Evening Star Newspaper, June 8, 1931, Page 8

‘A—S8 THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. - WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. .June 8, 1931 itor THEODORE W. NOYES....Ed The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11 . ‘and Pennsylvanic Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Butlding. European Office; 14 Regent &., London, England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Btar. ... 4Scper month -60c per month undays) ... and_ Sunday ‘Siar undays) . .. 65¢ per month at the end of each month. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional $000. Rate by Mall—Payable in ‘Advance. Maryland and Virginia. L..17yr. $10.00; 1 me, 88c mé. 50 only .. 36. . 50 Binday only $4.00; 1 mo., 40¢ All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday..,lyr.$12.00: 1mo., $100 Daily only ... 1yr. $8.00: imo., 15 Hundsy only $5.00; 1 mo., 50c Member of the Assoclated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the ‘use for republication of all news di atches credited o it or ted in this paper and the local re published herein. All rizhts of publication of Epecial dispatches herein are also reserved Politics and Prosecutors. The country is suffering from too much politics and too little prosecution of law violators, the Wickersham Com- mission has reported to President Hoo- ver. In order to correct this situation, which the commission holds responsible for the release of far too many crimi- nals, it recommends the elimination of politics from the cholce of public prose- cutors and a study of means to raise the caliber and compensation of these officials. In view of the practices that have prevailed for years in this country in the selection of prosecuting officers, Federal and State, this recommendation, if carried out, would shake the whole structure of prosecution. The ex- haustive study of prosecutions in this country would indlcate that it needs not only shaking but uprooting. The difficulty, of course, lies in finding a proper substitute for the system now in vogue. The commission does not g0 into detalls, merely suggesting an enlargement of the Civil Service pro- visions to cover prosecuting officers. At present Federal prosecutors are ap- pointed by the President with the ad- vice and consent of the Senate. Many State and local prosecutors are elected by vote of the States or communities. Not only are the Federal district attorneys confirmed by the Senate in their appointments, but those appoint- ments are for the most part made by the President upon the recommenda- tions of the individual Senators. When Democrats are in control of the Federal Government, Democrats are appointed to be United States attorneys, and when the Republicans have the upper hand, the Federal attorneys are chosen from the G. O. P. These offices have come to be regarded as political prizes, which €0 to the victors at the polls in a politi- cal election. If a prosecuting officer owes his appointment to the backing of powerful groups or individuals, it is not & far step to the repayment of the favor through laxity toward the group or individual when violations of law are charged. When it was first suggested that the present Attorney General, Willlam D. Mitchell, be appointed to head the Department of Justice hands were raised in horror by some of the most eminent Republican leaders. The idea that a Democrat, as Mr. Mitchell had | been for years, should be assigned to such an important “political” post was, | 1t was explained privately, almost be- yond belief. But Mr. Mitchell was appointed, despite the fears that his administration of the Department of Justice might possibly have some grave effect, politically, upon the G. O. P. The President, it appears, has made a good beginning—at the top—towerd adopting the recommendation of the Crimes Commission. Politics, as the commission insists, should have nothing to do with prose- cutions for law violations. The prose- cuting officer has it largely within his power to bring a law violator to trial or to quash the proceedings against him. How often the power of freeing an accused criminal is exercised by prosecuting officials in some of the large centers of population scarcely needs the testimony of the Commission's report. Within recent months the office of the prosecuting attorney for the greatest city in the country, New York, has bzen under searching investigation, a city by the way. whose government, judicial as well as executive, has been dominated by a strongly centralized political or- ganization. The report calls attention to the fact that by far a greater number of of- fenders go free as a result of the action of the prosecuting officers than are lib- erated by jury trial. In New York, for example, only 4.3 per cent of the releases of suspected criminals are traceable to jury trials and acquittals, and only 4.7 per cent of all the felony prosecutions have ever reached the jury trial stage. In Chicago the percentages are even smaller. It is not difficult to trace political influence as the respon- sible factor in such a situation. The system of selecting the prose- cuting officers is distinctly at fault. Probably the wonder {s that so many excellent officers, devoted to their duty, are in office today. But assuredly the prosector, as well as the judge, should be relieved of all political influenez if justice is to prevail for all offenders alike. S Politiclans, like carpenters, continue to find that it is easier to saw out a: dry plank than a wet one. e Sir Hubert and the Nautilus. Despite almost universal condemna- tion because of the dang:rs of its mis- sion and the uselessness of sclentific data which can be obtained if success crowns its efforts, the submarine Nau- tilus, with Sir Hubert Wilkins in com- mand of a crew of twenty-two coura- geous men, is on its way for an at- tempted journey under the ice to the North Pole. The whole world ardently wishes Sir Hubert and his brave com- panions success with the daring ex- periment because success means that the party will return alive, but at the same time the feeling exists that there is nothing to gain and everything to Jose from such an ill-advised expedition. Certainly, to most persons it matters nothing what the temperature of the water 4 one hundred feet bencath te» c_per copy | polar ice. Nor does the average person consider it necessary to his happiness to know the thickness of the ice sur- rounding the North Pole. And, by the same token, he will lose no sleep be- cause it has not been definitely ascer- tained just how deep the waters are in the Arctic. He is concerned, however, with the fact that twenty-three men, experts in their line, are risking their lives to accumulate data of no ap- parent scientific value. All precautions have been taken, to be sure, but what precautions can be taken to meet the emergencies which are bound to arise on such a venture? To what avail, for instance, are man's puny efforts should the tearing and grinding forces of two ice packs clamp i their unylelding jaws on the hapless !rubm>rine? And what care can prevent the Nautilus, cruilsing blind under th: ice, from ‘striking an overhanging ledge and rendering its outside machinery useless for bringing it to the surface? No cne can help but admire the cour- age of th: men who are setting out to meet the “incalculable dangers face to | face, but it Is very much like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Success proves nctl d failure means death. Sir Hubert will be well advised if he confines his explorations to less hazard- | ous fields, . The U. 8. A. to the Rescue? | Weshington reverberates with reports, which lack official sanction but smack of plausibility, that Uncle Sam may be on the verge of taking a definite hand in the solution of Europe’s economic problems. Admittedly, pending authori- tative corroboration, the prospct rests mainly on supposition arising from thesa colncidental circumstances: 1. The impending departure for Europe of Secretaries Mellon and Stimson. 2. Proclamation by the German gov- ernment that th. Reich has reached the limit of the “privations” which it can bear. 3. A statement by Senator Borah that revision of the German reparations set- | tlement is “expedient economically and | fundamentally just,” and that he would favor reduction of allied war debts as a | quid pro quo for reduction of armaments. | | Even though Mr. Mellon's transat- | lantic traveling plans are purely per- sonal in nature, and Col. Stimson's | purpose “over there” is essentially va- cational, all the world knows that Americans occupying thelr exalted po- | sitions cannot globe-trot without letting | business season pleasure. If Messrs. Mellon and Stimson do nothing but ' lend courteous ears to the plaints of Lon- don, Paris, Berlin and Rome, or any | one of those capitals, their sojourn, willy-nilly, will be forthwith divested of exclusively private character. The overshadowing aspect of current | international developments—in England, in Germany and in the United States— | | from the Amcrican standpoint, at least, !is Senator Borah's manifesto. It was !evoked by the Reich government's ap- | peal to the world for reduction of rep- | arations as the alternative to a catas- | trophe, which would engulf not only | | the German nation, but perhaps Europe | and civilization itself. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Com- mittee takes that warning serlously. “To grind the German working people into unsp-akable misery,” Mr. Borah says, “would be a calamity the evil con- | sequences of which, to say nothing of its inhumanity, no tongue can properly express.” Thereupon Senator Borah marches strajght into the fleld of discussion wherein American interests impinge upon the reparations question. Hitherto ! successive Washington administrations have maintained that reparations and war debts are entirely unrelated prop- ositions. Our position has been that from the time allied obligations to the United States were funded on liberal terms they became a closed incident. | Ever and anon Washington points out | that the annual $200,000,000-0dd in | | principal and interest payable here is | practically offset by allied receipts from Germany, not to mention the far great- !er sum American tourists year by year leave behind them in Europe. The American argument runs that “Uncle | Shylock” is thus, in cold fact, imposing ]‘ no hardships on his Old World debtors, | and that cancellation or curtailment of | | the debts under the circumstances is | unjustifiable. Now comes Senator Borah, in the | past an uncompromising foe of debt re- mission, and declares that i Europe will stack arms he, at least, is willing to cancel the war debts. His condition is { “reduced armaments” and “disarma- | ment to a large extent.” If the foreign | relations chairman speaks with any | White House or State Department au- thority, a momentous change in Amer- | ican policy would secem to be crystalliz- ing. It'is valuable in this connection to remember that it was the Idahoan’s initiative in the Senate, at the end of | 1020, which immediately led to Presi- dent Harding’s action in convening the Washington Armament Conference of 1921-22. President Hoover's anxiety ! fr action in the domain of arms re- ductlon is new one of the major facts and factors in international affairs. In England it used to be said, when free trade was more popular than now, that “what Manchester thinks today | | London will think tomorrow.” Is, Eorah's thought in the matter of debt | reduction prophetic of what Washing- | ton's mental processes vl be “tomor- | row"? The line of communications | from his office to the White House and the State Department has been uncom- monly wide open lately. Current hour events may be larger with significance than is apparent, even though the shadow they cast is no bigger than a man’s hand. | oo Just think; in spite of the depres- sion, Americans consumed 1,335,617,903 peunds of candy last year. And a whole lot of taffy in addition to that. o The Gas Pressure Report. ‘The Federation of Citizens' Associa- tions has again raised the two points ' thet have interested everybody since the Public Utilities Commission’s battle with the gas companies over preseure regulations, The first of these is the penalty that should be demanded for defying or otherwise failing to abide by pressure regulations; the second is what reimbursement to consumers the gas companies should make in those THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1931 —_____—_———_—.—___—____————-__—____—_————————————————————_————— ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. |the decision to the Publie Utilities Commission. That body's action will be awaited with interest. Despite the vast amount of pooh- poohing from certain quarters over the gas pressure row and the attempt to relegate it to the status of “tochnical, engineering” questions that could have no great effect on the average consum- er's gas bill, the fact remains that the Public Utilitles Commission found that high bills were in part the result of high pressure, and a former engineer of the Public Utllities Commission, sub- sequently employed by the gas company, enumerated the dangers of high pres. sure, without proper adjustment of appli- ances, such as the formation of & danger- ous gas and inefficient combustion that caused waste. And the fact remains that adjustments in high-pressure areas nd the reduction of gas pressure to a | point silowable under the regulations were brought about only after the ex- change of correspondence between the Public Utllities Commission and the gas companies’ management, which as- sumed, in the end, the characteristics of mandatory orders. “At this late day,” ctays the federation’s report, “it is hardly in order for any one--least of all the gas company—to attempt to mintmize or disregard the situaticn by asserting that the consequences 1o gas consumer are necessarily inconsequen= tial. No expert worthy of the name can withstand cross-examination in at- tempting to support any such proposi- tion"—that is, the proposition that high pressure has no effect cn consumers’ bills. As the federation points out, the im- portance of pressure regulations is reccgnized by the existence of such reg- ulations, and the commission is given authority to impose fines for neglect or refusal, to obey its orders. The gas company did neglect or refuse to abide by those regulations, as the report of the Public Utilities Commission’s former engineer showed. And if excessive pressure resulted in higher gas bills, the gas company charged for something that it had no right to charge for.and collected money upon which it had no Just claim. The Federation of Citizens’ Associa- tions, after careful and deliberate inves- tigaticn, has sent to the Public Utili- tles Commission & report that cannot be pigeon-holed. Judging from the record of the commission, it will not be pigeon-holed. —_— o Columbia University has started & survey to determine just how age, sex and occupation affect the graying of human hair. Almost any child can tell how sex affecis this process, or, at least, its visible manifestation. ————————— Naturalized citizens are advised to pattern their own lives after those of Washington, Lincoln, Hale and Henry. It is not imprcbable that some of them will think the last one refers to Ford. ———— Psychologists now inform us that Abraham Lincoln was a “schizold manic” type. All right, now tell us how to go about getting more of them for the country. e, = ‘The movie world is somewhat like the | heavens, having both fixed and variable stars, plenty of satellites, an occasional comet, and now and then a shooting star. —r———————— More than sixty distinct types of oats have been found adaptable for farms. All are tame. ————r———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Moment. Just & moment for a smile, Even though a sorrow With a sullen hint of guile Threatens for the morrow. Hard the lesson is and long, If we've truly learned it, Just & moment for a song! Surely we have earned it. Filercely frets the storm on hig] With relentless seeming, Till the stars that fill the sky Light us to our dreaming. Then & emile, or else a 5ong, Helping us to_borrow Strength to facé the task so long We must meet tomorrow. Getting Started. “How did you get your start in polities?” “I wanted to reform every thing that came my way,” replied Senator Sor- ghum. “And I attracted the attention of & practical politician Who just then happened to need an industrious young reformer in his business.” Jud Tunkins says many a young man with a fine future has used most of it up admirin’ its possibilities. Aggravation. The man of gentle mood and just, Who doesn’'t want to have a fight, Bocomes 80 angry wien he must, He's sure to see the job done right. Forecasting a Career. “If my boy Josh ever goes into poli- ties,” remarked Farmer Corntossel, “I reckon he’ll be one o' these favorite sons.” “What makes you think s0?” ‘works terrible hard for the first few days an’ then isn't heard from the rest of the season.” An Admirer of Song. “I like to hear my wife sing.” “So do 1,” replied Mr. Meekton. “It is cnly when Henrietta sings that my mind is absolutely at eate about what she is going to say next.” Supersensitiveness, ‘The egotist with mind alert. Is bound to get his feelings hurt, Assuming with suspicion grim Each passing jest is aimed at him. “De bigger a nuisance a man is," said Uncl> Eben, “de more he's afraid dat mebbe somebody won't notice how big a nuisance he kin be.” o Spanish Progress. From the Flint Daily Journal. Here Spain has just got through with one revolution, and now it is going to admit women to seats in the new As- sembly. > ———————— cases where consumers’ bills were un- duly high because of excessiv: gas pres- sure. The federation, by adopting the carefully drawn report of its investigat- Mmg subcommittes, has prcperly passed Experienced. From the Toledo Blade. There isn’t really much difference be- tween an old fcol and a fool, ex- cept that the old fool d more practice, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. He who would discover which bird opens the morning chorus must wake up_very early. It is not essential that one get up. Being more or less awake is the chief requirement, in order that the listener may know positively when no bird voices as yet sound. It will not do, in this pleasantly un- scientific search, to wake amid the clat- ter of the bird chorus, or even when it is beginning. ‘There is no way of telling which bird s first if one does not know when no bird sings. * KKK Perhaps the best way to achieve this preliminary period of quiet knowing is to stress the matter upon going to bed. Say definitely to one’s self, “Tomor- row morning I will wake up early, as early as necessary, in order to sit in judgment on the birds." ‘What must be avoided in this instruc- tion is such an order as this: “I will be up to hear the first bird sing.” No, that will not do. One must be up before that! One must be there in the very tree tops, as it were, long be- fore the birds begin to siir. ‘This is the only way to catch the first note of the first singer. * X x % ‘Which bird will it be? This is the absorbing question of the evening_ before. Let stocks and bonds slide for the time being. Permit mighty affairs of state to take care of themselves. There will be time for all those things. _ Now one may be permitted the lux- ury of belng interested in a very small thing. Did you ever stop to think how mankind has fooled itself into believ- ing that only welghty, -important; things are the worth-while things of lite? Those who talk solemnly of trend and the like, about which they nor any other man cen knowledge, are sct down for learned, while he who is interested in other matters may find himself lumped off as a fool. The distinction, eyidently, comes from ditch digging. You ask ‘how ditch dig- ging gets mixed up in it? It is easy! Mankind gives its praise to any matter, intellectual or otherwise, which bears on_its face evidences of labor. If a matter under discussion is one which requires research, plugging away at hard facts, it is patent to every one. The world of men, cursed to earn its bread In the sweat of its brow, long ago put, the seal of its approval 1:pon men- tal sweat, too. Bring_before us your evidences of toil, and we shall accept your product, and praise it highly, whether we our- selves understand it or not. But dare ye to think happlly about | ¢orgo, the hinge of door some happy subject, upon which it apparent that you have been to the trouble of going to no dictionary, en- cyclopedia or other authority, and we will_wither your protestations with a word. “Trivial,” we will call it and you. And you are squelched. * X X % Happlly this matter of determining the first bird to sing in the morning is entirely a personal one. It is conceivable that it might have some interest to those who make their living from work with birds. But it interests you, end if you are interested. that is enough. Let politicians wrangle, and econo- WASHINGTON BY FREDERIC Because of the paramount impor- tance of economic affairs in the disor-| dered world of today, the State Depart- ment has just revived a post, vacant for two years or more—that of eco- nomic adviser. It has been filled by the | appointment of Dr. Herbert Fels, who made a brilliant reputation at Harvard | in his chosen field. He has had wide experfence in foreign countri Dr. Fels' predecessor as economic adviser | was Arthur Young, who went to China with the American Financial Commis- sion, headed by Prof. Kemmerer. Col. Stimson will be seeing & good deal of Dr. Feis and the other economists in | the State Department during the few weeks preceding the Secretary of State's departure for Europe. During Dr. Julius Klein's last days at Harvard, whence Herbert Hoover drafted him for service in the Department of Com- merce in 1921, Dr. Feis was in Klein's | economics classes. One of Fels' “Who's ‘Who" touches is the fact that, as stu- | dent, instructor or professor, he has been on the campuses of some dozen or more different colleges; and he's still on the sunny side of 40. Boox o Col. Lindbergh doesn't anticipate the slightest difficulty about enjoying the freedom of any Russian airport in which he may find it convenient to land while flying to the Far East. At Mos- cow, “Lindy” and Menry Ford rank as the two most popular Americans in Soviet affections. When the United States Army flyers came down on Ko- mandorski Island, in the Russian Arc- tic, in May, 1924, they were accorded the most cordial of welcomes, * K X “Roosevelt and White"—New York and Ohio, same as in 1920, with reverse English as to the States—is the 1932 Democratic presidential combination now likely to be much talked about in consequence of Gov. Franklin Roose- velt's visit with Gov. George White at Columbus last week. White seems cer- | tain to have at his disposal the Buck: eye delegation to the national conven- tion. Eligible as he is for first place, the Governor's friends say he's serlously considering the possibility that the lightning will strike him. But White is depicted as being in wholly receptive mood as far as the vice presidential nomination is concerned. Roosevelt's preference is said to be for a running- mate from the agricultural West or some captain of industry who would appeal to the “business” vote. White would supply a dry end to a Roosevelt ticket. * K K K One of the handful of United States Senators who prefer the Summertime joys of Washington to the vicissitudes of life back home had occasion to get into his safety-deposit box the other day. When he reached the bank he discovered, to his consternation, that he’d misplaced his key. The vauit officer sald the Senator could have a duplicate key made for $3. “Doubt if it'’s worth it,” quoth the gentleman from ——. “The darned stuff in my box, at present prices, hardly justifies the expznse.” * ok This observer sat in not long ago at an impromptu joint debate between two Washingtonlans who, in their re- spective days, enjoyed confidential re- lationships with eodore Roosavelt and Herbert Hoover. Conversation turned on the way “T. R.” would have handled Congress, especially the Senate, during the “fever and tumult” Hoover says he's had to endure. The Roose- veltian argued that the colonel would have taken the Senate by the nape of the neck and shaken it into submission. The Hooverian pleaded that the “Chief's” conciliatory temperament is far more effeciive than big-stick tactics. As en instance of the President’s per- sussive powers, his eulogist instanced the reorganization of the Veterans' Ad- ministration—first real mP in the long- projected consolidation of Government departments, with resultant saving of $10,000,000 & year. The scheme once was_bitterly opposed. By velvet glove methods, rather than strong-arm stuff, Hoover put it through with hardly a murmur of congressional opposition. * K ok ok Dr. Willlam H. Wilmer, oculist ex- traordinary, whose latest triumph is the osis which led to the King of Siam's restored sight, was once chided by a patient for maintaining his headquarters on I street north- have any real| mists dispute. _Let an unprecedented number of Panama hats appear throughout a nation which is supposed to be depressed. Such matters will right themselves, in time, for surelv enough wise minds are concerned with them. But as for telling you which bird begins the morning” chorus in the trees, who will do it except yourself? * kK “Who cares?” snorts some ardent ma- terialist who b:lieves that sport is only good when it can be translated into $250,000 for a series of short films. But sport is sport, and it is a kind of sport to wake up early enough to be sure which songster cheeps the first of all, just as the red dawn emerges from the lavender cky. ‘The purple, orchid, lavender, helio- trope tints of pre-daybreak are not yet at their best. They require a particular sort of morning, weather just made for them. We have it not yet. Still there are purples and orchids and lavenders and heliotropes in the early morning sky before any birds sing. ‘That word “heliotrope,” bearing the sun proudly at its fore, proves it. * ok % x Listen! A faint sound breaks the stillness. “Chcer, cheer, cheer!” cries the cardinal,’ gathering strength with each repetition. It is the cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis He is discovered at last. A great truth is out. ‘Tomorrow it may be some other bird, the melancholy thrush, perhaps, but this morning it is America’s favorite, the cardinal, and every one is glad. Every one is glad, that 15, who is awake to hear. beautiful, brave * % K * ‘This is & happy discovery, indeed, the recumbent one tells himself. This were worth getting up early for. | One more star has been put in the | galaxy of useless but interesting infor- mation. Henceforth, if any inquisitive person shall ask, “What bird sings first |in “the morning?” one may answer roudly, from first-ear information, The cardinal, the grosheak, any of se | eral species of American song birds of the finch family.” | There 1s no more beloved bird than the cardinal, with its loud, cheery song, its bright red plumage and bill, its black | face and pointed crest, | Once upon a time it was a favorite | caged bird, and perhaps still is in some | sections of the country, but one seldom sees a ccrdinal imprisoned in this juris- diction, which is well. | * X K K ‘The cardinal bird got its name by a curfously roundabout route. It comes indirectly from the Latin A hinge, of course, is that on which | door turns or depends. | Hence we get the meaning of fun- damental, jmportant, pre-eminent, su- | perfor. chief, principal Ecclestiastical princes were called cardinals because they were those upon whom things turned, because they were pre-eminent, chief, principal in the church. It happened that the outstanding part of their costume was the red hat, and it was this red which became known as cardinal red: and it was this color which caused the brilliant bird to be called a cardinal. |~ “Cheer, cheer, cheer.” he calls, wak- ling the world to another day. OBSERVATIONS WILLIAM WILE. | west, Washington. The patient ban- teringly accused Wilmer of locating on | “Eve street” for “advertising purposes.” Wilmer snapped back: _“Well, where did you suppose I'd pitch my tent—on C street?” The late Philander C. Knox, at a public dinzer, referred to a certain pompous Government offictal as_“the only living American to have a Washington street named after him— I street.” * ok ox % Coples of the program for the Hard- ing Memorial dedication at Marion on June 16 have reached Washington. There will be four addresses—’1) presentation of the monument to the Harding Memorial Association by the latter’s president, former Senator Fre- linghuysen of New Jersey; ac- ceptance by Calvin Coolidge, honorary president of the essociition: (3) re- marks by George White, Governor of Ohio, and (4) dedicatory address by President Hoover. The Columbus Glee Club, famous Republican male choir, which figured in all of Harding's po- litical campaigns, will sing three num- bers—"Fair Land of Freedom,” “Star Spangled Banner” and Mrs. Harding's favorite song, “The End of a Perfect | Da; The program lists deceased | trustees of the Memorial Association— | Brig. Gen. Charles E. Sawyer, Henry | C. Wallace, Fred W. Upham and Edwin Denby. One trustee is designated as i“rssigned"—chlrles M. Schweb. The | trustees under whose auspices | $800,000 memorial was completed in- Charles E. Hughes, Andrew W. Mellon, Harry M. Daugherty, Charles G. Dawes, Edward B. McLean, John Barton Payn: John Hays Hammond, Harry S. New, Hubert Work, James J. Davis and George B. Christian, jr. The Marion ceremonies will be broadcast acrcss the country between 2 and 4 p.m. * x % x Roy Faint St. Lewls of Oklahoma, newly appoifited Assistant Attorney | General, comes to Washington with un- usually strong_credentials. Among his backers were Patrick J. Hurley, Secre- tary of War, and Senator “Jim"” Davis of Pennsylvania. Mr. St. Lewis is a nephew of Senator Davis and, to judge by his name, is probably Welsh by ex- traction, too. He attracted the Depart- ment of Justice's attention through his vigorous prosecution of mail-fraud cases in Oklahoma, where, since 1926, he has been United States attorney for the western district. Mr. St. Lewis is a ‘World War veteran. * x % * Virginia newspaper readers have just voted for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, Woodrow Wil- son, Patrick Henry, John Marshall, Mat- thew F. Maury, James Monroe, Thomas J. Jackson and James Madison as the Old Dominion's “ten greatest male Vir- ginians.” They elected Pocahontas as the greatest Virginia woman. Capt. Jchn SmitiPs rescuer beat Lady (Nancy) Astor by 364 votes. (Copyright, 1931.) - e Five Billion Cigarettes. From the Toronto Daily Star. A bulletin of the Dominion Bureau of Statistics shows that Canadian tobacco factories manufactured more than 5,000,000,000 cigarettes in 1930. Ex- ports are negligible; the five billions are consumed at home, in addition to a considerable number imported. Consumption was placed at less than 1,000,000,000 in 1913, had reached the 2,000,000,000 mark by the end of the war, was close to 3,000,000,000 by 1926, edged up toward 4,000,000,000 in 1928 and now exceeds 5,000,000,000. In the smoking of cigars, however, the post- war period has seen a slight decline. If there are 6,250,000 people in Cana- da over 14 years of age, they are aver- aging, smokers and non-smokers, over rettes aplece per year. It would once have been possible to use, as a basis of calculation, the number of adult males. But that is no longer prac- ticable. Men and women, boys and girls, Canadians are spending on cigarettes considerably more than $50,000,000 per annum. — e Wife’s Sense of Humor. From the Los Angeles Times. If the wife laughs ag your jokes, you can be sure either tha, you know some good ones or you have a good wife. the | The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. Two Governors of important States are now considering the redistricting bills sent them by their State Legis- latures, Gov. Ely of Massachusetts, & Democrat, and Gov. Pinchot of Penn- sylvania, & Republican. Upon their de- cision will depend whether the States elect thelr entire congressional delega- tions “at large” next year, or whether the Legislatures are called upon to de2l with the knotty prcblem of redistrict- ing again. The Legislature in Penn- sylvania has adjourned and gone its way. Gov. Pinchot has 30 days from the time of its adjournment to approve the redistricting bill, and the measure is still before him. The Legislature did things to Gov. Pinchot's legislative pro- gram. It declined to pass the bills relating to public service corporations upon which he insisted, nor would it amend the election laws in conformity with his wishes. In consequence, the Governor and the Legislature are de- cidedly and seemingly permanently at outs. Nor dces the Governor like the redistricting bill, it is said, because it affects the congressional district in which he lives in a way he does not like. Mrs. Pinchot has been and may again be a candidate for the Republican nomination for the House against Rep- resentative McFadden. * oK ok ok Pennsylvania has had to cut its dele- gatlon in the House from 36 to 34, in accordance with the reapportion- nent of the House following the last ‘census. 1 the redistricting bill becomes a law it will bring about several con- tests between sitting members of the House within new districts. For ex- ample, Representative J. Russell Leech will have to fight it out for the Re- publican nomination with Nathen L. Strong and Representative J. Banks Kurtz will be up against Representa- tive J. Mitchell Chase. A third con test will come between Representat; George F. Brumm and Representative Frederick 'W. Magrady. Some cf these gentlemen will have to give up their House seats as a re- sult of the new deal. The Republican Legislature has sought to strengthen from a Republican point of view the three districts which went Democratic in the last election, in redistricting the State. It is suggested that if the Goy- ernor fails to approve the redistricting bill and all the candidates for the Hcuse must run in a State-wide elec- tion, the Republican State Committee will pick as the party’s candidates the sitting Republican members and add another Republican candidate to maks it an even 34 and wipe out the three Democratic members in the present Congress. No one believes that & Demo- cratic candidate for the House could win in Pennsylvania in s State-wide contest. | | | * ok ow Gov. Ely, Massachusetts’ Democratic Governar, is being urged strongly by many c? the newspapers and many per- sons to approve the redistricting bil which the Legislature has sent to him, elthough it does not give the Demo- crets all they ask for. The Legislature is Republican. Out of the present House delegation from Massachusetts 4 are Democrats and 12 are Republican. It has been necess:ry to cut the deleg: n from 16 to 15, and to do this the Legis- lature has combined the districts iu large part which at present are repre- sented in the House by Dallinger and Luce, both Republicans. The Democrats say that they should have a greater number of House seats, since they have two United States Senators and a Democratic Governor. However, the re. districting bill put through by the Re- publican Legislature received favoring votes from some of the Democrats. And it is no secret that Democratic members of the House from Massachu- setts are not anxious to make a State- wide contest for renomination and re- election next year. Either party might win or lose all the seats in such a con- test. But campaigning all over the State is not to the liking of the sitting | members. * ok x x In California. the State which gained nine additional House scats under the reapportionment, there is a terrible row over the redistricting act passed by the California Legislature. There is greet rivalry between the northern and the southern parts of the State. Gov. Rolph is to call a special election if the erendum on this redistricting act are completed and filed. If the voters in the proposed referendum should reject the redistricting act, it will mean a special session of the Legislature. The EOHN('M row in the home State of resident Hoover holds considerable in- terest, both because California has in- creased its representation in the House s0 largely and because of the effect that any political disturbance there may have on the presidential race next year. * ok ox ox Senator Hiram Johnson, who in 1920 and 1924 projectad himself into the limelight as a candidate for the Re* publican presidential nomination, was recently asked what he thought of the potential candidacy for the presiden- tial nomination of Gov. Gifford Pinchot of Pennsyivania. Senator Johnson was the running mate of the Jate President Theodore Rooscvelt 'way back in 1912, when the Bull Moose party was launched. Gov. Pinchct was always a close friend of President Roosevelt, a member of his so-called tennis cabinet. However, Senator Johnson declined to discuss the Pinchot candidacy in any way. Indeed he said he had not heard of the candidacy of Pennsylvania's Gevernor. At the same time, the Cali- fornia Senator did not, as other Re- publican leaders in his State did, de- clare his entire satisfaction with Presi- dent Hoover s a candidate for re- election next year. * ok K X Senator Johnson has been urged by some of his Progiessive Republican colleaguss to dispute with President Hoover next year in the California pri- maries for the delegates to the next Republican National Convention. So far, however, the Senator has given no encouragement to the idea, although he has no love for President Hoover. In 1928, Senator Johnson was up for re- election.. He did not break with the Hoover candidacy, however, in that year, and both he and President Hoover carried California by a large vote. Hoover supporters insist that Senator Johnson would be snowed under in a contest for the delegates in California against President Hoover. The Pro- gressives, however, who undertake to magnify the discontent in California and other States for the Hoover admin- istration, take a different view of it. Several years ago, however, Senator Johnson himeelf announced that he had no further ambition to be a presidential candidate. * o K Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York, recognized today as a leading candidate for the Democratic nomina- tion of President next year, will be subjected to the keenest scrutiny from today until the Democratic Natlonal Conventicn begins its balloting. Every- thing he says will be interpreted by his friends and his opponents. If he makes a misstep it will immediately be magni- fied. His attitude toward a legislative investigation of New York City's affairs and toward Tammany will be measured by the Democrats who fear to nominate as their presidential candidate a man wholmay be saddled with the Tammany label. Perfect Freedom. Prom the Jackson Citizen-Patriot. In Russia.everybody has the absolute flg!&t to do what Mr. Stalin tells him to do. Plenty Here. From the Lynchburg News. Dr. Charles G. Abbot thinks there is a low form of life on Mars, But why go to Mars in search of it? petitions which are now out for a ref-| What is your question? Whatever it be, unless it be a request for legal, or financial advice, it will be answered without cost to you, and you will receive the reply in a personal let~ ter. Write your question clearly and briefly, inclose 2-cent stamp for return mm :‘Hd l;ddreau ;he Evening Star lormation Bureau, Frederic J, H: dlrectar, Washington, B 6. © S Haskin, Q. Why the pression over the radio, “by special permission of the copyright owners”?—A. 8. A. It signifies that the selection has of Authors, Publishers and Composers for yse at that time. This restriction is made so that pleces will not be heard too often. Q. How many times did Jack Demp- gey_score a knockout In one Tound?— ‘A. One of the remarkable feats of Dempsey’s record is 24 men knocked out in one round. ., Q. What is the source of the phrase, | the moving finger writes?"—J. H. A. 1t is from the “Rubaiyat” Khayyam. Q. Please glve some facts about the financial set-up of the Empire State A. It 15 owned by Empire State, In- ino securities to the public. While its affairs are not published, it is a matter of record that there is a first mortgage of $27,500,000 held by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co, with interest from 6 to 514 per cent as the mortgage is reduced by amortization. There 1s a second mortgage of $13,500,000 at 7 per cent, and an issue of $10,000,000 non- par stock. The second mortgage and the stock are owned entirely by men who are closgly assoclated with the butlding. Q. When does the Geological Soclety of America meet?—J. B. A. It meets annually, usually in De- cember. Its last meeting was held in ‘Toronto, Ontario, in December of last year, and the meeting this year will be held at Tulsa, Okla. Q. What kind of cherries are used | -for maraschino cherries?—E. W. A. The maraschino cherries are m rasca cherries which have been pitted and put in the maraschino liquor. Maraschino is a liquor distilled from the fermented juice of the marasca cherry and flavored with the broken | kernels. Q. What Is the length of the automo- biie racetrack in - Indlanapolis?—H. A. 1t is 24 miles around the tracks. Q. What is the der} “infantry”?—R. W. U. A. The history of the word traces the term back to the name given to the page of a knight. Q. When were the dead first cre- mated?—J. F. K. A. Cremation of the dead was the! tion of the word with the important exceptions of Egypt, where bodis were embalmed:; Judea, where they were buried in sepulchers, and China, where they were buried in the earth. Q. When was Rawls' “View of the | Constituticn” taught 2t West Point?— G. McC. A. It was first used in the Academy in 1826 and its use discontinued in 1827. been released by the American Society | Building in New York.—N. A. M. | corporated, a close cornoration. s:lling | general practice of the ancient world | Q. What proportion of the settlers on reclamation projects maies a success of the venture?’—M. H. A. The Department of the Interior says that some years ago it was esti= muted that about one in three attempts on reclamation projects was successful. The number of successful ones at the Pn‘sent time is greater, however, as it s required that the person desiring to make an entry qualily in several re- spects. For instance, lie must have sufficient money for expenses while the land is being put into shape, and he must pass an examination proving he is an experienced farmer. Q. How was the Bank of Stephen Girard started in Philadelphia?—S. B. A. Stephen Girard invested largely the shares of the old Bank of the United States in 1810, and in 1812, upon the lapeing of its charter, pur- chased a controlling interest and the buildings. He named it the Bank of Stephen Girard, and, retaining the cld officers, made it one of the foremost financial institutions of the country. of Omur“ Q. When will the First Liberty Loan be called in?—C. D. A. The Treasury Department says that a First Liberty Loan is redeemable on and after June 15, 1932. The depart- ment has not yet formulated a plan as to whether the call will be made for these loans at that time. Q. What is a ligne?—B. E. L. A. Ligne is a French measure of length equal to 2.26 millimeters, or 0.0885 inch. Q. Where can the Epistle of Barnabas be found?—B. C. A. The Epistle is found in the Codex Sinaiticus in the appendix added to that document. Q. Why is & chaise-lounge so called?— P. E. A. Chaise-lounge is an incorrect speli- ing of the French chaise-longue, which literzlly means a long chair. Q. How much of the address side of a poss card may be used for writing or advertisement?—W. T. C. A One-third of the may be used. " address sid Q. Plase give some information con- | cerning the Hoover War Memorial Li- brary—N. H A. This library is at Leland Stan- ford University. A bullding on the campus houses the libr , which is the most complete of this kind in the United States end perhans in the world. The building was opencd soon af.er the r. Additions to the collection of books are constantly being made, and even now a member of the board of trustees is in | Europe collecting material. Q. What kind of dogs are large enough to throw a man when used as watch dogs?—B. G. | A, A Great Dane or mastiff could | do so. German shepherd dogs and bull terriers are good watch dogs, but | are not large enough to handle a man. Q. What colors are used in the but- | tonhole roset! by th: Sons of the American Revolution, Soclety of the War of 1812 and Colonial Wars?— R. McC. A. The rosettes worn by the Sons |of the American Revolution are blue, buff and white. Those of the Society of the War of 1812 are blue, black and white, with a red thread in the center. Those of the Society of Colonial Wars !are nearly all red, with a little black. Balloons again came into their own | ss a result of the record altitude | reached by the Belgians, Prof. Auguste | Piccard and Charles Kipfer, in their flight into the upper atmosphere. The | use of a sealed aluminum gondola with | a supply of oxygen gave limited protec- | tion tor life and suco:ss in the face of rossibilities of faflure which thrilled | | the world. Hope of new understanding | of cosmic rays is expressed by scientists, as reflected in the press. | The Toledo Blade remarks: “Ten | miles on the surface of the earth is a very short distance. Ten miles high | and man is out of his natural element— | an adventurer and pioneer on the| ! fronti:rs of the infinite” The Pitts-| burgh Post-Gazette quotes from Euro- | pean comment calling them “heroes of | > stratosphere,” and ] title has been well ear They may be accounted the first to pierce the, earth’s ceiling of atmosphere and to| | push out beyond the gravitational pull | that confincs walking mankind to the | surface. It is a new triumph for sclence | that the world pauses to honor.” | “It is a great accomplishment, a mag- nificent one, this jaunt of Prots. Piccard | and Kipler,” avers the Minneapolis Star, while the Oakland Tribune rc-| marks: “It is not every day that two | men, known only to their limited circle, may make the population of a globe | crane necks and scrutinize the heavens. | They had their big day in the skies| —close to the sun.” | “There can be little doubt that after | this one experiment more of the same kind will be made,” thinks the Albany Evening News, concluding that “man- kind has conquered his own world and now he must have other worlds to con- quer.” The Schenectady Gazette de- clares: “Having conquered distance both over and on the earth’s surface as well as under it, can any one say posi- tively that we shall never be able to do the same thing vertically? * * * I we can rise a few miles above the earth, why not 500 or 500,0002 Where i3 the limit?”. The San Antonio Ex- press states that “those modest Bel- glans have promoted aeronautics, which | soon will be developed further because | they devised a gondola wherein men | can work safely at 9 or 10 miles alti- tude.” * K X “Now, when it becomes possible to navigate the upper air currents, which ars moving most rapidly, it will be possible to attain unheard-of speeds,” says the Allentown Morning Call, quoting the balloonist as to a possible 400 miles an hour, and belleving that “science has an uncanny way of mak- ing its most startling predictions come true.” The New York Evening Post of- fers the judgment: “Many airplene enthusiasts have foretold the day when air liners would pass back and forth between America and Europe at 8 height from 5 to 10 miles above the earth, making ixcredible speed because of the rarefled atmosphere. But these theories have remained theories because it was not known whether the cold and the low pressure of the stratosphere would be combated with safety and comfort for passengers. To this ques- iccard now returns a de- clded affirmative.” “The success of the feat,” according to the Dayton Daily News, “is a tribute to sclentific precision, the accuracy of Prof. Plccard’s calculations and the thoroughness of his preparations. He had been engaged in the preliminaries of the exploit for some time. Doubtless to many the idea seemed as visionary as the rocket dreams of the German inventors. The failure of an earlier attempt, when the balloon could not even lift the equipment off the ground, did not’ dispel this impression. Now the feat has been accomplished to per- fection. In a da the bal has been outmoded as & vehicle of the lane, it is still more striking. No airplane ever come within a mile of this record, and the pilots who set the marks with heavier- than-air craft have usually suffered eat distress from the cold, the rare- ed atmosphere and the pressure. At least for purposes of scientific observa- tion, f. Piccard’s aluminum shell seems to have overcome these handi- caps.” The llas Journal observes that “the expgdition was so daring as to seem desperate; but, like most of the Voyage Into Stratosphere By Balloonists Thrills World modern expeditions that have suc- ceeded, it was adequately planned, and. as the results indicate, skillfully carried through.” * X % % Considering the possibilities of dis- aster, the Birmingham News comments: “What if Piccard and Kipfer had come to the jumping-off place—that is to say, the region where the law of gravity quits functioning—and they knew pre- cious well that the oxygen supply was rapidly being exhausted? In that dilemma, even brave men might be for- given a sudden attack of squeamish- ness. Yet they were normal and sound as & nut when the good ship settled near Gurgl, and it needs no imagina- tion to hear their throaty merriment on being delivered from the clutches of the stratosphere. Which is a reminder that it is from such stuff as these heroes are made must be commandeered passen= gers for the really-truly inter- planetary passenger-bearing rocket that hurtles from earth next year or the year after. Piccard and Kipfer are in for more daring adventures. They are | self-elected Its for farther explorations.” “Their revelations and any observa- tions_Prof. Piccard and his companion may have to Teport are of great interest to the public as well as to scientific cir- cles,” says the Chattanooga Times. The Hartford Times states: “Prof. Piccard carried delicate instruments whose registrations may have been greatly helpful from the sclentific standpoint. These aeronauts risked their lives and have earned just fame. By reason of the world’s almost instantaneous means of communication, millions in many lands had mental picture of the Piccard balloon, Wednesday evening, as it drifted, apparently unmanageable, at & height of 2 miles, toward the Alps, dis- appearing in th dark, feared to contain two who had perished in their lofty at- tempt. It was a weird instance. The happy outcome of the event was a most agreeable item in the news.” “One of the purposes of the daring voyage," recalls the Seattle Daily Times, “was to study the cosmic rays which are rained on all heavenly bodies from the abysses of space. These cosmic rays, according to their discoverer, Dr. Robert A. Millikan, eminent scientist of California, have a greater penetrative power than X-rays. The theory ad- vanced to account for this radiant en- ergy is that the sun and all the stars are continually ennihilating 2toms and throwing them off. While this destruc- tive process is going on, Dr. Millikan believes that new atoms$ are being built up out of hydrogen in the depths of in- terstellar space. The building-up proc- ess manifested in the cosmic rays is proof to the eminent scientist that the Creator of all is still at work. It is un- likely that the short time Prof. Piccard and Dr. Kipfer spent in the stratosphere will result in solving a problem which has puzzled the keenest minds of the world. However, the Creator uses cos- mic rays 'b‘; l'eb:lllld the universe, and man may be on ths verge of a thrillin discovery.” c ———— The King Business. From the Milwaukee Sentinel. ‘The business of ruling as an enter- prise for the personai profit of the monarch is {llustrated neatly by an audit of the royal accounts of Spain. The total wealth of Alfonso’s family was found to be $8,487,417. Of this the total of Alfonso’s personal fortune is $2,618,850, of which $1,433,825 is safely salted away in banks in Prance and Switzerland, where the Spanish Repub- licans cannot get it. Alfonso, with his eye out for his own profit, was no worse than other mon- archs of Eurcpean countries which per- mitted large powers to reside in the throne. Wherever a King had power he had a large bank account. A kingdom, as Alfonso saw it, and as the Austrian Emperors, the German Kaisers, the Russian Tsars and the Balkan princes saw it, was a large and complicated business, given by God for the Pl‘ufll and aggrandizement of the royal house. Rivers of blood were shed, from the time that England beheaded Charles to the tims that Alfonso scurried out of Madrid (with Lis check book in his pocket) before all West-rn Europe learned that Cod h24 neo in- terest in the shabby King businss