Evening Star Newspaper, March 14, 1931, Page 6

' THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. . WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY......March 14, 1931 e THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor i et @SR T R S The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office. Lty St. and Pennsyivan! New York Office: 110 East ‘hicago Office: Lake Michi gurowrln Office: 14 Regent England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. “The Evening Star..... 45¢ per month ey War g ot it A Rafe by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1yr., $10.00: 1 mo., 8¢ | 130180 1 men 8t ! All Other States and Canada. +$12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 indey only " 35.00: 1 Mo o only_ . y only Member of the Assoclated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled 10 the use for Tepublication of all news dis- atches credited o it or not otherwiss cred- -fted in this paper and airo the local news wublished herein All rights of publication of wpecial dispatches herein are also reserved Suppose It Is Unlawful? Dispatch of an assistant to Boston 40 get on the trail of the owners of the Washington gas properties and a request fcr ald from the Department of Justice in unraveling the ‘tangled skein in which such ownership is wrapped are the preliminary steps ex- pected of the corporation counsel in getting together his evidence upon which to test validity of the recent transfers, or retransfers, of the local utilitles property. ‘They are necessary steps and every effort should be made to have the courts again rule on what appears plainly to be, on its face, & violation of broadly inclusive provisions of the La Follette anti-merger act. But the question remains: Suppose the whole deal is an infraction of the law? What of it? If the provisions of this law have been violated the court might ofder | the new owners to divest them- selves of the stock or bonds and to refrain from voting their stock, and | Cengress might withdraw the charters by which the gas companies operate, provided' the charter provisions have been violated. But the sale of the ctock or bonds would merely be another transfer to another company, formed in a few minutes to suit the vicissitudes of ‘liligation, and C-ngress probably has no thought of dissolving the gas com- pany. ' The truth s that the horse has already loft the slable, whether the! door is locked or mot. The Public Utilities Commission must nevertheless know the fuill extent and the significance of the present owner- ship and mansgement. Even thcugh that cwnership is a small part of ‘the unuty combinaticns that are now mud to own gas and electric properties rep- resenting $17,000,000,000 in invested capital, gross carn'ngs of which have been estimated at upward of $3,000,- 000,000 annually, it is important that all its ramifications extending to Jocal vwnershin and operation be thoroughly excmined. Th> commission has the power to fix fair rztcs, to reguire goo¥ service, to wmpei proper improvements in plant| within the District of Columbia, re- gard’ess of wio owns the gas company. A krowledge of ownership is essential to ‘guard against bookkecping inflation of operat:hg expense. But so long es the Fas companies. aré operated in the Disixict, the commission may evaluate their local holdings, require strict com- pliance with rules lald down for safety and setisfaction of the consumers and prevent the manipulation of rate struc- s to the consumers and at t to the manipulato; me: | | 331 st « What cvidence he can. | co'wis are not enthusiasiic, Congress Wi+ no deubt be interested in tie facts. - - spare no pains in gath- | *t is claimed that too much w ping § T iz ured in preparing merchandise Some of the outside cover | may be aceepted as ' Amcrican art does iteclf to be over- by American inductry R — As 20 casy mayor, Jimmy Walker lets | his hems town share the privilege of | taling a vacation if it is needed and can be managed. i - r——— oy No doubt: there are siatesmen who hope thet by diligent and profuse con- versation they can cause the prehib'tion ue to fade befors 1932, ——— Around the Rim of Potomac Park | of a cement footpath' e speedway in Polomac Park ashinglon a “boardwalk” of | miles that has no equal in this for atiractiveness. This im-| cment has been needed. It heen possible herctofore for pedes- trizns to pass & the outer rim of the park by on the sea wall. At places, 1 going was rough erd actually un There was rail for protection. Now there i | th footway and a railing, and accommodation will add greatly to the pleasure of the public in its use ¢ the park. | with the exception of one compara- | tively short stretch the view from the park walk thus provided is beautiful | On the Georgetown Channel side the scene s always lovely, At HainsPolntand for a distance up on the Washington Channel side the outlook s in“piring. But for the remainder of the distance going west toward the outlet gate of the lake the prospect is depressing.| The river front of the city is a blot on the landscape. Save for one or two of the docks the wharf structures are in sad disrepalr. A stranger taking this walk or driving slowly on the Bpeedway along this space receives a’ long safe. unfortunate impression of the Senaicrs established in their Missis- f Capital. Plans have been proposed for the | correction of these conditions, but their execution has been delayed and post- poned over & span of many years. What should be & neat and attractive river ! with Mr Norris. ! gressive Democrat. | animal ' calendar visitors feels required to apologize. One of the undesirable features of the scene in this range, viewed /from the driveway but blocking the footpath, i theé engineer station just below the railroad track on the park side. A high board fence obtrudes itself to hide a fleet of barges and other items of river improvement equipment for which this makes a convenlent station, but which should be kept elsewhere in a less con- splcuous site. Removal of this station to another point should follow the im- provement of the park facilitles, of which the cement walk around the periphery is so welcome a feature, —_— e “Another Roosevelt. When Senator Norris of Nebraska de- clared in an address to the Progressive Conference just closed “‘We need another Roosevelt” in the White House, he gave impetus to the drive for the nomination by the Democrats of Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt. It has bren explained that Senator Norris had the late Theodore Roosevelt in mind, the old “trust buster” and leader of Progressives back in 1912, Nevertheless a number of Democratic leaders friendly to the candidacy of Roosevelt look upon the declaration of the Progressive leader of 1931 ax indic- ative of & purpose on the pait of the Republican Progressives, if President Hoover is renominated, to support the candidacy next year of Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is & union which many of the Democrats have deveutly desired. Senator Novris has let it be known that he does not intend to support President Hoover in the presidential campaign if the President be renom- inated. He has not sald directly he will support the Democratic candidate, although ke has declared that no new third party will be formed. If the Democrats do not numinate a Progres- sive, the Nebruska Senator has indi- cated he “will go fishing” on election day mext year. How far the rest of the Republican Progressive group will fol- low Senetor Norris in this matter of presidential candidates is still a prcb- lem. But many of the Democrats be- lieve apparently that a considerable number of the Progressives will go along For that reason they are anxious to have the next Deme- cratic National Convention pick a Pro- Gov. Roosevell, they say, 15 the man. It is argued furthermore that he is wet enough in his beliefs to carry his own State, New Jersey, Massachusetts and other pop- ulous States where anti-prohibition sentiment s strong. 8o Gov. Roosevelt's candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President doubtless hes been aided by the con- ference of the Progressives held in Washington, just as it 1s believed to bave been aided by the meeting of the Democratic National Committee here last week. In the Hemocratic Commit- tee meeting, Chairman John J. Raskob, who is anxious to have the party de- clare in ‘its national platform for a constitu ional amendment which would give the States the right to control the liquer traffic within their boundaries, met & considerable rebuff, largely duc to ‘the fact that Gov. Roosevelt and the New York State Committee sat down squarely cn the proposition &t this time. This raised the stock of Gov. Roosevelt considerably wih the South- ern democracy. Roosevelt Is regarded ‘at present as the * “Progrssive” candidate of the Democrats for the presidential nomi- nation. This is partly due to the stand he has taken on the water-power ques- tion. The more conserva.ive Democrats are inclined to Owen D. Young, who is believed to be Mr. Raskob's choice for the nomination. Mr. Young, however, is likely to have hard sleddinz in a l THE :EVENING follow about the loosening of leg muscles upon which the making of runs will de- pend in the months to come. Every year a large crowd gathers in the name of the “team.” There are first of all the regulars, thase tried and tested players who “made” the team in past seasons and are now rated as reg- ulars, assured of their positions. Then there are the semi-regulars, who came along last year and almost or halfway made good and are now well up in the substitute list. Finally there are the real rookies, draftees from the minors and subminors, youngsters whose high- est hope is to be allowed to remain with the team throughout the season, but with more than even chance. of going back into some lesser circuit for more training and development. It is indicated from Biloxi that the higher-ups in the National management expect to stand pat on the team that finished (he season last year, with a much.stronger line of reserves for sub- stituticn and replacement. Considering that the team that finished second in the American League 1930 race was for the latter third of the season going at {a pace equal to that of the eventual champions, that same team being the Nationals, the prospect of putting that identical eggregation into competition this year Is by no means a sad one for the home fans. Considering further that the second line this Spring is much stronger than the second line a year ago, the prospect is indeed bright. Pennants are not won at the training camps. .They are won on the regular playing fields during the months of April, Mey, June, July, August and Sep- tember. But meny a pennant is being won right now in mental visions in- duced by the roseate reports that come up from the South. And Washington shares m this performance. feou ) ‘The Brooklyn bullfighter, Franklin, is not free from dangerous experiences, but is evidently content to be a fighting cowboy rather than one of the kind that goes into vaudeville, e ‘When the somewhat tedious work of establishing & battleship ratio is fully accomplished, it will seem necessary to provide a reliable relativity among nations in airship construction, . - So many matrimonial shootings take place that an especially thoughtful bridegroom might present the object of his affections with a dainty J weled pistol along with the wedding ring. P, o Broadway producers would like & censorship cutspoken and fearless that would send erowds into the theater to see what the shouting is about. v A Progressive may not win the presi- dency. Nevertheless George Norris en- Joys a fight regardless of the medals. SHOOT: - ING STABS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Mocking Bird. When Spring draws near, the mocking bird Defies the wintry roar. A sunbeam speedily makes heard The song we loved of yore, Though sullen be the sky above And fierce the icy blast, We know ‘we'll find that song we love In triumph heard at last. ‘ Tempestuous might must bring dis- may -~ The slight must fezr the, strong— Yet storm .can never find & way To still the heartfelt song. Democratic national convention. He 15 regarded as too closely allied with big business and with the “power trust.” S It to the Dog. Leave Lovers of dogs n:ver tire of tales of | peating an old fiction; the one you may | ai antime the corporation | the S2gacity and fidelity of those ani- | remember about my law practice being mals. However often repeated, the creature that has becn called man’s | best friend. Nor are they fiction stories, matt:r. They celcbrate the dog's faith- veritable reasoning powers, its affection. | A ccuit cae in Long I:land City is | just in point. A shepherd dog was claimed by two perscns, Mrs. Sarah | McShane end Albirt Weinberger. The rivals told their storis about the dog, each setting up a case of ownership. Judge Peter Daly, perhaps himself one | who knows dogs well, con-luded that the decision should really rest with the He ord'red that it be released from fts leash at the beneh. As the shopherd sicadied himself and looked over the court room:, both Mrs. McShane and Mr. Weinberger called to it. The dog start d down the room, past both of the major claimants, and thrust its head into the lap of litle Marilyn Me- Bhane, aged two, who sat at the back of the room. The cas: was setiled then and there, This is not an exceptional mklanrt‘.\ Judges have resoited to this cxpedient many times, and never has an appeal from such a decision bzen successfully ken. There is no higher court than that of the dog’s instinct and memory and affection. Politics often makes it clear that whether a man can have more money than he neecs depends on what he wishes to Go with ' Springtime Pennant Winning. That Spring is at hand, whatever the may denote, is attested by numerous s Birds are herc that do not return from their Southern migiation untll the chances of cold weather have passed. be flarcbacks and reverses marked by sharp chill, by ice, by snow, there is a certain soft mildness in the air that comes only when the verdant season is 'at hand. But the surest token of the Springtide has appeared in the de- parture of the base ball teams for their Southern training fields. With the sippi camp the home fans are starting thelr own training for the 1931 campaign. ‘The training of the home fans con- sists In a faithful reading of all the reports that come from the Gulf Coast While there may | An Old Fiction. “What persuaded you to' announce that you were through with politics?” “I wanted to enhance my impor- tance,” sald Senator Sorghum, “by re- they | s0 profitable that I could not afford to | Ney If the | B¢ always delectable to th> admirers of 'go on working for & political salary.” Jud Tunkins says he always loves his for there s no need of fiction in this country, but he gets a little peeved with | it when the answers are different every | fulness, its sagacity, ils memory, its|lime he does the sums on his income tax blank, A Government, We look mlo the far beyond Through rosy landscapes dim. Will Uncle Sam finance & pond Where ail “lame ducks” may swim? Growing Town. “Crimson Guich is growing rapidly, sald the traveling salesman, Ycs, sir,” answered Cactus since we put -our local rough perform- ers in our own jail instead of havin' to tak: 'em over to Snake Ridge.” “What we deserve,” said Hi Ho, the sag: of Chinatown, “is dcpendent on our works. What we think we deserve 1s dependent on our imagination.” Swift Geing. That Russian land, both big and bold, Struggled. Life seemed of little worth. And suddenly she thinks, we are told, That she knows how to run the earth. “What we promises,” sald Uncle Eben, “ain’ de same as what we does. A promise don't carry wif it de gift of prophecy.” Par-Boiling Suggested. From the Fort Wasue News-Sintinel, “Death is too good for traitors!” shputs Musta Kemal Pasha, May we respectiully suggest that his ex- cellency try par-boling them in & ‘Turkish bath just prior to administer- ing th> coup de grace? ButeWlat's a Zither? Prom the Morzantown (W, Va.) Dominion- ews. The Boston Transcript says that the latest tongue-twister is, “This is a zither.” Although with it, dally practice is sald to qualify one as a radio announcer. ey e What Price Politics? Prom the Whecling Intelligencer, “Cheap politician” is a contradiction in terms. This species is really-& very expensive luxury for the tax-paylng citizen to maintain. . Van May Need .a Butler, | front. Temains & shabby, disordered ball park, where .the Capital's pride|Prom the 8t. Louis Post-Dispatch, stretch of tumble-down docks and - jagged plle-ends, remnants of decayed landing stages. In contrast with the neat grounds of the Washington Bar- racks and War College, this space is & disfigurement for which the Washing- M1 ‘when actiog as host ‘ A and hope, the National team, is at work, ‘There is 50 much to learn about the doings of the athletes, their early aches and pains, their daily workouts, the gradual limbering of their throwing arms and their batting muscles’ and ‘We think we know what will )u&ren er- the next time Mussolini bilt for a ride. takes Vai Wine Fails to Wane in Favor. From the Fort Wayne News-Bentinel. ‘The Prench are learning to eat corn, and guide to their pitehing wings. There is much to but so far they prefer todrink grape. \ / ~ Joe. | ¢ counting a lot more population | no guarantee goes STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, SATURDAY: THIS. AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. “But dessound of a chicken a-fryin’ in de pan, Um, 1 , um! Dat’s music to me!” ~—Old Song. The reader will have to be as old as the writer to remember that song, but he may be us young as 8 years of age and still enjoy fried chicken. No doubt scme of these precocious youngsters who are sald to smoke large and black cigars at the mature age of 3 may have their chicken much earlier. At whatever possible age, human beings are fond of chicken, which, by the strange alchemy of the medical mind, is scarcely regarded es meat At all and is “permitted” in many cases | where all other meats are taboo, Fried chicken, however. comes into its own only with the healthy. Primarily, of course, because the latter can eat more of it. | * ox ok K Gluttony is forgivable with fried chicken. The most staid. the most respectable American citizen takes on something of the appearance of the great Lueullus when he sits down before a platter of honest fried chicken, In the contemplation of this dish all men become truly equal. Not just in the sense that Jeffersin meant, that men are and must be equal before the law, which should treat them all alike, without favoritism, but, in the case of chicken, in the sense that their regard for the fare is on a plane of deep com- mion_sense. Perhaps we keep best our brotherhood with the animals when we indulge .too treely, although it may not occur twice & year, in the joys of the table. The, animals can understand that and perhaps there is nothing else we do which they can understand. A What is more delightful than the odor of frying chicken? It is rather more than delicate, but distinctly “less than odiferous. It im- pinges, but does not cloy. This is one food which does not lose its flavor by giving off a fragrance in cooking, ‘Thank Heaven, there is plenty left! At this point, let us stop long enough, in our continuity of chicken, to remark that the exclamation point ought to be barred, if not by law, then by common consent of writers everywhere. We never use an exclamation, as above, without wishing we had the | nerve to leave it out. It is a habit, however, sanctified by lo..g usage, and | readers 'have come to expect it, just as those who write have come to regard it as an essential part of their tool kit. It is no such thing. The exclamation point is seldom, if ever, necessary. What may be sald with it is just as well said, in the vast majority of cases, without it. It gives, it is true, a sort of fillip to a thought, but one too often has the sad feeling that the thought ought to stand on its own feet, without the “!" tagging on behind like & bit of | lace on a lady's train, Both are unnec- essary, | * * ¥ % But to get back to our fried chicken, now taking on the delectable tone of brown which distinguishes it from all other meats, even turkev. Proper bro®ving—-w shouid it be tanning?—is the final seal of ocular approval. The eye delights in it, no less than the taste. It is this crunchy layer atop the meat which adds incomparaljle zest to the | homely work of art. Soggy chicken will v Tmve it, nor will too quickly fried s. Properly done, fried chicken presents a beautiful appearance and appeals alike to the mind, the eye and the stomach. One forgets, as one should, that this thing was once a living crea- ture. Such thoughts never obtrude when one sits down to a meal of fried chicken and gravy. The arts of cook- ery no doubt have part of their popu- larity from this fact. Concomitants usually include mashed potatoes. bread and butter, gravy, sometimes dressing, milk, coffee. But no matter how many vegetables and relishes occupy the board, the chicken holds the center. A Well it may, for when the carving knife cuts off & mice slice, at once dry vet moist, pleasing in texture and taste alike, the diner knows the quintessence of dining. Great beefsteaks, smothered in onions, take a back scat, as it were, &s do planked shad, sea trout, leg o' lamb, ete., ete, : Chicken wins, even over turkey, if the chicken is right. But it must be right. Now, it is not always possible to get a tender chicken in a city. doubt it is edible, but to be as fine as we say it Is, it must be different. ‘This difference is so pronounced that many connolsseurs insist that only back in the home State are chickens grown to this perfection. 1In this, however, we are mistaken. We had one the other day, as the reader’ may deduce, which excelled, and it came from right around Washington some place, * K What & chicken it was! It compelled admiration. Shimmering In-its crown coat, it re- sembled a tann:d Venus rising from the sea. It such a thing as no cave- man ever knew, except by accidents, for mcfllean gas stoves had not been in. vented. It took centuries to produce this bird, and here it was at last with the light of ancestral memory shining o'er it. To its right sat a bowl of gravy of the non-slip variety. This refers to the bowl. This interesting dish is made safe by the simple expedient of gluing ’lglel:)wl to the small platter in which slts. It comes that way from the potter. It may seem absurd, but pottems mads them in two pieces for hundreds of years, until some forward-looking dis- ciple of Josiah Wedgwood got the happy idea of cementing them together, XK X ¥ The nice thing about a chicken din- ner is that it seldom leaves the surfeit which turkey or beefsieak induces in the diner. The doctors are wise in their gener- ation, When they say chicken, they mean_chicken, they are talking about. The pleasures of the wishbone and the wish still find piace. This is a happy survival of country colonial days, when uproarious laughter greeted the wishbone pull. We of the cities may not laugh as loud, but we enjoy thess things, too. An excellent way of preparing chicken'| is to stew it, and then place it in an oven. It might seem that this process would take out the juices and render the chicken dry, but it does not; the resulc compares- favorably with fried chicken and permits the bird to be dinner. Its proper construction is a Business Recent efforts of several States to compete for divorce cases from other States are put by the American public in the class of business competition, and | it is suggested that, in its approach to | “big business” in this sphere, it is inevi- tably leacing to Federal laws governing | the resdcnce provisions that have been | chief factors in the competition. | “Marriage, wo grant, is not always a | says the Columbus Ohio State | Journal, ~ “There are occasions when divorce is the sencible and logical way out of a bad marital entanglement. On | the other hand, it is a mistake to make, | divorce too easy.” That pap:r concludes | that “if Arkansas, Montana and South Dakota seek to replenish their State | coffers with fees derived through easy | vorce laws, the shame must be their. Referring to a “mail-order proposai” introduced by a Nevada legislator, the | rleans Times-Picayuie expresses skpticism as to the logic of the idea, “for the main profits of the divorce busi- ness are derived from the residence re- quirementwhich mantains a ‘more or less free spending divorce coluny.” That paper adds that reduction of the 90-day residence to six weeks would “cut thes takings considcrably,” but it 's “better | to collect six v pickings than to lose the business entire to competing States.” | “1t is going to be a spirited fight be- | tween these States to obtain anu hold h lares the New London Day, with the suggestion that “divorce is evidently being taken quite seriously 2s big bucsis and it can be seensthat high™ pressure’ salesmanship by the Stat.s is to be applicd to bring Into these States the * of the busin . Mentioning Neveda, Montana, and Arkan Union sces " and re- mark, “How far tie movement may | 80, or how many States may join in the rivalry, §s pretity hard to guess.” The New Eediord Stancard finds 1t illumi- nating that “one Idaho legislator com- p'ained that the State Is handicapped, in comparison with Nevada, by too strict gambling laws,” | carved in the lordly manner of the turkey. Rivalry in Divorce Raises Issue of Uniform Law weakening of the marriage tie. Very. few measu Liave been enacted to make the road to divoree smoother and easier. * * * In the Wyoming Legis- lature they perpetrated a grim joki A measure to reduce divorce residence from cne year to sixty days was re- ferred to the Roads and Bridges Com- mittee—just why referred to this com- mittee does not appear, unless it be to give notice that such legislation would have a rough road to travel, with the bridges out, blocking the way t> final passage of the measure. Wyoming has killed two similar bills in recent years.” oy The Texarkana Gazette argues: “If divorces are to be passed out merely for the asking, when accompanied by the proper fees, why make the appli- | cants wait 90 days, or even a month? ‘The only argument against the shorter period 1s titat it would reduce the profits of the divorce colony hotsls,” The St. Louis Times concludes: *For mercantile or commercial reasons Ne- vada cannot allow Arkansas, Idaho or some other rival commonweaith to take all or & percentage of this trade—which is mostly clear profit. Divorce has thus joined the trend of the hour and become a big business. So far, ho ever, it has defied the rule of expand- ing and at the same time merging. There is not & merg:r in & court- load.” “The old argument for uniform Fed- eral statutes governing these important matters gains new force,” in the judg- ment of the Cleviland News. = The query to the Charleston (W Va. ally Mail is, “Once the passion for easy money is acquired when and where will the quest b: ended?” The States Involved, as the matter appeals to the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, “are playing dircctly into the hands of the advacates of Federal con- trol The Bulletin also records: *“At firet the altempt was to induce the States to adopt a uniform law on the subject. Little headway having ben * ook ok | Observing that “hot ls, gamblers and | g0 on are Teaping the profit.” the St.| Louis Post-Dispaich concludes that “a | great social question is being decided on | a cash-and-carry basis. "The Allgntown | Morning Call states that “the trade is | estimated to be worth three million a | year to the Nevada city, which is a very | £nug sum to be poured into a city of | { Reno's size.” The Scranton Times de- clares that “the four Western States | now making a grand rush for the di- | vorce business from the East must think that mast of us are getting tired of the marital state,” and that “it must be they belleve we ere a quarrelsome lot | back in these parts” “The objection to a 90-day divorce law.” ‘avers the Champaign News-Ga- zette, “is based on the fact that such & measure is not passed for the benefit of the people who reside in the State, It is for the purpose of luring people to the State for the brief period that is specified in the law. Fasy divorce may be defended in all sincerity, and excel. lent arguments may be put forth in its support. But when divorce fs made easy merely to attract mismated men and women to a particular locaiity, such action would appear to be below the dig- nity of a State that iy concerned in preserving the home as W e the bulwark of “Leglslators viewed by the can't resist the and Governors,” as Kunsas City Star, “Just temptation to vite for relief in some form these days. Relief from marital ties, however, may be {only temporary at best. It is assumed that most persons establishing a 90- day residence i & State merely to sue for diyorce are not going to take up permanent residence in such a State. The State that permits quick divorce thereby announces to the rest of the country, ‘This is a good State to be divorced in, although you perhaps may not want to live here longer than thre "R it different point of view 1is re. sented by the comment of the mP-u made in that direction, a movement for a constitutional amendment has been launched. Senator Capper has been its sponsor in Congress. It pro- poses to empower Congress to make laws ‘which shall be uniform through- out the United States on marriage and divorce, the legitimation of children and the care and custody of children affected by annulment of marriage or by divorce.’” ) |Road-Building Plans Called Cheering Note From the Atlanta Journal, The most cheering news in many a day on the unemployment pro.lem is the annduncement by the National “Emergency Committee” at Washington that 38 Stat:s have provided for the ex- penditure this year of more than $650,- 000,000 on highway construction, “from funds now available,” and that addi- tional road improvements in these States, if authorized by the Legislatures, will bring the total to $875,000,000. ‘The work which these activities will bring to eagerly waiting men, the hope they will kindle in well-nigh despair- ing hearts, the new life they will pour into many veins of business, the im- petus they will give to economic recov- ery, all will be worth incalculably more to the common country and to each of the States concerned than the hundreds of millions thus to be spent. Not a dollar of these funds, it should be noted, will be in the nature of a dole. ‘The public works for which they pro- vide are basic necessities and will serve all the people. Good roads there must be if agriculture is to market its prod- uvet: to advantage and #f industry and commerce are to go forward. PFurther, & dollar will buy more in _read-building today than for some years gone by, so that it is sound economy as well as so- clally useful enterprise for Government to concentrate on such activities at this Juncture, i dena Star-News, which offers - opiti IIAQO =~ wn‘ offers - the e State is- Iatures in -euwn.wthlu Winter ’r‘fygws that prop nents of easier divorce laws are being worsted by cpponants of thi: Subject to Luxury Tax? From the Minneapolis Star. The chief differsnce between a bad old and the “flu” ’?.amt 818, and they know what | ! t Many | think they g:t good chicken, and no,| THE LIBRARY TABLE "By the Booklover A few years ago E. H. Young in the novel “William” created a delightful mellow character, wise in the ways of the world but tolerant and kindly to- ward those which he did not approve, humorous, gently satirical, understand- ing in his relations with family and neighbors—in short just such a person as we should all like to know well In “The Malletts,” “Moor Fires” and “The Vicar'’s Daughter,” E. H. Youug wrote mnovels of some excellence, but failed to do again what was achieved in “William"—the addition of a really original character to the personages of fiction. In “Miss Mole” William has been given & sister, almost & feminine counterpart. She has the family char- acteristics of humor, charity, and the wisdom of common sense. Miss Mole has reached the age cf 40 and surveys herself serenely as an ‘“old male Insatiably addicted to romance, she has hot been without it in her own life, and therfact that her own romance has been both arid and acrid has not embittered her concerning romance in general. She bas a “past’—a brief one—which she attempts to conceal in the interests of conventional decency, but mot to the éxtent of becoming a hypocrite about it. Hypocrisy arouses in Miss Mole the most violent antagonism of which her tolerant nature is capable. Poor and obliged to earn her living, she is mived by sentiment to come to Radstowe, a town on the edge of Somerset, a place of docks along & busy river, slums, con- ventional parks a squares, lighted shops along business: streets, somewhat dusty but digaified churches and vicarages, blatant non-ccnformist chap- els, and spruce new villas without any elegance on the edge of the Downs. She might have found a more attrac- tive place and the presence there of her cousin, the rich Mrs. Spenser- Smith, had nothing to do with her choosing Radstowe. Her father's farm, on which her childh was spent, had been near Radstowe, in Somerset, and to a good scheol in Radstowe she had been sent by her father, at a cost of a big depietion of his small farm earn- ings. Miss Mole herself uwns a small cottage on a scrap of the land which had cnce been her father's farm, and this cottage sheiters the mystery of her life. It contributes importantly to the plot of the story. * K Kk Everything in her life at Radstowe is an “adventure” to Miss Mole, Just to stay out an hour longer than is necessary and to eat a bun in tea shop. when she has been sent to match a sample of cloth by her employer, a sour old woman to whom a panion” means a slave, is the biggest kind of adventure, because she knows that she is likely to lose her position when she returns. She does lose it and her greater adventures begin. As housekeeper in the household of the Rev. Robert Corder, non-conform- ist minister, she finds unlimited op- portunities for her humorous inter- pretation of life. Mr. Corder has an illusion that he is all that is righteous, charming and superior, but is unable to make his own family believe in that picture of him, though he has suc- ceeded with his congregation. His do- mestic habits are rather upsetting for even a humorous housekeeper. “Robert Corder’s work took him out of the Louse for a great part of the day, but it also brought him back at times when a business man is in his office and knows nothing of domestic affairs until he returns to find a meal await- ing him and the work of the day i { i | | | I | apparently done. Robert Corder was conscious perforce of the doings of the household. He would swing down the garden path in the morning and meet the butcher's boy carrying a recogniz- able joint, and if the jo'nt did not ap- pear in a cooked condition that even- | ing he would wonder where it was | and why Miss Mole had ordered it ! & day before it was needed, or he would come back and see half the drawing- room furniture In the hall and get a | glimpse of Miss Mole doing somethng | with a duster or feather broom. His | study was never disturbed" in this man- nbr.” Miss Mole does not admire Mr. Corder, but she feels sorry for him because he has no humor and does not seem to secure much satfs- | faction from life, Mr. Corder on his side does not approve of Miss Mole, though he admits to himself—never to her—that she has worked many needed improvements in his household. “If she had to be plain and thin, she should also have been meek, and he supposed it was possible tc be domes- tically in¥ldgent withowt looking as though she had some secret source of satisfaction in herself.” * x It is the greatest satisfaction to the reader that, after playing the part of & beneficent, it satirical, angel in the family of Mr. Corder for a time, Miss Mole is swept unexpectedly into a be- lated romance of her own—a real one this time, without any bitterness, and we feel sure there will be no disillusion. ' “Well, you know everything about me* (Hannah says to her mature and pro- salc lover), ‘No,’ he sald, ‘and I don't think I ever shall,’ a speech more sat- isfying to Hannah than any more lover- like protestation.” Her departure from the Corder home leaves every one help- less and forlorn, or would if the author had not, W Victorian consideration, arranged for the welfare of the two daughters, Elhel and Ruth, the son Howard, and even Mr. Corder himself. This Victorian quality, miked with a | pleasant dash of modernism, ~onstitutes one of the charms of the book. x ok % x With Katharine Cornell in the lead- ing role, the play. “The Barretts of Wimpole Street” has awakened ex- traordinary interest in its New York opening. During the next weeks and months the story of Elizabelh Barrett and Robert Browning will be i many people’s minds and the books by and about the two poets will be eagerly turned to. For a sensitive and illumi- nating study the two books by Frances M. Sim are to be recommended: “Robert Browning: the Poet and the Man” and “Robert Browning: the Poet and the Philosophe! Another volume Browning is “The Seen and Unseen in! Browning,” by Emma J. Burt, not so much biographical as interpretative of his poetry. An interesting Browning item is the play “Caponsacchi,” by Ar- thur Goodrich and Rose A. Palmer, in which Walter Hampden has had such a success. This play is based on ! Browning’s “Ring and the Book.” And ! them there Is the poem in Vachei Lind- say’s “Going-to-the-Sun,” accompanied 'by one of- the American poet’s char- acteristic drawings, which runs: Elizabeth Barrett Browning Sat gossiping with Robert (She was really & raving beauty in her day, With Mi’n‘y Pickford curls in clouds and whirls.) She was trying to think of something nice to say, ' So she pointed to a page by her fellow star and sage, And said: “I wish I could write that wayl"” * kK x “Demons of the Dust” is the name given by Prof. William Morton Wheeler to_ his book about certain types of | viclous and savage insects which dehib- erately lie in wait for their prey. The chief types described are the ant-lions, the worm-lions and ths worm-tigers. Probably the average person has never heard of any of them and to the aver- age person they are of no importance. But to the unwary ant who falls into the pit prepared for hin the ant-lion js the most ruthless of enemies. He drags his victim into the sandy pit, suffocates him, sucks his life blood and then casts cut the riddled carcass to make way for the next flclln= * x % Napoleon Bonaparte was only one ble family, not an Most of his blographers have -n{lhu?:'d his greatest qualities to inheritance from his mother, Lucrezia His brothers and sisters, for whose so- cial advancemesnt he showed what was, from a farily standpsint,| praiseworthy golicitude, were by no means mediocre pereons. A recent blography, “Paul Favcrite Sister of Nepolecn,” by W. N. on | -ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. What do you need to know? Is there some nt about your busin or personal life that puzzles you? 1s there something you want to know without delay? *Submit your question Frederic J. Haskin, director of our Washington Information Bureau. He is employed to help you. Address your inquiry to The Evening Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, direc- tor, Washington, D. C., and inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return post- age. Q. Has the amount of money spent in Paris by tourists from the United States fallen off perceptibly?—P. M. A. Reports from Paris say that there is & decided falling off In this revenue, ‘There were about 200,000 visitors in 1930, while 1929 brought 300,000. The b | A not burn. How can this be true?—N. 8. A. Liquid gasoline will not burn. Tt is the vapor' above the I which burns. The easier the gasoline evapo- rates, the better fuel it is. Q. Is it permissible for a bride to exchange her wedding gifts?—M. B. D. A. She shouid never change the rm- ents chosen for her by her family or by the groom's family, unless especial- 1y told that she may do so. However, to keep a number of one kind of gifts, when in need of another, is said by one authority to be “putting sentiment above sense.” Q, Who composed the flag pledge?— "A. The original flag pledge which is used in the public schools was wntten in a tentative form by the late James B. individual traveler is spending less than he did a few yi on the New York Stock Exchange paid | for in full and transfefred to the buy- | ers in their own names?=G. H. B. | A. A very small portion of stocks is | paid for in full by clients who wish | (them transferred to their own names, , but all stocks are paid for in full when | purchased, " either by the broker or client—that is, the broker must pay in full for the stocks purchased. | Q. Who gave the Wimbledon Trophy Wwhich was held three times by Guy Emerson?—B. B. A. The Wimbledon Cup was pre- sented in 1874 by the National Rifie Association of Great Britain for annual competition by the rifiemen of America. It is open to any citizen of the United States. The course is 20 shots at 1,000 yards. Any rifle sights and ammuni- tion may be used, and the position is prone, Q. How old was Wallace Reld at the time of his death?—H. McC. A. This popular motion picture actor died January 18, 1923, at lge age of 30. Q. Please give some _information about Prof. Heckler and his flea cir- cus.—E. P. C. A. Heckler was born in Switzerland, but first saw performing fleas in Ger- many. He came to the United States when he was 18 years of age and gave his first exhibition about 22 years 2go. Ordinary fleas are used. The female is preferred because it is easier to train. About two weeks is required for the training period. Prof. Heckler feeds the fleas with blood from his own right arm. One of these insects, weigh- ing one-half grain, can jump 3 or 4 feet. The insects are kept in little boxes, their feet tangled with cotton. The perform- ance is visible to the naked eye. It is glven on a white table brilliantly illu- minated. Prof. Heckler says that, when once trained, fleas do not desert. The 1 first trained flea circus in America was put cn at the Old Stone and Austin | Museum in Boston some 40 years ago. i pckins Q. How long have there been minof leagues in base ball?—G. T. A. One came into existence in 1877, one'year after the formation of the National League. The circuit was call- | ed the International League. {, Q Where is the table upon which the Declaration of- !ndepen‘c’loence was signed?—L. K. J. o . It is in Independence Hall in hiladelphia. 3 Q. I have been told that gasoline will i Highlights on the Excerpts From Newsp EUES . WIENER TAGBLATT, Vienna.—In America industry . has become 30 developed, pro- duction so regulated, and em- ployment $0 specialized that | there are men in that country who to earn thelr wages have nothing eclse to jdo but to look out of the window. News of such functionaries on re { Vienna has actuated the desire for { the same sort of work. Unfortunately | we have never had any jobs like this, and the people are beginning to awaken to & new sense of- their deprivations. The “‘window-looker” in America is |2 man who looks out of the window to see what kind of weather prevails, for the information of some superior who hasn’t time to look out of the window. The service is required chiefly by officials of the big traffic systems. | When the manager is kept posted as to whether it is raining, snowing, or the sun shining, he knows whether the numbers of street cars and busses should be “thickened” or not, and is- sues his orders accordingly. In America, one has constantly to. take notice of the whims and wishes of the public. If it is a nice day, some of people will walk a few blocks. If it is raining pitchforks they will take a bus from one corner to the next. So everything in connection with the traffic has to | be regulated with respect to the weather. Here in Vienna, we are not so con- siderate. The traffic companies employ no ‘“window-lookers.” The hgrder it rains, the fewer the street cars. Every- and will confirm it. When the weather is bad in Vienna, people don’t hop on street cars, but suffer discomfort and impatience, for we have no “‘window- looker” and it is nobody’s business to see that more cars are commissioned for duty at such times. Perhaps the will injure the street cars, and so they keep them under cover until it stops. But such ,procedures are nevertheless very hard on the patrons crowding on such cars as do run. The footboard has never before seemed so small. Capable in ordinary traffic crushes of accommodating three persons, when it is raining deluges, four crowd on fit, the fourth hanging on by the door- handles. Inside, nervous, yet more for- tunate, passengers are packed so close in their compressed-air chamber that they tear the buttons off each other’s clothes, and pay for the privilege of having insults muttered in their ears by_others swhose toes they step on. It is quite apparent that no one has been delegated to look out of the win- dow in the manager's office, and to suggest to him that it is raining “don- nerwetter” and that more cars should be taken out.of the barns. All because of so much dry rot and inefficiency in our public service’s officialdom! CEEEEIY Knowledge of English Great Advantage to Police. El Comercio, Lima.—Long ex- perience has shown in Callao, the chief seaport of Peru, the necessity of all the members of the police force having an acquaintance with English. Even a rudimentary knowledge of the lan- guage is a great advantage, and al- ready a large part of the officers are qualified to ti extent, at least. tgo many travelers and fugitives from the United States and other English-speak- ing countries land at this port that scarcely a day goes by that an agent does not encounter one or more of these subjects, and for this reason the authorities of the department have de- cided to establish classes wherein all the men may learn not only to talk, but also to read and write that tongue. At first, traffic officers and others most likely to come in contact with these foreigners will be instructed in the new science, and after that every mem- ber of the constabulary will be re- quired to take the course. C. Carlton, repres: spotled. favos showed her bravely ai to supp! in Shi band, for com fairs this sister as a " o _ neveriheless aparte qu wh her husband in the rebellion of n min Eer second Prifice Borghese, had some b in numercus lov: gance. ents - Q. Are many of the stocks bought || body has observed this phenomenon, | management are afraid the rainwater | Upham of Malden. Mass. He was & member of tne Perry Mason Publishing Co., publishers of the Youth's Compan- It was molded into its presemt and final form by members of the firm and the editorial staff of the Youth's Com- panfon. 1t was first given wide public- ity through the national public school | celebration of Columbus day, the of= | ficial program of which was pmblishad n the Youtlh's Companion, September 8, 1892. At the same time this was sent out in leaflet form to various schopls. It was officially used in the | public school celebration on October 51. Q. When was New Amsterdam re- named New York?—H. T. A. New Amsterdam was renamed New York and the State government reorganized m 1665, after possession had been taken from the Dutch by the British in 1664. The schout, burgo- masters and schepens were replaced | with a sheriff and alderman .;g mayor. The actual charter of New York City upon which most of its civic rights were based was granted April 22, 1686. Q. Was Robert F. Foster, the card autharity, born in the United States?— A. He was born in Edinburgh, Scot- land, May 31, 1853, but has lived in this country for many years. 2. X’I'llt 1‘:“1!‘ true bill>—M. B. . rue is the finding of n charging a certain person with m commission of an illegal act. In other words, when facts are presented to the grand jury by the prosecutor tending to show that a crime has been committed and a certain person is accused of this crime, that person is indicted and the finding is known as a “true bill.” Q. What did R. L stand for after Queen Victoria’s name?—M. McC. A. The initials stand for the Latin words “Regina Imperatrice,” meaning Queen and Empress, in reference to the fact that she was Queen of England and Empress of India. Similarly, King George V uses the same letters to stand for “Rex Imperator,” meaning King Emperor, . ot Q. What is the origin of the expres- .A 'I‘tznht.he Il;vel"?h—.c, T. 3 sald to have originated in Freemasonry, the level bel embi of that organization. P P s Q. Where does this appear: “The coward dies many times before his death. the valiant taste of death but once”?—P. J. F. A. It appears in 2, scene 2, line 32. Wide World apers of Other Lands | Revolutionary Manifestations | Confinue to Emanate from Ecuador. El Telegrafo, Guayaquil. — Minor revolutionaty mnifestations ~ contim to émanate from Esmeraldas (a city Northwestern Ecuador). Perhaps the mcs: consequential development of re- cent date was the capture on the night of December 29 of a box eonwnhx about 200 cutlasses (“machetes”) wif fcabbards, which, according to the declaratién of the municipal police, ‘was | delivered to Col. Cervantes, the com- mandant cf the local garrison., The it orig- si “Julius Caesar,” agt | Box was unmarked, and whence if inated and for whom intended is not known. =Col. Cervantes had not any additional weapons. It is bel that they were in transit to the insur- rectionary leaders. The only other epi- sode of an interesting character was the demcnstration of a group of bath house attendants and rubbers from the establishment, Las Palmas, who ran through = the streets on a recent night, proclainging the revolution, but without the approval or consent of the principals in the cited movement. Ex- dept for these unimportant phenomen: . Esmeraldas and its inhabitants remain in a state of peace and tranquillity. * % ¥ Htalian Taxicab Drivers Replaced by Fascist Agents. Italia, Geneva (anti-Fascist a) published exterritorially).—The s p: Fasc government, ‘though it knows only too well the discontent and desperation of the Italian people, caused by hardships and poverty, is continually usurping fresh authority, and strengthening its system of espicnage and terrorization, One of the latest examples of the Fas~ cist methods is contained in the re- placement. upon the drders of the min- ister of the interior and of the governor of Rome, cf some 250 taxicab chauf~ feurs with militant Fascists, police lAgn‘n_‘l.)s and henchmen of the O. V. R. All these “volunteer” taxi drivers ren- der the desired political service of lise tening to the conversations of patrons: riding in their cabs. For the better hearing-of such discourses these vehi- cles are equipped with microphones, and the drivers are instructed to make notes of every suspicious utterance, and also of the addresses where they pick up and to which they conduct any pas- sengers of doubtful sentiments. Other taxicab drivers will be replaced by the Fascist agents from time to time, as fast as they become qualified to handle these conveyances. ok ok ok Plan Completion of Highway Before Easter. ' El Universtal, Mexico, D. F.—The minister of highways and communica- tions has announced that the automo- bile route between this capital and Nuevo Laredo, on the Rio Grande, will be fully completed before the Semana Mayor: (Holy Week)—that is to say, about the 1st of April. Every effort possible is being made to have the en- tire roadway in proper condition for the important traffic of the REaster season. May Be Due to Crooners. From the Fort Worth Record-Telegram. A long time ago they discovered that, rn%lo ‘l‘?.‘n‘l:e travel ix’“"&” miles a sec- ond. T recently they estal the rate at exactly 186,420, w‘::w bably due to the jazz on the new in. vention. - | And Droaght. From the Sioux City Journal, Canada may pass the United States in gold production, but there are some B e, g o eminent in homicides SSATy motor-car accidents, e o ——— Vandal Was (Tin)-Patient. From the Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator. Rembrandt's