Evening Star Newspaper, March 11, 1935, Page 8

A—8 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, MARCH 11, 1935. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTON, D. C MONDAY.......March 11, 1835 THEODORE W. NOYES. ..Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th 8t. and Pennsylvanis Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd &t icago Office: Lake Michigan Building. uropean Office. 14 Regent 8t.. London. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. ight Final and Sung c per mont| day Star.70 ight Final Star 5. 55¢ per mon! Collection made af the end of e: ith, Ords b t by matl Telephone National 5000. e Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. /5¢ tly and Sunday. .1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo. &5 lllg only. . ..1yr. $6.00: 1 mo.. 50¢c unday only. .. '1yr. $4.00:1mo. 40c All Other States and Canada, aily and Sunday 1 yr., ? 1y 1yr aily on! inday only. 1yr. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press s exclusively en- titled to the use for republication of al news dispatches credited to it or not other- wise .redited in th thi local news published o i publication of speclal dinm:lu-r % are also rererved. —_— The Senate and the District Bill. ‘The 1936 District appropriation bill 85 passed by the House should be changed by the Senate Subcommittee on District Appropriations, which be- gins its consideration tomorrow, to provide: 1. A substantial increase in the na- tional lump-sum contribution to finance a few of the more important local needs now being neglected and to anticipate additional revenue de- mands contained in pending local leg- islation. 2. Increased expenditures of gaso- line and water tax revenues to absorb tax collections made under these spe- cial taxes and to prevent the accumu- lation in the Treasury of earmarked surpluses, unavailable for anything else. While the House committee cut about & million dollars from the Dis- trict estimates, as forwarded by the Budget Bureau, the bill still contains # net increase of almost a million dollars above current appropriations. This increase will doubtless be made larger by Senate additions to the bill. As demands on local reve- nues are increased, the lump sum should be increased in some propor- tion. consistently permit the continued whittling down of the Federal lump sum at the expense of local needs and remain true to its traditional stand in favor of fiscal equity for the un- represented District of Columbia. The reductions made by the House in the budget estimates represent sav- ings on paper, offering an apparent surplus of local revenues after the needs carried in the bill have been met. But even casual analysis dem- onstrates the fictitious nature of the savings. Almost half results from dis- allowance of proposed expenditures of gasoline tax and water fund reve- nues—and as there is no reduction in these taxes resulting from such dis- allowances, the idle surplus thus created benefits no one. Either the money should be spent, or it should not be collected through taxation. The remainder of the cuts made by the House come from the general revenues and are made chiefly at the expense of the schools and public wel- fare. In school items alone more than & quarter of a million dollars was cut from budget estimates which, in turn, had reduced school items to a point little above maintenance. Part of these reductions were accomplished by abandonment of the character edu- cation prcject, undertaken last year at the direction of the Senate, and another large part was made by dis- allowing already meager funds for echool construction. Should the Senate allow even the minimum needs presented by the Bu- reau of the Budget, revenues of the District — considering a $5,700,000 lump sum—would be almost wholly expended at the end of the next fiscal year. Yet the needs as submitted by the Bureau of the Budget, predicated as they were on a continuation of that inadequate lump sum, are not representative of the real needs which the Commissioners outlined. ‘This situation becomes more se- rious in view of additional tax bur- dens which may be imposed through enactment of pending social security legislation—desirable in its objectives, but which may prove in total effect excessively burdensome in forms now being proposed. The point has been reached where & determined fight by the Senate to increase the Federal lump sum and to make provision for some of the ac- cumulating and neglected needs of the District is essential, from the viewpoint of equity and of practical necessities of Capital upkeep and de- velopment. —————.————— Insull is not altogether out of luck. In spite of troublesome experience, he is unquestionably better off in Chicago than he would be in Athens. Chivalrous Gift. Announcement Saturday of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes' gift of ap- proximately half his fortune to the United States must have prompted appreciation in the hearts of thou- sands of citizens of the Republic. It was a fitting termination of a great career, a “last add” to an inspiring story. But it was a natural final gesture for so noble a character, and therefore will be properly understood as well as enduringly remembered. Mr. Holmes lived a dedicated life. His very soul was pledged to the service of his country. He thought exclusively in national terms, labored for none but the common good. All his talents in their complete entirety were devoted to the welfare of the people. And so he died comparatively poor. The millions he might have Certainly the Senate mnnnt| earned by the employment of his genius for personal profit he sacri- ficed willingly and without regret. Even the mere competence that he had saved he shared in the end with the Federal Government. The use which will be made of the money - may not matter very much. 1t is the significance of the gift which appeals to the imagination of the masses. In no better manner could the dcnor have testified to his con- fidence in American institutions and ideals. The bequest witnesses to the chivalry of the man. In death, as through every day of his long career, Mr. Holmes was & knightly spirit. Every test of human worthiness he met—faith, courage, loyalty, gener- osity were personified in him; and the last gesture of his hand, his will discloses, was at once a salute and a benefaction. The Nation returns its thanks and reafirms its love, and humble individuals of whom Mr. Holmes never heard press forward in their earthly pilgrimage with new hope in their hearts because of their comprehension of his example, Paying Government Debts. The Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Morgenthau, has announced a new financial stroke by the Government. He proposes to retire $675,000,000 of Government obligations through the use of part of the $2,812,000,000 which the Government gained through the reduction of the gold content of the dollar. The obligations to be retired are the two per cent consols, totaling about $600,000,000, and Panama Canal bonds bearing a face value of $75,- 000,000. The gains which the Government made through the devaluation of the dollar, the increment in gold realized by the Government from the reduc- tion of the gold content, has, of course, been available for use by the Govern- ment for months. Of the total amount of this gain $2,000,000,000 has been placed in the so-called stabilization fund to maintain the value of the dollar in forelgn exchange if neces- sary., Congress appropriated $139,- 000,000 for loans to industry, of which about one-tenth has been used for that purpose. Congress also has ap- ;’prcprinr.ed an indefinite sum to meet losses in melting gold coins, estimated to run to $8,000,000, and has author- ized the use of another $23,000,000 for the Philippine currency fund. This will leave about $642,000,000 of “free gold,” which is to be used as the basis | of the retirement of the consols and the Panama bonds. The operation undoubtedly has its | ever, of the power which the Gov- | ernment has to reduce its debts by manipulating the currency. Having made the gain of nearly three billions of dollars through the reduction of the gold content of the dollar and taking over all the gold and gold cer- tificates in the country, the Govern- ment was in a position to wipe off its debts to the extent of that total sum at any time it desired. If the Gov- ernment should again reduce the gold content of the dollar, there would be still further billions available to wipe out Government debt. Such opera- tions may be called by a less polite name, repudiation. In the light of the gold decisions of the Supreme Court, the repudiation so far carried into effect has not damaged the people who have held gold bonds, since the dollar will still purchase what a dollar should purchase in this country. The inflationists are pleased with the plan to retire the consols and the Panama Canal bonds, both of which bear two per cent interest. These bonds have been used by the national banks in the issue of cur- rency. These two issues of securities are callable August 1. They are to be taken up and paid for with gold cer- tificates. These gold certificates are to go to the Federal Reserve banks, but no further, And these banks in turn may issue new currency against these gold certificates, for the law says that the Federal Reserve banks may have in circulation $100 in notes to $40 of gold certificates. There- fore, there may be issued against these gold certificates $1,687,500,000 in Fed- eral Reserve bank notes. Here is a possible inflation of the currency of considerable proportions. However, the Government is not calling its move to retire consols and Panama Canal bonds an inflationary measure. But the possibilities are there and are rec- ognized by inflationists. Perhaps the move may do something to stop the cry that there is not enough money in circulation. Perhaps the solicitude for small business will reach the domain of amusements to the extent of splitting up the three-ring circus so as to give the public three circuses a Summer at the present price of one. The Fuehrer’s Cold. - Herr Hitler's attack of laryngitis, which led suddenly to cancellation of Sir John Simon’s impending trip to Berlin, has happily taken such a turn for the better tha' Germany has promptly renewed her invitation to the British foreign secretary. He now plans to pay the postponed visit later this month. On both sides the stage seems to be set for a resumption of Anglo-German negotiations at the | point where they were interrupted when the Wilhelmstrasse took um- brage at the British white paper holding German rearmament respon- sible for European war fears. Fuehrer Hitler will meantime retire to his favorite retreat in Berchtes- gaden, Bavaria. ‘There he seeks opportunity for calm reflection over two developments directly connected with the forthcoming talks with Sir John Simon. First of these events is the debate beginning in the House of Commons today on the govern- ment’s program for increasing arma- ments, especially air forces. British fears of German plans are likely to be frankly disclosed, possibly with reafirmation of Mr. Baldwin’s famous dictum that mntun line of de- | good points. It is illustrative, how- | fense now extends to the Rhine. That vivid statement denotes, if it means anything, that the British would not view - with equanimity any German moves that threatened the security of France, Belgium or even the Nether- lands. S The second development that will afford Hitler food for thought in the Bavarian Alps is the visit which Capt. Anthony Eden, second in command in higher British diplomacy, is about to make in Moscow and Warsaw. His mission is to discover to what extent the Soviet Union and Poland are prepared to join in an &astern Locarno and identify themselves with general European pacification. By the time Sir John Simon arrives in Berlin, Fuehrer Hitler presumably will have reached some conclusions as to the trend it is wise for German pol- icy to take. He has been offered a mutual Western air convention de- signed to assure the Reich assistance in case of unprovoked attack. But such a pact is available to the Ger- mans only upon an agreement for arms limitation on an equality basis, upon a pledge not to assail Austrian independence, and upon adhesion to the Eastern Locarno. If Hitler does not bring himself to do business on these lines, Sir John Simon is likely bluntly to let him know that the price of refusal will be an Anglo-French entente against Germany, which will lead to her military and political isolation. In the interest of peace it is sin- cerely to be hoped that the Fuehrer's cold will rapidly disappear so that he may find himself in position to talk without restraint the language of conciliation and thus pave the way toward that goal Europe so anxiously craves to reach. —_—————— A German actress is to marry | Goering, known as Prussian premier, | minister for air and director general | of Prussian theaters. A Poo Bah solo from “The Mikado" would be ap- | propriate for the wedding music pro- gram. ————————— Every campaign is more or less complicated at the start by the fact that nobody can attain any kind of extraordinary prominence without be- ing mentioned as one of the boy- minded persons who expect to grow | up to be President. .t Amelia Earhart has asked the| Maine Legislature to be open-minded in considering the activities of flyers who annoy the groundlings. Miss Earhart will scarcely go so far as to plead for the lads whose low flyinz‘ has disturbed the White House. ——— ‘While conducting a vigorous cam- paign for modern adjustment, the| Mikado adheres to tradition and in- | sists that if there is to be any dic-i tator he will be It. The Blue Eagle might be all right if the proper arrangement could be made to start a new thanksgiving without handing the old bird the ax. ———————— There are still forgotten men. No- body knows who composes the cross- word puzzles or who writes the valen- tine poetry. | SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Cutting Remarks. | We're worried betimes 'bout supply and demand But words are awaiting on every hand. The more you may use as the argu- ment’s led, The more, without doubt, will remain to be said. Should words ever fail, we will choose one by one And busily keep them at work, just for fun. Whenever we feel just a bit comatose We'll shake up the alphabet for a new dose. The prices keep rising, perhaps they will stop If we find they are easy to cut as a crop. We can cut down the barley, the corn and the rye, But of words there is always an supply. ample Mammoth Enterprise. “Do you believe in letting the Gov- ernment run the railroads?” “Not exactly,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It takes constant training to become either a competent poli- tician or a good railroad man. No- body can do both in the same life- time.” Jud Tunkins says when statesmen get into rough talk it looks like no- body ought to venture to run for office without a pocketful of alibis. Small, But Not Forgotten. Vain is the quest of knowledge or of fun. The luck’s not for the big or little one, But for the very smallest of the small. This grip germ is the luckiest of them all. Vocabularitis. “Your daughters have had every advantage.” “I'll say so,” answered Mr. Dustin Stax. “They can understand every word on a menu.” “Why don’t you learn?” “No use. The effort would only add headache to indigestion.” Expert. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. America is going through literary throes most interesting to watch. The fight is over whether a short novel or a long one is the thing. The battle crops up ever so often in literary history and has long cropped up. First it was “Tom Jones,” a very long one. Then the length began to taper off, only to come back strong again with the works of Dickens and ‘Trollope. ‘These English standards also were America’s standards for a long time. Along came Stephen Crane, with his “Red Badge of Courage,” which proved once more, if it needed prov- ing, that if a writer tells what he wants to tell, the length is imma- terial. * K Kk X Now the very long story is back again. Two years ago a half-million-word romance became the rage. Today an immense work of 900 pages and many thousands of words leaps flaming from the presses, and the dear critics outdo themselves in praise. It seems nowadays that great gobs of words tend to flabbergast—there is no other word—many of those who read them. This is natural enough. If length is to be considered at all, as if it meant anything in itself, veritable rivers of prose must have their effect. The unfortunate part of it falls on those readers who think, willy- nilly, that anything which is very, very long necessarily must be very, very good. * %k Xk % work up an atmosphere better for many readers. Aside from that ef- fect, which no doubt is a real enough one, a novel can be dull or entertain- ing, lifelike or wooden, irrespective of the number of words required. Especially no reader should bow | down before huge torrents of words, vast descriptive passages, which prob- ably enthrall a writer very much, but It was so with Cooper. Where is there a more deadly book in all writ- ing than his “Prairie”? The first half of it is just so much words, words, words. b then. Happily it is the vogue no longer. But in its place we have something worse, a grand blow-up of words just for the sake of words. It is something like the language in which the income tax blanks is couched. One wonders if the writ- ers thereof really knew what they were trying to put into words. If they did, why did they not so phrase them that their meaning was un- mistakable? Some time we hope to rephrase some of those items, for the edification of readers here, so that it may be demonstrated how easily the |same things might have been put down in perfectly plain language. | Language at bottom is merely some- thing to materialize thought. If the thought is hazy, the words will be, too. words will be clear to others. The world is slowly getting away from the old idea, at one time judiciously fos- tered by writers, that inspiration was one thing, and comprehension by readers quite another. If readers could not understand what was written, something was the matter with them, never with the writers who could not make themselves plain! * Kk ¥ X Most of the disputes over words which have so filled the world for centuries would have been avoided if that false idea of inspiration had not been evolved to cover up the in- ability of these who struggled to ex- Day by day, in every way, prospects | of an adjournment of Congress before Midsummer grow dimmer and slimmer. | It is now roundly 10 weeks since the session began and the sum total of major legislation enacted is repre- sented by a round zero. Two out- standing causes are responsible for the stalling of the congressional engine ~first, the determination of Congress to look before leaping, in contradis- tinction to the rubber stamp situation which characterized the early days of the New Deal, and, secondly, unex- pected Democratic insurgency in the Senate. In addition, of course, there is the immensity and complexity of the projects submitted for considera- tion at the current session. Any one of the three big administration issues— work relief, social security and N. R. A. renewal—would of itself absorb the time and thought of Congress for many a day. There is a distinct dis- inclination on the part of both House and Senate to be hurried into action on any of these propositions, and the delays that have ensued in their con- sideration strike many members as blessings in disguise. The bitterly controversial atmosphere on the pug- nacious Potomac is another factor making for slow motion on Capitol Hill. * Xk x There are rival schools of thought as to whether the administration ought to wade in hammer and tongs and combat the Long-Coughlin cohorts or ignore them. Those who favor a “Let ’em talk” policy argue that the King- fish and Father Coughlin and their respective ‘causes would thrive on abuse or opposition—that every knock would be a boost. The “fight ’em back” advocates think that the admin- istration cannot afford definitely to pull its punches, and that any failure to resist the foe tooth and nail will be popularly regarded as a confession of weakness and will invite ever new and more ferocious attack. Many Rooseveltians believe that the Presi- dent himself in a smashing fireside broadcast or two could seriously dam- age if not demolish his adversaries, but some of F. D. R.’s closest ad- visers are dubious as to the wisdom of any personal intrusion into the fray on his part. * %k %k X Gen. Johnson will be heard from again, presumably over the air, when he speaks to New York alumni of West Point next Saturday evening, March 16, at a dinner in celebration of the 133d anniversary of the found- ing of the United States Military Academy. In that congenial and stimulating companionship, the former Blue Eagle chieftain may let himself He is an expert none can doubt, Before a class he makes a stand, And no one dares to bawl him out, As he takes erudite command. Like some slight beetle on a pin, Spiked by a scientific crew, He struggles in a fruitless spin When on the witness stand he's due. “De man dat tells everything he knows,” said Uncle Eben, “Is liable to keep so busy talkin’ he hasn't time to find out Inythl,ll wuth tellin’” 80 in the same sledge-hammer style that marked his recent outburst. Sen- ator Long and Father Coughlin will in the meantime have both paid their respects to Johnson, and he will have something new to go on. The ora- torical fisticuffs of these three hard- hitting protagonists now promise to rank in history with the Lincoln- Douglas debate, though for vigor and venom of expression will far outstrip that epochal contest. * ok * % From North Carolina there drifts into Washington a hint that Herbert | Hoover may be keeping his political fences in order, possibly with a view { All that length can do, in itself, s | which tend to leave many a reader | | cold. Description, as such, was the style | If the thought is clear, the | WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. press thought to so put them that exactly the same ideas were conveyed to others. Hence arose a multitude of inter- pretations of the thoughts, so that in the end the ideas undoubtedly intend- ed to be conveyed were covered up and lost to sight beneath a multitude of new words and new thoughts, until at last no one could tell which were original ideas and which th2 inter- pretations of others, so mixed up were one with another, layer upon layer, like these vast old mounds un- der which are found relics of 13 civ- ilizations, one on top of the other. The expression of thoughts js not easy, as every one knows who has tried it. Those who may have been in the position of receiving the ex- pressed ideas of others for considera- tion realize better than most just how difficult thought expression is to many. | No one who has not sat in this posi- tion, in one way or another, can have any real conception of the inability of many human beings to express clearly, succinctly and to the point the ideas which struggle inside their heads for egress to the light. Mostly such persons labor under the delusion that in many words lies safety. They are in somewhat the position of the tracked animal, which no doubt feels that in many twistings and back- trackings rests ultimate ecsape. * X X X Something of the same idea must assail the reader when he is con- fronted with one of these monstrous books of many, many pages, contain- ing words by the hundreds of thou- | sands. Might not the man have condensed it a bit? No doubt his publisher asked him the same ques- tion. And now a legend is being forced about him, to the effect that pruned out 10,000 words, he imme- diately wrote in 20,000 more. On the other hand, no reader should make the mistake of thinking that brevity. except in certain situations, is a virtue in itself. “Curtness” is an- other misplaced American confidence. Many think that if they can be “brief” they have achieved something very | worth while, whereas too often such brevity misses fire badly. The death of Christ, we are assured grandilo- quently, only took several hundred words—how dare you take several thousands? But there is no relation between the two, surely. Thoughts ! ought to have the words they require. The great point is that there is no intrinsic merit in brevity or length, ! in itself, but only in as near a perfect conveyance of thought from one to another as possible or feasible under the circumstances. Anthony Trollope wrote some 59 novels, each one of them two to three times as long as the average 300-page novel of a few years back. One not in sympathy with novel writing and reading might | cry out against a waste of words, as he held one of these books in his | hand, and declare that the whole thing might have been told better in a fourth of the length. Where he would miss would be in thinking that his effort to express his own ideas of something he really knew little about actually conveyed the same ideas to | others who might have read and long |enjoyed the novels of the Victorian. | Brevity or length is not a thing in | itself to be desired or avoided, but | simply & mechanical problem of the | writing business. The individual reader must never forget that what strikes him as too brief, or too long, may impress another astute reader as |quite right. Part of reading is the mood. It is as with a cup of coffee, one time it tastes goed, and the next it doesn't, and explanations as to the | cream or the sugar do not quite ex- plain, after all. The drinker says the coffee tastes good, or that it doesn't. |1t is the same coffee, though. to 1936, or after. An informant alleges that the former President has sent an author’s copy of his recently published “Challenge to Liberty” to every Republican county chairman and former Republican Federal office- holder in the Tar Heel State, and the suggestion has arisen among the vari- ous recipients that the Sage of Palo Al'o intends thus to remind G. O. P. leaders that he is still on the party map. Whether Mr. Hoover has dis- tributed his literary souvenirs to Re- publicans in other States is not re- ported * % x % Now that the $400,000,000 Army bill has successfully run the gantlet of both houses of Congress, specula- tion is revived as to the future em- ployment of Maj. Gen. Douglas Mac- Arthur, chief of staff, who was re- tained in the post by President Roose- velt beyond the usual term of duty. Gen. MacArthur has the reputation of being an exceptionally effective man in the advocacy of military legis- lation. According to current report, the retiring chief of staff may be reappointed to his former billet as of being assigned to command a corps area. MacArthur was at the head (of the Military Academy for three years following the World War. * ok ok % One of Washington's leading finan- ciers, vouches for the statement that Fed- eral relief checks are freely in circu- lation in the betting ring at Hialeah race course, Miami, and are a regular and lucrative source of income there. The same authority narrates that a high Federal official, who spent part of the Winter in California, observed that relief checks are also common coin of the realm at Tia Juana and other resorts on the coast where easy come, easy go is the order of the care- free day. * ¥k ‘Writing to the editor of the Repub- lican New York Herald Tribune, a Brooklynite, who is evidently a New Dealer, says “it is quite obvious why United States District Courts sabotage the recovery program.” He states that he has checked off the narges of 116 United States judges, all tv&ntly Re- publicans, because appointed by Re- publican Presidents, and only 16 Democrats, and reaches the conclu- sion that “a reactionary Republican- ism is essentially in control of the country today.” * * k *x ‘Washington Barracks, seat of the Army War College, are now officially known as Fort Humphreys, D. C. The original post of that name in Virginia recently became Fort Belvoir. * X %k *x Going out to or coming back from California this year it is taken for granted by administrationists that President Roosevelt will seize the op- portunity to make some keynote “swing around the circle” speeches in accordance with White House tradi- tion on these wayfaring occasions. It will presumably be F. D, R.'s last trek across the wide-open spaces before the opening of his campaign for re- nomination and the opportunity will be ripe for & review of the recovery situation and other national affairs he simply would not cut, that no! | publisher could make him, that if he | superintendent of West Point instead | recently back from Florida, | ThePolitical Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. As the day approaches—March 15— on which all the little “pink slips,” showing certain details of the income taxpayers' returns must be in the hands of the collectors of internal revenue, the roars of those who con- tend that their rights are being in- vaded increase. This is “pink slip” day in the House. A lot will be said in denunciation »f these pink slips, and the bill for the repeal of the law which requires that the taxpayers must fill these slips out and file them in all probability will be passed. No one really believes that the Senate| will have time, or perhaps the in- clination, to put through the repeal bill before March 15. The diive to have the Senate take favorable action on the repealer is under way, how- ever, * ok X % The Senate has been the body which has incisted in the past on in- come tax publicity. It was Senator La Follette of Wisconsin and Senator Norris of Nebraska who have favored the plan in the past, although Sena- tor La Follette declares that his plan was merely to make the entire tax return a “public record,” instead of the pink slip idea, The Senate has plenty of troubles on its hands today without taking up the pink slip mat- ter. With the work-relief bill and Senator Huey P. Long and his attack on the Roosevelt administration, cen- tering for the time on Postmaster General Farley, to occupy m'ume and attention, it will be strange if the Senate is able to give consideration to the pink slip for some time to come. Only an overwhelming desire to call a halt to the income tax publicity, re- sulting in a unanimous consent agree- | ment to act quickly and favorably on | the pink slip repeal, could put through | the repeal bill quickly in the Senate. ¥ K % X Public attention has centered so | strongly on the President’s work-relief bill, the proposal to continue the N. R. A. for another two years and the general hurly burly in the Sen- ate that little has been said of the proposed banking bill. Not many of | the legislators themselves have had ! time to go into the details of this measure, which is one of far-reaching | importance. Sooner or later, however, the administration forces will, it is expected, get behind this bill and there will be a real fight over many of its provisions. ‘The American Liberty League, fol- lowing out its program of discussing | the legislation which comes before Congress for consideration, today has issued its own analysis of the banking | bill. What it has to say regarding | the bill is a plenty. Its chief com- | plaint is that it strengthens the grip | of the Executive over the whole sys- tem and makes it far more “polit- | ical.” Here are eight objections which the league lists: | It provides for abdication by the | Congress of its constitutional duty to | regulate the value of money. It dele- | gates to the executive branch unre- stricted authority to control the vol- | ume of currency and credit without ‘\so much as declaring a policy. It | makes our monetary and banking | structure subject to the whims- of | political influence. It strengthens the President’s power over the Federal Reserve Board and makes it impossi- ble for that agency or the Federal Reserve banks to be independent. It shifts to the Federal Reserve Board powers now exercised by the non- political Federal Reserve banks. It destroys safeguards in present law af- | fecting the use of currency and credit. | It facilitates inflation and offers no | adequate means of checking tend- | encies in this direction. It opens the | door to unsafe banking.” * ¥ X x The Liberty Leagie suggests that a | “national commission of appropriate | character” be set up to look into the whole matter of banking legislation | before any new bank acts are passed | by Congress. With regard to political control of banking, the league has the following to say: “The experience of nations through- | out history has been that, when go | ernmental influence over banking sys- | | tems assumes the nature of manage- | ment rather than supervision, financial | ruin follows. In such circumstances the fiscal requirements of treasuries, rather than of industry and agricul- ture, tend to become the prime con- | sideration in the determination of | policies. The outstanding examples of | disastrous inflation in the world have | resulted from political control of cen- | tral banks.” | i g | The political future of Senater Long, the Louisiana kingfish, is a matter of a lot of conjecture these days. No one quite seems to know | whether he will run for Senator, Gov- ernor or for President next year. That | goes for Mr. Long himself, for he has announced himself a likely candidate | for all three of these jobs. It seems | pretty certain that Long could not | have the Democratic nomination for President if he wanted it. So if he is going to run for President, it will have to be with some other party designation. Democrats in the South who have deserted the Democratic party have had a difficult time. Two | Democratic Senators, for example, in | North Carolina who jumped the fence and supported the Republican candi- date for President in 1928. against Alfred E. Smith, found to their sorrow that they had lost out with their con- stituents a couple of years later, They were retired from the Senate. * ¥ x % | | | | Senator Long could have the Demo- cratic nomination for Senator or Gov- ernor in Louisiana, unless there should be a political revolution against him in the next few months. But if he is intent upon seeking the presi- dency there is mnot the slightest chance of his getting the delegates to the national convention of the Democratic party. The Democratic party organization has been built up in the last two years more strongly than ever before. After all, organ- ization counts. Furthermore, as be- tween President Roosevelt and Long, the former would command the popular supsort today of the vast number of the voters in Democratic primaries. Just because people go to hear Long speak in the Senate, or listen to him over the radio, does not mean that they would go to the polls to vote for him. Some of the most sought-after orators have discovered to their sorrow that hand claps do not necessarily mean votes on election &Y * x ok ok Republican members of the House deny flatly that there is any likelihood a real effort will be made to dislodge Representative Snell of New York as the minority leader of the G. O. P. Some of them say that they would like Mr. Spell to call more party confer- ences to talk things over and that they would prefer a more active course in opposition to the administration, but that seems as far as they are willing to go. travel schedules have as yet been given any consideration. The Califor- nia exposition people merely have the President's promise to visit them some time during the show. (Copyright, 1935.) A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Eve- ning Star Information Bureau, Fréd- eric J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamps for reply. Q. How much weight do the boys | put on in their first two months in C.C. C. camps?—E. C. W. A. The average young man Wwho enrolls in the Civillan Conservation Corps gains from 7 te 11 pounds dur- | ing his first two months in camp. Q. How much Canadian bacon is exported?—E. B. A. In 1934 Canada exported bacon to the value of $19,000,000. Q. When was slavery abolished in England?—H. W. P. A. Colonial Secretary Stanley in 1833 introduced a bill into Parliament providing for complete abolition of slavery. It was immediately passed. All children unfer 6 and those born after the passage of the act were thenceforward free. All others ceased to be slaves, but were to remain as apprentices to their masters for a period of 12 years. The slave owners were indemnified for their loss in the sum of $100,000,000. The system of apprenticeship proved unsatisfactory | and was abandoned after four years. Q. Why was the battle of Shiloh given this name?—B. M. A. It takes its name from Shiloh Church, near Pittsburgh Landing. The battle is also known as Pittsburgh Landing, because it was fought there. Q. How much Kentucky hluegrass is there in Kentucky and West Vir- ginia>—C. L. C. A. There are no statistic: giving the exact acreage of Kentucky biue- grass. It has been determined Ly observation, however, that practically all of the pasture in Kentucky snd West Virginia is made principally of Kentucky bluegrass. Considering only | the plowable pasture, there are in | Kentucky about five and one-half mil- | lion acres, and in West Virginia only one and three-quarter million acres. This kind of pasture provides the safest comparison necause it is more completely made up of Kentucky bluegrass than “other pasture.” It is interesting to note thal ihe finest bluegrass is grown in Northwestern Missouri. The region around Lexing- ton, Ky. is, of course, the most famous bluegrass region. Q. Why is a lawyer called a green bag?—D. S. A. It was formerly the custom in England for lawyers to carry their robes and briefs in a green bag, hence the term. It is found in English literature as early as 1677 in the “Plain Dealer,” by Wycherley. Q. Who wrote the serenade “Stars of the Summer Night'?—H. W. A. The verse is Longfellow’s. Balfe wrote the music. A. H. Pease and L B. Woodbury also wrote arrange- ments for the words. Q. How deep do the roots of fruit trees extend?—T. H. A. The Bureau of Plant Industry says that, in general, three-fourths of the roots of fruit trees are in the upper 15 inches of soil. The other one-fourth may occupy the upper 4 to 6 feet of soil. Moisture and plant food conditions are, of course, the factors involved in root depth. Roots naturally grow in the direction of moisture. Cases are known of a pene- tration of frult tree roots to a depth of 9 feet. Q. What is delaine?—R. S. Z. A. Delaine is the name of a light woolen or a woolen and cotton fabric. The name is short for the French muslin de laine, meaning muslin of wool. Q. Who was Martha Washington's first husband?—C. C. S. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A. The first husband of Marths Dandridge, Daniel P, Custis, is d scribed as an amiable and estimable gentleman, universally respected and many years her senior when he began his suit for the hand of Martha Dan- drige, age 16. Q. What city is the capital of the Netherlands?—M. J. A. Amsterdam is the actual legisla= tive capital of the Netherlands, but | The Hague is the seat of government, The public buildings of the states gen- | eral, as well as the royal residence, are located here. Q. What is the origin of the ex- pression, to sow dragons’' teeth?—M. M. . A. The reference is to the classical | story of Cadmus, who slew the dragon | that guarded the well of Ares and | sowed some of its teeth. From them sprang up the men called Spartans, who all killed each other except five, Wwho became the ancestors of the The- bans, The teeth which Cadmus did not sow came into the possession of the King of Colchis. One of the | tasks which he set Jason was to sow {them and slay the armed warriors who sprang from them. Q. Did “The Barretts of Wimpole Street,” with Katharine Cornell, open | in New York?—H. R. 8. A. The play was presented for the first time in the United States at the Hanna Theater, Cleveland, Ohio, on | January 29, 1931. | Q. Please tell me when it is cor- rect to use the terms gentleman and lady instead of man and woman— FE A. Gentleman and lady are terms properly used to designate persons of refined speech and manners, as dis- tinguished from ill-bred or unculti- vated people. The use of them to designate mere sex is incorrect. The use of man and woman need never be avoided. Even where lady or gentle- man may be used correctly, man or woman is equally polite, and is often | preferable. | Q Does King George V of England | wear a crown?—V. M. H. | A. He wears his crown only on cer- | tain state occasions, notably the open- ing of Parliament. Q. Are Julius Rosenwald’s sons carrying on their father's philan- thropic wotk?—E. T. T. | A. Lessing Rosenwald is chairman of the Rosenwald Fund and William Rosenwald is its treasurer. Both are deeply interested also in Jewish phil- anthropies. There are three daugh- ters, all of whom are following in the footsteps of their father. Q. When was the Great Stone Face discovered?—R. L. A. The Great Stone Face, about which Hawthorne wrote, is the Old Man of the Mountains in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It was discovered in 1805 by Francis Whit- comb and Luke Brooks while working on the Notch road. It was first de- scribed by Gen. Martin Field, who visited it in 1827. Prom the base of the projection forming the chin to the top of that forming the forehead the vertical distance is 36-40 feet. The projection is mainly of granite. Q. What is a nuncupative will?— G.M.E. A. One which is orally announced— not written. Q. How long have Protestant churches had foreign missions?—N. P. | A. While there were several af tempts in the sixteenth and seven- |teenth centuries to establish foreign | missions, the movement gained its real impetus just before the dawn of | the nineteenth century. The Mora- |vians were the first decided cham- | pions of Protestant foreign missions. | The English Wesleyans were soon in | the field. Panama’s Dem and for Gold Finds Strong Support Here Most of the American newspaper comment approves Panama’s insist- ence that annual payments by the United States under the Canal Zone | treaty shall be made on the basis of the old gold dollar, “Panama is quite right in demand- ing gold or its equivalent in dollars,” declares the Cincinnati Times-Star, “Congress has already appropriated some $23,000,000 to reimburse the Philippine government for losses sus- tained through our gold policy. Pana- | ma's claim is on exactly the same footing. To refuse to grant it would be to claim the right to alter a treaty without the consent and to the injury of the other party to the treaty.” “It is possible,” according to the Atlanta Constitution, “to show that the purchasing power of the gold dollar would be greater than that ¢f the present dollar, and proof of loss could be presented if payment is not made in gold” The San Francisco Chronicle believes that “to pay less than the standard value of gold coin at the time the contract was made would savor of smartness unworthy of the Government.” “It is an obligation,” says the New ments. The good faith of the United States is plainly at stake in such a promise. The best course would be | to pay promptly ‘in gold coin’ of 1904 | ;" tye honus bill. the two instalments due. If we are not ready te make this amende hon- orable, we should at least offer to submit the case to international ar- bitration.” “The Government at Washington.” in the opinion of the Detroit Free Press, “is faced with this dilemma: If it pays Panama in gold, it will set & precedent, which, if generally followed, would upset its whole mone- tary structure, while if it does not do so, Panama may default on its | external debt, which is largely held by Americans. And there is still an- other thing to remember. Although a very small country, Panama is strategically situated with respect to the Canal and could, if war came, ex- tend courtesies to an enemy sufficient- ly embarrassing to the United States to make it worth Washington's while not to offend it too deeply.” ‘The rights of Panama “as a sover- eign government” are emphasized by the Wichita (Kans.) Eagle, while the Los Angeles Times argues: “Panama is in a different situation from the litigant who was denied relief by the Supreme Court because he could not show damage. Panama can chow damage, ‘since a Treasury check for $250,000 will buy less Panama cur- rency than it would before revalua- tion—that sum in the olc money being equivalent to $422,500 in the new.” “New Deal apologists,” says the New York Herald Tribune, “should not bring upon the United States the shame of taking advantage of one | of the smallest nations in the world, by repudiating an obligation which is specifically set forth in the treaty.” The Charleston (8. C.) Evening Post, however, advises: “Panama had better take and cash its rental check without more ado and be glad it gets for its right of way. A Roosevelt made it and a Roosevelt can unmake it.” |A | ! Some newspapers consider the effect |on other governments. The Pitts- | burgh Post-Gazette suggests that “if Panama gains her point, these other governments will pounce upon the in- cident as precedent supporting their claims.” The Louisville Courier- | Journal quotes Chief Justice Hughes |as stating that “the contention of claimants in such cases was not for | damages, but unjustifiable ‘enrich- | ment’.” and suggests that former President Hoover, in his statement on the gold policy, “was not rash enough to suggest averting the ‘moral con- | sequences’ by an appropriation to | pay gold bondholders what they de- mand.” “No wonder,” concludes the Cour- ier-Journal, “Mr. Hoover spoke of | ‘moral consequences’ without suggest- ing that anything be done. The Gov- ernment exercised a constitutional | moral obligation ‘to promote the gen- eral welfare,” and. so long as it safe- | guarded its creditors against loss or damages, no turpitude can be found in the incidental annulment of an !archaic clause which no one expected | to be literally fulfilled until the pos- | sibility of unjustifiable ‘enrichment’ | York Times, “fixed by international | Was spied in the terms.” |Lrem.y between two sovereign govern- | R No Smile Likely. From the Lowell Evening Leader Patman claims to have found a joker But it is doubtful that he will induce the President to chuckle over the measure. —_— vt Still a Ruler. From the Rochester Times-Union. The former Kaiser has fired the cook | at the Doorn domicile. Only simple- | minded folks thought he had been shorn of power. ———rat The A. A. A. Seesaw, | Prom the Indianapolis News. Having demonstrated that it can raise prices, the A. A. A. will now un- dertake the somewhat more difficult | job of reducing them. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton | Grand Soiree Up on the Hill the lawmakers in clam- orous debate, Each man a personality distinctive of his State. The presidential mansion, where many cars denote cabinet in session—new codes ma; be afloat. > Farther north an embassy reception is in line, | Gleaming cars and gorgeous gowns, | wind and a whiff of wine, | A city at its zenith—diplomats at work | or play; I | And over all the sunshine of & bril- liant Winte: day. Across the town at twilight a vagrant breath of Spring Brings silence for a moment to every gal And makes each monied grandee less ‘flflnlmml ‘