Evening Star Newspaper, May 25, 1928, Page 8

THE EVENING With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. . Editor ® e OAe and Pennsvlvania Ave. 2 110 East 42nd St Furopean Office England Rate by Carrier W The Evening Star ... The Evening and Sunday (when 4 Sundars) The Evening and Sund Twhen & Sundavs). The Sunday Star... Collection made a Grders max be sent NMain 3000, ithin_the City. + .0 43¢ per month ... .80c per month day Star o+ . 68¢ per month Be per vony by mail or telephone, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Vieginia. L £9.00: 1 mo S600° 1 mo £3.00: 1 mo., tes and Canada. S12.00: 1 mo . SLO0 SS00° 1 mo. L s4000 1 mo. All Other Sta Puhlishe of Tax Reduction in Good Shape. With only the publicity feature re; maining to be determined, by a Senate vote on reference of the matter back o that chamber by the conferees, the tax reduction bill stands in virtually final shape, insuring a total cut of $222495.000 in the revenues of the Government. This is considerably nearer the Senate's total of reduction than that of the House. When the bill passed the latter it carried reductions that would lessen the revenues by $2 735,000. The Senate changed it to ef- fect & cut of $205,625,000, which was very close to the recommendations of the Secretary of the Treasury and the President. The conference thus adds nearly $17,000,000 to the cut of the Senate and slices more than $67,000.000 from the House bill. This is a much more safe degree of tax reduction than that proposed by the House measure, It assures a con- siderable measure of relief to the tax payers, without impairing the capacity of the Treasury to remain on the basis of complete solvency and without re- mitting materially in the process of debt reduction. It carries forward the pro- gram of both tax lowering and debt liquidation and leaves open the pros- pect of further tax reduction in the near future. In short, it follows the lines of safe national financing. The item of publicity of tax returns femains in dispute. The amendment which carried that feature into the bill was adopted by a small vote, with less than half of the Senate present. It has been vigorously criticized by the Becretary of the Treasury. It is re- garded generally as unnecessary and as sctually mischievous. No conceivable public good can come from the ex- posure of the tax payment records to all and sundry. The curiostiy of those who, without official reason for scrutiny seek access to the records of the returns, may be satisfied, but without benefit to any one. The Gov- ernment, through its authorized agents, can check up on the returns without the aid of volunteers who may be prompted by publications to conduct their own investigations. 1f this amendment goes out of the bill, by specific vote of the Senate, or finally by agreement of the conferees sustained by the two houses, the meas- wre will stand as a satisfactory action, leading to a safe degree of tax reduc- tion, without threatening a Treasury @eficit and without checking the process of debt retirement. It will have been the best possible outcome of the ses- sion’s work on the Government's finances. ———rmo— Stealing & milk bottle is usually re- garded as a petty and mean offense. When & man stuffs a milk bottie full of thousand-dollar bills the thief who @iscovers its hiding place becomes a erime operator worthy of being photo- graphed and having his thumb prints taken. Yet the men who steals the baby's milk is in reality the greater criminal of the two. Were it not for the restraints of party discipline, 50 engaging & person- age as Mayor Jimmy Walker might be tempted to travel to Houston with a view 1o stampeding the convention. —— e —— Light in the Coal Fields. More than once the allments afflict- ing the soft coal Industry have been summarized in these words: “Too many mines and too many miners” And more than once has the cure for these chronic aflictions been suggested —a cure which would begin with shutting down inefciently operated and low pro duction mines; the reduction of surplus iners and the retemtion, with steady ages and steady employment, of min- ers actually needed w0 work the remain- ing plants. But such & cure Decessi- tates heroic measures, on the part of both the operators and the miners. The operators have been faced with the results of cut-throat competition, price cutting, wage cutting, overproduction and lack of organized effort. The min- ers have been faced with the necessity of accepting what wages they can de- mand, or cutZing free of the work they hzve wiwsys done, and their grand- fathers before them have always done, and going into some other line of em- ployment. There has been no leader- enip among the operators, #nd the de- mand has been that the Government #tep in end take this leadership. The results, therefore, of & new policy ennounced by the Consolidated Coul Co. one of the large operators of soft coal mines, will be watched with the greatest interest, This policy, uiready bailed by the industry &s “a ploneer step” wolving conditions of overproduction, STAR the end of each month. | { n| will have no great difficulty in finding other work. In announcing the new policy, the company explained: The worst feature of the superfluity of mines in operation, we felt, is that !instead of giving the men steady work ! at & decent wage it puts them on parc | time. In some mines throughout the country men have been working only two days a week. And we felt that it | was pretty generally agreed within the | industry, by both operators and miners. that any contribution toward a reduc- tion of tonnage. as well as of miners, would be of constructive benefit on both sides. Some one, we felt, had to fake & radical stand for the sake of the | industry. Already, it is announced, “we have | had a tremendous response from the | company's announcement of policy. Many coal men are going to follow our lead. which one man who wrote to us| | described as a ‘constructive contribu- | tion to a sick industry.’ " And provided | other companies do follow the lead of | the Consolidated, there is no doubt that | at last a determined move on the part of the coal operators is being made in the right direction. The Senate interstate commerce com- mittee has concluded exhaustive hear- ings on the soft coal industry. While it probably will reach no new conclu- | sions, for the ground has been thor- | oughly covered many times, the action of tne Consolidated Coal Co. can Le traced directly to the committee’s work | John D. Rockefeller, jr. who owns a | controlling share of stock in this com- pany, was one of the witnesses sum- moned before the committee. He heard {his company roundly denounced by | | complaining miners, and professed his ignorance of the existence of conditions cited. But his interest in the coal in- | dustry must have been aroused. And | he is expressing it by exemplary action. | R USSCUSA i | H Progress in Nicaragua. Brig. Gen. Frank R. McCoy, U. 8. A, | that seasoned veteran of so many of | our “colonial” vicissitudes in the Carib- bean and In the East, is just back from Nicaragua with encouraging tidings. A supervisor general of its presidential campaign under the Stimson agree- ment, Gen. McCoy has been at work for the past five months, laying the founda- tions of the national elections which are to pave the way to Nicaraguan political stability. Registration is set for September; the election for November. Meantime the country is being districted under the strict scrutiny of experienced, Spanish- speaking American officers. When 100.- 000 Nicaraguans march to the polls, about the same time we America those outside of the District of Colum= bia who are entitled to take part in| such a procession—head in that direc- | tion, they will participate, virtually for the first time, in & free and fair elec- tion. There is then to be an honest count, and ballots—as another novelty in Nicaragua—will prevail over bullets. Gen. McCoy tells us that the coun- try is pursuing the normal tenor of its way, even though “Gen.” Sandino con- tinues to play hide and seek with the United States Marines. Not the least significant item in Gen. McCoy's Te- port is the statement that Sandino in no wise ranks as the deliverer of his people from the bondage of the oppres- sive and imperialistic Colossus of the North. Nor is the presence of the American soldiers of the sea on Nica- raguan soil resented. It is realized by the overwhelming majority of the peo- ple that the Marines are in their midst as police and not waging war. With soldierly diplomacy Gen. Mc- Coy prefers to enact the role of his- ! win fame and glory. ' PHE_TEVENING STAR. WASRINGTON, D. . FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1928 Bridge and of the area lying on the Virginia side of the river will effec- tively round out a work of utility and art. There is opportunity for a de- velopment that will stand as one of the most impressive public works in the world. The setting is ideal for such a creation, The sentiment which the bridge expresses may be given vivid n- terpretation. In the making and exe- cution of these plans this country's most eminent talent should be lavoked and utilized to the end that when com- pleted the Arlington Mcmorial Bridge will fn its entirety and its surround- ings and accompaniments represent America at i(s best. ey e Steel-Muscled Runners. C. C. Pyle's siraggling caravan of foot-weary runners will finish their transcontinental grind in Madison Square Garden tomorrow night. eighty-three days the fifty who are left {of the original two hundred have been legging it across the Uniled States to Twenty-five thou- sand dollars is the first prize, ten thou- sand the sccond and five thousand the third, along with several prizes of one thousand dollars each. The remaining contestants range from the son of & millionaire to a youth who had seventy-five cents left in his pocket after paying the entry fee in Los Angeles ‘The runners have covered more then three thousand three hundred miles, and Andy Payne, who appears to be a cer- tain winner, has done it in approxi- mately five hundred and sixty-four hours, with seventy-seven miles a day the longest lap. Whatever may be said of this fantas- tic contest or the reasons that impelled the promoter to stage it and the run- ners to enter it, credit cannot be taken away from those steel-muscled survi- vors, who, day after day, have endured hardships that would put the average person in the hospital. Blistered feet. torn muscles and pounding hearts were the accompaniments of these men as they pushed their way across the con- tinent. Even if some of the contestants were given lifts by sympathetic motor- ists, although race officials state that the strictest supervision was kept over the men to prevent it, it detracts noth- ing from & run of three thousand five hundred miles. No one will begrudge the winner his twenty-five thousand dollars. He will richly deserve it. The trout represents an aristocracy among fish. No distinguished fiy-tosser admits any respect for the humble yet palatable eel. Yet no motion picture could find & more compelling subject than the landing and disengaging of an eel. oo A quarrel between the Chilean Min- ister to Paraguay and s Peruvian mili- tary attache is to be settled by a duel. Much as dueling is to be deplored, it may have its advantages in managing disputes without uprising among inno- coat bystanders. — - Having been remarkably fortunate in matters of health and comfort, the former Kaiser is regarded by friends as sufficiently lucky to be considered for a fling at politics. — vt An important place in transportation affairs may yet find Lindbergh in a swivel chair contemplating golf as a means of avolding excess weight. S Crossing the North Pole I8 now ex- pected to become as frequent an enter- prise as swimming the English Chan- nel. ——— torian, rather than that of prophet, as to how long we shall be in suppressing Sandino and re-establishing nation- wide jranquillity in the coffee and banana republic on the isthmus. The Marines' task is akin to that of an elephant seeking to stamp upon a flea in a sprawling mountain area of which the flea knows every nook and cranny. Sandino and his band of fol- lowers are fighting in more or less friendly as well as familier country. The leathernecks’ task of suppressing an antagonist 50 circumstanced is not an easy one, That they will eventually accomplish it is not to be doubted. Their job will not be made any easier by captious criticism at home from demagogic back-stabbers who malevo- lently distort the causes of our inter- vention in Nicaragus. The people of the United States read- ily accept Gen. McCoy's assurance that the Marines are devoting themselves “with unexampled patience and re- straint” to the pacificatory task Nica- ragua itself assigned them. ——— “Heart faflure” is frequently and ac- | curately assigned as cause of death The interesting question of what led to the heart failure is often not discussed. - R Arlington Bridge Terminus Plans, In good season for the study and adoption of specific plans the Commis- sion of Pine Arts has made a prelim- inary study of the trestment of the | Virginla terminus of the Arlington | Memorlal Bridge, o the end of estab- lishing there an Impressive arrange- ment of monumental markers and architectural adornments, Both sen- Umentally and physically that terminus | of the bridge will be the “gateway to | the South.” There will, of course, be | other ways of travel, but in view of | the particular character of the Memo- rial Bridge the approach to Arlington from Washington afforded by it will have a special significance which 1t is | nighly desirable should be emphasized | by impressive features. This tentative plan includes an ar- | rangement of roads which will effec | Uvely link up the bridge with the Lee {and Mount Vernon boulevards, respec- | Yvely, to the north and south of the | National Cemetery. At the intersection | of the bridge line with the axis of Co. {Jumbia Ixland 3t is proposed to estab- {lish @ plaza with fttng srchitectural | sdornment which will balance and sup- plement the Lincoln Memorlal, from the base of which the bridge spans the Po- tomuc, Two high columns, 1t 1 pro- T eutt € cutting i1 i Pprice cutling, wage cutting end OUT | oug, yil) pe the muin feature of this evils, will have as its aim the mmu::‘:‘m_w‘“"v down of “the lesst efficient” of A pugilist who lectures entertainingly on Shakespeare may eventually succeed in lifting the prices of a literary ring- side seat. e Storing poison gas resembles the en- terprise of the gentleman who insisted on trying to make a pet of a rattie snake. ———— There have béen a number of things President Coolidge did not choose; as his vetoes will testify. P SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Vocalism. Robin with the mocking bird Joined for a duet; Sweetest song 1 ever heard— One I can't forget. Then a crow came on the wing, ‘With a hearty caw. Said, “I don't pretend to sing. I just say ‘Hurrah'!” Very few of us may be Bongsters with the skill To set fine emotions free To the world, at will, Most of us may still rejolce, Like the crow that caws, With & bold and generous voice, Furnishing applause. Pussy Foot Work, “Is that man running for nomina- tion?" “He fsn't what I should call run- ning,” answered Benator Sorghum. “He's Up-toeing.” . Constant Humanily. They say the times are queerly new, And yet, what is there to deplore? Good people still are fine and true, And bad ‘uns bad, just as before, Jud Tunk) says what some men call & good memory Is the kind you can turn on or off according to whether you need it in your business, Craft Suspected, “My dear,” sald Mr. Meckton, “you should talk over the radio every night and tell the world some of the wonder= ful things you say to me.” “Leonidas, Jook me in the eyel Are you trying for an arrangement that will enuble you o shut me off as soon as you get tred of lstening?” “He who seeks great power,’ sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chilnntown, *“too often grasps o wespon which he has each surmounted by | statue, wnd possibly united by w cir- eompany's mines for an indefinite period | cular structure of classic design, through and the subsequent reduction of 8 |ine center of which will pass the main force of employes by releasing sboul|rougway, the wnole framing the view 2,500 miners, or 20 per cent of those previously employed in its plants, Ef fetent miners and family men will be | from the District side, of the Lincoln Memorial from the Vir- - | #inla side and of the Arlington Mansion Other srehitec retained, with the prospect of steady | turel features are planned for the im- { employment on & full-time basis, while | medinte entrances to the bridge strucs ,m; men have been released, in U | ture on both sides of the river, that, et this time of yesr, ihey This trestment of the not been tralned o use” Dispropertion, The caleulations now appall, We wonder, apprehensive, Why raises small, In pay, should call For figuring so extensive, “De cook says she's gineter quit,” aald Uncle Eben. “She don’t mind de work, but she ean't reconelle her 'specs tability wif havin’ to listen deae new-laghioped stories is rend 5 Finding the right place in the gar- den for every plant is no easy job, It takes a great deal of work and much thought, so that many will be tempted to, shirk the task. Yet this necessity is highly important if one wants to make the most of the home garden. We speak of the small | place particularly, which at its best is & difficult problem to handle The small dooryard, whose every feature lies open to the gaze, contains no elements of surprise. All that it has and i greets the beholder upon the first glance. This applies with pecult | the owne | He, every | same scene novelty for him. ar force to day. must look upon the There is no element of If something is wrong, FOT | und he does not know what, it is wrong | week after week. If the layout is correct, of course, it is correct week after week. This is the happy thing. * ok K R Consider, then, your garden from the standpoint of location of its various elements A candid appraisal, with this in mind, may reveal some surprising things. In most ances the home owner finds the garden planted, or he plants it himself. | " In the former case he discovers cer- ! tain shrubs set out, various tlowers growing up of their own free will. He either accepts the former own- er's plan “as is, himself. Generally he leaves much of the old planting intact. Most amateur gardeners are afraid to move shrubs. Yet nothing requires moving more, in most ca Suppose the old owner had a wild idea of cutting his yard in two with a row of rosebushes or lllacs. He was an enthusiastic chap, but knew nothing about the growth of plants. When the new OWner secures posses- sion he finds a formidable row of shrubs exactly in the wrong place. If he is afraid to transplant them there they remain, making a small yard look smali- er, cutting off the view of the end of the yard, and becoming a nuisance in general. * ok Kk % To transplant the lilacs requires much work, as well as some knowledge of what is involved in removing a growing plant from one situation to another. The labor involved, in most cases, is yond the power r, either wom- considerable, yet not b 5f an enthuslastic garden: an_or man. The requirement is that one must be enthusiastic. The lazy gardener. or the one who does not recognize the necessity, will find the effort involved too great. “Oh, let them sta; he will say. What he fails to realize is that the mistake st too. The only way to rectify it is to literally take the plant out by the roots. This involves care of the portion of the shrub in the ground, and some at- tention to the leaves and branches. This involves some knowledge of pruning. always an interesting subject, although sometimes seemingly difficult. koA % In case the owner nts & new gar- den, from grass up. may make the same mistakes in wrong planting. Even the searoned gardener makes mistakes. Sure, they all do! Mistakes are the very life of garden- ing. Only from doing & thing wrong, and then recognizing the failure, may one progress. Mistakes in gardening are not as._costly as in some of the other walks of life. In mest cases the plant still re- THIS AND THAT _. BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. or modifies it to sult | 5 B mains, This makes it incumbent on the gardener who wants to get the most return from his place to buckle to and right the wrong. The garden must be looked upon as a picture painted by nature, under the directing hand of the human being who happens for the time being to be in is a picture, however, which H5ES hitectural possibilites, It hus dimensions. Hence arises the necessity for consid- ering the placing of tall elements in the | pleture, the making of proper b grounds, the raising of points of in- | terest. Complete directions for this work are not possible, since every case differs | from the next. | The general principles, however, may | be learned by any one interested enough 1o read a few books on landscape archi- 1 Common sense also comes Lo | the The first application of this | latter saving element involves the sim- ple recognition that a successful garden is distinetly more than a matter of just sticking a few seeds and plants into the ground haphazard. Preparedness plays a part in the gar- den as elsewhere. Plan, so necessary to the conduct of war, functions in the ul pursuits behind garden wall. He who realizes the n sity for forethought in gardening has done much more than 99 out of 100 amateur gardencrs, We believe this proportion correct, | tect kS One sees iris planted in the most pre- | posterous situations, put there by some | with no understanding of the growth habits of this lovely daughter of the Springtime Roses are set out on the north sides of houses, where they get only an hour's | sunshine a day. The rose is a demo- | cratic queen, but she demands at least | haif ‘a" day's sunshine to do anyway g:t\r her prettiest. Full sun all day is st Vines are put where they interfere with the growth of other and more beautiful things. Trees are set out at | points where their_growth ultimately makes impossible flower borders and | grass plot. | " Such errors often are not noticed for years. Again, even If realized, a cer- tain dull apathy prevents anything ‘b(lml done about them. It takes, as has | besn said, the true gardening spirit to set things right, but this is true of every walk of life—the true spirit of progress is necessary to right any wrong. The garden is a good place to begin. One's backyard thus becomes a labora- tory for the training of the human . as well as for the growing of bet- er and bigger flowers. x Kok K Location of annuals offers one of the most interesting speculations. It is not wise to grow the same flowers in ex- actly the same places year after year, not only because the peculiar food needs of the particular varieties are not met, but also because the gardener so fails to realize the best groupings and combina- tons from the beauty standpoint. Harmonizing colors do much to make a garden beautiful. The spirit of rest which a garden should have comes with the artistic grouping of the varlous lant colors. While one nced not fear “clashing colars” to any great extent, there can be little question that many popular and intensely brilliant flowers have no real place in the average home garden. If such are used, their proper location is of the greatest importance, else they usurp the attention which ought to be given to the garden as a whole. These are a few of the problems which arise in relation to finding the right place for every plant. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC ‘Washington has & new political puz- zle, of which Calvin Coolidge is again the cause, For the past six months. the puzle consisted of trylng to find out exactly what I-do-not-choose-to-run meant, During the next six months, m‘m“ are going to crack thelr s over the probable effect of the Coolidge McNary-Haugen veto, Will it hurt or help the Republican party in November? Will it smash Hoover at Kansas City? Does it mean a third party, which will split normal G. O. P. strength in the Middle West as dis- astrously as the Bull Moose muliny cleaved it in 1912, and give the Demo- crats the presidency? These, and a thousand other, questions are now agi- tating every political bratn in the Cap- ital. One thought conspicuous among them revolves around the intentions of Al Smith and his coherts. Will they vroceed to fish in the troubled agricul- tura! waters with a species of bait spe- cially designed to hook the corn belt trout? It has been knowingly suggested for some time that Smith has a farm plan of seductive pattern up his sleeve. 7 e It is an amazing tribute to Calvin Coolidge’s prestige that men say he could win the W:st this year even on an anti-McNary-Haugen platform, but that Herbert Hoover couldn’t. In the same breath in which men assert this sort of thing they'll explain that, while it was the hand of Coolidge that penned the farm bill veto, it was the heart of Hoover that dictated it. For some in- explicable reagon it's long been alleg d by agricultural politicians that Hoover i the one who has play:d Mephis- topheles to Coclidge's Faust in the trag- edy of farm relief, When Dr. Jardine was made Secretary of Agriculture in 1925, the corn belt rang with the report that the Kansan was “Hoover's man and that lm‘n(‘('luID'ul'd\ for l“"! )Ann‘fi;- y poses, the Department of Agri- t‘l‘l’l';.l\u‘;“rvlfluld be @ subdivision of the Department of Commerce. A year Iater, when President Coolidge addressed the American Farm Bureau Federation at Chicago and blighted the McNary- Huugen idea with frost-like destructive- ness, Hoover got the blame. CRE No recent memoirs excel in iuside in- formation “Some Memol of u Hol- dler” by Gen, Hugh Lenox Scott, chiel of staff of the Army when we entered the World War, It appears it wus pri murily on Scott's advice that Presi Wilson and Sceretary Baker turned down Roosevelt's ‘schieme to take w volunteer regiment of Rough Riders to France. Scotl said, “Roosevelt is not n trained soldler In any re although he thinks he is. If sent over in com- mand he would do as he himself con- siders best, and you (Secretary Buker) would have small control over him Mr. Roosevell’s proposition goes di ly athwart our plans for ralsing a real Army” About the same time Gen Beott rejected Becretary Franklin K Lane's iden of sending a separate divi- sion of Indians to the American front High tribute ix accorded 1o Representa- tive Julius Kahn for piloting the draft through the Ho No honor can be 100 great for him,” Scott he rest in peace with the tude of his adopted country LR An Indlana girl has just won u $1,000 nutional apelling bee ut Washinglon This observer herewith copyrights the dew of n nattonal pronunciation bee The notlon springs from his own trials wnd tribulations ws a radio broadenster Murdly & week passes that he does not hear from the country with & more or less mild remonstrance on aclual or al- Jegud liberties taken with this or that word, In most cases critielsm turny out to be well grounded, with Webster s the erities’ unanswerable nuthority, Experience is showing the peril of rely- ng upon oustamary pronuncistions which have no real justifioaiton, Thus it has been learned, for instance, that “asplrant” 1s only properly pronounced when accented on the aecond syllable, and that emphasis belongs in the samp w uwl:b ‘l% ‘wunri "\ndl;xuu:l“.‘ WILLIAM WILE. pens to be right, He had recently to defend, under fire, the “{” in “isolation” as the letter calling for the loud pedal instead of “is-olation,” apd the accent on the sccond syllable of the word “ir- revocable.” * ok ok X When Andrew W. Mellon makes a speech it's news. His oration at Arling- ton National Cemetery on May 23, at the unvelling of the Coast Guard memorlal, is said to be only the second public address he’s delivered in Wash- ington in seven years. As an oratorical sphinx “Uncle Andy” has “Silent Cal” almost tongue-tied. The Secretary of the Treasury, who is both modest and shy, spoke at the dedication of the Alexander Hamilton statue at the south end of the Treasury Building in 1921, But since then, barring an occasional appeal by radio for public interest in some new Federal financial project, Mellon has been heard as infrequently as he is seen. Like most men who do not shine on the platform, the Pitts- burgher has a good broadeasting voice. As 1o one cun see him ‘“on the air,” Mellon says he’s at his best on such oe- casions. ook ok During these waning and witching weeks between now and convention pared for so-called “bomb- ‘The air is already thick with about the nature of some of them. One awesomely whispered warn- ing now current in Washington is that @ certaln Republican candidate far out in front is presently to be blown out of the waler by a “revelation” which neither he nor any other public man could possibly survive, o ow ok Hamilton Fish, sr,, father of Repre- sentative Hamillon Fish, jr, Repub- lican, of New York, ' passed through Washington the other day from the South and entertained at as interest- ing & luncheon party as the Capital has had in many a moon. The host, who 1s in his 80th year, had at table with him_ thiee ladles, all of whom were comrades of his youth and are now residents of Washington. Two of them are mothers of United States Senators— Mrs. Thomas F. Bayard and Mrs, Eugene Hale. ‘The other was Mrs, Alex- ander Mackay-Smith, widow of a for- mer Bishop of Pennsylvania, Hamilton Fish, sr,, is the son of President Grant's Secretary of State, Two of his children are in posts of distinction at Washing- ton —"Ham" jr. in Congress and Janet, superintendent of nurses at Emergency Hospital, and probably the only Ameri- n woman who has both the French o Leglon of Honor and Croix de Guerre, (Conyright, 1098 ) UNITED STATES N WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today, bl reporte the House Reprosentatives carries approprin- tlons and_authorizations totaling §1 041,681,009, of which the War De- pariment Is authorized to spend more than $6,500,000,000 in the fiscal your, In addition, the fortifications ap- propriations bill calls for nearly $8.000, 000,000, * * * A American transport, fonded with American soldlers, yams w Cevman submarine and sends it to the bottom before 1t can five & torpedo, Elghteen of the U-bout's erew are pleks ed up und the vest sink with the sub- marine, Sleeping - American soldlers hardly feel the shook, * * * An Amerls can reconnoltering party has a thrilling hand-to-hand encounter with Germans I no man's land during the night, ] Americans charge the enemy tn the face of W continuous machine-gun five and drive off (the Germans, One of the Amerieans was shot in the head and body and lay upon the ground stunmed. When he came to, he faund a German holding him by the shoulder end ho whipped out his gun and killed i, ¢ Germany 18 alarmed lMll‘:‘ the muu‘\.‘p riigipation fism Na a n Urges New Driver Test. | Lieut.Braun Suggests Stricter Ex- nation for Anto Operators. the Editor of The' Star: Owing to the numerous automobile accldents occurring everywhere in this country, is it not about time that survey be made of the causes and rules established toward a reduction of these avoidable accidents? With the constant und continuous increase in the number of automobiles, which it appears can- not be satisfactorily reduced on account of business and other circumstances being affected thereby, we should turn our thoughts tow: & study of the prevention of accidents, I would suggest that an examination for a driver's license comprise the fol- lowing points and that these be thor- oughly enforced: 1. Age. The required age for obtain- ing a driver's license should be the age of majority for both men and women. 2. A complete and thorough exami- | nation of the vision and hearing and only those with normal vision and hear- 1 ing be permitted to drive an automo- bile. 3. A general physical examination of the body, especially of the upper and lower limbs, and those only with com- plete and full power of action of the limbs be considered for a driver's li- cense. 4. A general and complete psycho- logical examination of each applicant for a driver's license to determine his acuity of thought, power of concentra- tion and good judgment under strain or cmergency. This above all others should determine & person's qualifica- tions to drive &n automobile. He should be not only mentally normal, but also normal in his nervous reactions and make-up. 5. The above rules in conjunction with the other rules and requirements regarding the control, lights, brakes and other things about the automobile itself which will make It'subject and respon- sive to others enumerated above. If such rules could be passed and enforced, I am of the opinion that the number of avoidable accidents will be greatly reduced thereby. The time is now here when people of low mentality and defective nervous make-up with physical defects regard- ing vision, hearing, etc., be barred from the operation of vehicles which may cause damage and destruction to other peoples’ property and endanger the health and life of the pedestrians. For the enforcement of the above physical requirements a board of medi- cal examiners should be appointed in each city for the purpose of physically examining all applicants for an auto driver’s license and with full power, and this board should also hold regular periodical physical examinations of such applicants. Should a serfous accident occur the drivers of the automobiles should be re-examined to determine whether some physical defect has not developed since the last examination which caused the accident to be unavoidable, before any other action is taken against one or both of them. A serious study of these suggestions by the parties concerned with a reduc- tion in the number” of accidents may result in the formulating of a satis- factory and practical set of yules for this purpose. JEROME BRAUN. Lieutenant (M.C.), U. S. Navy. s Challenge Is Issued To Youthful Spellers To the Editor ot The Star: In your editorial in last night's Star you said that any one of those twenty- three spellers, who met Tuesday to set- tle the championship, could probably beat any one, unless some specialist. There arc a lot of us who don’t believe that statement and ask you to give us a chance to demonstrate that we elders can beat the yi . 1 am nearly W years old uunfl“ aoutl: fla ‘zzoo“u:: for an oppor! al s today with the ters fi" he spel 1 might even the spelling match. siderably higher. con: 'omue a challenge to the youngsters and Il undertake to get up a team to spell nnlns]{l them. Ll'l;“ shfiww ;10: hat old fellows can still spell s 3 S GEO. 1. KELLEY. T Says Ou U.:S. Picture in N From the Baitimore Evenink Sun. The recent excitement in the stock market has made millionaires of 300 Middle Westerners, the morning papers tell us. The morning papers also tell us that the Senate has adopted a bill under the terms of which $325,000,000 of the national funds will be spent for flood control in the Middle West. And also on the first pngez today we discover that the politicians ©f Chicago, being, according to the tales, in cahoots with bootleggers, are having a merry time throwing bombs at each other. The curious and remarkable part of all this hectic furore is how remote it seems from the life of us Easterners and how much like an unreal panorama on some distant stage, The Senate votes @ tremendous fortune to prevent dis- asters which are and must remain mere newspaper pletures and tales to the ma- Jority of us, like floods and earthquakes in Japan. Three hundred millionaires are a lot of milllonafres, but what do they matter in the Free State? Big Bill Thompson provides us with & show, but it is & show as unrelated to our conscious lives as the carryings-on of the anti-Semitics in Rumania. Yet who can doubt that Big Bill, the Middle Western ,millionaires and the Mississippi floods are the America which is known to the outside world? We Easterners, huddled here in the narrow strip between the Appalachians and the sea, are hardly Americ Qur roots stretch deep into our own soil, to be sure, but our soil is more like the soll of Western Europe than like that of the Mississippl Valley. THE WIVES OF THE PIONEERS Teller “ul tales of the hasardous lay That started the progress we boast of now; Tales of stout heroes who cleared the way, Heroes of rifle and ax and plow, Cleaving the forest, subdulng the plain, Risking the venture of fresh frontiers, In our hearts as we read throbs the blest refrain Of n song of the wives of the ploneers, . In the log-cabin homelight of clearing and farm, A few simple flowers by the eabin door, With womanly fortitude, woms anly charm, They rocked the cradle, cooked, swept the floor, of thelr Matehing the toll strenuous mates With the broom, the washtub and spinning wheel, Daughters of destiny, mothers of States, Comely and tender and brave and leal, It s pleasant to think of the ekwoods grace While we pleture the strength of the nncestral l{‘n Revealed in the wrinkles that lne the face Of & ploneer grandmother smoking & plpe And well it would be if, fnspired her, I the fateful achievements of vuuuu’ Joam. The soul of the Natlon might feel the stir Of A song of the wives of the loneer {What 1t may mean s possible, but ANSWERS TO ‘This is a speclal department devoted to the handling of queries. This r puts at your disposal the serv- ices of an exiensive organization in Washington to serve you in any ca- pacity that relates to information.” This service is free. Faflure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are cntitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in stamps, inclosed with your in- quiry Tor direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, | Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C, Q. What is the area of the United | Blulessmcludlnu all of its possessions? | A. Continental United States con- tains 3,026,789 square miles. ‘Total | United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, Porto Rico, the Philippines, the | Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, | Wake and scattered islands in the | Pacific, and the Panama Canal Zone, | has an aggregate area of 3,728,371 square miles. The 711.582 square miles | | of territory contained in our outlying | domains would muke 17 States the size | of Ohlo. Q What is the estimated top speed of the express trains in the New York | subway?—L. K. B. | A. The New York Transit Commission says that it estimates this speed to be about 45 miles per hour. This mated speed covers what is known as the free running speed of express trains between stations. Q. How fast does a bee’s wing mov ?, U. ? A. The Department of Agriculture says that the speed at which a bee's wing vibrates when in flight varies. When starting out from the hive it has been determined that a bee's wing vibrates 460 times a second. Entering the hive loaded, the rations decrease to about 330 times a second. Q. How are arrangements made for foreigners to study at West Point?— H.T. V. A. Poreign governments are permitted to choose representatives of their countries who wish to receive instruc- tions at the United States Military Academy. These governments make spe- cial requests to the Congress of the United States. Congress by special act can provide for the graduation of such foreigners, These men, however, do not receive a commission in the United States Army. Q. In stock market parlance, what are “cats and dogs?"—N. E. S. A. The term is appli or poor securities. Q. At what price would silver have to sell in order to have its ratio to goid be 16 to 12—W. W. S. A. With silver selling in the open market at $1.29 per ounce, the ratio of the value of an ounce of silver to that of an ounce of gold would be 1-16 or 16 to 1. Q. How deep is Puget Sound?>—N. E. A. It is from 60 to 1,000 feet deep. | Protected from the wind on all sides, it is one of the greatest natural harbors in the world. Vessels can land at al- most any place along its coast line, Q. Please tell something of the coffee houses of Samuel Johnson's day.—L. N. A. The first coffee house in London was established in 1652. Sir Henry Blunt is sometimes called the father of the Engiish coffee houses. They were | political institutions during the reign of | the Stuarts. In 1675 Charles issued a | proclamation for the suppression of them, but it was recalied 10 days later. They became the meeting ces ol statesmen, wits, merchants, and fash- | | 3,000 of them in London alone. coffee house resembled the modern club, but was less expensive, less exclusiv and not so luxurious. Some of the pop- BY FREDERIC J. HASKI, jed o worthless | QUESTIONS 105 Declaration of Tndependence, for his Charles, in 1809, e — Q. When is National Wild Flower day?—B. D. G. 4 A. National Wild Flower day is ob- served on May 24. What were the “ragged schools™ ed to in English novels?—S8, E. The “ragged schools” were main- tained in Great Britain by voluntary contributions for the edu on of d tute and neglected children. The have originated with John » @ poor cobbler, who used to gather the ragged children in his dis- trict and teach them as he workeg With the introduction of the compuls sory education act in 1870, their use. fulness was largely destroyed and many were merged into the free schools, Why Is Flag day celebrates June 147—E. R, ¥ 7 i A. It is the a 1 t refery A. of June lved that i rsary 4, 1717, when Cor S he flag of the United States should have 13 stripes, al ate white and red, and that the Union be represented by 13 stars, white, in a blue field, Q Is Frances Alda of Amerl birth?—M. C. G A. She was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. ey Q. the private school | District of Co A. There ar students and 31,000 | sehools and universit Q. Why is some raw silk yellow and some white?—I. W. L A There are many commercial varieties of the silkworm graded accord- ing to the size, color, and quality of the cocoon. The color of the worm's prolegs before spinning indicates the color "the cocoon will be. This varies in different species and may be silvery white, cream, yellow, lemon or green. Q. What are the three demands of good usage?—L. W. _A. These are that a word or expres- sion be in national use, present use, and reputable use. Q. Are bulls angered at the sight of anything red?>—M. W. A. Experiments made at the U versity of California have proved that a bull's reaction to the color of red is no more than to any other color. In fact, judging by the conduct of the steers tested, it seems doubtful whether they can teil red from green, or white from blue. It is even possible that the ::nmfifls have no realization of color all. Q. Why are some heels called French and Cuban? How high are the highest heels made?—G. W. T. A. The United Shoe Machinery Co. says that various names have been ap- plied to heels. but undoubtedly the country of origin has much to do with it, as is the case with the French and the Cuban. The French heel dates back into the earlv period of the Guilds, and the Cuban, or spike, are types of heels which originated in the boots of mounted men, such as are worn on cow- boy boots at the present time. The highest heel they have is 4!3 inches, byt there are shoes which have had them somewhat higher than that. Whether they have been worn or not is a question, or whether they have simply” been made as a freak shoe, which happened very aften in the days of the Guilds, when snmekers were anxious to show their skill in produc- ing some of very often absurd type of shoe. Q. What becomes of the application papers turned in to the @ivil Service Commission?—J. C. 5. M. A. The-. Civil" mission says if a person Is appointed his appli- cation papers are kept in & t If he is not appointed, these pa- pers are kept five years and then de- stroyed. ular coffee houses were, “The Cheshire Cheese,” a favorite of Samuel Johnson; | “St. James,” the center of political news and discussion: “Button's,” where Ad-| dison dined and spent five or six hours | ® day. Every coffee house had its circle | of wits and great men. Q. Who built Homewood, the old | Baltimore mansion?—F. L. { A. Homewood was built by Charles | Carroll of Carrollton, signer of the | Q. Are opals softer or less durable than other jewels?—E. G. A. Opals are not durable stones. If worn « ca in an ordinary ring, they should last indefinitely Often they wear down and must be reset and cleaned. If given hard knocks or dropped, they are not much stronger than glass. They are classed as the softest of all gems, with the exception of the Oriental pearl. Frank O. Lowden's challenge to other Republicans on the subject of farm re- fief, which has been given added point | by the presidential veto of the McNary- | Haugen bill, drew acclaim from those | favoring such legislation. From other | quarters came expressions either of dis- | approval or of the thought that the po- | sition of Mr. Lowden already was so well | known that his statement could | greatly affect the situation. The forn [llinois governor declared that his party to win must support the principles laid down in the McNary-Hat and that he would not be \A‘]hu]{ 10 see the presidency without such a plank in the plasorm. | It Is an issue that worrles the leaders | plenty,” says the Milwaukee Journal | tindependent), and that draws the conclusion: “Mr. Lowden's call to the farmers that he and he alone repre- sents thelr cause is not going to ease thelr worrles. Other candidates will have to break their silence now, unless they are sure they have the delegate sewed up." As the New York World (Independent) sees it, however, “he alrea old’ to the farmers; they re- gard him as their special champion but that paper warns that “he is weak | in the East." ‘The Chicago Daily News (independ- ent) declares that Mr. Lowden “told the complucent and provincial elements of New York and the East generally some pertinent and wholesome truths.” and advises that “Eastern political leaders should understand that the issue of farm relief may contribute decisively to the result of the November election.” The Rock Island Argus (Independent) admits that “it may be a very easy matter to nominate Mr, Hoover," but adds that “the bigger question is what the Western farmer, ballot in hand, 1ld do about it next November.” has made a tremendously favorable impression on the East." as- serts the Des Moines Tribune-Capital (Independent Republican), “and his in- view In which he says that without platform favorable to the farmer it akes litle difference who I8 nominat may startle some of ' the leaders | into payving attention.” The Dayton | Daily News (independent Demoeratie) | suspects that “if the party managers decide that the farmer really means business, Mr, Lowden may emerge Anally With more votes i the convention than anybody 15 now expeoting him | to get." | | a LR | His campalgn against the submerys | ence of agriculiure i ws fue an example | of yenuine patriotism of pence time ws | Amerioan politieal history affords.” iy the judgment of the St Paul Ploneer Press (ndependent), while the Tudian- apolis News (dependent) predicts that “ifts challenge will have its effect on Kastern and Far Western party couns olls”] that “endless speculation as to 1t all comes down 1o & question of why the Middie West does not want Hoo: and who will satisty the Middle West " | The Morgantown New Dominton nde- | penclent Demooratio) thinks that at| least “there i& no longer doubt that the MeNary-Haugen bitl will be one of the flerclest (has in the Republican alde W the e o owden’s alatemen the | | Spakesman-Review schoals.’ Lowden Farm Relief Demand D a candidate who seeks the favor of a national party should be too ready to predict defeat if v one else i3 nom inated. Morever," continuee the B falo vaper, “his argumert presuppose an agrarian demand which the record of the primaries and elections do show.” The Reno Evening Gazette lependent Republican) concludes the party would more seriot der the nomination of Dawes, w n advocate of farm rel not issued any commands subject.” T Butte Daily P epublican) looks upon the statem: as “timed for publicity at the mo when the President had the bill on table, and- in the hope that it wo make him feel compeiled or coerced sign.* Denying that Mr. Lowden “is the s champion of the cause,” the Spoi points _ou “there are conflicting schools of relief, just as there schools in medicine, and the f themselves are divided between The Lincoln State Jou ndependent Ropublican) avers Lowden, by speaking boldly, narrows his audience to the people in the ag enltural regions and makes opponents of the day laborers and salaried people over the entite country nilarly the Roanoke Times tindependent Demo- cratic) affirms that “he represents’ t agrarian element. and outside of ¢ agrarian Stat much suppor s e i the W 3 pendent) sees it, “1f M wet the Republican nomination year he oan probably. get the kind o plank he wants on farm reliet, whic about the smne as saving that if the Republicans of the Bast believed i the McNary-Haugen bill Mr. Lowden might stand & chance of geting the nomna ton, But the Republicans of the K do ot believe in the MeNary-H: billY The Cinelnnati Thnes-Star (¥ publican) remarks, “There are a num ber af good reasons why Lowden never had a chance for the presidential nom- ation i 1928 One of these reasons is the abrupt fashion i which he put his own desires above (he needs of his DALY four years ago.” “Why Mr. Lowden and other chaw Plons of & minority faction of the Re DUBliCAR party see the defeat of that Ly ubless thelr wishes are granted i difficult to explam,” says the Funt Dally Journal dndependent), “Thew Predictions must be taken with a grain Ol salt: probably they do not believe them themselves. he Waterioo Tvib une (independent progressive) says, “The inference is that the noamination WIll not be worth having (f the party does not meet the tarm ). In this % My, Lowden may be goig & bit fan In % the absence of & W go agriculture - o m“v conclude to keep o-?hh‘k. from 7 within,* A Deseribing the MoNary-Haugen Lure s oriihie L the: Narvord Thnes (lude) tends that, 0 Y- tie) umlmt D it or withont Ry