Evening Star Newspaper, July 12, 1931, Page 20

2 THE SUNDAY .STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €. JULY 12 1931—PART TWO. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY..........July 12, 1931 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 11th, 8t apd Fennavivants Ave . “and Pennsy) . New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. Lake M! n Building. icago Office ichi Fliorean Offce: 14 Regent At.. London, Rate by Carrier Within the City. oo Frenine Star, 43¢ per month g an = hm'“4l "Bunda. ‘60c per month gt 5 8 preal The Sunday SoLles ¢ the end ‘of ‘each month. ats may be semt in by mail of telepnons ders may tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sund Bindasony All Other States and Canada. fly and Sund 13r.312.00: 1 mo., 31,00 ; 1mo., 7! 1yr., 38.00; Ell’l only Ir. & 15r. $5.00: 1mo. Member of the Associated Press. 7 tated Press i exclusively entitled toTahe '3.'.'-°ttox¢rar|§§nnuon ‘o ‘all news dig- credited to Redn o ‘:{.3' Doe The Incal news Leq I this paper w All rizhts ication DuSiildupaiches herein are also reserved. ional 2 Germany’s Desperate Plight. To a world which gave vent last week to justifiable enthusi~sm over the ac- ceptance of President Hoover's debt plan, it probably comes as a shock to learn that Germany’s financial plight nevertheless is more desperate than ever, and that that country is hovering on the brink of a catastrophe. Dr. Luther, president of the Reichsbank, is back in Berlin from London and Paris, where he went in quest of one-year and two-year credits to Germany, aggregat- ing between $500,000,000 and $750,000,~ 000. Some half of these loans, it was planned, should be forthcoming from central banks of issue abroad, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the rest from private banking con- sortiums in the leading credit centers. It was in Paris that the Germans en- eountered snags. France acquiesces in the reasonableness of the Reich's right 1o ask for help and recognizes that its tottering financial structure is a mat- ter for genera] rather than purely Ger- man concern. But France sets condi- tions. They spring from her ancient and inflexible demands for ‘“guaran- tees.” Security—that is, against the peril of a restrengthened Germany that might succumb to her anxiety for revenge—remains the angle from which the French cannot be weaned, as they envision even the suppliant “traditional Joe.” ‘What France speoifically requires as the price of participation in the finan- cial rescue of the Reich is (1) cessation of the construction of the powerful “pocket battleship” Deutschland, re- cently launched; (2) dissolution of politico-military organizations like the Steel Helmets, which stage periodical warlike demonstrations, and (3) aban- donment of further efforts to bring about a customs union with Austria. Evidently events are crowding to a crisis and to a point where the Germans must choose between governmental bank- ruptcy and acceptance of France's terms. The choice is a difficult one for a proud people like the Germans to make, especially in a situation in which Prance dictates the terms. . Rather than yield to them, President von Hindenburg is sald to be ready to resign. “His attitude betokens that Germany's national honor is engaged. No government likes acting under even the semblance of duress. Yet if ever a country and a government were confronted by what Grover Cleve- land called “a condition and not a theory,” that country and government is the German Republic. The German people are about to be- come the beneficiaries of an historic vote of international confidence—a year's respite for payment of the huge reparations that would otherwise fall due this week. It would be a fitting display of their appreciation, as well as of enlightened self-interest, if they come to the conclusion that, high as they may find the cost, it is not too heavy a one to bear for the greater things at stake. To keep the Reichsbank intact is a 'vital necessity. Neither the 10,000-ton Deutschland nor immediate tariff An- schluss with Austria, by any stretch of the imagination, can be so described. Nor is the Germans' present frenzied exportation of their own capital, through investment in foreign currency, a reas- suring sign to the rest of the world that they cherish confidence in their own strength and their ability to weather the storm through which the Reich is now passing. e Stock market speculators who were called upon for margins are still wish- ing that brokers could have arranged to apply this moratorium idea to smaller transactions. R It is not difficult for Stalin to rear- range his methods. Communism is a flexible form of authority whose ideas can be revised to suit every social emergency as it arises. ——r—————— Dead Witnesses Tell No Tales. An official of the dock department of Greater New York, on his way to testify before the Legislative Commit- tee now investigating the affairs of the metropolitan community, was killed by a subway train Friday morning. Wheth- er he fell upon the tracks, or leaped in suicide, or was pushed over the edge by & murderous hand is unknown. The teshmony available indicates that he Juinped to his death. Yet there remains the suspiclon that he was “given a 7i6e™ Dby somebody higher up who featred the effect of his continued ap- pearance before the inquisitors now probing so deeply into municipal graft. Memory is revived of the murder in 1912 of Herman Rosenthal, gambler, on the eve of a conference with the dis- trict attorney at which he was to give testimony relating to the police graft in the protection of illegal establish- ments and games. The dock engineer who was crushed by a subway train had been on the stand for several days and 2ad reached the point in his testimony at walch it was expected that he would disclose certain identities profiting from the series of “gift” takings that had enabled him to deposit in bank sums several times as large as his salary. This death is the second in a menth of the same nature. In June engi- aeer_in the Queens lvmuch'!urnu ] .nt Engineering shot himself after testi- fying in one of the private hearings conducted by the Hofstadter Committee. Two other important witnesses have disappeared, one with his entire fam- ily, after subpoenas were served upon them commanding their presence before the committee, One of these, whose salary was only $3,500 a year, had, ac- cording to transcripts of his bank ac- counts, deposited $150,000 within three or four years. Island, worth about $35,000, is now for sale under foreclosure proceedings, but he has not returned to defend the suit. Morbid conscience may be the prompting cause of suicide in the case of & man who has taken gifts amounting to many times his official stipend, if all of his takings have re- mained in his hands. But if, as the circumstances of the latést casualty in Manhattan’s graft war indicate, the takings have gone higher up, the sui- cide motive is less evident. It is a cruel, ruthless game that is played in the big town in the sale of privileges and ad- vantages at the expense of the tax- payers. oo Hoover Hits Short Selling. President Hoover has sharply con- demned speculators who are selling short in the wheat market today. “The intent,” said the President, “is to take a profit from the losses of other people.” Obviously the President referred to the producers of wheat, the American farmers. The President complained particularly of the efforts of the specu- lators to depress the market prices at this time of depressicn, for their own benefit. The speculators, he insisted, are retarding a return of public con- fidence and prosperity. ‘The President, however, has merely called attention to a condition which has existed for years in the grain mar- kets of the country, & condition whicn by the farmers themselves. The effort, made almost uniformly to beat down price of the grain until it h out of the hands of the producer. After that has happened the price may be allowed to go higher. That is busingss. It is the kind of business that has made the American farmer see red for years. It is the kind of business which has brought a stronger and stronger de- mand for the organization of farm co- operatives, so that the farmers ‘might finally be in a pcsition to sell at prices which were fair. It is the kind of busi- ness that brought at last the passage of a law creating the Federal Farm Board, with large resources to aid the farm co- operatives, an act which has been bit- terly resented by the grain trade. With the country still wallowing in the midst of a business depression, the attitude of the grain speculators who are forcing down the price of wheat is | brought more forcibly to the attention not only of the Chief Executive, but of the entire country. Better prices for the farmers mean in the end better business of all kinds, when better busi- ness is the great need of the whole Na- tion. The President did not strengthen his statement of the case when, after leveling his criticism at the speculators who are now selling the market “short,” he added: “I am not expressing any views upon the economics of short sell- ing in normal times.” Short selling is selling in the hope of a reduction in the price of grain. It is intended to bring about a lowering of prices, 50 that the speculators may make a profit thereby. It is, finally, the selling of commodities which the seller does not possess. He hopes to go into a falling market later and purchase enough of the commodity to make deliveries at the higher price for which he sold. President Hoover, having charged that there is a group of speculators in the wheat market today selling short, {is already importuned to make public their names. He called attention in his statement to the fact that as a public official he is not permitted to make these names public. It is un- fortunate that the head of the execu- tive branch of the Government under the existing law is prohibited from act- ing in the interest of the public in this matter. The grain futures act compels the filing with the Department of Ag- riculture of statements of short selling of grain, but does not permit the names of the operators to be revealed to the public. The Government has in its hands today all the facts regarding short selling of the wheat market, but is found particularly at & time when; the grain is being harvested and sold ) came so unruly as to threaten to spoil of these work horses on the streets should make it far easier for humane organizations to see that decent treat- ment is accorded them at all times. The time will come when the horse will be unknown in the city. It is al- most 50 now, but, unfortunately, the few that are left are most often to be seen in the crowded downtown streets, where traffic conditions are at their worst. The timidity which attacks most resi- His home on Longidents of a modern city, when they are called upon by conditions to do some- thing or say something which .attracts immediate publicity to themselves, pre- vents a great many humane people from protesting conditionis which strike their minds and hearts as wrong. There are, however, organizations whose duty by charter is to “speak up” for them, and it is to these bodies that such timid souls should go when they see a horse or other animal mistreated. Our few remaining horses should be the particular care of every one. T Bobby Jones plays golf much better than John D. Rockefeller does, but no doubt undergoes much more nerve strain. In using it as & means of pre- serving health and prolonging life when future comparisons are made & to longevity Mr. Rockefeller will probably be found to have had much the better of the game. ———— Observers in Arkansas tell of recipi- ents of relief who even as they accepted a benefit were hard to convince that there was not a catch in it somewhere. So much alleged humor has been based on the farmer as a credulous victim that he has finally begun Q take it to heart. In the great. American menagerie both the elephant and donkey are try- ing to assist the stock market ring- masters in calling off Wall Street's troupe of performing bears. They be- the financial entertainment of the unfortunately for the farmers, has been world. —————————— A year rolls around very swiftly. Question may arise as to whether & moratorium in good working order ought to be disposed of so quickly. A “‘one-year plan” is admitted to be rather short for so large a program of indus- trial and commercial development. —_— Chicago authorities intimate that nominating a gangster as Capone’s suc- cessor is no compliment or favor. It is almost like notifying him that he has, by a new combination of conditions, been put on the spot. Tit'es of nobility remain in use long after a republic has superseded a mon- archy. Like¢ old pictures and antique furniture they preserve a picturesque interest which considerations of mod- ern utility cannot destroy. ——————————— Several prominent personages have earned the designation “salesmen of llood will.” His journey to Paris puts Secretary Mellon well forward as a claimant of the distinguished title. S Freedom of speech is a privilege claimed by the Vatican in the face of admonitions by Italian civil authorities that all utterances must now be han- dled with the utmost care. oo Details of the moratorium will be dis- cussed by a board of experts. Commis- slons to consider matters of public con- cern grow in importance as they in- erease in numbers. R SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Old Acquaintance. My grandfather said with a nod of his head, “It's a great satisfaction, in truth, To find that the ways of these wonder- ful days Have brought back the friends of our youth! They are scattering 'round observations profound On the tariff and living's expense; And the workingmen’s rights make us sit up o nights ‘To consider its problems immense. “I remember full well how the folks used to tell, In accents of poignant distress, Of the fashions too bold which would threaten a cold To the imperfectly clad loveliness— its hands are tied. The law should be amended. Perhaps the statement issued by the President will bring a halt to the manipulation of the wheat market by the speculators who are selling short. ‘They have at least been warned that if there is any step the Government may take to reach them it will be taken. From the public point of view, it would appear that for once a White House “leak” might be justified. B In Europe novelists have been receg- nized as statesmen. In the United States story-telling remains a trade unto itself. In the effort to understand U. S. politics, European citizens may be inclined to attach too much weight to the opinions regarding current af- fairs of every writer who goes abroad and freely admits that he is a good American novelist. —_— ra————— Fate of the Horse. The fate of the horse in a motorized age is shown rather pathetically in ‘Washington upon occasion. Friends of animals may note during these hot Sum- mer days small wagons drawn by horses which seem frightened by the traffic. Often the drivers of these outfits are forced to descend and lead the animals. Observers are not free from the uneasy feeling that the horses will suffer at the hands of their drivers before the day is over for their timidity, which is no more than thousands of human be- ings feel in the stress and strain of this automotive age. The hot weather puts an additional burden, not only on owners of such animals, but upon agen- cies for animal welfare and the gen- eral public, to see to it that these re- maining horses are fed and watered properly. They are survivals in an alier; ege, and so out of place on our streets that the hearts of many persens are touched at their plight. It has always been necessary for cer- tain organisations to watch out for these beasts of burden, and this neces- sity is more paramount today than ever before, owing to traffic conditions. The fact that there are comparatively few The time have to change; yet the sub- jeets that range Through discussions whieh seldom are clear Bid me murmur with joy, you are wel- come, my boy, Old friends of my youth, ever dear!” The Immediate Audience. “Puture generations will applaud your speeches,” remarked the sincere admirer. “I'm not trying to reach that far,” replied Senator Sorghum. “I'm satis- fied if I ean be correctly quoted in my home town newspapers.” Jud Tunkins says he is always in favor of economy if it can be arranged 50 as to leave other people to carry out the practical detalls. Needful Discrimination. To laugh at trouble is a plan well known ‘Which human hardship mellows, Provided that the troubles are your own And net the other fellow's. Past and Present. “Histery repeats itself.” “I'm afraid so,” replied Miss Cay-|; enne. “Tendencies in bathing suits be- gin to remind one of the Garden of Eden.” Enfercement. “Has Crimson Gulch a base ball club?” “Not any more,” replied Cactus Joe. “When a game was on we didn't dare let the umpire carry a six-shooter, and we couldnt find one willin' to work empty-handed.” A Mythelegical Subterfuge. All day the sphinx Just sits and thinks Without a werd te say. He lets you hear No thought for fear Hell give himself away. “T blieves in art,” said Uncle Eben, n I wants it incouraged. But I hates to see & boy spendin’ his life being & poor painter when he might of been & good whitewasher.” - Watchful Waiting BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D, Bishop of Washington. Text—St. Luke, zziv49: “Tarry g: in the city of Jerusalem, until ye endued with power from on high.” “Watchful waiting” we have come to think of as characterizing in men and parties willful inaction. We of America are so given to quick action that we become lr;l&-mm of those who demand long peri for reflection, deliberation and the pursuit of a course founded in reason and . In the main we are what might be called an impatient peo- ple, and all too frequently we are given to following the dictum of those wi judgment lacks maturity and ripeness. One of our favorite phrases is “We want aetion,” and no one disputes the wisdom of this demand, provided it is action based upon sound judgment and a care- ful weighing of all the facts in the case. This spirit of unrest pervades life from the cradle on to its latest day. The children of our homes soon learn from us those ways and habits that betray an unwillingness to be deliberate and sane in any course of action. We speak of this tendency as betraying impulsive- pnl‘lonn }‘ omp:e‘duul: er;ml A omt- or speed. Evi ng must move with celerity. There can be little time given to reflection and serious touches everything with which we have to do. We demand “short cuts” to every attainment, and this applies to all the concerns of our life. We have no doubt that with modern inventions we are able to live more and do more ac- cording to 'E:unt. standards in a given l'mpwe of than was permitted to 0se of another generation. Whether we are getting more out of life and rendering more effective service are de- batable questions. One thing is quite certain—that the nervous strain upon our generation is far greater than our forefathers knew. Another fact is quite obvious, namely, that in the fine thi of art, literature and music we are not producing works commensurate with those that came from other periods less given to haste. Ours is a tabloid age. We must needs reduce our news, even our good news, to & few paragraphs, and the extended hose | 5elf in. the brie! service articles in our best magazines we are unwilling to read unless they are briefed for us. In no place is what we are spe of mhore dangerous than in the cultivation of those things that have to do with our spiritual life. In the whole course of His ministry to men. Jesus constantly emphasized the need of quiet and repose and re- flection. He took disciples away into & desert place to rest awhile that they might be made ready for the test of their exacting ministry. - He -Him- space of three years' active withdrew Himself into the silences that He might with greater deliberdtion plan the mighty service to which He was committed. When He was to withdraw from His wavering disciples He admonished them to tarry in Jerusalem until they should be en- dued with power. They were now eager to enter upon their world service, and doubtless were reluctant to abide His Jjudgment, They were unfamiliar with the kind of power of which He spoke, and with freshened enthusiasm they were ready to enter upon their chosen task. A period of waiting must have irritated them,° but in the mind of their Master it was indispensable to te | proficlent and effective service. ‘The result of their waiting the world has , for it was of it disciples 1t was written, have turned the. world upside down have come hither also.” It is an un- challenged fact that following the period of waiting and the gift of power they ushered in the greatest changes in the thoughts and habits of men the world has known. We sadly need today to learn the significence of the Master's words. Spiritual growth, the refinement of the mind, the enrickment of the soul are not spontaneous and sudden develop- ments; they come through definite methods of cultivation and a reason- able self-imposed discipline, After all, the great compelling forces with which we have to do are largely silent, orderly and regulated in their movements. We need more of “watchful waiting” in our life today. Roosevelt Cuts Out Line of Attack for 1932 as Friend of the Overtaxed Farmer BY WILLIAM HARD. “Prank” Roosevelt, New York Gov-| true that in the last calendar year our 12 Federal Land Banks had to sell some three thousand farms, or parts of ernor, is preparing to cut a wide swath | forre ynon which they had foreclosed in the agricultural Republican Wast if he gets the Democratic nomination for President next year. ‘That is the political meaning inher- ent in his learned academic speech on local taxation at the University of Vir- ginia last week. Mr. Roosevelt's an- alysis of local taxation consisted largely of the extraordinary accomplishments of his New York State government in lifting local burdens from the farmer and transferring them to the State. His speech coincided with vigorous onslaughts by certain Republican Na- tional leadcrs—notably Vice President Curtis and Senators Oapper and Wat- son and Brookhart—upon the Repub- lican administration’s Federal Farm Board for declining to promise to keep its Government wheat all locked up during the immediate private wheat sell- ing season. It also coincided with the ascertained certainty of the legislative revival next December of th> project for requesting the Federal Land Banks to stop foreclosing upon the lands of | farmers unable to r<pay their loans. o These two efforts to move the Fed-| eral Government toward new forms of | “farm relief” scem destined to enor- | mous publicity but doomed ultimately to | essential failure. Meanwhile Mr. Roose- velt's reductions of the tax loads of the farmers of his State se‘m likely to be propagandized throughout the West | as the solidest contribution made to| agricultural welfare by any American | statesman at this time. So the propagandizers will say, and | they will allege—with statistical accu- racy—the following facts: 1. The New York State government | has abolished the direct State tax upon 2. This last year the New York State government took $85,000,000 of its own raised revenue and returned it to the local governments, mainly rural, within the State. 3. The New York State government this present year is additionally, in “State aid,” granting to the local gov- ernments $3,000,000 for county high ways, $4,000,000 for town highways, and $100,000,000 for schdols. 4. The New York Stat> government has undertaken to relieve the county governments of future aggregate expend- itures of $54,000,000 for highways and $35,000,000 for bridg:s. * ok ko ‘There are other similar facts which accumulate into a dizzying total on the political behalf of Mr. Roosevelt. A neutral scientific comment has been made upon them by Mr. Basil Manly, prof:ssional economist, who recently, in company with Mr. Charles M. Kelley, concluded a special study of local agri- cultural taxation for the Rawleigh Rulx:ultlon. Mr. Manly says: “It appears me, out of our study, that New York has made more lubstalf- tial actual progress toward relieving the farmers’ tax burden than—with one pos- sible exception—any other State in the Union.” “ Statesmen here have studied the sta- tistics presented Mr. Roosevelt hll. the University of Virginia with la: political awakenment. They prevsou:q; had been much puzzled by, Mr. Roose- velt’s demonstrated skill at the harvest- ing of votes on Republican farms in the upper part of New York State. They now perceive that there has been a solid pecuniary reason. The two recent Democratic administrations of New York State (Mr. Smith's and Mr. Roosevelt's) have been favored by the urban Tammany vote, but they have been favoring the rural Republican vote. LY It has been rendered apparent that a dry rural Republican can %: quite con- siderably softened toward a wet urban Democrat who builds bridges for him out of the city slicker's money. ‘That lesson the friends of Mr. Roose- velt propose to expound on a fr-nd scale to the agrarian leaders of the ey s taneously expatiate on the one-sidedness, as they wl;l.l ex- press it, of the Hoover administration in the matter of moratoriums, * X % % Senator Harrison of Mississippi, Dem- ocrat, did his best in the last session of the Congress to try to persuade Sec- retary of the Treasury Mellon that it would be a good idea to grant an month moratorium to necessitous armers owing money to the Federal Land Banks in the Federal loan sys- tem, under the jurisdiction of the Fed- eral Farm Loan Board. Mr. Harrison introduced a bill providing that Mr. Mellon, as Secretary of the Treasury, should be empowered to advance gov- ernmental money to the Federal Land Banks to enable them to stand the financial strain thus incurred. Mr. Mellon remained unconvinced. He re- plied: “It would be extremely inadvisable, and, in fact, impossible, for the banks to announce or authorize any general extension of time of payments, since it |15 absolutely necessary for the preserva- tion of these banks and of their bonds that every borrower who is able to A his installment shall do so prampt"y‘." Since that time Mr. Mellon has helped to negotiate a one-year mora- torium for foreign governments owing money to the United States Treasury, and congressional supporters of Mr. Harrison's proposed 18-month agricul- tural moratorium are preparing to greet Mr. Mellon, upon his return to this eountry, with ar. earnest appeal to the effect that his Paris precedent be ex- tended into American practice. ‘This appeal will be in vain. ™ s the farmers’ real and personal property. | | lending because of loans unpaid. It is also true |that at the end of the last calendar year there were 2,402 farms upon which Federal Land Bank foreclosures were pending. The unpaid loans upon these 2,402 farms amounted in total prin- cipal to some $8,500,000. ok ok ‘Today some 10 or 12 out of every 100 of farmers indebted to the Federal Land Banks are “delinquent” in payments on their loans. ‘The situation thus is admittedly seri- ous. On the other hand, there are two facts which are equally admittedly true. In the first place, the Federal land banks do nct foreclose on all “delin- quent” farme:s, but endeavor to distin- guish between them on their prospects of recovered solvency and ability to pay. In the second place, the moneys bor- rcwed from the Federal Land Banks by farmers are transmuted into bonds, which are sold to investors in general, and it is certaln that a moratorium upon payments by borrowers would have a depressing effect upon future sales of | these bonds. * o ox o Such are, and will be. the financial arguments used by Mr. Mellon and the Treasury Department in repelling the humanistic arguments of Mr. Harrison and numerous other proponents of an agricultural moratorium in the Senate and in the Hcuse of Representatives. The humenistic arguments will bs but- tressed by much moving rhetoric on the point of the willingness of our Treasury to sacrifice itself for Germany and France and Italy and Britain, but not for Mississippi and Texas and Iowa and Minnescta. The financial arguments will coldly snub that ardent irony and will in all probability in the end pre- vail. [ * % ox % | Similarly, in all probability. the Fed- { eral Farm Board will prevail agiinst | Vice President Curtis and Senators Cap- per and Watson and Brookhart in the | matter of wheat sales. That quarrel | has now gons beycnd economics into high administrative issue. If the | Federal Farm Beard should yleld now to the Vice President and to his sena- torial assistants, it would be placarded to the whole country as having at cne | time made up its mind on the merits | of the.matter and as having subsequent- ly yielded to political pressure. It would thus destroy itself as an organ of public | trust. It is not believed that it will do so. | " The net consequence is that the Federal Government next year will look | weak in its love of farmers, while Mr. | Roosevelt will look strcng. It may not | be fair; but, fair or unfair, it is fate. (Copyright, 1931). o — Soft Coal Mining A Suffering Industry BY HARDEN COLFAX. Both sides of the soft coal problem, that of the producers and that of labor, were in evidence in Washington last week, but neither side apparently scored any success. While a conference of mine operators was being held at the Department of Commerce under the lzadership of Sec- retaries of Commerce and Labor, a group of some 50 or more mine workers from nearby mining districts attempted to picket the meeting and afterward to see the President. The conference of the operators, it was stated, was simply for a frank interchange of opinion and no decisions were made. Among the topics discussed were “the bearing of freight rates on coal marketing, the variance between scales of wages current in various parts of the country, status as to working ar- rangements, unemployment and many other conditions in different coal-min- ing districts.” * k ok x The serlousness of the problems fac- ing the bituminous industry of the United States may b seen in the one fact that not more than 20 per cent of the mines operating to full capacity for 360 working days of the year would pro- duce all the coal which now comes out f these min:s. 5 ’x!‘hz conference, it is believed, also touched upon the subjects of new mar- kets and the nced for the development of new industries. Twenty-five opera- tors had been irvited and an attendance of 50 per cen} ;‘u ‘:‘v:d'.?ee of interest on the part of the industry. ‘The |=ove which led to the calling of this meeting at the Department of Com- merce, and ;:nmr one lt“ 31‘5 “: ment of Labor, was & req President Hoover by John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine ‘Workers of America, for 8 ral conference of operators and labor of ward to mnnhh“ ening 'EM ol:n;u“l';“\' - uest 5 B idost belcgraphed fo Mr. Lewis'that he a1 of Commerce and Labor. He :e.:“rrl'ed- the operators and miners that the Federal Government is desirous of every possible assistance in any constructive program for betterment of conditions in the coal industry. Through its Bureau of Mines, the Department of Commerce will study the economic side of the industry, while Secretary Doak, through the Depart- ment of Labor’s conciliation service, will endeavor to ade the operators and men to “get q&‘hn" even more closely and helpfully the interest of solving the pvogum of the ’::uum, RS ring past years o1 ind nited States has Afrequent investigae coal industry of the been the subject of Capital Sidelights { BY WILL P. KENNEDY. “Please give us some more sidelights about the wide and woolly, gun-f ) two-fisted fighting days in Congress when he-men dealt with each other, * * *” This is a sample of fan mail received during the past week. To_comply: Representatives Churchwell and Cal- lum had a blasphemous set-to in the House in 1854. Churchwell charac- terized language used by Callum as “in- famously false.” Callum, who sat about 15 feet from Churchwell, sprang from his seat with both fists upraised and exclaimed “G—— ¥¢ rascal!” He tried to ‘“get at” him. Callum said Churchwell “drew a pistol” on him. The Speaker pounded. The sergeant-at- , and held up the Thorityy. ‘Bt calm " sucoscded, "as. s % as always does, after a time. ‘Who recalls the time when the great Charles Sumner, Senator from Massa- chusetts, received a fist pummeling in the Senate chamber from Representa- tive Preston 8. Brooks, a member of the House from South Carolina? It was on May 22, 1856, that Brooks rushed into the Senate and knocked down and beat Senator Sumner before the latter could rise from his chair. That this attack was intended was known to Edmundson of Vi and Keitt of South Carolina, who were both present when it took place. The memory and influence of this encounter lived for many years and are still k alive by occasional citation. Brool afterward challenged Senator Henry ‘Wilson, who was to “the code.” He also chall Burlingame, who ted and named the Canada side at ra Falls, and_proceeded to the designated “field of Ronor.” Brooks declined to meet Burlingame at that place, alleging that the location had been selected because it would be im- passible for him to be present. * And the “War of Wafers"—a historic event in 1856, in which one of the an- tagonists was Representative John Sher- man of Ohilo, who later was elected to the Senate as successor to the famous Salmon P. Chase, and then after a period of Zuelfl again elected Sen- ator to succeed James A. Garfleld when the latter became President. Sherman was twice a cabinet officer—Secretary the Treasuy under Hayes and Sec- under McKinl: of %&e’n his days in '.‘!’w younger House tried to throw a handful of wafers in the face of Representative ‘Wright of Tennessee. Wright responded with a well directed thrust of his fist to Sherman’s nose. After considerable confusion the hot blood cooled down, but the “War of Wafers” was for long & by-word in congressional lounging rooms, %% % A regular rough and tumble row took place in the House on February 5, 1858, during discussion of the Lecompton constitution. A wild, excited and inco- herent debate was interrupted by Rep- resentative Keitt of South Carolina striking Grow of Pennsylvania, with something like a battle royal resulting. After they were hauled apart, they again clashed. Keitt again struck Grow and Grow promptly felled him with a return swing. The combat thickened and deepened. The respective friends of the belliger- ents rushed to the fray. Blows fell thick and fast. Washburn of Illinois and Potter of Wisconsin, towering among the milling throng, tried inef- fectually to quell the riot by their own physical prowess. At this critical situ- ation Covode of Pennsylvania seized a spittoon, balanced it for a moment in the air, with the objective point the head of Barksdale of Mississippl, who was approaching in a “menacing attitude.” Barksdale's wig fell off, Covode lowered his inelegant missile. Meanwhile the sergsant at arms was running here and there, “like the pee-wit,” exhibiting his face, which nobody seemed able to see. The conversation which led to this undignified melee, and awakened the sleeping members was this wise: Grow was on the side of the House occupled by the Southern members and objected t0 Quitman's making any remarks. Keitt impatiently challenged him, “If you are going to_object, return to your own side of th: House.” Grow bristled up and answered, “This is a free hall; every man has a right to be where he | pleases.” Keitt then came nearer to Grow and said, “I want to know what you mean by such an answer as that.” Grow replied by repeating his former declaration. Keitt grabbed Grow by the throat, and spit out, “I will let you know that you are a d——d black P publican pun%)'," Grow knocked up the hand at his throat, fuming back, “I shall occupy just such place in this hall as I please, and no gro-driver 1l crack his whip over me.” Keitt in grasped Grow by the throat and again his hand was knocked off. When Keitt came at him, Grow squarely knocked him down. It was near 2 oclock in the morning when these “proceedings” took place. * % x % Charges of forgery of the record of the proceedings of the House in 1860 led to a bitter quarrel which culminated in Representative Pryor challenging Representative Potter. The latter, as was customary, named the weapons. Pryor declined to meet him in mortal combat with bowie knives. tions by Federal and State agencies. Its troubles are fairly well known. They | are due very largely—as has been said— to ov:irdevelopment and production. Thanks to a number of agreements be- tween the operators and the men there have been comparatively few strikes in Tecent years. Coal, of course, for many years has been one of the vital factors in the in- dustrial revolution of the world, in its various grades, qualitics and uses it continues to be a “world power.” In spite of its losses in other fields and its difficulties in its relation to human effort, soft coal, thanks to the progress of invention, is find two steadily expanding markets. res supplied by the Bureau of Mines show that the use of its by-products is be- coming ever and ever more important. Almost one-fifth of the total output of soft coal today is being chemically “processed” for an expanding list of uses. Then there is its use in the generating stations of the vast public utility systems. * ok ko A recent publication of the Depart- ment of Commerce, entitled “The Coal Industry of the World,” estimates that the reserves of bituminous eoal of the globe sre practically four quadrillions of metric wm—-«,ooo.ooo.ooo.m.m—-m of which nearly one-half is United Sztu. o 1a Immediately following the Worl ‘War there began an intensive develop- ment of the soft coal industry. One of the largest operators is quoted as saying that beginning 1915 “every hole in the ground that looked as if it would yield coal was opened up. Many mining men made millions n only to lose them later.” This overdevelop- ment and inflation of values continued ences Was n, min- numbers. ever-| Production to decline radicall in 1929, buthg:ndeeu-u in the mnn! turned. than the decline in * ok k¥ Ever since the World War, moreover, soft coal has suffered Inermlnfll from competition with oil and 4 a8 ber of miners empl 'Was mare raj i produccion. . T . Th b\‘x:‘??n vhlchhh‘:r decreased demand, wi unnm scales have made it It to ml- production ‘The ;otld'- output of coal THE HUNT FOR GOLD ‘The greatest gold fever in the hisf of the world is rising higher with eac! month and the search for the yellow metal becomes more eager. Past pe- riods in the world’s history in which special notice has been given to gold have been marked by important new discoveries. These have been followed by gold rushes, the headlong dash of adventurous souls to the sources of gold supply. The fever has be;_l;.prod tated by a discovery. there has been no especially notable fresh find of gold, the gold fever is mounting because of an unprecedented demand. Responsive to this, men every- ‘Where are on the alert for raw gold. Since men have traded or worn orna- ments, gold has been sought. King Solo- mon’s Mines were exploited in a gold fever, Columbus procured backing for voyages in the belief that he would find the way to the gcld of the Indles. ‘The Comiuhhdnrn scoured America in search of the fabled El Dorado and Manaos. The expedition sent by Sir Walter Raleigh to Virginia was inspired by the hunt for gold. Hidden treasures of have lured all ages of and known treasures have tempted men to break through the strongest defenses to rob and to commit piracies. 'rnroufih long ages, the scientists of an earlier time sought the philosopher’s stone, the ‘which would transmute base metals to gold. The tion of Midas had to do with the fous metal. ‘Tales of ret: 8 4 travelers, of ad- ventures into far places, dreams and visions, legends of unknown antiquity and origin, all have tempted men forth from known securities to find gold. To- day’s urge springs from a somewhat different source. It has peen prompted | by_the economists. To be sure, the desire for this main. spring of wealth is the same basic hu. man desire, but it has been especially stirred at this time because of the preac] of economists to the effect that many of the world’s manifold ills are due to a gold shortage. A gold shortag: has been felt by every man in the world save Midas, but that feeling has been prompted by the hope that sudden wealth would accrue from a discovery. Today we are told by the economists that much of the world's business depression with attendant un- e:‘nployment is caused by the shortage o Working Old Mines. Barlier desires for gold have been «nlivened by the wish of the individual to have the good red metal in his hand and to be able to exchange coins and | bars for the luxuries and the priceless leisure of life. Each man has want:d Now men are eager | that end that business generally shall be bet- | ter. He is told, and apparently with | good cause, that if the world's stock of gold be increased, all business will im- ve. ‘The individual, therefore, need not long for the knowledg: of a treasure of gold, the finding of a golden fleece or a hidden mine for himself. His gold may be found in the form of a steady, wage-paying job, brisk trade for his bus- iness, orders for his factory. Let any| one who can find the gold so long as it | is poured into the coffers of govern-| ments and the channels of trade. For such a reason gold is being sought as never before. Scarcely a week passes | but word ‘'comes of some move some- where in the world to find new gold. The location matters little. For exam- ple, it has just bzen reported that mine in Czechoslovakia, which was| abandoned during the Napoleonic wnra,‘ has been reopened. It had been flooded | in the troublous tim:s of the period and | no one since has wanted gold badly| enough to start the workings anew. In | response to the modern gold fever, how- ever, ths old mine has been reopened | and fresh machinery has been installed. BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. {as in the entire century Prospectors are scouting around the prehistoric mine workings in what now is Natal, in South Africa. At some prehistoric age, when strange monsters roamed the world, the men of the day sought gold and the mines they aban- doned are being searched in this time for traces of the metal. Efforts are being made to locate the fabled mines of King Solomon and of Queen Cleo- patra. No matter how long ago any mine was known, worked and aban- doned, modern man hopes that some scrapings may be left. Times being what they are, any effort to find gold is worth while. Annual Production Increases. It might be remarked that gold has always been gold and is worth no more today than ever it was. This, in so complex a civilization as has been built up, is not true. Gold has taken on a standard of value and has achieved a position in human relations considerably different from what it has been before. Gold is worth what it will buy. There are so many things to_buy. In the year Columbus discovered America the world’s output of gold was less than $4,000,000. It was not until Bir Walter Raleigh's time that this annual output was so much as dou- bled. There was, during all those furi- ous vears of adventure and warfare which followed, only a slight ennual Increase. At the time of the discovery of gold in California the world’s an- nual production was only about three times what it was in the days of Co- lumbus. What that meant can be realized from the fact that the annual av- erage for the entire world jumped from $13,484,000 just before 1849 to three times that amount a year or so later. | By 1855 production was at the rate f $132,000,000 a year. This colossal {mduc“on continued, dropping below 100,000.000 & year only once in the next half century—1885, when it was about $99,000,000. South African Discovery. As though Nature were in special sympathy with the desire of mankind for gold, the very next year saw the discovery, in a far distant part of the world, the Witwatersrand of South Africa, of another tremendous gold de- posit. In a short time annual world output exceeded any previous period. Then came the Klondike discovery of 1897, adding fresh supplies to the world, and ' production leaped to an annual average of more than $300,000.000. In the period 1801-1905 world gold pro- duction amounted to $1,613,000,000. In that brief four years three times as much gold was dug out of the ground following the discovery of America. The peak of all-time production came in 1915, with $470,000,000. The latest figures show = production of just over $400,000,00» Meantime, however, the world? pre- duction of goods increased by leaps a&il bounds. The Machine Age, the age ol huge capitalizations, of mass produc- tion, of huge population increases, high prices and high wages, had developed. These activities, constantly producing more and more wealth, call for credit based on gold. Currency issues are multiplied and indebtedness increases. Somewhere back of this there must he the gold reserve. As the obligation$ mount up there must be real gold -3 measure them. With the obligatiof mounting and with gold production falling off, the gold demand augmenis; That is why every possibility of gold from China to Peru is being exploited today. Maintenance of the mode/% standard of exchange depends upoh new finds. Where the next Sutter's Mill, the next Rand, the next Broked Hill, the next Klondike Creek will he found no man can tell—but all men are looking for the magic spot. Britain Disturbed by Luther’s London Trip | BY A. G. GARDINER. LONDON, July 11.—The sudden air- plane descent of President Hans Luther of the Reichsbank on London Thursday afternoon, coupled with the scare heads displayed by the newspapers that he | had come to ask a loan of $250,000,000 to stem the flight from the mark, cre- ated alarm in the city, which is still doubtful whether a European financial crash has yet been averted. ‘The long delay in bringing France within the orbit of the Hoover plan has | dissipated the confidence which the | proclamation of the scheme aroused and left the public in a mood of nervous anxiety. But the purpose of Dr. Luther's visit was to explain to Gov. Norman of the Bank of England the desperate situation in Berlin. This he did later| in the afternoon on the way to Paris, where both called before proceeding to the headquarters of the Bank for Inter- national Settlements at Basel for an ex- amination of the financial crisis in Central European countries on Monday. * x ok x In regard to the genesis of the crisis, a remarkable article appeared in the London News Chronicle of Priday, giv- ing a thrilling narrative of the inner | history of the events, with an hour-by- | hour record of the momentous June 16, when the Credit Anstalt, Austrian na- | tional bank, trembled on the brink of | collapse and threatened a general ava- lanche. The article describes the emo- tional scene in Vienna when Gov. Norman's telegram was received placing a credit to Austria in the Bank for In- ternational Settlements. The writer states that Mr. Norman was unaware, | when he sent the telegram, of the French ultimatum to Austria to re- nounce the Austro-German customs | union as a condition of making a loan | and of the Austrian rejection of the | French condition. | ‘This sensational escape from a Euro- | pean catastrophe, says the writer, for- tunately coincided with Secretary Mel- lon’s presence in London, and the nex day his discussions with British states- men enabled him to realize the urgent| gravity of the case, and “his urofl.s to ashington were sufficiently weighty to turn the alr ling scale.” L ‘The most (nteresting revelation is the stateme i‘“thn President Hoover nee that for the sake international relations e the initiative, The ar- : “France the coun- it was ave tional other mzr. e Vienba oy enna }ahytnl for time and asking more ln! formation. . Hoover dared noy wait. He was convinced of action and on June 20 issued his fa- mous decl-rnfln How urgent the po- was shown by the:fact that just as he issued it a el%yh al vecd was concerned try most vil felt that a wu’d from her § the u:sen’.-y for | po, €| clear and comprehensive manner - | call Fifty Years Ago In The Star ‘The crime of Charles Jules Guiteau, who shot President Garfield on the 2¢ ip Of July, 1881, drew Many Cranks in gy cniish to the fact Washington. that Washington w a s dangerously peopled with eccentrics and radicals and grievance bearers. One of them. named McNamara, was taken by the police and gent to the insane asylum. The Star of July 6, 1881, says of this c1se: “The police authorities were exactly right in promptly sending Mchmlrt the insane man, who says his mission to kill Secretary Blaine or Vice Presi- dent Arthur, to the asylum. It is true that a man who talks so openly of his mission, etc., is not so dangerous as the secretive lunatic, but there is no telling what sort of delusion might next take possession of his diseased mind. Wash- ington is a sort of Mecca for lunatics, monomaniacs and ‘cranky’ people. Many of them conceive some idea in connec- tion with the Government, or have some imaginary claim, or some absurd meas- ure for presentation to Congress. They hang about here, and though harmless at first, exposure and hunger may con- vert them into dangerous characters. There is a regulation under which the police can arrest individuals of this kind, and it should be most rigidly en- forced. A distorted and diseased mind like that of McNamara's looks upon Guiteau as a hero, and might become filled with the idea of committing a similar deed for the sake of notoriety.” * * * “The boast is made by the Cincinnati Enquirer,” u)'shThe Star of July 6, 1881, “that it printed and sold The Star’s 104,000 copies in one day Extras. during the excitement in- cident to the President’s critical condition, claiming that this is by far the largest number ever circu- lated by any paper west of the Alle- ghany Mountains. But conmiparing the population of Cincinnati with that of Washington and taking into aceount the thickly settled country immediately around Cincinnati and the number of populous cities within easy reach. as Ctompared with the sparsely settled country in the vicinity of Washington and the limited facilities for reaching it, the circulation of the Enquirer is not half as great, relatively, as that of The Evening Star on Saturday, for example. Of the first extra edition alone on that day more than 21,000 copies were Kl.med and promptly sol nd from t time forward until a late hour at night The Star’s fast, mammoth press was constantly kept running at its high- est rate of speed, and still not abl t times to meet the urgent and insistent calls upon it from the city and neigh- ring towns—the aggregate, however, putting up nearly two-thirds of the Enquirer’s large figures. A great part of this extraordinary demand for The Star was doubtless due to the quick, in which it covered the whole field of news on that occasion, and for which un- stinted words of appreciation and praise are still reaching it from every quarter— but it sprang still more largely from popular interest in and sympathy with the stricken head of the Nation. No- where was this feeling more deeply en- tertained or more spontaneousiv and fervently expressed n in Washing- ton: and we record this fact and the evidence of it with even more pride an gratification than we feel in receiving 50 many and such hearty tributes to The Star's enterprise and success in meeting the just expectations of the sublic on the melancholy occasion which led it forth.” e State Highway Description. Prom the Kalamazoo Gazette. A State highway is a magnificent stretch of road lying between two de- tour signs. — e Schizoids Gain Recognition. Prom the Plorence (Aln.) Herald. M #M"llhh 11931, ‘We don't know what schizoids are, but if Lincoln was one we are {or Wei.