Evening Star Newspaper, October 2, 1929, Page 8

8 {THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C WEDNESDAY....October 2, 1929 THEODORE W. NOYEE....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 11 e, "ARd Fennivivants Ave | gl Jok B, R sl Elrovean Oflé':n.i Regent 8. Londen, n e City. ‘Der month 60¢ per month 85¢ per month 80 per copY each month. or telephone The Sunday Star ..........0 Collection made at'the end of ©Orders may be sent in by mal NAtional 6000. 7 Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and V|l'l’gll|ll- 1 mo., Boc 1 mo.. 40c Daily only . Sunday only . Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all Tews dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cred- fled in this paper and also the local rews published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are aiso resorved. —_—— No Occasion for Haste. An unfortunate disposition prevails just at present to go to extremes of criticism and denouncement of District officials in consequence of the strange complexity that is known as the Mc- Pherson case. Members of Congress, who are rightfully interested in the maintenance of good government in the District, of which they are the legisla- tive guardians, are hastening to demand changes in personnel, and even changes in the form of government at the Cap-| ital. Others are scoring police officiais, demanding dismissal of the superin- tendent. And yet the case itself is by no means in a state which warrants any specific conclusions as to responsi- bility for whatever lapses of judgment or mistakes of action may have oc- curred. The case itself is somewhat compli- cated, and yet it reduces to a simple formula of statement. A woman died in mysterious circumstances. A coroner’s inquest was held, and, after a hasty and evidently incomplete inquiry, a verdict of suicide was returned. A member of the police force, a young man who suf- fers from no inferiority complex, but on the contrary is animated by a vigorous spirit of confidence, challenged the ver- dict. By his persistent agitation he caused the reference of the case to the grand jury, which, after what appears to have been an exhaustive examina- tion, returned an indictment charging the husband of the dead woman with her murder. It went further and in a special report of unusual severity charged the police officials with laxity of inquiry and action and recommended the suspension of those immediately re- sponsible for the investigation into the alleged crime. Thereupon the superin- tendent of police transferred to other posts two members of the force in charge of detective work, those most definitely involved in the grand jury's report. There is plenty of time in which to study the circumstances of this boggle of happenings. Justice will be adminis- tered. There will be a trial of the mur- der charge—a speedy one, it is to be hoped—and that trial will throw light upon the question of official blunders, if any have been committed. It must be remembered that there are two questions to be answered. One is whether the accused man killed his wife. The other is whether District police officers were negligent or incom- petent or unfair in their discharge of duty. The second question is being considered by a special committee of District officials, named for that purpose. Now is the time for calmness of utterance and judgment. If a blunder was made in the original inquiry, it was quickly corrected. If in the haste of the second investigation and the stress of ill feeling a mistake was made in ac- cusation, the trial of the accused will correct it. Meanwhile there is no warzant for agitation, for “charges” or . for the drafting of amendments to the organic law of the District government. The President of the United States, who is quite famillar with District . affairs, is capable of insuring compe- tent administration. ——ee Graciousness toward newspaper men is a consistent attitude on the part of Ramsay MacDonald. A man who can meet publicity frankly finds it his great- est asset. oo A German “rocket plane” flew a mile @nd a quarter and then wrecked. At that, it was more of a success than the first of the airplanes that floundered into the Potomac. o As New York politicians undérstand the situation the tax assessor wields more power than the most accomplished campaign orator. c————— —— The Lobby Investigation. As the shades of night were falling over Capitol Hill yesterday the United States Senate embarked upon a venture that will lead it down a long, long trail before the journey’s end. It adopted without & roll call the Caraway reso- lution to investigate lobbying in Con- gress. The Arkansan's proposal dates ‘back to last Winter. It was supposed to have gone the way of many a resolu- tion and been forgotten, but the Shearer paval propaganda inquiry, with its revelations of a merchant marine lobby, and concurrent talk of the “tariff lobby” galvanized the Caraway project into life. The investigation it now authorizes 1s assigned to the Senate judiciary com- mittee, of which the veteran and vigor- oous Senator Norris of Nebraska is chair- man. The caliber of the Republican Progressive’s committee colleagues is such that any probe it tackles is bound to be ably prosecuted. Its Republican membership includes Senator Borah of Idsho. Among the Democrats is Sena- tor Walsh of Montana, who proved his " investigatory mettle in the Teapot Dome affair. If lobbying in Washington is at length to be tackled, hammer and tongs, the men to wield them are assuredly of the type to which the job has been intrusted. ‘The institution of the lobby—‘propa- ganda,” is merely its modernistic name— is as old as the Republic itself. In- herently, and conducted within limits, the lobby is not & wholly illegitimate concomitant of a democratic govern- ment. In Wisconsin, fountainhead of T | La Follette's blessings, the Legislature at Madison a few years ago enacted a lobby law, fixing the status and regular- izing the practices of professional lobbyists. Under the Bill of Rights, the people have the “right to petition the Govern- ment for a& recress of grievances.” Every lobbyist or propagandist who has exercised his wits or spent his money in Washington could undoubt- edly produce an alibi in support of the contention that he was within the in- alienable privilege of Article I of the ten original amendments to the Con- stitution—viz,, that he was bent upon redressing a grievance. A grievance can be made to cover a multitude of dins. A shipbuilding in- dustry, to cite a current example, might N hold that the din it made in Washing- ton on behalf of the Jones-White mer- chant marine bill was sent up on be- half of a situation—the condition of American shipping—which was a griev- ance that cried to high Heaven for redress. Agriculture, plainly enough, has a grievance. The highly organized campaign it has waged on Sapitol Hill —and at the White House—for the past six years had solely as its objective the redressing of the farmers’ grievance. Industry is asking for higher tariffs in order that its particular grievance may be redressed. Like agriculture, industry has lobbied and propagandized. No harm, possibly some good, may come out of the Senate's investigation of one of Washington's historic insti- tutions. That is problematical. What is in no wise uncertain is that the Sen- ate has nosed its way into a path that is almost endless and one with ramifi- cations illimitable. HEEEEeE Charles J. Bell. A resident of Washington for nearly fifty years, and active in participation in its business affairs throughou¢ghat period, Charles J. Bell was one ‘W& the Capital's most valuable and highly esteemed citizens. He came here as & young man to make his home at the seat of government, being interested in the development of the telephone, which was given its initial practical demon- strations and put to its first real serv- ice here. From then on to virtually the end of his life, which closed yes- terday to the deep sorrow of the com- munity, Mr. Bell was one of the most active members of the business organ- ization of the Capital. In the course of the many years of his local residence, Mr. Bell touched virtually all the lines of civic develop- ment. He was thorough in his partici- pation in whatever cause or interest with which he was associated. He ac- quainted himself with the fundamental principles of each movement and enter- prise in which he engaged. With ex- ceptionally clear vision he perceived the merits of worthy works, and many a local undertaking for the betterment of social conditions in Washington has succeeded in large part through his active participation, his always generous financial assistance and his sagacity and skill of administration. As the years passed and he became less definitely concentrated upon the conduct of the business matters which were his direct and immediate con- cern, Mr. Bell entered more fully into the community services, for the ad- vancement of which he was so well qualified. His individual acquaintance widened and his eminently superior personal qualities became more fully and widely recognized. General grief was felt when a few months ago ill health compelled him to suspend many of his activities. It was, however, hoped that he would regain his strength and be restored to duty, as it were, in com- munity work. But the contrary oc- curred. Death came yesterday after a long struggle, and today Washington mourns the passing of its gpod friend, its steadfast servant, its loyal citizen. 'To his bereaved family are extended the condolences of understanding sorrow. —ee A “flexible tariff” cannot fail to re- call the much derided and afterward respected declaration of Winfleld Scott Hancock, “the tariff is a local issue.” The tariff must concern not only many men of many minds, but of many in- terests. —_———e— Russia raises the suspiclon that it has more “Communism” than it knows what to do with and must seek a foreign market. r—on—s It is wisely decided to subordinate the question of “How do we banquet?” to “What do we think?” = — Ol is so powerful that it can exert authority from a jail as well as from & handsome suite of offices. Skyscraping. Plans were filed yesterday in New York City for the erection of a proposed building in the financial district to house a recently effected combination of banks. It is to comprise seventy-one stories and to rise 925 feet above the street. It will be the highest structure in New York, if built according to plans and if not exceeded by another that is in the initial stage of design and for which a site is in preparation. This is the new Empire Building, to replace the ‘Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. At the head of the company planning this structure is former Gov. Alfred E. Smith. Next to him in the administrative line of the company is John J. Raskob, chairman of the national Democratic committee during the campaign for the election of Mr. Smith to the presidency. Yesterday these two late campaign comrades united in delivering the first strokes in the demolition of the old hotel building. ‘The Empire State, it is understood, will, if built in accord with first plans, rise 1,000 feet above the sidewalk, with eighty stories. What will be the end of this competi- tion in skyscraping? There must be a physical limit, though none seems now to be in sight. New plans advance ovep| old buildings by scores of feet, not by inches. Engineering finds no insuper- able problems in the matter of provid- ing foundations or insuring against dangerous structural stress or vibration. Higher and higher they go, these tow- ers, and the wonder is that they are leaping skyward so swiftly. But there is another question in the matter, of grave importance. What about the congestion of trafic due to the intensifying congestion incident to these immense creations of brick and stone, steel and concrete? With every additional story & heavier burden is placed upon the capacity of the streets lobbying is officially recognized. Underl THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON. D. €., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1929.° THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. to carry the walking crowds and the subways, surface lines and elevated roads to transport them. The New National City-Farmers' Trust Building, with its 925 feet in seventy-one stories, will impose & heavy tax in the financial district. The new Empire State Build- ing, with its thousand feet and eighty stories, will lay a still heavier tax upon the facilittes in the Fifth Avenue dis- trict. Of course, there is a limit, somewhere. But as long as New York continues to grow upward instead of outward that limit will remain just ahead of the | 5! finials of the highest peaks of the latest monstrosities. —————— Society and the Law. ‘The newly formed Institute of Law at Johns Hopkins University is work- ing out a program for “a scientific study of the effects of law on soclety and a means of determining the causes of existing social ills and seeking a more practical adjustment of law and its administration to modern life. A national advisory committee, con- sisting of such men as Justice Plerce Butler, Charles Evans Hughes, George W. Wickersham and Newton D. Baker, has been named to aid in developing this program. The proposed study is urgently needed as a means of re- orienting to each other the law and the people. Law is in constant danger of break- ing loose from its moorings—the funda- mental principles of human society upon which it is founded. Once it has secured its independence of such fundamentals it is likely to become irresponsible. It must be brought back every now and then and secured once again in its proper relation to the other factors of human soclety. ‘The building up of a code of laws is normally an evolutionary process, its progress determined by conflicts and complexes of social forces. The law cannot be a self-contained entity. When it gets free of the forces which were ordained to create it the result is an abnormality, the voice of an irresponsible tyranny. Law, like fire, must be kept the servant and not the master of soclety. Consequently it is highly advisable to check at intervals on the status and progress of the law, that it may be kept in its place among the social sciences. Law can no more violate the fundamentals of sociology and social psychology than medicine can violate the fundamentals of physiology and anatomy—that is, without ac- complishing a great deal of mischief. At times there appears a tendency, especially among lawyers whose edu- cation has been largely confined within the narrow limits of the law itself, to | toy regard it as a self-sufficient entity, and to check proposed new statutes merely against old precedents rather than against the natural laws of human relations. A primary purpose of the study, carried out by men with a broad philosophical background, will be to restore the law to its proper place among the sciences, to change the ar- rogance of the master to the humility of the servant of society. Laws are made for men, not men for laws. The statutes continually must be squared with the realities of human conduct, human desires and human ideals if they are to be expected to function effectively in any society. —_—————— Seasoned diplomats learned to dis- regard questions of social precedence and the liquid menu as matters which are related to the flowers that bloom in the Spring in having nothing to do with the case. —— Washington, D. C., is a big town, now. And every metropolis has its crime mys- teries accompanied by censorious criti- cism of the police. e e A tendency to put every difficulty that arises up to President Hoover for solution implies respectful admiration, but is relentless in demands on a man who is already overworked. R Taste for a beverage that might have been pleasant is liable to be spolled by the rough controversy involved in its transportation. —rte————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Slipping By. Sunrise in the morning And next the twilight sky— ‘There’s Hoping and there's Warning And the days go slipping by! A smile reveals its glory; A sorrow dims the eye. Life tells the same old story As the days go slipping by. Sentimentally Driven. “Didn't you once refer to Standard Oll as an octopus?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “But an octopus is an animal. And I am sentimentally hooked up in one of these ‘be kind to animals’ drives.” Jud Tunkins says he wonders wheth- er the politician who says the farmer | g wants relief doesn’t want relief more than the farmer. Great Invention. An Arctic traveler said, “I know How great inventions swiftly grow— And ’mongst them all, T must agree, An ofl stove would look best to me!” Underworld Chat. It was with a feeling somewhat akin to horror that he caught himself buy- :ns magazines just to look at the pic- ures. | “He, who had scornea such things. buying magazines just to please his eyes! yn wasn't the magazines or their pic- tulr!u which worried him—it was him- ‘The magazines were the usual run, some distinctly highbrow, of the self- called “quality group,” others of more pefln-.r a) o8t 1 them were filled with fine photographs of men and women in the B:pullt“ eye, as the pecullar phrase S 1t. ‘There were all kinds of action pic- tures, glimpses into strange places far and near, photographs of lands never to be seen actually, pictures illustrating stories, and so on. ‘There was no reason for any one to be ashamed of reading such magazines, even the slightest of them, or of look- ing at those photographs. No reasons, alas, except one—him- self! * K ok ok He could recall that time he approved of a joke in one of his favorites. It was years ago. The drawing show- ed a well dressed young man, reproving, with extended arm, a newsboy. “I never read,” the young man was declaring, in his best haughty manner. He had shown it to friends, and had declared that it pictured perfectly & lnrged section of the public of the pres- ent day. ‘They not only did not read, he had said, but they actually took pride in not reading. They were too busy with superficial things to bother with a mental activity which actually demanded a bit of brain work. e And here he was at last, in precisely the same class! The thought had come to him as he looked at the neat pile of magazines on his favorite coffee table. ‘The table usually held anything ex- cept coffee. Notorious is the difficulty of dispos- ing of monthly and weekly magazines in the average household. A weak attempt was made a few years go to house them in magazine racks, but fortunately they are “going out.” ‘The best disposed magazine rack was something of a nuisance. The big books hid the smaller sizes, and the little ones were continually getting ‘in the way of the big ones. ‘The saddest thing about the average magazine is that there is little, if any- thing, to be done with it after one has read it—or looked at the pictures. ‘Ambitious persons sometimes proceed to store them in attics, but when the heirs come along they immediately send them to the Salvation Army, so what's the use? * ok kX He caught himself up sharply. Yes, he had been buying magazines simply to look at the pictures—read the pictures, as some say. Thex;’e is much good reading in pho- aphs. 'he meditative mind can get a great deal out of a good picture. ‘When one passes up all or most of the text, however, he is running into danger, and it is about time that he realized it. Not for the sake of the writers, or the publishers. These gentlemen can take care of themselves very aell. Theirs is not the danger. . After a writer has done his best, he must resign his wares to the gentle read- ers of the world. Whether or not they read him is something else again. A:l for the g:nbllsher;l. th‘e,i' ‘:re astute gentlemen, who gamble wit! ular approval, * ik * ok ok ok The reader, blessed soul, reads for P hen ‘hefinds him en he self looking at pictures only, he is getting, if he'hu not already got, into the state of mind of the child who licks all the icing off zh;v %Ale.h en he comes to himself fashion he will be inclined to do’gn:hol: two things, either to ‘“"h? about it or he may think, than to merely pictures. That way danger lies. * K Kk ok H;Epfly there is another solution. Tl solution involves some thought, the very thing that the man has been shrinking from. Every one has heard the theory that men tend to stop learn- ing anything by a certain age. Not every one, however, has applied the theory to his own life. Often the realization that he bought an expensive magazine and looked only at the pic- tures will be the turning point. The first thing one must do, when he gets to this stage in his progress through the reading world, is to make a lordly determination. ‘This mental gesture is to the effect that he will do more than simply look; he will read, else he has wasted his money. ‘The neat sections of type which are packed around the pictures have a meaning and a purpose, after all. They are there to be read, and read they shall be, even at the cost of solid de- terminaigon. Nexb o courage, there is nothing so satisfying as determination. The brave man knows something only brother souls can know; likewise the deter- mined person has & sense of satisfac- tion which is passed around only among the determined. ¥ * K Kk Now, there are all types of determina- tion, ranging from the heroic resolve of some brave heart in mortal anguish to the easy, comfortable kind of de- termination involved in making up one's mind to do a good deed. When the good deed contemplated is toward one’s self, the determination be- comes peculiarly satisfying, for there is no denying that man is first of all in- terested in himself. ‘This homely incident of the magazine illustrates this very well. He who sud- denly woke up to the fact that he was buying magazines regularly, not to read, but simply to look at the “picturs,” had the opportunity of being good to him. self by making a resolve. Once resolving, he was position where he could do further good hth%lelf :l{ldkeq;m‘ thh’: r‘e,;olve. He not ly we enjoy tographs, but he would read, too. = % He would get him- He would read! position he was in laced in a self back to the years ago, before the inertia of life, with relentless age and time, had threatened him. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Conan Doyle, Phillips nheim and all 'oglher l;\;'rluu otpngfi:::‘;n which mystery, intrigue and cunning figure would find & gold mine of inspiration in the Shearer naval investigation now oc- cupying the Senate stage. Gilbert and Sullivan, too, would turn for envy in their graves if they could but realize the wealth .of tragi-comedy they're missing. It is by long odds the best show Capitol Hill has put on in many a moon. Shearer has been both an actor and a theater manager in his day. He still has all the tricks of the trade. He can turn on pathos, denunciation, com- edy. irony or notice. The alleged boss of the Geneva wrecking crew is as agile as a Tunney | in taking advantage of any opening his | 8:30 senatorial inquisitors give him. Every now and then the audience in the com- mittee room thgeu the impression that he is worrying them. Seventy-five per cent of the throng which jams its way daily {nw the hearings consists of women. 'Tis ever thus when Congress has a sensation. * x % % Rear Admiral J. M. Reeves, U. 8. N., of the General Navy Board, created strong impression with his straight- from-the-shoulder, sailorlike denial of the charge that he went around Geneva in the Summer of 1927 voicing the ho) that the “Coolidge conference” would fail. Reeves is completing his fortieth resentative in the motion picture in- beard | dustry. Her job is to “interpret to the | bill, larly bearing. He spoke his plece like a born orator. It was evident- lxl carefully thought out in advance. It d not contain a superfluous syllable, Reeves did not back water a single inch in declaring that American naval offi- cers demand a Yankee fleet second to none. He made it perfectly plain that they promptly took up and stoutly maintained that position at Geneva. But he argued convincingly that it was farthest from their thought or desire that the effort to arrive at parity with Britain should‘pr:ve abortive, * % The committee room in which the Shearer melodrama holds the boards is the first one off the corridor to the right in the Senate wing of the Capi- tol. It has been the scene of a many other famous co uisitions. Omly two adornments re- ve the room’s otherwise barren as- pect—a flag ?l.uured to one of the walls and a large-sized framed cam- fi‘l'!‘n lithograph of Warren G. Hard- . The picture of the late President is a relic of the time the room was the uarters of the Senate committee ting and the late Senator- Frank illis of Ohio was its chairman. The present chairman of the commitue is bse; not yet out of the woods into stubborn illness banished hlm'meflhuh .l ERCIEOINgS: * % “I understand the police say they are = on your trail.” “It's a long, long trall,” said the Night Club Kid. “What I'm afraid of is that the newspaper reporters will take a short cut to the facts in this latest mystery.” “A generous creditor,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is wise enough to hold the power of friendship instead | Am of inviting an enmity. Biological Progression. In Evolution still we trace Improvement from of yore, And say unto the Human Race, “Let's evolute some more.” “De cold weather comes,” said Uncle | W Eben, “and we finds out, same as i every year, dat religion goes right along, even if dar can’t be no camp meetings.” | ti ———r——————— Censored Scriptures. From the Sprinsfield, Mass., Republican. “m,\nmonn Sunday School Union Janamggmh- et Lv ¥ B 3 Navy tea is Columbus day. While Americans of all classes and creeds commemorate the anniver- sary of the at Christopher's birth, the Knights of Columbus ignify it with special interest. Of course, if the Navy sinks the Vatican gridironers a week from Saturday, when they meet in Baltimore Stadium, it will ly mean that another Roman design on A T ago, whet ey o year_or two ), when Notre Dame in ?fi mud’ at New York, Point coach with Knute Rockne, the famous Irish mentor. _ “Say, 7 the d redoubtable Dane, “you didn’t beat us. Thol‘l_’opawmmnulthummum- . TR There is now bel n & gayly rashingtos gforod 1ittle booin 3 e - ;;t :::lmd “Documents With Refe govt t of the Far Eastern Infc ureau at Nanking. The booklet, which is being distributed the Chinese le- tains the text of Nan- triotism at a second's | Burn! designs on China and on Chinese lead- ers, * ok ok X Meet Washington's brand-newest and most exclusive ~social group— “the Thirty-two Club.” Its nb{ecu have been tersely, though unofficially, described as playing golf in foursomes and dabbling in politics. The organization gets its name from the fact that it is supposed to meet at least 32 times a year—on Sun- day mornings and holidays. The definite purpose of the club is to shoot a fore- noon of ht foursomes. The Club, on the out- tal, is their happy Play, at 2 ., 18 pre by breakfast and lasts till noon. After the 18 holes there's & round table for discussion of the state of the Union. The Thirty- two Club is bipartisan. Its shining lights include C. Bascom Slemp of “the new Republican South”; Judge John Barton Payne, Virginian, Democrat and Red Cross chairman, and Claudius H. Huston of Tennessee, new Republican national chairman. The Burning Tree course has never ratified the nineteenth amendment. Women may not play on it. * k ok X ‘Thomas G. Winter, known ch one of makers of the pictures the feelings and wishes of womanhood in regard to that medium’s development to its highest usefulness.” Mrs. Winter heads a com- mittee of 10 other well known feminist leaders. A resident of &i:mupolu and graduate of Wellesley, . Winter is a past president of the General tion of Women's Clubs. member of the American Advisory Com- mission at the Washington Armament Conference of 1921-22. (Copyright, 1929.) Declares Present Navy Instruction Is Obsolete To the Editor of The Star: Last Sunday morning I went to Ar- lington and saw the Tomb of the Un- known Soldier and the many memo- rials to the heroes of the wars of the Union. In the afternoon I went to An- napolis, and among the splendid build- ings of the Naval Academy I felt strangely depressed. Why did not these great structures move me with pride and' inspiration? s, , 100, are monuments to a dead past! usoleums for ideas that Shiendid young mén ars being educased o) v ignuhmlogwmuemtuum- tiquated today as the ships of Nelson that fought at Trafalgar. Who can seriously think in terms of eight-inch of a “parity” of arma- ment and fleets, when such wea war have taken their place with bows and arrows? A friend, of high standing in the Navy, writes me of the next “battle of Jutland,” and how the several divisions will attack and defend. ‘There will be no next battle of Jut- land. Our floating coffins would be destroyed from the air hours before they could form a battle line, JOSEPH DREXEL HOLMES. Too Concentrated. From the Dallas Journal, It’s a pity the energy expen ln% rush week at the universities can- not be distributed over the year. ded dur- Sports and Pleasures. From the San Bernardino Sun. Englishmen are said to “take their % pleasures sadly.” Americans take their serjously. B Incurable. From the Hamflton, Ontario, Spectator. sports 1 | Representative Leslie Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln, ‘The fight in the Senate over the so- called flexible provisions of the tariff bill has a political flavor which al- most overwhelms the economic aspect of this latest battle between the Chief Executive on the one hand and a coali- tion of Democrats ard insurgent Re- publicans on the other. This coalition has much the same membership as the coalition which forced through the Senate the debenture amendment to the lnt'm reliet bill, wdhx!:h ‘became a law ent, the fight over the tariff bill, the Democrats have definitely undertaken to make the protective tarift advocated by the Republicans their principal issue in the next congressional campaign. This may or may not be wise politics. Not a little will depend upon the final form of the tariff bill, if and when it becomes a law. So far the country has been interested as a whole very little in the tariff. Should the bill result in increased prices for necessary com- modities, then the voters are likely to take a decided interest in the whole question. That is usually the way these affairs work out. Politics is a matter often of the pocketbook. It swings this way or that according to how fat or how lean the pocketbook of the aver- age citizen may be. If the ketbook becomes lean under a Republican ad- ministration, the G. O. P. is likely to find itself on the outside looking in, with the Democrats in control in Washington. ‘This provided, of course, that the Demo- crats do not split too widely over other issues among themselves. * kK X ‘The flexible tariff provisions of the bill, which are similar to those in the existing law, in that they permit the President to raise or lower by 50 per cent the rates on a commodity imported into this country, after an investigation and report shall have been made by the United States Tariff Board, may be found of great political value to the Republican party in the event the rates written into the new law prove unpop- ular. The President, if 1t is shown that new rates are excessive and causing an undue increase in prices paid in the|Cape American market by domestic consum- ers, has it in his power to act—after, of course, the Tariff Commission shall have reported. The Tariff Commission requires time, it is true, to make an investigation and report to the Presi- dent. But the chances are that action could be had on the tariff more quickly by far than by throwing the matter again into Congress. Or, if an American industry employing a large number of men and women was suffering because of foreign competition, the President would be in a position to give relief by an increase of duties. * k k¥ The Democrats turn their faces against the Republican tariff as natu- rally as the sunflower turns toward the sun. No one expects the Democrats in &n{r‘:fl "a do ':n;:trwiu ‘That is the nction of & minority party—to oppose legislation sponsored by the ldmmnkl- 'ast that is its political func- tion. It may be recalled that some of the Democrats sought to out-Mellon Mellon in reducing taxes when the tax bill was before Congress. But that was merely another avenue of disagreeing with the administration. Perhaps some day the Democrats may seek to go the Republicans one better by demanding even higher tariff duties than those flro\'ided in a Republican tariff law. It quite true now that there are indi- vidual democrats who demand higher rates on certain commodities than the Republicans have provided. The Dem- ocrats are seeking to make political capital today against the Hoover admin- istration. * x k% ‘The Republicans who are opposing the lent in the matter of the flexible tariff—many of them, not all— are op] Mr. Hoover politically as strongly as are the Democrats, though for different causes. Most of them were opposed to President Cool- idge and his administration. They Tepresent a discontented wing of the party. When the day arrives that they carry this discontent to the extent of voting against the party leadership in national and congressional elections —as_Senator Norris of Nebraska did in the last election—the Republicans will have a tumble, in all probability. It is that day for which mo- crats fervently hope. reason that they, the Democrats, are will to help thrust a wedge into the blican ranks in Congress whenever they have the opportunity. They tried similar tactics against the Coolidge administration. But they got nowhere in the 1924 national election. They are trying the same tactics now—not, however, without receiving many warnings they may gain n in the end, because the Republican insurgents do not love the Democrats any more than they do the Republican administration. ‘This fight over the flexible vi- sions of the tariff, which the 1 dent has entered through his public statement urging their retention in the zamly bob.won by the &o‘:léunn h'.l‘he vote may 80_close perhaps, Vice President Curtis will be called upon to cast a deciding vote. If the coalition wins, the President still has the House to rely ugon in this con- test. The House backed him strongly in the farm relief bill contest with the coalition in the Senate. * kX X It is conceivable that the row over the tariff bill should become so heated that the legislation may fail entire- ly, either through the inability of Congress agree on a measure, OF through a presidential veto. It is more likely, however, to result in a compro- mise. There are too many legislators whose constituents are interested in having the tariff law revised. principal argument advanced by West- ern Republicans for a revision of the tariff at this time was that the farm- | stating ers should be granted higher duties on their produce. The pending bill has given the farmers many such in- creases. It may be amended to give them still greater benefits. Even a Republican insurgent from the West may have difficulty explaining to his farmer constituents why he aided in bringing about the failure of the bill. Alre: hat in indus- mfis are no& 'l;;in' favor g;n ui,n eir own opposing < creases nmp'.gdy!or the benefit of in- dustry. * ok ok Kk They are voting down today, down in the fifth congressional district in Georgia, to elect a successor to the late Steele. In & measure, the election fight is due to the factional troubles which arose In Georgia over the nomination of Al Smith for President last year by the Houston convention. The regular Democrats have nominated Robert C. One of the most promi- . Rams) 3 nent anti-Smith Democratic les it Ra regulars claim he will, his victory will be hailed as an indication that the old Democratic party in the South is bind- | greeting, ing up its wounds and getting together again. The result in Georgia is being watched carefully today by Virginia Democrats, who have a problem of their own in_their gubernatorial contest this year. The Democratic ne pers in the State and district—and all of them ctically are Democnue—:nve nv‘ni;: ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Stop a minute and think about this fact. You can ask our information bu- reau any ?eluon of fact and get the answer back in a personal letter. It is o great educational idea, introduced into the lives of the most intelligent people in the world—American newspaper readers. It is a part of that besi pur- 1833, was the most remarkable ever 1ecorded. Q. Has diet any effect on the singing voice?—W. W. A. Musical America says, “Only in so far as it affects the health generally.” It is for that: ‘The | double doors leading to it from the pose of a newspaper—service. There is no ch except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Get the habit of asking questions. Address your letter to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, ‘Washington, D. C. Q. What is the total income of people in the United States?—C. F. A. The national/income of the United States, according to a study made by the National Board, was $78,649,000,000 in 1926. Thh} is $671.43 per capita and $1,805.07 per person gainfully employed. Q. What will be the cost of the new Federal buildings seuth of Pennsylvania avenue in Washington, D. C.>—C. G. R. A. It is roughly estimated that it will take from $160,000,000 to $175,000,000 to complete the so-called triangle pro- gram south of Pennsylvania avenue. Q. How many taxis are there in New York City?—F. N. L. A. The number of taxicabs registered to operate in New York City in 1928 was 39,312, Q. How much humidity should there be in a house?—G. H. N. A. Considerable work has been done toward the establishment of the correct degree of humidity for dwellings. There is a so-called comfort zone, which has a maximum temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and a minimum humidity of 30 per cent; a minimum temperature of 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a| maximum humidity of 55 per cent. This | is the range which has been established | 25 being most agreeable to people living | in temperate climates. Q. What towns have bridges spanning the Mississippt below St. Louis?— w. . L. B. A. Vicksburg, Miss.; Memphis, Tenn.; Girardeau, Mo.; Cairo and Thebes, IIL, have bridges Q. When were paintings on glass at the height of their popularity?—C. T. R. A. Harold G. Clarke, writing in Feb- ruary, 1928, Antiques, says: “Glass pic- | tures were in being as early as the sev-| enteenth century. They reached their pinnacle of quality from the double standpoint of engraving and painting in and during the latter half of the eighteenth century.” Q. What are Wilber Huston's favorite magazines?—H. B. | A. Wilber B. Huston, winner of the| Edison scholarship, is quoted as saying, | “My favorite publications are the Read- | ers’ Digest, the Atlantic Monthly, the| Literary est and the Scientific American.” an| C. Industrial Conference | P Q. What is a lune?>—G. R. A. It is a crescent-shaped figure, bounded by two intersecting arcs of cir- | cles, on a plane or a sphere, famous as the first curvilinear figure, whose area was accurately determined by Hippoc- | rates sbout 440 B.C., when the central | angles of the arcs are as 1:2, or 1:3, or z:?. A slice of orange is an example of | a lune. | Q. How much mcney was spent to feed our Army during the World War? | —W. G. H. A. The total amount spent for food | supplies for the Army during the World War was $878,064,452.28. Q. When was the greatest meteoric gw.‘lp;‘y that the world has seen?— A. 1t is a generally accepted fact that the meteoric shower of November 13, Q. How long was the first wall arourd the city of Jerusalem?—sS. W. J. A. There is much controversy as to the exact dimensions of the ancient wall of Jerusalem. The modern wall, which followed as closely as possible the ancient wall, had a circuit of 2!, miles, with an average height of 35 feet, with 35 towers and 8 gates (one of which was walled up). % How old is Cosima Wagner?— ‘A.’ Cosima Wagner will be 92 if she lives until Christmas day. Q. When new officers are elected in social organizations who installs them? R. E. K. . It is becoming increasingly popu- lar in social organizations to have nom- inated what is known as the officer of the day, whose duty it shall be to pre- side over the transfer of business from an old to a new administration and to conduct the necessary inaugural cere- monies. Where this plan is not fol- lowed, it is customary for the outgoing president to transfer the tokens of his authority to the new president and for the new president then to proceed to inaugurate the other officers. Q. W’\;Aen were bacteria discovered?— W. R. M. . Their discovery might be traced to the middle of the seventeenth cen- tury, at which time Antony Van Leeu- wenhoek, a Holland lens grinder, in- vented the microscope. In 1683 he re- ported the presence of minute organ- isms to the Royal Society of London. Q. What is the origin of the loving cup?—P. J. . To the custom of drinking healths is traced the origin of the loving cup. Edward the Martyr, who came to the throne of England in 975, was hunting (March 18, 978) in Dorset Forest. Nearby was Corfe Castle, the home of Elfrida. The King rode, unattended, to her castle, was greeted affectionatel® by the Queen, and engaged in conver®- tion with her. The Queen invited Ed- ward to dismount. He refused. The Queen_then, with her own hands, of- fered Edward a cup of wine, and while he was drinking caused him to be stabbed in the back. Edward died of his wounds. This event, we are led to believe, gave rise to a form of health drinking. Throughout England it was customary to pass one large cup at par- ties or dinners. Each person to receive the cup rose and drank from it. The man beside him rose also as his “‘pledge™” to protect him from “being stabbed in the back, as was the Martyr Edward.” This wes known as drinking health. The cup which went the rounds of the table came to be known as the loving cup. Q. May any one make copies of the paintings of Velasquez at the Museo del Prado in Madrid and bring the copies back to the United States’—M. S. A. The Spanish embassy says that one will encounter no difficulty in the carrying out of his desire to make copies of the paintings of the Museo del Prado, since he has only to state his request to the museum as a matter of form when he presents himself there. In a like manner he will experience no trouble | in taking out of Spain any such copies and other canvases which he may have painted. Q. How much does it cost the Gov- emment to put a boy through Annapolis>—W. B. A. It costs between $11,000 and $12.- 000 to graduate a midshipman from the Naval Academy. Real Inspections Demande(f ' For Night Clubs of Country ‘Whatever moral risks the night clubs | are allowed to take, they have no right to take greater fire risks than other places of amusement. This seems to be the majority sentiment which the recent Detroit evoked. Some do not fail to note the sinister significance of windows barred to keep the patrons safe from the law likewise kept them from escape, taking a toll of nearly a score of lives. “Investigating horrors of this kind is one of the best things we Americans do,” in the opinion of the New Bed- ford Standard, which suggests the “ob- vious offhand conclusion that a night club, when crowded, is a pretty bad fire risk,” and adds: “Theater audiences are pretty effectually protected, and in some respects the night club is a worse hazard than a theater.” The Lima News agrees that ‘“such places owe their patrons as many safeguards as do theaters and other places of amuse- ment.” The News cannot understand “why s city like Detroit would permit to exist a place in its very heart where scores of gathered regularly, which had every evidence of being & death trap in case of fire.” “It should go without saying,” ac- cording to the Richmond News-Leader, “that it is practicable and necessary to provide adequate exits for all assembly rooms, especially for those above the ground level. That is an old, old story, but one that the whole grim experience of the country has not sufficed to im- press on the man who wants to crowd the largest possible number of cus- tomers into his resort.” ‘The Asheville Times concedes the ex- istence at the Detroit club of a “back stairway, untouched by flames, with dining room h the kitchen,” and quotes the commissioner of buildings as “that every one overlooked it or no one knew about it.” A “remark- able remark” from that official is that “the buil conformed to the Detroit o vi‘t.‘u'l;'"sm t the Times states: “Ttf portan at people keep their heads in case of fire. It is equally important that buildings be made as safe as possible and that exits be marked so that they cannot escape O thotgn o teraof gt = requenters of ni clul ‘haps, not give much serious they Island Argus, “it is the bounden duty of municipalities to see to it that places of this character, which are frequently crowded with people on pleasure bent, should be as safe as human precau- tions cam .make them. There should be numerous exits and they should be great, may be a potential factor in the result, if the contest is really as close as it has been declared to be. * ok %k ok The new Tammany, leadership—not the leadership of the “New Tammany” =l fxven former Leader Judge George ‘W. Olvany and Surrogate Foley the “high hat,” according to reports from the ‘The method of high- hatting these gentlemen, it is said, was merely to fail to admit them to a con- ference on the nomination of a candi- date for Supreme Court justice. “Some of the district leaders Mr. Ol- vany and Mr. Foley without a word of ,” says the New York World. ‘There has been a rankling undercurrent of strife in Tammany for months. When Judge Olvany retired as leader, there was a bitter fight over his successor, and lly John F. Curry, a district leader, was elected. How much effect, if any, this feeling will have in the coming mayoralty election remains to be seen. Ma; was reported to be usly angry over the treatment ac- corded Olvany and Foley. If there is break in the ranks to succeed him- on | The public 11 ler the e W m"“mw may well consids fire plainly marked and easily accessible under any and all circumstances.” “The main point is,” as suggested by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “that however the blaze originated, the deco- rations of the place were of a character so inflammable that the endangered persons were left comparatively little chance. Although this fits in with the common impression of the garishness and recklessness of night-club life, not alone in Detroit, but in every city, the public authorities cannot escape thereby from their responsibility for seeing that every place of entertain- ment is made safe as possible from fire. It appears that the activity of the law has been devoted almost exclusively to the inspection of such places from the standpoint of prohibition enforcement. Such dangers as those of fire evidently have been overlooked in a number of instances. It is common sense, how- ever, that protection of life should be the first consideration.” “It is the old story!” exclaims the Fort Worth Record-Telegram. “We have never believed it important to include discipline among our effort at education. We do not consider i worth while to teach children self- control. - School fire drills are the nearest approach to habit of thought for emergency use we have ever & tempted to introduce into our com- munity life. They are mere fractions of that discipline that becomes in- stinctive in the face of danger some- what different from the ritual of the ‘drill’ * * * When the ar- rived there was nothing among the aggregate of characteristics to meet the crisis. Such losses of life should teach us lessons. Unfortunately they sel- dom do.” “The club in Detroit was like many night clubs everywhere,” says the Salt Lake Tribune, as it pictures the scene at the time of the fire: “Men and women fell back, screaming, hysterical, maddened like bellowing cattle in a burning barn. The windows. A drop from the second story to the street would be nothing. Anything to escape the fire that was now roaring through the club. The waiters and musicians were cool-headed. Sober. Most of them got out first. The guests, men and women, were not so fortunate. Only one window was opened. TI rest were barred, nailed, made soun proof against the orgies of the night. “It was & night club, you see,” com- ments the Ann Arbor Daily New sunshine coulg be dispensed wit] wise it was not necessary for the out- side public to see what was going on. A minor detail, however. While the building was being remodeled, some- body took down a fire escape and for- got to erect it again. Pictures show the fire escape lying on the ground. An- other insignificant detail. * * * The &lbflc will support efforts to get at the ttom of the cause of tragedy and distribute the responsibility wherever it may be deserved.” The Manchester Leader, however, draws the conclusion, “If the usual results follow the inves- tigations, supposedly stringent regula- tory laws or ordinances will be adopted in Detroit and there will be apparent observance of them until another dis- ..llnur of comparable magnitude comes along.” “The lack of exits,” in the judgment of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “turns such places into traps as ingenious as ‘purposeful malevolence could have con- trived for the destruction of human life in case of fire. * * * Unless those charged with inspection of struc- tures have more success in enforcing the law than have other officials, little can be hoped in this direction. The persons who lost their lives in the De- troit fire may or may not have been breaking the law themselves. Certainly they suffered a fate that the law did not in any case contemplate for them. as well as ties in i Shanees that atiend. the welg] of thess piaces” :