Evening Star Newspaper, January 6, 1935, Page 28

| THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON,D.C. SUNDAY......January 6, 1835 THEODORE W. NOYES..Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business H % GEE Flh e, Chicaso Offtce: Lake Michigan Building. European Ofice; 14 Regent St.. London. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Resular Edition, The Evening Star.. ......45¢Der month Evening and Sunday Siar when 4 Sundase). .- . 60c per month T ‘The Sunday Star. Night_Final Edition. ight Pinal and Sunday Star, 7 ight Final Star Collection ma the Pnn!h Orders be sent in by mall or elephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. aily and Sunday..1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85c aily only. yr.. $6.00: 1 mo., 80¢ Sunday only. $4.00; 1 mo., 40c All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday, 1y Daily only. $8:00: 1 mo., Sunday only. $5.00; 1 mo.. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively en- titled to the use for republication of all pews 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 reserv —_———— i The New Economic Order. President Roosevelt turned to a new phrase in his message to Congress—the new economic order. Presumably the new economic order is to be achieved ,through the New Deal. The basis of the new order is social justice, and social justice means a greater and more equitable distribution of the good things of life, but particularly of the necessities. There must be security of livelihood, security against the major hazards and vicissitudes of life, and the security of decent homes. Mankind has sought in its groping ‘way for security of livelihood for many ages. It has sought, too, security against major hazards of life, and cer- tainly it has sought decent homes. For the most part the private indi- vidual has been left to work out his destiny in these respects. Laws have been enacted to protect him and his home, which is property, it is true. But in the main, man’s own ambition, his own resourcefulness, his thrift, have been relied upon to bring se- curity. Under the new economic order the aims remain the same. The execution is to be different. Since private indi- viduals and private industry have failed to give the desired security, there remains collective effort. And collective effort may be expected to appear as the government. “We find our population,” said the President, “suffering from old in- equalities little changed by past spor- adic remedies.” The overprivileged remain overprivileged, the underprivi- leged are still to be raised in economic status. The President’s remedy is a more equitable distribution of profits. He has no intention or desire of wiping out the “profit system.” Men are to continue to be encouraged to make profits, but after they are made men cannot retain these profits; at least not beyond a reasonable profit, a fair profit, certainly not excessive profits. Who is to say what constitutes an ex- cessive profit? The President, in his address to Congress, sought to avoid the idea that the new economic order is to be socialism or communism. “In building toward this end (the new economic order and social justice) we do not destroy ambition nor do we seek to divide our wealth into equal shares on stated occasions,” the Presi- dent said. “We continue to recognize the greater ability of some to earn than others.” What the President as- serted is that the right to a decent liv- ing should have the right of way over the accumulation of great wealth and power. It was another and earlier Roose- velt who wished to “bust” the trusts. Trusts, monopolies, greater and greater concentration of industry and its control into a few hands have con- tinued, despite the warning of the earlier Roosevelt. And now the doc- trine is preached that great wealth, growing out of these concentrations, is in itself an evil. It dominates both private life and public business. Just what instruments are to be used to break down the old order and set up the new? Those are details ‘which must follow. It would appear, however, that if this task is to be ac- complished, the full enforcement of the anti-trust laws might be useful. —————— Upton Sinclair may not venture suthoritative comment on the Presi- dent's message, but he must at least concede that it contains some good jdeas. —————— The old melodramatists dealt with border ruffians. Suburban racketeers compel the politicians of large cities to do the same thing. ——— A Job Well Done. ‘Two Americans will return to Wash- ington from overseas this week who deserve well of their Government and of their country. They are Ambas- sador Norman H. Davis and Admiral William H. Standley, back from the wars of the recent naval conversations in London, They are not bringing trophies of victory in the form of ar- rangements for preservation of the limitations treaties, which, it was hoped, would emerge from the Anglo- American-Japanese talks. ‘What Mr. Davis and Admiral Stand- ley did at London was to uphold with firmness, dignity and success the theory of the United States that con- tinuance of the existing 5-5-3 ratio, with its guarantee of equality of se- curity, is the only basis upon which progressive reduction of naval arma- ments should be undertaken. Japan’s insistence upon actual equality & armaments rendered agreement fing® London impossible, and since then the | Tokio government has formally served notice that, as far as the Japanese are concerned, existing ties will come to an end on December 31, 1936. Ambassadet Pavis opd Sdmial Standley accomplished another note: worthy thing. They thwarted all ef- forts to create a breach in Anglo- American solidarity on the issues at stake, At more than one point in the protracted conversations there seemed danger that the United States might find itself facing Japan's equality de- mands single-handed. That on no important score was the English- speaking front broken is a tribute to the skill with which our spokesmen at London conducted their case. The future possibiiity of salvaging the present limitation system before the Washington treaty actually expires two years hence rests mainly on Anglo-American unity. For preserv- ing it, Ambassador Davis and Admiral Standley are entitled to the gratitude of the American people. They had a delicate and difficult job at London and it was well done. Pay Cut Restoration. The President’s executive order continuing the existing pay cut for the next six months is issued in routine compliance with the provi- sions of the economy law, under the terms of which he could not do other- wise. As the President some time ago stated that he was confident of pay restoration at the beginning of the next fiscal year, the question now is restoration of the pay cut as of January 1. There is undoubtedly an increasing sentiment among members of Congress in favor of such a move. There are & number of reasons why it should be done, provided there are sufficient Government revenues avail- able to finance the restoration this | fiscal year. The economy act required the Pres- | ident to announce at intervals of six months a cost of living index, to be studied with reference to the base period, chosen as the six months pe- riod ending December 31, 1928. The index for this base period is 171. indexes announced by the President, beginning with the period ending De- cember 31, 1932, are as follows: December, 1932. . 1339 June, 1933...... . 1302 December, . 1350 June, 1934.... . 1364 December, 1834. . 1389 ‘The cost of living index reached its lowest point in the six months period ending with June, 1933, and the index then was 23.9 per cent below the base | period. It has reached its highest figure for the six months just ended, but is still 18.8 per cent below the base period. Under the terms of the law, pay was to be restored when the percentage diffezence between the six months index and the base period was less than the amount of the pay cut. Under the law—which expires auto- matically at the’ end of this fiscal year—salaries could not be restored until the cost of living index approxi- mated the cost of living index for the last six months of 1928. This cost of living index is for the whole country. In Washington living costs are higher, and in Washington { live the greatest number of Govern- | ment employes, who must pay these higher costs while salaries are based on an average for the Nation. That is one of the inequities resulting from the economy law's formula, tying salaries to cost of living indexes. An- other inequity results when salaries are cut by an arbitrary cost of living index, but not raised when that index rises. The Government personnel ex- perienced a bitter struggle with rising prices during and after the war with- out compensating increase of Govern- ment pay. The savings which were affected by pay reduction would have been justified only if the Government had followed a consistent program of deflation. But that was not the policy. The policy has been one of expenditures to bring about recovery, and as long as Government personnel is denied carned salary there will re- main an unfair discrimination. This should be removed as early as pos- sible. —_——— Although President Roosevelt de- livered his message to Congress person- ally, it was in reality a message to the people of America with Congress lis- tening in. —_————— Defense and Counter-Accusation. Whatever the outcome of the trial of Bruno Hauptmann at Flemington, N. J, for the kidnaping and killing of the Lindbergh child, it will present one most unusual feature in that the defense, it is now announced, will not merely deny the guilt of the accused, but will attribute the crime to others. It must do this through its question- ing of the witnesses for the prosecu- tion, those called to establish the guilt of the accused. In virtually all cases the defense of one charged by the law with crime is general denial or justification. De- nial in the absence of positive iden- tification of the accused as a person known to have been present at the scene of the crime is customarily but- tressed by an alibi, which, if estab- lished, is good defense. But denial coupled with cqunter-accusation shifts the burden of proof from the prose- cution to the defense and it is, there- fore, rarely undertaken. A person accused of crime is pre- sumed by the law to be innocent until actually proved guilty. His indict- ment sets up an accusation which must be maintained by positive or strongly presumptive evidence, It is the right of the defense to impeach this evidence and in the present case it weuld seem to be the purpose of the defense not merely to impeach the evidence of the witnesses for the prosecution, but through them to shift the accusation to another or to others. Thus the defense assumes the role of the grand jury. The theory that others than the accused might have kidnaped the child, that there was opportunity for them to do 50, is in this case difficult to maintain in the face of certain own facts, as, for instance, the pgYssion by the accused of the act- '#4 Money paid in ransom for the returm of the hostage, who, it is now known, was dead gt the time the de- mand was made. Doubtless the eounsel for the defense realizes this I The | THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, CHANGING SCENES BY THE RIGHT REV. fact, but it undertakes to raise what 1s known in the law as a reasonable doubt of the guilt of the accused in the minds of the jurors. The law permits & wide latitude for the de- fense in capital cases in order to give the accused every possible chance to establish his innocence. It is more |strict in holding the prosecution within the limits of admissibility of evidence in maintaining the theory that proof of guilt must be positive or convincingly presumptive, even though the defendant has been in- dicted. If Hauptmann's counsel can in the course of his defense clear him of the guilt of kidnaping and murder by proving the crime to have been com- mitted by another or by others, with their identification, justice will have been served. In that case those oth- ers must be brought to trial if within reach, and justice will have been well served whatever becomes of Haupt- mann in connection with the taking of the ransom money, of which he is apparently guilty. The Slender Thread of Life. A man in Chattanooga has just demonstrated the utter futility of evading an adverse fate. He had an altercation with his housekeeper, whq stabbed him. An ambulance was called and he was sent to the hospital for treatment. The ambulance was involved in a three-way collision; a second one was called to complete the trip, but it caught fire before it reached the scene of the wreck. A third was summoned and the patient was delivered for treatment, which was sufficient to permit him to be dis- charged. He started to walk home and was struck by a hit-and-run driver and killed. This perhaps es- tablishes a record of malevolence. Had the housekeeper's blow been a trifle deeper or perhaps an inch or so to one side or the other the immediate | death of the victim would have been Jjust another item of comparatively minor news in these times of frequent slaughter. Had the patient been killed in the first accident it would have been worth a bit more space in the daily annals, But the combina- tion of dangerous wound, a delaying traffic smash-up and final fatality through the reckless driving of some unknown speedster puts this case in the category of demonstrations that modern urban life is always precarious, e The same nerve that enabled Lind- bergh to fly the Atlantic does not desert him in one of the most cruel ordeals to which any human being was ever subjected, even in times of wanton barbarism. —————. ‘The “profit motive” is not without respect. Economists, however, pro- pound & paradox in intimating that where substantial human progress is concerned there may be such a thing as a profitless profit. ———— America may utilize its own apple crop in the beverage market if it can persuade epicures that carbonated cider without a foreign label is as good as “champagne.” —_— e Those geometrical designs revealed in the Hauptmann case may be sym- bolically related to the “vicicus circles” frequently mentioned by econ- omists. /| e——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Brains and Brawn. The garden’s waiting for the spade And acres must be plowed, Along with speeches boldly made By patriotism proud. Our brawn must still be made effectual Along with efforts intellectual. ‘We'll cease to comb the roadside lawn And manicure the pines, ‘We will divert our honest brawn Into pore rugged lines. A method seems a bit ridiculous ‘When it works out as too meticulous. Placements, “Do you favor the Democratic mule or the Republican elephant?” “Both,” answered Senator Sorghum. “P. T. Barnum knew his business. He hitched an elephant to a plow for show purposes, but when he wanted real service he relied on the same old mule.” Jud Tunkins says egotism is what makes & flea mistake himself for the entire dog. For Man’s Illusion. When ghosts of porkers haunt the scene, A solmen song again we note And raise the chorus, all serene, “This world is but a fleeting shoat.” Social Problem. “What are you going to do about Rattlesnake Pete?” “He’s one of Gulch's social prob- lems,” answered Cactus Joe. “He has robbed so many banks successfully that we don’t know whether to classify him as a racketeer or a malefactor of great wealth.” Gangster Narcissus. He sets his jaw, a pose he strikes, As camera men awaken, The worse he looks the more he likes To have his picture taken, “One of de traffic troubles,” said Uncle Eben, “is due to de way traffic is bein’ cluttered up wif ambulances and hearses.” Orchestral Tragedies. From the Grand Rapids Press. Afluup:yerlhmmmduolm Eating Dolls No Novelty, PFrom the Louisville Courier-Journal. A doll that eats real food has been invented, says a Patent Office an- nouncement. That's no real news. Life is kaleidoscopic, it is ever changing. We are so constituted that we normally seek for variety. With- out it life grows stale and uninterest- ing. From youth to age, Micawber- like, we are seeking for new things to turn up. In its truer sense life itself is an adventure. It is a perpetual becoming. The constantly recurring changes leave their marks upon us, and our lives eventually become rec- ords of the transitions and crises through which we have passed. In reading the story of the lives of the good and the great we can readily mark the outstanding events that have molded and shaped their char- acters and given them their peculiar distinction. The brief annal that contains the story of the life of Jesus discloses the readiness with which He accepted the changing experiences in His brief life. He might have lived in the quiet of the hill town of Naz- areth and from it made those great statements that have given Him the foremost place among the world’s great teachers. There was no evi- dence of restlessness in His career, but a marked desire to spread His mes- sage in the cities, towns and villages which He visited from time to time. On one occasion, at the conclusion of a memorable utterance, where He was left alone with His disciples, as the evening approached, “He saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side.” Taking a small boat, He ventured forth upon a quiet lake, but suddenly “there arose a great storm, and wind and the waves beat into the ship.” Confused and frightened, the disciples found Him “in the hinder part of the ship asleep on the pillow.” Amazed at His unconcern, they awoke Him, saying unto Him: “Master, carest Thou not that we perish?® Unperturbed, we read that “He arose, and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace be still, and the wind ceased and there was a great calm. D. C, JANUARY 6, JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL.D, D.C. L. Bishop of Washington It is clearly evident from the rec- ord that the purpose in taking these disciples out upon the lake to cross over unto the other side was designed to give them a fresh demonstration, not only of His power, but of their security while in His company. It was doubtless one of the great ex- periences of their lives and served to give them a finer demonstration of His prevailing power and care for them. It was an evidence of His deep and affectionate concern for the well-being of those Who ap- pealed to His sustaining care and protection. s As we enter a new year, with its unknown and untried pathways; as we face what may be fulfilled hopes or bitter disappointments, it is a source of sustaining eomfort to feel that we may venture forth in the assurance that His companionship and friendship will not fail us in the crises of life; that, come what may, we have His promise that. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Our expressed beliefs may be crude and simple, but it is characteristic of most of us to hold that we are “kept by the power of God.” It is with this belief that we ven- ture forth upon the new experiences that lie ahead, trusting and hoping that, come what may, we shall be sustained and strengthened for every test that may be laid upon us. Such a belief will enable us to meet trials and bitter disappointments, and to face them with stout hearts and obedient wills. Thus we venture forth to the other side with hopeful expectations and supreme confidence in His keeping power. Greater than self-reliance is God-reliance. There is something fine and reassuring in that ancient promise, “I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, ‘fear not, I will help thee.’” What Will Follow Ja Of the Five—Five—Three Naval Ratio? BY OWEN L. SCOTT. Japan calmly scuttled the Wash-; ington treaty limiting naval building, | and almost immediately warlike | sparks began to fly. Admiral Reeves, commander in chief of the American Battle Fleet, announced plans for far-flung naval maneuvers in the Pacific. Budget es- | timates called for large expenditures on new warships, accompanied by the addition of thousands of men to the | Navy's enlisted personnel. The Sec- | retary of the Navy prepared to ask | for several hundred more naval offi- | cers. Larger expenditures were | planned for the Army. Talk revived | of fortifying the Aleutian Islands that lie east of Alaska and offer a new | American naval outpost. These developments came in the | face of the fact that this Government | desired to do nothing that would ag- gravate a rather tense international | situation. Are the related happenings just a coincidence, or is a race in armament getting under way between Japan and the United States? If there is | to be a race, what is the stake? Just why should the United States be more concerned about the troubles of China and the remainder of Asia than England or France or other powers? Might it be that Uncle Sa is being maneuvered into pullin other people’s chestnuts out of the fire? * ok ko ‘Time alone can give the answer to some of the questions now being asked. Two years must elapse before the Washington treaty actually ter- minates, and this country has much building to do before its Navy reaches the limit allowed by present inter- mational agreements. Plenty of time remains for minds to be changed. Yet there is little room for doubt that the Japanese had the American Navy in mind when renouncing the Washington treaty and asserting a determination to have the right to possess a naval force as large as any in the world. Why was the American Navy thought of and not the British? The English have much larger stakes m Asia than have Americans. The rea- son is that the United States long has regarded the Pacific as its back vard. There are the Philippines to think of, next door to Asia. There are the Hawalian Islands to protect as a defensive outpost. But most of all, in its foreign policy, the United States has been concerned about the “open door” in China. That means we insist on equal trading rights for all nations in Chinese markets, At the same time Japan has her eyes on China. She is ambitious to dominate the Asiatic region. Already Manchuria has become Manchoukuo, & puppet state, dominated by the Jap- anese. The United States still re- fuses to recognize this new state. That partially thwarts Japanese ambition to become undisputed overlord in a part of the world in which America has had a special interest. By its Far Eastern policy, particularly as regards China, this country seems to cross Japan, * k x % Just what lies back of American policy? Is the possible trade with China worth a naval base, or even- tually a war? A look at the figures gives the an- swer. Exports from the United States to China during the first nine months of 1934 amounted to about $65,000,~ 000 out of a total in exports to all nations of $1,500,000,000. Imports into the United States from China in the same period amounted to $38,000,000 against a total of $1,036,000,000 from all nations. On that basis, the total Chinese trade scarcely would pay more than a fraction of the cost of battleships’ now being built, One capital ship, of the kind that would be built after the Washington treaty expires, costs about, $80,000,000. In fact, the cost of naval | port trade has been in other markets maneuvers in the Pacific during May and June will mount to a figure that would not seem insignificant in com- parison with present trade with China. It the Chinese market is scarcely worth a battle, what of the Philip- pines? Don’t we have to watch out for them? As a matter of fact, naval plans are understood to call for no sus- tained defense of the Philippines in the event of war. They are too ex- posed, too difficult to defend. But more than that, Congress has de- cided that this country would like to grant independence to the Philip- pine Islands. American farmers do not like competition from Philippine sugar and ofls. In addition, the islands are expensive to maintain and pan’s Denunciation really is less rivalry in the trade of the United States and Japan than in the trade of any other two major powers, Japan sells to the United States| principally raw silk, which is not pro- duced here. She buys from the United States principally cotton and certain manufactures and raw ma- terials not produced in Japan. There has been much talk of an invasion of the American markets by cheap Jap- anese goods. At this point the fig- ures enter. They show that, unlike most other countries of the world, Japan now is buying from us goods equal in value to those sold her back in the prosperity days of 1929. She is an unusually good customer. At the same time she is selling to this country a sharply smaller volume of goods than in 1929. What used to be a balance of trade favorable to the Japanese has become a balance of trade favorable to the United States. Some specialty manufactures have come into this market, but the phe- nomenal expansion of Japanese ex- than the American market, and prin- cipally at the expense of traders of other countries. This seems to let out trade rivalry as an important cause of trouble between the two countries. ‘Which country, then, is feeling this rivalry? The answer is that British interests have been hardest hit. Back in 1929 English manufacturers sold cotton goods to twice the value of those soid by the Japanese. By 1933 the Japanese had taken the place of the British as leaders in the field. Similarly with exports of rayon, of woolen manufactures and of other light articles, the exporters of Japan struck at English and European man- ufacturers more than at American. At the same time, Great Britain, with a huge stake in Asia, with in- terests in China proper that are much wider than those of the United States, stands to lose more by Japanese ag- gression than does the United States. Her naval base at Singapore appears to cut across Japanese trade lanes more effectively than any base this country possesses. Yet this country, rather than England, finds itself | squared off in a diplomatic tussle with Japan. * ok x * Why should this be s0? Principally, 50 it is explained here, because the British are adept at trading and maneuvering. The Japanese think they can deal with Britain according to the older rules of imperialism and on a business basis. The Americans, meanwhile, seem more concerned with principles than with trade. They in- sist on keeping open the door to China and on standing opposed to Japan's determination to extend her sway over more of Asia, even when other na- tions have a much bigger stake than has the United States. Both countries now have their backs up and scarcely can retreat without losing face. ‘The Roosevelt administration is glad to accommodate any foreign buyers in the American market and to give thought to the chances of buying goods from foreigners, so that they can pay for what they buy from us, but it does not expect to pull the country out of the depression through development of foreign markets. Rather the whole stress is on making adjustments within the Nation that will cause the United States to be more independent of the ups and downs of world economy. On that basis America can be ex- pected to build up her Navy and to make sure of her security, but there is little chance that she will do any fighting to prevent Japan from ex- tending her sway in Asia., Russia and England may end up with that job, if it is to be done. But right now this country has been maneuvered into a position where it looks like Japan's adversary. (Copyright, 1035.) Concern Felt on the Eve Of the Saar Plebiscite BY A. G. GARDINER. LONDON, January 5.—With only a few days to run fo the fateful thir- teenth of January, the temperature of the Saar rises and the concern of Europe at the issue is intensified. What that issue will be no one who visits the thrilling stage will venture to forecast confidence. By this I do not suggest that there is any serious doubt that the German front will have a majarity of the votes. No one who has seen those vast, dis- ciplined gatherings of the ”&r‘:c‘t “:: the stupendous temporary s that hnmbem erected at Saarbruecken can question that. But from the Nazl point of view, it is not enough that the majority should be substantial. It must be overwhelming. They have claimed 97 per cent of the electorate as theirs, and anything like a bare or even a two-thirds majority would be equivalent to moral defeat, not for Germany, but for Nazi Germany. The distinction is important. If there h’ been no Hitler interlude the plebiscité would, by. universal consent, have resulted in a practically unani- . 1935—PART TWO. Capital Sidelights BY WILL P. KENNEDY. ‘Work is progressing rapidly now on the weighty task of removing half of the statues from Statuary Hall—some- times called the “Chamber of Hor- rors.” These statues, which are being distributed in various alcoves and cor- ridors of the Capitol Building, are attracting much attention in their new positions and are considered a “great improvement” by returning members. ‘They are now ornamenting various places which heretofore had a rather ba:ren look, as, for example, the ap- proaches to the Senate and House chambers. One statue from each State is being left in Statuary Hall, which was orig- inally the House chamber. As far as possible, those being left are of men who served in Congress when that was the legislative hall. This change was made because the weight of so many statues was unsafe in that chamber, which was not constructed to bear 50 great a weight. The moving of the statues will be completed by the time Congress gets here. * % k *x One of the veteran members of the House, defeated in the election, has been so much a Washington resident during his entire life that he elects to stay here and “get himself a job.” That's James A. Frear of Wisconsin. He lived here as a boy on Capitol Hill, in the Southeast section. He enlisted at Fort Myer in the Signal Corps and his first assignment was at Kitty Hawk, where the Wright brothers made their first successful flight in a heavier-than-air machine. He served as an enlisted man for five years and at one time was in charge of the Signal Corps pay rolls in Washington. ‘While working here he graduated from the National Law School. He went into the office of the late John C. Spooner, whose private secretary he became. Spooner was later leader of the Senate. Frear was for seven years district attorney, served in both branches of the Wisconsin State Leg- islature, was three times Secretary of State and 22 years in Congress. He does not expect to resume the prac- tice of law. * k k % A printer's devil come to Congress— marks the progression of one John H. Tolan—erstwhile “boy” to the late John A. Johnson of Minnesota at the munificent salary of $1.50 a week. Out of that $1.50 he gave his mother $1.25 and spent 10 cents for shot, 10 cents for powder and 5 cents for caps to indulge in Sunday shooting—and lived like & lord—he says. He reveres the memory of Johnson as a self-cultured man, one of nature’s neblemen, who was the kindliest man he ever knew. Tolan is being personally conducted around the Capitol and will receive his pay from Kenneth Romney, sergeant at arms, who gave him newspaper support in his first campaign 25 years ago—which wes, incidentally, the late Senator Tom Walsh's entry into poli- tics. It happened this way—when Romney came back to Montana after graduating from the University of Washington in 1910 he became editor of the Missoula Democrat. Tolan was a candidate for the State Senate and Walsh for the United States Senate. Then Romney came to Washington in 1914, and when Representative Eltse showed pugilistic tendencies in the House last session it was Sergeant at Arms Romney, custodian of the Mace, who subdued him. Now Tolan has defeated Eltse and is palling around with his old buddie Romney. Romney, by the way, gives the tip- off that Tolan is a brilliant orator and predicts that he will be one of the outstanding new men in the House and will soon become a political power from the West. — mous vote for immediate return to Germany. That is not so now. There will be a heavy vote for the status quo. It is not merely that the left wing of labor is alarmed at the prospect of falling into the hands of the Nazis. More formidable, and more incalcu- lable, is the Catholic opposition. That opposition is not anti-German, but it is anti-Naz., and its strength will be a vital factor in the poll. That it will be considerable was evidenced by the remarkable anti-Nazi Catholic dem- onstration in the Johannishof, when the walls were hung with battle cries, “Not so (swasttka symbol), but so (Roman cross)”; “to be German is to be free”: “rather dead than the slaves of the Nazis. The argument that ran through the speeches was that it was the Nazis who had made division in the Saar, and that the Christian party must vote for the maintenance of the status quo now so that the Saar could return later to a fnee country. It is this attitude that the German front is chiefly concerned to combat. If the issue were final, if, that is, a vote for the Saar remaining under the control of the League of Nations meant permanent separation from Germany, the anti-Nazi Catholics would vote for union with Germany. But the definite assurances they have received from the Council of the League that there is no obstacle to a future revision of the settlement which will follow the vote of January 13 give them greater freedom of ac- tion. They can vote for the status quo now without prejudicing their ultimate desire for union with Ger- many when that country has escaped from the excesses of Nazism and the present regime. It is significant that it was not until those assurances were given that the demonstration in the Johannishof was organized, * % ox In the face of this threat to the solidarity of the German vote, the Nazis insist on the unalterability of the coming decision. They ignore the declarations at Geneva and fer- vently declaim from platform, press and microphone that the choice be- tween the status quo and union with Germany is final and eternal. Another ground of alarm to the Nazis is the decision of the League governing commission that the votes shall be counted at Saarbruecken and burnt immediately afterwards. The Nazis wanted the votes counted locally and the results announced locally. The reason for this they left in no obscurity. One of the fears upon which they have played has been that through the fingerprints on the voting papers those who voted for the status quo would be discoverable. The decision to count the votes at Saarbruecken and to burn them when they are counted is intended to re- move that fear from the electorate. Before the arrival of the interna- tional forces there was apprehension lest a Communist “putsch” should be invented in order to stampede the electorate, and it was significant that at the anti-Nazi Catholic meeting great play was made with the ques- tion, “What will our Reichstag fire be?” But with the British-Italian forces now in control of the situation there is, I think, no peril of an or- ganized attempt to interfere with the course of the plebiscite. As I have indicated, there is little | caplf question about the result, though much question about the emphasis of the result. The Saar will vote for Germany, but the minority will be substantial and the situation that will arise between the victorious Nazis and the defeated anti-Nazis will be one of great bitterness. Whether the guar- antees for the protection of those who are known to have voted for the main- tenance of the status quo will be ef- fectiv) is & question which eveats alone can answer. (Copyright, 1835.) - i How Federal Parole System Works BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ‘Twenty thousand eyes are almost constantly on paroled Federal prison- ers, for the Department of Justice has organized a corps of 10,000 citi- zens to assist it in keeping track of prison inmates free on sufference. These 10,000 are not generally known to the general public and often not known to the prisoners they watch. The watch is not a constant surveil- lance, but its intermittency is of a| character which never leaves a man long out of view. It is the theory of Federal prison authorities that the man on parole | still, technically, is a prisoner. He is | at large and, save for the periods at which he is required to report. moves freely about his affairs. Yet all the time the 10,000 parole advisers, as they are called, are available to | check his activities and assist in hal- | 'lns him back to prison if he infracts the rules of his parole. | ‘This secret organization is scattered | throughout the country, the greater | number, as a matter of course, being | in regions where population is densest | or where the greatest number of | parolees are known to be at the time. ‘The problem of parole and proba- | tion is a deep one which has com- | pelled the attention of the best erim- | inalogists. ‘There is no such thing as a standard type of convict. Convicts might almost be said to be as variable | as their fingerprints are variable. While there are broad general classes, yet each man or women remains an | individual requiring individual study. | And what the general public which has not come in direct contact with the system probably does not compre- hend is that parole officers concern themselves with more than the parolee himself. They concern themselves with the families and former asso- ciates of men on parole or under con- sideration for parole. It is a big hu- | manitarian job. There are types of prisoners who need constant watching, even while pent within prison walls. There are others who are docile within the | prisons but not trustworthy on parole. | There are others who, once having given their parole, could not be in- | duced to violate it. The parole offi- | cers, in the first place, must be keen‘ judges of human character. But some | convicts are wily. They may sense that they are being considered for | parole. They are on their best be- havior, merely biding their time. So. | after parole, the outside workers, the | 10,000 parole advisers, must also be | keen judges of human character. | Family and AsSociates Judged. Ray L, Huff, parole executive of the | Federal Bureau of Prisons, points out that one of the important tasks of tion of the convict's family. If a man is a candidave for parole, it is to the interest of prison authorities to know the type of family which he has, if married, and the type of fam- ily from which he comes, if young. | unmarried, and at least part of the time living at his parents’ home. In- vestigation is made to learn with what people the parole candidate’s family | are associating. | The great importance of this is to assist in & judgment as to what course the parolee will follow on being released. Some prisoners are parole advisers is to know the condi- | a not interested in obtaining parole. They submit to what they call their rap and await with what patience they can, the day of discharge. While the authorities have no custody of any sort of a released prisoner, in contrast with the loose custody they have of a paroled man, still they frequently acquaint themselves with his movements. It is found that one type will either go home or go to some dis- tant place and attempt to find work. The habitual criminal, the man who does not want parole, will go straight back to his gang or to his family, if that family is in league with him. By investigating the family of a con- vict and its associates, prison au- thorities can form a pretty accurate opinion of what course a released prisoner is likely to take. Parole advisers, in their investiga= tion of family and associate circum- stances, also supplement the work of welfare agencies. It is discovered to what extent a prisoner has left behind him a destitute family. If the family is destitute, assistance is provided in putting it in touch with the proper welfare authorities, giving instructions as to proper procedure, and so on. Parole advisers are exe pected to do their work unobtrusively. Friendly Co-operation Sought. There often is a decidedly human side to the contact of parole officers with families. The officer ascertains whether the family is familiar with prison rules. Does it know, for ex= ample, the regulations regarding the Writing of letters, the making of visits and the sending of gifts? Mr. Huff outlines some of the services per= formed. He says: “Through what resources of money, orcupation and associates is the family living? What are its interests in work, friends and leisure activities? To whom is it natural for it to appeal for help or consolation What other resources | of interest are practical to introduce to it? What is the attitude of the family toward the prisoner?” An’ interesting angle of this proe cedure is that it fits in exactly with the theory that criminals often are the product of their environment. An astonishing number of prison inmates in the United States are young—many of them minors. By contact with families, parole advisers have an ope portunity to learn just what the en= vironment is and then, through coe operation with constructive social agencies, they can attempt at least to improve the environment so that other young members, coming along, will not follow in a criminal course, The parole advisers are in & pare ticularly advantageous position for this work because they do not appear as officials but as friendly citizens, exhibiting a neighborly interest. If family with a member in jail wishes to communicate or advise with & parole officer, he may be called in. He acts as a sort of interpreter between the family and the prison authorities. In all human affairs there is a con- stant possibility of a slip. In spite of the 10,000 parole advisers, men on pérole occasionally violate it and ate tempt escape beyond touch. With so many eyes watching not only the man but his family and associates, this is difficult indeed, and usually the une worthy parolee is haled back with forfeiture of his good behavior allowance. Food Consumption In the Depression BY HARDEN COLFAX. Practically no change has been re- corded in the quantity of food con- sumed in the United States during the depression. This is the conclu- sion reached by the Department of Commerce food experts. who have just | brought out a bulletin on the “ap- parent” per capital consumption of | the principal foodstuffs in the United States. H The characterization “apparent” is made because the information was| obtained from market reports and, necessarily, does not include consid- eration of food produced at home by individuals for their own consumption. { Figures show, in the first place, that there has been a considerable change | in the use of certain basic food items | in this country over a period of 30, years. Flour consumption, for exam- | ple. decreased from 220 popnds .per | capita in 1900 to approximately 175 pounds last year. A striking change also is noted in the consumption of corn meal, which, in 30 years, fell off from approximately 100 pounds per| person to about 24 pounds. Break- | fast foods have now reached a con- | sumption of more than 14 pounds per capita, * K K K Certain Government activities in recent years have effected the usual | methods of distributing flour. From | the close of the war, say from 1920 to 1929 onward, there has been a | steady increase in the consumption! of bread turned out by the commer- | cial bakeries. Then, several years ago, the Federal Farm Board found | itself with. enormous quantities of wheat on hand. Later Congress au-| thorized the distribution of several | million bushels of wheat in the form of flour, directly through the Red Cross, to needy persons. This serious- | ly affected the production of com- mercial bakeries. During the current year, the usual channels of distribution have no doubt been somewhat affected by | i the purchase and processing of | enormous quantities of meats. espe- cially beef, which are being handled | by the FERA. Nationally, the con- sumption of fish will also be affected | by this development, although this| would not have been the case if money relief had prevailed, since in the lat- ter case those on the relief rolls would | purchase their usual foodstuffs with- out any material change. Oils and fats have always stood rather high in the American diet and for many years butter end lard were the principal foodstuffs of this kind widely used. In recent years, oil from cotton seed, coconuts and peanuts, as well as cooking fats, have added approximately 10 pounds of oils every year to the average American diet. During the 1934 canning season an unusual amount of all types of food- stuffs was put out. It is believed that, with 4,500,000 families receiving direct aid from the Government, con- sumption of this sort of food will be at a peak for this year. * K Kk X ‘The most striking changes in the consumption of American foods dur- ing recent years have been in sugar and fruits. Formerly the average American ate approximately 60 pounds of sugar per annum. Now he con- sumes more than 100 pounds. Dried products, in terms of milk, have also increased to about 150 pounds per ta. Pruits are also more widely" used. Particularly is this the case with apples and citrus fruits, However, there has been a decrease recently in the use of apples. Apple consump- tion hes declined from about 100 pounds to little more than half that amount in recent years, while there has been a remarkable increase in| the consumption of citrus fruits, hes, grapes and bananas. %c‘ course, one of the fundamental Fifty Years Ago In The Star ‘The economic outlook 50 years agg in this country was not a pleasant : one. The Star of Evidences of 570,11 1885, thus Depression. describes the situae tion: “The one thing which more than | any other marks the advent of the New Year. in this country at least, is the depression of business, or rather perhaps the tangible evidences of such depression which are felt so sensibly at this particular season. From every quarter and in nearly every branch of industrial and com=- mercial pursuits, the report is the same—the number of employes is being reduced and those remaining on the pay roll must accept smaller wages. The cutting down both of numbers arnd pay varies, of course, with localities and the nature of the service rendered, but a careful calcue lation will probably show that the average reduction in wages will be somewhere between 12 and 15 per cent, and likely to be nearer the latter than the former figure. This is a rather disagreeable New Year gift for those who have to support them- selves and their families from their daily, weekly or monthly earnings, and what makes the situation still more unpleasant is the fact that there is no corresponding decline in the cost of most of the necessaries of life. It is true that farmers get less than they used to for the products of the soil, but by the time they reach the hands of the working people in the form of food, clothing and fuel, they cost the latter nearly as much as they did when wages were a great deal higher than they now are. There is a problem her® that would seem | to be worthy the attention of the legislators of the country; but be- tween politics and individual schemes for money-getting they do not appear to be disposed. even were they able, to grapple with it.” . Somewhat paradoxical is the fol- lowing summary of the railroad situa- . tion half a cen- Fewer Miles of tury ago in The i id, Star of January New Rails Laid. 2 1888: “A healthy sign of the times is the marked falling off in the mileage of new railroad tracks laid during the year. The stagnation in this business has brought, of course, immediate loss and suffering to all concerned in it and through them to the community at large, but it was necessary in order that the country might grow up to the roads already constructed. For some years the railroads have been overbuilding and the distemper reached its climax in 1882, when 11,~ 596 miles of track were laid. The almost necessary consequence of this feverish growth was the depression through which we are now passing. But during the past year only 4,000 miles were constructed, and most of this mileage represents the repair of old track rather than the laying of new lines. This more conservative tendency indicates the speedy coming of more prosperous times, based on a better balance of supply and demand.” ing and the advance in the purchasing power of the great mass of consumers. New ideas have come up to stimulate the demand for certain products. The discovery of vitamins and their im- portance in the diet has prompted physicians to recommend the use of certain foods high in their content of these values. The food experts say that if the efforts along the lines of the social program now in progress in this country are continued, where- by minimum income can be assured, there is no doubt that increased cofe causes of the changes in food habits is the comparative standards of liv- sumption of food products will follows (Copyright. 1934.)