Evening Star Newspaper, March 20, 1929, Page 8

- THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1929. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY....March 20, 1920 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company ‘Business Office: 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd icago Office: Lake Michigan Building. uropean Offce; 14 Regent 8t.. London. Englan Rate by Carrier Within the City. Evening Star_............45¢ per month Sunday Star e ek rt vening and (when 4 Sunda: w) 5¢ per month The Sunday Star ... . _8¢_per copy Collection made at the end of each menth. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone Main 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. E:u' un v oniy . day only All Other Stat d 8 1 80c per month es and Canada. yr. $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 17, ;gun: 1 mo. T8¢ e 00. 1 mo.. S80c unday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press s exclusively entitled to the use for repubiication of all rews ais- atches credited o it or not otherwise cred- d in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of Epecial dispatches herein are also reserved. —_— Hoover Shuns “Dramatics.” Revelations of the new era at the White House are forthcoming almost | daily, but none is of more interest than | the latest development. The President announces that he is not addicted to| “dramatics,” and that in particular | there is to be no “dramatic or drastic drive” to enforce prohibition. Herbert Hoover, the country is now informed, has no ambition to personify a presi- dential Carrie Nation, hatchet-armed, either actually or metaphorically. He| is ardently consecrated to law tntompi ment, but is not going about the busi- | nes of achieving it with either brass bands or brass knuckles. Perhaps Mr. Hoover has taken occa- slon to divest himself of any suspected spectacularism by. current likening of | his methods with those of Theodore Roosevelt. Americans assoclate “dra- matics” with the life and times of that strenuous statesman. His cotempo- raries will come nearer the mark in accrediting Mr. Hoover with ‘Roose- veltian ideals rather than with Roosevel- tian practices. The MNew President, though in office barely a fortnight, has given incessant evidence of progres- sivism. It is natural to read into !Vlr. Hoover's maiden moves along major lines the spirit that inspired “T. R.” and made him the idol of his genera- tion. But the, comparison cannot be carried beyond that. The President bespeaks the co-opera- tion of the press and all decent Ameri- ean citizens in working out the problem of law enforcement. He guarantees them that, in so far as in his power lies, the problem will be tackled without the ald of limelight, stage thunder and other theatrical effects. Mi. loover wants to reduce crime in the United States—not booze crime exclusively, but all crime. not follow the rest of the country in the making of an inside turn if the traf- fic director could point to strict pedes- trian regulations in the National Capi- tal. It is a certainty that if the Commis- sioners would enact and enforce a pedes- trian regulation so that green light {motor traffic would mean uninterrupted travel motorists would be glad to make any kind of a turn that am ingenious | mind could conceive. As it is at present, however, pedestrians pay not the slight- | est attention to the automatic signals or | to the traffic officer’s control, and even green light travel means nothing more | than an endless succession of stops and | starts. It is the same in all cities which do not regulate the walker, but so far there has been no showing that the funda- | | mentally correct inside turn is Tespon- {sible for pedestrian annoyance, injury or death. The stream of walkers con- tinues unabated regardless of lights or traffic officers, and motorists know that they must protect the rights of this class | {of street user. That some motorists are | criminally careless in the operation of | their cars does not mean that the sup- posedly safe outside turn system is cor- rect, because this kind of a driver is likely to maim or kill a pedestrian on a stralghtaway or in making the per- missible right-hand turn, Latest reports from the Traffic Bureau | are that despite the fact that the Ameri- can Automobile Association, the traffic | committee of the Board of Trade and | other organizations have gone on record for uniformity throughout the United States in regulations for the control of motor cars, it intends to stand solidly back of its policy to disrupt the correct driving practice of every Washingtonian on the score that it is “protecting pedes- trians.” In answer to that allegation it might be pointed out to the local au- thorities that if they were solely con- cerned with keeping the present left- hand turn because of this “protection,” the authorities of practically every other city in the United States %hould be in- dicted for a shocking record of callous- ness regarding the walker. But it is hardly possible that Washington and Cleveland alone are right and the rest of the country is wron, | | | ————— The Summer White House. It may be a little late to put the question. But, after all, what is a Sum- mer White House? Upon a satisfactory definition of that term the fate of Mount Weather seems to hang. If a Summer White House means a place where a President may go to forget his troubles through recreation, solitude and communion with fish and bubbling brooks, President Hoover, for one, sees nothing attractive in Mount Weather. If a Summer White House means another Federal building, equip- ped as & country mansion and within easy automobile distance of Washing- ton, to be used or not to be used as the President sees fit, the building at He thinks that matter-of-fact, plodding ways and means to that end are vastly preferable to stagecraft. His plea is a warning to sensationalists, fanatics and Utoplans, as well as to lawbreakers. ———ra— Getting Ready for Guests. Visitors to Washington during in- * guguration time were subjected to & trying experience with bad weather. On Inauguration day the rain interfered with the enjoyment of the program. The city itself was not in its normal beautiful Spring attire. That was two and a half weeks ago. Now the Capital bears & different aspect, more lovely and improving daily., Not only is the weather better, but the follage is coming into evidence more strongly with each day. The city is putting on its vernal robes. A glimpse out of any upper ‘window that gives upon & public park ‘will show the signs of Spring development that now abound. The tree masses have taken on & hue of green, Teplacing the gray of Winter. With every hour the Jeaves advance. In another week they will be casting shadows on the ground. In a little while the cherry trees will be blooming. Then, indeed, will Washing- ton be ready to receive its guests, beauty seeking, from all parts of the country. There is reason to look for a great visitation this year. For Washington is especially interesting with & newly in- stalled President in the White House. Indeed, by another week the pilgrimages will have started as the young people of the schoois on Easter vacation will head toward the Capital by the thou- sands. And from then on until the Summer opens, others will come in great groups from all the States. These visitors this year will see Wash- ington in transformation. They will see evidences of the great building program now under way, busy scenes of construc- tion that, while for the ‘present unlovely and unpleasant, give promise of the new Washington that is nmow rapidly coming into being. . There was no battle necessary for the fall of Torreon. It did not really fall. It wes only pushed. ————— Left Turn Uniformity. With the traffic committee of the ‘Washington Board of Trade in lipe, one more civic organization has joined the ranks of advocates for the return to the system of making the left-hand turn formerly used in this city and which is now practiced by every, large city in the country save Cleveland and the National Capital. Approved by the Hoover conference on street and highway safety after thorough consideration, the inside left turn prin- ciple is accepted almost ypiversally throughout the United States and in the interest of uniformity local motorists have been waging an unremitting cam- paign to persuade the District Com- missioners and local traffic authorities o give up their pet scheme, the funda- | mentally wrong outside left turn, which s now being used in this city. The chief argument of the traffic of- fice against going back to the inside left turn is that pedestrians will not be protected as much as.they are at pres- Mount Weather, for which Congress has appropriated forty-eight thousand dollars, still may be refurbished and hereafter known as the Summer White House. President Hoover, it is understood, finds no enticement in Mount Weather as & place of real recreation and rest. There are, in the first place, no fish. In the second place, President Hoover prefers to rough it a bit when he goes fishing, and does not relish the thought of acting the part of a President at a Summer White House when he leaves Washington on a holiday. If the money appropriated should be spent on Mount Weather, one wonders what use Presi- dent Hoover would find for it. But it would be extremely unfor- tunate if the idea of & permanent Sum- mer White House were allowed to die because President Hoover prefers to spend his playtime elsewhere than Mount Weather. When President Cool- idge suggested the Summer White House, he advanced good reasons for it. He envisioned a place near Washington that offered the benefits of change; that promised refreshing relief from hot Summer days in the Capital and that could be reached in & relatively short drive by motor. He did not suggest Mount Weather. The responsibility for choosing & location rested with Con- gress, and Congress chose Mount Weather, the chief reason for the choice being, apparently, that Mount Weather was available. A Summer White House is not, nec- essarily, a penitentiary, in which Presi- dents will be sentenced to spend all their time away from the Capital. They could leave it ai will and go fishing, hunting or take trips to the seashore and still violate no law. For that rea- son it is hoped that President Hoover {will have Mount Weather remodeled | and conditioned or else suggest to Con- gress that the money already available }could better be used in another and | better location. B When Trotsky was thought to be in wild flight, he was merely seeking con- genial seclusion for himself and typing machine. | | ] Mexican “rebels” will soon be re- duced in rank to the usual designation of bandits and outlaws. e i “Free and Equal.” | “All men are born free and equal.” ‘Thomas Jefferson penned these words in a sublime enthusiasm, his mind rid- ing on the flood-tide of that philosophy which in a few years was destined to break on the cliffs of tradition in the foam and fury known as the French Revolution. It generally has been agreed that the author of the Declaration of Independ- ence overstated what he wanted to say. Few, even among his closest assoclates, | could have accepted the statement lit- erally. Nothing could have been further | from the real sentiments of George | Washington. During the years since | those words were penned the increas- |ing weight of science has been added to ordinary observation in the scales | against Jefferson’s sweeping statement. ‘There is an enormous mass of scientific | data to prove conclusively that not an | men are born free and equal, and that | | was dealing in rhetoric and sentiment. Dr. Furfey is dealing with exact meas- urements. Working with several hun- dred infants in local hospitals and or- phan asylums, Dr. Furfey has gathered data which indicate that the degree of intelligence is not fixed during the first two years of life, but is the product of the education and environment of cradle days. cases—but that is another matter. ‘The evidence, it is true, is far from need further validation, and certainly a more widespread application. But it cannot be denied that they open up a field for research work of the utmost Interest and importance. ligence of the individual largely is de- termined by environmental factors of early childhood—those mystical two or three years when the mind is appar- ently a closed book—then those factors themselves can be studied and manip- ulated. ‘When the child is old enough to enter kindergarten, the degree of intelligence I has been circumscribed. Under ordinary circumstances it will not change greatly thereafter. A succession of intelligence tests probably will show a close cor- relation as the years go by. The forger of intelligence must strike in the first and second years. e ‘The really cozy and confidential White House breakfast, regardless of bacon, defer to presidential proclivities for rod and line and have fish on the menu. o Old John Barleycorn, always a busy- body in politics, is threatening to make legation table beverages a means of interfering even in diplomatic relation- ships. e Occasional intrusions of national issues do not prevent the question of who is going to be the real boss of Tammany Hall from being the real question in New York politics. —— s eees In order to relieve his mind, Einstein plays the violin. A composition by him might be subtly enlightening. Ancient scholars reckoned music as a branch of mathematical science, P combatant victims. The great problem of modern civilization continues to be the reasonable protection of innocent bystanders. e As Washington, D. C., advances into the big city class, it must expect more and more of the agitations in police cir- cles, characteristic of a metropolis. —— e Any one inquirihg at Tammany Hall can have authoritative information that ex-Gov. Al Smith has no intention of retiring from politics. o SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Call. Now, many a song Is sounding strong Among, the budding branches. ‘The frogs, so gay, Lift up a lay Out in their sedgy ranches. ‘The kindly breeze, In sounds that please, Announces the permission Po banish cares, As it declares, “It’s time to go a-fishin?!” It’s time to rise ‘With precepts wise, ‘The country to be saving. It's time to still, ‘With patriot skill, All anarchistic raving. It's time to cling ‘To anything For which the heart is wishin’ With earnest call— And, best of al It's time to go a-fishin'l Publicity Assets. “You have made many friends during your public career.” “Quite true,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “But friends are inclined to be safe and quiet. My best advertisers have been my enemies.” Jud Tunkins says he has made money enough to give him a hankering for so- cial position. So he's going far away from home for a while and get a job as a butler, so’s to learn what good man- ners are really like. Congeniality. “You say you wish to marry my daughter?” said Mr. Dustin Stax. “Yes,” answered the young man with the sky-blue suit of clothes. “Are your tastes and ideals similar in art and literature?” “Yes. We both like the same comic strips.” “It is easy to worship our ancestors,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “They are no longer rivals.” Aerial Achievement. I do not cheer the contests new. ‘They seem of little worth. I hail the aviator who Gets safely back to earth. “De longer de words a doctor uses,” said Uncle Eben, “de more you knows it’s g'ineter cost you foh a prescrip- tion.” MICROTORIAL. Reparations Calculations. ‘When reparations are discussed, ‘The prospects brightly glisten— Yet to the future still we trust, And stop and look and listen. And when at last there’s drawing nigh A happy culmination, Nothing we'll know was hindered by Too much precipitation. Our Four Billions in Diamonds. This land, where magnificent fortunes are shown, Has four billion dollars in diamonds alone. And if all at a time to display them we'd try, ent. This argument would carry more no laws or artifices of education can The gems would outglitter the stars in welght if statfucs could be shown from the hundreds of cities that use the in- side turn which would demonstrate in- juries and fatalities from this cause, but there are no figures of this kind and | make them so. Limitations—especially | intellectual limitations—are assumed to | be fixed broadly at birth. | Now comes Dr. Paul F. Furfey of | Catholie University with experimental Y Drobably few if any accidents. And ® even more emphasis could be placed on |that Jefferson was nearer the truth the sky. But the jewels are left in a vault hid away, And paste imitations are worn on dis- play, evidence which tends strongly to show ' Lest some bold racketeer should crash: into a ball | the argument.that Washington shouwld than he himself probably suspected. He And carry off diamonds, lady aqd all. It soon becomes fixed in most . conclusive. Dr. Furfey's tests probably | 1t the intel-| eggs, etc., as hitherto announced, will | Air raids on Torreon include non- | Ap inquisitive person scarcely ever |opens a dictionary without finding something interesting. While looking for the word in demand his eyes fall | upon other words, whose sounds or meaning interest him. The first thing the investigator knows he is spending half an hour with a ! volume which ordinarily is held to be | uninteresting, but which often proves more 8o than many another book. He may look up the noun ‘quad- rant,” to find his eyes straying to the | saw before greets him, It is “quacksalver.” Here he has been using words all his life and never run onto “quacksalver” before! “Original form. now rare, of quack,” says the dictionary. “A “quack,” as every one knows, is an ignorant pretender to skill, especially in medicine or surgery, “one who offers wonderful remedies or devices.” Now one has a new understanding of the charlatan, especially of the quack doctor. Before the mind's eyes, as it were, passes a picture of a busy small- town corner, and on tkat corner a big man with a big black mustache, hold- ing aloft a small box of salve. “Here you are, ladies and gents,” a big voice says, “Hocum’s wonderful and soothing salve, 25 cents the box, two bits the box, two dimes and a nickel, once used ays used, good for man, child or beast, 25 cents the box, three boxes for 50 cents, here you are, sir, | you'll never regret it, now who'll have a {box, 25 cents, two dimes and a nickel—" * ok ok % The book is sliced back to the letter “A,” and there before the eyes stands for the word: “Avuncular.” There’s a word for you that perhaps not one person in 10,000 could define offhand. That is one of the pleasures of dipping into dictionaries. In this way the searcher comes across good words little used, interesting for that very fact. “Avuncular” is defined as follows: “Of, resembling an uncle.” It is from the Latin “avunculus,” maternal uncle, diminutive of “avus,” grandfather. Now and then one will see “avuncular” used by English writers humorously, called “uncle.” T Here is a jaw-breaker: “Philoprogenitiveness.” ‘This is one of the very longest words one will find in an English dictionary, so long, in fact, that it is commonly left out of all except the largest; or perhaps it would be better to say, so little used that it is left out. This big word means simply love of offspring, and, by extension, love of children in general. The accent comes on the fourth syllable, “gen.” It con- tains 20 letters, taking the palm from “interdenominational,” in this respect. These are words which are easy enough to write or spell, but which ordinarily the writer (especially on a typewriter) goes through by simply closing his eyes and plunging ahead. Once a writer stops to think about such a word, he becomes confused and is in doubt of his vowels, but if he just fires away, the chances are that he will come out all right. * oxox % Becoming confused over the spelling of “calendar,” as even the best speller will, upon occasion, the investigator runs into the good word “calceolate,” an adjective used in botany, meaning top of the page, where a word he never | referring to a pawnbroker, commonly | -THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. “slipper-shaped.” There is no real rea- son why it should not be used else- where, when one has a legitimate de- mand for it. There is a mistaken idea that writers should never us words with which any reader might not be familiar. A writer who uses a little-used word in such a manner that the reader is able to grasp its meaning without going to the dictionary is doing his readers a good turn. The English are particu- larly good at this. They never use unusual words in a pedantic way, dragged in by the neck, as it were, but so link them up with other words that the context usually explains the word. English book reviews are partic- ularly pleasing in this respect. To drag in a word simply for the sake of showing off one’s knowledge is one thing, but to use a perfectly good word in a way which will at once sup- ply the reader with the meaning is quite another. Usually this must be done by forethought, without offending the reader ®y too obvious attempts. When propegly done, the use of unu- | sual words is both edifying and pleasing, | since the reader feels that he has gained something as well as been en- tertained. New words have all the nov- elty of new ideas. Coming across the word “fishify,” one realizes that when might as well say “fishify” as not. Why | not? If he uses it properly, his hear T | it means, | * ok ok X ‘There is no particular reason why the intransitive verb form. ‘“enucleate” should not be used when one wants to say “explain,” or “clear up.” “Sudation” is a good word for “sweat- ing,” although very little used in every- day conversation or non-medical writ- | ing. The word “febrifuge,” meaning a medicine to reduce fever, should be bet- ter known. Quinine is the most used febrifuge. Even folks who don't use dice for playing games know the arrangements of dots upon the various sides, and the chances are that they have been par- ticularly pleased with the arrangement at each corner and one in the center. ‘This symmetrical layout is the “quin- 1x,” known to every one of the mil- lons who play bridge—but not by that name! And again, why not? * ok &k Enough examples have been given to show that it is scarcely possible to open the dictionary at random without find- ing one or more words of interest, per- haps even more interesting than the word for which one is looking. ‘There is an old saying to the effect that one ought to learn at least one new word a day, but perhaps one is not enough, and while learning one the searcher might just as well learn two! This second word, being entirely one's own discovery, as it were, probably will prove more interesting and more dur- able, in a sense, than the word one is searching for. Looking for a word in a dictionary, unfortunately, strikes the average per- son as a task, and a task, alas, too often is resented! But when one runs onto a word of his own accord, and for some reason or other is attracted to it, he discovers that he has put himself into it to_an unusual degree. ‘The chances are very large that he will remember the spelling and defini- tion of such words long after he has forgotten those of the words he delib- erately looked up. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC Perhaps the Siamese legation in ‘Washington, now so luridly in the liquor limelight, is laying in an extraordinary stock of drinkables in view of an im- pending change in its command. A new minister, his royal highness Prince Amoradhat, cousin of the King of Siam, will shortly be accredited as envoy to the United States. He will be the only diplomat of royal blood ever stationed here in official capacity, though non- royal princes have been attached to le- gations and embassies hitherto. The present Belgian Ambassador is Prince de Ligne, and the former Italian Am- bassador was Printe Caetani. It is thought in Capital cocktail circles that Prince Amoradhat may intend to em- bark upon a brilliant social program at the Siamese legation and that the now celebrated liquor shipment is its fore- runner. He is one of the wealthiest men in Siam, is a distinguished soldier, served as an observer with the allied armies in France and has been military the new American Secretary of the Navy, the prince is an ardent yachts- man. He speaks English like an Ox- ford man. * ok ok ok Tenten tea tables are buzzing with a more or less circumstantial story of a certain liveliness at one of the earliest Hoover cabinet meetings. Secretary Mellon is its alleged hero. The cause of the upheaval, so the story goes, was con- nected with the plan for future publi- cation of all Treasury tax refunds in excess of $20,000. knows, Mr. Hoover's executive order on that subject is a complete about-face from previous Mellon policy. As the épi- sode is being described, “the greatest Secretary of the Treasury since Mc- Adoo"—a Democratic wisecrack—regis- tered more temperament than any e: hibition of the sort heretofore on rec- ord. The cabinet room was at one time 80 heavily charged with animation, 'tis said, that it looked as if the Pitts- burgher might resign then and there. But calmer counsels prevailed, and it will not immediately become necessa for President Hoover to refill the Treas- ury portfolio. The tale is interesting, if true. * kK % ‘Whenever the Department of Justice uses undercover men as sples in Federal prisons, college graduates exclusively are chosen for the job. They are com- mitted as honest-to-goodness prisoners, go through every rigmarole of newly arrived inmates and are never revealed to the prison authorities as Govern- ment agents until the time comes for their release or transfer under reguia- tion rules. Obnoxious as the undercover system may strike many Americans, Department of Justice authorities insist that results in the past have fully justi- fled it. What goes on in the “wings” of a big Federal jall, it is contended, is what Washington necds to know, in- cluding ‘goings-on among convicts, re- lations between guards and convicts and, especially, treatment of inmates by their warders. In no other way, ac- cording to advocates of the spy system, can Federal prison morale be observed, lapses detected and abuses rectified. ERE Dr. Ray Lyman Wlbur, Secretary of the Interior, is full of stories about war da chief food conservationist under Herbert Hoover, “Once upon a time,” says Sec- retary Wilbur, “I was en route to Cali- fornia on an official trip and was sud- denly summoned from the observation car to the diner. There, it appeared, an obstreperous old gentleman was insist- ing on unlimited supplies from the sugar bowl for his cup of coffee. The waiter and steward had vainly attempt- ed to hold him down to the ration to which we were trying to accustom the people. When I reached the diner, it was in an uproar. Angry fellow passen gers, hearing that a Government offi- cial was aboard, demanded that he be sent for and exercise his authority. I asked them what they expected me to do. ‘Throw him off the train!” was the reply. After conference with the sweet- woded old fellow I found that nothing 80 drastic was necessary. But it showe l"" spirit of our people and their readi- ness to rough with those who wouldn't play the game.” i attache in both London and Paris. Like | As all the vlorldi fvs in Washington and his own job as | WILLIAM WILE Miss Janet Richards, dean of Ameri- can current events speakers, has just been the recipient of notable honors in Fhiladelphia. She celebrated there her silver jubllee on the platform, and the anniversary was made the occasion for a great outpouring of leading Phila- delphia women who have been deriv- ing light and leading on public affairs from the venerable but virile Janet for lo, these many years! Miss Richards' Monday morning “class” in Washington is probably the most distinguished fem- inine gathering in America. Among others, it includes the wives and daugh- ters of Supreme Court justices, of United States Senators and Represent- atives and of foreign ambassadors and ministers. Not long ago a friend said to the consort of a leading member of the Senate, who is a Janet Richards fan, “With a husband as well informed as yours, I don't see why you find it necessary to attend a current events lecture.” Quoth the senatorial lady. “Well, I have to have something to talk back with, don't 1?” * k% % Princeton has started something with its recent claim that “more years have been spent in the White House by grad- uates of Princeton University than any other college in the country, Old Nas- sau having Bad two alumni serve as President of the United States for two complete terms.” The reference is to Madison and Wilson. A disciple of |willam and Mary points out that alumni of that ancient college *“spent one month less than 20 years in the White House, as against Princeton's 16 years.” Jefferson, Monroe and Tyler are claimed for William and Mary. The latter's protagonists further depose and say that since 1861 her alumni, being mostly Southerners, “have been practi- cally ineligible to the presidency.” They ask the Tiger to take all this in his pipe and smoke it when he begins to claw through White House history. AR i It's apparently the lure of Washing- ton that does it. At any rate, once a Ty | President’s secretary, always a Wash- ingtonian. Everett Sanders of Indiana, who has hung out his law office shin- gle here after serving Mr. Coolidge through four faithful years, emulates C. Bascom Slemp of Virginia, “Cal's” first coadjutor. Slemp's predecessor, George B. Christian, jr, of Ohio, President Harding's right-hand man, remained a resident of Washington, and so did Jo- seph P. Tumulty of New Jersey, for eight years Woodrow Wilson's alter ego. 2N At least one Californian got into the Hoover era at Washington before the Chief Engineer himself. He's Dr. Wil- liam John Cooper, former California State superintendent of education, who, earlier in the year, became United States commissioner of education. The coun- try’s teachers l?pllud the appointment as “an admirable example of presiden- tial appointment on a professional basis.” The journal of the National Education Association says “it confirms our best American tradition of keeping the schools free from politics and stands cut as one of the significant services of the closing weeks of President Coolidge’s administration.” Dr. Cooper has come up from the teaching ranks of Califor- nia public schools. He is a University of California alumnus. His motto is, “The chief concern of the teachey is children.” (Copyright, 1620.) v Trouble With Drama. om the Florence Herald. The trouble with the legitimate drama is that so much of it is illegitimate. et How to Enjoy Movies. From the Ohio Daily News. Opticians say movies can be enjoved better by closing one eye; and if that me&x't work, it is just as well to close | Pro Ear on Political Ground. From the Muncie Morning Star. King Borls of Bulgaria is said to be troubled with rheumatism of the ear. This derhocratic much must have had 1t on the politidal ground. one wants to say “make like a fish” he | or readers will grasp at once what | of the “five-spot”"—that is, four dots, one | Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln. ‘The resignation of Judge George ‘Washington Olvany from the leadership !of Tammany has “stirred up the ani-| mals.” It appears there are lots of pos- | ibilities in the Tammany situation. | ew York City is to elect a mayor this | | year, and next year it elects a governor. | i The political fortunes of Mayor “Jimmy” Walker and of Gov. Franklin | D. Roosevelt may be bound up in the | | course which is now pursued by Tam- | many in the sclection of a new leader. | Unless all signs point in the wrong direction, Mayor Walker does “choose |to run” to succeed himself, and there jare indications he is doing his best to | bring about the selection of a Tam- imany leader who will be favorable to | his continuing as mayor. The mayor was pitchforked imdo the office he holds | now largely by feemer Gov. Alfred E. Smith, who four years ago turned thumbs down on former Mayor John Hylan. Hylan had the backing of Wil- {liam Randolph Hearst. He had been in office for a number of years and had | the advantage of the popular side of the five-cent street car fare. although Mayor Walker did not align himself against the five-cent fare. But Hylan | had been fighting the battle of the lower fare for a long time. * ok & The 1925 mayoralty campaign was one of the greatest little mudslinging affairs that has been staged in a long time, with Gov. Smith and Mr. Hearst playing the principal parts. Walker | and Hylan were cast for the principal parts, but the center of the stage was grabbed by their backers. The fact| that Gov. Smith, with Tammany, gen- | erally speaking, entirely on his side, cleaned up Mr. Hearst and Mr. Hylan is an old story. But now Gov. Smith has become Mr. Smith. He's out of office. No one knows just what his political plans are for the future. He has never said he would not be a candidate for office, President or any other office, in the future. He has undertaken to help pay off the campaign debt of the Demo- cratic national committee with his book of campaign specches, and he has "bought a barrel organ that plays “The Sidewalks of New York.”* But what i else he is doing or has done in recent months, except visit Florida, has not been given wide publicity. e There is no doubt that Gov. Smith is a power and a personality to be| reckoned with. He has been widely popular in his own State and out of it. He went down to defeat once before— back in 1920 when the Harding landslide brought victory to Smith’s Republican opponent for governor. But two years later he was triumphantly replaced in the governor's mansion at Albany. There_has been some suggestion that Gov. Smith should be elected mayor of New York, America’s greatest city, this year. But Gov. Smith has given no indication that he wishes to hold the office. Indeed, the governor for several years has urged time and again that he wished to be permitted to retire to private life. But now he’s been enjoy- ing private life, he may have a desire to return to public office. It sometimes happens. The governor has returned to New York City to do a litile work of his own in the matter of selection of a new Tammany leader. Reports indicate that he is inclined to the selection of an outstanding Democrat for the job of leader, rather than for the selection of one of the Tammany district heads. The district leaders, however, are figur- ing on picking one of their own num- ber, if they can agree on one of them. The whole matter is to be referred to the executive committee of Tammany, which meets Friday afternoon. James A. Foley, surrogate and son- in-law of the late Charles F. Murphy of Tammany fame, could have the Tammany leadership in a walk if he would, it is reported here. But Mr. Foley has not been inclined to accept. There is some suggestion that Gov. Smith may be able to prevail upon him to do so. * koK K ‘Tammany's situation in New York City Democratic politics, still dominant, is somewhat different, however. The huge increases in population outside of Manhattan and the Bronx, in Brooklyn, for example, which is outside the strict Tammany jurisdiction, are responsible for the change since all have been in- cluded in Greater New York and must be considered when it comes to city elections. John H. McCooey, the Demo- cratic boss of Brooklyn, must be con- : sidered in these elections. Already there | is evidence that the powers that be de- sire the selection of a Tammany lead- er with whom McCooey can travel along peacefully. | Gov. Roosevelt had Tammany’s sup- | port in the recent elections. But he won | the governorship also with up-State support. He has loomed as a possible Democratic national leader in 1932. That hinges, however, on his ability to be re-elected governor in 1930. The Dem- ocrats have won in these State elec- tions largely because of the failure of the Republicans to form a cohesive, working organization in the entire State and particularly in New York City. The Democrats have been able to count on a huge majority in the city for years. * ok ok ok Just now, when there is turmoil in Tammany Hall, the Republicans are seeking to do something about their State organization. The big three— Chairman Machold of the Republican State committee; Charles D. Hilles, Re- publican national committeeman, and William E. Hill. Hoover leader in New | York—dined with President Hoover at the White House last night and went over New York’s political situation. | Representative James S. Parker was present to represent the New York Re- | publican congressmen, who have been aroused over the suggestion that all| patronage in the Empire State was to | pass through the hands of the big.! three. It appears that out of the White | House conference has come harmony | and a working understanding with re- | gard to patronage and leadership in New York. The New York leaders have left here believing that “something may be done” which will result in the election of a Republican mayor this year and a Re- publican governor of the State next year. When the Republicans begin talk- ing about electing a mayor of New York City, however, it is something like a vision of castles in Spain. Four years ago, when the Democracy was split two ways over Mayor Walker and John Hylan, the Republicans put up a busi- ness man, Waterman, the head of a big industry. But he might just as well not have been running, for the effect he had on the situation. Possibly condi- tions have changed in the last three or four years in Greater New York, due to the shift of population from one section to others. But nothing short of a political revolution is going to give the Republicans the next mayor of the city. EE The meeting of Congress in special session to deal with the farm problem and tariff revision is less than a month in the future. Senator Charles S. Mc- Nary of Oregon will be chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture. Rep- resentative Gilbert N. Haugen is to con- tinue as chairman of the House com- mittee on agriculture. The names of McNary and Haugen have been closely assoclated Guring the last four or five years in the matter of farm legislation. Their names in conjunction have be- jcome as familiar to the ear as Gilbert and Sullivan, David and Jonathan, Damon and Pythias or Castor and Pol- lux. It remains to be seen, however, how well this pair will travel together in the coming session. Senator McNary, during the session Just glosed, offered a bill with the old equalization fee eliminated—a bill which met with the approval of the Coolidge administration. But Mr. Haugen balk- ed. He not only did not offer a com- panion piece to the new McNary bill in the *House, but he would have nothing | | { | and a considerable region o 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 deprives you of benefits to which you are en-| titled. Your obligation is only 2 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. Where was surfboard pelo first played?>—R. L. E. A. It was invented by members of the Hui Nalu Club at Waikiki, Hawail. It is a combination of polo and surf- board riding. Q. When was “The Black Crook” first produced?—A. J. A: It opened at Niblo's Garden In New York City September 12, 1866. The first season $650,000 was made. The extravaganza was playing some- where almost continuously from 1866 | to 1894. Q. How fast is the population of Japan increasing?—T. H. C. A It now has a population of more than 80,000,000, which increases almost 1,000,000 a year. in Japan proper. . Q. Are there any commodities leav- ing the United States upon which ex- porg dutles are placed?—F. T. D. 3 Ati‘r The United States has no export ariffs, Q. What was the purpose of a fire ship?—W. B. E. A. A fire ship was a vessel set on fire and sent among the enemy ships to destroy as many as possible by fire and to cause confusion. The use of such ships was first recorded at the siege of Tyre, B.C. 332. Soon after the begin- mng of the nineteenth century their usefulness declined owing to the de- velopment of steam and change from wood to iron In shipbuilding. . What would happen if a big comet hit the earth?—C. W. A. Prof. Todd says that if the head of a large comet should collide with the earth, probably the air and water would: be instantly consumed and dissipated, f the earth’s surface raised to incandescence. It might happen that diffusion of noxious gases from sudden combustion of hydro- carbon compounds would so vitiate the atmosphere as to render it unsuitable for breathing. In this manner, while the earth itself, its oceans and human dwellings, might escape unharmed, such an event might mean universal death to nearly all forms of animal existence. Q. When was the first inaugural ball held?—N. A. A. It was held when James Madison arlnle;gg upon his first term as President Q. What form of execution is used in Cuba?—W. E. L. A. The Cuban embassy says that the execution in Cuba, when the death pen- alty is carrfed out, depends upon the condition of the man sentenced. If the condemned man is a member of the army, he is shot by a squad of soldiers. In case of a civilian being condemned to death, the execution is carried out by garrote. Garrote is a chair similar to the electric chair, which has a collar of iron and hide, which is fitted to the neck of the victim. This collar is af tached to a large screw, which, on mov- ing, compresses and suffocates, causing death by strangulation or broken neck. Generally the victim is declared dead g(l,tnhlnxlto uor 12 mln;:’m after t:ne execu- A a very old system of penalty, used in Spain since 1832. L Q. For whom was St. Elizabeth" léul?lc;l in Washington, D, C., mmed?: ‘A" ‘The hospital was named for St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who spent her life while on” earth in ministering to Almost 60,000,000 live | the sick and the needy in hospitals and eisewhere, Q. What does “farina” mean?—T. D. A. Literally, the word means meal or flour formed from grain, when ground. Q. What painter won the title of “the Darling of the Papacy”?—W. H. H. A. Raphael, Q. How many boys belong to the Junior Traffic Patrol in Chicago?— S. lteraliy . D. A. There are nearly 8,000 junior patrolmen in Chicago. Their duty is mainly to see children safely across streets going to and coming from school. Q. When will the annual Ponce de Leon Pageant be held?>—M. A. G. A. It will take place April 2, 3 and 4, in St. Augustine, Fla. . Why is there such a drive for extermination of rats when the Govern- ment states that bubonic plague is under control?>—P. L. A. The Public Health Service sa that while bubonic plague is under col trol in this country, there will be scat- tered infection until rats are extermi- nated. Rats are an unnecessary and intolerable burden, costing the ple of this country millions of dollars a | year in food. Q. Is it proper to wear the wedding ring first on the finger or the engage- ment ring?—L. D. A. The usual custom is to wear the wedding ring first and the engagement ring above it. The engagement ring is removed before or during the marriage ceremony, then replaced after the wed- ding ring has been put on. Q. What is #he meaning of “Cajun”? —W.L P A. This is a Louisiana word applied to a reputed descendant of the Acadian French. Q. When did the furniture maker, Sheraton, live?—L. C. P, A. He was born in 1751 and died in 1806. s Q. How many Indians were there in the United States when Columbus came over?—E. K. A. Only an estimate can be given. Probably there were about 850,000. Q. Is there any fractional United States currency outstanding?—T. McA. A. There is $1992,473 worth of frac- tional United States currency that has not been redeemed. No premium is paid by the United States Tressury for this, but it will redeem it. Currency of the Confederacy is not redeemable by the United States Treasury. CQ{! What is Broca’s convolution?— A. In 1861, Paul Broca, an eminent French ant! logist, made and an- nounced the discovery of the fact that the seat of articulate speech is in the third convolution of the left frontal lobe of the brain. It still bears the name “Convolution of Broca.” Q. How are torpedoes and depth ch:rge;_:nd?—m. S.‘L " e propelling force of a torpedo is the steam turbine which turns the propeller. The compressed air originally starts the mechanism which fires the torpedo. The gyroscope is used to reg- ulate the direction. It is kept at the correct depth by a hydrostatic piston arrangement, aimed by a torpedo di- rector installed on board ship. The depth charges are dropped or shot from a gun exploded by action of water pres- sure at the depth set on mechanism on the depth charge. Q. In a game of auction bridge, can “rm;on bid more than seven, when willing to take the penalty that would be involved for being set?>—I. H. C. A. ‘Rule 21 of Laws of Auction Bridge deals with: the impossible bid. It ur that a bid of more than seven ‘e‘ k:o d, and provides a choice of penale The last of the great old-fashioned bosses in American political life passed with the death of Thomas Taggart of Indiana. “Tom” Taggart has been called the best of his type. Comments on his death emphasize his loyalty to party and to political associates and the scrupulous care with which he al- ways kept his word. ‘ Through such qualities he held his place in the Middle West as the Warwick of his day. “He was one of the most extraordi- nary men that Indiana has known,” in the opinion of the Indianapolis News, which offers the analysis: tery of men was not laborious or strained. He ruled easily. His party sought his leadership and when he had spoken there remained no room for dissension. * * * When he was ap- pointed United States Senator he filled the requirements nobly, making sec- ondary to the country’s needs all purely party or personal preferences. Few men of his time were more widely known personally or more affectionately regarded.” “The end of an era” appears to the Detroit News to be marked by his death, and that paper, referring to those who have been called Warwicks and have “wielded very great power very autocratically,” continues: “Among the chieftains surviving in_either party in these recent years only Taggart attained mastery that ranked him in the War- wick class. Taggart ‘reigned’ in his day in Indiana and goes to his grave as the last of the bosses. It seems the end of the era because, as the acknowledged bosses have disappeared like lights ex- tinguished, their successors have not arisen.” Lol e “In his lifetime,” recalls the New York Times, “he made governors and Senators, at least two Vice Presidents and some presidential nominees. In 1904, when he was national chairman, his move to Alton B. Parker came strategically and with powerful effect. At Baltimore in 1912, when Mr. Tag- gart swung, the nomination of Woodrow Wilson followed closely. If the late Senator Ralston had permitted himseif to be made an active candidate in 1924, many observers believed that Taggart would have made him the beneficiary of the Smith-McAdoo struggle, as in- gedhhe greatly helped to make John W. avis.” “He maintained his standing and leadership over a long period and was more than once the ‘Warwick’ of the Democracy of the Nation whose Presi- dent-making abilities were recognized.” declares the Rock Island Argus, while the Flint Daily Journal calls him “the Democratic leader of the Middle West and a power in any convention he at- tended.” “It may be said for him, to the Indianapolis Star, political leaders in this and other States, of both parties, were as hon- orable and fair-minded as Mr. Tag- put through at the coming special ses- sion. Senator McNary is ready to go along with the administration. He be- lleves in getting through some legisla- tion for the farmers. If it does not go “His mas- | “Tom” Taggart’s Death Marks Passing of Political Bosses gart, politics in Indiana and the Nation would be a much improved institution.” The Schenectady Gazette pays the tribute that “in years to come Taggart is likely to be remembered as a man of his word, and loyal, rather than as the maker of Vice Presidents, Senators and governors.” The Yakima Dally Republic says, “Politics was a game in his estimation, and he liked it, and g:ll:/:“a good sport, who always played “We cannot exalt Mr. Taggart's type,” remarks the Hartford Times, “but he was a sincere Democrat, a bulwark for his party in the near West, and doubt- less much more of a character for memorable service in community than many a starch-fronted, straight- laced exemplar of the civil service re- form school.” The Scranton Times ob- serves, “While Taggart was always out for results—that is, victory at the polls—nevertheless, he disdained bi- partisan agreements such as were often indulged in by leaders, both Republican and Democratic, in other States.” * k x ¥ | “He made friends and kept them, | records the Dayton Daily News, ana- |lyzing Mr. Taggart's position in these words: “The friendships which Tom Taggart cultivated were not simply those of political expediency. The ma- jority of these relationships were of a permanent nature, extending far beyond the time when they could be of selfish value to either of the principals. The friends he made in the turmoil of peliti- ‘Cll strife were still his friends in the calmer years which followed.” The Springfleld Illinois State Register de- clares, “He was a political genius, a genuine friend and a Democrat who helped to make his party stronger :)ln;luu‘gh adherence to enduring prin- e. “Indiana has gained by having had |Tom Taggart as a political leader. He (was as honest as a political system will let any man be,” avers the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat, while the Daven- :port Democrat, linking him with Roger Sullivan and William Brennan, asserts: “Those who knew them were aware that they had higher ideals than they were usually given credit for. They knew that their ideals could only get a hear- ing and a chance to function through the realm of practical politics, so there they rla)’ed the game, deeply but squarely, and as a group they repre- sented a class of political leaders that is disappearing.” “He reached the seats of the mighty in America,” the Houston Chronicle says, and the Texas paper, discussing a group of political leaders, comments: laggart undoubtedly had more to com- mend him than some of the others, but his kind of politics is passing out with g]l:n. , There will be none to take his ce.” “Thomas Taggart's name must be inscribed high on the roll of successful American politicians,” in the opinion of the South Bend Tribune. “The ele- ments that are necessary to outstanding political success were combined in him. He had the E:mmllty to invite confi- dence and the ability to translate his ideas and ideals igto the terms of prac- tical politics. * * * He will be re- as far as he believes it should, never- theless he will support it. Should Mr. Haugen come round to the same posi- tion, perhaps the bill will again bear the old title, McNary-Haugen bill, which would be a strange situation in view of the struggles in the past over farm legislation. There have been indica- tions, however, that it may be necessary to attach some other name to this meas- ure, which after all is likely to be Mr. to do with it. But whatever the atti- tude of Mr. Haugen, it is pretty cer- tain that a bill which will entirely Hoover’s, although he is not pianning to draft any measure, but to leave the subject to Con tations, g fu, with certain uuul membered best, however, as a political boss who did not resemble, physically at least, the I dlri boss tet & m‘m;n_u created by ratic party, the Nation and Indiana have reason z) regret Mr. Taggart's o 2 A comprehensive statement in tribute comes from the Asheville Times, with the conclusion, “He was one of the ablest and in personality one of the most engaging of a long line of political bosses in both great parties who for many years dictated nominations and raised the sinews of war for national