Evening Star Newspaper, April 24, 1933, Page 8

A—S8 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WABHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.........April 24, 1933 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor Star N Compan: The !ulln(!ta:».umper pany vania_ Ave. P East 4100 8t. European Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evenine Btar, 45¢ per month e Evening and 8i (when 4 Sundays) The Evening and (when § Sunda in b ui S letshone Orders may be sent in by mail or NAtional 5000. Rate by Mall—Payable in Maryland Advance. and Virginia. All Other States and Canada. Dally and 1yr., $12.00; 1 mo., $1.00 Daily only yr., $8.00. 1mo. 75¢c Sunday onl 1yr, $5.00; 1mo. 50¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associate rress is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- tches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ted in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein also reserved. - = kel e ‘Welcome, M. Herriot! To the stocky and stalwart son of France, who has come to Washington to pool his wisdom with that of President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Mac- Donald in an effort to set a topsy-| turvy world on its feet again, Washing- ton offers a cordial welcome. M. Edouard Herriot typifies to the Ameri- can imagination the best there is in Prance and the French. i His sturdy patriotism, his enlightened nationalism, his bonhomie, his sense o!i political honor and international re- | sponsibility, are all traits which we| admire in him and in the old Gallic stock from which he springs. Plus| the indestructible foundation of good | will for France which is embedded in American hearts, her former premier's career and personality assure him an “atmosphere” in the United States which should prosper whatever cause he essays to defend. M. Herriot in his first public words at Washington laid rather notable stress on the Lausanne Conference of 1932, in which he was a prominent figure, along with Mr. MacDonald— Lausanne, from which resulted the virtual obliteration of German repara- tions. With cancellation of reparations, Germany's creditors did not conceal their hope—indeed, almost their expecta- tion—that intergovernmental debts in- eident to the World War would also disappear, in part, if not in whole. M. Herriot indicates that he has ar- rived in America to listen, rather than to advise or propose. But it would be ludicrous to suppose that he will have come and gone without any approach to the war debt issue having been made. For the moment, all that can be said on that score is that M. Herriot’s own record predisposes American opinion in his favor, for it is agreeably remem- bered here that he lost his premiership in December because of his insistence that French honor required payment of the debt interest then due in Wash- ington. ‘That France is resentful of the Btates’ temporary abandonment of the gold standard is an open secret. The attitude of the French is comprehensi- ble. Our action leaves them, together with the Dutch and the Swiss, in what is obviously considered anything but a splendid isolation. But M, Herriot ut- ters the simple truth when he says that “while the sudden gold develop- ments in America necessarily involve certain technical modifications of our common problem, they leave the polit- fcal and moral issues untouched.” The Mayor of Lyon properly and tactfully declines to be drawn into any discussion of “the internal politics of any country.” The situation which is occupying Messrs. Roosevelt, MacDonald and Herriot, who will be joined today by yet another welcome statesman and neighbor of Amerita, Prime Minister| Bennett of -Canada, bristles with difi-| culties and complexities. As the Prime Minister of Great Britain said on: Saturday—it cannot be settled by any | one nation alone. There must be team- | work. ‘There must be less economic | nationalism and more economic inter- nationalism. The peoples of the earth are oppressed by a universal pall which ean only be lifted by common eflm‘) The conversations at Washington this| week, now suspiciously begun, ate| destined at least to start our troubled plane to spinning once again in the| right direction. If they fail in flutl purpose the outlook will be dismal. Such a result would be a damning in- dictment of world statesmanship, com- parable to its collapse in 1914. It must not come to pass. ———— Events have made Soviet Russia even more prominent in the international picture than she was when Britain canceled recognition. It is lmposslblel for either participant in a spirited quarrel to ignore the other. — e Shakespeare Again. This is the Shakespeare season, the | gentle last phase of April in which the great poet was born and died; and ‘Washington is keeping the annusl festival with the same enthusiasm manifested in other years. The Bard wears well as the decades pass; he holds his own with the peculiar genius of attraction which appears to have distinguished him in life, so that even his rivals loved him “this side idolatry.” In America, particularly, his memory prospers; and the Nation's Capital, possessing the beautiful Folger Library, has special interest in the circum- stances. Shakespeare is “our poet” in exactly the same regard as he is Eng- land's and the world’s. He wrote for all earth’s children, “not for an age, but for all time,” and his Washingtcn public is well within the boundaries | 80 delineated. On Saturday evening Dr. George A»l Plimpton, veteran bibliophile, journeyed | down from New York to tell of his study of Shakespeare's education. In the Elizabethan theater which Henry Clay Folger visioned and which Mrs. Folger brought to completion, he re- viewed in his own natural and unpre- tending style the texts which the poet must have studied at Stratford gram- mar school, displaying to his audience priceless copies of the volumes in use at that time. Yesterday afternoon Representative James M. Beck, long celebrated for Mdpe affection for the Bard, discussed board théy have confined their selec- linin’ out'm 'h_tlnolk"-aé United r Ihl.l religious and ethical significance at the St. George's day service at Wash- ington Cathedral, paying yet ancther tribute to the inspirational values of that writer who, “above all others, is calculated to make his readers better as well as wiser.” Yesterday evening there was an ex- cellent Shakespeare program broadcast from Station WJSV, with Jang Cowl and Rollo Peters presenting a portion of “Romeo and Juliet,” and this after- noon from Station WMAL there will be a radio play based on Shakespeare’s career. The celebration will continue all the remainder of the week, with the annual banquet of the Washington Shakespeare Society on Wednesday evening, and other events of an appro- priate character. At the Arts Club there will be a Shakespeare commem- oration tomorrow evening, the Bank- side Players participating. This after-| noon a lecture on the theater of Shake- speare’s time will be given before the English-Speaking Union. Meanwhile in Great Britaln, in Ger- many and elsewhere abroad special commemorative programs are being car- ried out and representative examples of Shakespeare’s plays are being per- formed. In the latter respect the United States is out of step, for the modern commercial theater as yet has not realized the possibilities of the ac- tor's principal stock in trade these past four centuries. But even this curious neglect, it may be presumed, soon may be corrected. Shakespeare was for the masses in the beginning, he still is for them, and theatrical producers and movie-makers eventually will recognize the fact. However, Shakespeare long since passed beyond the need for promotion or advertising. His thought is vibrant in the modern mind, his words are on the lips of men and women who may be unacquainted with their obligation to his labors, and his example stirs the emulation of hundreds now as it did in the days when he walked the streets of London or tramped the lanes of Warwickshire. Celebrating him has become a fixed custom, well worthy of unfaltering observance. ——oe— Inflexibility of Forced Retirement. | In examining the proposal for man- datory retirement of thirty-year em- ployes—with the exception of those re- tained by special order of the Presi-| dent—the House Appropriations Com- mittee will of course investigate the cost to the Federal Government in- volved in any such move. The an- nual added expense to the Government in retiring some 18,000 employes, ac- cording to an estimate by Luther C. Steward, president of the National Federation of Federal Employes, will amount to about $20,000,000. That esti- mate is apparently based on the as- sumption that the vacancies caused by retirement would be filled by employes on full salary. That may not be the case. But it is certainly true that a large proportion of the vacancies caused by retirement of thirty-year employes would have to be filled. Those who have been in the Government service that long occupy, for the most part, important positions. Many of those positions would be essential, despite the proposed moves in reorganization. The cost feature is an important one, and it would be enlightening to learn whether any really important monetary savings to the Government are in pros- pect should the Budget Bureau recom- mendation be carried into law. The inflexibility of the provision, however, is the defect which, aside from the humanitarian principles involved, has probably received the greatest amount of attention. When the rule is established that those with thirty years of service are to be retired, the execu- tive branch of the Government will be concerned with making the exceptions | to the rule. Unless the Government is to be ruthlessly deprived of thousands of able and valued employes, the selec- tive process involved in making these ex- ceptions is going to be cumbersome and unwieldy. The process will find many men and women separated from the service through compulsary retirement who, if their cases were studied on the basis of merit, would be continued in the service. Too much discretion is placed in.the hands of minor officials, who may be actuated by favoritism and by pressure of pelitics. It would be far better, as suggested, to give to employes the right of op- tional retirement after thirty years of service. Those whose positions are then made untenable by reorganization would have the advantage of being able to retire. 'Those whose positions are not; affected by reorganization would auto- matically continue at work until reach- ing the retirement age and without the necessity of obtaining special dispensa- tion from the President. ‘The chief criticism of the Budget Bureau proposal is that it is so sweep- ing, so inflexible and so ruthless in its scope that widespread injustice to em- ployes and loss to the Federal Govern- ment is practically inevitable. Those who would defend it are hard put to find any practical or theoretical ad- vantage in establishing such a prin- ciple. ————s Topics of international conversation will include war debts and international exchange; too much material, perhaps, to be disposed of in a few affable after- noons of social chat. ———— “Republican Federal Associates.” “Republican Federal Associates” 1s the sounding title of a new organization just launched to keep life in the old G. O. P. and at the same time preserve as nearly intact as possible the funda- mental principles of government laid down by the forefathers in the Consti- tution. The prospectus of this new or- ganization, signed by former Postmaster General Walter F. Brown, shows that its title is no misnomer. Indeed, nearly all of its officers and members of the board of directors are former Federal officials in the Hoover administration. Five members of the Hoover cabinet are included, and five of the assistant secretaries. The former cabinet officers are Ogden L. Mills, Arthur M. Hyde, Ray L. Wilbur, William N. Doak and Mr. Brown. Mr. Mills apparently heads the board of directors and is sharing with Mr. Brown very largely in the re- sponsibility for this set-up. Where the organizers have gone out- side of the Federal officeholders list in selecting officers and members of the THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, ‘D. C., MONDAY, APRIL 24, 1933. "THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. tions to Republicans “tried and true” and none of the Progressives from the West, particularly those who jumped the reservation last Fall, are in the list. Indeed, one of the eight purposes of the “associates” seems to be to put the skids under these recalcitrant Progressives. It is set forth as follows: “Effecting changes in the direct pri- mary system which will prevent bloc or minority nominations and insure representative government by majority rule.” Two women, Mrs. Nicholas Long- worth, widow of the late Speaker of the House ‘and daughter of the late President Theodore Roosevelt, and Mrs. Albert G. Sims, formerly Mrs. Ruth Hanna McCormick, are included in the organization, Mrs. Longworth as second vice president and Mrs. Sims as a8 member of the board of directors. ‘The organization is dedicated, among other things, to “maintaining the na- tional credit and integrity of the na- tional currency” and to “exposing graft and all other improper practices by public officials.” ‘The Republicans in Congress already are making or seeking to make a national issue of the Roose- velt currency inflation program. As only Democrats will soon be left in important Federal offices, it is seem- ingly the purpose of the new organi- Democrats do, and if there are any “improper practices” to bring them into the spotlight. Inaddition to main- taining Washington headquarters, where a publicity bureau may be established, it is planned to have key workers in every congressional district to aid in the fight to nominate and elect Re- publicans to Congress in 1934. ‘Whether the new organization, which is made 'up of friends and supporters of former President Hoover, will, as has been suggested in some quarters, under- take to make the next Republican nom- ination safe for Mr. Hoover is not by any means clear. There are many of Mr. Hoover’s friends who believe that the sentiment in the country will swing strongly back to him within the next year or two and that he will be the party’s choice for nomination in 1936. ——— Having taken over that esteemed con- temporary the Tageblatt, the Nazis will | undertake the difficult experiment of demonstrating the hitherto unreliable | theory that success may be attained by keeping the most important politi- cal news out of the paper. ———r—ee no appeal to the administration. How- tory will never regard Pranklin D. Roosevelt as a man with a filibuster complex. ‘The Arizona jury that decided that Mrs. Judd was insane points out that a person who decides to be foolish fre- quently finds it desirable to go the limit in admitting mental irresponsibility. ——e———————— It may be decided to leave gold tem- porarily to the useful arts for the manufacture of crowns, scepters and other-articles of authoritative splendor. e Hitler’s home town in Austria refused to give him memorial honors. This faci seems to emphasize his position in Berlin'as a favorite adopted son. e The idea appears to be not so much that currency should undertake reckless inflation as that it ought merely to quit holding its breath. ‘There is gold in this country but | the “help yourself” sign has been taken off the container. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Somehow. Somehow or other, in spite of storm, The world works around to the sunshine ‘warm; The orchards bloom and the birds sing 8y And the wild flowers welcome the call of May. The wind blew chill and the sullen sky Frowned as it bade the snowflakes fly. Each Winter has buried the flowers anew, But somehow or other they all break through. Somehow or other each dull distress Is sent on the road to Forgetfulness, While the pleasant thought and the generous thrill Are headed for Recollectionville. Our feet may falter as on we go; The way may be long and hard and slow, But something compels us to hope and try, And, somehow or other, we all get by! Study in Sacrifice. “Would you sacrifice your principles for the sake of an office?” “I suppose not,” replied Senator Sorghum. “And yet when you smother your principles you stand a chance of reviving them after you get the office. It seems too bad to sacrifice both.” Financial Problem. “How far can you run your car in a day?” “I dunno,” replied Mr. Chuggins; “it depends somewhat on the price of gaso- line.” A Disappointment. The office seeker looked resigned And climbed into a cab. “This pie,” said he, “is not the kind My father used to grab.” ‘When the Home Team Lost. “Charley, dear,” said young Mrs. Tor- kins, “do you believe in going according to the will of the majority?” “Ot course. Everybody does.” “Then why doesn't the base ball um- pire try to make his decisions that way | oftener?” s Reminding a man that worry will shorten his days merely gives him something new to worry about. Awakenings. A man may sometimes change his mind, But when opinions we reverse, Unto our sorrow we may find That we have gone from bad to worse. — . “Sometimes,” sald Uncle Eben, “de white gemman dat tells his wife it's foolish ter go ter s matinge an’ cry, spen’s de hull afternoon at a ball game, takin' de resk o' sunstroke an’ yellin' de zation to keep tabs on what these | the; “Make haste slowly” is & motto with | pe ever intricate affairs may become, His- | ‘The following contribution is so old- fashioned that at first we decided not 1o print it, but, upon reading it over, thought that probably there are enough unsophisticated people left to enjoy the picture it paints. The missive, as left at this office, bring back days to many. follows. Perch:‘r it will memories of ‘diwo.d A Heaven Wreathed in Roses. ‘Their names really should have been Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, for he looked every child’s ideal of the jolly saint; she like a good substantial elderly Ger- man angel. mfiu;‘elylm nne!ever had :mhnunmno Ppleasures for nel ‘There was an old-f‘nhloned Tose vine that clambered up the east side of the plain old white frame house clear to the second story windows. In some way, then just miraculous, and still unexplained, that rose vine had forced its_way inside a bed room window, and every June you could go into that room and see roses in bloom inside the flnn In the bed room over the parlor there was a register above the parlor stove. You could lie down on your stomach and peer into that seldom-seen room below, with the big pink sea shells, the wax flowers under a glass dome, the flowered carpet, the whatnot displaying the china dogs, and the pictures of the children, long grown, with children of ir own now, and, rumor none too attentive to their parents. * k x % ‘There was a_ grindstone under the grape arbor. crank—what fun it was to see how fast you could make it go! There wes a large turned-up kettle, which on certain occasions was turned right-side up over 4 blazing fire for the periodic making of s-ft soap. There was a little black-and-tan dog called Jackie, which bit your Dad on the ankle and tore his suit. Jackle fell out of the buggy in his old age and broke his leg, but was carefully mursed back to health by his adoring owners. He reclined during his invalidism on a small red cushion behind the “settin’ room” base-runner. * % k% Out in the stable was Molly, the ancient white horse, whose main duty was drawing Mr. Santa Claus along the road across the river to the truck patch. Sometimes, if you were very good, you were taken along, with Jackie. There was a boy lived next to the truck patch, who painted beautiful pictures on glass, deer and cows and trees and things. ‘To paint on glass and have your effcrts displayed to any and all callers by doting parents became the moment's big ambition, If you would promise to be very still, and not fall in the river, you could sit on the bank and watch Bill fish, while Senta Claus hoed his potatoes. ‘Then'hcme again, with the buggy laden with corn and tomatoes and string ans. While Molly was being unhitched, you lingered by the kitchen garden, with its foamy bunch of asparagus, that somehow was too pretty to be associated with mere vegetcbles; sauntered to the pump, where you began to bathe your eyes in cold fresh water, cnly to have Mrs. Santa Claus warn you never to| wash your eyes in cold water, always in hot, for “cold water would congest them.” * ok % And then the climax of the day. Looking very mysterious, but not fool- ing you a bit, Mrs. Santa wculd open the cellar door and go down the steps. Soon she would be back, bearing a ]a.rg:l crock full of perfect soft ginger cookies, just soft enough, just lpfcey You turned it with a|did. enough—never since have you eaten such cockies. Some word, some tempugelmel will back memaries of crock of warned on his best behavior and mind his table | 1" the manners, and especially to eat his ple with a fork. For the preacher and the doctor were the entire “elite” of that pleasant little iown of 30 years ago. The dinner was served. The guests ate and praised and then ate more. gold and ity flowered china plates, silver forks neatly laid alongside. “Ahs!” sald old “Doc” Henry. “There’s o?ly‘o.ne way to really enjoy a piece of ple!” And he lifted the slab in his fingers and took a very large bite. * ok x X . You recall that the preacher looked shocked, but you forget whether Santa ’| Claus followed the doctor’s example and ate as he wanted to, or was prim and ate it with a fork, as the preacher You are pretty sure that after that “Doc” Henry was probably not held in quite such awe as a socialite, but no doubt was liked better than ever. * ok x x You moved away, and years after- ward, when you were very old—all of 10—you were taken back there on a visit. Mrs. Santa Claus was sick in bed, and you all knew she would never get up again. She rambled on about some tiresome bank scandal, and how s “detector” was looking into things, You got a momentary smile out of “detector,” for ‘“detective.” You were getting very smart, you were. ‘The room smelled of medicine and sickness; your foot was asleep; you ‘were too old for pleasure in grindstonts and soap kettles and looking through Tegisters; and the rose vine was not in bloom, even if it still climbed into the old window. Worst of all, there were no soft ginger cookies, and hadn't been. for a long time. You were a selfish, hard-hearted pig, and knew it. But the amell of ginger bread in a bakery shon will bring back the mem- ory of that kind-hearted German couple. You hope that somewhere Mrs. Santa Claus still is bearing golden crocks of soft ginger cookies to appre- clative little angels, that Mr. Santa is taking Jackie along with Mollie to a heavenly truck patch. * kX X Thank you, kind reader. . How far away those days seem, even to us who remember them! Perhaps children of today will cher- ish similar memories in years to come, but we wonder what of, and how Think of the words, the good old words, that mean absolutely nothing to the youngsters now. “Buggy.” for instance. If you were to pop that one at a modern kid he would think you were spexking of some- thing or other infested by insects. It is obsolete, in the sense of vehicle, to the mass of persons born during the past 20 years, The hopeful thing is that the senti- ments of human beings—we speak of the good sentiments—are the same as ever. All the dictators in the world cannot change a jot of them. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Disarmament came prominently into the picture while President Roosevelt and Prime Minister MacDonald were cruising on the Potomac yesterday, but the attitude of the United States— it may be stated on pretty good au- thority—is that for the moment dis- armament is of secondary consideration. ‘War debts come in the same category. The Roosevelt-Hull plan, unless it has undergone an eleventh-hour change, is to subordinate everything to the broad, general and all-underlying economic and monetary needs of the world. Dis- armament and debts, for the time being at least, are held to be minor issues, to be tackled after major questions are dealt with. The American view is that it will be far easier to tackle them after paramount problems lke restor- ing the free flow of international trade and co-related things like gold, cur- rency, exchange and tariffs—tariffs, above all—have received corrective at- tention. Messrs. MacDonald and Her- riot may demur to the order of prece- dence thus indicated, but the new deal thinks it is the oniy way. * % ¥ *x Ramsay MacDonald has visibly aged since last in Washington in October, 1929. It is not surprising. He has sur- vived rigorous 'g:mim and vicissitudes in interval. did he weather an ordeal that for a time threatened him with blindness, but he clashed violently with his old politi- cal organigation, the British Labor party, and for nearly two years has been at irreconcilable loggerheads with it. When he tisited President Hoover the minister came as the head of second triumphant Labor gov- ernment. Mr. MacDonald is in Wash- ington now as leader of a ‘“National” government, which holds office only on sufferance of the overwhelming Con- servative majority in the House of Commons, Labor’s traditional foe. But the ravages of time have signally failed to rob the seommdn :; his clnrl::. poetic eloquence an oyancy. 'S an upenoqle“eret in Great Britain that his' political career to a considerable extent depends upon his present mis- sion. If he brings home a working agreement with the United States, which can be “sold” to Parliament and the country as definitely advantageous to the British people, heightened pres- tige will insure Mr. MacDonald & new lease of office. If he returns empty- handed, it's extremely likely, as he hinted at his first press conference in Washington, that the sage of Lossie- mouth will soon be earning his living A T M. Edousrd Herriot is in the United States this time under vastly different | cobbler: circumstances than when he first vis- ited the country in 1923. Although mayor of Lyon and leader of the Left pu{y in the French' Chamber, he was almost totally. unknown over here.. Even when it was indicated to such organiza- tions as the Bankers’ Club of New York City and the New York Chamber of Commerce that Herriot might soon be of France (as he was), little in him. The Soc Chamber of Commerce, on Herrick's initiative, decided to invite the French- to speak. Later M. Herriot was entertained, both West and East, Nea'Sy President Goolides en! bassador !ment of the remainder cent function ardently beating time with her hands to the music of a Strauss waltz which the orchestra was playing. A neighbor asked the First Lady if she liked dancing. “I love it,” she replied, “especially waltzes. But I don't think I care much for modern dance music.” * x ok x If the Thomas bill becomes law, it's suggested that the great plant in Wash- ington where Uncle Sam’'s mcney and bands are engraved and printed should Iae. ux;chmuned “The Bureau of In- L Reports are_current at the Capitol that one of the early effects of cur- rency inflation may be a resumption of the demand for the soldiers’ bonus. Some members of Congress have heard that the veterans are saying that if ‘here's to be a couple of billion new paper dollars, more or less, floating about, it isn't improper for them to renew their request for immediate pay- of adjusted compensation, which the previous Con- gress refused. As of March 31, 1933, loans on the certificates representing adjusted compensation gated $1,- 509,240,000, or about half the total amount due. The American Legion, up to the time of the bonus march on Wi , had not identified itself with the demand for immediate pay- ment, but, following the experience of the veterans here last Summer, the ensuing Legion convention passed a resolution in its favor. The argument {for payment now seems to be that if the purpose of inflation is to put money | Am¢ into circulation, it couldn't be given to any class more:likely to spend it freely than the service men, * X k% Canadian Prime Minister Bennett’s arrival in Washington tor the economic conferences calls attention to the fact | P! that there's a unique resemblance in the respective family relations that shortly will prevail, diplomatically, be- tween the U. S. A. and the Dominion. Canada’s Minister at Washington, Col. Herridge, is a brother-in-law of Premier Bennett. America’s Minister-design: to Canada, Warren Delano Robbins, is & first cousin v;l l:ru‘ident Roosevelt, * Seoretary of Lebor Perkins says she has an inherited faith in statistics, come down to her from a paternal grandfather who lived to be 102. In her recent speech before the D. A. R., Miss Perkins told how her ancestor, then aged 99, once made life a burden for & cobbler by insisting on having a pair of shoes bullt so stoutly, sole and upper and from toe to heel, that they'd be well-nigh indestructible. Quoth the : “Why, Mr. Perkins, you don't expect to live long enough to wear out these shoes, do you ” To which the near centenarian rejoined: “Don’t you know that statistics show that very few men die after 992" (Copyright. 1933.) Monopolists. From The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. A Ot joy P! e umi mal seem to have had more than their share of advantages, Answered. Prom The Detrolt News. Ambassador Bowers was once & high school orator. which offers the first in- formation as to what becomes of a orator. Bribery Proposed. Prom The 8t. Louis Globe-Democrat. The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. Currency inflation has become over- night a political as well as an economic issue in this country. Republican leaders in Congress and out have bro- ken flatly with the Roosevelt adminis- tration over the Thomas amendment to the farm relief bill, which is the President’s inflation program, a pro- gram which the Chief Executive has demanded be onrnved by Congress without _delay. lines are being drawn, and the fight in the Republicans, vania in ti tive Snell in be able to prevent favorable action on the Thomas amend- ment, which the Democrats aim to at- tach as a rider to the farm relief bill. Only a flareback from the country of serious proportions would be able to shake the determination of the Demo- crats to go through with this legisla- tion. None at present is in sight. * KK K So far there has been no currency inflation under this proposed legisla- | E. tion. Such inflation as there has been in the past week is due to President Roosevelt’s order to clamp down an embargo on gold shipments from this country, taking us off the gold stand- ard at least for the time being. That measure of inflation has not yet been widespread. But should there be a sudden increase in the prices of food | and clothing and other necessities in | the great populous centers of the coun- try, a roar which might easily raise some of the Democratic leaders clear out of their chairs would pmbablg‘be ve | heard. The Republicans, who been going along with the administra- tion in its emergency prog:m pretty well up to the present time, believe that sooner or later, if the administra- tion persists in going through with this rogram of curreicy inflation, the roar go! to come. They are going to take advantage of it, if it does come. At the same time, many of the Re- publicans conscientiously believe that such currency inflation can only lead to disaster—just as it did, for example, in Germany when the printing presses turned out money by the bale that w:‘nhanly fit to light the kitchen fires with, * k% % President Rcosevelt is given tremen- dous powers over the Nation's currency in the Thomas amendment. He may bring about inflation through action of the Federal Reserve banks, directing them to purchase in the open market Government securities against which notes may be issued, up to a total of $3,000,000,000. He may start the Bu- reau of Engraving and Printing to turning out “greenbacks,” which would be legal tender and could be used to pay Government obligations, but which would be backed by the Government credit alone—also to the tune of $3,- 000,000,000. He may also cut the gold in the gold dollar at one-half what it now is. And finally, he may accept up to $100,000,000 in silver from the foreign debtor nations in payment of their debts to the United States. x x kX ‘There is nothing in the amendment mandatory. It is merely permissive and leaves the whole matter of inflation to the discretion of the President. He may never use it. But if he doesn’t, there will certainly be a howl of large proportions frcm the Thomases, the Rankins, the Longs and many others in the Congress who today are taking the lead in the demand for currency in- flation. It has been suggested that the President is seeking this wide authority 50 85 to head off mandatory inflation legislation by the Congress. Apparent- ly, however, the men who are strongly for inflation of the currency are con- vinced that, given these powers, the President intends to use them. * ¥ x % Now the Republicans, or some of them at least, are not firing at the President because he took the country off the gold standard in an effort to prevent the rifiing of the gold supplies of the Nation by foreign nations, a process that was under way. They may not object to the President reaching an agreement with the foreign nations for stabilization of currencies and in- ternational exchange. But they do most seriously ooject to his tam with the American currency. d it may be sald that soine of the Democrats also have grave misgivings and are relying on Z of the kind, after the legisiation shall been The New York Times, enting editorially on flation bill,” the ment, says: “Whoever drafted the ‘con- trolled inflation’ bill cen have had little acquaintance with economic history.” Short and not very compli- mentary. It is quite true that the President’s negotiations with the foreign powers to | bring about economic recovery, not only here but in the rest of the world, may completely overshadow the row between the Republicans and the Democrats over currency inflation in this country. Upon the success of these negotiations will in all probability depend real provc ment. that the President will be successful in these negotiations, not only by Democrats, but also by Republicans. But should those negotiations fail, then America must continue to try to lift itself out of the economic bog. the matter of domestic currency infia- tion will have had tremendous signifi- cance. It may never be tried, and man; ericans will heave a sigh of relief * K k% The thought back of currency in- flation is to increase commodity prices, thereby causing the producers to pro- duce more and thereby give more em- t and wages to, the workers, which' in turn wmn“fi“: mcar: and more buying power. It all depends upon whether there must be increased buy- ing power in the first instance. Ol viously there will be no increased buy- ing power until there has been greater production and employment and greater distribution of wages. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That is the kind of question which the Amer- ican people must ponder over today. Generally speaking, the great majority of the people have never given any thought to such a problem, to the wvb‘- lem of currency inflation. They don't know what it is all about They hope that it will work. They don’t know. Perhaps that is the reason that up to date there has been no very greas popu- lar debate over the matter. The have had m;‘ti mtxi‘::uio T:xey t.“l( ml; to try an: get out. ‘cn\;e should prove worse than the dis: ease, it would be just too bad for the Democrats, but, more particularly, it would be very, very bad for the whole people. * % k% Senator Carl Hayden of Arizona, one it is not. ‘| of the advocates of the greater use of :lévar é&ll' c'grrency, u\;enl months ago lvan le proposal, mow el in the administration’s inflation meas- large amount lver part payment of the foreign debts owed this coun- try. He coupled with it a demand that the Bflthhmlhould not only stop ‘dned- same time -the foreign debtors would find it easier to pey the United States | their debts. As a matter of fact, that tion’s inflation of hmmtwmeo(mmhomflsq should not pay the debts at all. T Times, Indeed. the President’s doing nothing | im- | It is devoutly to be hoped | Few Americans realize how much their Government doss for them. Read- ers -of The Evening Star can draw on all Government activities through our free information service. The world's libraries, laboratories, and ex- perimental stations are at their com- mand. Ask any question of fact and it will be answered, free, by mail di- rect to ycmi lncll;;:e m:;:; 1n‘|:oln or stamps for reply not use cards. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Has- kin, Director, Washington, D. C. Q. How do the expenditures of the United States Government on its vet- i | erans compare with other countries?— F. H. Atlantic Monthly, says: “Our expendi- ture for veterans last year was at the rate of $2,668.66 for every American in action; ly Canada combined was only $53.60.” Q. How many trees are available for planting in the reforestation project?— 8. A. The American Forestry Association estimates that there are about 250,000,- 000 seedlings available for planting this year. Q. When was the first bridge built across the Mississippi River at St. Louis?>—M. L. A. In 1874. Previous to that time ferries were used. Q. How long has a “mail early” cam- been conducted for Christmas A. The first reference in the Post Office Department files is in November, 1913. This was at the time the parcel | post was established. Sending packzges | overseas during the World War empha- sized the idea, and succeeding years have found mailed packages more evenly distributed over the weeks before Christmas. Q. How does Mzdras hemp compare with jute?—M. P. A. Madras hemp is lighter and ‘stmnzer than jute and is used for rope | and bagging. Q. How much money has the United States borrowed?—N. T. A. One estimate shows that since 1789 the United States has borrowed $470,000,000,000 on Treasury evidences of indebtedness bearing interest. cost of this money $18,800,000,000 in interest. In addition, there has been a substantial non-inter- est-bearing indebtedness at different periods. Q. In Canada are there more people in citles or on the farms?—B. T. F. A. In 1931 there were 5,572,058 in urban centers and 4,804,728 in rural Canada. There is a back-to-the-land movement in Canada which has placed been placed in farm employment. Ca- | nadian provincial governments are co- | operat in an effort to establish more city dwellers in the country. Q. Where is the oldest Christian monastery in the world>—A. T. A. It is the St. Katherine Monastery from the Gulf of Suez. It was estab- lished in the fifth century. The main monastery is near the base of Mount Sinal, but there is a shrine on the sum- mit of the nearby Mount St. Katherine. Q. What mine in the United States has the record for the largest output of co2l in one day?—F. G. A. The Bureau of Mines says that the New Orient mine, West Frankfort, Ill., hoisted the maximum of 13,563 tons of coal in one day. Q. In what order do the feet of & A. Lawrence Sullivan, writing in the | & The | has amounted to| 10,733 families on farms in a little over | two years and 23,253 single men have | on the Sinai Peninsula, about 30 miles| ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. horse strike the ground when it is gal- loping?—V. B. A. If the notation of a stride by the horse during a :Ellup begins with the landing of a hind foot upon the grouns as the left hind foot, the right hind will next strike the ground, and at a con- siderable distance forward; then fall in succession, the left forefoot, and the right forefoot at a distance from each other sometimes equal to the height of the animal. The consecutive founde tions of support are the left hind foct; both hind feet, the right hind foot, the right hind and the left forefeet, the left forefoot, both forefeet, the rigng forefoot, from which the animal will 3] g into the air. In this last phase, e only one in the gallop when the mal is entirely off the ground, all the legs are flexed under the body. Q. Has the re:ennnment bonus been discontinued in the Uni t Army?—C. F. X. D “?’. It will be discontinued on July 1, Q. How much damage was done by the great fire of London?—C. A. V. A. It covered 436 acres, destroyed 13,200 houses and 89 churches, includ- ing St. Paul's, September 2-6, 1668. Q. When was the Pioneer, the first all-Pullman-built sleeping car, taken out of service?—M. H. A. It went into active scrvice in 1865 and its actual last trip is believed to vh/:.:edbetm n;lg: "1!1;1 !éle late '90s. It lestroyer e Calumet sho August, 1903. it Q. How many amendments to the | Constitution are now before the States for ratification?—N. E. W. A. Two—the child labor amendment | and the amendment for repeal of the eighteenth amendment. Q. What causes “mother” to appear in vinegar?—R. I. M. i | A. “Mother” in distilled vinegar is |a group of vinegar cells. Saccharo- | myces aceti is an organism in the vine- gar which causes the alcohol to be converted into acetic acid. After this change takes place in the vinegar, the “mother” appears. | Q. What countries have free trade at | present>—s. s | A. None. England was | what is known as a free trade formerly country, but at present has adopted tariffs to meet the high tariffs in other countries, has peanut butter been Q. How long | made?—T. O'B. A. It first came into use about twenty- five or thirty years ago as a food for {invelids. It soon became a staple | article of food. Peznut butter con- tains only the ground kernels of roaste ed, blanched peanuts, with the addi- tion of 1 to 4 per cent of salt. The i}(l?og value of peanut butter is very | high. | Q. When an offender is sentenced to | prison at “nard labor,” what form of labor is provided?—L. M. A. At the present time it is not pose sible to carry out all such sentences literally. Adequate and suitable occu- | pation _during prison terms is one of the serious problems of the day. Q. What kind of an anesthetic is avertin?—D. G. A. Avertin is known te chemists as & bromine derivative of ethyl alcohol called beta-tribromoethyl alcohol. Aver- tin is usually administered by means of } a rectal injection of a 212 or 3 per cent agqueous solution and is generally used as a basal anesthetic, followed by ether, gas or local anesthetic. Q. Please define space.—E. M. L. A. Space may be defined as contin- Uous extension. This conception has two principal forms according as it is employed to meet the practical de- mands of mathematics in the geomet- rical branches or is treated from the standpoint of its psychological origin. Public Expects Restoration of 2-cent postage, it is Indicated in comments, is expected by those who have given attention to Gov- ernment financing. The 3-cent charge has been an admitted failure as a | means of raising revenue, and business houses have employed substitute meth- ods for the old Tgnctice of using local drop letters. e view prevails that both users of the mails and the Gov- ernment would gain by a return to the old rate. “We belive that, upon consideration of the problem, Postmaster General Farley will be persuaded that lower postage rates generally will increase, rather than decrease, revenues, since they will stimulate the use of the mails,” says the Baltimore Evening Sun. The San Francisco Chronicle declares: “The post office is not the only place where this has been the experience. In many instances it has been found that de- crease of sales volume outweighs in- crease in rates. With cigarettes, for example, it has been found that at- | tempts to put a State levy on top of the Government tax has merely reduced the Government returns and has dis- ‘Then | appointed the States.” “The 3-cent rate has not proved popular,” declares the Cleveland News. “It hasn’t increased revenue as ex- deficit, and hasn’t put more men to work. It is particularly excessive in the case of drop letters, delivered in the city where mailed, and it is doubtful if it is warranted for any type of postal service. Put the rate back at 2 cents. The country will make greater use of the mails when that is done.” “The proposed change,” remarks the Boston Transcript, be confined to ‘drop’ or local letters, which it is feasible for commercial houses, utility concerns and advertisers to distribute through their own messengers. A report shows a loss of some $75,000,000 in rev- enue through the ill-advised attempt to burden the people with an expense which they could see & way to avoid. Back-tracking on 3-cent postage, even in a limited way, will offer the double advantage of providing more revenue for the Government and at the same time adding materially to the personal convenience of our citizens.” “The law lof (Iilm‘ii.nhhlnzumn:‘ has been very clearly demonstrat re- t to the 3-cent rate on first- c mail,” asserts the Connelsville Daily Courier, with the suggestion as to the probable result of a restoration of the old rate: “It is certain to be popular and there is little expectation that this plan will be opposed. A return of the 2- cent stamp will be hailed as welcome by post office patrons and the probabilities are that the revenues will shortly there- after show a decided increase. It may, however, take some time for the people formed in effecting economy in pestage costs, but the convenience the stamp offers, as against “other methods, will appeal to the average sender of mail and they will in due season return to the more general use of 2-cent stamps.” “The change to 2-cent postage for letters posted and delivered within cities,” comments the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, “will help materially to increase Post Office Department reve- nues, we believe, and it is not unreas- onable to forecast that if this conces- ?| gion to letter writers proves a wise move the ultimate outcome will be to also restore the lower rate of postage on all sealed-letter mail. It is certain that considerable business will come back if tted to carry the of three, for un- ‘Thouses, tributing their letters through ‘or by | pected; it hasn’t wiped out the postal to get away from the habit they have |V Postal Rate Cut as Revenue Producer reduced local postage are recognized by the Hartford Daily Times, the Provi- | dence Bulletin, the Lincoln State Jour- nal, the Escanaba Daily Press and the | Milwaukee Sentinel. The New York Sun declares: “To restore the rate on local letter mail to 2 cents an ounce should recover for the Post Office De- partment a considerable portion of the business lost by the increase effective |on July 6 last. That this loss of busi- ness has been primarily the result of the increase in the rate rather than a reflection of decreasing business activity | has been the growing conviction of postal officials. In big towns and littie |ones the private messenger has de- | livered bills for public utility companies |and other corporations that were fore merly delivered by the mail carrier. Most | of this business will be won back by | restoring the old rate on letters for de- livery in the postal district of origin.” “The Government is not yet ready, apparently, to go back to 2-cent letters generally,” says the Roanoke World- News, observing that the higher rate ‘had the result of driving a large amount of matter from the mails.” The Texarkana Gazette suggests that it would be better to limit the franking privilege, and the Fort Worth Star-Tele- gram offers the judgment: “The public needs a 2-cent letter postage rate. All in all and by and large, it needs it more urgently than does the Post Office De- partment. A reduction of one-third of the dally postage bill is an item worth the attention of all business establish= ments. One thousand letters a week at 3 cents represents the wages of an office boy if the stamps are reduced to 2 cents each. Or, more to the point, it represents 500 more letters in the United States mail. Personal mail iz well known to increase with reduced The San Antonio Express joins in criticism of the frnirflklng privilege, and, economy efforts in_connection with the airmail, states: “The Govern- ment is spending larger sums incom- parably more ‘wastefully’ than the 19 million dollars voted for that branch.” e High Courage in Wheat Belt From the Kansas City Times. The strgin of ploneer stock is strong in the people of Kansas. It traces back to the days of the covered wagon and the sod house, to many and burdenscme hardships encountered in transforming the prairies into productive farms. That I'-rl& has been serviceable and has been strengthened through perlodical suffer- ing. " It withstood the grasshopper scourage and destructive droughts. It gave courage and resourcefulness to the hrmesl of the wheat belt in the “bad ‘ears.’ The wheat belt has another bad year, the second in succession. Much of the wheat that had survived the severe drought has been swept away by terrific winds. But the old spirit prevails. The wheat farmers are adjusting themselves with characteristic ~philosophy adaptability. By degrees they have re~ vealed capacity to learn from thefr adversities. Not only will they plant other crops, mostly forage, on much of the wheat area, but they will make first- hand use of these crops in feeding more cattle, in extending their dairying ac- tivities, in the raising of poultry. Even in the wheat belt, where there has been unusual