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THE EVENING e e e et e e _— THE EVENING STAR | ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY. ... .February 23, 1932 —_— THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office. 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. Neleo e Fake! Michizan Bunidine. ., London, 14 Regent England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. ;:E Erengm .Sill‘rsdn.d..,. fiir‘sc per morith vening and Uwhen 4 §undnv§4 "0c per month | @ Evening And a TR s Gy o o 65 per month & Bundny Star 3 Sy er copy | made at the end of each month v be sent in by mail or telephone 000. Chicago Ofce’ European Omce Rate by Mail—Payzble in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. u . $10.00: 1 mo., 85c | ,nn-‘S\ s . ‘Ifl 00: 1 mo.. 50¢ | By < 1 340! 1 mo.. 40 All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday...1yr.$12.00: 1 mo., Buily only S 00: 1 janday only 1y Member of the Associated Press. o Acsociated Press i exclusively ez o the ARCIOE Tepublication of Ml new atches credited to it or not otherwise cre ted 1n this paper and also the local news Dublished herein. - All rights of publiration of special dispatches hercin are also reserved = The Boycott and the Big Stick. Petitions for the institution of an economic boycott against Japan by the United States have reached Washing- ton, mainly from educators, represent- ing forty-seven colleges and universi- ties in seventeen States. They re- flect a sentiment hostile to Japan that prevails in this country to & wide ex- tent, a sentiment evoked by the at- tacks against Chinese sovereignity in Manchuria and especially the onset at Shanghai, Those who have signed them are foes of war, advocates of fpacific means of settling international differ- ences. Many of them, perhaps all of them, are favorable to the entrance of the United States into the League of Nations. Not being a member of the League of Nations, the United States can take no action In the matter of the rebuking or checking of Japan save independently. The economic boycott is a League| measure, provided by the articles of its organization. The United States has subscribed to no such form of inter- national influence or compulsion. If it should undertake a boycott, as peti- tioned, it would have to do so of its oWn initiative, presumably through ac- tion of the Congress. Such an action would be tantamount to & declaration of war upon Japan. A formal economic boyeott of an- other nation by the United States cou'd not be instituted without assumption of a definitely hostile position. in terms of physical as well as economic conflict. A mere gesture of declaration would have no effect. To be effective eco- nomically a boycott would have to be in the nature of a prohibition by law of all trade with Japan. Merely to cite Japan in a proclamation as an offender against the internaticnal laws and to ask the people of this. country to have no trade with it would be futile unless accompanied by a positive ban against the import of Japanese goods into this country and against the export | of American goods to Japan. And such & prohibition would be an incitation to war. not to be undertaken without | full preparation for confiict. ! It is a strange anomaly that is thus presented, of the proposal of a measure of an American reprimand in the in- terest of peace between nations, when 1t is certain that such a measure would of itself create a state of war. Theo- dore Roosevelt once quoted, in behalf of the maintenance of an adequate American Navy, the “homely old adage” which ran “Speak softly and Tarry a big stick.” The declaration of a boycott against Japan would not be speaking softly. It would have to be accom- panied by preparedness and deter- mination to use the “big sick” Is this the kind of admonition in the in- terest of peace that the petitioners for the boycott desire? R An accidental but impressive feature of the George Washington celebration this year is the comment in League of Nations circles on the dangers that may arise from foreign entanglements. S — A bandit would, no doubt, account for his extraordinary activity by the fact that a business depression has| made profits small and necessitated ; more frequent transactions. B Although John N. Garner did not care much for % personal automobile, he is compelled to give attention to a presidential band wagon. Closing In oz, Loosevelt. Roosevelt against the field has been the picture presented in the race for the Democratic presidenttal nomina- tion. The New York Governer has been making all the running, setting | the pace. And now the fjeld is closing | in on him, secking to take\from him the big bloc of delegates which have been | promised him by many of the leaders| of the pamty. Out in t Vest and the Southwest ‘alfa BlI" Murray of | Oklahomd, & brother Democratic Gov- ernor, is campaigning -desperately for deleg South and also in the er John N. Garner of | @ Roosevelt line; | e of ni k are slashing inlo the Norti and West, Is held Gov. Geo itor. Jpmes Hamilton is may have the big delegation from Illinois. The campa’gn of the anti-| Roasevelt forces among the Democrats | has at last been developed to a point where it seems more effective. the same time the hopes of the indi- vidual members of the “field” are rising. But the battle is not yet over. There are Rocsevelt shock troops still to be thrown into the contest. Some of the Democratic leaders favoring the nomi- nation of the Governor of New York have delayed announcing for him .until the psychological moment should arrive. They may come out for him without further delay if the time when they are needed is at hand. Probably they will delay, however, until after some of the early primaries are held, in New Hampshire, North Dakota, Towa and Pennsylvania, for example. If the New York Governor runs well in the announcement of some of may be still fur de- | ing sworn that he would crucify them, And at| layed and kept to swell what the Roose~ velt people hope will be a rising tide late in the Spring. ‘This is the time of year when efforts to head off leading candidates for presi- dential nominations usually get vigor- ously under way. It was so in 1928, in both the Repub- lican and the Democratic parties. But in neither was it found possible to halt the onward march of Hoover and Smith toward their goals, the presidential nominations of their respective parties. Back in 1924, however, William Gibbs McAdoo was far in the lead for the Democratic nomination, only to be stopped by many of the same forces that now are opposing Roosevelt. The late Champ Clark of Missouri met a similar fate in the Democratic National Convention of 1912. When William Jen- nings Bryan turned thumbs down on the then Speaker of the House. Smith | was the particular nemesis of McAdoo | in 1924, and it looks as though he may figure in the same capacity for his for- mer friend Roosevelt this year. Reports from Iowa and North Dakote, where Gov. Murray has been cempaigning for delegates, indicate that the Oklahoma Governor is making & strong appeal to the farmers of the Northwest, a sectn of the country that seemed particularly strong for Roosevelt some time ago. And in the' South the effort to gain delegates ;ar Garner is growing daily. In the final analysis, however, the Democrats will try to fix upon & can- | didate who they believe will be strong in all sections of the country. Of what | use to them to nominate a man who| can run well only in the less populous States of the West or a man who can | hold the solid South, but who cannot | win in the NoMh and West? The Democrats are out to carry the whole country this year, if they can, ————t——— The Federation's Stand. The Federation of Citizens' Associa- tions has adopted sound policy with reference to the various proposals for increasing the bustien of taxation in the District. Referring to the meas- ures to increase taxation and to create new forms of taxation in the District, the federation's resolution adopted Sat- urday night said: These bills were introduced with the object of increasing the tax burden on the District of Columbia taxpayers, and with the further object of decreasing the amount of tre Federal appropria- tion to the District of Golumbia. Your committee does not believe that the District of Columbia is undertaxed, and this belief is supported by any fair and impartig] comparison of the tax burden of the District with that of other cities of comparable size: neither do we believe that there should be anv reduction in tte Federal appropriation, but, instead, there should be a sub- stantial incregse. Your committee is opposed to any increased taxation, whether accom- panied by an increase in existing rates of present taxes or by the introduc- tion of new forms of taxation. that has for it; object a reduciion in the Federal appropriation to the District of Columbia. The federation .wisely refrains from expressions concerning the merits or de- merits of proposed methods to increase taxation or create new taxation, as such expressions are entirely beside the point. The federation’s view, amply justified. is that it is altogether inequitable and unjust to levy new taxes in order to decrease the Federal Jump sum. If and when Congress decides that it will first assume its own responsibilities in ap- propriating Federal money for the sup- port of the Federal City, the question | then will arise as to the adequacy of | the local contribution, and the ade- quacy of this local contribution, in turn, will depend upon the results of comparisons of tax burdens of other cities, the comparisons. of course, being undertaken at the outset in a spirit of impartiality and with due consideration for the special disabilities that always must be borne in mind in connection with the unique conditions applying to this city. Before the citizens are asked to com- mit themselves cn what form of pun- ishment they shall elect, the question must be answered whether any punish- ment, in the form of higher taxes, s deserved or is necessary. Writing of Julius Caesar, the Roman historian Sentonius declared that “even in avenging wrongs he was by nature most merciful. When he got hold of the pirates who had captured him, hav- he did so indeed, but ordered that their throats be cut first’ The question is not whether the tax- payers of the District prefer “that their threats be cut first” by the passage of new end increased taxation, or whether the execution is to be without this ex- | tension of merciful consideration—an increase in the tax on real estate, The questicn now is ymhrr there should v executionand the® defendants contest the evidence that lod to the sentence. B - Courage is a necessary part of a statesman's equipment. Moral courage in considerable degree will be required by favorite sons who have to stand up during this Bicentennial vear for com- parison with the Father of His Country. Bicentennizl and Public Interest. A foremost essential for observing properly the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington is a con- tinuing public interest maintatned at a high level. Above all other things to be avoided in this Bicentennial year is an over- poVe! dose of hingtonia. The ob- ince must not be allowed to be- come boresome. There must be a sub- tantial nucleus for the national en- thusiesm which is sought. There is an abundance of material upon which to focus this interest—not only the life of Washington himself, but the Revolutionary War and the ways of life of the celonial period. Much of this is to be found under the surface. Its proper presentation re- quires censcientious literary and artistic craftsmanship. So long as the observ- ance is treated as a routine job of scat- tering over the land the material which lles on the surface there is danger of doing serious damage to the reputation of the first President and of diminish- ing rather than increasing interest in the age for which he stands as a sym- bol. 1f there is any one thing which the mind of the present generation needs it is a strong infusion of history. Thel Washingten Bicontennial affords & splendid opportunity for restoring the bonds which bind the Nation to the eternal past. The roots of the Na- tion's life are deep in its yesterdays. It should be obvious that a constant repetition of the name of Washington in school room, church and theater =uring the next ten months will be- come unbearably boresome, if it is carried out according to the jazz-age formula of monotonous superficiality— if there is not a continual presentation of fresh, interesting material which will appeal both to the intellect and the emotions. Very much depends upon the level at which the observance is conducted. If intellect and sober emo- tion are put into it the result hardly can be otherwise than good. But Washington must be presented as a living figure, With all the infinite variety of any living man—not &s &n abstract model of & few virtues. It is difficult to lay down any rules for a drama which is to hold the stage for ten months. But obviously it must fulfill the requirements essential for the success of any drama—a continuous stimulus to interest. Otherwise the audience will soon be nodding, twisting nervously in their seats or leaving the theater. To maintain this interest is the challenge before those who have accepted the responsibility of staging the drama of Washington throughout the United States. ——— e Japanese flying men are dropping leaflets telling Chirese fighters that they are not within their rights as their own govegnment has declared them to. be. Once a corps of propa- gandists gets into action, it never ceases tiring. By announcing that he will continue to say “raddio” Al Smith bars himself from critical comment on fellow ora- tors who insist on clinging to personal customs of grammar and pronunciation when they broadcast. e Much of the poetry occurring in an American patriotic celebration was, like Kipling’s “Recessional,” written in Eng- land. The War of the Revolution could not suffice to destroy a strong sense of literary kinship. e O kbt AdVocates of military preparedness are naturally impressed by the amount of unemployment that might be re- lieved by immediate work on airplane production. e Statisticlans have not yet gone into details in the question of how present combatents in the Orient expect to be reimbursed eventually for the huge and increasing expense of battle. e Shanghai is another of those cities whose local enterprise has not succeed- ed in averting publicity of the unfavor- able kind. Present enthusiasm should be a re- minder that what the public really values in blography is intelligent ap- preciation and not scandal. - e ey SHOOTING STARS. = BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Gravity's Defense. They tell us that George Washington Was such a serious man That genial laughter never won A place in his life plan. Yet I am sure a man 5o Wwise In meeting every suggestion Must have been quick to recognize Each comical suggestion. In gravity he always spoke Except when wrath would flame, Then he was like the lightning stroke Which from the heavens came. His dignity he could not trust With merry public rumor, To see each threatened laugh, he must Have had a sense of humor. True Harmony. “There is nothing I enjoy more,"” re- marked Senator Sorghum, “than talk- ing about the forefathers of this re- public.” “You seem to be especially happy when turning your talents in that di- rection.” “It's then that I can spesk freely in praise of men who rank with me in history as fellow statesmen. There's no fear that any of my remarks will be used against me in the course of cur- rent campaigning.” Jud Tunkins says it ought to occur to some of the lads who are trying to run governments that if wars could do any real good, we've already had enough of 'em to bring this world to a state of complete perfection. It Can't Be Done. That orator is very far from wise ‘Who lets his eloquence too freely flow, And from the Father of His Country tries, Apparently, just now, “to steal the show." . The Man Who Worked Hard. “Of course I believe in short hours,” said the economic expert. “Yet I can't help wondering—" “About what?" “The situation this country might be in if George Washington had de- cided that he had no business to work more than five or six hours a day.” “Science will do much for the world,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “if psychologists could foresee the kind of leadership that spreads the infection of war madness.” Too Much Versatility. Said Uncle Sam, “I cannot see"— His words could not be franker— “Why every war should call on me For service as a referee And 2also as & banker.” “Whenever I hears de high compli- mentary talk 'bout a great man,” said Uncle Eben, “I generally has to stop and wonder why a lot o' folks dat knew him when he was alive didn't treat him better.” e e —— Insects and Politicians, From the San Jose Mercury Herald. Insects destroy one-tenth of the world's crops annually. And if we in- clude the taxes levied by politicians, it would be a whole lot more, ———— . Laplanders Backward. From the Boston Evening Transcript., A traveler just back from Lapland 1 uni ilized. é Y about war. et good and civi TUESDAY, BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, The world likes to think that genius. like murder, will out, but the question is, must it? o th great thoughts are as un'ii'%fl‘.‘.d o e 'hive been ex- | ressed. ? A peet once put that idea in the fol- | lowing lines: “Full many a flower is born to blush | unseen | And waste its sweetness on the desert alr. That is the antithesis of the thought | that the “divine urge” will find ex- pression at last, despite obstacles. But must this urge never suffer from | economic conditions, from cowardice, from power, from timidity, {rom a love | of luxury, or a desire for tranquillity? | One may think that 1t may. Conditions outside and inside a genius may conspire to thwart the realization of dreams. | A genius may not have the genius— | let us put it that way—to overcome chstacles. Then he is no gentus? | Perhaps. | The ordinary definition of genius, | however, calls for no extraordinary ability in overcoming handicaps. A genius, in common understanding, is simply a person of exalted intel- lectual power, instinctive and extraor- dinary imaginative, creative or inventive capacity. A person who has that—part or all | of {t—we call a genius. A genius, it is_held, must be first of all creative. This gets back to the original Latin root. Imaginative or inventive capacity are | secondary attributes. It Is the creation of something new, | whether a poem, or a novel, or an auto- | mobile engine, which marks what the world populariy calls a genius. It is beceuse most of the geniuses we | know have uctually brought their prod- ucts into the light, overcoming wha ever difficulties wx in their way, th we commonly thik of genius as pos- sessing the will power to succeed. It will be found upon examination that practically all of these men and women termed geniuses were allke in one thing—they did overcome handi- caps. * o ox o Gruff or shrinking, hesitating or in- | different, boastful or bashful, they pro- duced their works not only for them- selves but for the world at large. lNexY. to the creator stands the appre- clator. He who can appreciate a work of genius after it is produced is as neces- sary, almost, as the producer himself. ‘These facts do not necessarily prove, | however, that every person who was & gentus produced works admirable in themselves and admired by others. The capacity for genius is one thing, | the production of its fruils another. The “divine urge” in the known geniuses, was powerful enough to over- come the thwarting circumstances, some | the fault of others, some the fault of the genius himself. He could, in other words, overcome traits in himself which held him back. He had sufficient driving power to live on sparrows trapped on the roof outside his garret window, LI O Emile Zola did that, and, because he did it, was able better to appreciate the Why he begged. He would have known. Zola’s ability to overcome such han- dicaps did not make him a genius, how- ever. The point is there. Whether he had persevered or not, his brain would have been the type which the world looks upon as belonging to & genius. The world would not have known, that was all, _ Suppose he had not got himself a job in a publisher’s office, suppose he had not cultivated the gifts which were his, nevertheless he would have been & writer, at least in possibilities. It is not possible to believe that, if he had not written, the same careful mind would not have amassed many of the same facts I.> did gather for his novels, or would not have been essen- tially the same intelligence developed in another way. * o ox o The work he did proved to the world that the man Zoia was a genius. If he had not done the work, he still would have been Emile Zola. He still would have been a genius. It is for this reason that perha | of us touch stoulders with genius, but never know it No one knows it, not even the genius himself! A The cult of “rugged individualism” makes it fashionable to believe that all great mental power also the abiity to paint it forth to the world, to blow its own horn, as it were. How does the world know this? The proved facts prove nothing about the unknown geniuses, ok ox % Yonder funny old man in the res- taurant, coming in furtively for his breakfast before he slinks away desk in a Government bureau—wro dares to say that the man might not have been a genius if economic condi- tions had been different for him years ago? Surely it is not an easy thing to be & genius on $1,200 a year. Here is an elderly woman, whose sen- sitivs mind held dreams perhaps as pertinent as the poems of Emily Dick- inson. Or maybe she saw the irony of everyday life, tH® delicious smack of cvents, which Jare Austen set forth in her movels. This embryo Emily, this possible Jane, was beset, perhaps, with a certain cowardice which was a part of her very being. Whenever she sought to “forge ahead,” ns the popular genius Is sup- posed to do, she faced great shut gates of fron. There they towered above her. soikes | atop, and she would have had to have been mor> than a genius to have sur- mounted them. * ok % x The trammels of power may hold down many an otherwise genius Werld War did not entirely overthrow the power of might. as devoutedly ns the world wished it could. Power Is| still power. Timidity, hesitation to take the needed step, bars the path toward genius in some cases. The crop of genjuses is too small—these countless millions left cannot all be dubs. There must be some unknown genirses among them. Can any sane student of affairs believe that all the men in a Nation of 130,000,000 people who have any right to aspire to the office of President can be counted on the fingers of two hands? A love of luxury. or a desire for tran- auillity, either or both these urges—for power of hunger over the unfortunate. He would never have asked a beggar they are hum~n urges. too—mayv de- prive the world of another genfus. Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands E MATIN, Paris: What is a pet dog? According to the admin- istration, it is every animal of the race canine which does not guard your house or your sheep. For a New Year gift they have an-| nounced an increased tax on this sort of dog. But this decision is very likely to defeat its own ends. Few of us have been promised increased emolu- ments this year, and few, therefore, | have 80 francs to lay out for the pleas- ' ure of possessing either a beast of | aristocratic lineage or a common cur. For when it comes to pet or lap-dogs, they are all assessed the same. We wonder if the people who ele- vated this tax on dogs had any thought for the people of small fortune, who, in the midst of this gloomy Winter, would have found a consolation in life | in the kind eyes of a spaniel, or in the fidelity of a mongrel fox terrier? Did they consider how difficult it is for these people to provide food for these creatures without in addition having i pay a heavy assessment upon them? Especially a rate of 80 francs. ‘“‘Malebranche said that though we decide they do not have souls, we must humbly confess that they do have hearts,” sang Rostand, in speaking of the brute creation. We believe firmly that those who voted this higher tax did not have much heart! * x5 % Financial Crisis Felt by English Clubs. Dally Mail, London: That the [finan- clal crisis from which the world Is suffering should have brought trouble to clubland was inevitable. Even the most famous and exclusive of clubs are feeling the pinch of hard times. One of their difficulties is that conditions have greatly altered in the 130 yvears or so since clubs were established in all centers where men of our race were found in any number. In Thackeray's day to gain the honor of membership of the Megatherium | men would put down on the waiting list the names of their children while in the nursery. Now in many clubs the waiting list is a thing of the past and the problem is to get young men to enter at all. Yet it would be a real misfortune if the club were gradually to become extinet. It is one of the many social institutions which the English genius has created, and it has distinctly en- riched the civilized life of the past. It has been copied by every country and in every part of the world. And n'i.a by no means hostile to the simple e * o ox Lead Pouring Leaves Pleasant Memories. Haus-Hof-Garten, Berlin (supple- ment of the Berliner Tageblatt): | Since the old gray days of time out of mind the superstition of lead pour- ing has lived among us, and has en- joyed each New Year eve for a quar- ter-hour its great triumph. Wishes and yearnings then take definite form in our presentiments, conjuring up de- sired realities even in our dreams only somehow a little later to vanish up the chimney into the clear, star-glit-| tering Winter night. Yet these anticl- pated benefits and attainments do not vanish completely. They leave behind their fragrance and eir memory— some influences which are not vague or trifling; they leave behind them at least the aspirations without which life would be the harder to endure—for do they not leave behind optimism? In a hundred shapeless forms lie upon the table homely little pleces of lead. Then comes the great moment when, the fire freshly kindled, each one chooses his own bit of dull and lifeless metal, and with prayerful vows and supplications hold it in a ladle over the | flames. When it is quite molten it is poured into a vessel of cold water. There is & momentary hiss and the consulter of the oracle knows from the sugges tion furnished by the hardening mass his fate for the coming twelvemonth. If good, the lucky one rushes off with the concrete evidence that his neighbor may behold it with his own eyes! “See—it is @ mountain (or perhaps & ship—no! a railroad car); that shows that we are going on a long Summer's journey, where there are flower gardens, | fort to gain and all the rest of it." Or the mute testimony in lead may mean a contract gratified on a grect prise long elusive but finally secured. So we seek in the curious shapes as- sumed by the melted lead the happy ful- fillment of our happiest dreams. And who can blame one for tracing out s grl:en mountain in the irregular pat- of the humble augury? And when omens are not so favorable the fate indicated for the entire year may be pacity for evil if one but spits three times before the house door and knocks three times on the window frame with the right hand and the left foot in re- udiation. If besides we place a pafr of ts in the very middle of the room— put out the lights, and open the window broad and wide, bad luck departs un- ceremoniously. ' If the boots remain after this exorcism it is only that they may be filled with good things by the benign spirits of the new year. For at this time, notwithstanding the trials and perplexities of the past, we are keyed up with most fervent and all-pervading o'ggmlsm. And not with the optimism t comes only for the witching moment of one minute before 12, when all things change, but for the whole year! Brasil Sees Boon in “Coffee-Gas.” A Noite, Rio de Janeiro.—Experis conducted by chemists in thgellx:;':‘n!f tories of the Companhia Nacional do Gaz have demonstrated that the coffee berry can readily be used in the pro- duction of both {lluminating and heat- ing gas. Were it not for the simplicity of electric lighting, it is possible that the strests of Rio de Janeiro might soon be lit at night with ths radiance of “coffee-gas.” Yet, even if this fea- ture of its utility is eliminated, at least the large surpluses of coffee crops may be used to provide gas for cooking and heating and thus afford an outlet for stocks of the product that could not be disposed of in any other way. e Reed’s Stand on Debts And Reparations Upheld From the Minneapolis Journal. Senator Reed of Pennsylvania put his finger on the flaw in the link between reparations and war debts to the United States, when he declared that the rea- son, if any, for suspension of ts to this country is to be found in the economllc méndmon of the debtor gov- ernments. Capacity to is not pred- dcated upon the slulatlgx:yln Germany, but on the situations in the debtor countries. Moreover, as Senator Reed said. the debts owing to the United States are for loans made before there were any reparations. The obligation created was based upon quid pro quo as between the two parties to the loan. The loans were made, too, by the people of the United States, and can- cellation would fall upon the lenders. That being the case, suspension, and not cancellation, is the only fea: hle, reasonable consideration, since suspei- sion would be on the basis that the economic depression is not permanent When the world emerges from it, as emerge it must, then the interests of the creditors—the people of the United States—must 2gain become paramount. Cancellation would mean permanent piramountey of debtors’ interests, something illogical and false. These are matters which it is well for every creditor—every American, that is—to bear in mind. And every debtor, too. Meanwhile it is poor busi- ness to expound upon the charge that this is the first time in history that the debtors are presuming to dictate to the creditors by telling them what they will not do. Honorable statesmen and hon- orable informed citizens do not default, though they may participate in an ef- the most that qan be gained in suspensions or reductions, L e Vies With Adam and Eve. From the Escanaba Datly Press. A New York youth was sentenced to 15 years for stealing an apple. Which skimming s>ilboats, vacation cottages, the. longed for cabriolet, Chinese bridges just goes to show much Adam and Eve got away with” to his | The | mitigated and abrogated in its full ca-|Th NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM LG M. THIS DEMOCRATIC, T The Life Story of “F. D."; an Au- thentic Biography. By Leland M. Ross and Allen W. Grobin. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. No question about it. The Roosevelt tribe is, by nature, of the crusader's order, “T.R.” in his day, wieided the “big stiek” lustily, often savagely, to save the souls of the sinful and errant. Coming along later, “F. D.” under an identical drive, makes use instead of the weapons of laughter and good fel- lowship. Born, educated and trained in the best of America’s still young tra- dition. the Roosevelts and their kind are the ones of all others to make good the promise of 1620, and thereabout, for & free and independent common- wealth of the New World. Most certainly their work has been cut out for them. New York, in its politics is no Sodom and Gomorrah, | due for destruction on account of its depravity. Yet New York, from tha! logic of its situation, from its many deep layers of citigenry, already influ- ential and active. while not yet even half Americanized in feeling and out- look—New York, politically speaking, is |a fleld demanding crusader, or arch- angel himself. But the Roosevelts, fortunately for :;eu h:lgw-uon, are neither medieval nor an; f th tous world, Just men. * X x % And here 13 the story of one of them. The story of Franklin Roosevelt, “F. D.” On the order of current news, this biog- raphy. One can pass from it to press opinions by Mark Sullivan or another practiced and expert political fore- caster on the chances of Mr. Roosevelt for the high office to which he now openly and formally aspires. The jour- | nalistic stamp of the biography is| stressed also by virtue of the profession of its authors. A distinct advantage to the record as a whole, this sense of im- mediacy, this effect of actual contact set up between reader and central fig- ure of the story. A picturtsque and vigorous moving picture turned off by | waywise ne;; w:ldcerm 1 engaging adventure. A refresh- ment along the line bf natural selec- tion as motive for choosing politics as a profession. To help the neighbor- hood in some civic project. To ex- tend such assistance to increasingly widened area. To go on, in - spirited effort for this benefit ap shot one. Nothing but growth in intell work for the peo, l:.r e Birth, youth, sehooling. profession, all the time a growing sense of things to be done for the other folks. That is the program whose filling out here makes a matter as captivating as ro- mance. But it is true. And the po- litical side of the adventure came along in the most natural manner. Just about the time of young Roosevelt's active emergence into the open a new politi- cal game had come into rather free usage. “Hunting the bosses,” it was cn\.led. Bossism _had become an insti- tution in New York; and otherwhero. Growing, no doubt, under the theory that most people should be bossed, a theory made plausible by the fact that the mafority so readily submit to sub- ordination. Well, at any rate, young m-vflt be&:: h:a u\;eer as political y se imself ! overlords of politice in New Yok | @ppears that both parties evoived this (agency of control and direction. Ahd the young warrior fought them on both sides. Democrats in Tammany and Re- publicans upstate. Then comes the account of high of- fice. Governor of New York, with many & conquest for the rights of the com- | mon man upheld and sustained. You ' know the story. As politics it 15 & re- | | storing element injected into a situa- tion most dangerous, the growth of in- dividual power in lines where human ;l:shnes; and need are most set upon rendered Viclously compitane, 0P Iit most * X * x There is another adventure here, one less well known than the ups and downs of politics can possibly be. That ésonlqhue story olmrnn lhkmve:t as eror of e terrible infantile paralysis that attacked him in seem- Ingly fatal power. And not that alone. e story, even greater, is that of his efforts, successful and bountiful, to es- tablish a foundation for the cure of others afflicted as he himself had been. That one story, set down here, is a mes- sage for the world to read in praise of | the high courage and humanitarian | so\lxtl of just one man, lin Roose- | velt. However, this is a story of tics. 1t 1 intended to be that. CAnq. pact | once, only once, does this man allow himself to step down a bit in the | character of his comment uj leaders of the other party. It is late in the book, a good moment to close it for the recollection of this man's fine magna- nimity toward his old co-worker, Al-| fred Smith, now his political rival in ' the Democratic field. When the Presi- dential election is over, regardless of the issue, sit down to the reading of this 1 ive and beautiful story of a young American working for Americ: Not so good that, for the moment, savors of political hurrah, * o % % SAMUEL SEABURY: A Challenge. By ‘Walter Chambers. Illustrated. New York, The Century Co. A spirited and absorbing story of an- other New York man who has bent his professicnal life to the service of sociai | equity, to the rescue of the people from | the power of the politiclans. The rights of man as opposed to the rights of property. Such has been the outlook and such the goal of Judge Seabury aver since, when only 28 years old, he was elected to the bench. Defeated in politics as candidate for the governor- ship of the Empire State, he returned i investigations in more than one de-! partment of the metropolitan lapses from good government, Judge Seabury not only by his legal knowledge but by his utter fearlessness as well has be- come an outstanding man throughout the country as s flaming advocate of decency and fair dealing toward the people by those who are invested with | power. It is likely that so long as there are men to buy and other men to sell, | themselves in both cases, there will be bad government—inequity, _injustice, Yet so long as there are fighters of | the Seabury stamp free government Is not & hopeless matter. As a young fellow Seabury met Henry George. Social equities became a pre- possession that lasted nim. Studying under Charles Evans Hughes and Wood- row Wilson, he became still further in- grained with a sense that ideal justice should actuate the lives of man and man living together. No end of op- portunity for trying to put this high notion into common practice. And each of these chances the young lawyer ~eiged with the ardor that was him- self. Oh, yes, he failed, many a time. But he succeeded many a time, too. | And this story grows by way of these alternations of success and failure. The element remaining steadfast is the urconquerable spirit of the man toward his own ory and practice, of human equity and fair dealing. Another news- paper stamp of record, giving in graphic detail the many deeds of Judge Sea- all driving toward greater lib- of politicel thought, toward bigger ideals of justice among the law- makers and freer acceptance of these among the law-minders. Special cases, by the score, are here cited in detall to illustrate the practical attitude of this man of long and high vision. £ 0w Listen & minute: “Ju accomplishments in New Seabury’s ‘ork cannot be regarded merely for their local sig-|rulin, nificance. They are applicable to every community where apathy and ieth: of the people permit the machine poli- ticlan to grasp the power of govern- ment. His philesophy on human rights Pas long fnfluerced the adminisration of justice in the State in which he was ANSWERS e e TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. have patronized the bureau. write ts again. If you have never used the service, begin now. It is maintained for your benefit. Be sure to send your name and address with your question and inclose 2 cemts in coin or stamps for return postage. Address The Eve- ning Star Information Bureau, Fred- gitcl. Haskin, Director, Washington, Take advantage of this free service. It you are f, the thousands who Q. What are the positions on an ice hockey team?—J. G. R. A. Goal, defense, defense, wing, wing. center, Q. Do many pecple still send valen- tines?—w. S. A. A survey made this year in Park Row, New York City, the Nation's wholesale valentine center, showed that sales for 1932 have amounted to from five to seven million dollars. Q. Was not the slavery question, up to the Civil War, evaded by politicians, who refused to ize it as an lssue, in the same way the prohibition ques-!‘ tion is being handled today?—W. S. A, Political leaders sidestepped _on slavery for a century before the Civil War, never admitting it to be an issue. It took the formation of a new party, the personality of & Lincoln and armed confiict to force the issue. Q. How much shrinkzge has there been in the prices on the stock ex- change during the depression?—M. B, A. The market price of stocks at their peak, January, 1929, was approximately $67,478,000,000. The latest low price was recorded as of January, 1932, ap- proximately $26,693,000,000. Q Where did the custom originate of _ providing undernourished school children with meals?>—A. D, A. The feeding of needy children of | school age was first started fa France by the institution of cantincs seolaires. Pioneer wosk of a similar kind was es- tablished #t Manchester, Bradford, London and other large towns in the later years of the nineteenth century. In the United States school lunches were primarily intended for children suffering from malnutrition, but of re- cent years educational authorities have realized that the provision of proper food for all pufih is now a part of the general educational movement. Q. Does the Whitney Museum have works of foreign artists in its collec- tion?—A. A. A. The Whitney Museum of Ameri- can Art houses a collection of more |than 400 works of art, exclusively by | American artists. This museum, found- ed and endowed by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, was opened in November, 1931, on West Eighth street, New York City. Q._How much trafic passes through the Sault Ste. Marie Canal?>—C. V. B. A. The freight tonnage in 1929 was 92,622,000. Q. Please quote the act which made “The Star Spangled Banner” the na- tional anthem.—W. L. T. A. “Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assem- bled, That the composition consisting of the words and music known as ‘The Star Spangled Banner' is desig- nated the National Anthem of the United States of America."—Approved March 3, 1931. This act was adopted by the Seventy-first Congress. Q. Why is the dollar mark put be- fore_the fgures in American money?— A. The reason usually advanced is tomed to place the mark for the Brit- ish pound before the fgures, so did the same with the dollar mark. . Q‘.v Why are silhouettes so called?— sithouctte, French miniter of Anance in 1750. He strove by severe economy to remedy the evils of a war which | had just terminated, leaving the coun- try In great exhaustion. At the end of nine months he was obliged to leave | his place. During this period all of the fashions in Paris took the character of parsimony. Coats were without folds, snufl boxes were of plain wood and outlines were drawn In profile instead of painted portraits. All of these fash- fons were called “a la silhouette.” but the name remained only in the case of profiles. Q Are there any buildings as tall as 12 stories in Mexico?—E. H A. Mexico is a land of low buildings, but a large life insurance company is erecting an office bullding in Mexico City that will be 12 stories. | Q. Why did New York State decide to give time off for good behavior of cm;vlc:.a in prisons?—A. M. The series of desperate outbreaks among “lifers” and long-time felons in | prisons throughout the United States in 1930 caused the New York Legisla- | ture early in 1931 to heed the appeal to give the convicts a chance to shorten their terms by good behavior and there- by restore hope to their lives. Under this amendment to the correction law | (in_effect July 1, 1931) every inmate | of State prison or penitentiary (except 8 lifer), under either a definite or an indeterminate sentence, may earn for | himself by good conduct and by em- |cient and willing performance of his duties a compensation or diminution of his sentence not to exceed five days for each month of his minimum term, in case of an indeterminate sentence; or on the term as imposed by the court, in the case of a definite sentence, Q. Did Georg> Washington manage more than one farm?—G. P, A. He divided Mount Vernon into five farms. Each farm was a separate establishment with its own overseer, hands, quarters for slaves, farm build- ings and stock. Over all the farms was n general steward or overseer di- rectly responsible to Washington. The general rode over his estate almost constantly. Q. What newspaper was the first to | bulletin election returns?—B, E. T. | _A. The New Orleans Picayune, now the Times-Picayune, had the first news- paper bulletin board displaying election returns in 1848. Q. Why are parts of the prayer book called rubrics?—N. E. A. Rubric is from a Latin word meaning red. Formerly items which it | was specifically desired to stress were written or later printed in red ink. The early missals had the commandments, | the beatitudes, matins, lauds in red, and in the liturgy the directions for the performance of the service were | also red. Q. Did the locomotive Nashville | haul the Lincoln funeral train the en- | tire way from Washington to Spring- field, Ii.>—N. D. M. A Several changes of locomotives | were made en route. | | Q Did Japan take an active part | during the World War?—W. M. A. Japan served with mine sweepers in the Mediterrancan Sea. ‘She also landed troops and octupled the German concession at Shantung. | Q@ wnat relation was Claudius | that the English colonists were accus- | Ceesar to Jultus Caecer’—J. 8. K | “A." Claudius Caesar was the stepson of Augustus Caesar and Augustus was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar. Assassination of Junnosuke Inouye, former Japanese cabinet member and strong liberal leader, is interpreted in this country as evidence of the violent attitude of the war party against those who would co-operate with other na- tions. It is looked upon as the culmi- nation of a long struggle which has di- vided the empire. Its effect is forecast as likely to be a reaction in favor of the liberals. “Inouye,” according to the San Fran- cisco Chronicle, “would doubtless have sacrificed his life for his country as quickly and as cheerfully as his as- sassin would do. But because he joined wisdom to his patriotism he was con- demned. Truly, to paraphrase the words of Mme. Roland as she mounted the steps to the guillotine, O patriot- ism! What crimes are committed in thy name!” “Current differences between military and civilian leaders,” in the opinion of |the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, “are only typical of a conflict for control between these elements which has been in p for half a century. Democ- racy, dered by numerous obstacles, | has developed slowly in Japan. Not even yet is it solidly Extablfiul:led. In times of crisis like the present, when the public is aroused by a question which seems to involve national honor and prestige, it is not unnatural that the militarists should giin the upper hand. Yet since 1925, when universal manhood suffrage was granted, Japan has made definite strides toward tainment of a genuinely representative form of government. That may come in time.” “Many liberal - minded Japanese thinks the Toronto Deily Star, “would like to see their country acting worthily, but the military clique is too much for them. It is for the nations that formed & League of Peace after the Great War to the practice of law. Chosen to lead | and pledged suppt to one another | against an aggressor to deal firmly with the Japanese militarists in the interests of civilization.” * kX Pointing out that “Inouye was 63 years old and evidently took no special precautions against possible attackers,” the San Antonio Express says of the assassination: “He was shot down with- out warning. His death undoubtedly will strengthen the Minseito party's cause and may bring about the down- fall of the Inukal cabinet that has in- volved Japan in difficulties with China and several other powers, including Great Britain, Italy and the United born and in the development of which his ancestors contributed so much. Within the coming weeks and months he will certainly make clear to honest | citizens in every community methods by which they can do mach to reclaim their local governments from the selfish control- of those who use public power for their private enrichment. “Samuel Seabury comes, then, as & radiant challenge to youth to arm it- self with convictions; to remain stead- fast to its ideals; to hold its faith that there can be in truth a government of the people, by the people, for the e Ly l”AD]ourm]!.sc's story, swift-moving and dramatic, of good work for the coun- try's wellbeing from the political stand- point. Somebody, somewhere, must, in addi- tion to such high effort as these two books describe—must in addition to these—devise some way to make the people do a bit of fresh thinking for themselves. Almost every one listens, or appears to. Almost every one be- lieves most unbelievable things. Hardly any one turns a matter over to fin out where it started, what its likeli- hood of truth may be. “They say,” is g the world today. But, after the thick of it is over, read these two books. with no_reference whatever to pari volitics, which both ere engaged moting. Read them, instead, for the valiant work of two men trying to meke the world a litt'= better for us and those wlo come. after. " | tinues. d [an honest living. in pro- | fruit stands run by quiet business ‘Assassination in Japan Held To Reflect Internal Clashes | _“His death” states the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, “will be linked with the murderous attack on former Pre- mier Hamaguchi in November, 1930, which caused his death some months later, Mr. Inouye, like Hamaguchi, was an cutstanding leader of the Liberal party of Japan, an enemy of imperial- istic ventures and a friend of coneilia- tion. He was especially disposed to cul- tivate friendly relations with this coun- try, which he had visited more than once. He was a master of sound and | orthodox finance. He is the victim of extreme nationalist sentiment, just now inflamed by the present hard struggle with China.”. “Inouye was among the most distin- guished public men in Japan,” as viewed by the Nashville Banner, nd as finance minister had demonstrated such | capacity during the period of world de- | pression that he enjoyed wide popularity | and prestige. His assassination removes from the path of the militarists an cpponent whose influence was a con- stant menace to their policles.” In this connection the Ann Arbor Daily News concludes that “there is some authority for the statement that the Manchuria seizure and the attack on Shanghal do not represent the unanimous will of the | Japanese people” and that “there are | known to be many men and women oppesad to such arrogahce as has been practiced the navy within recent months.” The Daily News believes that “the longer the unofficial warfare con- the stronger will become the anti-militarists.” * o ow o The slain man is held by the Akron Beacon Journal to have been “the one | clear voice that wes protesting in Japan sgainst the military caste,” and that paper believes that “conditions are |surely disordered when a pleader for | peace, who has retired from public service, is accounted a foe to the State.” The Beacon Journal offers the estie mate of his character: “His pacific mis- sions to our republic gained both favor and applause for his high ideals, his business successes, and the culture and worthy purposes of his people of which he was the able exemplar.” “If all the influences that pulled the trigger in the assassin’s hand could be examined,” says the Salt Lake News, “it would be found probably it Inouye was a martyr to his apposition to the policy of lg‘nmlon, he policy which may wreck the political power of Japan and certainly will wreck the spiritual power of the nation.” “It is not impossible,” advises :the Rochester Times-Union, “that the lib- eral movement will gain the stri of that which recently wrecked Spanish throne.” That explains: “There seems to be a deep-rooted de- termination to modify the government or at least its present policies. And this spreads in Japan, as it has where, it doubtless is but a of time until the dual role of ism and militarism will be | aside for something more in keeping with the temper of this civilization.” Fruit Venders’ Rights To Curb Space Defended To the Editor of The Star: I read in your paper & letter to the editor written by Robert D. Kyle about two fruit chusetts avenue and First street east before February 22. Theso men stand all day into the night in all kinds of selling their wares and trying 1 think the visitors who for the Bicentennial will be lighted wich this beautiful city “nderful things they will see that they will hardly notice two §SE i th Bs 113 Probably many of the visitors, the highest to the lowest, will en; edily B tables from these lump-inl ea; T