Evening Star Newspaper, February 21, 1935, Page 10

A—10 THE. EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1935. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editien, WASHINGTON, D. C THURSDAY. .February 21, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. Editor e ———————— The Evening Star Newspaper Company ‘Business Office: 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. Chiciso Gibcer Lake Michigan Bullding European Office: 14 Regent St.. Londen. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. ition.. - e Evenine 's‘v‘é'::‘: :‘ Y :;4?0 er month e Evening an ;l ay fiflfi er month *85¢ per moren B¢ ver copy The Sunday Star ... Night Final Edition. tent Pinal and Sunday Star 70c per month ight Final Star 55¢ per month Collection made at the end of each :nmh_ Orders m: by mail or lephone National 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. {ly and Sunday. .1 yr.. $10.00; 1 mo.. 86¢ ily “only . 1 $6.00: 1 mo.. 60¢ nday onty. " yr. $4.00i 1 mo.. 40c All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday. 1 y1., $12.00; 1 mo., $1.00 ally only......1yrl "$8.00i 1mo. " 7he unday only... 1yr. $500:1mo. Member of the Associated Press. Tne Associatea Press 1s exclusively en- titled to the use for republication of all Dews dispatches credited to it or not other- [ise credited in this Daper and also local news oublished herein Dublication of special dispatches herein are also ved Mr. Hoover's Comment. Mr. Hoover's comment on the Su- preme Court decisions is concerned chiefly with the course which, in his opinion, the country should now pursue toward recovery. He advocates return to the gold standard and specie payments at the existing fifty-nine- cent dollar and offers the suggestion that such a step would hasten the in- ternational stabilization of currencies which has been held out by the ad- ministration as a possible objective. Mr. Hoover, however, believes that instead of waiting for foreign powers to take the lead the United States should re-establish the gold standard now, as “they would be bound to follow some time. They are more afraid of our doing just this than they are of any American ‘managed currency,’ at which game they have us at a disadvantage.” Mr. Hoover’s main thesis, however, 1s that there can be no real recovery until there is restored confidence in the currency and an end to uncer- tainty as to what may happen to the dollar. He subscribes to the theory of many other so-called “con- servatives”—among them the Presi- dent’s former director of the Budget, Lewis W. Douglas—that until there is & marked pick-up in the capital goods industries, which have been lagging behind everything else, there can be no fundamentally sound recovery; that Tecovery in capital investment will put more men to work than any other single element, but that there will be no such recovery until faith in the dollar is restored, as “the people are hesitant to invest their savings and take long-term risks because there 1s uncertainty in what value they will be repaid.” It has been estimated that there is now a potential, deferred demand in the heavy goods industries for replace- ments alone amounting to about $19.- 000,000,000, and that normal replace- ment and plant expansion in these industries would mean the expendi- ture of between twenty-five and thirty-five billions—figures which may ‘be compared for employment posibili- ties with the four billion, eight hundred million dollars for which the adminis- tration is moving heaven and earth to get from Congress for a public works program. “The Government's pro- gram of stimulating the capital goods and giving employment through public works,” Mr. Hoover believes, “can never result in twenty-five per cent of the jobs which can be provided by normal private capital-goods indus- tries.” Lack of confidence in the dollar, in Mr. Hoover's opinion, is increased by fears of further devaluation—with rapidly rising prices—and by the “fever” of “inflation poison in the National blood.” Others than Mr. Hoover are concerned with elements now present which would be con- strued historically as leading toward inflation—the increasing deficits, which have not only been larger each year, but which show no signs of decreasing; the huge borrowing program which also indicates no let-up, and the absence of the customary brakes on legislative spending which lie in rais- ing through taxation the dollars that are spent. With these is now coupled the possibility of further devaluation, even now being urged by a bloc in Congress which has interpreted the Supreme Court decisions as meaning that the lid is off. Mr. Hoover’s premise may be wrong. But there are increasing indications, in and out of Congress, that there is far from unanimous opinion in sup- port of the administration’s chief premise, which seems to be that the way to recovery is through Govern- ment spending of plentiful dollars which are easy enough to find. High-priced lawyers are frankly mentioned as formidable in public affairs. An N. R. A. code for lawyers has never yet been seriously con- templated. ———— Dirigibles. Secretary Swanson's declaration that he is opposed to the further construc- tion of dirigibles for the Navy, in the light of the disaster to the Macon, should at least give pause to any movement in that direction by Con- gress through appropriation of funds for the replacement of the airship. Certainly the record of American con- struction of this type of defense craft does not warrant additional heavy ex- penditures. Three of these dirigibles have been built in this country and all have been wrecked in storms with loss of life. The only heavier-than-air craft commissioned for naval service in the United States that has sur- vived is of German construction. Whether it was more staunch or was simply more fortunate may be & matter of speculation, but the fact Demalns thab none ¢f the American~ ]bullt dirigibles has stood up under | stress of weather, and that fact should serve to check further outlays unless and until demonstration can be given that the faults of these homemade craft can be corrected. The question is whether the Government should His Postmaster General, his Secretary of the Treasury end others of his official family may sojourn in con- genial Winter resorts of the South, but “the boss™ himself perforce must stick to his post. Such is the fate of any captain finance experiments in this direction. | who is conscious of his responsibility. The percentage at present runs strongly against the wisdom of such a course. A difference of opinion has always existed on the score of the utility of the dirigible as & war machine. That heavy damage was inflicted by them during the war in raids over “enemy territory” 1s conceded. These raids, | however, were conducted from rela- tively near bases anc. covered a com- paratively narrow area. As an offen- sive weapon the dirigible must have a near objective. The United States is not so situated as to bring any area of possible “enemy territory” within such range, save Canada and Mexico. The chances of war with Great Britain and with Mexico may be regarded as decidedly remote. For defensive purposes, in case of an at- 0c | tack upon this country by a foreign power, the dirigible would, in the judgment of military experts, be of but little utility, as compared with the | squadrons of heavier-than-air ma- chines, operating from land bases or from carriers convoyed by a battle fleet. It is doubtless a cause for chagrin that the American-built dirigible has not proved dependable. But there are urgent needs in naval construction if an adequate defense force is to be developed and maintained that call for the building of craft that can be relied upon to meet all requirements, and while these are being met, with proper appropriations, experimental enterprise in dirigible construction is not to be considered as necessary or desirable. Germany's Evasions. German diplomacy no doubt plumed ago when it accepted “in principle” and in part the Anglo-French pro- gram for European pacification. The only portion of the plan to which the Reich assented outright was the pro- posal of & western air alliance pro- viding for mutual assistance against an aggressor in the case of an un- provoked attack. As to all other mat- ters, Hitler merely expressed a will- ingness to discuss them with Great Britain. At once the German's tactics were interpreted as an attempt to drive a breach between the British and the French by conducting negotiations only with the London government. If that really was the Fuehrer's pur- pose, it seems already to have gone the way of so many other Naz mis- calculations. Authoritative word is poses any German effort to single out the air pact from the whole structure which Britain and France would erect for peace and security in Europe. It thus becomes apparent that Ger- many must agree to the entire proj- ect instead of merely that feature which makes a special appeal to her— the air agreement, with its tacit acknowledgement that the Reich, in spite of the prohibitions of the Ver- sailles treaty, has a military air force and is entitled to it. That phase of the Anglo-French accord is found particularly attractive in Berlin. Germany has been in expectation of a visit from British Foreign Secre- tary Sir John Simon and Disarma- ment Expert Capt. Anthony Eden, with whom the Wilhelmstrasse would initiate the desired conversa- tions. But Berlin now is advised that while Hitler's recent “acquies- cence” in the Anglo-French proposals is good, as far as it goes, it does not, in the British view, go far enough. The Germans are reminded that their evasions are unwelcome and unsatis- factory. Until they are in mood to consider European peace requirements on a more comprehensive scale they are likely to wait in vain for a visit from Sir John Simon and Capt. Eden. That seems virtually to have been determined at a meeting of the British cabinet on Wednesday. The points on which it is im- perative for the Germans to take & positive position include their re- turn to the League of Nations, a general armaments convention, their adherence to the Rome agreements for mutual non-interference in Cen- tral Europe, especially Austria, and an Eastern (Locarno) security pact. As it considered the attitude to be assumed toward Germany's evasions the British cabinet had before it & note dispatched by the Soviet gov- ernment to both Britain and France, expressing its view that the London proposals for & general Eur n settlement, embracing the four points just mentioned, must be kept intact and carried out in full Hitlerism is on the spot. Matters plainly are moving to a point where it must demonstrate by deeds, in- stead of merely by platitudinous Pprotestations, that it intends to keep the peace, or run the risk of isolation by a grouping of international force which can and will compel Germany to do so. Carrie Nation was a brave feminist in her day. She never attended a cocktail party or smoked a cigarette in all her life. ————e———— . Vacation. President Reosevelt, according to the judgment of Mark Sullivan, an experienced observer, stands in need of a vacation. He is tired and at a recent press conference betrayed “a mood of irritability.” A change of scene, the privilege of relaxation, some form of refreshing recreation, Mr. Sullivan suggests, would help. But with Congress debating recovery ex- penditures approximating five billion dollars, the Supreme Court bringing forth its decision concerning gold and contracts, a revision of the N. R. A. establishment going forward and other troubles too numerous to men- itself over its adroitness a few days! forthcoming that Great Britain op- | And the circumstance goes far to explain why and how it is that great men all too frequently pay with their health for their elevation to celebrity and power. The old axiom by which it is held that “there is no rest for the wicked” might be applied with equal appropriateness to those who have been honorably successful in their struggle for eminence. The mo- ment an individual emerges from the throng and becomes a “public char. acter” soclety appears to conspire to enslave him. Every fractional in- stant of his time is demanded of him, socfety presses in upon him pitilessly, he is the object of & ceaseless cam- paign of coerclon and compulsion. Even when he does attempt to escape, he is prevented from enjoying the least shadow of liberty. What is called a vacation is, in effect, an aggravation of his lot. ‘The matter has been discussed from many angles and for many years, but nothing, it seems, can be done about it. Conscientious leaders, naturally enough, resent any appeal which would mean neglect of duty, and those less mindful of their obligations also find their activities too circum- scribed for flight. ————r——————— One of the Uncle Remus fables de- scribes a rabbit in peril that climbed a tree, contrary to the rules of natural history, “because he was jes' bleeged to.” There are times when the strict logic of law has to yield to exigencies of public safety. — rae————— 1In such extraordinary times as these a government is doing well to keep law and order functioning reliably without calling on groups to set alarm clocks so as to arise in time to be shot at sunrise. Purposes of generous Andrew Mellon to make the District of Columbia an art center of the world should be safe- guarded against berets and smocks, in lan indiscriminate affectation of the Latin Quarter. Ax-men in dress suits beheading beautiful society women constitute an incident of grotesque horror that shows why Fliegende Blaetter is not funny any more. e ———————— Aviation is no longer in its infancy. It is in lusty youth an expression of ideals that must scorn the “sporting thrill” or the suggestion of mercenary purpose. 1In order to be funny it is not neces- sary to be unpleasant. Tcssing around deceased felines is shabby metaphor even in the heat of political debate. The Russian ballet is beautiful, but no more typical of Russian life than the Ziegfeld Follies or the Earl Carroll Vanities is of American life. ——————————— Slaughter of spies creates an inevi- table gloomy curiosity as to what they are liable to find out. SHOOTING STARS,’ BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Twilight Salutation. De day gits tired "bout half-past §. De clouds like chariots arrive, A-rollin’ down de west, so slow. Says Mistoh Day, “I got to go. 1 done my bes’ to bring a smile Or help you work a little while. Now I mus’ travel on my way. Good-day to you,” says Mistoh Day. “T done my bes’ to bring you cheer. T maybe failed an’ brought a tear. No one does jes' whut he intends. Days is uncertain, same as friends. Some of us Days is frownin’ dark. We can't all reach de sunshine mark, But each mus’ call an’ go his way. So 'long to you,” says Mistoh Day. Milder Moods. “There's no doubt about it,” mused Senator Sorghum, “we're a great deal more gentle and refined than we used to be” “There have been some hard-boiled methods.” “Not in statesmanship. There was a time when a political quarrel might lead to a duel. Now the worst you can expect is a libel suit.” The Difficulty. “Does your boy Josh know anything about how the place ought to be run?” “I'll say he does,” answered Farmer Corntossel. “I'll say he knows all about it. The trouble seems to be that the hired man and I are too dumb to follow out instructions as fast as Josh can give 'em.” Superficial Observation. A lot of things in life we spurn And to the scrap heap send ’em Because we don’t have time to learn To fully comprehend 'em. Things which instruct us or amuse, ‘Which world’s great minds delight in, Look like a lot of curlicues To them that can’t read writin’, The Proviso. “Don’t you believe it is right for a man to say exactly what he thinks?” “Yes,” replied Miss Cayenne; “pro- vided he really thinks.” The Memory Mill. ©Oh, memory should be like & mill And in life’s busy grind Reject the useless and the ill And leave the good behind. “Fohgive yoh enemies,” said Uncle Eben, “but don’ let dat stop you fum havin’ ‘em put under bonds to keep de peace.” % Not Quite the First. tion, the Chief Executive cannot veryl :‘i,, up mmwwuem_nm and the THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Every one who goes to Florida could send back small boxes of seeds to the home folks. Few do, however, and, since they are mostly kindly people, ‘we must belleve that they simply never think of it. Yet & small box of varied flower seeds from the South’s most famous State—dr is i'ti;‘—-l.u an entrancing and inexpensive 3 Nothing & garden lover could re- ceive would interest him or her more, at this time of year, when Spring seems just around the seasonal corner. L Half of the pleasure from & box of mixed seeds from the Southland lies in the unkn own. One is not able to recognize & seed. Mystery lies there in & very small compass. Here are brown seeds, looking something like beans, here are very dark ones, round and bullet-like, here are flat affairs reminding the ob- server of some long-forgotten candy of youth. Do you recall the enormous sticks of parafin which once did duty as chewing gum? There is no telling what one will think about, immediately he recalls those sticks. One thinks about the place it was purchased, perhaps. Then one thinks of what? He thinks of a small-town general store. It wasn't the typical “general store” of American fancy, . It was, indeed, the first country at- tempt at & modern department store. We of the cities are so used to the department store, as such, that seldom we think of the history of these interesting institutions. There was a time in this country when, having conquered the big cities, these stores set out to do likewise in the smaller places. It was about at the period of the introduction of “water works” and electric lights. Let those who think now in terms of airplanes imagine they represent the last word. There was just as much excitement in the late '80's and early '90's over electric lights, run- ning water and department stores. The thrill, the illusion of progress is in the mind, too. LR Those big sticks of paraffin, now— they were for sale in one “depart- ment” of the small-town store. Whether any child regarded them as the genuine equivalent of chewing gum we do not recall, but surely there was something satisfying in such huge quantities of material in the mouth. . Small pieces, bitten off, rapidly assumed a soft state. The fun came in stuffing the mouth as full as possible. Soon the chewing child came to resemble a squirrel with a jaw full of hickory nuts. No squirrel would have been guilty of packing the mouth so full he could not chew, bus that was what happened to many a child. STARS, MEN It seemed that the appeal of rea- son was utterly lost, that nothing could be done about it, the mouth must be stuffed more and more, not and less. Hence in time no more be put in, which left the child holding half a stick of paraffin as yet unconsumed. CE R As .vivid as these recollections are, they must take second place to an- other in connection with the same scene. This is the memory of sunshine across & counter of gingham. ‘The sun came in over a counter close to a window. It illuminated the goods much as & painter might take a sheet of white paper and by drawing a brush across is make it into something colored and living. Thus is shown again the plain fact that there is no telling what will strike & child most. Not the stick of false chewing gum, not the people, but a ray of sunshine across colored cloth. Revealing an artistic soul, eh? Maybe, maybe not. There is no telling how many such impressions never get recalled, in after life, since the precise spark is not there to recall them. A chain of words must come first, picturing the scene, before he who recalls is able to visualize the past. Happy in the streets of our city are the feet of those who help to recall pleasant things. * % ¥ All this is not as far away from a match box filled with seeds from the South as one might think, offhand. For such a box of seeds is a tan- gible presentation of memory. Each seed is a bit of nature’s mem- °F 1s the embodiment of memory, as it were. A seed is a solidification of the de- termination of nature to keep itself alive. Just why it wants to keep alive, no one knows. At least the explana- tions are not very satisfying. The “why” of it all is a mystery, and evidently must remain so. All we can do is accept the determina- tion. It there ever ‘was a determined thing, it is this inoffensive little, curious, intriguing flower seed, which the gardener takes between his finger and holds up to the light. Here it is, nothing, in one sense, a nothing to be blown out of the hand by the lightest wind, and to get down into a small crack in the concrete, and be lost forever, Here it 1is, though. Something, something to fall into rich earth, | and be watered by rains, and to start | growing, and to come to light after a while as a full-fledged life in & world of life. Which deserves the most credit, the seed or the forces that water it, and feed it, and light it to life? Silly seed, if it swells up with self- importance and forgets the forces that make it. Silly forces, if, having seed, they will not water and feed and help it on its way, but must hold it down, saying, “No, we won’t let you grow, you have grown enough already.” AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Riding in a car traveling several thousand miles a minute with no| chauffeur, no traffic rules, all sorts| of crossroads and highway junctions, and billions of other cars moving at the same speed all around—. That's about what everybody is do- ing, so long as one remains a pas- senger on the solar system in its dash through space. But there's no great need to lose sleep over the likelihood of a collision, according to determina- tion just announced by Dr. R. F. Sanford, astronomer of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. We are protected by the vastness and empti- ness of space. As a matter of pure chance, a stellar smash-up is very unlikely. 3 Dr. Sanford’s provisional determ- inations indicate that in an imaginary sphere extending outwards for 16 light years from the sun as a center the stars, on an average, are seven light years apart. A light year is the dis- tance traversed by light, moving 180,000 miles & second, in & year. If a star of average size, Dr. Sanford estimates, be represented by a sphere one-eighth of an inch in diameter these spheres would have to be placed four miles apart to give a true repre- sentation of the distances of the stars around us. Said Dr. Sanford: “It is estimated that the space around us that is un- occupied by stars is 100,000,000,000,- 000,000,000 times as great as that which the stars fill. * % k¥ Production of “pure iron” has just been announced from the Carnegie Institute of Technology. At least, the product produced in the institute’s laboratory is more than 99.95 per cent pure. Ordinary iron, while good enough for all practical purposes, is contaminated with minute amounts of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, silicon, nickel, manganese, chromium and copper. The purification was accomplished by passing a stream of hydrogen over iron from which as many impurities as possible had been removed by other methods. These took out many of the alien elements, leaving them in quantities not greater than a few parts in a million. One purpose for *producing the pure iron was to determine accurately the properties of the metal. So long as a sample contained other elements it was impossible to determine whether some of its peculiarities of behavior were due to its own prop- erties or those of the other agents in the combination. For example, as is well known, iron expands with heat. It continues to expand until a temperature of about 900 degrees Centigrade is reached. Then it stops expanding and actually contracts. When the heat is in- creased above this critical tempera- ture it starts expanding again. This phenomenon is due to the rearrange- ment of the iron atoms in a new molecular pattern—although some metallurgists have maintained in the past that the rearrangement would not take place if it were not for the | nent part in this ceremony. They by an aged Navajo medicine man who worked on them intermittently for seven years in deflance of the curse of blindness which he feared the native gods would cast upon him for violating their secrets. This work was in payment of a debt of grati- tude which he felt was owed to a white Indian agent, whose arrival on the reservation was simultaneous with the breaking of a long drought. The Indians believed the white man had brought the rain with him. The value of the paintings lies in the fact that they are absolutely ac- curate. So much is this the case that they have been consulted by present-day medicine men for details which have been lost in the oral tra- ditions handed down from their an- cestors. These details, as well as the elaborate chants which are used in the ceremony, have been passed along for generations from medicine man to apprentice and have been preserved only in the memory. Any permanent record was strictly forbidden. So much has this been the case, in fact, that the priests have been en- joined to erase all the figures before sundown each day of the ceremony and repaint them the next morning. Before the start of the nine-day ceremony, Smithsonian officials ex- plain, & bed of dry, yellow sand is spread over the floor of the medicine lodge. Upon this bed, which served as a sort of altar, the medicine men sprinkle fine lines of powdered sand- stone of different colors in elaborate symbolic designs of constellations, animals, plants, etc. All is surrounded by the lines of a rainbow. 8o these cloth representations today constitute a sort of Navajo scripture. They were presented to the Smith- sonian Institution by Mrs. Charles D. Walcott, who purchased them from the daughter of the Indian agent from whom they were obtained. They now are on exhibition in the foyer of the National Museum. Too Much “Pep.” Prom the New York Times. Any one who wants to argue that capltalists, like Bourbons, never learn, now has a fine instance in pepper. The produce markets in London have been rocked by a pepepr crisis fol- lowing upon a shellac and a peanut crisis. A pool was formed to corner the white-pepper supply and it has now collapsed. Several business firms have gone bankrupt and for a time it seemed as if there might be banking reverberations. Five thousand tons impress one as a lot of white pepper, but that is about & year’s supply for the London market. Normal stocks on hand were about a thousand tons, a couple of months’ supply. By the time the pool’s buying operations had sent up the price of pepper almost 100 per cent the visible pepper stocks in London were 20,000 tons, a four years’ supply, and almost as much again was in transit for London. From all the odorous isles of Asia the white pepper descended upon the London operators in clouds. They found it nothing to sneeze at. ‘Thus the greedy speculators of 1934 were completed nearly 40 years ago | The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. Former President Herbert Hoover has come forward with a proposal to return the country to the gold standard, with the dollar stabilized at its present gold value—59 cents. Here is the “sound argument in an up-to-date . It is & proposal that gives in effect & 4l-cent reduction on debts, debts which under the old gold valu- ation of the dollar would have had to be paid with much more service or goods. It is a proposal that seeks to remove the fear further inflation and devaluation of the dollar from the minds of the people. Any one who thinks that is not a very real fear merely closes his eyes and ears to what is going on around him. It is a pro- posal that, of course, will not rest well with the proponents of greater infla- tion of the currency. These last- named gentlemen took great encour- agement from the decision of the Su- preme Court in the gold cases on Mon- day. They figured out that if that was the way the court felt about it, there was no particular reason why there should not be further devaluation and inflation, and some of them frankly are demanding both. * ok x % It is the threat that the dollar may be still further devalued that has the people and business on the anxious bench—causing them to hesitate to put their money into long-term obli- gations. In the opinion of Mr. Hoover the removal of this fear would do far more to bring about re-employment and recovery than the public works plan advanced by the administration. The former President's statement was issued in Arizona, on his way back to his California home. It was carefully prepared and gave Mr. Hoover’s exact reasons for a return to specie payment—which has come to be recognized as a gold payment. Like other commentators on the decision of the Supreme Court in the case in- volving the payment of the Govern- ment's own bonds, Mr. Hoover called attention to the agreement of all members of the court that the Gov- ernment had acted unconstitutionally in repudiating the covenant in its bonds—the covenant to pay in gold. He asserted the decision of the court that the citizen has no remedy—since he cannot prove that he has suffered a loss—will have long moral conse- quences. But, in the opinion of Mr. Hoover, it is time to look forward and | be practical, to. accept the situation and make the best of it, but to take no_chances with further devaluation. Briefly, Mr. Hoover contended that the stabilization of the dollar would stimulate industry and business, put men to work and prevent a very | greatly increased cost of living to the workers. Sooner or later this ques- tion of sound money—of a stabilized dollar—is going to find its place in the political campaigns. * k¥ ¥ The decisions of the Supreme Court in the gold cases, with the court di- vided, 5 to 4, show a strange geo- graphical alignment. The five jus- tices of the court who rendered the majority opinions all come from the seaboard States of the East and North, usually reckoned conservative territory. The four justices who de- nounced the opinion of the majority, declaring that it broke down the Con- stitution of the United States, came from the West, the most Eastern hail- ing from Tennessee, while the others were appointed to the bench from Wyoming, Utah and Tennessee. It was the liberal East against the con- servative West. - The Supreme Court of the United States has never been dominated by partisan politics. In these gold de- cisions, in which a Democratic ad- ministration was vitally interested, partisan politics certainly had no part Of the four Democratic members of the court, two agreed with the ma- jority opinion of the court, which “gratified” the President, and two dissented. ‘The five Republicans ci- vided, with three supporting the ma- Jjority opinion and two dissenting. * %% President Roosevelt's message to on the N. R. A. asked a two-year continuance of the national industrial recovery act. Doubtless the President and his advisers desire to see the system set up for control of industry through the codes made permanent—certainly parts of it. It may be that some of the recommenda- tions which the President received from his advisers, and which he has transmitted to the congressional com- mittees, will look to making the system permanent. However that may be, the President has not put the final seal of approval on these recom- mendations of his assistants, and what he has asked for is a continu- ance for two years of the N. I. R. A. In the light of all the opposition which has developed to the N. R. A. in Congress and out, it is about as much as the President could hope for. A law to make the N. R. A. permanent would have tough sledding in Congress today, and there are evidences that the two-year continuance may have its troubles. * ¥ ¥ % As indicated by the President in his messages, it is proposed in the legisla- tion to continue the N. R. A. to meet some of the most serious objections raised to the system and its adminis- tration. If these amendments work well, then, it is figured, the country will be more willing to make the system permanent. Furthermore, if the system shall have been in effect for a period of nearly four years, un- der the original act and under the continuing act, it may be very difficult to dislodge it. ** % % ‘The proponents of the repeal of the income tax publicity clause of the present revenue law will have to act quickly if they are to be effective. All returns on income for 1934 must be in the hands of the Internal Revenue Bureau by March 15. And under the law the data on the “pink slips” re- garding income and taxes paid will then become public. Representative Bacon of New York, Republican, is pushing the repeal amendment in the House, and Senator Copeland, Demo- crat, also of New York, is doing the same in the Senate. Any revenue legislation must originate in the House. Reports are that there is considerable sentiment in the House for repeal, and that it may go through that body. In the Senate repeal will have sup- port, too. But in the Upper House, Bihu:h wrote the publicity feature into e law originally, the opposition to repeal will be much more stubborn. Senator La Follette of Wisconsin, who sponsored the proposal, insists that income tax returns should be matters of public record, just as are the taxes paid by citizens on their real property and on intangibles. * x % x Back of the demand for publicity of income tax returns lies the fact, Hardest Test to Come. + | Prom the Rockford (Ill.) Register-Republic. The sclentist Who drank heavy wa- ter and survived has yet to brave that | -~ A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Washington Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Is the Mate that is running in the Santa Anita Handicap on Feb- ruary 23 the horse that has been racing in England?—L. R. A. It is. Through an error it was stated in this column that Mate was still in England. This famous horse was brought kack to this country about three months ago. Q. How many press conferences has President Roosevelt held since he has been in office?—F. L. W. A. More than 150 of these confer- ences have been held. The President never cancels one when he is in ‘Washington. Q. How many people would be elig- ible for old-age pensions?—F. §. A. The Economic Security Com- mittee has estimated that less than a million persons would be eligible for old-age pensions. The estimate was based on the number of persons over 65 who are receiving relief in the va- rious States, plus those who are re- ! ceiving old-age pensions in States having pension systems. The cost to the States would be about $111,000,000 annually, according to the estimate. Q. Are flags used by the Weather Bureau to show expected changes in weather?—E. C. B. A. Certain flags and lanterns are displayed at stations on the seacoasts and the Great Lakes. Flags to indicate expected changes in weather and tem- perature are no longer used by the ‘Weather Bureau, except that the cold wave flag (a square white flag with a some buildings in which Weather Bu- reau offices are located. Display of the cold wave flag has been discon- tinued in recent years at a number of Weather Bureau offices because dis- semination of the information by radio, telephone and in the newspapers fully serves the purpose. Q. How much did crime cost the country last year?—I. C. M. A. Approximately $13,000,000,000. Q. Where is the kumquat grown and for what is it used?—E. N. P. A. Kumquat is & Chinese citrus fruit extensively cultivated in Japan, Florida, California and also in English glasshouses. It is of small size, round or oblong in shape and has a sweet rind and acid pulp. It is chiefly used for making preserves and confection- ery. Many people enjoy the flavor of the raw frutt. Q. Why did the members of the cast in “Rasputin” cross themselves from right to left instead of the ac- cepted way?—M. L. A. They followed the custom of the Eastern Orthodox Church, not the Roman Catholic. Q. Is there a memorial to Dick Whittington in London?—G. R. W. A. At the corner of Salisbury road, near the foot of Highgate Hill, Lon- tington. It is a stone inclosed within an iron railing, from which rises a tall iron arch bearing a lamp which is lighted at night. It is on this site that Whittington “turned again” at the sound of Bow Bells and went back :vem,muy to become mayor of Lon- lon. Q. What sort of work is done by an_orthodontist?>—T. C. A. Such a dentist specializes in treating irregularities of the teeth. square black center) is displayed on | don, there is a memorial to Dick Whit- | Q. Please give some information on He:plxe‘whm furniture.—A. J. - It was so named for George Hep- plewhite, an English cabinet maker, Wwho died in 1786. The furniture is characterized by lightness, delicacy, grace, the effect depending more on inlay than carving. Hepplewhite was 8 constant and successful user of & shield back for chairs. He probably originated the winged easy chair, in which the sides are continued to the same height as the back. The Hep- plewhite chairs are often adorned with galleries and festoons of wheat ears or pointed fern leaves; sometimes also with Prince of Wales feathers. an spe'.mleum found in Scotland?— 'A. It ccurs in Scotland in the form of shale. Q. What proportion of the popula- tion of this country is attending school?—S. M. A. Considering public schools, pri- vate schools, colleges and all others, about one-fourth of the entire popu- lation attends school daily. Q. How long is an Angstrom unit?— T. H 'A. 1t is & ten-millionth of & milli- meter. Q. What country has paid the United States what it owes to date on its war debt?—R. V. P. A. Finland was the only country to make a payment on her debt to the United States last year. Finland is now paid up to date. Q. What is the address of. the Amer- ican Municipal Association?—N. D. C. A. 855 Eact Fifty-eighth street, Chi- cago. Its membership includes 30 State leagues of municipalities. | @ When atd the great erupfion of | Krakatao take place?—T. H. A. Krakatao is a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait, Netherland Indies. This island blew up in August, 1883, wn_th a report that was heard 3,000 miles away. Thousands and thousands of persons were kilied by tidal waves in places that were hundreds of miles | from the island. The Sunda Strait lies between Sumatra and Java. Q. Is it possible to put & 1-inch | plug in a 1-inch hole?—R. J. | A. The National Bureau of Stand- | ards says that it is possible to put |a 1-inch plug into a l-inch hole if | the surfaces are lubricated. The amount the plug can be over size |and still enter by hand depends on the “oiliness” of the lubricant. | Q. Has a woman ever been nom- inated for President of the United States>—J. R. J. A. Mrs. Belva Lockwood ran for President in 1884 and again in 1888 on the Equal Rights and Liberty ticket. Q. Were the children of Israel slaves from the time they went to | Egypt>—G. T. J. | _A. The enslavement of the children of Israel in Egypt was a gradual proc- | ess. They were at first honored cit- izens and gradually descended in the | social scale. Q. What is the derivation of the name, “Ouija”?—A. B. “ A. 1t is believed to be a combina- tion of the French “oui” and the German “ja,” both words meaning | “yes.” | Q. Who wrote, “One is nearer God's | heart in a garden than anywhere else | on earth?"—C. F. C. | _A.It is from “God's Garden,” by | Dorothy Frances Gurney. The Supreme Court’s decision that | the Senate had the power to punish William P. MecCracken, witness in | the airmail investigation, for con- tempt, is accepted by the press as an important definition, with many editors suggesting that the legislaive branch of the Government should show moderation in the use of this | power, thus established after much uncertainty. “The Senate,” it is explained by | the New Haven Journal-Courier, “sentenced the former Assistant Sec- retary of Commerce for Aeronautics because he failed to produce certain papers held to be necessary to the airmail investigation. But the papers had been destroyed some time before called for. Mr. MacCracken therefore argued that he had surrendered all papers then in his possession and was willing to testify. The court disposes of this question with the statement that the problem of guilt should be decided by the Senate. ‘The sole point at issue was, as summed by defense counsel, whether the Sen- ate had authority: ‘To arrest a pri- vate citizen with 'a view to punishing him directly and without recourse to the courts for the past commission of a completed act which prior to the arrest and proceedings to punish had reached such a stage of finality that it could no longer affect the proceed- ings * * *' In brief: Can the Senate punish a private citizen for acts now completed which, in the Senate’s opinion, obstruct present legislation?” “In this particular case,” according | to the Milwaukee Journal, “the de- fense which MacCracken raised amounted to an argument that a citizen could trifie with Congress and get away with it. MacCracken had withheld the papers and allowed some of them to be taken away and de- stroyed. He claimed that he could not produce them without the con- sent of his clients. When punish- ment seemed impending he got, or went through the motions of getting, this consent. He produced what pa- pers he had left, Then he said in effect: ‘See, I have purged myself of contempt. I am not obstructing Congress any longer, so you cannot punish me. It is this attitude of trying to outsmart the Nation's legis- lative body that is dealt the hardest blow.” “To determine its course, Congress must have the power to make com- plete investigations,” says the Roches- ter Times-Union, while the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch concludes that “it must have power. to extract evidence.” The Oklahoma News advises that the decision “warns future witnesses not to obstruct an essential legislative function.” The St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press calls the decision timely aid in clarifying the rights of Congress in relation to recalcitrant witnesses.” “The Legislature represents the people,” states the Brooklyn' (N. Y.) Times-Union, “and should a private citizen refuse information necessary to the enactment of beneficial legis- lation, he would obviously endanger the general welfare. Without the power in a Legislature to summon, to question, and to contumacy, the people would lack a necessary instrument for the proper | conduet ' of “public business.” The | enemies m*m Decision in Contempt Case Brings Cautions to Senate serves that the decision “promotes public welfare.” “There is no telling how deep, how | personal the probe may be,” remarks | the Birmingham Age-Herald, “so let | us watch our ways and be not unpre- pared.” The Miami (Fla.) Herald is impressed by the fact that “witnesses must toe the line or go to jail” and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that “the burden, of course, rests just 50 much more heavily upon Congress to make none but the most scrupu- lously fair use of its great powe: The Lincoln (Nebr.) State Journal ad- vises that “only intemperance and abuse of the power by Congress or committee membership will destroy the effectiveness of this sort of work.” “Concern may be felt” says the Dayton (Ohio) Herald, “over the pos- session by Congress of such a big stick as that constituted by the Su- preme Court’s decision. Investigating committees, particularly in the Sen- ate, have been disposed at times to g0 to extreme lengths in browbeating witnesses. There is little room for hope that such committees will be any more gentle in the future, in view of the Senate’s victory in the court of last resort.” “The Senate” as viewed by the Newark Evening News, “is bound by no rules of jurisprudence in its in- vestigations. = It employs methods, puts questions, sequesters records. It is prosecutor, grand and petit jury, and its powers as judge are now given new recognition. The Supreme Court having ruled, the powers must he ac- cepted as beyond reproach in law. ‘They are powers which should not be | lightly used.” Senseless Publicity. Prom the Wall Street Journal. Nothing can be said in defense of that provision of the revenue act of 193¢ which opens summarized per- sonal income tax returns to public inspection. Congress apparently ac- cepted without reflection the argu- ment that exposure of a man’s re- ported net income to scrutiny of his neighbors would smoke out tax dodgers. Any one who has ever at- tempted to make out a tax return, even for the most modest of family incomes or the smallest of small busi- ness men, knows that the compli- cated laws and regulations governing the returns must render neighborhood sniffing useles to the Revenue Bureau. All that this requirement will do— but it is plenty—is to expose thou= sands of taxpayers to the vexatious and in some cases dangerous atten- tions of mendicants, racketeers and other varieties of unemployables. It will destroy a perfectly legitimate right of privacy for no good purpose what- ‘ever. All the information that Govern- ment agencies can use is annually provided them by persons of taxable income, or is theirs for the asking. No opinion as to the accuracy of an income tax report based on the skele- tonized summary demanded by the “pink slip” can be worth a cent to any- body. These items will be 100 per cent useless, except to the very gen- try against whom the Federal Gov- ernment has lately engaged in a long mneeded and already largely successful paign. A clause in the law which promises nothing but aid and comfort to publie should be repealed before 5 next, ks & b