Evening Star Newspaper, March 5, 1928, Page 8

8 P e ettt {THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D.C. MONDAY.... .March 5, 1928 THEODORE W. NOYES.. Newspaper Company o Ofice The Evening fi\‘ 11th St and New York Office: 110 E: 0 Office: Tower Ofice. 13 Regent St.. Enzland Ind St Building. London, Rate by Carrier Within the City, The Evening Star. . .. . -4d¢ per month The Evening and Sunday’ Star on 4 Sundays) . ... ....60¢ per month The Evemng and Sunday S when 5 Si +..65¢ per month .. ... B percopy e at the end of each month. sent 0 by mail or telephoue. in Advance. A All Other States ;ul d Canada, 2 Sundas.. 1 2.0 0; 1 mo., $1.00 33¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press 1s exclusively entitled 10 the use for republication of all news dis- Patches credited 10 16 or not otherwise c per and also the local news All rights of publication es heren are also reserved. The Soft Coal Inquiry. Tomorrow the Scnate interstate commerce committee will begin an in into the soft coal situation. Assisted by a report from four of its members who obtained a first-hand owledge of conditions in Pennsyl- a, the committee hopes to find some of the underlying causes of what ails the coal industry. Generally speaking, these causes are pretty well known. There are to0 many mines. too many miners, overproduction and too much “cut price competition among the opera- tors. The committee, however, will delve into the acute labor situation resulting from the determination of some opera- | tors to break away from the closed shop principle and will sift charges that the railroads have joined the operators in fighting organized mine labor. Sectional politics, use of injunction by the courts, railroad rates and other matters relating to the sick coal industry will come in for discussion. Some interesting facts will be divulged. But the country as a whole must be fairly tired of talking about what is the matter with the coal industry. Many believe the time is rapidly approaching, 1s perhaps already here, when the Fed- eral Government must stir itself to find & cure. The President’s Coal Commis- sion spent more than a million dollars end compiled valuable and exhaustive statements relating to the trouble with the coal industry. But it decided that the cure must come from within the industry itself and that the least pres- sure by the Government the better. Less government in business is a popular fetish and one which is worthy of worship. But the coal industry needs government more than anything else. It seems unable to supply this govern- ment. Government from the outside may be the only remedy. Nationalization of the coal mines Is out of the question. Government con- trol of the coal industry is not. We have Government control of the rail- roads, Government control of banking. Government control of insurance and Government control, direct or indirect, ©f business practices through legislation enforced by the Federal Trade Commis- sion. How long can the coal industry expect to escape such regulation, espe- cially when the need is so evident? Secretary of Labor Davis has favored the selection of a czar for the coal industry, chosen by the industry itself to rule it with an iron hand. Others believe that legislation might be enact- ed w0 permit combinalions and price sgreements among the operators. Some favor leaving the problem alone alto- gether and finding its solution in the inexorable workings of economic laws There has been the suggestion that all coal operators agree upon a proper standard of living for their employes, thus fixing a basic production cost and building upon that foundation. But what good are such suggestions unless there is accompanying and definite action? The coal industry, over a long period of years, has been getting sicker. It seems headed from bad to worse. Those who advocate Government con- trol would approach it through the general principle of ratlroad legisiation end st up some agency comparable to the Interstate Commerce Commission with its powers v regulate prices, to bring ebout consclidations and to control competition. The correct solution will not be id in a day, or in a year, but the interstate commerce committee of the Berate has a worth-while goal, and st should be more concerned with g @ permanent cure than of ex- the various maladies with which try is afficted uor 8a deal vented a walking riraiy L in by bootleggers has umber of politictans from B A Navy Below Requrements, On faturdey the House naval affairs oommittes submited 18 report on the | ravel bulding program Within & few daye the stwention of the House, and later of the Senate, will Y- be rivered upon 4 much misun- Cerstod, i lated plan recommended by the House com- mivee calls for sizteen ships &t a cost H05.000, instesd of the seventy- D 8740.000 000w heme spproved by the Secretary of the Navy and the Freeiden The o gress Blabemen s one-s ) and Con thoughttully the comn Vi, W ponder repont which ao v n I oprogram the S e repon aratied Ly Ju W, hr of M s I certain Fespects an wmuzing document, for onvinus o plan Uie cominiiiee does Lot whole-heartedly poricr i It mekes clear that the “approved” progrem Cwill el leave our Navy In - ton ' U stlests that 31 e Luenty-five cruisers wsked for by e 1t it the Bve no cruiers for pubilicen “recomnends” BeCoLCRTY o tiw Nevy Department fed States will A the cppitel fleet will considerea peo o nnitiee destres Cing ben crulsns Y Wl s rer “Your Cuphesize et and efficleney " when the fifteen pro i which | [0} THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, MONDAY, MARCH 5 1928 States will have only thirty-three mod- ern cruisers. This is ten less than the essential minimum determined by the Navy general board.” The report shows that instead of a five-five-three balance of naval strength the ratio in crulsers will henceforward be Great Britain, five; America, one and four-tenths, and Japan, two and six-tenths. For weeks statements have been in categorical circulation on Capitol Hill that the naval affairs committee was being subjected to unprecedented pres- !'sure by the country's anti-preparedness groups. The pressure was so intense, as one important member of the commit- tee has confessed, that an original ma- jority of twenty to one for the seventy- one-ship program was eventually con- | verted into a majority of twenty to one against that program. | The House committee’s report would have contiibuted impressively to the Nation's knowledge if it had disclosed the precise reasons that led to this kaleidoscopic change of front. On the face of the committee’s own showing it has recommended a plan which it ad- | mits to be seriously below the require- ments of national securit; ———— The Smithsonian's Proposal. In an endeavor to secure for perma- nent display and preservation in this country the original Wright airplane, the first which actually carried a man, Secretary Abbot of the Smithsonian | Institution has in the name of the in- stitution made a proposition to Orville ' Wright which opens the way to a so- !lution of the difficulty arising out of the label affixed to the Langley machine, | city. Dr. Abbot says: If Mr. Wright will openly state in |a Triendly way that he appreciates the | Smithsonian _Institution honestly {Tieves that the Langley machine of 11903 was capable of sustained free flight under its own power, carrying a !man, and that it now removes the | public_statement not in confession of error, but in a gesture of good will for the honor of America, then I am will- ing to let Langley's fame stand on its merits and to reduce the Langley label to this simple statement: “Langley Aerodrome—the Original Langley Fly- ing Machine of 1903, Restored.” Mr. Wright, in a statement issued at Dayton, contends that this proposi- tion by the head of the Smithsonian | “does not alm to correct the serious | things” to which objections have been raised. He says that it does not cor- rect the “false propaganda” put forth in an attempt to take the credit for what the Wright brothers did and give it to Prof. Langley. He refers to “mis- statements” in publications of the in- stitution which he says are more seri- ous than the label on the machine, and indicates that until those publications are corrected he will not regard the record as cleared to the point of per- mitting the deposit of the plane in Washington as its permanent resting place. After all, the important point in this matter is the preservation in the coun- try of its origin of the first plane that accomplished human flight. Should that plane be deposited here on the terms of the present proposition by the head of the Smithsonian Institution, it will be viewed by millions in the years to come who will have no knowledge whatever of the controversy regarding the question of priority. The records .;of the Smithsonian Institution will | themselves be amended by inclusion of the present proposal and the accept- ance by Mr. Wright of the terms of- {fered. It is impossible to go back and cancel what has been written and !printed on the subject. It could hardly be expected that the present administration of the Smithsonian will repudiate the course of the preceding administration, Secretary Abbot’s offer is made in good faith, with considera- |tion for the sensibilities of Mr. Wright |as well as for those of his associates, |living and dead, who have sincerely |held to the belief that the Langley {plane was, as the present inscription | upon it reads, “In the opinion of many { competent to judge, the first heavier- | than-air craft in the history of the | world capable of sustaining free flight | under its own power, carrying a man.” | The record today is perfectly well jknown. The Langley plane, in its orig- !inal condition, did not fly, but failed ithrough & fault of the launching de- | vice. Whether it could have flown with |a passenger 1s a matter of judgment !mt judgment has been expressed. | That the Wright plane flew success- | fully before the Langley plane was re- | conditioned and accomplished a man- | carrying flight has been acknowledged "by the Smithsonian Institution in the | present label on the Langley aerodrome. | There 15 no doubt as to where the |credit for the first successful man- | carrying fiight rests, It belongs to the | Wrights and to their original plane |37 Mr. Wright will now yield on the technical question of the past dispute | and the printed records of the Smith- { sontan, which few will ever read, and | will mccept the proposal of the Smith- | sontan in the spirit in which it Is | made, depositing his plane n the Na- | tlonal Museum for posterity to view in {18 correct relation o the sclence of | aviation, he will do honor to himself | | and o his dead brother - v e | Lobbying would lose much of its old- | time picturesqueness if every one en- ged in the pursuit were required 1o follow demands of some legislators 1o & logieal conclusion and carry horns, !license plates and operabors’ permits, Stout-Hearted Shroyer. “Aud when 1 became & man 1 put away childish things” Thus says St Paul Nor was his experience unususl Sometinies @ boy becomes & man almost Lovernight sometin, al @ very tender wge w on sometimes i an instant, and b playvs the part of & man George E 10, who lves well out Thirtdeth streel, s seven years of sge; be may Hve Lrbe 8 very ol man, but Ko metter how many his days may be he vill never be more of 1 & man than he was & day or two ago | Onie minute he was & little hoy, amusing | Bimself sround the premises while | younger brother wes in the company of |8 nursemaid, herself not much more Uthan s ehtla. The next, confronted by a Aangerous emergency which would huve daunted many & fellow who every day of bis ife, he became the an of the house, the defender and sescuer of sn infant wnd & woman Al Washington knows how this child seelng Lis brotier snd lils devoted and royer, aves now in the National Museum in this| be- | tacked by two adult male intruders, seized & poker and advanced so fear- lessly and efficaciously that he created & diversion sufficient to enable the mald to send forth a telephone alarm. He did not stop to figure odds; inspired by the example of his favorite screen hero, he started in to do his duty as he saw it. That his attempt was successful s a gratification alike to George's family and to his community. Both are proud of him. When a man acts the tradi- tional part of a man, it often seems worthy of mention. When a boy so young that under mno conceivable cir- cumstances would any course of action on his part be blameworthy does it, then, as slang has it, “this goes double.” -t Justice Wins. Hiram Reed is to pay the penalty for his crime. Convicted Saturday on the charge of having bombed a school- house in an attempt to kill his teacher- sweetheart, the perpetrator of this fiendish plan to evade the responsibili- ties of parenthood and marriage will spend from one to twenty years in the penitentiary. = For a time during the trial it was feared that Reed might succeed in proving himself guiltless of the charge, although he had made three confessions and the circumstan- tlal evidence was clinching, and con- siderable gratification is being express- ed that justice in this case did not go astray. In the diabolical attempt to kill his fiancee, Reed surreptitiously placed sticks of dynamite in the stove of the tiny schoolhouse. When the teacher next morning lit the fire the | explosion wrecked the building, se- verely injuring her and placing the lives of a score of children in jeopardy. It is to be hoped that this scoundrel will be made to serve the maximum { penalty under the law. There is no place In the world of free men for such as he. —————— ‘The sportsmanship of Sir Thomas Lipton is still admired. He regarded the broad waters as an arena where falr play should prevail with the hope that the best boat might win. The spirit may apply to big ships as well as to yachts. ———— In the primitive days of photography a man endeavored to obey when told to “look pleasant.” Now he gets angry, tries to smash the camera and as a re- sult provides a picture strong in “hu- man interest.” B Every Congress develops a generous desire on the part of some statesman to make Washington, D. a perfect city, even though he may have to neglect some of the needs of his own home town. R honor of a popular favorite. There i< not enough sentiment in business to permit the hurried debtor to linger in admiration of the portrait. —oo—e the critics, thus wasting energy that might be employed in supplying the- aters, now darkened, with plays. ————— Even sclence favors class consclous- ness. People with grip germs are re- minded of obligations to remain in aloof- ness from the masses. = e, It is evident that Sandino never heard enough of a League of Nations or a World Court to arouse him to any personal interest. - Houston, Tex., is a long y from straints, - As history develops, it promises to show Mussolini involved not merely in a family quarrel, but in a neighborhood row. * o so startling as the consplicuous popular demand for it. e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Forward March! As new sunshine gilds the arch, And the world says, “Forward March!” Then the bands once more are seen Gathering for March scventeen. Now the leader of the hand, With a gesture very grand, Bays, “You know the march I mean; It is number seventeen.” No more sounds the jazzy tune. We're preparing, pretty soon, To go marching on our way, Ready for St. Patrick’s day. Political Intimacles. palgn issue of 19287 “Haven't made up my swered Senator Sorghum. invuiries are confusing and there 15 n growing tendency to discuss personal morals mind,” question, ‘Is marrtage a fallure?' Extremes, Oh, who shall say when it 15 wise To pratse, or bluntly criticize? A friend of mine §s 5o polite He says that all 1 do is right Another, with mournful song, Declares that all T do 1s wrong It they could average thelr news, what he iy tell w funny story that makes us forget our problems Overheard in Chicago, [ the hi-jackers attacked your wagon?" “Ihe pollee was already there” an- swered Bl the bk, “The leader of Ui rald wis a cop who hiad sneaked himselt onto the force for that espectnl purpose.* “Huperstition,” suld Hi Mo, the suge of Chtnatown, “is & solace to those who destre Lo explatn without understand- g Klow Mutle Hald 1y Van Winkle, back agaln, While Lstentig 1o u jazz vetran In that what people call dance? Phey move Bke they were 1o Lance “We dicams of alches” sald Unele Khben, “an’ loses vegular money by over Leed cralsers bre completed the United iU sppears, eatlmsble colored nurse al- sleepln’.” It is unwise to issue special coins in | New York playwriters are sncering at | “The Sidewalks of New York.” But a| popular song defies geographical re- | Underworld literature is of itself not | “What would you suggest as the cam- | A tually “Economic | I have an fdea that maybe we | can rally the voters to declde that l)ld“ i ov Perhaps they'd bring some helpful views | | the ring Jud Tunkins says 4 man who knows | alking ahout 15 not lkely | to be as entertaining as one who can | “Why didi’t you call the police when | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Perhaps there s no subject written about to so little purpose as gardening. ‘The writer here, who occasionally tackles this glorious topic, has the com- fortable feeling that nothing he writes on flowers can possibly strike his readers as any worse rot than a great deal of that written by others. ‘Who is there who loves his home and garden who has not at some time or other picked up a magazine with great hopes and expectations of really finding out something about some flower, only to end his reading with himself in the same state of knowledge that he held at the start? “How is it possible,” he asks himself, “for one to write 50 many words and tell exactly nothing at all about his subject, how to grow so-and-so? Here we have some grand pictures of the thing, and a plethora of words, but when you pin it right down, there is not a solitary fact here that I did not know before. “There is, of course, plenty of room, I know, for the inspirational writer, or the essaylcal writer, to ramble through garden paths, intent on sharing with the reader some of the reflections which have been stirred up in him. This is one sort of garden writer, “But here we have a plain article professing to tell the palpitating read- ers just how to do something, just how to score a knockout with peonies. The ‘how to' is in great big letters an inch or so high. There cannot be the slightest bit of doubt about it that the writer thereof fondly imagined that he was about to impart real information to the world as he sat down to his spewriter. understand that ers use typewriters nowadays. “Somewhere between his machine and the publishers, however, all his informa- tion got lost, evidently, for I will give a dollar to any one who can find a grain of it in this blurb telling the amateur how to grow peonies. and find it!" * ok K K Of course, we all ran into the sams thing back in school. ¢ ‘Teacher worked a problem on the board, “explaining” it industriously as!| she or he went along. Then, with an expectant look, he or she turned around | to the class. “See?” We all “saw,” of course. Those who really understood nodded no more vigorously than those who did not. As a matter of cold fact, since it may now be told, the most vigorous nodders were exactly those who did not understand a thing. ‘The adult reader may be forgiven for | coming to the point where he fakes most of these “how to" articles with a | proverblal large grain of salt. This “how to” business 15 being large- Iy_overdone. The magazines are full of screeds pro- | fessing to tell an anxious world how to | do everything, from interior decorat- ing to how to grow gladiolus. Any sensible person knows that mod- ern interior decoration is a real study. ong demanding the time, energy and brains of one who is willing to apply himself to the work industriously. At the same time he fools himself Inta believing that some earnest wight will be able, in the course of a few thousand words, to explain to the reader just how a home may be transformed overnight into a thing of glowing beauty. o % K The information common to gardeners is as old as the hills. Surely, one thinks, a determined man might be able to strike off a few sparks of knowledge from the age-old wheel. Run back rapidly over your stock of Try | garden lore, however, and the chances are 10 to 1 that the great bulk of it—if it bulks at all—will be composed of bits of information received from fellow workers in the great medium of the carth. “The imparting of information is ob- viously one of the most difficult mis- sions. Every one who 15 a teacher does not teach. Good teachers, like Teal pocts, are born, not made. Those who write on gardening find themselves in the same difficult position occupled by those who write on’ music. They must deal with one art in the medium of another. This will not pre- vent some fine things being said, both about music and about gardening. Just as music alone knows about music and can tell about music, so gar- dening alone knows about gardening and can tell about gardening. A gar- dener can show the amateur more in & minute than all the articles in the orld can tell him. ¥ The limitation of the written word s just this: That no writer can know ¢x- actly how much the reader knows to start with, and unless he does know this he can m‘xly start where he him- self would begin. gL]'{'ms is the unfortunate hiatus plainly_visible in the “how to" arti- ¢les. ‘The author presupposes, for in- stance, that the average reader will know more than the average reader does. Therefore the very thing that the amateur wants to learn about some favorite plant is not there. He searches the fine article to discover how far apart the plants must be set; but the sagaclous writer-gardener, intent on teliing the world about some of the newer varieties, totally forgets that his dear reader will be puzzied about such a childish matter. * ok * In addition to the technical ends | involved in the mere writing, the “how to” article finds itself limited by the very nature of gardening operations. | Just as the seedsmen find themselves unable to guarantee the crop, so the | writers of gardening pleces discover | amount of black and white information will make up for lack of gardening sense. Planting, cultivation, mulching, fer- tilization, daily care, weeding, spraying —these are some of the garden actions and dutles that must come by nature. They are the fundamentals of garden- ing, which experience makes as plain as A B C to one who actually goes into the garden—that is, if he is born with a sense of garden actualitics. How can a city man, who has never gotten closer to a flower than the flo- rist's window, expect to be blessed with arden intuition? Some old fellow from the country, who cannot soeak two words grammatically, vet will be able to show him trumps and spades when it comes to growing vegetables and flowers. ‘After all, perhaps garden articles should be confined to those of the in- | spirational sort, and to those which dis- cuss the newest things, especially when | both of these can be done in a new way. If a writer insists on telling us some- thing, however, let him do it in a plain way, putting down everything he knows and keeping back nothing from us. Then, from the ensuing welter of words the anxious gardener may be able to pick out one or two real facts which he may profitably add to his stock of garden knowledge. lLet a reader find but one real fact which is |new to him, he has no kick coming One must not expect too much of writing. After all, it is done by human | beings. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC Now that President Coolidge is about to sign the alien property bill, provid- ing for restoration of Germany's war- seized assets in this country and for satisfaction of American war claims, Washington gratefully recalls the names of the men pre-eminently responsible for the ending of that long-drawn-out episode. Parker, umpire of the Mixed Claims Commission, and Dr. Karl von Lewin- ski, the German agent. Between them they have accomplished a feat destined to live In diplomatic history. Seldom has there been such harmonious team- work as characterized the joint efforts of Parker and Lewinski in the com- position of differences between victor and vanquished. Incidentally, their achievement re-establishes the ancient principle of the inviolability of private property in war time. Senator Borah, Who claims descent from Martin Luther, had his potent shoulder to the wheel through the laborious years of the German-American settlement. PR Dr. Karl von Lewinski, whose pres- ent rank in the United States is that of German consul general at New York crowns five vears of intensive and su cessive_work on the Claims Comm son. It was not his first “contact with America and Amerlcans, for Frau von Lewlnski is a native daughter of Columbia, a former Miss Pomeroy of Colorado, who was once a music student in Berlin. The clalms transaction now approaching finality is considerably more than a $500,000,000 affair. Ge many f5 to receive from the United States Treasury the cash equivalent for | $200,000,000 of her property that has been in our hands. Later the balance of $50,000,000 15 to be accounted for. Some $40,000,000 worth has already been restored. The Mixed Claims Com- misslon has awarded Amy ) cltizens, including the United States Govern- ment, $240,000,000, which will be dis- tributed through Federal agenc vir- as soon as President Coolldge by his signature makes the allen prop- ety il law, oo Favorite sons may hall from the States which clalm them, but in the helming number of cases they are Washingtoniuns by residence und will g to prolong their stay here ut least another four years actically with the sole excepilon of Smith, Meredith and Woollen among the Democrats, and Lowden among the Republicans, all the presidentinl aspirants are domietled in the National Capital The list includes Hoover, Willis, Curtis, Borah, Norrls, Walsh, George, Robinson, Wat- son, Hull, Thompson and Longworth Of “course, not all of these Harklses have thrown thelr hats formally into but none af them wded his friends - honorably Mtion for 1028 1 ¥ other when tw of whom more . pr along, wre i Washinglon. Vice Presi- dent Dawes 15 one of them, and the other 15 Willlam G MeAdoo, whe Choores (o practice Taw on the Potomac al this witching hour CEEE enitor Caraway's bill (o curb lobb and lobbylsts by requiring thelr veghs tatton ut the Capitol vabses the ques- Uon as to Just what 15w lobbylst and when, A former United States H tor, netive 1w recent “Investigati aMims that the Antl-Saldon Leag: the American Federatlon of Labor, American Leglon, the Nattonil Woman's Party, the Natlonal League of Women Voters, the Natlonal Council for Pro- vention of War, the Daughters of the teun Hevolution and & host of organizations comatitute at tmes Jobbles and obbylsts “Does Henator Caraway ntend o humstiing these the dnme duck 1 question o wonders whethe ngaged - ady Teglalution wre o ¢ under (he b which Caraway would 'nuu.- upon the men mod women who wunt Capitol ML on behialt of apecial nterests, Doe projecte They are Judge Edwin B.! ¢ | tariat in this year of presidential g ay be | WILLIAM WILE. To this observer there comes from | a small town in Pennsylvania a sample of the organized propaganda recently ' circulated agai the naval program. It is of the spe to church members, gent Citizenship Requires Thought and Action,” the mimeographed circular |reads: “There is a large agreement among_church leaders that the enor- | mous Navy building program now pro- posed is a great, tragic menace to in- | ternational friendship and peace. We are being launched into a desperate struggle for naval supremacy with Eng land, which will cost billions of dolla |and will lead only to war. Now is the strategic time to check it. 15 being led into this course by a small P | but powerful gronp of Army and Navy | men. A part of our countrymen who are not opposed are indifferent” Re- cipients of this misleading appeal are urged to send “letters of protest” to President Coolidge and to their respec- tive Congressmen. ook o | A Washington lawyer, who may be a | wet, has just won a prize from a na- { tional journal of wit and humor for t best smile of the month. It is, “As ibusy as a keg of grape juice.” | * ok ox o “An Elegant History of Political Partics” Is the diverting title of a side- | splitting volume of frony just produced | tor the guidance of the American prole- ace | The author 5 Samucl H. Ordway, Jjr. i The book is dedicated to Mayor “Big BII” Thompson, “in the hope that he will adopt this history for the Chicago | public schools ™ The author's foreword contends that “here’s a history so writ- school children, policemen, so- and other politiclans can’ un- derstand 1t Mr. Ordway finally com- | mends his skit“for impartiality and {straint to the great mass of Ame citizens, as well as to persons who vote. INot long ago the same satirist wrote | “Little Codfish Cabot at Harvard " ‘The { pubiishers deseribe that contribution to New Englind culture as having been | “enormously popular i some quarters {but dectdedly otherwise - others, de- [ pending upon which side of HBeacon street, 1f uny, the reader was born.” L Randolph Hartley, theatrical wha in his memorable stars of the magnitude | Mrs. Fiske, George Arliss and Cyril | Maude, has been in Washington stud g Lincolntana, of which he 15 a deve tee. He remarks the strange psycholog jeal hold which the character Great Emancipator takes upon actors, on the stage and on the sereen, who | portray Frank MeGlynn, who mmortall churacter John Drinkwa play, wax - aceustomed, Hartley suys, to sink into a deep vey- erle for hours before moan endeavor to make himselt feel and think ke Lincoln. The spell would not leave the actor sometimes for a long tme after the curtain was down e man, the .- ed Market Urged As Help to Shoppers | the Faitor of The Sta: |1 rend with great e rtal I The Star of Febiuary 8 Irelative (o the Furmers' Market bill 1L would seem to those of s who do nen folks” (hat mbsston and Main, tarkots shoutd all be located together. 'To have them st town would be dike pla ane's house Wit the Kitchen on Capitol 111 | the dintng room at Dupont Cicle wnd [ the pantry I another pait of the ety With the nt ght on agaliat et the e Matket 1t might w that the Commlsstoners & could reattae that (he taxpay howhh these places prescived. A Distiess laal vear of approsinately S12000,000 done (e Conter Market srely proves that 1t s a real ne cesnity My Ayour edt Farm or Center, WILLIAM BARNEL WIDGELY, pretty early in their career that no| Our country | of the | each performance | and | [ wlong the Patomae River W Flood Relief Urged. Devastated ent. Responsibility for Area Placed on Govern To the Editor of The Star: Flood prevention In the Mississippl Valley is a matter of replacement of damages and insuring against future damage, not an improvement for which benefits are to be assessed. The writer recently took an auto trip through eastern Arkansas (with Loulsiana, the | State hardest hit by the floods of 1927), and it was even then suffering from a flood along White River, the sixth flood for Arkansas in 1927. Pass- ing Devalls Bluff, we encountered a foot or more of water sweeping across the hard-surfaced main highway from Arkansas to Memphis, Tenn., in places a hundred yards or more being under water. We were told the Jackson bayou | levee had broken a few hours before and had swept to death by drowning a Capt. M. McGown, United States engi- neer officer in charge of the work of strengthening the levees at that point. More than 2,000 acres went under water again when this levee broke, and this situation and similar oncs in eastern Arkansas are making it doubtful if very much farm land in this garden spot of the Mississippl Valley will be available for cultivation in 1928. Can such lands be expected to stand even 20 per cent of the expense neces- sary for flood prevention? The writer says no. We hear the word “reclamation” very generally used by men in high plac What s “reclamation” anyway? ‘This | ANSWERS “There 15 no other agency in the world that can answer as many legitimate | questions s our free Information Bu-| reau in Washington, D. C. This highly | organized institution has been bullt up and is under the personal direction of | Frederic J. Haskin. stant touch with Federal bureaus and | other educational enterprises it is in # position to pass on to you authorita- | tive information of the highest order. ! Submit your queries to the staff of: experts, whose services are put at your | free disposal. is no charge ex- | cept 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Evening Star | Information Bureau, Frederic J. Has- | kin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. How old is the author of “Adam jand Eve,” “Private Life of Helen of tion of Egypt’ Troy,” etc.?—L. L. i A. John Erskine was born October 5, 1879, so will be 49 upon his next birthday. He is an author, a profes- sor of English literature at Columbia | University, and a musiclan of concert class. i | Q. What was Weston's best record | for a day's walk?>—R. H. B. A. Edward Payson Weston's longest | day's trip was 82 miles. .This distance was traveled in 1867 on his walk from Portland, Me., to Chicago, IIl. Weston at this time was 28'. ycars old. applied to irrigation projects, in which { water is carried to arid reglons to make them produce crops. Since such regions have never in the history of man pro- duced crops prior to these irrigation projects, such a project is certainly not reclamation! It is nothing more nor less than an improvement district. ‘The problem in the South today, that of the Mississippi Valley damage, does not partake of the nature of an im- provement district, however. 1In fact, here, if ever, is a real reclamation proj- ect worthy of the name. Here it is section of the richest farming lands in the United States, from Crowleys Ridge in eastern Arkansas, 40 miles eastward to the Mississippi River and beyond, thence down South through the Missis- sippi Delta, on down through Louisiana to New Orleans. This territory has ! been highly developed for years, and already has more land in a high state of cultivation than the farmers of this area can hope to cultivate for several years under the burdens they now face. This area contains good towns, cities and a populous countryside, with farms in as high a condition of cultivation as are to be found anywhere in the world In this territory four and a half million acres of lands ‘were flooded in 1927. This 1927 flood, our greatest known national disaster, certainly and clearly brings up the necessity for reclamation of the Mississippi Valley in the form of adequate flood prevention, and makes it indisputably a national problem. The people of the valley have long since gone far beyond their means in payving for and pledging to pay for the levee work of many years, to protect them- | selves against the menace of the waters, and any further taxation upon these | lands, whose future is already mort- | gaged for levee work which in many | places has been swept away, would be confiscatory. The main reason, however, for na- | tional responsibility in this reclamation | project is that even according to com- | on law the owners are responsible for damages their property ngs about, and does not the United States Govern- ment own all navigable streams in the United States? Also, does not the Mississippi Valley furnish a catch-pasin | for the drainage of two-thirds or more {of the whole United States? Since | this be true, the Nation as a whole is | bound to be responsible. This does not | imply. either, that the Sou as a part | of the Nation, would not be bearing it ! just and proportionate part of the ex- |pense when the national government | assumes it all Some authorities say, “Hold on! What | | about States’ right. We cannot fix | the Misstssippl Valley without stepping {on the toes of individual States” oh. ¥ | States ‘owns and controls all navigable | streams in fts confines, thers can he no | legitimate question r: infringement of States | matter of building _adequate lovee: reservoirs, or spillways where neces on any and all navigable rivers | streams, and in taking anv n condemn: n steps to acquire | way for flood prevention works In frrigation projects it is clearly proper that the lands benefited should pay for the benefit received because such lands were worthless be- The Mississippi acres of ft—is waters came! Or it a little differently, the valley worth consid more before [the waters eame. Such lands could be | —and should be—put back as they were [before the flood. and adequate protec-| [ tion should be given agamnst all future |floods which would pass high-wale {mark. It I damage your property and| it is not your fault you ought not to be assessed to help me pay the bill| iSo the cost of flood prevention should. in the name of justice and fairness, be 1l)<l|'l'h‘ by the United States. The United | Sta in this case is the responsible {party. and the problem is a national one of damage and replacement or | reclamation, and not a sectional one| |of improvement for added beneat! It| |is the opinion of this writer that Con-| {gress will so hold i | HARRY B. TABER. | | e e - | came. the water 3 of millions Favors Great Falls | | Public Power Plan To the Editor of The ase allow me space, in your cor- respondence column. o say to Mr. Ed- ward 8. Steel that he may be right m Iis Views, s stated in The Star. March (hat our Government should spend | millions of doll of the people’s money in developing the Great Falls | [area of the Potomac River into a park only, and thousands of dollars in keep- | ng 1t up a tabiity with no tangible veturn - and not develop and utilize the tmmense water power, going to waste, | i connection with whatever tmprove- | ments are made. but 1 do ot (hink so We need an abundance of cheap bower for properly and attractively | tehting our streets, parks, public build- ings, and the ke, i and around Washington, thereby adding to the | beauty of our National City | 1 wonder tf Mr eel remembers the Washington Monument, flooded with light at night, and how pleasing the effect? 1 wonder 1 he has observed | the great difference made nour Capt- | tol Building ot night sinee the lights have been tirned on® And 1 wonder if | 1t hay oceurred to him that an abun- | danee of cheap power, lberally and | broadly used, as above mdicated. would | not more than offset the loss of ! scente beauty, 1f any, which might re sult frong a proper and artistie devel- | opitient of the water power i the Foto mac River sorge. tn connection with Whatever improvenents are made Of course, we will have power, | enough to get along with, even (0 tax PAVeEs are teqiited (0 pay private con- | cerns two or three times what the Untted States and the Districr of Co lmbia could furnish power wt, trom | an womie development of the water | Power at and near CGreat Falls, now go 1K (0 waste, We preach economy and | conservation of our natural ves. that (he Uinited States wnd ot of Columbla, the States of Maryland? and - Virginta, co-operaty should develop und fmprove the Bo- | tomae River g near Washington, | with s Telerence to utility - sento After all ds sald cerning developients wents which should be Stars Stee ] P and con. con and prove made e wnd At and near Washig o, 10 B @ matter o Congies feckde, and 1 have fatth that aep entatives of the peopte will ghe due cotaideration (0 What is fate wat equitable (o all I whatever action tuken, G W KERNODLE, M. D is a term which has been L‘l’rnm’()lhlv'r but we can. Since the United | d as to possidle | rights in the | Certainly | | marked practics | ng about [ of the Diet of Cotumby | member him Damg Mt Q. When was the trade acceptance used in America?—J. L. C. | A. The acceptance in America dates {back to the time when England sent goods to Virginia and boats took back | tobacco. The manner in which an a | ceptance was then created was by the | buyer writing the word “Accepted” on | the bill for the goods, which was paid ! from the proceeds of the return cargo |of tobacco and vice versa. The use of the acceptance was continued by the Southern planters of cotton and {tobacco in the United States practically {up to the time of the Civil War. Its | discontinuance afterward was due to |a large extent to the passing out of | existence of the Bank of the United | States and the dislocation of credits | during the war, also the desire on the | part of the people to supply themselves with hard money, to the detriment of | commercial paper values. With the | passage of the Federal Reserve act, | the re-establsihment of an unlimited | field for rediscount of domestic trade | acceptances was created by the Fed- | eral Reserve Board. | Q What States have compulsory | automobile liability insurance?>—J. F. R. A. The State of Massachusetts is the only State having compulsory automo- | bile liability insurance affecting ever: car owner. There are six States hav- ing partial compulsory insurance reg- ulations. These are: Connectic: Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Q. Is there any foundation for the story of George Washington and the hatchet and cherry tree>—R. C. A. The story of the hatchet and cherry tree and similar tales are un- doubtediy apocryphal, having been coined by Washington's most popular bicgrapher, Mason Weems. | Q Why is a cotton ey —J. B. D. | _A. A cotton exchange is formed for the purpose of maintaining uniformity in the commercial usage of cof of | eeablishing just and equitable prin- { ciples in trade, of acquiring. preserving and disseminating valuable business in- | formation, and adjusting controversies between persons engaged in bus The main characteristics of dealing in exchanges is the fact that the goods dealt in are not physically present. The purchaser buys a specific quantity of goods of a definite character. It is this feature which adapts the exchanges in so marked a degree to speculation. Per- change formed? By keeping in con-| TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. sons buy and sell without contempla- tion of future delivery, but with refer- ence to a future price. . T have heard that the principal buflding of Lhasa in Tibet is larger than the United 8tates Capltoi. Is this A. The Capitol 1s 746 feet long and 210 feet wide. The palace of the Dalal Lama at Lhasa is 1,000 feet long, four stories in helght. surmounted by a large dome covered with gold, as are also the peristyle pillars in_front. It contains 490 rooms and 1333 windows. The building was commenced 1.200 years ago and the most recent addition is 200 e nearhy shelters comprise L. D. lon Q. What rac A. The populati sists of the peasa Arabs or Bedouins, foreigners. The “plowman”) form: peasantry. ‘They are chlef medan in faith, though the Cop! are also natives of Egypt. their Christian bel the pure: nt Egyptians. Egyptians is st dispute. One authori them: i were con- and ¢ fer Moham- . who Libyans: trace about there is a strain from thus it likely skinned negroid probably marrying may enous rac Asiatic origi negro blood. Q. In what part of the United St heat and cotton grow si mixed also with people o and a certain amo that it is the o 5 where these thrs staple crops grow ty veld. Q. Did the Indians use the Norta Star as a guide?—J. A, W. A. The Bureau of Al ogy says that the Ind: this star as a guide in night. Q. Has a change been made concern- ing the possibility of borrowing a sec- ond time on an adjusted compensation certificate whken the first loan remains unpaid>—T. A. A. Since th has been poss rangement. What m: building bird houses . Wood 1 1 material. car h of January, 1928, it le to make such an ar- heat. In the able kind, w popl is preferable for homemade bird house: Cypress is the durable of these gh slabs with ti cap and satisfac houses. if in Japanes: have been £ teaching.” ters and 200,000.000 telegrams sent an- nually Further reflections of c | indignation over the mist Teapot Dome oil case have followed the n of Justice Sidd of the Dis- trict of Columbia Supreme Court in sentencing Harry F. Sinclair and associates to terms for their part {in u shadowing | | und. contemp: contempt of every honest A The New York paper conten ! what the court found these men g {of “is & far more ser: the theft of Teapot Dome. gra was. It is possible.” adds the Tribune. “to corrupt one government and scale from being more tha confronted b can worth h and pay his penalty mentary upon the Sin none of them had en the Gover lived to respect its courts of 1 The Minneapolis Tribun that “thirty man ropr more comma and continues the Sinclairs Ame: opinio: more compromist them now than it in the v damued’ detestable citizens. enemies of public, all the more cause they have ta; that wealth tmposes ob! American o ted and the tpagtial Justi red Amert sprudence by Stddons.” savs the Los 3 . Which declares that the court judgment was notice o0 those Who may be teny administration of ju ive of What powers they may w influences command. the hand of the 1aw fnevitably will close upon them. and according to thetr offense they sh branded as felons ™ He a com! such charg is at here and there still to be fo 1 adop “Harry Sinclair and his ¥s the Asheville Times this at- an justice. belfeved that they pos- sessed a higher tale of o the law lays down for othe had power, money, nfuenc the right o wse power for their ends, even at the expense of the & try and her laws” I thelr opini And the Indianapols News voices the feeling that “the long ¢ 1Y every attemp ravel the truth from the tangle cente Teapot have taxed public patience sorel Reviewing the outstanding features of the case, the New York Tumes states SRl B conteny! N . He s 1 contempt of (he Supie own Coure he 1y i contempt of the American They know him They will 1o What 1 the turnkeys ae tred walting for him? By bars tone the less teal becave fnviidle, he shut out from the commuitiy of honos- able citlzens. He ta camviet for bite, 1€ ax yel he hasn't donned prison garb On the other hand. the Chatleston Kve extending s condenmnation o R wider cliele, awerts, CThewe nothing o indicate that e has kst vaste WIH those atong wham he i ac cistomed e move. nor that he s fallen w atogle de e esteem ang constderation of assoviates and vt Teagues 1 the ol ity SO wnother question is taised e B Loubs Bsb Dispateh which te- | MATRS. UMOREIS Ag0 We evpressed ou oar that Washington has no iat o W hotse Scdan e e et all people ve i - - Sentences in Jury Shadowing Are Approv ed in Editorials UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR tz0 Today Bt hedvy R Hoand un SHNA As fast A b SubIBAT e WLiaig ae paring beavily