Evening Star Newspaper, August 24, 1928, Page 8

4 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Merning Editien. WASHINGTON, D. C FRIDAY... *HEODOBE W. NOYES. .. .Editor; " ing Star News| Company The Srmn(. lar 'n?""" o e s ver Buildine egent St.. London, England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. he Eveming Staro ol 45 oer month The Evening and Sunda when 4 Sundars) 60c per month Tne Eienine and Sundas Star when S Sundave). Sc per at'the end of each month. Tt i 5l o Telephone Rate by Mail—Payvable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, 1 00: 1 mn. S0c 1 mo. 40c All Other States and Canada. Paabee 1 me: mo.. Member of the Associated Press. Pracs 18 exclusivels entittea anlization ‘of all 1 ews dis herwise cre toc 'S suggestion. in his acceptance, that the amendment be changed to he adoption of prohibition or trol laws by the States. by referendum, doés not neces- that the Democratic can- ate proposes, if elected. himself to and advance such a move be assumed that he realizes matters pertaining to the ment of the Constitution the nt has no voice, save perhaps ommendation. ‘he process of changing the funda- al law. Te are two prescribed methods ¢! altering the Constitution. One is b & general convention of all the States, called by Congress at the spe- fic request of two-thirds of the States. The other is by the submis- sion of amendments to the Btates by Congress, aftsr adoption by a two- thirds vote in each house. In either case such amendments, whether pro- posed directly by Congress or by a convention of the States. must be rati- fled by the legislatures of three-fourths of the States, or by conventions held in them, according as the method of ratification is prescribed by Congress. All of the amendments to the Con- stitution have been adopted at the initiative of Congress. Since the orig- inal Constitution-framing convention no general gathering of representatives of the States has been held for the purpose of changing the fundamental law. The initiative of the amendments has been taken In every instance by Congress, not by the President. In some cases such proposals have been conveyed by the Executive in the leg- islative branch. but the responsibility for maugurating amendments has al- ays rested upon the latter. and it doubtless will continue thus to rest. At every session of Congress numer- ous propositions for constitutional amendments are advanced in both houses. Some of these are long-timers. | having repeatedly appeared, Congress 2fter Congress. Conferences have been frequently held between legislators and Presidents as to wisdom of supporting such propositions and submitting them to the States. But never hes the re- sponsibility for the adoption of the proposing resclutions been divided be- tween the legislative branch and the executive. . An amendment is proposed in the . .August 24, 1928 | He is not a factor | SUPPOrts create a bottle-neck and there is serious danger of cars being forced ARAINSt them in the rush of traffe. Long lines of automobiles constantly use these “tunnels” and the slightest | Swerve In the jockeying for position by | their operators may result in a bad | Accident. The street surface under- neath the viaduet is generally slippery (And slimy, and it 1s & skilled cmmmr! |indeed who, if forced to make a quick | is(op by the exigencies of traffic. can {avold a skid. Tt is not so much a ques- i tion of & motorist running head-on into one of these pillars because he did not see it. but it is a question of a narrow the needs of trafc. i Eventually this old-fashioned type of | viaduct must be removed from the streets of Washington. From an engi- | neering standpoint it is perfectly fea- sible to span the roadway without the | center supports, and. although it will | be an expensive process. it should be {placed on the list of early District | improvements. | Many changes have about by the automobile been brought New and d- | better roads have been bullt in all sec- | tions of the country. and as the num- ber of car users has increased stren- {uous efforts have been made to remove !danger from even the newest high- ways. Curves have been straightened out. grade crossings eliminated and | signs with great profusion placed to warn the motorist of ‘danger. All this has been expensive, but the protection of life is more important than any ex- pense. Assuredlr the National Capital cannot afford to lag behind in the pro- gram of bettermen* which is going on | |dav by dar throughout the United | States B | New York Republicans. Democratic managers count upon the | carrving of New York State for Smith | in order to give him the electoral ma- | fority in November. They are reckoning | upon his great popularity there to give him the necessary margin. They are, it is said. not concerned about the report- ed unwillingness of many voters who have in the past supported Smith for | governor to advance him to the presi- dency. but count upon this past suppor to carry him over the line in the State | | this year. It is evident from any study of the tables of electoral figures tha(‘ | without New York Smith can hardly ex- | pect to win, whereas there are several | possible combinations of electoral votes | i that could defeat him for the presidency | {even if he should carry New York. Thus | it is vitally important to the Democratic | | organization to win the Empire State [ for its favorite son. | In this situation there is much satis- | ]fumm on the part of the Democratic | ! leaders over the present plight of the | Republican organization in the State. | in has not been altogether harmonious | | for some time past. It was sharply | divided on the score of the Republican nomination. An influential group stout- 1y opnosed Mr. Hoover and preferred to | “draft” President Coolidge for another term. When that group was set aside at | Kansas City through the nomination of Hoover it made Mself “regular” by I prompt indorsement and support, but | the factional differences remained ' sharply defined. 3 | A few days ago George K. Morris. chairman of the Republican State com- } mittee, died suddenly, and his death threw the situation into confusion. The chairmanship temporarily fell to Miss Sarah Butler, daughter of the president of Columbia University, who is decided- 1y at outs with his party and its candi- ‘ | date. Immediately factional strivings | for control were renewed. The group | adjectives. Mr. Brown, at the time of the undertaking, was visiting in the town of Mount. Carmel, T, and was hungry. Two unsuspecting gentlemen offered to finance the experiment. His record speaks for itself: Seventeen sand- wiches, six jelly rolls, seven slices of bacon, three oyster stews, two cans of beans and two pints of milk. That, ladies and gentlemen. is eating. Think of those jelly rolls! But after thinking of the jelly rolls, as a matter of di- gestive precaution it is advisable not to think too much about the other items on the menu. While the Herald-Tribune has done SScpermonth | roadway inadequate to take care of |well to compile these records and to present them in convenient form. there | should be an official repository of some sort for the names and feats of other national champions. of the champion flag-pole sitter, for in- stance, and how long did he sit? Who is the champion marathon dancer, and how long did he danee? Who is the champion going-without-sleep perform- er. and how long did he stay awake? Who had the most perfect back at the last Pacific Coast chiropractors. and what is her address? It is frightfully disconcerting—the way | these names, dates and peflormnncr.ti escape one frightfully pleasant! and slip disconcerting, from memory but how e A Good Samaritan. In this world of commercialism it is refreshing to see a fine friendship, oblivious to money considerations, be- tween two people. Therefore, the dem- onstration of friendship given by Will Rogers, the cowboy humorist and known throughout the world for his wit, to | Fred Stone, the musical comedy star | who recently was injured in an airplane Accident. is worthy of note. Stone was to open a new show on October 1 with his daughter. Dorothy. A week or so ago he suffered injuries which will keep him flat on his back for many weeks The other day Rogers, who has retired from the stage. telegraphed the stricken Actor in part as follows: “I will go into the show with Dorothy. Just to sort of plug along till you are able to reiofn it Dorothy, of course, will be the star. I don’t want any billing."” Rogers. in making his offer to return to the legitimate stage. did not men- tion that it will eost him close to a half-million dollars in canceled mo- tion picture, feature writing and per- sBnal appearance contracts. That and the fact that he is unselfish enough to want no billing in the show, a fea- ture upon which a member of the stage profession generally insists. stamp his offer as coming truly from the heart. Will Rogers is indeed a good Samaritan. 2 ————— It is the intention of Senator Jim Reed to give up Washington, D. C., as a residence. Unless some conspicuous new talent is develonsd. his decision will render the town a shade duller. ———— The horse is a patient and noble animal. Yet he is made to stand as a terrible incentive to gambling regardless of the stock market and the rustic “spinning jinney - e eeea. Mr. White's attacks on Gov. Al Smith l may vet reach an explanatory stage, indicating that they were uttered only in a “Pickwickian sense.” ————— New York theatrical producers are rankly discouraged. The public shows no appreciation of daring novelty when an absolutely moral play is announced. S - The impression is general that Gene Tunney is a nice boy and that some way should be found to prevent rough ‘What is the name | convention of the | that had opposed Hoover before the prize fighters from picking on him. The water at night has a charm all its own., No matter how glorious the same expanse of water possesses A won- derful appeal when night comes down and the stars shine darkly. We stood beneath a fringe of tree along a narrow beach fronting the his. toric Chesapeake Bay, which had now disappeared to sight beneath the all- | pervading darkness. Rain dripped drowsily through the branches, in that half-state when Nature seems undecided what to do. The sandy ground was wet, no stars shone, only afar twinkled several lights. Down yonder gleamed a fixed beacon. in the direction of the sea: up the bay shone another ftfully, toward old An- napolis. Far in the distance glowed a decp- ening light that lit the heavens miles away. Was it a fire> One could be- lieve he saw smoke. but calmer judg- ment. decided against it. What, then, could it be? 1t might have been the famous north- | orn lights. Tt seemed rather the high lights east by the illumination of a | great. eity. but Baltimore was ton far away, and there was no other metrop- alis to account for it. Then it began to sink | lower and gradually died awayv altogeth- or, leaving the horizon as the immediate | vieinity droamed in darkness. struggling | against night and clouds and rain | PR { ‘'Those moving lights were steamers | Gradually they had crawled at least six inches in the dark and were on their | way for the conquest of another six inches. It was hard to realize, stand- | ing there under the dripping trees bv | | the bay. that those lights ware not fust lights, but were great vessels. nprobably crowded each one with hundreds of pennla, ‘“There goes a steamer." How little the words meant. until nne stopped to conjure up the pieture of a hoat such as one had known, with its | decks, and its railings, and its rush| | of wind. and its lights, and its crowding | exeursfonists, and its camp stools on the lee side of the pllot house. | . Out there in the darkness there was light. as young peovle went up and | down stairs and felt the keen wind | whin into their face as thev climbed { o the hurricane deck, as the jargon has it Hats were being grabbed tightlv, out there. and hobbed hair was being blown araund smiling faces—— But to us, on the shore, all that was | onlv represented by what ssemed to be A row of indistinguishable dots of light | moving ever so slowly across the deep | blackness we knew to bs the bay. | e Tt was uncanny there in the dark to be able to see nothing of the water at ail. The light from a cottage did not penetrate to the beach, which was down | a clifty hill 15 or o feet high. By grasping an old root and swinging | down it was possible to get onto_the | narrow stretch of harsh sand which | passed as a beach. It was not much of a beach, certainly, as beaches go. {vet it had held some beautiful feet in| its time. and would know many more Whispers there came of mermaids who had plunged into those dark waters as if into a sanctuary. sure of the dark- | ness which veiled them. Suppose a| steamer had played a great searchlight | upon them from out yonder? | What then? No doubt there would | have been a great scurrving and splash- ing of tanned arms. which would have | looked white then. and swimming would | WASHINGTON There was a downpour of rain at PFairmount, W. Va., four years ago when John W. Davis delivered his speech of | | acceptance. It poured rain in Albany | Wednesday night. and blotted out _the | great outdoor show arran; for Gov. Smith. Al Smith luck was for the nonce missing. The venders of brown | | derbies and other carnival gewgaws had |a sad time. The glee club opened up | | with “How Dry I Am.” but did not complete the rendition of this tune. But nothing dampened the enthusiasm with which the Smith acceptance ad- | confines of the assembly chamber of BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. sea or bay with the sunshine on it, the | lower and | dress was received within the narrow | form of t resolution, which re. | convention selected for chairman E. H. | quires a t:-:.mz:m vote in each house |@4achold, former speaker of the State | for adoption. It is not submitted, as | Assembly. The other group appealed to are other joint resolutions, to the |Chairman Work of the Republican na- | President for approval. The reason for | tional committee to intervene and to | this is obvious. A resolution that is | Dring about the selection of a pre-| passed by a two-thirds vote could by convention pro-Hooverite. Chairman | the same vote be passed over a presi- Work wisely declined to intervene in a | dential veto. The matter is entirely Purely State organization matter, and | out of the hands of the Executive, save ' Mr. Machold's selection as chairman is as he by his official influence, exerted | 10 be effected today. | by message or by conference, may| The situation is complicated by the Each of the presidential candidates seems in favor of limiting the campaign | songsters to the measures of “How Dry | I Am!” the Albany Capitol Building and through the broad reaches of the land from | coast to coast and border to border. | where listening millions heard the ring- | ing pronouncements of the “happy war- | rior.” The idol of New York Democ- | ——d e * | racy d:: :lot %rlw':u pur:’cok:r 1'l'h:\rl: | was plenty of “steam” n The probibition party used to be | e, Rnq"in His words. He undertook. unique. It might wield tremendous among other things. to riddle the power today if it had been abhle ln"‘m,vth“ of Coolidge economy and Re- | copyright its stuff. publican prosperity preachments. As in | = s i 0 the case of the Hoover acceptance ad- | dress, press comment was colored by | Secretary of State Kellogg is alertly | opposing mmml viewpoints, but the | consensus of the private and uncensored | that a point is gained wh | tard or finally block adop- A fact that candidates for governor and | AWAre »o & g hasten or re ¥y country is persuaded to go uncom- promisingly on record in favor of peace. —etne i SHOOTING STARS. tion So it is that any proposition to amend the eghteenth amendment. in accord with Gov. Smith's suggestion, must originate in and be considered by Congress alone. and could be submitted to the States only by virtue of a two- thirds vote in each house. And if thus adopted and submitted it must in order to become ffective, secure the ratifications of three-fourths of the Btates, in the same manner as the emendment itself. The difficuty of guch a procedure is evident. Thus the inclusion of such a measure in Gov Emith's program of prohibition reform is 1 be regarded merely as a gesture o virtually academic proposition. Whether this limitation upon its sig- nificance lessens its effectiveness as an appeel suppert of voters who d with the present con- gitions is 3 matter for individual spec- ulation Comment on a speech of aceeptance resolves itself into formula. Opposition iably declares, “It is all wrong Beacons on the Viaducts. 1 make the rajlroad safer for motorists installed on n structures. In eftort vizducts in this cit flashing beacor: have bes upports of s « first of these was put into opera- on the important ar- of Rhode Isiand avenue B & O tracks cross it Combined with a strong white light cn shows up to oncoming motorists the menacing supports in the middle ©of the street, is an amber flashes every second the iron Tr tinr ter 1n night ghway many eccidents will be averted As highly commendsble as 15 this | ejghty-two bananas at one time work, it is not the remedy for the dan- | Herald-Tribune missed a rare oppor- qerous situation created by obstructions nowever well lighted, in the middle '1‘1\H|h this information the distance that Years ago, be- [could be coyered if eighty-two bananas Washinglon's streets fore automobtles came into their pres- [ were Iaid end to end immovable pillars in the middle of 8 highwey did not constitute the menace that they do today. Then there was no trafic problem to men- the | C. W. Carnifax of Fayettsville, W. Va, ent popularity tion The few cars that used Wtreets could be maneuvered with com paretive freedom nal, which | Traffc officials sre reporied 1o be pleased with the new | much adulation be showered upon Mr inswaliation &nd are confident thal| Plummer, the reader is also informed | Senator are to be chosen, and the fac- tional lines are forming on these selec- | tions. There is & vigorous discussion of | the merits of aspirants. An attempt has | been made, in the interest of harmony, | to draft former Secretary Hughes for | the senatorial nomination, but Mr Hughes. who 1s about to be named as | a member of the World Court at Th: | Hague, has declined. Representative B, H. Snell, now chairman of the rules| committee of the House, was ap- ! proached, but he, too. asked to be ex- | cused, feeling that his present position | is too important to surrender. | These maneuvers have engendered much feeling. Whether this feeling will | ! tend to lessen the ardor of the organi- | zation Republicans for the presidential | nominee is a question. The Democratic | managers hope that it will. If it should, | and if New York is lost to the Repub- | licans in consequence, there will be some | radical revisions of the party lines in | that State. But the advocates of Mr Hoover's election are trusting to an ef- fective smoothing out of these troubles before election day - B | | | The time may come when a county | tair fiying machine will be required to | issue a life insurance policy along with | the admission ticket - Acclaiming the Champions. The New York Herald-Tribune per- formed & notable public service recently | in printing, in convenient .form, the names and the feats of some of, the | more idely acclaimed gastronomic champions of the United States of America. There was duly recorded, for | instance, the fact that John Plummer | of Lorain, Ohio, devoured at one sitting | eighty-eight flapjacks. But lest too | that C. L. Clark of Hayesville, Ohlo, ate The | tunity, however, in its failure to couple | In the division of fried eggs, we find that Braz Mapie | of Morristown, Pa. is the undisputed | rhamplon, having eaten twenty-six of | them at one time, but we also learn that BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Good, for a Change. Had enough of stories Of cowboys from the West; Of the subworld glories And detective test. Had enough of shootin’ And of fiimflam tricks— Glad to be salutin’ Talk 'hout Polities. ‘Tariff helps to cheer us. Farmers give us hope, For they don't draw near us Where the gunmen grope. Literature is shifted From Crime’s tales prolix; And we feel uplifted By our Polities! Elegances, “Do you think the bootleg industry is growing?" “Let us be hopeful,” answered Sena- tor Sorghum. “I notice that most of the men we once knew as bootleggers are now wearing spats.” Mountain Fisherma “The Ocean 1 will flout A Fisherman remarks; “I'd rather toy with Trout ‘Than take a chance on Sharks " Jud Tunkins says a man used to hook | his wife up the back. Now he asks her to help him button his collar. “He who seeks to direct the morals of others,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “often holds himself aloof to pre- vent his own from being Inspected.” Amphibian Bull. A merry Bullfrog caught the eye, For song he was not loth, 1 asked him, “Are you wet or dry?" He answered, “1 am Both.” Entirely by Motor. “Did you complete your trip by | motor?" “Yes," said Mr. Chuggins, "part way | in my own car and part way in an am- bulance.” “We continues to have hopes of gen- swallowed sixty raw eggs st & aitting. 1t is the prowess of one Al Brown, a ! erous gifts” sald Uncle Eben. “Dar ain’t no Banta Claus. But dar ia al- Now it is all changed. The viaduot hobo, however, that leaves one bereftof weys candidates fob tlu" opinion at Washington was that the Democratic standard-bearer had deliv- |ered a “great Smith speech.” and laid | a firm foundation for a campaign along | the lines he has personally laid out L William F. Whiting, the new Seere- tary of Commerce, is a “rock-ribbed” | Republican of the old western Massa- chusetts type. He shares with Frank | W. Stearns of Boston the title of the “original Coolidge man.” His home in Holyoke, Mass., Is not far from Northampton. Amherst is his alma mater. His friendship and admiration | for the President goes back a great | many vears. At Chicago_in 1920 he | voted for Coolidge for President on | every ballot from first to last. When | | he arrived at Kansas City this year he declared that his convention vote would be cast for no one but Coolidge. But in the end he joined to make the Bay | State ballot unanimous for Hoover. Mr.| Whiting is head of the old established | | paper company which bears the Whit- | ing name. He is a man of wealth who never before has held public office | ) | Mr. Coolidge’s selection of Herbert Hoover's successor in his cabinet as Commerce Department head was obvi- ously motivated by personal, rather than political considerations. The President | has not been given to passing out political fiiums to his friends. But in | inviting the Massachusetts paper manu- facturer to a place in his oMetal family | he has rewarded a stanch supporter accorded somewhat belated political “recognition” to his home State, and | at the same time found a man who | measures up to the high standards of capability which the President demands | when he fills important posts in the | Government service. On Mr. Whiting's part in accepting the post it can hardly be anything else than friendship that induces him to leave his great busi- | ness to wear so short lived an honor * o Secretary of Commerce Whiting's in- | timates call him “Bill." He is not much | glven to sports. He does not drink and | he does not smoke. He 1s & prodiglous | reader, his reading taste running almnflly to history. The stock of books in his Massachusetts home comprises one of the largest private libraries in New England. But he is a “regular fellow” none the less, and democratic with the small “d” His one eat hobby 1s eattle ralsing. His stock farm | 15 one of the show places of the Berk- | shires. He spends almost as much time watching over his farm as he does over | the great paper mills which he owns, | oo ow | The selection of the final prize-win- | ning design for the completion of the | tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Ar- | Ilington National Cemetery will be made | soon, from the five first picked by the jury of award from the 78 ar more sub- mitted In the original competition. Whoever the architeet may he who s finally honored with the task of com- pleting the Unknown Eoldier memorial, | be underrated | writer D. C. FRIDAY. ‘suddpnly have become the order of the night. Tonight it was much too dark to | contemplate swimming. Even as a joke i no one would have “gone in" tonight. | There was something almost eerie about | the darkness, It was so molst, 5o com- pletely dark. There was a damp seat on a damp | bench, There the lover of nature might | sit quietly. contemplating the deepness |of the darkness and the darkness of | the deepness, with sea and sky and | beach merging into one. | It seemed the darkest night he had | ever seen, or been a part of it. or sat |in. 1f it had not been for the slight surge of the water as the small waves ‘hrok! on the beach. he would not have known water was there. { If it had not been for those station- ary and moving luminous dots, he would | not have realized that any life moved | out there below him. any more than he | | would have sensed that the sky above | him held stars which shone not. It was a universal darkness, the sort which must settle upon the earth, ac-| cording to legend, at some future time. when man has*forgot his God and gone | in for the worship of strange things. | Would the darkness ever lift? A terrible, mystifying thought came Suppose no light would ever appear | | again. Then what would happen? | Steadily he kept his eyes forward. look- ing out into the darkness, in a direc- tion which obliterated the steamers and | the light buoys and the lighthouses Only darkness greeted him. In that darkness there was neither here nor | there. There was no high or low, no| measurements, N0 cOMPArisons. \ ook He tried to picture what life must have boen ltke in the days when there was no light. The things that lived then | did not miss light. because they had | never known it. Light was the great ad- | venture. | In the early days of mankind day and | night were sharply contrasted. Oniy the | gleam of moon and stars and the ruddy glow of burning logs. and the glare of | torches, dripping sparks, gave light at | night i Century by century man improved his | weapons for Aghting darkness, but it | was a slow march. Candles came at last. through the multiplication of which rooms became lighter at night, and fes- | tivities took on all the artificiality which invented lights bring. Today mankind knows the electric light. and the powerful electric beacons. which {lluminate the world at night in a way never known before in the ‘his- tory of restless mankind. Now some think to outwit Nature by staying up all night. They are the ad- vance guard, they proudly think, of the men and women of the future who will | never retire into the darkness, but will remain illuminated forever. Darkness, blackness, no light—he was afraid to turn around, lest the fitfu gleam from the cottage would be gone. | Life seemed to have lost its light: there was no telling whether they w be_there if one turned around. The urge to turn became greater and greater, but the call of the dark held firmly. There was to be no turning un- til some spark of light appeared again in the wide space of sky and water, in- distinguishable from one another. A spark of light—a spark of light—— He turncd-—ah, the light in the cot- tage was still there. He stood up and shook himself. He was wet and cold, but he had Xor%fllfln it. in his happi- ness at seeing the light in the window He started back along the narrow path between the dripping trees. ould OBSERVATIONS it will not be Thomas Hastings, interna- tionally renowned architect of New York, surviving partner of the firm of Carrere & Hastings, who designed the Arlington Amphit] stands there. Thereby hangs a tale. Mr. Hastings, now nearing 70, is griev- ously disappointed. He designed the New York Public Library and many ' | other notable buildings throughout the world. But the Arlington Amphitheater and the Unknown Soldier’s tomb were the projects nearest his heart in recent years, and in which he took the greatest He submitted his own designs for the completion of the tomb—several alternate suggestions—at intervals dur- ing the past half-dozen years, while the Department, the President, the Capitol architect’s office, the Washing- ton Planning Board and Congress were at loggerheads as to what sort of a shaft, if any, should be erected above the tomb, and before any funds were aflable for the work. When Con- gress finally decided to go ahead and appropriated $50,000, the War Depart- ment, instead of calling in Mr. Hast- ings, announced a_competition open to all for designs. The New York archi- tect could have entered the competition had he chosen to do so, and might have secuted the award. But he is fixadly opposed to such procedure for selecting A design. Never once in his long life has he entered a competition. He feels that too much of the artist's soul is involved. So he submitted no design and wesigned himself to the prospeet of \-;‘lnx his own creation finished by an- other pride. F L Stxty-two years ago the National Grange had its inception in Washing- ton. Now it numbers a membership of nearly a million, distributed in 30 States, In public discussion of farm relief leg- islation of the past half-a-dozen TS, the American Farm Bureau Federation has been the most vociferous spokesman for the farmers and the Grange has oft- times been crowded out of the spotlight i as the debate proceeded on McNary- Haugenism and the equalization fee The prestige and influence of the Grange with the farmers. especially this side of the Mississippl, are not to Its next annual meet ing, announced for the week of Novem. ber 14 here at the Capital, to formulate legisiative program and policies and timed to follow immediately after the election, is certain to be important since both Smith and Hoover propose to take new counsel with the repre- sentatives of agriculture to guide their own courses, (Copyright. 1928) ..o D. C. Observer Indors Criticism of Motorists To the Editor of The Star We have rend with much interest a | letter from a visitor to this city in which she criticizes the trafe and regulations of Washington Any one hailing from most any other ity in the United States who has studled the trafe problems eclsewhere eould help but_be of the same opinion as the of this letter. 8he says that the traffic situation is deplorable in this city. We agree with her after we have studied the traffic situation in most of the large cities in the country. | We have found that Washington Is far behind any of them. The average motorist, If he knows the rules, does not comply with them or heed them, but violates the laws for driving with impunity. Local drivers rush across street Intersections like maniaes until the pedestrian is in constant danger of Injury or death. We have noticed that most motorists in Washington do not know how to make a right or left hand turn, but heedlessly speed around corners, using no signal but the nerve- racking bl instead of using their brakes more and their horn: less. Anoth fon of the M rules 1s the e locking of dr ways and entrances leading to priva or business places. It seems that the taxpayer has no rights that these van should respeet. The District has given motorists the right to park in the atreets. They should be satis- fled with this ‘prlvul and not park s o AUGUST 2 Work of the Animal Rescue League Praised To the Editor of The Star: The letter of Miss Sargent, prinfed in The Star of Thursday, August 23, about the work of the Animal Rescue League, states the case for the league better than it has been stated for a long time. I have attended many board meetings for the league and am well acquainted with its work. 1 have also voluntarily and willingly. so long as I had the strength to do it. spent many entire days at the league building Maryland avenue and Four-and: street southwest through the hof and the coldest weather to help in the dafly work. I have also spent y hours picking up and keeping tem- porarily in my own house lost, home- less, injured, miserable dogs and trying to find their owners or homes for them. The league could not possibly take care of and find homes for all the miserable stray animals of Washington, even if it had the funds it so badly needs. Tt does find homes for many good dogs and cats. The fact that it cannot find homes or provide for all, regardless of age, sex or condition, should not ob- scure the good that it does do, or the | . as Miss Sargent points out, that fa it, fs far better for us and more humane for the animals to put. most of them out of their misery shortly rather than to leave them to suffer and be maimed or ill-treated or killed in the streets. or, it seems to me, to collect them and keep | them and allow them to multiplv. MARION STUART CAKE. Opposing View Fxpressed. To the Editor of Tha Star The Animal Rescue League is con- ‘There is no other agency in the world that can answer as many legitimate | questions as our free Information Bu- | | reau in Washington, D. C. This highly | | organized institution has been built up and is under the personal direction of | Frederic J. Haskin. By keeping in con- ant touch with Federal bureaus and | other educational enterprises it is in a | | position to pass on to you authoritative | h.t!mformnllon of the highest order. Sub- | mit your queries to the staff of experts | whose servie-s ar> put at your free dis- | 1. There is no charge except two | cents in coin or stamps for return post- |age. Address The Evening Star Infor- | mation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Di- | rector, Washington, D. C. Q. How often does a champion have ta defend his title>—D. D. R. A. According to the boxing rules. a champion must defend his title once |each six months provided a sultable | challenger can be found. Q. Why are the keys on the type- | | writer placed as they are> Why are the {J and K given such good positions? | W. H. | _A. One typewriter company says: “The first commercially successful type- | writer, which was placed on the mar- | been lost. | ket about 50 years ago, contained a key- | | board almost. identical with that used | at the present time. The retention of this keyboard is undoubtedly due to |the fact that hundreds of thousands | of typists have learned if, 5o that it has | | become practically universal, and preju- | about 15 per cent of sugar. | him to eat and enjoy life. i ! what the eity pound does, only care- tempt to make a radical scientific change | stantly being revealed as not rescuing | dice against a change causes manufac- but killing animals. Witness the recent | tyrers to continue arranging the letters «illing of a wonderfully loyal dog that | in accordance with the desires of the it refused to give into any suitable | majority of those who use it. When home where people would have gotten |3l ‘is said and done, the present ar- 1t does just ' rangement is a pretty good one. To at- fully disguising its purpose, and acts. as | would, in our opinion. not be feasible. a rule, in order to gain public SUPPOTt | § and K might be rearranged with ad- under the misapprehension on the part | yantage. We do not know why these | of thnusn.n]:s of pdersons ':,hll: it L:?v‘vl: particular 1,?.;(" w,ép tpllafisdth':'l‘r gp the animals rurned over 5 L us | second row of keys. Certainly - all work for the elosing up of the Ani- | sition is not the best for a touch typ- mal Rescue League. Its enthuslastic |ist. However, touch typewriting was officials. who so frequently get lhetrim, known in the early days of the names and pictures in the newspapers, | fypewriter, so that the position of J and can then turn to aviation as A means g was not so important at the time of gaining public attention, and the | the order of letters was arranged. The animals of the city will have a much | reason for the present arrangement has better chance for life. | never been satisfactorily explained so ter and so much | of the Unknown Soldier's tomb as now | MILDRED E. EWIN We think that the = prin‘ers’ case had something to do with | the arrangement, and also that the arrangement was affected by the fact | that the keys were in a circular bas- ket and this arrangement to some ex- R | - | Comment on The Star’s | Editorial on Philately | T the Editor of The Star | Your editorial on “Philately” in The | Star of August 18 was read with in- terest, but, like the average newspaper |article written by & non-collector, it | conveys a wrong impression in,some | parts and causes smiles by the initiated. | | Somehow or other, outsiders do not seem able to “catch onto our curves.” | This letter is not written in a spirit | of eriticism or fault-finding. but to con- ey a little information in a friendly | manner. I am one of those who are wedded to The Star. I have read it every day for more than 35 years. | Regarding the Mauritius 2p. of 1848, | although I did not see the stamp, the | general impression among the fraternity | that 1t brought all that it was worth, In the first place, it was what | might' be considered a minor variety, in that it was from an intermediate impression of the plate. If you will examine Scott's Catalogue you will find | that four stages of printing are listed— | was " |carliest, early, intermediate and worn ! impressions—and the same stamp from | ! the latest printing is rated at $400 un- | used and $75 used. This |as the valuation of $1.500, is only tentative, according to the catalogue (special notice in front of book). They | are approximate values, based on actual sales and other sources of information. Much depends on condition as well as who might want a specimen. Under certain conditions some collectors buy stal regardiess of catalogue prices. and many stamps sell above the list | price. T understand that the stamp in question was cut too close—that is, had little or no margins—and it was also repaired on one corner. One other thing that caught my attention was your statement that stamp albums, long neglected and for- $400, as well | | far as we know. | tent prevented the keys from clashing. | We think also that whoever arranged the Jetters had some thought for the sequence of the letters and tried, as| far as possible. to harmonize the dif-| ferent points we have mentioned.” | @ Why are Mocha and Java coffees so often sold as a blend?—E. A. | | A. Genuine Mocha is a little too Icid. |and genuine Java is not quite acid| | snough for the average consumer. The | | blending results in just the right pro-| nortion of each element to produce the ! finest flavor. | @ When was the music to “Yankee | | Doodle” writter "—V. MrH. » | . A. The air of “Yankee Doodle” is | | said to have been a British air, known | ! in the time of Cromwell by the name of | “Nankee-Doodle” snd played with de- | | risive reference to the similarity of this | {name to Yankee by the British troops | !in evacuating Boston. The Americans took it up and made it a national air. Q. Which Dutch fomily was the first | to own a vast estate in America?—E. H. A. Of all the early Dutch colonial | families, the Van Rensselaers were the | first to acquire a great landed estate | | in America. They were originally from Rensselaer, Holland. They were active | 1 in the criginal settlement of Manhattan | in 1623 and acquired by purchase from | the Indians 700.000 acres of land in the | | present counties of Albanv and Rensse- | laer, N. Y.; parts of which are now M: sachusetts, and parts of several ot New York counties. Q. When was “In God We Trust put on our coins?—R. E. D. A. The religious motto “In God We | Trust” first’ appeared on the coins of | the country in 1864 and owes its pres- | of the Old Testament was tten, can be found stored in attics, ence largely to the increased religious E?t. T doubt if there are many of that | sentiment in the dreaded crises of the class, as that is just what the wide- Civil War. S. P. Chase. then Secre- awake collector is looking for. But | tary of the Treasury. addressed a letter every attic, hair trunk, etc, has been | to the director of the mint at Phila- | explored long ago. and real finds are | delphia stating his reason that “no | The | nation can be strong except in the South has been combed tooth and nail & strength of God or safe except in His for Confederates, and the whole coun- | defense. The trust of our people in try for old United States, and very few God should be declared on our na- of any consequerice are found. Occa- | tional coins,” and ordered that a de- slonally a real find is made among the vice be prepared without delay with a records of an old bank or courthouse motto expressing this national recog- or business house, and it is an event. | nition. as scarce as white blackbirds. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY PREDERIC J]. HASKIN. Q. What, is the meaning of the old saying, “Beware of the Greeks when they offer you gifts"?>—F. T. A. The original, “T fear the Greeks bearing gifts,” appears In Ver “Aeneid.” [he reference is to the siege of Troy. The Greeks besieged the city of Troy without success. Finally they resorted to strategy, offering a huge wooden horse to the Trojans as a ziit The horse was taken into the eity. and while the Trojans slept the warriors with which the horse was filled, came forth and opened the gates for their Greek comrades. The conclusion is that one should fear an enemy most when he seems friendliest Q. Can sugar coconut palm?—W. A. In the East Indies a sugar known as jaggery Is made from the sap of this palm. THe sap is obtained by cutting the flower spathe and the juice vields It is eor sumed locally and is very impure, Chemically, much of it is identical with cane and beet sugar. Q. What does the word “Selah™ mean? —M. M. A. The exact meaning of the word has but most authorities agree that it indicated a pause or natura! break in the hymn or psalm. be made from the A Q. How many books are thers in the Distriet of Columbia libraries> T.E. N, A. According to a recent survey there are over 9,000,000 volumes in over 200 libraries, exclusive of volumes of music (and prints in the Library of Congress. {Counting the latter, also pamphlste | monographs. etc., there would be over 110,000,000 volumes | Q. Why is it that sunken wonden lsmp;Jnmn remain intact for years>— A. Wooden ships. after being sunk, are very rapidly covered with a marine growth, which forms a sort of lime da- posit and preserves the wood, In some cases for centuries, Q. Have we az many symphonv or- | chestras as the older European coun- ‘h' have’—R. R. D. | A Comparing/ orchestras in the United States with those in other coune tries we find for 1927-28 the follow- ing list: United States, 60; Austria, 21; England, 19: Germany, 19: France, 11; Belgium, 12; Spain, 12; Rumania, 7 | Holland. 6: Italy, 7. Czechoslovakia, | Denmark, 2; Norway, 2; Scotland, 3. Q. What is the rate of fire of a | Browning airplane gun, and of one used on the ground?—A. E. H. | A. The rate of fire of the Browning |aircraft machine gun. the fastest ma- chine gun. is 1.050 to 1,200 shots per minute. and the rate of fire of the Browning ground machine gun iz 450 to 350 shots a minute. Q. When was completed’—D. W. A. According to ll‘i; Old Testament tradition. the canon closed by Ezra and th2 books probably compiled about 100 B.C. Q. What State may be said fo be the leading recreational State?>—M. M. A The State of California far ex- ceeds all other States in recreation visitors, including campers, picnickers, transient tourists, hotel and resort guests and those taki apartments ‘on short leases or boarding. Q. When were surgical operations first heard of?—L. K. A. Surgical operations' were per- formed by the ancients. Among such operations were trephining. or fracturs of the skull. and the crushing and ex- traction of sicnes in_the bladder. Of course these were all opsrations per- formed without anesthesia. How many Presidents of the United States appear on postags w. & stamps *— E A. Sixtcen in all. They are Wash- ington, Jefferson. Madison, Monroe, Jackson. Harrison. Taylor. Lincoln, Grant, Hayes. Garfield, Cleveland, Mc- Kinley, Rocseveit. Wilson and Harding. Q. Please name some mountain peaks other than the Matterhorn, which are seldom scaled. b A. Other peaks that are not com- monly climbed are: Mt. Perdu (Pyre- nees, Mt. Brocksn (Hartz Mis), Mt Elbruz (Caucasus Mts.), Mt. Kazbek (Caucasus Mts.), Mt. Ararat (Arme- nia, Mt fiQrtzus Armenia). Mt. Sin- iolchum the Himalayas is as steep as the Matterhorn and about 5,000 feet higher. It is built of great gran- ie crags which throw the broad snow fields into bold relief. It is covered with a magnificent network of snow up to its utmost peak But such things are few and far be- e l;lf!n.A.Hfldll& drzsxlnfl for fl)od ol.d ~ B i U. 8. A nfederates continues to increase far greater than the supply. | (Josta Rl(‘a Wln ‘Thanks for your editorial. Come again! The fraternity is ajways glad not | to have the pursuit dignified by news- paper notices and editorfals. T. RUSSELL HUNGERFORD. B ) Above-Water Highway Te Baltimore Needed To the Editor of The Sta ditorial on n Inundated is so timely and to the point T want to thank you for it. Surely the highway between two im- portant cities—Washington, the Capital City of the best country on earth, al- most limitless in its ability to do, and Baltimore, a great city and Maryland's pride—should be as nearly faultless as can be made. Some of the houses on the Bladensburg road Qave wisely been built on pillars, lifting the houses above the rise of water that is sure to come. Why shouldn’t the road builders be as wise? Why not continue the roadway the height of the bridge, over which | the water does not flow when 1t is from 12 to 3 feet deep just a little beyond | the bridge? This road., which bids fair 10 be the great highway of the | | world, because of its entry inio Wash- | ington, may some time be houlevarded from Baltimore to Washington. Many of us think it should be at the earliest possible date—but no boulevard with !a 2 or 3 foot ford of the Eastern Branch overflow! Something must be | done to remedy this fault, and we hope | 1t may be soon W. P. BLAKE. | | UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Today Ten Years Ago rules | | Marshal Halg captured Bray and 10 other towns, and pushes eastward along his whole front, notwithstanding the stiftening of the German resistance by the throwing in of a considerable num- | ber of reserves. Thiepval Ridge is car- ried in the face of machine gun and | rifle five and British troops have | reached the outskirts of Bapaume, | British captives now number 16,000 of {the enemy. * * * The Germans seem essed of an inordinate desire to eep the American troops along the Vesle buslly occupled. Local fighting is bitter and continuous on both sides of Fismes. Our men win a half-mile front on the Solssons-Reims road west of PFlsmes. Lighter gunfire and fires In the enemy’'s back areas seem to foreshadow a retirement by the enemy. * been slowed their advance by the fact that have many lttle rivers to eross *°* Two hundred and forty casualties are listed in today's releases: 21 killed, 167 severely wounded, 19 dead of wounds and 18 missing. up in the; their cars In driveways, and if they do not ohey the rules they should be com- rlllfl by the law to do 50, and the law n this respect should be strietly en- forced. W. H. GREENWOOD. A * Gien Mangin's forces have | s Attention By Monroe Doctrine Query | An nnocent query from Costa Rica| has unceremoniously catapulted that | country into a conspicuons place among | the nations of the world. Having been | invited to join the League of Nations, it asks the League to interpret the Mon- | roe Doctrine. American observers are | |in doubt whether to view the matter facetiously or consider it as a serious piece of diplomacy. It is agreed that the doctrine means “hand off," but the | exact legal definition is lacking. “It has a flavor of impish humor,’ in the opinion of the South Bend Tri- bune, which suggests that “the request was dictated, apparently, by the Costa | Rica desire to have something done| about the Monroe Doctrine, with the | League as the doer.” The Tribune be- ;lte\'(s. however, that “Great Britain, dominant in the League, could interpx | | the Monroe Doctrine in a manner sat- | | isfactory to Costa Rica, but the British | interpretation is necessarily for private | | consumption.” “Since it is nothing but a declaration !of this country’s policy,” advises the | | Newark Evening News, utsiders have | nothing to do with it, and would only | court bad feeling should they attempt to tell us what it means.” Referring. | however, to a similar attitude on the | part of Argentina, the News remarks: | “The Argentina-Costa Rica move can- | not be counted as friendly. It repre- | sents a Zatin-American spirit of hos- | tility which it should be one of our first | duties and policies to remove. The un-| defined Monroe Doctrine is one of the | greatest obstacles.” A different view is presented by the | Manchester Union, which observes that some experts “are inclined to believe that the request is made in a spirit of hostility to the League. C Rica | withdrew from the Leag years | | ago.” continues the Union. “Recently | she has shared with Spain and Braail in the invitation from Geneva for the ' return of the three disaffected members. While Spain has accepted this invita- ' | tion, Braail has rejected It. and now | Costa Rica, whether for a friendly or | | hostile reason, has chosen to hinge her | | return upon this novel communcation.” | That paper points to friction over the i route of the Nicaragua Canal, but adds that “the matter is assumed to | dropped.” | DR | “Though perfectly fair and legiti- ‘llll(e. it 1s nevertheless an embarrass- | ing question” admits the San Fran-| | clsco Bulletin, with the further state- ment: “Interpreting the Monroe Doc- trine s 1o simple task for the legal| I mind, though its meaning is perfect'y |stmple to every lay Ameriean. The an In the street knows that it means ‘hands off the Americas’ as a warning to all nations outside the continent But the legal mind keeps on writing book after book about the Monroe De - trine, and each new volume reveals some new point of view.” “The important thing is, and alw: has been' as viewed by the Bu Evening ws. “that bshind the Me Doctrine N | states it 18 not im in 1ts varying interpretation will be h has stood the power of the United States. The fact that for many decad it was never recognized as part of in- ternational law and that its validity never was officially admitted by the powers, as was, let us say, the open- door policy with respect to China. has made not the slightest particle of dif- ference. * * * The League has o far scrupulously refused to take a active part in Latin American affat even those which, because they menace the friendly relations of nations in the League. would seem to come directly within the purview of the Genewa body." “The political leaders of nearly ali nations fully realize that no interpreta- tion placed upon all or any part of the Monroe Doctrine by an international agency could carry any weight with the United States.” asserts the Kala- mazoo Gagette, with the warning as to the Leagu s position. “European states- men can well remember how prominent a part the doctrine played in the con- troversy over our proposed entry into the League nearly a decade ago they still harbor any hopes of American membership in the Geneva bodv. they also realize that one of the best wavs to shatter these hopes would be by al- lowing the League to bscome involved in & dispute over the scope of the Mon- roe Doctrine.” e Quoting from President Monroe s 1 terance that “the United States o not view any interposition by foreign powers for the purpose of oppressing or controlling any independent govern ments in this hemisphere in any othe: light than as the manifestation of an ynfriendly disposition toward this Gov ernment.” the Youngstown Vindicator “The republics there owe the existence to the security they had while becoming firmly established. It is clear from the events of time that the Mon- roe Doctrine was a polley with the force of law with the United States long be fore the League of Natlons covenan' recognized it.” “Somewhere out there in the offing is the Monroe Doctrine—what ts left of it. How much is that?" asks the Fort Worth Record-Telegram, with the sug- gestion: “Those who are destined to travel the tortuous channel between the Scylla of international relatio:: within the League and the Charybdis of our elastic translation of the Monroe Doc- trine are in need of a navigator's chart and all available soundings. * * * Some one once described the present Monroe Doctrine as ‘s political pull and a company of Marines' When Costa Rica gets its answer, how much more instructive than that will it be>" “Much more attention i being given to the Costa Rican plea than the sub- Ject warrants. It interesting. bu NOL AL present important” savs ‘the Harrisburg Telegraph, while the Indian- apolis News concludes that “the safest forecast—If any forecast concerning di- plomacy can be at all safe—is that the Affair will have no serious outcome. and o ‘:‘.? that nothing mors -