Evening Star Newspaper, March 20, 1931, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY.........March 20, 1031 THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company usiness Office: ! Michigan B Regeni H.. London. jce: ice: Lake ei 14 Englan: cago uropean Office Rate by Carrier Withim the City. .......... 45Cper month unday Star giq; 00 Der month €3¢ per month tar 5. .S ber copy | made at the end of each montk e sent in by mail or telephone Orders ma; NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. | Maryland and Virginia. ! tmnx" only 1vr. $4.00; 1mo. 40 All Other States and Canada. 15r.81200: 1mo. $100, fly and Sundey dy “...... 197, $8.00: 1mo. 18c E}:‘l‘y”"fl%xy HIIIIED #800i Tmos B0c | Member of the Associated Press. i The Associated Press is exclu t o the use for republication o ) atches creaited {0 it or not o it { fted in this paper and also the local news | published 'herein All rights of publication of Special Clspatches herein are also reserved | —_—e—| Lewis and Obstructionists. | Senator James Hemilton Lewis of | Tllinois, who returns to the Senate after | a twelve years' absence, looks darkly upon obstructionist tactics. He dces not believe that a President of the United | States, even though he be Republican, should be under constant and scurrilous | attack for political ons alone. The | newly elected Democratic Senator the view that a President of the United | States, having been placed in cffice by the vote of the people, is entitled to an opportunity to carry out the program | enunciated by him and his party during the election campaign. If the people| are not satisfied with the program and | with the manner in which the Chief | Magistrate administers the affairs of the Government they wili turn to the opposition party in the next electicn. ‘The Illinois Democrat has arrived in ‘Washington at a time when obstruction | is the watchword of the anti-Hoover members of Congress, some of them found on the Republican side. When the Congress was about to convene last | December, seven Democratic leaders, outstanding men in the party, includ- ing Alfred E. Smith, John W. Davis and James M. Cox, not to mention the Democratic leaders of the Senate and House, Robinson and Garner, signed a statement pledging to the Hoover ad- ministration co-operation in the matter of bringing about the adoption of a re- lief program. What happened during the recent session of Congress, what meas- ure of “co-operation” was accorded the ‘White House and the regular Repub- licans in the Senate is a matter of too Tecent history to require comment. It is on record, however, that no sooner had the statement issued by the Demo- cratic leaders been published than members of their party began shooting [ at it, describing it as an “apology” for | having won victories in the recent con- gressional elections. ‘The statement issued by the seven Democratic leaders, however, struck a responsive chord out in the country, where there was more interest in get- ting something done than in playing politics. The interview now given by Senator Lewis also will strike a respon- sive chord among the people, who, after all, have much more common sense than some of the senatorial leaders grant to them. It is refreshing to hear a demand from a member of a minority party in Congress that mere partisan politics be avoided in the interest of the country itself. When the next Congress convenes the political battle will be on once more, with a national campaign only a few months away. The prediction has been made in some quarters that the new Congress will be in a greater turmoil than was the last. Perhaps, however, a reaction will set in. Perhaps public opinion, which, after all, supports those who desire to accomplish rather than those who merely desire to ob- struct, will make itself felt. It may be too much to hope for, but should such & situation arise the country will be pleasantly surprised. The new Demo- cratic Senator from Illinois, with a closer contact with the people than those of his colleagues who spent the | Winter in Washington, has already sensed the opinion of the public. FERE R Prison riots tend to lessen the sym- pathy which many feel toward convicts. ‘The unruly element makes it hard to carry out the sincere ideals that would make reform and moral education the chief purposes cf penal discipline. - A visit to this country by the King and Queen of Siam will be a notable event, involving all the courtesies of diplomacy, but with none of the subtle acrimony that often arises when per- sonages of distincticn meet. — Bus Size and Speed. ‘The tragic accident early today on the Richmond-Washington road below Alexandria in which three persons were killed and twelve injured draws re- newed attention to the fact that road construction in the United States is not keeping pace with the steadily in- creasing size of busses and the in- crease in volume of bus traffic, thus making the bus not only a menace to its passengers but to other road users as well. The Richmond-Wash- ington Boulevard has been the scene of other bus accidents, and these ac- cidents have occurred in spite of the road's comparative width. For this reason it apparently boils down to the fact that these heavy vehicles on the average road are too large and are driven too fast for the safety on high- ways that the entire country is striving #0 earnestly to obtain. On super-highways, such as the | uat! | the new dirigible. but it will bs years before the United States will have the average road buill sh- way. It follows then that the initlative must b2 {aken by the bus manufacturers and operators. Ther: is no logical reason—in fact there are so many reasons against it that all of them cannot be enumerated the bus to attempt to compete wiih the train either in carrying capac- ity or speed. Tha bus is an automobile. It should not b> constructed to the size of a pullman car and because of its unwieldiness it should not be driven to match the speed of a vehicle that runs on tracks. It is apparent that bus manufac- turers should tak: cognizance of the sit- n that has developed. If they continue to shut their eyes to a condi- tion of their own creaticn which is mical to public welfare it is quite ¢ that an aroused oplnion will re- | sult in remedial l:gislation in all States which will ccmpel them to do what they should do without compulsion. - Communist Crank or Agent? The practical absurdity of the “plot” to destroy the dirigible Akron, disclosed in the arrest of a worker at the Ohio city of that same name, does not lessen its significance. Whether the scheme was the crazy purpose of a single fanatic or the deliberate endeavor of the Com- munist organization, it reflects a malevo- lent design against the American Gov- ernment. The most important objective now is to ascertain just how far this effort to destroy the latest, largest air- ship carries back to the avowed enemies of the United States, the radicals, who, under inspiration of Russia, are carry- ing on a persistent campaign of ob- struction. The man Kassay, a native of Austria- Hungary, tformerly an officer of the Austrian navy, implicated in post-war Communist agitations in his own land, came to the United States several years ago. He was naturalized in 1926. He gained a loothold in technical indus- trial work in Cleveland and went to Akron two years ago to take a job on He seems to have talked freely to his fellow workmen re- | garding his purpose to prevent the ship from ever taking the air. Suspicion was directed to him, and Secret Service op- eratives took jobs at Akron in @rder to observe the man, some of them becom- ing his “side partners,” with whom he became confidential. His arrest resulted from the disclosures he made to them. No harm has been done to the air- ship. Kassay is sald to have boasted that he had contrived to omit the driv- ing of many rivets in the fabric of the craft in order to weaken it. This is denied, on the strength of an almost microscopic examination. He had planned, also, it is stated, to gain ac- cess to the control compartment of the ship and wreck it secretly. There is no evidence that he ever had such an opportunity. It may be that the whole affair is simply the imagining of a disordered mind. But of such material are the ranks of the Communists recruited. The crazier the, individual, short of acute mania compelling confinement, the bet- ter the radical agitator and plotter. No mentad tests are applied to the can- didates for membership in the Red organization. Just a few days ago the Ohio House of Representatives refused to repeal the war-time law against criminal syndi- calism. This case falls within the scope of that statute. Whether Kassay is individual or agent, he is by his own confession subject to the severe pen- alties prescribed by it, unless he is rated as insane, in which case he passes to ancther form of imprisonment. The case at Akron emphasizes the necessity of eternal vigilance against the subversive, destructive work of the Communists, who are frank in their ex- pression of a purpose to destroy this Government. ———— An official enjoying the extraordinary popularity of Mayor Jimmie Walker might find a new incumbent who could do the work, but scarcely one who could be 50 efficient in the line of gladsome greeting. — e Fingerprints—and Names. When Emma Kirk was strangled to death in 1926 the police found a left- thumb print on one of the old lady's eveglass lenses. Detective Sergeant Fred Sandberg enlarged the photographic copy of the print and pasted it under the glass cover of his desk. It matched none of the prints he could find on file, but some day it might match one of the hundreds of prints sent into the Washington bureau every day from police departments all over the coun- try. The fingerprint lacked one of the essentials, however. ‘There was no name on which to hang it. In the Summer of 1926 Sergeant Sand- berg was called to New Jersey as an expert witness in the Hall-Mills trial. He was there for ten days. And while he was there a circular reached the ‘Washington bureau from Denver, ask- ing the police of all cities if anybody “wanted” George Pearce Tucker for anything. The fingerprints of Tucker were attached. The police here went to their files, looked up the name of ‘Tucker, found none to correspond with the Tucker arrested in Denver, and filed the circular, with the fingerprints, for possible future reference. If Sergeant Sandberg had been here, he may have made himself famous overnight for solu- tion of a crime by chance discovery that the Denver prints matched the print under the glass cover of his desk. But he was not here, He was in New Jersey. Yesterday, when word reached police that a George Pearce Tucker had con- fessed to the Kirk crime, it took only & few minutes to check his prints against those of the Tucker arrested in Denver and a few minules more to check the left thumb print against the print under the glass cover of Sergeant Washington-Baltimore Boulevard, this method of transportation is safe and comfortable. The road is wide enough to accommodate all classes of users. But this is one of the comparatively few super-highways of the country and con- ditions of safety on it are altogether different from the average narrow ar- fitty and eixty miles an hour. Sandberg’s desk. And to all intents and purposes the crime has been solved. All of which shows the strength, and the weaknesses, of the mysterious and deadly accurate weapon held by the police in the form of identification by fingerprints. ‘When there is & name, or an alias tery, with soft shoulders at the side | that suggests a similarity in names, and with busses carrying twenty or|checking two fingerprints is a matter of more persons thundering along at forty, | minutes. But when there are no names, and merely the fingerprints, one among Obviously, there are only two alter-|millions of others, the identification is THE EVENT thousands of fingerprints every day. ‘They are filed away v the upward of three million alreadr on file in thz Division of Identification. They are filed by name, and by the natural classification of kil fingerprints. But to b one lone sci cf prints against three million, or to check the thousands received every day against the millions on file is an obvious impossibility. Some day the police of large cities like Washington may have the numer- ous expert personnel required to keep tab, daily, on the fingerprints recived | and to check them against all others, with or without the assistance of names to aid them. Until then the matching of anonymous prints, and solutions of crime thereby, will be left mainly in the hands of fiction writers. But at that the prints under the glass top of Ser-| geant Sandberg's desk came in handy. ————— | “Uncle Sam” Thompson. With the appointment of Sam H. Thompson of Illinois to the Federal Farm Board, in succession to Alexander | Legge, President Hoover has placed upon that body one of American agri- | |culture’s most seasoned veterans. ‘The | | appointment is significant in two other | { respects. Not only is Mr. Thompson | the long-trusted head of the American Farm Bureau Federation, but he was in the forefront of the McNary-Haugen equalization fee fight and an ardent ad- vocate of that now discarded and dis- credited panacea for farm relief. His acceptance of a placc on the Fed- eral Farm Board indicates that “Uncle {Sam" Thompson is a convert to the principles underlying the agricultural marketing act of 1929, which created | the board. Equalization fee, export | debenture and price-fixing are no part of tne act’s intent, even though the “Stabilization Corporation,” formed last vear, frankly aims at pegging the price of wheat in a disastrously falling mar- ket. But it is an emergency measure, pure and simple. Time is bound to show that it effectively served its un- orthodox purpose. The leader of the Farm Bureau Fed- | eraticn, one of the oldest and largest unions of agriculturists in the United States, is a firm believer in the policies | |and program of the Federal Farm |Board. Mr. Thompson, like other | spokesmen of the soil, does not contend that the marketing act has produced the rural millennium. But he holds | that it has advanced the all-underlying idea of co-operative selling substantially | and successfully, and is, therefore, pro- | gressively accomplishing the paramount | task of helping the farmer to help himself. “Uncle Sam” Thompson's elevation to the official agricultural council of the Nation is a good thing for the Farm Beard, for the farmers and for the country. - Nobel prizes were intelligently pro- vided for but could not quite forestall the possibility, which arises frequently in competitive demonstration, of argu- ments with the referee. e Hopeful natures are ccnfident not only that there will not be another war but also that arrangements can prevent gangsters and hold-up men from carry- ing on battle as a private enterprise. ———— A good comedian is not in too great a hurry to demand his place in the center of the stage. Huey Long displays good showmanship in allowing his na- tional audience to wait for him. e ‘When President Hoover takes a brief vacation trip, several American states- men who oppose him find opportunity for a period of recuperation. o Airplanes have their tragedies. They are also swift and effectual messengers of mercy when human distress sends out a call. R SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Life of Idieness. I envy lives of loitering ease, With every hour supposed to please; Where every clock sends forth its chime In silver tones of tippling rhyme; ‘Where beauty blends with rest And all seems for the best. | If such a blissful place I find, ©Oh, what will be my state of mind? Would I sit down with useless hands? Some busy thought each mind demands. | Could I shun honest care | And just play solitaire? Concurrent Sentiment. “Your friends say you need a vaca- tion.” “Opinions on that point are unani- mous,” said Senator Sorghum, “though motives differ. My enemies say the same thing.” Jud Tunkins says it's easier to inter- est people in something they don't understand. If you make something perfectly plain they're sure that with a little time they'd have thought it out for themselves. Among Men and Nations. ‘What human kind has met In its career of doubt, Is getting into debt And trying to get out! No Ovation Desired. “We are going to give you a grand ovation the next time you come to Crimson Gulch. Everybody will stand around and gaze at you and wailt for you to say a few words.” “Don't do it,” protested Cactus Joe. “I know it'll all be meant in friendship. But the last man I saw treated that way was a feller that had been caught stealin’ hosses.” Those Examination Papers. We never quite get out of school. The income tax applies this rule, And punishment will prove quite strong If we should get the answer wrong. “Our vices,” said Hi Ho the sage of Chinatown, “create more interest, and for that reason sometimes appeal to an unfortunate sense of vanity. The vil- lage inebriate is reprehensible, but he is at least famous.” - Avenue Observation. The buildings show us many a freak As we look up and down. To put one up will take a week, And years to pull it down. natives to correct a situation that is|another thing entirely. The police here rapldly approaching the acute stage.|receive hundreds of circulars every day “Dey is talkin’ 'bout evolution again,” Wider roads must be constructed or!bearing fingerprints. The Division of 'said Uncle Eben. “I is neither fur it and slower be, Identification of the Buresu of Investi- nor ag'in’ it bein’ as gation, Department of Justice, regeives infuence in de question I ain’ got any NG | tion, Mr. Stone was asked to detail his | of the Burley Tobacco Growers’ Co-op- STAR, WASHINXN! 190 PRIDAY. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Birds are late in arriving this year. Even to the natural bowers to the north of our great city, where the bird pulation is the highest in the land, lew have yet come. o One or two robins have been seen and the cardinals, loveliest and most faith- ful of birds, are at hand, but the re- mainder of these friends are yet absent. Perhaps it is too early to expect them in_numbers. There is a small feathered fellow of mingled brown and gray, with a sort of crest on his head, who sits in a tree and calls,. “Pussy, pussy, pussy, pussy!” He is called, in our neighborhood, the pussy-bird, on account of his melodious cry. y * % % ¥ So far there has been little twittering at_dawn. Last year, about a month later, it is true, the noise about 4 am. was deaf- ening. Scores of invisible twitters engaged lustily in a contest to sec which could make the most noise. It would have been a stretch of the meaning to have called their cries| songs. Mostly it was noise, peculiarly loud, on account of the time of day. This clamor lasted for about a half hour, after which it would die down, ! with real bird songs standing out thereafter. | * kK X That preliminary blast, beginning just as the violet lights appeared through the trees to the east, resembled the tuning up of a symphony orchestra. Now there is no other aggregate sound in the world like that of a great orchestra tuning up. The little runs and trills of the flutes combine with | the hoarse muted tones of the big horns, and the tests across the four | strings of the violin with the throaty | runs of the golden har | Only the morning songs of the birds | can equal it, unless it be the opening strains of the overture to Wagner's | “Flying Dutchman.” Recently this has been popular on the radio, with the re- sult that millions of persons never knew when it began, but thought it was the instruments being put in tune. A bird song must be taken by itself, if ‘the listener wants to appreciate it. The morning cacophony with which | they greet the world is scarcely praise- worthy, unless one enjoys tuning-up. | Some do. And certainly there is a strange de- ght in listening to the weird sounds of cither human or bird orchestra, as they blow and tootle their hardest, as if | each, man or bird, was determined to make himself heard above the pack. o It is too early to see what effect the drought has had on the bird population. | It would seem at this writing as if there were to be far fewer birds this | Spring than last. . ‘We will watch with interest their ar- rival. To date there are only the cardi- nals, a few blue jays, the so-called pussy-bird and a few small brown fel- lows we fondly imagine to be wrens. Occasionally a flock of blackbirds | settles in the yard, to peck eagerly at| invisible things, and then to fly away together. ‘The drought must have worked havoc among them all. Surely there should | be more of them in evidence at this| date, especially after the comparatively | milder days of the past three or four | weeks. | e s Birds are companionable creatures, pleasant to have around, interesting in their comings and goings. They have been associated with mankind since the dawn of history. His earliest attempts WASHINGTON | to fly were patterned after those of the birds, and his last and most successful one uses bird principles. ‘Thess feathered vertebrates, close kin to men, are imperishably enshrined in such proverbs as “Birds of a feather flock together,” “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” “The bird is flown,” “Killing two birds with one stone,” ete. & A bird's-eye view is more famous, a view, than any man's-eye view, al- though since the advent of the plane man has been able to see eye to eye with his small friend. LR It will be well for householders to pay more attention this season to the plain necessities of their feathered guests than ever before. Not only may they need water if the drought continues, “but f as well. Bird baths need constant replenishment if they are to be of any use to thé birds. It is no uncommon thing to see such basins as dry as bones. Water should be put in them regu- larly, therefore, if they are to be any- thing but ornaments. ‘The same applies to bird feeding sta- tions. These may be secured in attrac- tive patterns, but householders will find it necessary to keep them filled with seed and suet. It is wise to place such stations as high as possible, and at the tips of limbs along which cats will not dare to ven- ture. A Books on birds and bird life are many and interesting. In them the amateur may,_ find much that will instruct and amuse him. It will not be possible to learn to recognize the birds from books, but at least a beginning may be made in_this fasrion. The difficulty in recognizing birds by this method is that of any attempt which involves the difference between the real thing and tke pictures, no mat- ter how well done or colored. The descripton says, “a_small brown bird,” so many inches long, with a crest, etc. Now, that seems easy enough —a small brown bird, so many inches long, with crest. The unwary reader might think he would recognize such a creature at sight. But the moment the bird appears in a tree, he discovers that he has no way of measuring it! It may or may not be the required number of inches. If it kas a crest, it is imvisible from this distance, and one is entirely at sea, too, upon the point whether it is large or small, * ®wk One who knows birds by long ac- quaintance can tell the amateur more about them in an hour than all the books ever written. There! That one is a song Sparrow. The various marks, the distinctive points, are told in the twinkling of an eye, while the subject is bobbing up and down on yonder branch. Some peculiarity of the bird is brought out, something distinctivey which makes its recognition again comparatively easy. ‘When one considers the interesting matter of bird songs, he finds himself bewildered by the books. There is some- thing entirely queer about bird whistles. ‘They never sound, in reality, just as do the notes when put down in music symbols. Even when whistled by one who can read at sight, such musical notations lack the original something or other in- kerent in every bird song. The only way to learn them is by listening at first hand to the bird in the bush and frequently associating the song with the bird. Some of them, such as the call of the almost invisible whip-poor-will, are known since childhood. OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Even though Washington for the time being is without both a President and a Congress, the ship of state sails serenely and busily on. Little birds are whispering that for some time past the Government, departments have been | working at unusually high pressure !ll‘ along the line, on special orders from | the Chief Engineer. This doesn’t mean | that Mr. Hoover found anybody loafing | on the job. It rathers appears to be the fact that he has evolved a large num- ber of new propositions, which call for extra hustle and bustle, because they have to be tackled in addition to and alongside the regular grind of Uncle Sam’s business. The executive branch, when Congress is in session, always has tp keep a weather eye peeled in the direction of Capitol Hill. That takes time and attention from the routine ac- tivities of department heads, assistant secretaries and division chiefs. Now that Senate and House are off the map for a while, all hands can clear for in- tensive action at the administrative end | of Pennsylvania avenue, and full steam ahead will be the order of the day un- til December comes again. * ¥k * James C. Stone, the new chairman of the Federal Farm Board, hails from Lexington, Ky., heart of the Blue Grass horse country. He even confesses to an interest in a racing stable. When the appointees to the Farm Board were be- fore the Senate Committee on Agricul- ture in 1929, pending their confirma- business connections. Among them he listed his partnership in a string of ponies_that sometimes come in first. “But I think I ought to add,” Stone said to the committee, “that I don’t know whether a racing stable is an asset or a liability.” Legge's successor at the Farm Board was the organizer erative Marketing Association, which showed raisers of the weed in Dixie for the first time how to deal with the buyers of their product on something approaching equal terms. “That’s ex- actly what Congress meant to do for the farmer,” Chairman Stone explains, “when it passed the agricultural mar- keting act.” * Kk * Since Mr. Hoover's plans to visit the Caribbean were announced, & mistaken thought has found wide expression, to the effect that he is the first President of the United States to visit Porto Rico. A native of the island, now a resident of this country, recalls that President Roosevelt tarried in Porto Rico on his return trip from the Pan- ama Canal, then under construction. “Teddy” landed at Ponce, in the south of the island, and crossed Porto Rico in an automobile over the famous military road. The colonel was so entranced by the scenic beauty of the country that he christened Porto Rico *“America’s Switzerland.” * * The Smithsonian Institution is now figuring in an investigation just started by the United States district attorney in New York City. The investigation concerns the “Smithsonian Scientific Series,” consisting of a collection of elaborate volumes dealing with the wonders and glories of the institution, particularly its scientific achievements. The district attorney wants to find out to what extent the publishers of the books wer> authorized to use the name of the famous branch of the National Museum at Washi in connection with their high-pressure sales methods. Agents, one of Whom canvassed Wash- ingtonians in high positions this Win- ter, represented that 5 to 10 per cent of the proceeds of sales went to the in- stitution. The gentleman who was working the Capital proudly exhibited the names of a goodly number of dis- tinguished local signatures to $500 con- tracts for the series. John J. Raskob, according to testimony developed in New York, ordered a “first edition™ of the set at the price just mentioned. * ok oK ¥ John Joseph Leary, -jr., of New York, who has just been aj by - as & “Roosevelt Republican” in politics. That didn't interfere with a 12-year gssociation with the late Democrat.c New York World as its labor editor. Leary probably calls more American labor leaders by their first names than any man alive. He won the Pulitzer prize for the most notable work of a reporter in 1919, the test being strict accuracy and terseness in dealing with the coal strike of that year. Another of Leary’s distinctions is the silver but- ton of honorary membership in their “Mutual Welfare League,” awarded him by the convicts in Sing Sing Prison for his interest in their affairs. “Talks with T. R.” Leary's book on Roosevelt, attracted national attention 11 years ago because the early editions were withdrawn by the publishers on account of some statements to which super- ardent Rooseveltians took objection. * K kK Dr. Chao-Chu Wu, astute Chinese minister in Washington, recently sub- mitted for the consideration of the Nationalist government at Nanking two proposals of vast importance. He cabled them to the Central Executive Commit- tee of the Nationalist party, of which he is a member, and which is the power behind the Nanking throne. One of Dr. Wu's proposals calls for the hold- ing of 2 great people’s convention, for discussion of all the questions which confront the Chinese nation. The other projects the partition of China’s 26 existing provinces into several times that number by carving the larger prov- inces into two or three separate ones. The government has both schemes under advisement. Dr. Wu explains that cer- tain sprawling provinces like Szechwan, Yunan and Chihli are so enormous in extent that it s practically impossible for the local or national authorities to administer them, because of the lack of communications and othsr draw- backs. _Although China is bigger than 2ll of North America, from the Cana- dian border to the Isthmus of Panama, it contains only 8,000 miles of railroad, which are fewer than those embraced in the Pennsylvania System. * ok Kk There's genuine rejoicing at the State Department over the news that the fa- mous American daily newspaper at ‘Tokio, the Japan Advertiser, is to re- sume publication on March 26. The paper’s entire plant was wiped out by fire last November—the second disaster to overtake it, for it was destroyed seven years earlier by the Japanese earthquake. The Advertiser's indefati- gable editor and publisher, B. W. Fleisher, who went to the Far East from Phila- delphia 25 years u?o, has long been one of the pillars of Japanese-American friendship. His journal exercises wide influence throughout the Orient. Al- though published in Tokio (with both Yankee editorial and mechanical staffs) the Advertiser is consistently and fear- lessly American in its point of view. Secretary Stimson and all his predeces- sors in our time have looked upon the Japan Advertiser as a valuable outpost of the United States on the other side of the globe. (Copyright, 1931) . SYSIP Page Mr. Volstead. From the Memphis Commercial Appe And now we are in favor of adding got]hquor to the other liquors prohibited y law. ———— Some Progress, From the Dayton Daily News. Detrolt is reforming. They are begin- ning to close the speakeasies that are near schools, instead of shutting down the schools. Taxing Away Warfare. From the Ban Prancisco Chronicle. Doubtless warfare will continue until somebocy thinks to erect a mammoth bronze ttatue of & tax receipt. PR e Monuments. From the New Castle New, dent Hoover {9 investigate European m agency -yitu. was an dem velt, and sl publicly deaciibes Bl Few of our xtnoohlor public mohnummh were statesmen who made & practice of angwering direct ques- Wone Wit o0 Abemy .o MARCH 1931 20 Home Declared Better Than’ Nursery School To the Editor of The Star: According to reports of plans existing in the minds of educational “progres- sives,” our school system is to be | augmented by a subfamily of nursery schools designed to relieve parents of responsibility for their children shortly after teething sets in. For six hours daily, five days a week, infants from the age of 18 months onward are to be nursed out of public funds or private charity until the kindergarten ai matically reccives them for regimenta- tion into first grade. Does the American home need nursery schools? Consider the program: At 9 o'clock the children assemble to be looked over by the nurse, who sends home any child “with slight defects, such as colds.” Each child gets & drink of water. At 10 o'clock orange juice is administered. Next comes constructive play, “planned to induce whole-arm movements with the idea of muscle de- velopment.” " Then follows a “period of At 11 is served a dinner “of things specially good for youngsters, whose idiosyncrasies of food likes and dislikes are eliminated.” Then the children are put to bed for two hours, Then they get another drink of water. At 3, papa or mama comes to take the child home. Now, what is there in this schedule tlat the home cannot provide? Should the symptoms of common colds? Either their physician or a_handbook will help them qualify to look down the child's throat and hunt out disturbing details. There is indeed a power of good in Idrinklng water, but as a mere man re- marks, it seems a long way to send a child for a drink of water. Orange juice, too, may be administered at home, the child’s little chair being set by the child’s little table, as at school, ile he drinks, ys “inducing whole arm movements” prevail rather generally in homes blessed with healthy babies who busy themselves tossing a rubber ball, pushing chairs about, “helping mother” make beds, and so on. It has long been acknowledged that no set of prescribed excreises can rival in value the unhampered, un- directed play of children. The ‘“rest period” follows naturally at home, the l&nby ceasing his activity when he gets red. As for the “good dinner,” used as an inducement to draw these infants from home, how many mothers will confess their inability to prepare a mid- day meal of vegetable soup, mashed potatoes, turnips and brown bread, with possibly cottage cheese on & let- tuce leaf, and a baked apple? As to “eliminating idiosyncrasies,” do parents confess to such spinelessness as an in- ability to correct children’s table man- sically, it would appear that the only useful purpose served by the nur: ery school is in its capacity of orphanage, an institution ministering to children for whom an ordered home life is an entire impossibility. From the view- point of moral and mental health, a side is presented which right-thinking people cannot ignore, and which can- not be dealt with briefly. ELLA FRANCES LYNCH. —————— |Economic Ills Blamed On Lack of Currency To the Editor of The Star: The conference of the Republican- Democratic Progressives ended its pub- lic sessions at about 5:30 p.m., 12th :n- stant. Never in recent years, in my judg- ment, has a more earnest body of sin- cere, thoroughly informed ‘America: men and women conferred, intelligent- ly voiced, reported by committees and passed by unanimous votes upon an agenda submitted for discussion. Under the caption of “Industrial Stabilization” of the agenda, one speak- er stated that “money” was at the bot- tom of all industrial non-employment and of agricultural depression in the Untted States, especially. I was sur- prised and disappointed that the sub- Ject of primary, non-redeemable, coined money was not discussed. However, de- flation of cur currency after the World ‘War was mentioned by one speaker. Let me call attention to the fact that after the Civil War there was deflation of the “greenback” and that deflation was primarily, if not solely, the cause of the panic of 1873. After the World War the Federal Reserve Board deflated our currency and immediately there- after (except for one and a half years of mad stock and land speculation) the production of the farm lessened in money return to the farmer, though prices con- tinued to rise higher and higher to the consumer until, in the Federpl Reserve Board's deflation, the Uni States reached the financial and economic condition it is in now. Wiat a national tragedy! Wheat at 79 cents a bushel! Cold-storage plants overflowing with butter, eggs, fruits, meats, etc., and irom five to seven millions of men out of employment, from two to three mil- lions ‘on part-time employment, maxed with nearly twenty-five million men, women and children living far be- low the usual American standard -of some starving, some semi- relieve these conditions, in my judg- ment, is the remonetization of silver. ‘There is not money enough ready, in pockets or in banks—money in the pos- session of our 122,000,000 of people. There is not in circulation $5 per per- son. Four or five per cent of the pop- ulation, if not fewer, possess 75 to 80 per cent of our wealth and ready money. From 1928 to 1929 there was $65,000,000,000 in bank credits—not doliars, but credits. To whose credit? To the credit of corporations and trusts, the 90 or 95 per cent of the owners, possessors of American wealth. Ninety to ninety-five per cent of work- ing, producing Americans are virtually money-beggars with a paltry $4,500,000- 000 of gold reserve—mostly in bullion, not even represented in toto, but by a small part in paper currency—for the wants of 122,000,000 Americans. Eight hundred million people, who have used silver as money since gold and silver have been in use as a medium of ex- change, forced to a gold standard; non- employment, starvation and death for hundreds of thousands of them, I¢ss of trade the world over. Every country in Europe, Asia and Africa, all the people of the United States also, would welcome & gold and silver primary money. At this writing the United States and France hold about $8,500,000,000 of the $11,000,000- 000 of coined and bullion gold in the world. .There is not nearly enough coined bullion and hoarded gold in the world today to meet the money wants of the world’s people, especially the American people. It is up to our Government to call upon the nations of the world to send representatives to Washington for the purpose, and for that purpose only, of making both gold and silver once more primary money. If such a call is made every nation in the world will gladly respond, even France with her $3,000,000,000 in gold. W. E. RYAN. Clearer Bankruptcy Notices Advocated To the Editor of The Sta) ‘As many people are resorting to the bankrupt law, the published notices in bankruptcy cases are very misleading. ‘The Washington City Directory, 1931, contained 10 similar names of one of the published bankrupts recently. The address of such parties should also ac- company the names in published notices of such action being taken; or the names of the business the parties were engaged in, or their occupation, etc., somethin; to designate which individual of the 10 named above had taken advantage of the bankrupt law to “settle” his €st” debts. This law, like many of the flimsy laws of our so-called latter-day legislators, needs revising by an expert to prohibit people from robbing their creditors by securing some shyster lawyer, and they are getting numerous, to aid them in juestionable task. It seems '}:‘ee“ vernment to ald its citizens “hold up” each other by & 50~ legal manner, )il for Go to actually not parents know, or learn to know, | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Many readers send in questions si- _ed only with initials, asking that the an- swers appear in the newspaper. The space is limited and would not accom- modate a fraction of such requests. The answers published are ones that may interest many readers, rather than the one who a "5 the question only. All questions should be accompanied by the writer's name and address and 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send your question to The Evening Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, direct -, Washington, D. C. @. What was the song Ruth Chatter- ton sang in “Sarah and Son"?—A.C.D. A. It was “Wiegenlied,” by Brahms. Q. Where do radio sets?—F. A. About 90 per cent of the radio sets in use in Mexico are American { made. the Mexicans buy their K. Q. What are the average earnings of wage earners in industry?—W. L. _A. Estimates only are possible. Va- rious economists have estimated them as $23.17, $24.61 and $27. Q. Is the present-day ested in the drama?—B. A. It is said that a spontaneous ama- teur theater movement has sprung up in the Soviet Union. Performances take place in factory towns. workers write, produce and act their own plays. There are some 35,000 of these club theaters in cities and towns and about 30,000 in the villages. Troops, known as Blue Blossers, travel about the country, performing before local trade unions and peasant clubs. Their reper- toire includes songs, acrobatics, dances and satirical sketches. There are about 10,000 of these. In the Spring of 1928 there were 8,767 motion picture display places in the Soviet Union. age height of men -E. J. 5 feet 9 inches. lAb! meant by a “rump par- —A. G. . It _has grown to mean a parlia- ment which no longer represents the will of the majority of the people. The famous Rump Parliament in English his- tory was the Long Parliament, after it was purged by Pride of all but the independents in 1648. Q. How many caribou are there in continental United States>—M. D. A. There are 400 caribou. They are on Isle Royale, in Lake Superior. Q. What is the population of Macao? —B. M. A. Macao, a country under the Por- tuguese government, is one of the most sensely populated countries in the world. 1t has a population of 74,668, and the population per square mile is 18,667. cli- | P& Q. Please describe Italy’s flag.—G. A. A A. The royal standard of Italy con- sists of a square blue field, on which is centered the national coat of arms. When Napoleon made the northern provinces of Italy into a kingdom in 1805 he gave it a flag of three colors— green next to the flagstaff, white in the middle and red at the fly end. This flag disappeared when Napoleon was overthrown, but was revived when Vic- tor Emmanuel, King of Sardinia and a member of the house of Savoy, became Russia inter- | J. Village club | |King. At the present day Italy's flag | consists of the Savoy arms, surmounted by a crown, on the central white verti- m:, stripe of Napoleon's green, white and red. Q. Does the Salvation Army in this country contribute to the Salvation Army in Great Britain?>—E. P. A. The Salvation Army says that it | does not. Some misapprehension has |arisen because of the fact that the in- | ternational headquarters of the Salva- tion Army is located in London, England, | but no foreign country contributes to its support. The missionary enterprises, how- ever, are directed from the international headquarters, and every country makes contributions to the missionary field in the same manner as each church makes contributions thraugh some central source. The Salvation Army mission- ary operations are supported through what is known as a self-denial fund. This is brought to the attention of Sal- vation Army members, adherents and friends every year. The proceeds of this fund are divided equally between home and foreign missions, Q. From what part of Africa did mest of the Negroes come as slaves to this country?—W. A. T A. Most of them wer2 brought from the Guinea coast, on the western coast of Africa. | @. Is the saratoga larger than any battleship?—A. M | "A. The U. 5. . Saratoga, airplane | carrier, is the flagship of the Carrier | Division, and is the largest ship of the | United States Navy. Its normal dis- placement is 33,000 tons and its length | over all is 880 feet. | Q In what year did the regular lighting of the Statue of Liberty begin? —M. McD. A. Arrangement for the permanent lighting of the Siatue of Liberty was | made on December 2, 1916. | Q Wnat is the new canal which is contemplated by France?—W, B. L. A. Numerous Senators have united in a special committee to advocate crea- tion of a French two-sea canal from Bordeaux, on the Atlantic coast, to Narbonne, on the Mediterranean. Such a canal would make it possible for the French war fleet to go from the ocean to the Mediterranean in less than two days and without passing under the British guns at Gibraltar. It would shorten the route from Great Britain and Northern Europe to the Mediter- ranean, the Suez and India by 1,100 miles. It would provide adequate pro- tection against floods which periodically devastats Southwestern Prance. Cost of the canal would be about $2,000,- 000,000. B Q. What countries use the largest and smallest stamps?—H. A. A stamp dealer sa: {largest stamp that is used comes from China and the smallest from Victoria. Q. How many islands are there in | the Scilly group off the southern coast of England?—D. E. g A. There are about 40 of the Scilly Islands, but only five of them are in- habited. Q. Is there a tree called the “ague” tree?—M. N. B. The sassafras tree is sometimes the ague tree. A. called Country Offers Estimates Of Progressive Conference Numerous conclusions have been drawn by the country as to the results of the recent conference of members of Congress who are interested in progres- sive policies. Most favorable among the appraisals are those which emphasize the thought that the conference offered a forum for general discussion of proj- ects which may or may not be satis- factory to the country. Another phase deals with the effect on party organiza- tions, with special reference to the Democratic party or to a third party, although leaders of the conference de- nied any intention to leave the old parties. “Two major effects” which are em- phasized by the Topeka Daily Capital are “the focusing of attention on the conference itself and on committee reports to be made next December which are calculated to bring progressivism out of the clouds and advise the public as to its concrete meaning.” That paper holds that “adoption of a definite pro- gram or platform understood widely by the people would be a long step toward ultimate formation of a Progressive Tty. “The ‘Progressive’ leaders,” says the New Orleans Times-Picayune, “appear to be ‘feeling their way’ toward a hard- and-fast offensive and defensive alli- ance between their members in both the old parties. That, we gather, will be their major effort between now and next year's election. That they are by no means confident of its success is indi- cated by their cautious approach to the formulation of ‘concrete’ legislative pro- posals, by their conference’s avoidance of such controversial issues as, for fa- miliar example, prohibition, and by their unwillingness to break boldly away from the old parties and set up one of their own.” “The influence of the conference,” in the opinion of the Newark Evening News, ill be shown most impressively by the selection of presidential candi- dates of the major parties. The in- surgents have indicated a preference for Gov. Roosevelt over other Democratic candidates. In this they may have overplayed their hand. Mr. Roosevelt is carrying great deal of ill-assorted baggage at an early stage in the cam- paign. _Insurgent approval adds much to his load. With the wets and drys, the Southern Democrats, Raskob Demo- crats and Tammany Hall he has enough diverse elements to juggle with. If the insurgents have done nothing else, they have focused attention on the need of a liberal and a conservative party.” EEE “Both the Republican and Democratic parties have reason for brow-wrinkling,” thinks.the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “when any such meetings are being held. The danger of a third f:"y is not less, but greater, now than in 1912, when Rooseveit’s leadership of the Pro- gressives cost the Republicans an elec- tion. The political opinion to which the Progressives appealed at that time has persisted and has grown tremendously “Where can the Progressives make their power felt?” asks the Kansas City Star, with the answer to the query: “In Congress? Maybe so. But there are the President and his veto power to be reckoned with. So it goes. Yet there ought to be, and is, a place for the Progressives. And it is primarily in Congress, not because they can or should get across all the legislation they ad- vance, but because they can and should set up demands that may gain a fair hearing. They can be a stimulus to the party reguiars, who may lean as far in one direction as the Progressives in another. But somewhere, and to the extent the Progressives provoke and stand for genuine issues, a fair balance may be struck, extremes in either direc- tion avoided and legislation of & soum:l, and essential nature may be the result. “It is not remonstrance, least of all fear, that should be provoked by the utterances and resolves of the Progres- sives,” believes the New York Times. “Rather is it a kindly word of warning. 8 | They cannot do what they set out to rform. They will soon be placing Eh!em.selves in the position, which they abhor, of making promises to the people which they are unable to keep. Yet their enthusiasm, their ardor for im- rovement, nwm yaluable an asset in gur publie e to incontinently brushed aside. Some o! p may live to see jeved a part of thélg desires. Let us Bope that none of them'yill be- come discouraged as not contin joy of glorious f even part may well be discussed” is welcomed by the Des Moines Tribune-Capital, rece ognizing that “periods of vagueness have come and gone before,” and that “possibly the real significance of this . Progressive drumbeating is that this particular period of vagueness is be- ginning to approach its end.” The Rock Island Argus offers the judgment: “The gathering of a group of assorted radi- cals would be of no great importance were it not for two things. In the first place, such & meeting, with its accom- panying publicity, aggravates the busi- ness depression, because it creates the imy n in some minds that the country is afflicted with so many ills that the situation is well nigh hope- less. And in the second place it so hap- pens that'those who made up the con- ference will occupy positions of great influence in the next Congress.” * kK * Feeling that “it is too bad that any one ever called a conference of Pro- gressives” the Omaha World-Herald voices the judgment: “Your true Pro- gressive will not compromise. He is the one apostle of the true light and the rest of the world is made up of people of only two kinds—those who are for him and those who are against him. Those who are against him are untouchables. He will not make con- cessions to them or accept concessions from them. He scorns to show toward them any of the wiles of diplomacy. They are the enemy. It is little short of inhumanity to bring such individual- ists into the conference chamber, to ex- pect them to be tactful and friendly and constructive. If they were thus, they would not be progressive.” “The Progressives are looking to the Democratic party as the hope of salva- tion,” thinks the Charlotte Observer, with the further statement: “It is pos- sible, judged by the existing trend of thought, that the Progressives, instead of promoting the new party plan, may come over to the Democracy and help elect the next President. Sentiment is developing in favor of Roosevelt, and it is reasonably sure that if the Pro- gressives should join forces with the Democrats and unite on Roosevelt the next occupant of the White House will be a Democrat.” ‘Coalition between the West and the Democratic party has long been a dream of liberals,” states the Richmond News- Leader, but the Savannah Morning News holds that the Progressives “vote the straight Republican ticket at the polls,” and the Charlotte News, observ- ing that “there is much in their theories that Democrats should not condone,' advises that “the party leaders had bet- ter beware how they carry on with them.” The Houston Chronicle charges: “Chaos and pandemonium seem dear to their hearts. System and consistency :and’ practicality would crush their poetic uls. More favorable to the possibly last- ing results of the conference is the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat, with the conclusion that “never has the Na- tion called so loudly for unselfish lead- ership” as at present. The San Jose Mercury-Herald indorses the contention of Senator Moses that “there is evi- dence of seething in several sections of the country, but the seethers cannot get together, because they have no ideas in common,” and the Sioux Falls Argus- Leader makes the apprajsal, “One gains the impression that the confer- ence consists in the main of shrewd politicians who are attempting to capi- talize upon the prevalent unrest for their personal advantage,” e More Talk, Less Explosives. From the Springfield (Mass.) Republican. Gen. Butler's quitting o enie: the lectu e il mear more won't has explosive matter in it. o N Too Far Away. !‘ruT’:ho Savannsh Morning News. “124 Gangsters Sent to Prison.” That is a heading in big type. But—pshaw! —it isn’t from Chicago, but from some outlandishly named town in Sicily. Elusive Water. From the Charleston (W, Va.) Daily Mail.