Evening Star Newspaper, May 22, 1931, Page 8

A8 THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY..........May 22, 1931 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company i (e I Rate by Carrier Within the City. by Al € ‘erid o ‘ench month, may be sent in by mail or telephone al 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. ily ily only . junday only " Daily and Sunday...1vr. $12.00: 1 mo. 31,00 Dail ly .. 1yr. 38001 Bindes omy 2001 7 3886 "Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news d patches credited to it or not otherwise cres ited in this paper and also the local n published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are aiso reserved. = A New Vagrancy Law. For many years the police officials have urged a new vagrancy law, en- abling them to round up and bring into court members of that vast army of “suspicious characters” against whom there is no other tangible cvidence of law violation. The same sort of law has been enacted by some of the States. It undoubtedly gives the police something | to fall back upon when other cause for action is lacking. ‘The latest bill, introduced by Senator Capper, made little progress at the Capitol. It was generally criticized be- cause ft mgiht be abused and innocen! persons far. of a vagrant as a starting point, and writes a new one that could cover nearly everything under the sun. All persons “known to be burglars, pickpockets, thieves, confidence operators . . . unable to give & good account of themselves, found loitering in or around any place of public resort or assembly, or upon any highway, or in any place of busi- ness or entrance thereto .". . all persons who do not have sufficient means to maintain themselves or themselves and their families, and who live idly and without employment, and who are able to work and refuse to work . . . all per- sons, not insane, who wander in and about or lodge in market houses, market places, wharves, docks, depots, in public buildings, vacant houses, outhouses, barracks, barns, sheds, cars, or in any open place without having any lawful occupation . . . Any person, over the age of twenty-one years, able to work and who does mot work, and has no property sufficient for his support, and has not some visible and known means of a fair, honest and reputable livelihood™ ~—all these are vagrants under the pro- posed law, and subject to imprisonment for ninety days. The court is permitted to exercise necessary discretion in the acceptance of personal bond, ete. Of ccurse, the proposed law is as’ broad as the ocean. It has to be to give the police the authority they now lack, and the need for which, on occasion, is most evident. And, of course, it is pos- sible for anybody to sit down and pick it to pieces by raising the question of all the dreadful things that might hap- pen if the police and the courts went crazy. And, of course, it is always nec- essary to study carefully every proposed law in order that traditional guarantees of personal liberty will not be destroyed. But if the police need such a weapon as a new vagrancy law to safeguard the vast majority of peaceable and law- abiding citizens, it is the duty of our legislators, no matter what pressure of other work confronts them, to sit down and fashion such a weapon. The rea- son Wask'ngton lacks adequate legisla- tion to deal with gun-to'ers, phony se- curity dealers, rascals in the real estate fleld and the class of potential erim- inals represented under the broad term of vagrancy is not because such laws interpcse constitutional objections, or that they are not favored in principle | by honest citizens. It is because those | who possess the exclusive power to make ' the laws have such a hard time finding the time to do it. The threat of a pos- sible objection or an impending con- troversy is sometimes enough to choke | @ bill to death as soon as it is born. — —eat—————— Perhaps Mussolini will now proceed | to compose a Fascist marching s:ng | that will be sufficiently “good music” to enable Director Tuscanini to in- | clude it n his program without shock- ing his art’stic sensibilities e A ’prical World Court Case. It would be difficult to concelve of & more ideal case for international arbi- tration than the one just presented to | the Permanent Court of International Justice at The Hezgue—the question of the legality of the propossd German- | Austrian customs union. Prance and | Italy, among others, argued at this| week's meetirg of the League of Na- tions Council in Geneva that the project | violates the spirit as well as the letter | of the treaties of Versailles and St.| Germain, as well as of the Geneva protccol of 1922, whereby Austria re- ceived League financial aid. | In the old days there is hardly any | room to doubt that the controversy! would have been provocative of wide- spread and enduring tension in Europe. ‘The dogs of war might not have been | unleashed, but an atmosphere cf irrita- tion would have ensued out of which any kind of an explosion might have come. involves plenty of inflammatory ma- terial, and Eurcpe is #ull of elements ready to apply the match. From the World Court the League Council seeks only an “advisory opin- ion,” but cn such occasions, an opinion is tantamount to a verdict, and it is in- conceivable that the German-Austrian plan will be carried out if The Hague d-znds It as contrary to existing i covenants. Although the United States continues, because of Senate opposition, to boycott the Werld Court, an Amer- ican judge, Frank Billings Kellogg, wiil participate in the momentous findings which the tribunal is asked to proclaim. Not only because of that circum- stance, but because an exceedingly large volume of American public sentiment advocates this country’s entry into the court, the German-Austrian lon \vailed in 1913. This may be acupublel The German-Austrian scheme i liveliest interest. If peace in. Cen- Europe is fortified as s result of the advisory opinion on German-Aus- trian customs union, the American peo- ple will have a classic illustration of the value of the World Court. President Hoover, in line with the policies of Presidents Harding and Coolidge, will again urge, it is to be anticipated, our adhesion to the tribunal, which only recently was adorned, as a sitting mem- ber, by the present Chief Justice of the United States. American reservations with regard to the court’s jurisdiction being assured of acceptance, no reasonable cbjection can any longer be advanced to our joining the rest of the world's civilized nations in maintaining the prestige of a tribunal of estgblished importance and demon- strated necessity. — e ————— Russia’s Wheat Proposal. The Russian Soviet government real- with tral tion of wheat in the world today, but because of conditions wunder which wheat is grown in Russia and the lower prices for which it can be sold intends to cdominate the world market. Its representativ:; at the London Confer-z ence of wh:at exporting nations have said as much. Why should Russia agree to curtall her wheat acreage nndI production when by continuing the wheat war it may eventually be able | to drive other competitors out of the| market and seize for itself the great' bulk of the wheat exporting trade? | Judging from the statements made by the Russian representatives at the con- | ference, that is exactly what the Soviet intends to do. It is true that Russia advances a proposal of her cwn which has me{ smack of an agreement regarding ex- | port wheat. But the proposal is lop-‘ sided, with the great bulk in favor of before the Werld War in the matter of exportable wheat. At that time Russia stood far ahead of the other nations in the matter of wheat exports. Her an-' nual wheat exports were practically twice those of her nearest competitor, | Argentina, and three times as great as those of the United States. During the ' war and since, the production and export | of wheat in other nations than Russia increased very greatly. Russia now would thrust aside the changed condi- tions of wheat production by the farmers of Argentina, Canada, Australia, ! the United States and cther nations! and revert to the conditions which pre- to Russia but it is clear that it is not 5o pleasing to the others. The wheat crop is what the Russian Soviet government is relying upon to pay for the development of other Rus- slan industries. It says so very frankly. It does not medn to be disturbed in this matter or to reach any agreement with regard to the exportation of wheat which does not give Russia all the ad- vantsge. Even in the quota plan to which it has condescendingly said it would agree if Russia were glven her old pre-war status it has mot agreed to sany limitation with regard to the prices to be paid for export wheat. If Russia can undersell, she intends to undersell. Unless there is material change in the situation at the London wheat con- ference, it looks as though the wheat war will continue, with Russia leading the attack. Certainly the are prepared to go ahead in the: most ap- proved though heartless method of capitalism in their plan to undersell the world in the matter of wheat—dumping, it has been called in some quarters—in order to wipe out the competing wheat farmers in the United States, Argen- tina, Canada and elsewhere. In the end there will come an ad- justment. The world cannot go on in- definitely or for long producing & huge surplus of wheat which cannot be con- sumed. And in the end there will be | a contraction of production. Russia | means to come out on top of the heap if she can. Other nations will resist if they can the effort to take the export wheat market away from them. It may not be amiss to quote from the text of the Russian statement on wheat, which says: “New principles of state and col- lective farming, combined with a sys- tem of planned economy and utiliza- tion of modern machinery, make it possible for the Union of Socialist! Soviet Republics to enter the world market with a high quality of grain at lower costs of production than a num- ber of other countries.” It asserts that | the wheat crop ot Russia is to be larger greatly from the services of a good press| this year than it was last, and that as a matter of fact it is necessary for | Russia to increase her wheat produc- tion. Clearly Russia has thrown down the geuntlet to the rest of the world in this wheat w. s e Arlington County, Va, may now,| under the special disp:nsation of the President’s new order, gain the benefit of some real administrative talent by electing Government workers to office. ————————————— | Arlington County's Office Holders. Presicent Hoover's executive order permitting Federal employes perma- nently residing in Arlington County, Va., to become candidates for and to hold office in that county and to par- | tictpate in campalgns for election to such offices effects a new dispensation in Government service. Heretofore under Civil Service rules this partici-| pation in the local affairs of the nearby communities has been forbidden. The reason is sound, it being the bellef that | Federal workers should not enter the field of active partisanship. But there is a difference between office-holding in general and strictly local management., Arlington County is now, as the Presi- | dent's order states, substantially a mu- nicipality. Its “political” affairs are merely those pertaining to community housekeeping, and there is nothing in-| consistent in Federal office-holding and local office-holding in such circum- | |stances. It is, of course, assumed that no Gosernment worker who enters a campaign for county office or, winning an election, holds such office, will by | reason of his attention to such affairs neglect his Federal Government duties. The order is subject to revocation with the stipulation that participation in the business of the municipality across the river must not lessen the value of the services rendered to the Government in ‘Washington. 1t does not necessarily follow that the THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, eral employes living in other communi- tles, in Virginia or in Maryland. Condi- tions are not the same elsewhere as in Arlington County, which, as the execu- tive order notes, is now a municipal or- ganization. Such a condition does not prevall in Fairfax County or, east of the river, in Montgomery County or in Prince Georges County, in Maryland. In a portion of Montgomery County ad- Jacent to the District a system of self- taxing units, as they are called, has been established in which the local ad- ministration is entrusted to “citizens’ committees,” the members of which are non-salaried. Government employes are now members of these committees and their service on them is in no wise inconsistent with their duties as Federal workers. But county office-holding would be quite another matter, and it is not likely that the executive order just issued with reference to Arlington County will be extended to apply to | izes fully the extent of the overproduc- | #reas in which office-holding is a matter of political partisanship. ————————————— Discouraging Happenings. Happenings of the past two weeks have been very discouraging to the ‘Washington base ball team. Rated as pennant contenders from the start of the race, they have set about proving ‘that they deserve to be in this category after a somewhst shaky beginning. All this, however, has done them little good except to keep them in a strik- ing position. Since traveling to the West, which was their nemesis last year. the players have bagged nine out eleven contests. Surely a cham- pionship pace! But what has been the result? They are two games further back from the-world champion Phila- delphia Athletics, the latter having won thirteen successive games to date. Of course, it is plain that the Ath- letics cannot keep on winning forever t | Russian wheat. It is willing to agree to |and that at the conclusion of a long suffer. The bill does go pretty [® Quota plan. But in that plan Russia | streak teams usually go into a slump. Tt uses the common law definition | must be given the place she occupled | But neither can the Washington club be expected to go through the season winning eight of every ten games. How- ever, the fact that the Nationals have been able to cling as close to the heels of the Athletics as they have shows the spirit that makes champlons. So, any dcy now the Philadelphia string may be brcken, the Senafors may regain their two lost garfles and the old pennant race buzz merrily along with the local entry again in the thick of the fight. ————e—— A finencial authority declares that United States savings ere superior to any in the world. The banks, paying two and three per cent on excessive mil- lions of dollars’ worth thereof, wish that they were just now not quite so su- perior. ————— “Vodka and Marriage Delay Soviet's Plan” ran a recent headline. In this country it is gin and marriage, mean- ing the hook-up between the two, and they will put the skids under almost any plan. REE—p—— Future students of history will find 5 much rich material by & mere review of the work of the American Red Cross during its half century of existence that has just been celebrated. — e Easy armament and swift transporta- tion make crime altogether too easy to Justify hearty applause for the ben- efits of modern mechanical advance- ment. —_— e Russian economic proposals are viewed by other pations with the same sort of suspicion that once was aroused by the “Greeks bearing gifts.” vt A radio announcer who has made his voice familiar to millions cannot complain now about the broadcasting of his matrimonial difficulties. ——o—s SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Average. It's a pretty good world after all The sunshine may fade And the gloom of the shade, . In spite of the various plans you have | made, Leave your hopes for the future quite small. But the ivy that grows on the wall Knows that sunshine and rain Cannot always remain, And they both help the growth it is| striving to gain— It's a well managed world after alll Ultimate Appraisal. “A man in public office may benefit agent.” “Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum, “but he must also bear in mind that there must come a time when the press agent forsakes him and the disinterested bi- | ographer gets to work.” Jud Tunkins says one objection to every fishing party is that there is al- ways some man in it who insists on' talking about the Real Fishing he used to do somewhere else. A Change. In days of yore when statesmen spoke ‘They quoted Latin verse, ‘While sporting writers loved to joke In phrases qualntly terse. But politicians now draw near ‘Whose slang your smiles engage, ‘While classic sentences appear Upon the sporting page. Literary Appreciation. “Do you enjoy reading Dickens?” “Very much, answered Miss Cay-| enne. “His works contain so many odd and villainous characters to whom it is a pleasure to compare one's enemles. Another egotistical man is the one who thinks his remarks on the discom- fort of warm weather are original and interesting. Easy. The eastest philanthropy This world will ever view 1s te'ling how things out to be An’ what folks ought to do. “You can't leave no footprints in de san’s of time,” said Uncle Eben, “ef you goes through life wif yoh kyahpet slip- pahs on. You's gotter tramp 'roun’ wif Prom the Port Wayne News-Sentinel. e Jolks Would 1y 1oL of oiners ‘more ‘woul o TS for ethers. will Be awaited in the United States same privilege will be granted to Fed- rather than [ - ] || THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. No Spring would be complete in this column without mention of the iris. Nor would any Spring be Spring with- out its blooming. The iris, with its unusual shape of flower, its soft yet brilliant colorings, and its adaptability, has come into its own in recent years throughout the ‘world. Tts lanceolate leaves, however, con- stitute its secondary and more lasting charm. ‘Without its swordlike leaves the iris would not be the fine plant it is. Every season we become more and more convinced tjat the iris leaf has not been givgn the share of glory which it deserves in the general commenda- tion of this flower. * ok K ‘The iris leaf, owing to its intense green and its broadness, is a far supe- rior leaf to the longer swordlike leaf of the gladiolus. Both are long and pointed, but there all similarity ends. The color of the gladiolus leaf is far inferior to that of the Iris. Its composition, lacking the stiffness of the other, gives it a loppy characger. The gladiolus leaf gave the flower its name. The Latin gladiolus means sword-shaped, and applies wholly to the leaves. E ‘The gladiolus flowers are incompara- ble in their way, as, indeed, all flowers are incomparable in their way. Those who truly love flowers are un- willing to pass fixed judgments upon their loves. ‘The grea iris fancier is unwilling to declare, “¥es, the irls is the most beautiful flower.” When he faces a peony blossom, say the gorgeous So- | lange, he knows that the iris is not the most beautiful flower. When the peony grower looks down at some perfect specimen of iris, he knows that the peony is not the most ‘beantiful floy ir. All flowen are beautiful, in their turn, each Purfect in its way, each lovely in the sight of man. The at- tempt to place them one, two, three, regard to beauty, is & foolish and un- necestary WorTy. * ok ok K The chief distinction of the iris leaf, as we see it, is its habit of growth—in a sort of clump, yet stanchly upright. This distinction of leaf makes it nec- essary that the iris be given a chance to display it to perfection. That is why a bed of iris is not so good as a border of the same, or row | of the same. In the confusion of & massed plant- ing the peculiar characteristics of the | leaf are more or less lost. At least the tendency is that way. * * ok % The best plantings of iris which we have seen are along white-painted ga- rages or outlined against the sky. Here we se: instantly the beauty of the leaves. That is the explanation. Only by outlining the leaves do the gardener and his fricnds extract the complete pound of beauty. When the glory of the blossoms is added, at their season, the d?\'ofiee of such things has an incomparable beauty spot at his command. * ok ok ‘The leaves, however, remain and the flowers fade. ‘The beauty of the leaves stays until Fall, whereas the iris flowers are gone the same may be said, in a | general way, of the peony, and the lilac, and other plants and bushes. ‘The leaves remain after the flow- ers go. But somehow there is a difference. ‘The iris plant, we insist, is peculiarly beautiful without its flowers,h!)meu- ing a keen sort of charm which few other plants possess. R A ‘The broadness of the leaves, their deep green coloring and their peculiar habit of growth, shcotizg out and up- ward, combined with their medium height and lack of floppiness—these are the qualities which enable the iris plant, as a plant and not as a flower, to add s0 much effectiveness to a garden. ‘There are certain places where noth- ing can quite take the place of the iris, irrespective of its flowers. Even if 1t never flowered, it would still be frre- placeable, in certain positions. d,‘xv'hlt is so good as iris around a sun- 2 ‘The average sundial pedestal is about 30 inches high, Planted at the base, iris grows some 2 feet, leaving plenty of pedestal showing. Nothing combines better with a bird bath than iris. In cases of this sort, however, the shortest growing varieties should be used, for the bird baths are growing stubbler and stubbier year after year. Iris should be used, in the case of dials and baths, to beautify, not hide. * ok ox There are many positions in the aver- age home garden where irls may be used 111 the same way that so-called specimen plants are used. A clump of them looks particularly well in a corner, or along any border. In the latler position the leaves will Brow outward, and give another dimen- slon to a fundamental garden structure which often has but one, length. Even it a border has a certein amount of breadth, the outcropping of a clump of iris here and there will break up the monotony. Often there are small narrow strips of ground alongside houses and driveways which might be filled with iris almost better than with any other flower. Some- thing about the stiffness of the leaves goes particularly well with the straight- ness of such planting lines. Iris are cheap enough nowadays, so that no gardener should tolerate those which do not do well. If the leaves take on a sickly, yellow tint, it is the best to cut such leaves off d to the ground. Preferably such plants should b> taken up, and divided, and careful inspection made for diseased stock below ground, and for evidences of the iris borer. s x I irls plants may just as well be thrown away. It will be cheaper in the long run, for they may infect healthy specimens. There §s a great deal of talk about irls troubles, but happily the average homeowner may grow them for a life- time without having any trouble with them at all. The iris is one of the few plants which may be moved at any time, even when in bloom. without harm. Digging them up, dividing the tubers, and set- ting them in other positions, will not hurt them at all. Too deep planting 1s to be guarded against. Some of the tubers may be ex- posed, even; this is better than covering it up too completely. The irls, with the rose, the gladiolus, the peony, and a few others, posss the power of invoking unusual en siasm among its human frionds. ‘The iris grows on you, as well as for you. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. President Hoover sat near one of hll' blood relations from the other side of | the Atlantic at the Red Cross jubilee dinner in Washington last night. It was ancestral Cousin Max Huber of Switzerland, president of the Inter- national Committee of the Red Cross. | Once upon a tme, in the dim and distant European past, the Hoover family name was Huber, which is pro-| nounced “Hoober” over there. The tribe was of German-Swiss origin. Its earliest arrivals in America settled in the Carolinas. There must have been another bond of interest between the President and the distinguished Red Cross guest besides their mutual in- terest in the works of mercy. Herr Huber was for several years a member of the World Court at The Hague. Chief Justice Hughes, who so grace- fully toastmastered at the feast, recalled in accents of pride his brief association with Judge Huber on the “Permanent Court.” Hughes, whose mastery of English knows few peers, Sprang a new definition of the Red Cross. He called | it “the organized compassion of the American people.” * kK ¥ Down at Charlottesville and else- where in the Old Dominion, including Richmond, there’s an intensive search | in progress for a successor to the late president of the University of Virginia, | Dr. Edwin A. Alderman. The name of | John W. Davis is being considered, | more in a spirit of hope than expecta- | tion. Whether the distinction of head- ing the institution founded by Thomas Jeflerson would appeal to the 1924 Democratic standard-bearer, as against the $250,000 annual law practice Davis | is now said to possess, is & question. | The New Yorker, nee West Virginia | was educated in Virginia, but not at| the State university. He took both his A. B. and law degree at Washington {and Lee. Davis may prefer waiting to be Secretary of State in the next Demo- ‘cratic administration, if and when. * x x Ernest Lee Jahncke of Louisiana, Act- ing Secretary of the Navy, is sure enough a proud daddy. His vivacious, blue-eyed daughter, Adele Townsend, who made her curtsey at Buckingha Palace the other night, had only re turned to her hotel in Pall Mall a few !minutes when the telephone rang. “America calling,” chirped the London operator, which turned out to mean that Papa Jahncke was on the United States end of the line, wanting to know how everything came off with King George and Queen Mary. It was 1 am. English time, and 8 p.m, Wash- ington time, so Commodore Jahncke rang up a new record—conducting a conversation at the idential moment on two different days. Adele Jahncke | won unique honors at the recent Mardi Gras in New Orleans, having been chosen both Queen of Atlanteans and | Queen of Comus, coveted carnival titles. | She is a 1931-32 Washington “deb.” L “Bob" Lucas and “Charley” Michelson, respective hotspursof the Republicanand Democratic National Committees, heaved merrily at each other in Washington | the other night at the annual dinner |of the Inquirendo. The Inquirendo is| the up-and-coming organization of the | Capital's younger intelligentsia, many | | from official life, founded two years ago | to “stimulate interest in important | events o fthe day.” Joseph Conrad | Fehr, Utah lawyer, was its progenitor. PFred McLaughlin, Inquirend Lemb,” having described the G. O. P. as an elephant now heavily plastered | with the boils of depression and the rash of anxiety and “who no longer knows his trunk from his valise,” Exec- utive Director Lucas fnve another diag- nos's of the Republican pachyderm’s troubles. “He's only suffering from the rickets,” sald Lucas, “brought on by an overdose of Charley Michelson's con- coction of sawdust and molasses.” The Democratic &ubuc!t-y wizard, lnbhlnzn Republican taunts about his ‘‘Hessian- jism” 1. e, his being a hireling of Raskob, lamented that the only differ- ence between him and Lucas is that “Bob" gets a bigger salary. * ok ok % Memorial day's approach lends in- terest to figures recently compiled by the veterans’ administration regarding survivors of the Civil War. There are | he about 45,000 Union soldiers still alive and sor 18,000 men who wore C:cn- federate gray. Actuarial computation reveals that the “boys” of the North and of the South are, on the average, equally sturdy and long-lived. 1It's reckoned that the rate of “expectancy” among Union veterans is 3.7 years, and among the C:nfederate veterans, 3.4 years, * % % Japan gave us the cherry blossoms, but it scems that we gave Japan the apple blossoms—end several years b: fore the Mikado hung a necklace of floral jewels around Washington's Tidal Basin. There has'just died at Tokio an American, Edwin Dun, who was United States Minister to Japan in the late 90s. Having come to Nippcn as an agricultural expert, Dun intro- duced the American apple into Japan, Korea and Manchuria. After leaving the diplomatic service of this country became assoclated with Japan's government experimental farms. Dun was born at London, Ohlo. President Cleveland sent him to Tokio as a secre- tary cf legation in 1885 and in 1893 President Harrison promoted him to be Minister. > * . ‘This story dates back a couple of years, but as it's never seen the light of day, it's news. A certain most dis- tinguished son of Uncle Sam under- weni in one of the blg Washington service hospitals an operation for ex- traction of all his teeth. An orderly concelved the bright idea of collecting them and selling them as watch charms, like elks’ teeth. When the facts came to official attention, vigorous efforts were instituted to stop the trafic and retrieve the molars. It was intimated that the orderly might find himself facing court-martial before the incident was closed. He got very busy. Presently | he turned up, and reported that he'd located ‘“nearly all” of the missing teeth. They numbered 216, . kK On May 27, 28 and 29, everywhere iIn the United States, the Veterans of | Foreign Wars once again will ask folks to buy “Buddy Popples” 1t is the proceeds of these annusl sales that enable the V. F. W. to carry on part of their rellef work. In Washington slone, during the past year, the local branch of the organization has fur- nished $3,000 worth of clothing, pro- vided lodging for mor~ than 300 desti- tute veterans, furnished over 60,000 meals and spent $10,000 for relief. In 1925 the Veterans of Foreign Wars, al- though they represent nothing like the numerical power of the American Leglon, founded a home for orphans and widows of veterans. It is situated at Faton Rapids, Mich., and comprises 512 acres of land stocked with pu bred Holstein cattle, chickens cheep. At present 100 children are there. for whose training and educa- tion the order assumes all responsibility. (Copyright, 1931.) ——tee Or the Conferees Perhaps. From the Omaha World-Herald. 3 If the President's conference pro- gram at the Rapidan camp is carried out, the trout are going to get a good rest this Summer. % i Nor His Head, Either. Prom the Louisville Courier-Journal. Alfonso is blamed by the revolution- ary government for the riots in Spain. | i Even in exile a monarch doesn't lose his usefulness. —— -t He Might, at That. Prom the Indianapolis Star. Senator Fess says his tenure as Re- publican chairman remains indefinite, which Jouett Shouse might interpret as subject to change without notice. ‘What Did She Say? From the Lowell Evening Leader. a bee & woman % volce regained power of speecl rld be interesting to know what she sai FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1931. ISilver Stabilization Winning British Favor To the Editor of The Star: ‘That a world-wide conference to dis- cuss the silver question will be held in the near future or during the “current year” is now regarded as certain by the delegates to the conference of the Internatiogal Chamber of Commerce, recently d in this city. While the conference was in session there was unconcealed pessimism on the part of the British delegates, who, if not outwardly opposed to any action respecting the stabilization of silver, were lukewarm to any acticn being taken, so much so that they only con- sented to the adoption of a resolution { which practically committed them to nothing. For this reason the com- mittee which drafted the res:lution, of which the writer was a member, was cautious not to use the word “stability” for fear it would not be acceptable to the British delegates, else they would have voted it down, coming before the general convention. After it was seconded, however, by Lord Pavenlue, and adopted by the chamber, the writer, in conversations with the delegates, noted a complete change of front on the question. What caused the change is a matter of speculation, but he is convinced that if the resolution had contained the word “stability” it wculd have been agreeable to them. The fact is that England's delegates now realize that as a matter of self- defense, since its internal affairs are daily becoming worse, they must come to the stabilization of silver to save itself from internal revolution. One of the members of the British delega- tion, the principal owner of a large shipping company, admitted to the writer that his firm had lost more than $5,000,000 during the past year, which is primarily due to the fact that silver- using countries which have bcen put on a gold standard basis and have not the gold to buy imports from England will not order goods, thus directly af- fecting the shipowners, of which my informant had lost millions, with the prospect of millions more unless their money, silver, now a commodity, and dropping lcwer and lower, was restored to a money equilibrium. Since the writer pointed out more than three years ago, when our so- called statesmen and economists were talking tariff and other childish pal- liatives as the cure of the world-wide depression, that it was baslcally due to the demonetization of silver, used as money for centuries by more than a 1 billion people, you will pardon me if I feel somewhat elated over the results of the conference. That Japan, most likely, or some other country, will call a ccnference to discuss the “solution of the silver question during the current year'—- the wording of the resolution—now seems certain, and in view of the con- version of the British delegates there now ‘appears a silver lining in the cl-uds of world-wide depression, which will repidly pass away when the white metal is restored on a proper ratio to its ancient place alongside gold. and the world will be a_ bstter place to live L. W. J. DWYER. Alien MSm;ggle;s‘ Fly Above Vision Range From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. ‘The immigration border patrol along the Mexican frcntier is said to be con- rned with the newest and biggest “racket” to show profit from law eva- fon. Airplancs flying from 5,000 to 7000 feet in the air are bringing in aliens, principally Chinese and Japanese, with occasional Mexican fugitives from justice, for which the regular fare is $1,000 a head. The trick is to assemble the prospective passengers at some re- mote point beyond Juarez, Nogales, Agua Prieta or Tia Juana, where, the fare being forthcoming. they are loaded into the plane and carried so high in the air over tie border that not even .!hc hum of the motor reaches the ears of the patrol. A landing is made at some isolated spot where walling auto- mobiles pick up the “cargo,” and the rest of the program is easy. The best _possible place to hide a person is in a crowd. | Information is to the effect that two or three trips during the day or night are made for several days, after which the shipping-point and the port cf entry are changed. It is possible to develop & gross revenue of $10,000 or $12,000 a | day so long as the “raw material” holds {out. With such an inducement, the number of available pilots can be de- nded upon to take care cf the traffic. Bret Harte said, “For ways that are dark and tricks that are vain, the heathen Chinee is peculiar.” The inim- itable “Bard of the Sierras” would say that the modern Am is progressive in that department of thrift and enterprise, 0. ‘This “racket” game appears to pos- sess limitless potentialiti It is aston- ishing what can be purchased for $1,000. |Lack of curiosity abcut the loads and | destinations of trucks, the origins of ' pungent odors, removals of onerous in- dividuals, untying cof too-tirht knots. verdicts of “not guilty” and assorted legal technicalities—the magic of $1,000 is the open sesame to each and all of them. If persons can be taken for rides across the Styx for that amount, to | what extent should cavil be directed | 2gainst those who merely take passen- 'gers for rides across a mnot-too-well- | defined international boundary for the same price? | The thing might be called the new American custom. e Friend Lost by Allies In Death of Mueller From the Hartford Daily Times. In view of his effective moderating Influence in Germany as leader of the powerful Soclalist party, the death of Hermann Mueller 2t the age of 55 means a loss which may not only pro- | foundly influence domestic policy in i the Reich, but for that reason will also have significanse for other natlons. Herr Mueller stood fearlessly and ca- | pably in the front ranks of German political Icadership during the post-war period. He signed the Versailles treaty, was adamant in his continued opposi- tion to the ex-Kaiser and the junker class and was one of the very few out- standing German leaders who publicly admitted his country’s war guilt. This 1 he qualified by stating the Social Demo- | crats were innocent, having had vir- | tually no voice in the government which declared and carried on the war. Despite the unpopular positions which (he took frequently in advocating con- ciliatory measures regarding the allles, Herr Mucller continued to be a domi- nant personality both within his own political party and with reference to moderate opinion in his country. was due to his leadership that the Bruening ministry now in power has not been voted out. Many Socialists are strongly opposed to the government's fiscal policies, but Mueller’s broad views regarding the necessity for governmen stability in the current restive condi- tions in Germany have prevailed and have been credited for his party’s ab- stention from voting when it was out of sympathy with the Bruening bills. The allies have trusted Herr Mueller and have had no occasion to regret it. ice & chancellor of the Reich, once foreign secretary and repeatedly a mem- of the ent cabinet in other "] capacities, he came into frequent con- tact with post-war problems in which thereby preventing the silver question |50n 5qi fairly | It | ‘This newspaper puts at your disposal a corps of trained researchers in Wash- ington who will answer questions for you. They have access to the Gove: ment departments, the libraries, mu- seums, galleries and public buildings | and to the numerous associations which maintain headquarters in the Nation's Capital. If they can be of assistance to you, write your question plainly and send with 2 cents in coin or stamps to The Evening Star Information Bureau, F‘redglcCJ‘ Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. What is the fastest time for skating a mile on roller skates?—V. E. F. Association says that the fastest offi- cial mile ever crossed on roller skates was a 1-mile match race held in Madi- uare Garden March 15, 1915, be- tween Willie Blackburn and nd Cloni on & banked track and paced by motor cycles, of which the time was 2:21 minutes, and was won by Cloni. Q How much did the Shamrock cost?—E. G. A. Yachting says: “The Shamrock cost, we belleve, in the neighborhood of $175,000 to $200,000, as far as construc- tion finish, etc. But what the cost may have been to bring her over here we have no idea. The above figure we be- lieve to be a conservative estimate.” Q. Wasn't the music hall artist who came from England with the song “There Was 1 Waltin’ at the Church” Vesta Victoria instead of Vesta Tilley? —D. W. D. A. It was Vesta Victoria, Q. Are there any States in the United States in which there have never been lynchings?—T. L. A. The Federal Council Bulletin says that five States have never had a re- corded lynching. They are Connecti- cut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Q. If honey has gone to sugar, can it be reclatmed?—C. g C. A. Pure honey is liable to granulate during cold weather and it can be re- stored to its former liquid condition without injuring its flavor in any way by placing the comtainer in a vessel of warm water and never allowing the temperature to go above about 120 de- Freu, The honey will then become iquid and retain its delightful aroma. Q. How large is the stadium at Ohlo State University>—T. R. A. It has a seating capacity of 63,000. Q. How do the clothes worn by the best man differ from those worn by the groom at a wedding?—M. P. A. The best man wears what the groom wears with one small exception, the groom’s boutonniere is slightly dif- ferent and more elaborate. Q. When was the first prosecution conducted under the Sherman anti- trust law?—A. N. A. The Sherman act was in July, 1890. Thz first case was filed October 13, 1890, in the Circuit Court, Nashville, Tenn., and decided June 4, 1891, in favor of the Government. . Is there an authoritative pro- nunciation for Latin?—F. G. . There is not. It is not known how it was pronounced when it was & living language, Q. What is the origin of hrase “double-cross rege o " ©f the P A. Dr. Vigctelly says that a New York boss in the early 80s testified be- A The United States Roller Skating | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS * BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. when a it asked a favor he made a record of the name that if he intenced to grant he marked a cross after Sometimes he would in which case he added a o Q. What Vice President served the | shortest term?—T. R. E. A. Andrew Johnson, with a service of one month and eleven days. Q DHow many Popes have abdicated? o l;a'(nx_ummumm, Liverfus, Bene~ . Gregory VI, St. Celestine V, and Gregory XII. o Why was éc'.'uma"m.g the Laws of ere wi blood, mEi=E e e . Because of the extreme severity of the code, most of the offenses be! Ppenalized by death. o Q. Of what is the torch symbolical? —M. G. In art the torch is an emblem of the Roman custom of wedding processions by torch- An erect torch symbolizes joy; ;nt;‘nvemd torch is the emblem of eath. Q. What is & “megohm?”"—D. B. A. A unit equivalent to a miilion ohms, used in measuring high trical resistances. e g Xitoon who Lo et s o vho have i 1iving?—R. B. C. HE s n A. The ex-rulers who are 1f Eurc at the present time are who still prefers to bs Kaiser, at Doorn, the II of Germany, Netherlands: cx-roing sian et ; ex-King el of - m who resides at Mkenhlmo .Portmu mania; ‘Alfonso XIII of now known as either Don Alfonso or Duke of Toledo, Who is st present Q. Why does Dru% Lond have this nme?:g. ‘!Ane i - name about in the m: Aldych, Q. How. much industrial alcohol diverted to the ligquor tnm:,! in m‘: T b ey B E ates va) 5 lion gallons. i b Q. When was the leboat bullt and used?>—R. F. G. ik . A. The first lifeboat is believed to have been one built Lionel Lukin in England in 1786. 1 N Q. Did Lord Northcliffe begin co:reer as a x’mb’lrhhér ;mn mwmg A. Northeliffe's first publishing en- terprise was a weekly mlr&lfln. eu’):d Q. What is the I o .ss.w. world production of hllAm In 1930 it was about 26,200,000 Q. How old is Roger Babson! was he educated?—A. W. i A. He was born in 1875 and was ed- ucated at the Massachusetts Institute fore an Investigating Committec that!of Technology. Many of the old Army posts, relics {Of the Indlan fighting Lyl, are be- I!‘eved by the public to be | uzeless expense. In the discussion of the Hoover economy plans, however, it | s recognized that {ou] pride and | litical influence are factors in the ulti- mate results. Similar useless plants are seen under naval juriediction. It | is believed that consolidation of mili- ; tary units will be conducive to greater | eficiency. | In the conference on economy held | by President Hoover at the Rapidan camp the Birmingham News sees “a sign of administration health well worth observing,” and that paper holds that “perhaps scmething will come of this policy of retrenchment.” The Kalamazoo Gazette recognizes that “the administration, faced with a serious shrinkage in revenues, is determined to meet the problem in the good, old- fashicned weay.” The Baltimcre Sun remarks that “it may accomplish some- thing worth while for the Army, and it may also create a precedent in favor of abandoning some of the useless yords and shore stations with which | the Navy has long been burdened. The Sun advises that ‘reorganization of those stations promises even more in the way of economy than the plan that is under consideration for the Army.” “Everybody knot declares the Yakima Daily Republic, “that these forts, scattered around the country, are mere relics of the time when small detachments were necessary to keep the Indians tractable, and that their only usefulness for many years hes been to benefit Congressmen by securing appro- priations to be expended in their dis- tricts.” The Texarkana Gazette be- lieves that the posts “serve no purpose except to bolster up local pride and put Government money in circulation, but adds that “it will be a hard blow |to many towns to lose their Army | posts, especially the smaller towns where the Army establishment is the major industry.” It agrees that “in he interest of efficiency and economy the posts must be abolished.” i - “The decislon to cut down the num- ber of posts is apparently a sound one,” says the Springfield (Mass.) Union, | while the Flint Daily Journal remarks {that “some of the previously favored | showmanship may be removed from | militar7 organizations, but the saving {in doLiars and cents will be more ap: | preciat:d by taxpayers who keep ‘weather eye' on JGovernment costs. ‘The St. Louis Post-Dispatch comments: “The truth of the matter is that many Army posts still in use should have been abandoned long ago. There was a time when forts along the receding Indian frontfer had strategic value, but it has long since passed. The people should ne longer be taxed to keep them up for sake of makeshift Army assign- ments. Whether or not the move can be explained in terms of political ex- pedience, the fact remains that the War Department contemplates no reduction warrants faith in the whole p: The Walla Walla Bulletin contend: that “there are plenty of corners which can be rounded off without lessening the effectiveness of our forces.” Recalling_ parallel efforts in the Navy, the Roanoke World-News asserts that “a spendthrift Congress was ap- parently more interested in building fences in the districts of individual Congressmen than in naval economy. The New, York Sun suggests that “it is odd that a desire for economy should romise to accomplish what a desire or efficlency has never been able to effect,” and explains the situation as it sees it: “Army officers have known the ent of i the allies were concerned. His chiet | a, oppenents were the German militarists and the Communists, an opposition which has been a distinct help to him -n holding public confidence at home and abroad. . Based on Ancient Precedents. From the Cleveland New Nine per cent of the fishing vessels in the United States are owned by the allens, says & Government report. The fish story, however, still @ 100 per cent American f training. Members of Congress have known it, too, but most of them have'pretended ‘of duty of the Regu- and Reserve grou duty requires that a ber of officers and enl kept ‘on detached service. of scattering over a hundred tl NM‘ A of the Arm; B T e i EF uncti;)n of Old Army Posts Debated as Hoover Confers skill has been to ask staff officers trunkmtemo(me-qmmti‘: Indian campaigns. If economy happens to lead where common sense E:lnud for many years, then blessed economy!” * ok kX “In his sudden zeal for retrench- ent,” Ie:wfiflnlw the At::nh': Journal, ‘President loover seems taken his cue from the ¥ mfi to prove renllyuefl'elceuve?" javy economy 'wed as_possibl by the St. Joseph Gazette, while the South Bend Tribune and Louisville Courier-Journal emphasize political ob- stacles to economy, ana the San An- tonio Express states: “Numerous rather antiquated forts along the coasts doubt- less will be put in caretakers’ eharge if not transferred to the Government's civil branches. The War built to protect settlers from Indian tribes at a time when the red men were virtually independent. The al 3 descendants are now citizens of the United States and generally are law- lb}dlnx,';’w" n op; ion to the plan, the Erie Dispatch-Herald maintains that “none of these Army posts should be aban- dcned until after competent experts have passed on them.” The Philadel- Bartmental” Savinge. pracHcsoIe e o savings icable ad- mol‘x:‘l,nntlve :ctlun lln the mat':r of P are not considered large.” that “what is needed is L] action authorizing final abandonment and sale.” The Danbury News voices the protest cn economy in general: “If we are to be in any slight measure pre- pared for war, we must maintain our small regular force in the very highest morile and keep them wel! paid, splen- didly trained, and proud ofp.theh' pro- fession. We cannot do these it we are parsimonicus with our soldiers, yet we are parsimonious and it seems likely thet we are going to be still more P Presides “‘The President’s intentions may be of the best,” says tI to B fon-News. “To out his program, however, he must meet and overcome strong obstacles placed in his path by forces favoring no reductions in the cost of our national defense. And this is the situation that raises doubts as to whether Mr. Hoover will accomplish much of consequence in the way of na- w:;lkmmmy'.’ Ir rl"ne do'ai he will have e a greater show of forcef: - ership than he has to date. ik b —_— e No Killing, No Grand Opera. From the Dayton Daily News. A woman leader in musical circles wants to take murder out of grand opera. Leave it to grand opera to elim- inate anything that becomes popular. e el g It Does Seem Reckless. Prom the Memphis Commereial Appeal. Purely from the point of view of , the most reckless exploit of re- cent times is that of Senator Glass throwing stones at Bishop Cannon. ST R S History “Stringing” Us? Prom the Duluth Herald, We cling to the notion that Nero's Slv:'mz achievement was that of fid- before the fiddle was invented. — e Easy to Lose. Prom the Akron Beacon Journal. Freedom 1s much like good dizesiicn— never notice it much uatdl il's v