Evening Star Newspaper, March 11, 1932, Page 8

A—8 THE EVENING THE EVENING STAR |» fortnight. Many lives were lost in | of gasoline is being carried on in other With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. March 11, 1982 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania New York Officc: 110 East 42nd St. Aasc Office Lake Michigan Building. European Ofice 4 Regent . London, ngland. Ave. Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Star ... 45c per month and Sunday Siar 3 60c per month 65c per month Ter copy 1 n made at the end of each month. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday.....1yr.$10.00. I mo.. 85¢ Daily only il 1y Sunday only . v, $6.00: 1 mo . 50 1yr. $4.00 1mo. 40c All Other States and Canada. 1y ang Sunday...1yr. 11200 1mo. $100 Baily aafy 1351500 1 ma: *hee Randay only 1¥r. $500; Imo. 50c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press s exclusi to the uce for republication of ull tehes ereds @ d'f0 it or not otherwise cred- he ‘ocal new: Straws in the Wind. The role of being a prophet of good times is regarded askance these days by those who have seen so many prophets bite the dust, and Secretary ! of the Treasury wisely refrains from posing as such. But as one who | 15 in the best position to know, he points ! out incontestible facts that justify a more encouraging view of things. The week that ended last night found hoarding decreased by $39,000,000, giv- | ing substance to the theory that an| organized effort, such as has been put | forth by the Citizens' Reconstruction | Organization, is capable of tangible re- sults. This drop in hoarding is the largest decline for a single week. It can be considered in connection with the total of more than $150,000,000 that administration officials claim has come back into use from safe-deposit boxes, from under the mattress and in buried tin cans since the high mark reached in hoarding toward the end of January. Last night also brought reports from the Treasury of the oversubscription of the Treasury's offerings of $300,000,000 of three and one-eighth per cent cer- tificates, maturing October 15, 1932, and of the $600,000,000 of three and three- fourths per cent certificates maturing March 15, 1933—more than $900,000,000 having been subscribed for the first issue and more than $2,450,000,000 hav- ing been subscribed for the second issue. This enthusiastic response on the part of the investing public has obviously been interpreted as showing the confi- dence in Government securities and the willingness of the investing public to the storm. The snow. driven by the high wind, binked in huge piles in the streets and froze to & hardness that resisted all efforts at removal. Some of these drifts lasted for a menth before they finally ylelded to the sun. The furious storm of March 3, 1909, was a smaller version of the blizzard of 1899, yet it became historic because of the fact that it coincided with the irauguration of President Taft, which was conducted under the m-st depress- ing conditions ever known at the time of such a ceremony. One of the gravest features of that storm was the isolation of Washington, the Capital being cut off from all c-mmunication by wire save | by a single line to the South, while for ! many hours trains were blocked and thousands of inauguration visitors were marooned. From February 4 to 7, 1920, a storm raged along the Eastern coast, includ- ing in its path all of the larger cities, which in some respects exceeded those | that heve been menticned. A greater weight of snow f-ll then, but there was no such height of wind speed and the drifts were not as great cr as lasting. That storm was true to the tradition that the worst visitations of the Winter January. The period between Febru- ary 1 and March 15 is the time of the greatest danger from the elements. The comparatively trifling storm of last Sun- day was probably the contributi-n of 1932 to this record. and the hope is |that it was the heaviest. v - The Smith Candidacy. Invitations to Alfred E. Smith to take himself permanently out of the presi- dential picture, coming from Democrats who supported Mr. Smith in 1928, may bring a showdown in this candidacy of the former New York Governor | which at the same time is declared nol to be & candidacy. Mayor James M. | Curley of Boston, for years & Demo- | cratic leader in that Democratic city, set the ball rolling with telegrams to | Smith urging that he take himself out | of the race in Massachusetts in the in- | terest of party harmony. The mayor recalled to Mr. Smith his early state- ment that he would make no precon- vention fight for delegates to the na- tional convention and paralleled it with Mr. Smith's acquiescence, given for- mally, in the plans of his friends to run Smith delegates in the Massa- chusetts primary in April. In the opinion of the mayor the two do not match up. But Mr. Smith not only has declined to accede to Mayor Curley's request that he withdraw from the Massachu- setts primary, but charges the mayor with sending him a “tricky” telegram, seeking to put him in a false light with his friends in Massachusetts. Mayor Curley’s comment on this reply of Mr. buy what is sound. J. W. Pole, controller of the currency, also revealed last night that in the twenty-two-day period beginning Feb- ruary 17 there have been only two na- tional bank failures. This number is to be compared with the seventy-four national bank failures in January and with the twenty-three failures between the first and the seventeenth of Feb- ruary. The sharp decline in the number of bank fallures is attributed in part to the relief legislation and the getting down to work of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, which, in the short period of its existence, since the second of February, has loaned $61,800,- 000 to 255 banks, many of them in country districts. These are solid indications of brighter prospects. But there still ex- ists a very plain sentiment, voiced yes- terday to the President by Charles F.| Abbott of New York, executive direc- tor of the American Institute of Steel Construction, that the banks are not as responsive as they should be to the plea against hoarding, and that until the banks “loosen up” there is not go- ing to be any real recovery. Of courze, many banks have been and are hoarding. But their policy has only reflected the policy of depos- itors. When there is returning confi- dence in the banks, indicated by suc- cess in the anti-hoarding campaign, such confidence will, In turn, be re- flected by the banks. No sound bank that has weathered the storms of the last few years and thereby justified the confidence of its patrons will risk losing that confidence now. They must be “shown.” The encouraging statements from the Treasury indicate that signs are not lacking. N— There is general happiness in noting that in addition to much futile and often rancorous debate there may be the charm of genuine romance in Con- gress. r——— Mearch Blizzards. Forty-four years ago Washington, slong with other cities of the Eastern seaboard, was hit by a storm that has become historic as the “March blizzard | It raged for several days and | of 1888." caused intense suffering. The visita- tion of last Sunday. which has been called a blizzard, was a trifling affair in comparison. Tomorrow in New York will be held the annual reunion of the “Blizzard Men" of that city, veterans of the great fury of the elements that took many lives and paralyzed the trans- portation facilities of the metropolis. Washington has never organized its storm survivors and so there will be no such reunion here, though many Capi- | tal residents vividly recall the distress occasioned by the storm of '88. That blizzard, however, was not the | greatest within the recollection of | many Washingtonians. Weather remi- niscences usually go back to the storm of February 8-12, 1889, which was the worst in local history. It began in the North and caused many deaths and property loss before it swung down to this yegion, hitting the Capital in its full force on Saturday the 11th. For two full days it raged, with winds reaching a fifty-mile rate at times, with an unprecedented fall of snow and with the thermometer touching the all-time record low of seventeen degrees below zero. That was a veritable blizzard. It blocked the streets, it caused the sus- pension of almost all business activitics. It forced the closing of the sessions of Congress. It stopped all but one of Smith is brief but pithy. He quotes from Sir Walter Scott’s Marmion: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave ‘When first we practice to deceive.” The chorus of Democratic voices urg- ing Mr. Smith to take himself out of the presidential race is by no means confined to Mayor Curley and some of his Boston Democrats. Senator King of Utah, Senator McKellar of Tennessee, both of whom had kind things to say about the standard bearer of 1928, and Senator Wheeler of Montana and Sena- tor Dill of Washington, who confined their remarks to eulogies of Franklin D, Roosevelt, have all made the suggestion that this is no time for the Democrats to get into & row which may be remi- niscent of Madison Square Garden and just as devastating to the party of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and | Woodrow Wilson. It does not seem likely, however, that the former New York Governor is going to take himself out of the race. A few more defeats, such as he and his friends experienced in New, Hampshire, will have the effect of taking Mr. Smith out of the race even more positively than if he should now issue a state- ment insisting that he was not a can- didate. If some of Mr. Smith's friends are correct in their analysis of the situation, the former Governor is not really a candidate for the nomination at all, does not expect to be nomi- nated and is in the picture merely to pick up enough delegates in the North- castern States to make it impossible for Gov. Roosevelt to be the Democratic nominee for President. Either that is the case or Mr. Smith is a bona fide candidate. If he is merely a stalking horse in the move to defeat Roosevelt, the Democrats in Massachusetts would like to know about it. Furthermore, they are entitled to know about it. Sooner or later Mr. Smith will have to fish, cut bait or get ashore. He can- not be at one and the same time a candidate and rot a candidate. In the meantime Mayor Curley of Boston will continue to beat a tattoo on the Smith candidacy in Massachu- setts. There are few cleverer politi- clans than the Boston mayor, veteran of many flerce battles. The leaders {of other Democratic factions in the State are beginning to wonder just where they will light if Mayor Curley | should be right, after all, in the selec- tion of a candidate in this presidential race. At the same time, Mayor Cur- ley's plea for harmony among the Democrats of Massachusetts, so that once a presidentlal nomination has been made the party may hope to move forward to victory, is not with- out its effect. = e Announcement that a former husband of Peggy Joyce Hopkins is in trouble gives him room for at least a little en- | couragement in the reflection that this different kind. ———— Street Gasoline Venders. ‘The action of the Traffic Advisory Councll in urging the abolition of gaso- line seliing from trucks on the streets of the city on the ground that it con- stitutes an obstruction to the free flow of traffic brings up a question that the Commissioners doubtless thought they had disposed of effectively. Some time ago the city heads, acting on numerous complaints, barred the gaso- line truck venders from carrying on this type of business. Immediately a howl arose from the men engaged in | dispensing gasoline in this manner and after many consultations with interested perties and with few of the original lcumpmmnu putting in their appear- ance, the Commissioners rescinded their the city's street car lines, The city's poor suffered untold distress and emer- | ever, a quiet investigation has been| v gency charity works were organized and undertaken by District officials to ascer- fies | conducted, Wnder grave diffcggies, for taln Whethar & sireet-seliDg husioms » party so% 0.4 abolition order. In the meantime, how- in this part of the country occur after | i cities. Coupled with the action of the | Trafic Advisory Council, the report of | these officials will probably constitute the basis for final action on what has proved to be a vexing question. It is unfortunate in many ways that |the Commissioners did not stick to) | thelr original order. It would have |saved much time and trouble. The Commiscioners, of course, wanted to be !fair to the men who were engaged in | the business, and when the plea was made that the order would throw men out of work they lent a sympathetic |ear to the gasoline venders. Since then, however, the small band which was engaged in selling gasoline from | trucks has increased to a very much | larger organization, and an order abol- ishing the practice now will throw more men out of work than it would then That, however, is water over the dam ard should not interfere with sensible | municipal regulation in regard to a street business which has no place in !'the life of any large city. | If there is one reason for permitting | the selling of gasoline from trucks | parked on the public highways—and it jis difficult to find even that one rea- son—there are fifty against it. In many cases it leads to double parking, which |is a traffic obstruction. It is unfair competition for the owners of gasoline filling stations who maintain expensive plants on their own property off the street. When these trucks enter residential sections. in which no filling stations are permitted cn account of the zoning | regulations, it is a direct violation of the zoning laws. In fact, the practice s a nuisance and should not be tolerated In any city. The Commis- sloners will be doing the community a service if they definitely abolish it. e Comprehension of the practical value of money might be more general and accurate if a picture could be printed on each bill showing what it would buy in terms of the market basket. Even this, however, would not serve to pre- | vent its use for purposes of sheer spec- ulation. ———— French editorial comment assumes that prohibition is the cause of dis- turbed soclal conditions in this country. Regardless of the line of present reason- ing, it cannot be overlooked that France's history reveals many upheavals with no “prohibition” whatever to account for them. ——————— Japan, feeling unable to call off the war by herself, now wishes that other nations would assert high-handed au- thority and do it for her. In spite of incidental conflicts, the broad and per- petual spirit of the brotherhood of man still asserts itself. e — Years do not prevent President Hin- denburg from being a vigorous cam- paigner. Fortunately the modern oration can be delivered in a comfort- able radio studio instead of in the open air by the flickering illumination of a torchlight parade. v Some monstrous things have taken place in the “wilds of New Jersey,” but the idea of steaMng a child for the gratification of a neighborhood spite seems oo gruesome even for a State that produced the Hall-Mills case. e Conditions require the American pub- lic to seek a very comprehensive educa- tion. Having studied international law, the people now proceed energetically to take up a course in banking and cur- rency. A reputation once established may increase without further effort. Al Capone has become so famous that he is invariably mentioned first in any search for & master mind in the under- world. e In order to insure against possible apathy in the campaign, it seemed posi- tively necessary for the great American political parties to come definitely to terms of disagreement. ——rate SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, To Be Envied. ‘There is one little compliment A friend of mine is earning. Amid the clouds of discontent He sees the sun returning. His share of fame is rather dim; His wealth's of low condition; Yet I can't keep from envying him His gentle disposition. He knows the skies will soon be warm And flowers will be blooming; So he defies the passing storm With courage unassuming. ‘Though others splendid treasures boast, I make this odd admission: Among them all T envy most This gentle disposition. Wavering Faith. “You still have faith in the wisdom of the plain people?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “But I'm going to lose some of it if the opposition continues to pile up in- fluence and votes. ® Jud Tunkins says some folks seem to imagine that money is like a baby that grows while it is asleep. Not So Different. ‘They say that cynicism grows, That life becomes & heartless game, And yet these modern belles and beaux Are getting married, just the same. They say that manners show a change. A cold intelligence they stress. And yet old sentiments arrange For charming weddings, none the less, Lateness. “Do you dance the very Ilatest dances?” “Not the very latest,” answered Miss Cayenne. before midnight.” “The sure way to get the worst of it said Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “is to sit idly by, hoping for the best." The Sheltering Circle. The silver dollar’s doing well, As everybody sees. Its roundness makes a good umbrell Pag rainy days like these. “De bootleggers out our way,” said “is so influential dey noti- when to keep sway f'um STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., FRIDAY, MARCH 11, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. When w.l members of the human race give up talking about matters concerning which they know absolutely nothing? There are few traits more amazing ' to students of human nature than this one, which afflicts alike the old and and women, boys and girls. Everywhere one encounters people who are unable to keep their mouths shut, but must rush in where angeis would fear to tread, and express an opinion on something or other about which they know nothing at all. We refer not to politics. or litera- ture, or matters of art. about which human beings have differed all these centuries, but solely to the more com- | monplace affairs of life. There is an everyday job to be done, let us say, which requires a couple of so-calfiled handy men—men of heft and brawn, capable of dealing with stub- born Taterials. No one in his right senses would think for an instant that any one man, even of the type required. could do the job properly, for it calls for one man to hold and another to pull. Let the gentleman who is getting the work done however, dare to men- tion to some sweet young thing in his office organization that he is hiring the workers than he receives some such gush as the following: ‘'Oh, aren't you able to do that by yourself? T should think you would be. Surelv it won't take two men to do a job like that." * o ox % Perhaps it is the “surely.” as sald, which proves the proverbial straw which breaks the camel's back. It is not so much the crass ignor- ance shown, the utter indifference to the demands of common sense and of actuality, which rubs the stu- dent of human nature the wrong way, but rather the fact that the essen- tially ignorant person involved did not have the gumption to keep her mouth shut on her own ignorance. ‘Why is it so necessary for such peo- ple to display their lack of knowledge at every and any opportunity? Seemingly there is some sort of in- ner compulsion on them, which forces them to flaunt their ideas, or lack of ideas, in the public gaze. They go at the matter with the vim of crusaders, although mostly guised as banter. A great deal human ugliness of mind and masquerades as “high “fun,” esty. Often men say in & foking fashion what they would not dare to utter in any other form. and the victim is forced to put up with it. under pain of being said to be & “poor sport.” * X % % ‘The failure of the members of the human race to keep their precious mouths shut on matiers about which they really know nothing is due, in large part, to their innocent desire to thought wise. Now it is very well to be thought wise in matters about which one actually knows something. Wisdom there counts. But when the wisdom is of a spurious sort and especially when the other party honestly realizes that it is, he who poses simply falls in his attempt. He leaves a bad taste in the mental mouth of the other. His is a bluff which has not worked. The other is not taken in at all, although he may never say anything or reveal in so many words that he regards the statements made to him as so much guff. * K % % spirits” or Such futile conversation shows very well the real contempt which many human beings have for each other. ‘They will not even give another soul dis- | of | spirit | or “joking," or even simple hon- | \ it for being shrewd enough to see f;‘é they do not know anything when they do not! The desire to be regarded by others as all-wise is one of the basic reasons at the bottom of this strange malady (not that one does not know. let it be ! the young. the rich and the poor, men kept in mind. but that he will not keep ool mouth shut when he does not). hL!rhae pretension to universal wisdom is made by many men and women who ought to know better. If you ask them such a simple question as, “Is a spider i!n insect or an nnm;llsr:?'lbht_v "‘1}:&:; ely out Wi “insec ‘mdx:n:dim‘tmfha: they had never made ]-ny study of the matter and really had | not thought about it, but rather held the personal opinion that a spider must be |an insect, since it looked exactly like | one to the eye untutored in such Lmnfi | Nine out of 10 human beings can | caught easily on such trick questions, simply because they will refuse to ad- | mit to another that they are in doubt about anything. or that there is any branch of human knowledg® in which they are not well versed | It will be sald that few human beings | honestly think they are well versed in | all human knowledge. That is exactly the point! They know they are not, >ut they are perfectly willing that others | shall think they are, if by any bluff they can convey that impression. | " Our educational systems are at fault. They have added to the original con- ceit of man by attempting to give the student a smattering of all things. £0 | that his subsequent chattering is about all things. Because one has been exposed to a Jittle of everything does not mean that he knows anything at all about any- thing. Quite often, probably more cften than not. the average human being is woe- fully ignorant. So much of our “educa- tion” {3 memory work, and the memo- ries of human beings are so notoriously short that there is little wonder that most men and women 10 vears out of school could not pass a decent exami- nation to save their lives. The thing has been tried, with lucicrous effects. * % Another basic reason why people in- sist on talking about matters concern- ing which they know little, if anything, lies in the strange fear of humanity | to say “I do not know." Conversation calls upon them to say something, and, rather than sav noth- ing, or say “I do not know,” they say something foolisi. The fear of saying “I do not know" is as old as the human race. It is one of the reasons why the world is no further ahead than it is. If, since the | beginning of history, men had been honest enough to declare their ignor- ance openly, they might have made at- | tempts to learn more than they did, and out of this search might have come a better race. Might have, nobody knows. But because few human beings have had the courage to declare frankly, “I do not know,” the world still suffers the absurd spectacle of most human beings making tacit pretensions to all- knowledge. Any one can prove this to himself almost anywhere by asking almost any one some absurd question, such as “How many ‘t's' are there in the name of the great French poet Taubett?” There is no great French poet Tau- bett, of course, but 99 out of 100 people, not wishing to admit that they never heard of him, will reply that “they think it has one ‘t’ at the beginning and two at the end,” or some such foolishness. If one knows nothing about steam engineering, it is only common honesty to express no opinions about steam en- gineering problems. Yet how many steam engineers there are in the world, apparently! WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS With the Roosevelt supporters elated by their victory in the New Hampshire primary and the tide of battle at the moment running strongly in their di- rection, plans for a Jeflerson day Democratic rally in Washington on April 13, which will bring Gov. Roose- velt and ex-Gov. Smith to the same banquet board and to the same speak- ing platform for the first time in many moons, were announced here this week. If the event lives up to its advance no- tices it may eclipse in Democratic splendor the Jackson day affair here in January, when Messrs. Smith, Davis and Cox shared the spotlight, with Gov. Roosevelt conspicuously absent. The Jeflerson day dinner next month is for the announced purpose of honoring the memory of Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson, of “demonstrating the party’s unity of purpose and quality of leadership,” to survey the political situation, to report the progress of the fund-raising campaign with a goal of $1,500,000. Besides Roosevelt and Smith, the speakers will include Govs. Ritchie of Maryland, Byrd of Virginia, White of Ohio, Senators Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas, James Hamilton Lewis of Illinois and ex-Senator James A. Reed of Missourl, ex-Gov. James M. Cox of Ohio, Newton D. Baker and John W. Davi Previous engagements are sald to prevent the attendance of “Alfalfa Bill” Murray of Oklahoma and Melvin Traylor, the Chicago banker. | ‘This completes the roster of Democratic presidential aspirants, with the notable and possibly significant exception of Speaker of the House Garner, who is not down on the advance program. x Kk % K Gov. Case of Rhode Island has signed the enactment of his State Legislature decreeing, so far as it is within the State’s power to do so, that hereafter 3 per cent beer shall be legal beverage within the borders of our country's smallest State. In consequence, Rhode Island speakeasles no longer curtain their windows nor latch their doors. The foaming beer, the brass rail and the pail are now in full view. Business is brisk. Col. Amos W. Woodcock, Fed- eral director in chief of prohibition in ‘Washington, in dealing with the Rhode Island situation is proceeding upon the theory that discretion is the better part of valor. Pressed for a statement this week as to what the Federal Govern- ment was going to do about it, he con- tented himself with the observation that local enforcement was primarily a State problem, that Federal efforts were to be directed to suppression of large- scale commercial traffic rather than “petty violations” and that no special Federal activity in Rhode Island was contemplated. ko x Blue ribbon contributors on the (honor roll of the Republican National Comunittee, as revealed in the commit- tee's latest financial statement, cover- ing the months of January and Febru- ary, include; Andrew W. Mellon, Am- bassador to Great Britain, $5,000; John W. Garrett, Ambassador to Italy, $2.500; John N. Willys, Ambassador to Poland, $1,000; Walter E. Edge, to France, $1,000. Walter P. Chrysler the auto magnate and E. F. Hutton, the stock broker, both of New York, chipped in $5,000 apiece. Two interest- ing Californians on the list were C. C. 300, and H. Fleishacker delphia “I make it a rule to go home X . All 60-day period totaled a little above $50,000 and expenses amounted to about $35,000. * ox o % The anti-injunction bill, fathered by Norris in the Senate and by La Guardia in the House and backed by organized labor, passed the House Tuesday by roll-call vote of 363 to 13. The cor- poral's guard mustered against it in the House compares with five solitary votes recorded in the negative on the Senate roll call the previous week. The debate in the House produced the cx- traor le of the Hon. James M. Beck hia, most scholarly and polished orator and Republican, and known lawyer the Ambassador | ocrat, standing shoulder to shoulder in opposing the bill. Both men spoke at length, Beck in & searching legalistic analysis, Blanton in scoring the alleged cowardice of Congress. Their voices were the only ones raised against it. Both conceded the futility of their fight. As they viewed it, right and Jjustice was on their sice and all of the votes on the other side. Again was illustrated the adage that *“politics makes strange bedfeliqws.” * ok x % The last personal appearance in Washington of John Philip Sousa, the march king, who dled this week, was at | the thirty-second annual Carabao Wal- | low, on February 27. The Military Order of the Carabao derives its name from the principal beast of burden of the Philippines. The carabao supplanted the Army mule and proved indispensable 30 years ago in quelling the vaulting ambition of Aguinaldo and his guer- rillas. Several hundred of the Cara- baos, military and naval veterans of Philippine campaigns, assembled for the wallow and Lieut. Comdr. Sousa in per- son directed the Marine Corps Band in Pplaying one of his own stirring compo- sitions, “Hands Across the Sea,” in- |spired by the friendly attitude of the British toward Admiral Dewey in his hour of trial in Manila Bay. The din- ner program abounded with satiric travesties upon the adventures of the ‘,nnunwers in the past and gentle irony |8t the present, especially prohibition, :llxl;ie the probable absurdities of the fu- * ko % The Senate this week has taken things | easy in desultory debate on the Depart- ment of Agriculture appropriation bill. Interest has lagged, and the senatorial | orators have addressed rows of vacant chairs. It is the first pause in the rapid legisiative pace of the present sesslon. Possibly it coincides with a turn of the economic tide back toward normalcy. As one senatorial observer remarked: “The Senate has spent three days in talking about grasshoppers, and will now spend another three days talk- ing about the poor Indians, and then will pass the bill. It seems like old times again.” X o % % An Tnstitute of Far Eastern Affairs under the auspices of the American University will be held in Washington on March 21-22, with an evening meet- ing on the first day at the Brookings Institution, at which the guests of hon- or will be his excellency Mr. Katsuji Debuchi, the Ambassador of Japan, and Dr. Hawkling Yen, the charge d'affaires of China. Dr. Harold G. Moulton, president of the Brookings Institution, will give the stated address with the subject, “Economic Relations in the Pacific.” Mr. Chester D. Pugsley, who has established & number of institutes in the field of regional international affalrs, will preside. At a luncheon meeting of the institute Charles Steven- son Smith, chief of the Foreign Service of the Associated Press, will speak on “How America Gets its Chinese News' Ulric Bell, Washington correspondent of the Loulsville Courer-Journal and chairman of the Journalistic Award Committee of the National Press Club, will speak on the topic “Statesmanship in the Far East” and Rarry W. Pranz of the Forelgn Department of the Unit- ed Press in Wash| O (Copyright, 1932.) Snow Removal Law Question Is Raised ‘To the Editor of The Star: Is there a law regarding removal of snow from the sidewalks? If so, might it not be well to bring it to the attention of the public and even of the | police, even at this late day? MAUD G. SEWALL. r——— How About Mustaches? Prom the Miami Daily News. and internationally | to aus OPSTepETON Fom Blenton, Memas Dem- |$helr slesves, 1932, 'Bicentenninl Deserved Greater Celebration To the Editor of The Star: May I get something out of my sys- tem which has been accumulating since Washington's birthday? 1 was keenly disappointed that day to note & general failure of the people of the Capital to rise to the high occa- sion which presented itself. The day was filled with activities, it is trye, but what about the rank and file of citic zens? How many business places fafled to spend a few cents or a few dollars to display the colors or a picture of George Washington? How many homes conid have displayed at least a t flag which would have proclaimed, “1 realize the deep significance of this day and I am grateful to the man whose influence E ives ant ects me every my life”? A should have been bank sides with wreaths and ;I?m":'r‘x :)l:. {g{ day. Every men's and women's organi- zation in the city should have brought a tribute. The display was shamefully inadequate for a Bicentennial celebra- tion. By official count there were scarcely more than a fifth as many wreaths as were Teported. Why this general spathy at the heart of the Natlon where one would expect the exact opposite? Whatever its cause, it keeps people from thinking vitally ::‘?ut suckxx thingds. dl Will never forget y surprise and disappointment the first Fourth of July I ‘&;;u[ T thte c}zhy 1 expected a blaze of glory. I found general apathy and indifference—a flag g:re' and there—the dullest kind of y! This year people from all parts of the country will visit us. Shall we let them go away disappointed with our expression of patriotism? The psyche logical reaction to an unfulfilled expec- |tation is bad for the whole country. | People will go back home impregnated | with the deadly virus of disillusionment and do little or noihing in their own | communities to make the Nation-wide celebration a success. Our duty is to keep the National Capital suggestive on every hand of ‘The Father of His Country” and the high ideals for which he fought—at least, during the Bicentennial. There- fore, more flags and pictures of “Father ." ROSE ARNOLD POWELL. ——— Doubts Gangster Link In Lindbergh Kidnaping To the Editor of The Star: Recently you published an editorial about the Lindbergh case—"No Ransom Demanded.” Strange as it may appear to you, Mr. Lindbergh has many bitter enemies— Jealousy is the main reason for these enemies. His success and public ap- plaud have excited the enmity of many who have followed nis line of work. I should say, based on many years' experience, that the baby was kidnaped by some person not known as an under- world character. It is my firm belief that when the baby is located it wili be shown that “gangland” had nothing to do with the affair, As the years have rolled by we have handled many men who served in the World War and I have had a chance to know something about the jealousy existing, and if I was going to try to {locate the child I would look in a new fleld other than the one suspected. I further think its a great mistake to enlist the assistance of the men known as members of the underworld gang. It’s a dangerous example and will lead to—no one can tell where. I would give my right arm if T could give a lead that would find the child. It is extremely sorrowful E. E. DUDDING. Married Teachers Deprive Graduates of Positions To the Editor of The Star: It is regretted that the attention of the Committee on Unemployment has not been called to the conditions in the ruhllc schools of the District of Co- lumbia. There are instances where a husband and wife, each making a living wage, will be teaching in the schools in teach in the night school or during the Summer session. There are instances where teachers are married to professional men and need their own salaries only for luxu- ries. It may be true that the living conditions in this city require more money to allow the young couples to get a “start,” but there seems to be no de- sire to relinquish after five or more years, and although experience is gained during that time it will be plainly seen that the graduate must suffer. The parents struggle to educate their children, pay a willing tax for the teacher’s salary, and when the child has reached the point to become a worthy doing the work for which he has been trained because there are no vacancies, due largely to the aforesaid. The night schools require teachers with experi- ence, and although the school system maintains schools for the training of teachers, persons who have been out of the system for 20 or more years are given preference over the more modern methods, and the discouraged graduate goes on and on. ANNE McDOWELL. ey All America Prays for the Rescue of the Stolen Child To the Editor of The Star: Every available method, every plan or device which has been tried, has failed to bring back to the fond parents, Col. and Mrs. Charles Lindbergh: America, and the world its fondest treasure, the baby. Seers, soothsayers, spiritualists, gang- sters, racketeers, friends, officers and relatives all have failed to solve his mysterious disappearance. What shall we do? Some one has sald, “Before communicating with man, commune with Christ.” Tet every heart be lifted heavenward in prayer to God that the demon in those individuals who have perpetrated this most hideous crime may cry out, “Torment me not,” and bring back the child. ‘The world is aghast and horrified at this nightmare of waiting. America weeps. Her walls are heartrending; mothers are mourning for the lost bab; fathers pace speechlessly and restlessl; with pricked ears and tepse nerves, waiting for the day when thig diabolical practice of kidnaping will 0 “There is a power that can change the hearts of men. May we in this and all instances seek that power.” “There is & spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them under- standing.” C. B. CONNELLY. Negroes Loyal Servants For Over Three Centuries To the Editor of The Star: In these days during which kidnap- ing has become & more frequent and larger crime every family should look well into the loyalty of the servants they employ. Ever since 1619 Negroes have served and nursed the children of this Nation, and I do not know of a single case of kidn_:_gmg to be charged up against them. s may not be en- tirely true, but certainly there are no uumndhu incidents. o present period has been hard upon the Negro worker. Household jobs have been takem by others, many of whom are not Ameri- can cm:mlt k. Servim. in hotels and ent houses passed from them and it becomes difficult to meas- ure the sufferings of the least com- plaining and most loyal American citi- ze No one is accused. No one i at- tacked. In this present eco-wmie strug gle the survival of the favored, yet not always the fittest, is playing a great part, but we are impressed with the iden that it is more human, more Am- erican to make as many of our eitizens able to survive as possible. My faith in America and American people s su- preme and I believe when they stop to think over the matter they will want servants whose loyalty been tested i It seems to me that the Monument A the day, while one or the other will | citizen he is denled the privilege of | This is & special department devoted solely to the nandling of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the serv- ices of an extensive organization in Washington to serve you in any ca- pacity that relates to information This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obliga- tion is only 2 cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star In- fomation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Q. What was the length of Man o' War's stride when he was racing?— . R. A. A. It was 27 to 28 feet, according to Q. How long is & letter held in an ef- fort to deliver it before it is returned to the sender?—F. C. G. A. The Post Office Department says that it is required to hold a letter 30 days that does not have a specified time stated in which the letter is to be returned. Q. What instrument does Ben Bernie play?’—W. B. A. He plays the violin. Q. When is Admiral Byrd planning to go back to the South Pole’>—H. S. A. He plans to start on his second trip to Little America about Septem- ber, 1932, | Q. What amounts have the leading countries invested in China at pres- ent?—0. R. C. | A. Exact figures about the amount of foreign investments in China are not available. Great Britaln, however, | bas investments of about $1.250,000,000, | Japan of about $1,150,000,000. Invest- | ments by citizens of the United States amount to about $200,000,000. Russia is the only other country having con- siderably larger investments than the United States. Prench investments are | considerably less than the United | States’. The total foreign investments gaochinl are estimated at $3,500,000,- Q. Is the small black circle on the | forehead of Mahatma Gandhi's wife a mole or is it a caste mark?—H. G. A. The high-caste Hindu woman carries a caste mark on her forehead. Q. In what circumstances was the %oelg ‘edl&hty Lak’ a Rose” written?. A. It was written by Frank Stanton, ST, at a time when his infant son was very ill. He is quoted as telling of it as follows: “One night when I came | home from the office I stole upstairs to his crib and looked down into his feverish little face, and I tell you my heart nearly broke, for fear he was go- ing to die. His mother and grand- mother were standing by me, and he was asleep. ‘Isn't he the sweetest lit- tle fellow? He’s just like a rose,' said hiskm;ndmutheir_ I went to my room, picked up a plece of copy paper an the poem wrote itselt” *> PP d Q. In Greek mythology what were the n;:mes of the east and west winds? A The east wind was known as Eurus and the west wind as Zephyrus. Q. What countries and le are subjects of the Pope of Romege-gg. A. L. A. In a spiritual sense the Pope has Jurisdiction “over 350,000,000 of the world population. Temporal sovereignty is held by the Pope over the Vatican City, which is the sovereign state, with arllfiltie over 10 acres and a population of Q. Is it true that Martha Wash- ington could not write?—J. L. K. A. As exquisite a note as one will ever have opportunity to read was writ- ten by Martha Washington shortly after the death of her daughter as a message of welcome to the young wom- = ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. son. It is a fact that Martha Wash- ington was not an_ excellent speller. Neither was her husband. Q. Why does milk boil quicker than water?—B. F. C A. Because of a @ifference In specific gravity. Q. Can an American soldier—en- listed or drafted—be compelled to leave his own country and be made to go into another to fight in the event that that United States declared war on that country?—W., R. A. In the event of war men can be drafted into the Army and sent to & foreign country, as in the case of the World War, when the American Ex- peditionary Forces were sent to France. _? lp?o children ever die of rickets? A. The Public Health Service says that they rarely do, but this disease seems to render children more suscep- tible to infectious diseases. The lack of lime and phospho: causes rickets. While a proper amount of these ele- ments may be present in the diet, it Is apparently vitamin D that is the factor which makes them assimilable. | = Q. When did the question of political patronage as a means of wielding party power become an issue?—H. L. D. A. In 1820 Congress provided a four- year tenure of office for many posi- tions. In 1832 Senator Marcy of New York coined the phrase “To the victors belong the spoils.” Believing that such a policy weakened the efficiency of Gov- ernment service, the National Repub- licans, in their 1832 convention, adopted a platform plank deciaring that tae Marcy doctrine was “cOrTupt- ing to the morals and dangerous to the liberties of this country.” Q. When did tissue paper come into use?—W. C. A. No exact date is apparently as- signed to the invention of tissue paper. In 1860 an enormous sheet of tissue was exhibited in England. This sheet measured 21,000 feet in length and 6 feet 3 inches in breadth. Its weight was 196 pounds. By 1865 three mills in Ballston, N. Y, were manufacturing tissue paper. Q. How long is the St. Clair River? —K. M. A St. Clair River, connecting Lakes Michigan and Huron with 8t. Clair, is 42 miles long. Q. Was the late Senator Henry Cabot Lodge a lawyer?—T. W. K. A. He was graduated from the Har- vard Law School in 1874. He did not engage in active practice of law, but early entered public life, devoting him- self to literature when not holding office. He was editor of many periodi- cals and a Harvard lecturer. member of the Massachusetts Legislature, of the United States House of Represente atives, and United States Senator. Q. Should lentils be soaked before cookifig?—M. T. A. They should be washed and soaked overnight, then parboiled in boiling water containing one-fourth feaspoon- ful of soda and one teaspoonful of salt to the quart of water. Drain and pro- ceed to cook according to any recipe preferred. Q. What is the origin of the word trade?—S. T. F. A. It springs from medieval English and originally meant a path or road and is connected with the word tread, meaning walk or proceed. Beginning with the Hanseatic League, it took on a special reference to the path of ships. A 5hlgmzo1ng to China was bound on the China trade or path to China. As barter was alwoys associated with such voyages, the word trade ually be- gu to take on more si icance in re- ation to the business of the voyage than to the voyage itself. Hence, for- eign trade and comestic trade became an who was to become the wife of her standard terms in the languege. sions of sympathy with the parents of the 20-month-old Lindbergh baby, kid- i1 naped from his erib, and of outrage at | the crime, is a general and bitter de- nunciation of criminal conditions which made it possible and a universal de- mand for swifter and surer justice in dealing with rackets and racketeering, hoodlumism, etc., in all its forms. It is felt that this particular crime is one against the entire Nation, since the baby was looked upon as the child of the people, and the abduction, involving so prominent a family, is viewed as & flagrant defiance of society and an indi- cation of the size to which the spirit of lawlessness has grown. ‘That all have been moved by the kid- naping is attested by the Boston Tran- script, “not just because he is the Lind- berghs' baby, but because he is every- body’s baby. The universality of this sentiment,” continues the Tri “lies at the bottom of the deep shudder of resentment that has passed over the country. Who can blame, who shall even appraise, the general desire that the outrage, as an outrage against humanity, shall ultimately be atoned for?” The Boise (Idaho) States- man declares: “Practically every man, woman and child in America felt tlnt‘ the child belonged partly to each of them. In all history few bables have possessed the well wishes of as many individuals in all walks of life, ‘The San Antonio Express similarly | sees this crime as due to “the break- down of the law,” while the Rochester Times - Union offers the comment: “Qur tangle of conflicting jurisdictions, our sometimes comic sheriffs repre- senting the law in the thousands of separate counties, the dominance of partisan politics in ulectmg prosecu- tors and even judges—all these make 8 sort of jungle in which criminals can hide and effective law enforcement is hampered at every turn. If anything can stir us to clear away this tangle, | this case should.” The Buffalo Eve-| ning News declares: “The medieval idea,of protecting the citizen from the injustices of authority has become con- siderably less important to modern | Americans than the protection of citi- zens from the atrocities of criminals who defy authority.” * x kX But others see not the law enforce- ment agencies but the people themselves as responsible for the crime. “But why should America be stunned?” asks the Minneapolis Journal. “Is not the kid- naping of the Lindbergh baby or some | other baby equally well known the log- ical, almost predictable, result of the country’s tolerance of white-collared hoodlumism in the last half-dozen years? * * * So long as a large seg- ment of soclety makes notables, if not outright herces, of racketeers so long will there be danger for babies.” The Miami Daily News voices the query. “Will we be frank enough to admit that we, as citizens, are to blame for the condition? The power of government, of organized society, is placed in our hands, and if we allow it to be usurped by unscrupulous, greedy politicians, we have placed the weapon in the hands of the c ‘who now defies us.” “Plotting and execution of the crime was the most daring stroke of recent criminology, and it may well prove to be the most costly to those who live by crime,” declares the Omaha World- Herald, stating as to kidnaping: “If man is capable of & more contemptible act, it has not yet been revealed.” The Chicago Daily News asserts: “The en- tire Nation must declare war on the kidnapers and fight this war to a finish. The challenge of the terrorists in the Lindbergh case is a grave warning, and summons to determined action.” The Roancke Times exclaims: “Kidnaping must stop. On that the American peo- ple are agreed.” “After the initial bergh EE Intermixed with the Nation's expres- jof the law.” Swift and Drastic Justice Demanded for All Kidnapers | returned in safety to its agonized par- ents. The next is that the States and the Nation will rise up and smite the | kidnaping racket to the dust, evem if every person who attempts this vile business is to be forever removed from | human society.” As to the result of the crime, the Charlotte Observer asserts: “It serves to | impress upon the courts of the land the necessity for taking off the gloves and handling crimes of all kinds. not as sob sisters would have it, but in the light The Birmingham Age- Herald suggests that there will be & “‘girding of loins in every quarter,” while the Salt Lake Deseret News is convinc- ed that the powerful elements in the country will make “far more earnest ef- forts than ever before” to meet the sit- uation. The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot gredicn:h "th?l tx;:os!, serious effort to reak through the protective programs of all kidnapers that the country has known in years.” R The Providence Journal believes that “drastic action of some sort may rea- sonably be expected as one result of the Lindbergh case,” while the Rock Island Argus holds that “the lawmakers of the United States should be framing legis~ lation which will adequately express public sentiment.” The Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator expresses the thought that “before police and legis- lators are through with this case kid- naping will have lost a lot of its at- tractiveness.” In the discussions of the direction in Wwhich such remedial steps should be taken and what definite action will re- sult in a curbing of crime there are many suggestions, with a divergence of opinion 8s to where the cause and cure lies. “The crime cannot be punished too severely,” is the judgment of the New Castle (Pa.) News, and the Sche- nectady Gazette declares: “We feel more and more strongly the necessity for making punishment for this crime 50 swift and severe that few will run the risk.” “It would seem that the machinery for catching the kidnaper should be made to operate quickly over a wide area instead of a local one,” advises the Columbus Oblo State Journal, but the Baltim enmg Sun wamdthnt hl can do no good and might do harm.” The Lynchburg News ‘u~ serts: “There should be a Federal law to cover cases where State lines gre crossed, and in both States and red- eral laws death should be the penalty.” The Asbury Park Press is among the other papers demanding the death pen- alty, but the suggestion that it may | prove dangerous to the kidnaped chil- | dren to make the penalty too severe is | advanced by a number of dailies, among | them the Youngstown Vindicator and | the Toronto (Ontario) Star. The T ledo Blade declares “We need not more laws but faster and more thor- oughgoing law énforcement. How many of the 2,500 abductions in the United States in the last two years would have been planned and executed if the plot= ters could have been convinced in ade vance that each and every one of them, or most of them, would serve even 10 years in prison?” While the New Orleans Times-Plca- yune feels that “any measure strength- ening local, State and national protec- tion may deserve enactment and test,” the Ann Arbor Daily News concludes: “The law was mu-h too active in the Lindbergh case. Its far-flung was a liability instead of an asset. It | was powerless to do anything but | . Viewing the Lindbergh kidnaping in its relation to crime as a whole, the Akron Beacon-Journal comments: “By repealing the laws which protect these | crooks and licensing the beverage traffic the Government would destroy the out- law gangs overnight. * * * Until this is done ‘putting the teeth into laws' gainst kidnaping and related