Evening Star Newspaper, February 3, 1929, Page 30

1 HE. SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FEBRUARY 3, 1929—PART 2. - . THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY . .February 3, 1920 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Bustness Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. York Office: 110 East 42nd New York Office: - Chitass, wer Buildine. Chicago Office: European Office: 1 nt St., London, ge! England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Star.............45c per nonth and Sunday Star vs) 60c per month da: : Sta y 65¢ per month he Sunday Star ...............5C per ccpy Collection made at the end of cach month. Orders may oe sent in by mail or telephone Main 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. aily and Sunday....1 ¥r., $10.00; 1 mo., 85c aily only ... 1yr., $6.00: 1 mo. 50c Bunday only ... 151, $4.00; 1 mo.. 40c All Other Daily cnd Sunda: Daily only ... Bunday onls ... Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Pres R R o i dn s BAPeT A0 R Funiicatia Special dispatches herein ser — Mr. Coolidge in Florida. The subject of the Pres:dent’s speech i on Friday dedicating the Bok carillon | and sanctuary at Mountain Lake Park. | Fla., might well have been termed “The Triumph of Estheticism in a; Democracy.” He chose the spot where he stood as a symbol of this triumph: a beautiful area in Florida’s hill and lake section, set aside and developed by a man who rose from the people and feserved in perpetuity for the use and enjoyment of the people. He pointed 1o it as only one of the many examples of the kind in this land where wealth, emanating from the sovereign people, flows back from the hands of those who gain it in the form of gifts and benefactions to this sovereign. He de- scribed the contrast between the theo- retical and the actual workings of our form of government which, instead of placing the wealth and enjoyment of the good things of life in the hands of a few, has “in widest commonalty §pread” them. The President’s speech was probably the last extended public address that he will make before leaving the White House. This thought may have moved him to speek with extraordinary feel- ing of that sanctuary where ‘“people may temporarily escape from the pres- sure anc affliction of the affairs of life and find that quiet and repose which comes from a closer communion with the beauties of nature.” Certainly the President was lifted to new poetic heights when he described the efforts of Mr. Bok to “preserve the quiet maj- esty of the trees, increase the display of coloring in the flowers, and combine stone and marble in the grageful lines of the tower, all in a setting s@rrounded by green foliage and reflected in spar- Xling waters over which the song of the nightingale will mingle with the music of the bells.” With only four more weeks of public life before him, the President “cut MWose” in his address from the more prosaic topics of government and finance, budgets and deficits and armored cruisers with which he has perforce had to deal, and gave his audi- ance & new insight into his character. States and Canada. y..1 vr., $12.00: 1 mo. $ 38.00: 1 mo., 15T 3 1 yr. 3500; 1 mo. ? |long are they kept? Is there any True, it-is bound later into a book, but somehow it lacks the quality of a true regord. There was something dignified and reassuring about the leather-bound tome of other days, a guarantee of re- spectability, an assurance of security. Truth is, modern hotels, are not quite as were the “inns” of other times. Their | patronage has grown so greatly that the | perscnal touch is largely lacking. The business has become so heavy that fre- quent shifts of clerks are necessary at the various desks, and rarely does the guest become acquainted. The register does not lie out on the desk for the stroller-by to thumb over and scan. It is whisked away as socn as signed. The man in the street who once upon a time could find out who was who in the hotel has no access to the records, but must ask specific questions of some ear- phoned young woman who is prone to | treat all questioners with suspicion. | But to return to the first query: What becomes of all the hotel registers? How e of practice regarding them? From time to time these records are produced in {court in legal cascs. Sometimes they furnish an alibi, sometimes evidence to the contrary. Somewhere there must be stores of them. Is there on unwritten law that governs their disposal? As- suredly they are not all filed in the public libraries. o Capital and Inauguration Guests. A plan is under consideration and will doubtless be adopted and executed to present to the visitors to the Capital at inauguration time a visual picture of the growth of Washington from the day of its inception to the present. A com- mittee has been named to take this mat- ter in hand and to arrange an exhibit which will exemplify the manner in which the Federal city has grown. This exhibit will be centrally located and will, according to present contempla- tion, be maintained for five days, dur- ing which, it is expected, a large num- ber of the inauguration guests will remain. There will-be lectures and, if arrangements can be effected, special films will be shown at the theaters of the city throughout the week. On such an occasion as inauguration Washington is especially the Nation's city. It is the place where the Govern- ment centers, the scene of the most interesting and important ceremonial in the Federal calendar. Then enters upon his duty as President the man whom the people of the country have chosen as their Chief Executive for four they were well equipped with daggers and a full complement of firearms. Now they may go about armed only with canes and umbrellas. 4 It remains to be seen whether Al- bania will take to the bathtub regime under Zogu any more submissively than Afghanistan looked upon the crudities of European modernism which Amanullah tried to foist upon his peo- ple. Tirana, at any rate, is bound henceforward to look good to one man, Charles C. Hart, capable Minister of the United States to the court of Zogu. It should not be long now before Mr. Hart, former Minneapolis and Wash- ington newspaper man, will have dif- ficulty in telling whether he is on Hen- nepin avenue or F street. The “world do move.” Lawrence, the Mysterious. A dispatch from Plymouth, England, received yesterday, reports that Air Craftsman Shaw, better known as “Lawrence of Arabia,” has just landed there on a steamer from India. This is mot in itself a strikingly important fact, but certain circumstances make it particularly interesting at this time. | Thomas E. Lawrence is today one of the most mysterious personages in the world. He has intrigued the curiosity of millions and has baffied them as well by his strange ways, his secrecy, his avoidance of public display. Just recently he has been at work in India with the British air force, having taken the name of Shaw to avoid being con- spicuous. In consequence of this at- tempt at concealment of identity, rumor hes played with his name in a fantas- tic manner. He has been reported as engaged in many different enterprises. A few months ago it was asserted that he was occupied as a special intelli- gence officer on the Indian frontiers. He has also been “placed” in Arabia, the scene of his early adventures and of his remarkable achievement in uni- fying the tribes in the campaign against the Turks during the Great War, .In the recent revolt in Afghanistan, which resulted in the dethronement of King Amanullah and in quick succession that of his brother, Lawrence’s name was occasionally mentioned as a mysterious participant. There were even state- ments to the effect that he was in fact the new “water boy” king, that it was he who had rallied the forces against Amanullah and driven that un- happy reformer from Kabul. This par- ticular tale, at least, is disproved by Lawrence’s arrival in England. But that fact will not serve to lessen the years. There is always a large attend- ance from all parts of the country on that occasion. Even during the period when inaugural preceedings were sim- plified and minimized there were large turnouts from the States. - With the return in part to the features that made inaugurations in the past so attractive to visitors, there will this year be in all likelihood a very large attendance. Therefore, it is well that advantage should be taken of the opportunity to show to the people from the States who are making Washington their mecca of patriotic pilgrimags how the Capital has grown and developed and how it is proposed still further to im- prove it and make it more worthy of the Nation. Washington at inauguration time has not always been a place of comfort and adequate accommodation. In the’past its facilities were overtaxed. Its guest rooms, so to speak, were filled to over- As he ‘prepares to leave the White House one sees him anew as'a man who flowing and attendance upon the ocere- mony was to many thousands rather activity of the rumor mongers or defi- nitely set at rest the report of Law- Tence’s participation in the Afghan re- volt. He does not himself take the trouble to deny anything. He gives no interviews, never takes the public into his confidence, and regards his own business as strictly that and nothing else. In short, Lawrence, with all his other gifts, has that of silence, and as long as he remains true to character he will keep the world guessing and will remain as the most interesting per- sonage of the time. Mention by President CooMdge of the advantages generally shared by the Amerlcan people, such as not very long 2go only the very fortunate could enjoy, may call for a little applause for Henry When coach and horses were used, only the wealthy could afford them, and the coach was not very com- fortable at that. ————.——— With J. P. Morgan and Owen D. appreciates the significance of nature’s |8 hardship than a pleasure. Now the | Young on the “experts committee” to senctuaries, who has an ear for theiCapital is equipped to entertain its| consider reparations, there is no doubt sengs of the birds, an eye for the blos- | guests on such an occasion without dis- | about the committee’s deserving its title. soms of flowers and a heart that is comfort. It has added to its facilities capable of understanding the spirit of |on a large scale. ‘It is in a position to| As a traffic supervisor Commissioner his country. . District’s Fiscal Relations. Elsewhere in The Star today edi- torial correspondence analyzes the fig- wres of the recent report of the Bureau of Efficiency relating to District taxa- tion and the fiscal relations between the District and the Federal Govern- ment, and discovers in these figures sup- pom of the District’s contentions that, in view of the District's peculiar dis- gbilities, its per capita tax burden is at least as heavy as those of comparable American cities. -‘The equitable modifications which are rieeded to make fair comparisons of tax figures between Washington and the average American city consist mainly in the elimination of State tax and of interest payments on funded debt from the calculations. It is gratifying that the same conclusions in respect to the comparative weight of the District’s tax ¥irden which were reached by the con- gressional joint committee in 1915 have Peen reaffirmed after thorough investi- gation by the Bureau of Efficiency in 1928-9. e — An air-mail service to Panama, or- genized by so popular a personage as Tindbergh, utilizes the postal service for a prolonged and permanent good- will demonstration. o 0ld Hotel Registers. An announcement just made regard- ig the demolition of the Waldorf- Astoria Hotel in New York City, which is ‘to take place this Spring to make roem for another huge office building, prompts the query, What becomes of the old hotel registers when they pass out of currency? It is stated that the reg- ister of the Waldorf is to be deposited in the Public Library of New York, as & record of travel in this country dur- ipg the past thirty years. It includes the names of Presidents of the United States, of Kings and princes of foreign lands and of distinguished nobility and of hosts of famous Americans. There ste many thousands of names in this récord of visitations kept by one of the mgst popular hostelries of its time. It appears in this connection that the régisters of the old Fifth Avenue Hotel ghd of some other of New York's fa- mpus places of public entertainment have likewise been deposited with the Public Library. Yet there must be many scores of others that have been lost. "Modern practice has changed the hotel register of former times. It used tb be a great fat book, big enough for @ year of registration. With what a flourish it was whirled around for the iricoming guest to sign and whirled back by the stately clerk—sometimes with a diamond scarfpin or shirt stud add to the splendor of his greeting— who presided at the place of registra tion. Now in an up-to-date hotel the gliest signs on a loose leaf that bears 1o semblance to the register of yore. p accommodate far greater numbers than ever before. It is expected that the at- tendance this year will be heavy. An exhibit of the Capital's growth and de- velopment will, therefore, be visited by great numbers, who will doubtless carry home with them in consequence an in- spiring concept of the Federal city of today end of the near future. ————— A professor in the University of Pennsylvania has made calculations to show that women are more liable to accident as motor drivers than men. No polite male would wish to believe it, but there are elements of danger in which chivalry can best afford pro- tection by insisting on a close observa- tion of the rules by every citizen, whether woman or man. ————————— ‘With so many wives shooting at their husbands, the fact that feminine marksmanship is usually bad seems a wise provision of nature. ——— et History has yet to find a large town in which everybody is perpetually satis- fied with the police. A Bathtub Era. King Zogu I of Albania has evidently, like the Bourbons, learned nothing and forgotten nothing. It is barely a month since the ambitious Amanullah of Af- ghanistan was toppled from his Asian throne because he ventured to intro- duce westernisms into a country that clings to the anachronisms of its own ancient culture. Now comes the world's newest monarch, Zogu, and paves the way for his coronation in April by ordaining the installation of bathtubs in Tirana, his royal capital. “They are making their first appear- ance there,” the veracious Assoclated Press reports in a message which in- dicates afresh that the unwashed por- | tions of the earth are receding day | by day from the engulfing tide of soap and water. The hardy, mountainous folk of Albania are no longer content to remain a race of what Pooh-Bah, | denouncing Ko-Ko and his ilk in “The Mikado,” termed “very imperfect ab- lutioners.” With bathtubs have come Tirana's first electric lights and telephones. A trolley line has been projected and a modern hotel and new hospital are being built. Either Albania’s new mon- arch is a crowned go-getter or Tirana has an up-and-doing chamber of com- merce. The A. P. news, at any rate, reads as if it might have originated in our own booming West, where men are men and women are boosters, too. The westernization of Albania is not confined to bathtubs, incandescents and telephones. Streets and highways, under King Zogu's rule, have become safety zones for the first time in the coun- try's history. Formerly—again it is the Assoclated Press man at Tirana broad- ture on the streets after dark unless ) Whalen has set an example for all motorists with reference to clear think- | shall be ing and quick action. o ‘Tallors thight attempt some influence toward reform by abolishing the hip pocket, which so commonly contains either a flask or a pistol. B D —— Regardless of superstition, the ground hog serves as an encouraging reminder that the longer part of the Winter has been successfully disposed of. ——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Sound and Sense. He spoke at great length with a voice that showed strength, And he silenced full many a doubt. He left us secure as he made us feel sure There is little to worry about, We stood in the crowd where the plaudits were loud; ‘We joined in the general shout. But his meaning was small; so we knew, after all, ‘There was little to worry about, So let us proceed while the lessons we heed Of forefathers, honest and stout, Retaining our poise, since the bigger the noise, b ‘The less there's to worry about! Supreme Assurance. “Do you agree with everything George ‘Washington said?” i “In a general way,” answered Senator Sorghum. “There may be slight points of difference. But I think that if we had a chance to argue them out, I could convince him.” Jud Tunkins says pleasures are fleet- ing. Nobody is more self-satisfled than one who has just bought a shiny new gold brick. Slippery Wi ‘The aeroplane still ca™: ‘or nerve ‘When skies appear fc.. lding. It has no chains such as would serve To keep the craft from skidding. On With the Dance! “Do you enjoy dancing?” “Very much,” answered Miss Cayenne. “A good little jazz band prevents con- versation and enables a friend who might be talkative to employ his feet instead of trying to use his mind.” “Patience,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is a virtue that most men practice only under compulsion.” Obligation. The mockingbird still comes along, And gives the promise of a song. I feed him, and the debt he'll pay ‘With golden melody, some day. “Speechmakin’ in general,” said Uncle Eben, “is like talkin’ to de dice in a crap game. It relieves de feelin's, but casting—Albanians were afraid to ven-|it don't change what's g'ineter hAD-|comes to be of pea.” A EVERYDAY RELIGION BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D., Bishop of “Kept by the power of God through faith” (I Peter, i5). “An Indispensable Faith.” “There is a manifest God in the world for those who care to look for Him.” This was Robert Louis Steven- son’s affirmation. It is in consonance with that other ancient word, “God sleeps in the stone, dreams in the ani- mal and wakes in the man.” However men may express it with creeds, or without creeds, there is that in the human heart which calls for and de- mands an adequate answer to its yearn- ing. Matthew Arnold had this in mind when he said we seek a power not of ourselves that makes for righteous- ness. ‘When Donald Hankey wrote his in- feresiing book, “The Student in Arms,” he described the British Tommy as hav- ing a religious conviction that was deep, if anarticulate; he summed it all up the language of the Tommy by saying, “Religion is betting one's life there is & God.” To carelessly dismiss outward reaching for the divine is to fail to recognize a universal longing that discloses itself in Darwin's Pata- gonian savage as in the higher forms of civilized life. However we may define God, however inadequate our attempts may be to express what we believe to be His attributes, nevertheless in our more reflective hours we have the deep conviction that somehow, someway, we are “kept by the power of God. striking fllustration of this is to be found in an incident told concerning Rudyard Kipling. In his earlier man- hood he was critically {ll in New York and his life despaired of. For several days he had lain in a deep coma. One evening at twilight the nurse, observing i*him, noted that his lips were moving and thinking that he was returning to consclousness and was asking for something, came to his bedside and leaning her ear heard him utter the childhood prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep.” Much embarrassed, she with- drew frcm his bedside, and as she did so the sick man opened his eyes and started to speak to her. Turning to him, she said: “I am greatly embar- rassed in that I have intruded upon the Washington privacy of your devotions. I came to you, thinking you were asking for something.” With a touch of chivalry, the sick man responded: “You needn't be embarrassed, I was only talking to my Father.” Apart from being one of the finest definitions of prayer of which we have knowledge, it illustrates in a suggestive way the deep convic- tion of a high-minded man, that he ‘was “kept by the power of God.” In spite of all the controversies and discussions of our times, in spite of what a scientist presumes to say about the Christian’s idea of God, it still holds universally tre® that man does believe, beyond all the changed and changing circumstances of life, that there is an infinite power that is con- cerned about the security and well being of His children. Instead of diminishing with increasing years this conviction grows more and more fixed and definite, To believe that our lives are underwrit- ten, or to use the ancient word that “underneath are the everlasting arms,” gives an assurance and comfort of in- this | comparable value. Our age may he characterized by much that is flippant, and now and again we may concern ourselves about the lack of a more definite and precise expression of re- liglous faith, nevertheless we cannot, if we would, dismiss that which inheres in every human breast, the sense of se- curity that proceeds from a deep be- lief in God's superintending care. We like Sabatier’s phrase, “Man is incur- A |ably religious.” This_conviction of which we speak must find expression not only in our corporate profession of faith, but in our individual and more personal philosophy of life; in fine, it must mean to us in- dividually that through communion with e have the assurance of His sus- taining and protecting care. We can- not better express it than in the beauti- ful lines of Stevenson, written in the late period of his life and when affiicted with a mortal malady: 8o far have T been led, Lord, by Thy will ar. T have followed, i And onow sy Coved: Lord T hear the signal, Lord, 1 understand. The night at Thy command Comes. I will eat and sieep And will not question more. BY WILLIAM HARD. The National Capital at this week end still finds prohibition obscuring all other topics; and it becomes possiible to draw some general and fundamental conclu- sions from the debates in Congress over the proposed $24,000,000 of additional Mecnl money for prohibition enforce- ment. The true nub of these debates is the proper division of responsibility for pro- hibition enforcement between the Fed- eral Government and our local authori~ tles throughout the country. Essential to an understanding of the whole- matter, including the .$24,000,000 new proposed appropriation, is the tes- timony recently given by Dr. James A. Doran, head of the Federal Bureau of Prohibition. Dr. Doran has testified before the ap- propriations committee of the House of Representatives that if the Federal Government should enter into the local policing of the country for the enforce- ment of the national prohibition laws, the annual cost to the Federal Gov- ernment would be some $300,000,000. manifest that the P""W"d new $24,000,000 appropriation, if designed to further local policing, would be a jocular and ridiculous sum to throw into an en-~ terprise so tremendously vast. * Ok X X ‘We arrive then at a critical and basic tarning point in the development of the history of the eighteenth amendment in : practice. The administrative authorities of the Federal Government, from the ‘White House down, are determined not to undertake purely local responsibility for what might be called “home infrac- tions” of the eighteenth amendment and the Volstead law. They are de- termined that the “concurrent power” given to the local authorities by the eighteenth amendment for the enforce- ment of national prohibition shall be exercised by the local authorities and regarded by them not merely as a “concurrent power,” but as a “con- current duty.” Dr. Doran has just returned to Wash- ington from a trip to Minnesota in the course of which he diligently endeav- ored to establish a helpful co-operation between United States authorities and Minnesota local authorities in prohibi- tion enforcement efforts. He is aiming deliberately and earnestly at a great re- vival of e sense of local obligation for the success of the national prohibition experiment. ‘We come then to the question: whhl;: u:'m“be the fate %xg national pro n if so strong a dependence is placed upon local authorities for its relatively local management? * oK R K Some light may be thrown upon the answer to this qluemon by the condition of affairs existing in the District of Columbia. It is admitted on all hands that the District of Columbia, as the seat of the Federal Government, should be an example to the country. It would also seem that if Congress seri- cusly wants to dry up any 't of the tountry, it would begin with the area which it itself inhabits, and which is wholly subject to Federal control. ‘What, however, do we find in the Dis- trict of Columbia? The District of Columbia has & munic- ipal government, headed by three Co missioners. ‘These Commissioners are appointed by the President and exercise |such power: only such powers— as are specifically confided to them by |, has at powers, then, Congre! given these Commissioners for the en- | forcement of national ition lmonx,'.he 550,000 inhabitants of Wash- n? The amazing but entirely accurate reply is: None. The Commissioners of the District of Columbia have no local responsibility | whatsoever for the prosecution of prohi- bition law offenders. Their local prose- cuting attorney, the corporation coun- |sel _of the District of Columbia, has | nothing to do with the indicting or try- ing of bootleggers. Their local Wash- ington police force, in general and in mass, has no direct tje-up whatsoever with any local apparatus of prohibition |law enforcement and obedience. * k x k @ All prohibition endeavors in the Dis- trict of Columbia are inherently not local, but Federal. Bootleggers are tried by a United States district at- torney who resides in the District of Columbia and who is a part of the Federal judiclal system, represented ad- ministratively by the leral Depart- ment of Justice. This United States. district attorney does indeed get some help in prohibi- tion cases from certain members of the local District of Columbia Police Force. Thirty-eight local licemen have been sworn in as agents of the Federal Government's Burcau of Pro- hibition. These thirty-cight men are the only local police officers in the District of Columbia who have any sort of prohibition enforcement, na- tional or local, laid especially and di- rectly upon thelr consciences. In the meantime, the State of Mary- land, immediately to the north and eest and west of the District of Co- agents whatsoever for assisting the Federal Government in its experiment with the eighteenth amendment and the Volstead law. The State of Mary- land stands aloof altogether. The line between the State of Mary- land and the District of Columbia cculiar importance x 'standpoint, To &rom _the prohibif Federal-State Co-operation in Dry-Law Enforcement Sought by Administration patrol it and to prevent “interstate” shipments of liquor from crossing it, the Federal Government's Bureau of Prohibition maintains a locally residen- tial force of some fourteen men. If you add these fourteen men to the thirty-eight local District of Co- lumbia police officers who are espe- cially charged with prohibition- en- forcement, you have a total of fifty- two men for keeping the National Capital, with all our Federal Senators and Representatives in it, bone-dryly. obedient to the eighteenth amendment and its fortifying legislative acts. What is the result? The result is that blows are struck against bootleggers, but that what might be called the merely semi-com- mercial “home infractions” of prohibi- tion have risen to a flourishing level. L The Maryland farmer, who is genu- inely a farmer, but who incidentally transforms some rye into & liquid for beverage purposes, finds numerous Washingtonians who readily bring a little keg of his product back into town with them in their cars. The stopping of this sort of traffic, which could in time provide Washington with all the home drinking that any wet could want, can never be accomplished except by the most stringent local pro- hibition = watchfulness, both among agents of the State of Maryland and agents of the “local government” of the District of Columbia. That watch- fulness, however, as we have seen, is not provided in the District of Colum- bi )y Congress and is not xrovlded in Maryland by the Maryland Legi: lature. ~Therefore, the National Capi- tal is far indeed from. being bone-dry and becomes the object of” denuncia- tion by the more enthusiastic prohi- bitionists in the course of congres- sional debates. That is the local situation in the Capital of the country, and it points to the possibility of an era when large- scale national bootlegging operations will be stopped by the Federal Govern- ment, but when semi-commercial liquor manufacture and domestic home liquor consune?twn may thrive or may check entirely according to local special conditions and sentiments. (Copyright, 1929.) e Traffic Regulation A National Problem BY HARDEN COLFAX. New York’s traffic problem, dramatized for first page position by zecent moves to stagger the hours of theater per- formances, one-way sidewalks for pe- destrians and other agectacular experi- ments, differs from the perplexities of smaller communities only in degree. With this in mind merchant associa- tions of a number of cities are taking up a study of traffic regulations quite independent from the charts which adorn the offices of municipal officials, and real estate boards are doing like- Four years ago the Department of Commerce conducted a survey of the street traffic problem as it affected the merchants, and published interesting an of what was being done by ers in various cities to meet mod- ern conditions imposed especially by widespread use of automobiles. Today, less than three years from the time the pamphlet on this subject came from the printer, conditions of congestion have been magnified in many communities and new ideas are being tried by the merchants. A proposal is being advanced for a meeting of representatives of mer=- chants’ associations, real estate organi- zations, municipal authorities and, yes, street rallway executives. * K K ¥ The elaborate rules imposed by some communities regulating left-hand turns, installing control lights and otherwise attempting to bring about orderly, and safe, movement of traffic through the streets, are not g' ‘n the wholehearted approval of many -.udents of the sit- uation that might be expected. A mo- torist prohibited from making a left- hand turn at a street Intersection may reach his destination by driving three or more blocks and making a series of right-hand turns, so, while he has avolded possible congestion at the first corner, he has added to the burden of traffic in three or more other blocks. And so it goes with other regulations. Convenience naturally must give way before the paramount necessity of mak- ln&cbhe streets safe. Some of the regu- latlons which admittedly add to con- estion at other points are designed or safety. But overregulation is be- ginning to be complained of in more than one community. Nor has almost universal ownership| of the automobile served to break up the old shopping centers of the modern American city, as many prophets pre- dicted. There has been expansion of re~ tall districts; some daring stores even have removed far from old centers and have prospered; speclalty shops quite generally are getting off the most beaten path. But heavy investments in build- ings have served to fairly well anchor the principal business districts within old general limits, at least in the larger communities. * ok ok ok Disappointing many prophets of gloom, the automobile market refuses to reach a saturation point. There still are a few families which do not possess cars, but S f be | Government is Capital Sidelights BY WILL P. KENNEDY, ‘The idea of marking historic spots now, before the old buildings have been wiped away in the march of progress, is sweeping over the country, especially since the “See America First” slogan has won a following and Everyman and his family and neighbors have taken to touring along the Federal-aid high- ways to all parts of the country. Of course, they start with some objective and the historic lure is strong. The National Capital is seeing some of its historic old homes and areas trans- formed in the Federal building program and the location of a new municipal center for the city of Washington, and efforts are now being made to have authentic records of such shrines, with pictures of them, preserved for posterity. ‘Washington is the mecca and nesting place of the history, pedigree and escutcheon followers. F trees are being constantly searched @ut in the Census Bureau and other such authen= tic wells of information here. Little wonder, then, that there is a present-tense illustration of the zest of the public for such matters when the recent publication of pictures of the memorial being preserved by the town of Natick, Mass.—the little cobbler’s shop where Henry Wilson worked, who later became Vice President — has prompted many to turn their “flivvers” in that direction for next Summer's Jjaunt awheel. The office of Representative Luce of Massachusetts, in whose district this cobbler-shop memorial stands, is be- sieged by inquirers and the Library of Congress is being visited nightly by per- sons hunting up the facts of Wilson's biography. The “Natick Cobbler” came to that town from his birthplace in Farming- ton, Me,, with empty pockets but full of grit and gluttonous for work. For two years he worked as a cobbler and then went home to attend school. He had intrusted his savings to a friend who failed in business and soon young Wil- son had to return to his cobbler’s shop. In support of Willlam Henry Harrison he made 40 speeches and won such fame as an orator that he was sent to the State Legislature. He was an ardent abolitionist and in 1855 came to the United States Senate as successor to the great Massachuseits statesman, Ed- ward Everett. He was chairman of the Senate military affairs committee dur- ing the Civil War. He was a close ad- viser of Lincoln and organized a regi- ment and led it to the front. After a service of 18 years in the United States Senate he received 286 of the 354 electoral votes for Vice Presi- dent. He died in office. During his cobbler days he won the ! friendship of John Greenleaf Whittier. His self-won advancement was com- mented upon at the time that Presi- dent Coolidge’s mentor, James Lucey of Northampton, paid his recent visit to the White House. i * % X % Even in the jazz age of ‘blatant and | raucous syncopation the people of these United States like to hear the more silvery and dulcet trills of the feathered songsters, as is shown by a study re- cently completed by Uncle Sam's ex- perts who are constantly hunting up surprising information through the dull and prosaic compilation of statistics. One of Sccretary Jardine's bright young men has just informed us that more than a half a million foreign birds were imported into this country during the last year—an average of more than 1,000 tanaries a day. Of course, this expert’s main job was much more important than viseing the Eussports of canaries. The watch was ept to prevent the introduction of in- jurious species and diseases. Nearly two-thirds of all game birds imported have been Mexican quail—so the fight- ing strain seems to come through even the birds from the country of per- petual unrest south ‘of the Rio Grande. About one-third of all the known species of parrots have been brought in for exhibition purposes. Very few of these breed in captivity in the United States. * X k¥ Congressmen - are constantly being asked to do the most amazing sort of errands by some of their constituents, who seem to have quite hazy and some- times startling ideas of the duties of a National legislator. For example, Rep- resentative Jcseph W. Martin, jr., S:t a letter the other day from a man he asking him in all seriousness to call on Secretary Mellon and ret him to fix up a report on the condition of the Treas- ury balance to-correspond with a set of figures he sent to Mr. Martin, stat- ing that he held numbers in a pool and he wanted the Te- port fixed so he would win, * R K X The fact that the United States about to let contracts for the year's supply of paper for all departments of the Federal service to a total of 50,850,000 potnds, at a cost of about $2,250,000, focuses attention that the best laboratory in the printing business is maintained by the Govern- ment. The technical division of the Government Printing Office has been recognized as a research laboratory for the various branches of the printing, bookbinding and allied industries. It is the most complete laboratory in the United States confining its work ex- clusively to the problems of the various branches of the printhdiindmtry. The equipment of laboratory is quite complete and includes the latest types of &mlnl, physical and micro- scopical testing apparatus for use in testing paper, textiles, glue, type metals, ete. The personnel consists of 20 em- ployes in addition to the research asso- ciate chemist representing the Ameri- can Newspaper Publishers’ Association. they probably are outnumbered already by those who have more than ome car to_the family. ‘This, however, studles being made in- dicate, does not mean necessarily that more motor cars will crawl along through the congested areas. The American Automobile Association has just announced the results of a survey which established that a majority of motor tourists seek to avold passing hrough main streets of cities along heir routes. As a matter of fact, the street car industry is coming back. There are plenty of folks who own automobiles who formerly used their cars to ride to and from business who now leave the cars at home and go to work on the street cars. Incidentally, the electric rallway industry has awakened to a few things itself in the way of more com- fortable cars, less expensive to operate, nd it has taken the bus unto itself in a number of communities, whereas formerly the bus line was regarded only as a menacing competitor. managers in large urban centers are not entirely happy over increasing traf- fic congestion and more 'regulations— their schedules for trips are necessarily lengthened without any compensating increase in revenue. * ok ok ok Merchants are spending large sums, in the aggregate, to help out in “no parking” zones and otherwise continue to bring into their establishments cus- tomers who might be driven to a more quiet place of business, Store chauf- feurs, store basement garages for cars of shngfen and other devices are being used. all costs money. ‘The object of the forthcoming con- ferences, which as now outlined will not be under Government auspices, but for which a call will be issued before the end of February by several trade asso- clations jointly, will be to get the “best minds” together and try to start a na- tional program which will mean not only street and highway safety, but the continued use of public thoroughfares for legitimate business missions without tco many difficulties being imposed. An attempt will be made to direct expan- ston sof shopping and theater districts in dir:ctions which appear to meet traf- fia requirements not today, but what may b2 envisioned as existing ten—fif- teen—years hence. (Copyright, 1020 knows very well in New Bedford, Mass., | sa} Bus lines | u| 1t _coul Bank of England Breaks Silence BY FREDERIC J. HASK The most_conservative banking in- stitution in the world, the Bank of Eng- land, has startled bankers, business men, statesmen and economists every- where by suddenly giving increased publicity to its affairs. In all probabil- ity this change in attitude is due to the American _ business influence which gradually is permeating British affairs. Just how the financial and business community of -England is taking the change is reflected in the expression contained in the Monthly Review of the Midland Bank, Ltd., one of England’s largest private banks, which says: “The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street has never been a talkative dame. It has always been extremely difficult to draw her into conversation. She has followed the principle of never speaking unless spoken to, and even then in the fewest possible words. The new bank return, therefore, represents a definite departure from previous policy. The Old Lady is telling us a little more of her business, and we are grateful for this broad-minded concession to the rrowlngly insistent demand for fuller nformation on matters of vital public importance. A hundred years ago the Old Lady said nothing about herself. No law required her to reveal her posi- tion, week by week or year by year, and she did not volunteer the information.” To Americans, the fact that a bank of semi-public character should go on year after year, transacting the business of the financial community as well as the finances of the state, seems _almost inexplicable. When our own Federal Reserve act was written, it was provided that each Federal Reserve Bank should publish each week a full statement re- vealing its precise condition—capital, surplus, volume of loans and discounts, acceptances, deposits, notes outstanding and all other information. This has been done regularly, and most daily newspapers publish the figures. No one in the country can complain that he does not know wl&en the Federal Re- serve System stands. Also )l':auom.l banks are required by the controller of the currency to make periodical publications of the detalls of their condition. In like manner the banking commissioners of the several States require reports from State- chartered institutions. Morgan Bank Publishes No Statement. There is one conspicuous exception in the United States, especially conspicu- ous because of the world-wide fame of the institution. The banking house of J. P. Morgan has - never published a statement of its condition, and there is no law now existing which requires it to do so. It is not a national bank, nor is it a State bank. Neither the Federal Government nor any State governmen | has the right, under existing law, to examine it or require a publication of its accounts. It is a purely private busi- ness. None but a few officers of the bank knows what its deposits are or the amount of its loans and discounts. 1t 1s nobody's business. No one has the right to demand a statement of account from J. P. Morgan any more than he would have the right to accost a stranger on the street and demand to know how much money he had in his pocket, how much in his bank account and what property he owned, what debts he owed. - That was the situation of the Old Lady of Treadneedle Street, a term of endearment used in London to denote the Bank of England until 1833. In that year Parliament required that the Bank of England provide the chancellor of the exchequer with a weekly state- ment of certain items, and that the every three months in the London Gazette. ‘The Parliament which passed the act requiring this publication apparently was not made up very largely of bank- ers, for the items specified, while im- rtant, were by no means complete. n fact, only four items were called for and only four furnish to wit, the circulation, deposits, sec: -s and bul- lion. And the two foraer items, con- stituting the liabilities, and the latter two, ccnstituting the assets, did not balance. The Bank of England actually was solvent, capital and surplus and many other times being left wholly out of the statement merely because they had not been called for. That is what the Midland Bank means by its statement, quoted above, that the bank “followed the principle of never speaking unless spoken to, and even then in the fewest possible words.” It is an interesting speculation as ‘o whether the 1833 act of Parliament re- quiring this first publication of sn inkling of the Bank of England's posi- tion was not prompted by American ex- perience. It will be recalled that at pre- cisely this time Andrew Jackson, as President of the United States, was in the midst of his struggle with the Bank of the United States which, it was charged, tried to dictate to Congress and otherwise overshadow by the finan- cial power the course of government. Former Reports Revealed Little. Before long it was realized that th» meager report published quarterly re- garding the Bank of England did no: help any one very much. So in 1844 a new act was passed requiring weekly publication, but leaving to the bank it- self, to a considerable extent, the choice of what items it stiould make public. Up to 1878 the reports were fairly good, although still meager, but from that date the bank discontinued reporting the amount of bankers* balances held and the volume of temporary accommo- dations—two highly important items. In other words, the bank stopped tell- ing how much money it had on deposit to insure its solidity and how much money it had lent. For half a century that condition con- tinued, the public actually knowing less about the condition of the bank than prior to 1878. Not until now has the Bank of England altered its policy. Without any act of Parliament making it mandatory, the bank has suddenly come forward with a fairly full account of its condition.” This report is made public at a fixed hour every Thursday. The new statement shows the amount of notes in circulation, the amount the government owes the bank, securities held, capital and surpius, deposits, loans and discounts. coin and bullion held and practically all other needful items. Even now the report does not give one-tenth the information the Federal Reserve Banks of the United States give to the public each week. England is a conservative nation and the Bank of England the most conserva- tive of English institutions. The reason for the long reticence of the Bank of England was the belief that the country would be far better off if the public did not know the ups and downs of the bank. Speculation would be encouraged by frequent reports. At periods when the bank was in a strained condition, general public knowledge might bring about a financial situation highly sub- versive to the solvency of the institution, whereas, if nobody were alarmed, the period would be tided over. Again, if it were shown that the bank was in an extraordinarily good condition, an une warranted boom might be started, chancellor should publish the statement Fifty Years Ago In The Star Half a century ago Congress Was on the point of making legisiative provi- Census K 3 expected that more ques- Queries. tions would ‘be asked b the enumerators in order to enrich the statistical information obtained. The Star in its issue of January 27, 1879, decennial census. It was ys: “In connection with the new census bill the ‘pure cussedness’ which prompts s0 many people to mislead the census taker when nothing is to be gained becomes a fresh subject for wonder. Railroad companies are naturally ret- fcent about their business, those who follow certain professions do not ex- cite surprise by shrinking from pub- licity, and it is not unreasonable that ladies of uncertain age should object to removing this uncertainty. But in addition to these and to the class which prevaricates because it somehow looks upon the questions of the census taker as personal affronts, there is found a species of humanity whose re- plies to the patiemt census taker can only be understood by remember: that ‘human nature is human nature and that ‘the world is given to lying. The long intervals which intervene be- tween censuses in this country cause the periodical census anecdotes to be ever new and fresh. As suggesting statistics fur- that the argument from ni by the census is pecullar to western civilisation and is disdained among_Asiatic nations, the reply of & Turkish cadi to Mr. Layard’s ( traveler and archeologist) request for information in the form of figures is pertinent: “‘My illustrious friend and joy of my liver: The thing you ask of me is both difficult and useless. Although I have assed all my days in this place, I ve neither counted the houses nor have I inquired into the number of the inhabitants, and as to what one per- son loads on his mules and_ another stores away in the bottom of his ship; that is no business of mine. But, above all, after the previous history of this city, God onl ws the amount of dirt and con that the infidels may have eaten before the coming of the sword of Islam. It were unprofit-, able for us to inquire into it. Oh, my soul! Oh, my lamb! Seek not after the things that concern thee not. Thou camest unto us and we welcomed thee; go in peace.’” * x The question of how to correct a decidedly unwholesome condition af- 2 fecting the Potomac River a health of Wash- | ington was| Menace to Health. ;0% i cced | half a century ago, the discussion con- | tinuing for several years, until finally the river front improvement was decided n and eventually executed. The Star of Jani 29, 1879, says: “It is stated that in view of the mor- tality among Congressmen this session there is a disposition on the part of Congress to pass a measure providing effectively for sanitary defects in the drainage in Washington and upon the river front. The congressional mor- tality this season may or may not be due to local causes, but there is no doubt that through the persistent neg- lect of Congress to give any thought to the condition of the great river that, | with its branches and tributaries, nearly envelops the National Capital, the chan- nels of that great stream have got 50 |= choked up and the current so scatter- ed over wide marshes and flats that it is a wonder the city has escaped a malarial plague. The Anacostia branch sion for the taking of the | g |sun This and That By Charles E. Tracewell. We sincerely hope that no veteri- narian feels put out by our use here from Ume to time of the expression “eat We are not unmindful of the f “horse doctor” is unsavory to f-;l? o fession, but we believe that our lmg for cats is too well known to permit any one to believe “cat doctor” is analogous. “Cat doctor,” to us, is a term of praise, since the medical man who tends 3:;; g]x;yt ;rlendltls t.hgr friend, too. e creatures themselves ma; think of his ministrations. 2 * X ok % it TR R S e e cul an - ul:r h:h D‘fl“ the reg n the t place, he gets no hel, from his patients. g Y ‘Whereas a member of th@ regular pro- fession, practicing on human beings, is able to ask his patient his symptoms and to recelve a more or less correct report, the veterinarian gets no help at all. Your average dog, and certainly every n':,, has mtll:mkr;&:ledn utlh’n.c the man who peers moul trying to help r‘;l » This is particularly true of the cat. Some dogs, it must be admitted, after a time seem to grasp the idea that medi- cal treatment is for their good. * kX% The cat, however, resents e at- tempt to cure it. i ‘You could pour medicine down a cat's throat. for years without being able to ive the animal the slightest idea tha: it was all for its own . Since even human children often are not able to p the idea, it 1s not strange that the independent cat fails to be moved by the logic of the situation. Few dogs or_cats will help the doctor in the least. If they remain quiescent, that is about as much as can be ex- pected of them. As for securing an account of symp- toms from them, that is an impossibil- ity. A lame dog may Iimp, or a sick cat sneeze, but the veterinarian must depena strictly upon his own powers of obser- vation and those of the family. Household fricnds of the sick animal are not trained observers and often are able to give the practitioner but little more help than the animal itself. * XKk % The regular M. D., when treating a patient, does not have to fear phylful assault except in very exceptional in- ces. When a veterinarian takes & case, however, he must watch out for one biting mouth, in the case of a dog, or one mouth plus four paws filled with claws, in the case of the cat. The cat presents to his doctor five points of assault, one about as bad as the other, and each one of which must be reckoned with. Thus it will be seen that the life of the veterinarian is no bed of roses, but too often a thing of antiseptics and dages. No doubt there are kindly veterl- Seina et e Said of any ciass of mi said of any class of me 1 r"x'wn. It is vastly to the credit of branches of lealing that the great majority are ethical, decent men. The modern veterinarian has a good training and does a it deal of in the‘wnrld. And g:‘hl-! one m which ought to console him—the price he receives for calls on his patients 1s exactly that which the regular medical doctor receives for a call on the master of the ani loathsome stretch of matter exposed to the direct rays of the sun at low tide was such that the winds from of the river that used to be navigable all the way to Bladensburg is now a swamp filled up with rank vegetation, the haunt of reed birds and The Potomac on the west front of the city is filled up with mile-wide flats to such an extent that the sewage lodges on the reedy marshes, formin a pestilence-breeding nuisance of un- bearable offensiveness. Last Summer the evil had reached such a point that the District authorities were obliged to spread disinfectant over these flats as & palligtive measure, though, of course, 1d not afford any permanent or adequate relief. The stench from this 4 S that quarter sickened people all over the city, and it was found necessary to close the windows of the cars crossing malaria. | the Long Bridge to Alexandria to keep out_the odor. “Under the circumstances, it would he lcl"nlt ut Co M:‘l .kl'hnw should prompt ngress ive river and harbor of the o-pflal City some consideration in the river and harbor bills, where they have been con: tinually overlooked, while enormous log- rolling appropriations have been insert- ed for the benefit of all the ocean inlets 2nd .:nhnfl cresks of every Congrease