Evening Star Newspaper, January 22, 1932, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sundsy Morning Edition. e e WASHINGTON, D. & FRIDAY.......January 22, 1932 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t cago Office: Lake Michigan Bullding. ropean Office 14 Regent M., London, England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Evening Bta 45c per month and nda: 60c per month 65¢c per mon*h Btar S5c_per copy Collection made at the end of each month ders may be sent in by mail or telephone r 5 Sunday Siar Ational Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. fly and Sunday.....1yr.$10.00:1mo. s $6.00 F“\f onl: 1mo unday only I1yr, $4.00; 1mo All Other States and Canada. fly and Sunday...1yr.$12.00:1mo. $1.00 aily only ~.........1yr. $800:1mo. 75 nday only . 1yr. $500i 1mo. 50c| Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled 0 the use for republication of all news dis- atches credited fo it or not otherwise cred- ted in this paper and also the local rews published herein. Al rights of publication of 1 dispatches herein are also reserved —_— _—— . 85¢c 50c ! 40c | THE EVENING to d a lemand the adoption and execution |subjected to of anese. ‘positive” policy toward the Jap- |but, on the contrary, have found the A few weeks ago squads of them |Cnplbl to be a satisfactory place of made their way from Peking for thatsojourn. It is true that many Wash- , virtually commandeering trains | ingtonians go away from the city dur- nd demanding free rides. Some of | ing that season, for it is the usual vaca- them even went to the extent of lying | tion time, and the trend of holiday down upon the tracks in order to force | makers is away from home. Those the stopping of the trains so that they | Who must stay here by reason of their could board them without payment of | business engagements are not seriously fare. discommoded by the heat and find many The Chinese Nationalist government, | comforts. recently reorganized with the Canton | It is, of course, possible that just at faction in control, is in & serious condi- | the time of the meeting of the Com- tion of ineffectiveness, and overtures mercial Law League the temperature are being made to Chiang skai-Shek, | Will rise, but it will be rising elsewhere. virtually deposed from the presidency, : Other cities than Washington will be | to return to Nanking. The weakness of | hot, perhaps even hotter than the ! the central government, while it does|Capital. And national gatherings that | not of itself heighten the danger at|have assembled there in preference to Shanghal, inasmuch as the interna- | Washington will have reason to regret [ tional settlement has its own means | their choice on the score of the climate, { of protection, tends to develop the riot- | for they will not find the facilities for ous spirit of the Chinese, which ocea- | convenlent and satisfactory assemblage sionally flarcs into disastrous propor- |80d entertainment which this city tions, as in the case of the Boxer rebel- | ffords. It is, of course, to be hoped | that the thermometer will not go on lion of over thirty years ago. a Nation-wide rampage in July next An Unimpressive Showing. |™d thal the Capital will be partic- ’ ; L ularly clement when this organization The showing made by the wets of | oo here, for that experience ;"" penalo 1 & ""‘:n““_fr":::;ng‘“;'um undoubtedly lead to a further R IReS breaking down of Governors of the States referenda with« { prejudice that has prevailed to some the unwarranted | AR, WASHINGTON D« exoeptional Mofl._] ‘The gentleman was fuming about the word “contact,” used as a verb, as in the current business expression, tacted 10 men yesterday.’ Surely he had a right to fume. The usage struck him as out of the usual line—his line, of course. In the circles in which he moved the word was not so used. “Contact” with him and his | friends was a noun. What he really resented, then, was a strange and unusual usage in so fir as he was concerned. Every one feels that way. The feeling is the subject of a popular cartoon, “They Do Not Speak Our Language.” | American business most properly has | developed & “lingo” all its own. Why | not? From it there comes to mind an- other strictly commercial usage—"to sell a man.” One will hear & salesman say to an- | other, “Oh, yes, I sold him, all 1ight.” | If one is not particularly interested in the arts and methods of salesman- ship as such, he will find something | peculiar, perhaps even offensive, in such usage. But should he? * ok ok K These are specialized uses of our mother tongues, not general uses. | Most_ of us would say “I made con- | tact with 10 persons yesterday,” rather | than “I contacted 10 persons’ or “I got BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. what the word “buggy” means, except in relation to & place infested with in- sects. There can be little doubt that thousands of young children would not know what a “blacksmith” was v1( they had not been told in Longfellow’s poem about that village worthy. “Livery stable” is another combina- tion which shortly will be extinct. There are scores of similar words which, once useful because they stood for a lively article, today tend to mean less and less as invention after invention takes away their place in the sun. It might furnish an evening’s dlver- sion for an intellectual group to bring to light one after another more of these words which slowly are going out of word fashion and which within a few years will be strictly back numbers. They will join the great number of the same type already in the diction- aries. Just what proportion these con- stitute in the largest dictionaries we do not know, but it must be very large. Many of our words belong to the class of souvenirs. Precious memories cling to them. Some have the fragrance of forgotten things. Others were used a few years and then fell into neglect, but the English-speaking world prizes them for a variety of reason: Shakespeare may have used this one and Ben Jonson this. There is a whole list of “poetic” expressions which the Emergency Economie Conference Is Urged To the Editor of The Star: The world depression grows more critical dally and this Winter is wit- nessing suffering and death in many lands, due to the greatest economic crisis that the world has ever experi- enced. Nature, however, is not to blame, the earth is still entirely solvent and our planet is capable of comfortably sup- porting at least five times its present Population. The fault is man’s, due Yo the fact that our present industrial system is based on production for profit and not for use; it has outlived whatever use- fulness it may have ever possessed and is now slowly breaking down in every country. If it ceases to function | through complete collapse before an- other and better system can be evolved to replace it, then clvilization is doomed. As one nation cannot achieve perma- nent economic independence and pros- | perity until all natlons achieve the same (and no country should desire to climb tu plenty over the bodles of other men, even if it could), it is therefore obvious that no one nation can solve this world problem unaided by all the others. It is therefore my high privilege to Tespectfully suggest that an emergency irternational economic conference be called by the United States or the League of Nations, to meet in Geneva pn February 2 if possible, so as to con- vene coincidentally with the General Conference for Limitation and Reduc- in the States on national prohibition No Tinkering With Salaries. Republican House Leader Snell talks | honesty and common sense when he | advocates dealing with the matter of | Federal salary slashing as an important | question of national policy as opposed to | the expedient of tacking it piecemeal, } without investigation of the results, to | the sppropriation bills. He takes the | only sensible view when he demands | that Congress first concern itself with the pressing measures now awaiting | disposal, upon which, in large degree, | depend the Nation's ability to stem the | tide of the depression, | The various salary-slashing pro- | posals have been made without even & | preliminary investigation of the sav- ings thereby to be effeoted. Thus far there have been no reliable figures pre- sented to allow a careful and states- manlike weighing of the advantages, as sgainst the many known disadvantages, of cutting salaries. There have been estimates, it is true—ranging from one hundred to two hundred and twenty-five million dollars a year. A flat ten per cent reduction in all governmental | wages and salaries, including the ser- | vice pay, would realize $160,000,000 a year, assuming & total personnel service expenditure in 1931 of $1.600.000,000. But this “saving” on such a basis, would represent only 4 per cent of | total ordinary Federal expenditures in | 1931. A 10 per cent cut in salaries above $2,700 would realize only $80,000,000, and a greater reduction in the higher salaries might stretch this “saving” to | & total of $100,000,000. These are mere estimates. They are estimates, moreover, of maximum “savings.” They cannot be construed s actual savings to the Government, or be made to fit the true meaning of “economies” without careful consider- stion of the losses in morale and effi- ciency within the service and the loss of employment outside the Govern- ment service that would result from a | policy of salary slashing. The politi- | was not impressive. The vote stood 55 to 15 against the proposal, with 25 not voting and one vacancy due to the fact that Senator-elect Huey Tong of Louisiana has not yet put in an ap- pearance in the Senate. Perhaps half | a dozen “wets” are included in the list of Senators who did not vote on the resolution because of their absence from the chamber. The Bingham resolution was a novel proposal. The Senator from Connecti- cut explained that under the Consti- tution of the United States there is no | | | | possible way of holding a national referendum, ordered by Congress, in the popular meaning of" the term “referen- dum.” He ingeniously proposed, there- fore, that each individual State hold a referendum of its own, at the res quest—not order—of the Senate. Dur- ing the debate some of the opponents of the proposal referred to it as ridic- ulous. But there was really nothing ridiculous about it. Ineffective so far as changing the law or binding in any way the national legislators, it is true, but scarcely ridiculous if it is desired to test out the sentiment of the peo- ple on this question. There seems to be a desire for no such test on the part of a great many people. So Mr. Bing- ham'’s resolution was voted down, and, some of the Senators, not particularly desirious of taking a stand, wet or dry, in view of the coming elections, took the eAsy way, declaring that such a resolution was “ridiculous.” But irrespective of those desiring to avoid a direct issue on the prohibition question, it was obvious that the drys in the Senate are overwhelmingly in the ascendency in the present Congress. It was also clear that the prohibition issue cuts across the two major politi- cal parties to an almost equal extent. Of the 15 Senators supporting the Bingham amendment, 8 were Republi- cans and 7 Democrats. The opposition the resolution also was evenly | cians will make their proposals, but the economists and the auditors should be called upon to sift the proposals free of such meaningless verbiage as that employed by one member of the House who wants to cut Federal sal- aries to the point “necessary for living expenses.” After this is done Con- gress can at least look at the matter of reducing Federal pay against & proper background of fact. There should be no disposition on the part of the wise Jeaders of Congress to treat this matter in the cowardly and unjust fashion that would be represent- ed by riders on the appropriation bills 1f the proposal to cut salaries is worth any consideration, it is worth careful ‘onsideration on its merits. Any other | sort of consideration will amount to nothing less than blind tinkering that | in the end may be suicidal. Mr. Snell does not say whether he 15 for or against reducing Federal sal- arles. That, for the moment, is not, the point. He injects comforting and | intelligent thought when he demands that the Congress quit fiddling while | Rome burps, get down to business with the appropriation and various recon- struction bills, and then examine salary cutting with the aid’of facts, not! According to still another economist | America should be given the rich “Kongo Basin” in Africa instead of cash. There would probably be a catch | in it —_— et ‘There is one thing about hockey =} when a player makes a terrible shot | he does not smash his club. | o Danger at Shanghai. Dispatches from Shanghai, China, § dicate a precarious situation with re- | spect to the safety of foreigners. Re- cently clashes between Chinese and Japanese have been frequent, and now it is announced that a naval contingent | has been sent by Japan with a special | landing party. The authorities of the Shanghai international settlement are now guarding the city with strong street patrols. The hope is that these meas- ures will prevent further disturbances which might easily grow into grave proportions. The international settlement in Shang- hai is a considerable area in the heart of the city, fronting on the bund, or water- side highway plaza. It is under the control "of a municipal council of representatives of various nations, including the Chi- nese. It has its own police force of " British Indians, Anamese and other 4 non-Chinese nationalities. The recent dispatches state that the emergency patrols used in the international set- tlement are mostly “white Russians,” or anti-bolshevik refugees At certain places at the boundaries of the international settlement are strong steel gates, which may be closed at night or at times of danger. Barbed wire entanglements lie ready along the suburban roadsides to be put into posi- tion in the event of an uprising or & mob demonstration. In several places brick and concrete strong points, veri- table forts, are in evidence. This present trouble arises from the hostile feeling toward the Japanese by the Chinese, especially the student class, | couple of divided between the Republicans and the Democrats. Senator Tydings of Maryland, Demo- crat, created an awkward situation for his dry Democratic colleagues, for a moment at least, when he tried to offer as a substitute for the Bingham pro- posal his own resolution proposing a con- stitutional amendment exactly in line with the “home rule” amendment | which Chajrman John J. Raskob of the Democratic National Committee is seeking 5o vigorously to have included in the national Democratic platform. Senator Robinson of Arkansas, the Democratic leader of the Senate and recognized s a dry, stepped into the | breach, calling attention to the fact that the Bingham resolution was a “simple Senate resolution,” while the Tydings resolution was a “joint resolu- tion,” proposing the submission to the States of an amendment to the Con- stitution. At the request of the Demo- cratic leager, Senator Tydings' pro- | posal was not pressed. | Some of the States of the Union have already held referenda on the prohi- bition question, which have been effec- | tive in some instances in changing the attitude of members of the House and Senate toward the prohibition issue. The Bingham resolution which came to a vote yesterday in the Senate was, after all, only one of a number of moves which the “wets” have planned to keep the prohibition question before the public mind. But as lorg as the drys are able to make such showings in Congress as they did against the Bingham resolution it does not appear that they have a great deal to worry about e | The Uluwisla-Kayseri Railway, 1n| Turkey, is expected to be completed this | If these two names are samples of the various stops, just think of being a brakeman on that line ———— A St. Louis man stole a 25-passenger bus and got clean away with it. But wait till he has to “gas her up” a times SR Summer Meetings in Washington, Announcement that the next con-| vention of the Commercial Law League of America will be held in Washington in July is of more than usual interest notwithstanaing the fact that this city is almost constantly the scene of gatherings of national organizations. Decision to this effect has just been reached by the board of directors of extent heretofore against this city as & Summer meeting place. AT S Movie Tickets and Seats. to Senator Robert D. Carey of Wyo- ming for securing assurances from theater managers that patrons will be notified verbally and by signs before they buy tickets whether seats are available. Even the most ardent movie fan is likely to grow restive if he reaches the inside of the theater only room at & premium; or, having scurried to the mezzanine on being told by an usher that he could get accommoda- tions there, to discover the same crowded condition. Senator Carey’s bill to avoid these inconveniences go theatergoers was the medium for securing the voluntary promises of co- operation from the managers. Under the new system it will be solely up to the patron whether he hes to wait around either in the lobby or the back of the theater in order to see the show. If he buys a ticket knowing that no seats are to be had at the moment he is assuming the risk. In the past, however, the movie- goer who reaching the interior of the theater, became disgruntled at the lack of accommodations and decided to leave sometimes had difficulty in secur- ing a refund on his ticket. These occurrences will be avoided under the new plan. o in addition to all the routine pressing on the average immigrant, must do two other absolutely necessary things One s to prove before the camera that her knees are ornamental es well as useful; the other to deny an engage- ment to Charlie Chaplin or some other unattached male star. ey, e Rex Bell, held up by thugs just out- side a New Mexico gambling club, saved & handsome diamond “by turning it under his finger.” Possibly out in the modern West they either do not make them stick up their hands, or else are entirely unsuspiclous of & closed fist. They all live in & sort of fairyland out there, anyhow. s igdag According to Massachusetts State College authorities, a little more than two acres of land is required to pro- And if we get too crowded we can omit spinach ek At the rate things are going, it will not be 50 very long before the Bicen- tennial Commission owes Congress money. PR — SHOOT! ING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Permanence. In days gone by! In days gone by! We sang full many a quaint refrain, And curious costumes met the eye, Such as we shall not see again. Fpr nothing that we now behold— And very little that we hear— Resembles what in days of old Proved grateful to the eye and ear. And yet the snowflakes when they fall Are light and delicate and strange; The passing bird’s melodious call Will sound without discordant change, And when the blossoms of next May Reflect the brightness of the sky, Earth's real life, we'll have to say, Is fair as in the days gone by. Brevity. “Brevity, you know, wit.” “All right,” replied the musical com- edy manager, “we’ll have the costumes made still scantier.” is the soul of Anticipation. “We should not anticipate trouble.” “Maybe not. But I'd like to have the inauguration blizzard this year instead | of next.” Preferable. Why call on Summer to usurp The realm where Winter has been king? Far better hear the snowbird chirp Than listen to mosquitos sing. Demanding His Turn. “You applauded the music wildly.” “Ves” replied Mr. Rufnek. “I got tired of sitting still and listening. I in touch with 10 men.” | poets used and by dint of their genius Washington moviegoers are grateful | to find every seat taken and standing | Incoming movie actresses from abroad, | to him.” | a certain | We would say “I sold it rather than “I sold him” (on proposition). | However such expressions may rub | one the wrong way, it must be remem- | bered that they are definitely in the living stream of the English language. In other words, words are for us who | use them, not us for the words. ‘The | “purist,” as he is known. has his place | in it all, for without him we might stray too far afleld in our search for novelty and vigorous expression; but |the men who coin new expressions and | seek out new ways of using old words have their places, too The stream of English is not dammed. It comes down to us from thousands of | years, fed by tributaries large and small, some of them great nations gone, some | little streams since grown to mighty oceans themselves. | | Al nations have contributed to the | English language as it flowed (and still | flows) toward the unknown result of time. The source is known, the desti- nation unknown.” Now it is our turn to stand on the bank and to dip into this stream to the best of our ability. In doing this we must for our own best interests adopt a balanced policy. | We should have a proper respect for | the past, and yet & decent appreciation | of the possibilities of the language. The former will keep us true in the main to our grammar, to our heritage of construction, to the inexplicable but | nevertheless” iron-bound rules of the | language. The latter will enable us to | experiment with the living tongue and | | to shape it to new needs and ends. | * X X % | Any one who suspects the unusual | | word” is_unconsciously going on the | thecry that the English language is |a dead language, as we say of Latin and Greek. One has but to think of words now | becoming, if not quite so, unknown to Americans, and then to think of the | | hundreds which have come in on the | | heels of such inventions as the auto- | {mobile and the airplane to disabuse " himself of any latent feeling that our | glorious mother tongue is in any respect static. Many children of today do not know fixed forever in the minds of those who read books. A Tt is because of these precious souve- nirs of language that every one experi- ences the real difference between *“book talk” and “real talk,” between the words used in conversation and those used in writing. Every one knows that scarcely any one writes as he talks. Every one uses colloquial expressions and constructions in conversation which he by ne means would use in a letter or article, or at least in only the most informal and intimate letters. This gap, as it were: this “strange interlude” between speech as spoken ordinarily and as written is the place where language experimentation goes on. Our business world is one of the busiest experimental word laboratories in the world. New prodficts demand new names. Old products need new words to call renewed atténtion to them. If this process occasionally irri- tates the person sensitive to words, it is no more than he ought to expect. In a chemical laboratory hé would not foam at the mouth because some test tube or other gave off noxious fumes before the distilled product was ready. One should feel the same way about new words and expressions, solely for his own peace of mind. Out of these new coinages a few will find their way into the dictionaries. One popular ad- vertising word, for instance, is not in the dictionaries of a few years ago, but we understand that it is in the latest editions. It should be realized by those who are not sympathetic to any but the words and expressions with which they are familiar that by these strange words—or so they seem to them—the language grows and keeps its vigor. The first sign of the decay of a lan- guage is when its written form becomes its dominant form. Happily, this is not yet true of English. Although our literature ranks with the greatest in the world, the living English of every- day speech still remains the final arbi- ter. Only as our books approach to it and utilize it are they well written. We would do well to keep this in mind the next time some unknown word offends us. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. tion of Armaments, which begins on that date under auspices of the League of Nations, or at least within a few weeks thereafter. The agenda for this emergency in- ternational economic conference should e divided into two sections. Under the first section the acute world-wide crisis should be met by at least advisory action on the following immediate emergency measures: Cancellation of all war debts in ex- change for universal disarmament. The armies and navies of the world to be replaced by international police. Immediate readjustmentof all tariffs, i fcllowed by systematic reduction of seme and the gradual evolution of a tem of international commercial Treciprocity and free trade. The formulation of an international system for the regulation of crop pro- ction, especially cereals and cotton, in order to eiiminate the, serious waste and economic chaos resulting from overproduction. The international banking system now being developed by the League of Na- tlons to arrange for long-term credits, especially in foodstuffs, to China and any other countries suffering from natural calamities such as flood, earth- quake, hurricane or crop failure. Stabilization of national coinages and international exchange. _All the foregoing international plan- ning to be executed under the manage- ment of the League of Nations. All nations to be urged to extend as- sistange, through favorable national legislation and financial aid, to all co- operative enterprises functioning within their respective countries, which have for their objectives the scientific and democratic organization of production and distribution and the League of Na- tions to promote international contacts and unity between all national co- operatives. The second section of the agenda for this proposed emergency international economic conferencé to consist of a sincere and fearless discussion of the capitalist system of production and dis- tribution, together with a scientific in- vestigation of all alternative economic systems which may be advocated by any considerable ‘number of commissioners. All independent nations should be invited at once to send commissioners to this proposed conference, and India, Egypt, Ireland and also the smaller and mandated nations should be represented by delegates of their own choosing, the basis of representation to be by popula- tion only. In so far as possible in the limited ! The flood gates of speculation over |the circulation guarantee privilege now | the appointment of a successor to Gen. | outstanding is roundly $700,000,000. So | Dawes as Ambassador to the court of |national bank note circulation is in | St. James were thrown wide open when | reality limited to that figure, though "!he Dawes assignment as head of the |the aggregate paid-in capital of all of the league, with ten cities competing for | wanted to make a little noise on my ! Reconstruction ~ Finance Corporation | | made necessary his retirement as Am- bassador at once rather than 60 days hence, as originally contemplated. Ef- | | forts to forecast the President’s course | in this matter on the basis of past per- | formances have given rise to reports | Paris, may be promoted to London and | Ambassador John W. Garrett moved | from Rome to Paris and some one from | the field of aspirants for diplomatic | | honors picked for the Italian ambas- sadorship. Much can be said for this hypothess. 5 the report that Mr. Hoover intends | to name Secretary of Navy Charles| Francis Adams Ambassador to the| court of St. James. Secretary Adams | has the prestige and the pocketbook, as | well as the social eminence, to qualify | for this assignment at the top of the | diplomatic ladder. He denfes that the post has been offered him, but signifi- cantly declines to say that he would reject the proffer if it comes. Another plausible speculation suggests the name of ex-Senator Lawrence C. Phipps of Colorado for the London post. The Phipps fortune has been supposed to be one of the largest west of the Mis- sissippl. Phipps was once a Carnegie | partner and quadrupled his steel profits in mining ventures In the present state of the exchequer of the Republi- can Natlonal Committee such Republi- can millionaires as Phipps are names | | to confure with. P ‘The United States Liner President Harding, now on the high seas bearing | | Holyoke, “Queen Mary,” if you please, in the happy phrase of the attending | tetinue of press correspondents, and | her colleagues in the American delega- | tion to the Geneva Disarmament Con- ference, is carrying in the ship's strong box, $12,000,000 in gold bullion from | the Pederal Reserve Bank in New York | | consigned to the Bank of France. It is one lot in the transfer now in prog- [ ress from New York to Paris of more | |than a hundred million dollars of | French gold, which has heretofore re- | posed on this side of the Atlantic. Thus | | the American delegation even on ship board finds itself at close quarters with | questions of international finance which underlie the disarmament gathering. | * ok ox ok The nominations of Robert Lincoln | O'Brien as chairman of the Tariff Com- | mission and of Ira M. Ornburn of Con- | necticut as an associate member have { now Jain in a pigeonhole in the files of !the Senate Finance Committee without action for nearly two months. No fight on the confirmation of the new chair- man is in prospect. What may develop ‘ | with respect to Mr. Ornburn is prob- | | lematical. Both men are to be invited | | to appear before the committee, as soon | |as time permits, to be quizzed as to | their qualifications and their tariff | views. It is Teported that the appoint- ments are undergoing the searching | scrutiny of Senator Costigan, Democrat, | of Colorado, who served as & member | | the House the 6,000 national banks in the country is close to $1,700,000,000. It is apparent therefore, that the situation holds the possibility of an increase in national bank note circulation of approximately one billion dollars, if the Treasury sees fit to recommend, and Congress to au- duce food for the average American. | DAt Ambassador Walter E. Edge, at | thorize, the further issue of circulation | bonds of corresponding amount. Senator Walsh has asked Secretary Mellon to say whether the plan is feasible and if not why not. TR The new pages and doorkeepers on side of the Capitol, who replaced the veterans of other years when the Democrats came into control of the House in December and made a clean sweep of the “majority” patron- age, are having quite & time in get- ting on to the ropes. They have yet to learn the names and the faces of | the members in order to locate them ! when occasion requires. One young lad, one day this week, dispatched to | find a member in the House chamber, returned _empty-handed and confessed shyly: “This is my first week here. My father is a Congressman, but he is the only member I know by sight.” * X ok ok Back in 1924, at the height of the Florida land boom, Uncle Sam staged a land sale of his own there. Taking |a tract of idle and vacant land, plot- ting it into & town site and honoring |it_with the name “Harding," lots were | sold at public auction to the highest bidder, payable on the installment plan over a long term of years. A bill for President Mary E. Woolley of Mount | the “rciief of purchasers of lots in| the Harding town site” was passed by the Senate this week. In brief, it provided that every purchaser who had paid In as much as 50 per cent of the contract price, or who would complete payments aip to the 50 per cent mark, should be entitled to a deed and the cancellation of the balance of his pay- ments. Better than that, any pur- chaser who had paid more than 50 per cent should have any such “over- payment” refunded to him out of the Treasury. S Krx Walter Marshall william Splawn of Texas, university professor and econ- omist of note, who directed the survey of the railroad holding companies made by the House Interstate Commerce | Committee at the last session of Con-| | gress, and who compiled the stupendous | two-thousand-page railroad report is- sued by the committee, is to receive a similar assignment with respect to the public utilities. The House this week authorized its committee to go ahead with a parallel probe of the public util- ity holding companies, and Chairman Rayburn announced that Mr. Splawn would be engaged to carry it out. (Copyright, 1932.) —r—— Drunken Driving Calls time for acceptance of invitations and election of commissioners and delegates it is hoped that special executive powers may be secured for as many commis- sioners and delegates as may be pos- sible in order that the conference might result in more than merely advisory action. In any event a second international economic conference should be called as soon after the adjournment of the first conference as advisable (probably this Summer) to review the results of the first conference and take appropriate action regarding the international eco- nomic situation at that time. In order to be most efficient the pro- posed second international conference, if not the first, should be much more than purely advisory as it should be in reality an economic congress of nation: the commissioners and delegates to hav executive power granted them by their countries and the action taken by said economic congress of nations to be binding on all governments represented. If the realization of the poet's dream of “A Parliament of Man, a Federation of the World,” in which all the battle flags are furled and liberty and pros- perity universally prevail, can be mate- rially advanced by the inevitable suf- fering of two billions of humanity during this international economic crisis, and if substantial steps are taken toward substituting justice for tyranny, peace for war and plenty for poverty, then all the agony through which our race is destined to go before selfishness and ignorance are finally conquered will not have been in vain and this greatest of all economic depressions may be but the earth’s travail which precedes the birth of a new 2nd grander social order. WILLIAM V. MAHONEY. e American Willow Trees Originally From Syria To the Editor of The Star: Reading an interesting article in The Evening Star of January 10 by Gretchen Smith, on “Birth of Capital Willow Trees,” as given to her by Miss Rosa Mordicta, brings to my mind a bit of history of all the weeping willow trees in this country. It has been told that the first weep- ing willow tree was planted by John Curtis of Virginia during the Revolu- ticnary War, and still sands on the Curtis estate in Virginta. The story, as I recail it, is that “a traveler in Syria once sent to Alexander Pope, the English poet, a box of figs, in which was a twig from one of the weeping willows beside the rivers of Babylon, upon which the exiles used to hang their harps. This twig was planted alongside of the Tnames, where { grew. A British officer brought & slip from this tree and gave it to John Curtis of Virginia. “Nurserymen claim that this tree is the ancestor of all the weeping Willows in_this country This, With the interesting history given by Miss Mordicia of the willows of Washington, D, C. awakens new interest in that tree, which is given such prominence in the Bible—"the willows of Babylon.” As we read just | For Harsh Treatment, those words thrill us with thoughts of | the honor of entertaining the conven- tion. Washington's opponents in this contest, mostly Northern Summer re- sorts, contended that the Capital would | be an undesirable place of assemblage ' in July because of the chances of excessive heat. The convention manager of the Greater National Capital Com- mittee, however, demonstrated by a compilation of Weather Bureau figures | that Washington has nothing unusual' in the way of weather discomfort during | Summer months, these figures includ- ing average, minimum and maximum temperatures and humidity readings for the entire Summer period. That show- ing was effective, and accordingly the | Fr meeting will be held here six months hence. It is not unusual for Washington to own account.” May Account for Flavor. “You know," remarked the chemist, “that alcohol can be made of almost anything, even of old leather.” “That fact,” rejoined Uncle Bill Bot- tletop, “may account for the flavor of some of this so-called bootleg liquor.” “One difficulty,” said Uncle Eben, “is dat while conscience speaks wif & still, small voice, temptation uses & megaphone.” L sy Japan's Open-Door Policy. om the Toledo Blade. Jepan is for the open door, with & | resetvation permitting her to slam it. — e " proverbially troublesome in times of in- ternational tension. Recently the stu- dents have been making pllgrimages, or zather conducting ralds, upon Nanking Getting Rid of the Tariff. om the Ashland Daily Independent. It's all very simple. A tariff will end be the scene of national gatherings in Summer. Numerous conventions have | ™ been held here in the “heated term.” ynemployment in England and unem- posited by the bank with the Treasury. Those attending them have not been ploympen{ will end the tariff over here. The total of Government bonds carrying ’ | of the Tariff Commission for more than 110 years. He was an appointee of Presi- dent Wilson. He holds decided views on tariff questions and on Tariff Commis- sion policies and is the only member of the Senate who has had practical ex- | perience in the intricate business of | scientific |lrlfl‘rate determination. * % x ! Senator David I. Walsh of Massachu- | setts, is still waiting for a reply from | Becretary Mellon to the Walsh letter re- ! questing a statement of the views of the Treasury Department respecting pro- posals for an increase in the national bank note circulation in conjunction with a further issue of Government “cir- culation” bonds. Unconfirmed reports that such a step was in contemplation by the Treasury have been current in | New York banking circles for several | weeks. The national banks are per- mitted by law to issue their individual bank notes as a currency medium up to the limit, in the case of each bank, of the amount of its paid-in capital, but such notes must be backed up by Gov- ernment bonds of equal amoynt de- From the Pasadena Star-News. Los Angeles authorities, taking cqgnl-' zance of the startling fact that more than 500 lives were lost in traffic acci- dents in Los Angeles during 1931 and that many thousands were injured, some of them seriously, have started a grim movement to curb reckless and drunken driving. Particular attention ‘is being given to the prevention of reckless driv- ing by persons in a drunken condition. 1t is found that many traffic deaths are due to driving by drunken persons. The Los Angeles authorities are planning to give jail sentences to drunken drivers who run into other cars and injure their occupants, or who run into and kill or injure pedestrians. There is but one view to take of drunken driving and but one proper course to pursue; that is, te treat the drunken driver as a public menace and to proceed with all the authority of the law to punish him for menacing the public inexcusably while he is intoxi- cated. Not only should the drunken driver be punished by fine and im- prisonment, in flagrant cases, but he should be deprived of his license to drive. A the beauly and grace of the weeping willgy. MARY G. TAYLOR. ————— In Other Words. From the Columbus Ohio State Journal. It seems that the Land of the Risin Sun was called down by the land of the moonshine, Changes of 1932. From the Oakland Tribune. “Fashions in candies to be changed in 1932." Possibly they will change the time limits on all-day suckers. S A Man and a Dollar. From the Glendale News-Press. When a man is spent, he's licked; Wwhen a dollar is spent, it is just begin- ning a good fight. e Typical American Defined. From the Buffalo Evening News. A typical American is one who hates the thought of a Stalin or a Mussolinl unless he could be it. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ‘What do you need to know? Is there some point about your business or per- sonal life that puzzles you? Is there something you want to know without delay? Submit your question to Fred- eric J. Haskin, director of our Wasl ington Information Bureau. He is em- pioyed to help you. Address your in- uiry to The Evening Star Information %ureau. Frederic J. Haskin, Director, | Washington, D. C., and inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Q. How long has it been since both the Republican and Democratic national conventions were held in the same city? | —C. W. A. Forty-elght years. In 1884 both conventions were held In Chicago, the Republicans nominating Blaine and the | Democrats naming Cleveland. Q. What was the decoration given to Mrs. Woodrow Wilson by Poland?— %7, A. The Ambassador of Poland, Tytus Filipowicz, decorated Mrs. Woodrow | Wilson with the Grand Cordon of the | Order Polonia Restituta at a ceremony | held at the embassy of Poland in Wash- | ington, D. C. This high decoration was | bestowed upon Mrs. Wilson as the latest | mark of gratitude for the influence of | the great war President of the United States in the unification of Poland. Q. How much would 1,000,000 $1 bills weigh?—O. G. B. A. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing says that 1,000,000 $1 bills of the new size currency would weigh ap- proximately 2,030 pounds, : | Q. Who was the youngest king in history?—T. G. B. A. That distinction 1s claimed " for Alfonso XIII, recently deposed ruler of Spain, ber 25, 1885, he left no male issue, but the Queen was expecting & child and all Spain awaited the event with breath- less interest as to whether they were to have a king. Alfonso was born May 17, 1886, and a government mani festo was immediately issued announc ing the birth of “Alfonso XIII, by the Catholic King of Spain.” He was thus a king from birth, and he has said of himself that he was the youngest king ever known in the civilized world. Q. What American city is suffering least from the economic depression?— A. On account of the Government pay roll, other large pay rolls in the Capital, 'and the large public building progiam, Washington, D. C., Is least a- ected. Q. How much money did Jullus Rcsenwald distribute in benefactions?— A. H. 'A."The benefactions of Mr. Rosen- wald were well in excess of $50,000,000. Q. What kind of public schools for cutta?>—G. E P. A. In Bombay and Calcutta the schools are conducted in the vernacular up to the eighth grade. Students can then transfer to English schools and take there the equivalent to high school. It has been said that the primary school curriculum does not come near enough to the actual village life of India. Bom- bay and Calcutta have compulsory edu- cation, but this is the exception in India. the New York Stock Exchan zero?—E. C. A. It automatically goes off the board. .Q. In what language was the Bible written originally?—J. M. A. The Old Testament originally, in great part at least, was written in the ancient Aramic, the New Testament in ge reaches grace of God and the constitution, the | children are there in Bombay and Cal- | Q. What happens when a stock on | BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. the more modern Aramic and possibly in some parts in Greek. Q. Please name some of the well known lovers of literature, not real peo- ple.—M. C. A. Ben Hur and Esther, Darby and Joan, Aucassin and Nicolette, Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristram and Iseult, Basanio and Portia, Hamlet and Ophelia, Evangeline and Gabriel, Hiawatha and Minnehaha, Orpheus and Eurydice, Paul nd Virginia, and Pyramus and Thisbe. Q. What produced the Grand Can- yon of Arizona?—G. S. A. It was cut down through millions of years by the Colorado River, which stilis flows in the bottom of it. Q. Who was the violinist who had a valuable violin crushed in an automoblle accident?—P. C. A. Harry Braun, a young violinist of promise, had a $25,000 Guarnerius vio- lin, given him by August Heckscher, crushed in such an accident last Oc- tober. Q. What is the difference between aphtha and gasoline’—R. E. H. A. Naphtha and gasoline are both petroleum products. They are both solvents, fuels and illuminants. Naphtha is intermediate between gasoline and benzine, and consists largely of hep- tane, called also Danforth’s oil. | ol | Q In what country do the people | use the telephone the most?—R. S. | "A. In proportion to the number of | telephones, Canadians rank first. They | average 250.5 calls per capita annually. | The United States has the most tele- phones, Germany is second, Great Brit- |ain and Northern Ireland third and Canada fourth. | Q. How heavy do turkeys grow?—I. n: ‘When his father died, Novem- | C. U, | A. The heaviest standard weights of turkeys in this country are 36 pounds | for adult cock bronze turkeys and 30 pounds for adult cock Bourbon red turkeys and Narragansett turkeys. The standard weights for hens of these three breeds are 20, 18 and 18 pounds, re- spectively. Q. How much type is set in the Gov- erament. Printing Office each day?— ‘A The average daily output is 8,500,- 0 ems of type set. The yearly output some 2,470,000,000 ems of type. graduates has West O. 00 is Q. How many gradu: Point Had?—J. D. L. M. A. Since 1802, when the Military Academy was organized, there have been 9,323 graduates. Q. Who made the first modern cross- word puzzle?—G. W. L. A. The first genuine cross-word puz- | zle of the modern type was composed by Arthur Winn, and appeared in a supplement of the New York Sunday | World on December 21, 1913. The out- outbreak of the World War arrested the | cross-word puzzle craze temporarily, | but it was revived as a feature in the | World in 1916. * Q. What kind of a dance was a passepied?—T. E. D. | A "It was a lively dance in triple |rhythm which preceded the minuet. |1t is thought to have originated in Bretagne. Q. Please give the dimensions of some of the rooms at Mount Vernon.—O.P. Y. A. The central hall on the main { floor of Mount Vernon is 10 by 30 feet, | the east parlor 17 by 11, the west par- |lor 17 by 17, the family dining room | 17 by 15, and the banquet hall 30 by 22. Q. What do the initials “P. V. D.” |stand for on an old silver tankard?— |, G, w. “ ey stand for Peter Van Dyke, a silversmith, who was born in ) 11:1 1684 and died in 1751, ¢ YOk Rigid test of personal qualities will come to Theodore Roosevelt, sometimes | known as “T. R, jr.” as he takes the 1 post of Governor General of the Philip- pines. His experience in Porto Rico brought him into contact with economic matters in a small area, but the press points out that he will have one of the Nation's most difficult tasks as he takes up the political and commercial situa- tion in the Pacific. Praise of his ad. ministration in the West Indies is be- stowed. The T. R. of today, with his bril- liant fighting record in the war and his honorable scars in battle,”, meets the approval of the Chicago Daily Tribune, which remarks, incidentally, that “the American people know that what they need is a restoration of the virile Amer- icanism which built in days good and bad, in trial and triumph, the greatness of their country.” The Roanoke Times, emphasizing the nature of the prom: tion in the public service, attests that “he has displayed talents of a high order as an insular administrator in Porto Rico and has made a record which is good.” “Several very able men have held that position,” remarks the Pasadena Star-News, “including the late William H. Taft, Henry L. Stimson, now Secre- tary of State in President Hoover's Cabinet, and Dwight F. Davis, former Secretary of War. This post in the Philippines is of especial importance now, as the question of complete auton- omy for the islands is a very live one. Mr. Roosevelt, of course, will be gov- erned in his attitude on that question by the attitude of the Washington Gov- ernment. But Mr. Roosevelt will be a f 'good man to reconcile the Filipinos to | whatever policy the Washington Gov- ernment may hold as to the political future of the tslands.” ok K “It is an alien fleld to the best of us.” avers the St. Louis Times, “and its I big job calls for a rare combination of common sense and firmness. Col. Rocse- | velt has demonstrated ability as: Gov- ernor of Porto Rico. It is to be hoped that he will be equally successful in handling the Filipinos.” The Charles- ton (8. C.) Evening Post agrees that i “he has shown he can give useful, if not especially brilliant, service by the “Wuy he has addressed himself to his duties in the little Caribbean island | territory, and it may be said that he | has fairly won the promotion given him by President Hoover.” The New Castle 1|PI.J News states: “The place of the retiring Governor, Dwight F. Davis, is hard to fill, but no one, it is safe to say, can fill it better than Col. Roosevelt, | . who has become the type of colonial executive whose services are bound to ge invaluable.” The Sioux City Journal oints out that “he has ability which he has proved in Porto Rico,” and feels that he “is expected to make good in Manila.” “He has proved an able administrator of insular affairs, which were particu- larly perplexing at the time he became | Governor, in 1929,” according to the | Manchester Union, while the Port Hu- | ron Times-Herald, observing that he “has been almost unexpectedly success- ful in a turbulent situation down in | Porto Rico,” concludes that his appoint- ment to the Philippines becomes “thor- oughly logical, with reasonable expecta- tion of a degree of success in an ad- mittedly difficult post.” “In spite of dire predictions,” com- ments the Houston Chronicle, “Theo- dore Roosevelt made a fine reputation s a colonial administrator at San Juan. Especially did he convince the welfare organizations of the United States that he had a broad agd comprehensive grasp of Porto Rican problems. His work in securing immediate and practical relief after the Caribbean storm which de- vastated the island was a striking suc- cess. If he will continue at Manila the activity he displayed at San Juan, the | | Theodore Roosevelt F acing Real Test, Country Believes | islands, so that the new Governor Gen- | eral has his work cut out for him in | lullcn}ensu! “Col. Roosevelt's vigorous- course | Porto Rice as viewed by the San Anu} |tonio Express, “promises that he will give thoroughgoing attention to devel- ‘ oping the Philippines’ resources and ex- | tending their trade with the outside world. He will supervise the political concerns of an archipelago which covers ‘114,400 square miles and has 12.600.000 | inhabitants.” Noting the difference be- | tween his former task and the new one, | the New.York Sun says that “in the 1Carlhbenn he had to deal with a gentle | people whose politicians were not able | to stir up trouble such as our Philip- ‘fme-v administrator constantly encoun- ers. “The successful exemplification of th ‘Amerlcan idea in Pon.% Rico,” in th: Judgment of the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, “has won over the major part |of an anti-Washington opposition, and | this is a competent promise of a 'simi ‘lar performance in the Philippines, | where the ultimate solution of the prob- | lem depends very much upon the ability |of the government in immediate au- | thority to hold and to increase the con- fidence of the people in the sincerity of its friendly purpose while at the same time overcoming the political maneuvers |of the independent movement which seeks to foster irritation and discon- |tent. The Governor of the Philippines must also be an aml ador to the | Philippine people, and Gov. Roosevelt 2:& Shown his equipment for such ‘s | —_— e | Pedestrian Safeguards Near White House Asked To the Editor of The Star: The streets between, the White and the Treasury unn\on! side nn‘;om Department of State on the other and round the curve at the south of the White House offer a convenient short cut east and west and are much used as such. There are no admonitory signs whatever on these roadways and to a daily observer it is very evident that the idea prevalls that no curtail- ment of speed is required while driving ‘on_nvf]em. 2 ese roads are very wide, with - fusing intersections, l};"‘d there l!emxrllo | safeguards such as the useful safety | islands which the unhappy pedestrian | can utilize in his reasonable desire to |avoid fatal injury. Iam (}hllged to pass four times daily across different parts of these streets and I am certain that the rapid, reck- less and unnecessarily indifferent driv- ing is inviting accidents and probably fatalities. Within 10 days a driver in broad daylight knocked down one of the lamp posts. Any person on the | sidewalk near that post at the time would probably have been injured, per- haps killed. Is it necessary to await some such fatal occurrence before something is done to oblige sane and safe driving on these public roads? THORVALD SOLBERG. Work on Hoover Dam Benefits California From the Pasadena Star-News. Much of the material for building the Hoover Dam is being supplied from Southern California. This section probably will continue to furnish build- ing supplies in large quantities as con- struction of the dam proceeds. This gives stimulus to structual. material industries in this section, increases pay rolls here and puts a great deal of money into circulation in this re- glon which otherwise would not come here. Southern California in general and Los Angeles County in particular Filipinos will be well served.” * K ok ok With emphasis on the Philippine in- | cependence movement, the Scranton | Times advises that “the next few years | will become crucial in the affairs of the ' will derive much material advantage from the sales of structual lunp‘m: for construction of this dam. This should belp much to restore prosperity in this region. -