Evening Star Newspaper, May 31, 1931, Page 26

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTQN, D. C. SUNDAY..........May 81, 1981 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company g, Omce; 4 Regent’ B, land. Rate by Carrier Within the City. ! he Evening Star_........ 43¢ per month The Bvening D4 sunany | ‘wnen 4 Sundavs) c per month | d’ Suniday Sar | es) i %€ per month | ScoLer copy an S5 at the end of ‘each month. | nt in by mail or telephone 114 New t. ical Building. ropean London, Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. il and Sunday.....1yr. $10.00: 1 mo. 45 | nly .. r., $6.00: 1 mo., 300 Sunday only e 8w a6 All Other States and Canada. fly and 8 ¥r.,$12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 Bl 85 FRR R Mémber of the Associated Press. The Associated Preas is !ltl!lsi'lflly‘lnntltd %0 the uss for republication of all news dis- patches i 10 it or not otherwise cred- ted In this e ed "herein. d per and also ul ZheclAl “diapaiches herein are also reserved also the iocal newy All rights of publicatiun of —te——e— An Inheritance Tax. An article in today's Star contains interesting discussion of the effect of imposing an inheritance, or estate tax, locally. The subject s of course timely in view of the opinion expressed by Mr. Lerd, the expert engaged by the House Fiscal Inquiry Committee, that such a tax should be collected locally as a, source of révenue that now gocs untap- | ped—except by the Federal (‘vm‘!rn-‘k ment. One immediate effect of the tax, provided the taxing body framed its legislation in accordance with that of the majority of the States, would be to give the District of Columbia ap- proximately eighty per ceni of estate tax revenues that now Aaccrue ex- clusively to the Federal Government. In 1926 this revenue amounted to $502,- 932; in 1927, $1,717.341; in 1928, $356,- 984; in 1029, $1,124,866, and in 1930, $744,068. It the fiscal inquiry committee of the House recommended and Congress imposed an estate tax locally, the Dis- trict would naturally benefit at the ex- | pensé of the Federal Government. As for the effect on the taxpayers, their increased liability under & local tax would depend entirely upon the amount of exemption allowed under the District law, & matter which varles in the States. The District and Alabama are now the | only political units that do not tax inheritances for local revenue. Florida | has just notified the Bureau of Internal Revenueé that it has imposed, | or plans immediately to impose, an in- heritance tax. Florida once capitalived its lack of an inheritance tax, along | with big fish and gulf breezes. How much she gained by the attraction thus offered to millionaires seeking & place to die in & location most beneficial to their heirs and assigns has never been statistically developed, but the fact that the absence of the tex has been substi- tuted by the tax itself indicates that the compensatory features of being a “haven for estate tax dodgers” may have been overrated. In the majority of States, with such notable exceptions as New Jersey, the effect of the double levy imposed by | Federal and’ State estate taxation is that the States usually wait for the Federal Government to impose its tax. Under the amended revenue act of 1926, the estates sre given a credit of | 80 per cent of the Federal tax ac- tually pald to the State. In other words, when an estate is liable to Fed- eral taxation, the total Federal tax is divided between the Federal Govern- ment and the State en & basis of 20 and 80 per cent, respectively. Where some of the States gain additional reve- nue, and this is naturally the guiding principle underlying the proposal for a local estate tax in the District, is that the exemptions under the State laws are less than under the Federal laws. The Federal law begins to col- lect its tax at $100,000. Many of the State laws reach smaller estates that pay no Federal tax. The feature of a local estate tax that commands the study of local taxpayers is the extent to which Congress would go in taxing local estatés, and the nature of the estates to be so taxed; whether, for instance, an estate consisting entirely of insurance, is to be subject to the same tax applying to estates represent- ing other forms of investment. ‘Whether the absence of a local estate tax In the District makes the Capital City. the haven for men who leave less than $100,000 is a question. It would be aieult to draw up a lst of resi- dents of Washington who have moved to the Capital in order to die relatively tax-free. And when the statement about tax-dodging is leveled as & charge or accusation against the people of the District, it becomes rather absurd in view of the fact that the unrepresented people of the District, alone of all the citizens, are denied the right of taxing themselves. The assessment and the form of taxation are fixed by Congress. The only motive that should prompt Congress in deciding upon the proper method of taxing the District L‘l the desire to impose an equitable and equalized form of taxation that will not be oppressive nor become an undue bur- den upon the taxed. It is well to study the whole plan of local taxation with a view to rrmedyln.l what may have become its deficiencies. It isaltogether futile to believe that the Important problem of fiscal relations be- tween the Capital community and the Nation can be solved by imposing higher taxes on the local partner, or by eliminating the phrase “in lieu of” to wlagler on additional taxes under the subterfuge of substitute taxes. ——ee That truckload of Silver Spring fire- men which encountered a swarm of bees found the fire a good bit sooner than they expected. — Twenty-Four Hours to Europe. The long projected scheme of Ed- ward R. Armstrong to dot the Atlantic with floating islands to be used as land- ing flelds for alrplanes appears to b> taking tangible form, with construction already started on the first four-mil- THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MAY 31, 1931—PART TWO. will ride on stilts seventy feet above the [ avenue. By the same token, the wuurflf { waves and will furnish adequate space for take-offs and landings of planes and support a hotel designed to ac- commodate four hundred guests. There are many “ifs” to the proposi- tion, but should the “islands” prove practical regular air travel across the Atlantic will be brought many years closer to realization. Following tests of the first airdrome, seven others will be constructed, the eight being spaced four hundred miles apart across the ocean. Land planes of large carrying | capacity will then be put into the trans- oceanic service, with stops for food, rest | or overnight at the various islands. Mr. Armstrong confidently predicts that twenty-four-hour passage to Europe at a cost of one hundred and fifty dollars a person or less will result if his plans materialize. Granting that even if the airdromes are a success it will be five or ten years before they are completed, it is possible | to visualize some of the changes that will have taken place in Aviation by that time, and these changes in con- ! nection with the use of the isiands pre- sent an Intriguing plcture. In the firat' place, trahsport planes will be of far greater speed, and it is not without the bounds of reason that the two-hundred- mile-an-hour mark may be apptoached in regular service. This will make the hop of four hundred milés consume only about two hours. Radio communication may be 5o improved between planes and ground or islands that pilots may be practically stetred on their courses by electrical impulses. Engines may have reached a more advanced stage of per- fection, so that the chances of molor stoppage will be reduced to the mini- mum. And finally, inst:umenis may be perfected to did the pilot in determining the performance of his plane, whether he 15 in bad weather or not. 80 the day may not be far off when at the American terminal of the trans- oceanic alr line a courteous steward will saying: “Your ticket, madam, reads to Le Bourget. This plane goes on to Croy- don, but at Island Number Eight you transfer to the Paris-bound ship.” All this is possible in this age of wonders. R S The Tariff Under Fire. Seldom since its enactment & year #go has the Hawley-Smoot tariff come under so raking a fire as that poured upon it at last week's convention of the National Foreign Trade Council at New York. Faced by the doleful realization that our total dollar volume of imports and exports in 1930 was slashed by about two and three-quarter billions, compared to the high figures of 1920, the captains of what is left of American overseas commerce did not mince words. Business leaders charged that the United States has been guilty of launching “the greatest world.wide tariff war in history.” Until some of the barriers come down, they assert- extension of that thoroughfare into the Potomac Park area, is officially styled “Riverside Drive,” and not “The Speed- way,” as many have come to term it, The word “speedway” was somehow adopted long ago for the park’s prinel- pal travel lane, perhaps with the notion that it was to be used for exhibitions of rapid driving. As a matter of fact it has never been a speedway, in any sense. and on occasions of heavy use, as when the cherry blossoms are out, it s quite the reverse of that. So-let it be known as “Riverside Drive,” even though that name suggests a con:ourse in another city! 2 In Potomac Park likewise is anoth: feature that the public persists in styling by a wrong name. That is the body of water lying within the park, formed by the inletting of the river stream at its high stage, in order to permit an outflow into the Washington Channel on the ebb, to keep that chan- nel clear. To many Washingtonians that 18 the “Tidal Basin.” Officlally it is “Twining Lake,” so called in honor of an engineer officer who had much to do with the development of Washing- ton a long time ago. 8o let it be “Twining Lake” in common speech as well as officlally! Just so there is the great viaduct across Rock Creck at Connecticut ave- nue. Soon after it was completed somebody thoughtlessly spoke of it as the “Million Dollar Btidge,” and that name became attached to it, despite the absurdity and the impropriety of calling 80 noble a structure after a isum of money. It was semi-officially {known as the Connecticut Avenue | Bridge, but it did not have a formal- ly bestowed name until recently, when it was, by decree of the District Com- missioners, given the name of the late Chiel Justice of the United States, who loved it and who used it frequently in his walks about the city. 8o it is the | willam Howard Taft Bridge, and by that name it should always be men- tioned. Let there be no lapse from that fitting title! .- ‘The president of one American col- lege has been pledged to a fraternity by & chapter in another institution as 4 mark of honor. It has been thought by some that the president of a college ought occasionaily to be given the var- sity letter, he heving done full as much for the old campus as the all-America | fulback. Various outstanding authorities who | participated have frankly writtén of the | doings of the World War. It is to be ! hopéd that one or more members of the | | American mayoral pilgrimage to France | will do a8 well by that epoch-making | tour. An Accurate recital of all the do- |ings of all these executives should de- | {light posterity. B — ed, Intéernational trade recovery is impossible. In almost identical terms British Foreign Secretary Henderson assalled tariffs at Geneva last week. The foreign trade authorities in New York heard some straight talk from South America. Ambassador Malbran of Argentina warned the convention that 'his country might be forced to embark upen & high-tarift policy in defense against the skyscraper duties fow imposed upon imports by the United Btates and other countries. Two years ago Amerioan exports 1o Argentina represented forty per cent of all our sales in South America. During the first three months of 1931 Argentinians bought about sixty per cent less in the United States than in the same perind of 1930, the figures for which were twenty-nine per cent under 1920. The spokesman of the Buenos Alres government left it to be understood that Argentinians are simply not going to trade in markets which are plainly in- hospitable to Argentinian produce. They will do business with their/friends. The Prince of Wales was recently in Argen- tina for the purpose of arranging to have that country hencsforward look upon the British as its friends. It is an open secret that his mission was rendered relatively easy by Argentina's bitter resentment of ths policy expressed by the Hawley-Smoot law. Canada is as wroth over that legislation as Argen- tina is. Peter Fletcher, president of the Na- tional Council of American Importers and Traders, demanded before the For- eign Trade Council that Congress be called in extra session, not to overhaul the tariff schedule by schedule, but to enact sweeping twenty-five and fifty per cent cuts. A good d*al of wind would be jammed on Capitol Hill before anything so drastic as that sort of re- vision downward could be achieved. But that Congress, in regular session next Winter, is going to ring with sten- torian calls for some kind of tampering with the Hawley-Smoot law 1s a cer- tainty. President Hoover will be on consistent ground if he takes the lead in the re- vision movement. Congress in 1930 rode roughshod over the President’s appeal to have & decent regard for the rights and interests of other countries in revising our own tariff laws. Since then Amer- lca’s forelgn trade has gone steadily from bad to worse. R The judge who ordered the default- ing Chicago husband to pay back ali- mony amounting to $24,800 at the rate of five dollars a week might, without impairtng the dignity of the bench, have been genial enough to add, “And I sincerely hope you live that long.” — it Washington's “Proper Names.” ‘Washington is in a state of change, in some respects. Old buildings are disap- pearing and new ones are rising in their place. Streets are being widened and otherwise improved. The aspect of the Capital is being altered, for the better, and in the line of development into & wonderful city of unequaled attractive- ness. In the process of improvement some local place names are being changed, and old familiar designations are being set aside for more dignified titles, It is well for Washingtonians to bear these changes in mind and to con- form to them in their references, in order that the visitors, who are coming here in steady streams at all times and who next year, when the George Wash- ington Bicentennial is observed, will flock to the city in far greater numbers, may be correctly informed regarding lion-dollar airdrome. One year from to- day, barring unexpected complications, Mr. Armstrong hopes to have the first of his creations anchored two hundred has always in the past been known as|'cause he kicks,” the Capital's nomenclature. For one thing, the thoroughfare that | Experts are experimenting with doped Ibullels with which to take deer alive 1in sections overcrowded with that spe- |cies of game. Shall we expect to see| our peddlers working the rural sections isguised as hunters, all decked out | with red caps. shining license badges' and bandoliers? F— Col. Theodore Roossvelt's toothy smile is well remembered, but ean any one |imagine the dimensions of the grin he |would wear were he alive today and, | with something to get off his chest, ap- | proaching a well hooked-up micro- | phone? et “Qreen Sees Hard Winter for Labor." ran a recent headline. It is regrettable | that he does, and much more ngret-i | table that a lot of other so-called citi- |sens do not “See Hard Labor for Winter.” BERpE SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Philosopher. The bird that sits upon the fence Is singing sweet and clear | To welcome with a joy intehse ‘The blossoming of the year. He builds his nest where best he may; He flees when foes draw nigh, And dines where berries grow each day, Nor thinks of “How"” or “Why.” But we, of human wisdom vast, Who tame the lightning's pace— | We have no songs. Our fears o'ercast ‘With shadows every place. While moods mysterious we explore With longings all intense, He asks the present joy—no more— The bird upon the fence. The First Person Singular. “The successful orator makes use of brief, simple language.” “Yes,” replied BSenator Sorghum, “but that i8 no excuse for his over- working & word because it happens to | plated a happy and radiant life, with |ing Mr. Hughes. |tax case this year from Massachusetts {and Mr. Roberts really going? WHAT IS LIFE? BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D, Bishop of Washington. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true QGod, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”—St. John, zvii.3. “Life” is the word which was con- stantly on the lips of the great Master. In all His teachings He was ever speak- ing to men of life, the larger, fuller life. He declared Himself to be the author of the more abundant life. Agein He sald, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” He never speaks of life without identifying it with an eternal existence. He says that “he that hath the Son hath life” Again addressing Himself to a stranger by the Sychar's well, He speaks of livii waters “springing up into eternal life In another case he says, “He's passed from death unto life.” He could not think of life as circumscribed and limited, btounded by horigons. pressed with His words was St. John that he says, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be”; and again, “He that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” The New Testament might properly be called “The Book of Life.” Every one has some conception of what life means to him, we have an ideal or concepticn of what we would like it to be. To the sick it means restored health and fulness of strength. To the ambitious it means gifts and talents of one kind and another. To another, home, family and friends, a perfect and ideal domestic condition ~with fraternal intercouse unhindered and unbroken. To others life means a com- osite of all these, If we think of ife at its fullest, at its topmost note, | snd then couple with it the thought | cf an unbroken and uninterrupted ex- istence, we gct some conception of | what Jesus meant. His ideal contem- our best and highest hopes fully realigsd. What a contrast this fur- nishes to that other conception of life all t00 common among us—a conception that thinks of it solely in terms of the gratification of desire, the satisfaction of the lusts and passions, the attain- ment of selfish ends! Omar, the voluptusty, the self-indulgent, says: “Ah love! could you and I with him conspire To qlsp this sorry scheme of things entire, Would not we shatter it to bits, and then Remold it nearer to the heart's desire?” 1In his conceit the Persian poet thinks of life solely in terms of the gratifica- tion of desire. One could hardly wish for extended being of such & kind. To live on with only selfish ends to serve is hardly worthy of It must re- #lt in satiety, dull “ ibilities, dis- illusionment and dissatisfaction.” Life in its higher aspects has other ends to serve, and in our better moments we think of it as attaining nobler ends. Some One says that “there's not a man that lives that has not known his Godlike hours.” This means the at- tainment of life's highest and hollest being. Jesus laid down as a condition of such attainment the knowledge of the will and purposes of God. A life lived in tune with the Infinite, co- operating with the definite ends and purposes of Gcd, has for each one of us, if we rightly conceive it, & and plan worthy of our best and high- est endeavors. Life is attainment, the attalnment of all that is best and noblest. To know Qod, to be in har- mony with the Source of all life, con- sciously helping in the outworking of His mighty plan—this is life eternal. It is normal life because it is lif@ in harmony with Him who rules and gW- erns the universe. When we thus thing of our own life it lends dignity and power to it, it liffs it above mean and sordid things and Inflames it with a passion to reach its highest and truest fulfillment. Evolution of Supreme Court Justices Into “Liberals” BY WILLIAM HARD. The most fundamental topic of dis- cussion in Washington during the past weei has been the United States Su- reme Court. ‘The big question is.| oes the Eupreme Court today contain a so-called “liberal” majority? This question has been raised anew by the current court decision in which | American citizenship was denled to| Douglas Clyde MacIntosh, who admit- | ted that he might be conscientiously | opposed to participation in wars which | he thourht to be unjust and immoral. The majority of the court thought that he ought to be willing to fight in any war, no matter what its immorality. ‘Th» minority, headed by Mr. Chief Jus- tice Hughes, felt that he ought to be al- lowed, like any native-born citizen, to work that problem out in actual prac- tiee when it arose. | ‘The greet perronal point in this de- | two to cne that Mr. Hughes and Mr.]m and who by persistency, cision was that Mr. Justice Roberts. re- cently appointed to the Supreme Court bench and usually regarded as a mod- erate “liberal.” voted with the “anti- liberal” majority. In fact, he produced the majority. The decision was by five votes to four votes. EEE R | ‘The problem thereupon agitating two camps will Mr, Roberts ultimately 32 mostly found? | The same problem has arisen regard- In a highly important Mr. Hughes joined himself to the so- called “anti-liberal” camp and pro- |duced a_five-to-four majority in their coul favor. 1In that instance Mr. Roberts, on the contrary, adhered to the “lib- eral” camp and himself eomposed the dissenting opinion on their behalf. | In which direction are Mr. Hughes That is the puzzle that Washington secks to solve. The “old_guard” part of the court consists of Mr. Van Devanter, Mr. Mc- Reynolds, Mr. Sutherland and Mr. | Butler, who were appointed to the court by, respectively, President Taft, Presi- dent Wilson, President Harding and (again) President Harding. The “young guard” part of the court ‘| consiets of Mr. Holmes (90 years old), | Mr. Brandels (75 years old) and Mr. | Stone (59 years old), who were appoint- | ed to the court by, respectively, Presi- | dent Roosevelt, President Wilson and | President Coolidge. e e That President Wilson was able to| appoint both Mr. McReynolds and Mr. Brandeis to the court is thought by some to be a gound illustration of the alleged fact that Presidents are like al- | mopst eéverybody else in not being able to know just how a judicial fish will| swim after it is once let loose in the | Supreme Court aquarium. The remaining two members of the court, Mr. Hughes and Mr. Roberts, were appointed by President Hoover. It is the behavior of the Hoover A pointees that presents the country with a profound speculation as to the chas acter of the court's immediate future. The certainty is that Mr. Hughes and Mr. Roberis will average out to be more “liberal,” as the phrase goes, than their Eredeceun , William Howard Taft and dward Terry Sanford, both of whom were appointed by President Harding. Both Mr. Hughes and Mr. Rober have “liberal” moments. Or, as the critics of “liberalism” express it, both of them have “loose” moments. The practical inquiry is: How often are they likely to have those moments simultaneously? The record shows that they have them simultaneously every now and be the shortest in our vocabulary.” Jud Tunkins says one reason why it is 80 easy to give good advice is that 80 muck of it already exists that there is no need of trying to be original. The Benefit. ‘They say each rose must have its thorn. Let us not breathe a sigh forlorn, But smile, as we the thought ‘transpose, Because 'mongst thorns we find a rose. A Concession. “8o you suspect that men are quicker of judgment in practical matters than women." “Yes,” replied Miss Oayenne. “Men have heeded warnings and quit buying gold bricks, but women continue to marry for money.” A Startling Proposition. A man once broke some laws with glee. Our. erfes—he did not heed them. “Don’'t mind & thing like that,” said he. “They’ll make more as I need them.” AnObjection. “Why do you object to women in politics?” “Because,” replied the statesman, “I put my faith in the plain people, and no woman will consent to be placed in that category.” Rise and Fall. A man is in the public eye, they say. 'Tis true beyond a doubt. But carelessly the public winks some day And then the man falls out. “They compare a man to & mule said Uncle Eben. and fifty miles out at sea between New B atreet is now officially, by formal “But generally & mule kicks straighter York and Bermuda. The huge island enactment, deu*.m as Constitution dan a man does. - then. LI For instance, there was this year a case from New Jersey in which the State Legislature had endeavored to regulate the compensation to be paid by fire insurance companies to its agents. Mr. Van Devanter, Mr. McRey- nolds, Mr. Sutherland and Mr. Butler were duly shocked. They sai o restrictions’ are novel and lack the sanction of general assent and prac- tical experience.” They seemingly de- sired that nothing should be tried fresh unless it had been tried often before and was not “novel.” Mr. Holmes and Mr. Brandeis and Mr. Stone, on the other hand, were duly willing to allow the New Jersey Legislature to carry out this new vivi- section experiment upon the New Jersey fire insurance d Mr. Brandeis re- marked that the insurance business was full of “evils” and he was coolly plegsed to stand by and watch a new kfie being tried out on them. On this occasion Mr. Hughes and Mr. Roberts shared the coolness and experi- mentalness of Mr. Holmes, Mr. Bran- deis and Mr. Stone. Thus there was a majority of five to four in favor of tak- ing a chance on somsthing. s The same tendency toward audacity appeared again this month in the Indiana cate regarding special taxation upon chain stores. Mr. Van Devanter, Mr. McReynolds, Mr. Sutherland Mr. Butler percelved with alarm “a clear and hostile discrimination against a selected body of tax payers.” One may doubt if all the other members of the court thought that this special tax- ation was wise. They all, nevertheless, agreed to give the Indiana Legislature an opportunity to find out for itself whether it was wise or not. In_ this “looseness” and “laxness” the adven- turousness Mr. Hughes and Mr. Roberts concurred with Mr. Holmes, Mr. Bran- deis and Mr. Stone. Mr. Roberts, in- deed, wrote the “liberal” majority infon opm another quite remerkable case the new alignment of Hoimes-Brandeis- Hughes-Roberts produced last January | opinion. an actual reversal, in effect, of & pre- vious Supreme. Court decision. gfie and “Anti-Liberals” previous decision was on a Massachu- setts tax case in which Mr. Stone wrote a_dissenting opinfon of vigorous qual- ity. The new czse was a New York tax case, of identical practical meaning, in which Mr. Stone, without at all chang- ing his views, wrote the majority 1t became the opinion of the majority through the votes of the new “brethren” Mr. Hughes and Mr. Roberts. * ok * X This writer is reminded of the de- lightful mement when a Supreme Court jusbice, upon being asked what he was Writing so busily, anawered: “I 2m writing a minority opinion which therefere is not the law, but I #m writing it Becaus- it will some day hate a majority in the court and be: come law.” The beiting is probably along about Roberts wi!l gravitate often enough into the Supreme Court'’s “liberal” cimp, simultaneously, to produce not only a larg> number of “liberal” de- cislons but alto a considerable number of “reversals” of previous “anti-liberal” | posttions. *roxox The serious moral is that people do | wasningeon s, Tn which of the courts hot loce their personalities, after all, £imply because they have become Su. preme Court justices. Mr. Justice But ler wes a great harrier of all ob. to the late great war back in Minne- sota. He this month wrote the dissent- ing opinion In the California ‘red fleg” case, in which a majority of the . 8praking through Mr. Hughes, declared that “(he maintenance of the oppertunity fcr free political discussion is a fundamental principle of our con- siitutional system.” Mr. Butler could not summon up any controlling passion for “free political discussion. Mr. Stone, contrariwise, agreed with Mr. Hughes about the potential per- missibility of red flags and also agreed with him last Monday about the pro- priety of allowing Douglas Clyde Mac- Intosh to become an American citizen even if he might th-reafter think that some war of curs was a bad idea. Mr. Stone dunnfi the late great war was a member of Newton D. Baker's commis- slon to deal with conscientious objec- tors. Sergeant Yorke, who captured so many Germans single-handed, began by being a conscienticus objector and by rzflulng to fight. The man who con- verted him to being willing to fight and thereupon was really the psychological cstgturrr of all those Germans was Mr, ne. * % % It Presidents would study prospective Bupreme Court justices, not as jurists, b‘ut umperscmunem they would come closer to & correct anticipation of their subsequent juristic conduct. Z (Copyright. 1931.) ——— Geneva Conference On Narcotics Traffic BY HARDEN COLFAX. Lightening of an economic burden millions of dollars & year in illicit an? 4 traflic and war upon s major source of crime are objectives of a conference Wwhich began this week at Geneva under the formidable title “International Con- ference on the Limitation of Manufa ture of Narcotic Drugs.” The plan is to limit traffic in narcotics medical and sclentific pu: 3 elther by agreeing upon a quota among the manufacturing states or setting up government monopolies with an under- :tnccr:disfmu.m pmdu:t‘l:n. In accord- con nal resolution adopted during Lg;eu last session, the g:ét'e& s:aunm is ymufiung. President a8 delegates, Consul General fufi . Caldwell, representing the ent of State, chairman; Harry Anslinger, commissioner of narcotics; Dr. W. L. Treadway, assistant surgeon general of the Public Health Service and head of the Bureau of ::;t;'lrl?lnge, B.ennd Sanborn Young, a e Cnitornie! ate of the State of *x ok ox At the first session of the conference | P! the delegate from Canada referred to the United States as an example of z:yh.c:x: xasrci(:lclu-mnnu‘(ulurm: coun- o reventing drugs froi reaching the ifiiclt \‘xu‘ie Ln‘ uth:l: countries.” The quantity of narcotic drugs manufactured in the United States is already limited by law. There- fore, the direct interest nly this country in the conference lies in the fact that the greater the surplus stocks of these drugs made abroad, the greater the fi‘lxl:flm{ that finds ;!: way through the raffic smuggl American ports. G * X x ¥ The Bureau of Narcotics in the Treas- ury Department is devoting its atten- tion toward detecting and reventing the smuggling of narcotic drugs into the country and then endeavoring to co-operate with various State authorities to control the traffic within their own borders as well as to aid in the treat- ment and cure of drug addicts. At present the illicit traffic in nar> cotics seems to be shot signs of ,mwuu vigor. All over the world actories are being established to pro- duce these drugs and, in some nations which have not accepted the system of control imposed by the League o Nations, factories are pouring out enor- mous quantities of morphine and heroin. Smuggling is easy, risks are slight and the profits very large. It is agreed that the need for drastic action has come. * kK * % ‘There seems to be evidence that there is an international ‘“ring,” which has been organized to foster the t of Capital Sidelights BY WILL P. KENNEDY. Just now When our seven big univer- sities and colleges in the National Cap- ital and hundreds of otlers throughout the length and breadth of these United States are carrying a long step fur- ther the distinctive characteristic of our Government—universal education— by turning loose many thousands more of graduates, to be leaders in all walks of American life, it is suggested that a few practical observations of what real life shows might be timely in this col- umn. For example—some of the most de- voted workers in the Government serv- ice, scores of them, who have achieved notable scientific @iscoveries, inventions and “studies” of important money value to the Federal Treasury and to private industry, are Phi Beta:Kappa men from our leading universities, distinguished during their college years for outstand- ing scholarship, and who have had hard struggies to bring up their families de- cently on the small salaries they received from the Government. are men, and women, who consecrated their lives to specialized study for the benefit of humankind as distinguished from ‘“doing well” for themselves and their families by commercializing their talents and speclalized training, It is to protect such men and their families that lea in Congress are now active to provide adequate pay schedules for those who have served their country so devotedly with superior mentality. Then there is another interestin, facet on the finely cut diamond of Federal Service. ere are literally hundreds of very efficient employes throughout the entire pay roll of Uncle Sam, who have fiti themselves for better jobs, for professional work, for special ‘lines of investigation, by self- education, by working days and going to college nights—for Washingion offers such opporiunity for study and re- search as nowhere else in the world. Such employes, who have “puiled them- selves up by their bootstraps,” make the best heipeis to Uncle Sam—all honor and glory to them! Right here it might not be amiss to, mention the nemes of a few important officials of the Goverpment who have worked their way up in service—without “pull,” by dint of work well done. Here are a few on the “honor roll”: Wilbur J. Carr, Assistant Secretary of State; Floyd R. Harrison, War Finance Cor- poration and Federal Farm Loan Board; J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Bureau of Investigations, United States Depart- ment of Justice; Dr. Julius Klein, Assistant Secretary of Commerce; Edward C. Finney, former Assistant Secretary of the Interior and mnow solicitor " for the department; W. A. Jump, budget officer for the Department of Agriculture: Dr. W. W. Stockberger, director of personnel and business ad- ministration, United States Department of Agriculture, and Rudolph Forster, | executive cleik at the White House. This list could be greatly extended, but | this shows how workers have climbed from the humbiest positions in the | Federal service to the highest posts of responsibility. There is another closely related group vorthy of emulation, who starced witn |a handicap of scant educatien, who had to fight for what education they maich- ' against es. made | Ing their “common horse sens: | the erudition of ccliege gradus their way to imporiant sitions | Take as an illustration Richard N. El- !liott. assistant coniroiler general, who vas In Congress up until March He had to quit school when 13 years of sge to_help support a large - femily. Wnen Presiden. H-over called him io he White House to talk over his ap- ntment to his present positicn, he was amazed to learn that ' Dick = Ki- lio:t had getten so far on such a smal educa.ional fooiing. Then tin William ) clers of th2 Ho or of American’s Cre and cne of the mos: cuiwred men in \ the Gapital, who had to lsave schcol |to become a bread-winner at the ten- der age cf 10. Taere are a more somew. among the cmployes at A incluaing Bert W. Kennedy, docrkeeper of the House Working sice by side with these mes 'd by ea e “T.ie n who have progress from a hardicapped a from all of the important eaucational insdtuticns in this countiy and some frem noted universities of the Old World—so that there is a place ior all who are willing to work for ad- vancement in Uncle Sam's service. College education is not a handicap, neither is the lack of it—success lies with the man or woman, whether he or she is willing to work to get ahead. And the greatest success is not always in_hoiding important positions. The high positions can be won, as has besn shown by specific illustrations, but suc- |cess has come to many others who made their choice to achieve something Iastinz in the way of sclentific study ana who had to pass up their chance at executive positions so that they might pursue their studies of benefit to all mankind. The Public Health Service, the Bureau of Standards, the Bureau of Mines and other scientific agencies of the Government are filled with people of such character. * % x One of the riddles of nature, how chlorophyll, the green pigment in the leaves of plants, enables them to manu- facture their food, sugars and starches from water and oxygen, is béing worked out by one of Uncle Sem's scientists, Frank M. Schertz, of the Bureau of Chemistry and Sofls. He is now ex- tracting chlorophyll on a semi-commer- cial scale in the Fixed Nitrogen Re- search Laboratory of the United States Degartment of Agriculture. r. Schertz explains that chlorophyll bears a close chemical rellnonshr to haematin, the red pigment in our blood. In nature the functions of these com- pounds can be considered somewhat parallel. Haematin acts as & carrier for nylen in the bodies of animals while chlorophyll, with the ald of sunlight, is instrumental in converting earbon di- o‘):lge into sugars and cellulosic mate- T ‘With large quantities of chi hyll available, Dr. Schertz is undh{'gm ':’.ri- %Ies to investigators in all of the nited States for study so’as to learn all ible about how this mysterious mechanism works, because such knowl- jedge is vital not only in the study of certain plant diseases, but also to pro- duce plant products synthetically. This scientific_ploneer explains that in the Autumn chiorophyll is converted “;(o a f:lnrlesb prod:tt and the yellow igments, carotin and xanthophyli, pre- viously dominated, show up, zlhgmgv{h!. beautiful orange and yellow follage characteristic of that season. r—.e—s Oh, the Long, Long Pull! From the Richmond News Leader. Now science prcmises weather predic- tions twenty-five years ahead, thus al- if‘;ln' ample time to start drought re- ef, . Berry Tasting. From the Pittsbureh Post-Gasette. New York State has a hundred varieties of strawberries at its eomfl- 18l mental station, where the job of taster must command a premium. using narcotics and to profit by the indifference of certain governments which seem to have an eye to the revenue flowing from the business. This “ring,” accort to the secretary gen- eral of the World Conference on Narcotic Education, Capt. Pearson Hob- son, is utilizing many factories all over the world, except in the United States, uce from 30 to 40 times the to prod f | quantities required for legitimate scien- tific and medical needs. At a recent conference of this International Narcotic Educational Association—which was at< tended by representatives of all the American States and 21 foreign coun- tries—it was stated that less than one- 1 _per cent of the narcotics Federal agents are of Amer- apitcl, | Work to'Begin on Madden Dam BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. uge building program this Summer. It will furnish a further contribution toward the Panama Canal the ineering enterprise in the world. n addition to controlling flood waters of the often unruly Chagres River, reg- ulating water supply not only for the locks of the Oanal, but for the munici- pal uses of Zonr. and irrigation of adjacent 1'g'ds, it will provide for stor- age of vater for emergency use in maintaining the level in the great waterway. ‘The t drought of 1930 did not spare the Panama Canal Zone. The lg;mx! of rainfall was so great that the retention of a high enough water level in the canal to accommodate large ships became a matter of grave con- cern. As week succeeded week, with & constanily lowering level and absence of fresh supplies of water, the most drastic economies were resorted to. ‘The locks were operated only when it became necessary, ships being bunched and put through several at a transit in order to prevent. wastage of biliions of gallons of water into the sea each time the locks opened. Plans already had been made for the construction of & dam on the Chagres River, but the drought emergency caused them to be pressed forward with unusual haste. plans now. are completed, and it is expected that bids will be asked for about July 1. The present estimates for the cost of the Madden Dam call for the ex- penditure of $13,500,000. The Panama Canal, being a lock rather than a sea-level canal, is as de- pendent on rainfall and watershed as the land iteelf. The fact that the two | seaward ends are fed from the sea does not help to fill the upper reaches. In a part of the world where there are alternations of rainy and dry sea- | scns and which, as last year proved, s by no means immune from drought. it is necessary to take the utmost precau tions tc maintain a steady water sup- ply where the navigation of one of the most important waterways in the world is at stake, Insurance Against Drought. Some idea of the vagaries of the Chagres River, the principal feeder for Gatum_ Lake. which, in turn, feeds the main channels of the canal, may be ob- tained from an examination of the dis- charge figures. The range of fluctua- tions thus far recorded is from 1,625 cublc feet per second as a maximum to only 382 cubic feet per second as a minimum. Bteamers sailing on scheduled time and ships of war moving on their im- portant occasions should not be de- pendent on the moods of nature and, | therefore, the Madden Dam is the an- cwer of the Covernment of the United States to these vicissitudes of drainage. This vear the rainfall on the hills draining into the Chagres River and | Gatun Lske has been ample and the deficit oceasioned by the great drought of 1930 is being made up, but the | drought was a threat which empha- | sized the imperative necessity for great- er storage space #s insurance against the runaing dry of the canal. For the Irke level to be lowered by a water shortage would stop all traffic through the canal, for the waterway obviously is only as certain as its course. ‘The meéan monthly disc of the River this year is running around 781 cubic feet per second. This is 7 per cent above the average for 30 years and is regarded as a safe flow, but one which cannot be depended upon year in and year out, as last year prove QGatun Lake has varied this 8 g from 84.69 fect to 83.73 feet in th. This is a satisfactory situation, pro- | viding adequate draught for the lower | reaches of the canal as well as the lake channel itself. ‘The Madden Dam profect will con- sist of the main dam, impounding the flow of the Chagres River; the left dam and 13 subsidiary saddle dams. Also there will be a huge hydro- electric power plant which will provide | power for lock operation and for trans- | mission to other parts of the Canal Zone, including the cities, where power and light will be supplied. The dam is located just above Al- hajuela. majestic structure will rise 220 feef above the river bed in its | main portion. The toe of the dam will extend 120 feet downstream. Provides Fine Highway. Whether the dam will be built by contract or directly by the Govern- ment itself will be determined by the authorities on the basis of the chare acter of the bids received. In either case the Government plans and speci- fications will be followed. They pro- vide for construction in sections 56 feet in length. Each section of con- |-crete and steel will be keved into the rext. There will be three of these | secticns, giving a breadth to the main | dam of 168 feet. The spililway will be divided into | four openings by three piers. drum gates, 18 by 100 feet. will be | stalled et the top of the spillway. In | addition there will be huge plate steel 1dlm‘hlrgv pipes. Gates and discharge pipes will be operated with valves of reat power and the flow of water may ‘be"m\u controlled as the needs dic- | tate. The power plant will be erected just below and as a part of the dam and will consist of three units, each having 8,000 kilowatt capacity. | _Across the crest of the dam will extend the Madden froad., one of the | finest highways of Central America. It { will crcss the gate openings of the |dam itself on concrete bridges and | sweep along the river side above and | below the structure. | This upland country above Gatun | Lake is of great scenic beauty and the | Madden road leads into a jungle wil- | derness of surpassing interest. Sensible | of this fact, the Governor of the Pan- |ama Canal has set atide an extensive | tract of mountain land above Alhajuels | 8s & national timber preserve. No cule tivation will be permitted in this pre- | serve, the idea being to retain the area in native jungle wildness. The | Zone suthorities will supervise such cutting and trimming of trees as is allowed. | Construction will require some time, {but work wili be pushed and ulti- mately the Meadden Dam, road and forest reserve will be one more addi- tion to the fine and beautiful projects brought int> being by the United States on the Isthmus of Panama. | Fifty Years Ago In The Star | Year after year hope was held 50 | vears ago that something would be | 4 oy Prospect of Flats {ir® poropreomest the te e nui- sance ¢ Improvements. ;1ce f 1P which disence epr-ad throughout 2 L The Siar of May 24, from the 1881, “There is at least substantial reason {to hope for the improvement of the | river front and t abatement of the | Potomac flats nuicance. t , or rather necessity, of removir the unsighly and unheeithy flats, of derpening the river chanrel, and im- | bad a stronger hold upon the congres. | <ional mind last Winter than ever be fore. Members of both houses who had canvassed the subject expressed the opinfon that fully two-thirds of Congress were willing t> vote an ap- propriatioh for this improvement, but the question, “How shall it be done?” | was the stumbling block. Theorists, sharps and speculators were laboring to influence Congress in favor of this or that plan: but in spite of this cb- stacle it is not improbable that a bill of some kind would have been passed but for the absorbing contest which arose over the funding measure “The residents of ever, can congratulate themselves | the ‘city upon the fact that one step has been taken in the directi-n of a proper and permanent improvement of the river front. The subcommittee ap- inted under the resolution of Senator nsom, and of which he is chairman, intend to give the question of this improvement, in all its length and breadth, thorough ccnsideration dur- ing the coming Summer. On this committee there are gentlemien who have, as members of Congress, spent years in Washington and therefore they are familiar with the needs of the city in respect to this matter. They know the sharps and speculators who for selfish purposes have delayed the relief sought by the people, and this kncwledge will be put to use in mak- ing the investigation. It 1s the purpose of the committee to work diligently during the Summer, in order that they may have a complete report, ether ‘with a specific and definite plan of work propcsed, reday for submission to Con- gress early in the next session. The members of the committee are confident that an appropriation will be provided in time for the work of improvement to be commenced in the early Spring of next year.,” - * % Upon thelr resignation in expression of their antagonism to President Gar- The New York noms aoveint: Coniling and Piatt ing an t Senatorships. ConKE AN AL bany and sought re-election by the New York Legislature. A deadlock re- sulted that lasted for many weeks. The Star of May 28, 1881, says: “The members of the New York Legislature temporarily relieved them- selves of the pressure of machine and anti-machife by adjourning yesterday and hurrying to their respective homes. zhl:e lhonufisplfie 1lmm b):unl:lly WS profitably employed by the Legis- in finding out the feeling and wishes of their constituents, whose right to a voice in the pending contest cannot very well be ignored by those who desire to continue in public life. “The first week of the senatorial fight, by no means indicating what will be the end, has developed several im- portant facts which assist in forming some conclusion. In the first place, Mr. Conkling and the machine have n to be much weaker than even opugtn:nu 8u] d. hm:lrhto o.ll':n ex-Benatct’s appearance ny he was generally credited with almost arbitrary control over a majority of the Republican members of the - lature. The leaders of the administra- tion side, conceding to Conkling a ma- jority, had decided not to enter his caucus. The most strenuous efforts of the Conkling men, directed by the ex- Senator himself and backed by his in- fluence, failed to rally a majority, and the pi sed caucus ended in darkness and defeat. “Another important development of the week is the cohesiveness of the anti-Conkling Republicans. It was said of them that they would not be able to hold together; but in fact they have, under the leadership of Mr. Robertson. ' effected an organization far superior to that of the stalwarts. “It is tolerablyglain now that Conk- Poto- | The impor- | | proving and beautifying the river front, | 'Irish Sweepstakes A British Dilemma BY A. G. GARDINER. | LONDON. May 30.—England is on the eve of the greatest popular festival of the year, but on this occasion public interest in the Derby of next Wed- nesday is overshadowed by the Irish Sweepstake, organized in connection therewith. The unparalleled success of that event has created an extraordinary situation, with which the government apparently is helpless to deal. The country is faced with something like the American dilemma of prohibition. The betting laws prohibit sweepstakes, except where privately organized, and hitherto measures against the explo} tion of foreign lotteries in this coun. try have been effective. But Ireland has broken through the barrier with a wave of gambling that has engulfed all classes. The object of the promoters is to flnance Irish hospitals, and the success of the idea was demonstrated by a profit of more than $1,000,000 on the Grand National Sweepstake earlier in the. year. The | Derby Sweepstake registers an enor- | mous advance in receipts. More than 16,000,000 tickets have been issued and is estimated that 10,000,000 persons in England and Scotland. whence an | overwheiming proportion of the money comes, have an interest in the drawing, | which' was made in Dublin last night. | The prize money approximates $10.- | 000,000 and the surplus for the Irish | hospitals $2,500,000. * X x % All efforts of the government to keep out of the flood have falled. Distribu- tors of tickets have been prosecuted, the post office machinery has bsen em- ployed to prevent their transmission and customs authorities at all parts have ransacked luggage and impounded tickets wherever found. In Scotland even more drastic steps have been taken, officers invading private houses in searching for tickets. But the re- sults, as evidenced by the colossal sub. scriptions, have been negligible and the home office is at its wits' end as to how to deal with the breakdown of the law. The subject has been discussed in Parliament, and public opinion is sharply divided on the issue. The anomaly of Irish hospitals being financed out of British pockets by a breach of British law, while the Eng- lish hospitals are all impoverished, adds a touch of comedy to the sit- uation. A strong effort was made to induce English hospitals to appeal to the government to permit sweepstakes for their benefit, but the governors of the hospitals decided in the nega- tive on the ground of moral objections to the state recognition of gambling and because of the bellef that sweep- stakes would tend to diminish the flow of voluntery contributions. This decision was reached before the sen- sational figures of the Derby Swee) stake had disclosed the immense sources now tapped in behalf of for- eign institutions. * * % % But, apart from finance, the hos- pitals incident raises the more funda- mental question of the conflict be- tween the law and public opinion. It is notorious that attempts to suppress betting on horse races by legislation have had only partial success, and that gambling on the turf today is more extensive than ever before and consti. tutes a far greater evil than drink, which, owing to the restriction of hours and heavy taxation of alcohol, functioned _superficially. lapse .be'.thm um:,o lrh;lv change e situation. ith % the povu.hflnnm th 1n o ““'"ffi e Irish Swee] e, is that pubus i 4 on the subject ahd it is being wide! nmflmgethemnkyhhamlz of repeating the experience of Amets ica, 'where prohibition has ecreated something like a revolt against law, (Copyright, 1991.) ———es ling cannot be re-elected exce; the aid of the Democratic vom?t%hm votes cannot be had unless one of the United States Senators is given to the Demgcrats. Xt would be no ‘vindica- tion’ of Mr. Conkling to return to the political oppcnents as price of his own election. The stalwarts are counting upon the Dl’::anl the machine to force all the