Evening Star Newspaper, February 26, 1932, Page 8

f THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY......February 26, 1632 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvani New York Office: 110 1 4 ghicago Office: Lake Michisan European Office. 14 Regent &. ngland. Ave. 2nd 8t Building. . London, Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Evening Sta 45c per month e Evening and (when & Sunda: 80c per month Sinday Siar v ar n .-...68¢ per month The Sunday Star ... l8c ver copy Coliection made at the end of each month. | Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 8000. I Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday. 1mo., 85¢c Daily only ;1 mo., 30c Bunday only . 40 All Other States and Canada. Dailv and Sunday...1yr . $1.00 Daily only 1y 2 dse ) Bunday only 1¥r. 50c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively ertitled o the use for republication of il news dis- atches credited (o it or not otherwise cred- ted in this paper and also the lo ished herein. All rights of publ special dispatches heroin are also reserved. . $12.00: 1 mo. . 48,00 1 mo. $5.00; 1 mo.. ‘Wanted—A Leader. Gov. Gifford Pinchot of Pennsylvania would like to stage another 1912 split in the Republican party, but he has been unable to find another Roose- velt For months the Pennsylvania Governor has been making little trips | periodically from Harrisburg to Wash- ington to discuss the presidential po- Aitical situation with the Progressive Re- publican group in the Senate and House. He is convinced and has sought to con- vince those with whom he conferred that the Progressives should make a drive to prevent the renomination of President Hoover. He has endeavored, it is reported, to persuade Borah of Idaho, Johnson of California and others in turn to take the lead, urging each to become a presidential candidate in primary States and carry the fight to the Republican National Convention.| But his efforts have been in vain. Possibly Gov. Pinchot might be willing to lead a forlorn hope himself. But so far none of the progressives—unless, perhaps, it has been Senator Smith ‘Wildman Brookhart of Jowa—has urged upon the Pennsylvania Governor that he make the run; none has sought to press upon the Pinchot brow the crown of progressive leadership. Senator Brook- hart has frequently declared he was read to support any progressive leader who would make a race against the re-| nomination of President Hoover. The political history of Mr. Pinchot reveals, however, that the Governor of Pennsylvania has plenty of political wisdom. He has entered into races for Governor and Senator when there has been some semblance of a chance for victory on his part, usually when there has been a three-cornered race for the Republican nomination and when the Republican factions in the State have been so divided that he had a real chance to win. In other words, if Gov. Pinchot is to offer himself as a candi- date for the presidential nomination against President Hoover, he' wants the support of the entire Progressive group in the Senate and of their constituents out In the States. So far, unless re- ports be incorrect, Gov. Pinchot has not received assurances of any such support, nor has there been a rush to urge him to enter the fleld. In the group of Progressive Republic- an leaders there is too much jealousy, perhaps, to permit of united action be- hind one man. But there also are shrewd politicians in that group of leaders who wish to see some advan- tage tothem before undertaking a cem- paign for the presidential nomination. Scme of them view the Republican Na- tional Convention as the rock against | which all hopes must crash in the end. Few States hold presidential primaries. Delegates to the national convention are picked largely by the party leaders and they vote accordingly in conven- tion. Of what advantage to their own political careers would be a defeat in Chicago next June? And so the prospect remains un- changed. When the convention of the Republicans meets to nominate & presi- dential @andidate there will be sniping from some of the States of the North- west, Wisconsin and Nebraska, and some score of the delegates from Penn- sylvania, who may follow Pinchot. But | such sniping at the Hoover candidacy is | likely to get nowhere, to make no im- pression whatever on the uvenrhelmlnfl majerity by which the President will! obtein his renomination, | ‘There are members of the Progressive group who speak with sorrow of the un- willingness of their leaders to stand forth against the renomination of Mr. Hoover, contending that the group | Jeaves itself in & sorry position by mak- | Ing no concerted effort to oppose him. Some of the Progressives, how- ever, are to run again for election next | November, and they will run as loyal | Republicans, despite their opposition to | the great majority of their party. - e A deficit in a county treasury is a | problem in finance that can be studied | promptly and soived. A deficit in a| national treasury deals with bigger fig- ures and 1s, therefore, more difficult. e Public Building Economy. Only the most urgent need of cur- tailment of expenditure warrants the shortening of the public buiiding pro- gram proposed by the House Commit- tee on Appropriations. The committee in reporting the Treasury-Post Office tinuous prosecution, there remains of the group for undertaking only this Apex Building, the completion of the internal revenue structure and the unit which will replace the former Southern Railway Bullding and make union with the District Building, to complete the Twelfth-Fourteenth streets sector, ‘To postpone the Apex Building will | mean to leave conspicuously incomplete the eastern sector of the triangle group. It will involve a delay of at least a year on the smallest unit of the entire group. The Tenth-Twelfth streets unit on Pennsylvania avenue cannot be un- dertaken until the new post office is completed. Delay in that case is un- avoidable. The estimate for the begin- ning of work on the Apex Building dur- ing the coming fiscal year is $1,750,000. It would probably prove to be direct economy to make that appropriation now rather than delay it. Building costs are doubtless as low now as they will be for some years to come, perhaps at the lowest point for a decade. As for the remodeling of the State Department, that is a work that can be undertaken at any time, without re- gard for the housing needs of the Gov- ernment. It is desirable eventually, and indeed as soon as the state of the Treasury permits, to effect this trans- formation to cause the structure to harmonize with the Treasury and thus to improve the appearance of the “White House group.” That is an artis- tic consideration, quite different from the need for the completion of the Mall- Avenue constructions as speedily as pcs- sible. Every year lost in the work of building means further outlay for rents and additional cost in lowered efficienzy of administration. The restoration of the Apex Building item to the appro- priation bill would be a measure of the surest economy. e The “Kidnaping Racket.” While progress should maintain a lead several jumps ahead of the latest edition of the encyclopedia, one re- ceives a distinet shock by consulting the Americana on the subject of kid- naping. , Says the Americana: Kidnaping, though not a legal term, is frequently applied as such in pop- ular language, both in Great Britain and the United States, to the offense of stealing or carrying off by force a child or adult. In its more limited sense, it is applied to the obtaining of slaves or native labor by force. as practiced ! Dby the Arabs in Africa. This barbarous traffic existed in very recent years in| the South Seas, carried on by Euro- peans, but now happily suppressed by the appointment of government labor agents. In Great Britain this term was formerly also applied to the illigiti- mate recruiting for the army and navy. For everybody knows that kidnaping | expresses a very highly remunerative form of modern “racket” practiced more or less openly in some of our more progressive cities without much hin- drance from the police and in a man- ner that makes pikers of the Arabs. It consists of abducting & man or woman of known or suspected wealth, utilizing the United States mails for communication with relatives as to where and in what amount the ransom ! is to be deposited and holding the un- ! fortunate prisoner until his release is duly paid for. For the most part, it provides a less perilous means of liveli- hood than highway robbery, bootlegging or dope peddling, inasmuch as the kid- napers’ victim is only too glad to pay for immediate freedom and keep his mouth shut. He can judge between his chances for peace and prosperity by paying off the kidnapers or by tipping off the police. He is apt to adopt the former course and thank his stars that | he got off so easily. When blackmail is cleverly mixed with kidnaping, the risk is less and the pay is higher. The House Post Office Committee and | the House Judiclary Committee are re- celving colorful testimony from those | who have dealt at first hand with the problem of kidnaping, described now 2s a “diabclic modern racket, Nation- wide in scope,” and wko are advocat- ing the enactment of Federal laws to | deal with kidnapers. The story of why these laws are sought is the usual story of inadequate jurisdiction on the part of the States, the ease with which criminals may escape across State borders, the general incompetence nlf the city and State police in making any beadway against the criminals and the moral effect of having the Federal Government put on the trail of the| kidnapers. The kidnap racketeers, according to the testimony, scek to “keep away from whisker: and | whiskers mean “Uncle Sam." | ‘The same sort of testimony led to the | enactment of such Federal laws as the Mann act, the Harrison anti-narcotic act and the Dyer act, which deals with interstate transportation of stolen auto- mobiles. While the enactment of these statutes was generally considered necessary and reasonable, they have served to add & tremendous burden to the Federal law enforcement machinery and they have done their part to make the walls of Federal prisons bulge. The additional statutes now sought are just as reasonable and, apparently, just as necessary. There would be additional penalties for use of the matls for black- mail and extortion threats amd there would be a Federal statute against the interstate transportation of kidnap vic- tims. But where is the business of leaning on the Federal Government for enforcement of such laws to stop? Does the enactment of these various statutes mean a strengthening of local enforce- ment, or does local enforcement become paralyzed by the attitude that “the whiskers” will take on the work? Un- less there is acceptance of the philoso- | phy that eventually there must be & | Nation-wide Federal police force for sppropriation bill notes that a limita- tion of $15,000,000 is put upon the ex- penditures for Government construc- tion within the District of Columbia. This involves the cutting out of pro- yision for the remodeling of the State Department building and also for the beginning of work on the so-called Apex Building, which will form the eastern unit of the Mall-Avenue tri- angle group. Other work, now under- | taken, will, however, proceed WItho\ll'h slackening. | If this decision is reconsidered and ' the enfcrcement of all but local ordi- | nances, the tendency to add to the Fed- | eral Government's responsibility in the fight against criminals is & dangerous | one, the necessity for which is dictated | more by inaction and inactivity on the | part of local government than by ac- | tual inability of local government to enfcrce the law. e A motion picture player is accused by is wife of throwing a bock at her. The custard pie had its advantages as a modified before the completion of the mMissile. Jegislation it should be in the direction ©of providing for the beginning of work on the Apex Bullding, while the re- modeling of the State Department structure may be postponed. It is im- portant that the gfeat group of con- structions within the Mall-Avenue tri- angle be forwarded toward completion without delay. With the w oW wmder way regarded as assured & on- ment. not as rigid in respect to the require- o' conversation seems ment of eligibility in this regard as is fashionable at present.” R Hoch, Hitler! Adolf Hitler, head of the “Nazis,” or National-Socialist party, aspires to the presidency of Germany. But he happens to have bsen born in Austria and under the law he is ineligible for that prefer- The German law, however, is' perience and others because dat style e THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1932. THIS AND THAT the American, which, as laid down in the Constitution, imposes the limitation that “no person except & natural born citizen or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution shall be eligible to the office of President.” Foreign birth now bars absolutely from the presidential office, without the possibility of qualifi- cation. But Hitler has been made eligible by a simple device. The gov- ernment of the State of Brunswick has appointed him counselor of its legation at Berlin, and thereupon, under German law, he automatically. becomes a Ger- man citizen and is legally qualified for the presidency. This would seem to be a very simple methed of naturaliza- tion. It is almost as easy as the appointment of a person to be a mem- ber of the staff of the Governor of & State, thereby conferring on him for life the title of “Colonel.” Having been thus given the accolade of citizenship by appointment to an office which doubtless he will never occupy, Herr Hitler 15 purged of his Austrian allc- glance. He has, it is related, always hated his Austrian connection., It has been considerable of a handicap to him in his German political maneuverings. Now that he is a full-fledged German, with a look-in on the presidency, he may consent to shave off that funny little mustache. ——— In an era of strange rumors it will be remarkable if some vigilant student of the world map does not try to at- tach the expulsion of the Chinese from old rumor that the Japanese contem- plated colonizing the peninsula of Southern California. ——— There 1s to be no boycott of Japa- nese goods. It must be recognized, however, that there is nd way of com- pelling one woman or a million women to buy materials concerning which a silent mental objection has been regis- tered. e — Russians who are using 1d Man River” as a sympathy song suggesting race oppression are now studying East- ern Asia with the Yangtze Kiang in mind as the scene of the latest and greatest human sorrow. ) Having looked Georgia over, John Garner decides that it is not worth his solicitude, as his chances would be about that of a snowball in the region which he has assisted Charles Dawes in mak- ing famous O traordinary weather is caused by con- stant activity of wireless communica- tion are assigning to radio credit for being more useful than entertaining. ———— ‘While looking for objections to Amer- ican conduct, the Japanese may yet see it to object to the sympathy expressed by the Lindberghs for the flood suffer- ers in China. e e = SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Original Big Navy Man. The archeologists take note Of why Old Noah built the boat. And show just how it camie to happen His family all called him “Cap'n.” Now Noah was quite rough and ready. His arm was stout, his nerve was steady. So much had come beneath his care That living things 'most everywhere, ‘When times were going helter skelter, ‘Would look to him for food and shelter. The wicked neighbors often sneered At one who should have been revered Because of money that he lent To meet their need when they had spent All their resources and more, too, On fireworks, fights and burlecue. | As Cap'n Noah viewed the sky He said with a determined eye, “I'm fond of doves and olive branches But we'll need more for these here ranches. (With rough speech don't be discon- tented; The classics had not been invented). “We must do something,” he exclaimed, “And while I hitherto have aimed To be of help to neighboring nations, I must protect my own relations. So, gals and boys, I say, by gravy, We've got to get ourselves a navy!" They soon made ready for the sail, About that ark you've beard the tale, How Noah landed and proceeded To give this earth the help it needed. Though once, when in a chilled con- dition, He quite forgot his prohibition, For passing faults we should not scan The record of this wise old man Who tolled with strong and generous heart To give mankind another start. Training for a Career. “We have a strangely limited supply of patriotic tunes,” said the captious citizen, “That is as it should be" answered Senator Sorghum. “In preparing for my public career it was quite enough to be obliged to study law and eco- nomics, without feeling obliged to take music lessons.” Jud Tunkins says there's at least one good excuse for a professional pugilist. He won't fight unless he gets paid for it good and plenty. No Empty Dream. I'm for veracity inclined: Yet as the news, I view, I wish I could wake up and find Most of it isn't true. Expense and Literature. expensive entertainment.” “1 can't see it that way. Meekton., “Henrietta is buying noth- ing but fashion publications.” “War ends no argument,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “When & man faithfully believes he is right, you cannot convince him he is wrong, even by killing him.” Mental Occupation. As wondrous days go swiftly by, They bring so much to think about It sometimes almost seems thal I Must cut the cross-word p— zles out. “Some folks,” sald Uncle Eben, “talks ‘bout hard times from sad personal ex- kind o' Mexico in some sinister way with the | Theorists who suspect that this ex-| “After all, reading offers the least | A reader wants to know if we are & countryman. We take that as a great compliment. ‘There is nothing we would rather be |than a real countryman. There is something genuine about the soil and all its products. No ballyhoo there! The dream of many men, sitting at mahogany desks, is to return to the land some day, on & farm of their own, say about 400 acres. Our good friend (and fellow country- man) writes as follows from nearby Virginia: “Dear Sir: Just & few words of thanks for your efforts. I read and enjoy most of all in The Star on the editorial page your column every day, and I often wonder if you are a man of the country. “Your writings are good evidence, but I would really like to know if you are a real countryman—that is, & man who lives in the country and knows the country. You write as if you do. “Having spent most of my life on the farms and in the flelds and woods of grand old Virginia, I know whereof I am speaking. “These few lines are to express to you my appreciation and to let you know how much I enjoy your column in The Star. Your homelike country and nature writing is the best column in The Star and I always look for it. “Your writings have so impressed me (being & countryman myself) that I have made a collection for a long, long time of hundreds of copies of This and That (a scrapbook, 5o to speak). so I can read and re-read until I return to the country, which I hope to do in the near future. “In closing T would like very much to know if you are acquainted with the country and if you live in the country. Here are best wishes for your column and may it long continue. Yours sin- cerely, & friend and admirer.—J. L. M.” xox % % Well, sir, we thank you for that let- ter, and will say in reply that we are & sort of countryman. If a countryman means a feller who doesn't care much about clothes, we are a true countryman and no mistake about it. Col. Knox and his anti-hoarders would be postively aghast at the amount of money we did not spend on clothes during the past decade. . No doubt we have been mistaken by many a passerby for a hick, a rube and maybe a tramp. There is a fat old Pekinese dog out our way. who sits on a doormat on a front porch, and when it sees us coming along, even though a neighbor, it barks furiously. This, of course, only when we wear a cap. Like all dogs, of a fawning nature, it will not bark when we wear a felt hat. Its master probably wears a standard hat, therefore every one wearing & standard hat is standard. So much for canine psychology! During college days the writer here was exposed to some of the best dressers of the era, without once catching the desirability of trying to look successful whether you are a success or not. Since those days we have watched with interest the battle between the advocates of starched collars and soft collars, and creased trousers and baggy trousers. We have listened to the argu- ment that every man alive ought to try to look like an executive earning at least $25,000 a year. But why? If you are not an executive, and have the heart of a farmer, why isn't it better to look like a farmer? Other- wise, some one might take you for & motion picture ‘:czor.‘ | * 1t a sincere respect for the men of 211 nations who till the soil, and a real love for nature, may be construed as BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, making one a countryman, then we are 8 countryman, there can be no doubt; | The appeal of a novel about country ountry, land, jorway, France, America; memlgurut in them | e e e s e an pr(;g‘lem!. 4 d the type e latest of these is “Call Home the Heart," by Plelding Burke, published by Longman, Green.® Here the lover of the country finds a delightful picture of mountaineers, their trials in cultl- x:gn' the soil and their homely pleas- No one interested can hel but admire the lm‘en :;:;‘;:?pper "5 must realize that upon him depends the success of the citjes. Happily, in Amer- fea, there is a graduated scale from the city to the farm. It is by way of the | sm'fil‘l town. e typical American small town, with its Main street, its high school, d perhaps with a' small college, is about #s much country as it is eity. Farmers come into it every Saturday— at leagt they did up through 1929. Retired farmers go to the small towns to live and their sons go to the cities. But the point is that wherever & man is he is what he is. Many a country boy goes to the city, buys himself a suit of clothes of the typical “movie star” p-&urnfi l{mvlngx little vest showing— and _shos loss ‘n;fillr city h{el!er cae e ol s very brother might put the same suit and Iook for a1l the world like the country ake he is and will al- ays remain. t s like t the inhabitants of the Er;":ze:“s:; secure; it is in their blood, as well &s in the pigment of their skin, and if they lived In the "rsg; a thousand years you uld still tell that they Chesapeake Bay. S T i ¥ oo oa What we like to think of all distinguishing the countrymi S man with the heart of a countryman, whether he lives in city or town, suburb ormr.;rm. is the mex]ml slant on life which makes realize the and true nluH the home mp:o ey The country dweller, in the main, ? in the value of the farm house. He may have had a fine barn, too, but he had a good home, everything taken into consideration. And he loved that home. One may think that he loved it more than the typical city dweller loved the place he _rex;':d one year and moved' from the | next. ‘The farmer gave this country its indwelling respect for a home of one's own. The vast movement which today is sweeping the country toward per- sonal home ownership hes its inception in the mortgaged farm Mouses of the country. where men and women toiled to make home a reality. The second major mental slant of the countryman. it seems to us, is an a| preciation of the part the homely pla; in life. For him the little things of everyday. the usual features of nature, as manifested hour after hour, life. He does not ask for “kick” or “thrill,” but only for sunshine and sunset, for rain and clouds, for snow | and warmth, for such supremely natural creatures as horses and cows and pigs and dogs and cats. For flowers and vegetables. For life. He believes—what is true for most men—that home and work comprise not two-thirds of life but just about two-halves, and that it is possible, if one has the right temperament and average good fortune, to get honest and re | been brought to my attention by Con- Tear Gas to Rout Birds Is Harmless To the Editor of The Star: Lovers of birds, starlings included, can rest assured that the recent at- tempt te rout these Winter sojourners from the frieze over the Fox Theater entrance was made with the definite knowledge that the birds would suffer no injury from the tear gas. The ex- periment was made in the hope that the tear gas would drive them to another, less conspicuous roosting place. ‘The writer used a short-range tear gas riot-gun shell that shoots only a cloud of tear gag, and two hand gre- nades. This created a huge concentra- tion of tear gas in the semi-circular recess over the marquee at the theater entrance. The disturbance flushed the starlings, sending them to the coping of butl across the street, but before we could down off the building they were back again on their old roost. | i They returned to their home while the | % tear gas cloud was still visible in the recess. In perfecting tear gas for police and | protection work the testing laboratories, | including the Federal Government, ex- | perimented with animals and birds wl determine its effects. [Exposures were made In excessively heavy concentra- tions of tear gas and the subjects exam- ined perfodically. None of the subjects “showed any high irritation other than & slight increase in the flow of tears. There was no excessive irritation of the conjuctival surfaces or the lungs. The subjects did not develop any respiratory infection and gave no evidence of any damage to the respiratory tract. They continued to have normal appetite and maintained normal body weight. From these tests it is safe to conclude that when used in this concentration (heavy) tear gas will be entirely harmless to the human.” In the early stages of tear gas de- velopment ornithologists anticipated using it to confuse migratory birds to facilitate their capture for marking purposes, but it was found that they, while probably weeping copiously, de- parted for their ultimate destination in -gm of the tear gas. It would prob- ably be possible to make a particular piace untenable for starlings by re- peatedly gassing them, but such a proc- ess would be entirely too expensive as well as tedioun It is definitely known now that one dose is not mfficient to evict them and tear gas, so far as the starlings are concerned, takes its place with fire hose, smudge pots, burning rubber and ingenious mechanical contraptons ac- tuated by the wind. ‘The effect of tear gas on humans is two-thirds physiological and one-third physical. It "completely distracts the ! mind from a predetermined objective and causes a person to instinctively avold it. The only person afraid of tear gas is the person who has never been exposed to it, yet those constantly working with it realize, with increasing respect, its value as a police or de- fensive weapon. ROBERT F. JONES. r——— Short Selling Cause Of Diminished Values To the Bditor of The Star: Your editorial in the February 20 issue of The Evening Star, on the sub- ject of “Curbing Short Selling.,” has gressman James L. Whitley and I have read same with a great deal of interest. I just happen to be one of thousands who have come to the conclusion that short selling i& one of those unnecessary avils which have exercised a very power- ful influence not only in bringing down security prices but also, both directly and indirectly, in bringing about bank faflures and consequent suffering and lack of confidence throughout the whole country. We are today:engaged in a great seemly recreation in that time. If these things constitute being a country- man, and we belleve they do. then we are happy to call ourself such. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS The cunning with which the drys in the House have avoided for 10 long years a roll call vote on any aspect of the prohibition question (except the Jones 5 and 10 enforcement bill) was again illustrated this week when the annual ‘appropriation bill carrying pro- hibition funds was up for passage. There was the same fight as last year on the question of wire tapping by pro- hibition agents. The same motion to write into the appropriation a ban on wire tapping. The same rejection of the wire tapping ban amendment by a division vote, 103 to 132, but no record vote because there can be no roll call when the House is “sitting as a com- mittee of the whole,” as it always does when considering a bill for amend- ments. The wets had planned parlia mentary maneuvers whereby they would obtain a roll call on a motion to re- commit the bill, but were outwitted by the drys. All of the host of bills pro- posing amendment or repeal of the Vol- stead act or dealing with the eighteenth come before the House and come to vote would make possible a roli call have been smothered and pigeonholed in committee year after year. It re- be able to stave off a record vote for the remainder of the present session. They hope to do so. The wets will at- tempt to muster 145 signatorles to petition to force out of committee a prohibition referendum bill and thereby get the bill before the House and force a showdown. * ox o Secretary Stimson's _exposition of America's Far Eastern policy. as con- tained in the letter to Senator Borah, astating rejoinder to the arguments by which Japan seeks to justify before the League the high-handed course she is pursuing in Shanghai. interpreted as serving notice upon Japan that this country will not recog- in Manchuria, and 8 an open invita- tion to the other powers to join us in that action. atorial commentators is that the con: tinued violations by Japan of the so- colled “open door” provisions of the nine-power treaty, may involve recon- sideration by the United States of the disarmament sectlons thereof. That the White House may in due course issuc Department pronuncio seems to be quite generally expected. * ook % Secretary Stimson's projected trip to Geneva to participate briefly but osten- Conference has been indefinitely post- poned. Ambassador Gibson and his assoclates in the American delegation now on the spot will carry on alone unless and until “an _emergency arises or a situation in which Stimson ean be helpful ” That I the State Depart- ment explanation. Mr. Stimson from the outset has evidenced no inclina- tion to drop the aflairs of the State Department here for the prospectively inglorious and prolonged disarmament parleys abroad. At the time of the abrupt withdrawal of Gen. Dawes from the headship of the delegation to take over a financial dictatorship here it was announced that Secretary Stimson would head the delegation and go to Geneva shortly. But war developments in China serve to surround with further amendment, which if ever allowed to| mains to be seen whether the drys will | constitutes a comprehensive and dev- | The letter is | nize the new government being set up | A_further interpretation | put upon the Stimson letter by sen- | an indirect and diplomatic denial of | this particular construction of the State | tatiously in the current Disarmament ed out he was not a Communist. Dear | Old Jim. You eannot feaze him.” * % x % | Senator Edward P. Costigan of Colo- | rado started in life as a Republican, but his propensities for reform got the upper hand. Deprived of a seat in the Colorado Legislature, to which he had been elected as a Republican back in 1902, he organized the Honest Elections | League. He followed that with the Law Enforcement Leaghe, became attorney for the Anti-Saloon League and chair- man of the Dry Denver Campaign Com- | mittee. He organized the Direct | Primary League and the Direct Legis- | lation League of Colorado and became president of the Civil Service Reform, Association of Denver. Then organized the Citizens' party. When Teddy Roosevelt bolted in 1912, the crusading Costigan became “a founder” of the Progressive party and its candidate for Governor. He entered the Democratic fold in 1916, supported Wilson in that year on the issue of “He Kept Us Out of War” and was re- warded with a place on the United States Tariff Commission. This year Senator Costigan, according to latest reports, is ready to support Franklin D. Roosevelt for the presidency. ko % Dr. Joseph Irwin France of Mary- land, Mr. Hoover's only declared rival for the Republican nomination, whose one-man campaign for the presidency is making a hardly perceptible ripple on the political waters, enjoys the further distinction of having been the only member of the United Sthtes Sen- ate in 1922 to vote against the ratifica- tion of the Washington Naval Treaty. that placed a limitation on capital he | to and actual ships and set up the now famous ratio of 5-5-3 for the navies of the U. S, England end Japan. Dr. France de- nounced the treaty for the same r | sons and In virtually the same language as employed by the senatorial opponents of the London Naval Treaty of 1930, Messrs. Hiram Johnson et al. The big navy crowd today agree that from their viewpoint Dr. France was right and they were Wrong in 1922. * ook x Tourists in Washington who stream through the Capitol Building on every pleasant Sunday take quite for granted the fact that the building is open on Sunday. It was not always so. David Lynn, Capital architect, recalls vividly his first visit to Washington as & bov, and how, when his father took him to the Capitol on Sunday, they found the building locked up tighter than a drum. | The lad was disappointed and quite | worked up about it. So when, many vears later, Mr. Lynn found himself | the custodian of the bullding. almost his first official act was to order that the Capitol be opened to visitors on | Sunday. Now that is the busiest day of the week for the Capitol guides. i (Copyrisht, 1932.) ————— | Chauffeur Shaw. From the Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator. « George Bernard Shaw, whose car up- set in a ditch, now will be able to give | first-hand impressions of the sensations of an apple cart, o [ A Wise Doctor. | From the Sioux Falls Daily Argus-Leader. The doctor who told Congressmen that they are overworking can now receive, perhaps, any appointment he uncertainty his Geneva pilgrimage. desires. e ¥ | Some senatorial cronies of “Sunny | Jim” Watson, Republican old guards- | man of Indiana, were discussing their —r——— Harassment. ¥rom the Janesville Dally Gazette, colleague the other day in friendly fash- | Winston Churchill zays “the world fon, and one cited Senator Watson's today 18 Tuled by harassed politicians.” published comment on Mr. Hoover's ap- Sometimes We —think they are not pointment of Judge Cardozo to the Su- harassed enough to see what the public preme bench. Watson has said “he fills & Wants. —— the niche made vacant by Justice | —— = Holmes, being a liberal in tendency, The Day of Rl’rkoning said the From the Nashville Banner. without being a radical.” “Trust Jim to lo&hm tl::d‘ I:'rllht side” speaker. udge Cardezo been a| Japan seems to havi a lot of radical, Jim would have pointed out | fun out of the war the ‘;%meng but that he was not a Socialist, and had he | all we ask is that it it a d until been & Soclalist, Jim would have point- | the time comes to Nrirl:“ i Natlon-wide effort to get people to in- vest their money. instead of hoarding it, but the question naturally arises as to why any one should put money into securities when, under the law, bear operators, ha no financial interest in these secul are privileged to, openly as well as secretly, maneuver to destroy values. Any one at all familiar with the situa- tion could write pages on the evil effects resulting from short selling, but in the long run the question as to whether or not it will be stopped will probably be settled on the question of whether or not it is right or wrong, and it seems to me that the whole thing can pretty nearly be summed up in the following: “Whoever adds to the value of property geneially or increases confidence per- forms a service to mankind, while,he who destroys values or confidence in- Jures mankind.” The short seller’s only interest in a short sale is to make & profit. and that profit can only be realized by de- creasing value. Therefore, it is essen- tially true that short sales are designed do decrease values and, accordingly, & short seller is injuring mankind, and his activities should be prohibited for the good of the country. ‘With kindest regards, and trusting that the efforts of our leaders in Con- gress to prohibit short selling will be crowned with success, I am, Rochester, N. Y. M. F. PRATT. Jingoes Will Surely Bring Japan to Bitter Defeat To the Editor of The Star Senator J. Hamilton Lewis has been broadcasting the “vellow peril” to Mid- dle Westerners for the past two dec- ades. He has had the United States “fighting” Japan ever since the Span- ish-American War, but he and his ilk are always careful to keep away from the firing line in all these wars, real and imaginary. You will recall that ex-Mayor “Bill" Thompsen.of Ohicago spent most of his campaign speech periods in lambasting King George V of England, who is a very pacifistic sort of gentleman and much less to be feared than the “patrioteers,” who usually have some profit or honor to be gained by waving the flag so vociferously. The fact seems to be, sad to relate, that the jingoists of all nations have en one of the prime causes of war. e jingoists are now ‘“on top” in Jepan, but that doesn't mean that Japan will gain in the long run by her militaristic tactics. The world may be slow to speak, but when it does act Japan will repent in sackcloth and ashes, fguratively if not literally. When a nation loses the confidence of the world, and trade starts to go down- hill, with scared capitalists of the other nations fearing to grant further war credits, then Japan will realize that she has something more serious than a prostrate China to oppose her. Loss of confidence abroad will mean event- ually revolution at home. No more wars will be fought by any militaristic nation without a civil war at home. In other words, revolution will accom- pany or closely follow the war. The common people are getting too wise to be further deceived and will | take steps to protect their own interests. Russia, Germany, France and Aus- tria-Hungary were well prepared for what happened in 1914. They prepared ; for war, and got just what they re- pared for. The Scandinavian nations, Holland, Spain, Switzerland and others did not prepare for war and took no active part in the so-called World War. Japan apparently prepared for war with Russia in 1904. Russia was defeated, but Japan lost most of the! “profits” involved in that war, due to intervention of the United States and other nmeutrals. The same will hold increasingly true of other nations here- fter. Neutral nations will not allow any warlike nation permanently to| profit through war. War is outlawed and the aggressor must pay the penal- | ties. What are those penalties? We ANSWERS "9 QUESTIONS BY FREDLRIC ]J. HASKIN. Few Americans realize how much | Xenophon describes the shoes or pat- their Government does for them. Readers of The Evening Star can draw tens of skins withewhich the horses of the Armenians were shod to prevent on all Government activities through |them from sinking into the snow, and our free information service. world’s greatest libraries, laboratories and experimental stations are at their ccmmand. Ask any question of fact and it will be answered free, by mail direct to you. Inclose 2-cent stamp for reply postage and address The Even Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Q. Do many States forbid hitch- hiking?—U. C. A. It 1s quite generally frown and the list of States forbidd! it is owing. At the last compilation, hitch-hiking was banned in Connecti- cut, Delaware, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon snd Wis- | consin. Q. Has any man ever been nominated for the presidency by a national con- | vention and refused to run?—T. A. R. A. In 1872 a Democratic Convention, at Louisville, which had refused to ac- cept the nomination of Greeley at Bal- timore, nominated Charles O'Conor of New York, a Catholic. O'Conor refused the nomination by telegraph, but the convention proceeded to nominate him anyway. In the subsequent election he received thousands of votes in 23 States. Q. Is there any language now used which is & descendant of the San- skrit?—E. C. The | upon | Procopius made mention of the ancient Lapps, known in Scandinavia as Skrid- | Pinnen, or sliders. Sn always been used by Northwestern Asla. of the old Norse sagas they must have been general in Scandinavia long be- fore the Christian era. Ulf or Ullar, the god of Winter, is always spoken of as walking upon skiis, the curved toes of which gave rise to the legend that were really ships upon which the was wafted over hill and dale. Q. Must blankets be made entirely of wool in order to be labeled all wool?— B. A A. They must be at least 98 per cent wool. Q. Where was Victor Herbert buried?—C. M. A. The funeral services for Victor Herbert were held in the residence of | Mr. Alberts at 2 o'clock on the after- | noon of May 28, 1024. ‘The funeral proceeded to St. Thomas' Church and the interment was at Woodlawn Cemetery, New York City. Q. Is vermouth distilled or fer- | mented?—P. 8. | A. It is neither. Like tea, it 1s steeped. Q. How large must trees be allowed ow before they can be cut at & A. There are a number of dialects profit?—P. L. in India descended from or influenced by Sanskrit, which is the ancient lit- erary language of the Hindus. modern language which most takes the place of Sanskrit is Hin- dustani, which is the lingua franca of that should be taken for maxii India and is spoken over a wider ter- ritory than any other Indian tongue. Q. What were the dances in the time of George Washington?—E. G. A. The minuet and the gavotte were the formal dances, while reels, jigs and quadril'es were very popular, Q Why are buildings :}ew’? ug instead of being torn down?— A. They are dynamited because the importance of the new project is 30 great and the value of the old ma- terial is relatively so small that it is considered less wasteful to proceed with the new project than to pause and tear down the old bufldings. Q. Please give a recipe peanuts in the shell.—J. O. A. Peanuts may be salted in shell by soaking in & 10 per cent salt solution before roasting. for salting C. Q. Do many children of Indian blood | New system, attend public schools with white chil- dren?—G. O. W. A. About 50,000. This is more than | 3reenwich became 1 half of all Indian children attending any school. Q. Please gi of sound—A. 8. A. The history of sound is practically identical with the progress of mathe- matics and dynamics from the time of Galileo and Newton to the present, and few dates can be assigned to definite discoveries. Theé laws of vibrations of a stretched string_were first deduced mathematically by Brook Taylor in 1715 and by Daniel Bernoulli in 1755. Longi- tudinal vibrations of bars were investi- gated by Chladni (1756-1827). The his- tory of the phenomena of the sense of hearing, harmony, etc. bably with the earliest day: civilization. It was known to Pythagoras in the sixth century B. C. Much research was con- ducted by Helmholtz beginning with 1854, A Honey is practically & natural form of invert sugar. Q What is the origin of the ski? —E. L. F. A. Implements for this purpose were in Russia | v§ a history of the physics | Q. Is there a natural invert sugar? | D. N. A. The Forest Products Laboratory says that it is more costly to handle The | small trees than large ones, and the nearly | lumber sells for less per foot hen cut. It gives the following smallest sl;nn mediate profit per acre logge | Arkansas second-growth forest short- jeaf and loblolly pine, 12 inches: in Loulsiana oldfieid Joblolly, 15 inches; in Virginia second-growth forest lobe Jolly, 12 inches; in North Carolina old- field’ loblolly, 11 inches: in Texas and Western Arkansas virgin shortieaf, 10 to 14 inches, according to type and age of stand. Q. How much did the French gov- ernment pay for Whistler's portrait of his mother?—N. G. A. Six hundred and twenty-five dollars. Q. When did the United States adopt standard time?—J. M. L. A. It was adopted in 1883 on the in- itiative of the American Railway Asso- | ciation. At noon of November 18, 1883, !the telegraphic time signals sent out | daily from the Naval Observatory, at | Washington, D. C., were changed to the according to which the | meridians of 75 degrees, 90 degrees. 105 degrees and 120 degrees west from he time meridians of Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pa- cific standard time. respectively. Q What is meant by the slang term, a biurb>—D. B, E. A. The term is often applied to & brief summary or & Wwrite-up praising & book that has just been issued. Blurbs are often used as announcements and printed on the jacket of & new publica- tion. The word is also used of a simi- lar editorial summary introducing & magazine story. Q. How much has the Jewish popula- tion of Palestine increased since the World War?>—C. A. O. A. In 1914 there were 84,000 Jews: in 1920, 57,900; in 1930, 162,000, esti- mated. Q. Is there a river which sometimes |flows in one direction and at others 3’" ‘m the opposite direction?— A. A stream known as the Cassquiare Cafal does 50, This is a natural water- way which, varying with the rain, flows now into the Orinoco Basin, now irto that of the Amazon. At the flood tide of the Amazon it flows into the Ori- noco, while at the flood tide of the Ori~ used by many nations of antiquity. noco it flows into the Amazon. Differing only in degree, tributes to Minnie Maddern Fiske, as death ends her long career, all place her among the great as an actress and as a citi- zen. Many would put her in _the supreme position on at least the Eng- lish-speaking stage. = There is an over- whelming volume of evidence that she held the affection of the country. “America loses a fine lady and a great actress, probably the greatest on the contemporary stage,” declares the Hartford Times, with the thought that “truly the memory of Minnie Maddern Fiske is something that every play- goer who saw her will cherish.” A’rhe Times comments as to her art that she “could play everything and play it well” and “dominated the stage when she was upon it The Rockford Register-Republic States that she “wore a majestic title—America's foremost actress,” and that “millions have wor- shiped at her shrine and they loved her to the hour of her passing from earth.” “We have lost the greatest actor America has yet produced—the greatest that Americ2 may ever produce.” in the opinion of the Columbia (S. C.) State, which recalls that “she acted each character so perfectly and with such freshness ond inspirational charm that she seemed to have attained in each successive impersonation the utmost crest of her art.” The State also offers the estimate: “There are but cne or two actresses that could pretend to be of her starry magnitude. These are, of course, Bernhardt and Duse, with Rachel as a possible peer or lady In waiting.” That paper concludes its tribute with the statement: “Whether in the whimsical psychology of Nora or the soul-racked Hedda Gabler or in the flimsiest and trickiest comedy it was always the same inerrant genius that impersonated and interpreted for us. Let us leave to Shakespeare, god of her stage and heaven, to say the final word for her: “‘After life’s fitful fever . . . . Take her for ail in all, I #hall not look upon her like again!®" “She possessed a find mind and & skill in interpretation that set entirely new standards for the English-speaking stage,” according to the St. Louis times, which remarks that “she was the first of our players to abandon the declamatory style.” The San Francisco Chronicle holds that “through a long line of tri- umphant roles she shed luster on the ‘traditions of the American stage,” and the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern finds great numbers who ‘“can look back reverently and wistfully through the corridors of memory to revive the magic of a woman who was able to create life, reality and beauty upon the stage.” talent to the stige” Wajynr News-Sentinel. e gave her whole self—her whole life. She was not yet three years of age when she made her first theatrical appearance— as the Duke of York in Richard IIIL | In the more than three-score yeal of roles, wrote plays herself, visited al- most everey State in the Union. Her versatility was almost superhuman. In ‘“Tess of thev D'Urbervilies’ ‘Becky Rivals’ ‘Hedda Gabler, '‘Ghosts’ ‘The | School for Scandal’ ‘A Doll's House,' ‘Ladies of the Jury'—hers was always the mind cof the theatrical artist at its best, supported by a buoyancy of spirit which mocked all those tempera- shall see shortly. S. R. RANDELL. ——— The French System. From the Toronto (Ontario) Daily Star. Every time France wants to write a different kind of letter on reparations from the one she sent last the govern- ment resigns and a new. ministry & new sends mental pretensions with which so many moody Thesplans disgust the laity. Nor | did she ever permit herself a lapse of | resistance more the good restrains 4 | drzmatic artist from grotestquely essay- | ing roles for which he or is| unsuited.” Quoting statements that she was | | near-starvation for so many, that fallowed, she appeared in hundreds | hundreds of American citizens. Supreme Art of Mrs. Fiske Recognized in Fine Tributes members: “Those who were privileged to see her a few years ago when she appared in this city in a particularly beautiful Shakespearean setting, were forced to admit that, in spite of her three-score years, she was as great an actress as in her youth and middle The Dayton Daily News, assert« ing that the various roles she created “were Minnie Maddern Fiske to thou= sands, and they cannot die,” concludes: | “Her career is her monument, the only one she needs.” The Oakland Tribune refers to her as “a great actress and & | brilliant and sincere woman Wwho moved through those large days of the American stage.” “Perhaps her outstanding quality” as viewed by the New York Sun, “lay in her mastery of the technical phases of her profession. Early in her career she is said to have been profoundly im- pressed by the art of Eleonora Duse Certainly ‘the restraint. the simplicity, the naturalism with which she achieved her finest effects suggested spiritual kinship with the great Italian actress, but there were qualities peculiar to Mrs, Fiske which she undoubtedly developed from her own inner resources. What was especially noticeable about her was Juminosity, at times as hard and sharp as the gleam of a diamond, at times as soft as the radiance of a pearl. but always alive and glowi; Mrs. Piske brought an amazing number of amazing women to life on the stage; each was different from the others, yet all were Mrs. Fiske.” —— :‘“Eyesores” May Be a Means of Livelihood To the Editor of The Star: Arpearing in The Star recently was a lstter criticising Washington for ha ing two fruit vendor carts near | Union Station. The writer of the letter called these carts “eyesores” saying that it would not cost anything 1o move them. The writer is perhaps cor- rect in saying that it won't cost the Governnient anything to move them. On the other hand, it may cost these fruit vendors their very life’s happi- ness. Perhaps they have large fam= ilies to support. Does the writer of this article not believe that it is per= haps far better to have this “eyesore” r the beautiful Union Station in Washington rather than have a man, who is earning an honest living, with: out work, and his family in need. In these times of great stress, with the unemg\oymem situation treadin hand in hand with desperation an crime, cannot the multit@de of fastid- lous tolerate just a few “eyesores” if it “Mrs. Fiske gave more than & superb | means an honest living to some one in says the Fort|need? Would that the streets of Wash- ington, and eweey city of the United States, were cluttered up with men and women sitting on the curbstones, vend- ing wares thet were being purchased, rather than this deplorable period of many WILLIAM F. SWANN, e The Thumb Si gn. Sharp’ ‘The New York Idea’ 'The piom the Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator. The original free wheeling device, de- spite all claims of rival manufacturers, was an upturned thumb. —— v Pairs of Pests, Prom the Toledo Blade. Nothing raises the bristles on sales than tw > working together. sl ———— A Double Neg:tive. From the Boston Evening Transcript. “anequaled rou Englhh-m!flg! A war that isn't of Tives that ":my mean thousands