Evening Star Newspaper, December 20, 1931, Page 28

THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. BUNDAY.....December 20, 1831 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company siness Offce 11t St Pennesivania Ave e Sk See TT0 Eust d2nd St eritreo Ofce Lyke Michigan Building. 14 Regent ., London, England. the City. 45c per month 60c per month 65¢ per month Rate by Carrier Within o Evening Star o Evening and. Sunday iar Sunday Star tion made at th mey be sent in b 8l 5 y mail or telephone Rate by Mail—Payablc in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. £1000: 1 mo., 85c £6.00: 1 mo.. 50¢ $4.00: 1 mo., 40 day.. .. 1yt 1vrs All Other States and 12001 da. 10 L £800: 1 mo. £5.00: 1 mo.. 100 Member of the Associated Press. xelusively € ation of #ll news d. not otherwise cred- 1s0 the local news of publication of e also reserved. If the Nations Behave. Good behavior on put Mother Earth back on the pros- perity track tes Sir George Paish, celebrated British economist. in 8 rview at London with the Ascc- ciated Press. The behavior necessary upon the part peoples, S George says, is sagacious policy on the part of their respective governments. ‘There m also be a degree of co-oper- ation among these goverrinents, the former adviser to the Brittéh treasury points out, if results are to be attained Given the will and the international rk. Sir George envisages an un- led =ra of world welfare Three major needs are set forth by economist: (1) An inter- ence o consider rehabil- revision of Ger- ts to insure r commercial and state tem- s in all coun- No. 2 in S'r George Paish's schedule of world pan:ceas is not new momest the subject of ainy av the Basel experts On the outcome of those in- tem No. 1 may depend to item No. 3, referring to gov- ranty acts. some project is actually afoo: v The National jon, instigated by Presi- in October, has as its tica the preservation of utions. Other protection and ation of depositors’ funds The additicnal aid the ses for the Federal Farm T 12 aleng the lines of Gov- nt “guaranty” of banking _re- sources and extension of banking facil- The $500,000.000 Federal Recon- on Creait Corporation is vet an- impending move whereby the hopes to put its broad ulder to the financial wheel. The wise Behavior by nations, whick §ir George Paish sets forth as a pre- world recovery, is already, ~fore. in actual effect in the United States. The measures it connotes are and avowedlv domestic in pur- t an economically rehabilitated bound to be a factor of in the process of general world rehabilitation ———— 1t was thought all along that possibly the royal Rumanian brothers might be out of the trenches by Christmas. Young holas can see which is the buttered side of a slice of bread as far v hungry commoner. §0 of now ities. r verr away as ————— The New Tax Bills. The Senate’s reference of the four District-taxing House biils to its Com- mittee on the District of Columbia means that these measures will receive fair and thorough consideration de- nied them by the few members of the other branch who went through the motions of looking them over as they rushed by, The Senate committee’s primary con- sideration will naturally concern the necessity of these tax-boosting instru- ments. To determine this necessity the Senators will seek knowledge on the relative weight of the burden of taxa- tion in the District. If this burden falls below that of other cities, the Senators may find it desirable to remove in- equitable discrepancics. No one argues t the District of Columbia enjoys any right or advances any claim to dis- criminating leniency in the taxes that it residents should pay as long as the taxes are representative of a burden 1a imposed. What method will be followed in determining the relative weight of this burden remains to be geen. Seeking light on the subject, the Senate committee will certainly study the Mapes report, and a ‘great light therefrom will be shed. As for consideration of the specific bills themselves, it can be stated, and with reasonable assurance, that the resi- dents of the adjacent communitles in Maryland and Virginia need have little | fear that the income tax bill as passed by the House will, if it ever reaches the final form of enactment, contain provi- sions imposing the unjust burden of double and even triple taxation. The inadvertently inserted provisions of the House bill indicating that such will be | the case probably escaped the attention of the statesmen in the House who enjoy the high privilege and responsi- bility of drafting and voting for laws that affect the welfare of hundreds of thousands of people. Such provisions naturally will be promptly removed. And there is fine irony in the fact that they will be removed by the majestic power that lies in the hands of the ballot-wielding members of this community who, by establishing resi- dence beyond the non-extensible bor- ders of the “Ten Miles Square,” have come into possession of the sacred right of a voice in the power that taxes them. But a matter far more significant than the doubtful propriety of taxing the insomes of the members of this community, including the members of Congrea, who maintain residence out- side the District is raised by this in- eome tax bill. the part of 1he: canons is all that is needed to phasize again the unique status of Washington among all the cities of the world? Those who are exempted from the payment of income taxes will con- tinue, to all intents and purposes, as members of the community in which they gain their livelilhood. But be- cause of the constitutional limitations impcsed by the boundaries of the Dis- trict they escape—and very justly so, as matters stand—the responsibility of contributing, except through a tiny portion of their Peceral taxes, to the support of this community. During the so-called debate in the House on the tax bills residents of the District were advised to get out of town if they did not like the rule by Con- gress. Does any one in the House realize just how many of them are get- ting out of town? 1In the last ten years the population of the District of ! Columbia increased 11 per cent. The {appropriaiions for the District in- creased 130 per cent. with the Federal contribution less in 1930 than in 1920 'And in the same interval the popula- tion of Arlington County increased 62.5 per cent, the population of Montgomery County 40 per cent, the population of Prince Georges County 38.6 per cent, the population of Alexandria County 33.9 per cent, the population of Fairfax County 16.5 per cent, and the popula- tion of the metropolitan area 17 per cent What accounts for this great in- crease? It resulted from that very “exodus from the District of Columbia™ of which Mr. not heard ! Whether pecple are leaving the Dis- trict because they do not like Congress Or cAnnot pay increasing taxes is not | important. The important fact is that | they are leaving, and the expenses of this city are increasing— because of the Federal Government's own fine plans for its development—far beyond any proportionate increase or ability to pay on the part of the population. Did | the Mapes Committee give any comsid- eration to that factor? It did not. Yet that factor is highly important, {not only as it applies to the income tax | bill, but to the proposed estate tax bill, the gas tax bill, the automobile weight tax bill | The District of Columbia. in addition im being the seat of Government of the | United States. is the metropolitan cen- yter of a large population that con- J(nbuh‘: nothing in local tax revenue | toward its maintenance. | These facets of a many-sided problem | will be considered by the Senators who must judge as to the soundness of rea- {sons advanced for increasing the tax burden on the relatively small propor- tion of the members of the Capital community who live within the boun- | darles of the District of Columbia. | S | The Citizens of “Swampoodle.” Granting to Mr. Prear of Wisconsin and those who agree with him the full right and even the plain duty to pre- sent their side of the case on fiscal relations with all the vigor, backed by all the facts, they can command, one must protest, at the same time, the resort to sarcasm and ridicule to cheapen and belittle the protests voiced by various sections of this community | against the obviously unjustified tactics employed in the House in attempting | to increase local taxation as part of a plan to repudiate the naticnal obliga- tion toward the Capital City. Addressing the House on Wednesday, Mr. Frear referred as follows to reso- lutions adopted by citizens’ associations: Included in The Star's columns are protests from Brightwood, Takoma Park and Swampoodle. and other ad- mirers and followers who so frequently resolute to Congress without any con- ception of the real facts because they only read The Washington Star. It is to be remembered that while the process in the neighborhood asso- ciations of ‘resoluting” to Congress may appear to be tragically futile and unavailing, as compared to the rights enjoyed by the citizens of other mu- nicipalities who send their own repre- sentatives to Congress and hold them { accountable by the power of the ballot, who participate as Americans in the { privilege of self-government and self- taxation, yet it remains the one method available to most of them here to ex- | press those natural aspirations to fair treatment at the hands of allen rulers that is a part of the make-up of the normal human being. To ridicule these citizens and to de- ride their communities by catchwords, to throw the impotency of their “reso- luting” back in their faces, should strike the average member of Congress as a pretty small method of fighting a battle. —————— Utopia has not yet been found, but ‘out in Oak Park, Ill, school children are digging into their savings banks to buy tax-anticipation warrants for the purpose of keeping the public schools open. This modern generation is cer- tainly different, every way one looks at it. ot Multiplying the Universe. Prof. Albert Einstein has adopted the five-dimensional theory of the universe. He has acknowledged his error in pre- viously rejecting the hypothesis of Theodore Kaluza. He now postulates five instead of four with a breadth of spirit that promises the possibility of half a dozen a little later, if he should find five vectors—that is the correct term for a special dimension—too few for his computations. It is with great relief that the non- technical world receives this announce- ment of a shift in the Einstein view- point. There has been much anxiety on the score of the chance that Einstein might perhaps be wrong and too set in his views to shift to a more reasonable attitude. Some scientists are that way. Einstein, however. is quite frank in say- ing that after working for more than a vear he reached the conclusion that he was striving in the wrong direction. He does not quite go all the way over to Kaluza. The latter's theory, he says, “while not acceptable, is nevertheless nearer the truth than the other theoreti- cal approaches.” How does this leave the world? It is for the great majority of folks three di- mensional. For a few who have special vision and understanding it is four di- mensional. It now becomes, by agree- ment between Einstein and Kaluza, five dimensional. This progression is cal- culated to cause a daze in the minds of most people. The original Einstein theory of relativity put quite a number of men and women into strait jackets Uncle Eben, “ter make folks talk erbout through trying to adjust themselves to, him. But no man eber were smaht Frear, as yel, says he has | | | I THE SUN and—well, whatever it was that Einstein meant to convey. What is to be said about this syllogism, just emitted by the savant: Our theory arises quite readily from consideration of five vectors in the four- dimensional continuum. There follows from that a “five-curvatuie” of space which is analogous to the Riemannian curvature and which bears a similar re- lationship to the laws f the unitar ficld that the Riemannian curvature | does to the relativistic equations of the gravitational field alone. Ah, well, there is really nothing to be done about it. While the world waits to be classified and analyzed and hy- pothesised to the complete satisfaction of everybody it must just go right along trying to pay its bills and to keep ‘ts cyclone cellar in order as a refuge from the conflicts that occur between the coutinuous and the vectors. e e Traffic Tickets. ‘There can be little question thet the enforcement of minor traffic regulations has been strengthened by the adoption of the triplicate system of serving no- tice on offenders. In the past, when only one ticket was made out, to be put in the motorist’s car, and with no responsibility for it on the part of the policeman to his superiors, enforcement was necessarily lax. The motorist would either pay no attention to it or, if he did, endeavor to “fix it” with the policeman. With the new system, how- ever, no such evasion is possible. The ticket left in the recalcitrant motorist's ! car is merely one of three and is num- | bered in the policeman’s book. As for the iwo other copies, one goes to the Traffic Burcau and the remaining one | is kept by the officer. Traffic regulations are made to be en- forced. 1If they are not, the motorist loses respect for them and by the same token respect for all regulations. The new system is a great improvement over the old and should work to promote better conditions in the National Capital. oot Several California organizations have sponsored a holiday kissing boom in- tended to help the unemployment sit- uation through the harvesting of an extra large mistletoe crop. Possibly the State association of nose and throat specialists may be lined up behind this unusual movement. = The attitude of the House toward the Federal contribution to District ex- penses seems to be somewhat along the line of the old example of the railroad engine that “traveled half the remain- ing distance each day.” pEEr Co-eds of Washington University want to debate against man students of the University of Nevada on the divorce question and Nevada's divorce law in particular. A little “early prac- tice” perhaps? The problem of trisecting an angle recently solved, has bothered intellectual | mankind for 2000 vears. Yet plenty| of poor fish can do it and get away with the two hookless portions. Ghandi is included in the 1932 Brit- | ish “Who's Who" under the classifica- ! tion of “birrister.” He might also be | termed “solicitor.” e e— Massachusetts news indicates that, anyhow. cod-fishing banks are still open and doing business. e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON His Annual Program. The first wesk in December Mr. Grow- cher sits and scowls. His line of talk is something like a dis- contented owl's. He says this shopping early cry is all a needless row. If he were running things there’d be no Christmas anyhow. ‘The second week he takes a look into the windows gay. His smile is supercilious as he ambles on his way. If early shopping's mentioned he will give a surly shrug And end the conversation by remarking “I'm a mug!" The third week he will turn his eyes away and grit his teeth And try to look annoyed when he ob- | serves a holly wreath. If you mention early shopping he will! resolutely bawl, 've not shopped early, and I don't propose to shop at all!” But the fourth week finds him saying, as he joins the struggling line, | “I must make a few exceptions for some special friends of mine.” And while loading up with bundles he remarks with many a sigh, | vear I'm going to start my;| Christmas shopping in July.” “Next Intangible. “What do you understand by the term ‘political influence'?” “Political influence,” rep’ Senator Sorghum, “is usually som: g that a! lot of people come around and tell you they brought to bear, after you have succeeded in landing & job.” A boy with the whooping cough is envied by otner boys because he can nake & noise whenever he likes without being reproved. A Peculiar Potency. Oh, wondrous strange is flattery’s ways. However thick they serve it, It you're the object of the praise, You're sure that you deserve it. A Perplexed Grammarian. “Say, friend,” said Broncho Bob, “did T understand you to say that the plural of cactus is ‘cacti’?” “Yes,” replied the young man who is habitually instructive. “Well, such bein’ the case, I'd like to inquire why the singular of ‘necktie’ ain’t ‘necktus’? A Complaint. “80 you think the farmer is getting the worst of it again?” “Yes,” replied Mr. Corntossel. “The Winter’s liable to be so mild we won't have facilities for cold-storin’ our own eggs.” Timely Hint. When “Early shopping!” is the cry Which bids each generous spirit roam, Into the packages don't pry That are secreted 'round the home. “Er man has ter be smaht,” said Buppose they are exempted from its the notion that everything turns back ernuff ter make em stop talkin' ef dey provx.sioiw Will not that fact em- upon itself and that there is no infinity once tuk er notion.” DAY STAR, WASHINGTON | centuries D. C, DECEMBER 2 THE CHRISTMAS LIGHT BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D., Bishop of Washington. Text: “The light shineth in dark- ness and the darkness comprehended it not."—St. John,i.5. No season in the year is so widely recognized by men and women and lit- tle children the world over as that upon | which we are now enterirg. Christmas | has literally cast a spell over the hearts and minds of men. While customs and usages may differ, there is that in this gladsome season that makes the world a great fellowship. More than any other | day in the calendar, it seems to em- | phasize the commonness of our hu-| manity and the commonness of the impulses that move us. It provokes in us those qualitics and virtues that pe; tain to youth. Christmas fs the world's childhood day. Even age, with its mul- tiplied cares’ and physical weakn 3 pays homage again to the spontaneous and practices that pertain to youth. effect which this day produces upon the hearts and minds of men the world over is utterly unique; there is nothing comparable to it. To refuse to yield to its gracious impulse means to deny our- | selves one of the most profitable and | exhilarating experiences we may enjoy. The central theme of Christmas is focused in the Life of a little child, born | in a stable in a remote corner of lhe‘ world nearly two thousand years ago. In the recorded history of mankind no | single incident has so affected human thought, or, indeed, the life of the world, as has the birth of the child Jesus in Bethlehem's stable. No matter what our judgment may be concerning the meaning of His life and its glowing minist we cannot resist or set aside the extraordinary effects which His ad- vent has produced upon the thought and practices of men throughout the Even in the bitter conflict of the World War the spirit of this day s0 touched the hearts and wills of com- batant forces that the guns themselves were silenced and the spirit of fighting | vielded to the spirit of peace Christmas day may find us this year less able to express in terms of gen- | erosity those impulses that have char- acterized us in other and better years. Our generosity may be restrained and our merriment shadowed by the misfor- tunes that attend a period of enforced idleness. Notwithstanding not suppress those deeper and finer emotions that the day suggests and in- spires. No matter how impenetrable the darkness, the light shines on and, in- deed, the light is made the brighter by reason of the darkness. Nothing is more descriptive of the ministry of Jesus than St. John'’s word concerning Him, “The light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Again he says, “In Him was light, and the light was the life of men.” At no time possibly in_our experience have we so needed light on our darkened pathways as in tiis present hour. We need it to see our way and to guide our steps. With- out it we are filled with ominous fears and we hesitate to pursue our course. We know of no substitute that has proved so adequate to the needs of men as this light of which we speak. It is never more valuable or more indispensa- ble than in times when the shadows are heavy and the darkness forbidding ‘The only darkness that can obscure this light proceeds from those who are un- willing to recognize its value and pur- pose. An uncomprehending and unre- sponding darkness, that refuses that which the light gives, presents a situa- tion that is tragic in the extreme. Charles Dickens {llustrates this in a striking way in his Christmas carol. ‘The character of old Scrooge, soured and embittered, with a heart and mind out of tune with the Joys of the Christ- mas season, is wholly representative of that kind of darkness that does not comprehend or recognize the value of the light. The transition in the life of this old reprobate comes in a period of sleep, when in a vision there is unfold- ed to him the folly of his course Awakening from his slumber at the dawn of a new Christmas day, he feels the tirill of its spirit, and casting aside | his old conception of its meaning he enters upon its joys with the zest and enthusiasm of youth. It marks a new day in his life.” He comes at length to | understand the meaning of the light, and his soul that had been flooded with darkness was filled with a love for Him who designs to be the source and in- spiration of all that makes life worth while. We need in this old world of ours today a better understanding and & finer appreciation of the light that shineth in darkness Reed of Pennsvlvania Analyzes the Foreign Debt Situa BY WILLIAM HARD. Senator David A. Reed of Pennsvl- vania has furnished the most spectac lar political incident of this Congress so far. This writer queried him upon it as follows “President Hoover and Secretary of State Stimson and Secretary of the Treasury Mellon, your dear Pittsburgh friend. don't think so much of your speech against any further reducing right now of European governmental indebtedness to the United States Treasury. Why did you break with them?" The Senator looked as disgusted as he often looks. He queried in return “Can't anvbody think that a man can differ with another man without breaking with him? I'm not attacking anybody. Im Just explaining my own vote " “Won't you explain it further? Do vou deny that Europe needs further relief’ from the Unit"d States?” 1 place 3 the general economic rel tween Europe and the U greatly exaggerated. In the second place. the amount of so-called ‘relief that the United States at this moment is extending to Europe is far from su ficiently realized.” Permit me to make notes on first ing: The importance of debts.” Very well” said the Senator. “I will refer you to an authoritative source. “The International Chamber of Com- merce met here in Washington a few months age. It had a lot of big re- ports presented to it by tees of Europeans Among them was a report on the trade relationships between Europe and the United States. It dealt with payments by Europe to the United States and payments by the United States to Eu- Tope. the the * x x “We pay Europe for imported goods We pay Europe for American freight and American pacsengers carried on European ships. We pay Europe large sums of cash in expenditures by Ameri- can tourists in European countries. We pay Europe other large sums of cash remittances to E European im- migrants now in the United States We also p: Europe on ropean investments in the U States. And “Contrariwise, of course each ycar paying us. Europ for American goods importe rope. It pays us interest on An private investments in pe. It pay us royalties on American films shown in Europe. And so on E “Now note the conclusion of the Committee of the International Cham- ber of Commerce on the Exchanges of Goods and Services Between Europe and Our Country. They say “‘Payments under the debt settle- ments represent only about 5', per ! cent of the total estimated annual payvments due from Europe to the United States. “The same commlittee calculated the internaticnal ‘world trade’ of the Eu- ropean continent at $35.000.000.000 in a normal year. The debt settlements are running at the rate now of along about $250.000.000 a vear. We have to look at these things in their true pro- portions.” o ox ok “But. Senator. you are talking about the European continent as a whole. ‘What about the individual cases of the individual debtor governments?"” “Well, take France. France owes us for the year 1932 the total sum of $50,- 000,000. The population of France is ! more than 40.000.000 persons. Call it 40.000.000. That's $1.25 for cach of them to pay. We never have had any slightest shred of proof from the French government to the effect that it couldn't be done.” | “However, Senator, the general Eu- ropean situation might constitute an emergency and might indicate the de- sirability of American as ance.” “That's my second point. We hear nowadays about ‘relief.” We hear about ‘assistance.’ I am not very strong for those words. but let's see what we've done lately in a financial way about Europe. X ok ok % “Last Summer our Federal Reserve System extended a credit of $125,000,- 000 to the Bank of England and of $25,000,000 to the Central Bank of Ger- many. That's a total of $150,000,000. “Almost simultaneously our private bankers lent $200,000,000 to the treas- ury of the British government. That brings the total to $350.000,000. “Our private bankers are addition- ally permitting German institutions and British institutions to retain some | $600.000,000 of overdue short-term credits. That brings the total to $950,- 000,0000. “Then the United States Govern- ment this year is postponing the pay- ments of the European governmental debts to the United States Government and thus granting to those governments al&;o\&;e :’ixt'hthx; time of some $250,- ,000. at brings the total 200,000,000. e 1288 * % % % “But further, we should include the debt payments which would have been aue if we had not reduced the Euro- pean governmental debts to us in the course of making the debt settlements. The reduction has been calculated by almost all responsible economists at ap- Proximately 50 per cent. If we were than doubled by tion in Frank Terms collecting the debts on the original promised basis. we would be getting this vear not only the $250.000.000 which we have postponed. but $250000.000 more. We are letting Europe have that $250,- 000,000 for nothing tctal of ‘assistance’ in Europe just now 10 $1.450.000,000 “We also have put $75.000.000 this year of new money into Europe into long-term investments. That brings our total to $1,525.000,000 “Finally, we have maintained a free gold market and Europe has been able to withdraw gold from the United States at will. That withdrawing has been cone on a large scale. Europe took from us last Summer some $700.000.000 of gold. She took it just as we got it— through trading and banking operation: We do not complain. Still were charged w haps can legitimately observe that, in- ctead of ‘hoarding’ it. we were engaged, during our own immense depres- sion and distress. in holding it instantly available to world demand. The $700,- 000.000 of gold tk Europe m acce lv be ded to cur total of present ‘assistance’ to Eu- rope. It would bring that total to §2,- 225,000,000 They should be grateful. Or should | they not?” “They should not" responded the Senator with great emphasis. I mean we ought not to say that they should be and we ought not to expect that they will be. George Washington observed. fter much experience in dealing with and in dezling with allies in national affairs, that it is vain to expect ar: ide from nation to nation ation remail accurate to- iav and there is no indication that it 1 er ceas” to be ace ate. No na- ever cxhibits gratitude for loaning to it or for fighting done on its behalf or for any other service would be se if in international affa. ve could id of such words as t nd ‘generosity’ and ‘gratitude.’ s the Senator. and his remarks re presented not only because they come from cal “regular.” but because they repre- sent the views it would seem today, rong majority of all Senators an Represcntatives in the Congress, whether * insurgent.” The C it is believed of Europe. in the matter of debts, has been approaching us indirectly through publicists and provagandists. It us directly Ls, It may “We can't pay.” kely to be the next era in the debt question . 1831) o Survey of American Fishing Industry BY HARDEN COLFAX. What the commercial catch of fish in the vaters of the United States has been doing toward maintaning the level of business and employment is disclosed by a Department of Com- merce report showing that the ca‘ch in 12 months amounted to more than 3.000,000.000 pounds and gave employ- ment to more than 200,000 persons. H. R. Fielder, chief of the division of fishery industries, made the survey. | He says that in the United States and Alaska some 13,000 persons were en- gaged in catching fish. 4.000 more on the carrying crafts and 64.000 others in manufacturing and wholesaling fish | products. The value to the fishermen of all the fish caught in a year was more than $123.000,000. a value more the time the fish reached the wholesalers. Then the process of freezing, canning, curing and the development of by-products. oS well as the value of equipment, made this a_half-a-billion-dollar industry. PRFEE The industry as carried on all over the United States was surveved and the Bureau of Fisheries report on the subject also covers a survey of fish- eries in the Virgin Islands and Porto Rico. Furthermore, it deals with the progress being made by the bureau's experts in freezing oysters so that they may be made a year-around product. Taking up the various secuon:ceg{ the country, the repol says T progress in the New England States has been particularly noteworthy. Not so much can be said for the catch of the Middle Atlantic States, which, dur- ing recent years, has recorded a de- crease. This is also the case With the Chesapeake Bay States. The Souta Atlantic and Gulf States show an in- crease, as do also the Pacific Coast States. The report characterizes the catch in the Great Lakes district as “fluctuating,” and calls particular at- tention to the fresh-water mussel shell fishery of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. This industry. centering particularly in Arkansas, producesosgx- nually between 45.000.000 and 50, o0 000 pounds, valued at just less than $1,000,000. x Listed in the order of the importance of their food values, the report says that 18 products account for !D"?er cent of the catch of the United S! u?' Chief among these were salmon, oyla s, haddock, halibut, shrimp, tuna. ch‘m:‘ iobsters and cod. On the Dtherm:lréu, the yleld of non-food fishery pr e in the United States pnd Alasks ‘That brings our | . | that since we hoarding’ it. we per- | t we thus supplied to | most distinguished politi- | PART TWO Capital Sidelights BY 'WILL P. KENNEDY, The degision of the Republican Na- tional Committee to hold the Republi- can National Convention in Chicago next Summer, with the probability that the Democratic National Convention will be held also in that central city, has aroused much reminiscence regard- ing the history of party conventions, and how the convention system was adopted. For many years in the early history of politics in this country Baltimore was known as the “City of Conven- tions,” the first one having been held there in 1831—just & century ago. One of the most notable was that of 1872 which nominated Horace Greeley, and the last in 1912 which nominated Woodrow Wilson, For more than 30 years candidates for the presidency were nominated by & caucus composed of United States Senators and members of the House of Representatives, which custom con- tinued until. 1824 when the memorable caucus insisted upon by Martin Van Crawford of Georgia defeated the lat- ter as a candidate and effectually killed the caucus system, which hac become almost tyrannical in its rule. This famous caucus was attended by most of the Senators, but by only eight mem- bers of the House of Representatives. The election was thrown into the House Wwhere the friends of Henry Clay voted for Adams to defeat Jackson, which killed the Republican party of that day, as well as the rule of the caucus. * ok %o The first convention for the nomina- tion of a Prestdent and Vice President, death of the caucus system. was the anti-Masonic convention, held in Balti- imore in Septewber. 1831, and f llowed in December of the same vear by the first national Republican convention of of the old party of that name which nominated Henry Clay for Presiden and John Sergeant for Vice President These were followed in Baltimore by the Democratic convention of 1832 Wwhich nominated Jackson and Van Bu- ren; the Democratic one of 1835 which nominated Van Buren and Johnson: that of 1840 which again nominated Van Buren; the Whig convention of 1844 which’ nominated Clay and Fre- linghuysen: the Democratic convention of 1844 which nominated Polk and Dal- las; also of 1848 which nominated Cass and Butler (who were defeated by Gen Tavlor): the Whig convention in 1852 which presented Scott and Graham. who were defeated by Pierce and King who were also nominated the me year in Baltimore: the Whig convention of 1856 which ‘nominated Fillmore and Doleson, and which was buried with the Whig party the Constitutional | Union party of 1860 which named Bell | and Everett, and the seceders of the | Democratic 'party who put forward Breckenridge and Lane: the Republi- can of 1864 which nominated Lincoln and put Johnson second on the ticket: and again in 1872 which ratified the nomination of Greeley. During this pertod three national conventions were held in Harr: A five in Philadelphia, one in New York one in Buffalo, one in Utica. three in Cincinnati, three in Chicago. one in St Louts, and one in Charleston. e ox o It was 71 years ago that the first | Republican National Convention was | held in Chicago. the “convention city beckons them again next year That convention started on May 16 1860. and nominated Abraham Lincoln |and Hannibal Hamlin. It was the sec- | ond convention of the new Republican {party Four vears later the Democrate held their onal Convention in Chi- Cago in_ September and nominated George B. McClellan and George H Pendleton. Both of these conventions were held at a critical period in the | history of the country. At the Repub- | lican “convention delegates were pres- ent from all portions of the Northern States and the them slave-holding States of Delaware. Maryland. Virginia | Kentucky and Misso: A delegation claimed to represent Texas, but it was subsequently proven to have been gotten up in Michigan and was ruled out. The District of Columbia sent one delegate Gen. Joseph Gerhardt. George Ashmun of Massachusetts. who was president of the convention, was the last man with whom Lincoln held any official relations on the night of his assassination. Mr Ashmun presided in & “mammoth” tem- | porary structure known at the time | &s “The Wigwam." situated on the lake front and holding about 10.000 persons. | The nomination of Lincoln on the sec- | ond ballot was almost as great a sur- prise to the convention as was the nomination of Haves at Cincinnati in 1876 It confirmed “a most ingenious | paradox™ in the action of national con- ventions that the strongest candidates often prove to be the weakest ones- hough Mr. Lincoln was second on the first ballot and remained <o until nomi- ated. But before the convention met was not regarded strongly as a can- didate, compared with Se d. Chase or Former Secretary of State Evarts put Seward in nomination. Mr. Judd of Illinois named Lincoln. Cartter of Ohio, later chief justice of the Su- preme Court of the District of Colum- bia. nominated Chase. and Corwin of Ohin presented Judge McLear The Indiana delegation and Mr. De- lano of Ohio seconded the nomination !of Lincoln Other candidates were voted for, including Wade, Cameron. Bates, Read, Dayton. Sumner, Fremon and Collamer. "Seward's canvass w in the hands of Thurlow Weed, the ablest political manager of his day, { whose devotion to Seward amounted al- most to idolatry. On the first ballot | Seward had 1731, and Lincoln 102! |On the third ballot Seward had 180 jand Lincoln 231',. This gave Lincoln within 21, votes of the nomination Before the result was officially an- nounced Cartter, as chairman of the . Ohio delegation. arose and said: "I | rise, Mr. Chairman, to announce the | change of 4 votes from Ohio from Mr. | Chase to Mr. Lincoln.” That decided it. Lincoln was nominated. There was | pandemonium of applause. Maine fol- {lowed Ohio’s change, Massachusetts came next, with Missouri, Minnesota. Iowa and Kentucky in close order | When the third baliot was finally an- i nounced, “Whole number of votes cast \465. necessary to a choice 234." Lincoln received 354" and was declared nomi- nated. The evening of the same daj two ballots were taken for the vice pres L%!tntlll nomination, and Hamlin won Mr. Judd of Illinois, who nominated Lincoin, was the first appointment made ‘undrr the new administration after the kcnblnfl. had been selected. - An Object Lesson. | From the Rochester Times-Union. Chicago is not broke again, only more so. And other municipalities could profit by this example. —_— mally amounts to just under 500,000,000 pounds. valued at something above $5,000,000, this group including men- haden, used for tertilizer and in animal feeding, as well as fresh-water mussel shells. * The fisheries of Alaska em- ployed some 28,000 persons, who pro- duced more than 600,000,000 pounds, valued at more than $12,000,000. * kK ¥ ‘The value of all the canned fishery products and by-products in the United States and Alaska was $107,000,000, & slight decrease from the figures of the preceding year. This canning was done at 464 establishments in e United States and Alaska. Of these canned products salmon led the list, with sar- dines and tunafish following. Finally, the direct dollars and cents value of the technological investigations of the Bureau of Fisherles, as they re- late to the by-products, is shown by Mr. Fielder to be of increasing impor- tance. 1In one instance only, we are told, these investigations found an out- let for half a million gallons of fish oil for poultry feed at a price considerably above that ordinarily received for this ofl when used in the arts and indus- trles. Markets were extended, manu- facturing methods improved and new possibilities explored. 2 (Copyrisht, 1081) Buren and other friends of William H. | which came about as a result of the| ' Employment in Motion Picture Houses BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Just as it is the ambition of nearly| every child to have a job in a candy store at any wage at all or even for| nothing, so at a somewhat later age it is the ambition of not a few young peo- ple to become ushers in motion picture theaters. Insatiate in their attitude to- | ward the thrills of the screen, the op- portunity of remaining in its proximity with no out-of-pocket cost seems more than enviable. And to be paid in ad- dition—well, can life offer more! ‘The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, perennially concerned with | what the working people of the Nation | are doing, what they are earning, how | they are treated and their working con- | ditions, has looked into motion picture employment and found out some inter- esting facts. | It takes a good many employes to run the modern movie house. The public sees the doorman and the plati- num-haired cashier who. like an in- exorable Atropos, cuts the thread of tickets spun out of the nickel-plated fountain of admission. It sees the ushers, most of whom dwell under the delusion that they, themselves, consti- tute a more moving exhibition than anything on the screen. But the public does not see the man_vI other workers. The modern big city| movie house is a far cry from the old| outdoor affair of the modest nickelodeon. It must be manned like an opera house.l While the movie remains the principal | attraction, many motion picture thea- ters also offer incidental vaudeville shows. The larger ones have organs and many still have pretentious or- chestras. although the introduction of sound pictures has displaced some of , these. | There must be electricians and re- pair men of all sorts. There must be | cleaners who appear like gh of eni- { tertainment after the feist has ended and the lamps expire. There are lots of people who work for mo who { have no opportunity whatever to see the | show. Few Employes See the Show. | Actually, the ushers are the only ones who get a real break. In the first place they are enabled to adorn them- | selves, usually at the expense of the theater proprietor, in gorgeous attire, ’ Usually their uniforms strike at a com- posite of L'Aiglon, a West Point cadet, and a visiting fireman. Once clad in these habiliments they give themselves 5o exalted a recommendztion that even | the ‘heroes of the films are watched with a tinge of And what do you th n $924 a week for those w thrcugh the day to $2 v those who work from dewy morn u the last dog is hung along about | night. But they do have a char | see the show. They may be interrupt | now and then by’ duties like showir ! people to s telling them there are | no seats, telling them to go over and stagnd at the head of the third aisle, or helping to look for lost gloves or chewing gum. But they do see the show. They usually have a week in which to see it so they can. on subse- quent showings. fill in any gaps which have been caused by adherence to their own art. |F:ifty Yeafé A;go - In The Star ssatisfaction with the rail minal situation in efforts to_ef Railroad 8 (i Depots. Star of December 13. 1 | <avs | “An act was passed by Congress at { the last sescion authorizing the District Commissioners to recommes able site for a union rai { this city. or, if in their jud shall think it better to have one in the northern pa !and the other in the south the sites and make a | panied by plants. on i suggestions as may occur In accordance with this act Ma | ing has prepared a report in w | says. after referring to the {ience caused by the lines entering the city at present. that he is in favor of a common central station being estab- jlished at the nearest practical e to the business interests of the cit {that this depot should be reached {lines either above or below the estab- |lished grades of the several streets to be occupied or crossed. and that the passage of Potomac River south- ward be made passible to all under reasonable conditions. He recom- mends. however. that the building of { this dep not in any way inte fere with tion of any oth depots that v be necessary in tt future roper point in his estima- tion for the river to be crossed is at the foot of Maryland avenue and he urges the removal of the present Long | Bridge. The site selected should be at some point west of Sixth street and south of C street southwest, and after giving his reasons pro and con on several different routes the Commis- sioner says: ‘I therefore recommend that a point at or near the intersection of Maryland and Virginia avenues be selected as & place for the Union Depot ' The cost to the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad is estimated to be $405.393.95; to the Baltimore & Ohio Ri $950.878.60: total for combined ra roads west of New Jersey avenue, $1.- 000.551.54." * Guiteau’s periormances in the court room during his trial drew large crowds Guitesu on Of spectator n seemed to ampage. 2ard A Rampage as a form tainment. His sallies and r and sometimes his ribaldry prov | laughter which the court had difficulty lin repressing. The following report {printed in The Star of December 14, | 1881, is typical: | “Mr. C. A. Bryan of Brooklyn, a clerk | {of the Equitable Life Insurance Society jof New York, testified that Guiteau | came to him last February, wanted to olicit risks for the society and wanted | a loan on account:; the request being |denied, the prisoner showed him his | speech; spoke of his political aspira- tions and talked very familiarly of Jim Blaine and other prominent men. ‘I never spoke of Mr. Blaine as Jim Blaine in my life.’ interrupted g prisoner. The prisoner commenced to denounce the witness as a liar, in his | usual voluble way. and the court under- | teok to check him | “'I want to say now once for all.’| said the prisoner, ‘when a witness \ called on this stand and makes state- | ments that I know are false I say: | You are mistaken, s that is false, sir; you are a liar, sir; and if he stlllw persists I say: You are an infernal | whelp, sir. That's equal to the bar room language of consigning a man below.’ “The witness testified to lending the prisoner $10 on March 5 to come to Washington with. Subsequently he sent the prisoner $25 for a balance due from insurance commissions. He had received a perfect avalanche of letters from the prisoner after the latter came | to Washington, but most of them he | had destroyed. The prisoner explained | the proceeding: ot was going to cheat him out of his money. Two of the letters were pro- duced and expressed the prisoner’s high hopes of office and asked for money due. A press copy of a letter from the witness to the prisoner was read, im- plying that he considered himself under no obligations to the prisoner. Mr. Corkhill asked the witness if he thought the prisoner was trying to blackmail him, but the question was not admitted. “‘Blackmail & man that wasn't worth a dollar!’ shouted the prisoner, and he burst into a derisive laugh. Upon cross- examination the witness said his opin- jon was that the prisoner ought to be hanged. *‘And you came here to do your share except was hitherto to the Basel conclusions is ¢ That is as far as I ever go. | entitled, “Must Europe Default? Ushering in a movie is far better than ushering in a legitimate theater, A hit play is likely to run indefinitely, but most” movies change weekly. It has been whispered that ali the road companies that played and probably still are playing “Abie’s Irish Rose” were made up of ushers who had worked in the New York playhouse where the original cast capered. After a few years ushering, the help knew every line. But there’s a change in the movies and at least $9.24 a weck. Cashiering seems to be about the worst job in the movies. A cashier usually” isn't kept on duty very long. Sbe has short hours and a relief. She gets $8 a week salary, but she has the fun of handling all that money and, if a philosopher, the fun of seeing the types who attend these entertainments, admittedly designed to please registering a Binet age of Another group out point of vie nothing is comp They work the to the we ¥ from the the show 62 of them E 1 kinds of weather, and get $20 a week. But then consider the compensations. They can wear uniforms [furnished by the man- agement, uniforms which give them & splendor beside which a Russian grand duke or the Crown Prince of Graustark would look like a rag-picker. What matter that their jobs do not give them an opportunity to see the show? They are a show in themselves and are well aware of it. Where the Bigger Salaries Are. also bea L They, too, A stage n pusher or w a week, week. In figur movie working time, it must be borr in mind that in most clties motion picture theaters are open seven days & week. Musici theaters often s much thei portant they are reputat ssion Depresses Britain BY A. G. GARDINER. LONDON. Dece A to apprecia tunes of the w reparati resources. at Basel study reached the c unable to meet eit obligations under through T her pres: loans. dence of a gr sources of revel P and ayment of the Young 1 existence of larger mass of short-ter rd o m that the self to the e of poltict xpressed here ermany is unable to pay loans are cut of the tWo_courses pox ther moratoriu; standst commer away of war i is agreed that e United States and France is not encouraging in regard to the adoption of the bolder policy. So, as “the new statesman” re- marks, probably the utmost to be hoped for is another moratorium in ord to give the world more time to come to its senses. But it must be realizod that the moratorium and dstill " agreemen s not only are but will actua.ly leave the si woise when hey run out There is. of course, a t tive—simple default and Since the debates in Congr heard this solut i mostresponsibie ¢ inevitable consequence of mood of Congress. 1o1e s an the prescnt ‘The Financial News in an article says opinion in Congress is wholly divorced from the facts: that the suspension of war debts must go hand in hand with the suspension of reparations, and that Europe should speak with one voice and the national government here should announce boldly and unequivocally a policy the essence of which is “no Teparations, no war debts. The Spectator, equally emphatic, says that if Germany ceases to pay repara- here that he was afrald the witness | tions it will be impossible for Britain e d France to pay their war debts, es- ially in view of the faci that America refuses to take paiment in goods. The debt question must come 1o a head with the reparations question. The obverse of the doctrine stated in the Balfour note is that, if reparations fail debt payments fail simultaneousiy. This rep- Tesents practically unanimous comment in the British press on the debates in Congress. (Copyright, 1631.)" toward hanging him. I suppoce;’ sal@ Mr, Scelle, *“‘Your share toward lying would pe the proper word to use here," interjected the prisoner.”