Evening Star Newspaper, November 29, 1934, Page 6

A—6 .THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON,D.C. THURSDAY, November 29, 1934 THEODORE W. NOYES. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company | Business Office: 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave, New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan 3uilding. European Office: 14 Regent St.. London. England, Rate by Carrler Within the City. Regular Edition. The Evening Star.........450per month The Evening and Sunday Star (when 4 Sundays) ... 60cper month The Evening and Sunday Sta Cwhen 5 Sundave) & The Sunday Star. Night Fnal Edition, Nieht Pinal and Sunday Star, 70c per month Night Pinal Star.... .. .. 55 Collection made ‘at ‘the end month. ~ Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000, per month per copy Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Datly and Sunday Daily oniy. . Sunday only. All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday, 1 yr., $12.00; 1 mo., $1.00 D only $8.00: 1 mo., $5.00; 1 mo., 75¢ 50¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively en- titled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not other- wise credited in this paper and also the Iocal news published herem Al rights of publication of special dispatches are also reserved e Thanksgiving. BY proclamation of President | Rooseveit, the American people join today in thanksgiving to Almighty | God. The occasion is an annual acknowledgment of the bond which links the Nation to its providential source. It constitutes a formal recog- nition of the religious basis of civili- zation and represents in its inspira- tion and purpose an appreciation of | the power without which no state| can survive Lor any population prosper. Let it be conceded that life is diffi- cult and that many are sorely bur- dened and troubled, Thanksgiving day nevertheless will be observed through- out the land in the manner dictated by a well-beloved tradition. The world is rife with struggle and sorrow, but humanity is not succumbing to its ills, and for that capacity to face misfortunes, if for no other reason, the people are giateful. | But mere survival would not be enough. Progress also is necessary, and as morth follows month gains are veing accomplished. The race is not standing still. On the contrary, slowly but steadily it is achieving| victory 1n its strife with circumstance. | And is fiting and proper that! acknowledgment should be offered for the spiritual endowment which ren- ders possible the gradual triumph. Skeptics, of course, may mock or sneer, but the average men and women of the present “age of transi- tion” know that they are related to something universal, infinite and beneficent outside themselves which gives them the will and the strength to press on no matter how difficult the road. Hence the compelling in-| gtinct toward prayer and praise which | moves a multitude toward a general | expression of fellowship and love on | the designated last Thursday of each | successive November. The which prompted the thanksgiving of | the Pilgrims and the thanksgiving of | Abraham Lincoln is the same which now again is given utterance by President Roosevelt in the words: | With gratitude in our hearts for{ what has already been achieved, may | we, with the help of God, dedicate | ourselves anew to work for the Det- terment of mankind. The festival is America's only 1e- ligious feast. Its character is funda- mentally social, fraternal and in- spirational. The memory of it, when it has passed, should help the Nation forward to even a happier Thanks- giving in 1935, o A New Deal for France. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the New Deal has another feather in its cap, for France is now to experience a program of regimenta- tion for industry and agriculture which bears a more than cousinly resemblance to the Roosevelt “evo- lution.” Its general character was roughly outlined this yeek by the new pre- mier, M. Pierre-Etienne Flandin, be- fore a gathering of French merchants and manufacturers. Broadly, his plan calls for adapting French production to consumption and enlarging foreign markets through mutually lowered tariff barriers. Bills to carry out these purposes will shortly be submitted to Parliament. France was late in joining the de- pression that struck the United States and the rest of the world. Today Premier Flandin has no hesitation in declaring the French economic | position is most critical. He com- pares it to a house on fire and de- scribes his proposed measures as those necessary in such an emergency. This is the premier’s justification for setting aside the Doumergue consti- tutional reforms for the time being in favor of more imperative finan- cial and economic action. He will avoid devaluation of the franc as long as possible, and apparently not invoke deflation except as a last desperate recourse. M. Flandin asks the French for such unquestioning support as the Amer- fcan people have given President Roosevelt. The French are reminded that Mr. Roosevelt “did not have time to revise the United States Constitu- tion—even though it may have needed 1t as much as ours—before he went to work to put things in order.” The pre- mier calls upon France to emulate America and Great Britain in rallying around their leaders in the face of danger. He points out that such “dis- cipline” obviated censorship and re- pressive laws, and looked upon ldle eriticism as cowardice and treason be- €ause it paralyzed action. Concretely, Premier Flandin intends to apply himself to agricultural re- striction, unemployment, public works, tariff reciprocity, regulation of indus- try through codes, protection guaran- tees for consumers and other innova- tions that have be'come familiar to 6 herein | | impulse | taking—a celebration of the bicenten- | its refusal to permit accredited phi- | loan to retirement of bonds held here | Americans during the past bewildering year and a half. In still further emu- lation of trans-Atlantic practices, it is proclaimed that the program is an emergency plan “for the duration of the depression only.” In the disturbed political atmosphere of present-hour Europe, the Flandin scheme is a harbinger of peace. Once the French have their national nose on such a grindstone they will have little opportunity to worry about war. Americans can assure them that a new deal is a whole-time job. ———————__ A Final Monument. The last report of the George Wash- ing Bicentennial Commission has just come from the presses and may be considered the final monument of the celebration of the two-hundredth | anniversary of the birth of the Father of His Country. It provides in de- tailed recapitulation a panoramic re- | view of the work of the commission itself and of its multitudinous allies, the patriotic, civic, educational, re- ligious and esthetic organizations of the Nation, It proves beyond all question the scope and compass of the enterprise—literally world-wide and all-inclusive in its character. More than a million words of text| and several hundred illustrations were needed to tell the story, and the re- sultant volume consequently is a mine of information on the civilization of the era in which it belongs. If it serves no other purpose than that of furnishing a guide for the endeavors | of the people in any similar under- | ary of Thomas Jefferson in 1943, for example—its compilation and publica- tion will have been worth while. But for one not inconsequential class of Americans the book has spe- cial and particular significance, It marks the establishment of a prece- dent for the repeal of the regulation whereby the reproduction in print of | postage stamp designs is forbidden. | Philatelists for many years have agi- | tated for this reform in vain. Now,| in the Bicentennial Commission re- port, the commemorative issues of 1932 are frankly depicted. No at- tempt has been made to conceal their lines. They are shown boldly, plainly | and without apology. To bodies like the American Philatelic Society the fact will be of great importance. It will be argued—with ample justice, it would seem—that the Government has broken its own law and that it no longer successfully can defend ! | latelic journals to do what it incon-| tinently has done. Representative | Sol Bloom, commission chairman, has promised to aid in the campaign to| change the regulation. He says the restriction is “foolish—because any one who wished to counterfeit a stamp need not rely on a newspaper or maga- zine cut; he may buy a sample in any post office.” That is common sense. e~ Loan-Worthy Finland. [ittle Finland,” the one country | among our European war debtors | which has kept an absolutely clean | slate in Washington, is now reaping the fruits of the unique record she | made for herself. She is offering a $10,000,000 issue of her government's four per cent notes to American in- vestors. Having committed no de- faults, asked for no postponements and tendered no “token™ payments on ac- | count of existing obligations to the United States, Finland is exempt from the prohibitions of the Johnson act | which bars from our money market | the securities of any nation in full or | partial default on its debts to the | Washington Government. Finland plans to apply the proceeds of her new four per cent American T drawing five and a half and seven per cent. Some $18,000,000 of these former issues is still outstanding. The | difference between that sum and the proceeds of the $10,000,000 loan about | to be floated will be met from Finnish balances in this country. Substantial improvement in her foreign trade has placed Finland in favorable circum- stances and in position materially to curtail her foreign indebtedness. Alongside the billions of dollars due us from countries like Great Britain, France and Italy and the considerable number of millions which nations like Poland, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Lat- via, Greece and Lithuania owe us, the debt of Finland is relatively unim- portant. Nevertheless, she is now showing our other war debtors the practical advantage of avoiding de- fault in American eyes by finding a cordial welcome awalting her when | she comes to us again in the guise of | a borrower. On December 15 semi-annual debt | installments will again be due from these European delinquents. It would be a wholesome thing for all con- cerned if a considerable proportion of them were to decide to emulate the praiseworthy example of “little Fin- land” in keeping the faith. That American investors will show a reass appreciation of a good credit risk by quick absorption of the new Finnish loan is not to be doubted. — e Ocean Speed. Speed laurels are not to be left en- tirely to stream-lined railroad trains and flashing airplanes. Ocean grey- hounds are determined to do their bit to gratify the world's craze to annihi- late distance. They cannot, of course, hope to approximate the rate at which trains spin along steel rails or flying machines careen through space, but the modern oceanic giantess in- tends to keep pace with the world's demand for speed by traveling at a clip never hitherto approached. Such, at any rate, is the prospect held out for the gigantic new White Star-Cunarder Queen Mary. Her schedule calls for a ninety-six-hour run for the 3,100 miles between Cherbourg and New York. To maintain this speed she will have to steam an average of 3212 knots, or four miles an hour faster than the average for the fastest Atlantic crossing ever made. Actually, it is said, the Queen Mary's reserve power is great enough to drive the ship thirty-fur o thirty-five ! ' THE knots, which must be reached at times to maintain her average. Passengers will be able to lunch in Cherbourg on Saturday and have tea in New York on the follow- ing Wednesday afternoon. An elabo- rately calculated time-table will enable the mammoth liner to turn around in New York Harbor—arrive and de- part—in twelve hours. Ocean voyages used to be recom- mended for prolonged rest. If the Queen Mary darts back and forth across the herring pond in the dizzy time projected, men and women who travel aboard her will no doubt get somre rest, but it will not be very pro- longed. At that, ocean crossing, even on the Queen Mary, will be a tame and leisurely experience compared to the thirty-six to forty-eight hour trip that will be possible when the trans- Atlantic Zeppelins are in service. And even that will seem a bore when you can book by plane for a twenty-four- hour jaunt from Sandy Hook to the cliffs of Dover. ——— * Huey Long may be “boy-minded” as psychologists say. He lacks, however, the agreeable traits of the hero of Thomas Bailey Aldrich’s “Story of a Bad Boy” or Mark Twain's “Tom Saw- yer” or even of “Peck’s Bad Boy."” It is customary for this Nation to do things in its own way. There will never be the kind of fascism that might make the President of the United States look like the King of Italy. R Criminals are adroit and when shrewd enough they may cease to trouble the local police and intrude into high places where they may as- sist in making history. R The spirit of Santa Claus promotes | self-sacrifice even to the extent of call- ing for a surrender of dignity for the sake of bringing smiles to the faces of children. There is so much nearby election confusion that it might seem desirable to take the voting privilege away from the suburbs and give it to the District of Columbia. +eons The killing of a gangster is a public benefit, but the death of a brave officer of the law in the course of the trans- action is by no means a fair exchange. e There is a grim system of promotion in the underworld. There is already some one designated to succeed to Nelson's title, “Public Enemy No. 1.” e Disorders in the Saar Valley are already being brought into evidence. A sense of order may be such as to require rehearsals even for a riot, <A S There are so many Democrats in the | country that a disposition may arise to oppose them merely for the sake of being different. — e When a navy ratio is decided on ; militarists may feel called upon to look for some Kind of an airship ratio. e The Communist continues to im- | agine himself a magician who can turn a soap box into a powder magazine, e—e— Hauptmann has left it to be inferred that he has pals who are even more interesting and important than he is. - SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Call of the Wild. T know that I with care should heed | Conventional propriety, And with sedate attention read ‘The news about society. But 'mongst the pieces so polite I cannot find a narrative Like one where shotguns in the night Speak sentences declarative, I sometimes get sardonic laughs From talks on human brotherhood, And smile perusing paragraphs Concerning home and motherhood. I should attempt with solemn pride To think this world a nunnery, But gangs keep calling, far and wide, “Go, get thee to a gunnery!” Child Fancy. “Don't you enjoy all these holiday references to children?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I was especially pleased to learn the latest news about the gangster known as ‘Baby Face.'” Jud Tunkins says he don't think gambling can be stopped all at once, but he does wish there could be some way to compel everybody to play a gentleman’s game, Souvenirs, A half-obliterated postage stamp The proud collector's bringing into camp, But he who fain would hoard his| silver small Finds in collecting no relief at all. Devaluation comes from time to time, And none takes heed of a half-can- celed dime, After the Trial. “That prosecuting attorney worked hard to convict you.” “Yes,” answered Mr. Dustin Stax, “I could have made a big man of him if I could have discovered him in time to utilize his eloquence in sales- manship.” “When I am ill,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “I send to my native land for remedies. By the time they arrive Nature has cured me without the interference of doctors.” Fetish. We go 'way back for symbols strange. ‘The swastika calls for a change From signs to which men made a bow. It fascinates—we can't say how. But in bereavement or in joy One $ymbol we must all employ. In every modern $ocial $cheme The dollar mark is $till $upreme, “Thanksgivin’ ” said Uncle Eben, “is de good old day dat makes everybody look hisself over and admit dat he has some cause ‘;oh gratitude,” ¢ EVENING STAR, s WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘The most absurd woman in the world is she who expects the airs of a Spanish grandee from every man she meets aboard street car or bus. She is so terribly behind the times that life aboard public vehicles is made misearable for her by the stranger who happens to occupy a seat she covets. If he does not leap up at her ap- proach, she mentally believes him a rascal, or even openly accuses him of being far less than he should be. Most often the poor fellow is dum- ifounded at the charge. He was brought up by a good mother, in the days when manners meant something, and is as polite as most men. It happened this morning he was thinking of something else at the time of the lady's approach; he honestly did not discover her presence until after she had squeezed by him. * ok K ok “Most people,” said she, with a large and audible sniff, “get up when people are trying to get by.” | Fortunately he said nothing in re- | ply. : ‘Wise and happy is he, in the world of transport, who knows when to keep silent! Had he said a word, had he opened his mouth, had he uttered a sound, she would have made two remarks grow where only one was before. | Her pleasantry had been heard only | by the man across the aisle. all, she would have said many things in reply to his reply. The best thing that he could do was to keep still, and he did it, with aplomb, indeed, he kept so still. * ok % % This silence was one part common sense, one part amazement. The common sense part of it de- manded that nothing be said. that the charge of impoliteness not be digni- fied by denial. The amazement portion of the vic- tim’s attitude was due to the fact that he knew something the lady did not know— Just how difficult it was to get up from that particular seat in order to permit a newcomer to get in to the far side. This particular bus was at least six | years old and in that length of time | such equipment grows obsolete. In order for the one seated on the inner, or aisle side, to get up it is necessary for him to arise directly in the place where the standing person is. This situation is brought about by | the fact that there is very little room | there. Through long years of riding the victim had discovered that the best thing to do in such & crowded situa- tion is to swing around to one side, | slide in over his knees. ‘This maneuver is the work of but | & second and he had done it so many times, always without a kick of any sort, that he was very much amazed of habit—made her audible remarks. * *x % actual courtesy another. He or she who observes the forms only, and not the spirit of the courtesy, will insist on their performance even when they create unnecessary disturb- ance. He or she who understands some- thing, even dimly, of the real inner If the victim had said anything at | and permit the second passenger to when the lady—he called her that out | Theoretical politeness is one tmng,l essence of true politeness, will never be | such a stickler for form that there will ever be any danger of courtesy being trampled on in the name of courtesy. This too often happens. And it is true that the real thing, as distinguished from pseudo-polite- ness, is never on the lookout for what impression it makes, but solely to see that the way is eased for some other human being. 1f this is attained, the intrinsically courteous person is happy. even if misunderstood. The victim of the above incident, unimportant except in that it is a real slice from real, everyday life, had evolved after many trials and er- Tors the one way on acting while in that seat which permitted the other person to get seated with the least dis- comfort. He was happy to know that out of many hundreds who had taken the seat, over the years, this person was the only one who had ever regis- tered any audible complaint. Per- haps some of them had felt the same way, but had said nothing. The ma- jority, he felt sure, appreciated his actions and their why. * ok ox % It was 50 much better to think about the majority, and their appre- ciation, than to concentrate on the one ill-bred woman and her remarks! And yet how human it is, after all, to think only of the mean person. Mean people have been ‘“getting by” all these centuries, because they do possess the power, through their | words and actions, of making others think about them. To be unjust—yes, that is one ex- cellent method. To whine—that is another. ‘To accuse when no accusation is in order—that is a rare method and | much used. To attack upon the instant, with- out waiting for facts—that is often used. No more illustrations are necessary. Every one knows how they are used. The point is that most of us pay too much attention to them. * ok o % Silence, mankind's oldest answer, | and often the best of alit It is peculiarly effective in public There are many persons going around with chips on their shoulders. | as we say, who are only looking for a chance to quarrel. Nothing takes the wind out of them more surely than saying absolutely | nothing. ‘Their ire has no fuel They are left speechless. the last | thing in the world they desire. Especially is this counter treatment effective on sireei car or bus. | Especially is it good for all those queer persons who give themselves limousine airs for a dime. * ok % ox One ought not to expect too much gallantry in public. The days are long past when men arise with flourishes to give seats to ladies. The ladies are fortunate to get to sit down at all any more. Most of them recognize this, It is the same on elevators. The truly well-bred woman makes no re- mark if some man fails to remove his hat. She has her thoughts, maybe, but she does not air them. A well-bred silence is the best re- mark of all, and is as commendable, as criticism, as the same silence in reply. To the Editor of The Star: “United States studies program to spur trade loans,” says Harden Coifax. and gives us an accurate analysis of the impasse at which our present scheme of money and banking has arrived. Yet in the same section of Sunday's Star Prof. Carothers still in- sists that the Federal Reserve System, having made this brilliant record of failure, should be enlarged and ex- panded! There can be no doubt that the banks have been treated inconsistently and, in a sense, unfairly. But isn't that because the banking system is inherently inconsistent and unfair in itself? Isn't the practice of lending demand deposits essentially one of counterfeiting in that it “freezes” money that is already in active use by lending it—i. e., it puts the same money into active use over and over again through “loans”? The effect of this scheme is to “speed up the velocity” of money. it is said, and “stimulate business.” This false “velocity” is attained. how- ever, not by voluntary spending. but by involuntary lending of money by its proper owners, the original de- positors who actually saved it instead of borrowing and redepositing it, as commercial interests do. As to the distinction between this pyramiding of “loans” and any other of the un- sound inflationary schemes of history, such as the French assignats, it must be admitted that for practical pur- poses there is none. As Mr. Colf: points out, European bankers are also fearful of this “freezing” process and “are accustomed to finance their ad- vances to small business through use of their long-term securities or other funds not subject to sudden with- drawal.” Why isn't this a common-sense procedure for all commercial loans? And why should our banks be criticized for lending only money that they honestly can loan? As long as check- ing accounts are privately conducted there should be a charge for service do double duty by drawing an income instead of an attempt to make them | Treatment of Banks Held Justified By Unfairness in Bank System The old argument, which we thought was settled in the legal ten- der decisions, as to whether Congress or the banks had the primary right to control the issuance of legal ten- | der is up again, this time in the | form of a dispute over checking ac- | counts. But if the banks may not and should not start new checking accounts, free of cost to any one, by the coining of any “sound”’ asset which applies for coinage through “loans.” then the public budget must | take over that function, not by lend- \mz. but by spending without any | lending. so that the tax burden may be lifted as & means of putting new money into use in industry whenever investment tends to draw on savings | |so much as to remove funds from | active use and so cause lower price |levels and “depression.” Otherwise | the legal tender decisions have set- | tled nothing, for their intent must |and will continue to be evaded ihrough the use of checks instead of bank notes as a socially unjust and unsound but necessary source of new money, May we not, on this basis. proceed | to suggest answers to Prof. Carothers’ | economic catechism as it appeared in | The Sunday Star? 1. When are we going to have a | monetary system and what is it to be? | Answer: Immediately, based upon a free-money budget, with control of in- flation by taxation automatically ad- | justed as to rate of collection by & price_index. 2. Is there any plan to balance the | budget? Answer: No, except as above. 3. How many more Government | bonds are we golng to be compelled to | absorb? Answer: None. 4. How long is the adulteration of our currency with silver to continue? Answer: The {llusion of Karl Marx as to a metallic currency serving as a measure of intrinsic value is dis- carded and Government meddling ‘wilh the price or market for precious metals is at an end. | 5. Are the suicidal provisions of the N Thomas inflation act to be repealed while on demand. This would compel | their use by their owners instead of | allowing them to be held for use only when another speculative mania de- velops. Today the Government is build- ing a refuge for such speculative ac- cumulations through the issuance of billions in bonds, 50 that if and when | trade loans do recover & paying basis | they can only do so by outbidding the Governmetit rate and causing a break in bond values which will destroy Gov- ernment “credit”! ‘Why, indeed, should we lay out & program of recovery which calls upon private banks to again revive this un- sound process of inflation through “freezing” of demand deposits, under threat of making this process a Gov- ernment function, thus displacing even legitimate private loans? No virtue can be added to a plan of financing private profits with new money by putting it under political auspices. Such a “na- tionalization” or socialization of bank- ing implies the necessity for com- munization of all industry in order to eliminate the graft inherent in such “loans” from the Government. Without Communism, then, new money needed to build trade and in- dustry can come into existence prop- erly, not through pyramided “loans” (Russia_has a vast system of non- repayable “loans” to her industrial units), either public or private, but only through the public budget, wherein the inflationary effect of such new funds can be publicly con- trolled by taxation rates if we will but shift the function of taxation from that of budgetary balancing to one of price-index control ] } ( or are they to be put into operation by Executive order? Answer: Revealed. 6. How long is the Government to remain a partner of the banks? Answer: No longer. 7. Is the Federal Reserve Board to be restored to its former position or is it to be abolished? Answer: Abolished. 8. How long is & politically ap- pointed Secretary of the Treasury to be permitted to have a secret fund | of $2,000,000,000 for manipulation of the securities market? Answer: No longer. 9. What does the administration plan to do sbout the temporary and uncertain guaranty plan? Answer: The Government will guar- antee only non-interest-bearing de- mand deposits, which must not be loaned, but will be conducted by the Government. 10. If the temporary guaranty is to be made permanent, will the provision compelling State banks to join the Federal Reserve be enforced? If so, why does not the administration state directly that it expects to force a uni- fied system of banking on the country? Answer: Banking will not be na- tionalized or publicly conducted except as criminal and business law requires national instead of State codification under present conditions. 11. What is the prospect that in- dustry will be free from interference, s0 that loans to industry can be made safely? Answer: Excellent—but loans will not be made from demand accounts. !ndum'yrwul not be permitted to issue OVEMBER - 29, - 1934 l The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. Is the Lone Star State, big and important as it is, big enough to have both the Vice President, who is Presi- dent of the Senate and the Speaker of the House in the Seventy-fourth Con- gress. Texas already has the Vice President, John N. Garner, who before he was elected to his present office was Speaker Garner of the House. Now it is proposed to elect Sam Rayburn, also of Texas, to be Speaker, It looks almost as though the State was try- ing to bite off too large a slice. The fact that both he and Garner hail from the same State probably will militate against the candidacy of Representative Rayburn to succeed the late Speaker Henry T. Rainey. Rayburn and Garner have been par- ticularly closely associated in the past, when they both were members of the House. It was Rayburn who led the campaign for the nomina- tion of Mr. Garner for President back in 1932, before and at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He was & factor in the agreement entered into by the Roosevelt backers, the | Texas delegation and Senator Wil- i liam Gibbs McAdoo of California and that State's large delegation at the convention. Under that agree- ! ment Mr. Garner took second place | on the Democratic national ticket. * ok ok % In some quarters the complaint is made that if Mr. Rayburn becomes Speaker of the House Mr. Garner will become a superfigure at the Cap- itol, with his influence in the Senate chamber and his influence in the House exerted through Mr. Rayburn. Mr. Rayburn, however, is a positive character himself. He has served in the present Congress as chairman of the Committee on Interstate and | Foreign Commerce and has been a stanch supporter of the Roosevelt administration. | * ko ok People are wondering in Washing- ton today which one of the candidates for the Speakership, if any, the Presi- dent favors. Some who profess to be on the inside say that the White House—by which is meant the Presi- dent and his advisers—would like to see Rayburn get the job. But that is| a matter of speculation. There seems to be a desire on the part of the Chief | Executive and his chief lieutenant in | things political, Postmaster General James A. Farley, to keep hands off in | {this fight. If the President aligned | himself with one or the other faction, the day might come when other can- | didates and friends might retaliate. | Such opportunity might easily arise | tion was up for consideration in the | House. Nevertheless, Mr. Rayburn is| very well thought of by some of those | closest to the President. | * ok ok x Notwithstanding this apparent lean- | ing toward Rayburn on the part of the | administration, Representative Joe | Byrns of Tennessee, the Democratic | floor leader of the House in the pres- | ent Congress, still seems to have the | edge in this contest. If Representa- | tive Bankhead of Alabama stays in the race for Speaker along with Ray- | burn, the potential strength of either | of these two men is likely to be divided. and thus the candidacy of Byrns will | be aided. Postmaster General Farley is not only Democratic national chair- | man, but he is also New York State | chairman. Holding the latter position. | there is going to be some significance attached to the vote cast in the Demo- | cratic caucus of the House on the | speakership by the New York delega- | tion. 1f a majority of the New York | members swing to Rayburn, or to! Byrns. there will be those who seek ! to read into it the handwriting of the Postmaster General. The Constitution says that the President and the Vice President shall not come from the same State. There is nothing in that document, however, to prevent the election of a Speaker of the House who is an in- habitant of the same State as the President or the Vice President When Calvin Coolidge was President | Massachusetts had both the presi- dency and the speakership, with former Senator Gillett in the latter ! office. However, the other States look askance upon a concentration of the major offices in a single State. * ok ox % There is nothing to prevent the House Democrats, if they so desire from turning to a Northern or West- ern man for Speaker instead of either Byrns, Reyburn or Bankhead If they go to the North, they might take McCormack of Massachusetts or Mead of Pennsylvania. In the last speakership fight Illinois got the | speakership and Tennessee the Demo- cratic floor leadership. Some such combination is likely to be worked out |in the next Congress, although this time it looks as though there was more chance of the speakership going South and the floor leadership North or West. * ok ok % The suggestion made by Senator Pat | Harrison of Mississippi that the soldier | bonus question be compromised by | making immediate cash payment to | the veterans who are in need has kicked up a lot of discussion. With the Government greatly in debt at| this time, it scarcely seems wise to hand over milliens and perhaps more than a billion dollars to veterans who are not in need. Yet the proposal to divide one set of veterans from an- other in this payment of the bonus is likely to draw loud protests. The favorite way of attacking a similar { proposal in the past has been for the veterans who are not in need to de- clare that it would be an indignity placed upon any veteran to compel him to say he was in need before he could be paid his bonus. If a veteran were really in need. perhaps he would | not be as hesitant to tell his Govern- | ment so as some of those who are; not in need seem to think. The Harrison suggestion amounts | to a compromise of the bonus issue. | All compromises are dangerous be- cause once a concession is agreed to the other side, and in this case the side which is demanding immediate cash payment of the bonus, assumes a stronger position and in the end may be able to force through the whole program. Coming as it does from the man who heads the Senate Commit- tee which deals with bonus legisla- tion, the proposal is considered high- ly significant. How much money it would take to pay the bonus to vet- erans who are actually in need today has not been estimated by Senator Harrison. But the whole matter is be- ing worked out in detail by the au- thorities. Need would seem to imply that a veteran was without a job or money enough to keep himself and his family going. ———— Police Have Advantage, From the Worcester Evening Gazette, ‘Those policemen in Portland, Ore., who are being trained in oratory will have one advantage over the ordinary speaker. When the officer fails to hold his audience in the usual manner he can handcuff him. its own currency under the guise of bank accounts. 12. Is the administration going to fight the inevitable effort in the next Congress to nationalize the banks? Answer; Yes. f ALDEN A. POTTER. <] =) when pet legislation of the administra w. J ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Washington Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. What kind of animal is a ser- val’—L. M. A. The serval (Felis serval) is an African wildcat, ranging from Algeria to the Cape. It is of medium size, with long limbs, short tail and tawny fur spotted with black. It may meas- ure 56 inches, including the tail. Q. How early does the average | child begin to walk?—L. B. A. According to a study made at the psychological clinic of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, normally in- | telligent children begin to walk at an average age of 15 months. Q. What name is given by Gandhi | to the untouchables?—F. C. | A. Gandhi has renamed this group | Harijans, or God's children. | Q. Has the population of Wil- liamsburg, Ontario, increased due to the fame of Dr. Locke?—W. S. A. With the growth of Dr. Locke's po practice, Willilamsburg has tripled | its population and has been obliged to build shops, hotels and Testaurants to accommodate its many visitors. Last year the Ontario government built & new concrete highway from Morrisburg to handle effectively the traffic that flows toward Williams- burg. Q. How much butter is used year- ly?>—H. C. A. Americans consume 2.200,000,- 000 pounds of butter annually. Q. Was Mrs. Browning’s name ever suggested for the poet laureateship? —D. G. L. A. The Athenaeum put forward the name of Elizabeth Barrett Brown- ing, “with the added argument that | the post would be appropriately filled by a woman under a reigning queen.” Q. What is the minimum time re- quired for a table wine to mature?— G. R. A. For a sound table wine three vears in cask is required and one year in bottle. Q. How many organizations are working for adult education’—B. F. A. One hundred and twenty-five agencies in the United States are working for civie, social. moral and religious education of adults. Q. Where are the Jenolan Caves?— A. The Jenolan Caves are a series of remarkable caverns in Roxburgh County, New South Wales. Australia | They are the most celebrated of sev- eral similar groups in the limestone country. The stalactitic formations are of great beauty. Q. For whom was the Albert Pike Highway named?—T. C. | A. The highway was named after Albert Pike, American author, soldier and explorer, who first passed over the route in an expedition to Santa Fe. Q. How much time is given over to the playing of musical selections by the various broadcasting stations?— PF A. It is estimated that 80 per cent of the time of a station is devoied to musical works. A broadcasting sta- tion on the average plays more than 500 musical titles in a full day of operation. Q. How many stores has Montgom= ery Ward?—E. K. A. There are Ward stores. 489 Montgomery Q. When was the first census of agriculture taken in the United States?—E. L. A. The first satisfactory census of agriculture in the United States was taken in 1850, Q. Who is Carmen 8ylva?—G. A. This is the pen name of Eliza- beth of Rumania (1843-19i6), whose more important works have been translated into many languages. Q. Where was Sir Basil Zaharoff born?—T. B. A. A. He was born in Mughla, Ana- tolia, of Greek parents on October 6, 1849. Q. When did the waltz first become popular?—K. R. A. The waltz was introduced from Germany into France at the end of the eighteenth century and into Eng= land in 1812, Here it was at first ridi- culed but soon achieved unequaled pularity. Q. How long is the canal which connects the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan?—J. A. A. The canal which connects the Mississippi River and Lake Mic is known as the Illinois Waterway is 326 miles long. Christophe of ed Sta Q. Did the Empero! Haiti ever visit the U M empire, W army, as a yo War of the against the Br was with the French for of Lord Cornwallis town. It is believe ces at the time end - Q. How mam“ry‘)’um«rxrlx has Europe now?—H. B Q. Is Mrs. Har Alice in Wonderla A. Mrs. Alice died in Noyember Westernam, Kent was a gear t used?—M. R an Motoris! it was used as a temporary de jemonstrating Levassor's motor car riage in 1887. 5 was opened? the close of the first fiscal of the Panama 1 June 30, writ jects?>—O. B. P. A. He was 60 years old on Novem= ber 27. QI be adopte Sunday be’—G. A. ) A. It would be Ap: Sunday in April. Ir change. the Protes Church notes that this nearest to the actual date of the Easter as determined by competent scholarship. Butler’s Fascist Plot Story Called Fantastic by Press Nearly all of the newspaper com- ! | ment on the story of a plotted Fascist coup told to the Senate Munitions In- vestigating Committee by Maj. Gen Smedley Butler, the famous retired Marine, dubs the whole business as too fantastic and absurd for serious consideration. “Probably there are interests in t country that would like to see a Fas- cist government,” town Vindicator, * imagine that any one would be so silly as to believe that he could set up a dictatorship which would stand for everything the great mass of the people oppose.” The Grand Rapids Press describes the tale as “a sturdy revelation, with the punch and boom- ing characteristics worthy of a Ma- rine who has lived a hard and ad- venturous life.” The Syracuse Herald declares that it “reads like the worst nightmare ever dreamed by an Amer- ican mortal.” The Rochester Times-Union feels that “there always is something rather funny about these varns that revolu- tion, communism or fascism is im- minent in these fairly well balanced | United States of America.” The| Tampa (Fla) Times concludes: “While the general public may judge Maj. Gen. Butler from some or"n more lurid outgivings, those who kifw his record will find it difficult to sup- press grins over the picture of the doughty former Marine heading a march of half a million men on the Capital.” “It will give us something to talk about and take our minds off our troubles,” remarks the Rock Island Argus, while the Providence Bulletin suggests that “the story of the ‘man on the white horse’ sounds like one that might arise from a boisterous gathering.” and the Kalamazoo Ga- zette gives it “a certain amount of value as an element of comic relief.” It is called “a poor jest” by the Newark Evening News, and the St. Paul Daily News feels that it is “dangerous horseplay.” The New York Times calls it “a gigantic hoax.” The Pitts- burgh Post-Gazette comments: “Per- haps Gen. Butler is reliving his ex- | ploits in Haiti or Nicaragua. Such an overturn as he pictures might have been possible in those countries when his IUm'.ed States Marines were required to maintain order, but not in Uncle Sam’s own front yard.” “A good myth never dies,” declares the Wall Street Journal. “Twenty and 30 years hence the Smedley But- ler Spearhead will be orthodoxy to millions of Americans accustomed to take their Wall Street history neat. How many Ph. Ds. will be awarded its exegetes there is no knowing, nor | how much it will do to warm the al- | ready friendliness of the country for its financial center.” The Chicago Tribune predicts that ‘“continental | Europe, where the rule is that the wilder an American yarn, the greater its credibility, will eat this story up.” ‘The Indianapolis Star says that “the Hollywood stars have a potential rival.” “Gen. Butler has been on horseback for some years,” states the Akron Beacon Journal, “and the steed is that winged Pegasus whereon great imaginative writers soar into the stratosphere.” Proper investigation of the details of the story is advocated by the Con- nellsville (Pa.) Courier and the Dav- enport (Towa) Daily Times, but the Schenectady Gazette insists it should receive no further attention. “Gen. Butler's scare.” thinks the| Long Beach (Calif.) Prm-'rglezmnj “need not be taken seriouslv. hairtrigger patriot the given to alarms. It i that such wide-awake wat on guard. and if they ‘see t. times, this is better than ov a real danger that apathy might not discover in time to prevent harm. A other benefit from such wild repor be found in their service in into full view idle rumors do damage if permitted “whispering cam- in absurdity as they nerica has no reason to other alien spread. 2 fear Fascism designed This Natic purified nearly per ernment o “It looks stunt,” ac Times, wh Gazette emph: tails” and the Roanoke Bay Press- fantastic de- | “Anyone so gullible 2 by loose talk of a ‘revolution,’ whatever sort, does not know American spirit or American ple, be he Army officer of high tion or otherwise.” —oe—s Gambling Can Be Stopped. From the Oklahoma City s County and horities seem agreed that public gambling on ball games and flagrant making schemes will be stopped. That is a reasonable expectation when po- lice power is tightened against the of- fenders. Although the move comes toward the close of the foot ball sea- son, it still is a good idea, for there are races, boxing contests, basket ball and other diversions that lend them- selves to the bookmaker's parasitic business at any time. Since millions of Americans want to gamble, gam- bling probably will not be stopped soon, but the law is adequate to pre- vent flaunting it in the face of the public, and being made a “racket” by those who take a heavy toll from the credulous, many of whom cannot af- ford to risk their earnings in that way. It the people were fairly well en- dowed with common sense, the proe fessional gambler, the bookmaker, etc, would cease to thrive. The informed citizen realizes there is a “house per- centage” in all such operations which ultimately would corner all funds thus involved if there were not a new crop of the credulous coming on to waste their money in that way. A moron may win occasionally, but only the operators really win in the long run, and the thrills bought that way come at too high a price for the good of the community. While some outside investigation | usually is required to stir the official power to suppress gambling. the police have demonstrated on several occa- sions that they can stop public gam- bling when such a policy is demanded. B Lack of Currency Too. | Prom the Sacramento Bee. A medical research man declares that low spirits may be caused by & iack of magnesium in the system. A lack of currency in the wallet alse has a like depressing effect. ————e— Men to Get Break, From the Toledo Blade. Women are preparing to demand the submission of a constitutional amendment guaranteeing “equal rights for men and women.” A small gain for men. 2