Evening Star Newspaper, May 8, 1930, Page 8

{THE EVENING STAR With Sunda; Fdition. WASHINGTON, D. C. | Prench government bluntly alleges that Mussolini has launched his scheme for the purpose of compelling France to ac- cept parity with Italy. If the French by twelve States and by the Province of Ontario, Canada. So-just are its principles and so far- reaching its effect in curbing the THURSDAY........May 8, 1930|00W or later should feel it necessary to| combination of recklessness and in- THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company ‘Business Off 8. and Penn a_Ave. 110 4amd ot ake Michlean Bulldine. 214 Re .. London, “*gngiand. Carrier Within the City. p 45c per month 60c per month tar 65¢ per month Ter copy each month. end o or telephone nday Star Orders may be gent in by m NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland ia. afly and Sunda: uy oty Bunday only ssoclated Press. exciusively entitled Tepul on atches credited to It or not otherwise cred: d in this paj d_also the local news Bublished hereln. "All rishts of publication o cial dispatcheés berein also recerved, The Senate’s Rejection. In the rejection of the nomination of Judge John J. Parker to be an associate Justice of the Supreme Court the Sen- ate exercises its constitutional power of “advice and consent,” in negation. It has on eight previous occasions thus refused to confirm presidential ap- pointees to the highest court. In each case there were reasons appealing to a majority of the Senate for the rejection of the nominee. In this present case there were several reasons, no single one of which perhaps would have sufficed, but in the aggregate they evoked a bare majority against the President's selec- tion. One of these reasons was the belief on the part of some Senators that Judge Parker is not sufficiently liberal in his views to represent on the highest bench the rights and interests of the workers. His decision in the case of a non-labor union contract, though based upon the ruling of the Supreme Court, gave some ground for this eriticism. Another reason, which may have actuated some Senators, though it per- haps cut both ways in the end, was a remark made by the nominee ten years ago in the course of a political cam- paign in his State, derogatory to the political aspirations and activities of Negroes in that section. Another reason was that evidence ap- _ peared that the selection of Judge Parker was perhaps inspired by political motives. Still another reason was that certain Benators desired to rebuke the Presi- dent on general principles, and any nominee for the Supreme Court, from whatever section or State, of whatever personal, judicial or political history, ‘would be opposed for that end alone. Against the personal character of the nominee no accusation or criticism was raised. His legal ability was not im- pugned. Had it not been for the “yellow dog” labor contract decision, had 1t not been for the unfortunate remark on Negroes in pblitics made a decade ago, had it not been for the voluntary ex- pression by a subordinate member of the administration that the selection of this mun would be a “master stroke” in politics, the nomination would probably have been confirmed. With any one of these factors eliminated the appoint- ment would have been ratified. With all of them absent it would doubtless have been approved promptly and without rancor of opposition and by a con- siderable margin. But with all of these factors absent there would still have remained the dis- position on the part of the anti-admin- istration faction in the Senate of Re- publican designation but of doubtful loyalty to the Republican party to em- barrass the President by opposition to his wishes and his selections for office. ‘The rejection of Judge Parker’s name may, with all the incidental specific factors discounted, be reckoned as a defeat of the administration by mem- bers of the party which is responsible for its record of achievements. And yet 1t is not a crushing defeat, nor one that will figure heavily in the reckoning in 1032, ‘The President may have been badly advised in his selection of Judge Parker, perhaps not fully informed concerning his judicial record or his pre-judicial political experiences. But this rejection 18 not a reflection upon his own judg- ment. Assuredly the President is to be praised for holding the nomination be- fore the Senate in the face of opposi- tion, thereby placing upon that body the responsibility for the negative decision that has just been rendered. His now is the task and the opportunity to se- lect another man for the highest bench, and he has 3 large fleld of competents from whom to make his choice. ————— The tariff is another of those great public questions which seem so simple when the conversation starts and so complicated before the discussion is concluded. —————————— Many busy days are assured the thoughtful citizen who sincerely sets out to solve unemployment problems. — Italy’s Naval Plans. Now that the Senate is about to start hearings on the London treaty, the naval expansion plans of Italy assume @ special interest. They are bound to figure in the Senate's discussion of the treaty’s “escalator” clause, whereby any one of the contracting powers may bulld beyond the specified limits in case its position at sea is placed in jeopardy by the construction program of a non-treaty country. ‘The “escalator,” or safeguard, provi- sion was written into the Anglo-Amer- ican-Japanese pact mainly at the be- hest of the British. They fear that the naval program of France, especially the contemplated laying down of 100,0% tons of submarines, constitutes & men- ace which Britain must be at liberty to meet in case of emergency. The French claim to be building not so much against the British as against the Ital- ian. Hence France's stubborn refusal at outstrip the Italians, as they are bound to do if they maintain their objection to parity, it is not likely to be very long before the British, on their part, may feel called upon to meet the augmented French program. Nothing could more graphically illus- trate the vicious circle left behind at London by the refusal of France and Italy to enter a five-power limitation treaty. Many French authorities hope that the Italians, before it is too late, will realize the foolhardiness of enter- ing upon a costly naval rivalry with the more opulent French. In a money- spending contest, on fleets or for any other purpose, Italy could not begin to keep up with France. France today is the most prosperous country in Europe, and in the world, with the possible exception of the United States. Her gold reserve is second only to our own. She nas no unemployment problem. Money talks, even in the Fascist language. Those nations, like Great Britain, the United States and Japan, which are anxious to lay the ghost of | ruinous and bankrupting expenditure on naval armament, must hope that finan- cial considerations, if no other motives, will finally induce Italy to refrain a venture not only expensive to herself, but perilous to the general cause of international concord. T R Financing Semi-National Projects. | The Senate should increase the Jump | sum as recommended by its appropria- tions committee, for in this increase there is contained the simplest and most effective remedy for the condi- tions now faced by the taxpayers of this community after six years of con- fining the Federal contribution to the arbitrary and inadequate sum of $9,000,000. The increase is justified by the great increase in governmental pur- chases of land and its consequent re- moval from the revenue-producing to the tax-exempt list; by the special equitable obligation upon the Nation to maintain and develop the Capital and by the inclusion, and‘the increasing tendency to include, extraordinary na- tional or semi-national projects in the District bill, thus throwing their cost, which should be borne equitably in part by the Federal Government, almost wholly upon the District. The appropriation for expenditure under the National Capital Park and Planning Commission is one of these national or semi-national projects, the law governing which provides that the Nation shall pay its definite proportion of total expenditure. The annual ap- propriations of about & million dollars & year are directed by the law itself to be paid “from the revenues of the Dis- trict of Columbia and the general funds of the Treasury in the same proportion | as other expenses of the District of Co- lumbia.” The ratio fixed by law, never repealed, is 60-40 and the annual legis- lative evasions of this law since 1924 do not repeal or amend it. Under existing law, which would be changed by the Cramton park bill, the money for expenditure by the National Capital Park and Planning Commission raised from District revenues could be spent in Maryland or Virginia. This has never been done. But the authori- zation contained in the law itself, as well as other considerations that figured in drafting the original law, is sufficient indication of the broadly national as- pects of the legislation. The Cram- ton bill, not yet enacted, corrects the dangerous threat that lies in making District money available for spending in the States. But the Cramton bill continues the inequitable system by which & project, national in its incep- tion and direction, is financed from lo- cal revenues without the lawfully pro- vided contribution of 40 per cent from the National Government. As indica- tive of the inherent dangers to the Dis- trict in this system, the financing of the proposed municipal airport and of the Municipal Center, two semi-national undertakings, would be accomplished by increases in District of Columbia contributions, with no increase, unless the Senate now authorizes it, in the Federal contribution. If the Federal contribution is not in- creased, these national or semi-national projects should be removed from the local supply bill and carried in other supply bills, where the sharing of the expense, which the law or equity de- mands, can be specifically provided. Increasing the local tax rate to pay for these national or semi-national projects that find their way into the District bill is neither the logical nor the equitable alternative, if there is solvency on the part of the small mi- nority of motorists that it has been hailed as the best piece of legislation ever introduced to stamp out a rapidly growing country-wide evil. It does not touch the careful motorist. It pro- vides no penalties for him whatever as long as he remains careful. But the minute he steps over the border line he must answer to this law and traffic laws as well. Conviction on a major traffic offense, for instance, such as driving while drunk or leaving the scene of a colli- sion without making identity known automatically puts a motorist under the terms of the safety responsibility law, besides the penalties he must pay on the traffic counts. Under the safety measure he must post a bond or take out insurance for the sum of eleven thousand dollars to secure the public against any future damage h® may cause by his own acts to persons and property before he is again permitted to drive his car. That is one way for the motorist to feel the effects of the legislation. The only other way is for him to fail to satisfy a judgment up to eleven thousand dollars for a motor accident levied against him m a court of competent jurisdiction. In that case his permit to drive will likewise be suspended until he has settled his ac- count and provided for future financial responsibility. And to make the legis- lation universally effective the bill pro- vides for a driver's license law in every State and reciprocal relations under it to bar a motorist convicted in one State from driving in another. It is unfortunate that the National Capital could not set the pace for the rest of the country in the adoption ot a law that penalizes the reckless minority, but leaves a careful majority severely alone. It is not too late now, however, to join the procession and Congress can do no better service to the thousands of law-abiding motorists and pedestrians here than to hasten its passage. R “Packing the Court.” A factor in the rejection of Judge Parker's nomination to the Supreme | Court undoubtedly was the desire of a certain fraction of the Senate member- ship for a more liberal bench. This de- sire was strongly manifest in the op- position to the appointment of Chief Justice Hughes, who was confirmed only after a stubborn resistance, based pri- marily upon his supposed so-called “capitalistic” leanings and his recent association with large interests in the practice of the law. Some critics of the Senate have objected strongly to this disposition as an effort to “pack the court.” That, however, is unwarranted. The Senate is jointly responsible with the President for the choice of men to serve as justices, his being the affirm- ative and the Senate’s the negative power. It is entirely within the Sen- ate's right to scrutinize all nominees for these offices, to ascertain their fit- ness and their trend of opinion and judgment. The situation may at any time be reversed, with a President seek- ing to place liberals or progressives on the bench and the Senate resisting in the interest of conservatism. It is hoped that a law excluding any person convicted of offense involving moral turpitude from grand jury service can be enforced without causing more scandal in connection with Volstead violations. ———— A number of women have been suc- cessful in establishing themselves as candidates for public office; again demonstrating a time-honored theory a5 to who is entitled to the last word. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. May-time Party. We had a pleasant party down to dear old Blossomville. The birds composed the orchestra that played with wondrous skill, And bees with conversation made the garden softly hum And told of the supply of honey sweet, ‘with more to come. A great array of beauty came in answer to the call. The Princess Butterfly was clad most gorgeously of all. The joyous anniversary brought many & happy thrill As we celebrated May-time down to dear old Blossomville, Lofty Position. “A statesman is justified in seeking no increase in the lump sum. If there is no increase in the lump sum, they should be removed from the appropria- tion bill and other reductions made to bring the amount of revenue to be ex- pended down to an amount that in equity can be demanded from local taxpayers. e ———— Secrecy in the grand jury room is insisted upon. Only a little patience is needed for the development of enough sensations to content even the most ardent seeker for thrills. A TFavorable Report. The action of the House District the McLeod safety responsibility bill, which is sponsored by the American Au- tomobile Association, lends encourage- ment to the belief that final action on this desirable measure can be had in the present session of Congress. There was little doubt after the hearings before a subcommittee of the House District committee that a favorable report would eventually be forthcoming. Proponents of the measure, however, realized that delay in securing action would mean the doom of the bill in so far as the present session of Congress is concerned. The committee’s report of yesterday would appear to give ample time to permit committee yesterday in reporting out| high position in life.” " answered Senator Sorghum. “Yet like other citizens a statesman is valued for the work he does on the level. Merely seeking high position and waiting to be admired is likely to make too many of us look like flag-pole sitters.” Jad Tunkins says one of the things that make life hard is the fact that an old friend never feels as much under obligation to make himself agreeable as the man who is selling you a gold brick. ‘Wonderful Words. “How can you talk so much, my friend,” I asked a speaker fine. far your studies must extend Along a thoughtful line.” Said he, “The language at command ‘Works quite the other way. The less I really understand, ‘The more I have to say!” Obsolete Humor, “What's your idea of a person who is hopelessly out of date?” “A man who still insists on laughing every time Henry Ford’s name is men- said Hi Ho, the re the reminders that we are all mortals who must keep passage of the bill before Summer ad- journment. There is so little to be said against and so much to be said for this measure that it is difficult to understand where any serious opposition could be mus- tered. The safety responsibility law London to acknowledge Italy's right to parity with the French fleet. ‘The ink on the London treaty was hardly dry before the Italian govern- ment promulgated a project to build this year 42,900 tons of warships. The French naval program for 1930 calls fies the bullding of u.m}u. has had probably the most amazing re- ception from the public of any suggested legislation, Introduced less than two years ago after an extensive study by a committee of seventeen of the A. A. A., which was composed of experts from all sections of the country, it has al- ’ striving to learn, even though we make miscalculations.” At the Phone. I miss with a regret profound A gentle voice of long ago, And as I push the dial round, Nobody even says “Hello!" No doubt there'll be a lessened cost. Time will be saved, 'tis very clear. ‘What matters it if we have lost The salutations bright with cheer. “De bes’ you kin say foh a genuine lazy man,” sald Uncle Eben, “is dat he's The ready been adopted in whole or in part wflun'wmnwt'n%m. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. 1 go to bed with the chickens, And get up with the birds; £ sleep just like the dickens, And wake up with the herds; You can sing of life in the mountains, You can sing of the rolling sea, But the peaceful life of the country Is the only life for me! ‘Welcome, Maryland! Famous old historic State, we take off our hat in salutation, as you bedeck your roads with dogwood for our bene- fit. Our moving within your borders is as nothing, in your long roll of mem- ories, but to us it is a great adventure, and we hope you appreciate it accord- ingly. %Vc come from a nice place, the Dis- trict of Columbia, so you must be good to us, and serve up your bluest skies, your sunniest sunshine, your most ami- able people, your softest-barking dogs. * ok ok ¥ Jack Spratt Farm lies near the end of a peaceful street, just off a winding road that has no peer for beauty in all the section round. ‘This road, which we hereby christen Tigercat Lane, is a cross between an old country road and a fine city boule~ vard. Great houses sit back from the way, embowered in vines and shrubs, over which huge trees cast their shade, as if determined to prevent either vines or shrubs from growing. But vegetation has wonderful “pep” in this great old State, evidently. Nowhere is there a sign of that faded appearance which elsewhere so success- fully mars much that otherwise would be_beautiful. It is true that here and there be- neath large trees the grass may not be as verdant as out in the full sunshine, but that is a state of affairs to be ex pected, and can be overcome by the sowing of the so-called “shady lawn” mixtures. ol e o Already we love Tigercat Lane, with its peaceful hum of Summer, Do you know the hum of Summer? It can be heard only where silence is allowed to come into its own. Then the sibilant sound of the crickets, nesting in the grass—or what- ever they do there, we don't know— comes up “like thunder out o’ China ‘cross the bay,” as Kipling put it. (And we wish he hadn’t put it at all, for of all the songs we hate it is the usual musical setting of “On the Road to Mandalay.” But of that some other time. The songs we hate. Jot it down in the little book.) We swing along at an appreciative wxlk, and those who never saw us walk more than half a block to a bus would wonder at our genuine enjoyment of half a mile to the car line. Maryland does that sort of thing to | you. el The tulips are everywhere. Happy is Tulipland, wherever it may be, that land where Beauty, as con- ceived by a great people across the seas, and worked out by them in globes of color, comes at- this time of the year to make glad the heart. Sometimes one is almost constrained to believe uhat if he could have but one flower it would be the tulip. But would it? Here along Tigercat Lane great masses of azaleas compete splendidly with tulips at their best; nor would one forget the spireas, just coming into bloom, including the famillar bridal wreath. And there are other flowering shrubs, and flowering trees, which accent the winding character of the lane, set off the older houses, or nestle lovingly against spick-and-span cottages of a newer vintage. Always the hum of Summer greets the pedestrian _here, except when drowned out briefly by the passing, in- creasing, diminishing roar of a motor car, hastily fleeing along through such beauty. What a fool a man in an automo- bile usually is! He does not have to hurry, but he shuttles down the road as if the very devil were after him. And if you were to stop him and ask him why he was in such a hurry, he could not tell you; moreover, he would ask you what in the blank-blank you meant by it, couldn’'t you see he was in a hurry? * K K Yonder, down a dip in the road, lies Jack Spratt Farm. We will have to grow some potatoes and things, to make the place live up to its designation, but our knowledge of potatoes is nebulous, and as for radishes we do not like them, and as for tomatoes we care no whit for the terrific-looking worms which seem to be an inseparable condition of their growth. It is & true farm, however, in com- parison with the small place we left. ‘What are words, after all, but to ex- press states of mind? Everything in life is but a state of mind: nothing is rllmer good or bad but thinking makes s0. So, to us, it is a farm, a tract of land devoted (or shortly to be de- voted) to agricultural purposes. % Hamlet's famous query has been para- phrased enough, but here is another, in connection with trees: To cut down, or to let stay? That is the question; whether ’tis nobler in the mind to let a tree stand and cast too much shade for flowers (and, par- don us, vegetables, at least a few), or whether to take ax against a sea of shade, and, by opposing sharp edge to bark, end it. ‘To cut down, to fell a tree, no more; and by this slaughter to say we end the heartache of lack of flowers, and the thousand natural shocks that plants are heir to, 'tls a consummation de- voutedly to be wished, and yet—and yet—to have no great trees, to have flowers but no trees, to have trees but nn;'so many flowers—ah, there's the rub! To bear the lack of flowers, when he might this tree’s quietus make with a bare ax, but that the dread of losing the tree puzzles the will, and makes us bear the trees we have rather than fly to shrubs which we know not of. Thus tree-conscience doth make cowards of us all. *' s ‘Woodman, spare that tree! No branch shall fall on Jack Spratt Farm until we have carefully observed the full effects of sunshine and shade over an entire Summer. Once down, there is no upping for a tree. And what would the merry birds do, with one of their six trees gone? These natural alarm clocks broadcast i much chirping every morning, just as the sun comes up, the bright orb of day, the sunny Maryland sun, the big- ger and brighter Maryland sun. Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands L MERCURIO, Santiago.— We who marvel at the beauty and inspiration of a vernal land- scape should feel ourselves as- signed to make more lovely the somber life of those who cannot see. This is the theme of the campaigns un- dertaken by directors of the School for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. Restricted as are the privileges and pleasures of those comprised under the first two classifications, they are fortunate, in- deed, compared to those who cannot behold the lavish beauties of Nature spread in majestic panorama before those blessed with the celestial gift of vision. A “Lighthouse” is to be estab- lished at once in Santiage, an Institu- tion large and modern, where the sight- less can find useful employment, pleas- ant recreation and a refuge from tribu- lations. * ok ok ok Picked Up Coal on Highway to Save Waste. Daily Herald, London.—A soldier named Charles Frederick Binto of the Royal Corps of Signals was charged with stealing a quantity of coal, worth 8 pence, “the property of the King.” The bench found the case proved, but discharged Binto on account of his good character. P. C. Atkinson said he saw Binto at North Town carrying kit-bag. Binto admitted the bag con- tained coal which had fallen from lorries and which he had picked up on the road. “Any one,” he said, “could pick it up; otherwise it was crushed by the trafic and swept up as rubbish.” Binto told the court he had no in- tention of stealing. He simply thought it a shame to see the coal wasted and destroyed. * ok ok ok Architecture of Peru Enduring as Well as Maasive. El Comercio, Lima.—The architec- tural constructions of ancient Peru are enduring and massive. They are indic- ative of a strong, intelligent and de- cisive people, for without these robust “haracteristics they would never have left their posterity such magnificent monuments. The straight line domi- nates in all the towers, fortifications and temples that remain of this former culture, many of them scarcely any the worse for the unknown centuries that have buffeted them. Nowhere in any of these structures is found an arch or a pointed window or doorway. The rec- tangular construction 1is used uni- versally, great monoliths often serving as lintels, where in other styles of archi- tecture round or delprnis!d arches would be found. Similarly, the columns are all square-cut masonry and undecorated, pillass of the classical or medieval Euro- gen.n types never having been employed y these prehistoric builders. Bk Highways Marked By Argentine Motor Club. La Presna, Buenos Aires.—Large num- bers of vacationists are deserting the city, mostly' via automobiles, for various resorts, especially large contingents having Mar del Plata as their destina- tion. To facilitate the travels of these pleasure-seekers the Argentine Automo- bile Club has placed markers and sign posts along the principal routes, indi- cating the detours and giving other im- portant notices and information to mo- torists. It is regretted, however, that many of these landmarks, especially some of the larger and more substantial ones of concrete, have been so assidu- ously plastered with advertisements of every sort that the directions are scarce- ly legible any longer. These square pil- lars seem to offer an especially suitable surface for the display of posters and placards and are freely taken advantage of by unserupulous advertisers of every | sort. ek Wt o Y. M. C. A. Active Among Chinese in Peiping. North China Standard, Peiping— Every week more than 70 groups of men and boys are meeting under the auspices of the Peiping ¥. M. C. A. for study and fellowship. is number does not in- clude either the educational classes in the three Y. M. C. A. schools or work carried on under the auspices of the student department. One of the most interesting groups is known as the Yi- ‘Yeo-She, and is composed entirely of men 50 years of age and older. The president of this group is Gen. Tin; Chien. During last Winter the Yi-Yeo- She (the young old men) contributed more than 250 taels ($300) to buy pul- motors. These were placed in three different centers of the city to be ready for instant use in reviving people over- come by coal xu.‘ * White Collars Are to Be Preferred. Le Matin, Paris.—Compare men who wear detachable collars of color to match their shirts with those who wear collars of white. After you have made this comparison, you will certainly model yourself after the second classifi- cation! * ok ok % Anclent Glory Of Hunt Has Departed. Sydney Bulletin.—In spite of attempts to abolish it, fox hunting flourishes in England, but the old element has been supplemented by & new, which throngs to the counties from places as far apart as New York and Bagdad. The new- comers haven't the faintest idea of the etiquette of the hunt, and wouldn't ob- serve it if they had. The roar of their motors at the covert side has every fox on the move for fresh woods long before the hounds are put in, and the fumes of ruin the * % the exhausts are calculated to hottest scent ever laid. They don't know even as much as how to wear their kit. One of England’s greatest hunting tallors, whose forbears made breeches for the prince regent, actually advertises in the press that his cus. tomers will be given lessons in tying a hunting stock. Truly the ancient glory of the hunt is departed. Inclinations of Public Returning to Country Prom the Roanoke Times. ‘That a new industrial revolution is in the offing, with gas and electricity as its mainstays, is the suggestion of Dr. Gus Dyer, professor of political econ- omy at Vanderbilt University, made in the course of a recent speech before the Executives’ Club of Chicago. Dr. Dyer recalled that the big city was caused by the industrial revolution brought on by the steam engine. The last 20 years have seen a miracle wrought in America by the new appli- cation of gas and electricity to indus- try, he asserted. Isolation has been de- stroyed and all America lives along the great highways, or so it seems. The reasons why people should go to the big cities to live are fast disappearing un- der the new conditions that have been brought about. “Industries are going back to the country and the small town,” Dr. Dyer pointed out. “The cities have the great- est fight they ever had if they are to hold their places under the new order. The small place has advantages for in- dustry that the city can hardly meet. The cities have got to make a read- Justment, recognize a new force.” Dr. Dyer is a shrewd and clear thinker, an analytical observer of the industrial trend. His prophecy that the big cities have had their day is inter- esting, whether one agrees with it or not. And the healthy growth in popu- lation which the present census shows for the little cities and towns affords striking corroboration of his statements. In many ways the at_city is not a very good place to live. The conges- tion is well-nigh unbearable to people accustomed to the great open spaces and the inevitable noise and dirt are hard to stand. America has passed through an in which it was the accepted thlni.g deify size. Perhaps the pendulum is be- ginning to swing back in the other di- rection. Perhaps in ‘our awe and ad- miration of the big city’s advantages we have overlooked some of the less obvious but no less .fienulne advanf of liy- lng‘nl:l Aw sm: he:; pll;ree. It be inter- es ¢l . Dyer's letion in the light of the changes t.h‘:?d"\ll be brought about in the next decade. —————— i For No Good Reason. From the Toledo Blade. Industry will not countcnance waste. Surplus Pul names are sold to o of race fl"’m’ The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. It has been charged that politics had a lot to do with the appointment of | Judge John J. Parker of North Caro-| lina to the Supreme Court. The charge has not been substantiated. The Demo- crats of North Carolina were as strong in support of the appointment of the judge, who is =a Republican, as were the Republicans themselves. But whether politics had anything to do! with his appointment or not, politics | played a great part in the rejection of Judge Parker's nomination by the Senate. Some of it was strict party politics and some of it was “group poli- tics.” Senators were influenced by the labor group and by the colored group. Others were glad to hit at Mr. Hoover and some of them took the traditional Democratic position, which is to oppose anything emanating from a Republi- can President. The vote in the Sena: on the Parker nomination demon- strated again the importance which “group politics” is assuming in this country and the lightness of the regular political party ties. The Republicans ostensibly have a lead of 16 votes over the combined opposition, which includes | the 1 Farmer-Labor Senator. In the older days of party regularity, when it meant more to be a Democrat or to be a Republican than it does today, this lead in the Senate would have assured the confirmation of an ap- pointment sent in by a Republican President unless there was some strong personal objection on the part of on= or more of the Republican Senators to the appointee. ek . The voters, and their representatives in Congress, apparently are swayed more today by their feelings over eco- nomic issues, over labor questions, over the prohibition issue, over racial issues than over the “principles” of the Demo- cratic or Republican parties. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that this is true of the Senate to a greater extent than it is of the House, where party regularity is more in evidence. The issues that millions of Americans are interested in have not become party issues; they cut across both parties, does prohibition, for example, neither party has seized upon them and hugged them to its bosom. In 1924 there was talk of a new party, a liberal party, just as there was talk of a new party, a progressive party. in 1912. But so far the old political lines have still held to the extent no new major party has been formed. How long they can hold under the assault of group politics remains to be seen. If a great issue! should really divide once more the two old parties, the situation might be greatly changed. * K Kk ok Senator McMaster of South Dakota is the first of the “Sons of Wild Jack- asses” to stand the test of the primary elections this year. He has won the nomination on the Republican ticket to succeed himself in the Senate, although his iead was perilously small over his conservative opponent, Danforth. But a win is a win in the game of politics as it is in all other games. There is not the slightest doubt that the forces of conservatism lined up pretty solidly against McMaster ir the contest. He is to be opposed in the senatorial elec- tion next November by Gov. W. J. Bu- low, a Democrat and present chief ex- ecutive of the State. Naturally the Progressive Republicans in the Senate are pleased with the outcome. The chief issue raised in the campaign by Senator McMaster's opponent was the “‘coalition” which has raised hob with the regular Republican control of the Senate during the last year. 'The Dem- ocrats appear to be satisfied, too. In the first place they are glad to see the rumpus between the Republican fac- tions in South Dakota. In the second place, they feel they may be able to put across their own candidate for the Sen- ate in November, If Gov. Bulow could carry the State in the gubernatorial race, why not in the senatorial contest? McMaster, however, is likely to be a tough candidate to beat. If the Re- publican regulars in any considerable number, however, should prefer to vote for a Democrat rather than for an in- | surgent Republican, he may have a | hard time, * K K K Former President Calvin Coolidge has published a letter in the Boston Herald highly commending William M. Butler, one of the Republican candidates for the senatorial nomination in the Bay State. Why shouldn't he? Mr. Butler ran the Coolidge campaign in 1924 very successfully and has been a stanch friend of Mr. Coolidge for years. Mr. Butler has announced himself dry and a supporter of the eighteenth amend- ment and its enforcement. He is op- posed by a wet, Eben Draper. Despite the fact that Massachusetts is sup- posed to be in revolt against the prohi- bitlon laws, the odds appear to favor Mr. Butler's nomination over Mr. Draper by a considerable margin. After he is nominated, however, it will be an- other thing to elect him. A great deal is likely to depend upon whom the Democrats pick to run for the Senate. There is a lot of pulling and hauling going on in the Democratic ranks over the nominations for both Senator and governor this year, Marcus A. Coolidge is an active candidate for the senatorial nomination and is traveling about the State a lot making contacts. But there are others among the Democrats who would like to #it in the Senate, too. In the end, Senator David I. Walsh may have to aid in the selection of the candidate, just as he will have to help put him across in the November elec- tion. Senator Walsh is the bright out- standing political figure in Massa- chusetts today, now that Mr. Coolidge has declared he does not intend to run for public office again. e K drys in New Jersey are likely to ae’glezwere’;'l the devil and the deep g]ue sea. Much depends upon the state- ment which Dwight W. Morrow makes in regard to the prohibition issue. If he goes “wet,” as his friends insist he will, the drys will have to determine whether they will support a wet Demo- crat, & wet Republican, or place an in- dependent dry in the fleld. Most of the drys are Republicans in Jersey, just as they are in New York. Doubtless the dry Republicans can cause a lot of trouble by placing an independent ticket in the field in the Fall. Former Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, an- other candidate for the Republican s atorial nomination, has deserted the dry cause and is persona non grata to the drys. Up in New York in 1926 the dry Republicans put an independent dry in the field and brought about the election of a Democratic Ses r over former Senator Wadsworth, a wet. The drys are intent, however, upon maintaining a hold on the Republican party if they can. In Jersey, however they have not been able to make as much headway as they have in the past in New York. The present Republican Senators from Jersey are wet, and so was former Sen- ator Edge, now Ambassador to France. However, in the past the Republican drys have not gone to the length of putting up an independent candidate fh these Senate elections. If they take such action now, the Democrats will applaud. i Senator Carter Glass of Virginia will be renominated by the Democrats with- out opposition. Furthermore, he will be re-elected in November unless there should be a political cataclysm not now on the horizon. It is only a year since there were all kinds of threats to defeat Sepator Glass, with the anti-Smith Democrats his most_ardent opponents. In a twelvemonth, however, there has been a great change and Virginia ap- pears to have gone back quietly to its regular democracy. The election last Fall of Gov. Pollard, the regular nomi- nee, over the coalition Republican and anti-Smith Democratic nominee, by a 1 mafjority, took the wind out of the salls of the Glass opposition. * ok kK Up in Pennsylvania an effort is be- ing made by opponents of Secretary James J. Davis of the Department of Labor, now a candidate for the Re- publican senatorial nomination, | shire, Scotland, July 6, 1747. o as doesieach A-8 * THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, THURSDAY, MAY 8, 1930. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN, The answers to questions printed here each day are specimens picked from the mass of inquiries handled by our great Information Bureau maintained in Washington, D. C. This valuable serv- ice is for the free use of the public. Ask any question of fact you may want to know and you will get an immediate reply. Write plainly, inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage and address The Evening Star Information | Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Where is the June convention of | the ‘Shriners to be held?—D. C. A. Tt will be in Toronto, Canada. A city of sleeping cars is being planned which will accommodate 8,000 of the guests. Q. What is the real name of the aviator called Gen. Chan?—W. A. T. A. Gen. Chan was born in Bowling Green, Ky., and is Lieut. Bert Hall, the intrepid airman. He has been in avi- ation since its infancy. Before the World War he flew in Turkey. Later he went to France and in 1914 joined the Foreign Legion, where he distin- guished himself. His fame as an_av ator caused his transfer to the flying corps and he was one of the original members of the Lafayette Escadrille. Hall's World War service included many fights with German pilots. He was credited with bringing down nine. Q. Has the Century Co. sold St. Nicholas?—S. D. H. A. St. Nicholas, the well known chil- dren’s magazine, has been purchased by the Scholastic Publishing Co. of Pitts- burgh, publishers of the Scholastic, a national high school magazine. Founded In 1873, St. Nicholas has been published sy the Century Co. since 1881. The new publishers will carry on the periodical under the same name. Q. What is meant by the oyster race in New Jersey?—D. J. A. In New Jersey the sowing of oysters has become an annual event in the form of a race. The seed beds offshore are under the protection of the Board of Shell Fisheries. against the law for fishermen to gather oysterlets to renew their leased beds close in until May 1. So on that day the oystermen line their sailing vessels up at Bivalve, N. J., and when the Coast Guards signal by firing a gun the oyster crafts are off to the seed Q. What is the floral emblem of the Province of Alberta?—A. H. 8. A. The Provincial Parliament has passed an enactment making the wild rose the official flower. Q. How much honey by weight should a colony of gees produce?—F. P. B, A. The aVerage production is about 50 pounds, but under favorable condi- tions 100 pounds might be produced. Q. When and where was John Paul s born?—E. T. IO o was born in_Kirkcudbright- His name was originally John Paul, “Jones” being subsequently added for reasons un- known. Q. What is the name of the trees that have fan-shaped leaves and line some Washington streets?>—L. E. D. A. They are ginkgo trees, and are native of China end Japan. Only the staminate form is used in streets and parks, as the pistillate form bears ill- smelling, slippery fruit which is some- times poisonous to the touch. Q. When was “Who's Who in Amer- jca” started?—C. H. K. ; A. The publishers say of it, “ ‘Who's Who in America’ began to be ’'way back in the 90's and the first edition became a reality in 1899. Since then a new edition carefully revised and considerably enlarged has appeared every two years.” Q. How far from the center of New York City do the suburbs extend?— N. N A. The Audit Bureau of Circulations has’ for its purposes defined the sub- urbs as the territory within & radius of 50 miles from the City Hall in Manhattan, Q. Which is the oldest of Christian festivals?—A. W. D. A. The festival of Easter. Its ob- servance began in the apostolic age. Q. Do the railroads have to carry mail?—R. J. G. A. The railroads are required by law to carry mail. The rates are fixed by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Q. Please_describe the new Welland Canal—D. B. T. A. This canal will have 7 locks, 21 movable bridges, and will be capable of transmitting more than 36,000,000 tons of freight a year. Its entire length will be traversed by a magnificent scenic highway passing through thousands of acres of parks and water prescrves. While the real open- ing of the canal takes place this month, the christening of the locks will be de- ferred until Canada's Confederation day, July 1. More than $125,000,000 has already been spent on the water- way. Q. What is meant by hyglene?—B. S. A. 1t has been defined as the science through the application of which public and personal health may be secured. Q. Please name some cities in North America which own and operate their own street cars—L. A. H. A. Detroit, San_Francisco, Seattle, Tacoma, in the United States, and Toronto, Canada, are some of the citles which own street car lines. . How is optical glass different from other glass?—B. C. M. A. Optical glass is glass of the high- est quality, used for telescopes, micro- scopes, camera lenses and sclentific in- struments. Its fusing requires great care. After it is melted it is stirred for some hours to obtain homogeneity and freedom from bubbles. Q. How many times does the word “Sunday” appear in the Bible?—W. 8. A. It does not appear in the Bible. This name, given to the first day of the week, is of pagan origin, it being the day anciently dedicated to the sun or to its worship. The word “Sabbath” is listed in the concordances of the American Standard Revised Version 160 times. Q. How long has Turkey been & re- public?>—R. C. N. A. The Republic of Turkey was pro- claimed October 29, 1923. Q. Will more bacteria cling to dirty hands of to clean hands?—V. L. A. Clean skin has a marvelous power of disinfecting itself. Dirty hands do not reduce the number of bacteria upon them to any great extent. Q. Can a person go to American Samoa to live and buy property there? —W. R. | A Al the land on these islands is privately owned and there is a Jaw for- bidding_foreigners to purchase such land. The natives are of a high class and all can read and write. The ma- lority are Christians. ‘Hoover’s Enforcement Plea Credited to Rigid Purpose Outstanding in the request by Presi- dent Hoover that Congress enact cer- tain laws needed for the current en- forcement program, is a sincere pur- pose to create better conditions, in the opinion of those who comment on the recommendations. Some indicate a belief that the action should be taken by the national legislators, while others contend that new laws will not improve conditions. There is little controversy over the need of more prisons. Confi- dence that prohibition enforcement will be transferred to the Department of Justice is generflL ‘The San Antonio Express calls the measure for building additional prisons “perhaps the most urgent,” adding that “fortunately the prison bill is well ad- vanced,” while the Pasadyna Star-News argues, “That bigger ar{ better pris- ons are needed is denoted by the terrible tragedy in the Ohio Penitentiary and the mutinous outbreaks which have oc- curred in large prisons in different parts of the country.” * Kk K K ‘The President’s special message, in the opinion of the Louisville Times, “will hearten the drys, annoy, if not alarm, wets,” and, further, “will strengthen the President with those who, as drys, championed his election, and with those who like in a Presi- dent determination.” The Manchester Union emphasizes the administration’s sincerity of purpose and adds that “what the President is now doing is in thorough harmony with the course he has urged upon the Nation and its lawmakers."” “Still more presidential notes,” sug- gests the Cleveland News, ‘“couched in still more pointed language, may be needed to spur this Congress to actual production of results. If so, the Presi- dent may provide just such stimulus. His request for a little more expedition is unwonted enough to suggest that Mr. Hoover may be as tired of talk without action as his fellow citizens are.” “For the confusion or congestion growing out of laws which it enacts,” says the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Con- gress obviously has a heavy share of responsibility. The least it can do is to furnish the Executive with the tools he suggests as simplifying to some de- gree the almost impossible’ burden which prohibition legislation has placed on him.” The Beloit Daily News main- tains that “a carefully worked out, con- structive program of recommendations for generally bettering law enforcement and eliminating many of the evils com- lained of is before Congress awaiting long-overdue action.” A iR e ‘The Hartford Times argues that “if the President does not succeed in this concern, Congress will stand extremely Jow in the popular estimation,” while the Zanesville Times Recorder thinks “if the sincerity of congressional con- viction on prohibition were to be meas- ured by the degree of- alacrity shown to meet the President’s request, they would not assay very high.” “A little businesslike efficiency on the part of the forces that direct legislation is necessary if the long-neglected meas- ures are to be snatched from oblivion,” advises the Chicago Daily News. The Anniston Star concludes that “since the Law Enforcement Commission has been created, studied the problems, and made some recommendations for strengthening prove that he is not a resident of Pennsylvania and cannot be nominated and elected to the Senate. It is true that Mr. Davis has been lving in Washington for the last nine years as & member of the cabinet. But he has been voting quite regularly in Penn- sylvania. Emphasis is placed on the fact that Mr. Davis' nomination was sent to the Senate in 1921 as James J. Davis of Illinois. But, as Mr. Davis has explained, that was the mistake of some clerk at the White House. Cer- tainly the first congressional directory published after he became Secretary of Labor gives his home as Pennsylvania, succeeding dirgetory. ’ T ey | the enforcement of the laws, 1t seems | that these recommendations should be carried out.” * % ok * “The evils of prohibition and the passions of prohibition,” according to the New York Evening Post, “are cut- ting squarely across Mr. Hoover’s path. | They are interfering with the peace and order of his country. They are ham- pering his legislative program. They are striking at public trust in faith and ability. Yet all that he does is to seek further whips and ‘where. with to enforce an unenforceable law. 1t is amazing!” “Law _enforcement,” declares the Fort Worth Record-Telegram, “is in the hands of the people. There is enough machinery to enforce—when- ever the people say they have laws they want enforced. Making new laws in- tended to enforce old ones which never have been enforced is a job even & strictly political Congress will calmly sidestep—and the largest single Wash- ington spectacle of the year is the manner in which it is being done.” “The President,” contends the St. Louls Post-Dispatch, “ignores the fact that Congress has not reacted favor- ably to the Law Enforcement Commis- sion’s suggestion partially to abolish trial by jury and the constitutional guarantee against double jeopardy by conferring limited judicial powers on United States commissioners, It ap- pears, too, that Mr. Hoover fails to per- ceive that if court congestion should be effectually relieved by the devices of his Law Enforcement Commission, or by the courageous but expensive method of multiplying our Federal courts, the oth- er major problem—that of prison con- gestion—will necessarily be intensified and nmgnified.” Condemning the reception of the message in Congress, the Grand Rapids Press asserts that “the Senate was ‘too busy’ playing politics to have the President’s message read, and referred it to a committee without hearing it.” That paper adds: *“ Cor to reorganize prohibition enforcement for the sake of efficlency, vote a decent prohibition budget, improve court dock- ets and procedure, take care of prison congestion and the political urge is lacking. The bills rest in pigeonholes. The President may hones wish to improve the ‘noble experiment’ and give it a chance. But Congress likes pro- hibition ‘as is’ and has too many lesser things on its mind.” Big Suspension Bridge Erected for Tourists From the Grand Rapids Press. The highest bridge in the world has Jjust been constructed across the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River, near | canyon City, Colo. Strung from four immense towers and from hundreds of iron pipes buried in trenches on either side, 5,000 telephone cables wound into two immense cords carry the weight of ! a suspension highway bridge 1,052 feet above the floor of the canyon and the railroad winding toylike along the rib- bon of river below. But neither its height nor its magnitude are the im- portant facts about this bridge. It is chiefly striking in that it does not serve as a connecting link in any main highway nor shorten the distance for any route. ‘The whole project was built for only one purpose—to gve tourists a better view of the beautiful gorge. They may cross it from the tourist roads to the rim or go up to it in elevators from the railroad. ‘Twenty years ago the investment of eat sums in such a structure would ive been unthinkable. A bridge then was a solely utilitarian structure to get from mr.n:;vhe‘r;-n wb’wmhm more quickly going around. Today the values of tourist traf- fic at last are bel realized in a far-sighted way. as advertis- orage at e Rayal Gores promsts 18 af [