Evening Star Newspaper, May 18, 1931, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.........May 18, 1931 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company usiness Offce: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave, York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. Ofice: Lake Michican Buildine. an Offce: 14 Regent ., London, " Englan Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evenine Star... 45e per month an o ,:'-nie'n' nlln!und;ré)“ ity bi3,00¢ PeT month Vening an ('w)ban 5 gunfll,l' .65¢ per mq Teetion made “each mon OFHOQY:EHIII be sent in by mail or telephone Rhtlonal 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. §:“y and Sunday.....1yr, $10.00: 1 mo. 85¢ J1yr., $6.00; unday only T §4.00; 1 mo. All Other States and Canada. Daily and Su Daily only junday only Member of the Associated Press. The Assoctated Press 15 exclusively entitled 1o the ‘use for rcpublication of all news dis- patehes credited fo it or not otherwise cred- n this paper and also the local news published herein. Al rizhts of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. PO Gathering the Harvest. It was not a cheerful picture that Attorney General Mitchell spread before the American people in his Star Radio Forum address of Saturday evening. An optimist might find some degree of encouragement in the description of worthwhile efforts to improve the ad- ministration of justice in the Federal Courts; in the accomplishments toward reorganization of the Federal prison service; in the warfare waged by the Federal Government against organized violation of Federgl laws. But these represent merely the Federal Govern- ment’s own efforts to cope with the problem of law violation. Tke problem itself is the thing. Attorney General Mitchell suggested gome of the causes for increased Fed- eral activity in law enforcement, such 2s the Harrison anti-narcotic act, the Dyer act against the interstate transpor- tation of stolen automcbiles, the Mann act and the prohibition act. These nat- urally have increaced the avenues through which the Federal Government has been brought into the fleld of crim- inal law enforcement. But with the widening of the field there has been an accompenying increase in the crop. And what a crop! .In 1870 the population of the United Stales was, in round num- bers, 38,000,000 and the United States in that year started 6,000 criminal pros- ecutions. In 1930 the population was 122,000,000 and the United States start- ed 87,000 criminal prosecutions. In 1910 the number of persons sent to prison per milllon of population was 114. In 1920 the figure had increased to 26, 1926 to 40 and in 1929 to 58. In 1930, “as a result of our activity in law enforcement,” the number jumped to 80. Between 1929 and 1930 new ef- means to enforce the law and bring sure and quick convictions were sought, and with success, by the Federal Govern- ment. What was the result? In 1929 the number of Federal prisoners was 19,560. In 1930 the number of Federal prisoners was 24,524. We dem:nd the enforcement of the laws, a judicial sys- tem that will discourage delays and bring about quick trial and disposal of criminal cases. And when we get them the result is to jam the Federal prisons, build new ones and establish prison camps, Yet the business of “dealing with organized crime is largely a local prob- lem” in which the Federal Government cannot interest itself. Criminal gangs commit ten violations of a State law to every single violat'on of a Federal law, and while the statistics relating to the ratio between violations of State and Federal laws as a whole are not given by the Attorney General, it is a logical presumption that gangdom's law vicla- tions are representative of all law violaticn. The law enforccment ma- chinery of the majority of the States, their police forces and their courts, are far below the standard of comparable Federal agencles, and in many instances are entangled with graft and corruption relatively unknown to the Federal service, Because we, as a people, have not been enforcing the law, cne of the cure-alls advanced for crime has been trict law enforcement. When we enact | more laws and improve our machinery | through the conscientious sincere public servants, the r form in a tremendously prison population. What w result when public sentiment about a reform in law administration for the States comparable thet sought by the Federal Government? Is 1t to be merely a prison building pro- gram? efforts of creased be the that the various egenct to study crime and law beginning to place as muc 5 upon the necessity of gett the oot of law violation as in pruning the offshoots. More intelligent thought is directed toward the crime, along with the p crime. At one stege of its progress, civilization sought to curb a crime by the ga! bleck. The day miles of cell blocks also will : as archaic relics of a long and pain- ful struggle. are ——— Those who have been laugh 2t alrplane-line “hos! hunt up another joke. Musical Art and Pclitics. The experlence of Arturs Toscanini, orchestra conductor, in his ve Italy at the hands of indignant fascisti is reminiscent of a happening in this cuntry during war time. The Teutonic cder of the Boston Sympheny Or- chestra refused t) play “The Star Spangled Banner” at a concert on the ground that it was not “g-od music.” Public indignation was highly aroused and shortly afterward the Teuton left the country for a more harmonious clime. In Toscanini’s case there was no real justification for atla tainly none for physical cnslaught. Prior to the recital at Bologna he was met by a delegation of fascists and requested to play the marching song of their political organization as a pre- lude to the concert. This was because a certain person was in the audience, en undersecretary cf the and 1atfigh-in-law of Mussolin] ed to might brings | fthe fascist marching song because o(‘ his official or his personal relationship was not established. At any rate, Tos- canini refused, declaring that the com- position in question was not “good music,” just as Carl Muck refused to play the American national anthem— it had not then been so declared and established by law, as it has since been, but it wedugenerally recognized as such j —on the score of its musical deficiency. Carl Muck was wrong, decidedly wrong, in his refusal to play the selec- tion that stood for the American na- tional spirit, unless he felt that to do s0 was & betrayal of his German allegiance. In that case he had no ground for complaint. He forfoited his position for the sake of his naticnal epirit. Toscanini was under no obliga~ tion whatever to play the faseist march, because requested by a group of political partisans, or because of the presence in the audience of Mussolini’s daughter’s father-in-law and cne of his undersecretaries. He is perhaps to be admired for his discrimination as a musician. He might easily have com- promised, however, for the sake of the higher intercs® of his art, even though the music w rubbish. The artistic temperament would not permit such a concession. He suffered in body and probably will have to quit his work in Italy, as long as fascism rules there. Italy is really the loser from such | absurd political fanaticism. — e Europe’s Tariff Tribulations. At Geneva today the Council of the League of Nations takes up the tangled skein cf European tariffs, in the des- perate hope of evolving a pattern upon which there can be approximate agree- ment. The prospects can hardly be de- bed as bright. Divided against itself by a host of military and political differences, the European house is at particular loggerheads on tariffs. These have been aptly likened by Dr. Julius Klein to “five thousand miles of barbed wire entanglements,” erecied to ob- struct trade predestined by natural conditions and needs to take its course across national boundaries more or less unhindered. There was chaos encugh in such a situation before Germany cnd Austria aggravated it by proposing a bilateral customs union of their own. That put the fat into the fire. How hot the fire has already beccme was manifested in Geneva on Saturday, when German Foreign Minister Dr. Curtlus pitch- forked the scheme into the picture. Un- der the chairmanship of M. Briand, ©Old World foreign ministers had assem- bled 2s members of the “Ccmmission for Eurcpean Union” to discuss the French stetesman’s famous “United States of Eurcpe” preject. It was not Dr. Cur- tius' conscious purpose t> provoke a controversy over German-Austrian cus- toms union. He mentioned it more or less casually in a general dissertation up:n Europe's fiscal woes, but M. Briand, smarting under the blows of fate which smashed his presidential ambitions last week—many thought that German-Austrian plans were his neme- sis—{felt called upon then and there to proclaim thet France could not and ‘would not acczpt those plans. So although these were not scheduled to be debated until today’s League Coun- cil session, Saturday's events pitched the key in which it is now certain they will be considered. Soon after Dr. Cur- tius broke the ice, Austrian Vice Chan- cellor Dr. Schober plunged into the fray. He said his emaciated country “cannot wait.” Sh: had entered into ncgotia- tions with Germany because Berlin offers Vienna something immediate and concrete instead of mercly the possibility of something to be incubated by an international conference. Austri2, Dr. | Schober explained in effect, is fatigued with discussion and d¢ferment and re- quires decision. M. Briaad voiced the familiar protest that a German-Austrian customs ynion violates the treaties of Versailles and St. Cermain. “I believe in ths necessity for common effori,” he expostulated, . but must insist that everything be j excluded which can arouse anxiety and “}d'.\!‘:‘ust " The anxicty and distrust 1v.hxch fill the French are the fears that customs union is the forerunner of Anschluss, or German-Austrian politi- ! cal consolidation, with a new menace of pan-Germansm. Italian Foreign Minister Grandi supported M. Briand’s | objections to the “legal” transgressions involved. Before the acrimonious sitting ad- journed amid rising tension, France submitted her vaunted counter-project. I'Th: answer to the Teutonic tariff scheme would provide relief for Euro- pean agricultural statzs; for wide exten- fon of the industrial cartel system, zh lowered tariffs; for spe- 825 to Austria, notably prefer- | ence duties by neighbor states to the | antage of Austrian manufacturers, | and for imorovement of European cred't through League financial agencies, | From this far-off angle it must be | confessed that the Germans and Aus- | trians seem to proffer the far more | common-sense method of escape from b Eurcpean tariff maze. They re essaying to put into practice on a a plan which, should it le, could be expanded so e any number of other |ccuntries, Dr. Curtius asserted at Ceneva that 25 customs barricrs are to blame for many of Eurcps's economic difficulties, Germany and Austria are attempting to obliterate them as far as 5 in their own power. If enybody else cares to join in the removal proc- ess, 80 much the batter, | This founds to American ears like brass tacks. In another of our idicms L sounds like ask‘ng Europe to fish or cut bait. There may be international lawyer objections to the German-Aus- trian plan, based on a technical inter- pretation of treaty terms. Otherwise it { Iooks on this side of the Atlantic as if | biiateral tariff agreements between | Buropean countries able readily to get | tegether, and which for a variety of | reasons belong together, are preferable, at least as the first stage in a curative scheme, to multilateral agreements which for recsons no less various are an ind:finitely unattainable panacea. — ————— It seoms as if almost everything re- rled in the press recently involves {a beauty conteft winner. R Timcthy Cole, Engraver. ‘While to most Americans the name of Timothy Cole was unknown, or if heard meant nothing, that gentle, quiet, unassuming man was one of the fore- THE EVENING engraving. He died yesterday at Pough- keepsie, N. Y., at the age of seventy- nine, after a long fliness. He was almost the last of the gravers. ‘The world little recks the sacrifices entalled in “progress” Especially in the cultural works, which offer such slight opportunities for reward and profit. Timothy Cole had the misfor- tune to develop skill with the burin only shortly before the development of new methods of illustration. Just as he attained his artistic majority the art began to fade as a means of reproduc- tion for printing. He had the good for- tune, however, of possessing a quality of stroke that made his work excep- tional and that won for him continuing patronage, even though his art had ceased to command its former market. Some wood engravers, when the new methods of pictorial reproduction sup- planted the old, took to other lines of work and learned to command other mediums of art. Cole, however, stood by his block and graver. His persist- ence, founded upon faith in the surviv- ing value of engraving as an art form, was rewarded, though there were lean times and hardships. Luckily a mar- ket for his exquisitely beautiful repro- ductions of famous works of art was provided by a magazine, which ab- sorbed the greater part of his product for a considerable period. Eventually the tide of taste turned back to the almost discarded mode of block print- ing and Timothy Cole found his wood gravings welcomed at prices which en- abled him to maintain himself in com- fort in his declining years. There was one peculiarity about Tim- othy Cole that set him apart from most of his fellows of the graver tools. He could not draw. His art lay in the pre- cision and the delicacy and the “color” of his line. But he was never able to lay down his sketch upon -the wood, manship of others to sketch upon the wood and later upon photographic process to prepare the block for his stecl. He eventually used the photo- graphically prepared block for engrav- ing from the painting itself. This limi- tation did not in any degree lessen the actual artistry of Cole’s work. His blccks were full of feeling, vibrant with meaning, pulsing with atmosphere. Pimothy Cole’s little home at Pough- keepsie, where he lived for many years, was a mecca for artists. From the quiet little man with the twinkling eyes that never lost their keenness from the passing of time and the demands upon them of an exacting task, they gained inspiration and helpful philosophy. Many there were throughout this coun- try who merely knew his pame as the creator of beauty and who knew nothing of his circumstances. Now he is gone, and there are few remaining who are ca- pable of carrying on 2n art which once was highly appreciated. The little pheasants that were hatch- ed by a hen in one of the parks of Washington will at least not shock their foster mcther by going in swim- ming, as young ducks similarly incu- bated have been known to do. L eee—a Canoes out in the moonlight in navi- gable waters must be equipped with proper lights, according to a ruling of the Bureau of Navigation. Most of them already have sirens, ———————— “Many birds form their sounds with- out opening their bills.”—Natural his- tory note. So do many citizens; they know well enough in advance what is inside. ——————— Philip Snowden denounces as a pure fabrication the repcrt that he is to become a peer. The denial is about as necessary as the refutation of his “great- ly exaggerated” death by Mark Twain. “Gambling at Reno Draws Gang- sters” ran a recent headline. There are numerous communities that wish to heaven it would draw them all. e Absence of Congress from Washing- ton makes the coming of the circus menagerie of somewhat less political significance than usual. e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Noting a Difference. The man who says the things I think, In a convincing tone And in opinion seeks to link His fortunes with my own, Who holds an audience enthralled While all his thoughts are told— He is entitled to be called A patriot true and beld. But he who takes another side From that which I espouse And calls mankind from far and wide Their interest to arouse In talk with which I disagree— Let not his words befog Your judgment, for I plainly see He is a demagogue. Prudence, “Have you ever written your mem- oirs?” asked the publisher, “No,” replied Senator Scrghum. “And T'm not going to write them. When a man interviews himself there is no chance for him to cover a mistake by saying he was misquoted.” Jud Tunkins says the trouble about being a cynic is that so many people don't draw any distinction between cynicism and a bad disposition. Nature Through a Monocle. The leaves are on the trees so gay. In o itumn they will go away. They will be back, by Jove, next Spring. Each year it is the same old thing. A leaf once fastened on a tree Should try to stay there, don't you see! The way they're popping to and fro Is trying to the nerves, you know! Rustic Scorn. “What we want,” said the eloquent lady, “is higher and more refined 1ideals.” “Of course,” replied Farmer Corntos- sel. “It's a shame the way us rough men get out and hustle for corn and potatoes when we might be slippin’ geraniums and trainin’ erimson ram- blers.” Essential. Lives of men in high position Show us that the great and wise Will get left in competition 1If they do not advertise. “I 8ke & keerful man,” said Uncle Eben, “but I hates to see anybody so ter. most exponsnts of & once universsl and scared o' geitin’ cheatededat he goes ‘hether he was to be honored by always a beautiful art, the art of wood wifout things he actually needs.” relying at one time upon the draughts- | STAR, WASHINGTON, D MONDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘The real life of every man and woman | have we not said that the opinions of | candidate who is opposed to national becomes more secretive with the years. Argument is scen to be mostly wasted, instruction thrown away, pleading lost. The tendency is to turn more to the inner life, where one triumphs and suf- fers in silence. Perhaps this explains why the older a man gets, the less seldom do you hear him recommending books to others. Just as his home library must be, in | essence, static and non-circulating, so his opinfons of works of literature tend | to become m:m; and more set. * % Such opinions become private and personal. After all, the huge run of booklovers are not eritics, A real fricnd of books simply knows | what pleases him, and what does not, and why, in either case. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred his judgment will be amazingly correct. ‘This is the happy inner satisfaction of the man who has once realizcd the fu- tility of attempting to select the read- ing of others. Selecting his own books to suit him- self, he comes in time to the course of wisdom, which is rcfusal to enlarge that policy. * e Where many an earnest booklover falls down is in going cn, from the per- sonal selection of personil books, to the widespread choice of the same works for others. It will not do. ‘They do not want him to select their reading matter for them, but prefer to find their own bccks for themselves, thank you. Consider the cases of prominent men, renowned in one branci of endeavor, who attempt to give general advice cn a variety cf matters to the whole world. Is it not true that countless readers of their ideas s2t them down for fools, despite their wealth and success and their undoubt:d efliciency in their own lines? Such men have not learn=d the best secret cf the passing years, which is to be self-contained. Y To be self-contained, in books, is to have a secr:t place in the mind and heart to which only a few have the key. | There is nothing blatant, nothing spectacular, here, but only sound ap- | preciatic: from it. This appreciation must come from wids acquaintance. There is no other way of knowing the best and that in- stantly, without hesitition or doubi That is the reas:n that the read man,” of whcm all have heard, is th> key-man of bookdom. He may not be an author, he may scarcely be known as a booklover, but the whcle realm of books depends upon him, in the last analysis. KoK KA His judgments are certain and un- Ting. He is not thrown off the track by “blurbs” on the jackets cf books, by laudatory notices, nor by the name and reputation of the author. He senses, even before he reads, a good book. If you were to ask him why he chose a certain title, ke would not be able to tell you, but all the time he would*have been led to it as a bee to_honey. , and the joy which comes e There is no bock snobbishness about | this type of reader. He has no desire to be considered either old-fashioned or new-fashioned in his tastes. For “well | | others mean little to him? * K Kk K Nor is this type of reader exceptional. There are thousands of him—and her. But no one who slavishly accepts the advice of others can be said to be- long to the ranks, because the essen- tial mark of the reader of this type is that he thinks for himself. This does not mean that he is eccen: tric, peculiar or “high-brow” in his reading tastes. Consider the last. To be “high-brow" in regard to books, some think, is to | like queer old tomes no one else ever heard of. Yet the very man designated “high- | brow” by his loving friends will be the first to get genuine pleasure out of reading cataloku(‘: < * The true appreciator of the best— and worst—among books has but two standards, those of interest and worth. The first is utterly dependent upon the second. Worth, for some reason or other, or for a combination of several or many reasons, is what a book must have to intrigue him. His recognition of this quality de- pends, before all, upon his prior ac- quaintance with books. This is where the “newly” rich” in bookdom fall down lt’_lfi\;d. but never realize, alas, that they all! Cannot any one with the price buy a book, and cannot he hold it in his hand, and cannot he go through the words one after the other? Surely he can do these things, but his background is non-existent. This is as near to snobbery as the genuine born booklover ever comes. So much he cannot help. With him, every word, every sentence, every chapter in @ new book is uncon- sciously compared, step by step, even word by word, with a hundred, it may be a thousand, models. ¥ ok ok X The less of this the booklover gives out, the better for him. He is not boastful, because there is no necessity for him to boast. He knows, in common parlance, his stuff. As long'as he hugs his precious knowledge to himself he is not called 1\mzm by any man to defend his opin- ons. And who wants to go_through the | world forever defending opinions? | If one's opinions were called in ques- |tion always by men of intelligence, | honesty and rectitude, cne might get both pleasure and profit by continued | verbal warfare. As it is some ignoramus who just knows how to read dares question any- thing from A to Z. And it is horribly true that a cat may look at a King. % Secretive, then, will be the love of | the bookman for his books. Often in company he will appear | dense and ignorant, rather than be lured into unwise comment for the | benefit of fools and groundlings. | In the high atmosphere where he walks petty things have no place. This is the mottled porch of Epicte- | tus, the gardens of Epicurus, the stage | of Moliere, the Samoan home of Steven- son, the wide seas of Conrad. These live again in the heart and mind of the lover of books; and, in fact, being non-existent elsewhere, cannot be shared with others. Others must discover them for them- selves. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS ‘BY FREDERIC Chief of Staff Gen. MacArthur avows and avers that he called off the “night bombing” of New York City with 1,000,000-candlepower flares wholly on his own initiative; that protests from the public had nothing to do with it. The fact remains that ever since the | country began hearing about this weck's great maneuvers of the Army Air Corps | the White House and the War De, ment have been bombarded with ap- peals, complaints and yowls of every description. President Hoover's mail- bag on the subject has bcen particu- larly heavy. There's a suspicious re- semblance between these popular oat- cries and the organized protest that | wells up in Washington every time Con- gress is considering a naval building program or some new and needed mili- | tary project. Members of the House and Senate have long been accustomed to that sort of thing. The executive branch of the Government seems to be more _sensitive to it. The blunt and brutal truth is that if the United States wants an efficient air force it must b2 trained and kept in training. Training is not a matter of theory. It is a ques- tion of practice. If the nervous Nellies of Manhattan Island who favored the curtailment of the Air Corps’ exercises in that region have paved the way to important changes in the Air Corps plans elsewhere, national defense will be the serious loser. PR Atlantic City is szbout to launch 2 vigorous campaign to captur: the 1932 Republican National Convention. ‘Under the a nationally known hotel man, who helped obtain ths G. O. P. con e for Chi- cago in 1920 and the Coolidge lovefeast for Cleveland in 1924, Ambassador Wa! ter E. Edge's home town is out hell- bent-for-leather to bring the Republi- cans to “the Shore” next year. Its immediate goal is the raising of a $150,000 fund with which to impress the National Committee when it assembles in Washington next Dece! hoose the convention city. The ground” knows that it may be necessary considerably to raise that ante before Atlantic City can hop> to win, and ar- rangements to that end, too, are being perfacted. Between its salubrious ocean climate, its mammoth and magnificent hotels_and 1t5 41,000-seater _convention hall, Representative “Ike” Bacharach constituency can't see anythng to it but_certain victory. S:nator Dwight W. Morrow, Atlantic City hopes, will put | his shoulder to the wheel when the| time comes, especially as there’ll be no suspicion that he's after any local color for ambitions of his own in ’32. * v % % At the White House they're ardently hoping that_the good burghers of Val- ley Forge, Pa. will have patched up their differences by the time President Hoover gets there on Memorial day. The Rev. Dr. W. Herbert Burk, rector of the pretty litt’e Valley Forge Memo- rial Church, deposes that the Vahey Forge Park Commission, by becoming the President’s official host, has stolen his thunder. Dr. Burk says the Presi- ices cf Foscoe J. Tompkins, | WILLIAM WILE. & remarkable trip through the Far East. Aboard the venerable U. S. S. Pitts- burgh, flagship of our Asiatic squadron, Gov. Davis traveled 6,000 miles during a period of six weeks' absence n Manila. He touched at Saigon, Indo- China; Bangkok, Siam; Singapore, Straits Settlement; Balawan Deli, Sumatra; Batavia, Java; Sourabaya, Java; Buleling, Bali; Makassar and Celebes. A projected stop in British North Borneo had to be abandoned on account of a shallow harbor. Davis is the first Governor General of the Philippines to make & good will tour of neighboring countries. He was ac- companied by his son and dauzhter, Dwight, jr., and Cynthia, well known members of the Washington official set three yearg ago, and by a ccuple of Filipino caSinet officers. In Cambodia, one of the five divisions of French Indo- China, King Monivong decorated the ! | American party—possibly as a tribute | to it; patience In sitting through three i solid hours of native dance rituals. ek K K | Yale, Princetcn, Columbia, to say | ncthing of Stenford end the rest of | ’em, really ought to do something about | this business of handing out one H-over | administration plum after another to sons of fair Harvard. The latest job | landed by them is the assistant secre- | taryship of state just conferred upon | Harvey H. Bundy cf Boston, Harvard Law '14. Like Secretary Stimson, Mr. | Bundy took an A. B. at Yale beforc | getting his LL. B. at Cambridge. It was on'y a few weeks ago that another flower of Hirvard, brilllant young Ar- | thur Atwood Ballantine, inherited the vacant assistant secretaryship cf the | Treasury. The “little cabinet” has been filling up with Harvard or Harvard Law men since 1929. The State Department hierarchy nowadays is elmost painted crimsen. * ok % ok Senora Malbran, charming consort of the new Argentinian Ambassador to Washington, says she has “just come back hime,” in finding herself once more in the American Capital. She lived here as a bride when Senor Malbran was a young attache of the Argentin! legation 20 years ago, and her son wis torn in Washington. The Ambassador is not offended when he’s remnded that he lcoks like Al Smith, though of girthier aspect. (Copyrizht rom— Take Rackets' O Sorsen: From the San Bernardino Sun. Unless the motion pleture industry arouses ltself it is headed for official, rather than unofficial censorship. ¢ The people will not tolerate much {longer “the continuous portrayal of | racketecrs as heroes and drunken men |and women as average citizens. The people have not lost their ability to calcuate the amount of damage such an atmosphere of the screen is doing to the ideals of boys and girls. | Just” why it is necessary to have | scenes of liquor parties in_order to make a picture a success defles imagi- 1931) | dent sent for him as long ago as last | N Fall to talk over the Memorial day program, but that somehow, by hook or by crook—the reverend doctor thinks mainly by crook—the Park Commission has managed to horn in for the privi- lege of doing the presidential honors. Chairman Pennypacker of the ccmmis- sion pleads innocence of Dr. Burk's charge, declares that President Hoover duly accepted the commission’s invita- tiop, and that that’s all there is to it. “Afler all,” Mr. Pennypacker adds, “the commission represents the State of Pennsylvania. o ., Cornell University has now gone the way of the University of Wisconsin in opposing _the continuance of com- pulsory military drill. The faculty at Ithaca has just voted, 81 to 38, in favor of making military training elective. Its decision chalks up a striking vic- tory for the pacifist crganization which for years has been making a specialty of driving the uniform and instructors of the United States Army off school, college and university campuses. nell is one of the national land-grant colleges, the orlfmtl charter of which made a course in elementary military training obligatory. The Iowa State lature recently voted down the “Wisconsin plan,” which Cornell now approved. *xx Dwight F. Davis, Governor General of the Philippines, recently completed n. | "The film producers are playing with | fire and they are to bs burnt. A move |ment for legislation to prohibit the | showing on the screen of the enactment |of any’ crime would have widespread support. motion picture industry. So far, it has frowned on official censorship. The people have been willing for the motion pic.ure producers to regulate their own | affairs, fearing that | might destroy art. And it would. But there are limits and they have been | reached and passed in tha quest for box | office receipts at the expense of endan- gering the moral education of the youth of the country. The boys and girls who see their film favoritas engaging in. liquor parties are certainly impressed with the germ of the idea that lquor is not outlawed. The film hero who gets by as & racketeer and all-around bad man has pli-.'x‘\dted an impression in the juvenile mind. If it is impossible to make successful films without such a smear of crime and bcoze that has marked many recent productions, then producers will have to take smalier profits. The people Will not. and should not, tolerate the kind of scenes that are being put into screen gfi?ku“m an effort to get the s0- A new deal is in the motion picture industry. The public has been tolerant of the | jutside interference | called “The Republicans have MAY 18 The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. ‘The Democrats of the South may have to swallow next year a presidential prohibition, but it is going to be a diffi- cult gulp. From Birmingham, Ala., comes the report that the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting there, has adopted & resolution placing the con- vention in D&Pflluon to any candidate for pubiic office, from President down, who is opposed to the prohibition law. Furthermore the convention declared it did not care to what political party a wet presidential candidate may belong— it was against him. How much in- fluence the Southern Baptists will have at the polls next year in the event of the nomination of a wet candidate for President by the Democrats is a mat- ter of conjecture. Many Southern Democrats will insist that the South will go Democratic no matter how wet the candidate may be. On the other hand, from Richmond, Va., comes the word that the Riverside Democratic Social Club, a club of wides membership, it is said, has gone on record in favor of the Raskob “home rule plan” for the control of liquor, | which, while it does not call for repeal of the eighteenth amendment, permits any State which wishes to do 5o to violate the prohibition against the manufacture and sale of liquor for beverage purpotes. Richmond was the hotbed in 1928 of the dry, anti-Smith Democratic revolt in the South. It was the headquarters of the anti-Smith Democratic campaign headed by Bishop James Cannon, jr, of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The dry protest against change in the liquor laws, while it is not likely to prevent the nomination of a Demo- cratic candidate for President who is opposed to prohibition as it now stands, may have the result of holding the Democratic national convention from going on record as favoring a revision or repeal of the national prohibition laws and the eighteenth amendment. ‘That is about all the drys really hope for cut of the Democratic party next year anyway. If they can prevent the direct espousal of the anti-prohibition cause by the national Democratiz party, mecting in convention, they will con- sider they have won a victory. And, in a measure, they will have won a vic- tory under those circumstances. ek ok Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York has received another boost for the Democratic _ presidential nomination from a Republican source. Senator Nye of North Dakota, head of the Senate Campaign Investigating Committee, said in New York City that Gov. Roosevelt would be a very strong candidate in- deed in North Dakota, South Dakota and other States of the Northwest if he were nominated next year. Senator Nye_ believes, as does Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska. that the public utility issue, including particularly water power, is to be a major issue in} the next national campaign, and he regards Gov. Roosevelt as an advocate of Government operation and regula- |tion such as would appeal to the voters in his g:ate. Senator Nye himself is a Republican, despite his talk absut the ilability | !of Roosevelt as a possibility for the Democratic presidenti nomination. Furthermore, Senator Nye has to stand for re-election himself next year and he may have a battle on his hands. [The conservative Republicans in the State are likely to wage a real battle |in an efiort to take from him the Re- ublican senatorial nomination. They ave already laid the groundwork for | their attack upon the chairman of the| Campa Investigating Committee. However, Senator Nye has shown him-| self rescurceful in his political career so far and he will be a tough candidate | to beat, especially as the Progressives | generally may be expected to rally to! his support with the cry that a defeat | for Nye will be a defeat for the Pro- gressive cause and a victory for re- action, * ok K ok But the fact that Senator Nye is to run again next year is likely to keep him 1n line for the Republican nominee for President no matter whom the Democrats may put up, or the Repub- licans either. He would find himself in a difficult position if he undertook | to campaign for the Democratic nomi- nee for President and at the same time | to run for the Senate as a Republican, | Senator Brookhart of Iowa tried to get hjmself re-elected as a Republican | while he was supporting the late Sen- ator La Follette for President in 1924 and ran into a snarl which elected the first Democratic Scnator, Steck, from ! Iowa in meny years. Even Senator | Norris of Nebraska has not supported openly a presidential candidate of an- other party while he himself was cam- paigining ior re-clection to the Senate. In 192¢ he was a candidate for re- election and yet he failed to come for- | ward for La Folleite and campaign for | him openly as he did for Al Smith in 1928 when he humself was not a candi- | date. It is still difficult for a man! to run both ways at once, even in NE-‘ braska, North Dakota and Iowa. And by the same token, Senator Brookharc i to come up ior re-election next year, | t0o, which would scem to keep hiin in line lor the Republican nomince for | esident. Anyway, he doe | Gov. Raoseveit, g X K ok % Serator Norris, it appears, is highl insulted because the rulitzer prizeng};‘ the best eaitorial of the year went to ¢ 5 S. Ryckman of the Fremont (webr.) ‘fribune. Mr. Ryckman went at length in his prize-winning editorial to expiain that tn: peop.e of Nebraska, their eiecioral votes to Har- oolidge and Hoover, continued to eicct Senator Noirss to the Senate for the sole reason that it gave taem an opportunity to hit at the East, which iock:d down~ on Nebra: in the opinion of Senator Norris the award and the editorial constituts “an insult to the pauiotism and intelligence of every Ncbraska citizen.” Is it possible th2 Senator from Nebraska, who writ’s and reads humorous poems to the nate, is himself lacking in a sense of humor? * k% % The Republican party in Massachu- setts i3 engaging in another factional row. The G. O. P. has been pretty well shot to pieces in the Bay State for sev- eral years—in fact, since Calvin Cool- | idge ‘stepped out of the foreground as | the principal contender for the presi- | dency, long before he stepped out of | the White House. In the last two elec- | ticns the Democrats have carried the | State, first for President and Senator and then for Governor and Senator. It is amazing that the Republicans have been able to hold on to the State Legisia- ture and the great majority of the { members of the House. Lieut. Go William 8. Youngman, who has ambi- tions to become Governor and who has the opposition of some of the factions in his own party, has been at odds with Republican National Committeeman Louis Jiggett and others over a pro- posed 1aw for pre-primary conventions to select party candidates for the nomi- nations. He has insisted that the direct primary was_the only fair proposal for the people, He has so far won out. But he has had a lot of unkind things to say about Mr. Liggett. One of his lines of attack has been that Liggett is seek- ing to elect and take to the next Re- publican National Convention a delega- tion from Massachusetts antagonistic to President Hoover. So_ far, however, it | does not appear that Mr. Liggett is at outs with the administration, although it is known that the Hooverites in Massachusetts do not lock with any too | great favor on Mr. Liggett, who is frankly a wet. Mr. nga;zlh has been a large contributor to e Republican party. He is not enamored of present office of national committee- ! man, but he does not like the idea of being displaced, * * An interesting piece of news is that former Gov. Edwin P, Morrow of Ken- tucky is to seek the Republican nomi- nation for Senator in that State next ' year. at present a member of the Federal Railway Mediation Buud.! had their fac- tions in Kentucky' in recent years. The G, O. P. lost a_Senate seat in, the g ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS s I BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. top a minute and think about this that ivy planted in water .: tenance from the air, the materbl the |from the stored-1 answer back in a personal letter. i5 a great tional idea introduced into the lives of the most intelligent people in the world—American newspa- per readers, It is & part of that best urpose of a newspaper—service. There no charge except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Get the habit of asking questions. Address your letter to The Evening Star Informa- | tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Di- rector, Washington, D. C Q. What big league ball teams has Clark_Griffith managed?—M. G. A. In the National League he man- aged the Cincinnati Olub, 1909-1911. American League, Chicago, 1901-1902; New York, 1903—part of 1908; Wash- ington, 1912-1920. Q. What is the annual turn-over in Government_positions?—W. H. I. A. The United States Civil Service Commission says that there are on an average of 50,000 appointments yearly to Goverament positions throughout the service. These are mostly made to replace positions vacated by death, resignation, transfer, and inability, and consequently this figure represents the average annual turn-over among United States Government employes. Q. Why did New England become & great manufacturing region?—G. A. F. A. Throughout the colonial period and during the first decades of national independence the economic life of New England was centered in the shipbuild- ing trade and in commerce. After the adoption of the embargo and other re- strictive trade measures, the shrewd men turned their capital from: ship- ing to manufacture. They realized that in this section was an almoet un- exploited source of wealth in an abund- ant water supply. Q. What is the altitude of New Or- leans?—E. B. A. The site Is flat with a slight slope away from the river to the swamps be- hind the city. The highest elevation ahove the sea is about 10 feet and in flood time nearly all of the city is from 4 to 12 feet below the level of the river, which is kept out by levees or dikes built along the entire front and graded down to the flat city site. Q. What and where are the sheep islands?>—L. O. A. The Faero Islands, situated be- tween Iceland and the Shetland Is- lands, are known as the sheep islands. Q. When were Faber lead pencils first made?—J. K. I A. The business was founded at Stein, near Nuremberg, Germany, in 1760. Q. Can a pe United States from a foreign country be tided for zn offensc other than the cpecific one for which he was extra aited?—D. W. A. United States courts can try an/ extradited criminal only for the cflense with which he was charged in the ex- tradition proceedings, unless reasonable time has been given him after his re- | lease to return to the country from which he was extradited. Q. How old a man is musician, Gabrilowitsch?>—T, H, N. A. He was born February 7, 1878. Q. Hcw much cotton coes the auto- the Russian | moblle industry use in this country?— . 0. M.. A. in 1929 it used 698,064, bales cotten. s Q. Why will ivy live in watet?—E. F. A. The Bureau of Plant Industry says plant itself. Ivy planted inwa not continue to grow will, however, under {fa condi. tlons, thrive for quite a while, the length of time depending upon how much plant food there is 2 the plant and in the water. Q. What is the best tim: of year to sell walnut timber?—H. D A. There is no best 3 pends upcn market con than season. Q. How long have wrig; watches been worn?—A, P. A. They date as far back as the mid- cle of the seventeenth century, Q. What was the nationality of the original of the Mona Lisa and for what was she noted?—M. E. L. A. Mona Lisa was the wif¢ of Fran- cesco de Giocondo, and seeds to have been noted for nothing exc@t Leonar- do's famous portrait with the enig- matic smile. Q. What ships in our MNavy are the fastest>—W. M. L. A. Destroyers are the mstest, being designed for approximatly 34 knots. Eamé of these, however, ive gone 35! nots. 4 Q. What disease hs caused the greatest number of deiths among the white race?—T. F. A. Tuberculosis is he greatest foe. Heart failure may sonetimes outrank ff in statistics, but thisis a general des- ignation for many dpeases, Q. In what Eurogean country was & coffee house first ojened?—C. B. A. Constantinopls is belleved to have been the first Eurgoean capital in which coffee houses were instituted, having been known uher¢ as early as 1554 A.D. In 1650 the firs one in England was | opened in Oxfod. Q. What is fhe title of the daughter of Wilhelming Queen of the Nether lands?—B. L. A. Queen Wilhelmina I married Henry Frede‘ick, Duke of Mecklenburg. Schwerin, aod her only child, Juliana, is Duchess of Mecklenburg. * Q. Did_(ieorge Washington play the violin?—N. C. A. There are no data to prove that he did. He is not believed to have been | musical. Records show, however, that he ordered from his agents in London a violin for his step-son, Jack Custis. |Martha Washington was an - plished performer on the spinet. Q. What is the greatest distance in light years that a gro\g of stars has been measured?—C. F. P. A. The greatest distance as yet esti- mated for any star or group of stars is cloud D in the - super- galaxy, which is 170,000,000 light years distant from the earth. Q. Who ope: pon Siam for cataract?—P. S. A. Dr. John M. Wheeler taract. the King of Temoved the n Purchase! K. z A. Forty-five thousand five hundred and thirty-five square miles. American Comment United Against War Debt Changes ° Open minds on the subject of war are revealed in the American discus- sion of European obligations, but there is little evidence of any change in at- titude as a result of the sessions of the International Chamber of Commerce. Strongly established is the belief that cancellation would impose a serious burden on the taxpayers of this coun- try. y‘-u the German reparations were abolished,” says the Hartford Times, “and the debts from Great Britain, France, etc., to the United States Gov- | ernment were canceled, the proceeds of those debts which America has been using toward paying off her own na- tional debt would no longer be avail- able for that purpose. American pos- terity would shoulder the whole na- tional debt burden.” The Flint Daily Journal suggests that “despite the sad plight of the European treasuries, it is difficult to understand why they would want to put themselves under the moral obligation to the United States which debt cancellation would involve.” That paper also comments: “It is hard to imazine the American people acting in this manner if the tables were re- versed. Is it that our sporting blood is better?” “Would these gentlemen be willing to adopt the same principle in their own busines: asks the Kansas City Star. “Times are not so good, collec- tions are slow. Then why should not the merchant, the banker, the manu- facturer, cancel all debts due them and start with a clean slate, just to help business sentiment and get tne coun- try on a counder basis?” Insisting that the agitation is “not changing the. mind of Americans,” the San Francisco Chronicle contends that “as it is not as issue in this country, there is no sense in treating it as such, and no sense in encouraging foreigners to keep putting it forward.” “It is demanded that this country egain_reduce debts” argues the Lin- coln State Journal, “yet the debtor na- tions do not propose to match dollar for dollar in reductions of debts owed them. Under terms presented, no Eu- ropean country is obligated to cancel more than 40 per cent of Germany's reparation payments, yet the United States is expected to cancel the entire debt. * * * TIf such cancellation would result in an immediate wcrid-wide stimulation of business, the United tates might be willing to drop its prejudices and consider the proposi- tion But the prospects of our benefit- ing greatly are not inspiring.” * K Considering the proposal that “the debts be scaled down in proportion as the purchasing power of the dollar has increased,” the Roanoke Times con- tends that “opposition to the proposal is pronounced on the part of Ameri- cans on the ground that to scale them down would be to advertise the princi- ple of debt reduction to the world. Every argument for treating the inter- national debts in this way,” continues the Times, “is equally an argument for treating all other debts, public or pri- vate, the same way.” “In crass and perfectly brutal frank- ness,” declares the Atlanta Constitu- tion, “those European financiers and politiclans are almost demanding that the people of the United States shall pay the enormous hangover costs of their World War, into which they forced us unwillingly and at a stagger- ing cost to us, which we will be paying out of our own pockets to beyond th end of this century.” The Transcript helds that “the American people see no reason why they should pay practically the whole birden of the war, and our Government could make no gesture toward cancellation of the gehts,.even if it had any disposition to 0 50.” * k% x American situation, s the figures: G#fman federal IMgrnal debt bififon dollars; that York S scjonable number of Americans take the accusations for their face value and reproach their Government with its hard policy of collection. They tax. ’fih& man’s ;lng:nce Less. muan. o annual German reparaf i ments to her former Lord goes toward liquidation of war debts.”. Taking a more favorable attitude ward Eurcpan proposals, the Plain Dealer comments on the situation invelved: “In the light of change which has come over world nomic conditions sinc2 agreements were entered into, i hardly logical for the administraf ‘Washington to insist that the debt! ue is closed. Before the e and prices declined so shaply there was much sentiment favorabl to debt revision downward in the intcest of business stability and internatinal good will. As a result of the reemt economic changes the case for suc] re- vision is stronger than ever before. ** * As Edward N. Hurley, who was a sem~ ber of the funding aommlm ¥ gests, with any downward "gl | the debt obligations of our formerallies would properly go the stipulatio; that | expenditures for armaments be rduced at the same time. When a ‘ormer member of the commission join those who believe the agrecments shuld be reduced as a means of good lsiness policy it will be hard for Scretary Mellon and the administration to de- |fend the view that the debt issue is | closed. As a matter or fact if is wide open.” Explains Press Troible At Blossom Festival | To the Editor of The Star: | It hes been very pointedy brought | to my attention that certar members of your staff, together witt others of the press, as well as sresenting newspapers ture producers, met witk discourtesy and a certan harsh treatment at the iands of offi- cers on duty at the gple Blossom Festival, on May 5 and - This circumstance gres out of a of co-ordination several department heads, whih arose from a failure on my part to Pprise the press and camera men tha’ the coronation ceremonies were to de repeated for their express benefit. T regretfully but fankly assume full responsibility for tly unfortunate oc- my purpose than to these men the umost aid, co-opera- tion and es 15 15 billlons. . onal budget is about 2 gnnually; ours is about - usive &r_ d‘etbt pa peymen ref lus. about & dngm