Evening Star Newspaper, September 23, 1931, Page 8

; ENING' §TAR T Santay i b WASHINGTONAD. C. ‘WEDNESDAY, September 23, 1031 1006 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Edftor ‘The Evening :'.'?:‘,'::,l.;,;-:_; f.pny wegent H. e : Lake ce: 14 Regent Engla; o otk icago Fopen Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Evening Star.. .5 . .48¢ per month d_ 8t Cvhen 8 ’lu days) - llection made by mai %’;;:{Ili& Sent in by Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. B All Other States and Canada. ily ant ", .fi aily Shfy p ay onl: ¥ . Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press Is e vely er il 1o B g T esten el et tches credited fo s d in this aper and « new: 12" Reretn A1l Tiehta of pub A:%. dispatches herein are also reservi ‘each #honth. il or telephone 1 mo., 85¢ g The Manchurian Crif Not since the nations of the world became so universally ptace-minded— at least in their official protestations— have they had presentd to themselves a harder nut to crack than the contro- versy whith has sudd:nly flared up in Manchuria. Croops of China and Japan have met in sanguin-ry clashes. Al the external manifestations of a war are evident. The Japancse Army has occupled Mukden, seiz:d Changchun ‘ls announced outs in wages, With such H H i takes three games 1t will whatever may4 happen match. Just 50 if New Yo of the four played in that city it to Philadelphis and still win second position. such finsl winning percentage Washington for the season and that for New York . capture second place, with its and cach, the Senators must al 12ast two of the games in New Yorl and the final game with Boston. In other -words, the Senators must take three of the five games yet to be played, just as New York, to win the coveted position, must win three out of the five. i ; il i B5EEE L of HH —— e Wage Cuts. Two years after the stock market crash and the beginning of the busi- ness depression the United States Steel Corporation and several other big in- dustrial concerns in this country have a protracted depression in business, in | some respects it 15 remarkable that the cuts in the workers' pay have been de- layed so long. A generation or two ago wage cuts would have beén slapped on the emplojes of industrial concerns im this country almost immediately upon the decline in business. The present- day philosophy in industry in this coun- | try is vastly different. In the opinion of fariseelng industrial leaders, labor should not be cither the first to bear the burden of a slump in business nor the only one to bear that burden. And it is alonz the lines of this compara- tively new philosophy in business that the fight to prevent wage cuts has been waged over a two-year period, in the hope, too, that the country would snap out of the depression that has had it | off its guard when ways and means for saving the proud pound sterling were adopted. American suthorities long saw them coming. Only in delaying them did they sense danger. Now that John Bull has taken action, relief is the sole emotion aroused in this coun- try, with ite closely interlocking eco- nomic relations with the other branch of the English-speaking race. It is predicted that British export trade will be substantially stimulated by the precautions enforced against the flight of gold from British shores. At first sight, such a development would seem to threaten the interests of Amer- ifean exporterf, because of the prospect that they face a period of intensified British competition in world markets. The other side of the medal is that Brit- | ish manufacturers, in expansion of overseas trade, will need to depend on & steady supply of American imports of raw materials. As these, together with manufactures, eomprise the bulk of our business with Great Britain, no appre- ciable damage is done to us by a growth in“British exports. The stamina with which the American securities and commodities markets are withstanding the action of Great Britain, is proof that #t is in no respect a knockout, or even a staggering, blow to the United States. It is, on the contrary, but one more step, and a long cne, in the continuing process of world econemic housecleaning, which had to be taken sooner or later, an atmosphere- clearing development destined to be of advantage to all concerned, which in this eass embraces the whole world. ———— Before the American Bar Association THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. the mcst disconcerting things ry life which you like very much. talking the other day to = whose 0] One of in ordina like a book Wfle were gentleman when he happened to speak of re-alus Dr. Munthe’s “Story of San Michele, that perennial best-seller. “How did you like it?” we asked, sure in advance of his favorite verdict. ‘What was our astonishment, then, to hear him say: “I don’t like it at all.” “What's the matter?” “Too mournful for me,” he continued. “All those forzign authcrs are that way.” ik We did not argue the matter. Some one declared, many, nay, years 2go, that there is no argument on mat- ters of taste, and there isn't. This dossn't mean, of course, that some tastes are not more accurate than others. Accuracy, in such things, means coin- elding with the best of popular taste. Popular taste, at its best, is very good. It it were not for the verdict of the intelligent mob, few works of art would ever become famous. Wh:ther it is a book, cr & song, or & plece of architecture, it must have some- thing cbout it which makes it largely popular, in the best :er;se. * % “The Story of San Michele” is not & melancholy book, rightly viewed. 1t is saved from that, although it has many sad themes, by a c:rtain sense of wonder in its euthcr. Becauss of that sense, everywhere ap- parent, it becomes a glad book for any- body. VV’e were reminded of this later, while reading in J. B. Priestley’s “The English Cemic Characters,” which has been made available in this country in a new edftion, following the success of his in convention at Atlantic City was!two novels, “The Gcod Companions” is to have some one dis- | of pinion we value, | can would go at_all. We can recall, upon reading one of these clever productions, that we stop- ped to think of a few of our personal possessions. There was a safety razor which we had used day in and day out for about 15 years, and as yet there was not the least sign of wear. A foreign-make razor, on the other hand, which we had purchased at a high price, and used only a few times, fer,fet ot whiksers, aresdy ad oot 3 e wl , & ad los! most of its “silver phle,"n.dy Here was a collar button, which we had used for a quarter of a century. It cost all of & quarter 25 years ago and still was unblemished. Barring the unquestionable desire of all collar but- tons to roll away and hide, this fellow would be good for half a century. We looked at & shaving brush, which was the first shaving brush we had bought, as a young fellow of 16 years. It still was our one and only shaving implement. The bristles had worn down uniformly, but they were all there! One still could get as good a shave with it as ever. It gave us quite a start, upon pur- chasing & new one, just for the fun of the thing, to realize that this might be the very last shaving brush we should every buy, in the normal course of things—American brushes are so well made, 50 honestly made. EE Well, we may seem to have got a long way from Dr. Munthe and J. B. Priestley and the ability to see the world innocently and freshly, but they all come back at last and sum them- selves up, and we sum ourselves up, pleces in next to no time | the "supporters of this law, Contends That Increased Bonus Loan Was Justified cross-section of the World War than is the of the Washington police cross the city of Washington. zations run to type, which is and while they, in common with their fellow citizens, may enjoy the same pleasures, suffer the same pains, from an ewng:lc standpoint uwy’ are in- comparable. police force comes much nearer being typical of the aver- age World War veteran {han the Regu- lar Army man. It is my opinion that a survey of the manner in which the police ex-service man used his bonus money would reveal an entirely differ- ent story. The u] t of the thing is that Miss Pflkhumu left a very definite im- pression in -the minds of her readers that the payment of the increased bonus loan was a deliberate move on the part of cheap politiclans to raid the Federal Treasury for the purpose of purchasing the votes of the World War veterans and that the payment of this portion of the bonus did the country more harm than good. That is & dam- aging _indictment, and while it may have been the motive behind some of it is my inion that some of our legisia :pm really sincere in the belief that the money would be a real benefit to the veterans. If two-thirds of the mem- bership of our Congress cannot arrive at a judicial decision in such a matter and in such a way that party lines were wij out, without the onus of crooked litics being thrown at them, then all can say is, “God save our country!” ‘The bonus was pald, beginning last Spring, after the country had gone through one of the worst droughts on record. I know of instances where the and some nelghboring towns, apparent- 1y entered Kirin, and is reported to have Whether the proposed reductions in sent a force to Harbin. In other words, | wages, if they spread generally through practically ever important center in|the industrial structure in this coun- China's greates. province has been|try will materially curtail the purchas- taken over by Japanese soldiery, |ing power of the people is a matter in its grip. already in control of the South Manchurian raflway. Acoepting the gage of battle, President Chiang Kai- Shek thunders the Nationalist Chinas readiness for “a final and supremz struggle” with Japan. What are the peace-loving powers going to do about it all? They are in a confessed state of quandary and per- plexity, including the United States. Secretary Stimson is studying the situ- ation from the standpoint of the in- complete and confusing data at his disposal. Because of*our intervention in the Sino-Russian imbroglio over the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929, there has been a not unnatural expectation that the United States would move to extinguish & conflagration which has already exceeded in extent and menace the warlike incident of two years ago. ‘While the State Department kmklI before leaping, the League of Nations | Council, jealous of Geneva's peace- keeping Teputation, 18 moving. It is rightly consclous that an outbreak of gonuine war between the two Asiatic peoples could, and almost inevitably would, sconer or later embroil the Oc- cident. The League authorities yester- day (1) called upon China and Japan to withdraw troops from the disputed area and (2) ordered the minutes of the Council’s' action transmitted to the United States Governmeat. Here, of course, is a tacit invitation to this country to join the League in such preventive measures as may eventually be taken by it in the Manchurian crisis. League intervention is one of three scparate avenues of approach to an amicable adjustment of the Sino- Japanese quarrel. It is the one with which this country is not already con- tfactually associated. The two others are the nine-power pact of Washington and the Kellogg pact. The nine-power treaty, negotiated during the Arms Conference of 1921-22, pledges all of iis signatories, including China and Japan, to common respect of one an- other's territorial integrity. The Kel- logg pact obligates it; adherents to re- nounce war 2s an instrument of na- ticnal policy. The world at large will place a lorry‘ estmate upon th> capacity of mo&m! statesmanchip if none of thess threz sets of peace-preserving machinery 15 or can be invoked to avold a catas- trephe in th> Far East. Irritated al- mest to the point of unendurability by their oppressive economle. burdens, the peoples of the earth will be satisfisd with nothing less than exhaustive ef- forts to hold the Oriental dogs of war in leash. Obviously before success in that direction can bes achieved, it will have to be determined which of the two, China or Japan, Is the “aggressor,” 25 that term is commonly defined, and which of them has resorted to “war,” | if at all, as “an instrument of national policy.” That is not going to be easy. —————— Homicide news e¢ontinues to be burdened with examples of the man who lets a life insurance policy tzke all the romance out of a marriage certifi- cate. | { B A “L'ttle World Series.” ashingion’s bese ball failed to win the pennant of the Amer-' fcan League race, and is therefore not | to.cngage in a world series for the zmrai time in the history of the game in the | But it is about to have a| | tuts & “litti> world seriez” beginning todey a run of four gamcs with New | York that will, for the enthusiacts of | dustry for capitalization purposes. to which the industrial lexders have given earnest consideraticn. It is upon the wage earners and the salaried em- pleyes that business must depend for its market. With a still further cur- tailed market, how is business to im- prove, how is production to be stimu- lated again and how is greater employ- ment to be given? On the other hand, if there is to be mo assurance of capi- tal earnings, where is industry to find the money needed to carry on and to develop new fields of endeavor? . The steel corporation last Summer cut the pay of its salarfed employes and reduced its rate of dividend from $7 to $4. Its president has been one of those who stood steadfastly against any movement to reduge wages of iabor. An argument advanced in support of cutting w:ges is that prices of all kinds of commodities have come down and | that the cost cf living to the salaried man and the wage earner has been materially reduced. Food and clothing and shelter can be obtained for consid- erably less than two years ago. Un- goubtedly the lowering of prices of all kinds of cocmmodities will lessen the effect of & reduction in wages upon the workers. That seems to be the one bright spot in a cloudy prospect. For burdens that fall upon the workers of the country fall upon the whole country. Labor in the United States has ad- vanced in materlal gains far beyond | the dreams of labor in many other | heve been 5o high for all classes of | cltizens that ths world has marveled. Even with the fvage cuts now ordered and which may materialize in other in- dustries, the standard of living is not greatly threatened, in view of ths re- duction In prices of the commodities which the wage earners muct buy. Labor's great misfortune during the business depression up to the present time has been a failure to> find em- ployment. If reduced wages ultimately bring about increased business, that increass in business i8 bound, in turn, to bring about added employment and | 0 solve the greatest problem of all' that eonfronts the country today. President Hoover at the outset of fihe’ depression summoned to Washington the leaders of industry, of labor and of agriculture. From them he received pledges that wages would not be cut, that labor would not seek inereasss in Pay and that indurtrial peace would b~ | maintained. Great good eame out of those conferences. At that time there had been no reduction in the cost of living and wage reductions would have had & far more serious effect upon the | workers than they will have today. The President has maintained his attitude, assumed at that time, in opposition to’ wage cuts and there has bsen no sign ' that he has changed. Under such conditions, the demand ve'red by Representative W.II Wood, chairmen of the House Appropriations Cormitice, and Represantative Tread- way of Massachusetts for cuts in the pay of Federal employes is not likely | to meet with approval from the Chief Executive or to g2t far in Congress. A determination on the part of the Fed- cral Government to cut the pay of its a genwral and furiher ! wagas. A reduction of wages may be jJustifiel if it s necessary to the viry man- tenence of tn indusiry. It may not be Jusiiled, however, #f it is necescery merely to bolster up earnings for the owners of securitiss issued by the in- A read the result of a poll taken last Oc- tober which favored by a very large majority repeal of 'the prohibition amendment. After nearly & year the vote goes on official record, but it may be regarded as at least one case in which “the law’s delay” has done no particular harm B ——— Rumor has it that Calvin Coolidge is not altcgether indifferent to the pos- jemong brighter wits and natures richer and “Angel Pavement.” In discussing the character of Sir An- drew Aguecheck, Mr. Priestley strikes off the following interesting sentence, which explains a great deal more than one of Shakespeare’s characters: “His best trait is one that he shares with every simpleton, and that is a childlike capacity for enjoyment, which is really born of a sense of wonder, the ability to marvel at and relish the com- cently and fr:shly, a sense that withers £ibility of leadership In the next Re-in experience but bloom forever with the publican campaign. The assumption i3 nothing extraordinary. With all ' his seeming austerity, Mr. Coolidge is, after all, only human and inclined to take notice when the band begins to play. N e Merchants the country over are ex- pecting & Fall and Winter season of prosperity. The business of selling and buying cannot be interrupted. More confidence is inspired when it is meas- ured by the cash register rather than by the stock ticker. . “Fair and warmer” under certain conditions is a welcome announcement, but not when, defying the ‘“good-by” ballad, Summer lingers far into Sep- tember. ———— Oysters again inspire regrets as rem- iniscences refer to the old days when “two bits” would buy.a scoop shovel full of them, fresh from the boats. The small oyster fork is recognized as a soclal necessity, and, like most advances in elegance, its use implies additional expense. — e It may yet be deemed necessary to revive ancient custom and protect in- |"countries. The standards of nm}nocenc bystanders by establishing a regular dueling ground for racketeers. ‘The selection of a busy thoroughfare as a warpath calls for some kind -of practical discouragement. ——ear—s SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOMNSON, Climatically Speaking. Warm wave an' cold wave—pretty | much the same; Ain't no way o' tellin’ how to play the weather ‘game. Shirt slezves so fllmsy, or overcoat 50 thick— No matter what you're wearin’, y pretty sure to kick. Cold wave or warm wave—the differ- ence is small; The wind it starts a blizzard, or you get no breeze at all. ‘Thermometers will fret you when they drop or when they climb, 1f you stand around an' watch ‘em you will simply waste your time. ou are Argumentative Factlity. “That colleague of yours is a smart man.” “Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum. “He is o smart he thinks he can exPlain anything; and that's just what is liable to gt him into trouble.” Determination. “Your husbind must enjoy fishing?" “He says he does,” replied young Mrs. Torkins. “I'm not altogether sure aboul it.” “But he fishes hour after hour, whether he catches anything or not.” “That may only indicate his con- sistent character. After paying nearly tm Fkes| yorkers would probably bs a siznal for| & hundred dollars for a fancy fishing | reduction of ' outfit, Cha-ley’s too much of & 5POrt arm to stop th tc weaken. The Monument. ‘The monumsnt, to grehtness raised, By cgtics blamed or fairly praised, Stznds in the sunlight and the storm ' A stelwaxt solitary form; Unheeding, as thé throng draws near, cities, have somewhat the in-|concern that is mak'ng reasonable ro- | 10 80und a’sentiment or sneer, st and significance of ths major |turns on iis capital investment and |1t Stands a message t5 convey chempionship rivelry. These two the “F nators” and the “Yan- are all but ti=d for sezond pigce. Th> former, having played end won onc more geme, have a slight edge on the New Yorkers. As the play starts this aft=rnoon st Yankce Ficld they are in the lead by kaif a gamec. Unfortu- natcly these four contests will take place in Gotham, elsz they would be atlended by throngs of eager Capi particans. Tollowing the four g: dirsctly between the two contestants for second honors—and the larger chate cf the remainder of world cerics money left after Philadelphia end St. Louls heve taken their major portioiz—Wash- ington will pley one.game with Boston end New York one game with Phila- l which cuts wagss so &s to increase the ! returns to a comparatively few owners |is entitled only to condemnation, | = ————————— Both China and Japan cling to cer- tain cld customs, including that of | other. ——v—s ! | | fighting each No C:use for Alarm. At the White Housze yesterday oc- casion was tak:'n to reassure the Amor- !ican people that, drastic as s the ac- jtion of the British government with respect to its gold standard, there is no ceuse whatever for faaring any serious repercussion in the United States. Fully posted as to the motives which led |Greet Britain to the temporary sus- | To minds sincére that pass that way. Thus in his 1ifé that man appeared To whom the morument was reared. Jud Tunkins says it's too bad youth- ful enthustasm can’t last. When he was a boy he thought maybs he'd grow up to be President, but now he’s satis- fled if he avoids voting on the losing side of a town election. A Distrusted Proverb. “Everything comes to him who waits,” sald the ready-made philoso- pher. “Friend,” remarked Farmer Corn- tossel, “them proverbs i misleadin’. Patience Is no good unless it'’s man- aged with intelligence. I'd be pléased extremes of humankind, the utter sim- pletons, and the great genluses.” The reason why almcst every reader comes to have a sense of personal ob- ligation to Dr. Munthe, we believe, is that h- realizes that this writer, this man, this doctor, manages to see the world innocently and freshly. He had the abllity, despite his more than 70 years, to marvel at and relish the ecmmonest things. It is this sense of wonder, this childlike capacity for cnjoyment, which keeps “The Story of 8an Michele” from being primarily a sad sort of book. 2 xx Brighter wits and natures richer in experience, may take what consolation they can from thcse facts, if it pre- Lvents them from the keen enjoyments happily, they often share with geniuses. Shakespeare was a genlus, every one admits. Som: d>y every one will ad- mit that Dr. Munthe i§ a genius, too. That last chapter in “San Michele” should settle that much, even if sligthly marred by the unnecessary reference to the neme of an Ameriean typswriter. And we think it very much to the credit of that manufacturer that no attempt has been made whatever to capitalize that reference. It speaks well for American business. BY FREDERIC Although it wash't from Boston to Lexington and Concord, and only from Washington to Detrolt, t Herbert Hoover rode this week, the President’s dash is being called another Paul Re- vere’s -ride. And the British analogy isn’t so remote, either. It was mot an invading British foe of which the rat- tiing ralls of the presidential special were speeding the tidings. Yet it hap- pened that Mr. Hoover raced westward to warn the Legion that just such a fate as hung over Britain’s head at that moment” threatensd Uncle Sam and American endu it, In other l:m’dld'. #f the Legionnaires pe: > manding another $2,000,000,000 of bonus loans, the United States Treas- ury might face the same plight as thz Pritish exchequer and the dollar be imperiled by the identical dangers that bsset the pound sterling. The President did not choose in so many words to compare American with Brit- ish conditions, but he struck the Paul Revere note, for all of that. * x * * the hundredth time the President br:?;d at Detroit that the radia is Heaven-gent for a speaker of his type. H» is effectiveness itself as a broad- caster, colorless as he s on the visible . The Legion speech boom 2“,‘;’0::! wave lengths chock-full of 5 rhdps it was the combative | fresh bonus raid that lent vigor to his ! address before the Legionnaires. Many a man before a recelving set on Mon- day forenoon must have e:xclaimed spontaneously, “The Pruid"em never was in such fghting form!” Another thing the radio does for a public man under such cirsumstances is to give the whole country a chance to judg: for itself whether his welcome is fer- | vid, lukewarm or chilly. Sometimes a reporter, chronicling the event, vents his prejudice in describing a crowd's reactions. Nowadays the listening uni- Verse has ear-witness evidence on that fcore. Cartainly if néise counts for anything, Hoover got & hand from the | T eafonnaircs that should have warmed the cockles of his heart. He raised his v e din, as a signal that | he was ready to talk. PR e . Baker, who-had the floor mflbflmzn;m before the President' S ival and was also voiferously re- ceived, set the convention to rocking at the outset of his address with the following recollection of war days: It has been my experience to meét a good many of the men who were in France, singly or in small groups, since that " time. ~They Tather often tell me that at some stage or another in France they were lined up alongside of the dusty road and made to stand at attention for an incredible number of hours be- cause the Sccretary of War was in France and was coming down that yoed. I trust that when a high- powered automobile came by with a rather small man sitting on the back seat, wearing the only derby hat in Furcpe, many of you smiled enough to relieve your weariness as you re- flectzd and pe:haps sald to your- relves that mow that the vast and poilzntous figure cf Mars has at Jast com> and gone, where do we g> from here?' i * ok ok assure Whit> House callers that there isn’t the slightest reason in the world | for the American Government or people |to take tng\cr.ll‘);| the au& Great Brit- Just invoked protect perhaps, in the ability to marvel at and | bonus was the salvation not only of the relish the commonest things. veteran who recelved it, but also to Mr. Priestley is wrong in just one|most of the community in which he thing—the ability of which he speaks |lived. I know of communities where blooms not alone among the simple- | bonus money was a deathbed transfu- tons, on the one hand, and the geniuses, | sion of lifeblood—where it meant a on the other. It, too, is a ion | chance to sow new crops, restock farms, monest things, to see the world inno- | pe ‘which simpler natures know, and which, | b At 3 possess| of many in the great middle strata of humanity, composed of those who have brighter wits than fools but are not quite witty enough to enable them to classed as geniuses. Natures rich in experience often manage to keep as child-like a sense of wonder as ary. Indesd, Dr. Munthe himself belongs squarely in that class. Mr! Priestley, for all that he is a com- paratively young man, and nfiy be a genius—we are not sure yet—manages to enfold from his mind those char- acters in his own books which prove positively thet he sees the world freshly, if perhaps not so innocently. * k # x All brings us 'round to the foHowing thought, that no reader of books ought to have such positive tastes, one way or other, that he immediately disbars himself—for that §s what he does— from the enjoyment of any good book. Appreciation is the one gift in the power of the common people, the in- telligent average person, who knows that he is neither fool nor genfus. He wilfully throws away this gift, however, when he permits quick and hasty judgment, based on nothing rive him of the liking for & work whicl Jjoyable. Shall & man not know his own mind, then? He shall, but he must be careful about it! One honest way of being sure is not to draw back too far from the plain judgment of the many in the “best sellers.” We are not sure that Harold Bell Wright will not, in th |end, turn out to be a great writer, | after all. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS WILLIAM WILE. troubles carry a*certain lesson for the United States at this time. The abyss to which the dole brought British credit, for instance, is one of the things that, in administration opinion, will ;eol‘anell:t, hun.vi;llxmmnl:t unemployment n Congress nex Winter. i * ok k% Very latest under the employment sun is a proposal that Congress au- thorize the Red Cross to sell a special | lssue of postage stamps, the proceeds | to be turned over to Chairman Gifford’s National Committee for relief purposes. *x ok x | Henry Cabot Lodge, grandson of the | original bearer of that distinguished (name and former Washington news- | paper men, has taken a year's sabbatical | |leave from his editoriai duties on the| | New York Herald Tribune to write a |book. It will portray what he believes to be the national cult of weakness to be seen on every hand in this country. |Mr. Lodge will devote himself largely to the weakness cult in its external | @spects—{. e., national defense, colonial | problems (as exemplified in the Philip- | pines) and foreign trade. Lodge's con- cepticn is that the Government should be weak in its internal relations with its ed | citizens and strong in its external rela- tions with the world. The reverse him as being true in the United States, as things are now going. Thre book will in no sense be a criticism of President | Hoover, but a discussion of general trends and popular stereotypes, many of which, Lodge fancies, are as much disapproved at the White House as by himself. The youngest scion of the Cabots and the Lodges plans to return to the Herald Tribune in New York in time for the 1932 National Conventions. *x ok % Complled in Washington, there has just come from the press the last work {to which the late Dr. Allen Johnson, killed here by sn sutomobile accident, | was devoting himself, It is the seventh | yolume of the “Dictfonary of American | Blography,” a mcnum:ntal work made | possible through the munificence of | Adolph 8. Ochs, president and publisher | of the New York Times. Volume 7 be- gins with Samuel Fraunces, tavern keeper anid household steward to Georg2 Weshington, and concludes with Thom:s Smith Grimke, educator and refcrmer. Thirteen more volumes sre to be pub- liched. Almost 5,000 bicgraphies of mzn end women who have contributed scmething of lasting value to American life end culture now available in the volumes elready completed. Dr. Dumas Maliné eucceeded Dr. Johnson 8 editor in chizf. The American Coun- cil of Learned Socleties is represented in the preparation of materiel by a! | committee of which Dr. J. Frankln | Jameson is chairman. No living Amer- |1=°n 1s eligible for inclusion in the dic- | tionary. EE Washington newspaper men's “Bible’” | Is Editor & Publisher, revered organ of their craft. So they read with more than passing interest the following | comment of its editor, Marlen E. Pew, on the best smeller of the season: It is a cowardly book. contemptible act for men to write book and refuse to stand out It is a | President Hoover is at pains to re- the press chapter and t he been fired by his office. This fate i S0 many others find en- | tlass. replenish merchandise and so on through the entire economic structure of the community. It must have been the source of considerable gratitude to the returning Congressman to know t he was instrumental in bringing about such a revival. Do you think h's constituents will sever accuse him of deliberately buying the veteran’s vote? There is an underlying cause to all this opposition to the payment of the bonus loan, and it seems to rest princi- pally with the charge of class legisla- tion. There are those who oppose any effort on the part of the Federal Gov- ernment to aid any particular class or group that may be in distress. 'l‘he!l do not consider it a function of the| Federal Government to even concern itself with economic conditions in the country, but lay that responsibility on the State and local government. Be- fore the present depression is over there will be those whose attention will be brought very sharply to the fact that it is most emphatical the business of the Federal Government to be con- cerned with the condition. As a class the war veterans of the country are not now, and never have been, any worse off than any other . There was no reason why they should be singled out and made the ob- Ject of the Government's benefactions, to the exclusion of all others. This did not happen. The people of the United | States owe them a just and honest debt, which they agreed to pay them in |20 years, or rather they agreed that | their children would pay the debt in 20 years. Conditions came about that made the veterans hard pressed for money. By mutual consent, 50 per cent of the debt was declared due and pay- eble. It has now been paid to the ex- tent of $900,000,000, and that much money has helped to reinforce our sink- ing economic structure. No matter how the beneficiaries of that payment spent it or how much benefit as ibdivid- uals derived from it, that money has been placed in circulation, and without the bonus it would not have been. Its benefit has been of inestimable value to the country. Almost every one knows the formula for curing the depression, but no one man or group of men has either the power or intestinal fortitude to carry it out. We have an abundance of money in the country and unlimited resources, but no market. The reason we have no market is because money is stagnant and needs to be circulated through wide general distribution. There is only one way that can be accomplished, now that things have gotten this bad, and that is for the Pederal Government, not the State governments, to confis- cate this hoarded money under the mse of taxation and spend it in the e industries, where it will start flowing freely again. _Not only wes the increased bonus loan justified but it did infinitely more lmo@ u‘m:: harm. It '.he)col:}l.'ll ses- slon of Congress properly diagnoses the trouble in the country today, will not only pay the remainder of the bonus but it will make other and larger appropriations of “dyramite” to bust up the Jam. It may take some country’s economic | of the “spirit of *76,” but something like that has got to happen before we can hope to get out of the woods. ROBT. F. JONES. A e Who Has Right of Way In New Left-Turn Plan? To the Editor of The Star: In a traffic accident which I wit- nessed at Twelfth street and Rhode Island avenue northeast a few even'ngs 280, & bus, in attempting to complete 8 left turn through a line of traffic, collided with a small automobile, re- eulting in injuries to five people. Ac- cording to my understanding of the new left turn the blame should be on the driver of the small machine, who, appreaching "an interseetion, failed to yield to the bus within ths intersection de;;nng to ,floxanlple\::.‘:‘ left turn. owever, sc the ha with a number of my -numm find there is a opinion. I al uestioned three po- lcemen and ved three different interpretations of who should have the n the front page of The Star of September 14 there is published under the heading “Few Simple Rules Govern ‘the Making of New Left Turn” the following: “It cannot be completed until through traffic has cleared the intersection.” While below these rules and in the same column there is a statement by Inspector Brown of the Trafic Bureau which reads as follows: | “Inspector Brown sald he expects the greatest confusion to be caused through traffic falling to give right of way t> vehicles waiting in the center of the street to make a left turn, Drivers who have not entered the inter- section are required by the new regu- lation to allow cars already in the in- tersection to turn in front of them.” Since the new regulation went into effect T have noted that some traffic ieft turn as they approach by merely holding up through traffic with their the to make a left turn until the semaphore is switched. ving witnessed one accident and several near accidents, of the “spirits” of 1776 to give us some | poini officers allow vehicles to complete the | B, ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How much gasoline would to fly around the world?—A. H. A.On a flight around the world, Post and Gatty used 3,455 gallons. Q. Who appointed Mahatma Gandh! :M!what salary does he receive?—M. "A. Mahatma Gandhi is the leader of Q. In what county are the sources A Raniolph Gount. West Vieginia, . Randolp) inty, West Vi claims that more rivers have their tors | OFi8in in that county or nearby than :Ir,. I:ny k‘:n::ndphu in the wa:nll. !han nd, streams flow in practi~ cally all directions. Q. Is it not true that the esslon, great spoon, is evolved the 8 s made from the horns of Big o Authorte ui regar uthorities differ in d to this, but the Cook Museum of Natural History has spoons of this type in its collection and it seems probable that the expression was evolved from the horn ladles which were in common use by the Sioux and other tribes before trade utensils from ‘the whites were available. Q. How is a hunting dog broken to " © g dog A. Breaking a dog to gunfire is ywnlll’mdt g‘l,uheg m’:khlm s done by a - toming the dog to the noise of the fire. A small arm is used at first and is fired at some distance from the dog, gradually working up to tances and larger arms. Q. Can nesr beer be made at A Thls 1o progess 3 quite an elaborate and can not be done at home. The average home-made beer contains from beacon 4 per cent to 6 per cent of alcohol. Q. How much are $4, German my lunwte;th?—w. °&' n’fw - 3 ey were issu German _Reichsbank, it value. The new Reichsmar) little over 23 cents. Q. Why is Peter Russell denled H E,ha United States lnddmh:g A Peter Russell inadvertent otherwise, missed the ship nnb' ?{: was employed at Cork, last Q. What are C. M. A. stores?—OC. N. A. They are grocery stores organized under the A. stores. The initials stand for Col- ofed Merchants Assoclation. Q. Are Pullman rates reduced for ex- cursions from uuNAunnuc to the Pa- destinations on the Pacific Coast, return, have been reduced about per cent. Q. Do all the berries on & ripen at the same time?—S. and 25 coffee tree Q. Do many drivers have more than one automohile accident?—B. M. A. The National Safety Council says that a ?:mpnnuv group of commercial fleet operators re- veals the fact that about a third of some 1,200 operators had no accidents whatev Another 331, cent had two accidents each, and Temainder ::neemmmawmuu- Q. Is there a day set aside - {dering the cnila’ Jabor Drovemos ), set aside for ulutwou in Sabbath schools and :g:rnn Jnn;'lx"y 23 in l,gl: es, other mm"r Lo Q. What is the most powerful Amer- ican light house beacon?—D. H. A. Navesink Light, the guarding the entrance to New York Harbor, is ‘the most powerful in the United States. It throws a beam of 9,000,000 candlepower. A It was f 1075, ound on December 13, the name the painting called !x’%: nomr‘1£ ;hlghmumnwm'om.— A This paint “w'n“n- ln(._bym-wufln‘ Sales Tax Has Little Backing : In Countrywide Discussion ‘While there are variations of uumummnuormm necessity for an increase in Federal taxation, opposition to a sales tax, such Penntylvactiar i seneres Sbiet oo , 18 gener: the objections to such a mmmm invasion of & field of revenue here to- fore Teserved to the States and the placing of increased taxation the Ppeople least able to afford it. mlwo- of Representative Bacharach of lew Jersey, which would obtain new revenues from income taxes and limit the sales tax to non-essentials, meets With more favor as a fairer means of increesed taxation. Asserting that “if increased Federal taxes cannot _be avoided, by no means certain, certainly the sales tax should be shunned,” the Wheeling Intelligencer strikes the key- note of the reasons for of in its statement: “Not only is imposi- tion of such a tax an invasion of State taxing sources, but it is a direct sad- dling upon the people least able to bear it of the increased cost of Govern- ment.” The Intelligencer also points out that “even from a State standpoint, the general sales tax, as West Virginia will bear witness, is of doubtful jusiice.” “The bulk of a sales tax would not fall upon those best able to pay but upon the masses of the of the country, whether they can afford to pay or not,” declares the Portland Oregon it | Journal, while the San Antonio Express, | almost cer- | believing that “C tainly will not re during the next session,” favors “light- en the taxpayers’ burdens,” and out that “the Georgia General Assembly lately set an inspiring ex- ample when it not only voted no new imposts, but even refused to renew the gross-sales tax, which had yieled one and one-half million dollars a year.” An enormous nuisance to every mer- chant” is seen by the Duluth Herald in the sales tax, which that paper de- scribes as “not a tax according to abil- ity to pay, but very often the opposite of that” The Worcester Telegram thinks that “cutting Government ex- penditures should be the first step in dealing with the budget,” while the Port Huron Times Herald finds “a con- siderable disposition to allow the defi- cits to pile up in the time of diminished receipts, to be taken care of by the increasing income which is to be ex- pected when buSiness and industry are fully back to normi ‘The Milwaukee Sentinel predicts “political conse- quences” either under a plan for “large scale, long-time borrowings to meet national expenditures,” or one to “boost taxes at a time when most men are having & hard time to meet their pres- ent obligations.” The Sentinel ccn- clude: “The United States is in no serious straits, Its credit is uni ired and the necessary borrowin, d in- volve probably little trouble.” “Objection to any intrusion of the | Federal authority into a field of tax- | ation hdretofore generally reserved to the States” is considered a possibility by the Roanoke World-News, which also holds the opinion that “the sales tax places an undue burden on those of small means, whose income is hardly sufficient now to make buckle and ton, meet.” The World-News con- cludes: "From & Federal tax on the sale price of retadl commodities, it is but a step to rederal fixing. Until the Government makes good 1ts pretense of economy by & lopping off of vast and unnecessary expenditures, any excursion into fields of taxation will be justly resented, and none more 50 than a tax that immediately afTects the' cost. n_{ living of every household in d. ‘The Providence Journal predicts as :: m of taxation, & “bitter :.lul; between exponents of the two schools of thought,” and main tains that “there 2| to be need to intrense taxes a reasonable of tims in order to achieve the | & e purpose of a balanced taxes upward for :tmerll' d 'hblyn 3‘ ant e«tl.l e sales tax is strong. It should studied without r as the form of taxation is ivises the Mancpester e sales tax has much to' com- The wAx busden equitas) tin & way , but that occasions lelqnl.nlmuy- C‘llcfl. A\ ‘The Columbus Ohio State Jounal, how- ‘hopiny posal is fairer, g against little use of the be mfl:& 5 staf . The statements of litical seers that this is no llmem&: l::: tempt such a re shallow and are e idea in view of forestalling higher tax rates on the eve of a national election. As a matter of fact, the political party that first Tecognizes the necessity for a tax re vision and is bold enough to ackno edge it is most worthy of the public's support during the presidential year. The party that evades this fssue is sac rificing the future welfare of the Nae tion to its own immediate selfish ine terests, supposedly shrewdly.” Service vs. Transportation. ‘To the Editor of The Star: The day of monopolistic control is past, except to benefit the public. Price stabilization is admittedly a good thing Where underselling would run a good commodity off the market, Where the public need and its available price are in question, and the services offered are freely chosen, there must be some= Jrrong o:ck é)f] ab]e::wn:‘ to él‘),; creased services and lowered rates. the taxicabs merrily on. Whl‘b the Merchants and Manuface turers’ Association iz eager to back the public utilities in their plea for control of what they offer the public in trans- portation facilities at established rates, ing the cost of getting to where the: want to go, when they want to goy. without spending more than enough -time in getting there by accommodating the three separately established serv- ices, taking circuitous routes, paying more than one fare, or walking two thirds of the way to further accommo- date the transportation companies. It has long been felt that the dis- tances in this city scarcely justify one monopoly in some localitfes, for the shopping district and the offices are usually within walking . distance of the vast-majority. Taxicabs sérve alike for time or distance. Here we are on the verge of the Bi- centennial year, inviting people from all over this Nation, and others, to come and share the fares and fates and une happy eéxperiences of thousands before. Here comes a family group, alighting from a street car, asking for transfers. The conductor growls, “Why didn’t you ask for them when you got on?” Just off the bus, they were told, “You'll get them when you get off.” Then they aj proach another: “No good on this line! City beautiful, what's the matter with your lack of transportation services with all these facilitias? Gandh From the Roanole Gandhi has dcn~ nothing but shiver since he arrived in Tondom.® But the British statermen will do well not to make the mistake of supposing tha has a case of cold feet. e Helps a Little. Prom the Savanneh Morning News. Board of Public In- dnhldmnynux Te~ guest , but has would seem aj te. Not that 5 ns T e | £"that the some of the stufl Incks basls of | cBused by this difference of PO ¢aiphie. Upon those concluding games | pension of domestic gold sttlements, may tirn the final desision. For if the President and his cabin:t are con- Washington and New York briak even |vinced that only good, not harm, can in the four games they play together |flow from that step. The benefits will the Senators will stiil bs half a g>me be felt more immediately in the British out in front, and only. by baating Phila- | Isies. Eventually the rest of the world deiphia while Bosten beats WWashington will profit from the remecy which the off e sut £ it you meke your mind up serious that you want a train for hoxe, you take my advice and do your waitin’ in the depot and not on this front porch.” “Safety first is no good,” sald Uncle Eben, “when a men dodges his share of the risk en’ puts it up to some other ellom™ o, gold. . The Hoover theory soouer governments and national treas- uries put their respective houses in order by drastic methods the better for themselves and the st of the world. It's an open secret that many recent events in London have been b vith satisfa at Wi ton, mot, of course, use of desirs to rsfoice over John Bull's dis. comiiture, but because final ny ncial truth, while other phases are craally overdrawn or nguunc Mnrah spite and mean hearsay, but that the authors have dared to def lumnial anonymity. Those are making money from the 11 pri) ings are welcogie to their Nothing they complain of is more | to me that clear. ::m u;.:llt"ry necessary n 3 8. COE. should be. made HENRY debasell than their handiwork. They fall into the ca of the poison m and Peeping gentry, in my (Copyright, 1931 the | “The soundest proposal,” in the judg- ment of the chfi-m Daily News, dfi- ‘:;t submitted to the administration e s v 1 per cent There is | g turned down 30 married .heuh-l' contracts 'hlt.l: ity An, Oddity. Prom the- Recktord Resic:or-Repubic. Rocklond pofice aro Wi, gl that Secretary Mellon, a close_personal | friend Pennsy] X of the lvania Senafor'z, is inclined P‘,uwwt that simple, fair ; holding_a reported to bs wanted in f these times & bandit who iz s Pl T g of & curl-