Evening Star Newspaper, March 1, 1931, Page 38

N TAR [’I‘H'E_EYEM G ST, } WASHINGTON, D O WUNDAY iwwwscaws . March 1, 1031 $HEODORE W. NOYES....Editor Ival A Rate by Carrier Within the City.’ Member of the Associated Press. e Associated Press is exclusively entitled g R e publied Berele’ il nihlyor Sunficaon ot Evasion of Duty. Reserving to itself the exclusive power of legislating for the welfare and pro- tection of this community, & failure by Congress properly to exercise this power cannot be too strongly condemned or deplored. The attitude of the House District Committee woward the protective legis- lation dealing with the sale of real estate #ad securities in the District has been one of shameful neglect. Instead of applying ordinary intelligence and some effort to report out bills, with proper amendments, that have already passed the Senate and to seek their enactment at this session of Congress, | & few members of this committee inter~ posed so many technical objections, serving the purpose of obstructive tactics, that the bills have been doomed to fallure. A year of effort on the part of proponents of such needed legislation in the Senate, accompanied by periodic and sensational explorations into the general real estate business in the District, has been wasted, companies the necessary pursuit of the crook. Even now a proposal is made in the Senate that the Blaine commit~ tee's life be throughout the and others, should be revocation of driving driver, to whom 1t could hardly make any difference or bring the slightest measure of satisfaction if he were hit branded driver rather than by ho had so far escaped branding. th the unfairness of putting all jed with reckless driving in same class and the ineffectiveness f the license plate punishment it is dificult to see merit in the plan. And would have even less merit if ap- convicted of grave of- cl / ——— Standing in Line. Standing in line is second naturd to & soldier. He begins his army life by standing in line for s physical ex- amination and he usually ends it by standing in line to turn in his rifie and equipment. Yesterday there were thou- sands of them, ex-soldiers now, stand- ing in line to borrow the money that a generous Government has agreed to loan them on their bonus certificates. In Washington the line began forming before the doors of the Veterans’ Bu= reau had been opened. Within a few hours it stretched to Sixteenth street and the applicants were three abreast. It would be easy to see in this line the symbol of improvidence, and of that attitude toward life and the battles of life that is reflected by a “standing in line” attitude. And it is natural to regret the impulse, on the part of others, that leads to the immediate forming of such linés as that which colled about the Veterans’ Bureau yes- terday. But in theory. these lines of walting veterans have resulted from other lines—those that form in front of soup kitchens, employment bureaus, “flop” houses. And in theory. these lines are made up of those to whom the bonus loan represents the difference between a full and empty stomach. For these reasons these first lines may be deplored, as oné deplores the action of the farmer who cuts down his apple tree in Winter to get stove wood. But there must also be sympathy with the understanding that lles in knowledge that the farmer would not cut down the apple tree unless he were cold. ‘These first lines of waiting bonus applicants are emblems of much of the trouble and sorrow that the world has always known. And it is more grievous still to survey them with the thought that such sorrow and trouble are not got rid of by standing in line and wait- ing for & handout. Within a few days those who get their money in this first mad rush will lose it again—to take their places in other lines. One may wish for the veterans that their money will be well spent, that the that has been represented as sure H doubtful rule of conduct, “You pay your .| money and you take your choice.” ing. The responsible ,House District|, Committee has contented itself with It is not long since statesmen were wishing one another “Happy New Year.” Those holiday sentiments fade 88 it becomes again apparent that dif- ferences of opinion are what make s Congress. e English lecturers who make fun of picturesque features of testimony in some of the homicide atrocity trials, Red Tags for Reckless Drivers. An Assemblyman in the New York Legislature has introduced a bill to compel all motorists convicted of reck- Jess driving to carry additional license plates bearing the letters “R. D.” in red on their cars as long as the motor vehicle commissioner or the court may direct. The plates would ccet cne dollar aplece. The author of the bill, in introducing it, said, “If the reckless driver were compelied to carry & sign ‘on his car it would give every one an opportunity to watch their step when they eame up with such & fellow en the road.” This is not the first proposal of ita kind and it is quite likely that it will follow the others into oblivion. The term ‘“reckless driver” is so flexible— in fact in many States it 15 almost at —eocgtes Metaphors are misleading. The term “lame duck” was invented as much in sympathy as resentment, with little ex- pectation that it would come to be ap- plied to a fighter in the arena where fowl meet in hostility. —_——e—t———— ‘What the soldiers will do with their bonus loans causes agitating doubts. At all events few brokers will consent to mccept such comparatively small sums as margins in stock market specula- tions. Another “Rosenthal Case.” As if there were not enough trouble for the New York police in the inquiry now in progress regarding speakeasy graft and other forms of quick momney making for patrolmen and for those higher up, now comes a murder that is s0 reminiscent of the Herman Rosen- thal case of 1912 that shivers are prob- ably coursing along the spines of many of the members of the “finest.” Her- man Rosenthal, it will perhaps be re- membered by some, was & gambler who had thrived under police protection, and then, when double-crossed, turned on his persecutors and was about to go to the district attorney with his story when he was killed. He was shot to death by & band of gunmen who, it was later proved, were hired by & police lleutenant involved in the Rosenthal charges. Eventually the leutenant and some of his murder gang were executed for the crime. This latest murder is strikingly sug- gestive of the Rosenthal crime. A woman who had previously been in the hands of the law on a charge of im- moral conduct wrote to the inquisitor conducting an investigation into charges of police collusion in the “vice charge racket” and offered to give THE SUNDAY higher police officials- to sscertain if money collected from the speakeasies and other sources of graft went up the line of the organization. Vivian Gor- don’s testimony would perhaps only have corroborated that already glven. 8he was'when alive probably not so grave a menace to the police racketeers as her murder will prove to be. ————————— Cats Not Property. ‘The measure introduced in the Mary- land House of Delegates to make cats Pproperty, in so far as theft is concerned, will be looked upon askance by many of their human friends, The cats, no doubt, will retain their usual sagacious look, Cats are now non-existent so far as the statutes of Maryland are con- cerned, and the bill seeks the right to have them called property, thus putting them on a par with dogs, in this re-|As spect. The bill provides that a person convicted of felonious theft of a cat would be guilty of larceny. Cats, unlike dogs, have never been taxed, and do not wear either tags or musales, From a strietly utilitarian standpoint there is jusiice in. the ples, no doubt, since many pedigreed cats are very val- uable, from a monetary standpoint. The family which owns &, good domestic cat often‘is bereft when it strays. or is stolen. Most friends of cats, down in their hearts, ‘however, never look upon their pets as property, and are always glad that they have lacked that rather dublous distinction. A gieat war was once fought to re- move the stigma of being property from A section of the human race. The house ¢at, in its dignified way, may take proper pride in the fact that it has always been its own master. Every one bt idse 2 who has attempted to understand this friend of the household knows that the cat is “his own man,” and does not even thank the one who feeds it. He is an independent creature, and values his liberty, No matter what the Mary- land Legislature does in this matter, the cat will never consider himself as anybody's property. e — Trotsky is at work on & new book. It will cpen up possibilities of censor- ship activities more perplexing than any the Soviet has felt called upon to underteke. Trotsky was & man of energy in Russian affairs, but of late bis attitude in Soviet politics has mnot been that of & man who could be re- garded as In sympathy with the or- ganization. ————— School children are the citizens of the future. It is & little too early to be concerned about whether car fare and luncheons will become influential in a habit of thought tending to repress individual self-reliance. Education is & safeguard against 100 great & readiness to accept benefits without the effort to deserve them. ——————— Much extraordinary advice is written and printed as to the possihility of usbag hitherto neglected products of nature, such, for instance, as weeds, for food. ‘The advice may not be valuable, but the research and typing needed to Ppresent it at least do a little bit toward relieving unemployment. ———— An heir is expected by the Empress of Japan. The publication of this news throughout the world is & reminder of great changes since the time that every event in the Mikado's household was surrounded by the deepest ceremonial secrecy. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, ‘Winter Song. Outside the window sings & bird. Inside the room an empty cage Hangs where his singing would be heard, Our tenderest kindness to engage. And yet he scorns the proffered ease And waits beneath the sky so drear, Lifting a lay himself to please, And confident that Spring draws near, He waits to meet what time shall bring, Reliant on himself alone, And says, “T only ask to sing Of life and freedom, all my own.” Forgiving and Forgetting. “Of course you are sensitive to public opinion?” “Very sensitive,” admitted Senator Sorghum. “I have seen too many men retired to private life.” “Yet the people seem willing to for- give” “They don't always forgive you. !ometh{n they merely forget you.” Jud Tunkins says you can't foretell | the weather a long time in advance any easier than you can guess wet or dry in politics. Brief But Influential Speech. Though orators arise in turn ‘To advocate some mighty cause, He who says, “Move that we adjourn,” ‘Will gather in the most applause, By No Means Carefree. “A cowboy leads a life free from care, doesn’t he?” “Not if he's lucky,” answered Cactus Joe. “In the event of his landing a good Wild West job with a movie or & tent show he has to keep worried all the ‘ime for fear he’ll have a run-in with the director.” “To think always of truth,” said Hi Ho, the sage 6f Chinatown, “is to sac- In teliing just why things go wrong. An argument may seem but slight In telling how to set things right. “De flatterer,” sald Uncle Eben, “is like de cat who is slickest and purrs de most because he is stealin’ de cream.” Agile, "That Chicago gunman who' at the of 65 a Bk ong lite, o doubt, to his died of o STAR. ASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 1, . 1931—PART TWO m Where Nature’s Noises Are Loudest BY FREDERIE J. HASKIN. BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES Bishop of Washington. “These have no root, which for & while believe and in time of tempta~ tion fall away.”—St. Luke, viii13. The application of the parables that Jesus used from time to time is perti- nent to all ages and to all conditions of l life. In His parable of the sower He | deals with the different types of mind, the soil in which the seeds of truth are sown. Inmefruentmnumh speaking of seed which falls upon soil that has beneath it a hard surface. The superficial character of the soil quickly warmed by the sun and \ E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D, to note how little of reason we can give for the hope that is In us. It would be safe to say, in matters that to our expressed religious convictions and faith, we disclose & greater ignorance than we do in respect to d:“ other “hings in which we are daily engaged. This is not only true eoncerning the great mass of the people, but it is true concerning those who probably call themselves the intelligentsia. In exami~ ing moistened by the rain makes it imme- | per, diately productive. It is typical, He declares, of that type of hearer who when he hears receives the word with joy and quickly responds to it. There is an immediate evidence, not only of receptivity but of glad response. Not- withstanding this, the soil being thin, there is/no place for the roots to find secure hold or to draw sustenance, and presently the quick growth comes to an untimely end. ‘The application of this to the average hearer is pertinent and intimate. Per- terouhy responsive o theorics ive par- ticularly new ones, than other peoples. one studies the situation over the whole area of country and ‘notes the quick rise of new institutions, and the readiness with which their new- found “isms” are appropriated by the credulous and unthinking, one is im- pressed with Mr., Barnum's { observation that “the fooled.” Only recently there came to our desk a pamphiet that sets forth the many cults, new and old, that have place in our modern life. Th'y were hundred in number and mult as to our political, social and affilintions. While even that there is little of rt, in the main, we are able to 'air account of ourselves in our relation to those wi ith our religious life, it is amaz- th | than a superficial knowledge these papers betrayed gence hardly worthy of a little child. It is reasonable to assume that in almost every instance the students were from ey a grade of intelli- | vy Capital Sidelights BY P. KENNEDY. Quarrel and as they may—as they have déne throughout this session —for party political purposes, members of the. House, Democrats and Repub- licans, Insurgents and Farm-Laborite, will all fraternize and unite their erst- while vituperative voices in one great chorus of jollification in a big merry- making jamboree the minute the gavel falls on the closing of this hectic ses< tatives of inia and John D. Clarke of New church homes and were supposed to |, have a modicum of instructicn in those things that concern the spiritual life. Again we have noted in the periodic efforts made by the church to recruit its forces that so-called conversions hastily effected gave no evidence of perma~ nence. As in the parable, the seed fell on thin soil, up quickly, but away. A strik- tion of what we have in o came under our observation sev- eral years 3 of rare intel certain 1 or » years he had mleemhd obligations, and that he traced his de- fection to one cause only, nunelr. ck proper ihstruct and training in the formative years of his life. “I member,” he said, “the days when as & lad I was being prepared, and prepared in a superficial way for affiliation with the chureh. While ‘I“!lldly accepted it at its face value, it not stand me in stead when the of pcrmanence. It takes somet more of an im- fing ’:&md e things of our religious Next Thursday’s Meeting Will Be of Importance to BY WILLIAM HARD. Next week, on Thursday, the 5th of March, the National Committee of the Democratic anty will meet in Washing- ton on & call by its chairman, Mr. John , in order, as he has stated it, 'to discuss plans and policles to govern our activit during the next 15 "™STiis Wil be perhaps the most im Wi r tant event in nnuonp:l politics het'?::n now and the assembling of the national conventions of the two parties in the Summer of next year, ‘Two main topics will arise for debate at next Thu y's meeting. The first is prohibition. nomic reform program. * k% x On prohibition the issue is whether or not the next platform of the Demo- cratic party should contain & plank denouncing prohibition or, at any rate, denouncing alleged prohibition evils and demanding some sort of prohibition change. It is to be clearly understood that thjs issue has to do with the plat- form and not with the wetness or ly posing ll:.uguko{fl surmised munt?gn; o f trying commit the Democratic National Committee to an anti-prohibi- tion avowal are, for the most part, mfl reconciled to the possibility that ir next presidential nominee may be in his pe: views and in his per- ‘That is, while plank would split their party, not think that a wet candls it it, and they do not think that e solid South would bolt € wet can- - *x % ‘The second is an eco- | h Democratic Party P. Costigal cratic United States Senator from Colo- Mr. Raskob has committed himself to such projects as the “five-day week,” adding that industry should pay the same wages for a week of five days as it now pays for & week of five and & half days or six He has shown an open mind toward the improvement of the economic ocondition of the earner. On the other on c-gleul gains and he even, as part of is scheme for the abolition of prohibi- tion, has suggested that excise taxes on legalized liquors would permit the repeal of all income taxes, including all sur- taxes on large incomes, ocrats like Mr. Costigan are thought certain never willingly to con- sent to such taxation Mr. hand, he has sug- | $1de gested the abolition of the Federal tax 80 led Aflm tains—the of “Hill Billy Tunes.” familiar nickn: an, 100 The Interstate Male Chorus, under the direction of Commissioner Clyde B. Altchison of the Interstate Commerce Commission, will b¥ on hand to assist ||n the festivities and to render special selections. The Press Gallery gang bas been invited to contribute an important any of their colleagues who fail to be on hand immediately following adjourn- ment will miss & rare treat, ’m'l;nuo %v’mnl um‘ndalon session of Co have always at- tracted o great of attention on the B P o e el In some of - nent artists in the country. e * kX ok been in service for 26 years and who is now reading clerk; Patrick J. Hall , who was reading clerk under 'mocratic administration and has the job for the has been in mnmzomwmnmvam on the floor; Harry Parrell, enrolling clerk, who has been in service 12 ; Rouel nestor years: 20 AP AL On this point, Senator McKellar of | per] ‘Tennessee has stated to this writer: “The other day in the Senate I said | M that the next Democratic platform should contain certain ‘principles and policies,’ which I listed under 30 heads. The thirteenth of these was, ‘No po- litical party can endure by flouting any law, and, lmrdlnfly, we favor the strict enforcement of all laws and con- stitutional provisions.’ The twentieth of them was, ‘We are opposed to the return of the open saloon.’ If on top of such declarations the Democratic party should nominate as its presiden- tial candidate a man of personally wet convictions, it would not in any way bind our candidates for other offices to a following of those convictions. In such circumstances, as long as the platform was for law enforcement and against the return of the open saloon, 1 do not believe that any Southern Democratic Sh:c :o\fldtbult the party.” Similar opinions are voiced in private conversation by almost all Southern statesmen, who have been interrogal on the subject by the Washington Press Gallery, The Southern delegations in the Congress are alarmed by the pros- pect not so much of a wet candidate as of & whole party committed formally to ' They argue that neither s a e that ne! s pl.rty.yhn to date wmm’ itself either to Federal prohibition or lfiflu it. ‘They argue that Federal prohibition was not brought to pass by party decla- rations and that no effort should be made to cause it to pass out by party declarations. They contend that the Democratic party should continue, as in the past, to favor simply law enforce- ment and should allow Federal prohibi- tion, as also in the past, to get worked out to & solution through the individual views and votes of individual members of the Senate and of the House of Rep- resentatives. * ok E % On the other hand, Mr. Jouett Shouse, chairman of the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee, ::!d close friend of Mr. Raskob's, has “I do not hesitate to express the hope that my party in its next national plat- form may face the vexed problem of prohibition with courage and without equivocation. It is idle to suggest that prohibition is not a political question. Only through political action can its correction be had. A straightforward recognition of prevailing prohibition conditions and an honest effort to cor- rect them constitute perhaps the fore- most duty of good citizenship that con- fronts Ameriea today.” de88 Mr. Shouse, when & member of the House of Representatives, voted to sub- mit the eighteenth amendment to the States. He did this because he felt that Federal ition ‘Thursday's meeting will result. for the Democrats in some but in no ted | jg 8 next Thursday’s meeting will be toward ca the Democratic party to differ- entiate itself, slightly at least, from the Republican party’s alleged “reac- tlonaryism.” The argument is as to how large that differentiation must be in the “pi " direction in order to evoke success for the Democratic party among the people at the polls. (Copyright. ) Lower Prices for Food Expected to Come Soon BY HARDEN COLFAX., Publicity, increased competition, or, perhaps, a “buyers’ strike,” probably will be counted upon by Congress to bring about reduction in food prices by big distributors in cases where there an unreasonable difference between the cost of material and the finished product. No legislation in the near fu- ture is expected the Senate Agri when it submits, probably just before the ent of Congress next week, 1Y | boy's bread, meat, milk and sugar. Those who have followed the sub- committee’s h think the publicity already given is likely to have far- reaching results. Already word has come of cuts in the ices of bread by several of the big king companies. The bakers, however, still insist that distribution costs are responsible for the high prices. They claim that the demands of their customers for special ingredients, wrappings, freshness and other special services are responsible for high prices and that these high costs will continue even if the prices of TaW materials decline further, * oKk o* Du the testimony by an authority of the Department of Commerce it was pointed out that there has been a les- sened consumption of bread, probably due largely to changes in social habits and modern diet. Medical testimony was quoted to the effect that less mus- cular work in mechanized industries with a higher standard of living has re- suited in fewer people depending on any single article of diet. Moreover, the fad among modern women to conform with the present mode of slender figures is probably also a factor in the les- bread. the subcommittee ex- press the opinion that “it is a menace to the country for us to reach a con- dition where milk, people.’ ', there is no con- sensus in favor of specific legislation, * k x % to meat and meat lief that if retallers would give the con- sumers the benefit of low prices for beef, mutton and pork, the consumption of meats would be increased. While the testimony before the com- In charge of the press galle: are ; letl::‘ ol:’hm:hkv-lu irth _year, com) fous N and Willlam J. Donaldson on the House side, who is completing his twenty-first year. Other important veteran em- ployes are Willlam “Andy” Smith, who is rounding out 56 years in of the Congressional Record at the Capitol, and Martin McKee, in_charge of the House folding room, who has completed 48 years of service. ‘The tmaster of the House is Prank W. Collier, who is rounding out 25 years of service. are the wheel-horses of the House, who keep the business and ma- chinery going, regardless of whether Re- publicans win or Democrats, and no matter what individually important member may b: el:ct:d‘or defeated. ‘Hard-boiled as members of Congress may be at times in the consideration of particular pleces of legislation, and no matter how cold-blooded they may be at times in political, partisan strategy or igns, they frequently show a very tender spot. An {llustration of this came yesterday when one of the page boys lost his en- tire month’s pay, amounting to $110, which was the sole support for an entire family. The father had been out of work for many moiths and the boy was proud of his chance to care for his little brothers and sisters. ‘When members of the House learned of his misfortune they immediately started a subscription, and in a few minutes the entire loss was wiped out. lost money sndakept it. Several detectives have been set 40 work to try to learn what became of the page ,, 8nd if members can out who got it they promise to make life miserable for that party. production and its raw price today, 1% cents a pound, is said to be so low that “no -manufacturer can to re- gain his costs, if he pays his labor a living wage.” o ‘This low price has been the moving factor in the recent tentative agree- ment between the chief sugar-produc- ing countries of the world which, it is be signed Al 5 a a 513 E 18 i E_Eg 2 E! i ] e [ | i g é £ | 2 § A g il 4 ? % a § i ) z | % e i ! g : i i i da} = Fifty Years Ag In The Star Hopes for action by the Forty- Congress the erection of Hill Site Chosen Library of Con- { 5 § g g i i i E ] i £ | | i ? E i £ L d | Eaf =€ g H | 4 gi 257 5 E E ] i | : E i i 11 5 i g i SETNEE g of the committee recommended Judici- ary Square for numerous reasons, chief among which were that the site wfl in a few days . -producing uc- /akia, Cuban-American Sugar has been working for months on a plan to stabilize sugar prices and has at least succeeded in bringing about an agreement between the principal produc! countries to reduce exporta- tion, e news dispatches are say- ing that when the pact is signed Soviet Russia will also enter the cartel. One of the essential features of the plan is an agreement that unsold sur- pluses are to be carried over by the e o‘co;‘lnlrlal lnd_rhl;nlneod for a period ve years. n_they are to be sold at the rate of one-fifth a year and such sale made & part of the total quota of the countries concerned. * Kk K No understanding has been, or will be, arrived at, it is stated, with WWJ“‘”“W- However, it is assumed that, with supply and demand ?qul prices will rise automatically rom thelr present sbnormally low point to a figure which, it is believed, possessions (the Philippines, Porto Rico and Hawali), produces, roughly speak- ing, about one-half of the sugar it HomCubar With Which we Bave ape- whic] - clal _ tariff erally 3 cost of the site, but, what is of eve more importance, it will delay the e: Eon of the much needed Library build- 8. 3 FEFEREE i % i 35385 g bullding for the |, ' ¥ § g g I it | % L she It is the more remarkable because on general grounds the Liberals are anxious - keep .xl.nbor in power rather than force an election, which would mzmmnm«tmww to power. It is expected that the Mac~ d government will the b\llnotrfllm.m But“fiJmM. has made lations ween Liberals Labor, always delicate, now hostile, and though the government probably survive over the position is cmm‘bu:x‘bege‘th its feet. ‘The disintegration of the Labor party roceeds rapidly. Philip Snow- excl the object of furious criticism sections of the part ‘Was taken to mean an attack on stand- ard of livi and the _— for the dole to