Evening Star Newspaper, November 8, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C FRIDAY.......November 8, 1920 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The lm!uusht Ne per Company and" 'nn. Ave, tho Bunde. ifice: 14 Ri don. 14, Regent k. Lo Rate by Carrier Within the City. Evening Stai 45¢ per month v 60c per month 65¢ per month ar 8¢ er cop: Rade at'ihie’end of each month. Orders may re sent In by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virgin! ry) ia. 10 10.00: 1 mo., 88c ly and Sunday 'fi%i } mo. g8 ally oni : Ena-; only 1 mo- 40¢ 17, § . 135, $5.00 1 mo. s0c Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press i= cxclusively entitied he use for republication of &ll rews dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cied- ted in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rie) f publica‘ion of special dispatche- hereln 150 reserved. aimiisivesciiftev s The Tardieu Government. France's latest government, the labo- riously constructed Tardieu cabinet, made its bow in the Chamber of Deputies yesterday. Before today Is over, the prospect is that it will ask and recefve its initial vote of confidence on the specific “reform” program which M. Tardieu has submitfed. Barring contingencies that are unforeseen, but which have a habit of bobbing up sud- denly to plague even the newest French governments, the moderate cabinet of the Right and Center should command & majority of more than fifty and pos- sibly one hundred, with which to sally forth on a career bound to be tempestu- ous and precarious from the outset. Evidently the Tardieu ministry is to come under fire first on its declared in- ternational policy, and M. Briand, who retains the foreign secretaryship in the reconstituted government, is singled out for attack. M. Pranklin-Bouillon, the leader of the small group which seceded from the radical Soclalist party in 1928, enlivened yesterday's proceedings with an onslaught against M. Briand. The latter’s scheme of conciliation, espe- cially respecting Germany, was violently assailed as “too liberal” and as one “which is always giving and never get- ting.” ‘The temperamental Franklin-Bouil- lon, whose name discloses a trace of American ' ancestry, evidently essays to emulate the tactics of Philip Snowden at The Hague reparations conference. The British chancellor of the exchequer won that tournament by promu:gating and sticking to the doctrine Framklin- Bouillon now enunciates on behalf of France, in the hope of undoing Briand. His zealous patriotism would not be open to question except for his own gnawing ambition to evict Briand and become French premier—foreign secre- tary himself. In the midst of the peace policy now being so energetically promoted by President Hoover and Prime Minister Macdonald, M. Tardieu’s plans for Eu- ropean and world amity evoke an agree- of & mayor became necessary. The cam- paign was short but brisk. The real issue, according to the Indianapolis News, was “Coffinism.” The News asked if the people of the city wished to turn their government over again to the old machine. The answer was emphatic. A Democratic mayor of Indianapolis was elected for the first time since 1913. The people of Indiana have been shamed by the political corruption in thelr midst. The organization, however, was strongly intrenched. Fortuitous cir- cumstances made it possible for it to keep its hold. What will be the effect on Indiana next year in the congressional j campaign and in 1932, when another 1 presidential campaign is on, remains to be seen. Much will depend upon the nominees presented to the voters. Indiana went for Hoover and against Smith by a huge majority last year. | Ordinarily it is a Republican State. AR RS The Snarl Over Indictments. Doubt raised as to the validity of the 196 indictments reported by the last grand jury points to a condition that in the name @f public economy, com- mon justice and common sense is in- tolerable. That condition is capable of correction. It should be corrected im- mediately. Possibllity that legal flaws may lie in these indictments seems generally to be admitted. The flaws are not admitted, but the United States attorney, Mr. Rover, admits the possibility to the ex- tent of planning to seek reindictment in three cases, thus acknowledging the fact that defense counsel had good ground for filing their pleas in abate- ment attacking validity of the indict- ments in question. But there are left 193 other indictments hanging by a single thread. And why? Because a woman juror, a member of the last grand jury, was drawing a Government pension of forty dollars a month at the time of her service. She is the widow of a Naval officer who died twenty-two years ago. That is how she comes to be receiving & pension. The District code makes no mention of widows of Government officers. The District code regards as eligible for jury service literate citizens who have not been guilty of past offenses in- volving moral turpitude. It specifically mentions as exempt and debarred from jury service executive and judicial offi- cers and salarled officers of the Federal and District governments, firemen, po- licemen, lawyers engaged in the prac- tice of law, ministers of the gospel of all denominations, surgeons and doctors, keepers of hospitals or asylums and masters of vessels sailing in the Po- tomac. No men! is made of persons hav- ing contract with the Government or drawing pay indirectly from the Gov- ernment. Some years ago, however, the Crawford case was carried to the Unitea States Supreme Court, which held the THE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTON, D.oCr P FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1929. 'hudled by the most seasoned pilot. | From Dayton to Washington and from big ship has responded to the new device, the invention of Elmer Sperry of gyroscope fame, and this long trip rounded out more than sixty hours of mechanical pilot control. ‘The boxlike device which is placed under the human pilot's seat will not land a plane. It may never be devele oped to that point. But onte in the aif the pressure of a button by the human pilot causes the apparatus to take im- mediate and complete charge of the ship. Fog, the nemesis of armen, and | darkness have no terrors for the me- chanical control. Once the course is set, the plane drives steadily ahead, its side sway and wing slips instantly cor- rected by more sensitive fingers than any human can boast of, and its altitude held with mathematical exactness, Weighing only * fifty pounds and occupying a space of small dimensions, the new .device, when perfected, should ! be of incalculable use in the handling | of big planes on long trips. By turning on the mechanical control the human pilot will be free to devote his time to his many other duties, map studying, | radio communication with the ground, | and the checking of his engines. At any given moment he may switch off the control and take charge of the plane again. 1 In times of poor visibility, fog, rain, snow and darkness, the mechanical pilot will bring many a ship through on schedule. “Blind flying,” when the hu- man pilot must rely on his feel of the alr and his instruments alone, will be | replaced by a safe, exact type of con- trol. No aviator, regardless of his ex- | perience, can match in sensitiveness the untiring mechanical fingers that will guide a big plane on a true course without deviation. Despite experiments on the device planned for the future the War. De- partment has triumphantly announced that “the automatic pilot has arrived.” Its arrival is just as triumphantly greeted by millions of air-minded Amer- fcans. Flying bids fair to become the accepted mode of travel long before even the most optimistic have predicted. B Although an advocate of peace at the outset of his career, Mussolini is now a believer in militaty methods _when deemed necessary, His carear in this respect duplicates that of many a his- toric dictator. —— e There ought to be one business in par- ticular whose property will increase. The wear and tear on stock tickers has ‘Washington to New York the Army's! sons to talk about anything except their own work will remain a source of some wonder to those who are in- terested in such matters. There is old Bill Hayseed, who works in the aviation line. Morning, noon and night he talks airplanes. He wil pop out on you suddenly with plans for a new transcontinental airway, as if the two of you had been working away at it for many months. It is the first time that you have ever heard of the thing. but that makes no difference to Bill. With eyes gleam- ing he strips the heavens of mystery and pulls it down to a plain matter of dollars and cents. Hayseed doesn’t calch you entirely unprepared, of course. You have watched his vagaries for a long time and know thai nothing except avia- tion is to be expected of him. What a blessing it must be to have but one interest in life, and that the one which brings in the old standard bread and butter! It must give a man ‘a care-free feeling, right up to the_point where he can sing, with Miss Pippa, “God’s in his heaven, all's right with the world.” Maybe Hayseed might think the word “airplanc” would go well after the mention of Deity; we don’t know about that. * K K X Think, for a moment, what a man is saved who has only one Big Sub- Jject to talk about! ‘The affairs of nations do not worry him a bit. He does not have to try to understand why Germany does one thing, why Italy does another, why the Balkans are the Balkans and where the reparations are coming from, if any. He worries his head not at all over Prof. Einstein’s theories. It is no dif- ference to him whether time and space are outworn concepts, now re- garded as manifestations of energy, or something along that line. Musicians labor over “modernistic” compositions, but he has other things to do besides comparing them with Beethoven, and rejecting or praising, as the case may be. What is it to him if H. G. Wells or Bernard Shaw brings out two more books? Those fellows are always writing books, aren’'t they? One may as well admit that the at- tempts of the average man to under- stand world politics are about on a par with his real understanding of the stock u{arkct. He does not grasp either one, although he loves to talk about both. * ok ok X Yet there is a certain satisfaction in a wide latitude of conversational topics. Concentration on the one to the ex- clusion of the many makes Jack a dull boy. indeed. He who has nothing to talk about except his work is a bore to others, whether he realizes it or not. Luckily for him, he seldom does realize it, but been such that their manufacturers should expect a rushing business. ‘The Socialist candidate for mayor of New York is a genial philosopher, Al- though he did not get as many votes as he needed, he is happy to have re- ceived 50 many more than he expected. ——— e petit jury convicting the defendant was illegally constituted by reason of the service thereon of a juror in whose drug store the Government operated a branch post office. Again, shortly after the war, former Associate Justice Hoehling of the District Supreme Court threw out of court a conspiracy charge against several coal companies. The indictment in question had been reported by & grand jury which in- able echo in the United States. “Peace abroad through constantly developed accords and the assurance of security, pending institution of general arbitra- tion and disarmament,” is the summary of the Tardieu government’s position. The American position itself could not be more succinctly summarized. French politicians who would substitute for it @ less pacific program are not in step with the march the rest of the world is ardently attempting to organize and keep going. ——————————— At all events, Hiram Johnson was re- lleved of any social controversy con- cerning the seating at the White House table. ———— A Revolt at Last. The mills of the political gods grind sometimes as slowly as the mills of the | gods of anclent Greece and Rome were reputed to do. But they do grind. Witness the recent elections in Indiana, | when the Democrats, alded it is well understood by thousands of Republican and independent voters, gave the Re- publican organization in Indianapolis and several other Indiana municipalities & drubbing that has been due it for a long time. Political scandals in the Hoosler State, involving high Repub- lican Government officials and State leaders, during the last few years, have shocked not only the people of Indiana, but the country at large. The revela- tions of political corruption in Indiana came into the spotlight a few years ago when Stephenson, who had been Ku Klux Klan leader in Indiana, was jailed for the murder of a young woman. He is still in jaill. Stephenson, it developed, had engaged in the political game deeply. Charges of corrupt political deals followed. Former Gov. Ed Jackson, & Republican, was indicted. Mayor Du- vall of Indianapolis was convicted. George V. Coffin, Republican county chairman in Indianapolis, was another against whom charges of corruption were laid. Despite the scandals, efforts to throw off the old machine control in Indiana kayve been largely futile until last Tues- day. A year ago Indiana, because of the aroused feeling of the volers against the Republican machine, might have put a Democratic governor in office had it not been for the issues thrown into the situation by the national campaign. It was quite obvious to the Democratic leaders in the State that the nomina- tion of former Gov. Alfrcd E. Smith of New York, both before and after the nomination of Gov. Smith, would not sit well with the Hoosler voters. The dry sentiment in the State is very strong. Further, the underlying reasons why it was possible to bring the membership of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana to the veported 400,000 mark in the heyday of that organization’s strength there made sure a strong campaign against Smith. The election in Indianapolis Tuesday was for a mayor, although the city, largely because of the scandals involv- ing its Republican officials, had ob- tained legislation to change its form of administration and adopt the city management plan. This, however, did not sult the old organization's ideas. cluded a retired Government employe drawing compensation from the Gov~ ernment for injuries received in service. ‘This legal inhibition against jury service on the part of persons con- nected in some remote manner Jwith the Federal Government has been car- ried to extremes that appear ridiculous to the layman who is more familiar with common sense than with the tangles of legal precedent. In criminal cases prospective jurors have been barred begause they received a bonus from the Government for their war service, or because they carry Govern- ment life insurance. Excessive prohibition thus cut down hurtfully the material available for Jury service. The Government em- ploye is barred. The professions of the law, ministry and medicine are barred. Precedent evidently makes ineligible any one who has a contract| with the Government in & city whose chief industry is government. The findings of the grand jury which sat previous to the last one have been chal- lenged in one instance because the foreman of the grand jury was a di- rector in the Potomac Electric & Power Co., which has a contract for supplying light to Government offices, and in another instance on the ground that an Army ReserVe officer was a member of the same jury. How far can this absurd list of re- strictions be made to stretch? Con- gress should immediately amend or clarify the District code dhd cast to the winds the doubts,as to eligibility of jurors in the District of Columbia. Legal red tape and quibbling now en- danger 196 indictments. What have those indictments cost the District tax- payers? The sum can be estimated on the basis of pay at the rate of four dol- lars a day for each of twenty-two grand jurors who sat for nearly three months in the last session and by add- ing to this sum witness fees of two dol- lars a day for each witness who ap- peared bafore that grand jury. In the McPherson case alone there were ncarly 100 witnesses. Does any doubtful and technical legal flaw justify the waste of these public funds? Is there any jus- tice, either to accused or accusers, when the course of the law is blocked and thus derided? No machine, apparently, is more hope- lessly entangled in the webs of its own weaving than our legal machinery, whose function it is to keep in perfect balance the, delicate scales of justice. Contemplating the possible fate of 196 indictments, result of three months of hard work by a grand jury, and exam- Little credit is due the man who boasts of having kept out of the stock market if his only reason for doing so was the fact that he never had the spare change. No longer an assemblage of dull sta- tistics, the tariff has asserted itself as one of the most exciting of serial stories with plot and counterplot as well as eloquent heroism in evidence. ———tee SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Still Hopeful. In days gone by we used to view The dear old chimney place anew, And smile through Autumn's chill, because We'd soon be greeting Sahta Claus. ‘With ill news rising everywhere And little to relieve the care, ‘What shall we do, except to pause And simply wait for Santa Claus! Expression Needless. “Do you ever use epithets?” “Don’t have to,” answered Senator Sorghum, “There is only one colleague I thoroughly dislike and he knows ex- actly what I think of him without my saying it.” — Jud Tunkins says the trouble with a dumb man is that he keeps continually tryin’ something new in hopes that mebbe he'll succeed in doin’ something smart. Unfailing Devotion. The gay book agent comes along And sings & most delightful song. And if to meet him I should fail, He drops kind missives in the mail. Some day, when old companions go, One surely will be left, I know. The gay book agent, till the end, I'm sure will be a faithful friend. All He Got. “Where has Zeb been?” © “Huntin'.” “What did he get?” “Docked a day's pay.” “He who can be silent concerning his own adversities,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “may have the satisfaction of comforting others who cannot con- ceal their sorrows.” Making the Best of the Situation. So many people go to jail Equipped to entertain quite well, ‘There should be many a gay refrain, And many a story good to tell. “De mo' you talk,” said Uncle Eben, “de mo’ liable you is to find out how much mo’ wasteful conversation kin be dan regular work.” e Fitting Right Into Family. From the Chicago Post. It didn't take John's wife long to be- come a full-fledged member of the Coolidge family; she's already writing for the magazines. ining the basis for doubt as to that fate, is there any wonder that the lay- men of this country feel bitter and dis- mayed when they are told to respect the majestic process of the law? ———— Mayor James Walker once made a successtul venture as a balladist, Pos- sibly the admiration he commands is due, in part, to the fact that he knew when to quit. A Meghanical Pilot. Aviation has taken another gigantic - | stride forward. Without manual con- Cofin finally brought about a test of the constitutionality of the city man- trol a three-motoved plane has flown more than three hundred and fifty miles, holding its course and carrying ‘agement system in the Supreme Court of Indiana, The court dacided ndversely | its human cargo over rough spots of p-ar to be much heal 10 the clty manegement and an’election the air with more Seuth smoothness than il — ——————— Well, That’s Different. From the Worcester Evening Gazette, Mr. Grundy would not permit Sena- tors from the less weal States to vote on the tariff. Would he agree, in return, that the tariff should not ap- ply to’ those States? Steam Heat for the Zoo. From the Lansing State Journal A number of animals of the Detroit w ;“r: to b:tlm-mudmtma w'in X as yet no refrigeration system has been proposed for the polar bears in Summer. e — Peasants and Pheasants, goes right ahead boring his associates. ‘The wonder of it is that he must think he is entertaining them. Human conversation seems to have been born into the world primarily for conveying ideas, secondly for entertainment pur- s, ‘The desire to convert some one to something lies at the bottom of much talk, in some instances, but it would be crediting the average man or woman with something they do not possess to say that when they talked they desired to make converts. ‘The amiable truth is, we believe, that most human beings talk to hear them- selves talk. They like the sound of their own voices best of all. When that The startling inability of most per- (grand THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. clapper is wagging, life takes on added interest. No one should have any difficulty in understanding his feeling, use every one alive has experienced it, in some degree. Recall how begrudgingly you permit your friend to “put in his oar,” grab- bing at the very first chance to catch up a phrase and hurry on with the conversation! . Some people are such verbose talkers that it is impossible for ordinary mortals to get in a word “edgewise,” as the saying is. Like many of our popular expressions, this one goes to the ex- picturing a word as flat and Poiniad lik= a’ knife ‘With expansive talkers it is often im- possible to slip in a word by its edge, let alone flat-side. And even if by dint of perseverance the word is wedged in, it is lost in the welter which follow The real pleasure in civilized con versation comes from the decent ex- change of ideas, with the resulting change of thought which these ideas create each in the mind of the other. This is about the same as saying that one must think a little bit to talk entertainingly. Certainly there has been a loss in the entertainment value of the average conversation, as specializa- tion in many lines has led to a con- centration of work and thought. The speclalists used to be mainly lawyers, doctors and ministers. It will be recalled, however, that these char- acters almost invariably had a healthy and necessary interest in their neigh- bors of the countryside 'round: they did not talk solely about their profes- sions, but came to play active parts in the entire community life by reason of a hearty interest in every one and in every one's life and work. * ok ok % ‘Today the need is for a return to that wholesome interest in others which formerly characterized the populations of small towns. Not snooping and pry- ing, of course, but simply that decent interest which recognizes that the other fellow may not be particularly inter- ested in our own little line or side line. There are so many interesting, pleas- ing, even exciting, things going on in the world at large that it would seem that no two human beings couid get together without finding more good toples of conversation than they could possibly utilize. Today all too many persons utilize none of them. They are too absorbed in their own little lines to be interested in gnything else. Sometimes they make half-hearted, rather pethetic citempts to talk about the other fellow’s, but that makes matters even worse, for then they flatten out into patronage. “This subject bores me mightily,” they seem to say, “but I want to be good tc you and, therefore, I will heroicly forget my own really important work and talk about lesser matters.” 3 Now all this is so unecessary. Ccn- versation is still one of the foys and recreations of mankind. It is one of the abilities which make us but little lower than the angels. There is no dearth of subjects to talk about, nor any unwillingness on the part of the average man or woman to talk about them. All that is nesded is a 1ecogni- tion of their worth as conversational material. Bpecialization is fine, interest in cne's work or job or -hobby is a wonderful thing, but it must never be forgotten that conversation, rightiy considered, is an art in itself. nnot be put even on a normal plane by making it a selfish, purely personal matter. There are enough ways to boost the ego; conversation should e reserved for something better. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. President Hoover's Thanksglving proc- lamation was probably written before he'd heard the election returns from Virginia and points North and West, or his recommendation that the Nation voice its gratitude for blessings bestowed might not have been so cordial. Be that as it may, the G. O. P. has small cause to overeat itself on November 28 in any spirit of political thanksgiving. Crow rather than turkey is de rigueur for Re- publ‘cans this year. There’s hardly an authority in Washington who doesn't believe that events in Virginia, Ken- tucky, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Il- linois and Indiana last Tuesday are symbolical of what is going to happen in 1930. “Jimmy” Walker’s landslide in New York is essentially of local signifi- cance, yet it reveals Tammany's vote: getting power when fully mobilized. Such a display in 1928 might have des prived Hoover of New York State's electoral count. Overwhelmingly the outstanding feature of this week's elec- tions was the Jead Virginia has now given to North Carolina, Florida and Texas in the direction of a return to their first Democratic love. Bluntly in- terpreted, it means that whenever it is asked to ‘vote for a Democratic presi- dential candidate, who is Protestant and dry, Dixie is extremely likely to do so. The “Republican South,” in other words, is a delusion and a snare, * ok K K Democratic soothsayers and medicine men are, of course, claiming that Hoover administration fortunes are in such a slump all over the country that voters everywhere took their first opportunity to register their disapproval. To the ex- tent that the De Priest-White House episode affected the gubernatorial cam- paign in Virginia, that may Se=s0. To the acknowledged extent, too, that cur- rent tariff disclosures in the Senate have damaged the Republican party as a whole, voters undoubtedly were in mood to punish it. As the titular leader of the G. O. P., Herbert Hoover cannot expect to escape altogether the igno. miny which overtakes his political organ- ization. If the Republicans had swept the board on November 5, instead of being swept off it, it would have been natural for National Chairman Huston (Instead of Executive Committee Chair- man Jouett Shouse) to burst forth in a paean of exultation over “approval of Hoover policies.” A common guess on Capitol Hill, in Nght of all that’s hap- pened, is that the Republican majority in the next House will be heavily slashed and its ‘“majority” in the Senate substantially reduced. * K K K ‘The Hiram Johnson White House dinner invitation affair is one of the “tough breaks” which now and then any and every President suffers, through no real cause of his own. All the world knows that Hoover and Johnson don't lie awake nights singing hymns_of praise and affection to each other. But their feud, vintage of 1920, has lost its primitive savagery. Senator and Mrs. Johnson have already ‘been at the Executive Mansion table with the Presi- dent and Mrs. Hoover. The occasion was the dinner to the California dele- gation in Congress last Spring—one of the first of the many hospitalities ex- tended by this “food administration.” As 1928 wgs dawning, a couple of years ago, Hoover and Johnson entered into something resembling a truce. It was agreed for them, if not between them, that Hoover would throw no barriers across Johnson's aspiration to be re- nominated and re-elected United States Senator. The temperamental Hiram, on his part, was to lift no hostile finger against Hoover's presidential ambitions. ordered. Both got what were not destined to affectionate, but they have remained recpectm]—lncludlnfl. as far as Johnson is concerned, the ienable right to differ and d&f!‘ * ok % ‘Who is the lutocratic person in B D e atpatiment ury among the Nation's 200 taxpayers who one From the Daily Argus-Leader (Sioux Falls). Being a peasant in Russia doesn’t ap- r than being a pheasant in confess to an income of $1,000,000 and cver? ‘The rules forbid the disclosure of the name. Many have thought it is Andrew W, but the Secretary-of the Treasury turns in his income tax return in Pittsburgh. ‘Washington bankers consulted by this observer can- not identify any local resident with an income of from $3,000,000 to $4,000,000 —the fabulous category in which the mysterious multimillionaire on the Po- tomac is put, along with 21 other Croesuses throughout the country. P “The .Dissenting Opinions of Mr. Justice Holmes” is the title of a book just off the press. Dr. George W. Kirchwey, former dean of the Colum- bia Law School, has written an intro- duction to the volume, which consists of a selected number of the veteran jurist’s opinions as they deal with American affairs in general. Alfred Lief assumes responsibility for their se- lection. Dr. Kirchwey observes that Mr. Justice Holmes is not “the great nter, but simply a fighter st war with many of the conceptions which have dominated and which still largely dominate legal policy.” The book also contains some of the Holmes Supreme Court opinions which concurred in ma- Jority decisions. * kX % Prime Minister Macdonald, when re- viewing his American trip to the House of Commons this week, certainly did his best to justify the claim of Chicago (Ambassador Dawes' home town) to its ancient title of the Windy City. “The breeze which blew me across the At- lantic,” said Macdonald, perhaps with just & wee bit of ironical reference to Gen. Dawes’ cyclonic diplomacy on ar- rival in England last June, “was cre- ated by the conversations I had had during the Summer with the American Ambassador, who personifies in such a delightful way the downright desire of :1'15’ Government for peace and “good L Some inside information on the pro- Jected United States of Europe is ex- pected from Dr. Andre Siegfried, French political economist and author, when he lectures at Georgetown University on November 12. Siegfried is the writer of “America Comes of Age,” recently a best-seller in this country, despite some of its lop-sided conclusions. (Copyright, 1929.) e Mexico Leaves Death Penalty to Individual From the Louisville Courler-Journal. Mexico's new penal code purports to abolish capital punishment. But if, as reported, it tacitly incorporates the “un- written law,” making it a justifiable defense for slaying a seducer or home wrecker, it is reactionary rather than pr(g:’esslve. It transfers the vengeance of the law from public to private hands. Instead of abolishing capital punish- ment, it in effect reduces the penalty for those offenses usually punishable by death and imposes it upon those asso- ciated with marital relations, investing the aggrieved party with the authority to judge and execute the offender. Courts in such cases would become merely tribunals to review the conduct of the executioner and determine whether he acted within his rights. In the heat of passion some mistakes are bound to be made under such latitude. ‘The executioner cht be required to pay the penalty of error, but that would be no relief to his wittim. in the most flagrant form of assassina- tions collusions between man and wife to save the husband by the wife’s per- Jjured confession would be, difficult to gton Intention evidently was to pro- tect the sanctity of the home and dis- courage ; but Mexico will rue such license. lence has shown that a person’s moral right to defend his home can be left safely to the sym- pathies of a jury. Baunker Collects in Advance. From the Detroit News. Mr. Waggoner, the Robin Hood of Telluride, has been “sentenced to 15 years at $33,333 a year, in ad- ¢ Courtesy of Maryland Officer Gains Tribute | To _the Editor of The Star: 1 have just read the editorial in your valued issue of the 2d instant per- taining to the order of Maj. Pratt re- garding courtesy of the local police. 1 can hardly believe that the extreme courtesy which was recently shown me and a party of friends by a member of the Maryland State Police could have been motivated by any order which he had received from his superiors, be- cause his generous and unselfish act was obviously above and beyond any of his regular duties of patrolling the highways of our neighboring State. _ Near Muirkirk, Md., on the Baltimore | boulevard, the brakes of the machine +In which I was riding became heated and caused such a drag on the wheels that further progress seemed impossible un- less the services of a mechanic could be obtained. Needless to sav, the discovery of a mechanic was our first thought and after a short walk we met this most accommodating officer. Instead of directing us to' a regu!~r repairman, he asked what the difficulty was and, upon learning that he could probably correct the trouble, started immediately on his motor cycle toward the disabled car. ‘When one of my companions and I ar- rived later afoot, this fine officer was already under the machine, making the necessary repairs, and before long we were again on our way. It will be readily perceived that this officer was a gentieman in every sense of the wi and one whose courtesy and kindne: s inherent and natural, needing no artificial or extraneous in- centive to do a good turn. To me this was an extreme case of generosity be- yond the scope of his employment; a fine exemplification of the Golden Rule. If this be an example of the general policy of the Maryland State Police, they centainly need no other rules of cour- tesy to govern them in the discharge of their duti CHAS. R. STERNE. e el | Urges Aid in Efforts To Kill Tariff Section To the Editor of The Star: I ani astonished that there has not been more recognition of the efforts that have been initiated by the Mer- chants’ Association to bring about the defeat of section 526 of the tariff bill, which seeks to bar the importation into this country of goods of foreign manu- facture bearing trade marks owned by | American citizens. - This legislation was sponsored by the American Federation of Labor, but T beliete the federation must have acted hastily and without any careful con- sideration of the subject. The enact- ment of this section would be disastrous to American business. It would affect not only a large group of importers, but would also operate to reduce the amount of manufacturing in many lines of industry. Apparently the only way that is open to defeat the proposal is by action be: fore the Senate-House conference com- mittee after the Senate has completed its consideration of the bill. I am writing a letter to my Senators and Congresflmeg onbthle subjxe‘;:etnnggnl would suggest that business - erally t.hgriughnuzlthe tYnllt‘d States ht to take similar action. o HENRY F. SAMSTAG. Plan to Honor Talent at First Hand Is Hailed From the St. Loufp Globe-Democrat. Introduction of talented young Amer- 1 musicians to American audiences direct, and not after they have been compelled to employ appearance in Eu- rope as a stepping stone to acceptance at home, is the encouraging program of the Schubert Memorial, a group of nota- ble friends of music in this country. This is well. We may as well discover our own talent at first hand and relax our dependemce upon European audi- ences to discover American artists for us. We will probably enjoy them more fully for having discovered them our- selves, \ ment. ‘The Schubert Memorial has already done some pioneering in this direction. Now it will extend the scope of its con- structive and encouraging support o budding talent and enlarge its program to national proportions. Last year the group sponsored four new artists and introduced them to the musical public of New York, Baltimore and Providence and chose two more who will be pre- sented to the cities of America this season. Now the extent of the search will be made national, and from a list of 200 or more young men and women entered in preliminary competitions in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, 10 will be selected to con- test in New York next Spring, when 2 will be chosen for presentation to the Nation during the season of 1930-31. The influence of such selection under sponsorship of the Schubert Memorial and its president, Ossip Gabrilowitsch, with directors and counselors, including such musicians as Leopold Stokowski, Walter Damrosch, Harold Bauer and Frederick Stock, and a notable list of patrons of music, will be great. So we may expect that the entire Nation will have opportunity as early as 1930-31 to hear American musicians of outstanding talent who come to us direct, without necessity for European approval or the still more costly and difficult routine of claiming public at- tention by unspensored fight for place in our own music centers. It may be well for talent to have obstacles to sur- mount in gaining high place, but the bar should not be made so nearly im- possible that poverty brings talent to a halt. The encouragement of the Schu- bert Memorial program will lower the barrier standing before native musical talent in America. e “Roads for Everybody,” Says State’$ Governor From the Tulsa Day)y World. Gov. Fisher of Pennsylvania an- nounces that the State has practically reached the point of making good the “back roads” of the State. An enor- mous construction program has been in progress and most of the major high- ways are complete. Many of the road enthusiasts want to quit now and they suggest letting up in raising road money. The governor says there must be road building for the folks up the creek, and that it would be cowardly to quit now. ‘This is something all road-buildingz States should keep in mind. The com- pletion of major roads should be hur- ried so that the back districts can be systematically connected with them. ‘That is the real mission of State road systems—to get everybody within reach of a good road. Apparently road programs are beset at every step. We have in this State an element which wants to slight the six major highways for undefined roads in all sections. We have another ele- ment which will, just as soon as the major lines are built, want to quit, as some Pennsylvanians want to do. There is no end of this road building—for a generation or so, at least—and slacking on the program is cheating the le who pay the first heavy costs and !;m people who must, in the future, pay the costs. Nelther the cities nor the back tricts are entitled to monopoly of'| roads; the roads are for everybody. “Mercifully,” Indeed! Frem the Los Angeles Times. A man doesn't always reap what he sows. Mr. Edison invented the phono- graph, and he’s mercifully deaf. it And Baby Needs Shoes. Prom the Janesville Dafly Gazette. This stock market panic will reduce banks. And we will find that American | talent will grow under the encgurng!-’ Many readers send in questions signed only with initials, asking that | the answers appear in the newspaper. ‘The space is limited and would not ac- commodate a fraction of such requests. The answers published are ones that may interest many readers, rather than the one who asks the question oniy. | All questions should be accompanied by the writer's name and address and 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send your question to The Evening | Star Information Bureau, Frederic J.! Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. What year is taken for a base | when computing the activity of the real estate market?—M. A. F. A. The National Association of Real Estate Boards bases its index of real estate activity upon the year 1926. . How does the number of silk stockings sold now compare with the number sold 30 years ago?—G. P. A. In 1900 the number of silk stock- ings sold in the United States was 12,- 572 dozen pairs, a pair for one person to each 2,000 of the population. In 1929 the number of pairs of siik or artificlal silk §s more than § hundred million, a pair for each of thd people. Q. Is there much difference in the rapidity with which people read?— V. N. A. Prof. Walter B. Pitkin of Colum- bia University has stated that there are great differences. in the speed of read- ing in different classes of society. Young newspaper men catch with one glance of the eye 4.7 words, while ex- perienced editors take in as many as 7.2 words, which is mose than the ordi- nary newspaper line. On the other hand, engineers, who deal with things rather than with words, have an aver- age eyegrasp of oniy 3.3 words. The engineers are credited, however, with retaining the meaning in a passage of 100 words better than the men of any | other group. Q. Are elephants’ tusks hollow?— "A. Elephants’ tusks are solid. Q. Are the average weights of men and women also considered correct weights?>—J. T. D. A. Average weights are usually com- piled from insurance figures and are merely what. the adjective implies. Ideal weights differ somewhat. Aver- age and ideal weights are nearest to- gether when individuals are between 20- and 25 years of age. As the years progress the average weight is higher than the ideal weight. Q. Why is a revolver so inaccurate for a long range shot?—F. L. B. A. It is not a question of accuracy of the weapon and the cartridge. The sight radius of a pistol is so short that acc rutelcaimtnx at any great distance is difficult. ¢ ! Q.- What people observed the first 1 Thanksgiving day?—O. B. Y. A. Thanksgiving day may be traced back through the ages and the na- tions to the land of the Canaanites, Arom whom the Israelites copied many of the customs. The Harvest Celebra- tion appeared later among the He- brews and was called the Feast of the Tabernacles. The Harvest Festi® val in Greece was celebrated in No- vember in honor of Demeter, the God- dess of Harvests, while the Romans worshiped this harvest deity under the name of Ceres. In England this festival was called the Harvest Home and its origin may be traced back t& the time of the Saxon occupation. The first authentic harvest festival in this country was held by the Pilgrims in 1621 and little by little the custom ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. tional holiday proclaimed by the Pres- ident and reproclaimed by the gov- ernor of each State. Q. How salt is the Gulf of Mex- lco F. L. 8. . The salinity of the Gulf of Mexico is high, due to the high tem- perature and excessive evaporation. It is estimated to be approximately 36.5— that is, each 1,000 grams of sea water contains 36.5 grams of dissolved solids. Q. Please name some seaside re- %orts near London—M. N. A. The principal seashore resorts in the vicinity of London, England, are: Southend, ~ Ramsgate, St. Leonards, Margate, Folkestone, Eastbourne, Broad Stairs, Hastings and Worthing. Q. What city in Brazil is noted for its healing springs?—M. S. S. The City of Pocos de Caldas, in the State of Minas, Brazl, has at- tracted visitors from all countries on account of its therapeutic springs. It is planned to make it one of the lead- ing spring resorts in the world. Q. Who wrote the hymn, “Abide With Me”?—N. N. A. Rev. Henry F. Lyte (1793-1847), an English curate, in broken health, had been ordered to take a trip to a more southern climate, After his final communion service he dragged himself to his room, and before leaving gave to a relative a copy of the words “Abide with me, Fast falls the even- tide,” which he had written, recording his own feelings during the twilight of that Sabbath day. Soon afterward, while on this journey, he died at Nice, France. Q. Does a dessertspoon hold twice as much as a teaspoon?—M. E. N. A. It will hold 1%; times as much. A teaspoon holds 60 drops; a dessert- ‘si)x)oan, 90 drops, and a tablespoon, 180 ops. Q. Was Frances E. Willard the first president of the W. C. T. U.?—E. 8. C. A. Mrs. Annie Wittenmyer was the first president of the national soclety. Miss Frances E. Willard succeeded her in 1879. She held the position until her death, in 1898. Q. How much do the benefactiqns of gmflwenthy amount to in a year?— ‘A. In 1928 the donations and be- quests of wealthy Americans were esti- mated”at $2,330,600,000. Q. What physical law proves that perpetual motion is impossible?—M. S. A. The law of the conservation of energy, than which no law of mechanics is more firmly established, is an abso- Iute barrier to all schemes for obtaining by mechanical means what is called perpetual motion, or a machine whica will do an amount of work greater than the equivalent of the energy, whether of heat, of chemical combination, of electricity, or mechanical energy, that is put into it. Such a result would be the creation of an additional store of energy in the universe, which is not possible by any human agency. Q. Who is the cldest judge on the United States Supreme Court bench, and who is the youngest?—J. W. A. The oldest judge on the Supreme - _Court bench is Oliver Wendell Holmes, ‘who was born in 1841, making him 88 years old. The youngest on the bench is Harlan Fiske Stone, born in 1872; age, 57 years. Q. What proportion of the land of Denmark is in farms?>—P. S. A. Denmark is a land of small farms. About 80 per cent of the soil is pro- ductive and 40 per cent of the whole spread until in 1865 it became & na- is arable, | On Karolyis Secretary Stimson's decision that Count and Countess Karolyi of Hungary may visit the United States, contrary to the ruling of a‘former head of the State Department, is welcomed by the public. It is widely maintained that the raising of the bars against these opponents of the ruling party in their European homeland was contrary to the traditional policies of this country. Che position that any radical ideas that might be held by the visitors would be perilous to the Government is held to have falled in recognition of the good sense of the people. “Evidence that the State Department has returned to a normal and reason- able construction of the immigration law” is seen by the Asheville Times, by what the Terre Haute Star calls Mr. Stimson’s “more liberal attitude,” since, it explains, “the Federal au- thorities would be making & mountain out of a molehill in attempting to bar Count Karolyi, even though no stable country would choose to regard him as a desirable citizen.” Recalling the former action of a few vears ago, the Schenectady Gazette states that “it is known that the re- actionary Hungarian government ex- erted its influence,” and that “the count and his wife were pictured as dangerous revolutionaries, spreading everywhere the seeds of unrest and dissension. ‘This attitude on the part of a nation known as a haven for political exiles,” continues the Gazette, “had an effect not foreseen by some of the opponents of the Karolyls. The exclusion gave them many times the prominence they would have had otherwise, and unques- tionably it aroused favorable interest in the cause of Hungarian republican- ism in quarters that would have ig- nored it.” * ok kX “They would not succeed in causing any excitement in the country about conditions in Hungary,” thinks the Charleston Evening Post. “The average American citizen is not even remotely interested in Hungary and does nqt greatly care whether there is an auto- cratic or an anarchistic condition there. * ¢ * We shall hear little more about the Karolyis now that free speech has been restored. It's the repression, not the freedom, that counts in such matters.” “Count Karolyl, who comes of an old | noble family,” explains the Buffalo Eve- ning News, “was the first president of | the Hungarian republic. The govern- ment of which he was the head—so- cialistic in character—was overthrown by the Reds under Bela Kun. Karolyi's estates, valued at $30,000,000, were con- ‘fiscated, and he and his family were exiled. His is not a background to en- gender fear. His presence is not ob- Jectionable to other countries, and it should not be to the United States. If he does not behave himself, it always will be possible to show him to the door.” ‘The count and countess “may not be as radical as they have been pictured,” says the Aberdeen (Wash.) Daily World. “They have opposed the regime of Ad- miral Horthy, who calls himself the ‘re- gent' of Hungary, but who, in fact, is a dictator, even as Mussolini in Italy or the Bolsheviks in Russia.” The Providence Bulletin suggests that “the | fire of their private grievances has no- | ticeably subsided” and that “their cause | has mellowed. Time, ‘the arch jester,’” continues the Bulletin, “has softened them. They should be very interesting. But as for their turning our heads to- ward dangerous %rlojeeu. Secretary Stimson is correct in discrediting any such dread anticipation.” . “The United States, once proud to be a refuge of the persecuted minorities and dissenters in other lands, begins look and act its normal self again,” de- clares the Daily News, and the the surplus in the bables’ ————————————— No Profits, No Crime. From the San Bernardino Sin, How to stop erime? Well, " people stopped making buggies when agvancing civilization made it unprofitable. Dayton St. Louis Post-Dispatch remembers that desr OF Giscussion, especiatly among - n, especlally among old- fashioned Americans, who recalled the n tumultuous recéption to Kossuth, Soner. Hhngarian patrior, i 1891, s State Department Ruling il Is Comme try was its sympathy with peoples and their champions. * ok ok % “There never has been any reason,” in the opinion of the Milwaukee Jour- nal, “why the Karolyis should not enter this country. * * ¢ K g them out as menaces to our institutions was ridic- ulous.” The Chattanooga News feels that “there is no reason for being frightened at these liberal visitors,” and points out that “under the old ruling which was followed in the Karolyi case in 1925 the State Department might have refused a visa for Prime Minister Macdonald recently.” The Cleveland News avers that the treatment of “this not very imgortant subject” should be miade “not ofly broadminded, but fear- less,” and that “the harm was not so much that the prospective visitors were denied the privilege as that the United States was made the object of laughter at home and abroad.” “We know little about Count Karolyl and his ideas,” remarks the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, “but we are most as- suredly certain that nothing he can do or say here will cause any special dam- age to the American Government, Un- sound theories about government will have little influence. This country is firmly estabdished and it is little short of ridiculous to display any fear over contamination through a visit from & Hungarian Socialist. If we can’t with- stand such a barrage, we have little to lose.” The Kalamazoo Gazette draws the conclusion that “evidently Mr. Stim-~ son has a_creditable sense of propor- tion and does not feel that American institutions are so feeble that they can be toppled over by the visit of a Hun- garian nobleman and his wife.” * ok ok % “Exclusion from the United States on the ground of opinion should be nar- rowly limited,” contends the Rochester Times-Union, advising that “the system of entirely arbitrary decisions as to the right of this or that person to enter the country is one that lends itself to grave abuse.” The Little Rock Arkansas Dem- ocrat adds that “Secretary Stimson ob- Vviously is the type of American who be- lieves that the people are blessed with at least a tiny bit of sense.” “A victory for common sense over a political hobgoblin that never really ex- isted” is hailed by the Columbus Ohio State Journal, though it states as to the law: “The United States is entirely within its rights in declining to offer a haven to anarchists and others of ex- tremely radical political views who not only are not in sympathy with its form of government, but who would even go so far as to seek its overthrow. But to apply that principle to those who hold views that may vary from the orthodox and yet are not ‘subversive is to go to the ‘extreme.” ,oppressed ———— We Always Thought So. “rom the Charleston Daily Mail professor of " an- nounces that the efcléncy of an air plane pilot depends “perfect thy- rold condition.” Who'll deny the asser- jon: That’s Expecting Too Much. From the Duluth Herald. o imist will ever be quite con- tent until he sees an optimist try to iump through a solid brick wall, , - Bigger and Better Athletics. Prom the ;‘;nm Haute Star. ar, erican universities n ;. nct.kn“ncnmlzed wage scale for mn:;‘jlr’f Only One Exception, #rom the Charlotte (N. C. We ‘are living: in" a age" indeed. There is nothing more anywhere except pay. ol Princesses Still Available. From the Omaha World-Herald. who were ynder the impression that one Princes do still - e mnm to nnfl prin.