Evening Star Newspaper, February 16, 1931, Page 8

{THE EVENING STAR WASHINGTON, D. 6. MONDAY......February 16, 1031 $HEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor e Evening Star Newspaper Company Sivants Ave ‘Bu ce: Rate by Carrler Within the City. . .45¢ per month T80c per monta & 65c per month e per o stion made ‘ma; at ach month. ‘be sent in by mail or telephone Payable in Advance. All Other States and Canada. 2.00: 1 mo., $1.00 iy 390 1 mes e only .00; 1 mo.s 50¢ Member of the Associated Press. lusively entitled ot A R BT e s credited - d also the local news Bk pidn iy el disbatches herein are also reserved. The District Bill. As the Senate Appropriztions Com- mittee has accepted the truce proposed by the House in the fight over the amount of the lump sum, pending the completion of the inquiry into fiscal re- lations by the Select Committee of the House, its subcommittee on District ap- propriations confined its work on the District bill this year to a study of the House provisions, assisted by the testi- mony of interested citizens, and re- ported the measure with few important changes. It increased the allowances for a number of the provisions and raised the total of the bill from $45- 616,748 to $46,090,837, a difference of $474,080. This difference may be de- creased by $111,520, the amount repre- senting promotions in underaverage salary grades. if the Senate yields to the House on these salary provisions. The sction taken by the conferees on the same class of salary increases in the In- terior Department bill will, unfortu- nately, be regarded as establishing prec- edent in this connection and the Sen- ate will doubtless yield in every case, in- eluding the District bill. There are few, if any, items of dis- agreement that will not be quickly set- tled in conference, provided the Senate passes the bill as reported Saturday. ¥ | sole interest lay in seeing that naviga- Kanawhs River, which is navigable. ‘The Kanawha is entirely within West Virginia, having its outlet in the Ohio. It was ultimately decided that if the flow of the New River was not regulated, it would affect the navigability of the Kanawha, and on that basis the project was held to come entirely within the scope of the water power act, with its provisions, principally, for fixing valua- tion, recapturing excess earnings, possible supervision of rates and issuance of securities, and right of set- ting up & 50-year leaschold. ‘The Appalachian Electric Power Co. at once entered vigorous objection. Its contention was-that the Government's tion is safeguarded, and it expressed willingness to accept a contract making this provision, but going no further, asserting that any other regulation should be vested in the States. The case dragged along through the life of two commisslons and finally reached the present body for action. Meanwhile, how:ver, a decision last Fall by Attor- ney General Mitchell pointed the way to settlement in the present issue. ——to—. The Bonus Problem. The proposal to pay the veterans of the World War cash for their adjusted compensation certificates has assumed the proportions of a monster which threatens to run away with both political parties, to destroy the financial bal- ance of the Government and to retard the restordtion of business—which means the restoration of jobs. It is true that the proposal has been put in the form of a “loan” on the veterans' bonus certificates, permitting them to borrow up to 50 per cent of the face value of the certificates. But the cach has to be found to advance to the vet- erans whether the legislation provides for a loan or a cash payment. Secretary Mellon, who after all knows more about the real financial condition of this Government than do most members of Congress or other more or less voluntary critics, has stated clearly that i#f this proposed bonus legislation is put through and becomes law, it will make necessary the raising of a billion dollars by the Federal Government, with the Treasury already facing a deficit of half a billion dollars on June 30. In spite of this warning from the head of the Treasury Department, the cengressional leaders, with few excep- tions, appear to be bent on jamming the legislation through. 1If it is to be halted at all, the President of the United States seems to be the man who must do it. The members of Congress, if the President vetoes the proposed bonus bill, One change made by the committee in a legislative rider, however, may bring somie controversy that would be wholly out of keeping with its importance. This relates to the kindergarten maintained a8t the Webster School in connection with Americanization work. The kin- dergarten is attended by underage chil- dren of parents who are students at the Americanization School. Mr. Simmons has been determined to get rid of this kindergarten, along with the other un- derage kindergartens, and while the Senate has been willing to agree to Ilegislation which forbids the instruction of- underage children in the public schools, it has exempted, and very properly, the Webster kindergarten. The school s performing & necessary task, and the kindergarten, even if it as- sumes at times the character of a day nursery, is an essential part of that work. The only opponents of the kin- dergarten have been a few members of the House Subcommittee on Appropria- tions, who, while entitled to their own ideas on the subject, should permit the majority sentiment of the community, and especially the wishes of those in - eharge of this work, to prevail. According to the statements made by the Commissioners in testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommit- “tee, their estimates for 1932 will reduce the District’s surplus revenues to about $700,000. The Senate has increased the District bill $131,300 above the esti- mates, not including the salary provi- slons, and the surplus at the end of 1932 will be between five and six hun- dred thousand dollars. In making up their estimates next Spring the Com- missioners will be forced to base them on current revenues. If these are not suffictent to finance District needs, the needs must be curtailed to it a pocket- book the size of which will remain in doubt until Congress, with more leisure at its disposal, can find the time to deedde upon and adopt & policy in financing its National Capital. —_— ———————— Democracy is in some doubt whether # will have a brand-new band-wagon modél or consult the Al Smith organi- zation about a used car. o Power and Navigation., A case that is considered of far- geiching importance in the adminis- tration of the water power act came before the new Federal Power Com- mission today wherr it instituted hear- ings on the application of the Appa- lachian Electric Power Co. for license for & power project on New River, near Radford, Pulaski County, Va. Here is raised the issue of just how far the Federal Government can go in exercising supervision over power proj- ects on non-navigable waters, such as embody the great bulk of the potential power development in this country. One school of thought contends that fn instances of this sort the Federal Government should follow a poliey of comprehensive regulation, just as it does on navigable water, public lands and Government reservations, if the power resources are to be conserved and developed with greatest benefit to the public. Ranged on the other side are those who contend that the New River and like cases should be left to the Btates for supervision. Already the “State’s rights” cry has been raised with emphasis by the latter, The Federal Government has been accused of exceeding its rights, even of being responsibl: for retarding power development by Virginia and West Vir- ginis, and the States of Arkansas and Tennessee have also intervened. Evi- dencing the feeling that has been aroused, an Associated Press dispatch from Richmond a weck ago quoted ‘Willlam E. Carson, chairman of the State Commission on Conservation and Dewelopment, as declaring that the water power dispute has drawn the State’s rights issue more sharply than @&t any time since the Civil War. ‘The New River application was filed may return to their veteran constituents and say: “We did our best for you. An inhuman Chief Executive is to blame because you did not get the cash bonus.” ‘There seems to be a growing impres- sion that if thé bonus bill is sent to the President he will veto it. The Con- gress may be able to put it through de- spite hi§ veto, although that requires a two-thirds vote in both houses. If the Congress is bent upon upsetting the finances of the Government and plung- ing the country further into debt at this time, it seems at least it should have the courage to provide means to pay the bill. Why not rush through at the same time a bill to increase the Federal taxes? The answer is clear. Neither Democrats nor Republicans, no matter how much they may love the veterans of the World War, are anxious to have placed upon them the onus of increas- ing taxes at a time when depression has hit the country hard, when millions of men are out of work and the prin- cipl problem is to get them back on thelr jobs. Increased taxes have never yet acted as a boost to business. Rep- resentative Frear of Wiseonsin, one of the progressive Republican group, has, it is true, offered in the House a bill to increase the surtaxes on large incomes to meet the payment to be made to the veterans. But it has not, so far, roused the leaders of either party to great en- thusiasm. F Supporters of the bonus legislation say that their plan is merely to make it possible for the veterans to realize fifty per cent on the value of their cer- tificates, which must be paid anyway in 1945. But they have taken a time in the affairs of the American Nation when it is particularly difficult to ad- vance this money. They intend to hand out to one group of men who are out of work seven hundred million to a billion dollars, while to another group, also out of work, it 8 passing out nothing. Every one knows that there is @ large proportion of the war veterans who are not out of work today. If a summation of the uses to which this cash is to be put by the majority of those who will receive it could be ob- tained in advance, it might give the Congress pause even now. There will, of course, be a percentage who will use it to buy necessities. If they alone could be reached, the legislation might be justified. But there is a group of | other veterans who look with favor | upon obtaining money at a four and a half per cent interest rate with which they can reduce the mortgages on thflr1 property, or buy bonds or stocks which | will yleld them a greater interest than | four and one-half per cent, or auto- mobles or what not. | The Government today is caring gen- | erously for its disabled veterans. It £hould do 0 to the limit. The Govern- ment is spending practicaily & billlon dollars each year now cn the veterans of the World War. This dces not look { lke ingratitude. But if the burden of | gratitude is to break the financial back Iof the Government which these veterans fought to uphold, because of increased | expenditures to veterans who are whole, | where is the sense in it all? | el D S Wall Street information is to the ef- fect that substantial business will go on as usual. Speculation, having caught its breath, will probably do the same. - The Law of Flying. Chief Justice Rugg of the Massa- chusetts Supreme Court has just handed dowr. what is said to be the most im- portant decision vet made by a high court on the legal prineiples involving ownership of the air. The case at bar related to the altitude at which air- planes may fly, as far as the safety, comfort and convenience of the owners of underlying property are concerned. Plaintiffs were denied an appeal from findings of a lower court, which de- termined that they had in fact suffered #ix years ago. It proposed a project on this stream, which is neither navigated, for navigable in fact, 155 miles from the point where it joins in West Virginia no material hurt from aircraft which crossed their property at high altitudes. In effect, Chief Justice Rugg's opinion sets forth that a plane sailing at 500 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16. 1531 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. property rights, sithough he submits that fiying over.land in use-for rea- déntial o cultivation purposss should not be at an altitude lower than 100 feet. The lower level is seldom trav- ersed by aircraft except in order to reach or leave an airport. ‘The plaintiff in the Massachusetts litigation owns 270 acres of land on which stand a substantial house, library and other buildings, but the bulk of the land is covered by dense brush and woods. The residence is situated 3,000 feet from the nearest part of an ad- jacent flying field. The defendant, Wor- cester Airport, Inc., acquired ninety-two acres of land adjoining the plaintifi’s property in 1927, developed it as a flying field, built runways and hangars and spent more than $100,000 on fit. Buit against the aircraft corporation was based mainly on the contention that “the air space which is now used or may in the future be used in the de- velopment of the underlying land is the private property of the landowner, in which he is entitled to the exclusive use and control.” Plaintifi’s counsel in- *| sisted that there was flying over his property in such a way as to constitute a trespass and nuisance. He sought an injunction against the use of adjoining property as a flying field. Chief Justice Rugg makes these sig- nificant allusions to the fiying art: “In its present state, it is impossible to confine flight to the space above ex- isting public ways. Aircraft and navi- gation of the air have become of great importance to the land and naval forces of the United States, in the carrying of mdils, in forest preservation and fire prevention, and in commerce as a means of transportation of persons and commodities. * * * The law affords no rigid rule to be used as a test in all instances of alleged nuisance. It is elastic. It requires only that which is fair and reasonable in all the circumstances. The noise, proximity and number of aircraft have not been such in the case under review as to be harmful to the health or comfort of ordinary people. * * * If, in the in- terest of aerial navigation, rights of flight at such low altitude over lands of others are of sufficient public im- portance, doubtless the power of emi- nent domain for acquisition of rights of way in air spaces might be au- thorized.” Boiled down to non-legalistic brass tacks, what the Supreme Court of Massachusetts has just decreed is that we are living in an age of progress, and that, if it is to continue to be such, the requirements’ of the greater numhber must prevail over the susceptibilities of the individual, though, of coufse, not as against his established rights. These, Chief Justice Rugg lays down, have their strict limitation, as far as the air is concerned. — e Inquiry as to prices of bread and of milk are more interesting than even the prohibition probes. Infants, unless in cases of unthinkable depravity, are not at all concerned by the cost of bootleg liquer. R European sentiment toward the United States of America is mixed, combining envy of this country because of its wealth with sympathy because of its prohibition. R SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNBON. The Unanswerable, This world of ours seefns a perpétual quiz That keeps us wondering what the answer is. A theory finds support in reasoning strong, And then somebody tells us it's all wrong. Into the universe our gaze is set In quest of greater universes yet. We subdivide with mieroscopic skill, As what 1s small leads on to smaller still, And forces vast in éarth and sky will lurk. We use them; but we don't know how they work. To questions so mysterious and many We find no answer—'cause there isn't any! Judging by Sound. “Your old enemy says you had better cease your opposition and get on board his band wagon.” “The fact that it is making a loud noise,” replied Senator Sorghum, “does- n't qualify the political vehicle in which he is riding as a band wagon. It looks to me more like an ambulance.” Jud Tunkins says if there should be a “next war” there will probably be another after that. Theaters of war will then seem like some of the much | smaller theaters, where the performance mentioned with greatest disapproval | manages to get the most encores. Doctor at Last Obeyed. He told folks that much more they ate ‘Than human health could stand. That was before the drought so great Wrought havoc in the land. Nervousness at the Gas Station, “Are you suffering from mental dis- order?” askéd the attendant at the gas filling station. “Certalnly not,” answered Mr. Chug- ins. “In that case why did you begin sounding your horn two blocks away? And when you arrived here why aid you step out with both hands in the alr and assure me you were all by your- self?” “In order to avoid all possibility of misunderstanding. I wanted to let you know that I was a customer and not a hold-up man.” Vacation Plles Up. Our Congressmen, when they adjourn, | May feel reluctant to retutn, Expected to investigate 8o much that must accumulate, “Authority,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is not complete until it has aroused enough deflance to enable it to demonstrate its power.” Glories. We tell of glories passed away And yet we find abiding cheer, As we perceive, from day to day, ‘The greater glories that draw near. “Book learnin’,” said Uncle Eben, “is no help if it incourages a man to think it intitles him to do nuffin’ ’cept look ith the Geuley River to form the feet ia no respect violates contiguous wise and act haughty L ‘To be a partisan is well enough, to take sides is good, but to demand that one’s reading pat one on the back, as it were, is absurd. The open mind is nowhere so neces- sary as when one is reading. ‘Then, if ever, comes the demand for absolute fairness. Fairness, let it be stressed, not so _much for the book's sake as for its effect upon the reader's mind. Yet there is nothing more common than to see some reader foaming at the mouth because the author is writing what he, the reader, does not believe, 18 pulling down some pet idol, maybe, Opposition is always good for a man, be it physical or mental, but the latter the most of all. It must be terrible to hold such a position that no one dares oppose you. uch holders of power and place get at the truth of Mituations slowly, be- catse no one dares to tell them what is what. They work under a handicap which they little realize themselves, al- though it is perfectly plair. to others. That they do as well as they do, in many situations, is very much to their credit as plain human beings. For, as Montaigne said, though & man sit upon the highest throne in the world, yet must he sit upon :lls*uw"n bottom, * Is it not pleasing to think that, though & man do no more than read a book, yet may he thereby achieve in- tegrity of thought? He may do this, of course, only through being master of himself as he reads. One has but to think of his own re- actions to many a book to know that the thing is not so easily achleved as breathing. Many a reader, in coming to H. G Wells' description of Napoleon, in “The Outline of History,” has swelled with indignation at the ultra-British, the traditional British, way of regarding that great man. Here, with malice unabated after the passage of years, Wells pictures Na- poleon I as a simple murderer, a ver- dict at varlance with all history and sclence of man. The color and vivid- ness of the Corsican, as & human being, the romance of his rise, triumph and fall, the domination of his character (no matter whether one approves of that character or not) after all these years, all these left Englana’s most prolific author unmoved. All he could see to Napoleon—or, at least, so he professed in the “Outline”— was a little, scheming fellow, totally without merit, who somehow managed to sneak for himself power and author- ity, & sort of supergangster, who was foreed at last to give up his ill-gotten gains to the rightful owners. The reaction of many a reader to this tirade against a personal hero is to become indignant at Mr. Wells. This, one may admit, is all wrong. What the reader should do is to feel that he is privileged to be present at | & moving picture of the traditional| English mind working on the moot sub- | ject of Napoleon. England and the | English have never forgiven Bonaparte, | and especially the English writers have | never forgiven him The reader who goes through the “Outline of History” ought to rejoice | at getting so fine a writer's opinions, be ' interested in checking them against | his own, and to mull over in his own | mind how much truth there may be in the Wellsian views. Maybe Robert Ingersoll was right, after all. Perhaps no one should be interested in that “imperial personifi- cation of murder.” Perhaps every one had rather be a simple peasant, beside his cottage door, than the great Na- poleon, in his purple robes with the golden bees embroidered thereon. But one may suspect that many a reader, living again the great tragedy which WASHINGTON was the life of Napoleon, would much rather be that mighty man, with all his faults, his failures, his interesting life, his success, his unhappy end, than the simplest peasant who ever lived. Man- kind is made like that, and no one knows it better than Mr. Wells—when he isn't writing about Napoleon. * ok ok % The ultimate necessity, in reading, is not that one should agree with what the writer says, or even that one should enjoy what he says, but simply that he should respect what he says. Lack of respect is manifest in many a reader when he begins to denounce some writer whose latest book does not please him. Such a reader literally strips the other of all integrity of pur- pose, leaving him not a rag. Then, having taken away the defenseless fel- low’s honesty of purpose, he proceeds to stick pins in him, the while looking around for applause. He deserves none. He, as a reader, has overthrown the integrity of his own mind. He is no longer master of himself, but a helpless intellectual pinwheel, blown in one direction and then in another by any wind that may blow out of the sails of any book. Every reader should stand firm be- fore every book. Let it be said that no book gets the best of him. Let him keep in mind the supreme beauty of plain thought, and prove to himself, before all, that he is its custodian. * Kk x) One should read a book in the way he goes through a strange town in his car. He does not stop the vehicle at the court house, and launch forth into a public d(‘num’,iudcnl of the architect v ated the structure. v‘41’11-‘;ec"deoes not assemble a gathering of the natives in the square and proceed to tell them that the traffic regulations of their one-horse town are vile, their streets badly in need of repair and their mayor evidently a sap of the first water. No, he does nothing of the kind. He may see all these things and he may want to be so assertive, but the chances are exactly 100 to nothing that he will merely keep his eyes and ears wide open, be interested in everything he sees and hears and go on about his business, that of getting out of town to_the next one. Reading a new book is somewhat similar. A book is & journey, which, once taken, can never be taken again in its exhilarating newness, its pristine colors, its excitement, its vividness, its commonplace drama. No mg)(ter how fine & book may be, or how much one may enjoy its secand reading, or its third or fourth reading, there can never be but one first time with it, and, this being true, one is a fool to spoil it by talking, or snorting, or fuming, in his own behalf. Leave all those things to the writer, whose business they are. Agree with him or not, just as you please; that is your business, but do him the justice to hear him, to listen to him, at- tempt to understand his position, why he wrote, why he takes the attitude he does, why he did not do as you might do, if you were writing on the same theme. This way lles reader satisfaction. And that way only, will he achieve in- tegrity of thought. Is getting red in the face integrity of thought? Does violently denouncing a man simply be- cause one does not agree with him show much regard for the sacred character of the human mind? One had rather be & plain fellow, sitting by the cottage door with & book in his hand, a which he respects and whose author he is willing to let say his say, than be that incarnation of an egotistical idiot, the man who won't let & writer write as he wants, but hops up at the tenth page with fire in his eyes and “Scoundrel!” on his lips. OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Qut where the West begins—espe- clally the Southwest—there'll be no .c"mi:n nad asl A!D'" dfl! li;npmd- resignation of Alexander Legge as }:%‘tlrmnn of the Federal Farm Board. If the Chicagoan's retirement were to be followed by that of all his fellow members and by the abolition of the board itself the grain-growing and cat- tle-raising Southwest is unmistakably prepared to grin and bear it. This ob- server is just back from Eastern Kapsas and the adjacent Missouri River coun- try of which Kansas City, Mo., is the metropolis. What they're saying out ere about Legge et al is a plenty. st of it would bé of the nature us- ually described as unfit to print. The particular Farm Board grouch in the K. C. neighborhood seems to concern the wiping out of the business which used to be done by commission men in both the grain and cattle trades. The complainants saddle most of the blame on Legge's shoulders. Kansas City is the home town of the much-abused Secretary of Agricultyre, Arthur M. Hyde, who Is an ex-officio member of the Farm Board. Hyde made a hit in the corn belt with his recent ruling | that corn sugar is a legitimate crys- talline compound, along with beet and cane. sl * x x x After the drought, the honus deluge. Capitol Hill is about to witness a su- preme test of the political power of the World War soldier vote. No Republican | or Democrat now in or out of Congress minimizes its capacity to punish or re- ward. The bonus can easily become & 1932 campaign issue. That is why there will a mosi meticulous watching of steps when the roll is finally called in either House or Senate for this, that or the other bonis meas- ure. Our World War service men are now for the most part voters between 35 and 40 years of age. Most of them are just becoming politically conscious. Many are already ruling forces in their local communities or States. They've begun fo realize that for nearly 40 years after the Civil War the Republi- can party nominated nobody for Presi- dent except a Union Army veteran— Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison and McKinley. Let the country keep in mind for the reasonably immediate fu- ture names like MacNider, Hurley, Mc- Nutt, Bodenhamer and O'Neil—all American Legion men of political promise and repuled‘u::bmom. * x Senator David A. Reed, Republican, of Pennsylvania, appears to believe that any numeral with 22 in it is lucky. He has just built himself a house at 2222 B street northwest. His telephone num- ber is 2222, His glittering new limou- sine, often parked outside the Senate wing of the Capitol, is adorned with a Pennsylvania license tag numbered 22. The suspicion is that “Dave.” havi been appointed to the Senate in "2 has adopted the numeral as his mas- cot. A cloak room wag says the bril- liant Pennsylvanian ought be lucky| at poker with “four deuces” as a house number, * ok Kk Dr. Otto C. Kiep, counselor of the German embassy at Washington and a popular figure in diplomatic soctety since 1927, has just been appointed German consul general at New York. Kiep is a German who speaks English with a Scotch accent, seasoned with an American twang. He was born in the Scottish highlands when his father was imperial German consul at Glas- gow. The younger Kiep was educated in the land of the thrifty and later took his degree in law at London Uni- versity. He comes from distinguished German political lineage. An uncle, Dr. Franz von Rottenburg, was chief | of the German chancellery at Berlin | under the great Bismarck. Dr. Kiep, who is only 45, faces a big career, | which may bring him back to Wash- | ington some day as German Ambassa- | dor. He had charge of press rela- | tions at the Berlin forelgn office just | before coming , and it pasity functioned at Genoa, London, Locarno and Geneva Conf Observations during a tour of the Federal “big house” at Leavenworth: Warden White, 6 feet 4 inches, former Texas Ranger, who almost single- handed quelled the prison riot last year, Frescoed dome, recently dec- orated by ccnvict-bootlegger from Oklahoma, who in earlier days was a painting contractor. Chapel custodian, recently a St. Louis gangster and mem- ber of the notorious “Egan's Rats.” Mail box at entry to mess hall, where inmates may drop uncensored letters to Attorney General of United States or superintendent of prisons, Sanford Bates, at Washington. Present prison population, 31,000-odd, of which more than half entered Leavenworth during the past five years—largely bootlegging, narcotic_and_automobile-theft prison- ers. New “talkie” theater, which gives Saturday night programs, equipment and programs being paid for by in- mates from subscriptions ranging from a dime to $500. Radio ear sets, which can be used when prlwner?! are rest- ing in cells on Sundays and holidays. Spot where Leavenworth's most dan- gerous bad man was hanged last year— first executfon in its history—for kill- ing a guard. . i Chief Justice Hughes startled even his audience of lawyers the other night when he began his Federal Bar Associ- ation banquet speech with the state- ment that Washington contains more lawyers than any other city in the country. Everybody (Hughes added) thinks New York claims that distinc- tion. Then the Chief Justice explained that “where the carcass is, the eagles gather.” He called Washington “the eagle’s nest” and declared “it s well defended.” Mr. Hughes' statement about the enormous number of lawyers in the National Capital is based, of course, on the thousands of them scat- tered through the Government depart- ments. It was they who inspired the theme of his talk, “Uncle Sam's Law- yers,” whose whole-time and all-time client is the United States. * X % K ‘The President of the United States is asked to do a lot of things. Mr. Hoo- ver had an unhusual request the other day. He owns a pedigreed dog, & Gor- don setter prize winner, named Engel- hurst Gillette, which came qrom the Kennelhurst Kennels, at Dunellen, N. J. A well known New York professional man wrote down to Inquire whether he could breed his own Gordon setter to the President’s champion hunter! (Copyright. 1981.) . Sound Films or Silent. From the Pasadena Star-News. The premier showing, in Los Angeles, of the latest Charles Chaplin film, “City Lights,” is a motion picturé event of the first magnitude. Mr. Chaplin defles all the gods of motion picture destiny by holdlnz tenaciously to the si- lent picture. And yet, many who have seen this latest film must have felt that the picture is much like the appearance of a horse and buggy at an automobile show. Just as the automobile has sup- planted the horse and buggy, so the sound picture has virtually supplanted the silent fil This is not to say that silent pictures—particularly if made by such masters of film comedy as Charles Chaplin—will lose vogue altogether. Ungquestionably, this latest Chaplin pic- ture will be a great financial success. But the question will arise. Would it not have been a greater financial suc- cess had it been a sound picture? ——r—ee— Shifty Stuff. From the Richmond News Leader. What we can't understand is why alienated affections are worth so much if they are so easily alienated. y s Markers. From the Flint Daily Journal. With police ::Ilflomd at all blind pigs near sc! Detroit it should be much them now, The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. ‘The House may have a shot at the much-discussed posal to do away with the “lame-duck” sessions of Con- gress during the present week. The Republican leaders of the House have intimated that Thursday: or Friday or some other day they m:y permit the special rule for the consideration of the Gifford resolution proposing an amend. he Constitution doing away with the “lame-duck” sessions, and, in- cidentally, the present “short” sessions of Congress, to come to & vote. A ques- tion which quite naturglly arises is “Why the Gifford resolution?” The de- mand that the lame-duck sessions go by the board has become linked with the ame of Senator W. N of ebraska, Progressive Republican. It was Senator Norris pressed proposal to & successful vote in the Senate years ago. That body, indeed, has passed favorably upon_ the Norris resolution five times. b Teso- lution was put through in the present Congress and sent to the House. The Speaker, however, held the resolution on his desk for months, until the House Committeé on Election of President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress had reported out the Gifford resolution. * ok kK ‘There are two reasons for shunting the Norris resolution in the House and bringing out the Gifford measure, ac- cording to Senator Norris. One of the reasons, he says, is that such a course may delay and prevent final action on the constitutional amendment in this Congress and make it necessary to begin all over again in the next. For the passage of the Gifford resolution by the House, although the Senate has put through the Norris resolution designed to accomplish the same end, does not put the proposed amendment up to the States. Instead, the Norris resolution remains in the House committee and the Gifford resolution must be adooted by the Senate if there is to be final action on the proposal in the prescnt Congress. Senator Norris points out that the way to get action, if the Houce leaders had been so inclined, was to take the Senate resolution, amend it if necessary and report it to the House for & vote. The Senate could then concur in the House amendments, if there were any, or if it objected to the-ameénd- ments could send the resolution to con- ference and have the differences be- tween the two houses ironed out there. * Kk * % ‘The Nebraska Senator feels, too, that there is an attempt on the part of the House Republican. leaders to rob him of any personal credit that may attach in the future to the constitutional amend- ment ending “lame-duck” sessions of Congress. For that reason, he holds, the Senate, or Norris, resolution has been pigeonholed in the House committee, while the resolution of Mr. Gifford of Massachusetts has been brought forth. The Nebraska Senator made it clear, however, that he is more anxious to get action on a resolution doing away with the “lame-duck” sessions than he was in having his name attached to the resolution, and for that reason he pro- posed to ask the Senate to put through the Gifford resolution promptly, if it came to the Senate from the House. The two resolutions are basically the same; their purpose is the same, al- though the Gifford resolution fixes slightly different dates for the assem- bling of the newly elected Congress and the inauguration of the President and Vice President and also makes provi- sion for caring for a remote contin- gency of death in the event the election of a President and Vice President be thrown into the House and the Senate, respectively, L] Even though the House adopt the Gifford resolution the last of the pres- ent week, it is still a question whether the Senate action on the resolution can be had before noon March 4 brings the present Congress to a definite end. There are a handful of Senators who have been opposed to the amendment to the Cohstitution. If they wished to block action on the House resolution Iupznl;htbe-blnhdomhmmz few days of the gession. Furthermore, the Gifford resolution may be amended 80 as to fix a date for the conclusion of the second regular session of eaeh Con- gress in May or June. This is one amendment which Senator Norris him- self opposes, preferring to leave it pos- sible for Congress to continue in session until it shall have completed its busi- ness, or until its term shall be at an end. Speaker Longworth is understood to be strongly favorable to such an amendment, however, and the amend- ment may be offered when the Gifford resolution is taken up in the House, * ok % * ‘The report of the Senate Cam;alm Investigating Committee on the Penn- sylvania primary and election, which resulted in the cholce of S=nator James J. Davis, still lags. It has been prom- ised from time to time, and now the Senate has but two more weeks in which to receive the report and to take action on Senator Davis’ right to retain his Seat, if any attempt is made to oust him. Incidentally, it may yet happen that no effort will be made to take his seat from Senator Davis. A careful reading of ell the testimony taken in the Pennsylvania primary and election investigation, it is said, shows that the case of Mr. Davis is by no means on all fours with that of William S. Vare, who was elected to the same seat in the Sen- ate in 1926, but who was not allowed to take that seat. Although it is a fact that about the same amount of money was expended in the two campaigns, running close to a millior. dollars for the ticket with which Davis was allied and for the ticket with which Vare was connected more than four years ago, those who have made the inquiry say they see a great deal of difference in the two cases. For example, Mr. Vare expended a large amount of his own money, something like 10 times the amount expended by Mr. Davis. Mr. Vare has for years been the head of the Republican machine in Philadelphia, while Mr. Davis was picked by that ma- chine to ald the State ticket put for- ward by the machine. * K ok % Senators who have expressed them- selves strongly in opposition to large expenditures for primary and general elections to the Senate face, however, a dilemma. While they may be con- vinced that Senator Davis was chosen without large expenditures on his own part and without excessive expenditures made by others for his nomination and election, they are yet confronted with the fact. that the Pennsylvania election, for the side which won, was & million-dol- lar affair. If they do not cxpress their disapproval in the case of Senator Davis. they fear that their failure will be taken as lifting the lid and per- mitting large expenditures in all other al;nsmrlxl ele:unns. ‘Therz2 leemn‘ & no way of segregating successfully the senatorial elections from the State mmgi:m and elections in such States as Ivania for example, where large are put into the State cam- pal . The only solution would ap- Bm“f be stringent State laws limit- g the amounts of money which may be expended in primary and general elections. * oKk % ‘Where does the row over the relief fund for the drought-stricken area leave Senator “Joe” Robinson of Ar- kansas, the Democratic leader of the Senate? Very much on top of the heap, it appears, despite the criticisms launched against the Arkansas Senator by Senator Glass and several other Democrats. When the Congress as- sembled last December Senator Robin- son and his colleague, Senator Caraway, were insistent that steps be taken with- out delay to ald the drought-stricken area. Their own State had been ter- rifically ‘hard hit. They Insisted that Federal loans be made with which food could be purchased. Secretary Hyde of the Department of Agriculture op- posed ‘such loans and that was the at- titude of the administraticn. In the legislation now passed and approved by the President, $20,000,000 is provided for loans to the farmers in the drough- stricken and, loans ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. ‘Washington is the world's greatest storehouse of all kinds of knowledge. You can dray on it free of charge through our bureau there. Any ques- tion of fact you may ask will be an- swered promptly in a personal letter to you. Be careful to write clearly, give your full name and address a inclose 2-cent stamp for reply postage. Send your inquiry to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Has- kin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Did Bobby Jones ever “luck out” waifl any of his golf championships? ] B. A. Bobby Jones has had lucky breaks in several thlmgim’wh!p contests, as he freely admits. However, it can scarcely be salc that his winning was due to the lucky breaks, for most golf experts agree that you can't figure on a change in the result of one stroke or one hole and leave the rest of the round as it was. Strokes saved or lost by a break, good or bad, might have been compensated for in the remainder of the play. Some golfers hold to the belief that in the long run the breaks even up: others say the breaks always go to the good player. Q. Which s the oldest newspaper in Canada?—C. F. A. The Montreal Gazette is the old- est, having been founded more than 150 years ago. Q. What are the dutles of an ac- tuary?—K. M. A. An actuary is a computing official of an insurance company, one Wwhose profession it is to calculate insurance risks and premiums; a person skilled in theorjes and problems involved in mak- ing these calculations. Q. How long have we had psycho- logical clinics in this country?—C. T. A. The first psychological clinic to be established in this country was the one at the University of Pennsylvania, under the direction of Dr. L. Witmer, in 1896. This clinic for many years was alone in the field and was the pro- totype of many mental hygiene clinics for children, Q. Who authorized the first excava- tions in Pompeli?—A. L. A. King Charles III authorized the first excavation at Pompeli, 1748. Q. How did Wisconsin get its name? E. O'B. —E. O'B. A. Wisconsin derived its name from the principal river, named Masconsin by Pere Marquette, translated “wild rushing channel.” e present spelling is derived from & misprint. All early French documents havé Oulsconsing or Misconsing. q.“lh there a Federal law which ]m bits the issuance of a check for less than $17—G. P. A. There is a Federal law stating that “no person shall make, issue, cir- culate, or pay out any note, check, memorandum, token, or other obligation for & less sum than $1, intended to circulate as money or to be received or used in lleu of lawful money of the United States, and every person so offending shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both, at the discretion of the ecourt.” Many individuals and even the Government make checks for an amount less than $1, but they are not intendéd to circulate, but are only in- tended to pay the amount of the check to the person the check is made pay- able to. A check is not lawful money and consequently cannot be passed as lawful money. A check i8 a personal credit instrument used in place of money. Q. Is anything being done to preserve the folklore of America?—A. D. A. The American Folklore was founded in 1888 for the “ua folklore in general and for the tion and preservation of American folk- lore. It & permanent secretary at When was the Q Freer Gallery opened to the public?>—R. N. U. A. The Freer Gallery, in Washington, D. C., was opened May 6, 1923. nd | Harvard. Q. When was the first Christian church bullt?>—J. J. A. There is some difference um ion as to what year the first C! church was actually built. Many his- torians are of the opinjon that the first church to be actually bullt was at Antioch, probably about A.D. 80. Q. What is the name of the breed of dog that is bom bobtailed>—F. C. A. The Bureau of Animal Industry says that no breed of dog is actually bobtailed at birth. The old English sheep dogs of the Schipperke breed are frequently referred to as bobtailed, and a few have been born bobtailed. Usu- ally the tail is cut so short that it gives the appearaince of no tail at all. Q. When was the British t- ed?>—H. W. T A. The Union Jack of Great Britain is composed of three crosses, represent- ing England, Scotland and Ireland The cross of St. George for England is a broad, upright Latin cross, red on a white ground; the cross of St. Andrew for Scotland is a saltire or X-shaped, white on a blue ground; the cross of St. Patrick for Ireland is & red saltire on a white ground. When the union of the two crowns of England 'and N.|Scotland took place upon the accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne as James I, the flags of Eng- land and Scotland were united. The union flag as it is now flown did not appear until 1801. Q. Please give a biography of the present Postmaster General.—B. M. A. Walter F. Brown, Postmaster Gen- eral, was born at Massillon, Ohlo, May 31, 1869; educated in Toledo public schools, Western Reserve Academy, and Harvard University, receiving A.B. de- gree at Harvard in 1892; attended Harvard Law School, 1893-94; practiced law at Toledo in association with his father, James M. Brown, 1894-1905; member of the law firm of Brown, Hahn & Sanger, 1905-1927; married Kaf n Hafer of Cincinnati, September 10, 1903; member of Ohio constitutionai convention of 1911-12; chairman_of Congressional Joint Committee on Re- organization of Executive Departments, representing the President, 1921-24; As- sistant Secretary of Commerce, Novem- ber 2, 1927, to March 5, 1929; appoint- ed Postmaster General, March 5, 1929. Q. Can a starfish swim?—C. J. A. The starfish has five legs by meg&ns of which it crawls on the floor of the sea and on the shore. The starfish can swim when very young, but cannot swim after it reaches the size of a dime. Q. What is an “Al Book”?— F. O. H. ety : A. An Absey Book is an A B O bdok, or primer, containing merely the alphs- bet and a few rudimentary lessons. Shakespeare uses the term in King John—“And then the like an Absey Book. Q. When was the “Salvation Nell” produced?—8. Rm A. Edward Sheldon’s “Salvation Nell” was produced in 1908. Spéed lie;ults rand Courage Lauded in Campbell’s Drive Admiration for Capt. Malcolm Camp- bell's new motor speed record, made over a stretch of beach at Daytona, is expressed generally in American com- ments. Some newspapers believe that such performances may lead to changes in land transportation. There are tributes to the skill of the driver in meeting all emergencies and present- ing his racing machine in nearly per- fect condition. s “An extraordinary performance such 8s Capt. Campbell’s,” says the Minne- apolis Star, “furnishes automotive en- gineers valuable data to apply to ordi- nary attempts, just as an endurance flying feat supplies useful information concerning the general capabilities of planes operating under normal condi- tions.” The Rochester Times-Union de- clares that “Capt. Campbell and the Bluebird have earned their place in the sun” and that “we in this day and age are all interested in noting how fast itlrl.i possible to travel by land, sea or air.” “An Englishman burns a trail across the Florida sands,” remarks the Atlanta Jonrnal, “at the preposterous rate of 24535 miles an hour. We applaud Capt. Campbell. He set a new record, and, though most of us are unable to dis- criminate between the old speed of 231 miles an hour a . the new one, having no experience with either, we are quite willing to admit that something daz- zling has been accomplished. Nerves of steel and an lncrefibly perfect per= formance by all the finely synchronized units of machine " combined _to achieve a truly remarkable result. But we implore automobile drivers to regard Capt. Campbell's drive as an exploft apart and not as an example.” “The airplane engine, the automobile engine and the marine engine of types now used for highest speed,” calls the Butte Montana Standard, “all were originated in the United States, but it scems that they have been car- ried to & higher degree of development abroad than at home. Just what the beneficial results are from these bursts of s t are so astounding, it 1S difficult to tell. It cost Capt. Cnm&bell‘l backers not less than $100,000 see him flash along the beach at D?wm at _the rate of between four and five miles a minute. Whether their com- perisation comes merely in the satisfac- tion of sportsmen or whether there is practical benefit and lasting engineering achievement behind such demonstra- tions on land, in the water and in the &ir, is a question.” * k& ok “It takes & clear head and herves of steel to sit at the wheel under t&xt ve- locity, but Campbell i3 reported to have done 260 miles an hour unofficially,” states the Rockford Register-Republic, ‘with the comment: “He says there is ‘nothing to it We disagree with him.” The Cleveland News points out that he “traveled faster than any man has ever traveled on the earth,” and adds: “The to | question of how great speed can be at- tained by land machines, how gredt a strain car and driver can sustain be- fore literall; Aying to pleces, is answered in part by Capt. Campbell, who emerged from his triumph scowling. The old car | ¢, had more in it, he said, and, but for the log and the uneven racé track, would have shown it. Four miles a minute, then, is not the ultimate goal of living food may be purchased. It looks like a decided victory for Messrs. Robinson and Caraway. It is a victory that the Democrats of the Senate might well have claimed credit for, had it not been for a handful of Senators who under- took to deride Senator Robinson and Senator Camaway because ‘“‘compromised” with the House and the President the $25,000,000 fund which P partment appropriation W] which to buy free food and other neces- saries for the drought-stricken and un- employed in all parts of the country. The Arkansas Senators, by the expe- dient of asking for more than they had set their hearts upon, finally got what they were after. But uproar in the Senate raised by oerats them- car builders and racers. It must be mox;; It is idle to speculate on how much? “His decision not to try to raise own record is a wise one,” advises Roanoke World-News, voicing the lief as to probable future devel “Certainly, there can never be a prac. tical use for terrific speed on land, par- ticularly on the highways. Traffic de- velopments already have tended to set a definite limit upon the speed at which vehicles may safely travel. Automobile speed will remain in the stunt fleld, and those who seek to attain records will merely be risking their lives for a thrill and the satisfaction of breaking some one else's mark.” * ok k % “The slow days in human are ended,” asserts the na Star- News. “Fifty and 60 miles an hour i about the minimum of land travel, even though nominally in the open country the legal speed may be 40 or 45 miles an hour. In the air the speed becomes greater and greater, just it will come on land. The boulévards of future will be wide. There will be no grade crossings. There will be one-way trafic on all main highways. The gates will be open for high speed. And, at that, traffic will be safer in that scientific future toward which the world is moving than it is today. For traffic conditions eventually will be a d with reference to great speed, so %Et l{;:ut{-velmg will not be a mena years ago,” records the Colum- bus Ohio State Journal, “20 miles an hour was considered swift, but today the freshest freshman will drive 60 miles an hour without even boasting existence the |of it.” “Deaths have interrupted other trials 1 [at Daytona,” says the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette. “These occurrences cannot be forgotten _ when equally desperate chances are taken in the interest of bréaking record by a car that is frankly & k model and which could not be_adapted to the designs for stock cars. For all that, there is much that is admirable in the cour: that ani- mates a man like Campbell and in the skill which he has attained in a dan- gerous occupation.” o A Completely Happy Person From the Providénce Journal. Recently, after 36 curtain calls and & final ovation of 20 minutes’ duration, Deems Taylor, composer of the new opera “Peter Ibbetson,” was required to make a speech from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. He sald: “When you have gone home, I wish you would remember that you have seen one completely happy per- son.” Into a single glowing matinee perlod Mr, Taylor's consummate felicity was thus compressed. Three hours of fugitive February were sufficient to oduce for himan unforgettable sat- faction. If he never achieves another such experience, this tall peak of good fortune will still loom for him on the ar_horizons of memory. Most of us, though we have fallen short of Deems Taylor's extraordinary accomplishment, have had our hours of triumph, such as they were—hours in which we were “completely happy,” to use his comprehensive phrase; hours in which fate bestowed upon us an infinite contentment; hours logically consequent upon the days and years of effort that preceded them—or hours, it may be, that seemed to spring not from any conscious striving of our own but from the overflowing et of the fickle less ‘To hours of this sort we may alt look back if not forward. And had | godd indeed prevents us from looklx th | ward to them? In the midst bot § may be shining ahead, high hllllythl! awailt us C the dun valleys of the commonplace. Moratorium On Queries. selves makes it appear that Wyesident nl'::, not the 10- own Prom the Albany Evening News.