Evening Star Newspaper, June 23, 1932, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY June 23, 1932 ;HEODORE ‘W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company ‘Business Office: 11ty St. and Pennsylvania Ave £irovean Ofici .. London, ice: 14 Regent ropean o efe Rate by Carrier Within the City. ar L d Sunday St lays) : 45c per menth ..60c per month ar 65¢ per month The Sunday Star [0 Be gper copy Collection made at the end of each month. rders may be sent in by mail or telephone Ational 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 3 flv and Sunday.....1yr.$10.00 1 mo. Ballr sa, oun 135 5600 1 mo. Binday only 13r. $4.00; 1 mo., 40 e Everma Bt an All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sundas...1yr.s1200:1 m ily only $8.00: 1 m¢ Bindas oniy 11T 48,00 1 m The Associated Press © sclusivel to the use for republi. on of all atches credited (o it or 1ot otherws ted in this paper and also the local news rublished herein Al richts of publication of special dispatches herein are aiso reserved. . Expediency—Not Compromise. ‘While tie $7,775,000 agreed upon by the conferees on the District appropria- tion bill suggests compromise of a sort between the original $6,500,000 proposed by the House and the $8550,000 pro- posed by the Senate, it is in no sense & compromise on the actual figure that represents the Federal contribution to the Capital The six and & half million proposed by the House constituted part of a program that the Senate, for lack of time and because the investigation of the tax bills by the Bureau of Efficiency had not been completed, has been unable to take up. It was obviously unfair to treat the sum as the Federal contribu- tion when there had been no agree- ment between House and Senate as to the foundation on which it was based. ‘The $8.550,000 proposed by the Sen- ate was reached by the application of a ten per cent reduction to the Federal Jump sum of $9.500.000, and the Senate committee reported that it did not rep- resent an equitable or permanent solu- tion of the fiscal relations controversy. | Indeed the Senate subcommittee on the District appropriation bill had this year formally approved $10,183.391 as th equitable national contribution. So, the seeming compromise between ; these two amounts represents nothing | but a temporary settlement dictated by expediency, the press of other business at the end of a feverish session, the call of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the harsh requirements of national economy. As usual the unrepresented and dependent District is the victim of such expediency. The effect of the lump-sum reducticn on the District will be strikingly illus- trated within the course of a year or so. In order to make cuts in a measure that represented only essentials, even before 1t reached Congress, the House and Sen- ate Committees have been forced to hack with relestless disregard into the items for permanent improvement. The District's program of improvement has been set back and the accumulated needs thereby represented must be made up within the next few vears by larger appropriations. Unless there is wise and definite settlement of the fiscal relations program in the meantime, the develop- ment of the Capital City will be ham- strung and the local taxpayer weighed down under a burden of exorbitant tax- ation. By reducing the lump sum this year the Federal Government will be able to put nearly two million dollars on the right side of the Federal ledger in its budget-balancing attempt. But| whether this money represents any | savings to anybody remains to be seen. | ‘The items stricken from the District | bill meant employment; they meant| the purchase of materials—in general, they stood for the sort of work-cre ing measures that the Senate is now proposing to carry forward in the ‘Wagner bill by lending to the States | and the cities of the country more than a billion dollars. With work- creating measures stricken from the local appropriation bill unemployment | will be increased. There will be more | men on the street next year looking for work and for food. And because there will be more men | on the street looking for work and for food, it is difficult to find justificaticn for the reduction by the House and Benate conferees of the $600,000 for local unemployment relief. The only Jjustification, of course, was that every- thing had to be cut and the $600,000 item had been made conspicuous by controversy. The $250,000 taken from this item enabled the Federal Govern- ment to reduce its contribution by that amount. What remains will probably be enough to meet emergencies until the convening of the short session in December, when the District may again be forced to ask its legislators for per- mission to spend its own money in tak- ing care of suffering and distress among the members of this community. ———— Chicago admits financial problems even great enough to deserve the wis- dom and experience of Charles Gates Dawes, locally applied. s i 1 1 | The Happy Warrior Arrives. In these days when candidates for public office are solemnly awaiting the call of the “pee-pul” and are prepared, at great personal sacrifice, to answer the demands of their friends that they sacrifice themselves on the altar of public service, there is something no- tably refreshing in the frankness of former Gov. Alfred E. Smith upon his arrival jn Chicago. “I'm combating a ‘stop Smith’ movement that began a year and a half ago.” he said. “I am for myself alone.” Al Smith will not be caught saying that the insistent appeal of loyal Iriends has made him decide, after pon- darous and momentous mental processes, that patriotism leaves him no other course than to accept the burden of high office. Al Smith wants to be nominated. He has gone to Chicago »to fight for the nomination, and the more people who understand that he wants to be nominated the better it will please Al Smith. He took with him to Chicago, by the way, the suggestion for a new prehibition plank that will, of course, be reviewed by the Resolutions Com- mittee with all due care. Gov. Smith want@repesl and not modificfion by < | Ufication™ substitute. With others, he has changed over from his previous proposal for a new amendment modifying the eight- eenth. But there is even more signifi- cance in the repetition of his former proposal that, pepding decision con- cerning the amendment’s repeal or modification, the Volstead act be amended “immediately” by a scien- tifically correct definition of “intoxi- cating” that will permit the sale of beverages of “reasonable alcoholic con- tent.” Are the Democrats going to include such a plan in their platferm plank? If they do, will it be construed as the “nullification” against which the Republicans took such a fism stand in thelr platform? Whether it is nullification, of course, depends upon personal opinion, no mat- ter how many gelentifically correet definitions of intoxicating beverages are produced. But would the Demo- crats be willing to risk going into battle with “Nullification” written on their banners? They might not write “Nul- on their banners. But others would—and before the ink that wrote the platform was dry. B m A Demand for Disarmament. Just as the Geneva Conference was about to wind up in a blaze of futility, President Hoover has come forward with a sweeping proposal to reduce land, sea and air armaments by a hori- zontal cut of one-third of all existing establishments. Twenty-six powers at Geneva up to last night had assured Ambassador Gibson that the President’s plan meets with their approval. Most of these nations do not count for much in the naval and military realm. The success or failure of the Hoover program depends on the atti- tudes of Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan. ‘The reception it encounters in those Tespective quarters is a mixed onme. Only Italy goes along wholeheartedly with the American scheme. France and Japan are openly hostile. Great Britain is cool toward it. ‘Whether the President’s proposals are eventually carried into effect or are doomed to remain a grand but futile gesture, the motives which inspire them reflect not only his own ardent desire to promote world economic recovery through disarmament, but the senti- ment of the American people. While it favors reduction of arma- ments, this country in its overwhelming majority is invincibly committed to the octrine that national defense must be maintained at all costs. Whatever the necessities for retrenchment in Government expenditure, the United States cannot afford to cheesepare on its Army, Navy and air force to a point ‘where the Nation's security would be imperiled. President Hoover happily does not suggest that the United States should slash its defensive establishment in any manner that would endanger our funda- mental requirements. The one-third re- duction in which he asks all power: to join would be “relative and mutual. ‘We would reduce in all categories of arms only proportionately with other countries. The President would abolish all tanks, chemical warfare and large mobile guns. He would reduce by one- third all land armies over and above the strength needed to maintain in- ternal order. Obviously this would not apply to the United States Army, which is already down to the bone. Mr. Hoover would wipe out all bombing planes and illegalize bombard- ment from the air, He would revise ex- isting naval treaties so that each power would have a third fewer battleships than now. This would cut British and American battleships from fifteen to ten each and leave Japan six or seven. Treaty tonnage in aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers would be re- duced by ohe-fourth and submarines by one-third, with no power having morz than 35,000 tons of undersea craft. ‘The average citizen will be less inter- ested in these various technical pro- posals than in President Hoover's under- lying purpose in submitting them. “The time has come,” he says, “when we should cut through the brush and adopt | some broad and definite method of re- ducing the overwhelming burden of armament waich now lies upon the toil- ers of the world. This would be the | most important world step that could be taken to expedite economic recovery.” The President declares that his proj- ect would “save the people of the world | from ten to fifteen billion dollars during the next ten years.” The United States’ share of thiz vast sum would be two billion dollars. Those are figures which talk and which Americans can under- stand. They will not fail to impress the country with the value of the Pres- | ident's propoeals wholly apart from their meritorioys humanitarian char- acter. The United States, those international conuroversies which incessantly beset the rest of the world, can afford to contemplate disarmament in a spirit of detachment to which less fortunate countries cannot bring them- selves. ———— There may be a slight advantage in Al Smith's assertion of himself as a man who knows exactly what he wants and whom he prefers. R — The Two-Thirds Rule. ‘When the Democratic party held its first convention, at Baltimore, May 21, 1832, a certain political exigency relat- ing to the vice presidential nomination led to the adoption of a rule of pro- cedure that has continued unbroken ever since and has repeatedly given rise to factional disputation and has caused dangerous stresses within the party. This rule, after providing that each State should be entitled, in the nominations to be made for the can- didate for the vice presidency. to a number of votes equal to the number to which it was entitled in the elec- toral college, required that “two-thirds of the whole number of the votes in the convention shall be necessary to ecsstitute a choice.” Thus was the “two-thirds rule” established. Although it was designed for a particular situa. tion, it has remained a fundamental principle of the Democratic partys nominating procedure. Prom time to time since then candi- dates for the nomination, assured of or promised a majority of delegates in the convention but lacking the neces- sary two-thirds, have sought to change the rule to permit nomination by a majority. ‘These éfforts have never succeeded and there is no prospect of an eventual success, whatever the emergency. as long as the Democratic party is composed as it has bcen up- ward of seventy years of & large repre- immune from | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, JUNE 23. 1932. sentation of States that wield chiefly a | veto power in the proceedings of the party in convention. Gov. Franklin Roosevelt’s position at Chicago is such as to revive strongly the disposition or desire to change the two-thirds rule, which means to abolish it for good and all. For if the rule is once set aside and replaced by the majority rule it would probably never be revived. Gov. Roosevelt is acknowl- edged by his opponents for the nomina. tion to have the support of a majority of the delegates, but at the most liberal reckoning he is something like eighty votes shor of the necessary two-thirds, unless Leader John F. Curry turns Tammany's fifty-odd votes over to him. Reports come from Chicago on this subject in varying terms. One is to the effect that the Roosevelt campaign managers in conference have decided to strike out for the abrogation of the two- thirds rule if this should prove neces- sary to nominate him on an early ballot. Another is that an effort will be made by the Roosevelt management to secure a recommendation from the Rules Committee that the rule be modified to provide that after five ballots are taken without a choice nomination may be made by a simple majority. As s mathematical proposition it would seem well assured that the can- didate who has more than a majority of delegates pledged to him for nomina- tion could dictate the adoption of a rule permitting nomination by a ma- jority. But the fundamental strength of the rule as it stands lies in the fact that it gives a negatively determinative power to States that cannot always exercise an afirmative influence in making nominations. Delegates who are pledged or instructed to vote for a certain candidate for nomination are not so pledged or instructed to vote for a change of rule and cannot be held to such a course for the sake of the nomination of their candidate in emergency, & change which their party in their States would probably have cause deeply to regret in later cam- palgns. Hence it is that talk of chang- ing the two-thirds rule at Chicago in order to permit the nomination of the present leading candidate for the party's selection is to be regarded as idle vaunting. if it does not in fact betray anxiety lest two-thirds cannot be secured in his support. Few speeches are looked for from President Hoover during the campaign. It would be scarcelv fair to expect a man closely occupied with exigent offi- cial duty to be his own radio an- nouncer. e There are still German sympathizers | in the U. 8. A., though few go any fur- | ther than to make a sportsmanlike as- sertion that they still think Max is the better man in the prize ring. SESE e o A vice presidency is important as an inspiration of eloquence, even though it may subsequently be prominent chiefly as & matter of social significance. oo ‘There is an abundance of mud on the Anacostia flats. The bonus camp- ers are to be commended for a prom- ise not to thrown any of it. — cate— ‘Threat of salary reduction seemed ill timed when statesmen were expected to run Congress and two conventions in the same Summer. —_— “Lo,” the Indian, does not hesitate to assert himself in the highest circles of statesmanship. The Tammany braves will be heard from next. ———— Chicago speakeasies are inclined to complain because delegates logically op- posed to prohibition are naturally on their best behavior. ——e——s. China is sending out appeais to other nations, most of whom have urgent ap- peals of local origin to consider. ————————— ~SK00’I'ING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Straightforwardness—The Mystery. My Uncle Jim, he always tried To hold a steady course. ‘The methods he has not applied Ot trickery or force. He said, “What is to be, must come, In Earth's eternal plan And no one tries, unless he's dumb, To cheat his fellow man.” Where things turn out in just the way My Uncle Jim foretold, “Jim is a wizard,” some will say, “Mysterious and bold.” When cunning schemers disagree | And cause conditions grim, | The simple wisdom seems to be | With folks like Uncle Jim. | Faverite Sens. “There is always a great sentiment for a favorite son.” ! “Yes,” answered Benator Sorghum, | “but with all this agitation for economy i going on, he mustn't be suspected of being one of the Prodigal variety.” Jud Tunkins says givin’ a man less pay an’ more loafin’ time is goin’ to puzzle old Satan hisself to find more mischief for idle hands. Spreading Too Thin. In breadth of mind much T see. And yet I fear that I shall prove a dunce It I too cleverly aspire to be An influence upon two sides at once. Cherry-Oh! “What is your favorite song?” “‘Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries,’"” answered Miss Cayenne. “You like cherries?” “Yes. And I prefer a bow: of them | to a single specimen in a comparatively small glass surrounded by indiscrimi- nate fluids.” “In order to be happy ourselves, sald Ft Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “it | is needful to seek to avert unhappiness in those who surround us.” Professional Preoccupations. My doctor has me guessing hard. My lawyer leaves me in & fix. I must bemoan a fate ill-starred. ‘They’ve both gone in for politics! merit do “Dis here defiation,” said Uncle Eben, [* “is liable to reduce de price of votes down here at Criss Cross Corners f'um $2 down to $1.98. ———ee— Upside Down. From the Omaha Evening World-Herald, Those who were wont to talk about the “submerged tenth” d_begin re- vising their estimates THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. John Burroughs onee sald that the ‘weeds must love man, they follow him 0 germunuy and try so hard to live in his inclosures, called gardens. lean lovingly through fences, attempting to get as close to his house as possible; often they are found grow- ing at the very doorstep, despite the vigilance of the householder. If one discovers a great burdock frowln( near the front steps he should et it alone. Viewed properly, a burdock is » handsome ‘gl:ntv fully as good as & canna in matter of leaf. Greenery, after all, is the true beauty of plants. The longer one gardens the surer he is of this and the less re- lance he tends to put on flowers. A single asparagus plant in the front lawn might pointed out as some- thing beautiful by most visitors until they learned that it is not a new and rare thing brought from Kores. Once they understand it is nothl but an ‘asparagus most of them turn away in mild garden horror. Such a tricky gardener to pose bur- dock and asparagus as cultivated 1 plants! Yet if & satisfying green is one of the finest assets of any growing thing, even surpassing the colors of flowers in some ways, the weeds must be given a front place in the long lists of_plants. 'hat is the garden coreopsis but a weed? Lacking its yellow flowers, or with smaller ones, It would not even be re- garded as a beautiful weed, as many of the real weeds are; it would be worth little space in our yards. As it s, the coreopsis is a straggly. loose-growing plant, easily knccked down by pets, and almost ruined by heavy rains. permitting this cultivated weed to usurp much space in his garden. Many of the plants growing outside the fence, trying thelr best to push through it, climbing up on the top rail, are quite as geod, with the exception of flowers, or rather the lack thereof. If they could hold opinions, and had the ability to express them, no doudt that they would say mankind has gone | slightly off the trail in its preference for flowering plants, rather than just plants. Flowers, the weed might say. are ali right, but should not be permitted to set the entire pace for growing things. Color in flowers, our talkative weed would assert, is scarce the entire justi- fication for growing a thing in culti- vated gardens. Plants are grown nowadays for flow- ers, for orpamentation and for some- thing to eat. In past centuries they were grown largely for medicine, too. Herbs of all sorts’ were placed in the “Kitchen garden.” The “simples” of grandmother's day were from plants which manv garden- ers today would class as weeds, seen growing by themselves along a road, where many of them have escaped. There are three possible objectives in modern gardening—gardening for | color. or for color and green, or for green. The mean, undoubtedly, will be gar- dening for color and green. This is the happy objective aimed st by most amateurs. They want a garden filled with flowers and good foliage. Some even go to the extent of planting according to various sys- | tems. so that some flowers are in bloom { at all times of the vear, beginning with March and running through November. This is strictly orthodox gardening. according to the best plans and plant- ings. No one who loves gardens can {have the slightest quarrel with it. at once so universal and so desirable a custom is it. failing in one or more efforts to grow certain plants properly. such as roses, | say, become disappointed in thefr gar- dens ‘There are hundreds of these unhappy workers, who insist on putting garden- ing on a competitive basis. as if beat- ing some other human being were the Excerpts From nocently enough on its own part, poor creature, joyed a grand role in all the arts and rites of sorcery and superstitions. It has ever been an in- dispensable ingredient in love philtres and other condiments of the magician, and no witchery or incantation has ever been able, very successfully, to get along without its toads. Through this animal is as a matter of fact one of the least prepossessing and most repel- lant found on the earth, its very pre- a charm and popularity which can only be accounted for in the natural depra ing of human impuise. dowed with esthetic factors, you may be sure that it would have been pre- ferred to this batrachian. For our part, however, if we find it impossible to inveigle the affections of a young lady without recourse to med- ications associated to a greater or less extent with extracts and essences of toads, frogs and other uncouth, how- ever interesting, saurians wé will cheer- fully surrender all hope of winning the | girl of our dreams. We would not care | to accept, upon such terms, even Cleopatra, or Helen of Troy! * ok ok % Collection of Food Suggested in Schools. Cape Times, Cape Town.—To the Editor: May I suggest a means of ob~ | & little organization the scheme would work well, as it does elsewhere, and en- able every one to do something toward feeding the hungry. Let all school children take once a week & potato, an onion, two tabl spoonfuls of rice or barley, etc. as asked for, the commodity to be indi- cated to the children by the achool principal each week. each school and in this way vast antities of foodstuffs would be avail- | able for distgibution. A similar col- lection could or storekeeper weeklyy when say 1 pound of potatoes woula be supplied by each one, or the value thereof, and 1 {be to swell the supply of foodstuffs. ‘The amount given by each store would be, to swell the supply of foodstuffs. would be big. J. B. EEE British Tariffs ‘Watched in Argentina. La Nacion, Buneos Aires—Great Britain has lately changed her historic policy of free trade for one of protec- tion. Heavy duties are charged upon many articles and products formerly dmitted without customs ‘Thi tion has long been urged in political circles, but it was not until the persistence of the United States in these doctrines began to show such| beneficent results for that country, a decade or 50 ago, that the British Empire decided to the same book and assess foreign importations as drastically as their own manufactures and produce were as- sessed by foreign tariffs. In one sense the decision of the Brit- ish government is justified. In another, it is not. For, considering one phase of the ish crowded population, and higher duties on necessary imports mean heavier | burdens upon the resources of the com- mon people, already suffering from a Jong session of unemployment. Yet, and notwithstanding, considering other phase, British industry, both the Isles and in the Empire, is freed an- in The gardener will think twice before | ‘The trouble is that many amateurs, i has always en- | eminence in grotesqueness has given it ' If there were | any beast, bird, fish or reptile less en-| taining food for those in want? With L is | British | take a leaf out of | uestion, the small area of the Brit- | les is incapable of supporting its| real reason for growing beautiful flow- ers and succulent vegetables. We are convinced that much more harm has been done by shows and exhibitions than good has ever been brought to gardening by such displays, in which the competitive spirit of man- kind has been worked to a frazzle. Competition may be the soul of trade, and it may be an essential ingredient of the hundred-yard dash, and the like, but to some of us it seems to have little place in garden work. Once let & man or woman get tnd competitive idea into his head. in re- gard to flowers, and thereafter his garden must produce “bigger and bet- ter” bl;:omc to keep him from groaning in spirit. wardly do garden “show” enthusiast may attempt to say that it does not exist at all; but it does exist, and any one who has known many home gardeners knows perfectly well the fretful gardener who is eternally comparing his plants with those of his neighbors, and bemoaning the fact that his may not be so large or so well favored, totally forgetting facts and factors which account for the difference. | It all such persons would change, to | & slight extent, their attitude, they | would discover ‘that the real joy in flnknl comes from greenery, in the | last analysis, rather t| from any combination whatsoever of the colors of the spectrum. If one cannot get happiness from gardening according to the mean—that | 18, for color and green—he has no chance at all in gardening simply for | flowers. | "His Teal happiness therefore, Jie in the simple determination garden for green. Lest he think for an instant that this is & sort of fleeing, or escaping. let him rest assured that the best gardens are embodiments of some such philpso- | phy, although their gardeners may have arrived at thase tenents without actual- ly intending them. If one will Jook well at any good | garden which has been in the making | for several years he will be struck -at | once by two things: The beauty of the lawn. 2. The luxuriance of the shrubbery. In the latter may be included ever- greens of all sorts, especially as incor- porated in foundation plantings. Also trees. With these major greenerics there will be those of the flowering plants Even at the times of blooming of the | most outstanding perennials, the chief thing to appeal to the eve, although not in gaudy show. will be the large amount of green which softens the bright colors of flowers. and which forms the perfect background for them. oaning in spirit is not out- e, of course, that is why the may to The interesting point it that there| is never any real disappointment in such a garden. If one type of flower falls to do well. the overwhelming greenery detracts the mind of the ob- server. and makes him see things in their true relations to each other. These roses have the black spot? Dig | them up, then, and throw them away. ' After all, roses are but part of any well planned garden. ‘With all vour gardening. get green- ery. It is the eternal color of Nature's | garden, as manifested in these best of | plants. the weeds. which seem to love | us more than our pampered “cultivat- | ed” flowers. When they poke their heads through our fences and spring up. one knows not how. in places where constant culti- | vation has been going on, they are do- | ing their best to inform us. in their | dumb vegetative way. that they repre- sent the one essential color in any gar- den Disregarded and spurned. they never- theless insist on pointing out how plants should grow, how they should make the best use of such materials as come to hand. and how thev should turn food |and water principally into green stuff to benefit themselves and the eye of man with the blessed greenery of gar- den and field. one and the same loveli- | ness the world over. Highlights on the Wide World ewspapers of Other Lands E MATIN, Paris.—The toad in-| from sn undermining foreign competi- | ! tion. which will give it a new oppor- tunity for profitable operation and re- sumption of employment. A comparison of these opposing views tends to the conclusion, however. that after all it is better to develop industry, and give employment and earnings to her people, than to keep costs of necessities lower and their pocketbooks empty. Great Britain's sit- uation is analagous to our own, and her decision may very properly be one | hi with valuable significance for us. Of course, the new British policies are far from agreeable to other nations will probably increase unemployment temporarily, at least. in Germany, France and the United States, when ex- port markets are closed which they have 50 long profited by in England, Canada | and Australia. * % x % Small German Boat Makes Record Cruise. Berliner Tageblatt.—A truly remark- able cruise was completed recently by a small fishing boat, the Hermann Ihno, upon re-entering the harbor at Hamburg. This craft is a small sloop, equipped with an Insignificant auxiliary motor. It is 54 feet from stem to stern, and 18 feet in the beam. With & crew of two men, it tra- versed 4.000 nautical miles, and mostiy in exceedingly stormy weather. coast of Algiers the craft lost its rudder, but was sighted in distress by the Brit ish passenger steamer, City of Prince, and towed to the rbor of Algiers. Continuing thence, after the installa- tion of a new rudder toward the Eng- lish Channel, the Hermann Ihno was seized by a violent northeaster and swept 400 miles off its course into the | Atlantic Ocean. The sails were torn, | the mast went overboard altogether, and carried most of the canvas with it. The | auxillary motor was put out of opera- Receptacles would be provided at tion completely. For several days the temper of the convention as far as pos- | disabled “kutte§” (sloop) drifted in the Atlantic, not knowing even its pcsitien, | when a French fishing trawler sighted made from each shop | it, and saved it from otherwise inevit- | | able doom. The Prench captain sup- plied the two-man crew with more pro- | visions, repaired their instruments, and pound rice, or onions, as the case may | then, on his own initiative notified the | Washington. | Prench consulate at Hamburg to ad- vise relatives of the two sallors that lthered"ils 'nr? h)n?er any need for fear | regarding the safety of the Hermann | Thno and its crew. | A record voyage of a small boat, | scarcely seaworthy in any respect, is thus interwoven with a fine example | fllustration of the international solida: ity and desire for mutual helpfulness existing among seamen. — e A Good Bet. Prom the Rochester Times-Union. Building a large prizefight stadium on Long h.nd testifies t?). the endur- ing confidence that man's inhumanity ul:nmm is a good commercial propo- sition. ———— Deliberate Honors. From the Pasadena Post. Hobson has just been awarded s medal for gallantry in the Spanish War. ‘Whatever the Government may be charged with, the accusation of haste never will be brought against it. ——or—s. Decision Postponed. | Prom the Topeka Daily Capital. Congress has heretofore had an ex- tensive reputation for balancing one way and another, but whether it has balanced the budget won't be known | for some months yet&@¢ ive | The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. CHICAGO, June 22, 1932. The Democrats come to the battle #ayly. This is the convention which is filling Chicago and the Chicago hotels. Then‘nzvubllun gathering is made al- most to & & drab affair in com- parison, m is & reason. The Re: publicans had but one candidate for the eLf h % one candidates has a following, and the lowing has followed or is following him to this eity. New York’s democracy, :l':c Tlllmlny“ br:nd.l o" ml;ut n;om e ter city in special trains. The New Yorkers have tagen for their stay here practically every room in the Drake Hotel, one of the most fashion- able in the city. They have spread into other hotels, and Tammany means to make itself heard. * x hese fol- * Speaker John N. Garner, having Waited until every one else in public life has declared himself or herself on the prohibition issue, has come out for re- peal of the eighteenth amendment. He looked pretty dry to the prohibitionists who voted in the California primaries i8 time back, when the wet vote was split between Al 8mith and Gov. Roose- velt of New York, and Los Angeles County rolled up about 70,000 lead for Garner, making it possible for him to win the delegation of Democrats now coming to the National Convention. Another wet delegation by Garner might have had some effect on the Democrats in Texas, too, although the State Convention, which instructed the ‘delqlul for Garner, voted “wet.” * ok ox o Garner's declaration, coupled with that made by Gov. George White of Ohic in favor of repeal and beer in the | Interim, makes the roster of Democratic candidates for the presidential nomina- tion all wet. Perhaps former Gov. Harry Flood Byrd of Virginia is least wet, but he has for week been support- Ing a resubmission of the eigtheenth amendment to the people, regarded in official dry circles as & wet step. Of course, the Speaker never had a chance ifor the nomination without & frank declaration against national prohibi- tion. This is to be a wet convention Whatever may be said of Mr. Garner's declaration at this time on the prohibi- tion issue, it is at least brief and to |the point. He said: “When the prohi- |bitlon amendment was proposed. I, as a member of Congress, voted against it. I have never believed it sound or work- | Able, and it should be repealed.” That | tells the whole story as if he had used A thousand words. ‘It is not likely that Mr. Garner has ever changed his mind bout prohibition, but he recently de- cided he might as well say what he had {in his mind. L Back of Mr. Garner, leading the California delegation instructed for the | Speaker. stands Willlam Gibbs Mc- {Adoo. 1In 1924 at the Madison Square Garden convention the women support- | ers of prohibition and Mr. McAdoo used | to pray every day om their knees for | the nomination of McAdoo for Presi- | dent. Mr. McAdoo was the leader of | the dry cohorts in those days. | has a wet candidate for President on his hands, and has indorsed Speaker | Garner's declaration for resubmission ' of the eighteenth amendment. Well, if John D. Rockefeller. jr., had a right to | change from the dry side to the side of repeal of the eighteenth amendment, ' Mr. McAdoo certainly has a right to go |as far as favoring resubmission of the | prohibition amendment. S ; No one here in Chicago doubts that the Democratic platform will go as far as did the Bingham. or minority, pro- hibition plank turned down by the Re- publican National Convention. The only question now is. Will it seek at th= same time to put the party on record as favoring repeal of the prohibition smendment and also as favoring “beer” | even before the eighteenth amendment | shall have been repealed? The fight is | now between the moderate wets and the | wringing wets. The drys seem to be | fading more and more out of the pic- ture. ~ Even dry leaders of dry organi- 2ations are making excuses for not put- ting up a more desperate fight on the | ground that it is impossible to oppose resubmission of the eighteenth amend- ment with any degree or success. * o ox % But the drys are not altogether idle. They are laying their plans for the| congressional fights, in primary and election, which are yet to come. After all, Congress. not the President. is the branch of the Government which ini- | tiates changes in the constructicn. So the drys are promising to dig in and | fight it out all along the line from Maine to California and from Michi- gan to Louisiana. * X k% | New York in this Democratic con- | vention has two candidates for Presi- | ., Roosevelt and Smith. Roosevelt | ! a chance. Smith has none, for the | nomination. The Empire State has the | largest delegation in the convention. ‘What that delegation will do has be- | come s point of greatest interest. John | F. Curry, Tammany boss, wants, it is said. to play a prominent part in the | national ~ political picture. Well, he ! may, if he does not overplay his hand. But the Democrats assembled here are not likely to let the voice of Tam- many be the dominating note that goes | out of this convention city. If Curry |18 willing to go along with the bulk of the rest of the leaders, that is one | thing. But if he undertakes to prevent the will of the majority and to set off a candidate with Tammany backing, | that is another. Mr. Curry has no great love for { Franklin D. Roosevelt and none what. ever for Alfred E. Smith. Very likely it would suit Mr. Curry admirably if neither one of these gentlemen were nominated. He does not have to worry much about Smith, for his nomination is not in the cards. But if Roosevelt is| nominated. and especially if he is nom- inated without the aid of Curry or over Curry’s opposition, then Curry will have 1 something to think about indeed. Smith ‘would not appoint Curry insurance commissioner when he (Smith) was| Governor, and thus he humiliated Curry. Roosevelt has never ridden over Curry in such fashion, but Tammany does not care for the Governor. Curry may be wondering just how safe it will be to oppose Roosevelt for the nomi- | nation. He wants to sound out the | sible before finally reaching a decision, 't is sald. | ok % % ‘This convention is likely to be a | hard-boiled affair. The Democrats ! want to win the coming national cam- paign. They want to take charge in ‘They have been out of ! office for a dozen years. There are a |lot of deserving Democrats who are !at present among the army of the | employed. i sonal ambitions of this candidate or that for the presidential nomination | | are not likely to 'elfh 50 heavily with ithe great masses of delegates. They are here to pick & winner, to pick him as expeditiously as possible and to do so without a devastating row, such asj overtook the party in 1924 at Madi- son Square Garden. All of this would appear to aid the Roosevelt forces. led by Democrats who have been prominent for years in all sections of the country, and to disintegrate this army and form it again for another | candidate is a herculean task. Opponents of Roosevelt have not hesitated to declare to the world ‘that Roosevelt, if nominated, cannot be elected. This may rise to piague the Democrats in the national campaign if Roosevelt should finally be the nominee. It is quite true that the same argu- ment has been presented against the candidacy of Al Smith. But no one ex- pects the nomination of Smith. Jouett Shouse, chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee, in a radio speech attacking the Republicans, pointed out that Republican speakers in the pre- convention campaign in 1928 assalled President Hoover vigorously, and among "the n',.‘,iu".‘;‘e."i' m;m ok tion er of tne conven which has just renominated Hoover. The defeatist talk about Roosevelt may | | with_its For that reason the per-|e ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERLI This is & 1 department devoted solely to the ing of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that Telates to information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin z Bta; Information Bureau, Prederic J. Hunnr Director, Washington, D. C. Q. Please describe the Olymple games flag—H. T. 8. A. The flag used for the Olympic games has an arrangement of 1rv. circles on white or neutral background. The three upper circles, blue, biack and red, do not touch, but they are joined by two lower circles of yellow and green, | Which, in turn, do not touch each other. The blue circle represents Europe; the black, Africa; the red, America; the | C J. HASKIN. to send to his wife was not revealed. Mrs. Houdini stated that it was a tation which her husband had used i his work and which she would recog- nize readily. ‘The context of the mes- sage was kept secret in order that Mrs. Houdin| might be sure of its genuine- ness it given to her by a medium. Q. How many feet of telephone apd telegraph wire are there in the Empire | State Bullding?—E._O. A. There are more than 17,000,060 feet of telephone and telegraph wire and csble in the Empire State Building. Q. How many times have Presidents appointed judges to the United States Supreme Court and had them rejected by the Senate?—M. H. D. A. 8ince the creating of the court, in 1789, nine appointees have been reject- ed by the Senate. ‘Will gases and vapors conduct vellow, Asia, and the green, Australia. Q. Are De Haviland airplanes ltlll1 used by the Army Air Corps?—B. L. T. | A. More than a thousand were in | use for a few years after the World | War. The number has diminished until the last few, which were occasionally | used for training purposes, are no longer in use. | Q. Was Gen. Green Clay Smith the first presidential nominee of the Pro- hibition party?—8. E. D. A. He was the second. He was the nominee in 1876. James Black was the first, in 1872, | Q When will the George Washing- ",:‘;nLqu_;rllrl be put®in circulation— A. They are now being coined. They | will be distributed to the banks as soon as sufficient stock is accumulated. | Q. Who_wrote “Chopsticks”?—P. §. A. The Etude says that the composer is not known. It was first published in 1877 by Mozart Allen, the music being “arranged” by Arthur de Lulli. This name was the pseudonym of Al- len’s sister, Euphemia. | Q. How long was Charles F. Murphy the leader of Tammany Hall>—M. H. | A. The late Charles F. Murphy was | its leader for 22 years. He was sachem from 1398 to 1924. Q. Why isn't the price of bread re- duced, now that wheat is so cheap?— D. M. H. A. The reason advanced is that the cost of manufacturing and distribut- ing the bread has not lessened in pro- portion to the depression in the price for wheat. Consequently the miller and the baker are still getting practically what they did formerly, while the farmer 1s getting less for his product. Q Is the Congressional Medal given to Lindbergh of much intrinsic value?— E W A. This gold medal was presented bv President Hoover, August 15, 1930, and has an intrinsic value of $1,500. Q. Should starched clothes be packed away for an indefinite time>—D. T. ‘The clothes should be washed and not starched. It is thought that the starch makes the threads brittle. Why is denatured alcohol not taxed>—M. G. | A. It is intended solely for use in al science and industry. Congress made it free of Federal tax to promote industry. Q. What was the message which Houdini said he would send from the spirit_world. If it were possible’—O. S A. The nature of the spirit message which Houdini before his death planned Q electricity?—L. K. A. The Bureau of Standards says under ordinary conditions neither gases nor vapors conduct electricity to any appreciable extent. However, all or most all gases and vapors conduct electricity fairly well when highly lonized, and ionization may be brought about by heating to a high tempera- ture, exposure to X-rays or the ema- nations from radium and by other | means. What States have ecompulsory Q. | education?—B. M. A. Each State in the Union has & compulsory education law. Q. Of whom i5 the story told that her father gave her her weight in gold upon her marriage?—A. N. W. A. Betsy Hull is the heroine of a narrative “of Colonial times which merely relates the fact that her father placed her in the container on one side of a large pair of scales and bal- anced the scales by pouring into the corresponding container shining gold pleces. Q. Has a light been erected in De- ;‘rm in honor of Thomas Edison?— LB A. An illuminated fountain to the honor of Thomas A. Edison has been erected in Grand Circus Park, Detrolt. Q. Give the age of Frances Wilard at the time of her death—M. T. . This great American reformer was born September 28. 1839, and died Pebruary 18, 1898, at the age of 58, Q. What is floating power in an auto- mobile?—C. C. A. Floating power is a method of mounting an engine in the car frame. The motor is suspended in perfect bal- ance on two mountings of rubber and steel. By allcwing the motor to oscillate on its natural axis within prescribed limits, torque reaction or vibration is insulated from the frame and body. Q. What American bird lines its nest with snakeskin?—F. L. 8. A. The Biological Survey says that there are several American birds whicn use snakeskin in their nests. This is not exactly used for the purpose of lin- |ing them, and, in fact, the exact pur- pose cannot be accurately guessed though it may be with an idea of adornment. The great crested fivcatcher always uses snakskin and the tufted titmouse often does Q. Did Linccln prayer meeting church?>—N. A. R. He attended the service of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church Lincoln sat in & small room adjoining that in which the service was held Thus his presence was kept private and no “political capital” could be made of his attendance. end the midweek of any Washington A jRel;ilblican Plank on Liquor Is Interpreted in Many Ways Attempts to appraise the plank on ! prohibition adopted by the Republic- | an National Convention show a wide range to opinions. Differing comments give the victory to wets or drys ac- cording to individual judgment, while there are charges that the party utter- ance is a straddle. Emphasis is placed on the fact that, if liquor control were placed with the 'States. the plank still would provide some national jurisdic- tion. “Though designed as a see-saw be- tween water and strong drink, it is de- cidedly tipsy toward the latter.” in the opinoin of the Atlanta Journal (Democratic), while the Rutland Her- ald tindependent Republican) con- cludes that it “was written with the view of satisfying both sides of the controversy and. as inevitably follows with such effort, it must fail to satisfy eithe: The Spokane Spokes- man-Review (Republican) holds that, ‘adequate protection of the dry States.” the plank “will be generally satisfactory to wet and dry Repub- licans.” The Omaha World-Herald (in- dependent Democratic) feels that it must appear to the drys that they have been subjected to & humiliating defeat within the party they regarded as their own,” and that “they are cast out into the world, orphans without a party home.” The San Antounio Express (in- ' dependent Democratic) suggests that the plank “does not settle the ques- tion.” and advises that “incomparably more important problems challenge the Nation's thought and demand construc- tive action.” “The plank clearly paves the way for a change in the method of handling the liquor question.” in the opinion of the Ann Arbor Daily News (independent), while the Buffalo Evening News (inde- pendent Republican) thinks that “in the final analysis, much depends upon the way the is interpreted for the process of reform,” and the Des Moines Tribune (independent Republican) con- | tends that “those honest and intelligent advocates of a change from the present conditions who are nelther moved by a passion for hooch nor by doctrinaire notions, have reason to be satisfied.” The Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail independent Republican) sees it as “the greatest triumph yet won by the advocates of changg” with the added comment: “Details of what form the re- submission question shall take are of minor worth in a platform declaration, since they must be the work of con»‘ Tees.” b The action of the convention is called “sensible” by the Gary Post-Tribune (independent); “pretty good. though in wording it is terrible,” by the Cincin- nati Times-Star (Republican); “a plat- form that faces conditions. not one that des them.” by the Topeka Daily Capital (Republican); “pompous but empty words. strung out into nebulous phrases.” b- ‘e Akron Beacon Jour- nal (indepc iucnt Republican): and an example of “temporizing, solely in the hope that they would please enough persons of all shadles of opinion to carry & majority vote at the election.” by the Schenectady Gasette (independent Democratic). The Morgantown Domin- fon News (independent Democratic) of- fers the opinion as to the method adopted for making a change in the liquor law: “There is only one proper approach to a solution. That is to sub- mit to the le of the several States, acting, possi through conventions called for the single purpose, the ques- be hard to explain if the Democrats must line up for him next Fail. ‘The Roosevelt followers, on the other hand, call him the strongest candidate the party can nominate. figure that he will run well in every section of the country—cven New York. The charge is made against Smith, Raskob, and others trying to defeat Roosevelt that they do not have the interest of the Democratic party at heart, but that they are merely seeking one end—the prevention of the nomi- nation and ejqction of Roosevelt. tion of retention or repeal. Once the eighteenth amendment is repealed, it vill be time then for consideration of & su. stitute.” “The plank was not within the bounds of expectation.” says the Phil- adelphia Evening Bulletin (independ- ent Republican). “but it is of a con- structive character and a definite pro- posal on which to focus discussion, where there has heretofore been noth- ing definite offered to remedy the gen- eral complainings of the inefficiency of the existing formula of Federal prohi- bition. Whether or not the plan rec- ommended by the Republicans at Chi- cago is approved, the convention is to be credited with having submitted a plan and the pleadings in its favor will stand until they are disproved, or a better plan is offered.” “It means,” according to the New York Sun (independent). “that it pledges the Republican partv to keep bribery and corruption spread across the wet States bv maintaining a Federal snooping system. The only merit of the plank is its declaration that any change in the eighteenth amendment should be submitted to State conven- tions. Otherwise it is a pitiful example of ducking and dodging. It is described as having been drawn by ‘friends of the President.” His enemies could have written nothing more damaging: at least, so far as Mr. Hoover's fortunes In the East on election day are con- cerned. His only hope in anti-prohibi- | tion territory is that the Democrats will be imbued with the cowardice shown by the Republicans.” Declaration that the plank s a “straddle” or compromise on the sub- Ject is made by the Oklahoma City Times (independent), and the New York Herald Tribune (Republican). the Fort | Worth Star - Telegram (independent Democratic). the Scranton Times (Dem- ocratic), and the Roanoke World-News (Democratic), while the Chattanooga Times (Democratic) and the Newark Evening News (independent) call it ob- scure. The Altoona Mirror (independ- ent), however. concludes that “in the ! extremely difficult task of attempting to | Please both the wets and the drys, the | platform builders probablv made as good | & job of it as could have been expected.” The Columbia (South Carolina) State (Democratic) states that the convention “sidestepped the prohibition issue,” while the Rock Island Argus (independ- ent) advises the public “to think it over and to compare it with what the Demo- cratic party will offer.” “It may be termed comparatively dry. | although a few vears ago an identical | plank wculd have been construed as | radically wet.” thinks the Columbus Ohio State Journal (independent Re- publican), while the New York Times (Independent) asks, “If this is not re- | peal of the eighteenth amendment, what |is it?” The Salt Lake City Desert | News (independent) avers that “the |drys are greatly disappointed.” ‘The Lynchburg News (Democratic) sees evi- dence that “if the amendment fis | adopted those States wishing to be dry may be dry and those wishing to be wet may be wet, but there shall be no |saloons if Ccngress prohibits their establishment. If that, as Daniel A. Poling states, is something more pleas- ing to the drys than to the wets, the arys have greatly lowered their ideals— they have become moist. have become ¥ what a few months ago would have been denounced by the Anti-Salocners as | wringing wet.” | o Victory for both sides is seen by the Boston Transcript (mdependent Repub- | lican), with the further comment: “The wets triumphed in forcing an unwilling administration to concede that some .chlnr in the applicaticn of constitu- ticnal prohibition is imperatively de- manded by the voters and that such States as may so vote shall be permitted to take themselves out from under the amendment. The drys, however, won | the greater meed of success in securing the ldoglhn of the ‘administration’ plank, which would perpetuate Federal control of the liquor traffic even in States which hereafter may vote wet. That would leave the issue the foot bal) of future Congresses.” |