Evening Star Newspaper, April 12, 1931, Page 28

THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY.........April 12, 1931 | The Evening Star Newspaper Company | Businass Office 11th St. and Pennsyl ©h Offi mlf’l‘( l;\gk‘zh gan \caxo. Office: Lake Siropean Office: 14 Regent ., ‘SHEODORE W. NOYES....Editor nia Ave. 4nd gt utlding. Tondon, . Rate by Carrier Within the City. =The Evening Star.... 45c per month | e Evening and Sinda ) 3 undays) and 0c per month | . "% 65 per month | e per cony | Sollect e «t the end of each month | Qrders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. o Maryland and Virginia. Dally und Sunday Daily only . Sunday only . All Other States and Canada. fiv end Sunday...l1y ‘Member of the Associaled Press. The Assoclated Press s exclusively entitled | fo'the use for republication of all news dis- atches credited (o t otherwise cred- | d in o the local news published 'herein of pubiication of Tpecial dispatches herein are aiso reserved. = = 0: 1 $500; 1 mo.. McAdoo, Insurgent. ‘William Gibbs McAdoo, former Secr tary of the Treasury and a son-‘n-lI of the late President Woodrow Wilson, will have nothing to do with the Raskob “home rule plan” for the control of the liquor traffic. That was to be expected. The memory of the Madison Square Garden convention of the Demo- cratic party in 1924, with Mr. McAdoo cast in the stellar role for the ardent drys, is still a vivid one. But Mr. McAdoo his declined to serve on a reception committezs of Democrats in Los Angeles to welcome Jouett Shouse, the chairman of the Democratic Na- tional Committee’s Exscutive Commit- tee, giving as his reason opposition to the Raskob recommendations. . Mr. Shouse has painstakingly ex- plained that his trip through the West is not to sell the Raskob recommenda- tions, including the “home rule plan.” He has said that he is meking the tour in the interest of the Democratic ‘party. However, Mr. Shouse is the ‘choice of Mr. Raskob for the executive head of the Democratic organization now functioning with headquarters in ‘Washington. In the opinion of Mr. McAdoo it is not possible for Mr. Shouse to disassociate himself from the ideas and recommendations of his chief, Mr. Raskob, even if he wishes to do so. So Mr. McAdoo will have mone of Mr. Shouse. The declination of Mr. McAdoo to serve on the Shouse Reception Com- anittee is just another indication of the cleavage in the party over the wet and dry question. Mr. McAdoo does mot | intend, if he can help i, to have the great West subscribe to the “home Tule plan” or anything else which would upset national prohibition. It is his contention that if the Demo- ‘crats will tackle the unemployment problem intelligently they may win the national election next year. If the party makes prohibition the major issue of the campaign, taking the “wet” side, Mr. McAdoo looks for certain and disastrous defeat. There are a ot of other Democrats who take the same view as Mr. McAdoo. But they do not make much of a hit with the wet Democrats of New York, New Jer- | sey, Massachusetts and Illinois, for example. - It is a matter of public interest, | however, when Mr. McAdoo breaks | definitely with the Demccratic national | organization to the extent of declining | to serve on a committee picked to re- ceive the executive director. Whether | it is prophetic of an attempt on the part of Mr. McAdco to take an active | if not a leadirg part in party affairs| again does not now appear. Certainly | at the time of the 1928 Democratic Na- | tional Convention Mr. McAdoo was about as dead pclitically as he could well be. His failure to win the nomi- pation in 1924, coupled with the deter- mination of a majority of the Demo- | erats to nominate his arch oppcnent, | Al Smith, brought his political fortunes | to a low ebb in 1928. Is he to lead a | Tevolt mow in the West agatnst the | Smith-Raskob-Shouse leadership cf the | Democratic party? | Mr. Shouse, taking the position that | he is representative of an organization | which is working for all Democrats, has | declined to enter upcn a controversy with Mr. McAdoo. He has heaped a few | ashes on Mr. McAdoo's head, however, | 1924 convention as a Democrat from Kansas he had suppcrted the candidacy | 6f Mr. McAdoo for the presidential nomination. e One advantage that may be claimed for the new end-to-end parking regula- 50c ; she could be a citizen. oughfare below. could be painted with the different col- ors of the bus lines, gray, red, blue, or, taking a tip from the taxis, pink and purple, green and scarlet, etc. Escala- tors, runing to the east side of Four- teenth street, would provide easy access for the bus-riding populace. Somebody ought to be able to work in an emblem or so, such as Mercury slapping Apollo on the wrist. It might be better, though, to pre- serve this colonnade setback as a ter- minal for the Washington, Alexandria & Mount Vernon Railway, the tracks !to be elevated as far as the bridge, and put the bus terminal at the Lincoln Memorial. S Eligibility to Citizenship. Miss Marle Averlll Bland's eligibility {to citizenship will soon be tested in the | United States Supreme Court an appeal brought by the government | through nd Circuit ruled that from a decision of the S Court of Appeals, which because of M that she would “take up arms” in de- fense of this count:ry, if necessary. Great interest surrounds the case be- causz of the Supreme Court's previous adverse decision regarding the applica- tion of Madame Rosika Schwimmer, an internationally known pacifist without ‘nationalistic sense, but only a cosmic consciousness of belonging to the hu- man family.” Some, but not all, of the points involved in the Schwimmer case | are contained in the Bland case. Miss Bland was a war nurse with the Canadian forces overseas during the World War and nursed American sol- diers at Brest. She says she would nurse again and in the front line, if necessary, and otherwise do what she could for her country in event of war, but she could not swear to kill any- body or take up arms. Unlike Madame Schwimmer, she says she has no inten- tion or desire to influence others to be- come pacifists or conscientious objec- tors. But there is only a shade of dif- ference between her case and the Madame Schwimmer case. Many lieve that the Supreme Court. .o be consistent, must debar Miss Biand. One of the interesting aspects of the test is that it is relatively new. The Constitution empowered Congress to establish “an uniform rule of natural- ization.” The down for admission to citizenship was that the allen must have lived in the United States for two years and should be willing and able to take an oath of allegiance. The residence period was lengthened to five years in 1795 and the alien was forced to convince proper au- thorities that during that time he had “behaved as a man of good moral character attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the same.” He was also obligated to “defend the Constitution of the United States.” In 1906 the oath of allegiance was broadened to read: “support and defend the Constitution and Jaws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” ‘When we entered the World War the Naturalization Bureau began asking prospective citizens if they were “will- ing, if necessary, to take up arms in de- fense of this country.” The question is retained on one sheet of the prelim- inary petition which every alien must fill out. Those who refuse to answer the question are eliminated, as citizens, without further consideration of the merits. The Bland case is one of sev- eral brought to test the necessity for an affirmative answer. The question, of course, is a trick question. Miss Bland will not be call- ed on to bear arms in defense of her country. The time has not arrived when we shall have to depend upon women to do the shooting and the cut- | in England in connection with Gandhi's | ting. So it does not make any differ- ence whether the applicant would bear arms or not. What does make a dif- ference is whether the applicant is good material for citizenship, and there are other ways of finding out than by asking trick questions. The aliens who have bscome our best gunmen and gangsters would swear to bear arms quicker than anybody else. But their oath means nothing. Miss Bland's refusal to say that she actually would take up arms means that she has the courage of her | convictions, and her past record is fair evidence that she would make a val- uable citizen. ‘With 400,000 illegally admitted aliens !in industry that belong to American citizens, the racket stirred up by Miss Bland's refusal to say she would do | something that she would probably be prohibited from doing if she wanted ito 15 a little out of proportion, to say |the least. The United States has re- The fluted mlumnsl The t:st arises | Bland's refusal to swear | first requirement laid | in this country who, according to Sec- | calling attention to the fact that in the | retary of Labor Doak. are filling places | THE SUNDAY- the district attorney have, perhaps by some strange legerdemain, produced witnesses who are quite willing to testify, showing that there is no lack of convicting material if the spirit is strong enough to prompt prosecution. It may be that the sufferers from this system of organized extortion have now no fear of reprisal, with the State itself iat work in investigation and correction. So long as the rackets were merely a matter of municipal investigation, with everybody aware of the system and nobody disposed to interfere, there was terror of punistment for the “squealer.” The condition of the gusiness man who is selected for “protection” in a ; racket in a city where the police, the prosecuting officials and the courts are complacent is a wretched one. He is afrald to protest or to report to the au- thorities, He knows that he will have little chance for justice in the courts, it he should survive the initial proceed- ings. He knows from common under- standing in his community that the blackmail of which he is the victim is | practiced with the full knowledge if not in fact with the participation of the police and the higher-ups of the | municipal system. So as & general rule he pays and charges his “assessment” up to the “profit and loss” account or writes it into his “overhead” and passes it on to the customer. The sixty rackets in New York admitted by the deputy district attorney cost the community a vast sum annually, for the money paid to the racketeers comes eventually from the consumers. o Our Japanese Visitors. It is a delightful coincidence that the season of the cherry blossoms in Wash- ington this year should coincide with {the arrival of a pair of distinguished Japanese visitors. The National Capi- tal this week is to have the privilege of | entertaining their imperial highnesses, Prince and Princess Takamatsu. The prince is the second oldest brother of Emperor Hirohito and is on his way back to Tokio with his consort after a globe-girdling honeymoon. The close ties of the imperial young couple with the Japanese ruling house assure them a more than perfunctory welcome at the hands of the American people. Our bond of friendship with Nippon derives its strength not only from those mutual interests of peace 2nd commerce, upon which both Japan and the United States lay so much | stress, but also from the boundless hos- pitality which the Japanese of both high and low degree proverbially heap upon all of our visitors to their shores. If cpurtesy and kindliness are native to any soil the Land of the Rising Sun is | thetr heath par excellence. | Prince Takamatsu is a sallor by pro- fession. Official honors will be paid | him following a state dinner at the ‘White House by the Secretary of the | Navy, and a visit to Annapolis is on | the august Japanese guests' Washing- | ton program. The people at the seat of the Federal Government rejoice to have the opportunity of adding their “banzals” to the chorus of greeting which will accompany Prince and Princess Takamatsu across the United States. Occasional remarks by seasoned stateemen imply & doubt as to whether the eighteenth amendment is to figure | as a vital campaign issue or only as | something to talk about. —————— Lisbon once led the earthquake rec- STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, APRIL 12, 1931—PART TWO. Evening Reflections BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES Tezt: “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them.”—St. Luke, zxiv.29. No lesson of the twelvemonth comes to us with greater power than that which we have bzen considering during the past week. We may get confused with the many theories and philosophies of life, and the speculations and nega- tions of men may at times unsettle our faith and leave us in a state where “un- belief is vacancy.” Notwithstanding all this, and indeed notwithstanding the disillusionments and disappointments of life, we turn with fondness to the com- pelling theme which the Easter season suggests. No one as yet has arisen to give us a consistent and appealing sub- stitute for it. While the changing cir- cumstances and conditions of life affect our habits of thinking and living, and while our views are largely colored by passing events, there is something in our human nature that compels us to turn high hopes and expectancy to the Easter theme. Youth with its buoyancy, facing the lengthening trail down which it hopes to pursue its course, may find little in this theme that is appealing or satisfying. Later, when misfortunes or disappointments shadow the path, re- flection upon the deeper meaning of life drives us to the Great Teacher who spoke of life in terms of immortality. ‘When Huxley, the great philosopher, met with a terrible misfortune, he told his friend, Charles Kingsley, that he would give all that he possessed if he had the assurance of immortality. He saw in th: Master the sublimest ex- pression of life the world had known, and he yearned to follow Him, but the inhibitions of his mind hindered him. He could not substitute faith for an exact knowledge, and he suffered bitter- ness of soul because of it. Robert In- gersoll, at the grave of his brother, dis- closed his deep yearning when he elo- quently declared that the eye secmed | to catch the glimmer of a star. and the ear to hear the rustle of an angel's wing. One cannot but believe that in both | these instances there was & secret, if | unexpressed, belief concerning life’s highest fulfillment. The poet was right when he said, “Man never is, but always to be blest.” Rea- son fails us in the presence of death, even words of loving sympathy but serve to accentuate our grief. One some- E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D, Bishop of Washington. times wonders hew, in the face of all modern criticism and doubt, churches multiply and preachers, who are strong and hopeful in their message, still con- tinue to draw great multitudes! Our age is placing much value upon the things of culture and commerce, and from many sources we are being told that if ; the Christian religion is to survive it | wiil have to recast its whole.system and make its worship comport with the tastes of an age that demands amuse- ment and entertainment. Some churches are yielding to this demand, but there is no evidence to date of their success or permanence. It cannot be disputed that where “the gospel of hope” is being con- sistently presented men still respond with reverence and devotion. ‘The first message of the risen Master was brought to the place of deepest in- timacy, namely, the home. Not to the hurrying multitudes on city streets, nor to the class room, where scholars con- sorted, but to quieter places of reflection, where life was most real, did He come with His word of promise and hope. No more picturesque incident attends this memorable story than that of His pil- grimage with two lonety and disap- pointed men on the evening of that first Easter. Coming at length to their hum- ble cottage, while yet unknown to them, He tarried for a while, for it was toward even. It was the hour of the day when men are most reflective and when their thoughts turn most readily to the deeper values of life. An interesting picture is here presented, the risen Christ con- versing with two peasants concerning the weighty events of the hour. It was but normal that t.hei should ask Him to come within their home and to share with them the evening meal. It was also normal that His revelation or dis- closure of Himself should be made as they broke bread at the evening meal. Not without design was this story w Its purposs is ciearly evident, n, | nn?y. to emphasize the identification and intimacy of the risen Christ with those commcn problems that are best known within the home circle. The ex- pression of our twentieth century Chris- tian faith is best understood where life is detached from the world and where the application of the teachings of the Master is best understood. We again affirm, there is no message of the year that so answers the deeper yearning of the human heart as that which Easter proclaims. BY WILLIAM HARD. The oll industry continues to provide the National Capital and the country with the most amazing and revolution- ary illustration current of an American | industry imploring the American Gov- | ernment to help it get rid of the old | American individualism and to help it to organize itself on a new collectivist public-control basis. The conference in Washington llsbi week between the four members of the | Federal Ofl Conservatéon Board and the " 10 official representatives of the Gover-| nors of our 10 principal oil-producing | States is regarded here by many observ- | ers as marking the beginning of a sort | of modified State Socialism in America. | The prospect produced by the confer- ence, when analyzed through to its finish, is as follows: * oW x ok Secretary of the Interior Wilbur, Sec- retary of Commerce Lamont, Secretdry | of the Navy Adams and Secretary of | War Hurley, acting as the Federal Oil Conservation Board, will from time to | time appoint a committee of economists | and calculators who will publish a fore- | cast of how much ofl the country is likely to need and an estimate also of how much oil each oil State should thereupon produce. This is precisely the | ord. Social upheavals may be even capital seems confident of its ability to take its revolutions in moderation, JE———————— Chicago’s “Big Bill” Thompson ac- cepts defeat philosophically; probably {Telying on the theory that one great local victory does. not always suffice to | bulld up a local machine. | R - | Court costume is a matter of concern isit. “Clothes do not make the man"— | but that was poetry, not politics. . ———— | SHOOTING STARS, BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. “ April Day. | A glint of smiling, And a breath of song! Al care beguiling— Not fcr very long— The sunshine makes its way Into an April Day. | Clouds dark with sorrow Bid us keep good cheer, Rainbow tomorrow b be drawing near. Through life must tear drops stray, As through an April Day. ! Raw Material. “What is your idea of a so-called | ‘slush fund’?” “In most cf the cases that have come tion is that it may make it a little more | nounced war 2s an instrument of na- under my observation,” said Senator difficult for a bandit to leap to the curb pe in a high-power car. ——— | ticnal policy. That is goiny one better. s Bland Make Way for the Busses! 8 to be presumed that the bus ferminal establ strest in front _of ce Department supplied with fou een benches and white painted erving parking space for the vehi is & temporary affair. It is able to believe that the public buildings are to be ut Mwed for bus terminals, or that new parking regulations cutting down av able curb space are in part designad to make more room for the busses. But it might have been likewise presumed, Washington's terminals rep- resented temporary makeshifts. As far as indications go, they s"em to be as permanent as t onu- ment. More s, perhaps, for it is rea- sonable to anticipate that the rext re- form undertaken hereabouts will be to tpar down the Monument to clear the! way for airplanes. If public buildings are, therefore, to be used as bus terminals, why not mak= & real one? The Post Office Buildinz 15 old, and was built at a time when the horridecean school of architecture pre- dominated. It provides an unfitting background for modern busses. But the new Department of Commerce Bullding! Aye, that is something! A colonnade setback runs for 300 feet along Fourteenth street. The space be- tween the pillars and the building is six or seven feet wide. Ramps emight be cpnstructed, enabling the busses to run from the street to the promenade, and the busses could load and unload with- oub dfiurbml traflic on the busy thor- Derands for a mof for inauguration m: by the juvenile population by a request by which Eastertide e may be | postponed until a day whose morning announces a dependable sunchine. dat mented Sl e et = | New York's Racket Curse. | 1t 15 a strange case when the defend- has to fall ant in judicial proceed'n | back upon his own weaknoss for ju fication and extenuation. This is the situation in the removal trial of Dis Attorney Crain in New York City before a special referee named by the Go ernor. One of the charges against the | prosecuting cfficer of the county is that | he has neglected the duties of his office, | the beneflt that may be derived from a Sorghum, “a slush fund has liitle in- | fluence, except as it provides a source | of raw material for subsequent muck- | raking.” i REr, Jud Tunkins says if gangsters get any busier a merchant who sells a suit of thes will throw in a bulletproof vest. Underworld Left-Over. Chicago makes it very clear It does not need the rackcteer. At work he cannot serve his turn, For he has grown too old to learn! Rivalrous Demonstration. “Rellroads are natural sort of thing that no private “trade as- | by Attorney General Mitchell to do as| long as the Sherman anti-trust law is upon the statute books. In order that it should be done at all, | the Government must do it—that is, in| order that it should be done at all, it | has to be done not by private initiative | and enterprise, but by public interven-- tion and leadership. Therefore, since it 15 now deemed necessary for the wel- fare of the ofl industry and since it is| demanded by the oil industry, it is go-| ing to get dome that way. These ofl | men, who are 2!l of them “rugged in- dividualists,” are making us socialistic much faster than any of the writings or talkings of Norman Thomas, the head of the Socialist party. S * Next! The 10 official representatives | of the Governors of our 10 principal oil-producing States, headed by Cicero { 1. Murray, cousin of Gov. “Alfalfa Bill" | Murray of Oklahoma, are off to their homes with some sort of tentative draft in their possession for an ‘“interstate compact” which will make each of the | 10 States into e sort of governmental overlord of the oil industry within its| borders and which will make the 10 States together into a sort of govern- mental ofl trust for the country. The second of these two objcctives is in logic the first. The 10 States will sign a treaty among themselves whereby there will come into existence a sort of | 10-State Oil Stecring Committee. is | Steering Committee will be the inter- mediary between the Federal Govern- ment and the States. It will receive and consider the forecasts of the coun- try's oil needs and the estimates of proper State-by-State oil producings and marketings as calculated and pub- | lished by the statistical planning com- Federal Oil Conservation | perhaps revise and | amend these forecasts and estimates. It | will perhaps take them as they stand.| It will in any case, under the “inter- | state compact.” transmit them to the { 10 State capitals to be put int> effect by the 10 State governments. i * % % % | Then will come the real uprooting of | American individualism as practiced by | “ihe pionser forefathers.” Several State governments—notably lahoma and ! Texas and California—: iready H orcusly trying to tell their oil citizens | how much oil they can take out of their | own ofl wells. We now, in order to pre- | vent demoralizing and impoverishing | | overproduction, are summoned to go | farther—much ' farther. | | The 10 representatives here last week i | of ‘our 10 principal oil-producing States | | informed the Federal Oil Conscrvation | Board frankiy that they proposed to try | to limit “unnecessary drilling"—that [s) Advance Toward Government Control Of Petroleum Industry in the U. S. solemnly, as if he had never heard of it before, graciously accepted it. * ok ok % It was also accepted by that supreme preacher of rugged individualism, Her- bert. Hoover. Under this rugged indi- vidualism, as amended by experience. and as applled to oil, the citizen will drill for oll when the State lets him; he will produce out of his well the emount of oil that the State allocates to nm; the State will sanction within its berders the total net local production reccmmended by the Interstate Steering Committee; the Interstate Steering Committee will be steered by the recom- mendations of the committees of the Federal Oil Conservation Board; and the members of the Federal Oil Conser- vation Board will be appointed by the President of the United States, who thus, however individualistic, will be also the ultimately responsible produc- tion planning master of the American oil industry. * But there is still another story, with quite a few illuminating windows in it, to be piled on top of this new edifice. When the 10 principal ofl-producing States have signed their “interstate compact,” they will have to approach the Congress, under the Constitution, to get a constitutional blessing for it. In other words, 10 States, principally producing oll, will approach .38 States rincipally consuming oil, and will be eard to say to them: “Please let us more dangerous, but the Portuguese | sociation” of oil men would be permitted | form a trust to raise the price to you.” That {5 not the way the 10 States will outwardly express it. That is precisely | the way the 38 States will outwardly and vociferously take it. Under pres- sure, however, from the suffering 10 States, the listening 38 States will in- dubitably soon say: “Well, if we are going to let you re- strict production, we certainly are go- ing to have something to say about the price at which you will sell your or- ganized monopolistic output.” Controlled production, it is profoundly feit here, leads inevitably in the end to centrolled price. Controlled produc- tion and controlled price together would transform the ofl industry from s free industry into a regulated industry, like the railroads. There are not wanting observers here who think that all our basic natural resource industries will go that route. (Copyright, 1831) SO - e World-Wide Discussion of Wheat Problem Now On BY HARDEN COLFAX. ‘The world continues to search for a way out of the situation brought about by the surplus of grain, particularly wheat. When the international wheat con- ference in Rome adjourned, it had dis- agreed on various matters, It approved, however, certain measures of relief. The delegates agreed to initiate and push propaganda to increase consumption, both in countries where wheat is al- | ready consumed and in those where, as yet, it is consumed only in small quan- tities. They decided also to use per- suasion and “educational propaganda” among farmers in all the countries rep- resented to persuade them to reduce the acreage sown to wheat. A resolution was_adopted recommending that gov- ernments in countries principally agri- cultural arrange for short-term loans to farmers. Finally, a decision was made to eall another conference of wheat-producing countries at London on May 18 to for- mulafe some plan for dealing with new harvest and the stocks that have now accumulated. * Other world meetings to discuss the wheat surplus will assemble shortly. The Latin American countries are planning to send delegates to Buenos Aires in June. The situation in Argentina is reported as increasing in seriousness. The prices of corn are so low that a movement is reported to have been | the first pan-American gathering to deal | sald Farmer Corntassel. “They are having their troubles now.” | ¢ Yes. monopolies,” They wan “polize 0 They want to mon:polize even | [KtIY {0 In East Te: they intend to try to tell a farmer het he canaot even sink a well on his | own farm if the sinking of it w-uld be | likely to accomplish what is getting n East Texas tcday. {espec'ally in that he has failed to scek | hard luck story. the indictment of the conductors of e Refl e Feminine Refinements. rackets,” or extortions under threat of | rne night club scene is not so rough. ! violence practiced against mecrchants. | ©Of yore it s2emed more shocking. A witness for the defense, one of the | he bootleg once considered tough deputies in the district ation:y's ofice, | Goes with a silken stocking. testifies that the city 15 overrun with ke rackets, but that the district aitorney is, “One who secks every possitle ad- | powerless to stop them. He declarss vantage in an enc:unter,” said Hl Ho,! that wlinesses cannot be found who will | the sage of Chinatown, “ceases to be give testimeny before the grand jury or, | a combatant and becomes an assassin.” it indictments are returned, before trial —_— Jur.es. Although there are at least sixty Base Ball. different forms of racketeering in New | Two kinds of fan are known to fame: | "Ycrk. only three indictments have been| One laughs and is in clover. returned and one of these has been dis- | The other kind finds every game missed. Within four months the wit- A thing to worry over. ness has investigated no less than one hundred and fifty complaints of business blackmall, interviewing upward of six hundred witnesses, with this meager re- sult in eourt. The condygtors of the case agalnst own boss,” sald Uncle Eben, “but I never yet did see nob:dy dat didn't have to take orders mnqima {'um somebodg” ! tional oil mr ket “I has heard folks 'bout bein’ deir | . s the discovery of a pro- lific new oil ool and the unrestrained drilling of it ‘as thriwn into the na- an actuality and a prospect of so much extra cil as to create the possibility that the price of oil, crude, per barrel, may go down to 2) c:nts. A price of 50 cents is virtually roinous to the West in general. A price of 20 would mean appaling devastation ana destitution. * Shall that condition be welccmed as the natural fruit of free competition end of rugged individualism? Two years | 230, when Secretary of the Interior Wil- bur sent Mr. Mark L. Requa as his rep- resent2tive to Colorads Springs, Colo., to tell the assembled official spokesmen 1 of the oil-producing States that they shculd combine their ideas and combine their States into a jcint restraint of in- dividualistic _competitive anarchy, Mr. Requa was hooted and in rhetorical ef- fect rotten-egged. This last week the eembled official spokesmen of those States journecyed all the way to ington unsmilingly and s°lemnly o pfesent to Mr. Wilbur bis own Col rado Springs proposition for his gra- clous acceptance. He unsmilingly and 'to the | started to burn some of this crop as |fue! in factories and electric light plants. | The representative of the United States | Department of Commerce at Buenos | Aires has just cabled Washington that \ he Argentine government has responded | favorably to a request by the Argentine | wheat pool that assistance be given by foreign representatives of its govern- ment in cultivating the export market for Argentine wheat. The representa- } tives abroad are insiructed to get into | direct consultation with the larger mill- ers in other countries, including the United States. B . | _The provinces of the Dominion of | Cariada will confer over wheat with Sir | Josiah Stamp, the British industrialist, economist and banker, who arrived in Canada on Thursday as head of a government commission to investigate the sale of grain futures. The Sixth Congress of the International Chamber of Commerce, which meets in Wash- ington May 6, will consider the over- production of all kinds of agricultural products. Finally, early in September, it is now announced, there will be an inter- American conference on agriculture, forestry and animal industry held in Washington, for “the broad discussion and examination of the problems of agriculture that affect or are cormmon two nts.” will be Capital Sidelights BY WILL P. KENNEDY. 1 P” ‘The gavel has fallen — closing the career of Speaker Nicholas Longworth. Prophetically, he himself told his col- leagues just before he swung the gavel declaring “the Congress adjourned, sine die,” that “Perhaps this is the last time I wiil address you from this rostrum.” His colleagues laughed and applauded, seeing his allusion to the promised close contest for the speaker- ship in the new Congress. Continuing, Mr. Longworth sald: “I do not mean to insinuate that I regard | it as a probability, but T must admit it | is a possibility, The decision lies with none of us here. It is a decision that lies with an All-wise Providence. It is only an All-wise Providence who is go- ing to determine which of the two great | political parties will organize the next | House of Representatives. “With whatever Providence may de- termine I am abundantly satisfied,” and applause interrupted him. “I ought to be, for but three Speakers of the House in all history will have had a longer term of consecutive service than I have had. “I have enjoyed practically every minute of it, except a few minutes last night,” whereat applause and laughter again interrupted. “But even during those few minutes when some members struck me as being, perhaps, a trifle bothersome, I esteemed them all, as I have esteemed every member here dur- ing my service of six years, without any single exception. “If I am to retire from this office I do so with profound gratitude to my colleagues, not so much for having ele- | vated me to this, the greatest office in any legislative branch in any govern- | ment of the world, but more for the evidence of the estcem and confidence you have had in me.” ‘That was his last speech as Speaker —and what balm it is for the souls of the leaders of the “opposition” in the House, who had previously spoken in, testimony of Mr. Longworth's “fairness’” as Speaker, that he prefaced that last speech by saying: “Mr. Byrns, Mr. Crisp, and you, my colleagues, I need not say that I am profoundly grateful for this demonstra- tion of your affection.” Just previously, Representative Crisp of Georgla, a former parliamentarian of the House and son of a former Speaker, had said: “I recall that when our distingulshed Speaker first assumed the chair he made this statement—that as a Repre- sentative from one of the congressional districts of Ohio he was a partisan; that as the Speaker of the House he would know no partisanship, but would be the Speaker of the entire body and faithfully, fairly, courteously and im- partially discharge the duties of that great office.” When the applause died down, Mr. Crisp continued: “I desire to say that he has kept faith and lived up to that promise. He will take rank as one of the great Speakers of this House.” * ok % ‘With progress being made on acquisi- tion of the site between Third and Sixth streets, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Louisiana avenues for a new Mu- nicipal Center, some concern has been expressed as to the wiping out of many historic landmarks in this area, such as the residences of Daniel Webster and | S. F. B. Morse, when he invented the | telegraph and sent the first message to Baltimore, “What hath God wrought.” There i5 one old landmark in this vicinity which will not only be pre- served but will take on a new life, with the improved setting which the Munici- pal Center project will give. That is the historic Trinity Episcopal Church, on Third street between C street and Indiana avenue, which four years ago celebrated its centennial. This church organization grew out of a meeting held December 8, 1826. By April $700 had been subscribed and the Common Coun- cil of the then municipal government had authorized the congregation to use the council chamber in the then City Hall, now the District Court House, as & temporary place of worship. The first church of this congregation was situated on Fifth street between D and E streets. Prancis Scott Key, author of “The Star Spangled Banner,” was senior warden of the parish for a number of years. In 1848 a new church edifice was planned and $15,000 raised. W. W. Cor- coran, noted financier, who gave the National Capital its great art museum near the White House, made possible the ‘present site of Trinity Episcopal Church. The ground was broken on January 7, 1849, the corner stone laid the following April; the first service was il;éz]i in the completed structure in May, During the days of the Civil War and again in the World War, this church edifice threw open its doors for patri- otic service to the soldiers. In Civil ‘War days it was a military hospital. A floor was lald across the tops of the quaint box pews. The nail marks made at that time may still be seen in the woodwork _today. Some of those still associated with the work of Trinity Church remember the tall, gaunt figure of President Lin- coln standing in the church, where the baptistery is now placed, and looking with sad eyes on the suffering around him. During this period the congre- gation returned to its first place of worship in City Hall and later in the nearby Wesley Chapel. During the World War this historic church became the scene of great serv- ice and activity. Cots for weary sol- diers were set up in the parish hall. Many boys in the military service were cheered and comforted both spiritually and materially. exclusively with agriculture. But it is not only wheat in excess of needs that is troubling the world. There is also an over-production of other grains, with consequent declining prices. There is a situation in rice ap- proaching a real crisis. This bread grain, eaten by more people than any | other produced on this planet, al- though in bulk more wheat is grown, is now 1n flood. *in e The country most particularly con- cerned, Japen, is endeavoring to stem the flood. For the past decade the Japanese government has been en- deavoring to stabilize the price of rice by regulating production. 1t has an of- ficial agency similar to our own Federal Farm Board, which has been buying rice for government account irom the cur- rent crop and storing it so as to keep it from the market. Kecently this agency has decided to sell the old stocks aating from 1921 and buy from the new crops. The old rice is now being shipped abroad for sale, naturally at low prices, The United States normally produces about a billion pounds of rice annually, shipping approximately half of this quantity abroad. California rice, which came originally from Japan, has been in favor in that country and our mer- chants have sold sizable quantities to| their Japanese customers. in the pres- ent situation the effect on American producers of the over-production of rice UP FROM DEPRESSION BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Business has reached that point where it is going forward two steps and back only one. Six months ago the prime indicators revealed a different situation. Then business in many lines went forward one step and back two. So far this year there has been the longest stretch in the course of which no ground was lost since April, 1930. Different industries have experienced | different, vicissitudes. Some have shown marked gains and some marked reces- sions, but the average level of business |and industrial activity is far healthier than it has been for a long time, More- over, an especially hopeful sign of the times is that the periods immediately prior to previous recoveries from de- pression have been characterized Jjust such spottiness in conditions, The most careful economists take the position that this means the depth of the depression has been reached. The depressed period may be likened to the crossing of a valley. One descends a sharp slope, going deeper and deeper into the gloom. At length the floor of the valley is reached. This period of moving along with no signs of further recessions, but an occasional encour- aging lift, might be compared to the crossing of the valley floor. Every day Wwhich passes marks progress toward the beginning of the climb on the other B}:dle h':hlc;l wullbelm ulnin to the eights, where mists of pessimis) will be dispelled. e The question which seems to be ex- ercising the working community beyond all other questions is that of cuts in wages. There are sharp differences of cpinion in the matter. The cold facts tend to show that, in spite of President Hoover’s recommendations to industrial leaders against wage cuts, wages are de- clining. wages back in November, 1929, market. Not until Midsummer of 1930, however, that time and seemed, for the being, to settle matters, but last De- cember the number of firms cut wages increased from about 60 to nearly 350. The turn of the year saw drastic reductions in pay and they are still continuing. Two hundred and fifty firms cut in February. This was inevitable, in vigw of the drastic decline in prices. It was im- possible for employers to continue pay- ing a high level of wages when the products the workers manufactured were bringing only a fraction of what they were a year or two ago. Trend of Wages and Prices. Giving wages and prices an index of 100 for the year 1913, it is found that while at the end of 1930 the wage in- dex figure was up to nearly 250 the price index was only 155. Such a wide disparity obviously could not long be maintained. Between 1860 to 1910—a period em- bracing the era of the rise of mass production and the development of the Machine Age—the index of prices had Fifty Years Ago In The Star Fifty vears ago the area now known as Potomac Park, where the cherry blossoms are When Potomac Park abloom, was Was arsh, @ foul marsh. a Foul Marsh. 7 o0 e cure fits reclamation through river dredging had failed, but hope persisted that this' might soon be accomplished. ‘The Star of April 6, 1881, says: “Though Congress failed at its last session to pass any direct measure for the reclamation of the malarial flats, there is still a bility that the needed work may initiated through the expenditure of the appropriation of fifty thousand dollars in the river and harbor bill for the improvement of the Potomac at this point. Last year in executing the work under the appro- priation in the river and harbor bill the dredgings were dumped into the river opposite Giesboro, and it is be- lleved that their presence there had much to do with the formation of the ice jam that backed the river flood into Washington so disastrously in Feb- ruary. In other words, the dredgings, instead of going where they would be of positive service in the way of re- claiming the flats, have been carried down river and dumped where they serve to make a new impediment to navigation. The Government Engi- neers have heretofore felt it their duty, in expending the appropriation, to dump the excavations where it would cost the least money to do the work, and as the bids of the contractors were a trifie lower for making the deposits down river than on the flats, the former bids were accepted. The experiment of dumping down river has worked so badly, and there is such an outery against it from all interested in preserving the navigation of the river, that it is mani- fest the system must be abandoned. The true economy will be to dump the deposits where they will aid in making dry land of the pestilential flats, and it is to be hoped that no objection will be found to Gen. Wright's proposition to that end.” In The Star of April 8, 1881, the fol- lowing appears: “The District authorities have promptly | indorsed Gen. Wright's plan for con- mencing the reclamation of the Pow-[ mac flats by depositing the channel dredgings upon them and there is now a prospect that the good work, once in- itiated, will go on steadily until the ma- larial marsh nuisance will b2 the only thing of unpleasant memory. This im- provc :ent is the main one now needed to maks Washington and its surround- ings both beautiful and healthy. The river front is the one thing remaining offensive to the eye and the nose. It is likely that when Congress sees that & positive step has been taken toward this work of improvement the necessary ap- propriations for carrying it through with speed will be readily voted. The trouble has been to get the thing started.” * * * “Congress, and in fact all the legis- lative bodies of this country,” says The Star of April 8,1881, Disparagement “are quite persist- ently criticized, con- of Congress. Gonld ‘and de- nounced by the press. It is & common thing for newspapers to speak of a cer- tain Congress or Legislature as a nul- sance or as an evil, but a Chicago paper takes a step ahead of all others and condemns the system. It advises the abolishment of Congress and of State Legislatures; but does not pro- pose anything in the nature of a sub- As long as this Government rests upon the will of .the people, legis- lative bodies cannot be abolished. To do away with them is to revolutionize our system of government. Undoubt- edly, many mistakes are made by Con- gress, mistakes which call for proper criticism by the press, but the habit of referring to these bodies flippansly has becone almost general with the press. Reading continually such paragraphs, implying and expressing contempt for Congress, many people have-fallen into stitute. in the Orient can be easily seen. ik Hw ‘The effect of the world crisis in grain production is beginning to be seen in the live stock industry in this country, although the cycle of production in beef is too long to admit of any definite statement concerning this effect as yet. However, the Bureau of Agricultural Economics of the Department of Agri- culture is authority for the statement that an increasing number of farmers in the Middle and Far West are follow- ing its advice of some months ago with regard to “finishing” cattle and other Uve stock with wheat instead of ccrn. (Copyrisht, 1931 the way of speaking with habitual dis- respect of our national lawmakers. To denounce a whole Congress as corrupt or imbecile is in effect to put precisely the same stamp of condemnation upon the people, for the Representatives are chosen by the people. But what Is in- finitely worse, this habit of referring to Congress in contemptuous terms is working a laz.l evil, It is instilling into the minds of* youth, who must ere lopg rule the land,"® positive feeling | of disrespect for the lawi ers and for our Government. This cortstant depre- clation of our Governmen$§ gradually A few employers made slight cuts in | Treasury, ust after the disastrous break in the ngockx‘ did these cuts become con- | spicuous. Retrenchments were made at | pect business time | definitely at & loss. It is Temained fairly generally above the :n&a'a index—that is, were high is, were in 1913. In the depression of prices for a brief period sagged under wages, both being only about 70 peJ cent of what they were in 1913. Pric revived more quickly than wages, how- ever, although the two maintained s fairly close relationship until the out~ break of the World War. Then both began to soar to unprecedented figures. With the advent of the depression of 1920-21 prices came down with & by | rush, losing some 60 points in a year, but wages were maintained, losing ‘only from 5 to 10 points. On the recovery from the 1920-21 depression prices turned up slightly, but wages turned up more. Then came the appalling downward rush of prices in 1930, with wages holding high until recently. It is not expected that wages will come down gnywhere near as far as prices havg. but some further decline seems certain. Readjusiment on Lower Level. ‘The r back of the Presi. dent's ent that wages should remain up is the importance of main- taining purchasing power in the hands of the masses. Anything like a com- plete return to pre-depression pros- perity cannot be possible unless the le have sol with which to y. Since the Fall of 1929 some ‘9,000,30.3:700 have fb?!? cut flromn ; power of the people. reflected all along the line. It is re- flected in the slackness of trade and in the revenues of the Federal The $700,000,000 deficit is chargeable to it. It is obvious that wages cannot be maintained unless prices are to be kept at a high level. No one can ex- to be carried on in- ually ob- vious that the Government cannot gzu!on or insure the people so that r incomes will remain th while prices are low, because the only source of revenue the uovem.mo’ ent has is pears that & general ‘readjustment appears a_general ent is dictated. If prices come down wages must follow. ‘The le will be as well off, relatively. ey will have less money, but the cost of living will be less. The only real difference will be that less money will be handled. Union wage scales have not been reduced; indeed, they have been in- creased. Nevertheless, union members are not benefited by this for the American Fede: bor reports 40 per cent of its mem un= It makes little difference how high the wage scale is if the union member is not werking and can- not find work. French Fury Over Anglo-German Move BY A. G. GARDINER. LONDON, April 11.—The wave of { hysteria which is sweeping over the | French press is the subject of severe | comment here, even in quarters most | patient with the outbursts of our in- | calculable nelghbor. | = Foliowing her frenzied attack on the Austro-German Customs Union comes a torrent of resentment in regard to Foreign Minister Henderson's invita- | tion to the German chancellor and foreign minister to visit London, which is represented as sinister evidence of Britain’s pro-German sympathies and mjud.tu favor ~of the customs on, * * ¥ ¥ ‘The fact is that the visit was ar- a hostile move against France than there is ground for treating Hender- Sta of Henderson's disarmament tactics, for having secured the amelioration of Pranco-Italian relations he hoped through the visit of Chancellor Bruen- ing and Foreign Minister Curtius to pave the way to similar success in regard to mnm-‘de:m‘ln relations. By But in her present mood France af- fects to see an enemy behind every bush, and the fear is growing that the feverish agitation is only calculated as a preliminary to sandbagging the Disarmament Conference. The fear is empl by the extraordinary hitch in the drafting of the Franco-Italian naval agreement due to the demand that France vary in her favor the terms of the bargain just concluded. The London Dally Telegraph gives the most disturbing version of the French demands. It says that she wishes to limit her naval construction only until 1935 so that if the Naval Conference of that year is not satis- factory to her she will be free to build without limit forthwith, while the orig- inal signatories to the naval treaty, the United States, England and Japan, will be bound by the terms of the treaty not to build until the end of 1936. Thus the inviolability of the treaty as well as the prospects of the Disarma- ment Conference will be seriously Jjeopardized. fale 1S This action in reviving the dispute between France and Italy generally is accepted as indicating the annoyance of France at Italy'’s failure to back whole-heartedly her opposition to the Austro-German customs pact. She sees in Italy’s indorsement of Henderson's submission of the legality of the union to the League Council evidence of her probable willingness to enter the union. The week end Review describes the French action as a first-class attempt at international blackmall, and Spectator regards it as an intimation that if the League Council recognizes the legality of the customs union France will clalm freedom to double her expenditures for armaments and upset the Disarmament Conference in advance. AP Henderson has wisely countered the prepostercus outcry in to the visit of Bruening and Curtlus by post- poning the engagement until after the League Council has given a decision on the validity or invalidity of the cus- toms union. But this is not likely to assuage the French storm, which is only violent in expresdon to her asfi; sition to all restraints put upon armaments. ‘The prospects of next year's Disarm- ament Conference, says the New States- mag, are éwhckv.‘llndnd. unless mmu learns that naval compromise does mean only concessions to her insa- tiable thirst ubmarines. for s * k% X ‘The root of the trouble is the funds- mental conflict between the British view that there can be no European se- curity without disarmament and _the French view that France Lm“n h!:v': carno, he insisted that, is unable to give France armed France must depend on her own tary and financial guarantees and on :g:wpoucy of keeping Germany in That_policy, frankly, is impossible, and if France insists on pursuing it, the only result must be political isolation. saps the feeling of patriotisn which the youth of aliqpast generations haive felt for our free tutions.” Eurcpe will not permanently tolerate her obstinate resistance to pacific re~ construction of human society. ‘ (Copyright. 19310