Evening Star Newspaper, March 10, 1929, Page 38

\ THE EVEXING . STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHENGTON, D. C. SUNDAY........March 10, 1929 . . Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Bpsingss Office: PR ooy Chicago Ofiice: T European Office 14 R Eng THEODORE W. NOYES. Rate by Carrier Within the City. T 45¢ rer month ar 60c per month tar per month per copy ach month. v tel Collection at’the end of eac Orders may be sent in by mail o) Main 5000. —Payable In Advance. Dajly and Sun aily oniy ... Bunday only ... 4.00; 1 mo. 40¢ oo | adjunct of the uniform whercby a con- | 4 Press 15 €xc republication o ed %0 it or not otherwis paper and slso the iocal news e his of publication of Iso reserved. es ted in this published her Members-Elect, Take Notice! The call for an extra session of Con- st made by President Hoover the form of a proclamation. stitutes the sole motice to the members of the Seventy-first Congress that they are mble here on the tion for ariff revision. It has ning of the Amer been the practic whenever the occasions has arisen, to “proclaim” the calling of a meeting of the Congress outside of the regular sessions provided for by the Constitu- tion. In this proclamation the Presi- dent, after noting the date and hour of the meeting of the House and the Sen- ate, says that “all persons who shall at Vthat time be entitled to act as members thereof are hereby required to take notice.” In these times a proclamation of this character gains immediate and com- plete attention. The printing of the President’s announcement is effected simultaneously in all parts of the coun- ®y. Within a few hours after the is- | suance of the proclamation every mem- | Ber-clect of the Seventy-first Congress | was made aware of the fact that on the | 15th of April that body will ‘meet in this city. But in former times, in the days of governmental beginning, there was no such completeness of notice. The proclamation had to be sent out by courier and by post, and, by du- plicate copies and by cricr, brought to ! ghe attention of the people in city, town '@nd hamlet. Weeks were needed thus fo carry the word of an executive man- date or any other governmental action. Although the House of Representa- tives is not a continuing body, as is the Senate, a stafl is maintained from Con- gress to Congress for purposes of reor- ganization. The non-member officers | of the House, elected at the beginning of each Congress, hold over until dis- placed by successors or Te-elected. Through them the personnel of the membership of the House can be reached, so that in case of need, if the proclamation: mode of summons should not ‘suffice; ‘the members-elect of the new . Congress could be directly in- formed through the medium of the clerk of the House. The Senate being & continuing body, it is always possible to reach the members of that branch of Congress by official summons. But there is no occasion for this specific notification. . The proclamation of the President suffices. s Lieut. Col. Grant to Remain. Revocation of the order relieving Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 3d, from duty 0 2 ephone | | who works on a steep hill, at the bottom | dlof which is a curve, and who has 1 | decorations over the | it is to be hoped that it will continue, |march, the juxtaposition of great and trian and the admiration of the mo- torist. Apparently they feel perfect se- curity. This is not the case, for every once in a while here, and rather more !often in other places, one 5 run down | and either injured more or less seriously or perhaps killed at his post of duty. They pursue a humble calling, yet an | ionorable one and, in spite of the high one. The subject of protective coloration— in this cdse protective by contrast rafher than by camouflage—for men {like these is always a live one, includ- ing the advocacy of white cross-belts | for the otherwise somberly garbed traf- !fic policemen. White seems to be as good as anything, especially at times of darkness or murkiness. On the other hand, 1t 1s not so efMcaclous when snow | |covers the ground, and it has been | ;l\u(i(‘l‘d that at such times the wearers | | thereof are apt to adopt some unoffici I | trast of color is offered. There is one | strect railway track-greaser in town | adopted for his daily toil a rather long, | frocklike “jumper” of the most brilliant scarlet. It appears to give him the se- renity of a deer-hunter similarly clothed. Any one can see him a block off. e Beautification Through Bunting. With a quadrennial momentous event | still fresh in mind, and disregarding the | | angle of the weather, which succeeded | in bedreggling so many aspects of a | colorful pageant, occurs the thought as to the improvemcnt in the recent flag hit-or-miss, in- finitely varied and often uncansciously incorrect displays of decades long since | |gone by. For this gratifying progress credit goes largely to the District de- partments of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, whose simple yet harmonious scheme was followed. This scheme, long sponsored by these organizations, bore its first fruit in the celebration held in honor of Lindbergh's homecoming nearly two years ago. Its repetition was even more successful and with possible small improvements, throughout the years to come. No one who can recall inaugurals and similar public celebrations of the 1880s and 189%s and the first decade of the pres- ent century can fail to remember the jumbled appearance of the line of little banners, the flags hung wrong, the bunting of curious shapes and pat- terns displayed in the oddest imaginable positions. During the celebration just ended the eye was met by long lines of 0Old Glory, all of a size and all flying from copper staffs substantially set and evenly spaced along curbstones, and by facades which had received decorative treatment along in a specified dignified style. Moreover, the merchants and other property-owners who co-operated with the Veterans’ Flag Committee, composed of representatives of the two organizations named and headed by Maj. Gen. Amos A. Fries as chairman, thereby saved themselves many hard- earned dollars. The ‘Commission of Fine Arts approved this scheme some time ago. Its later approval in the minds of both the local and visiting public must have been nearly unanimous and the time cannot be far off when every commu- nity, large and small, will follow this idea which approaches an ideal. e Submarine Escapes. Although much has been said and written anent the development of the oxygen mask for escape from disabled | submarines, the story will never lose its vividness, particularly with the success- | ful accomplishment of feats such as visibility of their uniform, a dangerous | This is hardly an exaggerat{on, but with the host of liberally endow: Child Study centers which recenily have appeared all over the country It will got hold true in the future. ! y Science during the past half century has explored the mysterious vastness of | the cosmos and the even more mysteri- ous littleness of the atom. But the greatest and most interesting: mystetide |of. ali, the nature of man and of socicty, have been left almost untouched. Perhaps this has been due to the in- herent difficulty of the subjects. A man is harder to study than an electron and & new-born baby than a spiral nebula, The clectron and the nebula are eals culable. The human being is largely incalculable. The subject does not lend itself to the microscope, the telescope or the electroscope. Science has been inclined to take which for granted—a known point from the wmknown. In the past much of mankind's knowledge of itself has been introspective and unreliable, simply he- cause there has been no technique for objective study. It has been & domain of philosophy rather than sefence, with no instruments of exact measurement and detached observation, Some progress has been made in over« coming this deficiency. It cannot be denied, however, that much work re- mains to be done before science even has the tools upon which it can rely. Printing presses have groaned under the weight of the “bunk” purporting to explain human behavior which ‘has been foisted on the world during the past decade. It is extremely hard for the layman to separate the sound from the unsound in this avalanche of soclology, anthropology and psychology. But man at least has turned back to the dictum of the wise Socrates, “Know thyself.” He is coming to the realiza- tion that he himself is the supreme mystery—that’ there are greater depths in his own mind than in the Milky Way. ‘The Rockefellers have sensed this movement and appear to be turning rapidly the enormous funds at their disposal to the support of such studies. These millions seem destined to play as important a part in the development of the science of man as the Carnegie millions have played in the progress of the physical and biological sclences. They are endowing more and more work of this kind every year—the climax being the Yale endowment. By declining to announce the exact time and place of their wedding, Miss Morrow and Col. Lindbergh are able to prevent millions of citizens from “crash- ing” in upon the ceremonial out of sheer affection. ——————— Even in as large and well organized a business as Standard Oil ‘a dispute must sometimes be settled as to who is the real boss, ——————————— Residents on the Texas border are justified in making complaint about being obliged to live so_close to a rough neighborhood. ———rons. Amateur weather observers now forget about the groundhog and look forward to March 17 to repeat its frequent effi- cacy in “bringing surshine’ &nd smiles. P Public officials are often-embarrassed by the camera, but in the course of time they usually learn to it SHOOTING STARS: BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Dandelion, Never mind the snowflakes~—never mind the cloud, Never mind the windstorm, hollerin’ loud. S that of yesterday, when two daring sea- | men reached the surface from a depth | We'll be ready for flirtation with the month of May, ®s director of Public Buildings and Pub- | of two hundred feet. Imprisoned on the | When the dandy little dandelion strolls lic Parks, to take effect in August, highly gratifying to the people ef; ocean floor at a greater distance below | their native element than were the un- | this way, ‘Washington with whom this officer has | fortunate vietims of the S-4 and S-51, | He looks so dapper and our hearts are become closely acquainted ~during his present tour of duty. He was assigned to Washington a little more than three years ago, and in that pericd he has become closely identified with the of- ficial and social life of the Capital. His .transfer to duty at the Army War Col- rlege was in the way of routine observ- jance of the customary three-year term (Jor special details. President Hoover /has now directed that the change of duties be postponed in order that Col. yGrant may remain at a post at which he is engaged in important tasks in the discharge of which he has demonstrated exceptional capacity. . The process of developing the Cap- ftal's public building and park system is under way. Col. Grant has taken part dn the preliminary works and is in- timately acquainted with the details of the various projects. His retention on duty here at the head of the Bureau of Public Buildings and Public Parks gives ‘assurance that there will be no slacken- Ing in the constructions and develop- ments that are now in hand or in the working out of the eme of the Park and Planning Commission, of which he 4s a member. - Fishermen are rumerous in Presi- dent Hoover's cabinet. man is by nature contemplative and endowed with the invaluable quality of patience. The American public is unan- i imous in wishing the fiisherman cabinet ! the best of luck, not only in outdoor sport, but aiso in public affairs. : i v White Wings and Accidents. More than occasionally one hears the criticism that traflic here in Wi ton is “worse than in New Yo It may be that the National Capital has .8 higher percentage of incompetent drivers, so that its broad streets are less safe both for motorists and pedestrians | then the narrow canyons of Manhattan, kut figures recently published point plainly to the fact that for the “White ‘Wings,"” who must at all times be- tween curb curb, Washington is a . far legs dang pus s calling. Statistics issued by New York officials | very seriously. The years since the war for the year just ended declare that of |have witnessed an outcropping every- its 11,000 white-clad street cleaners no | where of sociological, psychological and fewer than 2,142 were injured while at work, or approxima five, whi! employs 180 suck 2 i were injured on the strecis in 1928, - This roughly, cne ia each eleven. " None were killed. A good fisher- | place in which to 1y one out of every six ware k'lled. Washington arkers, of whom but | socia! scicnces. | the co-inventors of the oxygen mukf‘ { made their way out of what has been {the tomb of so many brave sailors and with nothing but the con- trivance over their faces, and by slow | degrees to avoid that dangerous malady i known as diver's bends, rose triumphant- ly to the surface, thereby establishing | themselves as the only men who without | the benefit of specially designed suits ;ha\'c ever lived to emerge from so great a depth. Both the escape lock and the mask {have been developed since the sub- {'marine disasters of the past two years { which shocked the Nation. Both de- | vices have proved their efficiency, and { while it may not mean that, if disaster | befalls, every man who goes down in a | submarine will be saved, it does mean | that much of the hazard of this perilous | calling hes been removed by American | meenutty. e The now famous palmist was more | generous than Delilah was with Sam- | son, in allowing a trustful gentleman at {lcast to retain his hair. ey So many bootleg vendors are reported { to have gone out of business voluntarily ! that prohibition enforcement may after all prove a comparatively easy matter. | i A | “Know Thyself.” | An Institute of Human Relations is to be. established at Yale University to conduct scientific research into human behavior in all 1ts phases. This undertaking will have the enor- mous initial endowment of $7,500,000, inearly all of which comes from the | Rockefeller Foundation and the Laura | Spellman Rockefeller Memorial. | institution will be unique in the educa- ! tional world. Aside from its own im- portance, it calls attention to the rapidly | increasing interest of the sclentific world in the phenomena of man. “The proper study of mankind is man,” sald Pope with his unrivaled facility for making quotable platitudes. His words have echoed from pulpit and | rostrum with tiresome persistence, but only recently have they been interpreted | educational enterprises. The new insti- | tute at Yale will be a notable milestone !!n this movement in the study of the .| “There has been more sclentific study .|of radium in the past fifteen years,” The | - won € se he's like a picture of the smillin® sun, So will stop our grievin' and will all be gay Till the dandy little dandelion strolls this way. 'Cau Rejection. “Would you fall in love with a man who dances divinely?” “No,” answered Miss Cayenne. “No man like that could be expected ever to stay home nights.” “Laughter,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is often only an empty echo of the wish for joy, but sorrow is always sincere.” Public Question. A breakfast is a great event— ! Men of affairs, with grave intent, Inquire, while keeping on their guard, “Shall we have eggs soft boiled or hard?” “De only importance some men at- taches to home,” said Uncle Eben, ‘“is de privilege of gittin’ away fum it.” Secretary Adams and Cameramen. When Charles Francis Adams for photo- graphs sat A word used by Sherman fell in rather pat. There was nothing to tell that con- cerned shot or shell, But he gave the impression that all was not well, In battle his courage would sure stand the test, But to smile and be ordered to look quite your best | Brought forth a confescion from this Navy man, That it's tough te be shot by a camera- man, Mexican Enemies Embrace, Mexican generals gladdened all lands When they laid down their arms and embraced and shook hands. A noble example the warriors have set, | For tactics like these will ke hard to forget. Henceforward of war there cannot be a trace t all the great generals meet and em- brace. Voteless Washington. ‘The visitors have gone their ways, And each will surely name This Capital with words of praise That mean enduring fame. And surely they will not forget | 1y says Prof. John B. Watson, the father These men develop an aplomb and a'of behaviorist psychology, “than of the . 8angfroid that is the envy of the pedes- human infant since the world began.” / In helpful days to come ‘This place so beautiful—and yet Politically dumb, v ® which to proceed to the investigation of} NGTON, D. C, MARCH 10, 1929—PART - “Man shall not live by bread alone."—Matthew, iv.4. The “Staff of Life.” “Bread is the staff of life” is an old adage. . Viewed from the physical point of view doubtless it is largely true, but velue than that which sustains the soul. when after a long vigil He felt the | pangs of hunger that the Tempter came to Him saying, “If Thou be the Son of God, command . that these stones oe made hread.” from Him a demonstration of His mi- raculous power, but instead it brought {from Him the statement, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” On another occasion He said to His disciples, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” In these great affirmations He main- tained the transcendence of the soul. He never ignored the demands of the body and repeatedly supplied the need where the occasion required. He was not unmindful of those indispensable things that have to do with the con- servation of health and strength. On one occasion He declared, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteous- ness and all these things shall be added unto you.” Bodies and souls He gave full consideration fo. .It was His lofty conception of the greatness and dignity of man. of the reality of his soul life and its indestructibility that made Him repeatedly emphasize its supreme value, His view of life differs widely from that commonly held. His sense of its value was greater than 'that of any other world teacher. He saw man in the full- ness of his being and eapacities. To disregard the deeper and finer values of his life was an offense against which He constantly inveighed. A philosophy of life that thinks of it in terms of a brief span of years, that regards it solely in the light of accomplishment and acquisition, 1s wholly out of con- sonance with the teachings of the Mas- ter. He certainly did not seek to place limitations upon it; on the contrary, He declared, “I am come that they might that which sustains the body is of lesser | 55 CBavRCter: It is written concerning Jesus | It was an effort to draw | theni BY WILLIAM HARD. President Hoover faces so many prob- lems as to make him almost regret that he has ever been called “the best pre- pared man that ever entered the White House.” That phrase has struck the popular imaginations, and the public looks to Mr. Hoover for miracles. is on his way to lots of opportunities to produce them. His most instant problem is the ap- pointment of his commission on pro- hibition. He has enlarged the idea of this commission to include all law en- forcement whatsoever. On the other hand, to the great annoyance of many of the wets, he has restricted the idea of the commission to an inquiry as to how our laws can be better enforced, and he seems to have no intention of asking the commission to tell him whether our laws are wise or foolish. Many of the wets had hoped that the commission would be empowered to re- port, for instance, that the Volstead law. was unenforceable. Apparently the commission will have no such chance. ‘Whether the law can be enforced or not, the commissicn seems headed better and more. point, but it is mere quibbling. This prohibition a “go.”. It cannot begin by agpnhlllng a commission to call it a “fop.” to tell us simply how to make it a more “'going” go. Later on, perhaps, a few years from now, there might be another commis- sion to look into the ultimate merits of the matter. This present approaching commission will have truly nothing to do with the merits. It will have to be dedicated simply to the improvement of the machinery of law enforcement. ‘That lays out before President Hoover one of the longest roads to a miracle that any President has ever faced. * K ok % The next needed miracle is in the field of the tariff. The President has sald twice now that the changes in the tariff should be “limited.” ‘That word may turn out to have an ironical mean- ing of the sort that it has when we speak of a “limited train,” meaning one that stops nowhere. The demanders of higher tariff duties are strong and vigorous and full of a consclousness of woe and of right. The farmers want stupendous duties on almost all of their products, and the industries which get their raw materials from the farmers are demanding stu- pendous “compensatory” duties, if the cost of their raw materials is to be stu- pendously increased. Naturally the administration is alarm- ed. Mr. John Q. Tilson, Republican floor leader in the House of Repre- sentatives, is especially alarmed. He has departed to Boston to tell the old crusted manufacturers of New England that they must not expect any undue additional protection. Mr. Tilsofi has an immediate re- sponsibility for the character of the tariff bill as it passes the House. He Contractors Start Drive To Prevent Accidents BY HARDEN COLFAX. An intensive drive for the prevention of accidents is being launched by the construction industry with a humani- tarian stake of life and limb, and a ma- terial prize of around $250,000,000 a ear. Y Reduction of accidents not only means fewer fatherless homes and fewer maimed and disabled men, but it also pays substantial dividéhds to all con- cerned In construction. “Safety means savings” and if the quarter-of-a-biilion annual expense of accidents in' the in- dustry can be reduced the general pub- lic will find its bills lower. For nearly two years, the Assoclated General Contractors of America has bad a safety engineer directing its cam- paign among its members. Local chap- ters have engaged engineers to help them. Some contractors have been able to get as much as 50 per cent re- duction g\ thelr casualty insurance rates as the resuit of safety records. This matter of premiums, however, is only & part of the savings affected, for every construction accident, it is figured, costs four times the amount expended in compensation. to the injured—Ilost time and material on the job, and reduced efficlency of the workers due to the lowered morale which also always ac- companies an accident. *ok kK ‘Builders’ exchanges, building trades employers’ associations, insurance com- panies, State compensation commissions, urchitects and engineers, highway co missions, organizations of workers and others are swinging into the greatest safety campaign in construction this country ever has seen. The approach of Spring, which will give impetus to construction work, finds a dozen organ- izations co-operating in close harmony in_the campaign. Not only building construction is af- fected. The fight against accidents ex- tends into highway building, the laying of sewers and of water mains and the many other flelds of this industry. Not all of the prevention work is directed toward eliminating or reducing acci- dents while the contractor is actually on the job with his force; some of it oes far beyond. Traffic accidents are creasing and it He | toward having to say how to enforce it | ‘There may be some quibbling on. this | administration is committed to making | ‘The new commission will have | has been calculated | EVERYDAY RELIGION BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D, Bishop of Washi have life and have it more abundantly.” All that He sought was to emphasize its eternal worth. The disciplines He imposed were not hard and forbidding. They were designed to give to life & truer dignity by recognizing its inher- | ent powers, ‘The real “staff of life” is that which nourishes and enriches the fine things After all, what we con- ceive life’s true objective to be does de- termine for us the method of its at- tainment. If “death ends all,” if the atisfaction of selfish desires and pas- | sions is a legitimate quest, if material advantage Is the logical ambition of life, ve may yield ourselves to the dic- tum, “Eat, drink and be merry, for to- morrow we die.” Such a conception of life lends no zest or inspiration to_it, its end is shadowy and forbidding. Ba- con once said, “No man’s private for- tune can be an end worthy of exjst- ence.” I have known men who had everything that money could buy, every luxury that heart could desire, and yet they were far from happy. They lacked something that they could not define to themselves. I have knaown others to whom none of the choice- gifts of life were given, from whom even the neces- sary things were withheld, upon_whose shoulders burdens were imposed too heavy to be borne, and yet they radiat- ed sunshine and gave evidence of a peace that passeth understanding. As we grow older tHe lines of Whittier be- come increasingly clear to us: “The riddle of the world is understood, Only by him who feels that God is good.” It may be difficult to define in pre- cise terms what a deep religious con- viction means to us, but there are abundant demonstrations on every hand of what the absence of it effects in lives that are barren and unproductive, The word of Jesus, “Man shall not iive by bread alone,” has a meaning that is fundamental and that is vitally re, lated to our truest satisfaction and men- tal repose. The'great hunger will-not be satisfied with perishable bread, but the ::orafd of life, the true nutriment of the Law Enforcement Inquiry and Tariff Revision May Disturb Political Balance realizes, in all probability, that nothing much can be done to resist the farmers. They are in tiie saddle this trip. Mr. Tilson aspires, however, to persuade the manufacturers to be content with per- haps even less than they now have that is, the agricultural duties may have to be advanced to a point which Wwill leave the manufacturers at a com- parative disadvantage. They may not get really full “compensation” for the increase in the cost of their raw ma- terials. Nor may their workingmen get ;?a;g,d(ull “‘compensation” in the cost * ok ok ok This brings out a harassing political prospect. The manufacturing and work- ing class districts are, generally speak- ing. the wet districts. The Democratic party showed itself capable in the last election of getting out to be the cham- plon of the wet sentiment. It also an- nounced itself as having no objection to any tariff which would ‘“properly” protect American wages and American profits. Suppose, now, that the new prohibi- tion commission recommends stronger and sterner measures against the wet urban populations. Suppose, also, that the new tariff law benefits the farmer and raises his prices, but does not cor- respondingly benefit the manufacturer, and most certainly raises the price of food for the workingman and his fam- ily. Will not the Democratic party then get & great mew access of strength in our urban regions? p That prospect is strengthened by the imminence of the new farm-relief bill, Here is another measure which will most especially benefit the farmer, and most certainly, if it does anything, in- crease the cost of farm products te the consumers in the cities. An actual convulsion in American politics then becomes possible. The Democratic party might abandon the agricultural regions of the South and cencentrate wholly upon being the party of our urban regions, whether South or North. The agricultural regions of the South might tend toward going Repub- lican, and the Republican party would become, as it already has in large part become, the concentrated expression of ruralness and of dryness. But it is the cities which are growing, and it is the countryside which is di- minishing in population and in number of voters. * ok k% ‘The main miracle then which beckons Eutr;l 151 prospective finger to Mr. Hoover How can a party back the countryside | against the city andl still keep in power if the countryside is going down and the city is going up? The answer to the problem would have to be to keep the countryside from going down. That, therefore, is the ultimate aim which the extremely re- sourceful man in the White House is bound to cherish and to forward. Mr. Hoover, the miracle man, will have to give us the miracle of turning the tide of population and of power back from the congested centers to the still open spaces. (Copyright. 1920.) that 30 per cent of them are due to highway conditions. So contractors are consulting with engineers .in regard to conditions which will be left more or less permanently when the road work has been finished—and engineers are giving greater consideration to proper design and upkeep to reduce sharp and blind curves, steep gldefl, high crowns, narrow roadways, holes in the pave- ment, etc. Officials of the United States Depart- ment of Labor have favored a uniform | safety code, for enactment into the laws of the various States in regard to build- ing construction especially. Most of the contractors have opposed such laws on the ground that only 20 per cent of construction accidents at the maximum can be prevented by mechanical means and that methods progress so rapidly that an_inflexible law would hamper rather than help safety work. It is in the field of education of workers, foremen and superintendents that the greatest opportunity lies, in the opinion of master builders and con- tractors, with close supervision to eliminate hazards. Some authorities state that 98 per cent of all accidents are preventable and that more than 85 per cent can be prevented through en- forcement of proper supervision. Given the supervision, the case rests largely with the individual worker. In order to reach him, various expedients are being used, such as safety signs, stickers and printed warnings or slogans on pay envelopes, circular letters, addressed to the homes where they come under the eyes of wives and children. * kK X . Of course, the contractor must spend money in seeing to it that scaffolds are well built, openings inclosed, etc.. Most machines used in construction jobs are well guarded to prevent accidents, But the majority of accidents are due to carelessness or negligence of the vic- tim, strict analysis shows. One-fourth of all mishaps in construction are due to falls alone. Group action is to be stressed this Spring, for most members of a con- tractor’s force are in h's employ only temporarily, then go to another as jobs are started and finished. Fifteen States now have well organiz- ed safety campaigns under way; before the present year ends, it is expected 32 will ‘have been organized. (Copyright, 1929 Capital Sidelights BY é; P. KENNEDY. President ¥Hoover has no spokesman in Congress. There is no “Master's ! Voice” behind the utterances in the |Hnuse of Representative Franklin W.! | Fort of New Jersey. Whenever he wants I his views known in regard to pending legislation President Hoover will do the | |talking himself, directly, and not through a mouthpiece or agent. This is plainly understood between the Presi- dent and Representative Fort—was un- derstood even before Mr. Hoover was elected, while Mr. Fort was still consid- ering whether he should be a candidate for re-election. They were agreed that if Mr. Fort was to be a free agent, speaking in the interests of his con- stitueggs, he must not be confused with Mr. Fort speaking for the President. Of course, President Hoover and Rep- resentative Fort are close personal and political friends, and have’ been for a dozen years. They first became asso- ciated in the United States Food Ad- ministration during war days, when Hoover was food administrator and Fort a volunteer worker. While Mr. Hoover was Secretary of Commerce Mr. Fort was a counselor and friend, as well as Representative, keeping in touch with the activities of the Federal department in which his constituents are so vitally interested. \Mr. Fort was one of the earliest Hoover boosters and was his floor manager ‘in the Kansas City con- ventien. He was one, of the “hoard of strategy” during the campaign and a Republican headquarters lieutenant. On account of all this, there are many in Congeu ‘who are convinced in their own minds that Mr. Fort is to be “the voice of Hoover” in thé House—but you can bet your last dollar they are wrong. Fere's an {llustration. In the closing hours of Congress Representative Fort spoke against the Jongs bill, which was being pressed on the grounds that it would put “teeth” in prohibition en- forcement. ~Three times he had been elected as a bone dry in a reputedly wet district. He believes in prohibition and hopes to see the day when both its ob- servance and enforcement are uniform throughout the United States. Yet in campaigns that he has made he has stated repeatedly that in his judgment increase of penalties for violation will embarrass the enforcement of law in those sections which most vitally need 'such enforcement. He stated this posi- tion frankly to the House. They were his views, speaking for his constituency. Very obviously, if he was in fact, or supposedly, speaking for Mr. Hoover, his speech would have a far different $nean- {inr. So before the extra session opens under Mr. Hoover's administration it must be distinctly understood that Rep- resentative Fort is speaking as a legis- lator with delegated authority from the voters of his district to be their voice and cast their vote, and in no sense is he_spokesman for Hoover. But, though he is not Hoover's voice in the incoming Congress, yet it well may be that he is loaning President Hoover both hg eyes and ears. * ox % “Larry” Ritchie, one of President Hoo- ver's three private secretaries ex-aequo, is a quick-witted and nimble-tongued young man of ready resourcefulness. Some of the folks around the White House, while they are fitting into their new positions quickly, have had to make some adjustments in their personal re- lations to conform with the dignity of the office. Some of those who have been close to Mr. Hoover for years and have grown into the habit of addressing him with a touch of familiarity, albeit respectfully and affectionately, were wondering if they should train their tongues to say “Mr. President” when- ever they met the new Chief Executive. “Larry” Ritchie came to the rescue with a happy suggestion. He happened to think that Mr. Hoover is not only | | 50 he gave as his advice that they might continue to call him “chief,” as they have been doing for, lo, these many years, * ok ok k Although fifth” in his:line of noble | ineage of statesmen, patriots and diplo- ‘mats, whose two great-grandfathers— John Quincy Adams and Benjamin W. Crowninshield—served together in the cabinet of President Monroe, our new Secretary of the Navy, Charles Francis Adams, has a sense of humor as well as et dighity. At his first afternoon tea in Washi flu:n society after being sworn in, at the home of Representative Fdith N. Rogers of Massachusetts, one of the lively young matrons laughingly told him that" it sounded like “Pinafore” to her to see the leading amateur yachts- mAnse ;ndde;\l{h 1n}d{u: mlnw ofllu' 5 cretary of the Na cl of = ol vy harge * k k¥ Secretary James W. Good of, the War Department has the ue dis- tinction of mvm&n originated in* Con- gress the legislation which gives the greatest—unlimited- wer to the of- fice he now holds. hen the Hay b was under consideration more than a dozen years ago to give broader author- ity and powers to ‘War Department it was Representative Good, then a member of the appropriations commit- tee, when the Democrats were in con- trol, who called attention of his col- leagues to the fact that in times of war the President, and under him the Secre- tary of War, should have absolute and unlimited authority. He offered amend- ments to the bill which were the basis for the authority exercised by President Wilson 'in directing emergency and wamo activities that won the World | | * Kok ok William P. Whiting, Hoover's suc- cessor as Secretary of Commerce, has gone back to his gigantic and quality- famous paper plant in Holyoke, . He has taken with him one of the most efficient men in the Federal service— just such a man as Congress is fre- quently told can get better recognition and pay in outside business. and Con- gress refuses to believe it. This man is Harold Graves, erstwhile right-hand man to Herbert D. Brown, chief of the United States Bureau of Efficiency. When Herbert Hoover started in to re- organize the Department of Commerce for greater efMiciency of service he com- mandeered Graves—and Graves had a whole lot to do with the development of plans for the test office building in the world, which is now being erected here as the new home for the Depart- ment of Commerce. Mr. Graves also had more than any other man to do with the working out of plans for reorganization of the ad- ministrative branch of the Government | and prepared the Forc which was sub- H committee on re- { ! now Postmaster General, was chairman. | The last four Presidents—Wilson. | Harding, Coolidge and Hoover—and all | cabinet members for the past 12 years have known personally of the very able work that Graves was doing to save millions of dollars for the Government. A keen business man like Willlam F. Whiting quickly saw the value of Graves’ seryjce in private industry, and made a very l‘r“lu ying Jnveyment. * ok | One of the most picturesque charac- | ters in Congress in the last quarter of | & century has just died—"Jeff” McLe- jmore. He was educated by private | tutor: then went to Texas more {than a hW century ago. He worked | in Texas as wboy, printer, newspaper reporter, State legislator, secretary of the Democratic State executive com- mittee and Representative. When he first went to Texas he rode horseback over the entire State. He was employed 2s a miner in Colorado and Mexico. | His recollections of the famous Jay Bird nd Woodpecker factions in Richmond, Va., have contributed to the work of local historians for many years. Rty A Stimulating Thought. Trom the San Diego Union. It is announced that the California Prune & Apricot Association may be forced inta liquidation. The result | should be brandy. | > One to Chew Over. Trom the Dayton Daily News. . Base ball critics in other cities charge | that Owner Wrigley . of the Cubs is spending too.much money, by. gum. - President, but is really Chief Executive, | | Aviation’s Effect A few days ago a factory chimney, 150 feet in height, was dynamited and brought crashing’ to the ground. The reason was that the towering spire was located near the site of the new air- port of Newark, N. J., and that its presence was & menace to navigators of the air seeking to make a landing on the fleld. Bird Jovers took especial note of the fact that the chimney, a rather old one, had lohlong been the home of a large numl of chimney swifts and of such other birds as nest lofty places. Their convenience was sacrificed to protect human birdmen who, especially at night, might crash into the structure in seeking the ground. ‘The incident sharply emphasizes what the development of fiying, especially the establishment -.of regular commercial air lines, is having and is going to have on the architectual features of cities, particularly in the neighborhood of municipal airports. When the airplane first was beginning to demonstrate its potentialities, a fa- vorite subject for illustrators of ima native stories was the ible appe: ance of cities of the ful gation of the air should become a ma! ter of course. For the most part the drawings portrayed vast snd lofty edi- fices with landing platforms on top of them and with all manner of aircraft landing .and taking off. They were reminiscent of the fantastic pictures which nearly a generation ago depicted in Sunday newspaper supplements the adventures of Little Nemo on Mars. ‘Then general navigation- of the air seemed about as far distant in time as Mars is in space. Dream Coming True. But the fantasy has come. It has turned into reality. - Plans already have been drawn for a building to constitute one of the many airports for New York City. They call for a structure 850 feet in height. Nothing which Little Nemo encountered could be more fan- tastic. The building would be a cylinder rising from the ground. The lower floors would be occupied by stores. There would be business offices in various narts of it, auditoriums, and many other features which large modern structures have.. Other floors would be given over to hotel accommodations and, atop of all, an enormous landing field, 1,000 feet in diameter. Runways for landing and taking off would be provided, so that more than 40 planes could be eitber alighting or taking flight at the.same time. Rising yet above the roof would be a mooring mast for dirigibles. This is not a dream of Little Nemo. Architects and engineers actually are working on the final plans and the promotion of financing the project is occupying the time of skilled men. The Department of Commerce has listed 1,000 citles and towns which have arranged for the construction of airports and has, in its files, cor- respondence reuunf to plans of an- other 1,000 places looking forward to the same sort of enterprise. It appears certain t architecture will be greatly affected because two types of flelds are to be built. One, for large cities, would partake of the nature of the vast buflding already designed. This would be necessary . “BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. on Architechired . 1 to obtain sufficient space for ports any- where near the centers of such cif as, for example, Chicago; ‘which is ! miles from one extremity to snother. The time gained by fi would be lost in transmissfon of "4nd trans- portation by other means of passen- gers from a aubu;b:s port to the cen- ter of town. 8o, " the- large cities. the present generation may fully ex- pect to see municipalities resembling something more fantastic than any castles in Spain or dreams of a hasheesh eater. Change in Skylines, The second type is ta be employed by lesser communities. They will ‘be on the ground. ‘But here, too, the architecture - of the cities must be changed, It will not be convenient to | have " tail bulldings in_the | hood of the flelds and thousal x razed as the Newark chimney has en. So the skylines of American cities of the near future will take on eéntirel The great cities will have higher than any of the buildings, while the small- er places will have skylines revealing depressions from the general level, the effect being undulating. Practical aspects of construction are not being neglected. A plan has been wotked out and has recelved the ap- proval of former Postmaster General New providing for plane facilities slightly re- sembling the scenic railways or shoot- the-chutes .of amusement parks. For planes taking off there will be in- clined runways, down which they will travel on their wheels or skids and then soar off into space. For landing planes | similar runways will be built. The plane will land on the level, but the runway, being built to incline upward, will speedily bring it to a halt. These facil- ities will conserve space and enable & field to accommodate more planes. Airport engineers and architects al- | ready have drawn plans for such ports and have made models giving a clear visual idea of how they will appear. . Financial Problem, One of the greatest problems of any eat constructing enterprise is that of ance. But it seems unlikely that dif- ficulty will be encountered there. Some municipalities have donated land for ports; some locations have been pur- chased. Four hundred cities and towns already are listed as having o Most_of these have been built in the last 18 months, and a competent esti- mate is that $300,000,000 has been ex- pended upon them. Existing plans call for the expenditure of an addi 1 $300,000,000 in the next 12 months, with the rate augmenting every succeeding year. The investment bankers of the coun- try are friendly to airport projects and are expecting to handle large bond is- sues to take care of their cost, for they belleve they will be profitable. Excel- lent authorities have declared that the country is due for a tremendous invest- ment in real estate enterprises, and the construction of airports would come uider, this head. Local governments also may be expected to contribute | money subsidies. Fifty Years Ago In The Star After & long effort provision was se- cured from Congress 50 yvears ago for . the erection of a building National for a national museum in Museum. this city. This project had been given stimula- tion by the Centennial Exposition of 1876, a large number of the exhibits at which had been given to the Govern- ment, with :ne-place -for their proper display. - The Star-of March 4, 1879, «5aY! . Lok - “Ap American National Museum wor- thy of the name is a certainty. The necessary collections were - already on hand and Congress has now authorized the erection of a suitable building. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars are appropriated to build a fireproof struc- ture 300 feet square, on.the southeastern part of the Smithsonian grounds.” The work 1s to be done under the direction and supervision of the regents of the Smithsonian Institution, who at their last meeting, in anticipation of the ac- tion by Congress, authorized the execu- tive committee—Gen. Sherman, Mr. Peter Parker and Prof. Maclean—to- gether with the secretary, Prof. Baird, to act as a commission representing the regents in case this duty was impose upon them. It is also provided that the ‘bull shall be erected in accordance with now on file with the joint committee on public buildings and grounds. No portion of the money ap- propriated to be expended for architec- tural plans. There will consequently be ao great competition gmong the archi- east of the Smithsonian Institution, leaving a roadway between it and the north front oni a line with the south face of the buildings of the Agricultural Department and the Smithsonian Insti- tution. It will be seen prominently from the city looking down Ninth street, as the Smithsonian Institution catches the eye from Tenth street. Work will be begun when the appropriation is avail- able and it is expected that the building, which will cover two and a quarter acres, will be completed within a year. “The collections available are worthy of the handsome stricture to be pro- vided for them. There are three times more specimens stored away in Smithsonian Building than there is room to exhibit. Constant additions are made. ‘The Armory Building is packed with 4,000 boxes and there are other speci- mens in Philadelphia weady to be sent when provision is made for their recep- tion. Many of the State exhibits and the collections of ever‘ important for- elgn government exhibiting at the Cen- tennial Exposition, so far as they relate to the animal, vegetable and the mineral kingdoms and their applications, have been presented to the United States, in some cases without any exception what- ever; in others, all except a few dupli- cates, which were presented to other foreign commissions or to institutions in the United States. Moreover, promises have ‘been made by most of the foreign commissioners to complete any portion llustrating the natural products and industries of their respective countries when the arrangement of the collections reveals the deficiency. Not only what is useful and instructive, but what is curi- ous and costly, has been given us. Five of the pieces donated are valued at $48,000. Siam, China and Japan con- tribute specimens estimated at $100,000 in value. Minton tiles and mosaics and Eastern bronzes, silks and bamboo ware are found among the representations of he natural products, general industries and educational and scientific methods of all nations that constitute the mass of the exhibits. The collections are| among the finest in the world. When | the design of the National Museum is | fully carried out it will be not only an | ornament to the city, but the center of | 8 widespread educationa! influence and ! the just occasion of national pride.” * * x Decadence of the Potomac fisheries caused considerable concern fifty years Gas Works and 2o And e were made to re- River Pollution. store the produc- tivity of the neighboring waters. In The Star of March 8, 1879, is the following reference to this question, in relation to a re- port from the Fish Commission: “It is believed that the cod can be propagated in waters much raitner south than the latitude of the present cod fisheries, and the experiment is to be uyndertaken on thorough scale. fir the matter of such vital ce cts. “The new bullding is to stand to the | latter of not less than 50 feet, with its | hal This and That By Charles E. Tracewell. “COSMOS CLUB. “Dear Sir: Thank you ever so much | for your article on ‘Men as Trees Walk- |ing’ in The Star of February 20. It is | splendid. I enjoyed it ever so much. “Why not entirely discontinue the cat stories and give us articles like this— About-once a ‘yeat ‘we' s kicking “ against’ ‘thése * Sunday “cat articles,” and dyring’ the remainder of ,the year we reccive scores of letters | praising them. e a We always print the slafys, in the first place because we try to_be fair, and in the second place becausé they are interesting. = R It is difficult for a person who doe: | not like cats to understand how other people can care far them.,, There is perhaps no. more whole- souled hater pthln the cat hater. He—or she—cannat give a cat & ;10 sv;a'nd on,” as the D:Pu?l! !xpnnfi as it. pa | . When it comes to wflua: about them, | they feel that such articles use up good | peper and t; ich might be better devoted to a discussion of polities, steam engines, radio waves, international dis- putes and interplanetary laws. 1 * k ¥ % | While one must recégnize the dignity !and worth of such discussion, the man | with a sense of humor is tempted to reply: “Yes, but there are so | about those important 3 oy | Surely there is a place for a small | half-column once a week devoted to cats and their puzzles. | _When one thinks of all the our furry friends confront daily, wha with automobiles rushing preposterous speeds (from the cat view- gaim.)‘ and boys with stones, and irate ousekeepers with brooms, -one - is tempted to believe that they deserve some space. . t * @k ¥ Then, too, when one realizes that thousands of persons are fond of cats, and really like to read about them, he is all the more inclined to believe that 'l half-column once a ‘week has-its Pplace. vl Why, we have received letters from California, Massachusetts, North Caro- lina and many other far States to which this paper goes, to say nothing of scares from readers in the District of Columbia and nearby States, each and every one expressing interest in cats and cat news, Fully half of these letters, over the course of the past five years, have been from men, who, as a class, are perhaps more interested in the domestic cat than women. * ¥ ok ¥ It is our opinion that most of those | who' are offended with these cat tales | belifeve that they are undignified, ana that this comes about because they are told in simple language. It would be easy enough to write learnedly about the cat—or the pig. or the horse—but to attempt to portray in words the essential dignity and interest of the feline world demands the utmost simplicity of language. . To put the house cat on paper truth- fully demands the selection of apparent trivialities as topics, because the.eat’s life is made up of little affairs whiab are neither learned, scientific, expert nor “up stage’ but are essentially on- & par with the doings and thoughts of other little animals, such as babies. for instanc fish commissioner is thwarted in'‘the effort to restore them to their former productiveness by the of th river by the coal tar from the works of Washington and and by the fallure of the Legisiatures of Maryland and Virginia to adopt y measures to stop. the seine ana glll net murder. Concurrent action by 1""; gnu“t‘ L‘;hm"dm"d {oht‘ effective legislation to end, an prure\ for such action is not hopeful. is strange, considering the enormous value of the fisheries to these States as well as to the District it their old-time pro- ductiveness could be restored. “One of the fish commissioners of New Jersey is the president of a gas works company at way. The tar from these works does not the fish but is mage a source of E The analine dyes and various valuable acids are from the tar. The gas companies of the District cities Alexandria should be compelled for-the f the the ‘good the people of this Dis- trict and the neighboring States of land and Virginis, it s¢ems the AR, 0 3 snd their own good to utiise Uaelr