Evening Star Newspaper, January 16, 1929, Page 8

'8 —— e THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 16, 1926 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. ‘WEDNESDAY. .January 16, 1929 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company . R ‘Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: Tower Buldine. European Office: 14 Regent St.. London, England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Star.............45c permonth The Evening and Sunday Star (when 4 Sundays) ......... The Evening and Sunday Star (when 5 Sundays’ ‘The Sunday Star Collection mace at the Orders may be sent in Main 5000. 60c per month 65¢ per month 5c per copy rach month. by mail or telephone Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1 yr., §10.00: 1 me 1 ¥r, $6.00: 1 m 1 yr, $4.00; 1 o ary Daily and Sunday. Daily only Sunday onl; All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday..l yr. $12.00: 1 mo., 31.00 Daily only 1yr, $8.00; 1 mo. 75¢ Sunday only 1 °r, $5.00; 1 mo. 50c ‘Member of the Assocl lalll[d l’]ressim i Associated Press is exclusively cntitles to e ke Tar- repubfiration of all 1ews dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ted in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of p) hCflMOI‘! of special dispatcl herein are also reserved. The Treaty Is Ratified. By the impressive total of eighty-five to one, the Senate has placed the seal of ratification upon the General Pact for Renunciation of War—the formal title of the more popularly designated Kellogg treaty. Eleven days were squandered in more or less futile dis- cussion, but all's well that ends well. The United States, projector-in-chief of the farthest-reaching move in the direction of international peace yet taken, stamps it with final approval. January 15, 1929, is destined to re- main a landmark in the annals of a war-weary world. The millennium :is not achieved, but, distant as the goal may be, mankind has gone at least a step nearer to it. No one ever claimed more than that for the Kellogg treaty. Call it a mere gesture—as its detractors in the Senate did do—the pact to which fifty-nine nations have pledged adherence remains, ' nevertheless, the most hopeful and practical promise of pacific settlement of international dis- putes to which civilization has yet ded- idcated itself. On Capitol Hill there is talk of “vic- tory” and “surrender.” The so-called clarificationists or interpretationists— idioms with which the Senate of the United States has enriched the English language—claim they carried the day by compelling the Coolidge administra- tion to capitulate. Led by Senators Moses, Reed (of Missouri) and Bing- ham, they insisted upon some form of reservation or resolution which would convey the Senate's “understanding” of India from the north, as the supreme stake. Sovietism has done many things dur- ing the past twelve years to show that | the Bear still “walks like a2 man,” as in czarist days. Moscow's intrigues in China—especially in Mongolia, which the Soviet virtually dominates—prove that Russian policy in the Far East is little changed from the times when its objective was the steady and stealthy expansion of Russian territorial and nent. Thus greater issues are at stake in Afghanistan than the Western reforms which the ill-fated Amanullah and his spouse sought to foist upon their unre- generate subjects. Revolting tribesmen may continue to pound away at the gates of Kabul. They may set up new monarchs to do their bidding and per- petuate their ancient ways. But within Afghanistan’s seething caldron the vital issue that is fermenting is the age- old feud between the Lion and the Bear. ——————————— Smith, Roosevelt & -Co. For the first time since the cyclone of November 6 drove it into the political cellar, signs of life are revealed by the Democratic party. Gov. Roosevelt of New York, in the role of “correspond- ing secretary” of the organization, is- sues a digest of what 4,000 Democratic local leaders in all parts of the coun- try think of the past, the present and the future. Tonight former Gov. Alfred E. Smith returns to the air with a radio | talk of undisclosed title and content. | As they will be broadcast over a con- tinent-wide network of stations, the late standard bearer's remarks are ob- viously designed to be of national character. ; The commonest belief is that Mr. Smith will make the wave dengths sizzle with & characteristic rejoinder to Rep- resentative Box of Arkansas. The new clently persuasive personality to con- vince the poor fools who do accept these beliefs seriously that he can con- trol the results. Some superstitious person sees a but- terfly fluttering about the house in Winter. It is a sign that somebody in that home will die before Spring. Ordi- narily there i5 nothing to be done about it. The uneasiness caused by the evil omen gradually dies away when hoth- ing happens, and the whole incident political sway across the Asian contl-,’ is_forgotten. But when the frightened individual is told that a certain man possesses secret incantations which will offset the mystical effects of the appearance | of the butterflies the situation is quite | different. ‘The witch doctor is not in business for his health. He leads the suggestible person on to greater and greater absurdities in order that he may continue to collect his fee. That is just what happened in York. It is encouraging to note that, fol- lowing the murder trials and the severe sentences imposed, York is ready to attend to these unsavory gentlemen. * Liberal groups throughout Pennsyl- vania, shocked by the life sentence meted out to a boy of fourteen, are de- manding that steps be taken to get at the roots of the trouble. The real witch is the witch doctor. The sooner he is eliminated the sooner witcheraft will be eliminated from our 20th century civilization. , —————em— Inquiries as to what President Coolidge will do after the fourth of March are met with silence. It must be assumed that his prestige in affairs will afford him many selective oppor- tunities requiring exercise of his privilege of saying: “I do not choose.” ———— e A presidential inauguration is a history-making cvent that must bring visltors from all parts of the Nation. The City of Washington, D. C., must Démocratic whip in the House recently invited the Smith wing of the party to flap into oblivion and thus undo, as far as it can, “the calamitous mis- take” of the Smith presidential nomi- nation. The hero of the sidewalks of ‘New York is a tough customer in de- bate with a political assailant. The air audience—if “Al” does take up the cudgels with Representative Box—is as- sured of a hot half hour. Gov. Roosevelt’s summary of his cor- respondence with Democratic State and county chairmen winds up with an appeal to the party to take heart of grace even from the wreckage amid which it lies prostrate after the late unpleasantness. He admonishes the Democratic brethren to militancy. His exhortations impinge upon the extrava- gant when he suggests that the Demo- cratit party was ‘“cheated out of the presidency” and compares its defeat to what the treaty does and does’ not . commit the United States to do. Presi- dent Coolidge and Secretary Kellogg : held such action to be entirely unnec- “the theft of the presidency as in the case of Mr. Tilden.” B A Republican victory of 444 to 87 in the Electoral College is, after all, a exercise its best ability to see that the “stranger within our gates” shall feel neither slight nor disappointment. —— e A desk chair in a governmental office may imply comparative ease. A seat on the New York Stock Exchange suggests no repose sufficient to justify the high cost of Wall Street furniture, A sharp drop in temperature that lasts only for a day is a gentle re- minder that the 'season we have been going through is what is technically known as Winter., —— e . ‘That old ‘question, “Is marriage a failure?” has lost sentimental signifi- cance. The answer now depends on the amount of alimony that can be col- lected. i uay TIdolized by the sport writers, Babe Ruth has shown no discretion whatever in protecting himself against publicity in his private affairs. — e An important achievement must be THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Those who are acquainted with the fact that the writer here is engaged in the pleasant task of reading the last of the romances of Alexandre Dumas which he was able to find in trans- lation may wonder if this residue, as it were, of the works of a great author are equal in quality to those better known romances which are staindard reading throughout the world. It is with genuine pleasure that we announce that these few remaining works, little known to the average read- er of Dumas, are in every way the equal, in so far as reading merit are concerned, of such masterpieces as “The Three Musketeers,” “Chicot the Jester” and “The Queen’s Necklace.” In “Ascanio,” “Sylvandire” and “Black, the Story of a Dog,” the Du- mas lover will find a trio as sparkling as any the master ever wrote. One would not go so far-as to say that they deserve or by any chance will ever receive the universal fame which has attached itself to the series which bears the glowing name of d'Artagnan like a flery ruby in a setting of glit- tering diamonds. No, there is but one d'Artagnan, even for so prolific an author as Dumas. “Black, the Story of a Dog” will bear comparison with the best the great Frenchman ever wrote. In a literary sense there were two Dumas, the one who wrote of the ancient French courts and their attending conspiracies, and the other a man who could turn his hand to a novel of another type, that of character. The glamour of the first Dumas, the famous Dumas, has almost swallowed up the merit of the other and lesser, if you will, but none the less interest- ing Dumas. From time to time in this column we have attempted to give some idea of this other Dumas, espe- cially in the articles dealing with “The She-Wolves of Machacoul,” “Olympe de Cleves” and “Chauvelin’s Will.” Nor _ essary, but the “clarificationists” have | Father different proposition from Hayes' | credited to Mussolini. He has saved ‘had their way. A unanimous report slender margin over Tilden, to say |Italy from all threats of “invisible gov- % from the foreign relations committee was introduced, and ‘adopted by the Senate. It sets forth that nothing in the treaty impairs America's rights ynder the Monroe Doctrine or the pre- Togatives of self-defense. As the administration and Senator Borah—whose reputation is measurably enhanced by his calm, considerate and courageous fight for ratification —al- ‘ways held that to be their own “un- derstanding,” they saw no reason to decline to let it be voiced in a com- mittee report. It is very much as if administration had submitted the al- phabet to the'Senate for adoption and then yielded to an urgent request to #ay that the alphabet contains twenty- six letters, Fears have been expressed that the “clarification” which thé Senate de- manded may jeopardize ratification of the treaty by other governments. There is small ground for such anxiety. For- eign countries know their United States Senate almost as well as its own ad- miring constituents know it. Abroad, as well as at home, people are familiar with the penchant of the upper house for meticulous X-raying of interna- tional treaties. In both hemispheres the nations are convinced that the spirit of the American people is a peace spirit. In the whole-hearted enthusi- asm with which this country has ral- lied around the Kellogg pact, therefore, our friends overseas will detect the real significance of the ratification of the treaty. The dillying and the dallying which preceded yesterday's vote will speedily Pass into deserved oblivion. Scoffers to the contrary notwithstanding, it cannot and does not obscure the indelible fact that the United States Government, speaking in the name of Ppowerful people, has formally and finally pledged its solemn faith to the renunciation of ‘Wwar as an instrument of national policy. ————— Rumors are strong to the effect that Dempsey will return to the prize ring. A life of wealth and ease does not bring happiness. The yearning for congenial activity persists, as philosophers as well as pugilists have pointed out. ——————— A revolution threatens in Honduras. In spite of the earnest world super- vision in the interest of peace a certain amount of bootleg warfare seems in- evitable. ——ors. The Lion and the Bear. King Amanullah and his Parisian- Tobed consort are in flight from Kabul, but white-winged peace has, by no means, settled over Afghanistan in con- sequence of their abdication.* Interna- tional complications, far transcending, in importance any mere tribal warfare or dynastic rivalries, now loom upon the horizon, over which for a hundred years the clashing ambitiohs of Euro- pean-Asiatic powers have hovered. Amanullah had succumbed, according to ‘many indications, to Soviet Russian influence. As it became ascendant at his court, British influence, long para- mount there, perceptibly receded. Now Amanullah, the favorite of Moscow, leaves the scenes, and Inayatullah, re. puted to be “notoriously pro-British,” succeeds him. Since mid-Victorian days Afghanistan has been a bone of contention between Britain and Russia. The Marquis of Salisbury, long-time foreign minister of Kipling’s “Widow of Windsor,” for years molded British international policy on the ever-present possibility of hostilities nothing of the 6,000,000-odd popular plurality to which Gov. Smith suc- cumbed two months ago, Most Ameri- cans will agree with the critics of Gov. Roosevelt, who accuse him of an out- burst of ungenerous sportsmanship in attempting to besmirch Herbert Hoover's victory with the stigma of “cheating” and “theft.” Leaving aside the unjustified excesses of the New York executive, to whom many Democrats look as their future national leader, there is ground for undoubtedly a force still to be reckoned with. Senator Borah took recent occa- sion in Washington to warn the Re- publicans of the folly of looking upon the opposition as defunct. A party which rolls up 15,500,000 popular votes out of a total of 37,000,000 may be down, but it is far from out. Demo- cratic leaders and issues are bound to emerge during the Hoover administra- tion. Off years in American politics frequently produce surprises. Under our two-party system a minority is not permanently condemned to impotence. Many difficult enterprises confront a great government. One of the most difficult is that of securing a small pay raise for the faithful though not con- spicuous workers. L e ——————— Friends of the Kellogg pact naturally can see no reason for clarifying what to them already seems so clear. oo The Genesis of Witcheraft. The curious anachronism of witch- craft in 1920, reaching an apex of blood-chilling nyctophobia in the mid- dle of a busy city next door to a boot- legger, arouses wonder. The city of York, Pa., has received much unenviable publicity because of this strange situation, which resulted eventually in a brutal murder. The real facts, however, need not be con- sidered as particularly disgraceful to York. True enough, the witcheraft superstition exists in that historic -American community in a more aggra- vated form than the majority of its citizens are willing to admit. But this is not,because the people of York are less cultured or more superstitious than those to,be found in most other com- munities. The vital point, seemingly overlooked during the recent trials, is not the fact that witcheraft practices exist, but the reason why they exist. The actual visible evidences are only superficial symptoms of a deep-seated trouble, brought to the surface by a peculiar | combination of circumstances. The fact is that there is incipient witcheraft everywhere, It is found in the hundreds of superstitions which prevail in all levels of society. In them- selves they are innocent enough. Fri- day the thirteenth, knocking on wood, breaking mirrors, letting a baby see it- self In a mirror, the three fluttering white butterfiles prophetic of dsath, the danger ‘of lighting three cigarettes off ‘one match, the recklessness of en- “tering a house by one door and leaving by andther—all these are familiar manifestations. ‘They do little harm in most com- munities. Few persons consider them very seriously. Only among the ig- norant-and child-minded, as a general rule, are they accepted without reser- vations. ernment.” SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Might of the’Myth. Our myths draw near and fade away. ‘They seem quite real for a day. Now to regret we turn, because Thege isn’t any Sahta Claus. Yet we'll be happy, as the year Brings greetings of romance so dear. the | 8€Teeing with him that his party S| ang, then, fond hopes we must resign Since there is no St. Valentine, Children again will lift a shout. Lovers need words to dream about. Life would be but a dull display Should myths forever fade away. Covering His Tracks. “You have said a number of things which you might some day wish the public would not recall.” “That's why I insist,” said Senator Sorghum, “on having every oration of mine followed by a large, loud jazz band. I can usually make an agreeable per- sonality on the people. The band helps them to forget what I actually said.” Jud Tunkins says the roogfer that just stood off and watched the fight is the one who butts in on the victory and crows the loudest. Complete Possibilities. A movie that bines with sound Displays a wisdom most profound. It must become a hit, because 1t can provide its own applause. Lure of a Title. “Would you marry a man because of his title?” “I'm fond of athletics,” said Miss Cayenne. “I might, if it was a cham- plonship title.” 3 “There is no perfect life of ease” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “Luxurious flattery is powerless to pre- vent the excruciation of an aching tooth.” Fun Ferocious. The comic picture still draws near To fill the little folk with cheer. Dear Father's fate is some sad plight That maims or blows him out of sight. And Willie dear is much amused To see a parent thus contused. “We often has a ‘Be Kind to Animals’ day,” said Uncle Eben. “I hope dat o’ ground hog is makin’ ready to recipro- cate an’ be kind to humans. e Toys for Early Shoppers. From the Terre Haute Star. ‘That belated cargo of German toys which has just reached the United States offers a wonderful opportunity for the very early Christmas shopper. Time to Buy a Calendar. From the Pittsbirgh Post-Gazette." Any person who has not a calendar by now might as well make up his mind to buy one. r—on s Need Two Good Ball Teams. From the Flint Daily Journal. Sunday base ball is allowed in Boston. All the town lacks now is a couple of good ball teams. - Standing Still Best Bet. From the Canton Daily News. Man fails in attemot to commit sui- cide by jumping in front of an auto. He would have been successful if hs had stood still. ‘Yet they are the essence of witch- craft. Only one step is necessary to transform them into the grotesque su- in Central Asia between the Lion and ,the Bear, with Afghanistan, § perstition which produced such serious vast ! results in York. This step is the ap-'gegrees of zero, if you ai sbuffer -state .guarding the appipach o Jpearance of the charlatan Witb a sul- you wish she'd make I - Two Degrees Close Enough. From the Toledo Blade. ‘When the' temperatuné gets within 2 a good sport, i must “The Conspirators,” sometimes called “The Chevalier d’Armenthal” be forgotten, because it belonged to the_same secondary Dumas of which we speak. i = In all these, as in “Black,” the reader is presented with striking portraitures of character. In the other group Dumas’ charaeters were essentially stereotyped. He was so interested in action—action—action—that he let ac- tion run away with him—and his read- ers. No one who cares for tremendous vitality of this author would wish it otherwise; but sometimes, in the end- less flow of intrigue and sparkling chatter which make up the typical Dumas book, he will sigh for one in which each character stands out indi- vidual and alone. >k In such a case let him turn in confi- dence to “Black, the Story of a Dog,” sure that he will find in it some very noteworthy things. First of all, he will discover it to be a very admirable animal story, as storles” concerning the so-called dumb brutes are sometimes called. He will find that this type of story by no means is the sole possession of English and American authors. “Black” is a dog story to the life, a first-rate dog story, one all the better in that the re- doubtable spaniel hero takes a second- ary position in the narrative. So dogs do in life. The real hero is the Chevalier de la Graverie, who was born shortly after his mother saw his father beheaded in the grim days of the Revolution. As the result of his tragic birth and sub- sequent bringing up by an old maid aunt, the chevalier became the direct antithesis of what the average novel hero is either in the novels of today or Dumas’ day. The chevalier was timid, irresolute, a dreamer; he was of a fen- der, nervous and sympathetic disposi- tion; he could neither ride, use a rapier WASHINGTON BY FREDERIC Ratification of the Kellogg pact by 85 to 1 should leave the world in little doubt of America’s belief in the treaty. The Senate’s 11-day talkfest and the “clarifying” committee report were merely symptoms showing that the sen- atorial leopard does not change its spots. ‘The upper branch of Congress worships three gods—conversation, in- vestimation and reservation. Its eccen- tricities are understood abroad as well as at home. Most governments, in the light of history, probably think the treaty-tampering section of the Amer- ican legislature has given an uncom- monly snappy account of itself on the present occasion. President. Coolidge, Secretary Kellogg and Senator Borah undoubtedly come out of the Senate imbroglio with missing tail feathers. Up to the last minute they were insist- ing on pact, ratification without quali- fication, interpretation, clarification or mystification. When the bitter-enders (1920 model) trotted out the roster of Senators ready to block ratification un- til the Monroe Doctrine and self-defense were wrapped up in cottonwool, the administration ran up the white flag. * kK Kk It wasn't long after the ratification roll call before Senators began splmlng up the glory of the “interpretationist” victory. “The lion’s share is divided be- tween Senators Reed (Missouri) and Moses, with Senator Bingham, circu- lator-in-chief of the robin which brought Borah around, coming in for a portion. The lean and lanky Connecticut Yankee was prodigiously industrious in drum- ming up signers to the petition for clarifying action. Bingham even de- clined to desist when his fellow New Englander, Calvin Coolidge, asked him to mend his ways. Senator Bingham's zeal for the Monroe Doctrine has its ironical aspect, for the indiscretions of his literary youth include a volume en- titled “The Monroe Doctrine, an Obso- lere Shibboleth.” He long since recanted. Senator Vandenberg, debonair Repub- lican, of Michigan, gets credit for in- stigating the petition idea, which finally won the day. * k k * Senator Hiram Johnson of California plunged the crowded galleries into a twitter of merriment on the eve of the ratification vote by reciting these lines of Prancois Villon in “If I Were King": To Messire Noel, named the neat By those who love him, I bequeath A helmless ship, a houseless street, A wordless book, a swordless sheath, An hourless clock, a leafless wreath, A bed sans sheet, a board sans meat, A bell sans tongue, a saw sans teeth, ‘To make his nothingness complete. Considering the renunciation-of-war pact a correspondingly empty shell, Johnson pledged his support of it in that spirit. * kX Today is the ninth anniversary of the coming into effect of the eighteenth amendment. Its author, Senator Mor- ris Sheppard, Democrat, of Texas, plan- ned to celebrate it by beguiling the Senate with a panegyric on the bless- ings of prohibition. On other occasions during the intervening more or less arid years Sheppard has burst forth in sim- ilar hosannas. The senior solon from the Lone Star country belongs to that exclusive group of Washington states- men who practice what they preach. .| Cocktails and other invigorating re- freshment are dangled before Sheppard in vain by Capital hosts and hostesses. He does not explode in righteous wrath when the seductive whiffs are wafted his way, for fanaticism is not in the Texan’s lexicon. The Senator just in- dicates, smilingly but convincingly, that he isn't having any. * ok kK Herbert_Hoover, having out-Sphinxed even the Sp] called Coolidge during cabinet-J g days in Washington, flssonsplale Populage has 10 BTASRIL o be nor swim, three inescapable accomplish- ments of a gentleman of his era. Not satisfied with introducing such a hero, our author has the temerity to introduce him at the age of 50, using three chapters for-this purpose, then to take the reader back in a digression Iasting for 130 pages, in which he brings the chevalier from birth to the age mentioned. Now there was a task to try the ability of any novelist! If there is any- thing the average reader detests (and especially this one) it is one of these long “cit-backs.” With most writers they are simply a poor expedient to drag in whether or no what should have been presented in some other manner. This is not true of Dumas in the work under discussion. He had a sure sense of values, and when he bezan with his hero an old man he knew what he was doing. There is a certain ef- frontery to genius which makes a left- hand turn when all the signs say-it is against the regulations. Dumas never bothered his hcad with rules. He wanted to tell the story so, and he told it so, that was all. You could like it or not like it. You will like it. In the remarkable digression the hero is taken on a trip through the United States of 1830, and clear to the Island of Tahiti. We suppose Dumas got nis facts for this South Sea atmosphere from Herman Melville’s “Typee” and “Omoo,” more popular among the French than in the United States unuil a tardy recognition in 1910 or the: abouts led to Melvill> taking his proper place in proper appreciation in his na- tive land of America. * K Kk % We have refrained from giving the plot of “Black, the Story of a Dog.” Any one can rehash a plot in a few words, but to do so spoils the story for those who may want to read it. ‘The story deals with the betrayal of the gentle cavalier by two of his ac- quaintances and the remorse which struck one of them. Capt. Dumesnil is considerable.of a man. The story of his understanding of the simple soul he had wronged and his atonement makes a fine story all by itself. He teaches the Chevalier de la Graverie how to shoot, fence and swim, and, in dying, attempts to keep up the spirits of his dependent friend by telling him that maybe his soul may return to earth and seek him out in the guise of a dog—yes, a black dog, who knows? The chevalier returns to France—and Dumas to his story where he left it at the end of the third chapter. A black spaniel appears. It follows the chevalier and will not go away. He repulses it, only to have it follow him home. So our hero—who is 50, remember— takes in the dog after various adven- tures and is half in doubt whether it is Just a dog or his old friend, Dumesnil. ‘The charm of this story lies exactly here—that Dumas makes no attempt to give a supernatural twist to the narra- tive. Black is just a dog, a real dog, who enjoys his lumps of sugar, kills a chicken and shows a partiality toward more than one person in the tale. He becomes just a bit more than a dog, because the chevalier, with his almost feminine nature, ever a dreamer, half inclines to believe that Dumesnil has come back to steady him, to help him as he did in life. ‘There is nothing, of course, either mawkish or morbid in Dumas, so this story is shot through, as are all his others, with the merry lavishness which makes the reader wish that the entire thousand romances whici Dumas is supposed to have had a hand in were translated into English so that he might have a never-ending supply of stories as entertaining as “Black.” ‘Would they bet. We think they would. ‘They would have to be, for Dumas had the master touch, the inimitable some- thing which gave interest to all he wrote or helped write. OBSERVATIONS WILLIAM WILE at straws to show how the wind is blow- ing. For instance, one of the President- elect’s recent dinner guests was Senator James Couzens’of Michigan. Presto! Capitol Hill forthwith sizzled with gos- sip that Mr. Mellon, after all, isn’t go- ing to remain Secretary of the Treas- ury, for Hoover otherwise wouldn’t have dreamt of entertaining the Pittsburgh- er's pet aversion at table! Out of the Hooverian tower of silence oozes word that “the chief's” principal source of comic relief is the antics of the ama- teur cabinet-makers. * ok ok ok Little or no attention has been paid to an amazing proposal introduced in the Senate on January 11 by Senator Shipstead, Farmer-Labor, of Minnesota. He wants a joint committee of Con- gress to revise and rectify the famous war-guilt paragraph (Article 231) " of the treaty of Versailles, holding Ger- many and its allies responsible for.the ‘World War. The committee would de- termine “whether, in view of the new evidence and other official material,” the American Government should not recommend “amending” Article 231, If the allied powers were not minded to revamp the article, Shipstead proposes that they “severally announce their in- tention to disregard it.” Still a third suggestion by the Minnesotan is that the allies might submit the question of war guilt to a commission’of neutrals. The tall sycamore of the Scandinavian Northwest is a fast worker. His reso- lution aims at a clearing up of the whole business by March 4, 1929, * ok ok ok 2 None of the thousand and one guesses about President Coolidge’s fu- ture occupation has ever suggested that he might become a banker, yet things for a long time have been fixed for him if he cares to adopt Mr. Mel- lon's profession. For many years Mr. Coolidge has been_ a director of the Nonatuck Savings Bank at Northamp- ton, Mass. In the British Who's Who he's listed as president of the concern. ‘The Nonatuck’s depodits don’t measure up very imposingly alongside the Na- tional City Bank’s, but it's a going con- cern, and a savings institution would have a certain charm for “Cal.” (Copyright, 1929.) Grade Crossing Removal Costly From the Madison Wisconsin State Journal To eliminate all of ‘the more than 250,000 grade crogsings on class 1 rail- roads would cost, it is estimated, $19,- 000,000,000. That'is not' far from ‘the valuation of the. existing railroads. Admittedly it is desirable to get rid of grade crossings. Doing so would save thousands of lives. But we will make no progress in that direc- | tion by misrepresenting either respon- sibility for the grave situation or the respective rights of rallroads and users of the highways. There is not here any conflict between privilege and public rights. The railroads are agen- cies of public service. Not a train is run, either to transport goods or to cul-fi passengers, except to serve the public, ‘There is slight inconvenience to auto- mobilists in stopping at the relatively few railroad crossings they encounter in a day’s journey. There would be enor- mous loss and. inconvenience to patrons of the railroads were trains required to stop at every highway crossing their lines. The grade g problem is a grave one. It will not be solved with- out respect for common sense. — s Water Isn’t Needed. From the Detroit News. Reflection whilegeated on a sidewalk: That thin ice needfi’t have water under Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln. Former Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York, Democratic standard bearer in the recent campaign and still the titular head of the party on that account, is to deliver an address tonight over the poses to say is a closely guarded secret, but it will be heard by millions with great intefest. The future of the Demo- cratic party ever since the election in November has been the subject of wide comment. Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mr. Smith's successor as chief execu- tive of New York, has undertaken to sound out sentiment by addressing let- ters to some 3,000 county and State chairmen. And, according to Gov. Roosevelt, there is an awakened mili- tant spirit in the party, which de- mands a strong organization to con- tinue throughout the interim before the next campaign. * ok K x The tenor of Gov. Roosevelt's recent statement with regard to the replies he received from the county chairmen has been the subject of criticism in certain Democratic quarters, on the ground that it was calculated to stir further the strife within the Democratic party itself. It is possible that Gov. Roose- velt felt impelled to make a public statement reflecting the majority of the replies he had received because of the | wide publicity given a letter addressed to him by Representative Box of Texas, Democrat, who is the Democratic whip of the House. Mr. Box in his letter demanded that the control of the party be wrested from the influences which have controlled it during the last cam- paign and which brought about the nomination of Mr. Smith. The feuds which have arisen within the Democratic party itself in the last four or five years apparently have not been allayed. The Democrats of the North and East in the last convention and campaign took the lead. The pro- posal now to wrest from them control of | the party made by Mr. Box has not tended to lessen # feeling of irritation. And Gov, Roosevelt’s recent statement, which has aroused criticism even in the North, has added coals to the fires. s e ‘When and how the Democrats of the various sections of the country will be able to unite once more on common ground is a problem. It is a problem that is exercising the minds and in- genuity of many of the party leaders. At present John J. Raskob is still chair- man of the Democratic national com- mittee and so far has not indicated he intends to retire. How he could grace- fully retire when the national commit- tee has a deficit amounting to $1,300,000 no one has yet been able to say, although there have been calls for his scalp, just as in the case of the letter of Mr. Box to Gov. Roosevelt. His predecessor, Clem Shaver of West Vir- ginia, who managed the John W. Davis campaign in 1924, remained chairman of the committee until after the Demo- cratic national convention in Houston last June. He, too, found a sizable deficit to be paid off after the 1924 cam- paign, though a much smaller deficit than at present exists. * kX k¥ Should former Goy. Smith in his ad- dress tonight take himself out of the picture, so far as future Democratic nominations for the presidency are con- cerned, the situation might clear up somewhat for the Democrats. Already there have been demands from some Democratic sources that Mr. Smith be the candidate again in 1932. If it be- comes evident that Mr. Smith is to be a receptive candidate, the next four years are likely to be four years of bat- tle for the Democrats. The lines were strongly drawn in 1928—so strongly that some of traditionally Democratic States in the South and on the border swung definitely to the Republican col- umn. Any indication that Gov. Smith may be a candidate in 1932 is likely to make it far easier for the Republicans to consolidate the gains which they made in this Democratic territory. Gov. Smith’s strength in the North and East is great—so great that he carried Mas- sachusetts and Rhode Island, which have voted for Republican presidential candidates for years. But it was not great enough to swing New York and New Jersey into line, and the sugges- tion that his stand on prohibition gave' him a chance to win in Pennsylvania and Illinois proved a mere delusion. * K ok % The bitterness among the Democrats in some of the Southern States is in- dicated clearly in a letter which Will L. Sargent, secretary of the Tarrant County Jefferson League, in Fort Worth, Tex., has sent to Representative Box. In his letter Mr. Sargent said: “The loyal, true Democrats of Texas, the South and the Nation. resent the insult to our party leaders and the 15,000,000 votes that you cast on the Democratic party in your uncalled-for letter to Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York, of recent date. d “Your language and assertions are similar to those of.every Hoover Demo- crat before and after the new election— who turned Republicans and became the worst enemy the Democracy -of Texas and the South ever had. . “Our party, our platform, our leaders and our organization, if we follow your advice and challenge, nust be repudi- ated as well as chastised—ostracized, 50 to speak—15,000,000 loyal Demo- crats; turn over to such Democrats as you and the Republican party (via Hoover Democratic route)—for purifi- cation and control. “The battle is on in Texas, and two years from now. none but true party, true loyal Democrats will serve the people.” The Democrats are to have an oppor- tunity to demonstrate to the country What they'stand'for Again in the com- ing special session of the Seventy-first Congress, which it now appears Presi- dent-elect Hoover will call soon after he is inaugurated. Two problems of great interest to the country are to be taken up in the special session, farm relief and tariff revision. They will have to make their record on those issues, as Democrats. * Xk Kk The question whether Mr. Hoover is to include in his cabinet a woman, as recognition of the activity of the women of America. in politics, and particularly in the last camj , has been agitated for weeks. Mrs. Alvin T. Hert of Ken- tucky, vice chairman of the Republican national committee during the last two presidential campaigns, has been more prominently mentioned for a cabinet office than any other woman. But now Mrs, Hert has issued a statement, in which she says, “I do not wish or ex- pect any Government post whatever.” This would seem to end the matter so far as Mrs. Hert is concerned, althougl | an invitation from the President of the United States, as Mr. Hoover soon is to be, to enter his cabinet, might not be easy to decline if it came to her. - ‘The truth of the matter is that up to the present a woman does not appear to fit in well as the head of any of the executive departments of the Govern- ument. It has been suggested that Mrs. Hert_might be appointed Secretary of the Interior. But the West, with its great engineering problems and its big public land problems, is demanding an engineer and a man from the West for that job. Women are not yet so promi- nent in the business of the country as to make the appointment of a woman as head of the Department of Com- merce likely. The State, War and Navy Departments do not appear to de- mand a woman for Secretary, notwith- standing the ratification of the Kellogg treaty renouncing war. The rt- ment of Justice must be headed by a lawyer of repute. The name of Mrs. Mabel Walker Willebrandt, at present an Assistant Attorney General, has been suggested for that post. . Wille- brandt has been in charge of prosecu- tion of violations of the prohibition laws. was storm center during the recent campaign, because of her political ac- tivities. She has much ability. there seems no chance of her appoint- Gengral, Organized enh as Altomey, radio. What the former governor pro- | I'he has ranged the world in a career ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Take advantage of this free service. If you are one of the thousands who have patronized the bureau, write us again. If you have never used the service, begin now. It is maintained for your benefit. Be sure to send your name and address with your question, and inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Address The Eve- ning Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. How many United States Marines have been killed in the intervention in Nicaragua?—W. V. Z. A. In the present expedition in Nica- ragua, 24 Marines have been killed. g, lgow old is John Galsworthy? A. He was born in 1867, so will be 62 years old during this year. Q. Who wrote “Auld Lang Syne"?— T. McE. A. The author of the song, “Auld Lang Syne,” is not known. Songs bear~ ing this name have been sung since the seventeenth century. The verse has been attributed to Robert Burns, who, however, credits it to an old min- strel. Q. Please give some information about the monkeys that see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil?—F. W. McG. A. Little Apes of Nikko, sometimes known as the “Three Wise Monkeys,” is the name of monkeys which appear in & mural decoration among ancient tombs at Nikko, Japan. This city is considered one of the most beautiful cities of Japan. The three monkeys are as follows: Mizaru, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, who hears no evil; Mazaru, who speaks no evil. The legend con- nected with these monkeys is simply a moral idea to point out the wisdom of minding one’s own affairs and the folly of scandal. Q. Are mines used in harbor and rflomjxg gereme in times of peace?— ‘A" They are not used in times of peace; they are employed only for defense in war, Q. Where is the present center of population?—J. P, A. After the taking of the 1930 census, it may be found that it has changed slightly. After the 1920 census it was found to be the extreme south- east corner of Owen County, Indiana, 8.3 miles southeast of Spencer. It had moved westward 9.8 miles since 1910. Q. How close does the Gulf Stream cor:e to Cape Hatteras?>—H. C. B. ica off Cape Hatteras to within miles. Eod Q. How many automobiles are there in Norway?—E. F. S. A. The Department of Commerce says that there were 91 passenger cars, 91 busses and 91 trucks in Norway in January, 1928. Q. When will the work on Boulder Dam commence?—G. R. P. A. The work on Boulder Dam will not begin for at least a year. Q. In the sentence “This was Mor- ‘gan’s second ‘journey to Canossa,’” what is the allusion?—P. T. A. Canossa is the name of the place in which occurred the humiliation of King Henry IV, who was forced to do perance before Pope Gregory VIII. The word “Canossa” has, since the days of 1t approaches the coast of Amer- |C BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Pleage give a_history of the illumi- nation of Niagara Falls.—W. O. H. A. Albert Bierstadt in 1884 illumi- nated Niagara Falls one night for the benefit of English railwaymen by flash- ing powder on the ledge of rocks be- neath the American Falls. In 1907 the falls were illuminated for 30 nights by searchlights under the direction of W. Darcy Ryan of the General Electric Co. Afterward the only illumination of the Falls was provided by small incandescent flood lights. Since May 24, 1925, Niagara Falls has been illuminated in colors four hours every night. The installation of lights is on the Canadian side, and the power is donated by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. The project is financed jointly by the last named, by the cities of Niagara Falls in New York State and in Ontario, and by the Victoria Park Commission. Solar screens are provided. The battery of searchlights directs upon the Falls beams totaling one and one-third billion candlepower. Q. What is the Cleanliness Insti- tute?—L. N. A. It is a public service organization dedicated to higher standards of clean- liness in personal and community life. It is an agency for research and for disseminating knowledge along this iine, It receives financial support from the Association of American Soap and Glycerine Producers. Q. How many magazines are sub- scribed for by the average family?— . E. A. The American Association of Ad- vertising Agencies made a survey in the Summer of 1926 and it was found that duplication of magazine circulation was very great. Families with less than $1,000 a year income were shown to be subscribers to three magazines. Families with incomes from $1,000 to $2,000 & year were shown to be subscribers to 4.8 magazines. Families with incomes from $2,000 to $5,000 a year were shown to be subscribers to 5.6 magazines. Families with incomes from $5,000 to $10,000 & year were shown to be subscribers to 14.22 magazines, and families with ine comes from $10,000 up were shown to be subscribers to 6.8 magazines, Q. Why was the lily chosen as an emblem of Easter?—C. S. A. The lily is the symbol of Easter because it signifies purity and be- cause it is one of the earliest Spring flowers, typifying the rebirth of nature after the long Winter sleep. . Why is a monument to Woodrow Wilson to be erected in Rumania?— A. At Alba Julia, in Transylvania, a memorial is to be erected to Wood=- row Wilson. This is in gratitude for his assistance in uniting Transylva- nians and other Rumanians to the fatherland. The corner stone will probably be laid in May. Q. How does a war tank look on the inside?—J. S. A. Generally speaking. the major part of the inside of a war tank is taken up by the engine or motor. There is enough room at the sides of the motor to let the mechanic get around for adjustment. In front there is space for the driver. In front of the driver is either a machine gun or a light 6-pounder gun, which shoots through a port in the armor. The machine gun is usually mounted in a sort of tower, which can be moved so as to give an all-around fire. There are King Henry, had the connotation of “humiliation.” sometimes additional guns with ports on either side of the tank. In the passing of George L. (Tex) Rickard, the world of sport loses its greatest promoter and “as colorful a figure” as it has ever known. Thus the press lauds the big business man of the prize ring whose recent death in Florida leaves a vacant place for which nobody is inclined to suggest a succes- sor. Mr. Rickard'’s early days in Tekas in- spire a personal tribute from Amon G. Carter, publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who says that “though that for adventure and picturesqueness had few equals, Texas was still home to Tex Rickard.” Reviewing the pro- moter’s gold-mining days and ranching expleits, Mr. Carter asserts that “through them all, rich or poor, up or down, one thing shone forth in the Rickard of those days—a sterling char- acter”; that “calm judgment, courage, a strict sense of fairness and rugged honesty were outstanding traits, and those same traits chiefly were responsi- ble for the fact that he ended his career as the premier sports promoter of all times.” Of the new place attain- ed by his enterprises, the writer con- cludes, “It was a case of one individual so inspiring a nation with his own character as to bring sports events to a level thought unattainable a few years before.” “He came out of the movies and the pages of Rex Beach and Jack London to do the thing in real life,” says the Ottawa Journal, which sees in his ca- reer proof that “truth is stranger than fiction,” and adds: “He brought women with low-necked gowns and diamond necklaces and men who played the market to Madison Square Garden. They, made excellent window dressing. The Dempsey-Tunney bouts are recent history, Nobody but a genius, nobody but an Emperor of Balyhoo, could have staged them as Rickard did.” * ok kK “The very audacity of his ventures made news,” observes the Scranton Times, and the Philadelphia Record testifies to “the ability he possessed to make all that he interested himself in romantic.” The Ann Arbor Daily News sees in him “the most picturesque figure that ever stalked across the stage of the sporting world,” while the Danbury Evening News calls him “a splotch of color standing out from the drab.” “Although he never entered the ring, it was Tex Rickard who raised boxing from the shady edge of being an outlaw to the class of million-dollar sports,” avers the Roanoke World-News, with a tribute to “as colorful a figure as the world of sport has ever known.” The Dayton Daily News remarks: “Hundreds of years ago his death would have placed him quite in the ranks of the Greek gods. As a contemporary event, his passing receives as much notice as if Sport’s Most Tex Rickard Died Unrivaled as Colorful Figure or a Theodore Roosevelt. For Rickard, in his peculiar field, has shown force and talent.” The Kansas City Journal- Post says, “He did things that seemed generous, but he had a canny knowledge that crumbs of generosity cast upon the waters would return in loaves a& little later on.” “Unlike the ancient promoters who understood the pugilist but mot the patron, this man from the West realized that a changed public attitude e professional boxing as profitable as the drama—indeed, more so,”. states: the New York Sun, with the conclusion that “as Tunney was the best and cleanest of the boxers, so Rickard was the wisest of all the impresarios.” The Flint Daily Journal pays the tribute: “He possessed imagination. Back in 1906 when he promoted his first big match the wise ones believed that he was crazy to offer a purse of $35,000. But when he offered a million dollars for Jack Dempsey’s part in the Sesquicentennial it was considered merely good business.” * ok k% “With a genuine devotion to sport,” the New York Evening World declares,: “he combined vision, grasp of financial detail and the daring of a born gambler. Not an unheard-of combination, per- haps, but it tookyn dash of something Napoleonic as weMto turn the combi- nation into a Tex Rickard. If you doubt it, try to pick his successor.” The Cleveland News believes that “in any period of history and under any set of circumstances he undoubtedly would have been a success, for he possessed courage and brains, and his word was P lekara's record ickard's record of playing square with the public in all his enterprises is emphasized as the foundation of his success by a number of papers, includ- ing the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Salt Lake Deseret News and Haverhill Gazette, The Rock Island Argus says: “Meeting losses philosophically, he scored some gigantic successes. Sportsmen in gen- eral had a kindly feeling for him and his friends will mourn his passing very sincerely. Dempsey put this into when he said, ‘He was a good pal. Illuminating phrases as applied to Rickard by various newspapers are: Richmond News-Leader, “He capitalized the Ameflula interest in any kind of ‘comeback’ "/ Butte Montana Stand- ard, “He built up a fortune for him- self on the formula, ‘Give 'em what they want, the way they want it'"; Savannah Press, “To him goes the credit of taking the fight game from the gutter and bringing it to that plane where white bosom shirts and bejewel- ed ladies were common sights at his soorting attraction”; St. Louis Times, He dragged a decadent and almost disreputable occupation out of the mire and hitched it to the chariot wheels of Big Business.” the English King had died.” “'No one appears as a logical contender for the throne left vacant by the king of fightdom,” in the opinion of the Annis- .| ton Star. . His unique position is recog- nized also by the Chattanooga Times, Bellingham Herald and many other dailies. The Salina Journal records “the loss of a genius,” and the Regina, Saskatchewan, Leader refers to the passing of “the outstanding sports pro-| moter of a continent.” * ok ok % I “What 1t is that gives to a Rickard the quality of dominance and thence of success,” according to the Des Moing Tribune-Capital, “ and mystifying a problem as is the same problem when applied to a J. P. Morgan Labor is not deman the a) itment. ' of a woman to huddm‘ the De'plrhew nt of Labor. The Postmaster General, with its wide patronage, is regarded as the real political job of the cabinet. No one yet has suggested that a woman be appointed Secretary of the Treasury or Secretary of Agriculture. That closes the list of cabinet positions. If a new finally provided, But {in might be “lgrcou to department of educ‘mon and public wel- possibly a wom- ‘head it, although fare is there it es Jjust as interesting pl Profits reaped from a changed atti- tude on the part of the American pub- lic since the World War are mentioned by the Indianapolls Star. Lansing State Journal, St. Joseph News-Press and Louisville Courier-Journal. Major Reconstruction Of West Point Near End From the Rochester Times-Union. The work of rebuilding West Point has made steady progress, and appar- ently it will not be long before the major part of the program will be com- let The most recent appropriation by Congress is for additional quarters, indicating an end in time to outside residence by officers and thelr families. West Point's lmugnnf buildings, if ;: except some of the quarters which o: seen better days, is Pprobably the most impressive and monumental of :ny 8Toup in the country. The struc- ures have been erected ‘in accordance With a supreme plan ‘which aims at completely reconstructed West Point, and are of an architecture, size and kind of construction as :l:qy are imposing. mfih@l&ifl about that byl R