Evening Star Newspaper, October 6, 1931, Page 8

¢ A THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY.......October 8, 1831 B THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company ”“n’é"‘p'.‘nn‘y"“f‘.'m Ave. vi e 1 Rast dand 3? ke Michigan Bullding. ;14 Regent .. London, Englan 1 New York Chicaxo Office European Offi Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Star 45 per month The Evenimy, and Sundass) 60c per month 3 e “o5¢ per month ¢ Sunday Star Ver c Collection made ¢ the end of ‘each month. Orders may be sent in by mall of telephons NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dajly and Sunday.....1¥r. $10.00: 1 mo, ¢ Laily only .. 1yr, 1 mt Sunday only 1yrl $4.00; 1 mo., 40¢ All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday...] yr. $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 Bally orly - i *§8.00; 1mo., 18 Bunday only . yr.. $5.00: 1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively er titled to the use for republication of all news dis- patches credited to it or not otherwise cred- fied' I this paper snd aiso *he local newy publis} herein. All righ lon special ches herein served. A Solemn Referendum. ‘When the British people march to the polls in a general election, issues of more or less importance which divide the parfles poiitically are at stake. Sel- dom is it a question of more burning gravity than to decide whether Con- servatives or Liberals shall rule in Downing Street and the House of Com- mons. In later years it has been a question, too, of whether Labor should be intrusted with power, for since 1924 Britaln has been afflicted with the three-party system. At the election to be held, as is now probable, on October 28, a wholly un- precedented and far more vital issue is involved. As the result of protracted conferences with the King and with Conservative and Liberal leaders, Mr. MacDonald last night definitely de- cided to go to the country. Tomorrow Parliament will be “prorogued,” which’ is the British term for dissolution, and three weeks hence the people will be asked to give the national emergency government & “doctor’s mandate.” By that idiom Premier MacDonald and his cabinet colleagues mean a free hand to deal with the supercritical situation in which Great Britain finds itself. The Loctor” desires to be utterly untram- wneled in prescribing such economic mnd political medicine as the sorely stricken nation requires. The government's delay in ordsining an election has been due to the neces- sity of inducing the tri-partisan cabinet to agree upon a platform. Mr. Baid- win’s Conservatives held out to the bit- ter end against any appeal to the electorate which did not emphasize a protective tariff as the cure-all for British wees. Mr. Lloyd George's Lib- erals as tenaclously opposed any aban- donment of the ancient free trade shib- boleth. Mr. MacDonald and his hand- ful of Labor supporters in the cabi- net—deserted by the party which placed them in office—took middle ground on the tariff, though supposedly with pro- tectionist leanings. Apparently Mr. MacDonald has suc- cessfully enacted the Bismarckian role of the honest broker, and brought the antagonistic tariff elements together, at least for immediate purposes. A manifesto sanctioned by the entire national government is about to be is- sued. The tariff may be shelved for the moment, because of the pressing necessity for remedies in more urgent directions. But it cannot be long or permanently suppressed. If the coun- try gives the national cabinet a “doc- tor's mandate,” and the patient re- vives under the ensuing treatment, the Baldwinites sooner or later will be found doing business at the old stand, hoisting anew the banner of protec- tion and, if they win the day at some future general election, writing finis to free trade. British Labor’s performance in the ‘ impending election will be watched 4 with anxious interest at home and abroad. Mr. MacDonald appears de- termined to seek re-election to the House of Commons as a Laborite from his old constituency at Seaham Harbor, where at least some of his former sup- porters are standing by him. That Labor will be returned to Parliament a majority party is hardly within the realm of possibilities. It will doubtless be condemned rather to noisy but im- potent opposition. ——————————— Enough hardships are being ‘encoun- tered by Lindbergh to give point to frequent reminders that intelligence and resourcefulness, as well as courage, are demanded of a genuine expert in aviation. ) A Notable Flight. Balked in their efforts to surpass the astounding world flight of Post and Gatty, Hugh Herndon, jr., and Clyde Pangborn nevertheless etched their names deep in the tablet which re- counts great accomplishments in the aviation history of this country. Yes- terday they landed at Wenatchee, ‘Wash.,, forty-one hours after they had left Japanese soil for the forty-six- hundred-mile flight to the United States. And thus they become the first men in history to span the Pacific in an airplane without a stop. Never off their course and averaging better than a hundred miles an hour, they have indeed set up a mark for others. Difficulty after difficulty had to be surmounted by these daring fivers in order to make the Pacific flight. Un- dismayed when Post and Gatty re- turned to New York with the world- circling record of eight days, they set out in the dawn of the twenty-eighth of July to lower the reccrd, planning only five stops for the entire trip. In- clement weather conditions and the low speed of their plane, due to the enor- mous amount of fuel that they were carrying, put them across the Atlantic to England a discouraging number of hours behind the mark of their prede- cessors. Doggedly they kept on, how- ever, until a forced landing in Man- churia took them out of the race alto- gether. It was then they decided to go on to Tokio and compete for the prizes offered for the non-stop Pacific flizht. But here they ran into further diffi- eulty. ignorance of the customs of the J4) in zealously guarfling their mifitary secrets from & in &9 hands of foreigners, they were held defense. A few by the authorities for taking pictures of forbldden areas, and even after they had paid their fine, which amounted to more than two thousand dollars, the Japanese appeared loath to grant them a permit for a flight to the United States. The permit was finally forth- coming after many delays, and the two men at once set out to make aviation history. A feature of their flight, which with- out the skillful piloting of Pangborn might easily have led to a tragic end- ing, was that in order .to save weight in the plane the entire landing gear was dropped into the Pacific shortly after the take-off. Their landing at Wenatchee yesterday, therefore, was on the belly of the plane, and that the fiyers survived this experience, which broke the propeller and one wing, was a rare tribute to their airmanship. Too “broke,” according to their own statements, even to send cablegrams to the United States, the flyers were doubtless happy after their long vigil to find awaiting them on their hazard- ous landing & representative of a Japanese newspaper with a check for twenty-five thousand dollars. After their experience with the Japanese authorities, it was a particularly grace- ful gesture for the newspaper to settle up its cbligations so promptly. Pang- born and Herndon, now possessing the rare distinction of having flown the two greatest oceans, are richly deserving of the prizes they have won.” i . Dwight W. Morrow. ‘The death of Dwight W. Morrow, Senator from New Jersey, is a loss to the country and to the Senate. The country can ill spare his services. Al- though Mr. Morrow’s entry into public life began only four years ago, he was widely recognized as one of America’s foremost statesmen, wise in council and steadfast in purpose. His first impor- tant public service, as Ambassador to Mexico, was signally successful and re- sulted in the adjustment of differences with that country which had been ex- istent for years. His position as a dip- lomat was thereby established. When President Hoover was élected Chief Ex- ecutive many friends of Mr. Morrow belleved that he should be chosen Sec- retary of State. Later he was selected by President Hoover as one of America's delegates to the London Naval Confer- ence, and finally he was elected a Sena- tor of the United States. The future of Dwight W. Morrow bulked large. It held a promise of val- uable service to his country at a time when leaders of his caliber are needed. In many quarters it was predicted that he would be perhaps the running mate of President Hoover on the national ticket next year, and the suggestion was widely made that in 1936 he be the candidate of the Republican party for President. In the twinkling of an eye all this has changed. Mr. Morrow, really at the threshhold of his public service to his country, has passed into history. ‘The New Jersey Senator leaves a host of warm personal friends. Unassum- ing, modest and genial, his personality was nevertheless strongly magnetic. His career has been an exemplification of the opportunity which this country has offered to so many young men in the past and continues to offer today. It is true that when he left Amherst College with his degree in his hand he had been voted the most likely to suc- ceed of all his fellows. But he had his way to make in the world. He was the son of a poorly paid college professor in West Virginia. His first job was in a lawyer's office in Pittsburgh. He dis- covered that if he planned to go ahead in the law he must have a degree from a recognized law school. He entered Columbia, in New York, and emerged in 1899. His first job in a law office thereafter was at $60 a month. In a comparatively few years he had become & member of the law firm. From law he went to finance in the J. P. Morgan Co. as a partner. And it was from that firm that former President Coolidge, his classmate at college, took him to represent the United States as Am- bassador in Mexico. Mr. Morrow was fifty-eight years old, in the prime of life. For years he had worked hard and conscientiously and recently had been very active. These years apparently took their toll. A clear thinker when dealing with prob- lems presented to him, Mr. Morrow was a fower of strength in conference. President Hoover had come to rely upon his judgment and Mr. Morrow was one of the first men to be summoned to many important conferences at the ‘White House. In the present economic crisis, his death is particularly un- fortunate. e In spite of the sudden changes that overtake large publication plants, Cal- vin Coolidge remains loyal to his new profession and would rather be a jour- nalist than a presidential candidate. One of the greatest joys for which scholarship may hope is that of help- ing to mold public opinion. i RIS ‘What Al Capone Forgot. It is good strategy to center the attack on the opponent’s weakest point. And that is as good an explana- tion as any for the obvious irony one may note in the spectacle of Al Capone on trial for evading Federal taxes due on an income derived from the various forms of illegal racketeering, at which he is the notorious past master. For the time being the Government is not concerned with how Al Capone got his money. He may, as seems to be the generally accepted fact, have piled up an income of millions of dol- lars annually from organized crime and vice. But for the moment the Federal Government does not care how he got his income, or whether it was received from violation of State or Federal law. The Government is cen- tering its guns on the hope of proving that Al Capone failed to share with it a specified percentage of his gains. And the difficulty of defending him- self against such a charge is the weak spot in the armor of Public Enemy No. 1. In the past he has been able to bulld up an impregnable defense against the orthodox forms of attack. Liquor might be sold by the truckload, gambling and vice might run rampant, ‘machine guns and revolvers might blaze away in open deflance, but to reach Al Capone, through the devious and entangling maze of his defense, was to accomplish the impossible. He forgot, however, to defend himself against an attack from the rear. It would have been a relatively simple thousand dollars a year, “A_S g PR WPENTNG STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, accompanylng an income tax return|] and sent to the collector of internal revenue, would have sufficed. And it is truly remarkable that, able as he is to purchase the most skilled and costly of legal talent to advise him, he forgot it. Now the interest turns to the success of this attack. The Government had first proposed, and Capone had ag- cepted, a conditional surrender. But Federal Judgs Wilkerson spoiled that arrangement by his now famous edict, “You cannot bargain with a Federal Court.” So the battle that begins in Chicago tcday is one in which no quar- ter is expected and none will be given. Can the Government press home its strategic advantage? A great deal more than the mere immediate fate of Al Capone depends upon the answer, - A Social Experiment. An interesting experiment in social psychology will be tried in Washington this Winter, with the Central Union Mission providing the laboratory. In- stead of its nightly “bread line” being held in the open, as is the custom with similar lines of the hungry throughout the world, the men will this season be kept off the streets as far as possible. Arrangements will be made whereby the hungry will be kept entirely indoors. This will mean not only that they will be saved the physical stress of remain- ing in the open, but that their morale will be helped, as well as their physical being. Supt. Bennett of the mission believes that the sight of several hundred job- less, homeless men lined up in the street has a deleterious effect on public morale as well. The real harshness of the “bread line” strikes the men in it, however. In bad times the general Ppublic is well aware of conditions and does not need the sight of the indigent to make it realize them. The plight of the homeless is only made more bitter by the men being forced to stand in the severe cold in order finally to get hot soup. Conditions do not always make it possible for relief organizations to take care of large numbers in the perfect way which every organization would ilke to adopt, if it has the means; the new move will prove an intcresting ex- reriment, therefore, on the part of the Central Unlon Mission, and one which organizations everywhere. —_— e Much as Americans appear to enjoy being scolded, it will be a pleasure to welcome distinguished visitors from abroad whose purpose is to engage in responsible conference on public affairs and not to deliver clever personal opinions at box office rates. - - Close of the Rapidan vacation season experts will have to become content with the surroundings of formal hos- pitality, without hope of exchanging fi:: stories while seated around a camp- ] Another visit to this country is con- templated with pleasure by Prof. Ein- stein. Genius is often unhappy because not understood. Einstein adroitly in- sured good feeling by stating at the outset that he did not expect to be understood. .o In big industry the difference be- tween the wage earner and the small stockholder 18 that the latter can learn of the prospects of income from the newspapers without waiting for direct information. e Competition is no longer the life of trade in the small sense of the expres- sion. Competition still exists in larger terms, and causes guessing as to which interest will finish ahead in a big mergery e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Fair Proposition. If to me you tell your troubles And if I tell mine to you, Each in a moment doubles ‘The crop that first he grew. ‘The world will seem vexatious, ‘We will long for distant spheres As we seek a spot more spacious To accommodate the tears. If a cynical impression Dominates your state of mind, Don't obstruct the joy procession For the rest of human kind. Some hopes are only bubbles, But we all admire a few. So please don't tell me your troubles And I won’t tell mine to you. Money Misapplied. “Did money ever help you to win an election?” “On several occasions,” replied Sena- tor Sorghum. “It wasn' money that I spent myself, however. The opposition flourished so large a campaign fund that it made their candidate look like a tired business man instead of a statesman.” Jud Tunkins says what makes him admire a mother’s love and marvel at it is & photograph of himself taken at the age of 11 or 12. Endless Repetition. That history repeats itself Is sometimes sad but true. While bills we pay with hard-earned . pelf, Some more keep coming due. Ethereal Pleasures. “What is your favorite perfume?” “It all depends on circumstances,” replied Mr. Cumrox. “Of course, I re- spect the opinion of mother and the girls about the merits of various ex- pensive and delicate compounds. But | for downright enjoyment give me the |nrom| of ham and cabbage.” . Rankling Envy. “At least you are not charged with any very serious offenses this time.” “That’s what makes me so resentful,” whjmpered Bill the Burg. “I never get jcHarged with anything serious enough |to make the sentimental public throw kisses at me and send me flowers.” Better Acquaintance. ‘We'll form a social scheme 50 neat And help as best we can The man who needs a job to meet ‘The job that needs a man. " ' “'Tain’ no use of remindin’ a friend of his faults,” said Uncle “De chances are dat his relat; told 'im all about ‘em.” > 1o doubt will be watched by similar | is announced. Diplomats and business | done - THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, One of the great dangers of growing older—one never says old nowadays— is that one's opinion may appear to be absolutely right—to one’s self. “No doubt ye are the people,” sneered Job, “and wisdom will die with you,” It was a rebuke which was well merited, in the particular instance, and which is_quite to the point with many human beings, especially with those peculiar beings who tend to regard their own opinions as divine. Just how any person “gets this way” it s difficult to say, but there is no one who does not have in his list of ac- quaintances at least one or more of them. Ordinarily they are very decent speci- mens of the human race. Let them ex- press an opinion, however, and you will find out shortly that they are not so much saying their say as laying down the law. * % % x They do not discuss a subject with you. They tell you. All the joy of conversation, the hearty give and take which makes talk so de- lightful, vanishes the moment they come onto the scene. You realize in a few moments that this is not a dialogue, but a monologue. ‘There is answer for answer, of course, but the talk from one side means ut- terly nothing to the other participant. He seems almost to have taken an oath, before he began, that nothing you say will be regarded as worth consid- eration. Now how can conversation be carried on in such a manner? It cannot. It is not talk among equals, but the school teacher ins‘!r\;ctlns the child. * * ‘There are a great many more of these disguised pedagogues than one might| ordinarily suppose, in view of our uni-| versally accepted doctrines of fair play | and free speech. | One finds them in all walks of life, every man setting himself up for an au- thority in some line or other, and re- senting mightily that another should dare to pretend to have an opinion about anything pertaining to the sacred scene. | Now this grows a bit tiresome. There | 1s much to be said for a free and hones discussion of .any matter. A man may be mistaken with the best will in the | world, Let him be mistaken! No matter how off the mark he may be, if he is permitted to talk he will| contribute something to the conversa- | tion. We have never engaged in a con- versational free-for-all, whether on | street corner or in drawing room. with- | out gaining something or learning some- | thing new. At the least, one will get another hu- | man being’s point of view, the special | angle from which he looks at the world, and that is always interesting. and :Omeumcs very much worthwhile in- leed. LR He who cuts himself off from the| every-day sources of knowledge, by | putting on the “Now-listen-to-me-and- | you-will hear-the-final-word” air, is de- | priving himself of the aid and comfort | of other human beings. | Few persons there are who are so| overcome with an inferfority complex that they do not think that occasionally ]tl\eir opinion is as good as the next fel- | ow's. Politics, of course, is where the “know- Ixeverem mood, “You tell ‘em!” it-all” gentleman shines. It may be sald, however, that much the same de- termination to lay down the law is found in various other circles. A;mnh muls‘t b’:helunnl his sense of humor, eh, when supposes that his wverdict is the final wo!dl’;m Surely, surely! . Look at the sly grin on the face of Banjamin Franklin. There was a man for you! No one ever caught old Ben monopolizing the conversation and daring anybody else to assert an opinion wl)lich he could not contradict. "l'. seems to- me that so-and-so is $0,”. was his customary manner of ap- prodch. He never 'made dogmatic statements (at least if one can believe his autoblography) but confined him- self to tentative approaches to wisdom. * K ok ok It takes remarkably little to convince & human being that he is pretty clever. Let him beso fortunate as to predict some future event, ever afterward he will pose as a perfect prophet. Forgetting the times he missed it, he points grandly to the one fortunate hit, and says, “Look at tiat!. How dare you say anything in the face of such genius!” Hence the really discerning, humorous portion of mankind finds itself per- petually diverted by the antics of the solemn-faced gentlemen who have built upP: n?ulltle case of mwleilnu‘ i r_intolerance goes greatly farther than religion. Perhaps religions are the most widespread and therefore the most avallable fields for the average human being to show his intolerance. Religion is basic, it is fundamental; therefore one’s bias crops up in short order. Religion is emotion, and emo- tions have a way of asserting them- selves without much prior cogitation. * He who chooses to be intolerant in strictly intellectual fields commonly uses his brains to hide a portion of his stubborness. He realizes that the mental warfare of intellectual play has as a cardinal rule the dmrugmty of listening to both sides of a case. But he honestly thinks he knows! So how ean he listen? Nor does he. If the other party has an opinion, wild though it may be, the fact that it also may be interesting, from that very fact, of wildness, does 0t make the slightest impression on cur good friend. He makes impressions and is not given to recelving them. A talk with him is & one-way traffic. If you are willing to listen humbly, he will go away thinking you a clever fellow, 1f you dare to interject a thought of your own, he is impatient, even though he listens, and can scarce disguise his low estimate of anybody else's views as given expression for the momel}t by your lowly self. ot e ‘The most unfortunate part of this sad chain is that soon most people come to realize the futility of talking with such a person, and end up by letting him do all the talking. This merely intensifies his own opin- jon of his own opinions. He has talked so well, s0 learnedly, he thinks, that no one else dares to say anything any more! No, my dear sir, but they are think- ing a great deal. A very great deal For one thing, they are thinking, “What's the use?” And for another, “Go to it, old fellow.” And, in less Highlights on the Wide World E:;cerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands L SOL, Madrid—The habit of| reading is the best one any one can have. It is indeed the basis of all wisdom, for study and| research in any art, science or| culture is, for the most part, but in- tensive concentration on the literature of the world. Before a student can| make his own experiments he must be acquainted th the discoveries an methods recorded by others. Those | pressing on in the front ranks of hu: manity do not develop again for them- | selves all that has preceded. Acquaint- | ance with the productions and exploits of others inspire such to achieve stil more significant triumphs. But there is more than a readirg for profit—there is a reading for pleas- ure. In consequence, rather than by, virtue, of our proud southern character, | ¥hus much too euphemistically defined, | We are a people rigid and intractable ' and little fond of anything that per-, turbs the even, normal course Of | quiet life. So most of us read too in-| frequently books containing informa- tion and instruction on the one hand, | and on the other those which would only exert us in following the intricacies | of a plot; while in other countries the | people devour a heterogeneous literature | which, beginning with advertisements in the newspapers, and with their calum- nies, runs the whole gamut of human emotion in magazines and novels with motivation and episode bucolic, pathetic, colorful, serious and comic, awaiting each new day some fresh and novel lit- | erary entertainment. T}};Ls is one extreme. We perhaps are at the other. There is g golden| mean that, while it would not instantly | convert us into a nation of peripatetic | philosophers, would not, conversely, en- courage a continued apathy in reading. | Right now, it would be no more of & | phenomenon to bump up against a wild | African elephant in the Calle de Alcaja than it would be to see a young man buy a book in that same thoroughfare | and begin to peruse it! And yet good | books are the best friends, the most | delightful entertainers and the kindliest instructors in the world. They multiply our joys and make us oblivious to our sorrows. In times like these—and with | mercantile operations at the end of the month—there is certainly opportu- nity to read! EE Newspaper’s Plan Stimulates Trade. i Diario del Commercio, Barranquilla. | —Through co-operation in the form of special arrangements contracted with some of the more important firms and commercial establishments of the city, the Diario del Comercio offers its readers, for a period of 90 days, a cou- on in every issue which will procure for its holder on the same date a sub- stantial discount on any articles or ma- terials purchased of any of our adver- tisers. This offer has no other limita- tions, but is made available for each and every coupon holder regardless of whether the purchase is large or small, and whether. he is a subscriber to our aper. i '?‘has opportunity will be extended over 90 days for the mutual benefit of the buying public and the shopkeepers and, it is hoped. will serve the double pur- pose of stimulating trade and adver- tising, as well as making it possible for our citizens to provide themselves with many necessities and even so-called luxuries upon & moct saving and ad- vantageous basis. x OK K K Father of Croatia Praised by Successor. Croatia, Geneva (anti-government paper published exterritorially) —Au- gust 8, 1928, was the day of the death of the father of contemporary Croatia, Stefan Raditch. His successor, Dr. latko Matchek, said of him in a ech delivered on the occasion of a emorial gathering of the Croatioan nationalists, held August 11: “Stefen Raditch was truly great. He ‘was unable to confine himseif to his own nation; the love which led him from the individual to the peasant people, and from the peasant people to the na- tion, led him also from the Croatian nation to humanity—he proclaimed hu- manity as the ideal of the Croatian na- tion. “It 1s only natural that Stefan Ra- directly to hu- manity, but through the medium of the Slav race. He desired that the great and powerful Slav race should set itself with all its vigor and resources to bet- tering the lot of humanity, and to the cause of eternal peace between the peo- ples. “That is why Stefan Raditch was a t rue pacifist, who believed in the pos- ibility of eternal peace and love among the nations, even at the moment the imperialist bullets pierced his body. He fell a victim to the imperialism of Ser- Dbia, leaving to us as our heritage the truggle against this domination, and aith in the ultimate victory of justice— a triumph which means not only the political salvation of Croatia, and the Slavs in general, but also the peace of Europe, now menaced by the hegemo- nists of Belgrade, whose aptitude for tyranny is well known. “To the immortal Stefan Raditch our fidelity remains true, ever ready for ervice and for sacrifice—ideals of con- duct from which he, our patriotic martyr, never shrank.” * X * % Paris Executioner Retires on Pension. The Bulletin, Sydney, N. 8. W.— It is interesting to note that Henry Diebler, who for 51 years has given universal satisfaction as executioner of Parls, is Tetiring on a_ pension, after 242 subjects have met their deserts at his hands. When, some 30 years or so ago, the French decided to abolish cap- ital punishment, this particular member of the civil service was necessarily re- tired, no other field for his talent being available. His merits were recognized, however, by the bestowal of a substan- tial allowance, and when the guillotine was again called into use Deibler was immediately reappointed. It has al- ways been customary in Paris to keep the honored office in the family. if pos- sible, but Deibler having no heirs, the job descends to his son-in-law. The new executioner's wife must be about the first lady on record to have had a father and a husband at the very top of the profession. — Cat License Law Proposal Supported To the Editor of The Star: T most heartily agree with the letter of Mr. J. M. Loughborough in your issue ot the 2d instant, in so far as it urges a cat license law as a means for solv- ing the stray cat problem and which I advocate not only for Washington but | for all cities, and would a step further for a law prohibiting tHeir will- ful abandonment which is at the root of the trouble. .If killers of birds, cannot something be said in extenuation, such as the law of self-preservation? From close observation of the cat, I have rarely seen a well cared-for cat attempt to catch birds, and, as a matter of fact, know many cases where birds and cats form a happy family group, and it is & known fact that they can and do live together unmolested. Starvation fre- quently covers a multitude of crimes in the human family, why not it cover a few in the animal kingdom? A cat loves its home, its own hearthstone, and shows its appreciation of a good home and kind treatment in various ways. Until scme measure is undertaken to solve the problem, a helping hand to feed these starving cats, too frightened to be taken up and put humanely to sleep, should be extended to them, for we must remember they are not on earth of their own acccrd, and apply the creed of humanity. expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness I can show * * * let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” ELEANOR W. HITE. May Help Out. Civil, But Not Polite. of he civil, From the Manch mvfimufi'&'hm ranks . ot B tsve pottter 1931. l The National Yellow Streak BY JOHN N. WHEELER. One of thé biggest bear operators of mine while. I asked murlmd. “You think it's that bad, do you? . . . I think the banking situation is sound, don’t you? . . . What do you do with your money then?” It was evident the man on the other end of the telephone was on his job of peddling p: . The more and further he peddles it the more the stock market goes down and the more money he makes. My friend hung up the telephone. Reading the question in my expression, he said: “That feller thinks everything is going to hell completely.” During the war this country had guts. It was an emergency and all hands pulled together, the soldlers in France, those in America, the civilians who sold and bought Liberty bonds and all the rest. Today we are having a national nervous breakdown. Fear has gripped us. We believe every rumor and daily they become more fantastic. The Government experts estimate that between seven and eight hundred million dollars is now hoarded b Americans, which means the money in safe deposit boxes, bureau drawers, socks or under the carpet. The aaswer is an inexplainable' fear. ‘War measures and patriotic spirit would be appropriate in this emergency, which has grown as sizable as the war. The American Legion has already gone on record as opposed to the increase of the bonus at this time. The veterans have come to the front again. ‘Why not arouse the fighting spirit of trembling Americans with bands, speeches, prosperity campaigns and fire- works. The hoarders should be called by their right names—traitors and cow- ards. The stock market bears should be named and ostracized as were the war slackers. Rumors today are enemy bullets, A financial writer telephoned me last week that one of the biggest and mosi prosperous of can companies, with far-flung investments and many stock- holders, was in bad shape, and its re- ports had been falsified by its head. Pure bunk, but fuel for the bear fire. Another stanch sound company is falsely reported in trouble. Its stock is forced down 7 points in a few minutes. An author writes me that he hears it is all a giant conspiracy on the part of Russia to destroy us. If this should be true, which it isn't, it is time to fight and not to hide. A small banker from Ohio called up Hoover the other day. He knew the President. He explained his situation. He said when the stock market went up slightly recently his head was just out of water on the securifies held as col- lateral. With the next relapse, he was again submerged. “I do this community no good,” he re- ported to the President, “because I have no money to lend.” One hears fantastic stories. of the fortunes made by the bears in this mar- ket. A friend of mine told me the other evening Matt Brush had made $200,000,000 and Ben Smith $300,000,~ 000 cn the short side. He added that Smith was then short 500,000 shares of stock. ‘The figures are exaggerated, but each has made a great deal of money. A friend of mine was invited to spend the night with one of the big short oper- ators recently. He declined. “I don't want to’ hang around with a fellow who makes his mMoney that way,” my friend explained. That is the right spirit. ©I am going to lay my car up this Winter,” a banker told me the other day. This is the wrong spirit—the psychology of panic. needs is a good ‘What this cathartic. Names should be named, hoarders should be called slackers, bears traitors. We should buy what we need and more at present bargain prices. We should give jcbs where we can. As a nation we need more substance in our middles, or, in shor ts. At present, most of us act as if ad a cream puff for a heart and charlotte russe for a spine. Our favorite ccior seems to be a wide yellow streak right down the backbone. oo Street Names Ask—ed for Greater Dignity To the Editor of The Star: I am wondering if the time has not come for us to discard our alphabetical nomenclature for the streets within the City of Washington, as planned by ‘ L’Enfant, and to gdopt a more dignified and expressive scheme. I have always admired the ingenuity and efficlency of the original plan. A new city was being carved out of the wilderness. Lots of things had to be considered, among them the naming of the streets, which, by the way, is usually provocative of much controversy, Some one said, “Let's.have those running north and south numbered and those at right angles to them lettered.” Fine. Presto! It was done, and the whole matter was settled in a minute. But as it turned out, there were not letters enough in the alphabet to go around, and we began naming streets after important personages, alpha- betically to be sure, but in bisyllables and _trisyllables, a fine, workable plan. ‘Why not make it consistent now and give monosyllabic names to the i streets of the first alphabet; there may have been a paucity of important per- sonages a century and a quarter «.ago after whom to name streets, but such is not the case today. The job can be done without going outside the lists of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Presidents, the Su- preme Court, the cabinet and our Am- bassadors to foreign courts. And who would not_rather live on Grant, Hayes or Polk than on G. H. or P streets? Or perhaps it would be Gray, Hughes (both Supreme Court) and Paine | (Declaration of Independence). ~In either event we should not feel as though we were merely a part of an algebraic formula. And how sourceful and even unappreciative of our great forbears we must seem to our friends from abroad in whose capi- tal cities history can almost be rea { from the names on the street corners. Why waste a perfectly good street on T when it might be Taft, on B when it might be Blaine or on L when it might be Lee? And there are plenty more good names for the others. Seemingly, to make the change coul cause no confusion since the initial let- ter is in each instance the same as be- fore, and doubtless the reactionary who ‘would have nothing to do with a street named Read or Ross or Rush (signers of the Declaration of Independence), or Root (Secretary of State), but would live on R street till the end of his days, could do so and still get his mail. ‘Why would not this be a good time to do it? Just before the influx of visi- tors for the Washingon Bicentennial. If you, Mr. Editor, should undertake, through some form of contest’ in your columns, to determine the popular will as to the names to be honored, and to secure their adoption by the proper ‘authorities, you would not only have con- dueted the best possible course in Amer- ican biography, but would at the same time have been influential in the erec- tion of twenly or more permanent monuments to makers of history. EDWIN G. DEXTER. Readers Not Chicken Thieves. Prom the Toronto (Ontario) Daily Star. The Woodstock Sentinel-Review says arns its readers” of the Bar Seeking Bar. From the Cincinnat! Times-Star, ANSWERS TO. QUESTIONS ‘This great service is maintained by The Evening Star for the benefit of its readers, who may use it every day with- out cost to themselves. All they have to do is ask for any information desired and they will receive prompt answers by mail. Questions must be clearly writ- ten and stated as briefly as possible. Inclose two-cent stamps for return post- age and address The Evening Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Q. Who holds the all-time highest inuguu percentage in base ball?—A. A. Frank G. Menke says: “The best average since 1900 was 1.000, perfect, turned in by Tom Zachary, then with the New York Americans, 1929, when | he won 12 games and lost none. How- ever, it is a rule in base ball to remove marks made by pitchers who do not fig- ure in at least 20 complete games per year. In such 4 case, the honor be- longs to Smoky Joe Wood, who in 1912, itching for the Boston Americans, won 4 games, and lost 5, and had an av- erage of .872.” Q. Please explain why no two people see the same rainbow.—A. M. A. The rainbow is always seen along | the circumference of a circle whose center is on a straight line with the eye of the observer, hence no two persons see strictly the same bow. | Q. What Is the last name of Oscar, | the chef at the Waldorf-Astoria?—L. B. B, A. His name is Oscar Tschirky. Q. Has the United States paid Den- mark for the Virgin Islands?—E. E. R. A. On March 3, 1917, Congress ap- propriated $25,000,000 to” pay for the| Virgin Islands. On the 31st of that month a Treasury warrant was made out to the envoy extraordinary of Den- mark, and this warrant was returned as paid on April 2, 1917, Q. How does our total air force equipment for war compare with other countries?—F, A, | A. France has the largest air force— | 4,683 planes; Great Britain is next with | 2,065; then Italy, 1,834; United States, | 1,809, Russia, 1,520, and Japan, 1,312. Great Britain and the United States rival each other in highest efficiency. Italy follows closely. Japan is making steady progress. German aviation, while non-military in appearance, is second to none in skill and technique. Soviet Russia is very ambitious, plaj ning to develop her fleet to match the | combined forces of Europe. Q. About how many persons are born and how many die each year in the | United States?—M. R. C. | A. In 1920 there were 2,169,920 per- sons born in the United States and 1,369,757 persons died. Q. What positions do Laval and Briand | * hold in the French cabinet?—M. P. A. Plerre Laval is prime minister and minister of the interior. _ Aristide Briand is minister of foreign affairs. Q. Please publish th2 correct pronun- ciation of three flower names—chrysan- themum, zinnia and poinsettia—R. K. A. These are three words which are often carelessly shortened. Chrysanthe mum is a four-syllable word, zinnia & | three-syllable word, tie “i's” being given the short sound, and poinsettia is &) four-syllable word, the final “a” having the sound of “a” in alarm. Q. How old must pecan trees be be- fore they will bear nuts?—S. W. A. A. Pecan trees may bear a few nuts when three to five years of age, but, generally speaking, pecan orchards do | teentan. BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. not come into commercial bearing they are about 10 years old. proper care and adequate spacing the trend in ylelds is then upward as the orchard grows older. Q. What is meant by bowling crease in cricket?>—H. E. A. The bowling crease is the line {rh(;mballvlehlnd which the bowler delivers Q. At what age did Gov. Franklir, Roosevelt have infantile p‘niylfi.u A S H. A. He had the disease in August, 198 when he was 39 years old. Q. How high above the railroaé tracrs g tfie gaynl ‘Gorge Suspension Bridge?-e "A. This Colorado bridge 1s 1,053 feet above the railroad tracks and is the highest in the world. Q. How high must one go in an office building to get away from s nofses?—R. T. L. A. Under average city conditions, street noises are not disturbing from the tenth or twelfth floop-up. Q. How many amendments were made to the Cohstitution during Woodrow Wilson's terms?—G. E. H. A. Three amendments became effec- tive during President Wilson's tho seventeenth, eighteenth and nine- The seventeenth, providing for the direct election of Senators, had been submitted to the States for ratifi- cation during President Taft’s admin- istration, but went into effect in May, 1913. ‘The eighteenth, or prohibition amendment, and the nineteenth, giving Nation-wide suffrage to women, were proposed, ratified and became effective in 1920. Q. Is the Taj Mahi % yhiian style of architecture? oy wh™m was it planned?—F. H. J. A. The Taj Mahal wad pRnned by Ustad Isa, a Persian, an¢ is Persian architecture rather than Indian. Tt is of white marble outside and jeweled mosaic inside. Q. What is meant by a bicameral legislature?—sS. D. A. One that is composed of two branches or bodies, as House of Rep- resentatives and Senate. Q. When was the “Kreutzer Sonata” written?—W. M. A. This sonata of Beethoven's, ded- icated to his friend, R. Kreutzer, was first played in 1803. Q. How is the money raised for the upkeep of Mount Vernon?—T. E. A. An entrance fee provides the necessary funds. . Isn't there a bird that hunters get by luring it into killing itself?— * D. S. | ""A. The gannet, or solan goose. It | feeds on fish, which it captures by plunging into the water, with closed | wings, often from 3 considerable height. Fishermen tow a board with a herring painted on it below the surface of the water. The net dives for the inted fish, stri the board, and reaks its neck. . What is the distance from Cal- cutt JA to the mouth of the Ganges?— L J. | A. About 90 mil | Q@ What is the origin of , “How do you do?"— es the salu- J. W. G | ray’s dictionary indicates that |form of this expression was “How do | you?” This authority traces the in- | quiry back to 1563. Legion Yoie on Liquor Law Held to Have Forced Issuc ‘The American Legion vote of 1,008 to 394 in favor of a referendum on the prehibition amendment, is believed by the public to have emphasized the im- portant role that this question will have in the national campaign of 1932, es- pecially when viewed in conjunction with similar action by other organiza- | tions, including lawyers, doctors and labor unions. It is held that this reso- lution represents the voice of a erbss- section of tbe Nation in favor of putting up to the people the question of re- peal, enforcement or modification. “Dry leaders might well consider the Legion proposal and adopt it as their | own,” advises the Roanoke World-News contending that “in such a referendum, a majority of the States would in all probability vote dry.” With a tribute to the “fair success of prohibition where | there is a body of public sentiment be-| hind it,” that paper feels that it has. “created most unfortunate conditions where it has been imposed against the | almost unanimous wishes of the com- munity.” Tre Scranton Times finds that “millions of people believe that, after 10 years of operation of the law, the time has come when the people should be permitted to express them- selves for or against prohibition or in favor of modification.” “The action thus taken. to the Chicago Daily Ne based on the personal preferences of any group, but on the flagrant evils attributable to the Vol- stead interpretation of the eighteenth amendment .to the Constitution. convention’s stand should be as ac- “was not wishes ceptable to the moderate drys as to the | rational wets.” Hailing the resolution as “the clearest sthtement yet of the| national dissatisfaction with the noble experiment,” the San Francisco Chron- icle offers the estimate: “Examination of the resolution discloses a careful choice of words. The Legion avoids recommending repeal or revision. It recommends putting that question up to the people in the orderly, constitu- tional way. It also leaves to the people the question whether it should be re- peal or revision. How can any one ob- Jject to this? No one is left a chance to say the Legion went beyond the rights or duties of citizenship.” * K ok % “The action of the Legion” in the | judgment of the Charlotte Observer, “removes any doubt that may have re-l mained that prohibition is to be the major issue of the 1932 campaign. The most effective way in which the drys can combat the challenge cf the Le- ! gionnaires is to direct their efforts to securing a dry majority m Congress and 1d | to secure nomination of a dry candidate for President. The Legion is cn record; persistent denunciation of its stand, by itself, will avail but little.” The Tex- arkana Gazette feels that “adoption of the resolution indicates a scntiment that will have its influence in the congres- sional elections.” Legion action as “needless waste of effort,” the Meridian Star says that “too many crying problems are to be solved, without seeking to reopen a situation which long ago has been a closed and final incident.” The South Bend Tribune argues ‘The veterans ‘who contend that they were tricked do not give sufficient attenticn to the fact that the eightecnth amendment was the cuimination of a movement that had been markedly successful thiroughout the United States before the World War be- gan. In fact, some of the complaining veterans h elect Legislatures that had voted States dry before national prohibition came.” “The situation points toward deter- | mined efforts for a showdown on the liquor question in thé national conven- tions next year,” avers the Chattanooga Times, with, however, the reservation that, “if there is Jflenty of fighting in sight, there is little hope for the con- clusion of what some seem to ought to be at least a hundred years' i e Oakland Tribune states: “It is probable that were few, if any, | wets who voted against the referendum, for effori€ to obtain an expression of the kind are within their outlined cam- paign. A ber of drys, may have fa occording | and | ‘The | ” | with” | “It becomes more and more evident | that the liquor question is a most dis- turbing factor in our national affairs, and the country is facing it as an issue demanding attention,” declares the Og- | den Standard-Examiner, while the St. Louis Times holds that “the Detroit convention resolution will take its place in history as a great document,” char- acterizing it as “not a noisy cry for beer, but a sober appeal to sound rea- son. The Sioux Falls Argus-Leader asserts: “The referendum proposition has an appeal that is not easily set aside. There is an element of commoen sense in the assumption that it would he numerous state- ments on prohibition sentiment by a check .directly among the voters. The veterans of the World War have some special force in an argument in this respect, as they were engaged in bat- tling at the time of the prohibition vote and many did not have a ready opportunity to express their views.” “The country will not rest until the question has been put up to the people again,” says the Youngstown Vindicator, while the Cleveland News is convinced that “the issue will be pressed so vig- orously as to preclude any sidestep- ping.” “Members of Congress, a majority of them,” concludes the Cincinnati Times- Star, “have been voting on the dry side mainly because of a lively sense of the powers of reward -and punishment wielded by the Anti-Saloon League and kindred minority groups. The appear- ance on the scene of an organization of comparable powers and opposite aims redresses the balance so far as the ac- tivities of Congress in relation to pro- hibition are concerned. The repre- sentative bodies of citizens which have arrayed themselves against the one- time masters of Washington now in- clude the American Medical Associa- tion, the American Bar Association, the American Federation of Labor and the American Legion. This alignment promises to invest the proceedings of tha next Congress with drama, and pro- vide the incidental entertainment that always attends the acts of worshipers of expediency when they are caught between two fires.” Use of Idle Land Urged for Unemployed To the Editor of The Star: While every one is trying to offer suggestions that might afford relief in these times of unoccupation of so many of our fellow citizens, would jt not be a most oppertune time for our Govern- ment to aid them in securing habita- | tion afid employment by making use of the unoccupied areas of our vast coun- try? I feel sure that with the moneys being appropriated for “Unemployment” the United States Government could do a vast amount of good by using this money to build habitable shacks and donating lands for people who are will- ing to “Go Back to the Soil” for their homes, and they would get meptal and healthful benefit therefrom. Also the Governors of each State could be authorized to do the same with the unoccupied lands. belonging to the State. F. P. STERN. ——— Already an Issue. From the Salt Lake City Deseret News. Senator Borah predicts the money problem will be one of the big issues in the next presidential campaign. With us it is already a big issue. S r———— Naughty to Carry Guns. From the Charlotte (N. C.) News. New York is going to strike a blow av gansterdom by voiding all pistol - mits. Next thing we know Lhey'lno rescinding licenses to steal. Long Distance, Please. Prom the South Bend Tribune. Cuban revoluf h have been established in New York City. It looks as if the next attempt to throw Machado out will be made the long-distance tel Bl