Evening Star Newspaper, September 16, 1932, Page 8

A-S e THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C FRIDAY.....September 16, 1932 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Of 11th_St and Pennsylvania Ave ew York Of asc 42nd | ok Offce; 110 & X ce Shropean Offce: 14 Regent St. Lon England. e, st ding. Take Michigan . 3 don. Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Eyenine Star, 45¢ per month ¢ Evening and AT E T Sundays X e Evening and Sun (when 5 Sundays) ... .68c per month The Sunday Star Sc per copy Collection made at the end of each month. Qiers max be sent in by ‘mall or telephone At ional 5000, Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. ay....1yr.$10.00: 1mo.. 88c it Sunday. - 1 7. *36.00: 1 mo. 800 C1yr. $400: 1mo. 40c unday Star B Dailv Bunday only . All Other States and Canada. I . $12.00; 1 mo., $1.00 v and Bunday...1yr. $1200: 1 mo. 81,90 * $5.00i 1mo. soc he Assoclated Press. res clusively ent!tled also the local news hts of publication of are also reserved. —— he As: v the A% Sor repupiicatt Red in s o published herein All i special dispatches hereln -— Welfare and Relief Mobilization. In his address welcoming the Welfare and Relief Mobilization Conference at the White House yesterday the Presi- dent outlined the four major objectives which constitute America’s task in this fleld next Winter. The first of these, he said, is “to see | that no man, woman or child shall go hungry or unsheltered.” The second is the maintenance at full strength of the Nation's benevolent agencies for char- acter building, hospitalization, care of children, etc. The third is retention of ‘“the liberties” by mobilizing individual and local resources and responsibilities, and the fourth is to maintain the spiritual impulses for generous giving and service against encroachment by that “‘cold and distant charity which puts out its sympathy only through the tax col- lector” and which “yields a very meager dole of unloving and perfunctory relfef.” Newton D. Baker, the chairman of the conference, replying to the Presi- dent, again summarized this task as meaning “not only a mere interim pro- vision to tide over this Winter's crisis | from the material point of view, but also In its larger aspects it is to con- tinue the work of character building and to conserve and strengthen the fortitude, courage and self-rellance of our people so that there will be no deep injury done to our national life by this tragic emergency.” It is true, as Mr. Baker said, that #we Americans have not become very | n dealing with hard times.” and growing infant that this, n is has been spared bitter, if | experience in that direction. And the fundamental difficulty in meet- ing stresses and strains of the period now, in so far as reliet and| welfare work are concerned, has been failure to conceive the real meaning of such work. The medicval conception of charity as a means to aid the giver, instead of the recipient, still persists.| It assumes modern form in the belief| current that mere appropriation of money for dispensation among the poor and the estabilshment of such institu-| tions as soup kitchens are all that are | necessary to end distress. | In times of prosperity and plenty the average contributor to charity is willing enough to leave the detalls of administration of his funds to the ex- perts, those who devote their lives to the science of helping the unfortunate. In times like these, when the plight of the unfortunate becomes first page | news, & new and sudden interest in the manifestations of misfortune is too apt to be transformed into misdirected enthusiasm to solve everything by the typically American expedient of legislation. Such legislation is essential. The economic problem of wide unemploy- ment has created ar cdditional burden that is above and beyonc the ability| of organized charity and relief organi- | zations to bear alone. The additional | load must, and is being, gradually as- sumed by public funds. But it has in- creased, rather than lesseneq, the task always facing organized private char- ity. This task does not end with the mere provision of food. It deals with the salvation of human lives, and lives are not salvaged by filling empty stom- | hs. There are such things as pre-| serving self-respect and confidence and | hope, and these are not safe in bun- gling, inexperienced hands. If there can be sustained this Winter the idea that public funds are & neces- saryGromplement to the private, or- ganized welfare work, but that this latter work can never be supplemented by mere appropriation of public funds, there is no reason to doubt the success of the Winter's campaign against dis- tress and misfortune. It is the aim of the White House Conference to pre- gerve that idea, which is, in addition, an ideal. s With the James J. Walker incident formally disposed of, Franklin Roosevelt may consider himself free to devote his exclusive attention to the really big &b of running for President. The State of Manchukuo. ohe expected has happened, and Japan has recognized Manc ‘hukuo as an independent state. Ceremonies attesting that accomplished fact were held yes- terday at Changchun, the capital of the new commonwealth which was formerly Manchuria. Their outstanding feature was the signing of o treaty between Japan and Manchukuo which binds them in a defensive alliance. It specifically permits the Japanese to station in Manchukuo such military forces as may be necessary for the pur- pose of maintaining the country’s na- tional security. Thus terminates, on almost the first anniversary of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, the first chapter of the new history of China which was written by that event. It is unlikely that the stcry will end there. China has prompily countered the ceremonial at Changchun by ap- pealing to the League of Nations and the signatories to the nine-power treaty to nullify the recognition of Manchukuo as a sovereign state torn from Chinese territory. Whether in her latest effort to thwart Japan China will meet with any greater success than crowned her the past is problematical. Def- nite Yidications as to this may‘ensue bedrock principle of our! upon revelation of the report of the League of Nations' commission of in- quiry. There are conflicting reports about its contents. China hears that it is condemnatory of Japan's action and the pretext that Manchukuo was the free-will creation of the Man- churian people. Japan claims to kiow that the League commission sustains her contention that she proceeded within her rights and in legitimate self- defense of her vital interests. Throughout the year of international tension precipitated by the Mukden in- cident of September 18, 1931, the United States has co-operated with the League powers in the assertion of treaty rights to which this country is a party. On repeated occasions the Washington Gov- ernment has taken its stand with its co- signatories of the nine-power treaty af- fecting the integrity of China and of the Keilogg pact outlawing war as an instrument of national policy. Only six weeks ago Secretary Stimson reaf- firmed the “Hoover doctrine” of non- recognition of political or territorial situations brought about in violation of international covenants. The State Department announces that no immediate steps are contemplated by the United States in connection with Japan’s recognition of and alliance with Manchukuo. The implication is that Washington will await developments without taking the lead in forcing them, our position having already been made clear. If there is to be further con- certed action by the signatories to the treaties Involved in the Far Eastern controversy, there is no reason to sup- pose that American support will not continue to be given to any proposals | designed to vindicate the rights and | uphold the obligations which are at | stake. Roosevelt's Farm ‘Plan.” Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his sympathy to the American farmers in his Topeka address dealing with the | farm problem. That is as far as he went. He discussed a “plan,” it is true, and lald down six specifications which | that plan must follow. But the plan is nebulous, utterly lacking in con- crete proposals or anything like them. Not a single proposal so definite as to be called even a start for legislation was made by the Democratic presidential candidate, who is now campaigning for the farm vote of the great West. It does not seem possible that the farm- ers themselves could possibly be won over by such milk-and-water diet as that proposed by the Governor of New York. ‘The Democratic nominee, for exam- ple, declares for a plan that will pro- vide for the farmers the benefits which the protective tariff gives to the indus- | trialists. So far so good. The farmer should have just that. But he adds that this benefit to the farmers must be 50 applied as not to increase and stimu- late further production, apparently be- cause he believes that the farmer is overproducing today. Why not say so? The candidate makes no effors to out- lne an actual plan which will accom- plish this benefit to the farmers. In- cidentally, the development of such a plan has been an insoluble problem, tackled by economisis and farm ex- perts, for many years. Seemingly the Democratic candidate has turned his back on the “debenture” plan of aiding the farmers, for he says in his specifications that the farmers must not look to the Federal Treasury for their aid. The debenture plan which President Hoover turned down during the last Congress calls for tak- ing from the Treasury all the revenue derived from the customs duties on im- ported articles and making & gift of it to the farmers. Gov. Roosevelt declared that the “plan"—that mythical something still to be erected—must be “voluntary”; that there may be no coercion placed upon the producers of the crops to ac- cept it. Well, if he can devise a plan which all the farmers will accept vol- untarily, Gov. Roosevelf will have shown himself a miracle man Indeed. He added another requisite—that the “plan” must not be such as to offend our for- eign competitors. Analysis of the Roosevelt proposal leaves the ordinary man in doubt as to whether the Gov- ernor has ever heard of the struggles made in the last decade, and the decade before that, and still further back in time, to give the farmer ald. How to ald the farmer without stimulating pro- duction and thereby nullifying the whole effect of the aid has been the problem. The Republican party, indeed, with the ald of many Democratic votes, has placed tariff dutles on the imports of many farm products. This plan has been highly effective in protecting the farmers who produce many food prod- ucts. But it has not helped materially the great staple crops like wheat and | cotton, merely because of the huge sur- | pluses produced by the farmers in this country and the world outside. Gov. Roosevelt, in his Topeka speech to the American farmers, apparently has accepted the principle of the pro- tective tariff, since he wishes to give | the farmers benefits from such a tariff. | This will scarcely sit well with those | dyed-in-the-wool free-trade Democrats, ! who have hammered the Republican | protective tarfff for years. But that group apparently is becoming scarcer and scarcer as the years go by. Th: | Democrats vigorously attack the Re- publican tariff laws, but many of them { vote for higher and higher dutles just | the same, . Unless Gov. Roosevelt can come for- ward with something more appealing to the American farmers than the glit- " tering generalities he has so far pro- duced, why bother to “Invade” the | West? | e | Owing to the fact that the possible ' combinations of time and direction are ! limitless, there is & chance for aviation |to announce a new kind of record: | every day. The Restoration of Silver. When the United States accepted the invitation to the forthcoming World Monetary and Economic Conference in Europe, it laid down & condition that the question of silver should come with- in the scope of discussion. America's interest in the use of silver as a me- dium of exchange is two-fold. The United States is one of the leading sil- ver-producing countries. The demone- tization of that metal in the Orient, particularly in India and China, dealt a serious blow to the silver industry in Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Utah and Arizons. The other reason why the United States desires the re- habilitation of silver is the conviction THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 Tthat 1t would constitute an important step toward world economic recovery. Mr. John Hays Hammond has just delivered a notable plea for an inter- national campaign of education de- signed to make people the world over realize the importance of restoring sil- ver's currency value. All economists agree, the distinguished American min- ing engineer says, that the shortage of monetary gold, whereby its purchasing power is enhanced, is directly respon- sible for the low price of commodities. The future holds out little promise of improvement. The South African Rand, which has hitherto contributed fifty per cent of the world's stock of gold, would within two or three decades probably not be able, authorities are persuaded, to supply more than a rela- tively small part of the world's produc- tion. No potential new sources of gold exist to afford reasonable expectation of replenishments from other direc- tions, Mr. Hammond attributes calami- tous commercial conditions in the Orient, ordinarily a rich market for the trade of the rest of the world, primarily to the rapid decline in the price of silver, This was precipitated by Great Britain's imposition of the gold standard upon the government of India. India's fabulous stock of ailver was melted up and sold as bullion on the world market, causing an almost immediate drop of one-half in the normal price of the metal. The de- crease reduced automatically by 50 per cent the wealth and potential pur- chasing power of the Orient, with correspondingly drastic effect upon its ability to absorb the wares of the United States and other exporting countries. “This condition could be remedied,” Mr. Hammond declares, with ample expert authority for the claim, “by the rehabllitation of silver through the reasonable stabilization of its value in relation to gold—this to be effectu- ated by international agreement.” Obviously, the United States has some such purpose in mind in insisting that the silver question be given s con- spicuous place on the agends of the impending World Conference on mone- tary and economic problems. ——e——————— As a result of the Maine election, Re- publican campeigners—and, in conse- quence, the Democrats also—will speed up their activities. It will require close and expert observation to discover any speed method that has not already been arranged for. T - Promoters of the gambling game known simply as “numbers” have an- nounced that certain popular combina- tions of figures will be handicapped when winners are paid. In the face of sure-thing mathematics the professional gambler retains his right to be super- stitious. —_—————————— ‘The oyster is again on the menu, but is mentioned among the luxuries. The first man to eat an oyster had courage. His modern successor must have cash. ————————— Mahatma Gandhi has a new set of teeth which, 2 a man of simple taste in dining, he will reserve for special occasions. What the Mahatma really needs is a new suit of clothes. ————rate————— It might be suspected that a dictator in the genuine sense of the word would not have to display as much energy as Von Papen does in holding on to the title, N A “boo” is no artument. It is the ultimate expression when one word has for some time been leading on to an- other. Maine Democrats may cause Senator Moses to wonder whether “sons of wild Jjackasses” have not stampeded into new territory. JE———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Pretension. He shunned the smile which, like the sunny gleam That sparkles even on the deepest ses, Btrives o'er each human countenance to beam. Stern was his judgment; final his decree. He scorned the tears, this man of mental might, Which, like the passing rains that softly flow Upon the steadfast mountain’s loftiest height, heart must know, Aloof he stood where simple friends were few. Men journeyed far and at his feet would sit To learn. Yet deep within himself he knew That they were wise and he a ‘hypocrite. In the Political Woods. “Is that candidate on the stump now?” “I'm not quite cure,” replied Senator | Sorghum, “whether he is on the stump or up a tree.” Neglected. “There doesn't seem to be so much 'ngmuon about spelling reform.” “Nope,” replied Parmer Corntossel. “I reckon a lot o' fellers lost interest in 1t when they found it was about the only kind of reform that didn't lead ! to no chance of gettin’ an office.” The Hardest of Hard Luck, | How pitiful the Juckless elf— Though fortune seems his hope to crown— | Who when he would advance himself Must kick some other fellow down! Power of Musie. “Why do people prefer music to con- versation?” “Seems to be some sort of instinct about it. ‘There isn't anybody who wouldn’t rather listen to a canary bird than to a parrot.” Many & man mistakes notoriety for fame and gets scorched trying to climb into the spotlight. On Record. A wise man bent his weary head And sighed, “This life is all unrest. The things you wish you hadn’t said Are what the world remembers best.” “It'’s a bad sign,” sald Uncle Eben, ggany funny regularly busy to know too stories.” Come 'mid the shadows that each | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. She wasn't ugly, but no one could have called her pretty. She would have won no at a bathing beauty contest, ye{ she was| been by no means shapeless. She was just the typical modern girl. The fact is, there are no more homely girls. Most women inspection, nowa- days, because their clothes are more made for them than in the past. This is another way of saying that thefr fit their clothes better, not that their clothes fit them better. Women have adapted their clothing to their modern types, so that the total effect, the “ensemble,” is one of harmony. And harmony is beauty, in any set- ings. If it 13 not exactly beautiful in every case, at least it achieves a passing grade. And that is the precise difference between the majority of women today, as one observer sees it, and the galaxy of girls of the older days who were dubbed ugly. The passing of the really ugly girl ?l“db?:n 30 gradual that few have no- ced 1t. The really homely woman, however, is as extinct as the proverbial dodo. Even if a girl isn't pretty, by a great many degrees, she at least knows how to get herself up so that she passes fot good-looking, even. PR Right here it is necessary to state that the majority of men have no taste whatever when it comes to what con- stitutes a pretty woman. This 1s a failing Which few of them will admit, however. They are forever posing as “beauty judges” and the like, anxious to sit in the judgment seat, even at the simplest contests. No two men ever agree on who is a beautiful woman. If approached as to what constitutes good looks, they have only rudimentary ideas, based mainly on health and its evident physical in- dications. Since good health is the basis of beauty, they may be said to be on the right track, but that is all— any one, by looking at & photograph of the contestants, can “pick the win- ner,” at the least the judges’' choice, nine times out of ten. It is quite evident, therefore. that the craft of modern woman, aided by the art of the clothes designer, has put mere man at a terrible handicap. Unable to pick the real “winners” when in bathing suits, what chance has he to select & real beauty in the fully clad ranks of the everyday? Unless he happens to be one of these critical gentlemen who really sees what he is looking at, he is very likely to confuse a cleverly designed dress with beauty of form. or a chic hat with loveliness of face. * x % Let one of these long, lanky crea- tures of the present mode come waft- ing into an office, all the boys will sit up and take notice, with the every one of them will call “her “pippin.” Some “old grouch,” perhaps, will realize (although he should do it silently) that the tribute is paid to the combination, not to the lady. Critically eyed, the gal is scarcely out of the ugly class. She “gets by,” though, and how! as the youngsters say. 8he has learned to make the best of her good points, minimize her poor which achieve both of these objects. Clothing and the beauty have combined to put most of the women on the border line of beauty. They can take any! sheer ugly woman and trick her out know her. *xox ok ullz is, indeed, the era of the homely | girl. chances more than even that each and | | | | | features and select the sort of clothes| herself presentable. Let there be no mistake about that Tm, Twenty-five years ago she would have called homely by every one, even by those who loved her. ‘Today she is still homely, but she fools many people into thinking her pretty, or beautiful, almost. Her salvation is that the styles have been created for her, because there are 80 many of her, and also that the ac- cepted charmers of the movies and the theaters are exactly of her type, al- though mostly possessing more real beauty. The glamorous Greta, for instance, 1s generally accepted as the very peak of modern womanhood, at least in regard to those subtle charms which are lumped under the heading of sophisti- cation. Every one who has seen her pictures has noticed, however, that many of the “shots” of her show her as anything but beautiful. The very next section of film will re- veal her as charming. Does this mean that this paragon, this ideal of so many, is homely one moment and pretty the next, or that maybe she really isn't quite as lovely all the time as her settings portray her? * X ox % ‘The ideals of beauty have changed, so that today & certain “slickness” of appearance 1s accepted in lieu of true lineaments of beauty, at least according to the old style of criticism. A certain lack of facial expression, more of the Indian type, is esteemed. And this is In line with the judgment of such critics as J. B. Priestley, the English novelist, who believes that a new sort of race is being created in America, a race which is “foreign” in appearance, at least to an Englishman. Perhaps many men and women whom most of us tend to regard as “typical Americans” would have the same air of strangeness to us if we had not grown up with them, if the change of features had not been so gradual over the years. That a real change has taken place in the American countenance may be noticed by any one who cons over the the Civil War. Yet to many observers those old faces will seem more “for- elgn,” especially as to the jaw forma- tions, than the faces of thelr com- patriots. ok ‘The average modern girl is a sort of compromise creature, as to face, figure and clothes. She will “pass” as pretty, but actually quite often isn't. She is thin, yet retains enough fat to possess the minimum Necessary amount of curves Her features are not really pretty, but they are far from homely. Her clothes, for the first time in his- tory, have been designed with these facts in mind. The lanky girl, of whom Greta is the type, is now the beau ideal of woman- hood. Chunky, hunky women must do thelr best to be thin, slithery ladies if they want to be in the fashion swim. If their forearms measure nine inches they will look beefy, in comparison with the large number of girls whose arms total only seven inches or less. So there are no more ugly women! Important, if true, and it's true. No one has seen a homely girl for years. What with bobbed hair, modern clothes and hats, and,the devices of the beauty parlors, any woman can make In fact, the girl whe would have been overlooked, a shops | quarter of a century or more ago, in the ugly clothes and absurd hairdress styles of that era, today finds all things de- thing short of & signed especially for her. Modern edu- cation, in and out of school, has de- so that even her own mother wouldn't| creed that Americans shall desire to be alike, attempt to think alike and want to look zlike. In this rather dubious adventure of a race the womenfolk have taken the lead. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. mz?o&fldln‘ in both parties are arrang- minute and reliable information garding the impression Gov. Roosevelt possess themselves of the most | ridge Carolina, Brookhart of Iowa and Short- of California. Representative re- iCnsD of Georgia joins Representative Ruth Bryan Owen of Florida among creates upon the Western farming coun- | the House “ins” who found themselves try. Astute observers, Democratic and | outside the breastworks when primary Republican alike, believe that the Gov- | votes were counted, though the gifted ernor's swing across the trans-Missis- sippi region is going to make or break him as far as the West 1s concerned and thus decide his fate in November. It is too early to assess the effects of his Topeka speech and its six agricul- tural points, Certainly in those numer- ous sections where the Federal Farm Board is in bad odor the Rooseveltian slams at that unfortunate body will make a hit and probably votes. One on farm -politics recently interviewed Gov. Roosevelt at Albany. The caller came away with the conviction that the Democratic nominee at that time—a month ago—was devoid of anything sa- voring of & farm relief program. Well, tained. “F. D. R.” has nailed his colors to the mast for all the world to see, and Republican leaders admit that while on many counts they can be shot to pieces, the Topeka speech is an adroit, vote- making document. * X kX His opponent’s invasion of the corn and wheat belts has at any rate prompt- ly determined President Hoover to counter-attack with a minimum of de- lay. Definite plans have been made for the President to tackle the farm prob- lem in a reply speech early in October. West Branch, Iowa, his birthplace, has been suggested as an ideal setting for it, but Kansas City, Minneapolis or Chicago may be finally selected. Senti- mental reasons would govern the choice of Mr. Hoover's native heath, in the heart of the distressed agricultural re- gion. The urgency of speedy and force- ful rejoinder to Gov. Roosevelt’s farm plea is recognized. It is, of course, to the coast-to-coast radio audience that the Republican nominee will address himself, a Miwestern platform merely serving’ as local color. Beyond all shadow of a doubt, it is what happened in Maine on September 12 that has changed the President’s mind about conducting a stay-at-home campaign. His present mood, greatly to the grati- fication of the G. O. P. managers, is to peel off his coat, Toll up his sleeves and take the warpath. Herbert Hoover is not a William Jennings Bryan. He is no rabble-rouser. But no one ever proved more conclusively than Bryan himself that rabble-rousing and vote- getting aren’t synonomous. * k % % There are no two ways about it. This Huey Long person is no slouch of a politician. His feat in bowling over within two years both of Louisi- ana’s veteran Democratic Senators, Ransdell and Broussard, in succession is one of the most impressive achieve- ments of its kind on record. The touseled redhead’s triumph in this week's senatorial and congressional primaries in mxhufm l&t;:lc%s “fl:; upon Long's victory for . ! imhe Arkansas senatorial primary and his colorful success in seating his dele- gation at the Chicago Democratic Convention. Party leacers acknowledge with a wry face that the Kingfish has got to be reckoned with from now on, whatever they and the country at large think of his rough and rowdy ways. That he would be one of the powers behind a Ro:evelt‘ throne at u'!:- on can put Cown as a cer- lv:fity. That his prominence in Roosevelt movement galls many Dem- ocrats is no less sure. * ok x® i With every State primary, ence piles up that what Democratic Chair- man Jim Farley calls a “forest-fire of Senator to fail of renomination year, taking his place alongside his dis- comfited brethren, Morrison of North that at least can no longer be main- | of Washington's foremost authorities | Georgian's fate would doubtless have been different had he merely aspired | to retain his old seet in the lower branch. That he will come back to the House sooner or later is a safe gamble. It contains no abler citizen on either side of the aisle. * k kX Discrepancy of view between the head and the tail of the Republican presi- dentlal ticket gives birth to a wise- crack worthy of George Moses, him- self. It's being said that prohibition | has two sides and that the G. O. P. has | taken both. Vice President Curtis’ re- Jection of repeal is bitterly resented by New England Republicans, who fear it may cost them whole electoral votes. * X ok * Representative Tom Blanton, Demo- crat, of Texas, was recently triumphant- ly renominated for his ofd seat in the | House. Some of his enemies tried to beat him by raking up the ancient feud between Blanton and Jack Gar- ner 10 years ago in connection with | House discussion of conditions in the Government Printing Office. On the floor one day Garner and Blanton had a knock-down and dragout, which ramified into the primary campaign, but it did not unhorse the Great Ob- jector. During the intervening 10 years the two Texans have become warm personal friends. Garner more than once called Blanton to the Speaker's chair last Winter, and Tom was first member of the House to nominate Jack for the presidency from the bay of the chamber, * % ® % In the classic congressional district in Massachusetts of which Cambridge, seat of Harvard University, is the cen- ter, Representative Robert Luce, vet- eran Republican, is waging the battle of his political life for re-election to an eighth term. Mr. Luce took his courage in both hands when he determined to run as a dry in a region that's almost sopping wet. Stared in the face by what has just happened to Republicans ‘who ran for Congress in Maine as drys, in defiance of their party's nationa latform, Representative Luce is ought to be hovering on the brink of disaster. If he fails to hold his seat, the House will lose one of its best parlia- mentarians. Luce has long been con- sidered speakership timber. ° * Kk X One of Admiral Dewey'’s gallant com- rades at Manila has just passed away in Connecticut—Rear Admiral George Partridge Colvocoresses, retired. He was 85 years old and had 45 years of service in the Navy, including Civil War duty, when he retired in 1907. Admiral Colvocoresses was the son of & Greek immigrant, who also served in the United States Navy witn distinction, and was & captain’s clerk on his father's ships in the Civil War. A lleutenant commander at the outbreak of hostili- tles with Spain in.1898, Colvocoresses was on the bridge of the U. 8. 8. Con~ cord in the battle of Manila Bay and came home with Dewey on the Olympia. (Copyright, 1932.) ————— Banks and Disguises. Prom the Toledo Blade. Seems rather strange that the Bank of England should come over here in disguise until it is recalled that a num- ber of financial institutions in this country did business dicguised as banks. —_—— et ————— The Amateur. From the Roanoke Times. The principal difference between an amateur and & 1 in some m’ of 1s that the amateur gets mofe publicity and also more money. 1932. Ils Stock Market Reaction A True Political Index? To the Editor of The Star. My business requires me to travel throughout the United States, and espe- clally through the Middle and Far West. I frequently hear it said that the administration, large industrialis‘s and especially the power interests are very anxious to make it appear that the turn in the economic conditions of the coun- try has or is about to come, and to this end the stock market has been forced up because of its barometric value as Ppresaging the advent of better times. ‘Whether this is true or not, I find that many business men have taken & new lease on hope on the presumption that the great appreciation of stock and bond values holds forth this prom- ise. Large corporations report more stockholders than ever before, but this 13 due, no doubt, not to an expanded in- terest in shares, but to the paying off of the brokers and banks and the con- sequent registering of the ownership on the books of the companies, The man without a job and other casuzlties of the depression will largely vote the Democratic ticket on the prin- ciple that any change must be for the better. The more substantial voter will weigh the advisability of changing leaders at a time like this, and if, in fact, he accepts the upward trend of the stock market as prodromal of an early recovery, his confidence in the imminence of the recovery must have been rudely shaken by the tremendous shake-out of the past few days. I am not in a position to say thatihe market has been “rigged.” 1If so, very poor judgment has been shown by its spon- sors in allowing this great reaction to take place if it was within their power to prevent it. Mr. Mellon and other spokesmen for the administration have said that quoted values of stocks and bonds are not too high. I presume value is or should be based on present conditions or condi- tions likely, to exist in the near future. In the case of many stocks—United States Steel, for example, which is earning nothing and paying nothing— the present value must largely discount radical improvement in business. Other- wise Mr. Mellon is in error or incor- rectly quoted. One of the special writers of The Star has said that the reaction was due largely to the Democratic victories lold Brady photographs taken during|in Maine. If 50, the present price struc- ture rests on & very insecure foundation. We can then tremble to think of what can happen if Al Capone should break a leg or news of similar import should flash across the ticker. C. FENWICK. ——— The ‘Barbaric Yawp® of Whitman Sounds Anew To the Editor of The Btar. Isn't life just one blankety-blank thing after another? After reading half a column of short paragraphs in a re- cent issue of The Star, all to the effect that business is improving everywhere, that stocks are still rising and the hard times will soon be a thing of the past, one gets a terrible reaction in an- other column. It's the blow that prac- tically laid father out. We read that “while in 1930 every third family in the United States owned a radio, it is now the ,determination of the manu- facturers of these peace-destroying af- fairs “to have by January 1, 1933, a| radio in every household.” Now, I ask | you what is there left in life for the average lover of peace and quiet in his home environment? As this is written one can hear from the second floor of the huge apartment house next door the anguishing of a| throaty tenor crooner who has the tremolo stop pulled out by tie roots. He is assuring some unknown lady that “I want to go back to you and Michigan So we can make love and fish again,” etc. On the third floor a jazzy orches- | tra 18 playing “Nearer, My God, to! Thee” in 6-8 time, while on the fourth | floor front a raucous female voice is telling a waiting world of the virtues and values of a new face powder. If the Owners—or part-payment owners— of these twentieth century instruments of human torture would only be satis- | fied to hear them in the strict privacy of their own apartments and would curb their mad desire to share owner- ship with their nighbors for blocks around, it wouldn't be so bad. But the dear things must needs open them up to the very last notch, regardless of the nearby sick, dying or dead. They make one think of good old Walt Whit- man’s lines: “I sound my barbaric yawp over the | roofs of the world.” Dear old Walt! Do you s’pose he could possibly have had a vision of life in an apartment district in 1932? “My barbaric yawp!” Now ain't it the truth? WILL C. BARNES. ———————— Million Too Poor Because Thousand Are Too Rich To the Editor of The Star. One of the reasons that the endless economic discussion never reaches a Gefinite conclusion is that it never starts from commitment to a principle or even an unequivocal statement. In your editorial paragraph Saturday there is the unequivocal statement that “poverty is not a positive but a negative condition” and any one who can un- educate himself and strives, as Franklin put it, to sift truth from the rubbish can “explain precisely what is lacking, how much and why,” all of which you intimate would stump the “bright chap in the political economy class” who gets his ideas from the Ely text books de- signed to obscure the truth and confuse the common thought. The only way to assail error in & negative proposition is to establish & positive propesition with which it is obviously inconsistent. E. g.: The only way to prove that a man “was not” in one town is to show that he “was” in another, and if we can show that some are undeservedly wealthy it is reasonable to conclude that others are undeservedly poor, because the social contributions and distributions just balance. In 1849 Abraham Lincoln said: “Inasmuch as most good things are produced by labor, it follows that all such things, of right, belong to those whose labor produced them, but it has so happened, in all ages of the world, that some have labored and others, without labor, have enjoyed a large poriion of the fruit thereof. This is wrong and should not continue. To secure for each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as nearly as may be, is a worthy subject for any good government.” Honest legislation will not take from a man wealth honestly acquired nor give to the poverty-stricken wealth they do not deserve, but if Lincoln was right it should eliminate the privilege that enables the rich to exact more from soclety than they contribute, thereby making the poor out of those t ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERI There is no other agency in the world that can answer as many legiti- mate questions as our free Information Bureau in Washington, D. C. This high- ly organized institution has been built up and is under the personal direction of Frederic J. Haskin. By keeping in constant touch with Federal bureaus and other educational enterprises, it is in a position to pass on to you authori- tative information of the highest order. Submit your queries to the staff experts whose services are put at your free disposal. There is no charge except 3 cents in coin or stamps for return post- age. Address The Evening Star Infor- mation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Di- rector, Washington, D. C. Q. What caused the lameness of Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War?—D. T. A. Mr. F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War, served as a lleuten- ant, junior grade, in the United States Naval Air Service during the World War. His lameness was caused by a plane crash during the war. Q. What is the highest point on_the Atlantic Coast south of Maine?>—C. F. S. A. It is Todt Hill, Staten Island, and the altitude is 430 feet above sea level. Q. What per cent of the population of the country is left-handed?—M. M. C. A. About 4 per cent. Q. Why don't peonies grow in and around Los Angeles?—D. M. R. A. The Bureau of Plant Industry says that there is not enough cold weather in that climate. For some plants it is necessary that the roots be subjected to cold temperature in Winter in order the that they will grow in the Sprirg. Q. Please give the names of members of the Federal Farm Board, telling where born and ‘' former business?— J.P.O. A. James C. Stone, born in Rich- mond, Ky., formerly with insurance de- | partment of Kentucky, president and manager of a tobacco company; Charles S. Wilson, born in Hall, N. Y., former- | ly fruit grower; W. F. Schilling, born in Hutchinson, Minn., formerly publisher and dairyman; Carl Williams, born in Porter County, Ind., formerly editor | and farmer; C. B. Denman, born in Bollinger County, Mo., formerly leader | in live stock industry; Frank Evans,| born in Salt Lake City, Utah, formerly | attcrney for National Farm Board; Sam H. Thompson, born in Quincy, IIL; for- merly farmer; Arthur M. Hyde, born in Princeton, Mo, formerly attorney. The salaries of the members of the Federal Farm Board were reduced under the re- cent economy act. They formerly re- ceived $12000 per year. They now re- ceive $10,000. Q What is the predominating re- ligion in India?—L. J. A. According to latest religious census of India the total population was 351,450,689. Of this number 238, 330,912 are Hindus, 73,743,928 Mosle 4306442 Sikhs and 4,961,794 C! tians. There also are sects of Jains, Buddhists, Parsees. Q. Is Labrador on the mainland of Canada?—C. J. C. A. Labrador is a territory of the col- ony of Newfoundland. Newfoundland is ‘an island off the eastern coast of Canada, but Labrador is on the ma! land and adjoins the Canadian Prov ince of Quebec. More exactly, Labra- dor occupies the entire Atlanti board of Quebec and cuts off that ince from the ocean. Q Who_was Hobart Pasha’—N. § A. An English adventurer Turkey. the first Cr latter title. He was a younger son of the Duke of Buckingham and served | song. 'C J. HASKIN. in the British Navy from 1835 to 1862. | During the American Civil War he be- | came a blockade runner and performed the feat of running the blockade with munitions to the Confederacy inbound |and cotton for England outbound 18 times. Then he took serviee with the Sultan of Turkey and became admiral of the Turkish Navy. In the war with | Russia he dominated the Black Sea and | sealed up the Dani mouths. He died at Milan in 1886. “ Q. How much oil is needed for fuel | substituting it for coal>—P. B | A. Roughly from 150 to 200 gallons of oil is required to replace a ton of | coal, depending on the installation and grade of coal and oil | Q What cardinal as | throne of England?—M | _A. A Roman Catholic cardinal who in | 1788 made an attempt to become King | of England. on the ground that he was | the last of the royal line of Stuarts. Born in Rome March 6, 1725, he was | created Duke of York by his father, | James Stuart. As a young man he was in command of troops intending to take part in the attempt to place Bonnie | Prince Charlie on the English throne. | On the failure of the attempt, he re- | turned to Rome and ultimately became | & cardinal. He was Archbishop of | Corinth, Bishop of Frascati and Arch- | priest of the Vatican Bastlica. Holdin several benefices in France, Spain ang America, he was among the richest prelates of his time. He received also 2 pension of $20,000 a year from King George IIT1 of England. He possessed some of the British crown jewels. He lived to be senior cardinal and dean of | acred College. He died July 13, and his tomb is inscribed with the title “Henry I His adherents in Eng- land and Scotland always called him Cardinal York. There is a legend that « &n attempt was made to make him Kigs | of America after the Revolution. & Q. In the flag used for the Olyp # games, which circle represents ™<h country?—A. T. W. A. The three upper circles—blue, black 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 Amer- ica, the yellow Asia and the green Australia. Q. Who wrote neen”?—J. S A. This famous Irish song was writ- ten by Mrs. Julia Crawford and the music was composed by Frederick Nich- olls Crouch, who first ng it at a con- cert in Plymouth, England, about 1832, He received 5 guineas ($26.25) for the In 1866 the plates were sold at auction for $2,660. Q. On which sid is West Point>—T. C. A. It is on the west bank. Q. In money value, how much food is consumed in this country in a year?— J. A B. A. The amount of food consumed in pired to the B. Cathleen Mavour- the Hudson River | the United States in 1930 had the fol- lowing value, exclusive of food pro- duced and consumed on farms: Retall sales of food, $112310,000,000; restau- rants and eating piaces, $2,097,000,000; hotels, $370,000,00¢ Q. When did the horse car disappear | from the streets of New York City LB E A. The last horse car was taken off the streets of New York City August 1, 1917. This line was the Madison street and avenue car. Q. Who devised the system of ing the heur into 60 minutes?—A A. The sexagesimal as the method el divid- R Calles as Dictator Creates Confidence Peace in Mexico is the subject of | chief interest to the public in this co try, when President Ortiz Rubio resigns and is succeeded by Gen. Abelardo Rod- riguez, under the control of former President Plutarco Calles. It is held | that the power of the dictator has been | exercised as an incident of the fight for better economic conditions, and that the absence of violence is evidence of increased efficiency among a formerly warlike population. | “Again Mexico has called on the west for a President,” says the Pasadena Star-News, observing that “Calles, Ob- regon and Rubio all came out of the | west,” and that the new executive is “well known in California as former Governor of the Peninsula State and an extensive owner of properties at Agua Caliente,” with “a fine home in San Diego.” The Pasadena paper points out that “among the improvements that | Rodriguez initiated are Rodriguez Dam, 11 miles east of Tia Juana, and the Tia Jusna-Ensenada highway,” and that “since Tesigning in 1929 to g0 to the national capital in federal capaci- ties Gen. Rodriguez has been secretary | of industry.” It concludes: “Mexico is making progress, notwithstanding its in- ternal troubles and the effect of world- wide depressian. Western enterprise and statesmanship are doing much tc place the republic on a firm footing, | notwithstanding many grave problems.” “So far, at least,” according to the Buffalo Evening News, “this momentous transfer of power has been carried out in s more orderly and matter-of- course manner than European nations | commonly_exhibit in mere ministerial crises.” The Evening News concludes: “The smooth and almost noiseless work- ing of the political machine demon- strates the strength of the political party which Calles has built up and which makes him the power behind the scenes in Mexico. Rodriguez is another Sonora_man and is said to be a strong one. Mexico certainly has stood the strain of depression better than most of the countries of Latin America and might invite very favorable comparison with several in Europe.” * % x % That the “resignation of a President in Mexico at this time suggests stability and strength” is the opinion of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, with the expla- nation that “this arises from the fact that _the power which has rescued Mex- ico from the succession of revolutions is a continuing power,” and that “the political party which centers about the Jeadership of former President Calles is | the same that centered earlier about | the leadership of the able and solid who must, and of necessity, contribute more than they acquire. A million men are too poor because & thousand men are too rich. J. B. CHAMBERLAIN. r———— Why Are Washington’s Parks So Poorly Kept? To the Editor of The Star. Ch One of my friends who went to Eu- Tope last year spoke of the contrast of the parks in England and Prance with those of the National Capital of the United States. She stated flowers in Europe were planted to pro- duce masses and riots of coloring. It m c; l?;er of the ertwml Capital ea] see any of Washington's charm deliberately desecrated. What has become of the beautiful plant that used to be in the fountain on the north front of the Treasury Department? Why are the parks in the National Capital kept so poorly and the flower planting done so unattractively? BLANCHE E. HOWLETT. ———————— Land Enough. Prom the Dayton Daily News. An culturist leader says that six acres of ground is enough for any man. In fact, it is about five mortgages big for most of us. - too alysis of the revolutionary, Obregon, who led the re- volt against Carranza.” The Star-Tele- gram adds: “The late happenings in Mexico should be reassuring to Ameri- cans. Law and order, a state more in keeping with the desires and nature of the Mexican people than the disorders which formerly were forced on the country by political leaders, apparently has come to stay in the republic south of the Rio Grande.” “Violence o often accompanies | changes of government in Latin Amer- ican countries that a peaceful change is welcomed as a sign of political prog- Tess,” thinks the Texarkana Gazette, while the Abilene Reporter feels that “the Mexican people have advanced considerably in the art of government in the last few years” and the Des Moines Tribune voices the hope that “by the time of Calles’ passing the dis- E(:mon to proceed constitutionally will Ve e spread through the Mexican people | as a whole.” “Rubio, the retiring President, has been under strain for the last two years because Mexico has had its troubles the same as other countries,” remarks the Rochester Times-Union, recalling that “there has been much unemployment,” that “many industries have been inac- tive and the finances of the country have not been in the best condition.” ‘The Indianapolis News ('ihl!'n the an- ergency that was met: “The change to the helm a young ' Across Border man chosen by emergency methods to Two names were read to the deputies, and they gave no response. When the name of Rodriguez was read they rose and cheered. That was his election. A constitutional pro- vision might have been invoked to refer the election to the people, but the Calles groups seems to be confident of its posi- tion. With harmony of the dominant party and its administrative agency, the government has the facilities for re- cruiting all its strength to meet the economic emergency.” * o ox % “Calles kept his hand on the strings of his puppet show, and when President Rubio forced the resignation of a Calles | lieutenant as mayor of Mexico City, Rubio’s goose was cooked,” records the Louisville Courier-Journal. The Toledo Blade advises: “Read the official hecti¢ record of Rubio and of some of his pre- decessors and understand why Rubio quits when his life is in jeopardy and personal effort and sacrifice get him no- where.” The Lincoln State Journal of- | fers the explanation: “It may be a bad thing for _representative government | that Gen. Calles is such a powerful fig- ure in Mexico. It may mean that Mexico is, in effect, under the manage- ment of an unofficial dietator who is able to defeat the will of the people as expressed at the polls. But it does make for peace in Mexico. The Mexicans worship strong men. They admire & man who is able to make them do what he commands rather than what they will. Calles does just that thing and peace reigns supreme in the land.” “If President Rodriguez still holds to Ihls commendable philosophy of publie | service,” declares the Birmingham Age- | Herald, “it is to be expected that he will | give a good account of himself in the | presidency. That he does embrace that Ehilosophy still is indicated by a remark = _made beffire his elevation to the | lency, when was suggested that he might become President. He ssmz ! have the conviction that I can be more useful to my country within the in= | dustrial and constructive world’ Ap- parently, he was not seeking the presi- dency. But a4han who puts the thought of how he might render the greatest | service to his country before the thought | of persenal advancement is the kind of | man who may be counted on to serve well in any post.” ———— ‘ Starling Problem Requires Solution Po the Editor of The Star. If Washington can evict a bonus army why can it not be rid of the thousands of starlings which are a BTowing menace to the health and the appearance of the city? It is not so long ago that Penn- sylvania avenue was infested with these birds. To rout them the branches of trees were lopped off and only now, when most of the buildings are torn down, is the avenue free of the birds. But the starlings have a pretty taste in trees. Dislodged from Pennsylvanis avenue, they have settled on the elms of New Hampshire avenue. Every eve- ning they circle in clouds overhead and finally descend and roost with much noise and enthusiasm in the tops of the trees. Next morning they depart again, but the street and sidewalks are left in an unspeakable condition. The bird cage at the Zoo is presumably cleaned every day, but the street is | only scrubbed twice a week by the Street Cleaning Department. The stench in the hot weather is g ling and the flies are breeding in dirt. | This has been going on all the Summert How long must we submit to such con- ditions? MARGARET L. HAYESw - . Depression Aliment. From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. If people could eat red tape thers would be little need for relief,