Evening Star Newspaper, May 13, 1931, Page 8

A8 % THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Ifl Edition. —————————— WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY. .May 13, 1931 THEODORE W. NOYES. ... Editor The Evening Star Nm::pfir Company 3 %‘3{{?&;‘. (s Ave. remtyent *“Hn?&-. .0 Lon Rate by Carrier Within the City. 48¢ per month 60c per month 65¢ per month “Sc per © # ‘each month. af the eiid of each month; 11t New icago ropean s ey ‘e sent in b mail or te m‘olll 8000, Rate by ‘Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. . ily and Bunday. 10.00; 1 mo., B, HE R All Other States and Canada. ily and Sunday...lyr. $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 o - .00: 1 e Bl s e e e ik ‘Member of the Associated Press. e Assoclated Press is ll(‘!llll\fill’l:' o el of od. Cutting Local Expenses. Publication of the District budget and revenue estimates shows the neces- sity for drastie economy and a severe reduction in the amount of money available for permanent improvements. With the advice of the ciilzens, lh!. Commissioners will doubtless decide to begin their lopping off process by cur- talling capital expenditures in order that adequate maintenance of such essentials as the schools, libraries, streets, etc., will be the least affected. One of the most interesting of the developments concerning the District's threatened pauperism is the fact that appropriations for the next fiscal year, already made, will reduce by an esti- mated $1,700,000 the cash operating fund of $3,000,000 which the city by- law is required to maintain. That means that the $1,700,000 deficit in the cash operating fund must be made up by savings in the estimates now in the hands of the Commissioners, It means that the work on needed im- provements must be curtailed by nearly $2,000,000 for the sake of a bookkeeping transaction that is as expensive as it is unnecessary. Congress, in 1925, ~nacted a law as part of the appropriation bill requiring that at the end of five vears the District should have accumulated a cash op- erating surplus of $3,000,000. The cash operating fund was designed to place actual cash in the Treasury to the credit of the District at the beginning of each fiscal year in order to ineet ap- propriation demands during the inter- vals between the District’s receipts from taxation. At the same time the tax collection months were changed. Before this practice was inaugurated, e Treasury merely advanced the peoney needed by the District to meet " appropriations and got it back when the District collected its tax monzy. By having & cash operating fund available, wais would not be necessary. The book- Sxeping might be simpliied and some members of Congress would be spared the painful spectacle of witnessing the Wreasury meet District expenses before $he District collected its own tax reve- Sue—a matter of a few months. Since ghen the District has been forced to three million dollars idle in the g::mry. Now that appropriations have saten into this fund, it will be required %0 raise $1,700,000 to make up the re- @nired balance at the expense, of course, ®f needed projects. wther cities have felt the depression #ud have economized in expenditures @nd the District can do likewise. In ®ne rtespect, the anticipated lack of ¥mds with which to carry forward Aeeded programs will emphasize the wadequate Federal contribution toward District expenses. It will reduce to its #x light the picture of the Pederal- District financial relationship. By reason of a former budget policy which in effect restricted District esti- mates to the amount of the previous year's appropriations, together with legislative restrictions sgainst tax rate reductions, the District accumulated s Jarge surplus which at the end of the fiscal year 1930 amounted to more than $6,000,000 over and above the $3,000,- . 000 cash operating fund. The accumu- lation of the surplus merely meant that | certain needs had gone unmet. But| the surplus was used as an effective argument in the House to show that| the lump sum appropriation was larger | than was needed. The argument was fallacions, of course, but the busy mem- bers of the House were not moved to examine it. The surplus has gone, for the most pert, into the Municipal Center de- velopment, eventually to cost between | $320,000,000 and $30,000,000. The Dis- trict is down to bed rock. The fact| that with a high tax rate it cannot raise all the money required for the| magnificent development of the Federal| City along the lines specified by Con- gress again shows the necessity for a return to the lawful system of fixed ratio in appropriations, or & generous fncrease in the Jump sum. ——- A spindling young tree, newly planted on some ceremonial occasion, looks so Insignificant compared with the assort- ed proud humans grouped around it. But wait for thirty or forty years and | the comparison is reversed. — o Aviators have found fourteen hllher(c[ undiscovered towns in the Peruvian Andes. Perhaps these are the com- munities which contain the missing wvotes for Tumultuous Tom Heflin. { Higher Learning “Verboten.” " 1t is just possible that Yale College, which has decided to soft-pedal the study of Latin and Greek at Old Eli, has taken a leaf out of the German notebook, Word comes from Berlin that a systematic campaign is under way in the Fatherland to divert the| generation of grown-up youngsters away - from the universities into the channels a of social and cultural Studentenwork, the leading co-operative | that existed in 1911 when David Lioya| organization for students. “If those who are fit for a practical profession,” the bulletin continues, “go to the universi- ties merely because they are qualified to do so, the number of unemployed graduates will increase beyond all rea- sonable limits. The fact is that a uni- versity degree is already more of a handicap than an advantage to the young man who after graduation is looking for a practical job not abso- lutely requiring academic tralning.” The bulletin, which is couched in the form of a stern admonition to beware the pitfalls of the higher learning, ad- vises prospective college men and wom- en to work for at least a yer before making up , their minds definitely whether they still prefer “the ques- tionable glory of an academic education to the direct, if small, advantages of a mederately salaried job.” A development like this in the realm where the title “Herr Doktor,” plus & dueling-saber cut across the jowl—tra- ditional mark of a uniyersity educa- tion—has for generations been a badge distinetion 1s | nothing short of revolutionary. The underlying theory, if it has any merits in Germsny, is not wholly without in- terest for other countries in whose bfead lines highly educated men and women have been standing. ———— Uncle Sam, Builder. Uncle Sam’s buflding program has been pictured graphically by President Hoover, in a statement showing what has been done, what is being done and what remairf to be done, over a two- year period. The President's statement covers a total of 758 projects. These projects will have cost & total of $452,- 919,210 when they are all completed, it the limit of cost placed upon them in the legislation enacted by Congress is maintained. ‘This building program gives work to thousands of men and is a material aid to the bullding in- dustries. Furthermore, it provides more adequate quarters in all parts of the country for the transaction of Govern- ment business. It includes the great development which is under way in Washingtcn, the Capital of the Nation, a development which will result in the end in saving huge sums in annual rentals which the Government has been | compelled to pay because it has entirely outgrown its working quarters here. Since May, 1929, fifty-one Government building projects, begun within that period, have been completed. These projects represent an expenditure of $23,316,876. Among the lamgest jobs in this list of completed Government buildings were the Internal Revenue Bu- reau Building, costing $10,000,000; the Administration Building of the Depart- ment of Agriculture, costing $2,000,000, and an addition to the Government Printing Office which cost $1,250,000. But & mere listing of the finished | buildings does not give a correct idea of the situation. Work is now under way on 150 other projects, which are to cost upwards of $120,000,000. Plans have been completed and specifications are put out for bids for still other projects | upon which work may be begun soon, and sites have been acquired and plans partially completed for 190 projects to | cost in the neighborhood of $192,000,- 000. The Government has 115 addi- tional building projects in abeyance until the sites can be acquired and over and beyond all these are 196 projects to cost about $46,500,000, which | have been authorized by Congress but; for which sites have not yet b!m’ finally selected. Uncle Sam the builder is no new title role. But the Government has undertaken in the last few years a stu- pendous amount of construction work. | In these days of depression every effort has been made to speed up in order to provide jobs for the unemployed. It is obvious that the Government cannot rush into construction work the mo- ment that Congress has written au- thorizations for buildings and the Presi- dent has approved them. The proper sites must be selected and acquired, sometimes through condemnation pro- ceedings. Plans must be drawn along with specifications for the work and bids let before the dirt can begin to fiy. The Government ewes a duty to the taxpayers in this matter, especially in these days when revenues have fallen off both for the taxpayers and for the Government. To rush wildly | into bullding work regardless of ex-| pense, merely for the sake of speed, as has been advocated here and there, would result in wasteful expenditures of the taxpayers’ money. Enough of that kind of thing happened during the World War, when the delightful “cost plus” contract reached new helghts. ‘This governmental building program extends the length and breadth of the land, New York, Chicago, Kansas City, Boston and hundreds of other cities are included in the list of those where new projects are under way or are soon to | be. The orderly procedure and the care for its proper development of the hous- ing needed for governmental activities is the Federal Government's contribu- tion to “business as usual” which is so much needed toda: = ———— Reports of Madrid rioting may cause Ex-King Alfonso to regard himself as probable Next-King. — et It is generally reported that mother went back to work yesterday mogn- ing considerably rejoiced and refreshed. | s { British Politics and Taxes. More than the proposal of & new basis of taxation for Great Britain is involved in the bill which passed the | house of commons the other day by a majority of fifty-nine in a combina- tion of laborite and liberal votes. It Iuvolves the relations between the house of commons and the house of lords, which has been a perennial matter of disputation in Great Britain. It in- volves the whole formula of British politics. It may effect a durable con- solidation of the labor and liberal par- ties. Or it may cause a breach in the present alllance that will lead to a gen- eral election, possibly to & conservative government. of business life. The plan is based on the theory that nowadays a degree from the university of practical ex- perience is immensely more valuable to & young Teuton than an A. B. or & Ph. D, from Berlin, Leipzsig, Heidel- berg, Goettingen or Bonn. “There are thousands of college grad- uates without jobs in Germany right Dow,” says & bulletin of the Deutsches Last week the house of lords, by a vote of 82 to 31, rejected the first part of the land tax bill. Other changes are likely to be made in it by the upper THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, George, then chancellor of the ex- chequer, undertook to establish old age | pensions and national insurance and other reforms of a liberal character. The lords then blocked the way and the Lloyd George ministry effected a veritable revolution in parliamentary practice. It threatened the creation of enough liberal peers through virtual coercipn of the sovereign to constitute a majority in the upper house. The lords ylelded and permitted the passage of a general act known as the parlia- ment law which disables the lords from Tejecting or amending any bill which the speaker of the commons certifies to be a money bill, and limits the veto of the lords on other bills to three suc- cessive sessions within two years. If the act of 1911 is invoked in this instance and the lords do not yleld at once two years may elapse before the land tax measure, which provides for & two-year period of assessment, is enacted. Thus there s a chance that the proposal by the labor ministry of Jnd taxation may become a national issue, precipitating an “appeal to the country” or general election and per- haps a consolidation of the labor and liberal parties into a definite political organism. In such a case the union of forces might win in a parliamentary election, but then would come the se- vere test, the test of leadership. There is not room in one party for two lead- ers, and Ramsay MacDonald and David Lloyd George may be in a position to find that victory in the field means de- feat for one in administration. e et ‘When Prof. Albert Michelson grad- uated from the United States Naval Academy, he got this inspiring send-off from the then superintendent: “If you would just give less attention to those scientific things and more to your naval gunnery, there might come a time when you would know enough to be of some use to your country.” The occupant of the office of superintendent in 1873 may be looked up, but who can name an outstanding naval gunner of that period? ———— The capacity of the python for friendship is very much greater than the uninitiated would imagine, accord- ing to serpentine experts. However, even they advise against letting it coil itself too closely around one’s heart. e Coast artillerymen, expecting the det- onation of a great coast defense gun, and with cotton in their ears, can sym- pathize with the Washington motorist who hears one of those big bus horns toot unexpectedly behind him. ———— Former Secretary of the Navy Jose- phus Danlels declares the failure of the United States to join the League of Na- tions was largely responsible for the de- pression. Did not sun spots have some- thing to do with it, too? S e An English movie queen rejoices in the possession of a remarkable collec- tion of Epstein's busts. To a good many people everything this particular sculp- tor turns out seems to be & bust. . Comedian Charles Chaplin is 50 bit- ter against the British that the only possible explanation is that during his recent visit he partook of some bad vegetable marrow. Even the best of this inevitable dish tends to depress visitors. s Dowager Queen Marie of Rumania falls from a ladder and suffers injuries. There is no sort of a ladder from which even a Queen may not fall, including the social one. s One can say this much of Mayor Walker, anyhow: The synthetic Apollos of the high-priced clothing ads look only somewhere near as well as Jimmy. ey The drama cannot be killed, accord- ing to one eminent theatrical authority. But it does seem sometimes as if rigor mortis had set in. — e, ‘There seems to be some little dispute about Alphonse Capone's real age. Whatever the correct figure may be, he 1s too old. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Subsequent Explainer. The man who knows just how and why Some project great went wrong, And to each question can apply A mental grasp so strong, Is always heard from far away, ‘Where peace is bright and fair, But in the flerceness of the fray— Alas, he wasn't there! He tells how battles might have gone The way in which you hoped; His bright ideas mark the dawn When through the dark you've groped. What tumult might he not have stilled That made our senses throb! He leaves his mission unfulfilled. He's never on the job. Limitations. “A statesman is supposed to be fa- miliar with all public questions.” “Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum; “but not necessarily with all the an- swers.” Another Angle. “Did the young lady thank you for putting the minnows on the hook for her when you were out fishing?" “No. She called me a horrid, unfeel- ing brute.” The Ruthless Invader. There is no place with charm so rare To thrill our feelings fine, That some one may not venture there And on it paint a sign. Emotional Vegetation. “I have heard of a sclentist who says that vegetables have emotions.” “If that's the case, those garden seeds 1 planted last year ought to have been ashamed of themselves.” Times Have Changed. “When I asked my wife to marry me she made me promise not to use tobacco.” “And now?” “She’s annoyed because I don't want her to smoke cigarettes.” Practical Difficulties. A theory is like a man By nature, prone to shirk. chamber, and the measure will then be returned to the house of commons for “reconsideration.” It is altogether likely that it will be re-enacted in its original form, the amendments of the lords ig- nored. This will revive the conditions Though promise marks his every plan, It's hard to make him work. “A man dat’s his own worst enemy,” sald Uncle Eben, “is liable to be mighty forgivin'." Whether or not we will be able to !stand the brown thrush’s melancholy | strains much longer is a question. Just what we will be able to do about |1t,"if we cannot, is another question. | One ought not to feel so about an | innocent and delightful bird, but surely the four-part song of the thrush g on one's nerves. It does, at least, if one is interested in music. The birds are the original \singers of this world. 'The zeal with !which they launch themselves into | their daily vocal work is amazing, in- teresting and somewhat amusing. The only time the brown thrush in *our yard is not chortling away is when he is hunting for worms. And when he is asleep. ! He sings up to the very last moment lof davlight. and begins again the next |morning with the break of day. i * X X ‘We suppose one ought to be compli- mented when a thrush seems to prefer one's garden to anybody else's garden. Perhaps it is the group of rhododen- drons at the back of the house which makes him feel perfectly at home. In his native habitat, as we say, he finds them: whenever he sees a rhodie he comes down for dinner. Surely the evergreens looked intrigu- ing that afternoon, as they glistened after the dashing rainfall it rains. There s scarcely another growing thing which shows such delight over a downpour. Not even praving for it can show more appre- clation for rain than rhododendrons. * ok % X After the sun had come out, with a suspicion of a rainbow afar off, the brown thrush ceme down to the grass in the vicinity of the rhodies and there proceeded to pick himself up some dinner. Perhaps it was not worms he was after, but minute insects. All songbirds, according to their advocates, eat im- mense quantities of insects. That is why poor Pussy is such a wretch, they declare. To listen to the superenthusiastic friends of the song- sters, a person totally unacquainted with both birds and cats would expect never to see a cat without a bird in its mouth. Protectionists, as they call them- selves, solemnly issu: “‘warnings” as they call them, against the house cat. Every year they do it. Never once does & protectionist really investigate the matter. Maybe years ago he saw a sparrow in the mouth of taken the trouble to look into the facts for himself. but goes on repeating the same old tale season after season. * Kok K sons is that they are terribly one- sided, as it were. trout, or in bass, squirrels. or in rabbits, to discover, have they liked, at one both dogs and cats. If they did, they would not so blithe- ly spread this misinformation about the bird-killing activities of cats. Cats do, of course, kill birds, but not BY FREDERIC Three days after Memorial day, viz., on Tuesday, June 2, the Capitol of the United States will be the scene of a commemc:ration which ought to sign: | ize, if anything could, that the Civil War is over. On that afternoon there will be unveiled in Statuury Hall, be- neath the Capitol dome, the statue of Jefferson Davis, President of the Con- federate States of America. It is the gift of the State of Mississippl and ils ac- ceptance by the United States Govern. ment was authorized by act of C-ngress. ‘The presentation speech will be made by Mississippi's Demosthenian senior Senator, Pat Harrison. June 3 is Jef- ferson Davis' birthday, but as there is a meeting of the Confederate veterans’ organization ‘at Montgomery, ., on that day, and the dignitaries partici- pating in the Washington ceremonies are going to attend it, the earlier date set by the Mississippl authorities will be adhered to for the statue dedica- tion. On the same occasion Mis- sissippl will present a statue of one of her late United States Senators, James Z. George, who was in the Upper House from 1881 to 1897. Senator Hubert D. Stephens will deliver the dedicatory address. 3 * k% ‘This is the season of the year when ‘Washington celebrities, especially cabi- net ofticers, are in heavy request as commencement, orators schools, col- leges and universitie: Secretary of ‘War Hurley will betake himself to his native heath in the Choctaw Nation, Okla. (the Indian Territory when “Pat” was born), to speak on an occasion both unique and dear to his heart. He is to hold forth at the graduation ex- ercises of Bacone College at Bacone, near Muskoges. When Iurley was & school lad Bacone was known_ as In- dian University. He got his A. B. there in 1905. In those days most of the students were Redskins snd many tribesmen still get their education at Bacone. It was founded by Baptists and for several generations has played s major role in the educational life of the former Indian Territory. R Calvin Coolidge no longer adorns the scene, but current events more than suggest that the era of ccongmy asso- clated with his thrifty name is due for a renaissance at Washington. It's an open secret that President Hoover's de- signs on unnecessary War Department expenditure are only the forerunner of a pruning campaign which is to waged in all 10 of the execut,ll\'e de- partments. Next week end there’s to be another economy week end party on the Rapidan, with the Interior Department on the operating table. Secretary ‘wil- bur, himself a pmlcwl. wlllm)!l:!ndr: up of his departmental surg o g(l,ntp the way to useful incisions and amputations. ‘The late direcior of the Budget, Gen. Herbert M. Lord, organ- ired the famous “Woodpecker Clul It went out of existence with his re- tirement from office. Evidently its con- stitution and by-laws are about to be revived. * % M. Paul Claudel, French Ambassador at Washington, will go to New York on Priday of this week to take part in cere- monles associated with a Myron T. Her- rick commemoration. A bust of our war-time Ambassador to France, who jmmortalized himself by his tactful chaperonage of Lindbergh in 1927, 1s about to be sent to Paris. It is sculp- tured in wood that was part of the orig- inal White House. Twenty-eight Amer- ican mayors are sailing for France as guests of the Republic, to attend the recently opened International Colonial and Overseas Exposition outside Paris. The wood out of which the Herrick bust is made is from the roof beams of the Executive Mansion constructed late in the eighteenth century. This wood survived the firing of the Capital in 1814 and was removed four years ago when the White House was under repair, * ko ‘Unnoticed in the political news out- side of Manhattan Island was the de- parture for Europe, a few days sgo, of Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York. He has gone to visit the bedside of his mother, who is seriously il at Paris. The strenuousness of an ocean crossing is well designed to belle the theory of some Democrats, who favor other aspirants, that Roosevelt’s physi- cal condition eliminates him from 1932 presidential considerations. On the eve of his sailing Gov. Roosevelt was in pro- Rhododendrons positively smile when | a farmer who has been | a cat, and since then he has never | The trouble with all such solemn per- | They are interested in birds, or in | or | Never, so far as we have been able | and the same time, both cats and birds, | 36 TR O THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. |one-tenth as many as the fanatics would have us believe. If any one will really study and watch the cat, it will be realized in short order that when it comes to catching the feathered creatures the cat 1s an optimist. His catches are more in his mind and desire than in his claws. ‘Alns, for the prowess of poor Pussy! Most_ of her selzings are of fledglings, which either have fallen out of their nests or are out for an unwise stroll on_their own. If this is not very gallant of Puss, it may be replied that gallantry is not A trait often seen in the wild. ook The trouble with the brown thrush’s song Is its monotony. Have you ever heard a band of mountaineers repeat “Coming 'Round the Mountain” until you wished they would try something else? Or perhaps a group of Hawallans sing a hula dance endlessly, the same until finally you tired of it, if they did not, and hoped they would modulate into something else after awhile? Of course, there is something to be sald for the old tune, oft repeated. One's feet get into the beat of it, and it becomes second nature. ‘The huge popularity achieved by a Spanishlike dance playgd over the radio recently is a testimonial to the lure in this sort of thing. But there is a limit. * koK K We could wish that the thrush knew | about limits. _Maybe he would change his song a bit_for our peculiar convenience. Perhaps he thinks he has enough va- riety as it is. As far as we can recall, he never sings it exactly the same way twice. We will say that much for him. He gives a slightly different twist to each of his four main measures, and jumbles them up, not always singing them in the same order. This is helpful to the listener who has become thrush-conscious. There have been a great many of these “consciouses” during the past few years. ~ People have become “air- consclous” and consclous of this, that and the other. _But to become consclous of & brown tirush, believe us, is to listen to a melancholy song. * ok * ok Even In the din of dawn, when every bird, including the sprarow, joins in the clamor, the flutellke melodies of the thrush stand out above the crowd. ‘That is the tantalizing thing. The music lover will thrill at the fine quality of this thrush-music, but he will wish that it were not quite so lugubrious, in total effect. The feathered little cuss is devoted to the minor strain. ‘With all the major keys open to him, he had to take out a patent on as per- fect & “minor” as throat ever achieved. ‘The result is that after one listens to it a week or so with great satisfac- tion, he finds himself hoping beyond hope that the thrush will vary it somehow. He will not, of course. The thrush is his own conductor orchestra, and we, the audience, will have to ac- cept his music as he pleases. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS WILLIAM WILE. | tracted heart-to-heart confab with Al | Smith bchind closed doors. Both | emerged wreathed in smiles. But whether the smiles meant that Al is | ready to support Frank, or the other vy ‘about, nobody is authorized to nar- rate. ok ‘The Law School of the Catholic Uni- | versity of America in Washington is to |the front with a comprehensively or- ized faculty of radio and aviation It is said to be giving the first seminar course in radio law for lawyers in the United States. In addition, there are courses in aviation, aerodynamics, popular lectures on flying problems, technical lectures on radio juris- prudence and graduate work for lawyers in the radio field. Dr. Herbert F. ‘Wright, formerly of the historical sec- tion of the State Department, gives courses in international law at the Catholic University. * X X K “Skipper” Secretary of the Navy, sends word tha he is having the time of his nautical in annual maneuvers on the West Coast. As far as the records disclose, Adams is the only honest-to-goodness sailor who ever administered the Navy’s affairs in his present capacity. Also he ranks as one of the most genuinely popular Secretaries ever been piped over the side of a battleship. * kK % Fads and fancies of American women are responsible for the suggestion by Henry Stude of Chicago, president of the American Bankers’ Association, that President Hoover should appoint a weman to the Federal Farm Board. Mr. Stude thinks that the presence of a daughter of Eve among Chalrman Stone’s farm-relievers might combat the tendencies of her sex to eschew the wearing_of cotton and the eating of bread. Women's whims and foibles on these scores, according to Mr. Stude, are costing cotton and wheat growers $500,000,000 & year and are responsible in large degree for the existing agricul- tural crisis. (Copyright. 1931.) Another Victim of Garden Vandalism To the Editor of The Sta I have been following, with sym- pathy for the victims and indignation against the marauders, the accounts of ruined gardens and injured property. ‘We built our home more than 16 years ago and in all that time I have Tesisted the temptation to put time and money into plantings where they would give the most pleasure to passers- by, but would be hardest for me to pro- tect—that is, on the. terrace above the sidewalk. However, last Fall I bullt and planted a little rock garden. I have worked early and late at it, and it has been the subject of much admiring comment. My opposite nelghbor had every tulip- head pulled off, and another neighbor's bird-bath was wantonly thrown down and shattered recently, but my little garden escaped, perhaps because I so frequently was working over it. .~ A recent afternoon, however, when I returned to my house I at once noticed that lilac plumes strewed the ground beneath a large bush near the street, and a new weigelia bush was uprooted. Hurrying to my rock garden, I found the English daisies and pansies all de- capitated, most of the heads lying bout, pansy plants and iris pulled up, my handsomest brown velvet pansy plant, which every passer-by admired, stolen In its entirety and every tulip- blossom but one solitary bloom gone. This included a row along my driveway. “The little rock plants not yet in bloom had been trampled over. As this garden was planned and tolled over purely for the pleasure of with never a flower cut for my own use, it is disheartening. I think it is high time that some definite effort be made to put a stop to such depredations If children can- not be educated to a love of beauty and a respect for property rights, the law should step in. The taxes on our home are very high and should surely cover sufficient policing to prevent such van- dalism in broad daylight. If all of the sufferers from this mania for destruction in our neighborhood alone were to protest, the public would be aroused to demand protection for ‘Washing flower gardens. RIPLEY BUCKINGHAM. | othy A DNESDAY, MAY 13, verse time and again, time and again, | Charles Francis Adams, life with the battle fleet now engaged | 1931, Tribute to a Faithful Friend of FederalWorkers To the Editor of The Star: I crave some of your space to say & few words about s man who passed away last week and whose life presented some unusual features. His career af- fords both en Inspiration and a warn- ing: inspiration as to what chance the right sort of an employe has to rise from the humblest beginning to one of the most exalted positions in the civil service, and a warning of the necessity of taking advantag: of all the leisure allowed to workers by & wise and benefl- cent Government in the way of leave of absence and holidays in order to obtain the necessary relaxation from official work. Ezeklel J. Ayers, late chief clerk and administrative assistant in the Depart- ment of State, entered the civil service in 1896 as a messenger in the Depart- ment of the Interior at $40 a month. ‘Within less than 20 years he had risen to the position of chief clerk of the de- partment; to be the right hand of Franklin K. Lane, that big-souled and brainy man_who, in addition to his manifold official carcs, undertook the most ambitious enterprise ever launched in this city to enable Government em- ployes, through co-operative buying, to lower the cost of living, through his organization of the Home Club. Mr. Ayers was one of the chief officers of this club, which also took care of the social and educational interests of the members. This dual activity of Mr. Ayers gave him a chance to gratify two of the ruling passions of his life—co- operative action for the benefit of the many, and an opportunity for special help to the more poorly pald Govern- ment workers. As chief clerk he told me that he was more interestsd in get- ting promotions for the “little fellows,” the charwomen, laborers and messen- gers. than In boosting thos: drawing better salaries. There are those who still remember how Mr. Ayers carried a fight to the floor of th: Senate in behalf of better pay for a poor laborer in his department. He afterward became ad- ministrative assistant to Secretary Hoo- ver in the Department of Commerce, and for the past several years held the same position in the Department of State. So that this former messenger, starting from the very foot of the ranks, became the right-hand man of three members of the cabinet. It was the same thing wherever he went. The “mudsills,” the humbler workers, whom he evidently regarded as part of the foundation of the service, were his chief care. He was a friend of the friendless, their influence and their hope of promotion. Along with kindness of heart there was keen pene- tration of mind—an uncommon combi- | nation. Everything was calculated to benefit the service as well as the indi. vidual. One of his last acts was to appear before the Personnel Classifica- tion Board in behalf of the reclassifica- tion of Federal translators into the pro- fessional and scientific class in recogni- tion of the Government's duty toward an important and hitherto neglected branch of the service. ‘The main fault of this good man was that he did not rest enough. On last Thanksglving, when on the afternoon before everybody was rushing away on pleasure bent, the writer asked Mr. Ayers where he was going. “To work,” was his laconic answer, d I will work all day tomorrow.” Many hts were also spent at his arduous desk. All this, of course, was voluntary. Few can realize the complex and exacting nature of such a position in a department like that of the State. A thousand prob- lems of a difficult, delicate and urgent nature aris3, to be dealt with quietly and well. Mr. Ayers did this for seven years, but always meeting his many friends with a cheery “Hello, there!” and never seeming to be rushed. Just- ly did the Secretary of State refer to the “loyalty and efficiency” of _this man. If he had only taken a little more rest! The crushing roller of time takes its heavy toll every day; to mention all the victims is impossible. But here is one life history that deserves to be known long after the grave closes over the mortal form. Sweet is the memory of him whose life was so devoted to the welfare of others and in devotion to the igher service of his country. LINDSAY S. PERKINS, DR Spain Will Find the Republican Road Hard To the Ed:tor of The Star: We look at Spain and see another rerubm: coming into being; another King goes down, and a government predicated on the will of the majority flaunts its flag to the breeze. the spur of the moment we are prone to rejoice with Spain that she has achieved republicanism at last, but a little in- trospection on our experience in estab- ishing & republic on satisfactory lines and maintaining it tempers our en- thusiasm a bit, and we wonder if Spain had not done better to carry on under her old order, considering her tempera- ment and experience, than to rush in on something new, totally incompatible with her traditions and education and manner of living. Spain 1s alarmingly illiterate. Nearly 40 per cent of, her population falls under the category “illiterate,” although doubtless some of these have some ele- mentary knowledge of the “three R's.” The prime requisite of republicanism is literacy, and as literacy takes a down- ward curve, so does chance for a sub- stantial republican government. And Spain has been steeped in this King tradition for 900 years.. “Long live the King!" will burst forth from the average Spaniard's lips two sec- onds after any trumpet blows. The King is as necessary to the Castilian as the Pope is to a Catholic. It's go- ing to take a mighty long time to change this temperament among the old guard, and the new republican re- gime is going to find it out, too. And we must not, lose sight of the fact that republicanism is heavy, pon- derous and unelastic. A monarchy manipulated with intelligence, patriot- ism and idealism is capable of achiev- ing much with a small force; its mind can be made up overnight, and cheap politicians don't have to be consulted. ‘We have a case of this in our recent soldiers’ bonus legislation. President Hoover sat down with his pen and wrote three or four thousand words, laying down facts for Congress, show ing that the law which he was veto- ing was extremely foolish, unwise for the country at large and doing the most damage to those whom it pur- ported to help; it was ing unem- ployed, men who needed jobs, not a dole. And the sad part of it was these very Congressmen whom Hoover was preaching to already knew that his philcsophy was sound. But did they vote according to their conviction? No. They played the part of the cheap poli- tician, perpetrating on -the people & bill which $750,000,000 deficit. Imagine a law- making body of 531 members, supposed- ly sane, passing a bill which the Secre- tary of the Treasury estimated would cost over a billion dollars and not pro- viding the money to pay the cost! No doubt Congress voted the will of its constituency. It just goes to show that the people sometimes are poor gover- nors of themselves. Suppose President Hoover had had the say all to himself under a monarchy. He could have saved the country. So as we view the happenings over in Spain we wonder whether she is going from bad to worse. Lord knows that under the monarchy Spain had no Federal Farm Board buying wheat to store away, millions and millions of bushels, bought at a false price to bolster the market, and which will hang as a sword of Damocles over the wheat market for months to come, defeating the very purpose it was intended to mitigate! Spain, we wish you well, but your road is hard—and how well we know it! CHARLES L. MORRIS, Jr. —.e They Do. Prom the Beattle Daily Times. “Spend all rml can,” is Charles M. Schwab's advice to married - women. Charlie lan't telling the average woinan anything. thrust the_country into a!l ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ‘Take advantage of this free service. If you are one of the thousands who have patronized the bureau, write us again, If you have never used the serv- ice, begin now. It is maintained for your benefit. Be sure to send your name and address with your question, and Inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Address The Even- ing Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. In the amateur golf champlon-|a ship, when two players are all even at the end of an 18 or 36 hole round, why don't they play another full round to decide the tie?—P. C. A. Because the competition is at match play and the rules provide that a match be determined by the play of one or more extra holes if the players are all even at the end of the fixed round, whether it be 18 or 36 holes. Q. When Sergt. Maj. Jiggs, the Ma- rine Corps mascot, was buried, was taps sounded?—C. W. N. A. While this dog actually held the rank of sergeant major, and was given an impressive funeral, it was not mili- tary and there were no taps nor volleys. Q. How tall is the average American girl at the age of 167—A. S. A. At 16 the average height is about 61.6 inches. The average height of the American woman is 63.5 inches. Q. Where can I secure some plain and authoritative facts in regard to house construction and design written for the | layman?—H. A. A. “How to Judge a House,” published by the National Committee on Wood Utilization, Department of Commerce, will give you what you want. Q. What President's widow was the first to draw a pension from the United States?—H. B. C. A. It was Mrs. Polk. The act of March 31, 1882, provided for a pension of $5,000. Q. How long would there be sunlight on earth if the sun should suddenly cease to shine?—E. W. A. It is estimated that it requires only about 499 seconds for the light from the sun to reach the earth. Thus, if the sun should suddenly cease to exist, light would come to the earth for only 499 seconds longer. Q. Was an attempt ever made to as- sl.il;ln;te Queen Victoria of England? A. Several attempts were made. She was fired at several times but escaped unscathed. Once she was struck on the head with a cane, receiving a wound on her foreh Q. What is the origin of the expres- sion, “to save one's bacon"?—W. N. A. The allusion is probably to the care taken in early days to save from the dogs the bacon which was laid up for Winter, Q. For whom was the Rock of Gi- braltar named?—V. C. A. It comes from the one-eyed Ber- ber or Moorish conqueror, Gebal-Tarik, who landed there in 711 and commemo- rated his first victory by calling, the glant rock by his own name. Q. Do birds live longer in captivity than in their wild state?>—E. M. P. A. Ordinarily wild birds live from 10 ‘mlsy&nummmllflkdby their enemies. Birds in captivity live normally twice as long as those which are wild. Q. What is _the t capital of R S B | s A. The present capital of China under the Nationalist Republican government is the City of Nanking, near Shanghal, in the Province of Kiangsu. Q. What are the essential things %o be_‘!ouxgwed in constructing a fish pond? . M. E. A. The following features should be provided for: Water-tightness, so that small inflow will be sufficient, high temperatures during the Summer months; a shallow area, from 18 to 30 inches deep, where the fish may nest; a deeper area, of 6 feet or more, for Winter quarters, and a fertile bottom for the growth of aquatic plants, upon | which fish food depends. ! Q. Are English coronets worn witha | velvet cap?—J. B. | A. They formerly inclosed a cap of velvet, but this is often omitted now. Q. Why is the banking center of | London called Lombard Street?—P. 8. 8. | "A. It is a street on which are many banks, but the name Lombard Street applies to the whole banking center of the city. The Lombard Jews begar banking In Italy in 808. Some of therm afterward went to London and settled in the narrow thoroughfare which i» called after them. Q. How should a sheep-lined cow | be prepared for Summer storage?- D.R.C. | 'A." A sheep-lined coat should be | thoroughly cleaned with gasoline be- | fore storing for the Summer. It should | be hung in the sun until thoroughly | dry and then put in a clothing bag | or a cedar chest. Q. Who was master of ceremonies at the White House in Dolly Madison's day?—W. D. A. A native of Paris, Jean Plerre Sloussat. Q& Who wrote the “Elsle Books"?— "A. Martha Finley. Q. How many vessels went through the Panama Canal last year?—C. W. A. During the calendar year closing December 31, 1930, 5,885 vessels passed through the’ Panama Canal, the tolls | amounting to $26,146,024.96. The daily | average commercial transits were 16.12; the daily average tolls, $71,632.95. The largest number of transits was in Jan- uary, 531, with tolls amounting to §2.- 360,211.24. The smallest number of transits was 458, in_September, with tolls amounting to $2,057,103.58. Q. How much does a railroad locomo- tive cost?>—W. M. A. The cost of the average size At- lantic or Pacific type locomotive Which is used on large railroads is between $50,000 and $60,000. The cost of the largest locomotives used in the United States is from $80,000 to $100,000. Q. Where is Medicine Hat?—A. O. 8. A. It is a town on the Caradian Pa- cific Railroad in Southeast Alberta, in the Dominion electoral district of Med- icine Hat, 30 miles from the Saskatche- wan border and 75 miles from the Mon- tana border. Q. Who said “An acre in Middlesex is better than a principality in Uto- pla?"—E. T. B. A. It is from “On Lord Bacon,” by Macaulay. | President Hoover's address before the International Chamber of Commerce, in which he advised Europe to reduce armaments as a means of aiding the restoration of business conditions, pro- duces a spirited national debate. There are many expressions of support for the President’s position, though the tarift barrier to Europe is criticized in some comments, and there is also brief mention of the debt question. The logic of President Hoover's ad- dress is praised by the Rochester Times- Union and the Buffalo Evening News, the latter suggesting that “it is going to be put to a test at the conference of the nations to be held next February.” ‘The Cleveland News suggests that ‘if the foreign experts at the parley came over with the idea of blaming American tariffs and American insistence on the payment of war debts for world ills, President Hoover has neatly forestalled them by striking at & more logical and certainly a cause.” “President Hoover's advice,” in the opinion of the Milwaukee Sentinel, “probably will have little effect in curb- ing armament expenditures. Neverthe- less it is well that he has given it. An official answer to Europe has long been wanting.” The Topeka Daily Capital emphasizes the reference to the in- creased number of armed men in the world at present, and adds, “The situa- tion is so serious that it cannot easily be overstated, and President Hoover does not overstate it.” The Capital avers that “fear governs the present po- litical policy of every great nation on the globe.” “It was a ringing call” says the ‘Wheeling Intelligencer, “to the leaders of business and of industry, to the powers of finance in this country, to unite and lead the way for permanent disarmament of the nations of the " The Janesville Gazette feels that “it must impress itself on these students of economical and business questions gathered from all parts of the world.” That it “struck a popular chord” is the conclusion of the Asbury Park Press, and favorable forecasts are given by the Oshkosh Northwestern and the Lowell Leader. * K K K “Nothing thé world could do would hasten recovery so much as drastic limitations in armaments and the aboli- tion of some of the fears and suspicions that stimulate arming,” advises the Duluth Herald, while the St. Paul Pioneer Press states as to next year's achievement is to be expected. But, through gradual accumulation of small gains in many different fields, both political and economic, the conditions for greater peaceful measures will grad- ually grow on the world. The peace of the world hinges on whether such pain- ful progress can outrace the forces of disruption and discord.” Agreeing with the President’s praise of the Kellogg treaty, the Worcester Telegram holds that “American adher- ence to the World Court would probably impress other nations with our peace- able intentions,” and adds, “Meanwhile Mr. Hoover's forceful warning that the world is too heavily armed will strength- en the friends of peace everywhere.” The Harrisburg Telegraph thinks that “a world spending $5,000,000,000 & year on upkeep of armies and navies has no real reason to claim impoverishment until it shall have reduced these ex- penses.” The South Bend Tribune condemns, in the matter of debts, “a campalgn to provide more money at American taxpayers' expense for main- tenance of European military ma- chines.” “It is the intelligent and enlightened public opinion in all countries,” declares the Houston Chronicle, “which will ultimately force the powers that be to cease thinking war and to eliminate the preparation for war.” The Youngstown Vindicator holds that the President “points to the most obvious wa: vent depressions.” The Indianapolis Star suggests, first. & 50 per cent cut in ~ military establishments, and con- tinues, “After they had realized the possibilities of a 50 per cent reduction they would find it easier to grasp the wisdom of cutting preparedness to bare necessities, as we have done.” “The United States,” contends the arms meeting: “No brilliant overnight | gur Hoover’s Advice to Cut Cost Of Arms Debated by Nation be blamed for European militarism. It the Old World nations continue their costly and dangerous competition in that field, the disaster thus invited could not be averted by America’s can- cellation of the debts owed it, nor by the lowering of the tariffs, nor | by anything this republic could do toward bettering conditions.” The call to the leaders of Europe is indorsed by the Madison Wisconsin State Journal, the St: Louis the Albany Evening the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. The Kalamazoo Gazette contends that this reduction of tax burdens “would go & long way-toward providing the economic relief which a large part of the world 50 sorely needs.” X k¥ In criticism of the President's speech, the Charleston (S. C.) Evening Post advises: “The ultimate answer is a great family of nations, and that is so far in the future that one might as Europeans 1 2ot ‘Foine to Jevel s tarif. Nations not going to level 3 are just abcut as foolish as individuals.” The Rock Island Argus suggests that “it might help & lot to lower the tariff intelligently,¥ and also that “many are still persuaded that we would have helped the cause of peace in greater measure if we had entered the World Court long ago.” The importance of the tariff on the American side in a discussion of European armament is stressed by the Omaha World-Herald, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Jackson Citizen Patriot and the Dallas Journal. “With the universal prosperity,” com- ments the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “there might have been a marked arma- ment reduction following some or all of the post-war peace and disarma- ment pacts. But the military and the navy are trades and professions in Eurcpean countries to a degree mot easily understood in this country. There is scarcely & nation in Europe today that would not ipitate an economic crisis by removing the livings from the armed forces to any marked degree.” That paper adds that “re- duction of armaments would reduce factory working forces.” The effect on industry and business is emphasized also by the Rockford Morning Star and the Savannah Morning News. “We wonder if Uncle Sam can ef- fectively preach smaller armies in while practicing bigger tariffs at home!” exclaims the Ann Arbor Dally News, a thought which is voiced also by the Chattanooga News. “A footnote worth attention from the American people” is added by the Chi- cago Tribune: “A strong United States is the strongest factor in world peace. Roosevelt counseling “One of the most effective strokes for world peace which the United States Government and people could make would be to serve formal and conclusive notice upon Europe that henceforth no unnecessary war could be financed, in whole or in part, in the United States,” in the judgment of the Pasadena Star-News. While quot- ing the list of obstacles to the Hoover plan, including “Russia, which nobod: trusts,” the New York Sun adds, “Still it does no harm to keep preaching the verities.” “The men to whom the President spoke directly have it in their power to insist upon courageous and ins the Oakland Tr! Capital “should have immediate and support on _this policy Nation.” The San Francisco Chronicle emphasizes the importance of the fact e United States is one Nation whose armament does not impose competitive burden on any other.” Reviewing the negative arguments that have been made, the Newark Eve- ning News concludes, “Legally and morally, high tariffs and debt puy- ments, non-recognition of Russia and isolation from international councils may be as right as righteousness itself, but if they have brought the world to New Orleans Times-Picayune, “cannot ~ an we ought alter our pn!m:" lflm"' ',‘A:.‘,_