Evening Star Newspaper, June 14, 1935, Page 10

‘A—10 "THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY.........June 14, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES. . . Editor - The Evening Star Newspaper Company Jusiness Office: 11th St and Pennsyivania Ave New York Office: 110 East 42nd St Chicaco Office: Lake Michigan Building European Office. 14 Regent St.. Londor: England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Rrayinr B4R ¢ per month Sunday Star ays) !l‘fld per month ar e Evenine S e Evenine and 85¢_per month Sunday Star .. be per copy Night Final Edition. ieht Final and Sunday Star 70¢ per month ight Final Star 55¢ per mont Collection made at the end of each month. Orders may be sent by mail or telephone National 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. (w The Maryland and Virginia. | The Pally and Sunday, .1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo.. 85¢ Daily —only 1yr. $6.00: 1 mo. hhe Sunday oniy yr. $4.00: 1 mo.. 40¢ All Other States and Canada. | Dally and Sunday 1 yr., $12.00; 1 mo.. $1.00 Daily only 1yr. $8.00:1mo. ibe Sunday only . 1vr $5.00: 1 mo.. B0c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively en- titled to the use for republication of all Incal nevs published herein publication of special dispatches are also reserved herein Work-Relief Policy. The $4.880,000,000 work-relief bill was signed more than two months! ego after having been under con- sideration in and out of Congress for many months previous. One might have been safe in the assumption that during that long period plans for the spending of the money and the policies to be emphasized in its ex- | penditure would have been pretty thoroughly threshed out and that when the money became available it would immediately begin to flow. Since the President signed the bill, in the early part of April, he has established his administrative ma- chinery and expenditures of about ' $1,750,000,000 have been tentatively earmarked or allocated. But it comes as something in the nature of distinct surprise to find that the policy in spending the balance is still a matter of conjecture, that two of the Presi- dent’s chief advisers, Secretary Ickes and Mr. Hopkins, are apparently odds over the wisdom of one policy as against the other, that the “pump priming” method, involving the ex- penditure of funds for materials for large undertakings, is for the time being in disfavor, while the old theory of the C. W. A, or spending money directly in wages to those on the relief rolls, is coming to the fore again. While the objective of the work- relief bill is still to take employables Off the relief rolls, the method of reaching that objective still witnesses ! the revival of old debate over polictes within the President’s circle of clse advisers. But the President’s decision that a low percentage of work proj- ect funds is to be available for mate- rials has made the debate for the time being one-sided. Mr. Hopkins, rather | than Secretary Ickes, now holds the | whip hand. Under the plan receiving greatest emphasis, Mr. Hopkins will be responsible for the expenditure of the larger part of the work-relief money still available, and his works progress division, functioning largely through the Federal agents appointed | for the States, will doubtless bear the | brunt of the business. | There has been a singular lack of | explicit information so far available | on the nature of Mr. Hopkins' plans. | In his press conference yesterday he was firm in his statement that there would be no revival of the C. W. A.| principle, once cynically described as paying men to rake leaves from one side of the sidewalk to the other and gweeping them back again. But in the same breath Mr. Hopkins prom- | ises that a substantial number of the| 3.500,000 people now on relief rolls| will be at work next month. How such | a program, useful in furnishing em- | ployment as wel] as useful to the tax- | payers, can be put under way within | thirty days is something of a mystery. | More light will be thrown on Mr. | Hopkins' plans next week, when he | meets in conference the State Works | Progress administrators, whom he has | summoned to Washington. Mr. Hop- | kins plans to tell them how much | money will be available for each | State: the nature of the projects on | which such funds may be spent. This procedure bears a discomfiting like- ness to the processes by which Mr. Hopkins started his C. W. A, when each community was given a quota of men to be employed and told to | create work for them within a cer- | tain time limit. But perhaps there is a difference, soon to he revealed. | ———.————— - | There have always been bootleg- | gers. They were easier to handle in the old days when they were known 8s moonshiners, — e et The New King of the Ring. Last night a new name was added | to the roster of American he: weight flstic champions. James J. | Braddock is now the holder of the | bighest title in pugilism, surprisingly the vietor in a fifteen-round match in New York which had been regarded &s a virtual “set-up” for the “champ.” The new title holder has been in the fighting game off and on for seven years, a longshoreman who became a professional pugilist by chance. He “was in and out of the ring, engaged 1in various pursuits. none of them very profitable, and finally was reduced to the bread line with a family to sup- port. He was picked to meet Baer in this latest match as a stopgap in the pugilistic program and now joins the immortals of the squared circle, thus springing from penury to af- fluence by dint of clever boxing sbility, a stout heart and desperate cetermination, In view of the record of the ring in the past half century, it is not likely that the diamond belt, badge of cham- pionship, will long remain in the pos- session of Braddock., Here is the roster of the terms of the thirteen who have " worn the belt within that period: | nerves in exalted Fascigt quarters at | | | James J. Corbett, five years; Bob Fita- simmons, two years; James J. Jeffries, seven years; Tommy Burns, two years; | Jack Johnson, seven years; Jess Wil- lard, four years; Jack Dempsey, seven years; Gene Tunney, two years—re- | tiring undefeated after his conquest of F Dempsey; Max Schmeling, two years; then Jack Sharkey, Primo Carnera | and Max Baer, one year each. I This is an average of less than four | years for each of the title holders in | this period. Not counting Sullivan's !record term, the average is less than | three and a haif years of title hold- holding. There have been five cham- | pions since Dempsey's defeat in 1926, | six counting the newcomer. Thus the | percentage points to a brief reign of | this present king of the ring, and his | age does not augur for a breaking of | the latter-day rule of rapid_succession. just-defeated ‘“play boy” may mend his ways, and, taking his fistic responsibilities more seriously, try to recover his title, although he has de- feels that he has already profited suffi- was last night forced upon him. Il Duce on Edge. ‘There is an unmistakable state of Rome. Within the past forty-eight hours it has manifested itself in a form that leaves no doubt that Pre- mier Mussolinl has worked himself into a high dudgeon over opinion abroad regarding present trends of Italian policy, both foreign and do- mestic. On Wednesday Il Duce ordered the seizure of all available copies of the New York Times and banishment of that paper until further notice. That drastic action was taken because of & recent Times editorial entitled “Baldwin and Mussolini” and consist- ing of comment on the prime minis- ter's allusions to Italy's plans for war against Abyssinia. On the heels of the disciplinary | step against the Times, Mussolini showed his displeasure toward an- other prominent American newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, by summarily expelling its Rome correspondent, Da- vid Darrah, and his wife without so much as formal notice of their im- pending fate. offense was the writing of articles held to be anti-Italian because they were critical of the Fascist financial structure and discussed the allegiance of the people to the Mussolini regime. Mr. Darah is the fourth foreign cor- respondent expelled from Italy since | last March. These measures against American newspapers indubitably suggest that 1l Duce feels that current Italian policy, especially in Africa, cannot face in comfort or with any hope of approval the searching serutiny of in- ternational opinion. The action in the case of the New York Times is a par- ticularly senseless and incefensible bit of bad temper and worse judgment. The offending editorial was devoted | for the most part to a reproduction | of Mr. Baldwin's observations about the Italo-Ethiopian conflict and the League’s efforts to settle it. The prime minister having remarked that “dic- tators are always vanishing personali- ties,” the Times pointed out that “any day a great public catastrophe or a vast shaking off of Italian fetters in order to be free might ieave Musso- lini helpless on the ground, a shorn Samson.” Then the Times continued: “Rome dispatches say that Mr. Bald- win’s speech was taken there in very ill part. The better part would be for the Italian people and government to take it seriously and not to imagine that they can indefinitely go on set- ting at naught the considered judg- | ment of mankind.” Fascism exercises iron control over the Italian nation’s access to expres- sions of foreign opinion. If that highly intelligent people were per- mitted to know what is commonly thought and said by citizens of the English-speaking democracies about dictatorships, Italians would under- stand that Mr. Baldwin and the New York Times talked the language that is well-nigh universal in the Western World. The Italian cause will not gain in sympathy from the tyrannical methods to which the Pascist censor- ship has just resorted. By studying Ethiopian affairs Mus- solini will hardly mean to intimate that there is nothing further in Italy to worry about. e Song and Statesmanship. In the course of the one-man filibuster in the Senate, which ended early yesterday with the collapse of the long-distance talker from Louisiana, the suggestion was humor- ously advanced by the acting leader of the majority party that the obstructive occupant of the floor might | vary the monotonous flow of his eloquence by a little singing. It was promptly rejected. Not, however, for lack of precedent, for in fact there is on record a case where a Senator Wwho was engaged in an effort to pre- vent legislative action did in fact break into song. This was during the famous filibuster of 1893, when & group of Senators were trying to pre- vent the passage of a bill recom- mended by President Cleveland for the repeal of the silver purchasing clause of the Sherman act. Several weeks of fruitless endeavor had passed and the Senate had gone into a pro- tracted continuous session. One night the floor was being held by Senator Pefler of Kansas, famous as the pos- sessor of the longest beard ever known in Congress. He had emptied the gal- leries and all but emptied the chamber. He had been assigned to hold the floor for a certain period and had almost run out of material and suddenly burst into song. A watcher in the press gallery gave the word to his somnolent colleagues in the gallery lobby: “Peffer's singing.” They poured into the gallery and for half an hour were entertained by a rendi- tion of old hymn tunes. From mem- ory the Senator from the Sunflower State was lifting what remained of his voice ® in selections reminiscent of John L. Sullivan, ten years, 1882-92; 2y camp meeting, It was not & high- ), Mr. Darrah’s alleged | THE EVENIN G grade vocal performance. But 1t served to pass the time, and the pass- |ing of time was the major object of the long-bearded solon, who had a rather clerical appearance anyway, |and thus was well fitted for the role | of pulpit vocalist. So far as known, that is the only case on record where the musical talents of filibusters have been used in lieu of debate. Perhaps incident he would have accepted the invitation of the acting leader of the majority and gone more or less musical last night. o Bus and Truck Safety. A Maryland law requires bus and | truck drivers, forced to stop their | heavy vehicles on the road at night, to | put lighted flares on the highway to | warn automobilists approaching from the rear. existed for years on the railroads. | When & train makes an unscheduled |stop the brakeman goes back along | clared that he is through. Perhaps he |the track with his lantern or flag or | | torpedoes. Had there been such a | ciently to justify the retirement that | regulation in force in Virginia the rear-end collision yesterday between a speeding bus and a truck, parked ’on the side of the roadway, but not | off the roadway, might have been on the truck. The tremendous increase in trucks and busses, the size of these vehicles and the speed with which most of them travel, especially at night, have added great danger to automobile travel. And the State Legislatures have lagged in the matter of safety regulations, which should be dealt with separately from those which ap- ply to light passenger automobiles. The whole matter of bus and truck regulation in safety as well as rates is somewhat chaotic. The enactment of the pending bus and truck regulation bill, .which has passed the Senate | and is before a House subcommittee, will enable the Interstate Commerce | Commission to draft uniform safety | improvement. That is one of the prime purposes of the bill. There are far too many highway accidents in- volving busses and trucks. The need for strict safety regulations, compa- rable with those on the railroads, is tragically demonstrated every day. e Max Baer tried to tell a funny story after his defeat last night. It was not a success. His reference to having no family that he was aware of must have struck any listener as mal- apropos, even to the jovial conclusion of a prizefight. The momentary pos- session of the microphone does not necessarily make a radio star. ———r—e— There is a sense of thoroughness in a suggestion that the United States Constitution be abolished in its en- | tirety. The idea, however, will never survive the straightforward and sin- cere Fourth of July orations in a few weeks. ————n—e- Propagandists are automatically weakened by the fact that they quar- rel among themselves as to who shall rate highest on a surreptitious pay roll. ——— The troubles that eminent finanoiers have had with their bookkeepers would suggest the desirability of according more credit to a course in business college. Government employment for actors without jobs might give Representa- | tive Sirovich a chance to have his plays produced in deflance of New York critics. ———— Chinese disarm their police where Japanese are marching, thus putting to a supreme test the merits of unre- served pacifism. o SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Depression Conquered. Miles of gay paraders On the Avenue; Merry serenaders, And a dancing crew. If, perhaps, you're guessin’ As to what is won, Don't forget the lesson— “Shows What Can Be Done!” Cares have been surmounted By this mystic lore; Little ones uncounted Happier than before. All the world seems kinder 'Neath the radiant sun For this great reminder— “Shows What Can Be Done!” Idolatry. “Are you an idol of the masses?” “I hope not,” answered Senator Sorghum. “An idol is supposed to be a plece of statuary that can't say an ‘ln!cm‘en& word in his own defense.” | | Jud Tunkins says every big parade | ought to be given a subsidy from the shoe industry. Incomplete Menu. A filibuster wearies A lot of patient men As after-dinner series Of speeches sounds again. From cook books he nas readings, But he no mirth provokes By varying the proceedings With after-dinner jokes. Lemons. “What do you mean when you re- fer to some person as a lemon?” “I mean,” said Miss Cayenne, “that he has a sour W and a yellow streak.” . Everybody’s Business and Nobody’s. Taxes reduce us To anxious reflection. For various uses We make the collection. Though, as we send them, They're causing us dizziness, ‘How they expend them - Is nobody’s business. “A man dat thinks he’s smarter dan anybody else,” said Uncle Eben, “is in foh & tussle wif & lot o' folks dat thinks de same.” if the Kingfish had known of this The same regulation has prevented. The crash killed the men | regulations which will bring needed What can be done with the shady places in the yard? “Nothing will grow there,” is the remark often heard. Many plants do nicely enough in shade, however. A list of these may be found in any book devoted to the | subject of general gardening. | What most persons need is a plan, rather than a list, however. Given a plan, they can find their lists quickly enough. One very good plan for utilizing shady nooks, or places, is to grow the | various wild flowers which naturally | grow in the woods, including famous | medicinal plants. | e | In handling this material a few general directions may be helpful. The first thing to be kept in mind, and always kept in mind, is that the | habitat of the individual plant must | be ascertained. It will not do to know the natural | living places of an entire group. One plant may beiong to the group | and yet demand slightly different con- | | ditions. | A little more shade or a little more sun—such special conditions may mean the difference between doing good and doing poorly. * ok Xk X Knowledge of best soil conditions for the individual plant is essential. | This is even more necessary than STAR, WASHINGTON, | correct knowledge of whether the | plant likes shade, sun, semi-shade, | for all plants grow in the soil and de- | rive most of their nourishment there- | from. The soil is their home. If they get correct soil, they have every chance to overcome the handicap of | incorrect placement. It must be realized that there is no sort of plant material which demands | particular knowledge as much as wild flowers of all sorts. Preliminary reading is necessary, more so than with most plants. While it is true that there is with these, as with all growing things, a certain amount of good fortune, in the main failure will meet the planter who plants without special knowledge. e All the books and magazines one can consult, therefore, will not be too | many. if one “goes in” for the various wild flowers. ‘The special conditions each one de- sires must be met, at least to the best | of one's ability. After that the plant must take care of itself, and it will do so, in most cases. There are many branches of wild flowers, but one of the most interest- ing is that devoted to medical plants. Many of these are as old as hu- manity. It is possible to grow many of them in shady places. behind garages, in fence corners and even in flower bor- ders. Some of them flowers. Many of them what the average | “weeds.” but that | them all the more have very pretty greatly resemble person knows as very fact makes interesting to the | home gardener who feels that he has | | grown beyond the mere desire for large and showy blossoms. k. Here is the borage, for instance, known and respected by the Romans. It looks, for all the world, like a great burdock, with its large sprawly | | leaves, The flower is a pretty blue, with black in the center, giving 1t & dis- tinctive air. D. C., FRIDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. As one looks dowh on it in his 1935 Washingtoa garden, he under- stands something of what time rieans. Men of the ancient world loved this plant, old then, incalculably old now. It was reputed to give courage to those who drank an infusion of its leaves, or even wore a chapiet of them around his head. The Romans made this verse about it: “Ego borago, paudia semper £go,” which has been franslated, “I porage, give always courage.’ If the plant tver had any virtue ‘n this respect, surely it is needed in the modern world even more than in_the old. Especially in cities, one may think, there is a real need for somethirg that will give many of us the plain courage to say what we think about things when we honestly do not like them! Every day, wheiever we go, we see Jarge and vigorous men who are afraid to call their souls their own. In little matters, in large ones, they are so neld down by conven- tions, by economics and other fac- tors, that they accept the orders of otbers at all times, even when they resent, them. ‘This is called tolerance and respect for authority, and in many instances it is for the general good, but often enough—too often, perhaps—it is nothing but urban timidity. Give us borage, and plenty of it! * x * X ‘The golden seal, famous medicinal plant, is regarded by many &s ons of the outstanding contributions of the North American flora. This na- tive plant naturally occurs in high, opeir woods, from Western New Eng- land to Minnesota and Western On- tario south to Georgia and Missouri, but has been so hunted for its roots that it is seldom founa growing wild any more. The rootstock has sold as_high as $6 a pound. Even the person who might regard | it as a weed in your garden, still | would think it an intsresting one, on acccunt of its stem, with one oranch ' bearing a large leaf, and the otner a | smaller leaf and flower. The big leaf is 6 to 8 inches in diameter when full grown. L These are but iwo of & long list of plants which srz irteresting, either for their history, their medical use, or some connection with the history of mankind. Scme amateur acouaintance with this history, essential, of course, but once secured it gives the holder many more in- trests in the small spe.ce of the home garden. this lore, this usage, is | JUNE 14, 1935, Hopes Taxi Strike Will Lead to Improvement To the Editor of The Star: ‘We must all agree it was most un- fortunate that this miserable taxicab situation has arisen, especially when it so vitally affected thousands of Washington’s special guests, coming from all parts of the country. Just a little foresight on the part of the taxi- cab companies would have averted the calamity. weeks that the Generai Motors Corr. was furnishing special cars for official use of the Shriners, and certainly the companies knew months ago the traffic jams would exist when 150,000 visitors arrived. Conferences with the Shriners’ General Committee and with the Public Utilities Commission before the convention of the Shriners would have resulted in all parties arriving at & general understanding. How the companies can justify their action in making things so inconveni- ent for our special guests, by blaming it on the remarks of one of our public servants, is most incomprehensible. If they claim an unjust remark has been made about them, is it fair or gentle- manly to make these weary travelers pay the penalty? However, the residents of the Dis- trict of Columbia should and most likely will benefit in a most unex- pected way as a result of it all. For many years the Commissioners and officials of our local government have been asking for authority to sct legally and effectively in many situa- tions where such officials in other cities have this authority. However, the District of Columbia, so far as many of our members of Congress are con- cerned, might as well be located some- where in China. We do have a num- ber of true and loyal friends on the Hill, but it must be admitted that most of them, when the affairs of the Dis- trict of Columbia are concerned, are only lukewarm. This taxicab tangle has affected con- stituents of all 96 Senators and a ma- jority of the Repreesntatives, and no doubt & lot of them have received per- sonal complaints before this letter reaches you. It would be most inter- esting to hear of some of the explana- tions given these constituents, espe- cially in view of the fact that the ulti- mate responsibility rests right Capitol Hill. ; ke Let us hope that those on Capitol Hill will be a little less lukewarm in the future and when the Commis- sioners of the District of Columbia ask for laws which will enable them to | more effectively conduct the affairs of | the city their petitions will be more energetically and carefully considered. OHN F. HILLYARD, - What Is the True He has the pleasure of knowledge, | not to feel superior to his friends, | but solely on his own account, that in a wlrid of so many and diverse interests he has been able to pry into | | this one branch, and take plant m: terials which otherwite would be to him weeds, and nothing more and see them as filled with history, in- terest, romance. An old shady nook where some sun filters in may become u little medical museum ol the open. The green and growing things of the earth have been used by man since e dawn of history, both as food and medicine. Many a person who lit'le suspects ir, lakes famous plants in his medicines, from time to time. It is interestinz w grow a fsw of these, and to know a little of their history, and old and modern uses. ‘The smallest yarl may be just the place. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. June 15—another date for semi- | annual payments on war debts due Uncle Sam from 15 European nations |‘—Ls destined to pass into history | without any evidence that 14 of them intend either in whole or in part to | square their respective accounts. With | the single and honorable exception of | | Finland, whose obligation amounts to | $8.636,625, all the debtor countries | have ceased payments and rank offi- | | cially at Washington as defaulters, | | banned by law from new financing operations in our market. Great Brit- | ain, France and Italy, which owe the | vast bulk of the money, practically furnish the example for the rest of the delinquent countries. Thus little or no hope is entertained here that | the nations owing smaller amounts than the billions due from the British, | French and Italians will ever resume | payments until London. Paris and | Rome set the pace. In addition to the | funded debts—that is, those which form the basis of definite agreements | with this country—Germany owes us | $1,227,069.892, and Soviet Russia, $346,851,920. The Treasury reckons the grand total of our outstanding European debts at $13,438,703,671. Every once in a while somebody bobs | up with the suggestion that it would | be good business to settle on a lump | sum basis of 10 cents on the dollar, if we could get it. ¥ k ¥ X% Pebt cancellation sentiment period- | ically manifests itself both in Wash- | ington and in the country at llrge.| but commands no substantial support in Congress. The Roosevelt adminis: tration is determined to pursue the policy of simply carrying the debts on the Treasury books until Europe | makes up its mind to do something about them. Nobody expects any- thing of that sort is going to happen very soon. Prime Minister Baldwin has just announced that Great Britain sees no reason to abandon the atti- tude she assumed when she stopped making “token payments” in 1934, and Italy and Czechoslovakia this week formally notified the State Depart- ment that they find it necessary to continue in default. Europe's general alibi is that she is still too hard up to curtail the debts. The United States remains ready to . discuss, through diplomatic channels, any pro- posals which debtor governments may put forward and to submit them to Congress, with which final decisions vest. Congress has just shown its ap- preciation of Finland's respect for her obligations by approving the proposal to spend $300,000 on erecting official American premises at Helsingfors. * Kk k% President Roosevelt’s address to the West Point graduating class, while it was couched in general terms and took no specific account of interna- tional affairs, was carefully analyzed in Washington diplomatic quarters, which are accustomed to read be- tween the lines of official utterances on military and naval occasions. In the light of current evenls overseas it was thought by some interpreters of the President's remarks that his al- Jusion to intolerance may have had Nazi Germany in mind, that his men- tion of aggression possibly had refer- ence to Japan's new adventure in China, and that the emphasis he placed upon the world’s paramount need of peace may have had some connection with Italy’s preparations for war on Abyssinia. * ok ¥ % One of the books off the early Sum- mer press is entitled “Parliamentary Law and Procedure,” by former Rep- resentative John Q. Tiison of Con- nectiout, Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives in . | For example, pre-New Deal days. Mr. Tilson is now a lecturer on parliamentary law at the Yale School of Law, of which he is himself an alumnus The volume opens with a foreword by Speaker Joseps W. Byrns, a long-time col- league of Mr. Tilson in Congress. * x X % Among the 18 Democrats who voted against the utility holding company bill in the Senate on June 11 was that group of conservatives, mostly Southerners, who rank as opponents of various New Deal innovations. Among them were Senators Byrd and Glass of Virginia. George of Georgia, Smith of South Carolina and Tydings of Maryland. Senators Clark of Mis- souri, Bachman of Tennessee and Reynolds of North Carolina joined the Dixie insurgents in opposing the util- ity measure. It is “Jeffersonians” and “‘constitutionalists,” like some of those just mentioned, upon whom the recent G. O. P. grass roots convention at Springfield had its eye in appealing for Democratic support in combating Rooseveltism. *a rn Because of G men’s latest triumph— prompt apprehension ,of some of the | Weyerhaeuser kidnapers—and because of the popular fame which current motion pictures are giving Uncle Sam’s crime-fighting force, the Bu- reau of Investigation at the Depart- ment of Justice is one of Washington's “sights” which visiting Shriners this week were most anxious to inspect. It rivaled Huey Long as a drawing card. The Nobles take a special pride in the achievement of the G men, because their chief, J. Edgar Hoover, is an active Shriner, T At this week's International Trade Conference of Seaport Cities in New York there was naturally much talk about France's record-breaking Nor- mandie and speculation as to the amount of American business she is destined to capture. One session of the conference witnessed a spirited passage at arms between P. A. 8. Franklin, president of the Intern: tional Mercantile Marine, and Chair- man Robert L. O'Brien of the United States Tariff Commission. Mr. Frank- lin aired the view that Americans should travel and ship exclusively under their own flag. Mr. O'Brien held that American shipping is en- titled to its deserts, but said he didn't believe it should have a monopoly. the tariff chairman added, he doesn't see why Americans should not travel on British ships as long as Britain buys four times as much from the United States as she sells us. The average American ship- ping expert doubts whether the day will ever come when the Stars and Stripes will float from an Atlantic blue ribbon winner unless Uncle Sam contributes generously to its construe- tion, as European governments do in the case of their super-liners. * k% % Washington's brand-newest organi- zation is the “Be Square Club.” It evidently derives its inspiration from the New Dea! alphabet soup, for it has adopted the letter B as the basis of an alliterative program, which liminate in spective communities. The club quotes F. A. C. A. Administrator Choate as estimating that “American” Stock ? To the Editor of The Star: In his letter published in the Star of June 11 Mr. Miller states rightly | that something ought to be done about immigration. On the other hand, he | also states that through “greed, etc.” forty million people have been—more of less wisely according to his view- point—added to our stock. This raises the question as to what is “our stock.” It would be unfortun- ate to admit that our stock is exclus- ively that originated by the Puri- tans and the Cavallers, because such & conclusion would automatically re- ject our present President, the Secre- tary of the Treasury, the Mayor of |our largest city and a multitude of lomer men and women of the highest standing in their respective American | communities. | Evidently, Mr. Miller overlooks the |fact, also, that the construction of our roads, the operation of our mines, | the building of most of our factories, | skyscrapers and homes—in a word, the | larger development of our country, in- cluding industry, finance and agricul- ture—is due mostly to the constant efforts of these “undesirable” forty million people. It is conceded today, with very few dissenting voices, that one of the greatest needs of our country is unity, |in accordance with our motto. An attack on forty milion of our people does not tend to bring about this unity, and it may even prove dm-i gerous. Early in 1748, | before the surrender of Cornwallis and the ratification of our first “Articles of Confederation,” Esther Burr, wife and daughter of two early presidents of what is known today as Princeton University, writing for the last time from Jer dear Northampton, | Mass., cited the bitterness and the lpersecutlon through which her family {and herself had to leave for Stock- bridge of the same State (Esther Burr's Journal, J. E. Rankin), Let us also beware of persecution, whether in fact or in allusion; it brought to our shores many persecuted people from all parts of the world. These people have for the great majority be- come fine American citizens. Why g0 back on their “stock, whatever that may mean in Mr. Miller’s opin- ion? It stands to reason that so long as we have depression there should be no immigration at all, but the true remedy for the unfortunate situation which confronts our Nation today is not so much with the 150,000 people still coming yearly to our shores or the 40,000,000 and the 16,000,000 other people to whom Mr. Miller refers. It is rather in finally heeding the warn- ing given by the son of the same Esther Burr in his historical address on leaving the third vice presidency of the United States, about the “silent art of corruption.” HENRY BURR. Utilities Commission Blamed for Cab Strike To the Bditor of The Star: In your editorial, “Regulation of Taxicabs,” printed June 11, you fail to state the real cause of the taxi drivers’ strike on June 10. As you are not a cab driver, that is not surprising. The strike was caused by the failure of the Public Utilities Commission to enforce the local cab regulation pro- hibiting “cab companies” to compel cab drivers to pay fixed daily rentals for the privilege of working. The rule was passed by the Public Utilities Commission in 1931. It was suggested by the writer as a means of preventing local rental cab racketeers from swindling and exploiting the local cab drivers and the unemployed. However, although the Public Utili- knet consistently refused to enforce it. On Sunday, June 9, few, if any, of took in going to be another cab strike in city. BERNARD L. HENNING. sl A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bu- reau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How large have hailstones been of which there is actual record?— it has been known for|c. A. K. A. There are innumerable records of hailstones of extraordinary size. Charles Fitzhugh Talman some years ago stated that a new American rec- ord for size, so far as well-authenti- cated statistics go, was established when hailstones “as big as grapefruit” | fell at Potter, Nebr., on July 6, 1928. [The largest hailstone that was meas- |ured, weighed and photographed on | that occasion, was 17 inches in cir- | cumference and had a weight of one ; and one-half pounds. | _Q _What verse in the Bible did Presiflent Franklin Roosevelt touch | when he took the oath of office?—M. V.G A. The thirteenth verse, thirteenth | chapter of Paul's First Epistle to the | Corinhians: “But now abideth faith, | hope, love, these three; and the great- est of these is love.” Q. Were hoops worn by women in | the 1880s?—E. L. | A. They were not, but bustles were | an important part of the costumes of the day. Q. Is it known whether or not a robin, while searching for food on the ground, is able to hear a worm?— C. W. D. | A. The Biological Survey says that | robins in all probability hear earth- worms rather than see them. These | birds have a peculiar habit of jumping or hopping over the ground in order to | jar the earth which brings out the worms to the surface. It is possible | that after the robin has done this the | jar causes other worms to appear a short distance aw These he sees and devours, Q. What are bibelots?>—S. J. A. The name is given hy collectors to small ornaments or articles of taste that can be used to adorn the shelves or the cabinet of the owner; such as bronzes. bits of rare china or porcelain and antiques. Q. What is the Albert Medal?— F. M. A. This decoration was instituted in England in 1866 in memory of Prince Consort Albert, to reward heroic acts in saving life at sea. In 1877 it was extended to acts of gallantry in | preventing loss of life in perils on 1hnd. | Q What is the lowest temperature reported by the Byrd Expedition?— L A D. A. The lowest temperature reported by Admiral Byrd during his stay in the Antarctic was 80 degrees below zero. During his first expedition 42 degrees below zero was the average. The second expedition found that the mean temperature was a few degrees closer to zero. Q What is the purpose of the Horological Institute?—W. N. A. The object of the Horological In- | stitute of America, Inc, is to en- deavor to elevate and dignify the art, science and practice of horology: to establish a system of varying attain- ments for watch and clockmakers; and to issue graded certificates to qualified applicants; to serve as a center for the reception and diffusion of scientific knowledge relating to all timing matters, and to develop stand- ards for horological schools. Q. What is biogenesis?—J. S. A. Biogenesis, as opposed to abio- genesis, is the name used by Huxley for the theory that living matter al- ways arises by the agency of pre- | existing living matter. | Q. What is meant by a black law? —L. McK. App Regarded a thirty-three years | It seems perfectly natural to most newspaper commentators that wheat | farmers should have voted six to one in favor of continuing the Govern- ment’s crop control program. As the San Francisco Chronicle puts it, the question was, “Shall Santa Claus keep on filling your stocking | “The bounty system.” according to |the New York Times, “has served, in the drought areas, as an impromptu | but effective form of crop insurance. | The curtailment program, ably abetted | by poor crop weather, both in 1933 |and 1934, has reduced an enormous | surplus almost to normal proportions. | Prices have been rising. Wheat | brought 32 cents a bushel on the farm | when the Roosevelt administration | entered office. It brings considerably more than twice as much today, and | its purchasing power, in terms of | goods the farmer buys, has more than doubled. For this substantial change |in the price structure, drought and A. A. A. are not solely responsible. The natural tendency of prices to rise from a panic level, devaluation of the dollar and other influences have played a part in the result.” “The victory scored in the wheat plebiscite,” thinks the Sioux City (Towa) Daily Tribune, “so clearly re- veals the attitude of farmers toward A. A. A. that courts will hesitate to render such a sweepingly destructive opinion as the one affecting N. R. A.” “The plan already,” says the Hast- ings (Nebr.) Tribune, “has increased the return of the wheat crop, making it approximately what it should be to make it worthwhile to raise wheat. It is in contrast with the experience of wheat raisers for several years, when they coped unsuccessfully with a world surplus.” the Milwaukee Journal, “having had his first taste of processing tax (which is the tariff working for him), finds the mixture sweet, just as the Grundys always found it. He'll take more of the same kind. All of which means A big change, economically and politically. By ‘politically’ we do not necessarily refer to political parties as they may happen to be lined up now. We mean that the historic divi- sion on the tariff is gone. That is out. From now on there must be a balance between agriculture and manufactur- ing, both domestically and in reopen- ing foreign markets.” Questioning the importance of the vote, the San Francisco Chronicle asks, “Who was the one out of every who declined to problem of ting agriculture into balance wlth'l:flm. as it was be- fore the war.” “It is & matter of plain fact,” con- tends the Kansas City Star, “that the Western farms were liquidated to maintain uneconomic industries in the East that had sprung up under war conditions. That is, we gave these uneconomic industries such prohib- itive protection that the foreigners who would have been glad to send “The farmer,” in the opinion of | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A This was a name applied to any one of a series of laws, passed in various border and Northern States before the Civil War, sharply discriminating against free Negroes who wished to emigrate to such | States and become citizens thereof. | Thus, in some States, certificates of freedom were to be filed, Negroes were to be rigidly excludec from the militia and from the public schools, and no Negro was to testify in cases in which any white man was directly interested. Q. Do many tourists visit Yugo- slavia?>—G. G. A. More than 69,000 tourists visited that country last year, | Q. Where is Conrad Weiser Me- morial Park?—B. H. A. Conrad Weiser Memorial Park | is a beautiful shrine located along the | William Penn_highway, just east of | Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pa. It contains the heart of the pioneer | homestead-farm of Col. Conrad Weiser, noted pioneer hero, with the original Weiser mansion, over 200 | years old, now restored and furnished | with antique furniture. There is also a museum of Weiser records. | Q What kind of dance is the galop?—H. F. | A. A spirited dance of German | origin in 2-4 time. It was introduced into Paris in 1829 and subsequently became a favorite dance of the Vic- | torian era. Q. Please give a short biography of Representative Florence Kahn's mother—D. 8 A. Mrs. Mary Prag, who died re- cently at the age of 89, was one of | 8an Francisco's pioneer women, and one of the civic leaders of her com- munity. Left a widow with a 10-year- old daughter, she taught school to support them both. She continued long after the daughter was grown | are married, for 45 years, in fact, and was a member of the Board of Ed- ucation at the time of her death. | She made the fight for adequate pay and pensions for teachers, Q. A character about whom the celebrated George Borrow wrote is Jasper Petulengro. What does the second name mean?—T. M A It is a gypsy word for shoe- smith. Q. Please give a brief history of the University of Bologna.—E. K. A. It is one of the oldest univer- sities in the world. A school of law existed in Bologna in the eleventh century. The earliest statutes date from 1317, with the faculty of law as the first department. Among stu- dents of the university were Dante, Petrarch and Tasso. One of the features of the later history of Bologna was its admission of women as early as the eighteenth century. Q. What occasioned the writing of the song, “Finiculi, Finicula”?—C. T. A. Sigmund Spaeth says it was written for the opening of the funicu- lar railway up Mount Vesuvius. Q. When was the first base ball club organized?—A. R. A The first organized base ball club in America was the Olympic Town- ball Club of Philadelphia in 1833. Q How old is the Belasco Theater in Washington? Who designed the building?—R. G. | A. The Belasco Theater, formerly the Lafavette Square Opera House, | was designed and supervised by U. H. Painter a civil engineer. The theater was first opened September 30, 1835. A bronze memorial tablet, erected by | the architect’s daughter in 1902, re- cords the fact that the building “was erected of steel skeleton constructiomn, stone, terra-cotta, mackite and brick, | to prove that an opera house can be | made safe at all times from fire and | panic.” roval of Wheat Control s Quite Natural us their goods in payment for our wheat, lard cotton and such, were unable longer to buy.” | “There is grave doubt,” observes the Cincinnati Times-Star, “as to the popularity of the A. A. A. program. Secretary Wallace regards the wheat poll as a test of economic democracy. ® ~ It might have been that if the oriz- Jnal A. A. A. policy had been main- tained and payments been made te farmers only for reductions in acre- age. But the drought revolutionized that policy. Recently the A. A. A. ruled that farmers who sign up for the program will be paid whether they reduce or increase their acreage. This decision, of course, robbed the wheat poll of whatever value it might have had as a fair test of agrarian opinion on AL A. A. The farmers did not vote on the merits of crop control They voted on the desirabllity of ac- | cepting governmental subsidies, past | and to come.” “The referendum.” the Birmingham | Age-Herald says, “covered 37 States. |and in only one—New Jersey—was | the result adverse. The balloting in | that State, however, comprised a neg- | ligible proportion of the whole and | revealed 58 for and 72 against con- | tinued control. As the latest direct and widespread expression of senti- ment with regard to governmental in- tervention in economic affairs this referendum stands out as a significent indication of the probable reaction of farmers to any proposals that may be made for making the Federal power in | this respect more definite followinz | the Supreme Court's N. R. A. deci- | sion.” ———— Humanizing Mechanism. From the Worcester (Mass.) Evening | Gazette. A merchant reports he found his cash register had been robbing itself. There’s no getting away from jt—ma- chines are getting more like human beings every day. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Lads He Left Behind Billy boy emerged from college with conviction in his mind That to make a pot of money he must leave his town behind. 8o they heard of him in London doing something on the Strand, And they heard of him in China taking " Bombay, In