and importance. Bome people are not satisfled with anything or anybody. Even Lind- ure. It may be necessary to make a provisional arrangement for the dis- play and vending of goods brought into the city by nearby growers pend- ing the erection of permanent sheds, shelters and accommodations. But there is substantial reason grounded in experience for avoiding a postpone- ment of the decision as to the perma- nent site. In their recommendation to Con- | gress the Commissioners express the expectation that ultimately the farm- ers’ market will be located at the point where the wholesalers chiefly congregate and prefer to wait until that congregation has been determined upon before specifically recommending a site. They fail to take into account the possibility that when the whole- salers are ousted from their present iocation in the immediate neighbor- hood of Center Market they may spread out over a wide area. The only sure way to cause them to con- centrate within a relatively restricted space is to supply them with a gath- ering point such as the central retail market or the farmers’ market, per- haps both. Public apprehension is felt with cause lest the placing of the farmers’ market on one of the sections of the Mall as a provisional measure will lead to procrastination. It is the only unit of the market group which must be shifted from its present location immediately. While the bill to acquire the entire Mall-Avenue triangle is likely to be passed early in the ses- sion and within a few months con- demnation proceedings, failing direct purchases, will ¥e under way through- out the area, the Government’s build- ing plans do not contemplate any erections at once upon the spaces now occupied by the wholesalers or the Center Market. Those spaces may be requisitioned ' for the next series of constructions, which will probably not be undertaken for at least two years. T lay his daughter on the lawn and drive away. He ran up prepared to en- fold his child in his arms, but found instead her horribly mutilated corpse, with legs and arms severed and a tight wire around her neck. Such a crime has seldom been dupli- cated. 1t is unspeakably revolting. So unnecessary, without reason and with such ferocity! It Is difficult to under- stand how the human mind could con- ceive such a diabolical outrage. The sorrowing family of the little victim has the heartfelt sympathy of every man and woman in the country. The fiend, when caught, and he will be sooner or later, should have a quick trial and a quick execution. There is H for such a creature. ———————— Predominating Disgust. The activities of Chicago’s mayor in his “America first” have at- tracted international attention and ideas | pretty general international criticism. est attempt, howevér, to insult the English and to bring discredit upon Chicago surpasses all the others. Mayor Thompson is the orsanizer of the “America First Foundation.” When his ideas about America first were broadcast throughout the country there was small response to the in- vitation to join the organization at ten dollars a head, and it seemed as if it would founder on the rocks of public opinion and financial instabil- ity. But Mayor Thompson hit upon another bright idea. He would col- lect from the personnel of the munici- pal departments under his control. And so the six thousand flve hundred policemen in Chicago were notified that each would have to fork up ten dollars for membership or else suffer the displeasure of the mayor. “This is a fine break for me,” one patrol- man said. “Here they knock us off for ten dollars just before Christmas. That means that a couple of my kids will be short Christmas presents, but I know that if I don't pay up I might as well get out the old hip boots, be- cause I will be sent out into the sticks where the tall trees grow.” Of course, it Mayor Thompson is questioned about his browbeating tac- ties with the police force he will claim that no order went out from his office, but just a general invitation, and it will be exceedingly difficult to make out a concrote case. But the people of Chicago and the people of the coun- try know what it means for a police- man to refuse that kind of an invita- tion, and if they were not disgusted with the antics of Chicago’s chief ex- ecutive before they will have a full measure of that feeling now. e ———————— Cheery news indicates that the New York stock market will greet the New Year in becoming spirit and extend wishes for many happy returns of the day. In spite of this comfortable at- titude, there will be abundant oppor- tunities for reckless investors to los their money if they insist on doing so. —————— Intelligent ambitions are discreet in their limitations. No TItalian tourist reports any inclination on the part of Mussolini to claim the distinction of wearing the most gorgeous pajamas on the Lido. —————— Venturesome statesmen throw their hats into the ring. Only the fool- It is altogether likely that short of the taking of the entire market area tract as a whole by the Government and peremptory ouster of all occu- pants there will during the next two or three years be a gradual dispersal of the wholesale establishments in an accelerating movement as available locations elsewhere become more de- sirable and less easily secured. But without any nucleus such as that fur- nished by the farmers’ market there will be no assured concentration. The practical way to avoid dis- persal and particularly to avoid a protracted occupation of the Mall by the farmers’ market is to select a permanent site for that institution now, coupled with a temporary pro- vision with a strict time limit. Other- wise there will be continued uneasi- ness and anxiety on the score of an- other makeshift creation in the park, which, fairly serving its purposes, will be allowed to remain indefinitely. ————————— Procrastinators. It takes only a short drive on a cold morning to discover how wide- spread is procrastination and how ex- pensive it 18 for the procrastinators. Cér after car this morning had the ap- pearance of a steam engine as its owner drove downtown. Steam from the bot- tom of the radiators and steam from the top, in some cases almost blinding the driver. These procrastinators seem to have an' exceptionally difficult time learning an exceedingly easy lesson. It is one of the most obvious trulsms in the world that anti-freeze liquid for the radiator costs less than the Inevitable repairs made necessary by the lack of it. Yet history repeatd itself day after day, and while it means increased business for the garage man, it means decreased business for the owner. And the most amazing thing about it is that communities spend millions of dollars for accldent pre- vention and expect results from per- sons who have not even the intelli- gence to save themselves money, which should be the most ordinary kind of intelligence extant. —_————————— Germany {is observing the former Kaiser with interest. Great as an Emperor, he may prove even greater as a realtor. An Atrocious Crime. More than four thousand police and citizens of California are engaged in a man hunt to find the fiend who committed one of the most atrocious crimes in the history of the United States. Fifty thousand dollars reward has been offered, and the prayers of an entire Nation are behind the gigan- tic posse. Last Thursday twelve-year- old Marian Parker, the daughter of a banker, was kidnaped from school. Her abductors wrote to the father, de- manding fifteen hundred dollars ran- bergh falls to measure up to their pecullar standards. In every place that he has been and in everything that he has done Lindy has shown himself alive to the necessities of the situation and has been a gracious and respected guest in countries he has visited. In France, although a total ’) abstainer, Lindbergh gracetully $ined som. He agreed to pay and arranged to meet the kidnaper a block from his home. The appointment was kept, the fifteen hundred dollars being paid over, and the criminal instructed the‘dis- tracted father to stand where he was hardy will accompany the hat with a pocketbook. ———————— ‘The lot of the ace is a happy one. There are as yet no great political perplexities in aviation. A crime wave is even harder to manage than a Mississippi overflow. —t SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, A True Story. A bullfight, once upon a time, ‘Was advertised as sport sublime. Some cowboys went the game to see And vowed that it must honest be. The :talwart bull—he raced around The ring. in anger most profound. The toreador shook in dismay And did his best to slip away. The cowboys, when he ran in fear Because the bull was rough and queer, Said to the toreador, “Old thing, ‘We'll chuck you back into the ring!" And there are cheers as still they tell Of that brave bull who never fell, And of the fighter, running fast, Who made his getaway at last. Prominence. “You have caused a great deal of discussion.” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Public interest requires that a man in my position shall either investigate or be investigated.” Modern Improvements. Old Santa is a patient friend, Who through the chimrey would de- scend. But now it is a task much greater To wriggle through a radiator. A Mistake. “Don’t you think a warm wave in December is unseasonable?” “It's a mistake,” replied the weather expert, “to quarrel with your luck.” Jud Tunkins says he went to a night club and envied the milkman, who came around without a headache. The Artistic Strut. “How's old Crimson Gulch?” asked the commercial traveler. “All right,” answered Cactus Joe. “But most of us old rufflans have been working in motion pictures. We have become so refined that we think of changing the name of the place to ‘Peacock Alley."” “Prayers to a joss,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “are valuable only when you can make them sufficiently eloquent to impress bystanders with your celestial influence.” Holiday Hesitation. An honest human being lends A genial cheer extensive. I'd rather have my mortal friends. A myth is too expensive. man dat believes all he hears an’ tells all he knows,” said Uncle Eben, “is liable to wish he had been born deaf an’ dumb.” The Season’s Mania. until his “sleeping” daughter was de- posited on her own front steps. The ¥rom the St. Louls Post-] What's THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. “He has twice as many things to think of and is twice as easy to reach &8 most men,” said one. lhat's always the way,” sagely re- marked his companion, They were discussing public charac- ters, those sought-after gentlemen who occupy positions of eminence and trust in the Government of the United States, which has its headquarters in ington. very one who has ever had any experience in trying to get to ‘see” 2 public official will agree heartily with the speakers above quoted. 1t is true enough that the “biggest” man often is the easiest to see and is the mo affable after one gets into the sanctum. This is the happlest part of it. The newcomer to the National Capi- tal, intent on pressing with a great character (of the mo- ment), might think all such men were ogres if he listens to the tales of some who_have never been able to get be- yond the “man on the door.” Those on the inside, as it wer know that the functionaries who pre side in outer offices often grossly libel the good humor and common sense, the very democracy, of the great nian whose portals they guar Rule 1 of the game of “getting in might truthfully be stated as follows Never judge the “big man” by the chap on the door! . * % ok k Let it be admitted, of course, that every Government official whosoever & besieged daily by scores of persons mportuning him, for favors, all the way from a job to a speaking date. A secretary is a real need for every man in the limelight. The man in the “public eye” (and what a very large eye it is, to be sure!) needs must wear a pair of blinders in the form of a secretary, or two. in turn, often enough *in a_modified form. Ha, too, must have his buffer. If it weren't for the capable buffer in hu- man form, Government departments and independent establishments (in- cluding that most independent of establishments, Congress) would be mad houses. It is manifestly impossible for the public business to be carried on if the dear and beloved public is to be al- lowed to walk in and out without regulation. This same beloved public has its rights, but they must be taken in ac- cordance with the “rules of the game.” Officials have found it expedi- ent to retire into inner offices, and to place vigilant men on the outer doors. The old threadbare tale that Gov- ernment officials get down late and leave early, and spend much of their time doing nothing, is untrue, in the main, as are similar easy statements. The man who is “hard to see” works as much as any one else, often a great deal longer and great deal harder, if the truth were known. * ok Some officlals do maintain, on the other hand, very disagreeable door flunkies. 1t is generally discovered, however, that such persons are almost always of the lowest ranks—that is, it is axiomatic among those who frequent public buildings that the worst treat- ment is received from office boys or others of low position allowed to guard doors for the moment. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Willlam T. Cosgrave, “President of the Irish Free Sta vill not be re- ceived in Washington with the honors accorded a ruling sovereign. He will not, in other words, be privileged to receive a call at the Irish legation from President Coolidge—a distinction accorded Viscount Willingdon, “King of Canada,” who was here early in December. ‘The difference between Mr. Cosgrave and Viscount Willingdon is that the Governor General of Canada ranks as a ‘“chief of state”— i. e., the diplomatic equivalent of a crowned head—while the ‘President of Ireland” ranks merely as a prime minister. ~Mr. Cosgrave will bs entet- tained at a state dinner at the White House and be the recipient of other exalted courtesies extended by our Government to distinguished strangers. But the President of the United States will not have to leave a card on him when the Irish statesman tarries among us in January. * K K K Charles G. Dawes made a private visit the other day to business prem- ises in the downtown district. He was received in the outer offices by a superefficient young woman secretary, who asked for his name and request- ed the general to cool his heels while she took it in to the boss. “Heavens! exclaimed the latter, when the secr tary sald who was waiting, “Why dian’t you show him in? Don’t you know he is the Vice President of the United States?” Rejoined the steno- graphic nymph: “Mercy, no! I didn’t recognize him without his pipe.” * X % X Untll the time comes, Mr. Coolidge says he's not going to give any con- sideration to his future employment until he leaves the White House. The inquiry that evoked this statement referred to common rumors that either the presidency of Amherst Col- lege or the chairmanship of the board of the United States Steel Corporation will be graced by Mr. Coolidge after March 4, 1929. To this observer comes a much more likely suggestion. A constituent writes in to say he knows what “Cal’s” going to do in private life. “He will make cross- word puzzles,” is the information vouchsafed. : * kK X Though they admire most every- thing America has to offer them, the foreign diplomats domiciled on our soil like to surround themselves with things that come from home. Senor Don Alejandro Padilla, the Spanish Ambassador in Washington, recently quired one of the Henderson man- sions on “Embassy Hill,” Sixteenth street, for his country’s official estab- lishment. It has been built and com- pletely ready for occupancy a long | ¥ time—Mrs. Henderson once hoped Congress would buy it for a vice presidential White House—but Am- bassador Padilla has just adorned the front door with an exceedingly hand- some iron grille, specially designed for the purpose by a foundry in Seville. * K K K Politicians think they know the true inwardness of Charles D. Hilles’ latest declaration—that if the Kan- sas City convention “chooses to nomi- nate Calvin Coolidge” the President must and will run. This is the way the G. O. P. wiseacres diagnose the statement of the Republican national committeeman from New York. Hilles was 100 per cent for Hughes. When Hughes eliminated himself on De- cember 7, Mr. Hilles had nowhere to go. So he clings to Coolidge, prob- ably realizing, as most men do, that the President hasn’t the glimmer of a notion of accepting renomination. That means—the dopesters explain— that a Hilles-controlled New York delegation will go to Kansas City, pre- pared to throw its formidable strength in whichever direction the going looks the best. The Empire State vote may well be a decisive factor. And Charles Dewey Hilles' possibilities are correspondingly big. * X Kok Ogden L. Mills of New York, Un- dersecretary of the Treasury, is about as rock-ribbed a Republican as ever stood pat. But his office overlook- ing Alexander Hamilton's statue on 5! ve some errand | It one can get In to see the big man, he s all right; the trouble comes in getting in! Generally the holder of the important position is “‘as easy as an old shoe,” as the saying is. There 4 certainly, some excep- tions. They are few and far between, and may be left to the ruthless hand of time and the queer antics of poli- ties. Between these two mer f: tors, which grind smaller than the | proverbial mill of gods, the “high | hatter” generally “gets his.” Most public men treat the visitor | with geniai courtesy, once he gets in. | Tt is the getting in, as stated, wherein lies the rub, I "To be made to cool one's heels for an hour or two in the antec mber—this |is an expericnce no one should m! | either one who lives in Washington one who comes here on a visit. If the visitor wants to have hi per tried, let him call on some secretary, say the great A. John I No sooner has the man at the desk | taken your name and pumped you as {to your errand than the ‘“heel-cool- ing” 88 begins, an expressive phrase it is, {this “heel coolin Frigidity at the one end, however, is more than bal anced by a rising temperature at the other as one watches the procession of minutes on the dial of the big clock, and also the procession of those who seem to know the “‘combination.” Seemingly, every one in town gets in to the secretary before you do How they smile knowingly and how comradely they greet the man on the door! There must be some trick to it, you finally conclude. The fellow is just trying to see how long he can keep you waiting before you get mad. You do become angry. Sometimes, if you get angry enough, it works very well. Often, alas, you do nothing but make a fool out of yourself! * X ok X The experienced office rusher comes to know the difference between the bhonest door executive and the four | flusher—between the man who really knows his business and the young “squirt” who delights in being dis- courteous. An inexperienced visitor, after being kept waiting for an hour or two, con- jures up for himself a mental picture of the great man inside which surely the official would never recognize. Such a newcomer is amazed, once he is allowed to enter, at the cordial greeting he receives, The great man rises from his chair, comes across an office that seems as large as the Ma- sonic Hall back home, and escorts him to a fine leather chair. “What can I do for you?”" beams the pride of the old home tow: haps he even calls the visitor Heated though in the twinkling of an eye. Surely this is the same man you voted for, the hail-fellow-well-met, indeed! The visitor seizes his courage in his hands, and hesitatingly requests a job of some sort for the boy. Have the young man write me.” says the official, in a reassuring voice, as he ushers the pleased and flattered guest to the big walnut door. There is many a slip, however, be- tween the letter and the Government Jjob, adorned with only two plctures—that of his chief, Mr. Melion, and that of Mills" old congri jonal buddy, Rep- resentative John N. Garner, Demo- crat of Democrats, from Texas. When the 1925-26 revenue bill was being formulated on Capitol Hill, Mills and Garner, both on the ways and means committee, were boon companions and inseparable co-workers. “Nick" Long- worth likes “Jack” Garner, too. The Texan and Finis Garrett, Democratic floor leader, belong to the Speaker's “personal cabinet.” * * X The woods are full of cabinet resig- nation rumors. March 4 is the date gossiped of. The names of Hoover, Work, Jardine and Davis (Labor) fig- ure in the talk, which, as far as can be ascertained, is dinner-table twaddle, pure and simple. Hoover’'s retirement is foreshadowed, in order that he may g0 after the presidential nomination. Insiders declare the Secretary of Com- merce hasn’t the remotest intention of quitting his job. Half a hundred men in the past have coveted the presidential nomination while remain- ing members of the cabinet. Work's resignation is hooked up with the sug- gestion that he intends to manage Hoover’s pre-convention —campaign. Dr. Jardine is slated for a big “Will Hays job” as czar of the Florida fruit trade. “Jim” Davis, according to the chatter, wants to leave the Depart- ment of Labor to be free to pursue the Republican nomination for Vice Presi- dent. * Kk Xk X “Alex” Moore, late American Am- bassador to Spain, never quits Wash- ington_without leaving behind a trail of good stories, of which he’s frequent- ly the hero. The Pittsburgh editor- diplomat and Coolidge scout says his funniest experience was in the Wal- dorf-Astoria not so many years ago. He commissioned the switchboard operator to get him, on the long- distance, in_, succession, Theodore Roosevelt, Lillian Russell and Pier- pont Morgan. She took the Roosevelt call seriously, but when Moore began asking for the others she pressed a button that brought the house detec- tive. “That fellow's a nut,” Moore heard her say, “and you'd better watch him,"” (Copyright. 1927.) ——oae Star Policy Praised As Factor in Success To the Editor of The Star: I have just read all The Star had to say of itself concerning the seventy- fifth anniversary. Noticing one impor- tant omission, I am inspired to give nd that is that the of The Star has To say, “I saw it in The Star, always inspired belief of authenticity. Of course, this reliability may some- times make The Star seem a little tame, but in the end the unvarnishing story commands the respect that is associated with lasting confidence. Time has proved to the writer—he did the advertising for a leading de- partment store for 40 years—that The tar has always been in its deal- ings. This did not always seem so, for in my younger and more bellicose days 1 ever fighting The Star— as when the belligerent Frank Noyes refused to place our adverisements in one location daily, so that readers would know just where to turn for our store news. I remember his view- point—that, while our store used the greatest space, the interests of the smaller advertisers had to be consid- ered, and so they got near “the ed torial page,” the most desired loca- tion. And, too, as The Star grew in cir- culation the rates per line were ad- vanced, and always too much from this advertiser’s viewpoint. But time has also showed that The Star was always entirely just, and results always ultimately proved the economy of its rates. Another point—we all have to ad- mire The Star because it never got “rattled. Of course, it had its early struggles, but it never stooped to con- quer. And that's why we are glad it has safely reached. its enty-fifth anni- {the New Section Rich in History. Boulevard to Richmond Passes Through Consecrated Ground. To the Editor of The Star: 1t history Is philosophy teaching by example, then philosophy’s academles are the most thickly clustered in the country traversed by the boulevard from Washington to Richmond. Every mile of it is of intense interest to the student. Plato, the father of idealism, pro- pounded under the classic Ilex groves of the Academia at Athens a lofty concept of government which has claimed the admiration of the world in all the ages, but they all stopped with admiration. There has been no serious attempt to reduce It to prac- tice. A century and a half ago, George Mason of Gunston Hall, evolved under the groves of crimson oaks on the banks of the Potomac a new ideal of government for the new Nation in World, which was a star- tling challenge to the age-incrusted na- tions beyond the seas. It was for a government of the peoy.:. for the peo- ple, and by the people. Like Minerva, who sprang full armed and capable from the brain of Jupiter, it entered the arena throwing down its gauntlet to all comers, especially Great Britain, the strongest of them all, in the ma- jestic words of Daniel Webster: “On this question of principle, the Colonles raised their flag against a power to which, for purposes of for- ecign conquest and subjugation, Rome in the height of her glory is not to be compared—a power which has "dotted over the surface of the whole globe with her possessions and mili- tary posts, whose morning drum-beat, following . the sun, and keeping com- v with the hours, circles the earth with one continuous and un- broken strain of the martial airs of England.” The Government so instituted met all the needs of humani In the short historic period of 150 years it grew from a thin line of sea coast colonies to the richest and most pow- erful and peaceful nation on the globe. George Mason’s Bill of Rights is an essential portion of the Consti tution of the United States. Three Presidents had their birthplace and rearings in that historic country, these were Washington, Madison and Monroe, and they guided the Nation through 24 years of troublous early history. 4 A few miles from Washington, and 4 or 5 miles from George Mason’s home at Gunston Hall, is Mount Vernon, the revered home of George Washington, supreme as an empire builder, exalted first American and worthy recipient of the sword sent to him by Frederick the Great inscribed “From the oldest general in the world to the greatest. Fifteen miles from Washington City, directly on the boulevard, is the fa- mous Pohick Church, a large and sub- stantial structure—erected by Wash- ington and the vestry something over 150 years ago. It is pretentious enough for the seat of a bishop. It was in the middle of the vast extent of Truro Parish, which then extended back to the Buil Run Mountains. It seemed it would attain Episcopal honors when its thousands of square miles of fertile flelds were well peopled. It was the social, political and religi- ous center .of that great region. George Washington, mounted on his thoroughbred, carefully groomed horse, would ride thither on Sunday, followed by Mrs. Washington in her stately carriage. The planters would discuss crops and prices, the local politics and the latest phase of British tyranny. The ladies would talk society gossip of the neighborhood and the fashions. It has been recently restored to its former old-time magnificence by patri- otic ladies and the services are well attended. Adjoining it is the ceme: tery, containing the remains of many whose names are prominent in Revo: lutionary annals’ As the boulevard crosses the Occo: quan it passes by the deserted site of Colchester, once a seaport and a port of entry. It had all the appertenances of a thriving city. Col. William Gray- son, prominent member of Washing- ton's staff, was once an “affluent mer- chant” of Colchester. Not far from the southern end of the boulevard is the former home of Chief Justice John Marshall, ablest jurist since Moses, Thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the new Nation, his wise, far-seeing decisions became the mighti- est factors in welding the dissident colonies into one mighty Nation. Mid- way of its course the boulevard crosses the Rappahannock Red River of inter- necine strife and passes the historic city of Fredericksburg. This city was Virginia's flery heart of the Revolu- tion. Its citizens were ardent patri- ots. Many of their names stand high on the roil of the Revolution, headed by John Paul Jones, father of the American Navy, and Gen. Hugh Mer- cer, who died gallantly at the head of his division in Princeton. Gibbon says that if there is such a thing as resurrection of the body there will more bodies rise on_resurrection morn from the plain of Esdraelon or Jez Reel. This covers a gap in the Lebanons through which the hordes of Asia for over 4,000 years poured down upon Palestine. We could de- seribe the size of Esdraelon by a tri- angle drawn from Fredericksburg to Orange Court House thence to Spotsyl- vania Court House and thence back to Fredericksburg. Upon_this tract of territory 100,000 men have gallantly died fighting for what they believed to be right. When death rode with his sickle keen over the fields of conflict, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, literally thousands fell on his left and tens of thousands on his right hand. When the Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold with his cohorts gleaming in purple and gold, the loss of his entire army was not more than the Union and Confederate armies in an outpost affair. A man consecrates the ground upon which he dies for principle, consequently the ground around Fredericksburg must have con- secration exceeding that of any other spot on earth. Turning their backs upon the sad but glorious memories of the Wilder- ness and Spotsylvania, they paused not an instant to weep for the fallen. The survivors of the armies of Meade and Lee plunged into weeks of mortal wrestling for the road to the Chicka- hominy. Scarcely an hour passed without the cannon booming and the deadly rifle seeking its prey. The line of the gruesome march from. the Rap- pidan to the Chickahominy was a sad sequence of shallow graves mark- ing every step. Upon the Chickahom- iny they came upon a similar line of graves two years old from Cold Har- bor to Seven Pines and Malvern Hill marking the strife and slaughter of the Peninsula campaign, which reached the very gates of Richmond. Only a_ few miles from the boule- vard is Yorktown, scene of Washing- ton’s final triumph, the end of the Revolution. It Washington had dene nothing else the superb strategy by which he penned up Cornwallis and forced his surrender would be enough to piace him mortally among the world's greatest generals. At every step the tourist must find his heart overflowing with pride in the wisdom and sagacity of the Fathers of the Republic and of the valor and fortitude with which their sons_fought for the greater glory of the Republic. ~ JOHN McELROY. — e Accustomed to Explosions. From the Baltimore Sun. Men living in the vicinity of high- explosive stations don’t seem to mind it as much as women. No married man would, of course. have derogatory remarks concerning the policies of its many past years. May The Star now look forward to its one hundredth anniversary with every assurance of continued success! It can do so if truth and justice continue to be its inviolable policy. 2 o W BY FREDER Q. What members of the Greely expedition are still living?—E. L. C. A. The Greely expedition took place during the years 1881-1884. So far as is known, Gen. Greely and Gen. Barnard are the only members of the expedition now living. Q. What s Bebe Danlels’ name?—H. H. A. Her name is Phyllis Danlels. Q. Who said, here!”?—L. D. A. The words “Lafayette, we are| here!” were spoken in Paris at the| tomb of Lafayette on July 14, 1917, by Col. Charles E. Stanton of the United States Army. real “Lafayette, we are Q. How long is the Broad Street subway, Philadelphia? How much aid it o A. H. R, A. The Philadelphla Chamber of Commerce says that the North B: Street subway is six and one miles long and cost approximately $100,000,000. It is a four-track s ture, fully equipped, and will be r for operation within the next months. —A. C. A. The word is derived fro he old French word *“marin,” meaning ‘“sea soldier.” The United States Marine corps is an independent branch of the military service *and, though under the direction of the Navy Department may be detailed by order of the Presi- dent for service with the Army. The duties assigned to the Marine Corps rrison the navy yards and jons and the defenses erect- few | Q. Why are the “Marines” so called? | IC J. HASKIN. holly insured good fortune for the coming year. Q. What is the highest the Island of Gulm?—"‘. T rl. - A. The summit of Mount Lamia is the highest point. The 0““3 is 1,334 feet above the sea. Q. Why are cat-talls not used now- days for upholstering?—8. C. A. Cattails have a disagreeable odor that is not easily removed and for that reason they are not satis- factory when used for upholstering and making mattresses. Cat-tails are not used commerclally in this country, In England they were used for up. holstering, prior to the time that Kapok was introduced from Java. Q. What cou —H. 1. The rgest cotton-productng in the United States is Boli. tv_Miss., which in 1926 pro- running bales. The 500-pound bales produced was 166,040, ntry produces the most C. count var C number in this cc of Q. Why were vessels christened with champagne?— R, A. We find no definite statement as to why champagne was selected as e wine with which to christen ships. After its invention by a monk, cham- pagne became a favorite drink and for a while was very expensive. This | is probably one of the reasons for its selection. The custom of so christen- ing a ship is a relic of the ancient libation which was practiced when Is were launched. The ancients consecrated the ships to the gods hose images they bore. ed for their protection; to furnish to all battleships and ¢ s and other vessels, when necessary, a detachment for guard duty and also to assist in the handling of the ships' guns. A mobile force is also s held readiness ‘at the Ma s as the first line for for ce when the occasion may arise. Q. Why are evergreens used for decoration at Christmas?- . W. D. A. The custom of hanging ever- greens in the house at Christmas time originally had a purpose bevond decoration. In olden times, each kind of evergreen was supposed to confer special blessings on those who passed beneath it. To pass under in | | There is no other agency in the | world that can answer as many legiti- |mate questions as our free Informa- | tion Bureaw in Washington, D. C. | This hiohly organized institution has been built up and_is under the per- | sonal direction of Frederic J. Haskin, | By keeping in constant touch with | Federal burcaus and other educational | enterprises it is in a position to pass on to you authoritative information of the highest order. Submit your queries to the staff [ experts whose services are put at your free disposal. There is no charge except 3 cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Evening Star Information Burea, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing. ton, D. C. Opinions of Pre Discussion of the Government en- gineers’ report on flood control and President Coolidge’s references to the subject centers about the financing plan. Spokesmen for the lower Mis- sissippi Valley warmly protest against the share of the burden proposed to be allotted to States directly affected, while from other sections of the coun- try come opinions that the division of cost approved by the President is logi- cal and fair. Hailing the and adequate engineers’ plan as “sane for the reduction of the floods which devastate the valley, cramp ifs prosperity and limit its progress, the New Orleans Item, nev- ertheless, makes the protest: “So far as Louisiana is concerned, the ex- pense aliotment seems to us entirely beyond consideration. The three or four States at the bottom of the val- ley are called upon for about $37,000,- 000 for construction alone. The great bulk of that would fall on Louisiana alone, because two of the spillways, including the biggest of them, are within our borders, and most of the third spillway is also in Louislana and we also have the greatest levee mileage to be strengthened. On top of that conmstruction cost—whatever it may be—comes the cost of the land for rights of way' for the spillways and for levee widening—probably the biggest item in the whole budget. It does not seem to us that the cost to this State alone—for holding the floods of 31 other States—can be less than $40,000,000, and it might be more.” “There is throughout the country a strong public sentiment, voiced not only in the recent hearing before the House flood control committee, but emphatically ever since the disaster last Spring,” according to the San Antonio Express, “that curbing the Mississipp! s a national undertaking, properly to be paid for out of the Fed- eral Treasury. Many citizens feel that the States and communities al- ready have done their part. Fighting back the waters poured.upon them from 31 States and two Canadian provinces, these jurisdictions have— through perhaps 75 years—spent an average of $2 for every one which Congress has laid out upon flood con- trol. Yet the problem is undeniably national in scope.” * X X X The President’s reference to irriga- tion projects requiring the payment of one-third of the cost by adjoining land, and comparison with the flood plan by which the States will pay 20 per cent of the cost of certain work, is eriti- cized by the Louisville Courier-Journal with the statement: “The dissimilarity is so palpable as to suggest a contrast rather than a comparison. Irrigation is a benefit conferred upon nothing but the land irrigated, the value of which—nothing to begin with—pre- sumably is enhanced at least to an amount equal to the cost, else no one would want it, and owners or pro- spective settlers can take it or leave it. Flood control is not primarily intended to confer a benefit, but to prevent dis aster to land already occupied and re quiring no governmental expenditure to enhance its inherent value or pro- ductivity. * * * There probably will be no disposition to make the on the landowners unbearabl comparison of their plight with proj- ects to force the desert to bloom may cause them a little uneasiness.” “Millions of dollars in bond issues were owed by those landowners, the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat. “Even more millions were owed by those who were forced to borrow to pay other taxes as well as for the actual operation of those farms. In short, that area already was hard préssed when the flood came. Under such conditions why should not the Government bear the entire cost? The New York Sun takes into ac- count the argument that “the Govern- ment should pay for flood control in the Mississippl as it does for harbor work in navigable waters,” but it con- tends: “The two projects do not stand on the same footing. Federal au- thority over navigable waters is neces- sary unless the country is to abandon an ‘essential part of the national de- tense. Flood control will henefit the entire country incidentally, but pri- marily it will benefit those who own bottom lands along the rivers, much of which is worthless without flood con trol and extremely valuable with it.” * ok ok % Referring to the attack upon the plan by Senator Hawes of Missouri, the St. Paul Dispatch argues: “The Army plan of requiring localities to pay 20 per cent of the costs and the States to provide the lands needed is fair and reasonable. The chief wenk- ness of the co-operative method is that it has resulted in weak protection ad- jacent to the poorer districts. This is met in the Army plan provision for maintenance of parts of the leves system at Federal expense in the dis- ss Are Varied On Flood Relief Finance Plan volved, will agree. Tn most of its op- erations in which €tates or portions of States are befitted,” this paper points out, “the Government insists on local co-operation. The Federal highways system, for instance, is bullt only with State co-operation.” The Lansing State Journal holds that “the President is generous in the proportion of Federal money to State money,” adding, “He says that the United States may go as high as 80 per cent of the cost, but he does seem to insist, as we think he should, that the States, or the land benefited should pay something.” The Hawes plan for the expenditure of a billion dollars rather than the $30,000,000 now proposed is attacked by the Spokane Spokesman-Review with the statement that the issue is “whether the American people shall be taxed $1,000,000,000 of principal and probably another $1,000,000,000 in interest to reclaim, as an outright gift, lands subject to flood on the Mis- sissippl and its tributaries, for the benefit and enrichment of individuals, corporations and communities in the flood area.” ; Election Funds Viewed. Mr. Pinchot Discusses Results of Vare-Smith Case. To the Editor of The Star: Now that the exclusion of Vare and Smith from the United States Senate is assured, the next step is to make certain that no such corruption of the ballot will occur again. ‘We need to set by law a limit to the amount of money that can be spent in an election for a national office (such as Senator or Congressman). and any candidate whose campaign expenses go beyond that limit should forfeit his election. To make that workable every candidate should be re- quired to appoint an agent (and sub- agents if necessary) through whom and through whom alone all campaign expenses would be paid. Nobody else should be allowed to spend a cent, under severe penalties. In that way, all the money would pass through the hands of one man and the total cost of any campaign could be actually known and effective- Iy limited. But what should the limit be? Ob- viously, money enough to conduct a campaign in Nevada, with less than 100,000 people, or in Michigan, with 4,000,000, would not get far in Pepn- sylvania, with 10,000,000 Obviousiy, again, the limit must be fixed at so much per inhabitant or per voter and not at so much per State. The present limit set by Federal law is in fact no limitation at all, for it allows unlimited spending for print- ing, postage and most other items of campaign cosl The Pennsyvania committee of 76, a non-partisan body, appointed to con- sider the whole problem of clean elec- tions after certain frauds by the Vare machine became known, last year recommended for primary elections a limit for all expenditures of every legal sort equal to 10 cents for each vote cast by the candidate’s party at the last general election for any office in the candidate’s district. That would result, in Pennsylvania, for example, on the basis of the election in which Vare ran, in a limit of $110,000 in a primary campaign for the United States Senate. 3 The same general principle of Hmi- tation, if not the same specific limit, can be applied, of course, to a general election as well as to a primary. The amount of the limit is very im- portant. If the number of cents per voter is made too large the purchase of elections will not be prevented. If it is made too small an independent candidate could seldom or never win agai an organized machine. Since it o 5 cents to send one letter to one voter, the limit of 10 cents would not apy to be unreasonably high. The punishment for exceeding the limit should be loss of the election. If any candidate (or his authorized agzent) spends money beyond the legal limit, or for any purpose not allowed by law, his nomination or election should be vold. The point is to make te who cheats lose the of- fice he cheated to get. 1f a candidate is guilty of fraud or of conniving at fraud, in that case also he should lose the office he cheat~ ed to get. That will be a far better deterrent than merely putting some crooked minor election official in jall, desirable as that is also. Other things are necessary, such as requiring all contributions and ex- penditures larger than, say, $5, to be made by check, preventing a num of candidates running together as ticket from spending more than one candidate running alone as one ticket, and complete publicity of campaign expenses. cretion of the Secretary of War.” The Albany Evening News ex- presses the view that the Federal Gov- ernment proposal “appears on the surface to be reasonable.” The San Bernardino Sun thinks “there is logic in the contention of the President,” and that “vary probably the country, But the main thing is to make buy. ing or stealing elections unprofitable, A man who buys or steals votes to win an election should lose it. evem it he wins. . A bill embodying the foregoing prin. ciples is in preparation and will 1y be introduced in Con