Evening Star Newspaper, December 17, 1934, Page 10

{THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON,D.C. MONDAY.,...December 17, 1934 THEODORE W. NOYES. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave, ork Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. Ghicaso Ofice: Lake Michisan Bullding. 14 Regent St.. Londen. ngland. Rate by Carrier Within the City. i 50 ~er month v 65¢ per month 5S¢ per copy Night Final Edition. ght Pinal and Sunday Star. 70¢ per month ight Final Star......... 55¢ per month Collection made at the e month. Orders may be sent by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dally and Sund 1yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only, + $6.00: 1 m Sunday only. t All Other States and Canada. Dally and Sunday, 1 yr., $12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 Dally only..... 1yr. 00: 1 mo., 75¢| Sunday oniy."... 1'yr., $5.00; 1 mo.. 50¢ | Member of the Assoclated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively en- titied to the use for republication of all aews dispatches credited to it or not other- wise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Washington's Deadly Streets. With a new ali-time record of 125 deaths from motor accidents in the District of Columbia since the begin- ning of the year, established by a series of collisions yesterday, determi- | nation is expressed by Capital officials | to do something in correction and| prevention. Just what it is proposed | to do remains for explanation. Just| what can be dene? For one thing, all cars that are not properly equipped for safe driving| should be swept from the streets, for- | bidden licenses. Again, incompetent drivers should be denied the privilege of operating machines of any kind and in any conditions. Licenses to drive should be refused to those with | records of dangerous carelessness. In practically every motor car colli- sion there is some one at fault, through speeding, reckless turning of corners, weaving in and out of established lanes, failure to signal, racing the lights at interesections and other faults. Immediate inquiry into the circum- stances of an accident will almost as- suredly develop the conditions and place the blame. There should be | prompt penalty for recklessness, per- haps punitive, certainly suspension if not revocation of license, especially when a life is sacrificed. Washington has more cars in pro- portion to the population than any other city in the United States. It has a peculiar condition in the con- eentration of traffic, morning and eve- ning, in the movement of people to | and from work. But the majority of the accidents contributing to the Capital’s hideous record of deaths and injuries do not occur in the hours of this daily traflic congestion. Most of | them occur on uncongested streets and roads. Certainly there was no | congestion excuse for yesterday's three fatalities. Bad driving, reckless, inconsiderate, dangerous driving, is the cause of these casualties, and in every case,!| with practically no exception, some‘ one is at fault. Few drivers who are guilty of reck- lessness leading to collisions in which others are killed or injured are pun- ished for their fault. Coroner’s juries | are lenient in fatal cases. When in-& dictments are found, as they have! been in a few instances, months elapse before trial and punishment when that is the result of court ac- tion. There is no immediate, assured penalty for this offense. Clean out the old, ill-equipped cars and the incompetent and reckless drivers by refusing reissuance of | licenses and the solution of this prob- lem will be in sight. Public education has failed. Specific, direct action sagainst bad driving is necessary. R T R The numbers racket is a form of underworld taxation with no benefit to any one except the racketeers. oo War Clouds in Africa. Having settled down, laurel-crowned, for a merry Christmas after averting war in Southeastern Europe, the League of Nations is suddenly con- fronted by a crisis in Northern Africa due to a bitter conflict between Italy and Abyssinia over a frontier incident which has already led to bloodshed. Abyssinia appealed to the League, charging Italian aggression and asking for arbitration. On Sunday, wading personally into the controversy with characteristic vigor, Premier Mussolini flatly refused arbitration and insisted upon an apology from the Ethiopian govern- ment. He branded the frontier fracas of December 5, in which 110 Abys- sinians and thirty Italians were re- ported killed, as an “unprovoked ag- gression against Italy’s native garrison at Ualual. Il Duce demands not only apologies, but indemnities. Incidentally, as on the occasion of the clash with Greece over the Island of Corfu in 1923, it looks as if he were bent upon denying the League's right to interfere In the Abyssinian affair. Abyssinia’s contention is that Italian troops with tanks and military air- planes suddenly and without provoca- tion attacked the Abyssinian escort of an Anglo-Abyssinian commission sur- veying pasture lands one hundred kilo- meters inside the frontier between Abyssinia and Italian Somaliland. The Italians claim that the incident oc- eurred within Italian territory, where the Abyssinian troops had no right %o be. Behind this specific episode along their disputed border lies the nearly forty-year-old feud between the Ital- fans and the Christian tribesmen, who were welded into an efficient fighting race by the late Emperor Menelik. The Italians have long had a covetous eve on Abyssinia, with its wealth of mineral and agricultural resources, which are far more valuable than those of Italy's neighboring territories of Eritrea and Somaliland. Italy made a disastrously unsuccessful attempt to conquer Menelik's king- dom, suffering defeat at the battle of Adowa with tremendous loss of life. ‘That humiliating catastrophe rankles in Italian bosoms and whets Mus- solini’s thirst for vengeance on the present occasion. Another factor in Italy’s calculations is that Japan is reported to be sending a military mis- sion to Addis Ababa to reorganize the Abyssinian army. Great Britain and France, with adequate African colonial domains of their own, are said to look without disfavor upon Italy’s expansion at Abyssinia’s ‘expense, but the Ethio- pians are full-fledged members of the League of Nations and insist upon the full consideration to which Geneva's adherents are entitled. With Musso- lini accusing Abyssinia of making un- founded charges and replying to them with & virtual ultimatum, the League is face to face with a grave issue. It may not prove as easily soluble as the late Yugoslavian-Hungarian conflict, because Abyssinia has no powerful friends at court, as Belgrade and Budapest had. National Planning. A plan so gigantic as almost to stagger the imagination has been put forward by the National Resources Board. It provides for systematic de- velopment of the natural resources of the country on a huge scale. Public works are to be planned far in ad- vance, with sums reaching up to $10,000,000,000 to be used for public construction in a single year. Water resources are to be developed for travel and traffic and power. Flood loss is to be prevented and also soil erosion. The use of the mineral,resources is to be planned. But that is not all. The problems of employment, of higher standards of living, of the use of lands by the farmers, all are woven into the national planning proposed now by the board appointed by the President to make this study. The board is headed by Secretary Ickes of the In- terfor Department and includes in its membership four other cabinet offi- cers, Frederic A. Delano, Harry L. Hopkins, Charles E. Merriam and Wesley C. Mitchell. More and more it appears that the more abundant life is to be the more managed life. If there are to be na- tional plans, some one must manage them and see that they are put into execution, must see that the people co- operate. And more and more it ap- pears that the Federal Government is to play the part of manager. The States, it is true, are expected to co- operate. But the history of co-opera- tion between Federal and State gov- | ernments has shown that usually the Federal Government soon plays the dominating part in both planning and management, ‘The program advanced by the Na- tional Resources Board has back of it & sincere desire to improve condi- tions in this country and to see that future Americans shall not go through disastrous periods of depression in the future. In a measure, such planning may be considered to be social insur- ance, Mr. Ickes, in submitting the report of the board, has wisely com- mented that the mere declaration of a set of policies to be pursued would not automatically produce results. Legis- lation will be necessary first and ad- ministration second. How far a huge program of public works actually will aid in making permanent recovery and prosperity is a disputed question. There is no question, however, that the National Resources Board is convinced that such a program would be of vast benefit. The conclusion has cleariy been reached that private industry cannot in the future give sufficient work to keep the people employed, which, after all, is largely a matter of proper distribution of production and of the earnings made from production. If industry is unable to make this distribution, then the Gov- | ernment, it is urged, must step in. If the Government finds it necessary to plan for industry, a new situation is immediately developed and the whole series of activities of the peo- ple will be drawn iInto Government planning and, in the end, under Gov- ernment control. The planning proposed for co-oidi- nation and co-operation in connec- tion with the conservation of natural resources of the country may be larger, but it is not entirely new. Much has been planned and much has been done along these lines in the past, though perhaps without adequate co-ordination. National planning of this kind undoubtedly will be of great value. In its discussion of the agricultural problem the National Resources Board has indicated that the system of “private property in land” in this country has led to “abuses.” And the report adds that basically the abso- lute ownership still resides in the State, either individual common- wealth or the Nation. These com- ments are made in connection with crop production. The inference to be drawn clearly seems to be that the Government has a perfect right to dictate to the farmers what use they may make of their lands. These are new ideas in America. But the ex- v In 1896 tent of control over crops and the farmers' who produce them through the A. A. A. may convince the people that these ideas have gone beyond the stage of mere planning. —— et Integrity in Art. Plain people look up to artists. Not gifted themselves, they respect as well as admire the genius of more fortunate men and women. Their attitude toward the inspired few Is that of wonderment and awe. Great talent partakes of the miraculous, as they conceive of it, and a curious reverence grows up in the public mind in tribute to the marvel and to its instrument. Hence the worship which is offered to the names of Homer and Shakespeare, Michelan- gelo and Beethoven. But when the field of art is in- A ’ —10 THE EVENING STARE ‘WASHI , D. [ ) i ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. vaded by racketeers the opposite reac- tion necessarily occurs. There are many, it would seem, who cheerfully would undertake to forgive a fraud in trade or commerce, but who find it dificult to muster any sympathy for an individual capable of a crime against elemental truth as it tradi- tionally is reflected in painting and sculpture, literature and music. A feeling of disgust, then, is natural in the hea:t of a layman when such news as that of the expulsion of a member of the National Academy of Design for unauthorized reproduction of other painters’ works comes to his attention. The current scandal, as reported in the New York press, is an ugly, & bitter and a discouraging business. The facts are simple. A theoret- ically honorable individual, it has been demonstrated, has achieved honor, if not financial success, by the theft of the fruits of the genius of certain of his contemporaries; has won prizes by exhibiting copies as original com- positions; and, when summoned to ex- plain, has failed to enter a defense. Obviously, the removal of his name from the National Academy list Is imperative. But something much more important than the academy has been hurt—art itself has been be- trayed and violated, and the faith of the public has been impaired. ‘Where, a puzzled philosopher may ask, may people expect to find integ- rity if not in art? In any other arena of human enterprise dishon- esty might be pardoned; but artists, the masses have supposed, are divinely endowed, and the mercy freely ac- corded to lesser folk, therefore, is not to be had by them for the asking. Painters, as a class, should be watch- ful to protect themselves, their work and their reputation. And the Na- tional Academy, rightly and properly, now is taking the lead in an endeavor toward that end. e An effort to reduce the high cost of electricity may result in recom- mendation to read Poor Richard’s Almanac in connection with study of Ben Franklin's scientific researches. ——————— Pensions for age will, whether directly or indirectly, be paid by the employer who depends on good and faithful workmanship that keeps the business going. s Insull is being encouraged to hope that he can get through his legal affairs in time to take the benefit of better business conditions to utilize his wealth of experience. —— Senators who insist on going back to the World War may succeed in introducing the initials W. W. into the bewilderment of alphabetical discussion. ——— Mussolini is quoted as saying that the words “liberty” and “freedom™ are overworked. No system of cen- sorship will ever serve to eliminate them. —_————————— One of the saddest examples of unemployment is the G. O. P. ele- phant, who sees no more prospect of a campaign fund than of a relief fund. oo Dickens' “Christmas Carol” again asserts itself as timely reading, although “Alice in Wonderland” re- tains its old grip on the imagination. There are sinister hints that the high cost of investigation may only serve to add to the expense of munitions. B SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. High-Brow Saint. Now, little boy, be good and you A high-brow Santa Claus may view, With picture books that show for fun How trigonometry is done. A phonograph will let you know Of languages dead long ago. And pictures classical will start A proper taste for highest art. But don't expect a bat and ball Or a stout sled on which to haul Your fellow Scouts, with joyous skill, Till you arrive at Snowmanville. Don't look for fairy books that lend To each romance a happy end. My New Deal waits for your applause, I am the high-brow Santa Claus. Time Is Money. “Have you ap - ideas about bal- ancing the budge.?” “I have,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Everybody knows that time is money and we have millions of years before us.” Brilliant Opportunity. An appointee we think is not so good, As we his record hold in contem- plation. We hail him still, because it's under- stood He has this splendid chance for reformation. Among Those. “Were you happy at the big party?” “Not very,” answered Miss Cayenne. “But you were smiling all the time.” “I control my feelings. Like others, 1 was among those pleasant.” “Since he became a candidate for office,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “my neighbor, Hi Hat, extends his hand, but the umbrella I lent him is never in it.” Holiday Patience. ‘We mention things on Christmas eve On which our hopes are set, And then, still thankful to receive, We take what we can get. Even before the weather man Our gentle wish we set. ‘Then in our customary plan ‘We take what we can get. “De selfish man,” said Uncle Eben, “mustn’t be surprised if de only way he can be sure of a ‘merry Christmas’ 18 by talkin' i into & phonograph specia record” r ONDAY, DECEMBER 17, BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. One of the smallest poslible water decorations is the guppy jar. e This amazing little fish will along in a pint of water, Not only will he get along, but she will get along, too, and pretty soon there will be little guppies to grace the bowl. About this time people begin to call up and ask, in_excited tones: “What shall I do to keep the big| ), guppies from eating up the little ones?” It is just another instance of what Shakespeare said when some one asked one of his characters how fishes live in the sea. “Why,” he had another character answer, “just as men do ashore, the big cnes eat up the. little ones.” * % X X For all his wisdom, Shakespeare had not heard of guppies. If he had, no doubt he would have written & comedy about them. Of all the small bits of exotic fish life available for the modern home aquarium there is none so easy to handle as Lebistes reticulatus (the scientific name). Give it half a chance, it will live and grow and produce young, born alive, as every one knows. ‘The advent of these fully formed fish, no more than a quarter of an inch long, counting an almost in- visible tiny tail, or caudal fin, is al- ways an event in the life of the new- comer to the fish hobby. Even the old-timers get a kick out of it, although they do not mind so much if the older fishes eat up all or most of the brood. They know there will be more. R The problem of disposing of sur- plus guppies becomes acute, after awhile. The average amateur does not raise good enough specimens for ready sale, and in time he finds none of his friends want to accept them as gifts, hen he feels sorry he went to such lengths to save every last guppy from the maternal maw—for it is the mother fish which does most of the eating. The newcomer, however, will want to know how to save them all, so that each one can grow up to be a regu- lar guppy. There are two methods: The first is to spoon them all out, and put them in a jar of their own, filled with water of the same tempera- ture as the old. The second is to have enough plants in the bowl so that the little ones can hide from the parents for two or three weeks. Give a baby guppy three weeks, | it can take care of itself out in the | open. Up to that time it must have plenty of plants to hide in, and even then | the parents will catch and eat some | of them. * ok K X Nature is very determined in such matters. The older fishes need live food, for one thing. And then there is the matter of too many fishes per square inch of water to be thought of. Maybe Nature doesn’t think of it, particu- larly, she just urges the older fishes on to eat up the newcomers. The old ones, of course, do not know that they are the parents of the new ones. They see something swimming by, they make a grab for it, and down it goes. If that doesn’t appeal to you, then you don’t understand Nature, because that is the way the Universal Mother does things. Let us not be too sure she doesn’t work much the same scheme with us. Despite our hospitals, and universal care of the sick and the unfit, we have many and severe wars, over the centuries. Maybe war is just another way of leading us into doing what the creatures do in a more open and above-board way. The animals don't know what they are doing, mankind just pretends to, that is all. * K %k ¥ ‘The care of guppies is easy, but an amazingly large number of persons do not seem to know how to handle em. In the first place, as to temperature, ‘While the guppies—the “u” is pro- nounced as in “cup”—can stand a lower water temperature than most tropical fishes, they cannot achieve the impossible. o They come from lands where the water seldom goes, lower than 65 de- grees. It may range 30 degrees higher than that without undue discomfort to the creatures, but a lower tem- perature soon ends their lives. ‘This must be remembered, especial- ly if one, two or three pairs happen to be kept in a tiny bowl, say a pint or quart container. It must be realized that such a small amount of water rapidly takes on the temperature of the room, whether high or low. These, as any other tropical fish, should not be kept in a room where windows are opened at night. If near a window, there should be some covering at night. If the bowl or tank is very small, particular care must be taken to shield it from too much sun, as good as sunshine is for the plants, because the rays will heat up the water too high. * ok ok X It will be necessary, then, for the best care, to use a thermometer, placed in the bowl every now and then, to see just what the water tempera- ture is. After a few tests and comparisons of the resuits with room temperature, some idea can be secured of the suitability of the location. Just because guppies are common, and cost little, is no reason why they should not receive proper care. The fact is that the guppy is coming to be more and more the fish of the advanced fancier too. An unbelievably large number of pairs have been sold for $5 a pair— think of that, all ye who paid but 20 cents! These fancy specimens are different, perhaps, but still “nothing but gupples.” No, the guppy is a mighty fine little fish The first important item in their care cannot be stressed too much for the new owner, and that is that they are not goldfishes, which like cool or cold water, but are truly tropical fishes, and must have warmer water. Water at 70 degrees or 75 degrees or even 80 degrees is not really warm. It just isn't cold. The second big item to remember is that another old goldfish superstition is “out,” too, in regard to guppies. ‘This is that the water ought to be changed ever so often. There is no need at all of changing the water in the guppy bowl, if proper feeding is indulged in, and if the plant life in the bowl or tank really grows. The great stumijing block comes in putting too much food in, then the residue pollutes the water. If the fishes are fed only what they will eat in 10 minutes, once a day, there will be little to fall down, and even this little will be eaten from the bottom. Then the water will stay sweet and clear, and will not need changing. Such water as is added from time to time must be tempered to the exact temperature of that in the aquarium. 1f these few precautions are kept in mind, guppies will live and thrive, and be as lively and interesting as any tropical fish under the sun. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. It will be well to keep an eye peeled | on Senator Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota in Republican calculations for 1936. In an informal sort of way the Nye presidential boom was launched at the mass meeting of New York Republicans on December 13, when he and Senator Borah laid down the law to the Old Guard and warned the elephant that unless it mends its con- servative way it might as well curl up and quit. There was a significant ring about Mr. Nye's suggestion that Western Republicans of his progres- sive hue will have to be taken into consideration in future activities of the G. O. P. Neither Democrats nor Republicans customarily pay much attention to presidential timber rooted in such & remote neck of the woods as North Dakota, but Senator Nye has challenged the country’s attention with his munitions investigation and holds the limelight at a moment when a Republican of his youth and politi- cal philosophy makes a timely appeal in the midst of the party’s reorgani- zation plight. The stand-pat East of Hilles, Roraback & Co. would, of course, not think much of the eligi- bility of Nye. But as 1936 draws near and the young Republicans assert themselves more vehemently, the 42- year-old Wisconsin-born editor from Cooperstown, N. Dak., is, by many present indications, likely to be a for- midable contender. Nye's new post as chairman of the Republican Sen- ate Committee on Committees will add to the North Dakotan’s prestige on Capitol Hill. * kK K Midwinter finds something like a conclave of our diplomats in Wash- ington for discussion of the tangled world situation with President Roose- velt and Secretary Hull. The list of those already here, or due shortly, includes Ambassadors Long from Italy, Bingham from Great Britain, Dodd from Germany and Bullitt from the Soviet Union. Hugh R: Wilson, Minister to Switzerland, is about to report on late developments at the League of Nations, including disarma- ment and prospects for international control of the arms traffic, as re- cently proposed by the United States. Minister Johnson from China has brought up-to-date tidings of the Far East. Ambassador Gibson from Brazil and Ambassador Weddell from Argentina are supplying the latest news from South America. Confi- dential reports by these various envoys give the administration a complete and accurate picture of political and economic conditions in practically all strategic international areas. In heart-to-heart talks at the desk of the President or the Secretary of State or over their respective luncheon tables our diplomats can furnish more real information than they could pack into a dozen formal dispatches to the State Department. * Xk *x There is no foundation, apparently, for reports that Ambassador Dodd is to retire from his post in Germany. Dr. Dodd, University of Chicago pro- fessor by occupation Virginia dairy farmer Wy predilection, has made a splendid record at Berlin under conditions that often have been purpose in crossing the Atlantic is to visit Mrs. Gibson and to see their son, who has been ill. * X x x Senator Borah has a definition of “a liberal” He sprang it in his speech before New York County Re- publicans on December 13. “A lib- eral,” he says, “is not to be tested by any particular remedy or plat- form. A liberal is one who rec- ognizes, in the language of the philosopher of old, that the world does move and that as it moves it constantly presents new problems, and that a political party must be willing to meet these problems and deal with them in the public interest. In other words, the liberal is the spirit of the pioneer, pushing back the frontiers, economically and po- litically, and opening up new areas and opportunities.” * x ok x Gen. Johnson's return to the New Deal as a member of the President's War Profit Commitiee betokens the fondness and admiration which F. D. R. and the former Blue Eagle boss are well known to have for each other. Johnson took regular occasion during his N. R. A. spell- binding activities to attest his af- fection for the President, and Mr. Roosevelt's esteem for Johnson has never been dissembled. Although the general is believed to have his fill of public life and hankers to return to private business, his devotion to the President is such that another call to New Deal service commands his whole-hearted and unhesitating response. * ok ok X In the old days, when tariff making was the sole prerogative of Congress, lobbyists and log-rollers used to con- verge on the Capitol or the House and Senate Office Buildings. Today, with reciprocal tariff arrangements in the hands of the State Depart- ment, that staid and dignified es- tablishment is where men and in- terests in quest of tariff plums now most do congregate. The practice of the department, as soon as it decides to open negotiations with some foreign country, is to announce a date for hearings, at which those interested in exports to it or imports from it have their day in court, for airing of grievances or the preferring of re- quests. * x % ok Among 17 candidates for the post- mastership of New York City, who have presented their claims to the Civil Service on, is an in- vincible optimist—a Republican. His name is Jacob Weissbaum, a former G. O. P. assembly district leader in Manhattan. He has had 25 years’ experience in the postal service, rising from a junior clerk to the grade of assistant auditor. Mr. Weissbaum has filed no political references, because he doubts whether they do a Repub- lican much good just now, but Post- master General Jim Farley, he says, “is & brother Elk,” and that may help. (Copyright, 1934.) Another Problem. From the Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail. ‘Washington is studying a plan by which a man with $400 can bulld & $5,000 home. 1If it solves that problem, perhaps it can discover how a man with a $2,500 income can support & $5,000 family, 1034, ThePolitical Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. ‘The decision of Senator McNary of Oregon, Republican leader of the Senate, fo appoint Senator Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota chairman of the Republican Committee on Committees places a member of the Republican progressive group in this position for ed next to Senator Reed vania, who has been chairman and who will not be a member of the i Congress. Senator McNary is clearly of the opinion that the rule of seniority should prevail. Furthermore, the Re- publican leader of the Senate is clearly not inclined to discriminate against a member of the progressive group in the Upper House and in favor of another who may be consid- ered more “regular.” As a matter of fact, Senator Nye, although he has been strongly progressive and has lined up with the group of Western Senators who have been dubbed “in- surgents” at times, has never left the Republican party in national elections. L Senator Nye has been in the lime- light many times since he came to the Senate in 1925, but never more s0 than at present. He is the chairman of the special Senate committee ap- pointed to investigate the munitions makers. His committee has been expected to draft legislation to take the “profit” out of war, not only as it applies to munition makers, but all industry and other groups. President Roosevelt’s recent determination to take hold of the program to eliminate profiteers in war times has not sat well with members of the Senate committee, including Senator Nye. The Senators believe that they have acquired and are acquiring a large mass of information which will be very valuable in framing the legisla- tion desired. They do not relish hav- ing the matter taken out of their hands by any group that the Presi- dent may select to make recommenda- tions to him regarding this problem of robbing war of large profits to those who supply munitions and other materials needed for carrying on modern warfare. Senator Clark of Missouri, Democrat, a member of the committee, insists he intends to go forward with a bill of his own. * k% % The whole question of taking profit out of war has caused widespread in- terest among the people. Senator Nye has made many speeches on the subject, some of which have been broadcast by radio from one end of the country to the other. There is a feeling on Capitol Hill that the White House is seeking to steal & bit of its thunder Furthermore, the committeemen do not wish to have anything done which would, per- haps, put an end to the inquiry which they are now conducting, through refusal to grant the com- mittee more funds. * kX % With Representative “Joe” Byrns of Tennessee virtually the choice of the House Democrats for , Speaker in place of the late presentative Henry T. Rainey of Illinois, the in- terest has switched to the contest for Democratic floor leader of the House. There is a plethora of can- didates. Since Bryns is regarded as a Southerner, it is argued that the floor leader should come from the North or from the West. It is this argument that militates against Re) resentative Bankhead of Alabama, tried and experienced member of House. Even so, Mr. Bankhead has a very considerable following for the place. Two New Yorkers, Repre- sentative Mead, an upstate Demo- crat, and Representative O'Connor, one of the Tammany group in the House, are in the list prominently for floor leader. In addition there is Representative John McCormack of Massachusetts, who has come rap- idly to the fore in the half dozen years he has been a member of the House. * x X x A Tammany man for Democratic floor leader of the House would be something new. Probably his con- nection with that famous organiza- tion will be of little assistance to Mr. O'Connor in his drive for the leadership. Mr. Mead, on the other hand, is without that handicap, if it is one, and his backers believe that eventually the whole Democratic New York delegation will see the advisa- bility of getting back of his candi- dacy. He has been in the House Im years and has been chairman of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads. * * &® * The Republicans are trying to make up their minds just wha course they should pursue with regard to the case of Rush D. Holt, the 29-year-old Senator-elect from West Virginia. They do not believe that he is entitled to be seated, since he is clearly under the constitutional age limit set for membership in the Senate. Gradually the belief is growing that he should not be al- lowed to take his seat, either now or at any later time, even after he shall have attained the age of thirty years, fixed by the Constitution. Senator McNary, Republican leader, believes that he should not be seated when the session opens. Senator Borah of Idaho takes the view that he should be seated and then, after the Privileges and Elections Committee has reported on the matter, should be removed from the Senate. It is argued that if a man cen be elected to the Senate and allowed to wait six months until he becomes of Senate age, he might be elected when he has to wait a year or two years or even longer. ‘There is no sense in such a proposi- tion, Senators say. * ok k% Of course, the overwhelming Demo- cratic majority in the Senate is in a position to seat Holt if it desires to do so. There has been so much talk about violation of the Constitution in recent months that the Holt case is likely to be given considerable promi- nence, however. Is Holt to receive & Senator’s salary for the six months that he is not qualified to serve in the Senate? is another question that must be considered. If @ man of 29 can be elected to the Senate, why not & man of 28 or 27, or even 25? * Xk % ‘The refefendum vote by the cotton that the President has said that the little fellows who raise only two will be exempted, have gone for the controlled reduction etk §§E§§E§E £ H E e i3 3 A reader can get the amswer to any question of fact by writing The Washington Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. - Q. In sending Christmas cards in unsealed envelopes, what postage must be put on the envelopes?— T. B. A. Printed greeting cards mailed under cover of unsealed envelopes are chargeable with postage at the third- class rate of 17 cents for each 2 ounces or fraction of 2 ounces, re- gardless of whether addressed for de- livery through post office boxes or gen- eral delivery, or by city or rural carrier. Printed Christmas and other greeting cards in unsealed envelopes may bear a simple written inscription not in the nature of personal corre- spondence, such as “sincerely yours,” “Merry Christmas,” “Happy New Year,” “With best wishes,” etc., to- gether with the name and address of the sender and of the addressee, with- out subjecting them to more than the third-class rate. Q. Is more automobile traveling Il done on city streets or in the coun- Vi try?—B. M. A. American motorists travel about 200 billion miles & year. This traffic flow is about evenly divided between rural roads and streets. Q. Who is the oldest woman who voted in the last presidential elec- tion?—G. C. A. The oldest of record is Mrs. Caroline Hoffman of New York City, who is 103 years old. Q. Is it against the law to sell rum- filled candies?—S. 8. A. The sale of candy filled with alcoholic liquors containing 5 to 20 per cent of alcohol is a violation of the food and drug act, and this re- |quirement was not repealed by the repeal of the eighteenth amendment. Q. How many blind persons are there in the United States?—H. N. A. About 114,000. As causes of blindess are being steadily eliminated, it is believed that the number will be decreased. Q. How much of a vocabulary should a child of 8 have?—H. R. M. , A. At this age a child should be familiar with approximately 3,600 words. Q. Please name several famous men who died in 1931.—H. C. A. Among the famous men who died in that year were Arnold Bennett, English author; A. A. Michelson, phy- sicist; David Starr Jordan, educator and scientist; Thomas A. Edison, in- ventor; Hall Caine, British novelist. Q. How did the Sarbonne get its name?—W. H. A. This university, in Paris, was named for Robert de Sarbonne, who founded it in the thirteenth century. Q. How many people speak the Czech language’—K. F. M. A. The number of persons speaking Czech, exclusive of the Slovaks, is over 7,100,000, Q. What is debouching?—M. R. W. | A. In military usage debouching is {the issuing of troops from out a nar- row passage, wood, defile or any other roadway which has compelled them to advance in column or other Darrow formation. Q. What is the oldest example of ! modern man?>—M. C. G. A. The Advance of Science says London in 1925 and nicknamed the Lady of Lloyds (after the building in which workmen found her) has been nominated for the tille “oldest known example of modern man.” Prof. G, Eliot Smith, British anthropologist, has concluded that she lived in the early days of Neanderthal man. Q. What are homographs?—G. H. A. Homographs are words identical in spelling but different in meaning, as bark, the covering of a tree; bark, xgcryulndu,mdhuk,:kmd of Q How much does a set of sails like those on the Rainbow and the Endeavour cost? What material is used?—J. O. Y. A. One set of these sails costs about $20,000. A fine grade of sail canvas is used, Q. Is there a bell in Moscow which weighs as much as 64 tons—W. T. A. The Great Bell of Moscow, cast in 1736, weighs 193 tons. There are three other bells of great size in Mos- cow. Q. Who is directing the Richmond, 8ymphony Orchestra? Name some of the musicians in it.—M. E. A. Wheeler Beckett is director. Leonid Bolotine, new concert master, leads the string section; Alexander Blackman leads the second violins, Bruno Steinke is first cellist. A dis- tinguished flutist, Ewald Haun, is playing with the orchestra this season. Q. Are guards being sent to the | leper colony at Molokai from the- United States>—L. E. C. A. For the past two or three years & rumor has circulated throughout various branches of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps that guards are needed in the leper colonies. There is no basis for this rumor and no such positions are available. Any needed guards would be recruited from the native population. ® Q. How is yerba mate served in South America?—P. B. A. It is usually served in mates, which may be gourds, plain or orna- mented, or elaborately made cups of silver. The tea is sipped througa bombillas. A bombilla is & tube with a strainer at one end. Q Is Horace Walpole Frisby a member of Congress?—G. M. A. He is a columpist’s character and his identity is similar to that of Mr Pickwick or Sherlock Holmes. There |is no such man. He is designed as a caricature of the typical Congressmar Q. What organ controls the sense of balance in the human body?—O. W A. The sense of balance or equilib- rium is controlled by the inner ear or labyrinth. It is the one sense or- gan entirely concerned with posture and equilibrium. It consists of a se- ries of membranous chambers and tubes immersed in fluid and contained in the bony cavity of the inner ear In man and other mammals the labyrinth is closely jolned to the cochlea, the sense organ of the ear responsive to sound. Q. In what does Kundry appear as 8 character?—L. B. A. In Wagner's “Parsifal” Kundry is a woman doomed to wander eter- nally for having laughed at Jes while He was bearing the cross. Fall- ing into the power of Klingsor, she forced by him to attempt to seduce Pygsifal, whose resistance enables him that the skull of & woman found in to lift her curse. “Muss ’Em Up” Police Order Revives Third Degree Issue “The third degree” in a mew phase is brought to public attention by the order of Police Commissioner Valen- tine of New York that rough treat- ment should be given to known mem- bers of the gangster world. The com- missioner said: “I don't want these men coming in here looking as if they had just left the barber chair. Don't be afraid to muss 'em up.” Critics of the order hold that the police may sometimes be mistaken, and that brutality is unjustified. De- fenders of Commissioner Valentine point to the “shoot first” policy that has brought an end to many criminal careers. “Professional criminals have be- come so ruthless,” says the Youngs- town Vindicator, “that when the po- lice set out to capture them, they often have no choice but to shoot first and ask questions afterward.” The Vindicator concludes: “Most of the professional bad men have dis- ppeared from the scene and the sight of one after another of them being shot down like rats has tended to destroy the glamour of their career. Stern methods are reviving a whole- some respect for the law. When the country returns to normal it will be time to consider whether these meth- ods are too rough.” * K K% Strong criticism of the police of- ficial is voiced by the Portland Oregonian, with the statement: “Give to the police the right to decide who is a ‘known gangster’ and who is not, and give them the right of un- limited brutality on those deemed to be law violators, then you will have chacs. Certainly you will build up 2 police force no better morally than the thugs. Society soon would have to suppress the police force which it had assigned to suppress the crimi- nals. When a police head orders bru- tality, it is a confession of his own failure under the ordinary methods. It is time for a new police head. Even from the purely practical standpoint, the order is folly. Experience has shown time after time that juries will not convict & man who is able to prove that he has been subjected to deliberate violence by police.” “There is a question,” according to the Denver Rocky Mountain News, “whether such talk from a high police official is not more dangerous than crime itself, for when the law turns lawless, civilized society is in danger.” The News quotes from the report of the Wickersham Board the opinion that “the fight against lawless men, if waged by forbidden means, is de- graded almost to the level of a strug- gle between two law-breaking gangs.” ‘The Waterloo (Iowa) Courier suggests that “some day the Gotham police will ‘muss up’ & law-abiding citizen.” The New York Times treats the in- cident facetiously, remarking that “by mussing up the comme il faut crooks the police will only be making it harder to distinguish & crook from a peaceful citizen. Take a college pro- fessor, or an architect with whom times are not 5o good, and his trousers are apt to lack the perfect razor E * kK% “Strictly speaking,” remarks the New York Sun, “the end of John ‘was not attended by all the possibilities in the cowing of the crooks,” observes the Tampa (Fla.) Times, while the Austin (Tex.) Amer- ican feels that “we can never abolish the third degree until we take a few of the kinks out of our system of handling accused persons after they have been arrested.” The Elkhart (Ind.) Truth concludes: “Although it does sound cruel, there may pe some argument on behalf of the order, ‘Muss| rule do courts. But they do shrink at physicall punishment or threat of death from policemen’s bullets. Federal agents of the Department of Justice have set the pace in the movement to treat crimi- nals rough, and to shoot them on the spot, if possible. Desperadoes like Dillinger and ‘Baby Face’ Nelson shoot first, if possible, when they are in| danger of arrest. In self-protection, if for no other reason, Federal agents and police feel forced to shoot on en- countering such desperate characters Greater severity against criminals| should be practiced by our courts as well as by the police.” [R——— Unemployment Insurance. From the Mliwaukee Journal. As discussion of unemployment in- surance progresses gt Washington and| elsewhere, it becomes clear (hat there is much public misunderstanding of what it means. Some workers seem| mean a job or else generous insurance payments in lieu of a job. Nothing in the national proposals| or in Wisconsin's own experiment with unemployment insurance justifies any)| such conclusion. In fact, the more we| analyze the actual, measurable bene. fits of such insurance the more the dwindle. Unemployment insurance may help| stabilize employment. benefit. If it induces employers stabilize production more, and thus| their working forces, it will, perhaps,| Justity itself. But immediately we must recognize that stabilization in employment for| some men means stabilization in une| emp] ent for others. That is, iff employers must lay aside funds for each permanent employe, they are likely to reduce the numbers of such) employes to the rigid minimum. Get Rid of Grade Crossings, PFrom the Philadelphia Inquirer. Among the plans for relief that have| received attention at Washington is| one for the elimination of grade cross- ings. Various organizations, including| the recent Conference of Mayors, the| Associations of Public Service and Highway Commissioners and the formalities dear to the legalistic mind. But, as the Sun remarked on that occasion, if the Federal agent had been restricted by the routine which marks an arrest for murder in Eng- land, it would have been the agent, and not the outlaw, who died in the street. “The police order contains untold A ects extending over the United States. More than 68 per cent of the mileage of the class I railroads is covered in the report. Eighty-five per cent of the outlay would go directly or indirectly into wages. ~