Evening Star Newspaper, March 5, 1935, Page 8

A8 THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY..000..March 5, 1835 THEODORE W. NOYES. ..Editor ieht Pinal and Sun ight Final Star Collection m: month. _Orders ma; telephone National Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Daily and Sunday. .1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo.. 88¢ Bally *5asunasy: o1 i %58.00: 1 mox B0e Sunday only. .. 1yr. $4.00:1mo. 40c All Other States and Canada. Datly and Sunday 1 yr., $12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 Daily only 1yr. $8.00:1mo. 75c Sunday’ oni; 136 $500i 1mo. boc Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively en- titled to the use for relnlbllt‘,lm:l'lI Ml’l" .. 'B5¢ per, the end of each be sent by mall or 000. _— Challenging the Law. *“Questions constantly arise, and naturally so,” Controller General Mc- Carl has written to Secretary Swanson, | “as to the legal availability of a par- ticular appropriation for a contem- plated use, and such questions must be authoritatively decided, else there ‘would be confustion.” Congress has decided that the au- thority for decision of such questions is the controller general. In chal- lenging the decision of the controller general, therefore, the law is chal- lenged. Such a challenge might be successfully sustained by Secretary Swanson, for all one knows. Certainly the success of the challenge depends greatly on the willingness of the ad- ministration to see it made. If Sec- retary Swanson, for instance, should direct his disbursing officers to dis- regard the decision of the controller general and they should choose to follow the Secretary’s instructions, Mr. McCarl has no direct method of giving force to his decisions. He might direct suits against the disbursing officers, or their sureties, to recover money paid out in violation of his rulings. But the prosecution of the suits would lie with the Department of Justice, and Mr. Cummings in the present case appar- ently sides with Secretary Swanson. ‘They might be ignored. So, should Secretary Swanson suc- ceed in a challenge of Mr. McCarl's authority, the victory would be far more significant than a mere over riding of & McCarl decision. The vic- tory would amount to repudiation of the principle represented in creation of the controller general's office. Does the administration wish to repudiate that principle? As far as the prin- ciple is concerned, Mr. McCarl states it as follows: If such questions were left for de- cision by each particular spending agency as to appropriations made for its lawful uses there would be ever present the element of self-interest and the ambition, always in evidence, to go beyond or to otherwise circum- vent the limits considered proper and fixed accordingly by the Congress in the Jaw. And if Congress had no other assurance than would be afforded by such procedure that its laws with respect to appropriations would be faithfully abided, it could safely em- ploy no such convenient system of making public moneys available for uses as now exists, It would be necessary for it to find some other effective means of exacting law observance by public officers in their uses of appropriations—or possibly to sharply curtail appropriations and the period of their avallability for use. Secretary Swanson’s challenge of the controller general may be con- sidered entirely aside from the merits of the case on which it is based. The issue of paying certain allowances to naval officers on retirement has been unsettled, it is pointed out, for many years, The proper remedy—if the lack of clarity in law needs remedy— lies with Congress, which could make its intentions so plain as to be no longer debatable. If Mr. McCarl in- terprets the law as forbidding the pay- ment, that decision should stand un- til Congress changes the law. Unless the intention of the execu-. tive branch of the Government is to do away with the office of controller general and scrap the principles on which it was created by Congress, no gaod can come from deliberate at- tempts to challenge or evade the effect of decisions rendered in good faith. ‘The Government certainly sets no good example to its citizens in following such a course. Greece, after all, may have done Bam Insull a great favor by hurrying him out of the country. —_——— Afraid of the Dark. Children are adventurous in psycho- Iogical character. They take chances that adults customarily choose to avold, and much of the routine busi- ness of parents and teachers is a kind of police duty designed to pre- vent too reckless gambling with dif- ferent varieties of danger on the part of their small charges. But, strangely enough perhaps, the average youngster is afraid of- the dark. The explanation probably is that in his fear of night and its shadows the child reflects an exceed- ingly anclent reaction of primitive humanity. Scientists who devote themselves to the exploration of the remoter past of the race believe that such is the case. Homo sapiens, they believe, survived largely because he was gifted with powers of imagination sufficient to prompt defense against the unknown terrors of the opaque period between sunset and dawn. Ap- prehension of the perils of the mys- terious hours of the sun’s absence, it 1s supposed, drove the species indoors, prompted the construction of the first house and brought into being the first organized community guard. And children millenniums later testify for this theory when they say, “It's night—let's go home.” j | merchant marine. then, is involved. Apumnunfl!! distributed by an insurance company {Tlustrates the point. The design shows a ghostly owl against & Stygian sky, the bird declaring: “It's wise to be afraid of the dark.” In the foreground a sketch of two automobiles in colll- sion is introduced to dramatize the slogan. A little girl, seeing the pic- ture, exclaimed, “I think 8o, too.” But possibly the warning might be even more comprehensively applied. In effect, it means: “Watch your step”—a doctrine sensible and sound beyond all need for argument. Half tHe trouble in the world, it seems, ac- crues from irresponsible acceptance of hazard, unwise speculation, a fatalistic willingness to “try one's luck” in de- flance of circumstance. Without preaching cowardice, it may be argued that caution ordinarily is a desirable and helpful protection for individuals and for society in general. Ship Subsidy. President Roosevelt has given Con- gress excellent reasons for the main- tenance of an adequate American He has made clear, also, to that body in his speclal message on shipping the need of Government aid to the merchant marine. And finally he has advocated that the Government do openly and frankly that which it has sought to do by indirection—grant such aid to American shipping. ‘Three reasons for the maintenance of the merchant marine are given by the President. The first is that in time of peace American ships are needed to carry a fair share of Amer- ican commerce that might be discrim- inated against by reason of subsidies and combines permitted by foreign nations to their own shipping. The second argument for an American merchant marine is found in a con- dition which arose when the World War began in 1914 and which could easily arise again in the event of an- other conflict in which the United States was not engaged. American merchandise sought in vain for ships to transport it overseas, and may do 50 again if there are no American ships. The third reason for the main- tenance of a merchant marine is found in time of war to which this country is a party. Ships are then neeced for national defense purposes, as auxiliaries for the Navy, as trans- ports for American military forces and for the shipment of supplies and of American goods. Because of the opposition which has arisen in this country, and particu- larly in the interior of the country, to “subsidies” for shipping, it has been impossible to deal honestly with this question of the merchant marine. Therefore Congress has since the World War undertaken to grant Gov- ernment aid to American shipping through loans to ship companies and through excessive payments for carry- ing the mails. President Roosevelt proposes to Congress that this kind of subterfuge be cast aside and that direct subsidies be granted American shipping. Why not? The late President Harding, almost immediately following the World War, sought to have the Congress put | through a ship subsidy bill. He failed, largely because of the opposi- tion of the Representatives from the interior sections of the country, who saw in the proposition only Govern- ment expenditures to benefit the sea- coast States. They were too short- sighted, apparently, to realise the benefits which accrue to the entire Nation through an adequate merchant marine. Whether the present pro- posal of President Roosevelt will fare better remains to be seen. In the light of the hundreds of millions of dollars which the farmers are receiv- ing in subsidies of one kind or an- other from the Government today, sthe opposition to such Government aid to shipping may not be so pro- nounced. An American merchant marine is an American tradition, coming down from the earliest days of this coun- try. American ships carried the American flag and American com- merce to the seven seas for years. Gradually, however, American thought and industry turned to the interior development of the Nation, and the carrying business was allowed to slip into “the hands of foreign nations. Now when the Nation again becomes ship-minded it is found that the building of ships costs less in other maritime nations, that their oper- ation costs less because of the Ameri- can laws relating to crews and wages. It is found, too, that other nations are subsidizing their shipping so as to give them advantages in competition for the carrying trade. Under all the circumstances, Government aid to American shipping is imperative. It should be given, and in such amount and fashion as to obtain sure results. Ethiopia is scared. The people have clear ideas about what is right, but they are no less informed as to who 15 the biggest. Britain Increases Armaments. Idealistic hopes that the world is headed toward that millennial time when swords can be beaten into plow- shares are blasted afresh by current developments in the House of Com- mons. In a white paper submitted by Prime Minister MacDonald, the British government outlines an exten- sive new program of arms expansion. As John Bull looks at the world he sees little justification for pinning faith on existing peace machinery and draws the conclusion that Bri- tannia’s sole alternative is to gird her- self at every point for national se- curity. To that end the army, navy, air force and coast defenses at home and abroad are to be materially strengthened. The figures of contem- plated expenditure are not so signifi- cant as the causes which the gov- ernment enumerates as making them necessary. Germany’s rearmament is singled out for emphasis. “If continued at the present rate unabated and un- controlled,” the white paper says, “it will aggravate existing anxieties THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1935. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. of Germany’s neighbors and may con- sequently produce a aituation where peace will be in peril.” Britain wel- comes the declared desire of German leaders for peace, but is compelled to observe that the intensive organisa- tion of their forces, especially the youth, substantiates the general feel- ing of alarm “which has already been incoritestably generated.” This plain speaking is a suggestive prelude to 8ir John Simon’s “peace mission” to Ber- | lightful lin this week, and indicates the line along which he will talk with Hitler. Germany -is not the only country with which the British white paper deals candidly. It cites armament increases in the Soviet Union, Japan, the United States and elsewhere and insists that these are developments which Britain cannot afford to over- look. British public opinion has tended to assume that nothing is re- quired for maintenance of peace ex- cept existing international political machinery and that the older methods of defense—navies, armies and air forces—are no longer required, “The force of world events, however,” Par- liament is reminded, “has shown this assumption to be premature. We have far to go before we can find complete security without having in the back- ground the means of defending our- selves against attack.” This is sane talk and hard common sense. The reasoning underlying it— the stark realities in the world of to- | no day—applies as thoroughly to the United States as to the British Em- pire. It makes timely reading in | bool Washington at a moment when Con- gress is considering extensive expendi- ture for defensive needs. With Japan proceeding in China to solidify ‘Tokio's grip on Asia; with Italy mov- ing toward a war of conquest in Africa; with Germany's expansion dreams quickened by recovery of the Saar; with Europe on tenterhooks in a dozen directions, including civil war in Greece and fresh Balkan complica- tions ever imminent, our British cousins frankly find it injudicious to lean for safety upon such slender reeds as the League of Nations, se- curity pacts and anti-war treaties. Their realistic view of things is com- prehensible and commendable. Agriculture may never get to & point where the farmer ceases to marvel at the difference in price between spinach fresh from the garden and spinach that has withered a while in the grocery store. ——t——— Relief that is postponed too long tn order to permit argument may easily be delayed too long to meet necessi- ties. President Roosevelt has a way of allowing an argument t3 proceed freely and then politely casting s de- ciding vote. It may be doubted whether there is as much propaganda in this country as charged when so many govern- ments need as much as possible for home consumption. The game of politics again consists of the simple competition known as “who has the microphone?” Rlssia is not 80 much in need of territory as she is of equipment to take care of the areas already in hand. Stalin will best serve his public if he can develop talents as a resource- ful and square-dealing business man. SHOOTING STARS. For fortune and renown ‘While fhe Plain Person contemplates His efforts with a frown. If he could pass a hundred years In serious endeavor The. public might uplift three cheers And vow that he is clever. For if a man of wealth should find His canvas in an attic He'd say, “Press agent, be so kind, And give it praise emphaticl™ And so I whisper it apart— It is & truth surprising— Although there may be much in art ‘There's more in advertising. Conserving Intellectual Energy. “Have you succeeded in showing your constituents how to solve the mysteries of monetary mathematics?” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum, “but I have set what I consider a valuable example. I have quit try- ing.” Jud Tunkins says if you let foolish- ness have its way long enough there won't be 80 much difference between it and plain wickedness, - Lamb and Lion. March like & gentle lamb came in And gratefully I greet it. A little lamb chop, not too thin, Will cheer me as I eat it. And yet the lion is no cheat. I say, on thinking deepef, It I could eat some lion meat Perhaps it would be cheaper. Preference, “You prefer business to politics?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Dustin Stax. “The director of & corporation has much less hesitation than & member of Congress about raising his own salary.” J War Business. In peace we're longing to invest With prospects sunny. Munitions makers still protest ‘They need the money. I we should seek to satisfy Munitions makers, ‘We'll next be governed for and by ‘The undertakers. “What I feels de need of,” said Un- cle Eben, “is a Santy Claus dat won't take such a long holiday.” —_— No Insomnmia. P i trouble . %fllm Mwnxw * Did you ever hear how Brigham ‘Young met Anthony Trollope? Few persons have, for few persons todsy have read the English novel- ist’s autoblography. Vet it is a de- book, ome which can be recommended unreservedly to all those who love letters. The honesty of this small book was unappreciated in its typically Vic- torian day, but, as so often happens, the passage of time has brought about a complete change in attitudes. In 1872 Trollope made a journey to Australia, and came home by way of America. “I came home across America from San Pranciséo to New York, visiting Brigham Young on the way. I did not achieve great intimacy with the great polygamist of the Salt Lake Cif ty. “I called upon him, sending to him my card, apologizing for doing so without an introduction, end ex myself by saying that I did not like to pass through the territory without seeing a man of whom I had heard 80 much. “He received me in his doorway, not asking me to enter, and inquired whether I were not & miner. “When I told him tht I was not & miner, he asked me whether I earned my bread. “I told him I did. “‘1 guess you're a miner,’ said he. “I again assured him that I yas t. ““Then how do you earn your bread?’ "lnwld him that I did so by writing “‘I'm sure you're s miner, said he. Then he turned upon his heel, went back into~the house and closed the door. “I was properly punished, as I was vain enough to conceive that he would have heard my name.” It is very doubtful if Brigham Young ever heard of “Framley Parsonage,” or would have read it if he had. It is only fair to him to say that ‘Trollope, with his heavy figure and bushy beard, exactly resembled many & gold miner of that period of Ameri- can history. The novelist, of course, didn’t know that. * k% Another passage in this old work delights us. “That I can read, and be happy while I am reading, is a great blessing. “Could I remember, as some men do, what I read, I should have been able to call myself an educated man. But that power I have never possessed. Something is always left—something dim and inaccurate—but still some- thing sufficient to preserve the taste for more. I am inclined to think it is so with most readers.” Surely it is so of most readers. ‘We lament our inability to remem- ber perfectly what we have read, espe- cially when we happen to meet some fortunate soul who seems to have mas- tered the difficulty. ‘There are men and women whose grasp of a book seems complete. ‘They even can quote whole pages from ft. If they actually do not recall every thought, they at least are able to give the impression that they can. This deadly accuracy leaves the rest of us lamenting our insufficiency. A good book leaves us with a glow, with at first some fresh impressions, later to give way merely to the re- flection of something good and very much worth while. If any -one were to ask us, years later, we might be able to give STARS, MEN AND what we had left out. * X X% It is good, therefore, to words of, if not a great a & semi-great man, to the effect that something is always left—"something sufficient to preserve the taste for more.” ¥ He who can read, and be happy while reading is indeed blessed. Let him not waste himself lament- ing that his retentive mind is not perfect. 2 A good substitute is the ownership of such books as one belleves good. Thus a reader can immediately turn to such things as he forgets, without the trouble of running to the library for them, Such & reader will value the books of the moment, but also *not forget the good things of yesteryear, such as this autoblography under discus- sion. The Victorian world to which it was given posthumously did not understand or appreciate suéh frank- ness. Only one edition of it was printed, and that a very small one, but it was enough. Trillope killed the interest of the reading world in his books, by the frankness with which he stated that writing is a trade. In those days it was supposed to be an inspiration, and nothing more mun- dane, at least no ome must admit anything else. For many, years thereafter the works of Anthony Trollope were as dead as their author, and only in recent years, with & revival in interest in things Victorian, has come & realization that this was a very fine writer of the second rank, showing anew that a good writer of the second rank is often better than a poor one of the first. * % % x No matter how much one forgets, after a good book, a reader has enough of value, if it has left him with a taste for more. One would be happler to be able to remember all, but if one cannot do it the thing to do is to be glad for the urge which is left, that good urge which enables those who love to read to keep on reading all their life. Not that there are not dull days in the reading life. “Into each life some rain must fall” sald the poet, and this is true of reading, too. It is not always possible to bring to a book, new or old, the zest which one may have brought fn the past to some cer- tain work. A great American novelist some months ago confessed that he was tired of . that he no longer read with his old ability. During such times in the mental life there are two courses open, either not to read at all, take a complete vacation from fit, or to read as a task until the old-time zest comes back again, as it assuredly will. Then one will be glad for the “something dim and inaccurate” which enabled him to keep alive the spark of the taste for more. What one has really loved one al- ways will love, doubtless. Our memories may be faulty, but as long as we can recall of s good book that it was good, that it stirred something in us, we will have a true taste for something more along the same line. We need not admit as much as the honest Trollope, that only he with a good memory can call himself an educated man. That, per- heps, was another of those queer Victorian ideas! ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Life's healthiest years are from 15 to 19. The unhealthiest, judging from the frequency of iliness, are from 1 to 5. ‘The safest are from 10 to 14. This is shown by a survey of sick- ness and death rates among approxi- mately 40,000 persons in 18 States just reported by the United States Public Health Service. Almost every kind of llness reported by these in- dividuals for a year was recorded. The period from 15 to 19, the Pub- lic Health Service statisticians report, seems to find the body most resistant to all sorts of diseases. The period of “children’s diseases” is past. The period of greatest risk from tuber- culosis has not arrived although it is just ahead. This does not happen to be the safest time of life, however, because the individual is most liable to accidents, which constitute the greatest single cause of death. The period of parental watchfulness is over, but the boy or girl has not yet gained the full caution that comes from experience. The proceeding five years are the period when the chances of death are least because of the sort of sickness to which the child is liable seldom is fatal and there still is some protection against accidents. As age increases the kinds of sick- ness become fewer, but the danger increases. “For children under 5 years of age,” says the report, “the main causes of death are malformations and diseases of early infancy which are relatively unimportant as causes of illness. From 10 to 20 years accidents are the most frequent cause of death. Persons in this seem to possess much re- sistance and deaths from diseases are not_frequent. “From 20 to 45 years, respiratory diseases are the most important causes of illness and death. Tuberculosis is high at these ages and puts the respiratory group at the top of the death list while the minor respiratory affections are the most important ele- ment in the high sickness rate. “After 45 the circulatory diseases fake first place as causes of death. Among persons 65 years old and over, the death rate from circulatory dis- eases alone exceeds the total rate from all other causes. * k% * ‘Washington botanists are resurrect- ing from their attics the dust-covered Latin dictionaries and grammars which many of them have not looked at since they were freshmen in col- lege. Latin, greatly to their discomfort, has been restored as the official lan- guage of botany. Henchforth any new species to be recognized as valid by the botanical world must be de- scribed in the dead , is not done it is possible, in theory at least, for the discoverer to lose all credit which would go to the first man who translated his description into the language of the Romans. ‘This is in accordance with a ruling made by the International Botanical 'mgs nf:: = tion was England, in 1930. was delayed, but it finally went into effect January 1. The reason, it is ex- plained, is that Russia, China and Japan have been quite active in botan- ical exploration in the past few years and their scientists have described But it is hardly the Latin of Virgil or Cicero. One might almost say that it is a semi-Latin invented purely for the purpose of botany. In some cases about all that is dome is to el:;x;p English words with Latin end- * % k% Submerged for nearly two centuries in an alien culture—and so completely that even their neighbors hardly sus- pect their existence—the original In- dian tribes of New England still sur- vive and have preserved their racial and tribal identities. Such is the report just made to the Indian Office by Miss Gladys Tanta- quidgeon, acting as special agent for Commissioner John Collier, after sev- eral months spent in exploring the nooks and corners of four States for traces of the descendants of Massaoit, King Philip and the other red men ‘with whom the Pilgrims and Puritans made their first contacts. Miss Tantaquidgeon, herself a member of the Mohegan band, found more than 3,000 of them in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Con- necticut, They survive, she found, both in amall isolated groups and as individuals, having little contact with each other but with the pride of race still strong within them. For the most part even their existence has been forgotten and little official p-“‘ce has been taken of them. The one noteworthy and best known exception, Miss Tantaquidgeon found, is that of the Penobscot ard Passama- quoddy Indians of Maine. These are recognized as being better preserved culturally than any of the other New England bands. They have retained their languages, certain native arts and crafts and some political and so- cial traits as well as remnants of cere- mories and folk beliefs, They are found on three small reservations. There are about 500 individuals in each group who still maintain tribal organizations, Quite different is the situation in Massachusetts—the original home of the Wampanoag, the people of Mas- sasoit and King Philip. They were terribly decimated by epidemics and by the wars in which the white men wrested their lands away from them and it is often assumed that they dis- If this | grounds i i ] 3 :gié E E § ek £ § Liberals and the Work-Relief Bill ‘To the Editor of The Star: No sooner was the vote counted last Fall than the astute political com- mentators of The Star predicted that the very size of the liberal victory ‘would result in its embarrassment, it ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer fo any question of fact by writing The not its ruin. The recent action of| . the Senate on the work-relief bill amply affirms the soundness of these predictions. The sad fact about most sincere liberals is that they are, politically speaking, such saps. They seem to- tally incapable of grasping those prin- ciples of combination and compromise 80 essential to the success of any politica! movement. Today we have an administration thoroughly committed to the prin- ciple that lasting betterment in our economic_situation can occur only when labor receives a materially larger dividend from our national production. Labor can, and should, trust Roosevelt. It is the pathetic plight of labor that it must sell its commodity in & competitive market now glutted with millions of idle hands, and no “pre- vailing-wage clause” will long super- sede the inexorably hard law of sup- ply and demand. It is the sincere bellef of labor’s friends in the admin- istration that if the largest available amount of relief money be used to put all the idle men to work full time at a security wage, this removal of the surplus idle labor will permit & stiffening of the wage structure in private industry. It is only in times when the de- mand for labor equals or exceeds the available supply that the worker stands ‘& chance of demanding and getting a just share of what he is producing. Friends of labor who see eye to eye with the administration realize that it is not alone necessary to create purchasing power with this $4,800,000,000. It must insure labor’s | origin. getting, in the properity which it hopes to create, a .larger dividend than labor has been getting in past good times. If the same amount of money be spent at the higher so- called “prevailing wages.” it will give employment to far fewer men, or it will give but part-time employment to the full group. Opposing this is the theory of or- ganized labor leaders and other equally sincere friends of labor who tell us that the $50-a-month scale will pull the whole private wage structure down to that low level. In this op- posing group are who have made labor conditions a life-time study and whose opinions must be treated with respect, However, there is no guessing about this: Reactionaries know by instinct those moves of practical political ex- pediency by which great progressive movements are retarded and finally wrecked.' And in the Senate the friends of labor have been made cat’s Paws in a reactionary plan to sabotage the entire Roosevelt social program. Unless there shall develop among the liberals of the Senate statesmen with enough political acumen to match the adroitness of the little group of determined reactionaries, this great social movement that a few months ago carried the high hopes of 50 many millions of us will get nowhere. It will crack into silly and futile little factions. DWIGHT T. SCOTT. Economic Problem Is One of Distribution To the Editor of The Star: I have just read your editorial en- titled “A Gloomy Prophet,” referring to Secretary Wallace, and it seems that both you and the Secretary regard as a calamity the fact that two-thirds of the people can produce all that the total population can consume. I have always been under the im- pression that anything which saves human labor is a blessing and some- thing to be welcomed. But, of course, along with any labor-saving methods and devices there must also come a proper distribution of employment and the products of labor and industry. ‘There are, however, other things in this world which need attention be- sides the production and consumption of goods. In the current number of the Country Gentleman there are two excellent articles and an editorial dis- cussing the vast fleld open to research on agricultural problems. In every other scientific fleld there are equally extensive opportunities for research. In fact, the more we learn the more we find the need for further investi- gation and study. Now, at least a part of the time and energy which are released from production through labor - saving methods could, and should, be turned to scientific research. That is the WAy progress is made. We can never have too much scientific research. But our Government (the present admin- istration) has severely cut the ap- propriations for scientific. work, which should have been greatly expanded in- stead of being curtailed. However, our present economic problem is one of distribution rather than production, and the sooner our statesmen, economists and other “leaders” recognize this fact and take the appropriate action, the sooner may we hope to reach a solution of the problem. EDW. WOLESENSKY. Demoralization Results From the Gold Decisions To the Editor of The Star: ‘The demoraliging influence upon the Ppeople of the decision of the Supreme Court in the gold clause cases has matured earlier than I anticipated. I have received some letters in re- sponse tg my communication in The Star on the moral and probable moral consequences of the decision. One gentleman, who ap- pears from his letter to be an intelli- gent and educated man, says in refer- encesto the decision, among other its goid clause contracts, which is the same thing as saying the contract is “no good,” I can likewise breach any 1 made to pay and not be a “worried because I have to live and | Times continues: Q. Was there really a regiment of enpvflryknnwnutheflentflhwm? —P. B. 8. A. The 17th Cavalry was at one time officially as the Bengal Lancers and for a longer time known unoffi- clally by that title. The 17th Cavalry was amalgamated with the 37th Lancers in 1022 to form the 15th Lancers, which is now its official title. The troopers in this it are Indians and the officers are either British or Indian. Q. Are there any glaciers near Prince ‘William Alaska?—L.C. P. A. The channels and flords of Prince William Sound penetrate far into the Chugach Mountains, from which they receive many glaciers. There are 11 living ones, of which the most striking are the Columbia, Harvard, Yale, Ser- pentine, Harriman and Surprise. Q. Does Vice President Garner at- tend the President’s cabinet meetings? —H. B. A. He does not. Q. Please give a list of air disasters similar to that of the Macon—M.F.R. A. Among the most notable wrecks are: The Akron, April, 1933, 73 lives lost; the Shenandoah, September, 1925, 14 lives lost; the British R-38, August, 1921, 44 lives lost; the Italian Roma, February, 1922, 34 lives lost; the French Dixmude, December, 1923, 50 lives lost; the British R-101, Octo- ber, 1930, 46 lives lost. Q. What people first smoked?>—C. W. A. Smoking is a custom of ancient . The earliest explorers of America found the natives using to- bacco leaves for smoking and chewing, and tobacco pipes have been found in prehistoric mounds; often it was a sacred tribal custom. Smoking was carried to England by Sir Walter Raleigh and spread throughout the countries. In the East the water pipe or narghile has been in_existence for | many centuries. Q. What is & belted earl?>—C.B.H. A. The term is a poetic description of a noble whose sword belt, usually | most gorgeous, was one of the insignia | of his rank. On full dress occasion, such as the coronation of & monarch, the earl is still arrayed in the regalia of olden times. Q. How many persons from the United States are living in South America?—H. C. A. There are 10,515 Americans in South America, 2,666 of these are in Brazil and 2,303 are in Argentina. Q. When were cattle first branded with & hot iron?—A. C. W. A. It is certain that the Romans used this or a similar method to iden- tify their cattle and it is more than likely that the custom is prehistoric. In all probability the practice of mark- | ing cattle to show ownership closely followed their domestication. Q. What are the requirements at the Naval Academy in regard to eye- sight?>—L. N. A. Each candidate on emtrance to the Naval Academy must have nor- mal, or 20-20, vision in each eye. Effective with the class of 1932 and thereafter, no member of the gradu- ating class whose vision falls below 18-20 in each eye without aid of lenses, or who upon graduation has & vision below 20-20 which is due to :yuptl or :yople astigmatism, shall ipman whose vision in either eye falls below 18-20 without the aid of lenses shall be found physically disqualified for con- tinuance and shall be required to resign. Defective vision due to diseases of the eye grounds shall be cause for rejection at any time. These requirements are considered necessary in order to graduate mid- shipmen with eyesight which does not require glasses when on sea duty. Q. In what month of the year do the most births occur in the United States?—M. R. A. A survey from 1915 to 1930, in- clusive, shows the largest daily num- ber of births in the late Winter or early Spring—seven years in March and three in February. Q. What is a doodle bug?—A. L. B. A. The term is a local name for the larva of the ant-lion. The larva digs a small conical pit in sandy soll in the bottom of which it lies buried with its long jaws protruding to catch any insects, especially ants which fall into the pit. If its prey attempts to climb out, the doodle bug tosses sand upon it by movements of the head, causing it to fall back again. The insect in question is, of course, neither an ant nor a lion. The name is sug- gestive of the fact that it preys upon ants as lions prey upon antelopes, for example. The ant-lion occurs in the United States in sheltered places where loose sand is available for the particular pits built by the larvae. The imago, or adult insect, has long gauzy wings, both pairs alike, and is about the size of a dragon fly to which it is related. Q. What became of William Craw- ford, surveyor and associate of George ‘Washington?—J. M. C. A. He took part in Braddock’s cam- paign, 1755, and was made captain. He moved to Pennsylvania where he became a justice, also land agent for George Washington. He served in Dunmore’s War, 1774. He was a member of the Revolutionary Com- mittee of Defense. He resigned from active service after the war, in 1781, but was again called to suppress In- dias in Ohio. He was captured and burned at the stake. Fort Crawford was named in his honor, Q. When was the Lindbergh kid- naping law passed?’—E. 8. A. Congress on June 22, 1932, passed a law that is knewn as the Lindbergh kidnaping law. The law forbids the transportation of any person in inter- state or foreign commerce kidnaped or otherwise unlawfully detained and held for ransom or reward. The pen- alty imposed by this act is imprison- ment in the penitentiary for such term of years as the court in its discretion shall determine. Every State now has penalties which vary according to whether the person stolen is young or old or is abducted for extortion or revenge or is harmed or is taken for | family reasons. Q. Why is Wake Island important to the United States?—C. L. C. A. Wake Island is an islet of rock in the Pacific Ocean, lying 1,550 miles northeast of Guam and 3,000 miles east of Luzon, Philippines. It be- longs to the United States as a Pacific outpost of the Philippine Archipelago. It is about one square mile in area and its importance is due to the fact that it is on the cable route between the United States and the Philippines. Compromise on Work Relief Predicted in Press Debate Despite the apparent deadlock cre- ated by disputes in Congress over the details of the President's big work- relief program, the undercurrent of the public discussion brings out the general conviction that compromise will be achieved and that this form of relief will go on. “In the end the President will win,” predicts the Charlotte (N. C.) Ob- server, which adds: “Legislation of such vital relation to the destiny of millions of unemployed and their fam- ilies must be resurrected and the whims of Senators laid aside while the force- ful, argumentative and persuasive rea- sons that the President remains adamant soak into the American con- sciousness and produce a reinformed and reinflamed popular will and senti- ment in his favor and for his support.” “Most observers familiar with the situation,” according to the Scranton (Pa.) Times, “are confident that in the end the President will win, point- ing out that in the event the measure goes to conference the House leaders will insist on the dropping of the ‘prevailing wage’' clause. To date sentiment, as shown by the letters and telegrams which have poured in on ‘he Senators, is not what might be called decisive. Administration leaders, however, are hopeful of strong support from the country on the President's position.” Quoting the President's assurance that “nothing would be done in work relict to break down wage standards in private employment,” the San Fran- | cisco Chronicle declares: “The Presi- dent was absolutely right. He had ac- cepted the concession made to labor in the House stipulating that the work relief wage be raised wherever it could be shown that it had pulled general wages down. But to require the pre- vailing wage generally would, as Sen- ator Glass pointed out, work against the real interest of labor by threaten- ing to pull down the credit of the country. It would also, as the Presi- dent had said in his message, take away from men the incentive to get off work relief and on a regular job. But these arguments meant nothing to Senators fearful of group political power.” The New York Times finds signif- icance in the fact that “Congress is to ‘mark time’ il it has ‘heard from the country,’” although that paper doubts that “counting telegrams and letters, receilving visits from lobbyists, listening to radio speec}‘:‘ul are coTx:- me ed as convincing.” e e “The present bill raises not one question, but several. The three main issues are straight relief versus work relief, ‘civil works’ versus ‘public works’ and ‘prevailing wage’ versus ‘security wage’ The chief argument of the advocates of straight relief is that mk’:elleffih dangerously expensive, greatly increases the budget deficit and threat- ens the Government’s credit standing and inflation that might get out of hand. Against this the advocates of - | work relief hold that the ‘dole’ is de- New Jersey’s Reaction. Prom the Watertown (N. Y.) 'H]:ll- — A lot of New Jersey people are pro: ;bgfl'umfln‘ up on their household dut oralizing. “Most of us are coming to realize,” the Roanoke (Va.) World-News, flict with private business they may in the long run create more unemploy- ment than they cure. Increased taxes and an unbalanced Federal budget probably do more to slow the wheels of business and consequent employ- ment than any amount of emergency Government spending can overcome.” Predictions of the success of the President’s efforts are made by the Columbia (S. C.) Record, the Atlanta Constitution and the Lancaster (Pa.) New Era, while the Brooklyn Times- Union refers to the President as “a skillful and efficient strategist” the New Bedford (Mass) Mercury de- clares “the President’s stand is cor- rect and it is up to the people to let their legislators know a united public t sentiment is behind him,” and the Winston-Salem Journal argues that “if the public works measure is aban- doned, the perceptible business im- provement throughout the country may readily dissolve in chaos.” “Relief,” in the judgment of the Asbury Park (N. J.) Evening Press, “must be more judiciously awarded, economically administered and dis- tributed in & manner that will con- serve the self-respect and the initi- ative of recipients. Otherwise the cry of ‘relief from relief’ will grow louder and the public's readiness to help the needy will be transformed into a de- mand that relief be abandoned.” The Canton (Ohio) Repository, on the other hand, warns that “the Federa- tion of Labor has played into the | hands of those who, a few weeks ago, didn't see any possible way to kill the work relief bill.” Taxi Driver Answers Mr. Henning’s Letter To the Editor of The Star: In answer to Bernard L. Henning's letter to your paper in regards to the “safety bilL” I feel that Mr. Henning is not fully informed in regard to the bill, it so, he would not try to make people believe that this bill will protect them, or compensate them for any accident that they may have while riding in a taxi cab, or being hit by a taxi cab, If Mr. Henning feels that this is all the protection that he wishes to give to the public, from whom he receives his daily revenue, I, as a cab driver, feel that my patrons that I serve are entitled to a more just protection in the form of an insurance which will compensate t.ggnm for any injuries that may occur while riding in my cab, or by being hit by my cab. I would glady insure my public if it was compulsory, so as to aveld un- fair competition. ARTHUR 8. HARDER, A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Banker and Beggar -| I know & banker, cool, astute, friend ‘With gold in his heart. Ik‘x‘;g'lbeuu.meetumm. o8, 0 sings a hymn in blinding I him saw = onu.uumu.mnw -