Evening Star Newspaper, February 24, 1935, Page 31

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FEBRUARY 24, 1935—PART TWO. D3 GERMANS AVOID CRASH BY LIVING FOR NATION Although Money Cannot Be Backed by Foreign Markets It Is Sustained by Prestige of Government. BY RANDOLPH LEIGH. ERLIN.—I have spent almost a month in peering into this B maelstrom of emotion, energy and resolution called New Germany. In one way it is & surprisingly easy country in which to get information for, while no one ‘wishes to be quoted, nearly everybody is eager to talk. The problem, there- fore, is one of drawing proper con- clusions from a variety of viewpoints. In collecting these viewpoints I have talked with members of the dip- lomatic and consular staffs stationed here, with resident and transient Americans, with German porters, | guides, laborers, clerks and business | men. I have talked (though not on | politics) to a niece of the former Kaiser. In addition, I have seen the top men in the German government and have talked at some length with several of them. Finally, I have vis- | ited 12 widely-separated communi- ties, ranging from bustling Hamburg and strident Berlin in the north to Rothenburg-on-Tauber in the south, still sleepily medieval in its tempo as well as in its architecture. Pulling Together. Germany, of course, is not all of | one mind, but, for that matter, what nation is in these tense times? It is, however, probably more nearly so than | any ether major civilized nation. ‘Therein lies the importance of much that is transpiring here. I was in Italy in the year following Musso- lini's rise, and I am certain that Germany today is in a higher state of fervent emotionalism than Italy ‘was at that time, or has been since. ‘The energy expressing itself here in all directions—scientific, musical, lit- erary, educational, industrial, mili- tary, social, etc, ete—is amazing, even to an American. Above all there is a resolve—grim, unshakable, ready for any sacrifice—to regain the great- ness of Germany. That resolve ex- presses the real religion of Germany, and it has millions of devotees as fervent as any that ever followed a Mohammed or a Buddha. Opposition Trifling. Over against these ardent nation- alists there are, doubtless, thousands of internationalists, ~Communists, skeptics and realists (not to imply that they are all the same) who re- gard the present regime as economic and social lunacy, dooming Germany to greater degradation in the long run. These, however, are hopelessly outnumbered and are, themselves, de- void of hope and, therefore, of any capacity for effective leadership. Between the Hitlerites and the Communists there are the usual fringe elements, some half apologetic for the past and others half afraid for the future. And, as in every land, even in the midst of the most acute crises, there are thousands who stand entirely aloof from all political issues. As to what portion of the popula- tion is fully and fervently behind | Hitler (regardless of their individual misgivings as to various details of the whole vast program) no one really knows. My own guess would be some- where between 70 and 80 per cent. Furthermore, they are about the most Tesolute set of devoteees that I have ever seen. Grune Woche (green week, the| great farm and field exhibition held annually in Berlin) came to a close a few days ago. During its progress I had an opportunity to observe peasants and townsfolk from all parts of Germany as they poured through the seven immense exhibition halls. They were interested in the horse show and the cavalry jumping tests (in which one of the most famous | riders was killed) and, of course. in the drills. They thronged the cow- testing sections and the poultry and dog shows. But they also stood in eager groups before the gigantic prop- | aganda pictures on the walls of all| the halls—for the present regime is | evangelical as well as hard-fisted, and | ceaselessly strives to teach its full doc- trine to all the people. (Its ministry of propaganda is one of the largest in the government.) ‘Those towering pictures set forth | vividly the goals of Hitlerism—racial | solidarity, racial advancement and | racial sternness, too. | Many Pictures Presented. ‘There were arguments (with actual, life-size photographs of horrible ex- amples of down-breeding) for steril- ization of degenerate and criminal Teutonic strains. There were also There was also one (but only one out of the many exhibits) striking out stingingly against the Jews. That al- lotment of space represents about the part the Jewish issue plays inside | Germany today. The intensity of feel- ing on the subject seems to have died down, though there has been no abatement in the determination to deprive the Jew of all real power in Germany. Jewish Newspapers Still Published. Jewish newspapers are still pub- lished here. I gathered eight of them at a stand the other day. Jewish firms are still decing business. The most popular music hall, the Vater- land, a Coney Island-type of place, is operated by & Jew, Kempinski. The chief drive against them has been in government positions, in education’ and the professions. It has been, rather thorough, although I am told | that about half the Jewish lawyers | and doctors are still in practice. I! can vouch for one specific case: An! American friend of mine, whose cook | | was under sick-insurance benefit, | told me that the doctor who handled | | the case was a Jew. His work was at least semi-governmental. ‘The monetary question is, of course, ' crucial here. While America, with almost all the world's gold, is off the gold standard. Germany, with almost no gold, is on it. Just one of our | present-day ironies! | | Actually, Germany is conducting | the most ambitious experiment in | hermetic finance that the world has | seen. By sealing herself up air-tight | against the export of her gold-promise notes and by rigid regulations against | the necessity of redeeming any such | promise within her borders, she is {avoiding the bankruptcy which, | technically, should be upon her. According to orthodox theory, eco- | nomic and fiscal, Germany is com- | | pletely done for. She lacks raw ma- | | terials and has neither credit nor ireal money with which to buy them. | She néeds foreign buyers and instead | | has foreign foes. Moving Ahead. Yet, despite the theoretical im- | | possibility of her position, Germany | is moving ahead, painfully but /| steadily. Her unemployed have de-! | creased from six to two millions. Her | scientists are employed on technical | | problems for the future as well as for the present. Her construction work on roads, buildings, parks, drain- age and reclamation projects and on sporting and amusement facilities |is on a scale that can be duplicated | in no other part of Europe. She is | | making far-reaching changes in her | | educational system. Her administra- | tive machinery, particularly as re- gards local and provincial govern- !ment. is being reshaped. She is en- | dowing motherhood and making | splendid provision for aid to large | families. ~ She is making immense | barter contracts for raw materials, notably wool, cotton and oil. In the | | midst of all the hardship and tensity | of the last two years public buildings |and grounds have been kept in ex- | cellent condition. Government build- | ings projects have been of the most | substantial character—stone, brick or | concrete being the rule. Strong Pressure Brought. How has the government done this | and how can it continue these hercu- !lean tasks in the face of its mone- | tary difficulties?> Much is to be ac- counted for by pressure brought to bear on industrialists to maintain fuil | working forces. The government has | also kept labor within reason in its | demands on industry. However, I believe that the only complete answer to this riddle is to | be found in the fact that the govern- |ment (in full control of the issue | as well as the circulation of money) put out more and more money as circumstances have warranted. In other words, it is a very temperate and astute inflation. It must be that if the people are to be kept loyal to the government, for Germans have been through one orgy of inflation and would rise against another. Germany, then, is restricting her | activities to work within and for the nation, paying her people with her own money and giving them solid and lasting improvements for their labors. The fact that that money cannot be backed up in foreign | markets is being boldly pushed aside. | Internally, at least, it is perfectly | good money, saving a civilization from | collapse and keeping men at work | For Two Years—No War British Military Authority Views the World and Declares Political Barometer Is “Fair.” BY THE RIGHT HON. LORD STRABOLGI. HE political barometer is “set fair” all over the world. With one possible exception the danger of a serious breach of world peace has receded During 1934 there were wars and rumors of wars all over Europe. In every capital statesmen, bankers and merchants were in a state of gloom. Actually, during the whole year there was only one real danger spot in Europe and one in Asia, There was real peril over the Nazi threat to Austria, the Italian reply to this and the answering challenge from Yugoslavia. I shall describe how this peril was overcome and why it will not recur. ger of war between Russia and Japan: but that danger likewise has passed: and is unlikely to recur, for special reasons which I shall give. These rumors are certainly mi chievous: they are unsettling to busi- ness and have a harmful effect on the younger generations. I recently visit- ed a great public school in England and spoke to some of the boys about their future careers. I was horrified to hear them say that while they were { keenly interested in their future pro- fessions, they all expected to be fight- ing in a great war at the very be- ginning of their adult careers. In astonishment. I asked for an expla- nation. “Well, what about all this war talk.” they replied. “Every one says we shall all be fighting in a world war very soon.” This is a widespread feeling: yet it is altogether unjustified if the facts are calmly examined. Ridicules War Scares. The useless and vile war between :Pnrnguay and Bolivia may pursue its | . GIVEN PLACES IN SENATE cruel course. There may be another outbreak of the difficulties between Italy and Abyssinia in Africa. But there will be no danger of a world war involving the great nations dur- ing 1935 or 1936, and probably for some years ahead. This is a perfectly safe prophecy. ‘Why, then, all these war scares? Such talk is a crime. It is a good rule in seeking for criminals to ask who benefits from the crime. It is useful for certain persons and interests when rumors of war are in the air. Thus, in France, the third republic is passing through a difficult epoch of political development. It is helpful for the upholders of threat- ened institutions to be able to call upon all patriots to unite in defense of the republic. That kind of war talk is for internal consumption only. Similarly, in Italy, situation is difficult even though the Fascist regime is secure. It suits Mus- solini and the Fascist chiefs to beat the patriotic drum and talk darkly of war threats both on the East and the West. And always there are the general staffs of European coun- tries, including Russia, and the naval and military chiefs in Japan, who need money, and plenty of it, for war- ships, airplanes, heavy artillery and armaments generally. minister is embarrassed; the taxpay- ers in all countries are heavily bur- dened: The only way the professional In Asia there was a real dan- | | “War talk” in 1935 will be humbug. | the economic | Every finance | journalists, | | clean slate—and with French help— | has greatly improved relations be- | tween Yugoslavia and Italy. This better atmosphere is the result, how- ever, of the Italian government's realization that a first-class war would be disastrous for Italy. Austrian Threat Subsiding. When Austrian independence was threatened it was a different story. Italy would have fought to prevent a united Germanic power’s touching her northern frontier as a restless neighbor. If Hitler had pursued the plan of invading Austria with the Nazi legions, the Italian troops would certainly have marched in to preserve the independence of the government | of Vienna: the Yugoslav army would have marched also, and anything might have happened. But Hitler and his Nazis drew back just in time. This was perhaps the most formidable. threat to peace of the world since the | armistice that ended the World War. It was the real danger period of last year. Why did the German Nazis aban- don their most cherished plan of absorbing the so-called Austria? The answer explains why Germany, despite all the militarist German | | thunderings_of her leaders, does not desire to fight. The last word in Ger- | many rests with the army leaders. These professional soldiers are against war for the soundest of all reasons— reasons of strategy and technique. The rearmament of Germany hes proceeded some distance. She has a magnificent professional army which, with its reserves, can put 300,000 men into the field; but it is short of heavy artillery. Heavy guns take a long time to manufacture. The German Navy is weak also; warships cannct be built in secret. There are no submarines. With its present equipment the Ger- man Army would have great difficulty in making headway, even against the Poles. Relations are good between Poland and Germany: but in the background is Russia. The Red Army is known to be efficient; its equip- ment, and especially its air force, is good. Germany cannot rely on being able to fight on only one front. The German generals and their staffs know perfectly well that a war now, or at any time during the next few years, would mean strategical sui- cide. And in this matter their word is final. Despite all talk and rumors to the contrary, Germany may be re- 'ECUADOR’S OCCUPATIONS Upper Chamber Turns Upon Govern- | ment, However, and Proves Too * Powerful for Creators. BY GASTON NERVAL. N THE annals of Latin American politics, the strange tale of Dr. Frankenstein and his brain-child has had frequent counterparts. The experiences of several of the southern governments, who built up large and powerful armies only to be ultimately overrun by them, subdued by their own creations, are too well known to students of internal politics in that part of the world. Recently, however, the phenomenon has reappeared on the other side of the Rio Grande in a different form. This time, it is not the army, but the Parliament of one of the Latin Amer- ican republics which, revitalized and strengthened by the executive branch, has grown too powerful for it, and has been succeeding in making and unmaking governments at its will. A few years ago the government of Ecuador decided to inject new life into the legislative body of the repub- | tially, “politicos.™ The result is that | the new Ecuadorean Senate, made up | of representatives of well organized |groups and of professional classes | with powerful weapons in their hands, | has become a tremendous political force. Instead of an assembly of popular representatives defending the rightsand interests of their respective | communities, the Ecuadorean gov- | ernment has heen facing for the past {few years a well organized and de- | flant Senate, demanding submission 1 to its policies. | In less than four years Ecuador | has had six different Chief Executives, | and one President-elect who was never inaugurated. and most of them owe | their political fate to the dictates of | the Senate at Quito. Late in 1931 | President Ayora, under whose regime | the parliamentary reform took place, was forced out of office by the stern refusal of the Senate to co-operate with him and the adverse public garded as anti-war. Her only possible |ally is Japan, and then only against Russia. Japan could and would give !no help in Europe. | Nor is there a danger of Yugo- |slavia’s breaking the peace on her {own account. The internal differ- ences between Serbs, Croats and Slovenes are too deep and too bitter. |~ What of Russia? The Soviet gov- | ernment is in the throes of economic | reconstruction. There are still many | difficulties ahead. A war would upset all the cherished plans of state-build- |ing. Russia will fight if she is actually | attacked by Japan in the East, but only under the strongest provocation. During the last two years Russia has | swallowed every insult and humilia- tion from the Japanese. The situation between these two Asiatic powers is now much better. Now, why have the war clouds in Eastern Asia rolled by? There has been no change of heart among the imperialists of Tokyo! Why did the | Japanese not make good their threat to seize Vladivostok and the maritime provinces of Siberia, where Russia was apparently weak and where Japan was so strong? The answer is that actually Russia is not so weak; rather, it is Japan that is vulnerable. Russia Strong in East. ‘The Russian government has ex- pected a Japanese attack for some years: consequently they have been busily strengthening their forces in the Far East. The Japanese armies might make some headway in the | maritime provinces, but that would be only the beginning. Asiatic and European Russia together are so vast | that Japan herself could not possibly | hope to fight a decisive war against the colossus. In any case, the Jap- | anese national plan is said to be to obtain control, directly or indirectly. of all China. resources to the utmost. Perhaps most important of all, the | Japanese military and naval leaders | are aware of a serious technical | weakness. The Japanese air force is not efficient. despite the best ma- chines and equipment obtainable. The | reason for this is that, for physio- logical reasons, the Japanese do not make good air fighters, and they know | it. The Russian air force, on the other hand. could probably hold its own in personnel and equipment with any in the world. In the event of a Russo-Japanese war the army which ‘won command of the air would have an_immense advantage. For all these reasons, added to the difficult financial position of Japan, we can now rule out this former dan- ger altogether. The Japanese Navy is strorg. But Russia is not vulner- able to attacks from the sea. The present Japanese government has be- | come suspect again since it denounced the Washington naval treaty. Many level-headed people on both sides of | the Atlantic have drawn the con- jclusion that Japan means war and desires a period for a feverish pro- gram of warship building without | restrictions. | Japanese war, the present Japanese | Navy is sufficient, and a decision { would not be taken at sea at all. Aginst whom is the Japanese Navy directed? Britain Too Strong for Japan. This would strain her | | like it. | Vest's name, grew rapidly. In the case of a Russo- | GOOD HUMOR AT A PRICE DURING{ THE EIGHTIES Carpenter Describe s the Writing Game and Discusses the Leading Jour- nalists of This is the forty-third of a series of weekly articles on interesting persons and events in the National Capital during the 80s, by Frank G. Carpenter, world-famous author and traveler. The next chapter in the series will be published next Sunday in The Star. CHAPTER XLIII BY FRANK G. CARPENTER. HE world loses more by Josh Billings' death than by that of a Vanderbilt or a Jay Gould. The death of a mil- lionaire is often more of a blessing than otherwise. His tightly hoarded money is then divided and goes into general circulation. His brains which, when he lived worked solely for himself, are no loss to hu- manity. The world is neither the richer nor the poorer for his living. How different with a man like Josh Billings! The product of his wit which has made the sides of hu- manity ache with laughter, remains in printed form. The world has added to its treasure in his living and his death cuts off the faculty W bound up in him, can produce its like no longer. So it is also with the poet, the novelist, the great inventor. It is true Josh Billings received a price for all he did, but such values | are above price. Humor is better paid in America than any other class of literary activity. Josh Billings re- ceived $25,000 for his magazine work alone, and his profits from his writ- ings ran into the hundreds of thou- sands. Mark Twain, one of the rich- est, literary men in America, owes his wealth all to his humor. He annually sells his funny thoughts for as much | as a President’s salary and the best thing about it is that his salary lasts as long as he does. Noted Humorists. “Petroleum V. Nasby” at 52 has an income of over $100,000 a year. The foundation of this is the wit of his letters put into poorly-spelled Eng- lish. He is worth a million dollars today. The Detroit Free Press has built up an immense circulation through the funny sayings of M. Quad, for which it is said $5,000 a year are paid. Artemus Ward was receiving $12 a week from the Cleve- land Plain Dealer when he discovered his gift of humor, whereupon he at once began to command a respect- able salary. His lectures paid him well; and while in England he wrote several articles for Punch for each of which he received $600. Bret Harte's literary reputation is largely founded on the streaks of fun and pathos that run through his stories. He, at one time, got $10,000 a year from the Atlantic, though I understand the Atlantic thought it a bad investment. At the time he found he could mar- ket his thoughts, Josh Billings was an auctioneer in New York State. His first venture, “The Essay on the Mule” he sold for $1.50; about a year ago he declared he had never written a better piece of humor. In speaking of humorists at Saratoga last year, Josh Billings said: “The business is being overdone. Every paper now Las its funny man and the professional humorist is on the decline. I believe in short para- graphs or sentences, in the expression of thought rather than pages. It is the phrase or sentence that is remem- bered. Humor must be based on truth I never make jokes about religion. I am a firm believer and I like the man who believes in something. It is be- cause a thing is ludicrous and at the same time true to nature that people Genuire humor lasts forever, because it is true. You soon get tired of hearing a man tell stupendous lies.” Hilltop Comedians. There are humorists on Capitol Hill as well as in the writing pro- fession. A few years ago Senator Lamar, finding that he had a weak- looking Jersey bull calf on his hands, decided to name it for Senator George C. Vest, stating his belief that such a great title would put red blood into its veins. He was not mistaken. The poor ragged calfing, under the influence of milk, Mississippi air and In time it became a goodly animal. It was not of the purest breed, however, ch, | His Day. for writing the story, and me very well for zelling it for him. “As I became better the idea grew upon me, and by the time I had re- covered I was enthusiastic in at- tempting to put it into action. I knew the best writers in the country from my magazine connections, and I ar- ranged with them to furnish me with copy. I found the editors of the country pleased with the idea and I soon had many of the best papers on my list. “During the first three months I lost $500. I had been recently mar- ried and had a wife and baby on my hands. I had faith, however, so I went ahead. My business is now well started and I am making money. I pay good prices for stories, ranging as high as $500 for a short story by a well-known author. These I sell at about $10 apiece for a story | per week to a number of papers.” “Where did the newspaper syndi- cate scheme originate?” I asked. “And how does it pay?” “It originated in Europe,” replied Mr. McClure. “The English newspa- | pers publish better literary matter than their magazines, and a naqted European novelist published simul- taneously a serial newspaper story in four of the great capitals of the world, Berlin, Vienna, St. Petersburg and New York.” “What do you think of the war articles of the Century?” “They are good. I intend to come down to Washington this Winter and I think I know where there is enough unwritten history in regard to the war to make a set of articles which will be fully as good. if not better. I shall publish them in my syndicate of newspapers, thus giving the mate- rial a wider circulation than it gets in the Century.” President Cleveland. What a big man President Cleve- land is! He must weigh nearly 300 pounds, and a line drawn through | the center of his stomach to the small | of his back would measure at least 2 | feet. He 15 under 6 feet tall, has a | great width of shoulders and his flesh, unlike that of most fat men, is solid rather than flabby. His arms | are as big around as the garter of a ! ballet dancer, and each of his legs | would make prime round steaks in | the meat market of a cannibal. He | has fat, puffy hands, which look very soft as to their palms, and which, not- | withstanding the fact that they have pressed against those of nearly 30,000 office-seekers, are still clean and un- calloused. The dimensions of his head and neck have been described ad nauseum. His complexion is between that of a blond and brunette. President Cleveland dresses well. His usual suit is one of black broad- cloth with the coat double-breasted and | tightly buttoned about the body. He wears good boots, which always shine brighter than those of his callers. His linen is white and he puts on a new turnover collar every day. His favorite necktie is dhe of black, very | quiet and modest in its tie. The President ties it himself and he does not require the assistance of a valet in making his toilet. He wears, you know, a brgwn mustache, which is thick and heavy. The rest of his face he shaves himself every morning. President Arthur had his own barber | come to the White House to shave | him. Arthur bought many fine suits | of clothes. I suppose he used more while he was in the White House than Cleveland will acquire during his lifetime. The man in the White House is a hard worker. He rises at half-past +7 in the morning. And here I would pause to say that George Washington used to get up at 4: Jefferson jumped from the covers when the sun's rays | first fell upon the clock in his bed- | chamber; John Quincy Adams had taken a walk and a swim in the Po- tomac before the time of day at which Cleveiand is out of bed, and Presi- | dent Harrison used to go out and do the White House marketing long be- | fore half-past 7. | But to return to our muttons. As soon as he is dressed, washed and shaved, Mr. Cleveland reads certain of the newspapers and by the time the hands of the clock point to 8, he is ready for breakfast. Breakfast with President Cleveland is a medium meal. The woman he brought down from | Albany to cook for him gets it up. though it had some good ancestors. |y s composed of oatmeal, some beef- So Senator Lamar finally sold it 10 | steak and eggs, or a chop with & cup Senator McPherson of New Jersey. |of coffee to wash it down. After The change of climate seemed (O prepkfast with no exercise, the Presi- help the young bull. In the COUTSe | gon¢ goes directly to his office. He picturizations of the drainage, recla-| who otherwise would starve. ! mation and other projects affecting| The German mark is really sus- of a year or two it became the chief |jo5p “over his private letters, and farms and villages, as well as car- toons explaining the farm loan system | and its results. In addition, there were statistics (made palatable by clever and often humorous drawings tained by the prestige of the gov- ernment and by the firm resolve of the German people to place their nation once again on an equal footing with the other great nations of the earth. alongside) covering nearly every phase of German life, including age groups, | health groups, wealth groups, occu- pational groups, etc. i 4,500,000-Acr (Continued From First Page.) sitions, through gift and purchase. And the willingness of individuals and State legislatures to place lands | at the disposal of park auchormes‘ is indeed encouraging. | Encouraging, also, is the seriousness | with which the legislatures are map- ping measures to establish organiza- tions and appropriate funds to main- | tain and administer the State: parks which the E. C. W. has provided. Within a comparatively few years, if no wrenches are thrown into the ma- chinery, America will be literally dotted with park and recreation spots where, under the President’s long- range program for social and eco- nomic security, the benefactors of the New Deal can find peace, content- ment and respite from the cares of & workaday world. The public’s conception of the Ci- vilian Conservation Corps as a relief measure already has given way to a keen appreciation of the corps as the force behind what is undoubtedly the most important movement of all time. It will be the task of the State and Feedral officials who sit down to dis- cuss the conservation - recreation movement to interpret the public’s conception and opinion and to lay plans for carrying out the program along the lines the majority of the people want. Wirth Will Preside. After the first session tomorrow, [lic may affect their business. They |fine army, might attack him on the over which Assistant National Park Director Wirth will preside, the con- ference will discuss next the “Land Program and Recreation Demonstra- tion,” with M. C. Huppuch, recreation demonstration projects division super- visor, in the chair. Huppuch, the first speaker, will dis- euss the “Introduction to the Land Movement.” He will be followed by ‘Wallace Richards, assitant director of . The strength of the Hitler regime and of the money it is using is in the fact that they embody the Ger- man will to recover. e Playground the land program, who will talk on “Objectives of the Land Program”; Peter De Gelleke, assistant supervisor, Land Program Division, “Types of Recreation Demonstration Projects”; Bee Stockton, administrative assistant of the same division, “Social Benefits of Recreation,” and Louis P. Croft, landscape architect of the National Park Service, “Development of Recrea- tional Features of the Land Program.” At the Tuesday morning session, rec- ‘reation will be the main topic. .Its trends will be discussed by Lebert H. Wetr, field secretary of the National Recreational Association. “Recent Trends in Organized Camping” will be outlined by Fay Welch of the New York State College of Forestry, while llc(:;‘uo; Sgu;l dlrictm' of the Amer- oul ostel Association, will di;c_hus that movement. e remainder of the conference will be devoted to the development of State parks, fiscal procedure, admin- istration and State legislation, com- mittee meetings and reports. The con- ference will close after a 1:30 pm meeting Thursday. e Clerical Garb Ban May Hurt Business ANKARA, Turkey (#).—Tourist agencies are worried. The govern- ment decree forbidding clergymen to wear their clerical garments in pub- wonder if foreign churchmen, many of whom have visited the country in the past, may not stay away rather than shed their distinguishing gar- ments as the decree requires. Turkish tailors, however, are not worrying. They've been doing a rushing busi- ness turning out pants and other oc- cidental apparel for customers, many of whom have never worn anything other than a loose, flowing robe, 4 a [wnrriors can get their money is by | alarming their respective populaces. Munition Makers, Too. i And last, but by no means least, that | strange international brotherhood, | the manufacturers of munitions for | profit, depend in their business on a | general state of fear and a corre-l sponding demand for weapons of de- | fense. There is no difficulty in ex-| plaining the origin of the war rumors. | But all the people cannot be fright- | ened all the time. There must be a | basis for these rumors if they are to| last. Let us survey the actual pros- pects of war breaking out and esti- mate the real probabilities. One self-evident fact is frequently overlooked in these discussions. For | a new war on a large scale to break out somebody has to start fighting. A nation or nations must take the first overt step. In these days no gov- ernment in any country dare start a war unless it is pretty certain of a quick and successful decision. The strongest military power in Eu- rope is France. French armaments and finances are both in a state that would allow the waging of war on the great scale. But we can say with ab- solute certainty that France will never begin a war. She has nothing to gain by it. The French understand well that the so-called preventive war against Germany would have to be fought without allies. And the French general staff will not permit that. France on Defensive. The fact is that France is on the defensive against both Germany and Italy. She has all the territory she requires, including the second great- est colonial empire in the world, and in actual fact is probably the least warlike nation in Europe. Then, who would attack France There has been friction between French and ‘Itallan governments for a decade. Fascist Italy would like a larger sclice of North Africa and a portion of the French Riviera. But neither would be worth the risk of a war. Mussolini knows that the Yugoslavs, with a East and that the French navy would be able to control the Mediterranean trade routes. Without iron, coal and steel brought by sea Italy would be helpless. M. Laval, forefgn minister of France, who replaced the murdered Barthou, has had some success in clearing up the African difficulties with Italy; while Prince Paul, the regent of Yugoslayia, starting with a . lic by adopting a radical reform in its make-up. With an eye on the corporative experiment of Mussolini in Italy, the Ecuadorean leaders en- thusiastically transformed the upper house of their Parliament into a semi-occupational institution in which representatives of professional classes and organized groups were given seats besides those of the tradi- tional representatives of the “sov- ereign people” elected by direct suf- frage. Occupations Represented. Half the membership of the Ecua- dorean Senate was still left to ter- ritorial representation—that is, one | Senator for each ‘“‘departamento” or territorial division of the republic— but the other half was allocated to “occupational” is, Senators appointed by various call- ings, as follows: One representative of the universities, one of teachers of high and special schools, one of teachers of primary and normal schools, one of the press and scien- tific academies and societies, two of farmers, two of commerce, one of industries, two of workingmen, two of the rural population and one of the national armed forces. In this manner the Ecuadorean Senate was converted into a semi- technical entity, in which for the first time the various professional classes and the organizations which consti- tute the social fabric were given a chance to participate in directing national affairs. This, at least, was the aim of the men in the Ecuadorean government who brought about the reform, but they overlooked one fact—they for- got that those of their countrymen who are interested in public affairs are, by tradition, by education, by environment, “politicos,” above ev- erything else. They may be tech- nicians, professionals, intellectuals, but if they are in public life they are, primarily, “politicos,” and that applies to the rest of the Latin Amer- ican countries. A mere electoral re- form could not change their nature overnight. Some drastic and funda- mental alterations in their political and social system, years and decades of education, and a rapid growth and flourishments of their native indus- tries—the task of generations—would be necessary to modify the outlook, the ideals and the methods of Latin Americans today in public life. Ecuadorean leaders of public opinion, as their cousins in the other | Southern republics, are atill, essen- representation — that | opinion which congressional leaders succeeded in arousing. Col. Larrea Alba was chosen as his successor, but he did not last long. Suspected of personal ambitions and his desire to establish a military dicta- torship, the colonel was also given indefinite leave of absence, and a new provisional President. Dr. Moreno, was appointed by Congress. Under Baquerizo Moreno's regime, a general election was called. and in this Senor Bonifaz, an opposition leader, a Conservative, triumphed over the three candidates of the Liberal party, who had split the Liberal vote. How a Conservative candidate, having unexpectedly won at the polls, was to arrive safely in the presidential chair over the wishes and designs of a large and autocratic Liberal ma- Jjority in the Senate, was something of a mystery to foreign observers. The mystery was dispelled by the Quito Senate when it annulled the election of Senor Bonifaz and called a new presidential election. Liberal Gets Majority. This time, a Liberal, Senor Martinez Mera, received & majority at the polls and was subsequently inaugurated as Chief Executive of Ecuador. Soon afterward, however, he was, accord- ing to the New York Times corre- spondent, “practically kicked out of office” by the Senate. A new provisional President was selected by Congress, new electoral preparations ensued, a new election was held. Senor Velasco Ibarra, one of the leaders of the parliamentary opposition which had ousted Martinez Mera, was chosen to steer the Ecua- dorean ship of state. He had hardly been inaugurated in office when the Senate started using the tactics which had resulted in his predecessor’s fall. President Velasco Ibarra, however, a man of great ability and courage, called the bluff, and by immediately offering his resignation, which was not accepted, drew to his side the support of the people and the army, and weathered the storm. Congress ad- Jjourned soon after that, a few weeks ago, but no one knows which new upsets it will not attempt when it convenes again next August. Fortunately, the policies of President Velasco Ibarra were already beginning bear fruit, and, by the time Con- is again assembled, an improve- ment in the economic situation may have given him enough popular sup- port to allow him to use a firmer hand in dealing with his senatorial oppo- nents. 4Copyrisht, 1036: » Baquerizo | The French and the Dutch have some suspicion that Japan casts an | envious eye over their eastern posses- sions. But an attack on these col- | onies could be launched only as an |act of sheer aggression, contrary to the Kellogg-Briand pact, which Japan | has not denounced. The League of Nations would be strong enough to function in such an event, and Brit- ish public opinion would support the League even to the extent of defend- |ing the attacked colonial power or powers. Japan is not strong enough to fight the British Empire. single- handed. | What of a Japanese attack on America, or American interests, or the American protectorates? There are many in Europe, including English- men, who think this a possibility. But if this danger becomes real, it can be overcome by a defensive understand- ing between London and Washington. We can be sure of one thing in an uncertain world, and that is that the war lords of Tokio will not challenge the English-speaking peoples. They are not ready to do so now, and could not make ready for several years. What of the smaller powers of Europe? Not one of them is in a con- dition to make war, and few have the desire to do so. Hungary, for example, with serious territorial grievances, is far too weak to fight the Little En- tente of Rumania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. And Hungary has no allies except a doubtful Italy. Racial Problem in Poland. The Poles, though they reckon themselves a great power, within their own borders have a serious racial problem in their unassimilated mi- norities; also, they are uncomfortably placed, strategically, between Russia and Germany. However good the re- | lations may be between Warsaw and Berlin at the moment, the Germans have not forgotten the Polish Corri- dor nor the loss of Upper Silesia. I have left the English-speaking nations to the last. If any one seri- ously suggested that the United States would start a war against any one, they would be laughed out of court. What of Britain? We have our chauvinists and our militarists, and they have a certain influence. But we have passed our great period of imperial expansion. Also, the British empire has a curious political struc- ture. In matters of foreign policy and peace and war, the self-governing Dominions have the undoubted right to act as sovereign states. If the government at Westminster thought A of McPherson's whole herd, and only the other day at the New Jersey State Fafr it took first premium of the Jersey cattle of that great State. The Syndicate Game. Mr. S. S. McClure, the man who furnishes nearly all the leading pa- pers of the country with stories by | first-rank authors, told me today how he happened to get his idea of the syndicate newspaper scheme. Said he: “I was recovering from an attack of typhoid fever when I saw that three or four papers had combined and were buying short stories from Bret Harte, Mark Twain and William Dean Howells. I could see no reason why a good story or article by a famous writer might not be pub- lished in a number of papers at such a rate as to pay the author well of making war, they would have to be sure of carrying with them Canada. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the Irish Pree State. No govern- | ment in London would dare to act | otherwise. British Are Pacifists. But what of the British people themselves? Any politician of any party in England today who suggested starting a war with any one, for any purpose whatsoever, would be hounded out of public life. The British public as & whole—those who would have to fight the war or make the muni- tions for it—is 99 per cent pacifist. If we were attacked, it might be a different story. But, then, who is going to attack us? Certainly not the Germans, because they could make no headway at sea, and Fxcause they know the French would join against them. Certainly not France herself, our nearest neighbor, because of fear of Germany. Japan will not be in a position for some years, at any rate, to attack the British Empire, and everybody knows it. Any one who speaks today of an Anglo-American war as a probability would have his sanity questioned. Where, therefore, is the foundation for all the war talk of the last year? ‘The truth is that there are no solid foundations for it. There are certain warlike - nations—or, rather, nations whose leaders talk in warlike accents —but, fortunately for the world, each one of them is unfavorably placed to make war. Unless some nation and its rulers go mad, therefore, we can reckon with absolute certainty on no world war fgr & period of years, | answers some of them. He seldom uses |a stenographer for any purpose. | Next the President takes up pub- lic business, perhaps has an inter- view with a cabinet officer or Chief | Justice or some other prominent person before the grist of daily callers begins. This week he has stopped the callers altogether and he refuses office-seekers. Before this, 11 o'clock would find about a hun- dred office-seekers waiting to bore him every morning. They would be let in by Col. Loefler, who first took | their cards to the President. He would listen to their requests going through with them in short meter, and about 1 o'clock would be ready for his lunch President Cleveland goes through his midday snack at the same rate as a Wall Street broker; it rarely consumes more than 15 minutes. He then goes back to his office and to work. He grinds along until 3 o'clock, at which hour, rain or shine, he goes out for a ride in the White House carriage. He generally takes Col. Lamont, his private secretary, with him, and he is fast exploring the country in the vicinity of Wash- ington. Now and then he drives out in the direction of Secretary ‘Whitney's country home, which I doubt not, in the future, will make quite a rendezvous for the cabinet and the President. It is several miles from Washington, out of sight of the newspaper men; thus it makes a splendid place to talk over matters of secret public policy and to recon- cile the divisions between Bourbon- ism and Mugwumpism. After his ride President Cleveland takes his dinner. This is a plain meal, sometimes with wine and some- times without, after which he goes back to work many times. You will often see a light burning in his room, if you cross the White House lot, long after midnight. He requires lit- tle sleep, and seems to be able to stand a great deal of hard work at a stretch. e Spending the Dole. Prom the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph. “Let the oldsters buy whisky with their pensions if they want to,” says Townsend. Fine! That would settle the old question of how the old folks could get rid of their $200 a month. Take old Uncle Ben, aged 75, for exe ample. He could spend $100 of his being brought home in taxicabs.