Evening Star Newspaper, June 12, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. w HINGTON, D. C. ‘WED: AY . June 12, 1920 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Ne per Company 1 .3 “‘é Penns; I?-:ma Ave. . an ) : New York Ofice: 110 East 4ind Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Building. European Office: 14 R!&tnt 8t.. London, Enzlan the City. 452 per month undays) . .. .60c per month and Sundsy Star 73) 65¢ per month i-l...5c per copy end of cach menth. Rate by Carrier Within Rate by Mafl—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, ¥ unday only .. All Other States and Canada. Dafly and Sunday..1 - SR 8 only’ 00: 1 mo., 88¢ 1 mo.: b 1 yr. 3400 1 moll 40c Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of cll rews dls- atches credited to it or not otherwise cre ited in this paper an e local news published herein. All rights™of publication of special dispatches herein also reserved. Apprehensive Motorists. ‘With an innocent motorist and a fisherman joining the tragically grow- ing army of those who have been shot and killed in blundering efforts to en- force the prohibition law the people of this country are regarding with appre- hension the Summer touring and sport season which has just begun. Motor- ists particularly are apprehensive. From their numbers have come most of the victims of the perennial war between the Government and rum runners. They believe, and, from past events, with justification, that they, too, may be mistaken in the dead of night for bootleggers and shot down in cold blood as they pursue their peaceful way to the seashore or the mountains with their families. Motorists have long since abandoned the practice of giving lifts to strangers or stopping on fhe road at night at the command of ununiformed men. They found from dire experience that it did not pay. The stran- ger to whom a lift was given would invariably depart without so much as & “Thank you"—that is, if he did de- part without the owner's car, watch and money, and at such times the mo- torist could not hear his words of ap- preciation. He was stretched out in a ditch, dead or dying. Similarly, mo- torists found that highwaymen devel- oped a surprisingly profitable business by flagging down drivers at night on the réads to rob and assault them. So motorists, for their own protection, keep on moving when driving at night. It is a habit gained from long and bitter experfence. In many cases it is a life- defensive habit. Since prohibition motorists have found to their dismay that while this lesson that they had learned over a long period of years and at a sacrifice of many lives stood them in good stead for bandits it proved their undoing with enforcement officers, who, without uniforms and without discretion, shot them down when they refused to stop. Driver after driver who obeyed the un- written law of motoring, “Do not stop on lonely roads at night save at the commayd of a uniformed man,” and pushed harder on the accelerator when halled by apparent bandits, slumped in their seats, shot by the very men who had sworn to uphold the law and to days are sufficlent proof of the plain fact. Changeable, yes, but therefore pleasing to more persons. Every type of resident finds some days which please him, just as he will encounter some which do not, but it may be asked with assurance: Is there any city in the United States which has a better balance of weather condi~ tions, combined with better facilities for meeting them? Southern resorts which bask in sun- shine in Winter are notoriously ill equipped to cope with sudden drops in temperature, which occur even there, although the official publicity man men- tions the fact but seldom. And there is something monotonous in uninter- rupted fine weather. Changeable weather is one of the city’s great boons, since extremes are always changed for the better accord- 500 | iIng to the needs of the moment. Changeable weather stimulates the mind as perhaps no long stretch of any one brand can. After all, life is com- posed of sunshine and shadow, and weather conditions which mirror the changes of the human mind, heart and | soul more nearly fit in with human na- ture. Washington ~ weather is human weather, the sort of weather men live by, the type of weather which brings out the various faculties of mind and heart, and makes life better. Washing- ton is a clean, healthy city, and the | changeable weather is one of the factors which keep it so. i oo An Empty Victory. The Senate debenture coalition euc- ceeded yesterday in delaying further the passage of the farm-relief bill which has the backing of President Hoover. Doubtless the farmers will be grateful to them, particularly at a time when farm relief is greatly needed. Every day of delay in setting up the machin- ery provided in the farm-relief bill and in providing the $500,000,000 fund for more orderly marketing of the crops is costly to the American farmer. Members of the Democratic and in- surgent Republican groups who voted down the conference report on the farm bill and thereby again tied up this im- portant legislation take refuge in the excuse that the House should vote di- rectly on the debenture plan before they yield and permit the bill to become a law without the debenture. Indecd, some of them announce,that they will step aside and no longer delay the bill after the House shall have taken the vote. Yet there has never been any doubt as to the action of the House on the debenture proposal. Furthermore, even though debenture should be ac- cepted by the House, there is every rea- son to believe that President Hoover would veto the measure if it came to him in that form. The action of the Senate, therefore, can only be con- sidered as postponing the day on which the Hoover administration, under act of Congress, begins work of aidirig the American farmer. President Hoover took cognizance of the Senate action. He issued a state- ment to the country following the vote yesterday in which he set forth clearly the exact situation. He called attention to the fact that the conferees’ bill car- ried out the plans of farm relief advo- cated in the campaign “in every partic- ular.” Subsidies, he said, .were con- demned in the course of the campaign and the so-called debenture plan, which is & subsidy on exports, was not ad- vanced in the campaign by either party nor by its proponents. The Senate will have a hard time protect the lives of law-abiding citizens. It is obvious that some method must be found, and found soon, that will guard innocent motorists against ag- gression and, at the same time, not cripple the Government enforcement program. The first step, it would seem, would be to put every enforcement offi- cer in uniform, a uniform that is easily distinguishable on the highways at night. The Government is spending millions of dollars in enforcing prohibi- tion. It should spend enough more immediately to clothe its men with the dignity of the law. The next step would appear to be to station these uniformed men on the roads where adequate light could be thrown upon them in order that the approaching motorist could observe that they were officers. This could be accomplished either by means of automobile headlights from the offi- cer's car or even flashlights in the hands of the agents. . ‘Then no innocent motorist would fail to stop on command. The guilty mo- torist would convict himself. He would speed up and attempt to get away. In this manner the guilty would be au- tomatically segregated from the inno- ¢ent. The officers could pursue the driver who did not stop and if he loosed & smoke screen on them or re- sisted arrest with gunfire no one would challenge the officers for shooting him in defense of their lives. Few bootleg- gers, however vicious, would simply on sight of a policeman shoot to kill. Rum- running is a much less serious charge than murder. They might, however, at- tempt to avoid capture in a pursuit by gunfire. Then the officers would be thoroughly justified in retaliating in kind, Crime must be combated by every means at the Government's dis- posal, but there can be no argument against the protection of law-abiding citizens. e S ‘The law of averages again asserts itself. Bjg business grows bigger and at the same time many a small business approaches the vanishing point. ‘Washington Weather. ‘There is a kind of fashion among some people in Washington and else- where to speak slightingly of the weather here, as if by some mysterious dispensation of Providence meteoro- logical conditions here were differenet from those prevailling in other sections of the country. As a matter of vold fact the same gentle dew distills from the same heaven upon the same ground beneath, end the National Capital has enjoyed, @oes enjoy and will enjoy many beau- 2ful weeks of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter weather. ‘The memory of no single person is long enough to recall all the rainy days, or the hot spells, or the cool periods, so that it is fashionable with some to de- clare with every recurring weather tend- ency that the prevalling weather is unprecedented. ‘Washington enjoys good weather, and the clear days with cool nights and werm encugh efternoons of the past few justifying its course to the country and ore particularly to the farmers., The agitation for the debenture plan has been here in Washington. It has been fostered by a Democratic leadership in the Senate which has sought to make an issue of debenture in opposition to the Republican administration. It has been fostered by some Republican Sen- ators who were hostile to President Hoover during the presidential cam- palgn and by some who were not hos- tile. Among the last have been Sen- ator Borah of Idaho and Senator Brook- bhart of Towa, both of whom campaigned vigorously for Mr. Hoover. It is incon- ceivable that these two Senators could be actuated in their stand on debenture by any desire to embarrass the Hoover administration. They believe in the efficacy of the plan. They have not been willing to submerge their personal opinions in the interest of responsible action by the party in control of the legislative and executive branches of the Government. They have, by their stand, played into the hands of those who wish either to embarrass the ad- ministration or to prevent action on any farm-relief agitation. The House, in all probability, will now take a/vote again on the farm-re- lef bill and reject the debenture plan. Already leaders of the coalition in the Senate are hailing this as a victory for their position. At best it will be an empty victory for which the American farmers will have had to pay through the delay in the final enactment cf farm legislation. — et There is little expectation in New York that the entire Democratic party will succeed in perfecting as close and re- liable an organization as that of Tam- many. National politics is perhaps a little resented by some of the Demo- cratic stars, who, like eminent artists, would rather remain in the metropolis and not be obliged to go on tour. Private Flying Clubs. The National Aeronautic Association, through a committee of distinguished Americans headed by Edward P. War- ner, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy in charge of aviation, has launch- ed a movement for the establishment of “private flying clubs” throughout the United States. Its chief contributions to the plan consist of lending its name, prestige and organization to an experi- ment which depends, for its success, upon the enthusiasm and ability of private individuals in learning to fly airplanes; in obtaining a grant of $12,- 000 from the Guggenheim Fund to make the plan effective at once, and, through an arrangement with a commereial in- surance firm, to provide group insur- ance for personnel and equipment in the flying clubs organized. In forwarding his check for $10,000, Harry F. Guggenheim, president of the Guggenheim Foundation, writes to Sen- ator Bingham, president of the National Aeronautic Association, that the foster- ing of private flying clubs in the United States is the greatest single work the organization can accomplish. He points but believes the United States can offer greater opportunity than any other country for development. The organization of the clubs, whose membership, it is advised, should be limited to about thirty members, con- sists merely in the purchase of a plane and the raising of a fund, through dues and initiation fee, as a reserve and for operating expense. After the members have engaged a suitable instructor, who would probably be among the founders, they make use of the club plane for learning to fly or for the recreation it affords. ;. ‘The advantages of the formation of a large number of such organizations lie in thus bringing practical aviation home to the civilian population; teach- ing them not only the rudiments of & |yng new science, but making them familiar with the actual manipulation of air- craft. The interesting aspect of the plan is its relative simplicity and ap- peal—the actual establishment of “fiy- ing clubs” for recreational purposes in a country which only recently ceased craning its neck in awesome euriosity whenever it heard the roar of a plane’s motors. This is probably the surest and the quickest way to reach that state of national “air-mindedness” wupon which the development of popular avia- tion depends. Within a few short years the golf links may be deserted in favor of the private flying fleld; the discussion in the locker room will be of tail spins and nose dives Instead of birdie threes and hooked drives. Welcome, Mr. MacDonald! ‘The United States has not yet been officially notified of Premier Mac- Donald’s plans to visit this country, but official occasion has been taken to let it be known that he will be cordially received if he comes. At the White House yesterday it was made known on President Hoover’s behalf that the new chief of the British cabinet will be warmly welcomed both by the Amer- ican Government and the American people. At the Executive pffices it was simul- taneously explained that Gen. Dawes will be arriving in London at the end of this week and be in position to con- fer with the Prime Minister on any arrangements which Mr. MacDonald may have in mind. It can hardly be doubted that Gen. Dawes will land in Britain with formal and fervent assur- ances that a hospitable sojourn awaits the Labor leader in Washington if he decides to honor us with his presence. It is as fascinating a juxtaposition of events as could easily be imagined—this impending initial contact between the new British premier and the new Amer- ican Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Gen. Dawes holds uncommonly strong views on the urgency of an Anglo-American naval understanding. He also takes advanced ground on the possibility of " achieving it, once both governments ave minded to scrap tech- nicalities in favor of common sense. There is ample evidence that Mr. Mac- Donald views the situation through spectacles of the same color. They should have relatively little difficulty in seeing eye to eye and paving the way for the premier’s trip to America, ———— As a subject for political debate the tariff again asserts itself as the old standby with many points to be argued by conflicting interests. Arranging handicaps for horse-racing is an easy matter compared with tariff adjustment. ———— Judge Gary passed from the world, but his influence survives. In the vast commercial enterprises in process of organization the ‘“gentleman’s agree- ment” remains the basic element. ———— In a few communities it has become almost - custom to fire in haste and make inquiry afterward as to what the shooting was about. SHOOTING STARS. BY Pum\nnm_;:usou. Getting Together. ‘We must surely see improvement As we're traveling along. There's a Get-Together movement ‘Which is going very strong. We have heard the acclamation ©Of a universal urge In the general salutation, “Now, Let's Everybody Merge.” It's “The Group” that is commanding ‘Through the world the right of way. And the Trustful understanding Is the order of the day. i3 Mighty waves of competition Are no more supposed to surge. Life asserts a new position: Everybody has to Merge. Looking for the Majority. “Are you not sometimes afraid of saying the wrong thing?” “Not so much as I used to be,” con- fided Senator Sorghum. “Opinion is not standardized and even when you are wrong you may find a large number of people enthusiastically agreeing with you.” Jud Tunkins says for every one man who actually knows how to fix the filvver there are half a dozen willing to stand around and tell you what's wrong. Talent’s Astonishing Abundance. My radio! My radio! A revelation strange you bring. In all this earth I did not know ‘There were so many who could sing! Similarity. “Where are you going this Summer?” “I don't much care,” answered Mr. Chuggins. “Most of the towns have the same kind of tall bulldings, similar col- ors on the gas stations and no difference in street clothes or bathing suits; so that almost every place begins to look like any other place.” “He who can always wear a smile,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is often compelled to prove himself a good actor.” Lady Nicotine in Art. ‘There’s danger in a cigarette. It might not be so bad 1 the smoke you did not get Some bold pictorial ad. “De hard part 'bout a plitical argu- ment,” sald Uncle Eben, “is dat'two people is liable to git mixed up tryin’ to ‘splain something dat never was fully 'splained to either of ‘em.” THIS AND THAT- BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. The crescendo of the rain beat across the roofs of Washington in the night. Its coming had been heralded by flashes of lightning which companied by thunder. e softly warm night held menace in its folds for all sensitive persons afraid of manifestations arising from clouds. By the flaring light of the bolts restless sleepers could see the dark storm masses scudding by over the tops of houses. Glimpses of distant hills, covered with, trees, gave an impression of land in motion, as the great oaks .nodded their heads before the onrushing storm. Then as if a curtain were suddenly drawn over the face of the world all became black again. There could be heard only the curiously insistent com- of the rain, which seemed walking across the city on velvet shoes. Large drops slapped the tin roof, one one, one by one, causing a sort of echo. And above all there was to be heard the rustling of the wind, made by bushes and flowers bending beneath the impact of the air in motion. There is nothing human about such sounds. They come from the heart of Nature, and enter into the hearts of whose ears and minds are attuned to Mear such melodies. Man-made music is calm music, no matter how much the bass may roar and crash, or how high the treble in- struments climb. Let a symphony rock the hall, its miniature storm is soon over. ‘With Nature’s cloud-made music always comes a threat, as if the winds |and the lightning were laukhing to- gether, “We could wreck your old houses, and your old halls, if we wanted | to! We could tear up your great bridges, and make a tangled wreck of your neat city, if we felt like it! Beware! There is no telling what we might not do, if we once got into the mood for it.” * ok ok ok The restless, lying in their soft beds as they listen to the gathering storm, know that what the wind whispers—to those who can hear—is nothing but the truth, 8o help them God. Men who have lain awake through the centuries listening to the crescendo of the rains have become restless over that threat. There is no telling what a storm might do if it got out of hand. ‘Whose hand? ‘There in the night come whisperings of the Great Mystery, visions of the eternal doors, the everlasting gates, the quivering wings of the Almighty, so incessantly loved through the ages, yet as_continuously feared. Loved because needed, feared because unknown. The shadow of storms, the bright light of sun, the gleams of hatred, the peace of happiness—all are mixed in the manifestations of Power which sway the world, sweeping over it in storms, whether at sea or on land. | is In anclent times men feared most, being in awe of natural manifestations. They waited for brave thinkers to arise, such as Lucretius, who told them that thunder and lightning were not caused by Jove, angry like a child, but by processes of Nature which were or- dained otherwise. = A man had to be brave 2000 years ago to stand firm in the face of the everlasting uproar and say to self and others, “All this is the result of natural forces.” We of today do not believe the Lord is angry with us when the natural interplay of temperatures and pres- sures brings a thunderstorm to any glven area. We know that the air has weight, that “lows” sliding down under WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC President Hoover is getting his first real taste of what it means not to be the absolute boss of a show. Both his civilian and official careers hitherto have been of a kind which permitted him to give orders and have them obeyed unquestioningly. It was not for his ‘subordinates to reason why; it was but theirs to do and die. It was like that on all Hoover's big engineering jobs throughout the world and during his war-time activities as reliever of Belgium, To a lesser extent the same conditions prevailed during the Hoover food administration at Washington and while he was Secretary of Commerce. But never till now, with an insubordi- nate Senate on his hands, has the President realized what the checks-and- balances system of the American Con- stitution means. At the present witch- ing hour, Mr. Hoover is doing the bal- ancing and the Senate is doing the checking. * K K K Probably the Mediterranean fruit fly in its deadliest plans never dreamed of its ability to kill the farm debenture plan along with the Florida fruit crop. Yet that's nearly what happened on Capitol Hill yesterday when the roll was called on’the adoption of the con- ferees' report. In other words, the two switched votes of the Democratic Senators from Florida—Trammell and Fletcher—came within an ace of swing- ing the result against the debenture. Thereby hangs the tale of the fly. The administration for a month past has had dinned into its ear the terrible plight facing Florida in consequence of the ruin the Mediterranean bug has spread throughout the State’s orchards. en the log began to roll at Washing- ton. A Republican national commit- teeman (so the story goes) was told off to secure the passage by the Florida Legislature of a resolution directing Senator= Trammell and Fletcher to vote against the debenture. Thereupon Fl was granted an_appropriation of $4,250,000 to fight the fly, with prom- ise of greater aid if needed. On June 11 the Alligator commonwealth's brace of Senators underwent a right-about- face on debenture, deserted their party and backed the President. * kK K ‘Between the lines of the current ruc- tion in which House and Senate are en- tangled may be read the story of the Senate's determination not to let the Lower Branch become cock of the con- gressional walk. For a long time it's been getting sorely on the nerves of Senators to hear the House eulogized as the one constructive, capably led and truly enlightened half of the Na- tional Legislature. Talk of that sort has been particularly rife during the pending unpleasantness on the Hill. It was intensified by the House contention that the Senate, in tacking the de- benture amendment onto the farm bill, was stepping on the House's constitu- tional toes. That was a little too much for the august body which looks upon itself @s the guardian-in-chief of our Magna Charta, so it was decided to put the upstarts in the other wing of the Capitol in their place. Hence the crow- eating performance through which Speaker Longworth’s little playmates are about to go in the form of a de- benture vote. An idea of the sort of thing rankling in the Senate’s bosom is conveyed by this observation of Sen- ator Robinson, Democratic minority leader: “No individual or group of in- dividuals styling themselves ‘leaders’ has any right to assert arbitrarily that before the House shall vote upon a question, important legislation must be sacrificed.” * kK K To Senator Frederick H. Gillett, Re- publican, of Massachusetts, is attributed the merriest wisecrack of the more cr less blithe political season in Washing- ton. “The Republican party,” the sen- for solon from the Bay State is credited “consists now- adays of two cal and the.disappointed.” * ok ok ok One of the Capital's wisest women, famed for her isms, has an_ex- planation of Sir Esme Howard's deci- sion not to apply for any more permits to import liquor for the British em- . Her diagnosis is that, as he is Washington next February, the lit the dark, unac- | “highs,” and the other way around, will bring storms in their season. ‘Waking in the night without s-per- | natural fear, nevertheless, we are over- | whelmed with apprehension at what | these natural forces may do to us in | our little houses covered with tin, made |of brick or wood and other materials | | which, after all, would offer little re-, sistance to a determined cyclone. > W The storm builds itself up carefully, almost as if some director sat in the wings formed by the hills of the city and waved his hand for the increase he desired. Following upon those first big drops which played their solemn tattoo upon the roof, the rush of the wind grew louder little by little, until it became big, and the sound of the rain grew noisier and noiser, until it came sweep- ing up to the very place the listener lay. The conglomeration of sounds seemed | to rush in from everywhere with a sort of galloping noise, steadily closer and closer, yet without any particular hurry, | as if quite convinced of their uwnl | worth, in no need whatever of impress- ing any one. Nature is the supreme master of cause and effect. Her processes are worthy because usually they do good— | ::; good, which may or may not be She never sows a seed but what she expects a birt and never sends the | rain but what® may do some good to | struggling plants gasping in the dust. On the other hand, as Emerson pointed | out, she had as lief drown a saint as a | tiger. At times she seems a merciless | thing of brutal causes and no less ter- rifving effects, the one resulting from the other, but each needless, except, in | her inscrutable designs, without pattern | or plan or intent. Tonight the rain falls like a bene- diction upon the grounds beneath, earth parched for days by an :?en- sonable drought. Those who love-their gardens rejoice, because the grass and the flowers and the vegetables are re- Joicing in their dumb, vegetative way. Those queer creakings in the wind must be the voices of the flowers and the shrubs as they drink in the falling water. Those shrill squeakings, easily heard through the roar of the storm, surely they are nothing less than the voice of the grass, each thirsty root and blade purring like so many cats in: m;‘ l:lgl';ll, | the dull of spirit turn over in their beds and go to sleep again, curs. | ing the prospects of a wet day to spoil some outing tomorrow; the gardener will lie there quietly, imagining him- self to be a plant and to be thrilling from root to leaf beneath the down- pour, Pain and pleasure seem to be locked up by Nature in all created things. It not possible to declare knowingly that the plants do not actually enjoy the rain, any more than it is to say positively that ants and bees do not think. Some of the latest researches tend fo show that they do, and maybe we shall find out ultimately that the vegetable kingdom enjoys itself in its lowly wav. ‘The gardener lies quietly, picturing that fo of his plfl,ngs lnx &e hllgg benefit which they are receiving from the tremendous sluicing which they are undergoing. The grass which was burning up is getting greener already. The petunias, already in bloom, are flattened to the ground, but they will straighten up again, their whole beings filled with fresh moisture, in which they live and have their very being. WILLIAM WILE Ambassador dproblbly has inventoried his cellar and found that “he's got all he needs.” Meantime thirsty Washington soclety is observing, with some relief, that Sir Esme Howard has not pro- claimed his intention of making his embassy dry. He has merely announced that he will not bring any more liquor into the country. * o e Not much attention was attracted hereabouts by the commencement ad- dress which Col. William J. Donovan, former assistant to the Attorney Gen- eral of the United States, delivered the other day at Notre Dame. There was one passage which may, or may not, have a bearing on certain events in which “Wild Bill” latterly figured, to wit: “To men of that faith (the Roman Catholic) which this college teaches there is today particular need of that quality of courage which is guided by intelligence and directed by honor—a courage that can be patient. You will be subjected to attacks and attempted discrimination by certain narrow and ignorant groups, but you men, with the training that you have had here, can- not surrender tg bigotry. You cannot yourselves be guilty of that which you condemn in others.” * K Kk K Japan has apparently taken > zance of the !nctptha! lgu Qul.kefig‘:‘r’e now in power at Washington. At least the Tokio government has dispatched Japan’s most eminent Quaker, Mr. Setsu Sawada, to its most important com- mercial post in the United States, that of consul general at New York. Mr. Sawada, up to last year, was counselor of the Japanese embassy in Washington, He became a convert to the Friends’ faith while a youth in Japan. Mme. Sawada as a child was converted to mlsnn& Cltlhollc}u‘n. a #n Sawada en- e close friendship of Emperor Hirohito, having accompanied pefl'le monarch, when the latter was Crown Prince, on his famous trip around the world. * ok ok ok It is the opinion of close-range ob- servers at this week's corner stone lay- ing of the new Department of Com- merce that as a mason Herbert Hoover is a first-class engineer. When the President was handed that trowel and mallet, with which well and truly to lay the stone, he evinced manifest un- famillarity with the tools. A workman had to be drafted into emergency serv- ice to show Mr. Hoover how to wield them, which he. thereupon, proceeded to do with dexterity. Cameramen who snapped President Coolidge in the act of laying the National Press Build- ing corner stone in 1927 recall that Cal” smeared the mortar like a pro- fessional. The Commerce Building cor- ner stone contains the first complete collection of the new United States paper money, specially contributed for the purpose by Secretary Mellon, (Copyright, 1929.) Advocates Repeal Of Useless Laws From the Chicago Daily News. In the various States the Legislatures now closing up their sessions and ad- journing have enacted many statutes, but it 1s safe to say that few old and useless or even harmful laws have been repealed by them. ler, for exam- ple, the disgraceful conduct of the Illi- nois Legislature, which is about to ad- journ after having refused pointedly to repeal either the Small immunity law or the Crowe law prohibiting the nam- ing of special prosecutors i times of manifest need. Gov. Byrd of Virginia, one of the able, vigorous and independent State execu- tives, has made the pertinent suggestion that the Legislature of every Common- wealth in the Union be called together in special session for the sole purpose, expressly stated in the call, of over- hauling the statute books and repealing 'w that has outlasted the condi- tions which dictated its enactment or that ought to be wiped out for any other reason. mmt the.r:ms'r:' many such obocne!f-.nr jurious sf everybody recognizes. T;:lt it is difficult to get rid of them at an ordinary session is equally well known. The experiment executls the Virginia "kw Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln. ‘The President and the Senate have lfilllt 'vehemently over the farm relief bill. An appreciable number of his own party in the Senate have refused to play ball and have combined with the Democrats in support of debenture and in opposition to the President. Unless all signs fail, the President is going to win in the end his fight for the admin- istration farm bill. To that extent the row in the Senate will increase the President’s prestige in the country and lower that of the Senate. The serious- ness of the situation, however, arises because of the fact that, having once been lead into a coalition against the administration, these Republican Sen- ators, some 14 in number, may be found lined up against the President on other measures which come before the Senate for consideration, The first step off the reservation is usually the hardest. * kK * Mr. Hoover in a statement issued last night after the Senate turned down the conference report on the farm bill did not mince words in criticizing the Senate. There was no vituperation in his statement such as has been directed at the President by supporters of the debenture in the Senate. But it was straight to the point. He charged the Senate with delaying farm relief legis- lation needed by the American farmer and with interjecting into the discus- sion of the farm bill the so-called de- benture clause which he said was not discussed at all during the campaign, The appeal made by the President is to the country, over the heads of the members of the Senate. It has been known to some of the Republican lead- rs that the President was prepared to g0 to the country on the farm relief i1ssue, and it is quite clear from his statement that he will not hesitate to do 50 if the matter is longer delayed. From a political point of view, the delay caused by the Senate in putting through the administration farm pro- ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS The resources of our free informa-, tion bureau are at your service. You are invited to call upon it as often as| you please. It is being maintainci}| solely to serve you. What question can | we answer for you? There is no charge | at all except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Address your letter | to The Evening Star Information Bu-| reau, Frederick J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. | Q. Has Fred Stone retired from the stage permanently- on account of his airplane accident?—B. L. | A. A new play has been selected for Mr. Stone and his daughter, Dorothy, with the expectation that he will be able to open in it early in November. Q. Is Columbia University a sec- tarian school? Who keeps it up?— G. M. N. A. Columbia University is non-sec- tarian and is privately controlled. It is maintained by proceeds from an en- dowment fund exceeding $15,000,000, by tuitions, fees and occasional gifts for parsular objects. Q. How are our talkies prepared for release abroad?—F. H. A. In Paris one of the principal mo- tion picture theaters has been showing an American sound picture for two months. The songs are in English, but the titles in the picture have been changed to French. The same film is being shown in a half dozen theaters in Italy, and will soon be shown in Ber- lin. England has about a dozen Amer- ican-made talkies, which are playing to tremendous cro tures are being remade for the foreign trade by eliminating dialogue and in-| il!nducmc titles in foreign languages, but keeping the songs in English. Q. Of whom did Nathan Hale’s fam- lrlyveorém at the time of his death?— fnm is not likely to enhance the ?o- itical prestige of members from the farm States. The man in the street or on the farm is more likely to figure on results than on h{hpothadul argu- ments, judging from the political his- tory of the past. Republican Senators from the Northwest and from the Middle ‘West say they have had very few com- munications regarding the debenture clause, indicating in their minds that farmers are not worked up over that issue at all. R Opponents of the administration are taking satisfaction over the break which has come between Mr. Hoover and a wing of the Republicans in the Senaic. They foresee greater trouble for him in the future. They shake their heads fore- bodingly over the tariff bill and other measures that are to come. The House, with its overwhelming Republican ma- jority, has stuck close to its party al- legiance and promises to continue to do so, although that body, too, has gone considerably beyond the “limited re- vision” of the tariff advocated by the President. It is pretty early in the ad- ministration to say with certainty how the President and the Congress will stand and how successful the President will be in obtaining the fultiliment of the campaign pledges througa legisla~ tive action. But within a faort time the administration farm rellef bill is likely to become a law—unless the coalition leaders determine that even if the House turns down debenture di- rectly, they will continue to hold up that measure. It is doubtful, however, that these coalition leaders will be able to hold their forces in line in such event. e S ‘The Democrats have staged a get-to- gether dinner six months after their de- feat in the national elections, due in part to a disastrous split in the ranks. The dinner, which was given in honor of Jouett Shouse, the newly appointed chairman of the Democratic executive committee and in charge of the national headquarters here in Washington, was more successful than even its originators hoped it would be. There was a spirit of restraint mani- fested in the speeches which promises greater party solidarity and bodes no particular good for the Republicans. Apparently the Democrats have de- termined to bend their energies toward more comprehensive organization and less toward personal political animosi- ties. If they carry out such a program, they are likely to meet with consider- ably more success than they have in the last decade. “What's in a name?” Senator Over- man, veteran statesman from North Carolina and courtly Southern gen- tleman, caused no little .merriment at the Democratic dinner when in the midst of a complimentary allusion to the guest of honor he failed to re- member the first name of the chair- man of the executive committee — Jouett. “Jouett” is an unusual name, it is true, but it is likely to be better known to the Democrats of the coun- try in the near future than it has been in the past, although Mr. Shouse has played a prominent part in politics for a number of years and served first as a member of Congress from Kansas and then as Assistant-Secretary of the ‘Treasury in the Wilson administration. * ok ok % ‘The Democrats are about to get out of debt—which it must be admitted is unusual for the party, due to the man- ner in which it has been run in the past. But the present management is not only planning to wipe out the def- icit coming over from the last cam- paign, but also to set up a war fund of $250,000 to be used in carrying on national organization during the next two or three years. They have pre- vailed upon Charles Michelson, veteran Washington correspondent of the New York World and one of the most wideiy known newspaper men in the country, to take charge of their publicity divi- sion. The indications are that the Democrats are looking to the future with more hope than they have had for some years. * Ok ok % Next Monday the fifth Minnesota congressional district will elect a suc- cessor to Representative Walter Newton, who is resigning to fill one of the secretarial offices at the White House. The primary, held only two days ago, nominated Lieut. Gov. W. I. Nolan on the Republican ticket, Einar Hoidale, an attorney, on the Democratic ticket, and Ernest Lundeen, former member of Congress, on the Farmer-Labor ticket. Lundeen was elected to the House in 1916 as a Republican, but was succeeded two years later by Mr. Newton. The race for the Republican nomination was very close, with three candidates in the fleld. Arch Coleman, former post- master of Minneapolis, was regarded as the Newton candidate. The returns in- dicate he lost to the lieutenant governor by a scant 182 votes. The fifth district is usually strongly Republican. Newton carried it by some 48,000 votes the last time hé ran, but that vote is far in excess of the normal ~Republican strength in the district, it is sald. How much bitterness has grown out of the rimary contest remains to be seen. But Republicans .confidently expect to carry the district on election day. * ok ok % ‘The only remaining congressional by- election to be held to fill a vacancy is in the third Louisiana district. The seat of the late Representative Martin, Democrat, is to be contested for. There is strong sentiment in the district for the protective and Mr. Martin always voted for the protective tariff bills. The Republicans have nominated Mayor Norman of Morgantown. The Democrats should carry the district, it is said, although the Democratic can- didate must stand for a protective tariff if he is to win, A repeal session would focus the atten- tion of the whole State upon the nega- tive task of clearing and mnnu;fi; out & deplorable mess of statuto: biguities, inconsist and rascalities. Gov. Byrd should set an example to his fellow governors by calling a session of the Virginia Legislature for the bene- ficial purpose in question., A. Nathan Hale’s immediate family consisted of his father, mother and sis- ter. He was engaged at the time of his death. Farewell letters addressed to his mother, sister and flancee were de- stroyed before his eyes. He was the son of Deacon Richard and Elizabeth Story Hale. ® Q. What word ends with the vowels “oela’ F. A. The word “pharmacopoeia” ends thus. Q. How does Lake Okeechobee rank in size among fresh-water lakes in the United States?—W. A. 8. A. The Geological Survey says that the area of Lake Okeechobee es from 710 to 730 square miles, and also that it is the second largest fresh-water lake in the United States. The largest entirely in the United States is Lake Michigan. Lake Pontchartrain is third in size in the United States. Don’t Bother Me”?—C. G. A. This was the popular nonsense song of the Civil War. It was revived many years later in “Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines,” Ethel Barrymore’s first play. Sqfi How did superstition begin?— * The word “superstition” is de- rived from the Latin “superstitio,” ex- cessive religious belief, possibly origi- nally a standing over a thing in amaze- ment or awe; from “superstare,” to stand above or over. Superstition is closely allied with the so-called ethnological phenomena known as survivals. Among the ancient peoples—as, for instance, the Assyrians—it was part of the offi- | clal state religion to prophesy concern- ing the future from the flight of birds, the nature of dreams and similar oc~ currences, and where such customs and Q. How_ old is the WnlN“shoo, Fly, | In BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. oe :nmf‘d — ‘l.pcrulwmh\flueoun' perhaps the mos - try districts is the belief in ghosts and in the influence of the moon. In parts of Europe the effects of the “evil eye” are still feared, while in the United States the horseshoe, caul. four-leaf clover, etc, are still regarded as em- blems of good luc Q. Has England ever had a bache- lor_king who rgmained unmarried?— A.W. B. A. There have been three Kings of England who have been unmarried— William II, 1087, was a bachelor when he ascended the throne, and remained so; Edward V died at the age of 13 years; Edward VI died before reaching his majority. Q. Why are Mexican bonds quoted 80 cheap?—W. H. W. A. These bonds are quoted in dollars except where otherwise indicated. (Note is made of one issue on the New York Stock Exchange which is quoted in sterling.) ¢sotations on these bonds, as on all other securities, represent, pre- sumably, the public’s estimate of the value of such securities, since the quo- tations are the result of offers to buy and sell the same. Among particular facts which may have influenced the public in its opinion as to the value of Mexican government bords should be mentioned the fact that most of the interest due on these bonds has been in default for a umber of years. Also the country has been experiencing dur- ing the last decade or more several in- ternal disturbances, the latest of which Other sound pic- |15 at present in progress. Such facts as_these usually have the tendency to influence public opinion on the value of such government’s securities in an ad- verse manner. Q. How much larger is the Pacific than the Atlantic Ocean?—A. 8. A. The Atlantic Ocean covers 41, 321,000 square miles; ic Ocean, 68,634,000 square miles. Q. What stones are used in the Lin- coln Memorial at Washington, D. C.?— B. L. A. The building is constructed of ma; ‘t,emne, limestone, brick and concrete, Q. Why is soy bean culture growing angw in the United States?— A. The soy bean was introduced into this country from China, and has proved a great boon to the Western farmer, since by planting it in the Spring for Summer harvest it conditions his fleld for the Winter wheat plant . It restores™to the soil elements whic are taken out by wheat, thus saving the farmer the expense of the | pe; the protein found in wheat flour, and the same proportion cutting down the starch element, and for this reason it is recommended for the diet of per- sons suffering with diabetes and similar ailments. Q. Why did Pohick Church have distinction?—S. 8. A. = A. This was the parish church of Mount Vernon. the most eolony. It was sald to have guished vestry in the ©. Who was Duluth?—D. K. T. A. Greysolon du Lhut (Du- luth) was a distinguished explorer, a cousin of Tonty. On July 2, 1679, this “forest wanderer,” as he was called, planted the French arms and took for- mal possession of territory in North America in the name of France. Q. Name two painters each of whom was a “seventh child.”"—F. T. P. A. Reynolds and Anthony Van Dyck the correlated beliefs persist they may were the seventh in their familles, Lindbergh and his bride, in honeymoon seclusion, have had the eongratulations and good wishes of all the world. In the simplicity of their wedding and their successful escape from the eyes of the curious, new evi- dence is found of the long-accepted fact that the colonel indeed is a remarkable young man. “The whole civilized world joins most sincerely and heartily in wishing joy to this wholesome young couple. Col. Lindbergh and Miss Morrow have been ideal lovers,” commented the Pasadena Star-News when the announcement of the marriage was made. “The country loves them both and wishes them every happiness that life can bring,” says the Duluth Herald. ‘The expression of the St. Louis Tim is happily phrased, y we, as is customary, join the entire world in felicitating the bride and groc 1.” The Kansas City Star says “the blessings of multitudes attend the fiyer and his bride,” and the Trenton Evening Times adds: “It is no ordinary interest which the world is showing in this Lindbergh- Morrow romance; * * * it is the interest which invariably attaches to individuals who are universally loved, respeoted and admired.” And the respect and,admiration seem to have been heightened by -the good taste and simplicity of the wedding of the two young people. “The smooth- ness -pu: which the affair, from mar- riage license to the bridal couple's de- parture, was managed has all the ear- marks of the cool and self-possessed Lindbergh technique” is the conclusion of the Minneapolis Star. “There was no pomp and no display, but there was simplicity and earnestness and devo- tion, a quiet home wedding of a fine young American couple,” comments the Elmira Star-Gazette. * ok k% “The simplicity and quiet of the wedding, in contrast to what might have been had the insatiable demon of publicity and ostentation triumphed, charms a whole Nation. It may mean the indefinite extension of a marvelous popularity,” declares the Springfield Republican. ‘The picking of the bride’s bouquet by Lindy himself from the Morrow gardens touched a romantic spot in the hearts of his fellow countrymen, and the Jer- sey City Journal alludes to it, saying, “Even the bride’s bouquet ecame from the gardens, being picked by the bride- groom a few minutes before the cere- mony.” The Nashville Banner remarks, “The flowers that the bride carried, in- stead of being the costly orchids of fashion, were the blue larkspur and White columbine, gathered in the gar- den of her home.” As to the wedding in its entire details, the Providence Journal observes: “This is a lesson that it is timely to preach—that sim- plicity has within itself all we need to know of charm and loveliness, Much | obliged, Charles and Anne!” As fo their equally quiet departure from the Morrow home, the Santa Bar- bara Daily News says: “Most Ameri- cans_will rejoice that Col. Lindbergh and his bride have been able to outwit the pursuing cameramen and news- paper reporters and find a place where they can spend their honeymoon in peace and quiet without continually lodging photographers.” In saying “for one, this newspaper is glad that Col. Lindbergh and his bride succeeded in giving the reporters the slip,” the Roanoke Times voices an opinion widely “This was better than a flight—it was a scoop,” says the Savannah Press, and the 8 ne Spokesman-Review credits the dbe with having gotten away with what “is one of the hardest tricks in the social " A8 ‘Texarkana Gazette phrases it, “the Lone Eagle has again demonstrated that he is & most unusual young man.” In the opinion of the Green Bay Press- Gazette, “Col. Lindbergh’s fame grows with this achievement. Any'man with his arm who can march All World Heartily Applauds Lindbergh’s Quiet Honeymoon himself away is away the Congres. sional Medal plus an asso; o Pl rtment of cups of escape, without giving ‘worthy * ok ok % Much of the comment iricludes advice to cease persecuting the Nation's hero, ‘Our pathi Star-Telegram. The Raleigh News and Observer is glad the w“pkla outwitted those “who have hounded them for the purpose of satisfying the curiosity of sensation-hungry ~ readers of news- e Musk urges, . The egon Chronicle ‘Again we voice the plea we made & year ago on behalf of young Lindbergh —Ilet him alone!” The Scranton Times expresses its hope that “the newspaper fraternity will be considerate of Col. Lindbergh and his bride” and the Huntington Advertiser, s) constant thing and denied Him prh he was entitled. Much in disgustingly bad taste.” ) 'Rule Against Touching Corpse Retarded Medics BY E. E. FREE, Ph. D. How the superstitious dogma that no cleanly human being dare touch s corpse stifled for many centuries the re- covery of scientific medicine after the times of the Greeks was explained by P. Johnston-Saint of the Wellcome Fifteen centuries , Mr, Saint said, there l.r.gge in markable grou rhyslclnns. T lation of the blood: they practiced .l cination_against smalipox; they wess skillful brain surgeons; it is probable that they had some idea of the ’:m nature of infectious diseases. Limbs were amputated successfully and re. placed by artificial legs or arms. New ears, noses or other parts of the face were reconstructed by flaps of tissue from other parts of the body, an art recovered by modern plastic surgeons only within the last generation. Many modern drugs were first discovered and used, the lecturer stated, by these ancient Indian doctors. What ruined the - fession and stopped an advance which might have given modern sanitation the world at least 10 centuries earlier than its actual date was the mulga- tion of the ceremonial rule forbi contact with a dead body. The educat Indian was taught that he was defiled by such contact and medical science came to an end. > -se s Thank Mr. Whalen. From the Syracuse Herald. The ruling of Police Commissioner mm 'ol N’env:a York v.hn’t pollifisemm st not go speakeasies will only increase the profits of the places, Church Parking Easiest. From the Toledo Blade. It's easier to find a rking place close to a chiirch on Sunday than' & discover one néar a ball park. gt LIO0 ghly c discovered the circu- . Some Advaritages at Least. From_ the Akron Beacon Journal. A heathen country is one in ‘which the | the pay roll can be transported without an armored car. Both Very Apparent. Prom the Louisville Times. Next to a patch In an asphalt street, a bride on strajght through an army of news- paper and camera sleuths, picketing - A. nothing can be as plai it as a aem'um has bee: hnmmem!’ "r&'fi'fin of an. fendar. i