Evening Star Newspaper, March 4, 1929, Page 8

‘e VE \( in the city. The exodus probably will | —the kind of a bill which might have 'THE E NIhG STAR not begin until tomorrow or wednesdly.!been put through at any time within -~ THE EVENING S TAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, MARCH %, 1929 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. e With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.........March 4, 1920 THEODORE W. NOYES. ... Editor ¥he Evening Star Newspaper Company 11p 81, knd Penneivania Ave. A cmgml Ofce: T M nicass Omes. o Buropean ‘Offce; 14 K o 10 East 42nd St. wer Bullding. egent St.. Loridon, nglan 3 f i Rate by ning 'fi.en:n! .d 4 Sundars and S u Even; 5 T S & Orde; 5 e et ‘thb atl rs may be sent in by mi Main 8000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. y and Sunday....1 yr. $10.00; 1 E{y only $6.00; 1 mo.. 50¢ day only .. 3400; 1 mo., 40c All Other St: E‘J- 3500, 1 mo.. 50c ‘Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press s exclusively enfitled B e Toailten bo It Gr mot atherwis od n (his Da the local news n this i also_the Subliaped herees Al Tights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. The New Chief Magistrate. ©On this day, appointed by the law, the United States of America change: its Chief Executive. It undergoes a revolution, peaceful and by a process established at the beginning of the na- tional existence. of the people, cast in accordance with the mandate of the framers of the Constitution, & man has been named o take the office of President, replacing him who has served his allotted term. ‘The people did not in theory vote di- rectly for this new Executive, but for electors. who mn turn chose him. But in fact the intervening process of dele- gateship has become—has been, In fact, almost from the beginning—a fiction. ‘When in November the voters expressed by & majority of several millions a pref- erence for Herbert Hoover as the next President no power existed in the law %0 keep him from taking the oath and essuming the duties of the office. Thirty-five times the people of the United States have thus cest their ballots and declared their preferences for the presidency. Save for a slight alteration of method, to prevent con- fusion, this process remains as it was established in 1789. And save in a single instance, in 1876-77, it has since that time operated without such con- fusion or uncertainty of result. The great experiment of the founders of rrier Within the City. 3d ;43¢ per month ) o 80¢ per month unday Star o each menth. or telephone nd Canada. $1200: 1 mo. 31,00 ates al 1y 3.00: 1 mo., I8¢ only . y only . cred- the Republic, that of intrusting the | selection of the Chief Magistrate of the Nation to the votes of the people, has succeeded. Today, in obedience to the will of the peoply, 80 plainly and emphatically expressed fm November, Herbert Hoover takes the oath of offic> -3 President of the United States, while Charles Curtis There is no of experience into new roles which their past performances have t Hoover has been called the best equipped man who has ever been for the great office which he He has served for a highly responsible posi- administrator of & Federal de- partment which vitally concerns the economic and industrial life of the people. He has in that work displayed exoeptional powers of judging the capacities of other men, and of choos- ing aldes and agents highly qualified to oarry on the Government's business. He has shown the possession of a keen | as an emblem of service to the sover. | business. knowledge of affairs, national and in- ternational. He has established an un- usual record of indefatigable industry. In preparation for his administration of the Nation's business for the coming four years, President Hoover has chosen for his cabinet ten men of pronounced ability. It is plain, from what is known of them, that these men will serve him, and through him the Nation, with the utmost loyalty. Their qualifications for their several assignments are either fully demonstrated by pest perform- ances in the same positions or clearly shown by their accomplishments in other lines, in public or private ae- tivities. The Hoover cabinet impresses the country as fully in keeping, in point of ability, with the capacity of the President for his new responsibility, ‘This peaceful revolution, this change of leaders within the law, finds the American people uplifted with confi- dence In the soundness of the system of government under which they live. ‘They'feel that the judgment they ren- dered in November was the right ome. They believe that the problems confront- ing them, economic, legal and social, ‘will be attacked in a spirit of courageous honesty by an Executive who has shown by his acts heretofore and by his decla- rations in speech a sense of dedication to the highest principles of humanity. With such an equipment of knowledge and character and experience, and with such confidence on the part of the people whom he today takes oath to serve to the best of his ability, Herbert Hoover should succeed in his task, should make a record of one of Amer- fea’s greatest Presidents. —— e ¢ is made perfectly clear by Repre- sentative La Guardia that Judge Wins- low cannot depend on even an inaugu- ration to halt the congressional sense ©of responsibility for investigation. —————————— In ordinary commercial life a merger brings increase of strength. Glant mergers in amusement enterprises only serve, apparently, to weaken the stage demonstrations. —_—————. Mr. Hoover's Fourth of March ride will have more historic import, but Mr. Coolidge’s will be much the longer. — e Washington’s “Big Party.” ‘With unnumbered thousands added %o Washington's traffic stream during the three days comprising the inaugural period, pedestrians, motorists and police are under a strain, the intensity of ‘which is calculated to try the nerves of the stoutest. The ingress to the Na- tional Capital attained full power on Saturday afternoon when cars from al- most every State made their appearance here to mingle with the more than onelby the passage of a bill much in line use for republication of all rews als- | By virtue of a'vote | Faced with this unusual and trying situation, it would seem to be the order of the day for all concerned, visitor and home towner alike, to work together so that frayed tempers will not reach the breaking point, injuries to persons and properly will be avoided, and when it is all over a “grand tlme” will have been enjoyed by all in attendance a% the in- auguration of the President of the United States. Pedestrians are unquestionably at a disadvantage with the increase in-th volume of vehicular traffic. Except at | automatically or manually controlled | intersections, the walker finds that | crossing a well-traveled thoroughfare is | a venture fraught with the greatest | hazard. Under these conditions patience | mo., 88c and care on the part of the helpless | gince the recent election which placed | pedestrian are the prime requisites, minute may be saved by a heedless dash | ! to the opposite curb, but the chance is | hardly worth taking. No element of time is worth the risk of injury or death. During this period motorists must scrupulously obey the regulations. Next to this obedience should come an atti- |tude of considerateness, not only for pedestrians but for other drivers. The road-hog, the smart-aleck, and the| speeder should be conspicuous by their absence. Careful and considerate op- | eration of the thousands of automobiles | will do much to promote the welfare of | the crowded city. i | The harassed traffic police are having {a difficult time. Theirs is the job of | | keeping the seemingly never-ending | | stream of travel moving. They are the jones who must size up the situation | ahead and divert automobiles to other streets to avoid hopeless congestion, It is up to them to prevent accident and regulate all classes of street users to the end that the inauguration of Herbert Hoover will be remembered as an orderly and well-handled event, v~ From the Pinnacle to the Valley. ‘There is something that is at once crueily abrupt and sublimely unaltera- | ble tn the spectacle of & man who leaves the White House for the last time, to step from the pinnacle of the presi- dency to the valley of relative desuetude which awaits our ex-Presidents, Until the final second when his successor has pronounced the oath, he wears the rich mantle of authority and prestige wrap- ped about him by his countrymen. But in & moment he sheds it and slips away, forgotten, to the background. 1t is, no doubt, a welcome background. | It means, for a time, peace and com- parative rest. The mantle of the presi- dency is beautiful to look upon and becomes its wearer. But it is heavy. Shoulders sag under the weight, and backs sometimes bend. Te be rid of it is like shedding a burden. One can be- lieve that any man is glad to take it off. But there is a symbolism in the change of station which must be felt by any President who is about to step down. A man who has finished out his term as President of the United States has, indeed, reached the top of the hill. His view must evermore be mainly retrospective. Valleys of rest and peace- ful enjoyment of life's good things may beckon him. But they are valleys. The heights lie behind. The road descends. Capricious democracy, having lifted him up, sets him down and without a back- ,ward turn of the head passes on with janother darling under her arm. ‘This is, of course, as it should be. “The strongest poison ever known came from Caesar’s laurel crown,” and while the founding fathers were fully aware that laurel crowns would be bestowed and worn, they were doubly sure that there should be no Caesars and that | i great a slice off the Federal taxes and | | ified. Within the closing days of the the last four years and been approved by the Chief Executive. The trouble was that the present Congress played politics with the farm relief question, and presidential candidacies were bound up in the maneuvering. ‘The Seventieth Congress also put through a law for the further reduction of Federal taxes. It was with difficulty that the President and Secretary Mel- lon of the Treasury Department pre- valied upon the Congress not to lop too thereby create a situation that would | have brought about a deficit of large proportions and made necessary the raising of the tax rates again. ‘The present Congress has shown itself | consistently drf and particularly so lerbert Hoover, a supporter of the eighteenth amendment, in the White House and turned down Alfred E. Smith, who proposed that the dry amendment to the Constitution be repealed or mod- Congress it put through a bill increas- ing the penalties for violations of the Volstead act, so that fines of $10,000 or imprisonment for five years might be imposed. If reports be true, the enact- ment of the bii has had an immediate effect upon the bootle.g trade in liquor. ‘The Senate, during the present Con- gress, ratified the Kellogg multilateral treaty renouncing war, which has been hailed as a great step toward perma- nent international peace. During the same session, however, the Congress, taking no chances on national defense, enacted the cruiser bill, authorizing the construction for the Navy of fifteen modern 10,000-ton cruisers and an ad- ditional aireraft carrier. This measure provided that these vessels must be laid down within three years, despite the urging of the President that no time limit for thir construction be set. ‘The Seventieth Congress has at times been at odds with President Coolidge. In the House the measure of control of the Republicans was far greater than in the Senate, where the Republican majority was of the eyelash variety. But, notwithstanding the opposition in the Benate to the President, the ad- ministration has been able to get much of its program. ‘The present Congress gives place to a ‘more strongly Republican Congress in both houses. The new Congress, too, has certaln mandates from the electo- rate. It i3 likely to be more tractable than was the outgoing Congress. —re e ‘While not in a position to use ticker tape for confetti during inaugural fes. tivities, the New York Stock Exchange uses it with great enthusiasm to record values that show confidence in the new administration. ot In Northampton Mr. Coolidge may feel at liberty to say “Hello” to groups of friends without the frequent formal though pleasant ceremonial of shaking hands after being introduced. —ee—an Signatures to the Kellogg anti-war treaty added a touch of especial inter- est to an inauguration season which finds momentous events concentrating remarkably. ——rt. American habit of doing everything on a large scale makes it impossible even for a President, modestly inelined, to have his way about & simple inaugu- ration. ——ee— ‘While not & subject of prolonged and anxious discussion, the Hoover cabinet, as befits & practical organization, ar- the crown would pass from man to man eign people and not as an emblem of sovereignty exacting tribute in service. ‘When Hoover takes the oath of office, Coolidge is out. He has played no part in the bestowal of authority upon his successor, for this authority comes not from him, but from the people. Having served his sovereign, he is dismissed. He goes away almost alone, with the shouts of acclaim for his successor ringing in his ears. Over his shoulder, but not in front of him, he may watch the procession of triumph start west, once more, along Pennsylvania avenue. Alone, deserted by the crowds, he turns away and follows in the footsteps of a company of distinguished gentle- men, led by the first ex-President. “All these were honored in their generations and were the glory of their times.” e It has been made quite clear by Lindbergh, in managing & dangerous air trip, that neither he nor his flancee has any iden of giving up flying. ——————————— Bufficient political success has come to Senator Borah to confer on him the proud privilege of publicly forgiving his old oratorical enemies, The Seventieth Congress. The Seventieth Congress of the United States makes its final bow to- 1day. Whether the manner of its going tbe graceful or not, at least it may be said that the Congress has not been unproductive. When it assembled in December, 1927, it had before it two major problems requiring attention. One was that of flood prevention in the Mississipp! Valley. The other was the farm problem. With commendable de- termination the Congress put through the flood relief and flood prevention | bill, authorizing the expenditure of | some $325,000,000. The farm problem, however, was & horse of another color. Two schools of thought were repre- sented in the Congress, one which stood for the principle of the old McNary- Haugen bill with its equalization fee and the other which stood against the prin- ciple contained in that bill. President Coolidge stood with the latter—or, to put it perhaps more properly, the latter group stood with the President. ‘The McNary-Haugenites were the stronger. They put through the farm bill with the equalization fee, and it was sent to President Coolidge for the sec- ond time during his administration. For the second time he vetoed the meas- ure. There the farm problem rested. The issue was carried into the presi- dential campaign, and the McNary- Haugenites were worsted. The new Congress which comes into being today must tackle this problem, and it is on the cards that it will eventually be set- rives punctually on time and ready for e SHOOTING STARS, BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A World of Wonder. A World of Wonder now is shown And marvels new draw nigh, With every dwelling place their own— ‘The Land, the Sea, the Sky. Visitors to Washington by no means should miss taking a turn through Georgetown. Although an integral part of the Na- tional Capital, Georgetown was founded scores of years before the city of Wash- ington, and today still possesses an atmosphere all its own. Those here from smaller cities and towns will especially like the place, because its atmosphere will be so famil- iar to them, and, after all, every one likes what he is familiar with, does he not? ‘Wisconsin avenue will remind such visitors of Main street, unless M street on the other side of the bridge seems more like home to them. b ‘Washington's old headquarters on M | | street has but recently received a fresh coat of bright yellow paint. It is a curious, squat little house, with a big flight of steps up to what is really the second --floor. ‘There is a low-hanging roof, with two dormer windows, and a fine chimney on the east. Francis Scott Key lived in George- town, and there "wrote ‘“The Star Spangled Banner.” Mrs. E. D. E. Southworth lived and wrote many of her novels in a house which still over- looks the river. * ok % In his book, “Walks About Washing- ton,” the late Francis E. Leupp says of Georgetown “On the Maryland side of the Poto- mac, the suburb most_convenient of access is Georgetown. In fact, it long ago ceased to be strictly a suburb, by incorporation with the City of Wash- ington, from which it was separated only by Rock Creek, a narrow tributary of the Potomac. “Officially, it is now West Washing- ton, and its streets have been renamed and renumbered so as to conform as nearly as practicable to the system in use in the Capital. All the same, Georgetown has never lost its identity. It had a life of its own before Wash- ington was thought of; and within my recollection the old society of George- town used to look askance at the ‘new people’ with whom Washington was filling up. “It is still sprinkled with hoary houses set in quaint ancestral gardens, though modernism has touched the place at so many points that we can get a glimpse of these survivals some- times only through deep vistas lined with the red brick side-walls of urban blocks. * ok kX “The most attractive of the old man- sions, and the best preserved, is the Tudor house, built by Dr. William Thornton about 181). It is a good specimen from the Georgian epoch in architecture, standing fitly in the midst of a great square of lawn. * * * One of its traditions is that pretty little Nellie Custis went there to her first ball, though—but I leave others to struggle with the problem of conflicting dates.” Mr. Leupp's account of the writing of “The Star Spangled Banner” is in- teresting. Key lived in a house on M street, not far from where the fine bridge named after him now stands. “As the story goes, part of the British forces which marched upon Washing- ton in the Summer of 1814 passed through Upper Marlboro, Md., on a day when Dr. Willlam Beanes, a prominent physician, was entertaining several friends at dinner.. As the gentlemen talked, they grew more and more in- dignant against the invaders, and, news being brought to them at table that a few red-coated stragglers were still in town committing depredations after the main body of their comrades had passed on, some one suggested that the party go out and arrest these men as disturbers of the peace. “This was done, but to little effect; for as soon as the stragglers got away they hastened to catch up with the army and lodge a complaint with their officers, who at once sent back a squad of soldiers to arrest the arresters. Three of the dining party, including Beanes, were carried off to Admiral Cockburn's flagship, which was lying in the Patux- ent River. Cockburn, after administer- ing a disciplinary lecture to the trio, dismissed the others, but took Beanes as a prisoner on his ship to Baltimore. “Key, who was Beane's nephew, hastened to Baltimore as soon as he heard of the doctor’s plight, and under a flag of truce went aboard the vessel to intercede with Cockburn for his uncle’s release. His plea was vain; and Cockburn would not even let him go ashore again until after the bombard- ment of Fort McHenry. “When Key returned to Georgetown N.|he related his adventure at the next meeting of the local glee club, and his fellow members urged him to put his narrative in verse. He read his pro- duction at a later meeting and the club introduced it to the public, who adopted it as the national anthem.” * K K % What is now Wisconsin avenue was called High street in George Washing- ton's day; the street to the west of the estate mentioned, Tudor Hall, was called Valley street. Almost at the north end of the Key Bridge is a curious stretch of street, a block long, paved with the roughest sort of stones and inclined at an angle so steep that it has been found expedient to forbid automobiles to use it. This is locally known as Stony Hill. In Georgetown the visitor will find Georgetown University, one of the most famous Catholic institutions of the country, and several other educational establishments, including the Western High School, a building of a type of architecture little seen any more. Montrose Park, on R street, will be found to be one of the most beautiful smaller parks of the National Capital, with its rolling hills and great oaks, leading down to Rock Creek. * R ok ok What will interest the inquisitive visitor, perhaps, more than all the his- toric features, as replete with interest as they are, will be the general atmos- phere of Georgetown. 2 It is the sort of place where one may walk around in his shirt sleeves on & hot Summer's day and no one will pay the slightest attention to the breach of public etiquette, whereas if one at- tempts to appear so on fashionable Connecticut avenue, across the creek, he may find passersby looking askance at him. Over in Georgetown one does more or less as he pleases. It is a place of striking contrasts, mansions being next to little houses; one will even find homes built in the center of blocks, and surrounded on all sides by other houses. Lovers of the picturesque will discover that many of the old homes, especially the smaller ones, have been “done over” by ambitious builders and decorators, and that out of the years is growing a new Georgetown, which still somehow mlnlgdu to hold fast to the flavor of the old. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC Aboyt the shrewdest comment on the Hoover cabinet current in Washington is that while it does not gleam with big names, it is full of good men. Efficiency, rather than notability, is its hallmark. On the whole, its make-up surprises po- litical observers, Widely heralded as a superman, most people expected Presi- dent Hoover to surround himself with other supermen. No one thinks he has done so. On Capitol Hill the commonest remark is that it is an “average” cabi- net. Many authorities contend that it does not compare in caliber, by and large, with the official household Presi- dent Harding brought into office eight years ago. It is argued, for example, that Hoover has no “big three” to match against the Hoover-Hughes-Mellon tri- umvirates. Politiclans who thus X-ray the new administration feel there may have been deep-dyed method in Mr. Hoover's cabinet-making scheme. What they mean is that the President may not want to be surrounded by an aggre- gation of towering talent—that the Chief Engineer plans very thoroughly and comprehensively to boss the whole administration job himself, A page in history we will turn, A Future we behold, Where mighty lessons we shall learn, Greater than those of old. ‘When Time 5o gloriously can give ©Of beauty and of pow'r, Let us be thankful that we live In such a generous hour, Valuable L “What is your favorite plece of musie?” *‘The Star Spangled Banner,” an- swered Senator Sorghum. “My.ear for music is not well trained, but I can recognize that selection because the entire audience always stands up when it is played.” Jud Tunkins says this country is 8TOWIng s0 great that if everybody who wanted to march could be accommo- dated, you'd have an inaugural proces- slon two or three hundred miles long. One Element of Uncertainty. We know the nations will endure In splendid strength, through ages hence. Although the country is secure, Its climate causes some suspense. Wicked-Sounding—Yet Innocent. “What kind of bread have you?” asked the man who was buying sandwiches for his family. “Only oatmeal cakes and pumper- nickel,” answered the delicatessen man. “Which’ll you have, Scotch or Rye?"” “Think not,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “that you can disdain the sorrows of others. Only those about you who have happiness can give it.” Condensed Roll Call. Millions of citizens, earnest yet gay, Deserve to win praise; and they shall. But the simplified roll call that serves for today Is “Hoover and Curtis et al.” “You got to admire a great states- man,” sald Uncle Eben, “He gits mo’; honor and applause dan any musician in de band an’ don’ have to learn to play no instrument whatever.” vt Plenty! How Come? From the Bluefleld W. Va. Daily Telegraph. Ten thousand dressmakers in New tled, so far as legislation is concerned, ‘uund thousand automobiles regularly with the proposals<of President Coolidge York have struck, but the girls would still have plenty to wear if they never' went back to work, * * ok ok X Everybody finds it curious that Hoover retains in the cabinet two men—Mellon and Davis—who were not particularly close to him, while he failed to keep the pair which he himself, according to the general understanding, induced Coolidge to appoint. These are Curtis D. Wilbur, retiring Secretary of the Navy, and Willlam M. Jardine, who was Secretary of Agriculture. It is a fairly open se- cret that both Wilbur and Jardine would have remained in the cabinet if they'd been sufficiently urged. Wilbur's disappearance is due to the President’s desire to name Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur, Curtis D.’s brother, as Secretary of the Interior. Mellon had no claim on Hoover's favor, from a strictly political standpoint. Up to the eleventh hour at Kansas City last June the Pennsyl- vanian ranked as a draft-Coolidge man. His inclusion in the Hoover administra- tion is a concession to the business world, which has abiding confidence in “the greatest Secretary of the Treasury since Alexander Hamilton.” Davis owes his retention in the Labor portfolio to the universal repute he enjoys through- out the labor world and among its leaders. * K ok ok President Hoover likes college men, and that intellectual ilk is represented to the extent of 90 per cent in his cabinet. Harvard and Michigan predominate. Secretary Stimson holds Yale and Har- vard degrees. Secretary Adams is a dis- tinguished Harvard alumnus and treas- ! urer of the university. Attorney General Mitchell hails from Sheffield Scientific School and the University of Minnesota. Secretary Wilbur was a fellow-student of Hoover's at Stanford. Secretaries Good, Hyde and Lamont are all Mich- igan men. Postmaster General Brown has an A. B. and an LL .B. from Harvard. Secretary Mellon was a member of the class of '73 at the Western University of Pennsylvania, now the University of Pittsburgh. “Jim” Davis says he got his Ph. D. early in life from the college of human experience. ‘The most non-political President ever to enter the White House has dealt lib- erally with the party genfry irreverently known as “the boys.” Certainly at least five out of his 10 cabinet appointees do not resent being known as G. O. P. stal- warts. “Jim” Good of Iowa and Walter Brown of Ohio probably do not even mind being identified as professional politicians. They have at any rate adorned and played the game for a good many years, and were super-active in| the pre-convention and pre-election tactics and strategy which landed Hoo-| ver in the White House. Gov. Hyde of Missouri is another practiced political hand. He should prove useful in fencing with farm politicians on the administra- tion's behalf. “Uncle Andy” Mellon, modest and unobtrusive though he be, has long been a power of the first mag- nitude in Pennsylvania Republican af- fairs. Secretary Davis is not a militant partisan, but “America’s greatest frater- nalist,” has been a potent Republican for 25 years in Indiana, Illinois, Penn- WILLIAM WILE sylvania and wherever else Moose roam. Some day murder will out and it will be known why the Republican regulars have been so well taken care of by President Hoover. Not so long ago they were in fear and trembling that the “boy scouts” and “Little Lord Fauntleroys” would occupy such a privileged place at the administration’s pie-counter that there would be little room for merely de- serving Republicans. As matters have turned out, their anxieties were un- founded. ~When National Chairman ‘Work confers this week with the host of G. O. P. leaders whom he summoned to ‘Washington for the inauguration, he un- questionably will be able to give them the pleasing assurance that all's well on the Potomac as far as the Republican rank and file is concerned. “Eight years of Hoover” is to be their slogan. * ok kK Prediction is made that Charles Fran- cis Adams, Secretary of the Navy, will speedily become one of the “‘characters” of Washington. The Boston yachts- man is undoubtedly the most sea-going American naval minister who ever held | the trident. Many Secretaries of the Navy were New Englanders. Several were Bay Staters. The first of the dy- nasty was Benjamin W. Crowninshield >f Massachusetts, who served under both Madison and Monroe. Levi Woodbu of New Hampshire held the portfolio under Jackson. George Bancroft of Massachusetts was naval Secretary in the Polk administration. Lincoln took two men for the Navy Department from Connecticut—Isaac Toucey and Gideon Welles, the latter of whom also served under Johnson. Arthur's naval Secre- tary was Willlam E. Chandler of New Hampshire and McKinley’'s was John D. Long of Massachusetts. Roosevelt put Willlam H. Moody of Massachu- setts in the Navy Department and Taft's sea minister was George von L. Meyer of Massachusetts. Another “Billy” Mitchell—lawyer, not aviator—becomes Attorney General. He owes his big chance in Washington, which came when President Coolidge made him solicitor general in 1825, to Assoclate Justice Pierce Butler of the United States Supreme Court. Mitchell and Butler were law partners in St. Paul. Our solicitors general by ancient custom must be “learned in the law.” ‘William De Witt Mitchell, by universal consent, measures up to that standard. He was at a dinner in Washington the other night, when the hostess chirped her pleasure at the fact that everybody present was a Republican. “But I am a Democrat,” said Mitchell. “Yes,” spoks Secretary Kellogg, “the kind of a Democrat that always votes the Re- publican ticket.” (Copyright. 1920.) Etchings of Life LAFAYETTE PARK On Wintry days At the hour of noon. * ok kK H“nmhvlteonl, birds and squir- rels. * People, crumbs and nuts. L Eerchlns pigeons, 8o good; oh, so Starlings, quick and sure, Catching “on the wing.” s * Kok K Friendly, bright-eyed squirrels, Playful, acrobatic— Nimbly eating upright Or provident providers Against “the rainy day.” * Kk K K Flower-bed, storehouse of nuts. * ¥ Xk X Strangers, passing to and fro. PR Yet, all akin— Flutterin High or low, in all the earth, One b1|rlh, one Father-Mother, ng. notebook of (From the EXdgbeth L. Hebb. Excavators May Find Secret of Miracle BY E. E. FREE, PH. D. ‘Whether one of the famous wonders recorded in the literature of the early Christian church was or was not a clever bit of scientific magic, arranged to mystify the congregation as conjur- ers try to mystify ‘their modern audi- ences, may be proved by excavations now under way at the ancient city of Jerash in Palestine by the British School of Archeology in Jerusalem, as- sisted by Yale University, In the course of these excavations there has been discovered, A. H. M. Jones of Oxford University disclosed in a recent lecture before the Hellenic Society in London, an ancient fountain, believed to belong to the Church of St. Theodore, known to have been constructed in the fifth century after Christ. ‘This fountain may be the same, Mr. Jones suggests, as that recorded in the writings of Epiphani®s. which fountain is reported to have flowed wine instead of water each year on the anniversary of the marriage at Cana, for which the | Bible records a similar miracle. It is well known that anclent priests in Greece and Egypt used apparatus to mystify their worshipers, and it has been suggested that similar devices, per- of more devout churchmen, were re- sponsible for some of the wonders re- corded in early Christian writings. If it was concealed pipes that brought the miraculous wine to the fountain at Je- rash, traces of them will probably be found during the investigations now under way. N Urges Stock-Taking On Lawn Conditions To the Editor of The Star: ‘The first 10 days of March are ap- parently to be the period in this year for best taking stock of lawn conditions and for observing how far the District of Columbia has progressed in lawn de- terioration. Owing to a well recognized situation, it has been the practice for a number of years in Washington either to give lawns a Winter top dressing mainly composed of sticks, cornstalks and straw; to sprinkle on a little bone meal in the Spring, or, most generally, to do noth- ing at all to the lawns. The result will now be graphically depicted in every part of the District by a more or less occasional island of green in seas of dead and sodden Sum- mer grass, wire grass and other weeds, which constitute the bulk of lawn growth in Washington. Owing to the long period of rest of most of the lawn area, from the first frost until Summer, a very little wear denudes the surface, permits erosion and produces the ghastly scars which disfigure the surroundings of so many homes, ‘The condition is one of progressive starvation in a soil originally all too scanty in its provision of the carbon factor of rlant growth. The remedy is easily available in the utilization of so- called municipal wastes, now positively known to have a far higher fertilizing value than has been assigned to them. ‘Washington should have the finest lawns in the country. Possibly it has the poorest. With as low as a 10 per cent utilization of the fertilizing ma- terial now being destroyed, the crab grass prevalent in Washington lawns could be replaced with ‘a cultivated grass which would fulfill the function of a lawn all the year. K. C.GAUSS. . rtoms Tax on Intangibles Described as Unfair To the Editor of The Star: Am glad to see some one take up the injustice of the existing tax on intan- gibles, setting forth so well how it equals in some cases from 12! to 14 per cent of even a modest income. Even if the retired man gets an increase to $1,200 with his other income of $500, less the intangible tax of $50, and with a low apartment rent of $40, he and his wife have no life of luxury. It seems high time we a reasonable income tax law' such as that in New York State, or even if it was patterned after the national income tax law, it would be far more reasonable. It is graduated according to one’s income. It is surpris- ing that the existing law ever got on the books, unless some one squeezed it through as a vicious rider. J. LEE. ——— Gives Additional Data On Gen. Washington To the Editor of The Star: I was particularly interested in an Associated Press story in The Star of Sunday, February 24, 1929, page 4, about Gen. George Washington. One section of the story deals with Fredericksburg, Having lived in Washington until Sep- | tember last, I war interested to see the location where he “threw a dollar across the Potomac.” I had always heard it was the Rappahannock—and it seems | m\;cht fiule:it? bt;ueve, n the article in question you mention only that Washington used Mercer Apothecary Shop. For your informa- tion I will tell you that he was a famil- iar at the Rising Sun Tavern and also at the home of his mother, He visited iry | Kenmore, too, all buildings that are now here. The “Ferry Farm,” the home, is Just across the river from the lower end of town, and not “only a few miles” as you state in the article. OSWALD E. CAMP. |Canada Warned Against From the Otta A dispatch sen Canadian news- Papers states that renewal of negotia- tions with Canada for the construction of the St. Lawrence deep waterway will be one of Mr. Hoover's first considera- tions when he comes into power. For Canada, what does this mean? Have the Canadian people made up their minds that partrprship with the United States in lauriching upon the St. Lawrence waterway at this time is the course of wisdom, and, if so, under What conditions? Are they aware of the implications, the responsibilities, the demands and possible dangers of such & scheme? In a recent address to the Canadian Club in Toronto, Prof. Bernard K. Sandwell warned his feliow citizens to Proceed slowly in their negotiations With the United States over the St. Lawrence waterways project. He point- ed out that a certain stretch of the St. Lawrence River lies wholly in Canadian territory, while none runs entirely through United States territory. This gives the Dominion control of & key position which the republic does not Possess. If the scheme goes through, this country will, therefore, be making & fundamental sacrifice not asked of its neighbor. Added to this fact is the very vital consideration that the United States| Government has no such exclusive sov- erelgn power over the individual States of the Union as has the Dominion of Canada over its constituent provinces. that any treaty obligation which Washington undertakes and which vio- lates the rights of any State possesses no binding force on such State. In consequence, we have to be sure any- thing the United States undertakes to glive us is something that,we shall ob- tain without having to ‘go into the United States Supreme Court and sue for it. b som s Nearly Everybody's Are Dirty. From the Newark Evening News. A Troy museum now has collars that once belonged to President-elect Hoover, former Gov. Smith and Col. Lindbergh. The Lindbergh coll 1 the Lt ‘me.u ar is probably o ————— And More Deadly, Too. From the Lowell Eyening Leader. ‘That duel between two Parisian jour- a:‘lri‘z:s ;’:hltt h::: been much more e: oo R n fought with type: haps employed without the knowledge | _St. Lawrence Waterway | This is a lgecm department devoted solely to the handling of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your in- quiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic_J. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. How much American capital is invested in Chile?—S. R. A. Nearly $400,000,000 is invested in Chile by Americans. Q. What is the English equivalent of the Scotch term, “corrie”?—F. B. 8. A. A corrie is a circular hollow in the side of a hill or mountain. The word is derived from the Gaelic “coir,” which properly means a “caldron.” Q. Where can I get a time-table of airplane lines that carry passengers?— A. The American Air Transport As- sociation, 1610 Bankers Building, Chi- cago, issued a complete time-table for American air passenger lines. Q. To whom does the credit belong for the agreement between the Vatican and the Quirinal?>—T. D. A. The credit is quite generally given to Mussolini. Q. Is the Panama Canal handling capacity trafic now?—W. D. M. A. At the present time the capacity of the Panama Canal the year round is approximately 48 ships of usual size per day, or about 17,000 a year. The number of ships making the transit in 1928 was 6,456. signs off, why is the number “73” used? L PLR WMAL says that “73” is the code for “best regards.” Q. Is the bottomland of Egypt as fertile as it was before the Assuan Dam was built?>—M. M. A. The mud that was carried down the Nile by natural flooding is stopped by the dam. It scttles back of the dam, and the clear water which irrigates the land below lacks the fertilizing element. Q. What are the regional beundaries of New York City?—S, E. A. The New York region, as defined by the Committee on Regional Plan, extends 40 miles south and west from City Hall into New Jersey, 60 miles north along the Hudson River Valley, 55 miles east into Connecticut, and in- cludes the whole of Long Island. Q. Who did the first sky writing?— H. D. D. A. The founder of sky writing is Maj. G. C. Savage, an Englishman. The first word written by this method was “castrol,” in June, 1922, Q. How much of the flour manufac- tured in the United States is used in making cake?—C. D. E. A. Of the 121,000,000 barrels of flour produced yearly in this country, about 5,600,000 barrels are being used in making cake. With an average of 790 pounds of cake per barrel of flour, the per capita consumption of this food product is estimated to be about 1.6 ounces per day, compared with nearly 8.6 ounces of bread. Q. What are the names of the six gmesrlcm colleges in the Near East?— A. They are the Constantinople Woman’s College, Robert College, Ameri- can University of Beirut, Athens College, International College of Smyrna and the American Schools in Sofia. The endowment fund for the six colleges is | now $10,250,000. Q. Are any of the fruits planted by the Mission Fathers still growing in A oo or s vriginal planting of . Trees of the orig anting of olives brought to Lgu country by the Franciscan Fathers a century and & half ago are growing at the San Diego Mission. After Cortez conquered Mexico in 1521 the Jesuit padres soon began their missionary work among the Indians. With them they brought the fruits of France and Spain, among these the pomegranate. from the older missions in Mexico were carried northward and planted in the new mission gardens in California. In these gardens may still be seen some of the old olive and date trees and pomegranate bushes. In 1792 Van- couver found an orchard at Mission San Buenva Ventura in which pome- granates were growing, together with American newspapers are inclined to believe that the Nation has acquired Jurisdiction over Marie Byrd Land, dis- covered and named in the Antarctic by Comdr. Richard Evelyn Byrd. Never- theless, there are suggestions that other nations may not be willing to accept that idea without international arbitra- tion. It is assumed that the real e of the land will be dependent largely upon mineral discoveries, and in this connection the ultimate value of Alaska, once known as “Seward’s Folly,” fur~ nishes an example of what the future may bring forth. The new territory is {20 Tenges corening 15,000 St s ges cove! X uare miles of territory. 7 ‘“The only counterclaim,” in the opin- lon of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “could be presented by a government which might send an expedition manned by its armed forces and financed by its public treasury. It might then advance the proposition that its work was offi- clal, whereas that of Byrd was only the action of a private individual. Such an expedition would not be for purposes of discovery, but for taking advantage of the pioneering effort of others. In any such contingency the Government of | the United States would be expected to maintain the validity of the Byrd claim before any international court that might be named.” * ok ok % “Before Byrd is through,” suggests the Harrisburg Telegraph, “he may add another Texas or & Pennsylvania, or an even larger area in the frigid zone. Just now the land is worthless. But it is not easy to put a future value on it. The word ‘folly” was used in connection with the purchase of Alaska for $6,000,000, but that territory, once regarded as frozen and useless, has yielded vast wealth, and is a very heavy contributor to our prosperity as a Nation.” “The chief practical benefit,” thinks the Rochester Times-Union, “might be selection of a site for a meteorological station, as the influence of the Antarctic ice cap and the South Polar winds on climate may well be important to learn. Australia, so dependent on rain-bearing winds, has, perhaps, the biggest stake in such an investigation. Of course, if ‘thar’s gold in them hills,’ or even ofl, hardy men will go after it.” “What secrets for science may be locked behind its icy barriers,” observes the Atlanta Journal; “what treasures of industry and commerce its mountain ranges may guard, what fresh ideas it may quicken in man’s thought of his planet, to what strange ente: it may stir his spizit of adventure, only continued exploration can reveal or in- timate. Yet this much is certain—a Vet in atmgte. rm""‘é‘fiiufi"‘fifi as vas ultimal been claimed for American dominion.” The Pasadena Star-News believes that “the time may come when that ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. | United States is building will be Q. When the announcer of WMAL | Stat, the fruits | 1, apples, pears, D‘“-fl'lk figs, oranges grapes and peaches, bison mentions an orchard of pomegranates at the Mis- sion San Gabriel. Q. What countries are meant by the Near ;:ut and which are the Far East? A. The Near East applies to such Fnrts of Europe as Syria, Grecce, Turkey in Europe and other nearby countries. The Far East refers to China, Japan, India and other Asiatic countries. Q. Are the dirigibles now heing bullt for the Government as large as the Los Angeles?—T. R. A. The two ‘dirigibles which the two and a half times as large as the Los Angeles. Q. Where did Charles Dickens stop during his second visit to Washington, D. C, and where did he give his read- ings?>—I. W. . A. On his_second visit to the United States, in 1868, Charles Dickens while in Washington during February of that year stayed at the restaurant of Mr. Welcker, which was then located at 424 Fifteenth street. His secretary and manager, George Dolby, states that this was the best restaurant in Washington at the time and that the proprietor re- furnished several of his private dining rooms for Dickens' use. The readings were held at Carroll Hall, which was located on G street near Ninth. Q. When was the Massachusetts statehouse built?>—M. C. A. The corner stone was laid on July 4, 1795. The building was completed and occupied on January 11, 1798, Q. What is the largest vegetable erop in the United States?—H. B. A. Potatoes are the largest and most valuable vegetable crop in the United les. Q. When a leper at Carville com- mitted a murder, what was done with him?—J. L. A. The United States Public Health Service says that it is informed that one leper at Carville killed another. A special prison was bullt for the p:}:oner. and he was sentenced to that prison. Q. What is the relation of the 8 g‘;hns xg_diu: to the human -mm? A. During the Middle Ages the of the zodiac were supposed to in- fluence human life and were distributed 'g“dmumt parts of the human A Disease was supposedly cured the aid of the zodiacal power L over that part of the ly. The dominion of the moon over the body as she passes through the 12 signs of the zodiac is as follows: head and face (ram); Taurus, n and throat (bull); Gemini, arms and shaul- ders (twins); Cancer, breast, and stomach (crab); Leo, heart and back (lion) ; Virgo, bowels and belly (virgin); Libra, reins and loins (balance): ¢ g Scorpio, secret members Sagittarius, hips and thighs (-rchu;; Capricornus, knees and hams (goat): Aquarius, I and ankles (water s, feet and toes (fish), bearer), and Q. What is the oldest corporated town in Virginia —gvf?acr‘.fl A. Willizmsburg, 48 miles south of ichmond, is the oldest incorparated Wn in Virginia, established 1633. Ri to Q. What was final vote Kellogg peace pact?—G. A. J. o the A. 1t was: Yeas, 85: voting, 9. Q. Has the United w-rsh;?s b;u: in Europe!%.-?'!“ '!v..ru?.d . No European co built or sold a war vesngl't? u:‘e"mqm States Government. The only case the United States has had vessels it in a forelgn country was that of the gmefi River gunbeats, which were - sh%.'u-. under contract to the s, 1; not Q. Are contagious ¢ common nmongnrlllngzefl—-c, ’dqlu;sel i . The Government has maintaine experiment stations in A.ll?kl and hlq: l;m::u;h “wnh the main herds of . No_conta, disease ever been mm‘;.m A Q. How much fire insurance _nrbr{ne; carry in mutual eompuu:g A In 1926, in 1911 such es reporting, there was a total near] $10,000,000,000 of lnsurufu l: !‘m.ly Q. What is & primer e?—W. M. o e o e ¢y e J:nu e m‘;n or use in teach- Byrd’s Antarctic Discovery Makes Issue of Sovereignty “eventually will overcome climatic hand- icaps and those land will be made accessible. In those polar mountains may lie enormous deposits of valuable minerals which some day may be made available to more temperate climes.” * X X X /The alrplane is remaking the m: of the world,” the St. Paul Hm‘bf Press exclaims as it views the results of “human skill and daring plus the modern plane,” and the South Bend Tribune holds that “from the stand- point of geographical research the Byrd expedition already, has more than jusii~ fled itself.” The San Antonio Evening News states that “hristory may repeat itself in Antarctica,” referring to the possibility of “another Klondike rush.” “No wonder,” remarks the Asheville Times, “the children of this generation are wfhmlumd. They can hardly maintain an attitude of wonder every day in the year, always on tiptoe to re~ ceive the latest word from the outposts of sclence in aviation, radio, archeology or anthropology. If next week commu- nication is established with Mars, the boys and girls, hurrying to school or on :}.\le w:{e homet, will 1sl.mply make a men- note or tune in as soon as the; finish their lessons.” ki * ko ok In lighter vein the Kansas City Jour- 1-Post considers the possibilities: “What are we going to do with this new territory? A multitude of prpb- lems is suggested. How much wil) Amt~ arctica yield in taxes? To how delegates will it be entitled in Mm conventions? But do not sneer. Ree member ‘Seward’s Folly’ In addition to assuring a supply of trained seals, Antarctica may very well provide s place for Summer resorts and settle the que-tion of & nice cooi site for the Sun mer White House. Moreover, Anvl,uctl'? l::l]lim‘mm-utemm:ny’m! Fed- eral posts, l0se of governor, Federal judges, collectors of -té Mr. Hoover could save himself a lot grief by giving disappointed candidates Zfor cabinet positions jobs in Antactica, where they would have nmgle oppore tunity to cool their heels. Let him pick out the most prominent Hoover Demo= crat and make him governor of the new territory.” “Comdr. Byrd,” the Detroit News concludes, “is giving us a form of im~ perialism that doesn't threaten trouble anywhere from anybody. Marie B; Land, which he has annexed to United States, has no inhabitants and no products except natural ice, and no- body wants that or will crave to take it ;;l¥l’rnmml:‘&";mltumhb ler for innocuous rialism, we are for it.” 7 - Careless Around the Corners. From the Columbus Ohlo State Journal. We'll bet Hercules' wife found soms places in the Augean stables, after he region, and the correspondin n of the Arctic region may be o{ m- urable value. For the ingenuity and energy of tinues that paper, thing was all through, that prompted her to remark that a man ne o i ver &d do any