Evening Star Newspaper, January 14, 1932, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WABHINGTON, D. 0. THURSDAY....January 14, 1932 THEODORE W. NOYES The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office. 11th St. and Pennsylv New York Office: 110 Ea: Pk.n Og& Lake Michi iropean Office Rate by Carrier Within the City. 45¢ per month ar 60c per month ar ..65¢ per month The Sunday 5c_per copy Collection made at Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000, Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. fly and Sunday.... ‘yr.xmw 1 mo., §8¢ i E:ll LAY $6.00. 1 mo., 50¢ inday only 1 mo.. 0 1yra 34.000 All Other States and Canada. fly and Bunday...}yr. $12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 ally Shfy Sunderi3r: fied: mo. i | nday only "1:1.1ll1yr $5.00: 1 mo. 80 Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all Lews dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ted in this paper and also the local 1 published herein. All rights of public #pecial dispatches herein are also Taxes, Not Bonds. Yesterday in explicit terms the Sec- retary and the Undersecretary of the Treasury told the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Represent- atives that an immediate increase of taxation is necessary to balance the Federal budget at the end of the fiscal year 1932-33. Secretary Mellon said: Current receipts and expenditures of the Government should be brought into ce for the next fiscal year, begin- ning with the coming July, so as to put an end at that time to any further in- crease in the public debt. This is es- sential, not merely for maintaining un- impaired the credit of the Government, ¢ enid ‘of ‘each month. | stroet cars within e District of Co- Iumbia, “It should be pointed out,” the Com missioners wrote to Congress, “that in addition to the fact that this abandon- ment is entirely as a result of the Federal bullding program, the removal of the tracks, with the resulting addi- tion of numerous busses by affiliated operation, would not result in & reduc- tion of the revenue of the District of Columbis and a serious congestion of the downtown streets not affected by the street car operation.” The addition of another bus line, be- | ginning Sunday, will naturally serve to |increase the congestion of the downtown | streets. The policy of the Public Utilities | Commission is to discourage the en- \ trance of new bus lines to the congested section, Yet the busses to be substituted for the street cars serving the Virginia suburbs will, for the time being at least, enter the congested district. The bus company wants to come north on Fourteenth street to E, turn right on E, in front of the District Building, turn north on Thirteenth street to E, proceed east on E street to Tenth and stop at the new curbstone terminal now occupy- ing the short block on D between Tenth and Eleventh streets. The commission wants the busses to proceed down Pennsylvania avenue from Fourteenth o Tenth, then return to Fourteenth street by way of Constitution avenue. Nothing yet has been decided. The Public Utilities Commission and the trafc authorities seem to be butld- ing for themselves a condition that steadily becomes more confused. When the municipal authorities announced & policy last Summer for the elimination collision, sutomatie clutch and brake to relieve the operator of atigue after long hours at the wheel, jproved steering mechanisms and brakes, windshield wipers which main- tain & constant speed instead of fluctu- ating with the motor, interior sun visors which are adjustable at will, thermostatic temperature control of the engine, instruments to show oil level in the crank case, radiators with larger cooling areas, more efficient braking systems, manual adjustment of shock absorbers, silent second speeds, auto- matic self-starters with which it is impossible to stall a motor and many others too numerous to mention Nothing is perfect, but the automo- bile of today is making a real bid for perfection. Its place in the business world has been carved out by persistent efforts on the part of the manufac- turers to improve their products. Long ago the automobile ceased to be re- ferred to by any but the uninitiated as & “pleasure” car. It is a “passenger’ Ccar or a “business” car. Motorists of today are indeed a for- tunate lot. Although more traffic must be contended with, the past twelve years has seen remarkable changes not only in motor cars, but in the roads upon which they are operated. It is a far cry from the bumpy, rutty highways of 1920 to the smooth, wide arteries leading from city to city, and from the automobiles that stuttered and splut- tered, oftentimes refusing to start or stop, which rode on hard tires and which steered with all the ease and grace of a ten-ton truck, to the efficient- ly performing creations of today. It is no wonder, then, that 1932 is expect- of busses from the congested district and the construction of off-street terminals, the bus companies were given until next Spring to comply. Are there any indications that they wil comply? but also for reinforcing the entire eredit structure of the country. Undersecretary Mills said: We cannot have an unimpaired and unassailable credit if we follow the cowardly policy of borrowing instead of raising funds to meet our obligations The courageous thing to do and the right thing to do is for the Govern- ment to stop borrowing, balance its budget and remain within its income. Nothing will have & greater effect right now than just that action on our part. Almost coincidentally Speaker Gar- ner issued through the bureau of pub- licity of the National Democratic Com- mittee a statement in which he said: In the last analysis the solvency of Government is the basis of prosperity. There can be no general recovery of business until the Government’s income is brought to parity with its expendi- tures. Obviously this eannot be done without imposing additional burdens on the taxpayers. That these additions may be as light as possible, it is, of course, absolutely necessary that appro- priations be held to the lowest figure that can be arrived at without crip- pling the indispensable activities of ad- ministration. These three statements unmistakably | point to a legislative program of tax | increase, together with economies. They do not point to the adoption of the remedy of borrowing to meet the emer- gency. The fact is sharply brought to attention that the possibility of further Federal loans, to meet in part current obligations, has caused a sharp drop in the last ninety days in United States bonds. The fear that Congress intends to adopt a series of measures directly or indirectly designed for the relief of emergency distress by the issue of bonds has caused this depreciation in what were yesterday characterized before the House committee as the “prime securi- ties of the world.” Yet the possibility of such & course is indicated by Speaker Garner's state- ment: To the end that none of our people shall starve or freeze during the Win- | ter, we all Tecognize that there may be | further large borrowing by the Govern- ment. It really makes no difference whether the relief takes the form of & direct appropriation to relieve distress, of a vast building program to provide employment, or advances to institu- tions, public or private, calculated to break the present log jam in the se- curity market. Any or all of these things must put & drain upon the Treasury, and the call is so_immediate that it cannot wait for the returns from taxes before authorizing the ex- penditures, = However. we must always eep in mind the relationship between these expenditures and our definite de- cision to reconcile the Government's outlay with its income. If there is this “definite decision to reconcile the Government's outlay with fta income,” & practicable basis for pro- ocedure is now before Congress. The administration has made fts proposal for tax increases and has presented a budget of estimates for appropriations which in the judgment of the Secre- tary of the Treasury will, if accom- panied by these changes in the tax schedule, result in & balance by the | end of the next fiscal year. But im- mediate results are not to be expected Months must elapse before the appro- priations are voted and the tax bill is enacted. Despite the pledges given by Jeaders in Congress that this task will | be performed with & minimum of po- litical maneuvering for the sake of possible advantage in the coming cam- paign, partisanship will have its way to some extent, but it is to be hoped not to the point of preventing the adoption ©f the wisest and soundest fiscal meas- ures for the benefit of the whole coun try and not for the advantage of either party. e e Participation by former Secretary of the Navy Daniels in a motor car acci- dent in Georgia probably makes him Jong for the return of the days when he sailed his seven seas 50 safely by proxy & decade or 50 ago. SIS Another Bus Line. The District Commissioners, the Treasury Department and the Public Utilities Subcommittee of the House District Committee are agreed that no matter what may be the disposition of claims by the Mount Vernon, Alex- sndris & Washington Raflway for damages resulting from loss of its tracks, terminal and privileges within the Government Triangle, the munic- 1pality is not liable. Any claims of the rallroad will be against the Federal Government, and under the terms of ‘the legislation now pending the strength of those claims will be decided upon by the courts, This is, of course, the only equitable view to take of the matter. The rail- road has never had any just clsim sgainst the municipality. The inter- esting thing now is the permanent.so- lution of the new problem created by the wise decision on the part of the rallroad to substitute & bus line for the | thing far worse, namely, enforced labor Europe’s Jobless Millions. From Parls comes an Associated Press dispatch depicting more graphi- cally in figures than any words could do the terrific unemployment situation throughout Europe. The chief indus- trisl countries of the Old World are faced with the problem of providing labor or aid for at least 10,000,000 un- employed at the outset of 1932. Ger- many heads the grim table of jobless- ness with 5,350,000 people out of Work. Great Britain has 2,500,000 idle, Italy, 880,000; Spain, 500,000, and France— even opulent, prosperous France—300,- 000. Smaller countries on the Con- tinent account for the balance. Distressing as our owm unemploy- ment statistics are—they vary, accord- ing to the particular axes their com- pllers have to grind—the per capita plight which they represent is in- finitely less tragic for the United States than the situation which the European figures denote. Our immense population, our relatively undiminished | consuming and buying power and the | strength of our currency are factors which enable the American people to support the burden of unemployment with comparative ease. The great sums raised for .relief by private charity, which thus far is mastering at least the major problems depression has churned up, are further evidence that | unemployment over here is an immeas- urably less serious matter than it is| in European countries. Apart from direct unemployment benefits commonly called doles, which European governments are paying, nearly all of them—like the United | States—are resorting to emergency public works programs as relief measures. France, one of the last coun- tries to be affected by the world economic pinch, is spending $160,000,- 000. Germany, in addition to drastic governmental retrenchment plans, bur- densome taxation and extraordinary regulations of &ll kinds, has gone in for extensive land improvement schemes, including the clearing of forests, drain- ing of marsh lands and road repairs, though all of these projects are ham- | pered by the Reich’s lack of liquid | funds. Great Britain's fight on unemploy- ment is being waged in the teeth of | heavy odds, owing to the derangement of national finances through the slump in the pound sterling. A decline of 200,000 persons on the dole registers during the early Winter was attributed largely to more stringent regulations for the award of benefits taly appropriated $280,000000 for emergency public works, but 250,000 men until recently were being aided by the state treasury. . Premier Musso- lini has ordered every Fascist to tighten his belt and live carefully.. .Soviet Russia trumpets that there is no un- employment in that country. It might bave added that there is some- under the Communist systemi which in spots strongly smacks of slavery America’s unemployment conditions are real and far-flung. Private charity, through such sgencies as Community Chests, must not fisg an instant at this period In its efforts to combat destitution. ‘The purse-strings of the American people should be loosed with all the more generosity as &n expres- sion ‘of thankfulness that, measured alongside the distress prevalent across the Atlantic, the world economic catas- trophe has dealt this favored land of ours fewer blows than those under which Europe is staggering. e r——— The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approves & requisition for $450,000 as an expense allowance for the American delegation to the Geneva Disarmament Conference, perhaps as & gesture of confidence that the meeting will really effect results for peace despite the prevailing opinion tw the contrary. —— The 1932 Automobile. Apparently there is little depression and much optimism for 1932 in the automobile industry. The New York Automobile show this year is attracting huge crowds, and the reason is not hard to find. The manufacturers have left nothing undone to provide an at- tractive exhibit of new products; motor cars of the latest design, incorporating ed to be a good year for the industry. A new electric lamp is being_devel- oped which is said to be from three to six times as brilliant as those now in use. Manufacturers of cosmetics may be put to it to keep pace with this advance gn llumination. ——————— ‘With only seven investigations in progress at the Capitol it begins to look a8 though the Seventy-second Congress were doomed to score a new low record for inguisitiveness. AL MR N e In a recent flight the airship Akron formed eight tons of ice on her outer surfaces, which suggests a rival for some of the new-fangled refrigerating devices. Premier Laval shows his political versatility by reorganizing his ministry in almost as speedy & fashion as the now retiring Briand in his most active days. ———————————— Persistent optimists hold to the belief that some day the public bullding pro- gram in this city will get the jump on the street car tracks and proceed to a finish. . . ——ar—— Nature is doing its best in the East- ern States to solve the fuel problem for the unemployed, whatever may happen during the next few weeks. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Easy-Chair Knowledge. “I know the world without a doubt,” Sald Socrates McSnook. “Although I seldom venture out, T've seen it in & book. “This world of ours, srand, Which greatly I admire, Looks something like an onion, and Tts axis is & wire. “A star is a five-pointed thing, ‘With angles, neatly traced. A river looks much like a string 'Twixt different countries placed. s0 round and ' “The ocean has a color gay, Pea green or navy blue, And every country will display Its own especial hue. “A mountain range is queer indeed, With lines on every side. “Tis something like & centipede Which has been petrified. “You do not néed to roam about For useful facts to look; 1 know the world without a doubt,’ Sald Bocrates Mc8nook. Antagonists Essential. “I suppose & man in politics wants to make the right kind of friends?” “Yes" answered Senator Sorghum, nd the right kind of enemies.” A man is known by the company he keeps, slthough the best indication of character is the company he avoids. Dangerous Topie. Oh, you and I wish strife would cease, ‘There is no chance to doubt it, And since we both are fond of peace, Let us not talk about it. Credulity. “Some women believe everything & man tells them.” “Yes," replied Mr. Meekton. “Before I married Henrietta I told her T would be her slave for life, and her trusting nature refuses to accept any compro- mise.” In January. Shadows come a-prowlin’ 'Crost de Winter sky; Wind sets up & howlin’ As it travels by; But now an’ den among de trees Dat stand so bleak an’ bare A sunbeam slides along de breeze An’ whispers, “Don't you care.” Bhadows has deir playtime 'Mongst de frost an’ snow; Nighttime, like de daytime, Gotter come an’ go. But over dar de skies 50 blue, Wit sweetness in de alr, 1s g'inter smile foh me an’ you, - 80, honey, don't you care! “A man wif puffin’ to do," sald Uncle Eben, “an’ a man wif & whole lot of "sponsibilities is allus kind o' jealous of each other.” N International Art. From the Janesville Gazette. Strange that about the time Ameri- cans are introducing chop suey into the newest features of inventive genius. Especially in equipment have improve- ments been made in the 1932 automo- bile, but the motor and chassis have riot been neglected. Refinements have been added all along the line to pro- vide the utmost comfort and conven- fence for drivers and passengers. Notable among the innovations are stronger fenders and running boards to minimize the chance of injury in China, yodeling is declared a lost art in Switzerland, existing now omly at radio stations and in vaudeville in the United States. ot Boss Bass. Prom the Hartford Daily Times. A bass which a Waterbury man caught last Labor day has been awarded first prize in a national competition. It is not expected that anybody will have to eat the fish at this time to prove further its superiority. BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. “I have resd your recent articles| about rain,” writes a resident of nearby Virginia, “and find them of more mm.i est than the rain itself. How does one | become interested in rain? I think it/ is » bore.” | ‘We would suggest to our honest corre- | spondent that the best way to become | interested in rain is to make & garden. | A garden makes rain interesting, just | as rain makes & garden interesting.” | We never found a bit of thriil or| even ordinary interest in rains until we | took up gardening on & strictly amateur scale. Then the very heavens began to in- trigue us. Natural spectacles which formerly we regarded only as nuisances began to take on all the glamour of theatrical shows put on especially for our_benefit. | The secret of finding & rainy day in- teresting is the old-time secret of how to make & foot ball contest interesting. | One must have a personal interest in it. | Perhaps nothing shows the falsity of | our strictly modern civilization better than the artificial interest worked up | by the mass of the people over foot ball | teams in which they have no genuine | interest. ! How people who do not know & sin- | gle member of & team and who do not attend the colleges involved can get any | “kick” out of watching a foot ball game | is something entirely beyond the writer here. As to their solemnly listening to the blah of the radio announcers, this leaves us gasping for the air of light and reason s to the why of it all. Next to watching a Tegatta, perhaps the dullest spectacle on earth or, rather, on the waters of the earth, & foot ball game in which we have no personal in- | terest is perhaps the most tiresome event, Just how any one else manages to work up any enthusiasm will remain for us & standing mystery. Of course, | it takes all sorts of temperaments to | make up this great and teeming world. Some people like radio “crooner: but Cardinal O'Connell does 4 Others are very fond of attending ban- quets, but the person who detests after- dinner speakers will not understand | how they endure them. He kA 1t is much the same with rains. To enjoy & rain one must have some | Teal reason for Liking it. | Now a garden, small or large, de-| mands a certain amount of wager. Despite the honest applicatiofi of the hose, every gardener understands the necessity for a normal rainfall if his growing things are to be up to snuff, | as people used to say. | Nothing takes the place of normal | rainfall, ‘The world has but to endure a| drought for a few months for this rather boresome fact to be brought home to thousands who tended to re- gard rain as purely automatic. A series of pleasant rains, such as Washington and vicinity has known so far in January, becomes something of an_event. Happy then is the gardener above ordinary men. It does not require that & man be & premier, or & king, or a multi-mil- lionaire' for him to be out of the ordi- nary. He may be 50, as far as he is con- cerned, and yet no man otherwise sus- pect it. Amateur gardeners everywhere have this difference from their run-of-the- mill fellows, that they appreciate and love a rainy day. They are like the | man fond of pet animals, Who does not mind a few hairs on his coat; they | overlook the inimical features of a rainy | day for the good it does to the grow- ing things. * ook x Afterward they come to see, as every one will who takes up gardening, thata rainy day has a charm all of its own, In the first place, it makes the house- holder appreciate more than ordinarily the normal happiness of a good home. Oftentime, in the rush of life, one takes & home for granted. The fact that the roof does not Jeak, for instance, is as it should be, that and nothing more, But isn't there more? When one be- comes interested in his garden, and hence in the rains which keep it sweet and green, he naturally turns his gaze at iast to the downspouts and gutters of his own dwelling, and to the roof lines, and appreciates to the full the excellent work which they are doing to carry away the water and o protect him and his from the elements. This happy chain of appreciation then extends to the foundations, to the Very walls themselves. Proper drainage is thought of next. The whole lay of the land for blocks around comes in for general appreciation. Nothing is better for a human being than appreciation. It must be, of course, honest appreciation, based on a real understanding of relative values. The witless appreciation which many have for numbers means little in the high art of proper appreciation. Recently we heard an artist justify his art by an appeal to numbers. He failed, Quantity has nothing to do with real worth in that line, ‘The in- artistic is never made artistic because so many hundreds or so many thou- sands may regard it as better than it is. “That is appreciation running the wiong Way. iny day, in the second place, &s a gardener sees it, preaches a Jesson all jts own. Despite the pleas of those Who have so many faults—and know it—that they do not like to have les- sons read them, & lesson is good for any one. And all the preachers are not in the churches. The forces of Na- ture remain glorious preachers, as they ever have been, preachers after & fash- fon, They speak to those who are will- ing to gisten, and enforce many & moral. Somewhow & section of mankind has devised for itself the silly idea that morality is just something to scare babies with, something to be laughed at. Morals change, but, even more, words change. Behind the changed attitudes, as manifested in words, remain funda- mental facts of Nature. The Wise man sees much in little, and in a few years amasses much wisdom. It will do no good to tell him that he is “‘old-fash- foned.” or that “smart young people” do not believe as he believes. He knows that the only essential thing is that he believe in what he believes. Others make little difference to him. It is all a matter between him and the rest of the world. himself, the others place it on the rest of the world. The rainy day brings home to a. man the essential quality of the self in a society which at times seems bent on destroying _individuality. Hypocrisy, coupled with a desire for ease, attempts to wipe out the laudable desire of every human being to be strictly and openly himself. Somehow it is easier to under- stand tHis on a rainy day, when the whoop-rooay boys have been stilled and the voice of the ridiculous sort of | optimist has been silenced by the fall- ing raindrops. Then the spectator is back to the essentials, alone with him- | selt in God’s world, such as it was in the beginning, when there were no hypocrites, or crooners, or futile op- timists—only & few honest liars. Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands OVIET ECONOMIC REVIEW, Moscow.—In_ the Summer n(’ this year there was only one | state = camel-breeding farm in| the U. 8. 8. R. This is in Kaz- akstan, and has a herd of about 8,000 | head. In 1932, it is planned to organ- ize eight new camel-breeding farms in Kazakstan and the lower Volga region. EE Fears Dog-Racing Will Suppiant Horse-Racing El Mercurlo, Santiago—We have| ished, but not at the same rate as other countries, such as her great commercial rivals, Great Britain and the United States Further, the German figures include reparations deliveries in kind, so that & considerable portion of the exports may be regarded as unproductive, ex- cept to the extent in which it reduces Germany's debts to the allies. Another curious point is that the German ex- ports consist in large part of finished articles which provide the maximum of profit and employment. Yet there He places the emphasis on | just had & visit in our offices from & | are 4,500,000 unemployed persons in gentleman of quite different line of Germany, and the number is not occupation, but one, nevertheless, in the | decreasing. opinion of many people, quite as in-' According to the Berlin correspond- dispensable as journalism. \ent of the Times, Germany's weakness Our caller was the Senor Ramon | s in her inland market. And he points Gomez, the ancient trainer of racing out that the German index of produc- horses, famed for many years in the tion fell from 100 to 1928 to 68 in Au- practice of his profession among the gust of this year, turn-over figures for track fraternity of Santa Beatriz. |the retail trades showed a marked de- Senor Gomez is old—so old, indeed, | cline, and bankruptcies reached abnor- that it is not likely that he could him- | mally high figures. self much longer engage in his favorite | vocation, He is not so much cha-| grined, however, at this development, which was only logically to be expected with the march of the years, as he is| at the thought that likely the days of | horse-racing in Peru will terminate with his own career. For the people | of that country are no longer inter- ested in horse-racing Dog-racing has | supplanted this old sport which has come down to us from the days of the Caesars—contests, no doubt, with long | and brilliant history even in the days of Greece and Rome. “Yes"” Senor Gomez told us, “the days of the hippodrome in Peru are numbered. For some reason utterly beyond me to understand, the habitues of the turf would now rather see & synthetic race between & dog and a mechanical hare, or between hall & score of greyhounds than the noble| equine vying with his fleet-footed brothers in a spectacle of breathless speed and splendor.” Truly we have come upon evil days, and our own pro= fession is no exception! How is it that our worthier and traditional pastimes must be so neglected and ignored—dis- placed by puerilities, such &s the rival- ry of spindle-shanked canines?” We wish we could tell Senor Gomez the reason our tastes are becoming 50 depraved and vitiated—our standards of enjoyment so humbled and abased. All we know is that the deterioration now so evident in Peru is rapidly spreading its contagion in our own land, and probably will blight the “sport of kings” in Chile, too. *x K K K Train Hands Dispute Prize With Hunters. Le Soir, Brussels—Recently a group of hunters started out to beat the region between Marche and Marenne in search of game. Up to the middle of the aft- ernoon they had secured no trophy of their excursion, when suddenly a wild boar emergéd from & dense thicket, and made Off at full speed with th sportsmen in eager pursuit. Unfortu nately, the direction taken by the boar led over some rallway tracks. Just as the animal was atlempling to cross them the passenger train due at Marche at 14:24 (2:24 pm) came along and it was killed dead, when it ran between the wheels. ‘The huntsmen, coming up, naturally claimed the boar, but the crew of the train, which had been brought to a stop, insisted that it was their possession. The train—not the hunters—had slain it. ‘This controversy increased in violence until & prodigious battle was engaged in between the hunters and the gentle- men of the Soclete Nationale des Che- mins der Fer (railroad employes) over the defunct boar, Hostilitles were only terminated ‘with the hasty arrival of gendarmes from Marche. * Kok X German Exports Held Largest in World, Irish Independent, Dublin. — Ger- many, which is on the verge of bankruptcy and cannot pay its foreign creditors, is at the moment the coun- try with the largest export trade in the world. This statement needs expla- nation: Germany's increesed—in fact exports have mnot they have dimin- | country to obtain a foreign credit. | sees in this fact & proof of French con- Thus Germany, for all her proud po- sition as an exporter, is as badly off as other countries and in worse plight than most. * K x X Loan Interpreted as Sign ef Confidence. Central European Observer, Prague— The signing of the contract at Paris for a credit of 300,000,000 francs for Jugoslavia and the immediate placing of that sum at the disposal of the Na- | tional Bank has been greeted with much satisfaction in Jugoslavia. It represents a short-term loan for which only 3 per cent interest is being paid, and it will be paid off in monthly installments commencing in October, 1932, The press emphasizes the fact that this loan was secured at & moment when the situation on the international money market was unusually strained, and when it was almost impossible for lnl_v t fidence in Jugoslavia's finances, and & recognition of the fact that the Jugo- slay government has succeeded, without outside help, in successfully facing the present general monetary crisis—in par- tcular of the fact that budget expendi- ture has been brought down by over 1,000,000,000 dinars, The French loan constitutes & guarantee for the main- tenance of budget equilibrium and the stability of the dinar. T Gasoline Tax Evils Brought to Light Prom the California Oil World Two extreme examples of the evils of the gasoline tax have just come to light. Tennessee boosted its tax to T cents per gallon, and the House of Rep- resentatives voted to double the tax in the District of Columbia; 2 cents now, 4 cents if the bill finally becomes & law. Both cases are inherently wrong because each provides for diverting the funds to other than road building. ‘Tennessee's action is in line with that of several. non-oll producing Southern States, several of which--Georgla, South Caroling, Florida and Alabsama, to men- tion only & few of the mast extreme cases—have the highest gasoline taxes in the country. Tennessee’s tax is to be used to secure a $5000,000 bond issue for current expenses of the State At the expense of the motorist. The District of Columbia tax is to be imposed upon voteless and defenseless clitizens of Washington, not to keep up the streets used by the motorists and which are the only highways in the District, but to cut down the Govern- ment’s own contribution to the mainte- nance of sidewalks in front of its build- ings. If this action of the House is any sample of the way & Federal gasoline tax may be administered by Congress, we think it is just one more unanswer- | able argument for opposing it by every means in our power. e Unkindest Cut of AllL From the Omaha Evenins World-Herald. The unkindest cut is that which af- fects the pay check. | velt will sit at the same dinner table lished reports calling attention to an By G. Gould Lincoln. Tonight is “Victory” night for the Democrats in all_parts of the United States and the District of Columbia. They begin their drive to raise $1,500,000 fund to wipe out the present deficlt coming over from the last cam- paign, to carry on until after the na- tional convention is held in June, and to get & Tunning start on the presiden- tial campaign. A half a hundred din- ners are to g held in 33 States and the District of Columbia. Here in Wash- ington the Democrats are permitted to contribute their money to the party cause, but not to vote for President and Vice ~President. There is no other capital city in an important nation in the world where the residents are dis- franchised as they are in the Capital of the United States. Probably that is because the people in no other capital city would submit to such disfranchise- ment. An attempt to cut off the people of Paris or London or Berlin, for ex- ample, from representation in their National Legislatures and national gov- ernments would not get very far. * K x X The victory dinner given by the Democrats in New York City will at- tract wide attention. Gov. Roosevelt is to be present and a principal speaker. As the leading candidate for the Demo- cratic presidential nomination today, what he says will be given careful con- sideration. His will, of course, be & political speech. Whether he will con- tent himself with lambasting the Re- publican administration or present an affirmative program, a kind of platform on which he might run if he were nominated for President, remains to be seen. If Gov. Roosevelt should do as Gov. Ritchie of Maryland did at the victory dinner given in Baltimore on January 7, he will formally announce his own candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. Gov. Roose- | with Chairman John J. Raskob of the Democratic National Committee. Mr. Raskob recently at a meeting of the Democratic National Committee here indignantly denied that he was part of a faction in the national organiza- tion that was opposing any candidate for the presidential nomination. He spoke in particular reference to pub- alleged “Smith-Raskob” faction, op- posed to the nomination of Roosevelt | for President. But notwithstanding these denials of Mr. Raskob, according to those who should know, has not believed that Roosevelt should be the party candidate for President this year. * ok ok o Martin L. Davey, former member of the House from Ohio, who has consti- tuted himself head of a movement for the drafting ef Newton D. Baker of Cleveland as the Democratic presidential | nominee, is out with another statement today, in which he makes, in effect, the suggestion that former Gov. Alfred E. Smith permit himself to be used to stop the onward Ttush of Roosevelt, bringing about a deadlock in the na- tional convention. Then, according to Mr. Davey, the Democrats will turn, as the sunflower does to the sun, to New- ton D. Baker, Mr. Davey says, it is true, that Gov. Smith may himself de- cide to be a candidate, and if he is nominated that he, Davey, will be glad to support Smith. But Mr. Davey also suggests that Gov. Smith could never get the nomination on account of the two-thirds rule of the Democratic Na- tional Convention for th® momination of presidential candidates. He con- tinues: “Whatever happens, the leaders ought not to permit & long-continued dead- lock, with its resulting bitierness and destructiveness, as we had in 1924, I am sure that the opportunity to win this year's election has so impressed itself upon the leaders of the Demo- cratic party that both they, and all of the delegates, will meet with a deter- mination to avoid any prolonged fight | in the convention. “This very situation, it & to me, points logically to the nol ?Ion of Newton D. Baker. There jowerful arguments supporting this theory. He has not participated in any pf the fac- tional differences of the Yluty;'the sup- porters of Gov. Smith have the most | cordial friendliness toward Mr. Baker, and the followers of all the other poten- cial candidates hold him in the same high esteem and affection. “Newton D. Baker can harmonize the party to a remarkable degree. Practi- cally all Democrats can unite on him with enthusiasm and confidence and pride. In the logic of probabilities, Mr. Baker will be, the next Democratic nominee for President.” * K Kk K 4 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Did you ever write a letter to Pred- eric J. Haskin? You can ask him any question of fact and get the answer in a personal letter. Here is a great edu- cational idea introduced into the lives of the most intelligent people in the world—American newspaper readers. It is & part of that best purpese of a newspaper—service. There is no charge except two cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Address Frederic J. Haskin, Director, The Star Informa- tion Bureau, Washington, D. €. Q. How much of the success of play- ers of contract bridge can be attributed to the player's skill and how much to the system he uses?—S. C. A. Opinions may vary as to this, but the sponsors of the official system say | that it is about 75 per cent player and 25 per cent system. Q To settle an argument, please state how high the circus tent of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows is—E. C. O. A. The length of the center poles is | 55 feet. The greatest height from the ground to the peak (at the center pole) is approximately 48 feet. This height, of course, decreases to 16 feet at the side walls. Q. When was the first cooking stove used in the United State invented?— M. G A. In 1798. Q. How do business and bank fail- ures in the depression of 1920-21 com- pare with those of the current depres- sion?—E. T. A. A. Commercial fallures weré much | greater in both number and percent- age and bank failures were fewer in number but far greater in percentage | in the 1920-21 depression. Commercial failures in 1930 were 26,353 mpared with 22,909 in 1929, whe: y were in 1921 19,652, compared w8 only 8881 in 1920. Bank failures in 1930 numbered 1,345, compared with 642 in in 1929, whereas they were 501 in 1921, compared with 119 in 1920. Q. What is meant by a sl alarm? —A. D. A. It is an alarm which is sent by telephone. It differs from & box alarm in that the pulling of the box rings a bell in the station house. Q. Did the United States Navy have an aviator who was an ace during the World War?>—A. W. C. A. It had one—David Sinton Ingalls. While only 19 years old when the war ended, he was credited with five enemy airships and received a D. F. C. from England and D. S. M, from the United States. Q. Why isn't the coffee bean pow- dered in order to remove the caffeine from it>—W. W. T. A. The coffee bean is an extremely resistant substance; it is very tough; it is almost impossible to powder it or disintegrate it by pounding, and hence it is quite impracticable to attempt to grind or reduce to a powder the green coffee bean before extraction. If this could take place the actual labor of extracting the caffeine would be very much decreased, and the degree of ex- traction increased. Q. How long has educational week been observed in the United States? —A, A A. The Office of Education says that December 5-11, 1920, was the first edu- cational week to be nationally observed. Dr. Claxton was the founder of this movement. Q. Could a divorced Roman woman wear the stola?—B. A. R. A. This outer garment was worn by the matrons of ancient Rome. By law they were forbidden to wear it if di- vorced by their husbands. Q. Does a car use more gas when four passengers are carried than when no one accompanies the driver?—J. T, A. The heavier the load placed in an automobile the more the motor is taxed and the more fuel is required to pull the load. Therefore, it would take | more gasoline for four passengers to ride than for one. | Q. How many children of today get | enough milk?—P. N A. At the White. House Conference on Child Health it was reported that | only 51 per cent of the American chil- dren have enough milk each day, 314 | per cent have none at all, and the other 39'; per cent have far too little. Q. In referring to P. G. Wodehouse, what is this author's complete name? —E. C. A, Pelnam Grenville ‘Wodehouse. | Q. How much money is given for philanthropic purposes in America yearly?—B. P. A.Dr. A. J. Todd of Northwestern University estimates the' amount at two and one-half billion dollars. About half of the amount goes for religious purposes, 8 per cent for education, 9.2 per cent for health, personal gifts to individuals, 11.6 per cent, and foreign | relief, 9.7 per cent | S | Q Of what material is carboloy ;m:ldl‘“ -A. C. | A. It-is composed of tungsten, car- | bon and cobalt, and has been found serviceable as a cutting metal, cutting through steel at the rate of 230 feet & minute, and cast iron about 800 feet | & minute. Q. What is the correct name of the library in Washington known as the | Congressional Library?—J. H. M. | “A The official title is The Library | of Congress. Q. How long has the English guage contained slang?—B. L. | A, The first extensive records of English slang are to be found in the language of thieves and vagabonds of the sixteenth century. The earliest use of the word “slang” as yet discovered oceurs in the “History of Two Orphans™ published in 1756. In the United States slang increased greatly and became popularized during the frontier period. Q. What was Washington’s income | from his estate?>—L. W. | "A. The annual receipts from Wash- ington's _estate approximated $15,000. | About $5,000 of this came from Mount | Vernon. lan- | Q How can a yelvet dress?—T, A. Sponge on the wrong side with warm water and pass this wrong side | taut over the flat surface of a hot iron, | The steam rising through the nap of the velvet will raise it and remove the creases. Be careful mot to touch the right side until the velvet is perfectly dry. Hanging a velvet dress in a bath | room in which a tub of steaming hot | water has been drawn is efficacious. | Q. Can cats see in the dark?—P. H.T. A. They cannot see in absolute dark- ness and would resort to their sense of | feeling. Cats can see with less light |than that necessary to human beings, | since their eyes are so constructed that | the pupils expand greatly. | Q How tall was Mark Twain?—G. G. | A. He was 5 feet 812 inches in height. | Q Where are the Indiana Botanic Gardens—T. E._H. | A. They are # Hammond, Ind: | Q. How many ships of the German | fleet were destroyed at 'Scapa Flow after the armistice?—R. M. § A. The British Admiralty says that 10 German battleships were sunk at Scapa Flow, one, the Baden, remain- ing afloat. Pive light cruisers were |sunk and three beached. Thirty de- | stroyers were sunk, 18 beached and two | remained afloat. ses be taken out of B Election in New Hampéifire Is Surprise Some disagreement as to causes is shown in discussions of the victory in New Hampshire of William N. Rogers, wet Democratic candidate for Congress. Recent elections in scattered districts, it is observed, have been favorable to the Democrats, and it is believed by some that the New Hampshire vote, Mr. Baker, however, has done pretty nearly everything he possibly can to take himself voluntarily out of the presidential picture. He has turned a cold shoulder to the many friends who have urged him to become a eandi- date. He has practically declared him- self in favor of the United States enter- ing the League of Nations and has a record of supporting forelgn debt_can- cellation. It may be that Mr. Baker | although light, was representative of protest against economic conditions. Mr. Rogers' stand as a wet also is credited with some influence. “The, election demonstrated,” accord- ing to the Manchester Leader (inde- pendent), “that the wave of discontent resulting from the business depression, which made itself apparent in many parts of the country in the regular elec- tions of 1930 and which has been gath- eventually will become the nominee of the Democratic party for President, but it will be better for Mr. Baker if he is not the compromise candidate of the national convention after a bitter wrangle, with Smith and Roosevelt heading different factions. At pres- ent Mr. Baker is prominently mentioned as 8 probable appointee to the Su- preme Court to succeed Justice Holmes. * K oK Every time that Senator Hiram Johnson of California gets & boost in the newspapers for the Republican presidential nomination against Presi dent Hoover friends of Senator Wil- liam E. Borah of Idsho crop.up with reports that they are about to launch & campaign for the Idaho Senator in & number of States. It is said, now, to be the purpose of the Borah people to enter Senator Borah in contests for delegates to the Republican national convention in those States which do not require by law the assent of the proposed candidates for such action. By this route Senator Borah may de- cline to formally announce his candi- dacy while at the same time benefiting Irom the efforts of his friends. The Borah supporters say that in this way they will be able also to test out senti- ment among the voters, L Senator Johnson, like the tar baby, Is saying nothing, nothing at all. He de- clines to talk politics for publication. He may or he may not accede to the re- quest of the Senators from North Da- kota to go into the presidential prtmary in that State. It is said, however, that one of the factors which is holding Sen- ator Johnson back from the presidential race is the fact that sufficient money to run & campaign for the nomination has not come forward. Such a campaign requires money. Furthermore, the Cali- fornia Senator is reported to be ponder- ing the question whethc: he could be nominated himself, even if he was able to halt the renomination of President Hoover; whether the East would stand for him, in fact. Harold Ickeys, the Illinols leader for the Roosevelt-John- son ticket in the old Bull Moose days of 1912, was In Washington yesterday, con- : ferring with Johnson and the Senators | from North Dakota. The suggestion was 'bne:glfn;k:).l:e ):;rfl:-‘llpa Mr.l Ickeys was to e angels - 50!11‘b00m-'1 ngels of the John. is beginning to look, however, though both the Johson snd the Borah camps were looking hopefully for the lightning to strike, and that both sides were jockeying to keep thelr candidates in the limelight, in the event that any- thing should happen to prevent the re- nomination of President Hoover. * ok K ¥ ‘The Republican National Committee has announced the States and the dates of their primary elections where presi- dential preference is shown by ballots of the voters. The list, however, is confined to those States in which the Republicans participate in their primary elections. 1¢ Lollows: ! ew Hampshire, second Tuesday in March, March 8; North Dakota, tyhxrd Tuesday in March, March 15; Wiscon- &in, first Tuesday ih April, April 5; IIli- nols, second Tuesgag in Ap: April 7 ering volume in the special congres- sional elections, has reached New Hampshire. There have been signs that an upset in this district was within the range of probability, but the extent of the overturn exceeded the expectations of the most optimistic supporters of former Representative Rogers and of the most pessimistic supporters of for- mer Gov. John H. Bartlett.” The Leader also comments on the small number voting and concludes: “It is lamentable ttat so many voters bear their civic duties so lightly, making it necessary to have extraordinary provi- slons in the way of transportation to | and from balloting places to induce them | to vote, except in national elections.” “The Democratic victory,” in the judgment of the Rockford Register-Re- public (Republican), “is interesting largely because it is the first major po- litical test of the new year, and because | it completes a cycle of Democratic up- sets in traditionally Republican dis- tricts, including victories in New Jersey, Ohlo, Missouri, Texas and Michigan. Previous to the 1930 elections the Re- publicans had a clear majority of 100 in the House as a result of the 1928 Hoo- ver landslide.” * * X It any Republican can miss the significance of the result,” says the New York Herald Tribune (Repub- lican), “he must be blind or dreaming. The effects of the economic tide are still running strong against the admin- istration. When to these is added the mounting wrath of the wets, the case is hopeless. * * * The party plainly faces the hardest kind of fight in the coming election. It needs the strongest bolitical direction at the head of its National Committee. It must refuse to compromise the able leadership of Mr. Hoover in the economic field by sup- porting the beaten cause of the drys. She obvious moral of the New Hamp- shire result cannot be too soon taken to heart or too effectively acted upon.” “The Republican candidate was & strong one.” thinks the New York Sun {independent), “but approximately half of the Republicans of the district de- Clined to go to the polls.” That paper holds that “not even George Moses' talent for humorous paraphrase could turn out & version of the election that would make pleasant reading at the White House.” Appraising the victory as “complete and unexpected.” the Roanoke World-News (Democratic) feels that “it should be both & challenge - second Tuesday in April, April 12} Pennsylvania, fourth Tuesday in April. April 28: Massachu- setts, last Tuesday In April April 26; Maryland, first Monday in May, May 2; California, first Tuesday in May, May 3; South Dakota, first Tuesday in May, May 3; Ohio, second Tuesday in May, May 10; West Virginia, second Tuesday in May, May 10; New Jersey, third Tuesday in May, May 17, and Oregon, third Friday in May, May 20. In New York (district delegates only), April 5. Whether President Hoover's name is to be entered in all these primary con- tests is a matter which the strategy board will have to determine. - 12; Nebraska, to Both Parties |and an encouragement to the Demo- cratic part Reviewing the other overturns, the Charleston (S. C.) Eve- ning Post (Democratic) states: “Michi~ gan, Texas, New Jersey have, in special elections, returned Democrats to take the places of Republicans long repre~ senting their districts. And now New | Hampshire sends a Democrat to take | the seat once filled by Daniel Webste: Now, what do you know about that? Would be good fun to hear the Hon | George H.” Moses, Senator from New | Hampshire, ‘explaining to the braying ‘sons of the wild jackass’ how it has come about.” Recalling that New Hampshire “was carried by Woodrow Wilson in 1913 and in 1916, when issues of great mo- ment broke down barriers of political custom,” and that “such a crisis again confronts the Nation,” the Atlants Journal (Democratic) remarks that “Democratic success in New Hampshire is another sign of the times, presaging still greater victorles on the all-decisive battlefield of 1932.” The Dayton Daily News (independent Democratic) finds that “even the Democratic leaders were surprised at the result,” although, “for many years New Hampshire has been drifting slowly away from its political twin, rock-ribbed Vermont.” The Daily News concludes that “the administration which presides over s panic in the United States cannot ex- pect to preside over anything very long.” * “It may even make George Moses fear that some of the ‘sons of the wild | jackass’ inhabit the Granite State” | suggests the Hartford Times (inde~ | pendent Democratic), with the further comment: “The wets will elaim that Mr. Rogers' opposition to prohibition had much to do with his victory. But since that is not the new element in the situation and in view of the fact that his principal campaign argument | dealt with unemployment and the pres- ent unfavorable economic conditions, it is more reasonable to assume that the large shifting of votes was in the nature of a protest. For that reason, it is & [ negative rather than a positive declara- tion of sentiment.” “Dissatisfaction with economic con- | ditions” is seen by the Providence | Journal (independent), which makes the further comment: “The second reason for the Democratic victory in | New Hampshire was the contrasted | attitude of the two candidates on pro- | hibition. ~ Mr. Rogers was uncoms ’prommn% in his opposition to the eighteenth amendment, while his Re- publican opponent, ex-Gov. Bartlett, as lately as 1928 had proclaimed himself a dry on the public platform, and in | the campaign just closed went only so | far in modification to this position as | to propose a referendum. Thus his | actual stand was more or less confused and the swift-running current of re- peal helped the Democratic standard- | bearer along.” | —_— Cooling Will Be Hard. | From the Harrisburg Telegraph. | Chicago is to provide artificial cool- ing apparatus to keep a comfortable temperature in the National Convention Hall, but it will have to be strong medi- cine to overcome the volumes of hot air that will be turned loose there. | D —— | Roll Calls and Rolls. From the Florence (Ala.) Herald. Campaign managers will soon begin to call the roll, but good party men with |a roll are likely to be scarcer than usual. | AT Bullets Just Natural | From the Columbus Ohio State Journal | When a gangster dies from bullets mt; coroner can at least attribute the deal to natural causes.