Evening Star Newspaper, December 2, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR —_With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY......December 2, 1929 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 11n st "shd Pennsyivania Ave £ Office; 110 East 42nd 8t. Ghicaso Office: Lake Michizan Bulldins. uropean Office; 14 Regent St. London. pngla Rate by Carrier Within the City. Evenine Star 45¢ Ler month i Orders may be sent in NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, E: and Sunday.....1yr. $10.00: 1 mo.. 88c unday only e ach moun'h. by mail or telephone only ", 1¥r $6.00: 1 mo.. 50c .1yr. 34.00: 1 mo.. 4cc All Other States and Canada. Iy and Sunday..} vr. $12.00; 1 no. § 1yr., $8.00° 1 mo.. Iy only - unday only . 151, $5.00: 1mo.. 1.00 i8¢ s0c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of ali news cis- Patches credited to it or not otherwise cred- te per and also .he local rews . All rights of publication of special dispatches nerein are also reserved. The First Regular Session. The Seventy-first Congress, no stran- ger to Washington, takes up its legisla- tive duties again toda; The special session, which opened last April, nearly merged into the regular session now opening. Left over from the special session is the task of completing the tariff bill. In addition to this job, Congress will have on its hands a multitude of sub- Jects. The annual supply bills must be put through, with care to keep the appropriations within the budget esti- mates. The administration has already declared its purpose to recommend a cut in the income taxes of individuals and corporations. It is a tentative| slash, however, applicable only to the taxes to be paid in the calendar year of 1930, ‘The smoothness of the course of leg- islation in the session now opening will depend in large part on the ablility of the Republicans in the Senate to work | together. The House Republicans have already demonstrated their strength. But in the Senate chamber a very different situation has arisen. It is not an overnight growth, for it has been in the process of development for & decade or more. The contest over the farm relief bill and the tariff in the special session merely served to accentuate the division in the Republic- an ranks and to solidify the “coalition” formed by the Democrats and some of the Progressive Republicans from the West. This tendency on the part of the Progressive Republicans to leave the reservation and work with the Democrats is the most serious problem with which the administration has to deal at present. It is obvious that, no matter how ‘well the Republican organization func- tions in the House, little constructive work can be accomplished as long as the majority party in the Senate re- mains divided. Furthermore, there is always the danger, to the Republicans, that alliance of Progressive Republicans and Democrats in the halls of Con- gress may in the end divide and weaken Republican control in the States which send these insurgents to the Senate and House. For years there has been the threat of a coalition of the West and the South in support of Demo- cratic party principles. Such a coali- tion has materialized only once in re- cent years, when Woodrow Wilson in 1916 defeated Charles Evans Hughes for President. Today the Chief Ex- ecutive hails from the Pacific Coast, | for the first time in history. It does not seem possible that with the West in key positions of the Government the Republicans will foolishly permit a split in the party. A congressional election fs in the offing. The record made by the pras- ent session of Congress, both cn the tariff and on other matters, may have & very significant bearing on these elections. The party in control of the Federal Government often in the past has found itself hamstrung during the second half of a presidential admin- istration through the election ot an opposition house of Congress. As a rule such a situation halts absolutely all constructive work for the country through legislation. It has happened during both Democratic and Republi- can administrations. Under such cir- cumstances, the country is compelled to mark time until the next presidential election is held and a new Congress comes into existence along with a new President. The Republicans of the East and the Republicans of the West will.both make & mistake if they go on the belief that the Republican party is bounded on the West or the East by the Allegheny Mountains. There must be a spirit of give and take. There must be leader- ship which will smooth over the rough spots which have recently been in evidence. The country has recently faced a ecrash of the stock market. Despite this crash, there has been remarkably little dislocation of business. President Hoover has acted wisely and promptly to mobilize all the resources of the country to keep “business as usual.” It is up to the present Congress to Thelp in this situation. Distress in this coun- try, if it came, would fall on Democrat and Republican alike, which is some- thing that the politicians will do well to keep in mind. The tariff bill and the tax reduction resolution should be acted on with as little delay as possible. Any other course by the Senate is likely to make that body exceedingly unpopular with a great majority of the people. . Nothing can deprive William S. Vare of the distinction of being one of the country’s most conspicuous near- Senators. ————— Bombs and Cabbages and Soot. l “The time has come,” the Walrus sald, “t¢ *2’% w1 many things—of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cab- bages and kings.” This strange com- bination of topics for discussion, pro- posed by Lewis Carroll, has found some- what of a modern parallel in another connection in the announcement in news dispatches from Shanghai that Russian aerial raiders on the Man- churian border are dropping bombs, | the sky, | way. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, of an attempt to shake the morale of the Chinese troops and civilian inhabit- ants of the raided sections. But cab- bages are entirely another matter. They are just as strange a connotation as in the observation of the Walrus. Indeed, the dropping of cabbages would seem to be rather in the way of “giving aid and comfort to the enemy.” To the Russian a cabbage is.a precious commodity., It furnishes a large part of his dietary. The Chinese are not so particular regarding food, so long as it is edible. Cabbages are as good as something else, whatever it is. A first-rate cabbage, dropping from would be as manna to the| Celestials. Of course, a cabbage when | at rest from its descent would be some- | what in the state of slaw, but pulverized cabbage is better than no cabbage; nnd,: besides, must it not be reduced in con-| sistency before taking? So why not in| macerated form after a drop of a few hundred feet? There is something wrong with the military psychology of the Russians in| this matter. If the cabbages are dropped as missiles, why not stones, if bombs are lacking? There are more stones than cabbages in Siberia. And a cabbage-sized stone would be every bit as demoralizing as the comestible on dcscent. Maybe the dispatch is wrong. Dis- patches from China sometimes are quite inaccurate. e Widen Defense Highway! The Maryland State Roads Commis- slon is to be congratulated on its de- termination to consider seriously the widening of the Defense Highway dur- ing the next twelve months. This de- cision was reached at a meeting of that body recently when representa- tives of the Washington Board of Trade, the Rotary, Civitan and Kiwanis Clubs, the Chamber of Commerce of Annap- Jli and interested individuals presented facts to show that the fifteen-foot-wide roadway is a menace to the safety of motorists. The sum of thirteen million dollars 1s available for road construc- tion and maintenance in Maryland dur- ing the coming year, and Chairman G. Clinton Uhl of the commission assured those present that the matter would recelve thorough consideration. While no definite promises were made in regard to the time of beginning im- provements, it was intimated that the Defense Highway is likely to take its place among the primary roads of the State. . Defense Highway, since its opening a few years ago, has become known as “Death Highway"” because of its exceed- ing narrowness and its heavy contribu- tion to motor car accidents. Fifteen feet wide on the straightaway and eighteen feet wide on the curves, this road carries a large volume of traffic. On each side of the narrow strip of concrete, with few exceptions, the sofil is loose and shifting and motorists must stay on the hard surface unless they are willing to court the danger of a bad skid. With the average car, six feet wide, it can easily be realized that two drivers passing each other have little room for clearance. It is no wonder then that the De- fense Highway has been the breed- ing place of accidents, both serious and trivial. It takes a driver with excep- tional judgment to divide his foot and & half of clearance space between the edge of the road and the fender of the car he is passing. Unfortunately not many drivers possess this exactness of judgment and dangerous sideswipes have become almost commonplace. Es- pecially on Sundays and holidays, when the volume of traffic is heavy and so many motorists appear to believe that they are entitled to parking space in the middle of the road, is the high- way a menace to all who use it. Agitation for the work now contem- | plated by the Maryland Roads Com- mission was begun almost the day the road was opened, but probably due to lack of funds no improvements have been made except an attempt to make firmer the soil at the sides of the concrete strip so that the chances of skidding would be lessened. It is a matter of satisfaction, therefore, that tentative plans are under way to make the only logical improvement, widening the entire artery by at least three feet. Fifteen-foot roads became obsolete years ago, and Maryland, with its enviable position among the States in highway bullding %nd maintenance, cannot afford longer to be charged with fail- ing to improve a thoroughfare of this character. ‘While this part of the world is undfl“ threat of intermittent cold waves,| Comdr. Byrd's polar experiences have| enabled him to know just about what| the climate is going to be and make his prparations accordingly. —— e Publicity and Propaganda. The Governor of New York, following the example of President Hoover, an- nounces that hereafter he will ignore any communications addressed to him which first are given to the press. He earnestly advises all other State ex- ecutives to take the same stand. Thus one of the cheapest, simplest and most effective tricks of the propa- gandist may be forced into the dh‘card.i It is a device that has been used so often, so cynically and so unscrupulous- | ly that the revolt of its victims was to have been expected sooner or later. John Jones, let us say, believes in a high tariff on paper clips. He writes to the newspapers about it. Jones is only one individual in millions. His name means nothing. He has no “news in- terest.” So his communication goes into the waste basket or, at the best, re- ceives a very obscure notice. Far different is the result if he does the same thing in a slightly different In some manner he must intro- duce a name which has this intangible quality known as “news interest.” He must secure a “news peg” upon which to hang his opinions. A simple way of doing this is to send a letter - outlining his views to the President of the United States. Often the change in the situation brought about by such a device is marvelous. ‘The fact that Jones has written to President Hoover for some reason or other is regarded as “news.”” His let- ter secures a prominent position in the papers and he accomplishes his object of placing his views before the public, ‘There are numerous variations to the trick, but the basic principle always is cabbages and bags of soot upon the inhabitants of the Chinese areas. Bombs can be understood. Bags of 200t may be explainable on tq score the same—to make the fact of com- | about what ought to be so simple a tising. It is especially effective 1f the ! public official, due to a false sense of courtesy, takes the trouble to send a for- mal answer. The phraseology of such for- mal replies sometimes is so general that almost any interpretation can be placed upon it—even warm approval of the sentiment of the communication. For example, a letter was addressed to the late President Harding applying for the position of comm’ssioner of education. Of course, it nevcr reached Mr. Harding himself, but it received a form answer from his secretary stating that the office was filled satisfactorily, that no change was contemplated, but that in event a vacancy arose the ap- | plication would receive due considera-' tion. It later developed that the man was using this letter in an advertising cam- paign to create the impression abroad that he was a prominent figure in the educational world, so prominent in fact that he was being considered seriously for the highest educational post within the gift of the Government. The tricks of the propagandist are so simple and they show such a profound contempt for public intelligence that it is difficult to understand how they have succeeded so long. Perhaps the end is in sight. R A Good Samaritan. “Do not talk about being a good man, but be such.” This general advice, given two thousand years ago by the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, had its exemplification in Samuel A. Moreland, a Post Office Department employe, who was killed recently while crossing the street. After his death it was revealed by intimate friends that this quiet, unassuming man, to the casual observer merely a pleasant “old- timer,” had helped to place scores of unfortunate men on their feet, having spent all the surplus of his modest in- come in this work. Without blare of publicity trumpets this good man helped many jobless men to get work, gave them food, provided them with clothes and saw that they had lodgings. It was revealed that he further lived up to the precepts of the ancient good man by lecturing his “finds” gently on the virtues of regular habits and clean liv- ing. So sincere was he that his talks, no less than his good offices, changed the course of many lives. It is interest- ing to speculate on how many such Good Samaritans there are in a city the size of Washington. Seldom they are known until they are gone, when death reveals their deeds. Mr. More- land did good in his life. If his example inspires others to do likewise, his in- fluence for good has but begun. oo The determination with which lead- ing economists are facing problems re- lating to work, wages and security of capital placed the recent Thanksgiving ceremonies among the most significant that have come to attention in many years. —— vt Conferences of business men are now conducted for the purpose of improving business for all classes of citizens, and not with the object of seeking especial competitive advantages for particular groups. ——— Hindenburg sat for a movie camera man. He agreed to a ten-minute sit- ting, which for so eminent a performer, serving without pay, was a more than liberal arrangement on his part. ———— ‘There is not much use of trying to put up a moral argument with a boot- legger who shamelesily asserts that he regards prohibition as good for his: business. o Discussion of substantial tax reduc- tion will have strong interest from some of the old-time economists who had | learned to believe that taxes always went one way, which was up. e Many a college professor continues to wonder why he cannot secure the same respectful attention that is accorded a foot ball coach. . SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Motorist. They tell us of & kindly saint Who travels through the sky With an appearance very quaint As he goes flashing by. We note that his equipments are Not of a former day. He got himself a motor car And put aside the sleigh. The stars as traffic lights are set To guide him everywhere, ‘With obligations to be met, Despite the frosty air. There is no need for him to know The service of a “cop.” A child’s voice tells him when to go And also where to stop! Daylight Saving. “Do you mind going to a town where they have daylight saving?” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. *“I have become 80 used to investigations that I don’t object to conducting one matter as the time of day.” Jud Tunkins says he keeps a dog so that when he buys a steak its twenty per cent of bone won't be wasted. No New Worlds to Conquer. When man has roamed the tropics through, And scanned the polar snow Both north and south, what will he do With nowhere else to go? Melodious Publicity. “We get some fine classical music by radio.” “And yet most of the classical writers died poor.” “Luck broke against them. They got into action before they could command the compensation that would now be due them as ad. writers,” “There is one word,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “that means more than ‘fortune’ or even ‘life’ That is the word ‘honor.’ " Like the Stock Market, Of the thermom, in wintry woe, ‘We venture to complain. Its figures one day upward go, And then go down again! “I allus welcomes de huntin’ sea- munication with a distinguished public figure the “news peg” upon which to hang personal opinion or free adver son,” sald Uncle Eben. “It's an en- couragement to go after rabbits an’ let chickens along A ‘This column has had several requests for our selection of the best individual discourse of Epictetus. One correspondent said that he had found himself in a mental maze, while trying to read the “Discourses,” and | thought that by reading first a sure-fire “'good one” he might come to like the others. The difficulty of choosing the “best” of anything is notorious. What is the best book, the best melody? All that any one can do, within cer- tain limits, is to select the one which appeals most to him. All persons of a certain degree of discrimination will choose much alike up to & certain number. ‘Thus most connoisseurs will pick 10 or 12 of Sousa’s marches as the best, and without previous concert the lists will be reriarkably alike. Out of the list of any great author's books the majority of readers can se- lect three or four which undoubtedly are the greatest. The thing is not difficult, up to that extent, for greatness carries its own marks; but when one person is asked to choose the one “best,” we have a dif- ferent proposition altogether, A majority vote, even if taken among experts, shows nothing, or, at most, very little. ‘There are too many chances for the introduction of personal likes and dislikes. One man, for instance, may resent the usual, and thus come to care most for a certain unusual bit from the hand and brain of the master composer or writer. The “best” of anything can only be one person’s ideas of what appeals to him the most. With this understand- ing, it is possible for any reader to nar- ow Epictetus down to some half dozen est From the six, however, the “best” s a matter of opinion. * ok ok % Our selection is the eighth chapter of the second book. It must be remem- bered that the “Discourses” as we have them today are divided into four books of approximately 20 or more chapters each. There were originally eight books, but four of them have been lost. The fall of the Roman Empire was a time that tried men’s souls, too. Civiliza- tion, as overrun by the barbarians, seemed to conspire to destroy the best of the old. Great writings were among the worst sufferers, not only because they were easily burned, but because they were held to contain ideas. Ideas, then as now, hurt. ‘The world always has been afraid of ideas, especially those which have to do_with the greater things of life. In amusements and sports, new ideas are accepted at once, but when man deals with matters commonly regarded as of more moment, he finds his mind less flexible. Those who find great thoughts and inspiration, together with the mighty quality of true interest, in the writings of the ancients, would bewail the loss of so much of their works if it were not for the fact that so much still re- mains to us. We must be thankful for what we have, and let the rest go, since it is past recall. Perhaps, after all, we have the best. * ok Kk ok ‘The eighth chapter of the second book of the discourses of Epictetus tells wherein consists the essence of . “God is beneficial,” said Epictetus. “Good is also beneficial.” “It would seem, then, that where the WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Mention of Senator George H. Moses, Republican, of New Hampshire, as Sena- tor-to-be Dwight W. Morrow’s ambas- sadorial successor in Mexico, conjures up a variety of diverting thoughts, Does the G. O. P. high command, 'whose headquarters are in the White House, think it might be just as well to have the wise-cracking New Englander off the political reservation in 1930? Has the Mexico appointment been devised as the most expeditious way of dispos- ing of the chairman of the Republican senatorial campaign committee? On the whole, next year's critical party neces- sities ‘considéred, wouldn't it be better to let the sons-of-the-wild-jackass jest- | er exercise his wits in diplomaey than in politics? These, at any rate, are the reflections and speculations aroused by the Morrow-Moses-Mexico reports. If the President pro tem. of the Senate were promoted out of that body into the for- eign service, he would follow Edge of New Jersey. In Moses' case there isn't quite the local political set-up which induced former Senator Edge to accept an ambassadorship. The Jerseyman would have come up for renomination and re-election in 1930. He faced a fight the outcome of which was something more than problematical. No one has ever suggested that Moses could be un- horsed in New Hampshire. ok - President Hoover’s first “regular” message to the Seventy-first Congress, which will be read for him in both houses tomorrow noon, doesn't justify the Chief Engineer's reputation for brevity of speech. It's a tidy document of 12,000-odd words. It will fall to the honorable lot of this observer to “de- liver” the message over the radio net- work of the Columbia Broadcasting System. At his ordinary rate of micro- phonic speed—2.000 words in, roundly, 15 minutes—it should take him exactiy one hour and a half to reel off the presidential story to the listening audi- ence across the country. That's a tall order—both for the audience and for the broadcaster. % ke A recent visitor to Washington was Col. Thomas W. Miller of Delaware, former alien property custodian, who earlier in the year completed a term at the Federal Prison in Atlanta. Miller looks as fit as a fiddle and none the worse for his enforced visit as a guest of Uncle Sam in Georgia. He told his friends in the Capital that hes busily engaged in staging a quiet come- back into private life, One of his major occupations is the operation of a huge ranch in Nevada, in partner- ship with former Gov. Scrugham or that State. Miller purposes spending part of his time in Reno and the rest in Wiimington, where he and his fam- ily are in occupation of the Miller an- cestral home. At Atlanta, he says, Col Miller was active in helping the prison officials map out and put in practice a new system of financial audit anu control. * K K ¥ Papers just filed in the New York supn;:’m« é:ourt are a direct echo of the marine lobby inquiry in the United States Senate. Capt. Herbert Hartley, known to thousands of American globe- trotters as the former commander of the steamship Leviathan, is suing the present owners of that ship, the Trans- oceanic Corporation of the United States, for $75,866 salary due him. His employment was suddenly terminated in October, following certain revelations before the Shortridge senatorial com- mittee, which was looking into the Shearer affair and corelated “irregu- larities.” The foimer skipper of the biggest American liner complains that he received only $8,500 of a $84.166 salary contractually due him. Hartley was ‘hired to become the commodore of the projected fleet of four four-day crack transatlantic ships which his principals planned to put in commis- slon. The captain’s troubles are the outgrowth of testimony given before the Senate committee by Laurence T. Wilder, who was questioned about a rumored $145,000 merchant marine lobby in Washington. Hartley figured in the Wilder testimony as the recip- ient -of $2,000 “for professional serv- ices, ship operation.” * % & % “Yeung Bob" La Follette of Wiscon- 8in, who looks more like the “baby { THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. essence of God is, there too is the es- sence of good.” If that sounds to the reader like certain statements of modern religious leaders, let us remind him that Epic- tetus wrote 2,000 years ago. He said it first! ‘The essence of Deity, Epictetus con- tinues, lies not in flesh, but in intelli- gence, knowledge, right reason, call it what one will. Epictetus would have accepted the word “spirit®’ His idea that God is in us, as well as in the visible universe, was not new with him any more than it was with St. Paul. Paul probably had been reading Epictetus when he made his famous statement about the body being the temple of the spirit. ‘There are several parallels between the writings of the two which would seem to indicate that Paul made Epic~ tetus one of his favorite writers. “You are a distinct portion of the essence of God, and contain a certain part of Him in yourself,” continues the great Stoic. “Why, then, are you ignorant of your noble birth? Why do not you consider whence you came? Why do you not remember, when you are eating, who your are who eat, and whom you feed? “You carry a God about Wwith you, wretch, and know nothing of it. “Do you suppose I mean some god of gold or sllver? “It is within yourself you carry him; and profane him, without being sensible of it, by impure thoughts and unclean actiens.” * ok ok X Epictetus recalls the young man who says to his father when first he goes away to school, “I wish you were going along.” In his practical way he immediately answers, as for the father: “Have you not God? Do you seek any other while you have him? If you were a statue of Phidias you would remember both your- self and the artist, and if you had any sense you would endeavor to do noth- ing unworthy of him who formed you, or of yourself, nor to appear in an un- becoming manner to spectators. “And are you now careless how you appear because you are the workmanship of God? And yet what comparison is there? What work of any human artist contains in itself those faculties which are shown in forming it? “Is it anything but marble, or brass, or gold, or ivory? “And the Minerva of Phidias, when its hand is once extended, and a Vic- tory placed in it, remains in that atti- tude forever. But the works of God are endued with motion, breath, the use of the appearances of things, judgment. “Being, then, the formation of such an Artist, will you dishonor Him, espe- cially when He hath not only formed, but intrusted and given the guardian- ship of you to yourself? Will you not only be forgetful of this, but, moreover, dishonor the trust? “If God had committed some orphan to your charge would you have been thus careless of him? “He hath delivered yourself to your care and says, ‘I had no one fitter to be trusted than you; preserve this per- son for me, and will you not preserve him?"” ‘There is no “fine writing,” no rhetoric here, but such simple, downright phras- ing that some may hmiss its greatness, but that cannot be helped. ‘There is no finer conception in litera- ture than that of God saying to every had no one fitter to be trusted Senator” every day, despite the fact that | he'll be 35 years old in February, has just had his extraterritorial duties in- creased, Hitherto he's had to write editorials for La _Follette's Magazine only once a month, but the magazine henceforward will be a weekly periodi- cal called the Progressive and the executive offices at Madison announce that “Young Bob” will adorn its edi- torial pages regularly. The following cryptic message is issued by William T. Eviue, editor of the Progressive: “This publication will not require a dollar of advertising for its maintenance.” In no respect will the organ of La Fol- letteism be more unique than in that. * ok kK Official Washington is studying with the liveliest interest Edward N. Hurle proposal to M. Thenls of Belgium, pres dent of the International Chamber of Commerce, about a raw-materials pact among the nations for prevention of war. Some authorities think such a pact would, in effect, be an Anglo-American alliance. Their argument is that with the United States and Great Britain monopolizing or dominating the world’s supply of metals and oil, to say nothing of capital and cotton, it would be with- in their power alone to dictate peace. It would not be an absolute power, it is pointed out, but a veto from them ‘would command tremendous respect. Another point is raised: Would it be one of those “sanctions of public opinion,” which President Hoover favors, or a “sanction of force,” such as the League of Na- tions' covenant provides for? W e o Prof. Harry Elmer Barnes, who teaches at Smith College, thinks there'd be a miscarriage of international justice if Frank B. Kellogg were to get the Nobel prize for peace. Barnes thinks the crown belongs on the shaggy head of Senator | Willlam E. Borah. The former Secre- tary of State, the Smith pedagogue as- | serts, “had little to do with drawing up | the muitilateral treaty.” The actual au- thor, he says, was Borah, and the idea behind the outlawing of war sprang from the brain of Salmon O. Levinson, Chicago lawyer. Barnes made these statements in a public address at New York on Saturday. (Copyright, 1929.) ——— In Defense of the Late Utilities Commission | To_the Editor of The Star: I wish to write a belated word in defense of the former Public Utilities Commission,»which has been so roundly crificized by some. Real bravery and fidelity to duty are often exhibited by public officials when they make decisions which are momentarily unpopular with a vociferous minority. Very often later developments prove an “unpopular” de- cision to have been for the real benefit of the same citizens who, at the time, may have been artificially stimulated to a spirit of uninformed antagonism. Long-drawn-out court contests over public utility matters are unfortunate and are expensive to the public, which must pay the entire cost in fares and often in decreased efficiency of service. If it is subsequently proved that con- stitutional rights have been flagrantly invaded by a so-called “popular” deci- sion, it then becomes apparent how costly it has been to the public. HASELL H. BURGWIN. — e Lights on Baby Buggies. From the Cincinnati Times-Star, In Sweden, baby carriages must carry headlights after dark; horns not re- quired, and no baby needs one. iy Call Error on Hoover. From the Dayton Daily News. In calling his conferences of business leaders, President Hoover seems to have Summoned everybody but the “big but- ter and egg men.” ——————— Modern Justice. From the Ann Arbor Daily News. A California judge sentenced a star foot ball player, accused of a traffic vio- lation, to make touchdowns or appear in court again, It wa & case of either goal or gaol. N Praises Address Of Secretary Davis To the Editor of The Star: A reading of the articles published in The Evening Star of November 29, de- picting the greatest executive body in the world, is to be highly recommended. I know the thousands who read the magnificent exhortation of the working man's wife will agree with me in say- ing a more brilllant or more concise and popular article never has been pub- lished nor spoken by the lips of man than this glorious brief, illustrating the every detall essential to the duties of the working man’s wife, as spoken by the Hon. James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor. That article should be pub- lished in every periodical, magazine and paper throughout the universe and held as a masterpiece for this and for future generations. truest and most concise exhortation I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and rightfully deserves world-wide cir- culation. Truth is mightier than fiction and this radio address of the Hon. James J. Davis speaks for itself, illustrating the most perfect executive—the wife. J. H. ALLEN. Closing of Cemetery By Cardinal Lauded From the Boston Evening Transcript. ‘The gates to the cemetery in Mal- den stood closed today and Cardinal O'Connell, by his decision to order them closed, has gained great respect. Among clear-thinking persons of all faiths and communions the courage and good judgment of his act will be held in esteem. Nothing could exert stronger sway upon the emotions, nothing could be harder to consider with calm, than the spectacle of thousands upon thou- sands of human beings—men, women and children—advancing each day and far into the night, in fair weather and in bitter storm, to pray for the relief of afflictions. 1t has been a sight that must bring pity to any heart that ever feels compassion. At the same time nothing could be more certain, the known conditions and psychology of great crowds of people being what they are, than that this mass-movement would lead to excesses, and to the risk of producing more harm than good. Cardinal O'Connell evidently came to & conclusion that the scenes at the Mal- den shrine had entered that stage of risk, and he determined to put & stop to it. ‘The announcement is now credibly made that all cures reported during the past month will be subjected to care tul investigation by the church authori- ties. Assuredly this is a wise step, and we trust and believe that the work will be done thoroughly. There is a par- ticular reason why such investigation of the events reported from Malden is especially necessary, and that rea- son derives from a condition for which the church is not in the slightest re- sponsible. The only source of informa- tion thus far available to the public regarding daily happenings in Malden has been the press, and we are bound to say that the accounts appearing in all save one or two of the Boston new: papers have been extraordinarily lack- ing in any evidence of that type of careful and diligent reportorial effort to “get all the facts” which is the tradition of the American press, and which in the past has been the chief glory of the American press. Not only has there been almost no effort on the part of the reporters to visit the homes of persons involved in their daily re- ports, or to seek the statements of qualified judges, but there has been a strong tendency to exclude and deny print to any statements of kind which have been offered. Cardinal O'Connell has now rebuked that manner of procedure. He has begun a patient, careful, thorough-go- ing inquiry. This cannot help but lead to valuable results and to discriminating judgment, where the permanent good lies, and where the harm and risk, Clemen;;u Gi;l;h In World Affairs From the Cleveland News. Georges Clemenceau, tempestuous French statesman, peacefully enters the port of eternity at 86, while mankind pauses to review his stormy career, and flags drooping at half mast tell of the sorrow of the world, whose destinies he helped to shape. M. Clemenceau was & gigantic figure in international affairs in his active years as he played his parts on the world's stage, but he was no internationalist. Within him burned the fires of patriotism—a love of France lrllnacendmz everything here and here- after. Brilliant, fiery, eccentric, he fought the battles of his country with an im- petuous daring that early made him known as “The Tiger,” and with an un- conquerable persistence in war's darkest hour that brought to him a crown as “Father of Victory.” Entering into public life during the stormy reign of Napoleon III, the elo- quence of his lashing tongue at once made him the central figure of contro- versy. Not only did he fight in the struggles of the forum, but when he was calumni- ated, he fought duels. And at one time he decided upon the wisdom of a self- imposed exile. Returning, he plunged into battle again, taking part in the upheaval of 1871, and then on through the years in a dominant role in the public life of his beloved France. But even these crowded years were but a preparation, an apprenticeship, for tlose two years of premiership in the World War in which the gallant old statesman helped to bring peace and victory. “But there are some battles one can- nok win; this one is lost.” And so, while these words were enun- ciated by Francois Pietri, minister of colonies, a silent and pitying world waited in sympathy during the death agony of the old “Tiger.” Now the second member of the “Big Four” that helped to make the peace has gone to join Wilson, leaving but Orlando and Lloyd George of that group which wielded world power 11 years Aago. M. Clemenceau was one of ‘the great of earth. Mainly he was concerned only in serving France, but sometimes in do- ing so he also served mankind. B New View of Railroad Public Service Is Seen From the Rock Island Argus, Addressing a luncheon club in Minnesota recently, the head of a Northern Pacific Railroad shop declared that for less than three cents the mod- ern railroad carries a passenger and 150 pounds of baggage for the distance of a mile, while at the same time the railway system is hauling 9,000 pounds of vehicle in order to seat him. It was affirmed that for 1,081 cents the railway transports a ton of freight a mile, handling 1,500 pounds of dead weight at the same time. The shop superintendent told his audience that from 1921 to 1929, in- clusive, freight rate reductions totaling nearly five billion dollars have been made. He asserted that in order to buy a hand lantern a railway company must haul a ton of ordinary freight 93 miles, for a coal scoop 143 miles, a keg of railway spikes 55 miles, an ordinary crosstie 82 miles, a box car 168,946 miles. Before the money is available to buy a day coach the railway must carry a passenger 988,954 miles and to supply a dining car one passenger must be carried 1,760,442 miles. ‘This address has the merit of orig- Inality and it forces one to look at the railroads and the service they furnish from a new point of view. This speaker said in addition that a third of all the world’s railroad mileage is in this coun- try, that the railroads employ nearly 2,000,000 men, and in seven years have expended $7,500,000,000 in expansions and improvements in properties and service. Most certainly these figures are im- pressive and testify to the great part the railroads take in providing trans-' rtation and in the upbuilding of the ation. It is by far the| Did you ever write a letter to Fred- eric J. Haskin? You can ask him any question of fact and get the answer in a personal letter. Here is a great edu- cation idea introduced into the lives of the most intelligent people in the world —American newspaper readers, It is a | part of that best purpose of a newspa- Address _ Frederic J. The Evening Star Washington, D, C. Q. What sound is given to the first “g" in giglo?>—L. E. D. A. The first “g” has the sound of “j." This word has come into our language from the French. In France, the gigolo 1s an habitue of a dance hall or turn " postage. | Haskin, _director, Information Bure: act as escort for women who are unat- tended or as a dancing partner. Q. How long have cities in the United States had laws regulating gambling?— A. From the c-rliest history of the clty governm there have been ef- forts to reguliic gambling, but in 1880 in New York the movement to check open gambling became particularly strong and from 1881-1884 many regu- lations were passed. By 1885 nearly all the chief cities had enacted statutes or laws. Q. Why is alcohol important to in- dustry?—E. R. L. A. "It is the most important solvent, with the exception of water, dissolving | dissolve. facturing many products, and in the making of ether. . What denomination is the church which John Paul Jones is buried? A. The chapel on the Annapolis Naval Academy grounds is undenomina- tional. It contains the sarcophagus of John Paul Jones, the naval hero, Q. How did the originate?—G. T. H A. In the year 1795 France was in revolution and at war with nearly all Europe. The French government needed some way of supplying fresh provisions to its sailors. For this reason it an- nounced that a large sum of money would be given to anybody who could find a way of supplying fresh provisions to its sallors. The successful inventor must also describe his process in & book. This prize of 12,000 francs, equal to approximately $5,000, was paid by the great Napoleon to Nicolas Appert. He did not use tins but wide-mouthed glass bottles and made stoppers of cork. Appert discovered that food in air-tight packages could be sterilized with heat so that it would keep. With his prize money he started a canning business that is still maintained in France by his descendants. I in canning industry Q. Who sent the first wireless mes- sage?—A. J. F. A. The first satisfactory wireless mes- sage was that transmitted by Marconi across the English Channel on March 27, 1899. The signals were sent from Dover on the English side to Wimereaux on the French side. Q. What are narcotics?—C. H. A. Narcotics are drugs which have the property of inducing narcosis, or stupor, Q. What is meant by giant and dwarf stars?—L. M. |, A. These words have reference to in- tensive brightness rather than to mass, { though differences in volume are in- | volved. One theory of star evolution is | that in the beginning all stars were of ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. | per—service. There is no charge ex- | cept 2 cents in coin or stamps for re- | restaurant, who is willing for a fee to | many substances that water will not | It is also important in manu- | gas of extraordinarily lqw density and of low temperature and surface bright- ness. Such are the red stars. They contract, grow continually hotter, and pass through successive stages toward the white-hot state, although not all stars reach that state. The stars un- dergoing these changes in the ascend- ing branch are chiefly giants, After- ward the stars begin to fall off in tem- perature and luminosity and gradually pass to the red stage and then'to in- visibility, The stars on this descending branch are termed dwarfs. Q. What is the largest girls' organi- zation?’—D, C. C. A. The largest girls' organization, viewed as a world movement, is the Girl Scouts, which numbers more than 700,000. . ’ Q. What kind of wood is the prin- cipal one used in the manufacture of | paper?>—R. A. P, A. Spruce is the principal wood used. Large quantities of hemlock are also | consumed, as this wood ranks next to {spruce in volume of material from which pulp is made. Q. How can a watch be used as a compass?—W. M. A. Let the watch lie flat in the hand with the hour hand pointing toward the sun, and the point on the circle half way between the hour hand and XII will be directly south in the Northern Hemisphere and directly north in the Southern Hemisphere, Q. Is work going on at Muscle Shoals?—G. A, S. A. At the present time Government | operations at Muscle Shoals are prace tically at a standstill. It has not yet been decided whether the project is to be operated by the Government or by private endeavor. Q. What was the value of a slave before the Civil War?—J. A. B. A. It ranged from $40 up into the hundreds, depending upon ability, health, size and such attributes, 24 Qre anyd deer spatud?ml.:.m‘. . Young deer are generally The adult fallow deer is spotted in Summer. Q. Why does air at the same tem- p_e;ntsre feel colder upon a damp day? A. The Weather Bureau that how cold the air or lnytmnlm feels is determined by the rate at which we lose heat to it. Now, the more humid the air the more humid in general our clothing and our skins, and the the air the dryer they are. Further~ more, the more humid our skins and our clothing, the better conductors they are of heat, and the dryer they are the better they insulate. ~ Clearly, then, when the air is very dry the interiors of our bodies are comparatively insu- lated from loss of heat, and when the ;alr is damp relatively exposed to such oss. Q. Where did the Sassoon family of England originate?—E. S. A. The Sassoon family is of Hebrew | descent. 1t traces its lineage to David Sassoon of Bombay, a merchant and banker, born in 1793. At Bagdad he be- came a naturalized British subject, and married Anna, the daughter of Abdallah Joseph of Bagdad. Q. How can apple trees be heeled in for planting in the Spring?—J. B. D. A. Bury the new trees in the ground, placing them until they are almost lying flat on the ground, then covering with dirt so as to hide all of the trunk and the first few branches. Pack this dirt in tight so that it will have no air holes and allow to remain until Spring. Significance is seen by many in the { work on her giant naval base at Singa- pore. It is felt to be & genuine peace | move, considering the importance to Britain of that port in the Far East, and is assoclated in many minds with Amer- ica’s reduction of its cruiser program. “Britain has made what seems to be a sincere effort to promote interna- tional good will and keep the spirit of the day, in reducing armaments,” says the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, “by slowing up construction of new works at her naval base at Singapore. The com- bative power of the British fleet would be greatly increased by the new base at Singapore, especially as affects the Orient and Australian waters. Com- pletion of that base, according to the original specifications, would give Japan pretty good cause for complaint and would certainly supply some fairly good | argument for the claim that the Tokio | government should increase its naval strength to 70 per cent of that of the | United States, instead of 60 per cent as provided under the terms of the Wash- ington treaty. The Hoover ‘yardstick’ seems to have won new prestige through Britain's suspension of work on several Kcmi.s:u‘s as well as on the Singapore base; and an enormous tax burden inci- dent to naval construction has been, temporarily at least, lifted from the | shoulders of the people of several na- tions.” “The decision of the Labor govern- ment to retard construction on the Singapore base,” according to th> New York Herald Tribune, “is in keeping | with that party’s tradition. The project to construct a first-class base for the British fleet in the Far East—where none had _existed h-retofore—was | launched in 1921, partly in response to Australian fears of Japan, partly as a | result of the abrogation of the Anglo- Japanese alllance at Washington and | partly to establish ‘equilibrium’ with the United States bas> at Pearl Harbor, in the Hawaiian Islands. * * * The naval base is directly acorss the island from the city. It is a clearing in the | jungle and lies on the narrow Strait of | Johore, which separates the island from the mainland of the Malay Peninsula and is scarcely a mile wide. It is so shallow that extensive dredging opera- tions will be necessary before a ship of considerable size can enter. In 1923 the House of Commons voted $55,000,- | 000 for the project, whose total cost is still undetermined and may in the end be as much as $165,000,000. When the | Labor government came into power in | 1924 the project was abandoned, to b: | revived when the Baldwin government returned to office. * * ‘The news that construction is going to be re- i tarded is good, becaus> it means that British taxpayers will have that muct relief, and because it shows the faith of the Labor government in the suc- | cess of the outcome at London in Jan- | uary.” “Ramsay Macdonald has talked a good deal about prace” suggests the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “and now he has done something about it. It was announced that work would be discon- tinued pending the result of the | npproachlng five-power conference, Singapore lies midway between China and India, and is the most important port on the Far Eastern trade route. For this reason the port possesses tre- | mendous strategic value, and ghe Brit- | ish undertook to make it the Gibraltar of the Orient. That they should volun- tarily suspend these plans shows how earnest the Macdonald government is in its policies of peace and parity.” ‘The Providence Bulletin quotes an American authority on the Pacific region as stating the bellef that “a strengthened Singapore would be a action of Great Britain in curtailing | ‘Halting:Work at Singapore '~ Seen as Move Toward Peace | direction of peace will make all forti~ fications” unnecessary, but it should not be forgotten that Singapore lies near the most troubled countries on earth today. What will happen in China and India during the next generation no one can predict accurately, but obvious- ly there is a need for facing facts in that region, in spite of the world tend- ency to place staggering values. on theorles for world peace. Fortification of the Singapore naval base is just as important to Great Britain as the de- fense of the Panama Canal to the United States.” “It is, to some extent” asserts the Indianapolis News, “a British move in the spirit of President Hoover's decision to suspend the cruiser construction pro- gram of the United States as an en- couragement to the conference idea. The conference will not, of course, give much weight to suspension of activities to which the two governments are | committed, but it will be impressed with | the willingness of the heads of the | two -principal governments involved to take the initiative in suggesting ways of reducing the cost of navies without sacrifice of national defense. As in this country, the Macdonald move is sure to draw the fire of opponents of naval reduction, The reaction to the President’s cruiser order was favorable, the disposition being to credit him with {.le‘ll:epurgo:eb T;xoethnrfllsh reaetion will garded by vernm special interest.” 44 sl ol The Kalamazoo Its discussion of | ter: Gazette concludes, in e this phase of the mat- It is comparable to President Hoover's action in halting the construc- tion of some of our 10,000-ton cruisers pending the outcome at London. Mr, Hoover had to bear considerable ad- verse criticism when he did this and it may be supposed that Mr. Macdon- ald’s decision regarding Singapore will also arouse the wrath of the Jingoes. Fortunately, each of these two leaders is assured of strong support from the rank and file of his countrymen." U. S. Naval Delegires Are Paid High Praise From the Schenectady Gazette, President Hoover has picked a of outstanding Americans. to npr‘e:.:xl:g the United States at the London naval conference, and we may feel certain that our delegates will be the equal in ability and prestige of those from the other four nations, It is fitting that a:crctnry of State Stimson should head em. Senator Reed of Pennsylvania is one of the leading figures in Congress and will represent the conservative Repub- lican viewpoint, while Senator Robinson of Arkansas, recent candidate for Vice President, is the Democratic spokesman. Secretary Adams appears for the Navy Department, with Ambassador Gibson, who is closely in touch with the dis- armament question. Ambassador Dawes is fittingly in- cluded, having played a leadin part in paving the way for the Mu:!wnllu~ Hoover agreement. Last, but far from least, comes Ambassador Morrow, who has attained particular prominence through the display of marked diplo- matic ability. All of the varied but important view- points of American life are grouped in this delegation, and their joint opinions will reflect those of their countrymen. They possess the confidence of their fellow ‘Americans and will have from the autset the respect of their colleagues from other nations. e Some Future Assurance. steadying influence in the Pacific and will be welcomed not only by England, but also by Holland and the United States, which have colonial possessions within the area of Singapore's useful- ness” The Bulletin argues further: “If England should ever be called on to enforce the sanctions of the League of Nations in the Pacific area, Singapore will be found to be a point of extreme strategle nce. Tt is to be hoped, of course, that world progress in the g P ... From the San Bernardino Daily Sun. We don't know much about the future except that a part of it will be devoted to tariff debates. v———— Law Against Suicide, From the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Germany has er & law against suicide. That's the only law that can't be enforced except when the der falls to break xlt?.'p