Evening Star Newspaper, February 3, 1932, Page 8

A-8 =% THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, Do WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1932. THE EVENING STAR . With Sunday Morning Edition. _ WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY. .. February 3, 1932 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office East 42nd 8t Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Bullding. European Office: 14 Regent M., London, England Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Evening Star 45¢ per month e Evening and Sundey Siar ) 60c per month (when 4 Sundays. The Evening and Sunday Siar (when 5 Bundays) .... 65c per month The Sunday Star 5c_per copy Collection made st the end of each month. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. Mail—Payable in Advance. land and Virginia. £10.00: 1 mo., 85¢ £6.00: 1 mo.. 50c £4.00: 1 mo.. 40¢ Rate by Ma; aily and Sunday iy on unday onl: All Other States and Canada. Sunday...1 yr. $1200° 1 mo., $1.00 y 1yr. $800: 1mo. 8¢ 1yr, $500; 1mo. 50c 1yr 1yr ST Member of the Associated Press. xclusively entitled of The Associated Press is e Il news dis- to the use for repub n atches credited ted in this paper published herein special dispatches hereir Equitable Considerations. It the people of City “A" decide to bulld a municipally owned and op- erated power plant and borrow the money to finance it and the people of City “B” decide to take over and op- erate the transportation system, float- ing & bond issue to get the purchase money, is absurd to suppose that the people of City “C", lacking such im- provements, are going to increase | their taxes merely to make them compare in total amount with the great- er burdens assumed by “A” and “B." ‘Yet Washington, with no bonded in- debtedness, enjoying none of the ad- vantages and paying none of the pen- alties for living beyond its income on borrowed money, is constantly com- pared in the taxes it pays with the h have borrowed money and | erest payments on such age 10.6 per cent of their total governmental cost payments. In equity these interest payments should be deducted from the taxes of | other cities when such taxes are com- pared with debt-free Washington. The Mapes committee opposes such deduc- tions “principally because their (the other cities) burden has been so great that they could not afford to add to it for the cost of needed public im- provements"—and therefore have been “forced” into debt. That statement is open to ques- tion. Of the stupendous total funded or fixed indebtedness of the cities in 1929, amounting to more than $7.800,000,000, approximately 29 per cent represents in- vestments in public service enterprises, | many of them self-sustaining invest- ments for the future that, if properly managed, in time will earn profits for the in ing mu- nicipalities. Another great proportion of the total debt represents pure ex travagance. Municipalities were urged to borrow money and issue tax-exempt | bonds that were eagerly sought by rich investors after the war, who thus escaped income and surtax payments collectable on other forms of securities, and many cities responded in a fever of unprecedented borrowing. And to say that a city borrows money be- cause it cannot afford to add to its tax burden is illogical. Borrowing money certainly adds to the tax burden. The cities borrowed money because it is the convenient and sensible meth- od of raising cash for & specific pur- pose, and because it spreads the burden of taxation over a period of years. If the time has come to pay the piper after & period living on borrowed money that was lovely while it lasted, Wash- ington should not be penalized because it has been kept to expenditures that come from current revenue. Today's article of The Star series on ‘Washington'’s tax burden discusses other equitable deductions that should be made when the tax burdens of other cities are used with it in comparisons. The Mapes Committee found that “it makes no difference by what name the tax may be called, a State tax, a school tax, & city tax or a county tax, it is the actual money paid over the counter of the public treasury that counts, and that is the only true measure of com- parative burdens.” Yet, the question is not one of com- parative burdens, but of the burden that in equity should be assumed for the benefits received. Washington re- eeives none of the benefits of a State; it should not pay an amount that is equal to the State taxes paid by other ecities that receive the benefits of par- tieipation in the rights and powers of & State. or enjoy participation in the bounties divided among the States. That these are tangible benefits, and tangible bounties, is not a matter of theory or eonjecture. It is a matter of fact Today's Star article discusses fully these equitable considerations that must in fairmess be given in comparing Washington's tax burden with the burden of other cities B ———— A “kibitzer,” it is officially explained, is person who, though not a player in a bridge game, gives unasked advice.” Shades of pinochle! Kibitzing, to use an anglicized participle, was going on for many years before bridge whist was even dreamed of. ¢ o The Street Car Merger. The fact that the merger resolution and agreement, now beginning their familiar way through House and Senate, have been approved by the Public Utilities Commission is no assurance that they will be accepted in present form by Congress. The merger has been approved before by the Public Utilities Commission. Nor is there any yeason to believe that objections by members of Congress, resulting in de- feat of the merger in former years, will not be renewed. All of the matter con- sidered objectionable in the past has not been removed. But should the fact that there will be objections to the form of merger agreement and of the resolution ratify- ing the agreement mean that the busi- ness of accomplishing merger of the car lines is again to be held up and indefinitely delayed? If the principle of merger is desirable, of | fact, and everybody agrees that it is, what is to prevent Congress from giving all of the objections the serious study that thelr importance deserves, and to whip 1into shape, socording to its own ideas, the form of agreement that it is willing . to approve? The stockholders may then consider the amended form of agree- ment and take it or leave it. What Congress should by all means avoid is the tendency to pigeonhole this legls- lation because there is controversy over its terms. Controversial points should be considered on their merits and per- mitted to receive the test of a vote. Conditions have so changed since the first attempt at merging the car lines and the introduction of the famous Maltbie report that the corporations no longer are in a position to bargain. If they want to merge, they should beal- lowed to merge, as long as the agree- ment is fair to the public. But there is no reason why the public should be expected to “purchese” the car lines’ right to merge in any way, shape or form. There is merit in the conten- tion that the car lines should be re- lieved of the expense of maintaining crossing policemen. Conditions have changed materially since they were charged with that expense. There is merit in the contention that the car lines should be relieved of some of the expense of paving between tracks, that they heretofore have borne. But why sheuld such relief be wrapped up in & merger agreement? It is important enough to be considered as a question in itself ‘The merger, of course, benefits pri- marily the street railway corporations The tangible benefit to the car riders is nowhere set down. The whole busi- ness should be considered with fact in mind that merger is desirable; that the compenies want to merge and should be permitted to do so as long as the rights of the public are protected, and that Congress, having necessarily assumed the obligation of acting on such matters, should dis- charge that obligation. i e International Solidarity. A definite and reassuring lessening cf the tension due to the Japanese attack upon China at Shanghai and Nanking has been caused by the action yesterday at Geneva, where the Council of the League of Nations, summoned hurriedly by the call of the British government, adopted without division a resolution to the effect that the “au- thority of the Council” will be asso- ciated with the naval, military and dip- | lomatic action that is being taken by the United States, Great Britain, France and Italy for the pacific settle- ment of Japan's “undeclared war” on China. At the same tlme snnounce- ment was officially made in this city of the sequence of diplomatic efforts to check the developments which have been advancing so rapidly toward a state of war in China. These reached the point at which specific proposals were made on Monday as follows: Cessation of all acts of violence on both sides forthwith No further mobilization or prepara- tions whatever for further hostilities between the two nations. Withdrawal of both Japanese Chinese combatants from all points ot mutual contact in the Shangha area. Protection of the International Set- | tlement by the establishment of neutr: zones to divide the combatants: thes ones to be policed by neutrals; the arrangements to be set up by the con- sular authorities. Upon acceptance of these conditions prompt advances to be made in nego- tiations to settle all outstanding con- troversies between the two nations in the spirit of the pact of Paris and the resolution of the League of Nations of December 9, without prior demand or reservation and with the aid of neutral observers or participants. To these proposals China has unre- servedly agreed. Japan has likewise indicated its disposition to agree, with the exception of the fifth point, inferentially reserving from the | negotiations the question of the occu- pation of Manchuria, which is evidently considered at Tokio as an accomplished not to be confused with the Sheanghai incident and not to be in- cluded in the international scrutiny that is to be applied to the situation in China proper. A formal response is to be given within a few hours, follow- ing consultation at Tokio between the foreign minister and the last surviving “elder statesman.” Meanwhile the Woosung forts at the mouth of the Whangpoo River have been attacked by the Japanese without effecting their reduction and with the loss of a Japanese destroyer, and at Nanking the confronting Japanese and Chinese naval forces have drawn apart, with warships of the neutral powers oc- cupying an intermediate position Thus there is a gratifying prospect of effective diplomatic intervention to end the conflict. However the case may turn out, it is now apparently assured that the United States will not be left in a position of single interposition. The international front is arrayed against Japanese aggression upon China and against Chinese provocation against Japen r——— Army officers warn shipping that they have planted four “dummy” mines in Chesapeake Bay. Now, Japan, will you be good? —————t——— Roosevelt and the League. The League of Nations has lost caste among the Democrats in the last dozen years. Proposed by the latest Demo- cratic President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, as a means of keeping the peece of the world, it was turned down by a minority vote of the Senate in 1919. A year later, James M. Cox, then Governor of Ohio, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, now Governor of New York, headed the Democratic national ticket in a campaign which made the League an issue, with the Democrats favoring American adherence. Today Gov. Roosevelt, a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, in & speech to the New York State Grange, says: “I do not favor American participation in the League.” The New York Governor gives as his reason for this flat assertion that the “League has not developed through these years along the course contemplated by its founder.” It was inevitable that sooner or later Gov. Roosevelt, if he continued to aspire to the presidential nomination and to election, would have to make his posi- tion on the League of Nations clear. His own course in 1920, when he fought for the adherence of the United States to the League, was still in the minds of the voters. Already anti-Roosevelt Democrats have attacked the Governor as en “internationalist.” He was 50 branded by William Randolph Hearst along with other Democrats mentioned for the presidential nomination when Mr. Hearst himself declared for the nomination of Speaker John Carner as s simon-pure American. ‘The Roosevelt denisl of the came, too, on the heels of & the | and | i statement issued by former BSecretary of War Newton D. Baker in which Mr. Baker, while saying that he still per- sonally favored entry of the United States into the League, believed it should not be an issue in the coming campaign. Mr. Baker went so far as to say, tog, that he would not put the United States into the League right now, but that he would wait until a majority of Americans saw the true light and favored adherence to the League. In 1924 Mr. Baker was the great defender of the League of Na- tions at the Madison Square Garden National Convention of the Democrats. He wanted the Democrats to place in |their national platform a declaration favoring American adherence to the League. But this year Mr. Baker pro- poses no such thing. He would keep the League off the platform entirely. This is not a good year politically for those who lean toward interna- tionalism in this country. Americans are irritated because our foreign debt- ors are unable or unwilling to pay their debts to this Government. No one is more insistent that these foreign debtors of the United States shall pay than are the Democratic leaders. Gov. Roosevelt also in his talk to the State Grange goes on record as opposing debt cancellation. lands him in the White House, Mr. Roosevelt probably will learn that there is more to the problem of collecting these debts than a mere assertion against cancellation. o Careless Representatives in Congress have fafled so far this session to put their names to six different bills intro- duced by them. This may have been pure absent-mindedness, but some think that the Seventy-second Congress will be distinguished by legislation the authors of which in after years will wish were entirely dissociated from their names, ——r—— The United States battle fleet will shortly put out from San Pedro, Calif., “fully prepared for any contingenc: according to its commander. This may mean anything, from quelling an ob- streperous half-breed islander to- well, anything. oh, ———— The modern “man without a country” has been accepted by England. T would warm the cockles of the heart of the late Sir W. S. Gilbert, who wrote so glowingly in “Pinafore” of the man who ‘might have been a Rooshian, & Frenchman or & Prooshian. ——— Secretary of Commerce Lamont’s special, private, concealed elevator costs the United States $6.35 per day. It is hoped that he gets that much money'’s worth of fun out of ft. If not, there are several small boys in the District who would e The Bureau of Education puts forth the information that of the total 1930 population one man out of seventy-two has been graduated from a college. He is the fellow who will sell your wife | a brush, provided she should linger at the front door long enough. RN - Too many people who bought stocks that never would have been worth a nickel in any event are putting the blame on “the depression” instead of on their own folly —_— ——— Winter sport news and near news is, for a foot ball and base ball fan, some- what like a diet of spinach, kale and Melba toast imposed on a sirloin-and- onion addict e It might be a bit difficult at that, for patriots to join lustily in, “Oh, the | Department of National Defense For- ever; Hurrah for the Red, White and Blye!” e e Einstein says all Voliva declares that the earth is per- fectly flat. And the eternal triangle supersedes everything. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Favorite of Fate. Hard luck after Timmins went, But went for him in vain. He dodged a railway accident Because he missed a train. He went to the dentist, who By chance was busy then, And found that in an hour or two His tooth was well again. He saw his steamer sail away And paused with glee to note How seasick he'd have been that day If he had caught the boat. The girl he courted from him turned And wedded Bammy Skid. i When of Sam's married life he learned He was right glad she did. Caution. “It should be an explorer's privilege to name anything he discovers.” “Yes. But explorers should be warned not to give geographical spots the kind of names they call one another.” Impressions. “What poet said “Things are not what they seem’?” 'Are you sure it was a poet?” re- sponded the man who was reading sta- tistics. “Mightn't it have been an ex- pert accountant?” Uninstructed. Oh, history repeats itself. We lay the volume on the shelf, And pause in humble sorrow, And wonder, with that vast array Of centuries upon display, What it will say tomorrow. Not Difficult. “I am determined to live in luxurious surroundings and eat and drink the best the land affords,” sald the frankly selfish man. “That ought to be easily arranged,” replied Miss Cayvenne. “All you have to do is to get a situation as a butler.” Another Malady. “I'm afraid I'm getting tango toe,” remarked the frivolous person. “That isn't the worst,” commented the heartless acquaintance. “When you try to sing your voice sounds as if you were getting a phonograph face.” Climatic Contrasts. Bometimes with wistfulness profound You think of hill and rock and stream, And then next day you sit around And wish that they'd turn on the steam. “What some men manages to mistake ue foh & clear conscience” sald Uncle yocabul Eben, “is merely Joss of memory.” 1t the whirligig of events| space is curved. | idelivered in Boston and a speech de- e THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. Isn't it a curious thing, how seldom people are pleased with the weather? All the time pleasant Springlike days prevailed, one’s friends were say- ing, “Oh, I don't like this weather, do you?” As soon as it got cold, they began to shiver and voice their protests anew. Seemingly, few people are ever satis fied with the prevailing meteorological conditions. Or are their remarks more of & pose than anything else? * % * % You would suppose that people would | take the weather as it comes, since that attitude is compulsory, anyway, in the | very nature of things. No doubt there are two real reasons for the general negative attitude on the part of the public in to it, One is the belief, poptilarly held, that “weather talk” is somehow not fitting | for_intelligent belngs The other is that dissent is fashion- able. Surely the first of these two “reasons” is no reason at all. The weather s the same weather which our forefathers knew, and it holds the same interest for us that it did for them. | There is no getting rway from the | weather. | It is with us always | And it merits a share of our interest. | ¥k ki The man who is so obsessed With other matters that he has no time in his scheme of things for an honest interest in the state of the weather is | untrue to the life history of the race. | Only as mankind evolved with the weather, as a true child of the elements, | in one sense, did it come to the posi- which it now holds on this globe nnot take a breath without dem- | ting his indebtedness to the air. | Every drink of water which enters | the human system is a tribute to rain. | Every hour spent in sport beneath the jsun “is an admission.” though uncon- scious, like breathing, that mankind oves the sunsh day and recognizes | his debt to its ray It was only because the individual| cells of which the hum able to take a of the weather,” in past eons of time, that the physical body of man. together with his mental, equipment, stands on the earth as it is today. * * * * Man is a true child of Nature and, as such, is permitted to grow and to keep| on living solely because his body cells have worked out a co-operation with each other and with things as they are. Man can live for weeks without food but only for days without water and | { only for a minute or so without air. | Tt is the weather, actually, which gives us both air and water and, in the last analysis, food Everybody knows this. uch ‘sense in pretending that there hing old-fashioned or childish about an honest interest in it. | Nor does one have to be a farmer, | with one’s living plainly depending upon whether rain falls or not, to recognize the supreme importance of rain and sun and wind These things are part of the race heritage. | ALkl ‘The curious pers ple in growling what it is, it because it is what it is, is| Cue to a lip acceptance of dissent. | | Genuine disagreement is one thing. | p disagreement is another. The dis- so there is not n e of so many he weather, no Manchuria, Shanghai and Nanking are casting a long dark sh: ver all inte tional affairs. TI World Dis- armament Conference now opening in | Geneva can hardly hope to escape the implications of the Far Eastern crisis | Congress, considering a naval program 1and Army and Navy appropriations, must take it into consideration. Special point 1s given to the American naval maneuvers off Hawaii. It is perhaps more than coincidence that just now the Atlantic battle fleet and the Pacific | battle fleet are both in the Pacific | The issue of Philippine independence is cted he League of Nations has received the heaviest blow in its his- tory. The Kellogg pact and the treaties guaranteeing the integrity of China are in a sad plight. The ultimate conse- quences are as yet imponderable. The immediate consequences in Washington affairs are manifold and plainly evi- dent. For the time being at le the World Court question is dead as a door nail. The court issue is virtually elim- inated from the coming presidential campaign. ‘There is new impetus be- hind the drive for advancing our naval building program beyond the blue print stage. Consideration by the House of the regular War Department appropria- tion bill 1 momentarily shelved pending developments. The administration, al- ready overburdened with domestic prob- lems of alding business recovery and balancing the Federal budget, with its twin questions of new economies and new taxes, now has a new sheaf of anxieties. * kX x The administration is fortunate in its representatives in the Far East in the present holocaust of shot and shell. | Neison T. Johnson, the American Min- ister to China, is a veteran of the For- cign Service, as wise in the ways of | the heathen Chinese as any white man ever can be. He knows China “like a book” and speaks the language. At Tokio W. Cameron Forbes, whose resig- | nation has been in the hands of the | | State Department for some time, still carries on and will not leave his post at | present. He long served as Governor General of the Philippines. He, too, is | of broad experience and ripe judgment. | His path is strewn with pitfalls, but he is proving equal to the occasion. Ac- | cording to Secretary Stimson, Ambas- | sador Forbes is being given full liberty of action by his superiors here in his aelicate parleys with the Japanese for- cign office. The transfer to Tokio, as Forbes' successor, of Ambassador Joseph | C. Grew, now in Turkey, is being held | in abeyance. * %k The political dopesters having by now fairly well exhausted the possibilities of the favorite son candidates in the Dem- ocratic _presidential field, Garner of | Texas, Robinson of Arkansas, White of | Ohio, J. Ham Lewis of Illinois, Traylor | of Kentucky, Ritchle of Maryland and| perchance David I. Walsh of Massachu- | setts, Thomas F. Walsh of Montana and | Jim Recd of Missouri, they are now turning their attention to “dark horse” | possibilities. First in that category was former Gov. Cox of Ohlo, the 1920 Dem. ocratic presidential nomince, and Sena- tor Bulkley of Ohio and Newton D. Ba- ker of Ohio and John W. Davis of New York, the 1924 standard bearer. The latest additions to this illustrious group {as darkest of dark horses are William | | Gibbs McAdoo and Bainbridge Colby of | New York, once a Secretary of State in the Wilson cabinet. * % % % Some learned persons of minds have taken the trouble to ana- | Iyze a recent speech of ex-Gov. Smith, | erudite | livered the same night by Gov. Roose- velt in New York City, with reference to their word content and as a measure of their respective vocabularies. The Smith speech of 6,600 words in length contained 750 different words. The Roosevelt speech was just about half as long, some 3,300 words, and of these 675 were different. Hence it appears that Roosevelt used one new word to every five he spoke and Smith one to every nine. If this proves anything it demonstrates the worthlessness of es- timating & man's command of lan- guage by his printed utterances. For it must be obvious that in neither of these speeches did the speaker tap his entire reservoir of words. He simply played the changes on his professional | No one can label anything as trivial, | see into the future. | we nstead of honestly | sol l WASHINGTON OBSERY | newspaper corps leans heavily for copy, |is at home in his new offices in the | least | facement” by tac * . Whatever the limitations on Smith's vocabulary, he combines his TRACEWELL. senting opinions of Justice Holmes are among the glories of America Trivial disagreements, on the other hand, must be classed merely as grouches, of \\r‘firh there are enough already. The bellef that to agree with anything shows one’s weakness is as silly as the feeling, so plainly manifest- ed by many, that to disagree shows one’s manliness. * K X K Acceptance and disagreement only amount to something when they are genuine and honest, whether the matter under discussion is important or trivial. after all, for it is not given to man to That is what we were driving at the other day when we said that time does not exist. Some one could compile a most interesting record by putting togther all the gu every walk of life, as to what w to happen, and then, later, puting right alongside what actually did happen. In most of the cases it would be entirely different from the prediction One might think people would hesi- tate to predict anything, but the human mind is wise with a gross slyness; it realizes that by the time the event spoken of in advance actually gets into being the prediction of past days will be forgotten except by a few, who may be disposed of by branding them as “grouches.” A Surely, disagreeing perpetually with the state of the weather—that is, saying that onc wishes it were warm when it | is cold, and cold when it is hot—is tak- ing & false hold on the good doctrine of human dissent. To dissent because one’s heart and mind are in it may be sublime, but surely it is only silly to be “ag'in” the weather merely because it is unusual That very unusualness is what helps to keep it an Interesting and alive topic why it is not and cannot be stale or stuffy or unfit for human beings. We are evolving toward some end or other of which we are not quite sure, and the Weather goes with us Qver at the United States Weather Bureau they will never agree with you | thet the “weather is changing,” be- couse they know better than most of us that meteorology is a big subject— as big as the universe. And the uni- verse is & whopping big thing. It is so tremendous that our little indifference to it, or to any of its manifestations, becomes worse than futile. One must be interested, if one is to be a real human being. Perhaps few peo ever come to a decent realization of what it means to be a human being, be human in a human way. Too many are human in a sub-human way, which like to call an “z which phrase does inju mals. The brute creatures a because somehow they failed to evolve cnough brain cells to learn how to con- vey ideas cne to another igh the medium of ordered sounds It is talk (and its developr ing) which makes the race kind human, and which saves est theme—such as the wea being elther trivial or Nothing is small which contrib; the human mind and its That mind is the best we & makes us human. The beast the weather, as we must, bec of us can help it. But we mething they cannot do- talk about it, and we should. because it is interesting, because it heiped bring us here, and because it helps keep us here. nt of writ- man- accept use none y do we may TONS words 50 as to give flavor and punch to his remarks, and that. after all, in public speaking, is the prime requisite | of Recent remarks with flavor and punch by American statesmen include the fol- lowing: Senator Huey P. Long, "I am the Kingfish”; Representative Loring Black of New York n President in an economic trance will not take the short and happy route to prosperity called Modification Lane Senator Carter Glass, “T looked at that round, waggling head and by sudden | illumination became aware that it was not & head at all but a turnip placed on top of his neck and shoulders”; Secretary of Interior Wilbur, “In Hawaii the Orient and the Occident meet on a basis of absolute equality. Freedom from superiority complexes and absence of the social color line furnishes a field of happy social endeavor.” ok ok ox Paul D. Croghan, chief of the Com- merce Department’s press division, and the man upon whom the Washington Commerce Department's $11,000,000 marble temple of fact-finding. The day when Croghan does not hand out at 5 news releases something is radically wrong with the department’s far-flung communications system. The walls of Croghan's offices in the old building were painted a vivid green to | match the color of the haberdashery of his chief assistant, A. J. O'Leary. The walls were further enriched with | an applique of clippings, caricatures | and a hundred and one miscellaneous features and photos. But in the new| office all is changed—all is spic and | span. The wall color is standardized | and the regulations forbid their ‘“de- ks and paste. v “Uncle Sam" is dead. George Camp- bell, 90-year-old Civil War veteran, of Baltimore, with long white hair and flowing beard, for the past quarter of | a century has headed scores of parades | in Washington attired in the garments of the symbolic “Uncle Sam"—the striped red and white trousers and the bootstrap, starred vest and blue-tail coat. He led so many parades of sol- dier boys down Pennsylvania avenue during the war days that he came to have an official status as “Uncle Sam,” his right to this title having been once upheld in court in dispute with another | claimant. Now he is dead and has been buried in Arlington Cemetery. His burial garments were his beloved parade costume (Copyright, 1932.) r—— Dance Marathon Protest Indorsed To the Editor of The Star May I heartily indorse the protest| raised in your columns yesterday against the dance marathon now being held at the Auditorfum. It is indeed strange | that within a few blocks of the White House there should be on exhibition | this pitiful manifestation of the moron | mind at 75 cents per. As your correspondent remarks, there surely ought to be some legal means| by which certain backward types of | youth might be spared such sordid ex- ploitation of their weaknesses. I am sure that many of us have blushed for civilization on seeing the contestants for this “world championship” (God help us!) being dragged, carried, coaxed or bullied from their cots back to the dance floor after the 15-minute rest period each hour. As a spectacle the contest is loathsome. Girls and boys, asleep on their feet, are pushed into the arena where, blindly and stupidly, they totter around, or posture indecently, to the inane giggles of the “fans,” who toss them occasional nickels, like pea- nuts to monkeys. I would recommend to all students interested in manifesta- tions of social depravity that they spend some hours in the basement of the Auditorium compiling case histories. They will find it a happy hunting ground. It is strange to think that dance marathons are unknown in effete Eu- rope and other unenlightened parts of the globe. And stranger still, no laws or municipal regulations are required to keep them out. No, sir; merely an in- herent sense of public decency. 8T, RA | tional law impartially and entirely con- | Direct U. S. Relief Is Called Unsound To the Editor of The Star: ‘The proposal that unemployment re- lief be accomplished through direct appropriation of millions of dollars by the Federal Government is economically unsourd. The first easential to the cure of unemployment is the restora- tion of public confidence, and that can- not be brought about by a continua- tion of the policy of spending far be- yond our income. A .better plan would be for the Fed- eral Government to appropriate any necessary amount to be loaned to the Btates, without interest and repayable over a period of 10 years, for unem- ployment relief. Experience has shown that the flat appropriation of Federal funds is usually accompanied by reck- less waste. It has been pointed out that upon one occasion bacon sent by the Fed- eral Government to sufferers in a flood area was found being distrfouted in localities 50 miles removed from the flood area. If the need in any given State is not great enough to render the Governor and Legislature of such State willing to assume the responsi- bility for the repayment of sums ad- vanced, without {nterest, over a period of 10 years, then it is not great enough to justify the Federal Government in pouring billions of dollars into the rat- hole of uncontrolled disbursement. If the States are dispensing their own funds, even though borrowed from the Federal Government, some care will be used to prevent waste. If they are dispensing Federal funds each State group will have in mind to grab all that it can, with little reference to real needs Mr. Gifford has told Congress that local sources of aid will probably be ! sufficlent. Certainly, if the Federal| Government establishes a source from which the several States can get any additional sum needed, it will have in- sured that no one need go hungry, and that is as far as the Federal Govern- ment should go. The States already have the machinery, through their election officials, to reach into eve nook and cranny of the country. Politi- cal leaders have no difficulty in reach- ing the most remote and humble voter on_ election day. 1t is repeated that the most effective measure toward the relief of uncmploy- ment is the restoration of busir fidence through sound ) finance, and this calls for prompt ncing of the budget. In addition gress would do well to extend the im upon war debt payments from one year to two years and to re- linquish interest upon these debts during the intervening period. It is much easier to prevent a debtor frem becoming a bankrupt than it is to rehabilitate him after he has become bankrupt. When he has e disagreeable plunge of he cannot or will not pay his honorable debts he has passed urdle upon the path of com- once taken it would seem to be until the world 1 from the slump, rather than to force the issue and cause th~ debtor nations to seize the present abnormal conditions as an excuse to pass the| first and greatest barrier on the path to BV —r oo U. S. Court Decision Helps Amity Abroadi Tot E ' of The Star A leading Dutch newspaper, the | uwe Rotterdamsche Courant, re cent commented upon a decision of the Court | debt repudiation. CAMPBELL. of Claims of the United | teg as follo | This judement proves that the in- | terests of citizens of other countries | can be safely intrusted to judges of the United States of America.” The newspaper had reference to the | judgment of the Court of Claims in | the case of the Royal Holland Lloyd vs the United States, decided by the Court aims on December 7, 1931. This claim grew out of the detention of a Dutch vessel during the World War was for many years the subject of dip- jons for settlement be- tween the Government of the Ut States and the government of ctherlands. and upon the suggestior of the United States was referred to the Court of Claims under a special juris- dictional act In deciding the case the Court of Claims applied principles of inter- national law in such a way as to vindi- | | cate the position which had been dip- lomatically taken by the government of the Netherlands | At a time when we of the United States are prone to believe that, be- | cause of jealousies and the application of international politics, the feeling o! ry citizen of every European nato strongly prejudiced against the United States, this proceeding and the comment | of the Dutch newspaper are particu- | larly refreshing. Not only do we find a European gov- | t ernment permitting its citizens to in- trust the decision of its rights to an| American court, but we find that after submission a court of the United States has applied the principles of interna-| trary to the contentions of its own Gov- ernment. And, finally, it is refreshing to find that the newspapers of Holland are announcing to the world that citi- zens of other countries may safely in- trust their interests to the judges of the courts of the United States. I am myself of Dutch birth and am the correspondent in this country of | the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, and it seems to me that the people of ‘Washington would be glad to know of | the very favorable opinion in Holland of | one of your important courts. Respectfully yours NELL BONL r———— Hiking Paths Urged Along New Highway To the Editor of The Star: The new 15!;-mile Arlington-Mount Vernon Highway ought to have a dirt path alongside for pedestrains. How much more enjoyment could be had out of this project if some such provision were made. Scattered groups of pedes- trians have been noticed walking along the edge of the road’s pavement. Cer-| tainly not altogether safe nor desirable from a healthy out-of-door walking standpoint, with machines whizzing by every second. On either side of the pavement within the right of way are 80 feet available for foot paths. Cer- tainly there are enough of us inter- ested In receiving all the benefits of hiking to merit the construction of a dirt foot path in this case. Purther- more, it is believed there is yet & bal ance in the funds appropriated for the | project which could be used for this urpose. If those of us who still enjoy ong walks show enough interest such | & path might be forthcoming. JOHN B. UMHAU. e Hits Direct Hiring Of Finance Workers To the Editor of The Star: Relative to the new loan board, to be headed by Gen. Dawes: This new bureau will not secure its employes from the Civil Service Commission, but from applicants making a direct appeal. I believe some thought might be given to the flle of persons who have been on the list of the United States Em- ployment Bureau. Why cannot 25 per cent of the employes of this new bureau be selected from such a list. It might surprise many of us to know that this list contains the names of hundreds of thoroughly ~competent stenographers, typists, clerks and professional persons. It seems strange that the United States Government would go to the expense of maintaining this labor bureau and when it needs some employes it ignores this list entirely. JOHN HARDING. ——r———————— One Excuse Remaining. From the Ashland Dally Independent. In explanation of her presence in China, Japan has sald everything ex- cept that she is walting for a street car, ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Readers of this newspaper dre re- minded that this department does not undertake to give advice on legal, medi- cal or financial matters. Any question of fact, however, will be answered by personal letter, without cost to the reader save a 2-cent stamp for the re- ply postage. Writers must give their full names and addresses and state their questions clearly. Address all in- quiries to The Washington Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Q Who was the Arctic explorer whose frozen body was found last sum- mer?—V. H. A. It was Salomon August Andree, who left for the North Pole in the | balloon Ornen, July 11, 1897, from | Virgo, Spitzbergen. The frozen bodies | of Andree and his companions were | found August 6, 1931, on White Island, and removed to Norway for burial. | Q. How large is the Mirror Pool near the Lincoln Memorial in Wash- ington, D. C.>—G. L [ A. It is 2,027 feet long and 160 feet wide. Q. How large is the principality of Monaco, in which Monte Carlo is sit- uated?’—B. M. S | A. It has an area of approximately | 8 square miles and a population of 25,000. ‘ Q. Can nitroglycerin burn without exploding?—F. M. B, | A. It burns quietly in the open air, | but is exploded by percussion or by heating in a closed vessel. It produces | by detonation about 10,000 times its | own volume of gas. | How much revenue does Great Britain collect from the liquor tax?— | M. T A The latest official figures re- ported here give the amoant & $650,- 000,000. Q. How long is the perimeter of the United States?—A. C. C. A. The perimeter of Continental United States is 13,3135 miles, distrib- uted as follows: Canadian boundary, 3,986.5 miles; Mexican boundary, 2.013 miles; coastline (mainland), 7,314 miles. Q. What is the purpose of the figure 8 which appears in the Pacific Ocean on globe maps of the world?—J. D. A. This is known as an analemma It is & chart by which the sun’s decli- nation can be read, thus giving the equation of time for every day in the year, Q. Where is the new aquarium in Chicago?—N. H A. The Bhedd Aquarium is in Grant Park. a short distance northeast of the Field Museum. Funds to the amount of $3.000,000 were guaranteed by the late John G. Shedd for the creation of the aquarium. The building con- tains 132 exhibition tanks | Q What is the percentage of illit- eracy according to the 1930 census?— C.W.§ A. It is now 4.3 per cent per cent in 1920. Q. Is Kaiser elm Testricted from leaving his present abode in Hol- land?>—E. T, i A The former German Emperor, William 11, is restrained by law from re-entering the German Republic, but there are no legal restrictions against leaving the Netherlands. Q. How old is the City of Glasgow, Scctland?—V. D. A. Glasgow traces its beginnings in tradition to the little wooden church which Kentigern, apostle to the Scots, built on the banks of the Molendivar | about 560 AD. Nothing is known of town for mcre than 500 years until It was 6 New York corruption, as indicated preliminary report of the Seabul r remedies strong opinion that an ef- ve one wiil be hard to find. It is erted that a majority of the votcrs supports the existing system, which, it is admitted, seriously affects municipal finances. “By his indictment of Tammany." says the Newark Evening News, “Mr. Seabury proves Tammany must go ‘f York is to_have better govern- but he ofiers no program 'for evicti it. Only the voters of New York can do that. They will do it when Tammany is replaced by & system at can inspire the fealties Tammany inspired, but use them for the pub- lic good.” The Hartford Times de- clares that “those outside New York will be skeptical that this is the be- g;m‘ g of the drawing of the Tiger's claws “It {s history, according to the Cleveland News, “that Tammany can stand a lot of evil disclosures which would be fatal to another political or- ganization” That paper suggests “There is the possibility that Seabury’s committee may achieve no more than the punishment of sundry individuals though developments to date argue that these will be of sufficient number to discredit, if not smash, the entire ad- ministration. Outside interest will fol- low the investigation closely. Good citizens the Natlon over will hope that it will succeed in cleaning up municipal New York. The Nation's first city in size should be a model in government for its other cities. It seems within the committee’s power to teach a lesson to be heeded outside the con- fines of New York City.” Charging that “the people of New York remain indifferent to the findings of the committee,” the Lincoln State Journal observes that “there is no mass protest, no derrand for the ousting of corrupt officials,” and that “it seems likely that there will be no considera- ble protest at the polls.” ¥ ek ment, “The present city administration, at once bedeviled by politics and_devoted to playing it for its own ends,” in the opinion of the New York Herald Trib- une, “has been utterly incapable of any real study of the vast budget which it presides over. The Hofstadter Com- mittee, which has the resources and the staff for such a task, can make precisely that kind of study and can bring in consistent recommendations fas to policy which would carry some weight. Unfortunately, however, though the Hofstadter Committee does it this year, who will there be to do it next vear and the year after? Adjusting the city’s finances to its real resources is & continuous job; it is a job for the man of the very highest reputation and ability, and it is a job which can only be done at all by some one free of political backgrounds, who can tell the politicians from one year to the next just what is economically possible to them. New York City needs a di- rector of the budget who can really direct it.” “It has been apparent Asbury Park Press, “that Tammany Hall ‘indulges practices that would shock Croker and Tweed, but at each year's election we witness the deplor- able phenomenon of Tammy Hall elect- ing its henchmen by staggering ma- Jorities. How can an organization so powerful, yet so corrupt, be tossed out of control in the world's greatest city? Even the energetic Judge Seabury can- not answer this. He has pointed the finger at graft, but will the voters stamp it out? We fear not.” “The forces of resistance to reform,” advises the Chicago Daily Tribune, “are highly organized and ruthless. They have tried and to a considerable ex- tent they have been able to obstruct the full disclosure of conditions, and, of course, in the forefront of their says the | quarters in India? David, Prince of Cumbria, the future King David I, in 1116, re-established the see of Glasgow and rebuilt its church, Q. What is case-hardening?—§. H. B. A. The Bureau of Standards says that case-hardening is & process by which carbon is caused to penetrate the arti- cle, giving rise to an outside portion high in carbon known as the case, the carbon content decreasing gradually toward the center. Q. Where is Mahatma Gandhi's head- E B P. A. In Allahabad. At present Gandhi 1s'in fall Q. What is the solar system?—L. R. A. The solar system is the sun, with the group of celestial bodies which, held by its attraction, revolve around it. This group comprises, so far as is known, 9 major pl attended by 26 satellites, about 700 minor planets or asteroids, also comets and meteors Q. What foundation is there for the story of William Tell>—P. O. H. A. The Willlam Tell story is founded on a ballad which was certainly writ- ten before 1474. It seems that a myth- ological marksman and a bailiff bear- ing the name of the real family had been joined and helplessly confused with distorted remi nces of events from 245 t0 1247. In the stories of this pe- riod the names of many persons had been inserted and many unauthenti- cated acts had been attributed to them. Q In is a link A. It 1s 7.92 inches Q. What was the first nude bronze of the Renaissance?’—T. A. A. Donatello’s David. Q. Can the lineage of Queen Victoria be traced back to Adam and Eve with- urveyors' measure how long | out a break?—G. 5. K A. It cannot. Burke's and other Peerages show the lineage to William the Conqueror. No European family makes a serious claim to tracing ita genealogy to the period before $he Dark Ages. Q. When was the year without o ummer?—E. 8. L. A. It was 1816. While the Weather Bureau was not organized until 187 much had been written establishing # fact that the mer of 1816 was un= usually cold. In the Northern States snow and frosts occurred in every month of the Summer. | @, Is vacteria “singular or phural?— ATt is the plural form of bacterhum. Q. What is the actual cost of Cone gress to the country?’—W. § A. The actual expenditures for the Senate and the House of Representa- tives in 31 were $3419,720.28 and $8,268,583 88, respactively. Q. What is the music used in “Mata Hari"?—C. T. A. “Spring Time,” “Now That You're Gone,” “When the Clock Strikes Twelve,” “Mystery,” “Tango des Amours.” Q. Please give the number of strikes the ied States for the last 10 number of strikes in the 1921 to 1930 is as 922, 1,112; 1,301 1929, in 'he United S 1 a person is g no importance a iegal name. Its sidered an error, dictions. except in New York Graft Staggering, power is g to false ignorance and un- against integrity thinks , “are more dis- posed to admire than condemn. The grandiose proportions of the Tammany em to touch their im- inority are moved on to demand re- 1 le plan to have the investigation contin the Manchester Union points out that “the defeat in the Legislature for those who have to hamstring the committee hould have a helpful effect in bolster- 1g up the courage of witnesses who ave been afraid to tell the truth ugh fear of retaliation later,” New York." t the point that “th is not restricted t ane e o e Sy Spoke: - he comment: ‘“‘Samuel el of the State Commit- an independent Democrat, w York that ‘the low and e to which New York has brought on Tammany's raft and_corruption Walker and other benefi ammany are squirming under the indictment of the Legislative _Committee. From Mayor Walker's office came recently the weak retort that the legislative inquiry was impairing city credit, a palpable at- tempt, as Attorney Seabury points out, e the responsibility for the city's financial condition, which must be at- tributed to ‘wastage, graft and corrup- tion with which the city is infested.’ " “Both New York and Chicago, charges the Rock Island Argus, “went broke because of rotten politics. The only hope for both cities is a new deal, with men in power who can be de- pended upon to carry out a program of absolute honesty and economy.” The Rochester Times-Union remarks: “A change to the city manager form would entail a complete overhauling of the government. a tremendous task in a ghly dominated by one party. Nor would that alone give as- surance of reform. Yet it has been evi- dent for years that some changi ally must be made Legislature c Seabury's report thorough 1l requir to lift New York from h Mr. Seabury Spol tee, declared at M sordid est sunk’ wa by N powerful agency the ‘sordid estate’ to w hown it has fa The committee rep nized by the Buffalo “goes beyond the s " it 15 recog- ning News ry of findings isi of the ¢ municipal government. voices have been turns| thought some It is hoped that Judge Sea ot butld t direction. bury and his friends will high hcpes on the city m: and proporticnal representation. any plan of government corruption i the breaking of law. That cannot corrected merely by adopting new law The first essential is to have highe| standards of thought among thoss Wh | administer the laws.” ———— What Ts Tt? From the San Jose Mercury Herald. Nobody questions the value of educaf tion. What causes the row is the defi| nition of it. —— v A Parlous Profe From the Butte (Monl.) Stanasre. It's getting so now in Chicago s industrious gangster can’t bump off a; enemy without being convicted of evad ing his income tax. —— reee ion. A Classic, Anyhow. pre ida is the charge—how fa- miliar it is in such cases—that the in- xu is ‘giving New York a black eye.’ i'gmmmy boss, member of the Sea- From the Omaha World-Herald. Critics say the picture “Washingto! Orossing the Delaware” isn' o art. But the amdn‘:n‘:.n by o