Evening Star Newspaper, March 15, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY.........March 15, 1920 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company usiness Office: 11th 8t. and Pennsylvanis Ave. New York Office: 110 Eas N Chicago Office: Lake M]ch:l n Building. egen European Office; 14 Ri .. London, Enslan Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Star.............45¢Eer month | The Evening and Siiriday Star | 7 gy 80 Per montt W) The Sunday Star ... . Collection made at the end of each Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone Main 5000, Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Patly and Sunday....1 iyl x;g 0; 1 mo.. 8s¢ aily oniy .. .0 8 Sunday only . + 34.00; 1 mo., 40c All Other Stal Dally #nd Sunday..! Daily only .. Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. The fated Press i3 exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all rews als- patches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ited in this paper and also the iocal news published herein. All rights of publication ot special dispatches herein are also reserved. = 100 tes and Canada. yr., $12 0n; sc 12.00: 1 mo., 8 $8.00; 1 mo., $5.00; 1 mo. Threat of Higher Fares. ‘When the Public Utilities Commission dismissed without prejudice the traction companies’ appiication for an increase in fare last Fall, its action was based on the assumption that at the short session Congress would reach a decision on the pending merger agreement. The commission did not commit itself on the merits of the case, declining to cross that particular bridge until it was reached. The bridge is now in sight. Congress having failed to ap- prove the amended merger agreement, the board of directors of the Capital Traction Company has authorized its officers to renew its fare petition, Indications are that this petition will not be renewed until after the extra session of Congress. It is certainly to be hoped that such will be the decision. ‘While the extra session’s program con- templates consideration of only two major national issues, there remains the possibility that Congress may have time to dispose of a problem whose solution is vital to the District. As the problem is made more difficult by rea- son of the failure of Congress to ap- prove any agreement for merged epera- tion of the car lines, added responsi- bility falls upon Congress to seize the opportunity presented in the extra session and do something to clarify the muddled and unsatisfactory condition that exists today. A merger agreement was approved by committees in both houses and reached the calendars in the last session. While the legislative processes must be repeated in the new Congress, a great deal of preliminary work has been accomplished. Concerted action could bring about an approved merger agreement in the extra session. ‘The Washington community is not at all interested in giving the corpora- tions the privilege of merging, unless that merger yields advantages to the car-riding public. Nor does the com- munity relish the thought that the corporations are able to wield a club in the form of threatened increases in fare unless the merger agreement is ratified. But the community is tired of witnessing a continued juggling of the fare rate question that settles Zothing. . ©One of the important local questions confronting President Hoover is the filling of vacancies existing and soon to exist on the Public Utilities Commis- sion. Col. Brand’s appointment lapsed by reason of the Senate’s failure to take up his confirmation. The term of Mr. Childress expires June 30. The District needs a—full commission, sitting full time, to devote thought and study to the various utility questions of growing importance in & growing city. Racing is an exhilarating sport where man and animal make the contest. ‘When a man only tests out the strain which insensate mechanism can under- 80, as in motor tests of speed, racing 1s only the prelude of inevitable tragedy. —————— Aiding and Abetting Lawbreaking. Lo, the poor bootlegger! It wants only a poetic genius to paint the kindly bootlegger, the obliging purveyor of | liquors, in heroic colors. But, pending | the writing of the epic of the boot- legger, a committee of highly respecta- ble and respected members of the bar— save the mark—have banded together in New York City to defend violators of the dry laws who may find them- selves subject to the heavy penalties imposed in the new Jones law. Indeed, in the membership of this voluntary committee are found four former United States attorneys. And yet the coun- try wonders why it is difficult to en- force the prohibitory laws in the coun- wy's great metropolis! Frederic R. Coudert, jr., is chairman of this comm . .ee which is rushing now to the defense of the violators of the law. The committee is to give legal aid and counsel “to those worthy cases who may be subject to the heavy penalties provided under the Jones law.” “It was felt,” said Mr. Coudert, ac- cording to the dispatches from New York, “that such a committee of law- vers might be helpful in aiding our Juries to perform their invaluable func- | tions of preserving civil liberties.” Naively, Mr. Coudert said, too, that «*“apart from the law, the sale of liquor is not wrong.” That, of course, is Mr. Coudert’s own opinion as to the dis- pensing of liquor. But it comes with a harsh sound from the lips of an attor- ney who, after all, is an officer of the court of law, the court which is set up to administer the laws of the land. Could there be advanced a more defi- nite appeal by so-called respectable cit- izens to the bootleggers to continue their thriving trade in beverages which are prohibited by law? The bootleggers who make life cheerful and bright—at & price—hereafter are to be hailed, not as violators of the law, but as martyrs 1o a cause for which Mr. Coudert and his associates are willing to seek to influence the juries who may be called upon to try the bootleggers. Mr. ‘Cou- dert end his assoclates do not propose, however, to enter themselves the boot- legging business, the trafic in liquor. ‘They do not propose to risk themselves the payment of the penalties imposed 1 But as the time comes for the opening prisonment and heavy fine. Perhaps a more heroic course would be to join with the bootleggers themselves in the violation of the law. They appear to prefer to keep within the law, a safer course, Within a short time there is to be appointed by the President a commis- sion to investigate the system of juris- prudence in this country, law violations, and particularly the problem of en- forcement of the dry laws. The country hailed the announcement of President Hoover that he intended to tackle this problem of disregard of the laws of the land. And now comes the voluntary for- mation of a committee of attorneys in New York to help violators of the law escape the penalties which Congress has imposed. What a commentary on the situation in this country! Mr. Hoo- ver's commission will be appointed none too soon. ————— No Gang Warfare for Washington. That Washington has the makings of a “gangland” such as that which has given Chicago a name for desperate lawlessness was evidenced yesterday morning, when in a street battle two men who had been helpful to the police in the fight against an organized gam- bling institution were. shot to death. That a member of the detective force was not at the same time slain was due to an exceptional chance. The slayers got away. The police have since round- ed up a large number of suspects and hope to lay hands upon those who par- ticipated in this tragic affair. The crime of yesterday morning has the earmarks of definite organization on the part of a certain lawless element in this city. The victims were men who had, as stated, been doing “under cover” work for the police. It is necessary to employ sach agents in order to réach the centers of lawless enterprise. It was evidently the purpose of the crooks to demonstrate that informers and police agents may expect death in punishment for their betrayal. This is like the work of the Chicago gangs. Police activity against the gambling establishments and systems of one class should not exhaust the energies of the department. There are other institu- tions and places than those that work on the “numbers” basis which should receive corrective attention. But whether the scope of operations is extended or not, the gang that conducts the unlaw- ful game against which a poliée cam- paign has been started, and whieh yes- terday resorted to murder.as a defensive measure, must be broken up and its members punished. For otherwise Wash- ington may soon become the scene of just such outrages as those that have for a period been making Chicago the object of national scorn. — e Base Ball Settlements. The base ball bargaining season is at about an end. One by one the “hold- outs” in the training camps of the ball teams are being brought into line and signed on the dotted line to renewed contracts with their respective . clubs. One by one the managers and owners are compromising with shrewdly busi- nesslike players, who have a keen sense of values. Yesterday two of the more stubborn cases yielded to adjustment. “Sad Sam” Jones, the veteran pitcher now with the Washington team, signed for the season after a brief but brisk exchange with the president of the club. Jones got $10,000 last year, had a good season and demanded $12,000.for the coming season. He was offered $11,000, and there the split occurred. Nobody knows just how the difference was set- tled, but each side proclaims satisfac- tion. Another veterah and valuable pitcher likewise came to the scratch yesterday— “Dazzy” Vance, the ace of the Brooklyn staff. Vance had been offered $22,500. He thought he was worth $25,000. Just at the last stage of the case his man- ager appealed to the owners of the club, who had been adamant in refusal, to grant the pitcher's demands. They did 50, and thus Vance becomes the high- est pald pitcher in base ball, a rank to which he is perhaps entitled, in view of the fact that for seven years he has led the National League pitchers in strikeouts and last year won twenty-two games for his sixth-place team. Base ball is at this time of the year just one negotiation after another. of the season the players come to terms or the managers and owners surrender. The players cannot afford to remain idle for a year, and the clubs nced the serv- ices' of their star performers. Just so the Washington club would be handi- capped for the season of 1929 if “Goose” Goslin, who is yet unsigned—unless he signs today, which is possible—should obstinately refuse to accept a contract on the score of having earned more money by his brilliant batting perform- | ance of last season. But the chances of “Goose’s” idling are very slight,| for this hard-clouting, temperamental | fielder loves to play and a mere money | difference is of small consideration as against the joy of taking part in the championship race. . It has been stated that Col. Lindbergh does not like to be referred to as “Lindy.” He may as well be prepared to submit to the requirements of the headline writer who wants as short a word as possible to assist in spacing a caption. e New York Still Wet. The New York Assembly has killed the Jenks ‘State prohibition enforce- {ment bill. By a vote of 74 to 72 the Assembly recommitted the bill, and, if reports are to be credited, it will not be revived at this session of the Legis- lature. The vote-against the bill was not so wide as a barn door, but it was sufficient. Fourteen Republicans voted with the Democrats to recommit the bill. Efforts to crack the party whip were unavailing. This failure comes on the heels of the recommendation of President Hoover in his inaugural ad- dress that the States should play their part ir the enforcement of the dry laws growing out of the eighteenth amendment. New York, through its Leg- islature, like Maryland, has this year turned down proposed State enforce- ment acts. Like Maryland, the State of New York has been controlled in this by the Jones Jaw or any other law. All they are domg now is to encourage others to violate the law, with the promise that they will ald them to avold the penalties. of the law, the long im- ¥ matter largely by its greatest city. It is now proposed to put through a local THE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTON, D. €. FRIDAY, MARCH 15, '1929. munities which ratify the law, with the ald of local agents, The fate of the Jenks dry bill was not without its measure of comedy. It had been planned te report out the bill providing for State enforcement of pro- hibition and fixing the alcoholic con- tent of beverages at not more than one-half of one per cent, just as is pro- vided in the Volstead act for the entire Natfon. But about the time the meas- ure was to be reported a Republican assemblyman on the committee offered an amendment providing that the al- coholic content should be as high as six per cent, before the law should run against manufacture, sale and distribu- tion. In the twinkling of an eye the bill was changed in committee so that it became in effect a “light wines and beer” measure, for which there has been much clamor from the so-called moderates and against which there has been a roar from the strict prohibition- ists. It was in this form that the meas- ure was reported to the Assembly. ‘When it came to a show-down on the floor of the Assembly, however, follow- | ing an appeal from the Republican speaker, the report of the committee was rejected, the Democrats taking the position that they were opposed to ail | State enforcement laws and most of the Republicans following the leadership of the speaker. So the vote recurred on the original bill, and the final act of | the comedy—which to the drys is not without its tragic side-—was played out. If prohibition is actually to be en- forced, probably no other State in the Umgn needs to so great a degree a State enforcement law. New York has its Atlantic port. It has its Canadian border, and through both a constant| flow of illegal liquor enters the State. | To leave the enforcement of the law to the Federal Government alone in this most populous State, with nearly un- limited opportunity for the importation of liquor, is to put up to the Federal Government a task that is almost im- possible. The Empire State at one time had a State enforcement act. But it was repealed by the Legislature and the repeal was approved by former Gov. Alfred E. Smith. This act on the part of the Democratic nominee for Presi- dent was cited against him time and again by the drys in their fight against his election last Fall, - Tourists are returning from Florida in spite of the fact that the month of March here still holds blizzard possi- bilities. No man is sufficiently influen- tial to be sure of what climate may hold in store. r———— The U. 8. A. will conserve oll fields. Transportation is quick and easy and there is no danger that the filling sta- tions in American territory will find it difficult to supply the demand, from foreign sources. ———————— Independence of thought and action have asserted themselves in a manner which leaves the impression that those who used to write decorous “side talks with girls” labored largely in vain, ——————— Several able statesmen venture re- marks indicating an impression that the campaign of 1932 is already under way. . A war in Mexico is usually regarded as an example of the manner in which history repeats ftself. ———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Across the Cloud. ‘We know that over vonder Just across the cloud so gray + Lies the hope on which we ponder Of a smiling April day. Rainbows and blossoming Which make the world so proud Are waiting all their joy to bring, Just across the cloud. Beyond the day of sorrow ‘Where we meet the misty tear ‘There will be a glad tomorrow Bringing tranquil skies 8o clear. Blue birds and butterflies— May song sweet and loud— Hold in store the things we prize, Just across the cloud. Meanings. “I did not quite gather the meaning of some of your recent remarks.” “They were intended,” replied Sen- ator Sorghum, “to show a disposition to be sociable and not controversial. Anything with a direct meaning in it is liable to be regarded as irflntlng] and non-constructive.” Jud Tunkins says it's funny how a | trifiing man can always manage to find | a few women to wait on him. Ineligible to Greatness. “You might be a success as a screen star,” sald the film expert. “No," sighed Miss Cayenne. “I have no male acquaintance of sufficient dis- tinetion to enable our marriage or di- vorce to create a ripple of interest.” “No one,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is as good as he tries to be when pleased nor as bad as he tries to be when angry.” More March Work Needed. St. Patrick’s Day! We'll say “Hoorayl” In good old Irish terms. The brave Saint drove the snakes a Can he throw out the germs? “Life is easier foh politicians,” said Uncle Eben. “Dey used to ring door bells. Now dey notifies yor when to tune in on de radio.” MICROTORIAL Keeping Up With the Joneses. The name of Jones great fear has brought ‘To numerous malefactors; And many agents he has faught ‘To go as able actors, Impersonating Jones. Each moves 'Mongst, folk who sadly chatter “To keep up with the Joneses'—proves Indeed a serious matter! Fish Aplenty. Our President now looks about For some cool stream where there are trout. And fishermen exclaim “Alas! What is the trouble with the bass? THIS AND THAT “Are you sure of it?” asked one. “You can’t be certain of anything in this world.” replied the other. Well, you can be reasonably sure of the end of the month. You can be pretty sure that there wil continue to be a certain number of au- tomobile hogs and that fat ladies will continue to step on toes in public vehicles. You can be fairly certain that affec- tionate dogs with muddy feet will spring up on you, especially if you are wearing a new Spring suit. ok There are so many things, indeed. which involve reasonable certainty tha the gentleman’s statement that one can be certain of nothing must be received with the suspicion which it deserves. Yet uncertainty continues to be the very spice of life, the relish without which the grand meal would taste some- what flat, At the same time that certainty, in certain matters, exists undoubtedly, and unquestionably a greater uncertainty maintains itself side by side with it. The play of life is hinged upon the reaction of uncertainty to certainty, whereby we get chance, fortune, call it what one will, but known to every human being who ever lived. Bk Hence, though one starts off from the standpoint. of surety, he mst neces- sarily go back fo uncertainty, as cer- tain’ philosophers do to pain, for the true basis of successful living. ‘Without uncertainty there would be no need for hope, and without. hope, in its various and varying degrees, life would miss much of. its zest and most of its happiness. Uncertainty is seen to be even more positive than certainty, since it allows for hope, the guardian angel of man. role which hope, beauti- ful hope, plays in the lives of men and women everywhere can never be dis- cussed too much., Here bromides gieam with silver light, truisms shine like the sun, for nothing i5 old or stale that enters so closely into the everyday life of humanity. ik - Hope Is the priceless ingredient which transforms the humdrum into the inters esting. It makes a broad highway of success | dut of what appears to others to be a hopeless rut. Hope transforms a hovel into a pal- ace and a cheap car into an cxpensive one, working this magic becaus> the owner of the hovel sees a palace in the distance, and the man at the wheel of the little car ceaselessly paints himself as the proud possessor of the big car. All such transformations are based solidly on the power of uncerta:nty. No matter how hopeless a situation may seem to be, even the most pessi- mistic carnot be sure that something may not turn up. x Kk ok This Is the basic hope of humanity, that something may turn up! Let the ultra-practical sneer, this basic hope has done more to buoy up struggling mankind than almost any BY FREDERIC From the anxious standpoint of the G. O. P, Herbert Hoover every day in every way grows better and better. For many months—in fact, ever since he was nominated at Kansas City—the politi- cians have been in fear and trembling that the “boy scouts” and “Little Lord Fauntleroys” would crowd them out at the counter where Hoover patronage pie is peddled. By “boy scouts” and “Little Lord Fauntleroys’—terms of which a certain wise-cracking Senator is the patentee—is meant the loyal legion of Hoover personal friends, who include practically no politicians or other de- serving Republicans. The President was not in office 10 days before he set all fears at naught. Out of 10 cabinet places he gave but 1 to a friend—the Interfor portfolio, to Dr. Ray Lyman ‘Wilbur, Meantime all other appoint- ments (mainly to the “little cabinet” of assistant secretaries, assistant attor- neys geperal et al have gone to or- thodox Republicans backed by organi- zation chieftains, So far there is not the slightest sign that the vested rights of the party will be violated. The pat- ronage orchard is not going to be turn- ed over to the bosses for pillage, but such spoils as are available, President Hoover’'s action indicates, will go to the victors, where since time immemorial they have gone. * kK ok If Gen. Dawes goes to London as American Ambassador, perhaps in his spare time he’ll work out a McNary- Haugen bill for British farm relief. He would, at any rate, have a British co- adjutor at hand for the purpose—Sir Josiah Stamp, distinguished banker and economist and a member of the com- mission which fashioned the Dawes rep- arations plan in 1924. Sir Josiah is now at Paris as a British represent- ative on the committee of experts who are trying to revise the original plan. Two or three years ago, while Vice President, Dawes made public an ex- change of communications between himself and Stamp on the subject of agricultural legislation. They seemed to agree that the basic principle of gov- ernment aid in disposal of surplus crops-—on McNary-Haugen lines—was sound in wind and limb and applicable to conditions in both Great Britain and the United States. & W Frank B. Kellogg, who is about to re- tire from the Secretaryship of State, laurel-crowned, was reminiscing the other day about the meeting of states- | men in Paris last August at which the | outlawry-of-war pact was signed. The | reprekentative of the Irish Free State, | President Cosgrave, was just about to step up to the table and affix his name to the historic treaty when some one ejaculated, “Imagine an Irishman signing away his right to fight!” * K kK Tt is with mixed emotions that Sena- tor Lee S. Overman, Democrat, of North Carolina, welcomes to the incoming Congress a young man, Representative- clect George M.*Pritchard of the tenth | North Carolina_ district. Mr. Pritchard is the son of the man—Judge Jeter C. . | Pritchard—who defeated Overman_for the senatorial nomination from the Tar- heel State in 1894, If Overman had been clected that year, he and Francis E. Warren, Republican, of Wyoming, would be the two ranking members of | the Senate in polnt of continuous serv- ice. They would both have taken the oatH of office onx March 4, 1895, though Warren had previously to his credit an interim term from December 1, 1890, to March 4, 1893. With his silver hair and dignified paunch, the galleries always think Overman lodks more the part of a Senator than any man on the floor. * ok ¥ K Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune, lately re- tired commandant of the Uniled States Marine Corps, is b ing groomed for the superintendency of the Virginia Milit: Institute, at Lexington. The post is ex- pected to be vacant at the end of the present scholastic year through resigna- tion of the present incumbent, Gen. W. H. Cocke. “Johnny” Lejeune is a South- erner, though not a Virginian. Louisi- ana is his birthplace. His friends think he'd make an admirable head for “the West Point of Dixie.” V.M. I. has a distinguished roster of alumni throughout the country. One of its legendary heroes, from the academic standpoint, is C. Bascom Slemp, Presi- den Coolidge’'s first secretary at the White House. Slemp's class record at Lexington 1s still shot at, but sel- Or when for other sport you search, option bill in New York State, which would have the effect of providing pro- hibition enforcement in those com- ‘There's fascination in the perch. Fishing’s a joy—there is no doubt— But why be limited w'muw" . dom equaled, and has hardly ever been excelled. Once he was a profes- sor there before embarking upon & po- litleal career which culminated with the -miracle of last November, when Vir- taxes and of receiving the coal bill at | BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. other everyday feature. We stress this latter point because such pleasurable uncertainty is at once common and homely. It is not confined to any one clas but helps all peoples without res-rve, the only requirement beinz that one have a firm belief in himsell. Let age steal upon him and his hair turn gray, and the glittering visions which once promised themselves 'o him have be- | come faded, too—these make no differ- | ence so long as he has faith in himself. ‘Time itself steals away no faster than hope from the man who has given up faith in the uncertainty of fate before him. * ok x This kind of uncertainty is a sort | of two-edged sword which cuts away | the cords which bind the mind down { too closely to actuality and also which loosen the bonds which hold one too close to himself. No matter if advancement seems an impossible thing, the very uncertainty of life may make it possible. There is still a handwriting on the wall, which some will read with a secret shudder; there is still a chance for those to whom chance long ago gave the cold shoulder. At any moment the unexpected may happen. It may happen! Anything that has ever happened once may turn up again. The strangest whims of for- tune are not queer to those who believe in them, G “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” What if many who believe go down recklessly in defeat, borne away by the weight of years, and the turn of events and the sad pressure of standardiza- tion, beyond which they cannot reach, and through which they dare not break? So long as hope Is with them, in a sense they have succeeded, since they have held fast to their faith in the eternal wheel which is forever bringing them around to the place they would want to be, Not there yet? Well, what difference does it make? Every one knows, from reading and ex- perience, that many who have got there have been unhappy and dissatisfied. The sun has not shone for them, neither have the birds sung. Their suc- cess was so dazzling that something essential had skipped out of their lives, gone to live with those who needed it more. * % &% What was it? It ¢ould be nothing more than this uncertainty of which we speak. To be pitied is he from whom it has fled. Luckily those who need it most have it most. Here one pauses in wonder at the divine mercy, which taketh away from him who wants it not to give to those who verily need. Divine uncertainty, placing a beau- tiful vision on the path of reality, beckons the traveler on to the goal of all his desires. * Infinite pity conceals from him that uncertainty is the goal itself, the dream within a dream, the secret of the secret. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS WILLIAM WILE ginia went Republican. Slemp had a good deal to do with that. e Perhaps one of the reasons President Hoover is having difficulty in filling up the Federal Radio Commission is a [*“jinx” wished upon it a couple of years ago. Henry A. Bellows, former com- missioner, of Minneapolis, who was in- auguration generalissimo for the Co- lumbia Broadcasting system at Wash- ington, tells the story. A certain reli- gious organization was pestering the Radio Commission for allocation of part of a wave length already assigned to WJZ, New York. It wanted it for a station known as “Jehovah God.” The commission refused to curtail the wave. The result was the solemn pronounce- ment that “Jehovah God” had put a curse on the commission. Not long aft- erward “Jehovah God’'s” lawyer met Orestes H. Caldwell. then a radio com- missioner, on a train. “Well,” said the lawyer, “you see what's happened. Ad- miral Bullard, the chairman of your commission, is dead. Col. Dillon of San Francisco s no more; and you're the next!” ok Kk K Apropos of the decision of Senate lead- ers to give the reapportionment bill its place in the sun during the special ses- sion of Congress, Senator Hiram John- son of California spins a yarn. Under the proposed redistribution of House seats Jowa loses two and California gains six. Senator Brookhart of Iowa was lamenting that fact in the Repub- lican cloakroom on the eve of recent adjournment. ‘Thereupon Johnson observed that Towa, as a matter of fact, scores a net gain of four seats, be- cause, as Hiram pointed out, most “Cali- fornians” nowadays, especially in the climate and movie belt around Los Angeles, are immigrants from Iowa. Undoubtedly the cotemporary influx of Midwesterners into Southern California is mainly responsible for the State's steady growth in population. (Copyright, 1929.) S Extra Fund for Inland Waterways Ts Hailed From the Portland Oregon Daily Journal. Nothing more significant has ap- peared at Washington than the addi- tion by Congress of $10,000,000 for in- land waterway development to the War Department’s supply bill. 1t is new encouragement for barge navigation of the upper Colymbia. It is added emphasis to the gradually un- folding governmental policy of inland waterway development. ‘The $10,000,000 is to be used in fur- ther expansion of the Inland Water- ways Corporation, a Government enter- prise under the auspices of the War Department. The appropriation is made available for extending the operations on the Warrior and lower Mississippi rivers, not only to the upper Mississippi but to Kansas City on the Missouri and apparently to Chicago through the Tllinois River and the drainage canal joining into one system the Mississippi and the Great Lakes—the two greatest inland waterways in the world. Begun largely as a product of the transportation breakdown in the war, the unexpected thing is that the Gov- ernment continues development of the system as a waterway policy. And the policy is emphasized by Congress in appropriating money to expand the sys- | tem. All this is intelligent, but some- what surprising in the National Capital, where the bitterest opposition to any public’y operated enterprise is cen- tered. Anyway, developments like these make it very certain that future use of the upper Columbia is as much a certainty as death and taxes. And in the picture is the accession of Herbert Hoover to the presidency, the same Herbert Hoover who declared at Seattle, August 21, 1926, for “con- version of our inland waterways into real connected transportation systems,” and then added: “It is demonstrated by actual rates current today that we can carry 1,000 bushels of wheat 1,000 miles upon lake and ocean steamers for $20 to $30. and on modern barges for $60 to $70, as against $150 to $200 by rail.” R It Takes an Oplimist. From the Butte Montana Standard. The more vigorous and active op- timists continue to hope that New York and Chicago will yet escape the fate of Sodom and fionpn’!-h. The Capital From the Saturday Evening Post. The insuguration of a President at four-year intervals serves, among other purposes, to bring together an unusual assemblage of representative men and women; an event not without value it- self. Among them are the great and distinguished of the land. hordes of sight-seers and just average every-day people. Tt would be interesting to know what collective impression these folks carry away with them, for, after all, the ef- fect which the Nation's Capital makes upon its citizens is of more than, passing consequence. In a country as great as this, with such a part to play, it would be well if the seat of govern- ment were an example of order, suit- ability and beauty. Although George Washington was father of the Capital as well as of the Nation, more than one patriotic en has criticized his choice of location. Situated on the banks of the Potomac River, the city contains much low land and is very hot in Summer. But as the years go by, the wisdom of Wash- ington's choice, topographically speak- ing, becomes more manifest. What were once marshes and tidal flats have been filled in and landscaped into beauty. Streets once filled with mud and wal- lowing hogs have been paved; the ital is no longer a somewhat dirt unhealthful, if picturesque, village a great modern city of impressive spaces and noble vistas. With the coming of the automobile it is found that Washington as a whole s not flat at all, but is a city of hills. | ravines and a generally broken and | rolling terrain. Confined in earl to a small,'lew section near tihe river, it has now spread far out into a distinctly varied territory. Probably few cities anywhere have within such a short dis- tance the opportunity of so pic and valuable a park project rugged gorge of the Potomac Riv the cataract known as Great Falls, Only a few miles above the city the river changes from the peaceful ap- pearance of tidal Virginia and Mary- land to the striking and imposing scenic effects which are assoclated with the Far West. * ok kK Each year that passes adds value to the historic_traditions of the Capital's location. The army of pilgrims to Mount Vernon increases steadily amd taxes the mere physical facilities. It is hoped that the Mount Vernon Boule- vard, or memorial highway, along the river, connecting the Lincoin Memorial, Arlington Memorial Bridge, Arlington Cemetery and Mount Vernon, will be finished by 1932, in connection with the two-hundreth anniversary of the birth of George Washingt In every direction are reminders of the Civil War—battlefields, crumbling! forts, bridges, river fords and towns With never-to-be-forgotten names. The very city itself is surrounded by a chain of Civil War fortifications, most of them sadly neglected until very recently; al- though in at least one of them, it is reported, Lincoln was under fire. Gradually all are now bscoming parks and in time they will be connected by a boulevard. Annapolis, with its vital part in national history, is very near, ! and Williamsburg, one of the earliest of colonial capitals, is less than a day's automobile ride. The same is true of Monticello, the home of Jefferson, now restored to the Nation. The birthplaces of Washington and of Robert E. Lee are nearer the city, and when they have been restored in a few years will be meccas for thousands. * ok % K But Washington is far from being a complete or perfect city. There, as elsewhere, civic complaisance is sure to cost the whole people dearly. The plans are magnificent indeed, not only those of Maj. L'Enfant of a century ago but of Secretary Mellon, Senator Smoot and the National Capital Park and Plan- ning Commission of today. Among the ! proposed developments—all on the grandest possible scale—are those hav- ing to do with the Union Plaza, the Triangle and the Mall. Work has actu- ally started on the great Triangle de- velopment; in reality, a whole new city of monumental Government buildings. All the plans are majestic enough, but it will take patience, tact and pub- lic support throughout the country to carry them through. It is the same in Washington as elsewhere. People do not become aroused until the damage has been done, until desecradlon is an accomplished fact. Land that could have been bought for a song a few years ago for park purposes is expens- ive now; it may cost far more in years to come. * ok ok Too often the public assumes care- lessly that any wooded open space is available for park or recreation pur- poses, when in reality it belongs to pri- vate owners. A large and beautiful is- land in the Potomac River, completely commanding the Lincoln Memorial, be- longs to a gas company, which might erect large tanks thereon. In any city the utilities must needs be provided for; their proper location requires care and thought. Whether the Great Falls of the Potomac can be utilized for pow- er without destruction of their scenic| grandeur is another of the delicate questions to be faced. Like other cities, Washington is lop- sided in its development. Large areas close to the very heart of a Nation's| lawmaking are still in farm lands, while feverish overdevelopment takes place in far more distant sections with no greater natural advantages. A pe- | culiarly intricate as well as unusual | financial and taxation problem makes | public improvements even more difficult | than elsewhere. Thus it is no easy sled- ding to make the Capital an example to the country of fitness and beauty., It belongs to the whole people, and it will become worthy of the ideal which | they unquestionably have set up only| as they take an interest in having that ¢ ideal realized. . Candler Called One Of Age’s Great Men, To the Editor of The Star: I saw an account of the death of Asa G. Candler in your paper ter: day, as well as a short sketch of his life. 1 would like to add one or two things that will not be told concerning Mr. Candler, which to my mind make him one of the great men of this age. Many men make money and are gen- | erous in their philanthropies, but Mr. Candler was a statesman as well as a philanthropist. Few men born on a slave farm and seeing their families re- duced to poverty by the loss of those slaves during the war ever gave so much thought and money to make conditions better for the Negro. No man has done more, and the years will prove what I am saying now. The Candler Theo- logical Seminary at Emory University emphasizes human brotherhood, and the students of that school are declar- ing that teaching throughout the Na- tion. I met one of ‘the graduates of that sé¢hool on the ocean, and he told me that every student in that institu- tion has drilled in him that no other attitude will count but that of brothe: hood. It is no wonder that racial con- ditions in the South are better and better each year. Asa Candler is im- mortal because he has endowed this uni- versity and breathed into it his spirit. Time alone can prove the wisdom of his judgment and cause his country to praise him beyond the fact that he| made millions J. C. OLDEN. - A Real Contribution. From the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat. A German says monkeys adore their benefactors. Another contribution to | the theory that man isn't related to the monkey. e — It Wouldn't Take Much. From the New Castle News. | str ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. This is a special 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 de- prives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only, two cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. When was the first rajlroad buflt | in what is now the State of Wash- ington?—J. b = A. The first was the Walla Walla and | Colorado River Railroad which was opened November 1, 1875, It was 32 miles long and extended from Walla Walla, Wash., to Wallula, Wash. Q. How is the academic year divided s {at Oxford?—F. C. A. It is divided into three terms of cight wecks each. The first term, Michaclmas, extends from early in Oc- tober to early in December; the second, Hilary, from the middle of January to the middle of March; and the Summer, Trinity, from the end of April to the end of June. Q. How many tons of coal did the big skeleton barges hold that pushed down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to New Orleans 35 years ago?—A. B. A. If you mean what was called the coalboat-——now obsolete—the sides of ghich were 1t-inch hemlack, its ear- fying capacity was 1.000 tons. Q@ Which States bear the title of commonwealth?—A. H. fi A. Four States have offiolally adopted this title—Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky. Q. What are the tallest under_construction?—R. buildings now . H. A. The new Chicago Tower and Ap- parel Mart, which is now under con- | struction, will be 850 feet high and will have 75 stories. New York City has just started the Chrysler Building, which will be 808 feet high and have 65 stories. These will be the two high- buildings constructed or under con- ction. Q. What is a three-place plane?— R.L. J. A. It is an airplane with capacity for carrying three passengers. Q. Who originated manual training | in the schools?>—F. H. A. The history of manual training in the United States involves both the de- velopment of the idea and the develop- ment of practice. In the field of prac- tice little of a purely educational char- acter appeared before 1878, at which time the Workingman's School was founded by the Ethical Culture Society of New York. This institution com- prised a kindergarten and an elemen- tary school, in which manual work formed from the first a vital and im- portant part of the educational scheme. The general movement, however, took its large beginning, as has been the | case with so many educational move- ments, at the top instead of the bottom of the school system. In 1880, through the efforts of Dr. Calvin A. Woodward. the St. Louis Manual Training School was opened in connection with Wash- ington University. The work of this school attracted wide attention and its success led to the speedy organization of similar schools in other large cities. Q. What does the name “Savannah” mean?—L. B. A. It is derived from the Spanish word ‘“savanne,” meaning “grassy plain.” Q. How far south can the North Star be seen?—G. L. A. The North Star is\not exactly at the North Pole of the heavens and con- sequently travels around it in a small circle. Theoretically the North Star could be seen, under perfect atmos- pheric condition, from the North Pole to a point about 2 degrees south of the Equator. Q. How s a bell toned?>—N. E. P. A. The McShane Bell Foundry Co. says that this is considered by prace tically all bell founders as a secret proc= ess; the fundamental requirements, however, are based on perfect mathe-~ matical calculations and acoustics. In other words, a bell to be of perfect tone should be perfectly proportioned in re- lation to its diameter, height, width across the top and wail thickness. If | the proportions are correct the resuitant tone of the bell will be likewise correct to the note for which the bell was de- signed. Modern methods have made it possible, where slight variations oc- cur, to tune the bell and correct the proportions within itself automatically 10 correct or make positive the notefor which it is designed. Q. How can the disagreeable odor be removed from acetone?—I. F. A. The Bureau of Standards says that many people scom to think that an odor is something extraneous, which can be removed from a substance with= out ctherwise changing it. The fact is 1 constitution of c\el’l{ | has an odor, and what that odor shall | be. Acetone is one of the substances ! which have an odor. Its odor is as | much apart of it as the fact that it is | composed of so many atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen combined in a particular way. So it is not possible to deodorize acetone, However, by suite able chemical treatment certain dis- agreeable smelling constituents can be removed from it and thus its odor be made less penetrating. Treatment with fuller’s earth or absorbent char- coul might remove some of Ll.hue im- purities, Q. Have there ever been any famous | tenors who started their musical ca- reers as baritones?—H. S. A. There have been great tenors of e renown who were trained as baritones and in their early days sang in public as such. Two of the most re- markable cases are said to be that of 5ims Reeves and Jean de Reszke. Q. How did the ancient Egyptiaas divide up the year?—W. H. E. A. The ancient Egyptians had a year determined by the changes of the sea- son without reference to the changes of the moon, containing 365 days, divided into 12 months of 30 days each with five supplementary days at the end of the year. Q. What animal can be used in test- ing air for carbon monoxide gas?— R. L. W. A. The easiest method for use by an unskilled observer is to subject a canary or white mouse in a ng to the at- mosphere to be tested. th of these animals invariably become unconscious before the concentration of this gas is sufficient seriously to affect a normal person. Q. What is the loss by evaporation s storing gasoline in underground tanks —F. O. 8. A. It is belleved that such loss is small, considerably less than 1 per cent. Q. What were the words that William Cullen Bryant as editor of the Evening Post would not have used in his paper? M. H. Among the expressions and words ich William Cullen Bryant forbade being used in his newspaper were the following: Artiste, authoress, bogus, casket (for coffin), debut, decease (as a verb), donate, employe, graduate (for is graduated), gents, humbug, in our midst, jeopardize, loafer, oration, pants (for pantaloons). poetess, Rev. (for the Rev.), role, rowdies, state (for say), via | and would seem. Wl Rockefeller’s Victory Called Achievement for Big Business Victory for John D. Rockefeller, ir., in his fight to oust Col. Stewart from the Standard Oil Co. of Indiana is applauded by the press as an advance for big business. In this aftermath of the oil scandals the cor- porate life of America is declared to gain in public esteem because an issue between ethics and profits was decided in favor of the former. 5 “The corporation was making tre- mendous profits under Stewart’s direc- tion,” says the Buffalo Evening News. “Rockefeiler might have sat back and taken his dividends without question. He elected rather to fight for the re- moval of Stewart on ethical grounds. He fought for the integrity of American business methods. He has won & vic- tory for honesty and fair dealing in business.” The Pittsburgh Post-Ga- zette gives assurance that “Rockefeller had public sentiment with him from the first on account of the high ground he took for business,” and that “his over- whelming victory on the issue cannot fail of having a salutary effect upon the business practice of the country.” “Large stockholders, with important interests to guard and a cultivated sense of all elements that enter into present-day prosperity,” according to the Chicago Daily News, “took a very different view from that of thousands of small investors. They were.aware that it is the duty of corporate business to avoid evil or the'apearance of evil, to live up to decent moral standards and to demonstrate that great enterprises can be as clean and ethical as small enterprises or as any liberal profession. Consequently, they felt constrained to vote with the Rockefellers for the oust- ing of Col. Stewart. In so doing they furnished significant proof of the abil- ity and the willingness of men of wealth and position to reform business abuses from within, without legislation or other external pressure. The lesson of the historic contest will not be lost upon the business world. It is a wholesome and a permanently useful lesson.” * K ok ok “The younger John D. made & thor- ough fob of it,” declares the Charleston Evening Post, “once he had buckled down to the business of putting out the bold executive who had been caught in the backwash of the great oil scandal, and he did a service to big business thereby in making obeisance to the moral code. * * * Rockefeller made good his promise to the Senate commit- tee that he would do what he could to evidence condemnation of the Stewart methods. He has done well.” The Salt Lake Deseret News finds that “the Rockefeller name is still one to conjure with”; that “in power and prestige in Standard Oil it remains im- 1 pregnable, The surprising thin the recent contest,” continues that pa- per, “is that Col. Stewart should have had the temerity to enter it. His sa- g about ! gacity was wide of the mark in permit- ting him to think he had any chance of success.” “Rockefeller gets his ma marks the Milwaukee Journal. “Thereby he reads us a lesson in how ineffective we have been with other men who actually were involved in the illegal leasing of the naval oil reserves. If Stewart pays the price of his indiscretions to the business world, what can America say about its own record of dealing with Fall and Sinclair and Doheny? If busi- ness is to get a rebirth out of this, then isn't America to get a rebirth, too. that will raise us to a plane where s billion- dollar betrayal of the Nation will mean something to us?” * ok ok R ‘The .Greensboro Dally Record feels that great credit is due Rockefeller be- ciuse of his devotion to prineiple, not= withstanding he was flghiing egainst “4 man whom he had krown for years ‘The advisability of passing a car al the curve depends on whether the| widow will think the loss covered by dnsurance, sud who, up to the time of his connee- tion with the oll reserves steal, was con- sidered one of the ablest of the ms brau;hs to the front by Rockeleller, s, Robert W.| | “Not only 2 victory for decency. but in the long run a victory for corporate | management,” is the verdict of the Roa- noke World-News; an indication that “stockholders want something more than mere profits,” that of the Walla Walla Daily Bulletin, and, as viewed by the Houston Chronicle, it is “in keeping with a day when frank dealing with the public and honest service to it is bel made the very foundation principle o! | business.” The Little Rock Arkansas | Democrat observes: “When oligarchs like Col. Stewart voice their contempt for the rights of the common man there can generally be found an honest leader who can toss them overboard. Mr. Rockefeller is such a leader.” * kok % “Evidently the business men of todsy who defended Mr. Stewart,” suggests the Cincinnati Times-Star, “do not realize that business ethics have changed in the past 50 years. But business ethics have changed, even though the defend- ers of Mr. Stewart give you the disquiet- ing feeling that there is a reversion to type.” The St. Paul Ploneer Press fee!s that “the oil industry in its present massive dignity does well to put its house in order.” The Asbury Parl Press emphasizes the point that th action “manifests the rising public sen- timent for integrity in business.” “Rarely, we believe, have great wealth and the influence that goes with great wealth in the world of corporate activity and service been concentrated upon so excellent a purpose,” avers the Syracuse Herald, and the New York Times as- serts: “What Mr. Rockefeller has now accomplished will be good not only for his own company and his personal re- pute, but for the management and per~ sonnel of other great concerns. Un- seemly gublw conduct by corporation officials has more clearly come into view as distinctly bad for their own business.” “A_billion-dollar concern, whatever the reasons, has placed ethics above profits by & more than 2-to-1 vole™ states the Bellingham Herald, while the Anniston Star sees “a new day, when men of affairs d the doctrine of noblesse oblige,” and the Manchester Union holds to the view that ‘ibusiness standards have improved, and the pub- |lic conselence today will not accept | complacently Mr. Stewart's record, es- pecially when it has been given the stage setting of the past few months.” R Electric-Eared Dummy Used for Experiments BY E. E. FREE, PH. D. A wax-headed window dummy built to resemble a human body as closely as possible and provided with delicate elec- tric receivers inside its waxen ears was described at the recent meeting of the American Physical Society in New York City by F. A. Firestone and D. L. Rich of the University of Michigan, who used this auditory robot to discover - cisely how the sounds from a radio loud speaker enter the two human ears to be transmuted into the sensation of hear- ng. Every one knows that the direction from which a sound comes affects the way in which it is heard. The attitude of tilting the head slightly, which most people take automatically when listen- ing, is probably an instinctive recogni- tion of this fact. Physicists can use theories of sound to -calculate what sounds afrive at one point in space, but men have two ears instead of one, and the shape of the head and the outer ear cause what might be called “sound eddies,” which affect . This is what the Michigan experimenters found with their electric-eared dummy. The intensitles of sounds entering the two wax ears from the loud speaker, corre- sponding to sounds that would have en- tered the ears of a living human head of the same shape, were found not to be entirely jn accord with previous retical calculations,