Evening Star Newspaper, November 14, 1929, Page 8

'THE EVENING STAR —_With Sunday Morning Edition. WASBSHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY...November 14, 1929 THEODOR® W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Knmm per Company ice: d Pennsylvania Ave. : 110 East ‘Englan ‘Business 11 wew' obk e, Michigan Building. Rulnl St., Londons month 8¢ er capy each month. Orders may be sent in by mall or telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. {1y and Sunday....1 sr, $10.00: 1 mo., S8 iy only {1 yr. $6.00: 1 mo.. 80c Sunday only . yr. $4.00; 1 mou 40c All Other States and Canada. only Sunday only Member of the Associated The Associated Press is exclust cation of o in this paper and also ublished herein. ATl riants of epecial dispatches herein are al Press; v entitled rews ise cred- o T nfl%u;::l'm"! = Our New Commission Speaks. ®s * ¢ The commission is not fustified in compelling the street car riders of this city to pay nearly $1,000,- 000 more per year for the benefit of two competing street rallway com- panies.” That, in & nuishell, is the Public Utilitles Commission’s answer to the plea of the street car companies for higher fares. In a few words it sums up and answers the argument of the corporations. ‘Throughout the extended hearings on the car fare questions there was one, and only one, desirable end from the viewpoint of the petitioners. That was an increase in car fare for the benefit of the traction lines. Noth- ing was promised in return to the pub- e, asked to contribute nearly a million dollars more a year to make possible this increase. Nothing was promised 1in the way of better or more convenient car service. To the commission’s hints for possible reductions in operating ex- penses through a physical merger, the street car companies turned deaf ears. Toward the commission's offers of as- sistance in obtaining the heretofore eagerly sought corporate merger of the lines, the companies were ¢oldly unin- terested. To the companies there was one solution of their alleged difficulty. It lay in higher fare. All else was poppycock. Fortunately for Washington the new Public Utilities Commission is willing to ook at the problem of street car trans- portation and reasonable return on in- westment from the viewpoint of the pub- Hc as well as from the viewpaint of the corporations. From the viewpoint of the corpora- tions, the commission was able to see that an increased return is desirable end that the companies are possibly fustified in seeking it. Bt from the viewpoint of the public, the commsissiop. was able to see that there are two ways of increasing this return. One way, suggested by the eompanics, Hes in extracting higher fares from the car riders. Other matters remaining equal, the income naturally increases. Another way, suggested by the com- mission, lies in cutting down operating expenses. It is interesting to note that the car companies estimated the addi- tional revenue to be expected from in- creased fares as appoximately $900,000, while' the estimates of savings in operating expenses and from the other economies to be effected throush merger would be about $1,000,000. 1In the one case the companies would profit and the public would lose—the profit and loss on the part of the com- panies and the public, respectively, being $900,000. 1In the other case both the companies and the public would gain—the new, merged Wgpany to gain by about $1,000,000 and the public to gain in better and more convenient service. But the companies, giving every evi- dence of pique over past failures at merger, have been unwilling to discuss merger as a part of the fare question, when it is as much a part of the fare question as high operating costs are a part of the fare question. Their aim has been higher fares, and they have been unwilling to stop short of it. The commission has, however, done their stopping for them by considering the case, not only on its merits, but from the viewpoint of the street-owning public. Out of the commission’s adverse de- cision there may come a prolonged court fight, a revaluation of the car lines or a corporate merger. The last named is the desirable step, to be taken concurrently with revalu- ation. ————————— Refusal to feed babies on the theory that they are outlaws in war implies & belief in hitherto uncalculated possibili- ties of precocity. o Foreign Minister Curtius. 1# there is anything in & name, the man just named foreign minister of Germany—Dr. Julius Curtius—should have no difficulty in conducting the Reich’s external affairs with the very acme of suavity. Dr. Curtius succeeds the late Gustav Stresemann in the Wil- helmstrasse. He does not come to his responsible task unequipped by experi- ence, for he has been & member of the last two German cabinets and'has be- come thoroughly conversant with the complex political issues the Berlin gov- ernment faces both at home and abroad. ‘The world, whose gaze nowadays s turned in ever-increasing degree toward Germany renascent, greets Dr. Curtius with confidence for the special reason that he was a close personal friend of Dr. Stresemann. At the recent Hague reparations conference, Stresemann publicly—and, as events transpired, al- most prophetically—expréssed the hope that Curtitis would some day be Ger- man foreign minister. ‘The latter is a consistent exponent of the policy of European conciliation with which Stresemann’s name had become synonymous. He may be depended upon to carry it out to the extent that Na- tionalist hostility and other influences within the Reich permit, Dr. Curtius’ earliest major duty will be to represent Germany at the concluding reparations conference in The Hague, which is to give final sanction to the Young plan. Presumably before that meeting the Reichstag will have ratified German adherence to the plan, jingo-junker op- position to the contrary notwithstand- ing. Speaking at the Foreign Service School of Georgetown University in ‘Washington recently, Dr. Andre Sleg- fried, distinguished economist, publicist and author, desoribed a Franco-German entente, especially in the realm of “big business,” as the very keystone in the arch of European reconciliation and re- construction. There is every indication that in Dr. Curtius, the Reich’s portion of that work of international masonry will be in capable and sympathetic hands. ——e— Tax Reduction. Plans of the administration for & $160,000,000 cut in the Federa] income taxes, announced last night by Secre- tary Mellon, who spoke with the fuil concurrence of the President, give em- phatic assurance of the stability of busi- 32 | ness tn the United States. Coming as it did after the stock market has reeled from repeated liquidations, the announcement may aid in stabilising trading on the exchange. While the a ministration made no mention of the stock market situation in its announce- ment of the proposed tax reduction, in the public mind the connection seems inevitable. It was a bold stroke, well played and calculated to restore public confidence. “The indications are that business profits, dividends, interest and wage payments in 1929 will considerably ex- ceed those of the year 1928," said Sec- retary Mellon in his recommendation for tax reduction. “Our estimates indi- cate that the Government should close both the fiscal years 1930 and 1931 with a surplus.” In the midst of the crash of prices on the stock market in recent weeks it has still been obvious to those who stop and think that the business condition of the country is sound; that the Nation is pro- ducing as never before; that employ- ment is good and wages are high; that the railroads of the country have broken all records in the matter of transporta- tion of goods of all kinds. The last in itself is an evidence of real conditions of business activity. Individuals and corporations both will benefit from the proposed reduction of income taxes. Indeed, the administra- tion has devised the most simplified plan for tax reduction that has ever been presented to Congress. It is to lop off 1 per cent of the normal tax on in- comes. Such b reduction will result in the Government's collecting $160,000,- 000 less in taxes during the calendar year 1930 on incomes received in 1929. Practically, the proposal will reduce the THE EVENING STAR, Singapore project the traditional feel- ings of unsuspecting friendship for her will be restored in Japanese breasts. Such a decision would give the world assurance that Britain is pledged to abide by the spirit of the Washington treaties and encourage other nations to follow her splendid example.” ‘To understand the true inwardness of Labor Britain's latest action anent Singapore, Japan's conference policy needs to be remembered. The Wakat- | suki-Takarobe delegation, which will soon tarry in Washington, is definitely understood to be coming with ironclad instructions from the Toklo government to demand & 10-10-7 cruiser ratio, in- stead of the 5-5-3 battleship ratio un- der which Great Britain, the United States and Japan are now operating. If the Japanese contrive to secure such a ratio, they would have, roundly, twelve or fourteen 10,000-ton cruisers, as compared to fifteen or sixteen pro- spectively to be allotted to the British. But Japan's cruiser fleet would be con- centrated in the Pacific. Britain could only keep in Far Eastern waters a part of her cruiser quota. In other words, Britannja would be outnumbered, in the seas which wash the shores of India, the Malay Straits, Hongkong and China, by the cruiser fleet of Japan. It is the susceptibilities of Australia and New Zealand which here are pri- marily impinged upon. Having them mainly in mind, Britain conceived the Singapore project. Its strategic im- portance lies in the fact that it covers the approaches to India from the East and to Australia from the West and flanks the approach to Australia from the North. Ramsay Macdonald is not only a statesman and a peace-lover. He is also a canny Scot. It is just possible that Singapore may suggest to him a val- uable trading pawn, when the time comes at London to reason with Japan about & 10-10-7 cruiser ratio. In some circles of Europe the Hoover suggestion of immunity for food ships is received with questioning interest. . The militaristic spirit is not so much a matter of natural flerceness &s it is an ancient habit of thought. P teties A “robot” airplane pilot is called “Macaviator.” It shortens the term “mechanical aviator” and gives the im- pression that it is a canny member of soclety perhaps entitled even to wear the kilties. ————— The world’s largest submarine will be launched by France. The existence of %0 formidable a sea weapon should be another stimulating influence in argu- ments favoring peaceable understanding. —— e It is confidently asserted that in ap- pointing Sir Rousld Lindsay as Am- bassador here, Great Britain showed its appreciation of the post as unquestion- ably a man-size job. ————————— ‘Wall Street is frankly puzzled by the market; a fact which disposes of the old suspicion that Wall Street was in Ppossession at all times of unlimited in- for a tax reduction will be welcomed by the entire Nation. Several weeks ago it was clearly intimated at the White House that & recommendation looking to & still further cut in the tax rates on incomes would be submitted to Con- gress by the President. The Govern- ment moves in these matters with de- liberation, and properly so. It is neces- sary to know that the margin of safety in Government finance shall not be passed. The action of the President and the Secretary of the Treasury in making the announcement now, instead of waiting until the actual assembling of Congress, more than two weeks hence, comes at & psychological moment and is & wise move, calculated to inspire confidence. ——————————— It has been asserted that Mayor Jimmy Walker won the recent New York election in a “vaudeville atmos- phere.” Any. performer must admire the number of times Mayor Jimmy has successfully played the old Tammany cireutt. e The Singapore Naval Base. In the early stages of his cruiser parity negotiations with Prime Minister Macdonald, President Hoover made & gesture which undoubtedly went far toward smoothing the way to an agree- ment with Great Britain. He ordered the temporary suspension of the con- struction of three American 10,000-ton crulsers. The British have just made a gesture of their own, designed to facil- itate progress at the London confer- ence, though Japan, yather than the United States, is the object of it. The first lord of the admiralty an- nounced in the House of Commons yes- terday that the British government, in view of the fact that “conference deci- sions may affect the question of the use of the Singapore base,” has decided to slow up work on it. Thus Britain matches the effort of Amc:ica to do all that is possible in advance to pro- mote an accord on further limitation of naval armament. All the building operations at Singapore that can be stopped will cease, the admiralty spokesman, said, and no new work will be begun pending the outcome of the five-power conference in January. The underlying significance of Brit- ain’s move lies in the government’s obvious desire to conciliate Japan. The Singapore base, since its inception by the Baldwin Conservative cabinet six or seven years ago, has been the cause of anxiety and resentment on the part of the Japanese. They regard it as a pistol pointed at the heart of their legitimate aspirations at sea in the Far East. ‘When the first Macdonald Labor gov- ernment, in 1924, discontinued work on the base, Vice Admiral Okada, vice min- ister of the Japanese navy, declared: “1f Great Britain finally abandons the side information. ———r—e— The lobbyist who suggested making the South Republican affords another example of an enterprise which could not live up to its prospectus. ———te One difficulty about the tariff is its capacity for subdividing into so many different topics. SHOOTING BTARS, BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Quest of Happiness. He made s fortune in fine shape And still his gaze is set Upon the shifting ticker tape. He isn't happy yet! i In politics he made a play ‘With purpose firmly set. He got elected; but they say He isn't happy yet. ‘The night club jazziness he tried, Where gayety is met, His 18 the fate of mortal pride— He isn't happy yet. Onward and Upward. “What became of that man who said :’h highest ambition was to be a Sen- r?” “He ylelded,” said Senator Sorghum, “to the human temptation to go on seeking more power. Now he wants to be a political boss.” Jud Tunkins says he hopes for fll’l;l Telief, but the help on the place seems to be agin it. Vox Populi on War. The battle shout we all abhor; No mortal man admires it. How can there be another war When none on earth desires it? Busy Brain, “Did you ever accomplish any really difficult task in lite?" “Yes,” answered the man with the sad, earnest face, “I have solved at least a8 many as 2,000 cross-word puzzles.” “He who speaks hastily,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “must indeed have a nimble mind to hold his tongue under supervision.” Fair Arrangement. We'll seek the friendship that endures. ‘When troubles stand in line, It you'll refrain from telling yours, I will not tell you mine. “Try to deserve a good reputation,” sald Uncle Eben, “so’s you kin have chicken foh dinner once in awhile wifout bein’ suspected by de neigh- bors.” —.—— Hoover’s Turkey. From the Albeny Evening News. However, there will be several thou- | thing 30 kind to the President as to resist the impulse to send him a ‘Thanks. glving turkey, All-American Again. from the Lowell Evening Leader. Hopefully the experts will not have to go to the hospital to pick all their candidates for the All-American foot ball eleven. o Land and Stocks. Prom the San Bernardino Daily Sun. ! Says a friend who has tried bolh: 1“You can buy land, and get a crop; you buy stock, and get & cropper.” Haven for Trotsky? Prom the 81, Louls Post-Dispatch. Denmark has refused to let Trotsky light there. He has still to hear from the Galapagos Islandse :I‘ farmers in the country who will VEMBER 14, 1929 lRemembers Early Life BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. The following letter from & young bookman has come to our desk: “Dear Sir: Should one persevere in reading & book if he doesn’t like it, or should he put it down and forget about it? “For the past few years I have no- ticed a growing disinclination in myself tQ finish a book. I take keen pleasure in beginning a new one, but seldom want to finish it. “T am told that this is mental Iaziness, but somehow I cannot believe it, as I am only 25 years old, and have always thought myself mentally awake. “I would like to know your opinion as to forcing one’s self to finish what one has begun. Will it be worth while, or is it better to pass up such a book and take another one? “It seems to me that the entire fault cannot lie with a reader, but that some of it must remain with the . _Sin- cerely yours, A B. H” * ok T This is a problem of the average booklover which has been dealt with at length in this column. In the past our attitude has been that if a book does not hold one’s interest, it should be put down, either for another or for a read- ing rest. ‘The reading rest, as it may be called, is a necessity in the life of every one ‘who loves books. No matter how ardent & bookman one is, he canmot be reading forever. The mind should not be constantly on a stretch. It is a question, of course, whether the average man or woman who reads is really extending his mind to any great length. Some great critics have even gone to :he extent of holding that reading, in it- self, is not an exercise of intelligence at all, but is rather a fleeing from men- tal exertion. Under such a viewpoint, reading be- comes & sort of mechanical action, a ?op dw intelligence, a pretense and a Tau Great readers, these cynics hold, are more or less conscious hypocrites, since they are not exerting their minds at all, but are putting up a bluff at intelli- gence, is using ‘The man who real 1y ng his brain, according to this view, looks with | 800d suspicion on books, because they tend to lull him into the belief that he really is thinking, when all that he is doing is accepting the thoughts of the writer. X0 With this attitude we find it impos- sible to agree. A good book makes & reader think to a degree which nothing else can, not even a vivid conversation with one with whom one disagrees. In conversation repartee too often takes the place of m, Talkers are too likely to go off at a tangent, under the force of ideas, whereas one who reads & book has the words before hiu and can stop reading while he thinks. He may even extend this thinkiny iod to the reading rest, as we c it, as he finds a book becoming dull, boresome, lacking in interest. Thus he ends, through the very exercise ot thinking, the tension of thought whicn made him weary in the first place. Not ‘all books, however, are intended to make people think. Many have no other purpose than to interest. If they produce some degree of exaltation in a reader they have done wonders. A u&od romance sometimes has this happy effect. It will not do to take our books too serjously. Books are neither magic nor mystery, but the productions of human beings, based on the action of intell- . It is perfectly possible that sl-‘nnc:u a great book for one will nov prove so for another, since mind musc mind in the reading, and au ‘This brings us down squarely to our ecn-upondm':’t'- letter, .v%lch perhaps irrors the thoughts of many readers m! in a day and ‘when there are too many books pul‘;fihed. Should one persevere in reading if for any reason he doesn't care for the book he is reading? Would it be better to it dewn unfinished? erly we held the belief that the Iatter would be the better course, buu in recent months we have come to the conclusibn that forced reading is tne best for all except fiction. If a novel does not interest, after one gets well into it, the average reader will do well to put it down. Since in- terest is its big drawing card, if it does not exert interest, in a given case, 1t has failed, in so far as that reader is concerned. If the work is one of instruction, ex- position of some idea or ideas, this same general reader would do well w stick to it to the bitter end, especially if he is over 30 years of age. In the case of our correspondent it would appear that he has arrived au the -fe of stoppage of spontaneous mental growth rather early. There comes a time in the life of every one when he begins to find his mental fibers stiffening. If he does not force them to limber up, he shortly will give up reading all but the headlines. L Piecemeal reading often is respon- sible for this lamentable let-up in the vigor of one’s reading habits. Reading in snatches sometimes has something to commend it, especially if it is the only way one can read, but in most cases it has a wear and tear upon the brain cells which not always 1s recognized. ‘The yanl of the attention back and forward from the printed page, under the impression that one is read- ing—and enjoying it—is the best way we kn:; k:.( killing one’s enthusiasm for ‘The book must remain the standard of reading habits. Continued interest is the criterion. The very length of a book has a great deal to do with the “goodness” thereof. Shorter efforts may be masterpieces, in their way, but they seldom yield the satisfaction of the long masterpiece. ‘The only way to read is to read con- tinuously, if possible, or as nearly con- tinuously as feasible. Sometimes this is a forced procedure which neverthe- less pays high dividends. We would advise our correspondent that if a book does not interest, it may be advisable to give it up, but that it the lack of enthusiasm can be traced to a certain weakness of the reading disposition, the thing to do is to plunge in and never stop until the work is finished. Let this be a sort of punishment to the recalcitrant brain, which is giving way, to some extent at least, to that inertia which seems to come with the advancing years. = Often the mind shows its gratitude for this punishment by increasing in vigor and actually becoming as alert and bright as it was in the old days When one never could get too much of reading. If a booklover once, then a klover always! Let that be the motto of all bookmen. Hoover Freedom-of-Seas Stand Regarded as Limiting Doctrine BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Herbert Hoover has fired another shot which, like that at n, 18 destined to ring around the world. His doctrine that food ships should have unmolested right of passage in time of war is bound to stir up endless dia- cussion, eemnny in Great Britain, It has ediately occurred to ob- servers in Washington—American as well as foreign—that in his Armistice day speech last night the President rs to have proclaimed the doctrine strictly limited “freedom of the seas. By implication, at any rate, Hoover favors confining such “free- dom"” to food ships. He conspicuously refrains from any reference to other kinds of ships. Between the lines of his utterance many authorities, therefore, read that the {‘residem is ready to concede the right of a belligerent nation to seize— if it commands the sea—ships carrying such cargoes as ofl, coal, metals, cloth- ing, arms, munitions, everything, in fact, not describable as food. To grant such a right seems to run counter w America’s traditional attitude on “free- dom of the seas.” * Kk X Our attitude, since the foundation of the Republic, has been that as long as the United States is itself not av war, our ships of commerce, when not loaded with obvious contraband con- signed to a belligerent, are immune from interference. The basic reason for a strong United States Navy is our anxiety that American commerce on the high seas shall always enjoy ade- quate protection while we are enga; in the legitimate trade pursuits of neutral power. As everybody remembers, the British government and the British navy vig- orouslv challenged that old-time Ameri- can doctrine in 1¢14. 18! and 1916. More than once during our long diplo- matic controversy over “neutral trade " there was a possibility we might erter the war in their defense, on the side of Germany. As soon as Uncle Sam entered the war, in 1917, on the side of the allles the American Navy joined with them in closing the seas| %Y. than to Germany, even more tightly already L 4 * ok ok ok President Hoover does not say that he broached the food ship ‘“proposi- tion” to Prime Minister Macdonald in ‘Washington, but Europe published eir- cumstantial reports that he did so. ‘There were also published alleged state- ments of British public men—one, at- tributed to Philip Snowden, Labor chan- cellor of the exchequer—registering bitter remonstrance against the idea. Yet there is some reason to believe that the free food ship question did crop up in the Hoover-Macdonald fireside con- versations and that it by no means en- counf the prime minister’s hostil- ity. In New York on October 11 Mac- donald dramatically depicted Britain's vital dependence on sea-borne food sup- plies from abroad. He specified t ual shortage of food in John ull's islands and how speedily they could be “starved.” The German submarines fllustrated the fact graphically in 1917 and 1918. When Admiral Sims arrived in London in April, 1917, immediately after the United States declared war, the first Admiral Jellicoe told him 'b‘: into that unless the U-boats could checked’ Britain would be starved surrender within 90 days. * ¥k Xk Yet the British people know that it was sea power that brought about the “hunger le” destined eventually, along with American military power, to force Germany into submission. mains to be seen how ready Britain now is to give up the power, which she B:uem in her fleet, to bring another iser to his knees some day. It goes without saying, having accepted the rinciple of naval equality with the nited States, that the British harbor no such grotesque idea as ever starvin America into submission, in the even of an Anglo-American war. The situa- tion, from John Bull’s standpoint, has just been tersely set Affairs a distinguished Englishman, Philip Kerr, who was private secretary to Lloyd during the latter's war~ Kerr says! “The whole &mcuny arises from the ®lties in Belgium, rouslbmcy of war other than war be- ween the United States and Great tain. cannot ignore the pos- sibility of being involved North Atlantic and the Mediterranean arising out of distords of Europe and the Near East. America cannot-ignore the bility of being involved in war in ehcu{clrmn(uucol\hofla- cords of Asia. The em":llc tlcm zhl‘: ry European or Asial conflic liable to precipitate an Anglo-American conflict over belligerent ‘and neutral: rights at sea, however friendly the two nations may otherwise be. main reason why either nation thinks of building a navy against the other is not that it fears attack, but in it may be able to t borne commerce in the two nations being at war with third parties when the other is at peace.” * % ¥ One of the most ticklish questions that will have to be thrashed out, now that Mr. Hoover has “offered” the food- ship issue “for the consideration of the world,” is how & belligerent is going to be guaranteed that sea-borne food will be eaten only bz non-combatants. The moment & crumb of bread or a grain of sugar squeezes through civillan lines and reaches a soldler, es_as much of a “munition of war” as shot and shell. Thmu’hout his _administration of Belgian food relief Mr. Hoover was ac- by memoml e event of one of anti- Americans in Germans.” constantly heard stories of how f ‘was dribbling through the Hoover relief lines into Germany and into the lines of the Ger- man armies all over 3 Napoleon once said that'“an army fights on its belly.” It needs food just as muth as it needs &magr and guns. h the President manifestly asks the world to consi in the free food-ship fiuemon, is just how food meant for civilians in & coun- at war is going to find its way into such stomachs, and such only, (Copyrisht, 1929.) ider, Survival of Explorers Of North Gratifying From the Toronto Dally Star. ‘The news from Cambridge Bay, a place on Victoria Island in the Arctic Ocean, that Col. MacAlpine, Editor Pearce of the Northern Miner and their six assoclates, who disappeared with two aeroplanes eight weeks ago, had turned uf' safely after being helped by Eskimos is most gratifying. ‘The prominence of the missing men, the importance of the interests they represented and the fact that they dropped out of sight while employing a romantic method of ascertaining and developing the natural resources of the country combined to arouse the interest of the whole Nation in their fate. Cambridge Bay is on the far side of the straits used by the explorers in making what is known as the “North- west Passage”; in other words, in pass- ing between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans around the north of Canada. It is about 200 miles west of the point where the remains of the exploration party of Sir John Franklin, the first | b: discoverer of north-northwest of Fort terminal of the Hudson Bay Railway. A fortune was spent "%‘"“’" of the missing men in 'Il%m. locate them, but to no avail, e prevailing opinion among experienced fiyers in the prairie provinces appears to have becn that the whole party would succumb. But there were not wanting those, when 1bings looked blackest, who expressed the be- liet lemhe wide experience in :;ufl-h- !oer;hlnhmmm distan: ik e R SR s, Of Senator Newlands 'nxma Editor of The Star: . ‘was much pleased see The Star’s account olvth. meeting of the tor | o corps of trained researchers in Wash- his | yop. pul velopment of Chevy Chase and its sur- roundings. We were both clerks in the office of the Third Auditor of the Treasury B B R AR go! g ly - ornia, having a brother in San Fran- cisco in the Revenue Marine United States Service, urging him to come out and ‘“grow up with the country. I well remember his large head, covered, I should say, with a pretty color "of red, and rather conspicuous on that account. He had taken a course of law in Mississippl for one year, which entitled him to a grad- uation after one year of study in lumbian coueJe. He secured a Gov- ernment position to aid in so doing. From this college I also was graduated in 1870 in the law department, being admitted to the bar of the District on motion of Prof. Kennedy. I was prob- ably influenced to study law by advice given me by Mr. Newlands. I was 'l“é:,.' welcome st_at his home in vy Chase after he became a member of COnfleu and later a Sen- ator from Ne A. J. WHITAKER. United States May Yet Back Alien Proposal From the Loulsville Courler-Journal. ‘The refusal of the United States to join with 40 nations of the world in an agreement looking to the equitable treatment of fore in all lands will no doubt be another cause of wonder at the continuous abstention of Amer- ica from international collaboration. ‘The latest move is of particular benefit to the United States, with its businesses stretching out into other countries and many thousands of nationals residing abroad; with its annual tide of tourists sweeping other lands and American in- vestments everywhere. The aim of the 40 nations, working under the auspices of the League of Nations, is to protect the rights of our nationals as well as theirs, to prevent double taxation, un- fair treatment of absentee landlords, and to safeguard the alien in his life and property, Just now there is pending in France & measure that threatens American business in that country. The new tax law is in effect double taxation on all foreigners, and it is estimated that it will add $10,000,000 and perhaps more to the tax bills of Americans alone. It has been declared the most serious ob- stacle in the way of American enter- prise in France. But America holds aloof from the 40 nations for excellent reasons. Our Gov- ernment cannot say what treatment shall be accorded in this coun- try. This is a matter for the individual States. ‘The gentleman's ent with Japan ran afoul of this some years ago, when the Secretary of State re- Quested the State of California not to Pass anti-Japanese legislation affecting the o ip of land and the attend- ance on public schools. California, it Wwill be recalled, refused to listen to ‘Washington, and Ja were denied ;q;nkl treatment with citizens in that But the international 1 is de- serving of the moral sup of the Na« tion, and with the reservations im- posed by constitutional restrictions it may yet be indorsed. Ohio Voters Turn Down Bond Issue Proposals From the Akron Beacon Journal. , who Inclined her sub- ‘Wonderl: the slightest pretext was impose death sentences upon Jects. It is 'reheed m’;: even at court croquet game Queen we: stamping about, shouting “Off with his head!” or “Off with her head!” about once in & minute, causing Alice to re- flect: “They're dreadfully fond of be- heading petmla here; the greatest won- der is that there's any one left alive!” When the results of local elections thrtmzmtc ©Ohio are mlcwt;d it is ob- served taxpayers were in something ofmth;'mlmmn;mu that Queen, only ey lopped off were those of bond issues or higher tax levies. Cincinnati was the only city in the State to make a general approval of bond issues. That city has not been running wild with debt-making pro- grams. It has been lssuing no more bonds than taxpayers can conveniently P Chaveland d leveland and Youngstown, for the first time in history, t.g? people voted down bond issues and extra levies for tdl:: %uzl:lcl Mhmuih The Youngstown ea cause the schools from their admi e = proposal for & new Columbus, by a vote of more than two to one, killed s for a higher county tax levy and ds for the Children's Home. In Stark County only 765 people voted for bonds roviding for an addition to the court- ouse and 4,091 against it. In many f}f""‘ .x:'n:posnu d!or &tnet Wwidening, pav- 3 TS and other public improve- m%?hh hu}‘:m :hmmuu lgul“. e moral o] should be apparen to all officlals who have had charge o: administering the public business. The one clear verdict from Ohlo fs that cities and counties shall to keep ex Wwithin the income. e future will not be mo to &Ay the bills, When B:ople to vote against school bond ues, it is evidence that they are out :;;ll';talvrll:e with the rise Shuflun g no more blank checks officialdom to use as it pleun?h - “Syncopation” Unknown In Old-Time “Tunes” mpb the Fort Worth Record-Telegram. r the better part of the presen year there has been a tendency in many Places for & revival of the * {fl tunes.” New York started it, and followed through with the reproductions of many of the light operas which were the vehicles of a majority of the ular songs—and dance tunes—of from 30 to 50 years ago. The Gilbert and Sullivan operas were ced, and those of our own Victor Herbert are on schedule. TMNM{]\DVIHM carried to the radio, eventually, many programs attemptin, & friendly competition bfiweenp thg present jazz numbers and the ballads istence. This much ean be said of the “old songs,” they were “tunes.” The word “syncopation” had no deleterious influ- ence on songs which were written for Valties and Uo-sieps A populas Wo-steps. waltg song—for instance, “After the Ball’— exercised some sort of influence on the | R! ill:- of mtA Amu-lun’a while it was e, 0 vogu miles covered “light years” employed by ast ‘The words might or ht not have been somewhat tic, but a god waltz tune was a welcome addition the gayety of the Nation of that era. It is questionable whether the sur- vivors of those days would vote for a revival of the old nnfi Rather, we be- | lieve, they would be in favor of setting the current musical scores back to the “tuneful” and take a huge burden from . of an obviously overworked syncopatio, But Not a Burden. Prom the Albany Evening News. No doubt the income tax blanks are ket recently. t | average, or poorer, peasants larger of the earlier period of musical ex- 8 as | or death ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. puts at your disposal ington _who will answer questions for They have access to the Govern- ment departments, the libraries, mu- seums, and public buildings and to numerous assoclations which maintain he in the Nation's . If they can be of assistance ‘write your question plainly and with 2 cents, in _coin or stamps, Evening Star Information Bu- reau, Frederic J. , director, ‘Washington, D. C. are there in A, airports in the ‘United States, with an additional 1,035 in of construction. While some of these are only landing fields, there are others which are equipped with run- ways, flood lights, hangars, hotels and weather bureaus. Q. Is there such a place as the Trail of the Lonesome Pine?>—S. W. A. famous Lonesome Pine, cel- ebrated in song and story, stands on top of Big Black Mountain, near Big Stone Gap, where the Trail of the Lone- some Pine connects with Kentucky. It is stated that the tree is beginning to die. Why don't railways make provi- l’% for dancing to while away the time on a journey?—T, R. G. A. On some of the new “recreation cars” introduced by the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy Railroad, a . ments have been provided for dancing. Radios and phonographs supply the mu- sic, and the chairs and tables are of the collapsible type, so that they may be removed easily. Q. What did the Schneider Cup race cost England?—T. M. M. ‘A. The last Schneider Cup race, held in September, cost England $5,000,000. Q. wm;kliand of a fruit is monas- ?—A. B. D. "'K Botanically, & monastery is known It is brought from Porto' Rico and probably is the rarest frult on the New York market. Q. Is Sclence Service a magasine? —W. R. McC. A. Science Service is not & mgutm, t an organization which publishes the magazine known as the Science News Letter. Q. What style of architecture is the n:; British embassy in Washington? A. 'The Brifish embassy informs us that the style of architecture exempli- fled in the new British embassy is called William and Mary. Q. What is crucible steel?—H. V. H. A. Crucible steel is a superior but ex~ pensive kind of cast steel made either by melting blister steel in crucibles or b fusing together wrought iron, carbon and flux in crucibles. That made by the former method is the standard for fine tools. Q. How many stories are there in chAl’ugA'l new opera house?—T, N. S. froxhn-wly $20,000,000 and it is hat the stage would comfortably ac- commodate a 14-story bui 3 Q. In what city is there & monument to Lieut. John Fitch?—B. 8. N. A. In the public square at Bardstown, Ky., is a monument to Lieut. John Fitch as the inventor of the steamboat. By & unanimous vote the United States Sen- ate and House approved on February 12, 1926, an appropriation of $15,000 for a ‘suitable monument to Lieut. Fitch, This memorial was unveiled with im- pressive ceremonies on May 25, 1927. Q. How long have fingerprints been used as a means of identification?— o. V. A. There is record of the use of fine gerprints by the Chinese as early as 200 B.C. They employed an impression ter hilodendron. The taste is simi- ?.'r'w'wm the pineapple and banana. of the thumb as a signature for busie ness and legal transactions. Soviet Farm Problem Acute. as Peasant Workers Hold Production Near Standstill BY WILLIAM RUFUS SCOTT. It the United States thinks it has a serious farm problem let a comparison be made with agricultural conditions in Soviet Russia, and it will be seen that this country has & situation much less handle. d“ll;:m'fl:ewwnmd Estlhl the farm prob- lem is one of oV ction and how to market a surplus profitably. In Soviet the problem is one of under- production and how to induce the try to grow larger crops. Yet at the two problems have this in common; the tillers of the soil are dis- satisfled with the returns for their labor. es rarmers will not plant sufficient acreage or that they resist Soviet officials seek- ing to collect grain for the government. In this resistance Soviet nflmu‘g:;: t private trading in gr: not permitted, the government being the purchaser of farm produce. ‘T understand the problem fully, how- ever, it i necessary to 100k back to 1917, hen the unist revolution mmm the of land. was kept, but the okl Lo, e program not intend that the masters of their newly ac- . The state was to regu- uct and remuneration on the Jand as it was to do 0 in factories and other industrial units. Here began the contest with Soviet leadership, Which right now is acute in the execu- tion of peasants who balk at the so- cialization program for agriculture. Serious Drama Enacted. The average peasant traditionally hungered for more land. However, his hope carried further than that. He wanted, himself, to be a petty land- lord, to manage his land and sell his produce as he saw fit. His knowledge of soclalism was either nothing at all or only & hazy comprehension of what svefen of peasant e Coneqtams: e._ Consequently, g;et.:.,:l'my in Soviet Russia a dtlm{ If Soviet leadership can convert a country, the population of which still is about 75 per cent rural, into a social- ized nation, wherein the farmer will be made part of the same system which city worl r'mot ity "’qu’,“ Moscow, this: The The process of in he arters of the Soviet, is tion program is ' decreed for Russia and whoever acts contrary to that is counter-revolutionary, or is seeking to overthrow the Soviet regime. A charge of being counter-rev- olutionary is the most serious one that can be brought sgainst a Russian. It means death upon conviction, and there is no long-drawn-out court trial to de- cide \‘.h';h question otu guilt, in many cases. 16 secret ice often furnisi the charge and thnpgmor. " Some Passive Resistance. Passive resistance to the Soviet polic: is being practiced by pnl‘n’o Lsy plant just about enough to provide for their own needs and leave no sur- Pplus to turn over to m\governmnt. or an insufficient surplus. 1t becomes nec- essary to collect the grain at the point of the bayonet at times. The peasants now and then turn upon the collectors and kiil them. The Soviet retaliates with swift and ruthless prosecution. But the Soviet does not remain idle in the face of passive ce. Peas- ants are warned that if they will not farm their land the land will be taken away from them and given to usually r ment wm» k a part of . | and workers is finding that resistance, passive or open, means a clash with the govern- ment, with loss of land, imj nt as the possible penalties. ‘What the end will be arouses specu- lation among all ussia since“the revolution as well as among those who view the situation distance. Ordinarily it would ts should be | ;7 ages, | the country (dropping out of de { act drastically who have visited | h: nized frankly that the campalgn to increase Russia’s food supply is para-~ mount. City workers, who are generally -y‘lln.rthofi to the Soviet must be fed and the national make it imperative that as little gold as possible be sent to other countries for the purchase of food. e is under way, with the dividing of the g program. fiscated by the Soviet have been made into state farms on which American tractors and other machinery are used. The average peasant farm is too small to make the use of such machinery economical. Efforts to induce the ts to combine their farms and ly tractors for mutual use have been only moderately successful. The peas- antry remains largely individualistic. Once Exported Wheat, Before the World War grain was ex« ported by Russia. It produced much lsxi’t‘)’l;ett‘!;n; :nau:h for its ?}‘r.n \:’e“’l‘u et is striving to regain 't tion, but for the immediate future will be satisfled to produce enough grain to feed its own people. At present bread is rationed in Russia. Each person is allowed 50 much a day and must draw it each day. This is to ernment that there wi) and that the supply as far as possible. also are rationed, particularly in the Winter months. During a brief Summer period fresh vegetables are available to ease the situation. lines of house- wives may be seen at the government, or co-operative, stores, buying the daily food. The tourist may draw a partially wrong inference from this sight. If the housewives would spread their visits to the stores over the whole day, instead of concentrating them in the early forenoon, the lines either ‘would be eliminated or greatly reduced. But housewives find it convenient to call the morning, and the lines form. This i not to say that no shortage of food exists, for it does, but it is not at the starvation point, or as great as a superficial observation indicates. In 1922, when the American Reliet Administfation, under the direction of the then S:cretary of Commerce, Her- bert Hoover, went to Russia to relieve the famine, the shortage was due pri- marily to the prolonged civil wars in Russia, between the Communist and capitalist elements, and also resulted from the demoralization of the World War. The Communists won the mas- tery and ever since have been wrestling with the problem of food supply. Question Often Asked, The question, Would the ints have joined the revolution if had known that, although they would get the land, they would not be allowed to manage it as thg pleased? is one wrl"l‘lch‘:rervmol ussis since the war often Lenin's chief oratorical “Peace, Land and Bread,” ;rm m% the Warld War), land to the pemsants and bread for the workers. The soldiers, peasants thereupon refused to fight further, Czar Nicholas sbdicated. A {mu&lo s'll prochlm:ld. which the promp! zed. Within six months the my Ym re- public under Kerensky was overthrown by Lenin and the Bolshevists and the Communist, or Socialist, state was set up. The United States, after 11 has not r ized this government. Russia’s city workers, having been more literate and more schooled in economic issues, have obtained sub- stantially what the revolution promised to them, though they have suffered greatly. But the é)unnu have seen the gift of the land fail to bring them what they had dreamed of getting in the way of greater independence of Ny~ ing and larger returns for their toil. The Soviet has been unable to fix a price on grain that would, in turn, buy for the peasants the boots, clothing, house- ;‘12’:1 ugil‘lénes and ‘:n{;‘“ commodities de- L e peasant has only one market for this grain—the government, i Unable to Fight Back. And so the world reads dispa from Moscow to the effect that m‘lfihfi that number of peasants have been t the Soviet decnu‘h:n me that the Soviet feels and quarters as proof strong enough tc to through its mmmnm for fl‘m‘: land in spite of any opposition. The Peasants are in a poor position to offer Violent or revolutionary opposition. The Soviet takes extreme care to keep arms Ax:gd‘ ammunition strictly in its own Along with this severe polic!y the So- viet also tries lectures, traveling exhlb"-yl{ e from a . be said that a natlon with 75 per cent |read of its population on farms could not be driven, coaxed or otherwise converted into a system distasteful to such a ma- jority. Soviet leadership understands well that this is the crux of the social- ization effort. It is bending all its powers of propaganda, force, education and persuasion to bring into line enough of the peasantry to assure a food sup- ply for Russia without having to buy ab; Divide and Conquer. lan of taking land from peas- 'En are balky and giving it to egy. economic plan for Russia—the plan under which the is striving to ovl:hwm its in- u - tion is given to farming. It is recog- won over, the hope enough over so to weaken o) “m“" % Pposition as to make phecy about Soviet Russia as risky as about China. Inh bt country there are concealed factors, or Processes of thinking and acting, unlike hich the remainder the