Evening Star Newspaper, February 9, 1931, Page 8

{THE EVENING With Sunday M)rning WASHINGTON, D. O. MONDAY......February 9, 198 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening !bre'):rvmp- Company o Eust. 43 aj ing. 1¢ megent M. London, Rate by Carrier Within the City. _45c per month T60c per month Tosc per month B¢ o 8% at the ‘e 6f ‘ench montn. sent in by mail or telephone STAR Edition. 1 s (when e Sunday liestion Qiders m tional Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. FH’ :ls‘d, Sund; 1 inday only * it All Other States and Canada. ily and Sunda: yr., $12.00: 1 mo., §1.00 nly ... yr., $8.00; 1mo., 78¢ Bl s i B ine: 8¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled Lhe use for republication of all news dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cred- 1in this paper and also the locel news published herein. All rizhts of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. —_——————y Repudiating Just Agreements. It begins to appear that the Govern- ment employes in the under-average grades, who are due salary increases in order to bring them up to the estab- lshed average, will come out at the little end of the horn after all, and that & recognized debt, owing to them by the United States Government, will be repudiated for this year at least. This becomes apparent in the action of the Senate conferees on the Interior appro- pristion bill, who have yielded to the House on the salary provision. The -Interior bill carries the drought relief appropriations, and the whole effort of leaders will now be directed to the com- promise that will get this bill out of deadlock and enacted. Unfortunately, @ mere salary provision for Government employes is not regarded as of sufficient importance to justify further deadlock. The action of the Senate on the In- terior bill will doubtless write Senate policy on the salary provision in other appropriation bills, which remain in disagreement. ‘The President interpreted the policy of Congress, in enacting the reclassifica- tion act of 1923, to be the provision of *“equal compensation for equal work.” And in forwarding this year's budget, with its recommendation for systematic increases in salary that would, within three years, wipe out the inequalities now existing, the President warned that deviation from such a systematic pol- icy would defeat the purpose of the classification act, But, all the House is willing to do this year is to permit the application of “lapsed balances” in ap- propriations for personal services toward granting increases in the under-average grades. The House is refusing to initi- ate the Budget Bureau's systematic in- creases this year on the grounds of an ill-conceived economy. It has taken the view that with so many other crying needs for money, this is not a good year to appropriate something more than $4,000,000 for the relief of mere Government employes—who are considered fortunate in having any Jobs at all. The inequalities in salary will have to be made up. If the start is not made this year in providing the $14,000,000 necessary to accomplish this, it will have to be made next year or the year after. Meanwhile Government em- ployes, who are admittedly due the in- creases, will have to go without them. One recognizes and sympathizes with the desire for economy that guides the policy of the House Appropriations Committes. The error lies in construing 2s economy & policy that is a repudia- tion of just obligations on the part of . the Government, which should at all times live up to the spifit of its agree- ments. And it is extremely unfortunate that moves for such “economy” are made at the expense of a relatively small Sroup of politically powerless public servants. B A number of statesmen demand the privilege of being now and then slightly temperamental. Temperament is often picturesque and does no great harm, provided it is not permitted to interfere with the actual business in hand. Mo- tion picture personalities are notoriously temperamental, yet they ha - not al-| lowed their emotions to prevent the screen from arriving at the rank of| Afth among the country’s great in- dustries. =2 i e Witnesses summoned in the “frame- up” investigation n New York have dis- appeared. Crime, in spite of the elabo- rate methods of securing all kinds of records, has modernly developed a re- markable system of covering up clues. st Prosperity is persistent. So-called “hard times” must, in the light of his- tory, be viewed as transient inciderts. ——————— The Close of the Butler Incident. { Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler of the Marine Corps has solved his own prob- lem by a communication to the Secre- tary of the Navy in which he acknowl- edges making the statement regarding Premier Mussolini, pleads that it was made in the supposed priyacy of & se- cluded meeting and expresses his regret for the incident and for the embarrass- ment caused the Government by his *“indiscreet remarks.” Upon receipt of this avowal the Secretary of the Navy canceled the order for a court-martial and reprimanded Gen. Butler, express- ing the expectation that “this incident will have a salutary effect upon your future conduct in matters of this char-| fcter.” ‘This is a most satisfactory issue out of & case in which public sympathy was | undoubtedly favorable to Gen. Butler, while all the proprieties were on the side of the Government. Gen. Butler's offense was such only because of his position. A private citizen could with- out any breach of official decorum have said what he sald. His repetition of the Mussolini story, however private the occasion, beceme a matter of official concern when it was published. The Navy Department could not differentiate between Gen. Butler's status as an offi- cer of the Marine Corps and that as not kept. He suffered from this, _kach of confidence. Perhaps if the case had been differ- ently handled there would have been no occasion for the ordering of the court- martial. It is a pity that Gen. But- ler's explanation was not made more promptly. Had it been forthcoming im- mediately upon the receipt of protest from the Italian government the repri- mand for indiscretion would probably have been given simultaneously with the expression of regret by the United States and the whole matter would have ended without further ado. ‘Remains now only the matter of how Gen. Butler got the story that he told supposedly in private in Philadelphia. It is attributed to an American of large means who_travels extensively and who has made unsuccessful - ventures in journalism. Had the court-martial pro- ceeded this phase of the case would probably have been developed. Now that the incident is closed both diplo- matically ‘and as a matter of naval discipline there is little likellhood that the authorship of the Mussolini story will be satisfactorily revealed. Inas- much as the supposed narrator, Gen. Butler’s alleged informant, is himself a private citizen his indiscretion or exag- geration cannot be investigated. Gen. Butler is to be congratulated upon the passing of this threat upon his status as a Marine officer. In the light of the full explanation of the in- cident there is nothing now standing against his record. —_————— The Naval Program. ‘The administration’s naval building program 1is to be shelved, if House leaders have their way, in the interest of speedy consideration and passage of the naval appropriation bill. Two rea- sons are given for the decision not to press for the $74,000,000 construction proposed. One is to lessen expenditures at a time when the Treasury faces a deficit of $375,000,000 and the other is a desire to eliminate a controversial subject which might delay final passage of appropriation bills and force a spe- clal session of Congress. It is unfortunate that the exigencies of the situation make it necessary to abandon even temporarily the program of naval construction. This country was largely responsible for the holding of the Naval Conference in London last year and for its success. The pur- pose of that conference was to bring about a limitation of naval strength in accordance with the needs of the naval powers for national defense. Such a plan was worked out and written into the treaty which has been ratified by the powers and is. now in operation. It was disclosed at the time of the conference that the United States had permitted its Navy to lag behind the ratio established at the Washington Conference in 1922. With all cate- gories of naval vessels included at last in an agreement; entered into at Lon- don, it was hoped that this country would go abead with plans for a well balanced Navy. The “little Navy” group in Congress, it has been understood for months, would oppose a building program that looked to bringing the American Navy up to the treaty strength provided for this country. It was declared before the present sesslon of Congress opened that a bitter struggle would be waged over the program of mew construction for the Navy, no matter how modest it might be. With only three weeks of the present session remaining, the House leadership apparently has given up the idea of pressing for favorable ac- tion on this construction program, pre- ferring to see the annual naval bill go through without the long battle in the Senate which had been threatened. Efforts in the Senate to revive the construction program for the Navy may be made, but it is unlikely that they will get far, it is said, owing to the determination of the leaders in the Upper House to do all in their power to bring the present session to a close with all appropriation bills enacted into law. Friends of the American Navy will be disappointed. They must hope, how- ever, that the shelving of the program is only temporary and not an abandon- ment. The needs of national defense must not be overlooked by Congress and the executive department of the Government. The suffering in the drought-stricken area and the large unemployment in the industrial centers of the country, requuring the assist- ance of the people themsclves, have been telling arguments against enlarg- ing the appropriations of the Govern- ment, which in the end must come out of the pockets of the people of the Nation. When these conditions have passed, as pass they must, there should be no slackening in the demand that this country provide an adequate, well balanced Navy. ——— Economic experts who say they fear Russia give the Soviet credit for an amount of business shrewdness which would be most extraordinary, consider- ing the slight amount of time and ex- perience that have been available for its acquirement. ————— Russia desires to hire American en- gineers if it can find any who are com- petent to hold big jobs and are not more advantageously in demand in their own ‘country. ————————— American Fundamentals. Representative Brunner of New York, believing that every school child in the United States should have a copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of In- dependence, has introduced a resolution in the House providing for a wholesale printing and distribution of these two documents. Mr. Brunner holds that if every child had a copy of these state papers in his possession at the be'ln-] ning of his school career it would de- velop pride of citizenship and stimulate patriotic ideals. ‘There is no question that every school child in America should have an early acquaintance with the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Many of the younger children, indeed, are fairly familiar with the Declaration through their rhetorical and declama- tory efforts. The Constitution, however, is hardly for the early-grade mind. ‘There is much in it that is too compli- cated even for seniors. Some members THE be the best form. A child prizes » “book” much more highly than a pam- phlet. An edition of the Constitution and the Declaration, perhaps with pic- tures and with an artistic cover design, would be cherished by every recipient. Such a publication would cost a good deal of money, but it would be worth much more than many of the “docu- ments” that are published by order of Congress and sent broadcast by the millions for political purposes. It may be noted in this connection that annually some two million high school puplls in this country make an intensive study of the fundamental law in preparation for ,the National Ora- torical Contest. Representative Brun- ner's project would bring the Constitu- tion into the hands of the young people earlier than at the high school stage, which they must reach to enter this competition. Possibly such a prelimi- nary contact with the Constitution would be of advantage to prospective contest- ants. The Constitution cannot be too diligently Tead or too thoroughly studied. The Safety-Responsibility Law. It is unfortunate that members of the Senate who are unwilling to let the Capper - McLeod safety - responsibility measure go through that body by unan- imous consent on the calendar could not have heard Gov. Franklin D, Roose- velt of New York address the New York Automobile Club last Saturday on the benefits that that State has re- ceived from the law. For if they had they might moderate their disposition to delay the time when the National Cap- ital will reap the same kind of benefits that Gov. Roosevelt so eloquently de- scribed as the experiences of the Em- pire State. ‘To proponents of safety-responsibility legislation—and they are legion—the Governor's address was inspiring. New York was the first State to adopt the law, and it follows naturally that more experience has been accumulated there than in any other, although eleven States and the Province of On- tario, Canada, followed its lead. In giving his unqualified support to the measure, therefore, the Governor was referring to the conspicuous success of motor legislation under which one- third of the motorists of the United States and one-half of those of Canada are operating. It will be most unfortubate if Con- gress at this session does not give the National Capital the demonstrated ben- efit of the safety-responsibility law. In case it does not pass, it will have to be resubmitted at the next session both to House and Senate and again go through the legislative mill. It is ear- nestly to be hoped that this will not be the case with such meritorious and needed legislation. —————— Vital statistics show that people enjoy longer lives than did those of previous generations. The old assertion that worry shortens existence loses force when it is considered that at present the human race has more to worry about than it has had in many years. ———— ‘Whenever a problem in financing on a big scale arises, it has become cus- tomary to follow the course now adopted by the veterans and request Owen D. Young to formulate another plan. ———————— Contributions to the Red Cross will go promptly where they are needed. ‘They should be the more generous be- cause they admit of no argumentative delay. —————— It is asserted that immoral plays are unprofitable. When the box office as- serts censorship, the producers may be relied on to give respectful attention. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, s Great Public Question. There is one question which, as yet, Remains unsolved to bid us fret. ‘Though scientific queries range ‘To realms of thought exceeding strange, Or while we anxiously await Decisions on affairs of state, ‘What really sets our hearts a-throb Is this: “Who's going to get the job?” Our bright idealistic way A specter shows whom men call “Pay.” Into the most unselfish mood That shadow grim will oft intrude And point with an unwavering touch To boldly written words, “How Much?” And that's why patriots often sob And ask: “Who's going to get the job?” Cheerless Literary Tendency. “Posterity will ralse a monument to you!” said the admiring friend. “Maybe s0,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “But I would rather do without the monument if I can persuade pos- terity not to write unpleasant books about me.” Jud Tunkins says maybe it is just as well that sclence can't predict weather far in advance. If it could we would have been worrying about drought ever since some time lut‘Mny. Unhelpful Superabundance. How quickly might relief be sent Unto its destination, If there were only nourishment In general conversation! Higher Criticism. “Do you think women have improved politics?” “Beyond a doubt,” answered Miss Cayenne. “A man is sure to be more careful how he casts a ballot if he knows that his vote is going to be criticized by all his feminine relations.” “We travel faster than did our ancestors,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “yet we find no better les- sons at the end of each journey than those they taught at home.” Music of the Spheres. Einstein charms the universe As he with skill appears And takes occasion to rehearse ‘The music of the spheres. BZINING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. THIS AN D THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. to grow a plant more than one Adults have a l:;\dammlt !?;dm- rding many an old-time maxim. l"One of tlgeu was & favorite with teachers, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try a; ! ‘The ult gardener, however, still may profit from the wisdom in that bit of blank verse. Never give up fil’!ln, :‘lgfll.l you have given it al. One expest declares that every good flower is worth at least three trials. He reasons it out thus: That the first time it is a failure the weather may be against it, the second time it does not do well for you, you probably failed in cultivation or proper placing; the third time, universally known as “the charm,” you will have every chance to succeed. TR Every earnest home gardener mi well consider at this time of year, b‘e’; Tore Spring and its outdoor activities come, just which plants he may want to_try again on this plan. No two amateurs will have the same list of failures, failures which yet de- serve another trial. One gardener may have done well with asters, for instance, while his next- door neighbor succeeded only in cre- ating a failure with them. The latter, however, should not give up this beautiful flower just because he missed it. ‘There is no more beautiful thing, either in the garden or as a cut flower, than the well grown aster, But root lice can play havoc with 1t. They will transform sturdy-looking plants into scrawny ones within two weeks, at the very time when the hope- ful ¢-l{dener thought they were doing s0 well, It is said that asters do not grow well on old ground, earth which has had other flowers grown in it. Whether this is true or not we do not know. Our personal experience is that the first time one plants the aster he may do well with it, but not thereafter. Yet there are scores of persons who insist that they cannot raise asters at all. It is these who should not give up the ship, but should try them again this Summer. Maybe this season will be the charm. PO ‘The lavatera, small cousin to the gi- gantic hibiscus, is another difficult flower for some gardeners to raise. A packet of seeds often gives but one or two plants, and these none too good. lavatera is worth experiment with over several seasons, for its dainty pink blossoms and glossy green leaves are beautiful, indeed, and different from almost anything else in the garden. ‘The salpiglossis, declared to be the only flower with &‘enulne gold lines, is another plant with which many ama- teur gardeners have trouble. Beed catalogues uniformly declare, however, that this plant is of “easy culture.” The term seems to mean little; what is easy culture to one enthusiast be- comes difficult culture to another. * ok % x The old-fashioned scabiosa is a hard | one for some gardeners, and yet our' grandmothers had ny trouble with them at all. ‘The sweet pea, favorite of millions, is one of the most difficult of garden flowers to grow in this climate. Some say that it is too wet for sweet peas, others say it is too dry. Some de- clare that it should have more moisture, others less; you will hear some gardeners speak for planting in the sun, others in semi-sunshire. ‘The red spider, others assert, is re- sponsible for the failure of many gardeners with this lovely flower. Still others will say that the use @ wire netting “cooks” the plants. It is true that often fine-looking sweet pea vines will turn brown a few weeks after they begin to bloom. Many authorities, however, recommend wire netting for the vines to climb on, And 50 it goes. 2 T 8 Other gardeners have difficulty in raising with any degree of success such xfipflscdly simple things as Canterbury s. Delphinium and lupin are related plants which many home growers give up in disgust, after one disastrous experience. Failure with a flower is not exactly as disconcerting as receiving a rejec- tion slip from the editor, but it surely takes the heart out of the gardener, unless he believes firmly in the adage given above, and especially in the ad- vice to try any plant at least three times before giving it up. Mostly plants require little thought. That is one of the charms of the garden. In it one may discard think- ing, in a sense, and have a satisfying time of it without much use of the old brain pan. If a plant, which ought to do well, however, does not do well, there is noth- ing for the intelligent person to do but don his thinking cap and attempt to determine what is the matter. o * o k% Often enough the trouble will lie with himself, and not with the seed. It is human to place the blame for failure upon some one else, and in this case this some one is the seedman who supplied the seeds. That canny individual, however, safe- E\ml’ded himself from the start with the isclalmer printed in his catalogue that he could not be held responsible for the growth “or any other matter” of his seeds and plants, He pointed out, briefly but thor- oughly, that too many factors were in- volved after the seed left his hand for him to assume any responsibility. In this old disclaimer the wise gar- dener will find much matter for thought. Sun, water, soll, location—these are some of the factors over which the seedman has no control. Most of these “matters” are, however, under the su- pervision of the gardener. If you do not succeed one year with a flower, .try to figure out, by a study of the. plant in relation to its growing conditions, what was wrong or what was done wrong. i ‘This will be no easy matter if you are not garden-minded by nature, and perkaps most of us are not. The best we can do is to attempt to decide wh‘e&e the fault lay—and then try, try again. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS Peace without victory has been effect- ed in the battle between Congress and the President over drought relief and doles. Neither side will admit any sur- render. The ‘“compromise” program to s as two-facing and disputa- tious as was the Wickersham prohibi- tion report. Mr. Hoover has not yielded one fota his unalterable opposition to a donation from the Federal Tréasury to the Red Cross—and there is to be none —nor his opposition to “food loans” as such—and to doles. Yet Arkansas’ Senator Robinson says that by the terms of the compromise he attains his real objective—funds to nourish and clothe the destitute and the starving. Another twenty million dollars is ap- ted for “loans” for ‘“farm re- | bilitation.” The adroitly phrased | congressional authorization is to be | “liberally construed,” says Senator Rob- | . He has “assurances” on that | score. Time alone will tell. If per- | formance does not measure up to Dem- ocratic expectations they may be ex- pected to cry “betrayal.” The adminis. tration will likely rejoin—*“We promised | nothing but literal compliance with the | express terms of the appropriation.” To | the country at large, the important is- | sue is that the extra session menace | seems fading. * ok ok * Friends of Gen. Smedley Butler are the first to say that a grievous injustice 1s being done to Secretary of the Navy Charles Francis Adams by the surrep- titiously circulated reports that tI Naval is the moving spirit be- | hind the Butler court-martial, and is keen to get the general's scalp. The | real fact is just the reverse, according | to the intimates of both men. Secre- | tary Adams is represented as having | had no say in the question of ordering | the court-martial. Loyal to his com- | mander in chief, his role was but “to | do or die.” In other quarters, the onus for the martyrizing (?) of the popular Marine, which was first passed to Sec- retary Adams, is now being shifted to Secretary Stimson. The latter is pic- tured as having insisted that nothing less than a court-martial would meas- u:r up to the necessities of the situ- ation. * K % ok Vice President Curtis was unpleas- antly surprised last week to discover from press reports under a Washington date line that he was of a mind to re- tire at the end of his term and put upon his party the burden of finding some one else for second place on the ticket in 1932. . He has not felt that way at all. He has been willing to be drafted a second time. So it was all very disturbing to read that the slate- makers had already set about to pick another running mate for Mr. Hoover in deference to Mr. Curtis’ wishes. according to the press reports an a le substitute was right at hand in the person of the tall and handsome Secretary of War, Patrick J. Hurley. “Hocver and Hurley” talk has been going the rounds of the Capital all Winter. Now the trial balloons have been let loose o*ve& the country at large. * * { Age is a factor to be reckoned with when it comes to nominating a Presi- dent. So it is Interesting to note the ages of some of the “big names” in the 1932 President picture. A half dozen of the leaders are bunched together right around the 60-year mark. Herbert Hoover will be 58 in 1932, Dwight Mor- row 59, Calvin Coolidge will be just turning 60 when the convention meets. Ambassador Dawes, sometimes men- tioned as a dark horse, will be 67. On the Democratic side “Al” Smith will be 59 in 1932, Owen D. Young 58, Sena- tor Robinson of Arkansas, the Southern white hope, will be 60. Gov. Roosevelt of New York, now at the head of the Democratic presidential procession, will be a mere boy of 50 when the nominat- ing convention meets 18 months hence. Unfortunately for Gov. Roosevelt, his physique is not strong and that is a real, but as yet imponderable, factor in his case. i e If Congress legislates before March 4 to enlarge the cash privileges of the soldiers’ bonus certificates, the veterans “It's easier,” sald Uncle Eben, “to forget a friend dan an enemy. De friend will be forbearin’ when you turns yoh back on him, but de enemy will welcome de chance to give you & of Congress, forsooth, find trouble in understafiding it. an individual. He was within his rights A wholesale distribution of both docu- | kick.” Nature Faking, Perhaps. in speaking to the Philadelphia organi- | ments might be effected through the | Prom the Hamilton Spectator. mation so long as he was not reported in public print. It was his misfortune that the pledge of secrecy given to him l" the .head of the organization was State departments of education, and, if “the coples were attractively printed, |9l there would be a good chance of their being preserved. A bound volume would Prom Sault Ste. Marie comes a story drinks beer. And then, omlr:&e. it goes out, , to polish a few wolves may regard Owen D. Young as their benefactor. Up to the moment of Mr. ‘Young's indorsement of liberalization of the loan privileges for such bonus cer- tificate-holders as were in need, the leaders in both House and Senate, both Democrat and Republican, were in agreement not to report any bonus bill at this session, But the Young pro- nouncement threw a scare into the Re- publican camp. Looking toward 1932, could they afford to let Mr. Yo be 8o generous and no more costly than the $500.000,000 limit which Financier Young set. W . Chairman Blaine of the Senate Com- mittee investigating the so-calle@ “post office leasing scandal” has twice plumped the name of Frank W. Stearns into the inquisitorial proceedings, by inquiring of a witness whether he knew of any interest displayed by Mr. Stearns in the granting of leases. Each time Senator Blaine has received an em- phatic “No.” Mr. Stearns’ disinterested friendship for Calvin Coolidge, his wor- shipful admiration, and his own total self-effacement were the talk of the Capital during the Coolidge reign. Chairman Blaine, however, takes noth- ing for granted. “I was informed that this Mr. Stearns was a frequent visitor at the White House,” explains Senator Blaine “and that every time he stayed overnight there he went down to the Post Office Department the next morn- ing and secured a post office lease. “I do not charge that this is true. I don’t know whether it is true or not. 1 have no evidence on the subject,” he continued, “but it is just one of those things that would be interesting if it were true, and so I am trying to find out if there is anything in the repor It may be that there is nothing in it. Of such stuff are senatorial investiga. tions made. R o Mr. Hoover's administration will lose he | 8 tower of strength if and when Chair- man Legge quits the Farm Board—and no one knows it any better than the President. ‘The forceful Chicago execu- tive already has held on longer in the vernment service than he planned or wished. Latest report is that his realgr;lat;on is coming soon after ch 4. (Copyright, -1931.) e Paths to Better Business, Prom the Chicago Daily News. In an address before a commercial organization at Dallas, Tex., Melvin A. Traylor of this city urged a national conference representative of the Gov- ernment, industry, finance, commerce and labor for the purpose of discussing, and, if possible, formulating, a new economic policy designed to stabilize business and prevent the recurrence of crises and depressions. Mr. Traylor has definite ideas con- cerning at least certain features of the policy he deems necessary. One funda- mental of that policy is a wage scale which is not fixed and rigid, but is re- sponsive to general market conditions, or the movement of commodity prices. Some such idea js back of German and British efforts to make wage reductions contingent upon corresponeing reduc- tions in rents and retail prices of goods. Though it has proved well-nigh im- possible for governments to bring about that correspondence, the effort has not been entirely abandoned.» Further, Mr. Traylor proposes a change in national policy regarding amortization of the American war debt. He would not continue the recent high rate of amortization, which prncuclfly throws the whole burden of the debt upon the present generation. A lower rate of amortization would permit sub- stantial reduction in Federal taxation, which, in Mr, Traylor’s opinion, would contribute more to confidence and the resumption of industrial activity on a normal basis than would any other step that could be taken. Mr. Traylor favors certain banking reforms to serve as a curb to specula- tion, but he is disposed to put more stress on freedom from the restrictions imposed by numerous statutes supposed to protect the public against oppression by monopolies and public utilities. He dlxtlnfulshes between intelligent, con- structive regulation and Government interference with and threatened as- saults upon legitimate business. Many men of affairs have proposed a national economic conference, but manifestly a good deal of preparatory work will have to be done by commit- tees and scientific groups before such & conference can achieve any consider- able degree of success. ] A Pungent Mixture, Prom the Springfield (Mass.) Union. One of the most complicgted cases introduced to the courts recently in- volved 12 bottles that apparently had contained a combination of radiator al- cohol, sulphuric acid and tin rust, v Just Like Chicago. Prom the Springfield (Mass.) Union. A horse at West Bamstable, Cape ‘oung sympathetic and be themselves so -hearted? And so over this week end there has been & big effort to frame up and put over a plan a bit more liberal but allegedly Cod, kicked over a lantern and caused & $45,000 fire in which two automobiles and a tractor were destroyed. Poetic Justice, as it were. MONDAY, FE BRUARY »9, 1931. The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln, As a general proposition, nominees of the major political parties for the office of President of the United States must serve an apprenticeship in other public office and in politics. - A man may be a merchant prince, a great manufac- turer, a railroad president, but if he has not been identified with public of- fice, either in his State or in the Na- tion; if he has nat had some part in politics, he is not likely to be seriously considered when it comes to the na- tional conventions. This is one of the reasons why Owen D, Young, who frequently’ been mentioned as & presi- dential possibility, may have small chance of being the Democratic choice for President next year. There are a lot of Democrats who would like to see Mr. Young picked for the nomination— Democrats who believe that Mr. Young has demonstrated his executive ability in his business connections and in his service abroad when the so-called Dawes plan for working out the debt troubles of Europe after the World War was evolved. But Mr. Young has not been a holder of public office. He has not been a party man, mixing in party politics to any great extent, * ok k% Looking back ov:r the list of Presi- dents of the United States, it is easy to make the generalization that they have achieved the office of Chief Ex- ecutive of the country after they have been successful at politics and held public office, or after they have been successful soldiers,’ Grant, the popular hero of the Civil War, Became Presi- dent with little or no political experi- ence to fall back upon. Roosevelt Was both a soldier and a politician before he entered the White House. lincoln served in the House of Representatives and had fought many political battles before he became President. Wilson was Governor of New Jersey at the time he was nominated for President. 1t seems rather clear that if a man 1s to hold the highest public office in the gift of the people he does not begin at the top. Ambassador Dawes, now in London, when he was nominated for Vice President, had been largeiy in the public_eye because of his war service, his service as director of the budget and earlier public office. * X ¥ x Mr. Young has said very distinctly that he is not a candidate for the presi- dency. While that is a job no American could turn down if there was a demand for his services, Mr. Young is well within his rights not to be a candidate for the nomination if he feels that way about it. he has mixed in politics, his biography in “Who's Who in Amer- ica” does not disclose the fact. It does not even state that he is a Demo- crat, although that is widely known. He began his career as a lawyer, and his first connection with the General Electric Co., with which he has become s0 closely identified, was as counsel and then as vice president in charge of policy. Since 1922 he has been chair- man of the board of that company. He has served with distinction on vari- ous boafds dealing with economic sub- jects under appointment of President Wiison and later Presidents. But he has held no appointment to public office, nor does the record disclose his election to any public office. This is nothing agamst Mr. Young. But he has so far lived outside of politics, even though he has contributed to party campaigns. Senator Dwight W. Morrow was counsel for J. P. Morgaa & Co. and later became a vice president of that concern, but he was not mentioned as a presidential possibility until after he had been Ambassador. x K Kk K The wets were jubilant not so long ago because in the State of Washing- ton the Republican and Democratic State conventions had gone against na- seem to be in the ascendency there again. This will cause no grief to Senator Wesley L. Jones, veteran Re- publican legislator and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Sen- ator Jones has been a leading dry. Sen- ator Jones comes up for re-election again pext year. It has been rumored that - Judge Kenneth Mackintosh, a member of the Wickersham Commis- sion, was likely to make a bid for the senatorial nomination against Senator Jones. Judge Mackintosh is one of those members of the commission who has declared for some modification of national prchibition wighout further delay. An effort by friends of Judge Mackintosn to have the State Legis- lature invite the judge to appear before it and discuss the Wickersham report | recently was voted down. A rebuff not ! only for those who desire some change from national prohibition, but also, it is held, for Judge Macintosh if he de- ires to make the senatorial race. And just the other dey the State Senate also turned down by a vote’of 26 to 14 a proposal to memorialize Congress to resubmit the eighteenth amendment to constitutional conventions in fhe sev- eral States. The drys are fecling a lot better over the situation in Washing- ton than they were last Fall. o Senator George H. Moses of New Hamp- shire opened a flank attack on the Nye Campaign Investigating Commit- tee, when he insisted upon putting in the Congressional Record a list of the expenditures made by that committee, amounting to about $97,000. The Nye Committee during the last campaign and since has made it uncomfortable for a number of regular Republican senatorial candidates. It has been charged that the committee was used to aid the political fortunes of at least one of the Progressive group on the Re- publican side of the chamber, Senator Norris of Nebraska. Out of the Ne- braska investigation has come the in- dictment of Victor Seymour for perjury. ‘Vlc(or Seymour was during the cam- | paign_employed as an assistant to the I'vice chairman of the Republican Sena- torial Campaign Committee, of which | Senator Moses is chairman. "Since Sen- ator Moses printed in the Record a list of the expenditures made by the Investigating Committee, Representative Underhill of Massachusetts, another Republican, has bmade one or two speeches in the House attacking the Nye Committee on account of extrava- gance. It looks as though an effort was on foot among the regular Re- publicans to “get” the Nye Committee and Senator Nye himself when he comes up for re-election next year. e However, Senator Nye as chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Lands had charge of an investigation which put about $3,000,000 in the cof- fers of Uncle Sam, which may well be considered an offset of an expenditure of $97,000 even if there anything repre- hensible in the expenditure, which has not been shown to be the case, Sena- tor Nye pressed the investigatioD of the activities of the Continental Trading Co., which failed to pay income tax on a huge transaction in oil. Even- tually that tax was collected, amount- ing ~with interest to more than $3,000,000., oK kX } The Nye Committee was authotized to spend $100,000 by the Senate, and has more recently been authorized to spend another $50,000. This would ap- pear to place the Senate-seal of ap- proval on the committee, It is rather a safe bet, also, to suggest that the expenditures by the Nye Committee were no more extravagant than those made by dozens of other Senate in- vestigating committees, including the Campaign _Investigating Committee, which in 1926 under the leadership of former Senator “Jim” Reed of Missouri caused a lot of grief to the Republican senatorial candidates in Illinois and Pennsylvania. Those two States, by the way, are the happy hunting grounds of Senate investigating committees. It was in Illinois for example that the Nye Committee turned up the fact that Mrs., Ruth Hanna McCormick haq expended a quarter of a million dollars of her own money in the primary fight, and in Pennsylvania the fact that Joseph P. Grundy had spent even more of his money. The Nye Committee is about to write a_report on the Pennsylvania election which was won by Senator James J. Davis. I should be filed, tional prohibition. But now the drys| says sb ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Stop a minute and think about thie fact. You can ask our Information Bureau any question of fact and get the answer back in a personal letter. 1t is a great educational introduced into the lives of the most intelligent people in the world—American news- g:sp:rrndcn. It is a part of that purpose of a newspaper—service. is no charge except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Get the habit of aski questions. Address your letter ‘to e Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. How many passengers use the ferries in the San ';"nnclsco Bay Dis- trict every 24 hours?—H. F. merce says that the reports are not yet available for 1930, but€pr the cal- endar year 1929 the number of one- way fares pald for transportation across San PFrancisco Bay by vehicular and foot passengers only was 57,256,947. This includes both commuters and irregular travelers. Commuters num- bered 26,800 and they made approxi- mately 50 one-way trips a month. The water distance is about 3 miles, Q. How many sheets will a bale of cotton make?—M. M A. 500-pound bale of cotton, dllowing 15 per cent for waste and tare, will make 675 82x99-inch sheets. . Is it true that trees explode from extreme cold?—E. W. A. They do not explode, but are subject to frost cracks. At times the extreme cold wood of the tree will contract; in other words, it will be- come frozen. If the sun comes out and shines brightly on one portion of the tree and the rest of the tree is unable to take up the expansion, the result is a crack.' Sometimes this cracking makes itself heard. ‘This noise s not comparable to an explosion. Q. How many Popes have there been ) A. Pope Plus XI is the 279th Pope. Q. How are the dols made whose frocks change color as the weather changes?>—H. W, A. Some hygroscopes are not me- chanical; they owe their hygroscopic properties to their color, which changes with the state of humidity of the air by reason of the application of sympa- thetic inks. instruments _are often composed of a flower or a figure, of light mhslin or paper, immersed in the following solution: Cobalt chloride, 1 part; gelatin, 10 parts; water, 100 parts. The normal coloring is pink. This color changes into violet in me- dium humid weather and into blue in very dry weather. Q. What is the theme song of the A. & P. Gypsies?—E. G. R. A. It is “The Two Guitars.” Q. Which makes more noise, an air- plane motor or propeller?>—R. W. M. A. The Army Air Corps says that the propeller of an airplane makes a %r;flltr volume of noise than the en- L e. Q. Please give some information about Snug Harbor—M. C. T. A. Robert Richard Randall was the founder of Snug Harbor. Randall was a sea captain who retired from the sea in the late eighteenth century and set- tled down on a large farm on the edge of which is now Greenwich Village. ‘When he died he left his property to an institution known as Sailors’ Snug Harbor for ancient and decrepit sea- men. His relatives did all they could to break the will, but in 1831, over 30 years after the captain's death, the Supreme Court upheld the bequest. In the meantime the City of New York !had grown so enormously that the trustees decided it would be better to | lease the land contained in the Randall | farm and locate the seamen’s home on | Staten Island. At the time of the u.g- | tain’s death or prior, his farm brought A. The Oakland Chamber .of Com- | in the Roman Catholic Church?—L.| in an annual income of about $4,000; at the time the trustees made the change it was ylelding $40,000. Today it is estimated that the annual earn- &;5: of the property are about $4,000,- Q. Are insects in the woods better off in a Winter which has snow or one in which the ground is bare?—S. L. A. They benefit by a Winter of . | heavy snow. The snow protects the in- sects during their dormant period from c};n:‘m of temperature and penetrating winds. Q. What is meant when it is said that Senators are paired?—M. M. A. Sometimes a Senator belonging to one party agrees with a Senator be- longing to the other party that neither will vote if the other is absent. the theory being that they would always vote on opposite sides of the question. This is called a pair. Sometimes pairs are secured on a particular vote only. For instance, if a Senator in favor of a certain piece of legislation is ill or un- avoldably detained, .his friends arrange for some one on the opposite side of the question not to vote. This insures for each a record as to whether or not he favors a particular piece of legisla- tion. While many persons are opposed to general pairs, as the first. is called, all are glad to arrange a pair for a specific measure if a Senator is un- :;/old::ly prevented from being present vote. Q. Were the old Currier & Ives prints colored by hand?—M. E. C. A. The firm of Curgier & I Inc., % rm of N. Ve dissolved in Practically all of the old prints | were pulled from stones and colored by | hand. Toward the end, the old Currier & Ives tried some color lithography but it was not very extensive, nor satis- factory.” Q. What is a kermess?>—K. C. O. A. Originally it was a church festival, | but later was an outdoor festival or fair | held annually in the Low Countries of | Europe and French Flanders. Either | an indoor or outdoor fair on the order |of the Flemish festival is sometimes | given this name. Q. Since we have had a dial tele- | phone, the noise made by dialing is picked up by our radio. Can,this be stopped?—M. M. A. Such interference is prevented by a small condenser, easily installed in the base of the phone by wire connection and removing & screws. Q. What is the Soclety of {ile Oin- cinnati and what was George Wash- ington’s connection with 1t?—D. O. A. The society is an hereditary pa- triotic society organized in 1783 by the American and foreign officers of the Continental Army assembled in their cantonment on the Hudson River near Fishkill, N, Y. The original meeting was held in the Verplanck House, then the headquarters of Baron Steuben. The objects of the soclety were: “To perpetuate as well the remembrance of the Revolution as the mutual friend- ships which have been formed under the pressure of common danger, * ® ** Since most of the officers were ing to their farms, which they had left to fight for the Republic, they named their organization the Society of the Cincinnati, after their Roman proto- type, Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. George Washington was the first president general. He was elected in 1787 and re-elected until his death. Presidents general succeeding him have been Alexander Hamilton, C. a Tew 5 tate societies meet an- nually and the general society meets once in every three years. The living hereditary members number 980. The emblem symbolizes the union of France and America. 'Evils of Coal an Attested as Years of agitation over the coal and fron police of Pennsylvania have re- sulted in action by Gov. Pinchot, under legislation enacted in a previous ad- ministration, which is a subject of _Imn- ment in and out of the State. e is agreement that police power should not be exercised under private au- thority, but the needs of the mining districts are conceded. The governor's lan to have public control, but to re- quire the companies to pay the cost, is a subject of debate. Two measures passed by the 5 lature of 1929 are viewed by the la- delphia Evening Bulletin as leading up to the present situation. That paper quotes former Gov. PFisher as having nor the Mansfleld bill “met with his views on the limitation that should be placed on industrial policemen,” but that the latter measure, which was ac- cepted, made it possible for “the curb on abuse of power by these ‘private’ police in State uniform to be applied by measure. Pointing out that “agitation the issues cn which Gov. Pinchot took a definite stand in his campaign through the mining districts, pledging his efforts for the abolition of private control over such police and the 'sub- stitution of .a system of State police, with expense of maintenance borne by the private- interests served,” the Bul- letin concludes that “the mining prop- erties need adequate police protection, which neither the existing State police organization nor local police can pro- vide.” It emphasizes Gov. Fisher's promise that “he would accomplish de- sired restraints by the exercise of executive power and the provision that, if such regulation was not effective, he could summarily remove any or all of the force.” “The system has been a source of controversy in the State for more than 60 years,” says the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, believing that “the public is in no m to accept further make- shifts on the -subject.” ‘The Post- Gazette refers to the Musmanno bill, which would have restricted the juris- diction of the industrial police to the property of their private employers, a Vvoices the judgment as to that measure: “It seems to come closest to a fair so- lution of flw‘rroblem. There is no disposition to deny the companies the right to protect their property by what- ever number of guards or watchmen they may deem necessary, but there is a vast difference between a guard who can take effective action only on_the company’s property and a police officer with a ‘roving’ commission, who can make arrests anywhere.” The Pitts- burgh paper offers the comment on Gov. chot's plan, with the doubt that it “would stand the test of con- stitutionality” and emphasizing the provision that it “would compel the companies desiring the service of the police to reimburse the State for their salaries. The men commissioned on this basis would not have the same se- curity in their jobs that the regular State trooper enjoys. They could hardly be expected to forget the fact that they might have to look elsewhere for-a livelihood if the companies involved became dissatisfled and stopped paying their salaries. The control which would be exercised by reason of this arrange- ment would be less direct than under the existing system, and to that extent Senator Nye, before the close of the a:uent ‘week, and Senator Nye proposes move to unseat Senator Davis be- e e ator Da ts tha funds were that not expended to elect him.% As the question is one of high privilege, it cause of the the prim: unts expended in hough Sen- the regulatory board” set up by the |Pol against this body of police was one of | based nd | his d-Iron Police Pinchot Moves an improvement, but there should be no compromise with the principle that the State should not barter its police “‘Generally speaking,” according to the New Castle News, “the State police should have no rival. But in Pe: - vania it is a small cient body. Men cannot be |from it for permanent protection the indus funds bu responsible to government authority. ciple is sensible. Details of the plan will reveal whether it is prac- “Perhaps the futw thinks the Altoona Mirror, “may witness the com- ing of a day when conditions between the mine owners and their employes have become perfectly friendly and so continuously harmonious as to justify the disbandment of and iron lice in every section of the country. The cultivation of friendly relations, upon mutual confidence and good will, is a greatly to be desired and far from impossible incident of the not distant future. Present con- ditions increase the hopeful spirit. “The bett=s policy,” in the judgment of the Des Moines Tribune-Capital, “would be to leave police functions to the regular police, paid from taxation, as in other States. The coal and iron police of Pennsylvania have made a record of brutality and anti-social ac- tivity which should not be continued by an organization by another name |and with its pay from a private source. The police functions rightly belong to the State and to the State alone. Separating the functioning from the financing never really works.” ‘The Columbus Ohio State Journal remarks that “doubtless- Gov. Pinchot expects a fight” and _continues: “Incidentally it would give him a new national prominence, and he is sup- to have his eye on the pres- idential campaign of 1932. With his dry fight, his effort to overthrow the old state organization, his pledge of loyalty demanded of appointees and Eats S s ir ve & his high office.” Of the old system the Raleigh News and Observer says: “It was. turning over a government function to pri- ate interests and often they had a record of brutalities inflicted on work- men. Gov. Pinchot has disbanded this force. Hereafter the State will name the men who enforce the law. Thirty years ago North Carolina had a law permitting private corporations to name policeman upon the . approval of the Governor. During a strike on the Sea- board Air Line the officials of the road asked Gov. Aycock to authorize the road to name policeman who would be under their direction. Gov.Aycock declined, saying “The sovereign State of North Carolina will preserve order through its own appointed officials.’ An Undesirable Guest. From the Columbus Ohio State Journal. They had to free Mahatma Gandhi, as he was getting so thin in jail tl couldn’t make it tight emough to hol him without smothering. ut A Risky Guide. Prom the New London Day. A chef in Boston has been discovered aking use of the traffic lights to time stated that nelther the Musmanno bill | tical m: the boiling of eggs. Let it be that a fuse doesn’t blow out and bring him up against a hard-boiled customer. Profit Makers. might be used to delay action on gppro- priati bills if some of the Pyog lves it vére mean enough to try £t From the Jackson Citizen-Patriot. The rallway prefldentl‘ are longing for the old when somebody slept in the upper N