Evening Star Newspaper, January 1, 1932, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR, THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTON, D. C. January 1, 1932 r THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Edito r Newspaper Company ness OMs #.. London. and Pennsyly i York Offce Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Sta axo Office pesn Office vening Star ... . .45¢c per month and Sunday Star days) 60¢ per month Butiners 11th 8t. N England. 8y B 65 per month Sta: Sc_1er copy w The Sunday Star Collection made at the end of each month | ders may be sent in by mail or telephone fAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. n +7..310.00; 1 mo., 85 fly ang, Sundar.... 131 31008 1 me: B day only 1yr. $4.00: 1 mo. 40c All Other States and Canada. fly and Sunday...1yr.$12.00: 1 mo., §1 E”J only 1y 0. inday only $8.00: 1 m $5.00; 1 mo., Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Picss is exclusively ertitled to the use for republication of all news dis- atches credited fo it or not otherwise cred- Red in this paper and aiso the local news published herein. All rights of of | special dispatches herein are | 00 lication 50 Teserved. The Gloomy Skies Will Clear. ‘The New Year dawns in gloom in Washington, in trms of weather. The skies are overcast, a storm is raging Is this an aug T the towelve- | month now beg None but a chro snswer in the rains and winds wi will clear, the brightly. Tomorrow, fair and clement Thus will the economic conditions, now so depressing and indeed distress- ing, likewise improve. The dawn of the year, unpropitious as it is in physical terms, will pass to better days, better times. The “weather map" of America may at this time show a widely prevalent “Jow,” covering t}1= major portion of the country, but back of that area of un- ss come the winds that will es and sbate the storm. It s0. It will always perhaps, Wil be s0. America is today fundamentally sound, though shaken by the elements of economic discrder. While the condi- tions that make for th> present distress spread over other lands, as sometimes in the past, there are here active the forces of recovery independent of those that affect regions beyond.the seas. Never before in the history of America has there been such strength of co- operation and co-ordination in the face of unfavorable conditions. For the re- lief of suffering there is at work a Nation-wide spirit of Samaritanism. From depleted purses are flowing funds to provide the necessities of those who are out of work, and who, without this succor, would suffer keenly, perhaps would perish for the lack of sustenance. This spirit of helpfulness, which has | responded nobly to the call, will prevail sgainst the adversity that afflicts mil- lions of the people. Just so, through clear understanding of the causes of the economic misfortune that has come upon the Nation, will the recovery that is the fundamental law of organized humanity be assured. Despair is the worst enemy the peo- ple have to meet in this crisis. Belief in the eventual, perhaps the early, res- toration of health is the best agency of recovery. The greeting “Happy New Year” is the war cry of a triumphant campalgn. ————— A Diabolical Plot. Discovery of six more bombs in the guise of packages delivered at post of- fices in addition to those found at Easton, Pa., on Wednesday, leads di- rectly to the conclusion that a sinister plot of serious nature is at hand. These later infernal machines were all ad- dressed to Italians resident in this country. Fortunately none of these ex- plosive parcels was opened by those to whom they were addressed. Arrests have been made that it is hoped will lead to the discovery of the nest of plotters who are thus seeking the lives of Italian officials and resi- dents. Every possible precaution has been taken to prevent disaster. Safe- guards have been thrown around those who might conceivably be, the .objects of attack. Inquiry is being made into the possible sources of the materials from which these infernal machines were constructed. Every available agency of investigation is at work Thus far the plot has failed. It has taken three victims, but not those to whom the bombs were addressed. Two mail clerks and an explosives expert have been killed. With the warning that has been given there should be no further tragedies. - When the University of California foot ball team went through a special practice drill the White House grounds for the benefit of the Presi- dent 1t might have been a good plan to borrow his medicine ball. On the same principle that bese ball players swing three bats Calamity in Chicago. The enormity of Chicago's financial @iffculties stagger the imagination, for they are beyond ordinary conceptions based on precedent. There has never been anything like it be The cit- fsems of Chicago themselves seem 50 stunned that the decision yesterday by Oounty Judge Edmund K. Jarecki ean be considered as & correct reflection of their attitude. Judge Jarecki. hold- Ing that assessments for iz years 1928 and 1929 were #nd invalid, uttered grave warr 4f taxing bodies continued to make such “unjust levies” a “crisis” might be pre- cipitated, “the results of which cannot e foretold.” Orisis, indeed! Chicago is just find- tng ‘out, through the tedious processes of the courts, that its assessments for 1938 end 1929 were invalid—finding this out &t & time when 1930 bills are due. The decision, hailed as & “vie- tory” for the taxpayers. means that the eity cannct collect in back taxes a sum of over $140,000,000, and that the current taxes cannot be collected pecause they are based on the 1928 s sessments. And with city emj Jong since unpaid, with a trimendous deficit already aceumulated and the on | taxing bodies continue to make Nch'summer may, after all, bear polmw' unjust levies. Chicago has been passing through a series of crises. The decision by Judge Jarecki is merely another blind step in the dark. That decision is still to be | appealed, and another long wait will | ensue while the Illinois courts study | three-year-old sssessments to discover | whether the lower court is correct in holding them invalid. Mayor Cermak has already sald that | the assessments invalid, “We might ! have to close the City Hall” State ileflslltors have alrepdy suggested that the bankrupt city be placed in the hands of receivers. The closing of the “City Hall” would probably constitute the most construc- tive step. “City Hall” symbolizes the root of the difficulties today. What Chicago obviously needs now is a type | of leadership that does not spring from City Hall. The greatest danger lies in the same sort of apathatic indifference | toward calamity that makes possible the construction of fraudulent tax rolls and is willing to wait three years for a court to pronounce them fraudulent. e ——— Hindenburg Tells the World. Americans who understand the Ger- = | man language yesterday had another of those epochal privileges which radio is continually bringing to the world when they listered in to a New Year eve address by President von Hind°nburg. D-livered in the sidential palace nt Berlin, the hal'o! walls hin which Bis e lived and reigred. thel old Fizld Mar boomed throuzh the with amazing clearness. Atlanti~ ether {to whom Gorman is a mysterious and | impossible tongue could not fail but grasp the power and intensity of the Reich President's appeal to the world not to impose unbearable burdens upon the German people or keep them in a permanent state of defenselessnes< There is obvious signficance in the choice of this moment for Hinden- berg's first broadcast to foreign coun- tries, Great Britain in addition to the United States having been cne of the re- gions which bis voice reached. European thought is riveted upon the approach- ing reparations and debt conference at Lausanne—that council of our debt- ors from which the United States is to remain aloof. The conference will be called upon to determine Ger- many's immediate economic fate. That it will find and proclaim the Reich's incapacity to maintain reparation payments on the Young plan scale is sufficiently indicated by the advance report to that effect by the World Bank Advisory Committee. President von Hindenburg contends that “the magnitude of the sacrifices we Germans are makinz” gives them a right to demand consideration from other nations. Plainly, the vencrable soldier-statesman infers that the Reich can be pressed by its creditors to a point that would automatically destroy all hope of meeting its obligations. “Requirements impossible to fulfill,” the President declares, “must not bz imposed upon us.” They would only “stand in the way of our recovery.” There was the ring of a stern pride :n Hindenburg's affirmation that the Ger- man people have been asked to make “tremendous sacrifices,” but he hardly minced words in intimating that there is a definite limit beyond which the country’s self-abnegation cannot be ex- pected to go. Paul von Hindenburg burst upon the world’s attention in 1914 when he fought the decisive battle of the Tan- nenberg eagainst the invading forces of Russia. One could almost sense the emotion that filled the old fleld mar- shal's soul as he yesterday likened the present plight of the German nation to that which its armies faced at Tan- nenberg.’ Hindenburg called upon his own people to confront the “almost equally earnest hour” they now face with the courage, the unity ard the vatriotirm shown by his troops at ‘Tannenberg. Practicing those virtues, the hero of the Masurian Lakes voiced his faith can be driven into the swamps and ccn- quered, just as Hindenburgs hapless Russian foe was. He did not identify Hitlerism, except by inference, for it is the Fascist chieftain who is preaching the gospel of despair. Altogether it is an inspiring word from their revered national lcader with which the Germans enter upon what may be another year of mighty destiny for the fatherland. It must have fal- len on millions of sympathetic cars far beyond the borders of Germeny. g PELLE bl Rudy Vallee seems to have “soured’ on the Broadway crowd of eritics, act- ors, managers, etc. They are not in- efficient “sourers” themselves. Politics of 1932. The new year holds the key and the answer to many political problems and political ambitions. As the new year spens the Republicans are hoping for an upturn in the fortunes of the G O. P, which have been at a Jow c¢bb because of the eccnomic situation in the country. The party in power is always blamed for the failure of busi- ness, unemployment and reduction of wages, for the failure of crops and for the drought. It is human nature to blame some one. some organigation, for all the economic ills which beset a people. The Democrats look forward with hope and the exoectation of victory in the national elections this year. They have been encouraged by the action of the voters in by-elections in widely separated congresslonal districts to fill House vacancies in the last few menths, They have seen Democratic gubrrna- torial candidates roll up huge major- ities in New Jersey and Kentucky, supplanting Republican Governors in both instances. ‘The one bright spot for the G. O. P. was the election of a Republican suc- cessor in the first Ohio congressionsl district to the late Speaker Nicholas Longworth. In that district John B. Hollister rolled up a Republican majority that far exceeded the most optimistic predicticns of the leaders themselves Cincinnati, which fcrms a large part cf the first and second districts in Chie, has been a Republican stronghold, gen- erally spezking. A large proportion of the people are of German extraction and have been Repubiican for genera- tions. President Hoover's effort to help if the decision by Judge Jarecki held | tones | | Even listeners | that the, forces of economic depression | fruit. If it does, and the German- American voters are inclined to be friendly with the Hoover administration, they are likely to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming campaign. They have held a balance of power in | many States. Despite talk of opposition to the re- {nomination of President Hoover, the leaders of the Republican party ere convinced that he will and should be the nominee. Disgruntled Republicans ifrom the West and some from the “wet” East do not accept this view of the sifuation. On the Democratic side of the presidential race, however, the situation is filled with possibilities, al- though the chances favor the nomina- tion of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Governor of New York, for President. The am- bitions of all the candidates will be de- ! termined by the close of June. | The new year is likely to see a more bitter fight between the wets and drys than has taken place for a dozen years. |1t will be the more bitter because the | wels have made inrcads not expected | by the drys and the drys have buckled on their armor for the fray. One resolution at least both the major political parties should make as the new year beégins—not to play politics at the expense of the American people. Both parties have their dutles to perform in the Congress. Such legislation as is needed should be put through promptly. 1t should seek the best interests of the people as p whole. It is no time to serve the sclfish interests of special groups of the citizens. r———— “Cortin,” & new hormone, is such an cnemy of fatigue that its injection, ai cording to one scientist, “increases fa tigue resistance so that twenty-eight times as much work can be performed as formerly.” Who wants to do twenty- eight times as much work? And what a terrible setback to the unemployment situation, anyhow. r————————— Senator Couzens comes right out and declares that members of Congress should cut their own salaries first be- fore slashing the much smaller ones of more continuous Government workers. To many of his colleagues on the hill nothing since the days of the guillotine of the “Terror” will seem so horrible. et According to the latest scientific theory our sun once split in two, the other half heading for some unknown destination and the fragments becom- ing planets. Washingtonians who spent the Summers of 1930 and 1931 in town are tempted to suspect that there had | been a surreptitious reunion. B If Mahatma Ghandi does ride that | bicycle he took back with him from England, he will not have to spend any money on those ankle spring clips familiar to the middle-aged man of to- day. e — And now scientists have found a “missing link” in the form of a five-inch fossil skeleton of a marine animal which had the “foundations of the human face” If William Jennings Bryan had ever had that one sprung on him! —_—ee——————— As regards a certaln Manchurian city the Japanese appear content to let the League of Nations do the chinning while they drive straight ahead to the chow. R ———— SHOOTING STARS, BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Greeting. Oh, here's a little greeting from old Po- hick on the Crick! We're countin’ up the blessin's that have followed fast and thick. We've had our days of merriment as well as days of toil, And we've gathered in the richness of our broad and generous soil. The old folks have grown older and we're smiling now to see we used to be. They're courtin’ an they're marryin' an’ goin’ on their ways An' the mother songs are soundin’, same as in the other days. We wish you all successes in that great big world outside. We glory in your splendors of prosperity and pride. We hope for peace an’ plenty—but if strife is in the air, We'll line up with the rest of you an’ try to do our share. - But it 1sn't egotism if we also hope you may | Enjoy the calm an’ the content 50 com- mon out our way. o We will wish you Happy New Year—an’ you musn’t be too quick To forget this stmple message from old Pohick om the Crick! Elastic Opinions. your way this year?” “Can't say as to that” replied Sen- ator Sorghum. “I'm going to do my best to go its way.” Serene Audacity. I have a mind to give you a whip- ping!” exclaimed the impatient father. “Well,” replied the athletic youth, “maybe you can. But if you succeed it will be some item for the sport page.” Fortified Geniality. The optimist defies the storm, Provided he's a thrifty soul, And has, besides a heart so warm, A cellar that is full of coal. Mere Pretext. “Bliggins can't argue without losing his temper.” “I don't bleme the argument. He feels like losing his temper anyhow and makes the argument an excusc.” Annual Phenomenon. Now,” said the magazine editor, “we'll have & cover design representing the cld year @ an aged man and the New Year &s a smiling infant.” “All right,” replied the artist. “But it looks like nature-faking to me. Any- body knows that a smiling infant couldn't grow all ihose white whiskers in cne short year.” Mild Mendacities. The ground hog scon will be in line, A trifier undeniable; And then we'll have St. Valeniine, ‘Who's even less reliable. “Some men’s idea of kindness,” said Uncle Eben, “is to work an uneom- tax base wiped out, Judge Jarccki the American people by preventing a plainin’ an’ underfed hoss to death doln® ’ymwhnmu Soencisl uphosvel I Germany nmwuuww.h o V The youngsters gettin' frivolous jes' like | “Do you think the election will go|§ WASHINGTON THIS AN The New Year sees the so-called dol- lar book triumphant. Perhaps no movement toward a price ever created quite so much interest as this one. Five years ago there were compara- tively few books which sold at the modest price of a dollar, with the ex- ception of certain standard classics in various “libraries” or collections. Today the ambitlous reader may select from literally hundreds of good books, works which sold for severai | times the price a few years ago. ‘The best thing we see about this movement is that it replaces the ques- | tion of price with that of interest. It | ends the worse snobbery of bookdom, and that was of “something new.” | Many readers for a time came to| take an interest only in the “latest thing.” The fine old books of the cen- turies were forgotten by scores of read- | ers, who professed to find only the new book worth reading. This was a natural reaction in an era of sophistication. But it was noti o good. It failed to take into ac- count the simple fact that time has very little, if anything, to do with | greatness. The works of art of the ancient | Greeks are quite as great today as they were when carved. The writings of Plato, the thoughts of Socrates—time has only added a certain luster to them. Every one, in relation to such things, sees &t once that newness is not es- sential; it is genius which counts with them It is not quite so easy to see it with contemporary things. Scmething new meens a deal to many. With the discriminating. however, newn: becomes cnly one of many facets Newness has its p'ace. In books o furniture, in radio sets or in the style | of engag-ment rings, fact that a thing is “new” must mean something It should not, and often does not, mean everything, except with a certain type of human being. This type of man or woman is & study. She—let us take her for con- venlence—finds an utterly unexplain- able pleasure from the contempletion of the brand-new dress or the book fresh from the press. The “latest thing” in games thrills her, even if it is & rehash of an old game—backgam- mon, for instance. It will be discovered, on analysis, that the basis of this regard for the new is allied strictly with the idea of .bcing “up to date.” And being up to the minute, as it weie, means mostly being 80 in the eyes of some one else. With books, all this must b> looked at from another standpoint. While un- doubtedly there will remain a certain number of persons wko insist on bring- ing into the realms of the mind the modes and qualities which properly be- long in other spheres, the great bulk of what one prefers to think of as more {or less normal people will insist on re- | garding books as things apart. A book is an intellectual expression. It mey or it may not respond to the moment. If it does—and it often does —it does, that is all. If it does not, but holds to universal principl fact that it does not respond will not detract one whit from its appeal to the intelligent. Good books, therefore, may be held to be beyond the petty appeil of the modes of the moment. While there are fashions in them, as in other things, basically they are things of the cen- turfes. It is an appealing thought, and at the same time a thrilling one to a booklover, to realize that Julius Caesar would be pleased to know that his Com- mentaries are still read by thousands of human beings of ¢n elien tongue. Books thus divested of time (being, in truth, perfectly timeless) are able! | It goes without saying that no man | in the whole United States awaits the fortunes that 1932 has in store for him with greater interest or anxiety than Herbert Hoover. The twelvemonth just | born is his year of destiny. His place | in history will be fixed by what it brings forth in November next. The President faces the unknown in undiminished fortitude. He would be more than hu- | man if now and then In his demeanor and his contacts with people Mr. Hoo- ver did not reveal traces of the incom- parable stress under which the Presi- | dent of the United States must neces- sarily labor at this juncture. But no evidence is visible or deducible that “the Chief” has lost his nerve, his con- fidence or his determination to hew to | the line, let the chips fall where they may. Mr. Hoover has indicated that he has certain fixed views with refer- ence to what is required to cope with both the domestic and international situations in which the American people find themselves pain- fully aw. re that Congress is in stubborn | opposition to various Hoover policies. The guess is here hazarded that before long the country will find the Presi- dent battling firmly for the right, as he sees the right, in & variety of directions, and evincing his readiness to stand or | fall by the consequences. There will be | no_ Rooseveltian ' spectacularism about | it, but plenty of tenacity. * * Not since the halcyon days of the Wilson administration have Democrats acsembled in the high fettle which in- spires the party hosts now converging on Washington for next week’s Jackson Gay festivitles and the National Com- mittee meeting. The banquet give: every promise of being a genuine love feast, with confidence of 1932 victor: dripping all over the place. Hope ha practically been abandoned that either Gov. Roosevelt or Newton D. Baker will race the dinner table, but with Al Smith, Jim Cox, Bert Ritchie, Joe | Robinson, Harry Byrd, Jim Ham Lewis, | Cordell Hull and John W. Davis on the scene therell be plenty of omortunity | for favorite sons to preen themselves and cavort in the flerce limelight that | beats so agreeably upon a presidential possibility. The National Committee is hopeful that a Kilkenny fight may be avolded at its meeting the morning | after the Jackson day dinner—that if | there's any hang-over from that func- tion it will be purely of the harmony brand. Ed Hurley of Chicago, who hypnotized the Republicans into taking their convention to the Windy City thinks hell have no trouble in be- guiling his own party into doing likewise. * K ok K TLocal diplomatic quarters are buzzing with gossip about the underlying rea- son for Ambassador W. Cameron Forbes’ Cecision to resign his post in Japan at this witching hour. On many hands can be heard the suggestion that his re- tirement is a palpable protest against Japanese action in Manchuria and the breaking of pledges given to the United Btates and the rest of the world. Ex- perienced djplomatists point out thab under the circumstances not many men would care to remain in Tokio. Mr. Forbes' impending departure is not, of ccurse, tantamount to the withdrawal of American diplomatic representation from Japan. But it’s a third cousin to that procedure, and Nippon may be ex- pected—though not officially-~to view it in just that light. Perhaps Aml r Forbes feels a little remorse over hav- ing embarked upon his vacation trip to the United States in September at al- niost the very hour Japan's conquest of Menchuria set in. He returned to Tokio pell-mell during the Autumn. * %ok % If Mrs. Gifford Pinchot eventually takes the field in the fifteenth Pennsyl- vania district agiinst Representative Leuis T. McFadden, the Governor's red- haired lady is hardly likely to fight it out on a pro-Hoover platform. Every- body knows there's little love lost be- | tween the Montague Hoovers and the | Cipulet Pinchots. The feud is sup- sed to have its roots in war-time | Pood Administration deys, when Mr.! | BY CHARLES E. | of the marks of the real DINGs s BRI A A ’ 5 B NUARY 1, 1932. D THAT TRACEWELL. to free themselves also of the clutter of price. At least to some extent. The idea of giving the most and best books to the people at the lowest prices consistent with decent crafts- manship has been an ideal in every age since the diffusion of printing. It has represented one end of the scale, the other being fixed by the most beau- | | tiful, and thus often the most expen- sive, formats. There has been noth- ing inconsistent about all this. When snobbish ideas are taken out of books there remains little difference, except in beauty, between the cheap edition| of a classic and the strictly limited edition. The latter is on fifer paper, usually has much wider margins and stouter covers. _Sometimes, at least nowadays, it rather foolishly includes the signature of the author in his own handwriting. The cheap edition of the same classic (and by that we mean simply any gcod book) Is no less pleasing to the real booklover. This is a test. Do you get as much of a “kick” out of picking up & good book for a small price as you do from running onto a very fine edition at a large one? This is one booklover. In perhaps no other field is the matter of price of so little moment. It is thus seen that the “dollar book” is not to be commended so much because it is sold at a low price, or & com- paratively low price, as simply because it is enough, because it permits the ambitious person to possess Mmany books. It is true that Lincoln gained 2 mastery of English by reading the Bible and Shakespeare, or so the story goes, but thet means little. A man of his calibcr would have written his fine speeches just the same if he had read nothing but almanacs. Instcad of being echoes of great literature they perhaps would have been all Lincoln. The rise of the dollar book has been tremendous. Only those who went through the period of the “five-dollar books” can know personally how many scores of the latter are to be obtained today in the dollar form., Many & reader who has been collecting books since childhood finds himself aston- ished to discover the number of books in his home library which can be pur- chased teday for a fraction of the price he paid for them. And what if one does not read cer- tain books the very month they ap- pear? It will make no difference to the sort of reader we are discussing. He wiil leave all that to those who insist on being right up to the minute It means so much to them! It means nothing to him. Some astute students believe that no book which will not survive two or three years or more is worth reading, anyway. By that time the volume they want is down to their price level And there is another particularly good thing about these floods of cheaper books. While the booklover is waiting for them to come out in cheap editions, he is securing the time to make up his mind about them. It is with mew books as with so many things one sces—they aye attractive, one wants thém and one considers whether he should buy them. The curious thing is that if one does not purchase them forthwith the chances are that his desire will grow cold for some cf them and that he will never buy them at all. This is the safety- valve of the honest, everyday human being who does not possess pots of money. His buying rust be diserim- inatory. Honest business is not the loser by this, in the long run, but the gainer. The so-called “dollar book” has done more to boost the book business than all the publishers’ ballyhoo, and if any one doesn’t believe this, just let him step into a book mart and look at the tables. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Pinchot, after having shopped around for a Washington swivel chair in vari- ous quarters, finally found welcome and shelter in Mr. Hoover's department. The Penn Governor trains politically with Scnator Norris. It'll be grand if Messrs. Pinchot, Norris & Co., are fighting Hoover in the presidential campaign, while Mrs. Pinchot is whoop- ing it up against McFadden on the ground that the Pennsylvanian slan- dered and aspersed the President dur- ing the moratorium melee, I The Capital's New Year's day visitors include Capt. Adolphus Andrew U. 8. N., a well known and popular fi ure in Washington during the Coolidge Administration. He was skipper of the Presidential yacht Mayflower during the Vermonter's regime and also served as chief White House naval aide. Capt. Andrews, whose claims to fame include the ownership of a sky scraper hotel in Dallas, Texas, bearing Lis given name, now occupies one of the Navy's blue ribbon posts. He is chief of staff at the Naval War College, in Newport, R. I, where our sea estab- lishment's “brains” most do congregate from year to year. At the moment, during Admiral Laning’s presence on the west coast for maneuvers, Capt. Andrews is acting president of the War College. | £t Ted Husing. the Columbia Broad- casting System's star sports announcer, who has been invited to absent himself from future foot ball contests on Soldier'’s Field, Boston, is now known | among his friends as “Harvard's Bard.” * ok kK American wets are sure to experience jovous New Year holiday with the news from Finland that by referendum that country has decided to go off the | water wagon and repeal its 12-year-old | prohibition law. Referendum stock is visibly higher in Washington as a result of «the news from Helsingfors. The Anti-Saloon Leaguers, who will soon foregather here for their twenty- fifth biennial convention, would rather have had the Finns vote the other, way, but the Sahara brothers and sisters insist there’s no reason whatever to suspect that what Finland did this week the U. S. A. will do this year, or for some time to come—if ever. R Democrats customarily don't rise to| high place in Hooverian times, but the ! Interstate Commerce Commission begins operations in 1932 with one of them as chairman. He is Claude R. Porter of Towa, who succeeds to the post under the practice of selecting a new chair- man every year. Mr. Porter became a member of the rail-ruling body in 1928, Previously he was chief counsel of the Federal Trade Commission. Porter has led Towa Democrats’ forlorn hope on many occasions, including a 1920 Senate race against Albert B. Cummins. Presi- dent Wilson rewarded him with the Trade Commission appointment at the time the meat pockers were coming under the axe at Washington. The new Interstate Commerce Commission chief is an active advocate of railroad | consolidation. He Wwill preside over the | impending hearings on the 4-party plan | for consolidation in Eastern territory. (Copyright, 1932 diivnom L oo Lead Mine Closed Out. From the Columbus Ohio State Journal. We suppose the New York officials’ main reason for wanting to catch the killers of Jack Diamond 1s to thank them personally. e Among the Yule Gifts. From the Indianapolls Slar If a housewife gave only what was seldom used to the poor, she could pass on some lovely guest towels. e Then the Fun Began. From the Butte Montana Standard. Japan accepts the League of Nations peace terms with the mental reserva- tion that any Chinamen she kills be- tween mow and the time she signs on the dotted line don't count. Potomac Tunnel Plan Broached Two Years Ago To the Editor of The Btar: I have been very much interested in the articles appearing in your paper on December 27 and 328 in reference to & proposed railroad tunnel to carry all Southbound rail traffic under the Po- | tomac River, I have been interested to note that from these articles one is led to believe that the proposed scheme | has originated with the Federal Park and Planning Commission. In this conection I beg permission to! call your attention to the fact that I proposed such construction to the Washington Board of Trade at one of its regular meetings about two years ago. At that time your good paper carried a full column front-page article featuring my suggestion, which I believe was recognized as original. It has occurred to me that it might have been courteous of the Park and | Planning Commission to have made | some reference to the fact that they |are indorsing a suggestion previously made. This idea has not been a mere | passing fancy on my part. It is an | idea that has been given very careful | engineering computation and its feasi- | bility definitely determined before it was presented to the Washington Board of Trade. Perhaps it is not customary to make reference to previous publications on such subjects, The Evening Star was courageous enough at that time to ac- cept the suggestion as one worthy of consideration. It was the only dally lnper that did so recognize. I am at east pleased that a Federal body has seen fit to recommend the scheme to higher authority. P. M. ANDERSON. What Is the District’s Status in the Law? To the Editor of The Star: Answering a question, Mr. Haskin sets forth in your columns that the District of Columbia has no status cither as a State or Territory. It is understood that the District of Columbia is a State for purposes of taxation, under the constitutional power to “apportion direct taxes among the several States.” It appears at times to be considered a State within the meaning of that part of the Fourteenth Amendment which declares that “no States shall ¢ * ¢ deny to any person within its jurisdiction” the equal protection of the laws.” It is not a State “within the judicial clause of the Constitution giving juris- diction in cases between citizens of different States.” It is not a State for purposes of rep- resentation, though the Congress of the United States has power to grant local self-government to District citizens. While not a State for purposes of rep- resentation, it has a legislature—the Legislature of the Union—in which are combined both National and municipal JOSEPH W. CHEYNEY, Trend to More Simple Medical Terms Lauded From the Schenectady Gazette. The trend toward simplicity, if any- thing may be considered simple that fills 250 pages and lists from 10,000 to 20,000 titles, is shown in the new clas- sification of diseases adopted by the national conference on nomenclature of disease recently held at the New | York Academy of Medicine Some of the most distinguished mem- bers of the medical profession were present at the conference, coming from all f:m of the country to add the | weight of their opinion in the matter under_consideration. It has long been felt that the use of Latin and Greek in naming disease is not entirely good. While physicians and nurses themselves are educated to understand these for- eign terms, they are usually a puzzle to patients and their families. The old practice of mystifying pa- tlents in regard to what ails them is changing. Sick people usually prefer to know what is the matter with them, and, excepting in cases where such knowledge may prove injurious to them, it is right that they should be informed. ‘The custom of calling a disease after its discoverer is giving way, where - sible, to some more descriptive title. The prime object of the new classi- fication, however, is to establish uni- formity throughout the country in the listing of all diseases in a clearly under- standable manner. As at present compiled it will be given a year's test in hospitals and by physicians in public and private prac- tice, also in the Army and Navy and Veterans’ Bureau and all branches of Public Health Service. Any revisions which may be found desirable at the end of this trial period will be made before it is permanently adopted. All known diseases are listed, with numerals used to indicate the classes of disease according to the organ af- fected, as well as its nature. is will tend to lessen confusion in medical records and will aid the physician and nursing attendants. - | | 1 powers. Blacklisting the Colleges. From the Morgantown Dominion-News. A resolution adopted at the annual meeting of the American Association of University Professors indicates the coming of & development in college circles that promises to exercise a pro- found effect on the principle of aca- demic freedom, and on the whole ques- tion of the constitutional right to give free expression to one's thoughts and opinions. ‘The resolution provides for the black- listing of colleges where faculty dis- missals are found to be unwarranted Its adoption followed a report of the Committee on Academic Freedom, ex- onerating Prof. Herbert A. Miller, soci- ologist, who was dismissed from Ohio State University on charges that a speech he made in Bombay incited Hindus to civil disobedience. ‘The adoption of the resolution indi- cates that university professors are be- ginning to realize the power that they might wield once they so organized themselves as tc be able to act as a unit. Probably this realization comes about because of the unusual number of dismissals that have occurred during recent years, most of them on grounds of “radicalism” in thought, said radical- ism consisting, in the main, of nothing but a departure from some of the “good old American ideas” whose only claims to excellence are that they are old. ‘Too many of our colleges and uni- versities are controlled by groups whose members are incapable of advanced thought, and who, therefore, look with distrust and disfavor upon any ‘“‘under- ling” who shows signs of chafing at the bit. Heretofore the powers that be in our schools have been able to oust of- fenders of this kind without any real fear of any effective retaliation. They have adhered to the principle that col- lege professors are hired merely to trach from the books; that they must not, under pain of instant discharge, permit themselves to contribute any- thing toward the bringing of a new order in our outworn social structure. But what if the professors form a really effective organization? Suppose this organization finds that Prof. Jones, who believes Tom Mooney innocent, and who had the temerity to say so public- ly, has been discharged from his posi- tion at great Siwash. Siwash immediately goes on the black- list. Members of the professors’ asso- ciation are pledged not to teach there. Perhaps some of the teachers who are non-members will consent to do so, but the cream of the crop, all of whom are members of the sssociation, will only g0 to Siwash as a last resort. Further than that, Siwash would oc- cupy an unenviable position in the edu- Expert researchers, who can get you any information on any subject, are at your command, without charge to you. sonal answer to any inquiry of fact you may make. Thousands of newspaper readers use this great service. Try it today. Make your inquiry easily reed and easily understood, and address The Washington Star, Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. Is the game of checkers considered scientific>—L. N. A. It is one of the most profound and scientific games which has been devised. It has been said that “everybody plays checkers, but there are few checker players.” Q. What amount of money has been expended by the Federal Farm Board to date?—C. S. G. A. The outstanding loans from the revolving fund on November 1 were approximately $433,000,000. Of this sum, $152,000,000 was outstanding to co-operative associations and the re- mainder to the grain and cotton sta- bilization corporations. The revolving fund is ths $500,000,000 authorized by Congress plus approximately $7,000,000 in interest collected thus far. Q. What color is sunlight?—D. C. R. A. Sunlight is white light composed of all colors of the spectrum. Q. Were any women appointed as fourth-class postmasters this year?—C. 8. B. A. In the fiscal year 1931 there were 1,041 women appointed to such posi- tions. Q. Who was the youngest man ever seated in the House of Representatives? —A. N. A. William Charles Cole of Claiborne, Tenn., who was born in 1775, appears from "the records to be the youngest man who ever sat in the House of Representatives. He was in_Congress from March 4, 1797, to March 3, 1801, and no question seems ever to have been raised as to hig right to his seat, although he was under age by three vears. Q. When did the Federal Govern- ment acquire Bedloes Islang, on which the Statute of Liberty stands?—W. A. The island was patented to Isaac iBedIoc originally, but in 1758 it was purchased by the city for a smallpox | hospital. { Etates about 1800, and Fort Wood was built there as a defense for the city. Q. Must a Persian cat have a pedi- gree in_order to be considered pure n cats in this country have with Angoras and Tabbies to such an extent that the breed has lost to a considerable degree its original | eharacteristics. For this reason only strictly pedigreed animals may be con- sidered pure-bred Persians. . When was the name of Korea changed to Chosen?—D. C. The name of Korea was changed | nexed by Japan and became part of the Japanese Empire. The Korean name of its capital city is Seoul, but the present name, the Japanese one, is Keijo. Q. Wasn't “Monsieur Beaucaire” Booth ~ Tarkington's first successful noyel?s. hvyg T . Tarkington first won recognition with “The Gentleman from Indiana.” Q. In referring to a confirmed bachelor about to marry is the word “benedick” or “benedict”?—0. L. M. A Both spellings are used, but “ben- A 2-cent stamp will bring you a per- | It was ceded to the United | to Chosen when that kingdom was an- | | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. edick” is the correct one, as the name comes from Benedick, the hero of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Noth- ing.” Q. Why are those who sell short the stock market called bears?—V. F. A. The origin of the term is not definitely known, but one authority says that it wiil probably be found in the proverb, “Selling the skin before you have caught the bear.’ Q. When was the diamond discov- ery at Kimberley, in South Africa, made?—C. V. A. In 1870. Q. Who was Morgan le Fay?—W. S. A. In medieval chivalrous romance, espectally Arthurian legend, this was the name of a wicked fairy, sister of King Arthur, dwelling in the Isle of Avalon. In many Continental tales, she was a powerful falry dwelling in great splendor at the bottom of a lake. g HHow long has ;iéttery been made? in R. A. Proof of its great rntiquity is found in the fact that gracefully formed fictile ware was produced in Egypt before the potter's wheel was known, some uleces being painted by hand. Over 7,000 years before Christ clay vessels . covered with hard glass glaze. How many libraries did Carnegle Q endow?—W. H. Two thousand elght hundred and’ eleven. Q. How lon York Citv?—A. A Tt is g is Broadway in New B.C miles lorg within the New Yprk. . When was Turkish toweling in- ventac?—A. W. A. Terry cloth was invented in 1848 by Samuel Holt of England. In 1858 he presented the first Turkish towel to Queen victoria, from whom he received a medal. There is some doubt as to lhc“orig‘m of the designation “Turk- ish." Some authoritles say that it was applied because of the large quan- tities of the towels that were ship) to Turkey, where they were held in hgg esteem. Q. How many houses were there in Rome when it was consldered the first |city in Europe?—D. M. A. At the beginning of the Christian era the actual number of domiciles ip Rome was 1,950,000. limits of Greater Q What is an in 22 R dex number? A. The phrase index number is some- times applied to any series in which & chosen term is written as 100 and the other terms expressed in percentages of it. Another definition is: “An index number is a number adapted by its va- riations to indicate the increase or de- crease of a gnitude not susceptible ot definite measurement.” Index numbers are applied to the measurement of the general movement of prices, cost of liv ing, wages, production, consumption, employment, etc. Q. In what school for the dy Mrs. Calvin Coolidge telch?—HflfS o A. Mrs. Coolidge taught at the Clarks School for the af, in Northampton, Mass., before she was married. She :::ll}‘l {xkes an active interest in the 00l Q. What down?—R. B. A. A down is an expanse of high, roll- ing ground destitute of trees. ’I'%e'un]n is occasfonally used for a smooth, rounded hill. The system of chalk hilly jKind of land is called in England Is known as the Downs. Q. How many coples were made “The Greek Slave”?—E. K“ o A. Hiram Powers made six copies. Senator Hiram Johnson's efforts to defeat the approval of the debt mora- torium by Congress failed to win the approval of the coutnry, while news- g;wer comment indicates a willingness extend the pericd for payment of wer debts. Political motives are charged to the California Senator, wheso atti- tude is contrasted with that of the Democrats in Congress. “The correct position of the Demo- crats on this administration proposal,” in the judgment of the San Francisco Chronicle, “throws into stronger relief the attitude of the handful of Senators of both parties who seized upon the measure 2s an excuse for making trouble. What the regular opposftion party would not do these soccttered Sen- ators did eagrely. Th-se malcontents could not sway the result a particle, and thoy knew it. But they could stir up unpleasantness and they did it while a weary Senate listened for the most part in silence. The Senate a5 a body is very courteous to its members.” “The Senate, with its vote,” accord- ing to the Oklahoma Tribune, “proved it does not consider the moratorium a partisan measure. It has placed an emphatic stamp of approval upon the President’s action and read a lesson to those who, for political or personal rea- <ons, would delay action on a construc- tive program.” The Salt Lake Deseret considerations, end Senator Johnson's | violent opposition to it does not seem | to be statesmanship.” The Rock Island not borne oui by the fact: and that 1 truth about the war debt situation.” “The objection to the Johnson speech,” argues the Buffalo Evening News, “is not that it reflects on the President, who is much too big a man | to be touched by such a reflection, but that it introduccs into debate the ideas of dictatorship and rebellion, which no official of the American Government should tolerate. The thought had to be in the mir! of the Senator before | | | News feels that “the moratorium Was | export by justified, both by business and humane | That psper: eontin Argus declares that “his charges are th speeches cannot chang> the essen- | geptors, it could come cut, and it was put there | by his resentment at being unable to learn majority opinion.” way of all of the United States themsalves than | they may be doing to the rest of the world.” That paper comments further: “‘Let them default’ cries Hiram | Johnson, in speaking of our debtors. | There is no denying that the stiff at- titude assumed by Senator Johnson and his like, in the face of experts’ report, encourages just such a solution, if solution it can be called, of the whole problem. But have the men who speak light-heartedly of, such a course of action considered fully what it means? The cefault of a great naticn on its chligations will deal a terrific blow at | the credit structure of that nation and of the world. It might easily be the prelude of economic decay. It might mean the partial destruction of the best of our foreign markets, and the spread of a social unrest, the consequence of which no man can foresee. Is it wise to take chances on such a policy? Nor is this all. It is by no means certain that something may not yet be saved of some of the debts owed us by Eu- ropean governments. The sure way to| lose everything is to insist on every- thing.” Observing the point of view of those who upheld the rights cf Congress, the St. Louis Times comments on the situ- ation: “It h's been said that Mr Hoov:er's moratorium action was neces- | sary to save Germany. It may have cational world. Before every one it would be branded as a place where new ideas are unacceptable, where any de- parture from the status quo is to be condemned. It would certainly be a place singularly unattractive to men and women who aspire to be leaders of seemed so st the time, but since tha® | day so many tings have happened | that there has a:>n a doubt, of whick Senator Johnson takes proper advan- tegs in defending the Senate's consti- tutioral +ights. We have gone along a impose his ewn judgment over that of | and put the issue to t] the majority, not by any failure to | more | World Court th “The Bl oha stand T Mhe | meretaries o p e Ve la e oncession and adjustment | even Senator Boral in the difficult problem of the debts” | quence could not bolster a cause states the Rochester Times-Union, “are | feeble as those in which Hiram Johnson doing hardly less damage to the people | bas made his last two forlorn Stamds good many yeass in our nzilcnal life without flndi.n’ it necessary for the dozen languages. a name?” Johnson Position Rejected ~ In Comment on Moratorium Chief Executive to act Independentl It may be that in the lnsbancxe”at han'd no harm was done save in the matter of precedent. The fact that it is Sen- ator Johnson who raises the point robs the incident of distinction as an issue, since the Senator cannot be said to heve an unbiased relation to the pres- ent Executive. Despite this fact, it will probably be some time before a Presi- dent has a dealing with foreign powers fn‘m‘e’t’l’fl vacation ;;erlod without doing ng more for: tulkTgver the wire.” B e “There was logic,” thinks the Beacon-Journal, “in the Johns%n‘t)‘:: posal that the anly way to bring peace to Europe would be to have its vietor allied nations restore to their defeated ne: ors ¢l1 the spoils they won as the res of the war. If this were done it would be no more of a sacrifice than that proposed for the pecple of Amer- ica. whos= share in the war saved the day for the allies. and who are now singled out for the further glorious sacrifice of paying its debts, while the European victors keep their spoils.” Quoting President Hoover’s statement in 1928 that “the great war brought into bold relief the utter dependence of nations upon foreign trade,” the Omaha World- Herald asserts that “now all of them are §hut In by their own tariff walls” and “have piled up surplus they cannos ause they cannot import.” ues: “Somehow - ator Johnson of California isn't I%eerrl}' impressive figure as he bellows his de- nunciation of the moratorium afid in 2 same breath his demand for the last ounce of flesh out of our foreign For he is one.of those who have conspired to fasten this destruc- ;:’:mg:?c)'r l:npown ua and so to make 3 o rnational del - ml]%hmpgfix?le." e “The ifornia Senator put similar show in the summeg OYD:XSSB against the Landon naval treaty,” re- calls the Baltimore Sun, with the con- | clusion: “Now that he has given a sec- ond exhibition of failure, dismal, it would seem In‘order 1or th advocates of American adherence to the World Court to buck up a little courage : he test. There is formidable opposition to the London treaty. But h's impassioned elo- “The feeble opposition was equally divided between tll?igolwo mnjoal:s p;(r]nul:l"’ says the Oklahoma City Times, with the conclusion that “the reading pubiic generally is convinced that the mora- torium was a necessity.” The Spring- field (Mass.) Union believes that “there would have been & serious financial col- lapse had the President called a special session to give Johnson and others of a minority opinion an opportunity to telk | and talk zbout it.” B Sl Might Makes Right. From the New Lopdon Day. The secretary general of the Fascist party, in an address at Milan, suggests that the nation adopt as a slogan “Mus- solini is always right.” And here we've been thinking all the time that no cne wnsllllcwed to believe otherwise, any- way ———— Gabb’s Got Gumption. From the Portland Oregon Journal. A Chinese newspaper man named Charley Gabb speaks more than a Who said “What's in - Or a 10-Cent Store. From the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. The shoplifter's idea of an enemy of society, we suppose, is a pickpocket. 'Tis Better Thus. From the Toledo Blade. Trouble may drown, ed, in alc 3 s, s e 1