Evening Star Newspaper, July 12, 1935, Page 10

A—10 THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTON. D. C. FRIDAY .. JJuly 12, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES.. Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office: 11th &t and Pennsylvania A Ch! ‘:E!' flyglkfl Lell Mlchl‘l lelgml c e n Buropean Ofice: 14 Regent 5. London Enland Rate by Cnrtler Within the City. Regular Edition. Em"m' th Sunday Star v S untars 60c per month 'n:e and Sundsy Star (when b Sundays) 65c per munth The Sundey Biar .. 5c per copy Night Final Edition. Kight Final and Sunday Star Night Final Star c per month Collect.on made at the end ol eac month. Orders may be sent by mall or teleohone Na< tional %000 p- 456 per month MEvento 70c per month Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Marviand and Virginia. ‘ Batly ard Sunday..l 3¢ $10.00: 1 mo B5c Daily oy yr.. $6.00i 1 mo.. boc Bindas "only I 00; 1 mo.. 40¢ All Other States and Canada Datly and Sundsy 1 ¥r Duily only ¥r Binday “only 15 Member of the Associated Press. The Assoctated Press is exclusively enutled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this RPN St e B ST herein are also reserved = - America and Peace. When President Roosevelt, in a guarded reply to Abyssinia's request for invocation of the Kellogg pact to pre- vent an Italo-Ethiopian war, confined himself to an expression of hope that peace would not be broken, Rome jumped to some rash conclusions. The Fascist government read into the Amer- ican statement a certain approval of Italy’s plans to settle her dispute with the Ethiopians by force of arms. Commendably prompt action has just been taken to disabuse Mussolini of any such notion. On the eve of his de- parture for Italy, the Italian Ambas- sador, Signor Rosso, conferred at the State Department. There he was cau- tioned by Secretary Hull to inform Premier Mussolini that the United States is anxiously observing develop- ments in the Abyssinian situation. The Ambassador was urged to leave no doubt at Rome that this government is deeply concerned for the preservation of peace everywhere, including East Africa, where $8.00: 1 mo $500: 1 mo. hostilities are now threatened. Signor | Rosso learned that the United States prefers to see Italy seeking a settlement in line with the Kellogg pact and would look with misgivings upon any moves designed to bring it about by means of war. On Thursday, following his interview with Mussolini's envoy, Secretary Hull discussed Aybssinian developments with the British and French Ambassadors. While there is no authority for assum- ing that anything in the nature of jcint American-European action for peace is projected, it is plainly indicated that the United States is now following with something more than formally sympa- thetic interest the efforts in which the League of Nations is taking the lead with a view to preventing war. While Secretary Hull was manifesting Amer- ican desires for a bloodless adjudication of the controversy, Foreign Secretary Sir Samuel Hoare acquainted the House of Commons with Britain’s pacificatory efforts. The keynote of his address was that while Italy undoubtedly has a case for colonial expansion and while conditions in Abyssinia may be far from ideal, there is grave question whether the Italians have sufficient cause for “plunging into war.” That is a point of view that appeals strongly to Americans. Serious as Italy’s grievances against the Ethiopians may be, none has yet been brought for- ward that does not seem to lend itself to arbitral settlement. In refusing to submit his claims to liquidation by such methods, Mussolini is in danger of mak- ing the world believe that his preten- sions will not stand impartial review. In view of current developments at Wash- ington and London, Il Duce can no longer be in doubt that international public opinion is fairly well mobilized against his determination to flout the principle of collective action for peace eand embark upon the incalculable ad- venture of war. Italy hitherto has truculently scorned outside interference in her quarrel with Abyssinia. Now that the United States shares Europe’s anxiety over the peril to peace, Musso- lini may yet decide that the risk of breaking it is not worth taking. Abyssinia is a mountainous country. Airplanes may be dangerous, but the natives will feel under no obligations to provide safe and comfortable landing fields for them. —_————— Stymied ? ‘Washington ls now witnessing a grim act which Dr. Sterling Ruffin, the presi- dent of the Medical Society, succinctly describes as balancing dollars against human lives. The jugglers are Con- gress and the Bureau of the Budget. Between them they hold the fate of the community’s request for Health De- partment funds needed for adequate maintenance and for a really effective public health campaign, particularly as concerns tuberculosis. ‘When these funds were arbitrarily stricken out in conference on the 1936 District bill the amazed reaction of the health officer, the Medical Society and other professional and lay organizations of citizens emphasized the serious effects threatened by such action. Inquiry in- dicated the money was stricken out in the bargaining processes over the Dis- trict bill, rather than by design. The Commissioners were instructed by inter- ested members of Congress to place the matter before the Budget Bureau im- mediately with the object of obtaining authorization for a supplemental ap- propriation. They were assured that Budget Bureau approval would secure the appropriation. The Commissioners acted promptly. But the Budget Bureau has given no formal indication of its intentions, other than its silence. Informally, The Star has been given to understand that the bureau cannot recommend the money because it was so recently lost in con- ference. In other words, Congress throws the matter to the Budget Bureau, the Budget Bureau passes it back to Congress, and between the two the requested funds may be lost. A few dollars—a fraction of the amount spent on various types of “boondoggling”—may be saved; but the serious warning of respected medical authority is that such saving of dollars will mean actual loss of lives. ‘There is hope now that Senator King and other good friends of the District in House and Senate will be able to save the situation by including the needed funds in the pending deficiency bill. Certainly this is no time for face-sav- ing buck-passing. The Health Depart- ment needs the money, and Congress should act on the evidence at hand as to the need and supply it. Delaying Adjournment. The tax bill, putting into effect Presi- dent Roosevelt’s proposed “share-the- wealth” suggestions to Congress, is all that stands in the way of a compara- tively early adjournment of the Con- gress. Many members of both houses have been asking for days why it should be necessary for them to spend the Sum- mer in Washington on this measure. In the first place, it is obvious that unless the new taxes are made to fall more heavily upon a great mass of the people, additional revenue needed for Govern- ment budget-balancing purposes will pot be forthcoming. In other words, the President’s proposal is not in the first in- stance a revenue-raising plan to balance the budget adequately, but another social experiment. In the second place, the taxes proposed, except in the case of inheritances and gifts, would not be paid until next March 15 in any event, since they would fall on incomes for the year 1935, both of individuals and of corpo- rations. The fact of the matter appears to be that the President and the administra- tion leaders in Congress allowed them- selves to be pushed into a pesition where they had to go forward with the tax plan now or be charged by the Progres- sives with being insincere. There was no suggestion in the President’s mes- sage dealing with the “share-the- wealth” tax program that the new tax scheme should be immediately enacted into law. Indeed, the Democratic lead- ers in Congress were confident that the tax program would be studied by the House Ways and Means Committee and by the Senate Finance Committee dur- ing the Summer, and taken up for con- sideration in the House and Senate next ‘Winter. But not so the Progressives, led by Senator La Follette of Wisconsin. He threatened to tie the President’s pro- gram, and something more of his own, on the House joint resolution extending the life of certain excise taxes beyond July 1. So the President and the ad- ministration leaders capitulated. They agreed that the tax program of the President should be written into law now, and the La Follette Progressives in the Senate let the excise tax resolu- tion go through without further delay. It is hinted now that the President would be willing to let Congress go with- out passing finally the tax bill. The stumbling block seems to be the promise given by the administration leaders to Senator La Follette and his group. It is possible that even these Progressives might be prevailed upon to view the pleas of their sweltering colleagues less coldly. They are not entirely heartless. President Roosevelt might, of course, have withheld his tax program message to Congress until after the excise tax resolution had been finally enacted into law. Inthat event, there would have been possible no threat by the Progressives to offer his program as an amendment to the excise resolution. But the President was in a hurry to get the message to Con- gress. Huey Long, the Louisiana King- fish, had talked day in and day out of his “share-the-wealth” program. Here was a chance to offer a decentralization of wealth plan by the head of the ad- ministration. So the President acted precipitately. Congress is spending the Summer in Washington. —_——t————— Mussolini’s attack on the Emperor of Ethiopia can have but one result as & test of rugged individualism. As a neighborhood row, involving all kinds of friends and relations, it reveals limitless possibilities in the way of mass psy- chologies. No amount of press’ censorship would suffice to keep the public from knowing the bad news when the tax asseSsments come along. ——re— Gabriel D’Annunzio is speaking with poetic fervor. He would be more im- pressive if he still had a Duse instead of a Duce to recite his lines. Sunset Concerts. The sunset concerts of the National Symphony Orchestra should be a great success. Playing on a Navy barge anchored in the Potomac near the Lin- coln Memorial—surely one of the most impressively beautiful places in the world—Dr. Hans Kindler's artists, be- ginning Sunday evening, will undertake to do for Washington what other mu- sicians coincidentally are attempting in London, Paris, Berlin and other capitals. Their effort will be to serve the uni- versal cause of harmony in a season which is at once the best and the worst for music—the time of the year when people want to be out-of-doors and yet feel a natural longing for all the forms of culture which customarily have ex- pression only within four walls and under a protecting roof. But music, historians know well enough, began in the open air and pros- pered unsheltered perhaps for centuries. Indeed, it must have been ages in social evolution before any one thought to build a proper concert hall. Throughout classic and medieval chronicle evidence abounds concerning the part which music had in the expanding civilization of ‘nations which only gradually re- \ THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTO treated from work and play under the sun and the stars. The founders of the art of measured and disciplined song were nature-loving men; the troubadours and the minstrels were partisans of the open road; Mozart and Beethoven, Bach and Handel, Schubert and Schumann were geniuses who kept their hearts atune with free flelds, brave forests and the grace which rivers show in their progress toward the universal sea. Practically every instrument in Dr. Kindler’s control originally was designed to reproduce a sound from nature's repertory, and skilled [listeners can identify each individual vibration. ‘The programs, already announced, of course, will have esthetic character equal to those of the regular symphony offer- ings of the Winter months. They will be composed of great music, the produce tions of masters whose, popularity is durable and international—not éphem- eral nor provincial in character. And the appeal of such a treat for Washing- tonians certainly should be as attractive es similar opportunities are to the people of the capital cities across the Atlantic. It would be an asset to the Federal community if the result were to be the establishment of an outdoor Summer music center as a permanent feature of Washington life. The Calhoun Fund. Against the sordid selfishness, the cruelty and deceit of a weary old world the heroic death of Sterling Calhoun, impoverished Negro, stands out like something clean and pure. There is a sublime quality in any act of courageous and unquestioning self-sacrifice. And people treasure the memory of such things, for they part the curtain, as it were, for a fleeting glimpse into a world that might have been. Life may have dealt harshly with this unknown man, but could any one wish for a finer way to die? He has left & memory of something very fine; some- thing that has a universal appeal to the best that is in us. He has also left tragedy with his destitute family. To the widow and her children the thoughts of generous men and women turn. Their contributions will give help where help is needed. It is admitted that there may be wicked lawyers, Why not? There are wicked kinds of all other people. The “Dont’s” for Summer have this year assumed proportions that figure in international diplomacy. ————————— Valuable information may be “off the record,” but the tax assessments are open to the public and even advertised. —_—rate—— A tax is a tax. A new assessment under any other name will cost as much. Shooting Stars. BY m—x);.vomuom In the Country. When the day is warm and weary, it is then your fancy turns To the country. There is a spring, half hidden in a broidering of ferns In the country. There is a winding road where shadows green and blue and gray, Are whispering to the blossom-scented breezes as they stray; There’s & bird that gaily chatters in the trees, far, far away, In the country. The people do not have to count the moments as they go In the country. They are happy and contented whether stocks are high or low, In the country. And when along the road a lazy jour- ney you pursue The folks in the spring wagon smile and say, “How do you do?” They say it even though they've not been introduced to you, In the country. Of course, there’s toil by day, but there is also rest by night, In the country. The struggle for existence is a fair and honest fight In the country. Though others own the acres, ‘they are blossoming as fair For every passing stranger as for him who has their care, And there are miles of sky and there are oceans of fresh air In the country. Summer Plans. “Well,” said the impatient constitu- ent, “what are you going to do next?” “How do I know,” replied Senator Sorghum. “I've got to wait and hear from everybody in the country in form- ing my plans, from the high school grad- uating class to the Weather Bureau.” Jud Tunkins says he tried to play golf, but it just turned out to be something else to get worried and ill-tempered about. ‘Wherefore? Because an ancient tale is told, Wherefore bewail our common lot? Are not the Winters always cold? Are not the Summers always hot? Appreciation. “You have some remarkable paintings.” “Yes,” replied Mrs. Cumrox. “The art dealer said they were old masters, but to my eye some of them look as good as new.” ‘When a man insists on reminding peo- ple that he is a great success, it is a sign that he has his doubts about it. ‘Woman. Howe'er advanced may be her views Or fierce her righteous rage, Shell never skip the fashion news To read the sporting page. “When a man tells me he has troubles of his own,” said Uncle Eben, “he jes’ reminds me dat it’s only natural foh mnwmumxmmawg ‘ A Speed Craze the Cause Of Most Motor Falalltles To the Editor of The Star: Much has been said, and written, from time to time about the “deadly grade crossings.” In order to offset the care- lessness of motorists the railroads or towns are obliged to maintain gates, signals and watchmen at these places, and with each disaster recorded a new hue and cry is raised sgainst such crossings as still remain “on grade.” It seems to me that in all this con- troversy, the object of which is to elim- inate any danger to the motorist, that favored class to which roads and streets exclusively belong, one great menace has been entirely overlooked. In reading accounts of accidents to motorists just check up and see in how great a proportion you find the phrase— “left the road and hit a pole!” Now if grade chossings are such a menace, surely the deadly telephone or electric light pole is a greater, as there are thousands of poles lining our roads to each grade crossing. Why not elim- inate the deadly pole—or move it away from the road, say a hundred yards? But, some may say, if the motorist stays on the road he will never hit a pole. ‘True enough, neither does a train of cars leave the track and chase one across the country. Are not those two men- aces to motorists’ safety in exactly the same category? An accident in either case must be, and is, due entirely to the reckless speed at which motorists now travel. Just so long as this speed is maintained or increased and the indi- vidual motorist is careless, failing to “negotiate a curve” or to “stop! look! listen!” at a grade crossing, just so long will the death list continue to grow. It is evidently not the fault of the grade crossing, nor yet of the inoffensive pole. Instead of continually increasing “speed limits” why not cut the limit down? It is plain that this is the only way the number of accidents will ever be reduced. In 99 cases out of 100 there is really no reason why one should go at a 60 or 70 mile pace. Of course this craze for speed will continue, the blame be put on grade crossings, poles, trees and culverts, which refuse to get out of the way, and the price paid. J. F. OERTEL. Vienna, Va. Repeal Has Failed and Prohibition to Return To the Editor of The Star: In reply to a letter to the Editor signed by Walter Walton which was printed in The Star of July 6, may I call attention to the fact that he is certainly not a prohibitionist, although claiming to be one in his opening sentence. Any system for lquor control should be judged solely by its results. All drys are willing and anxious to compare the | records for drunkenness, accidents, etc., anywhere in America under prohibition, even when inadequately enforced, with the record in the same area since repeal. The following statement regarding our local situation is fair and proves the failure of repeal at the Nation's Capital: The court and other records, since the return of legalized liquor in the District of Columbia, prove that arrests for | drunkenness and deaths and injuries resulting from drunken driving, also crime and poverty due to intoxicating liquors, all have greatly increased since the repeal of the Sheppard law and the eighteenth amendment. Drunkenness among youth has reached alarming proportions and over 500 drunken boys under 21 years of age have been arrested in Washington dur- ing the last 12 months. About 300 saloons were closed in the District of Columbia when prohibition was enacted, but now over 1,700 liquor establishments exist which are flooding Washington with intoxicating liquor and promoting intensified campaigns of high-pressure advertising, utilizing every form of publicity in order to create, stimulate and popularize the drinking habit among all ages and classes of our residents. Every promise made by the advocates of prohibition repeal has been ruthlessly violated and conditions in Washington relating to alcoholic addiction are now worse than ever before. The Guyer bill introduced in Con- gress on July 1 should be passed in order that the alcoholic liquor traffic may be again outlawed and abolished in the District of Columbia, as this is the only possible way to halt the ever-rising tide of degeneracy and moral and physical decay caused by the anti-social, degrad- ing, lawless, race-destroying liquor traffic. Repeal has failed. Prohibition is coming back. WILLIAM V. MAHONEY. Tribute to the Victim of A Thoughtless Prank To the Editor of The Star: Jefferson Lewis, colored, the District’s sixty-second traffic victim this year— accidental death was the jury’s verdict. The fact is, a fine, useful American citizen met his death from the hand of a lawless, malicious “gamester” as the paper stated. A naturally calm, cautious man jumped in the path of a street car when a firecracker exploded at his feet. Who wouldn't? In spite of the fact that firecrackers are not allowed in the Dis- trict, this good man is needlessly dead. Had he been a person of influence or position, the tragedy would not have been disposed of so easily. Jefferson Lewis was a soldier and a Christian. He had 30 years of Army service to his credit and 40 to his God. He knew his Bible and lived it. His people needed him, for he was an ex- ample of the highest character. I needed him. After 10 years of punc aal, honest, faithful service I cannot replace him. He’d often sing at his work. “He careth for the sparrow and I know he cares for me,” was a favorite. A crowded church on a hot day testified to his worth, and Arlington received his flag-draped cas- ket. His untimely death is a disgrace to Washington. Independence day! Better not have it. Jefferson Lewis, colored, but as white a man as ever lived! L. 8. CONN. Restore Pay Cuts of Red Cross Workers To the Editor of The Star: Since the restoration of the Govern- ment clerk’s salary “cuts” one hears this question asked over and over again. ‘Why aren’t the salary “cuts” of the Red Cross employes restored? Now, with food, clothing and rents going up and up, this is a very serious problem! The “pension question” is not as interesting to the majority of the Red Cross workers as the ‘“restofation question.” But if the Red Cross wants to be truly magnanimous, why not give them both? “Charity begins at home” and the “mothers of the world” can find plenty to do right at national headquarters. C. SANDLER. In the Error Column. Prom the Burlington (Towa) Hawkeye Gazette. Well, sports writéts seem to be about D. C., FRIDAY JULY 12, 1935. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. The worst thing the downtown cat has to contend with is the popular belief that wel-fed cats will not catch mice. Nothing could be more erroneous, as every cat knows, snd as every human being who keeps them for mousers ought to know. Hotels,. restaurants, offices, all the establishments that have several cats in the cellars would do well to feed them plentifully. This not only would keep sensitive persons from seeing so many emaciated creatures, but dlso would result in a larger mouse catch. The idea that a cat won't catch a mouse unless it is hungry is only slightly less popular than the equally erroneous opinion that a well-fed one will not stir a paw. IR Good food puts “pep” and ambition into every living thing. The soldier is fed plentifully before battle. No one would think of asserting that soldiers must be half-starved in order to make them fight better. No one would declare that sportsmen should go on light rations, in order to bring back a good catch. No, good food simply makes good red blood. .The law operates no less surely with the cat tribe. The properly fed tom or tabby is much more inclined to catch mice than the poor puss driven to it by the sharp stabs of hunger. The more and better food, within reason, the stronger the animal, the larger the muscles, the better the tone. This is a universal law. The almost universal idea that you have to starve a cat to make it catch mice is founded on one of those seem- ingly simple propositions that so delight mankind. Nine persons out of 10 would think of it—and nine would be wrong. Common sense, here as elsewhere, stands behind the tenth person, who believes in treating all animals sanely. * kX X Those who aim to make downtown cats hunt for their food do not do it out of cruelty, but mostly because they have subscribed to this pernicious idea without once thinking about it. The cat which gets regular meals of good food, especially some raw beef, is at its physical best. It is much more inclined to catch rodents, because it is full of the zest of life. It should be understood by all persons who keep them as mousers that cats simply cannot resist the lure of a mouse, A mouse is a vast and practically irre- sistible attraction to them. Well fed or hungry, your average cat has the scent of wild game in its nostrils. It is a part of its heritage. Probably that is why it loves good raw beef. In Nature no cat ever ate beef, of course. But here, as elsewhere, all foods which approach closely to the “natural food” of a creature are almost as good as those genuine foods of the wild. Hence we find it possible to keep small tropical fishes in tanks in good health on rations which in Nature they never would find, simply because they do not grow in or on the water. The nutritional portions, however, are much the same, so that the swimmers readily accept and thrive on strange rations. We would say to all owners of cats used as mousers: l"eedyuurnnlmm'eumdtheywm bring in more mice. * * kX The adaptability of the house cat is nowhere better shown than in the business districts. Despite the fact that they love green grass, shrubs, waving trees, and much prefer to be clean than dirty, thousands of these creatures never know anything but coal cellars and dusty streets. You occasionally see them slinking along sidewalks, attempting to cross streets teeming with traffic. They scuttle across pavements, dart in at unfriendly doors, come out again, g0 on around the corner. Mostly they are dirty and thin, but no one should feel that they are abused. Most of them are valued, after a fash- ion, but certainly not in the fashion of those friends of these ancient animals who believe they deéserve a better fate. Most of them, fortunately for them, know nothing better. Many of them would find life in a country place strange and frightening, at least for awhile. ‘They come from a breed that has been used to this sort of living. They accept life as they find it, as we all must do, more or less, despite large protestations. * % ¥ X Mostly the downtown cats have the good sense to keep off the streets, espe- cially in the daytime. ‘Their human friends are thus spared the sight of them attempting to cross in traffic. The fate of the dog or cat that tries to cross a modern thoroughfare is often in the balance. In this, too, they share a remarkably human destiny. Unlike their friends, however, the cats have no way of gauging speeds. The wheel is left out of their catechism. They must try to do their best in eluding the power that cripples and slays. Fortunately for them, and for their friends, they are agile. They escape most of the time. But they have learned the best sense of all, to keep out of the street as much as possible. They have learned this better than dogs, it would seem. The number of hit dogs seems to be far greater than cats. This is not due to the supposed nine lives of the latter, but simply because they have the superior brains to size up a bad situation and to stay away from it. x % * ¥ The friends of cats always keep a lookout for them in the downtown sec- tions. They always have a hand ready to pat them, and to express to them, in their somewhat woeful state, the admira- tion of a large section of humanity, Almost always the downtown cat will respond to this advance. Occasionally he seems to be afraid of every one, and quickly as possible. When he comes aloft he finds the light too much for him. The noise and bustle of traffic frighten him, as well they may. There are downtown cats, of course, which lead pampered lives. Some stores give them the seats of honor and cus- tomers accord them homage. But these | are the exceptions. Mostly it is a dog’s life they lead, permitted to pick up such scraps as they can find, even in places where food abounds, and too often starved in the delusion that this procedure makes them betier mousers. | We repeat, the exact opposite is true. The well-fedwcat is the best catcher, and | why shouldn't he be? WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. It was three years ago this month, | immediately after his nomination for the presidency, that Franklin D. Roose- velt gave spectacular and convincing demonstration of his physical prowess by flying to Chicago to accept in person the honor the convention had just be- stowed upon him. Nothing could have more conclusively proved to skeptics that the Democratic standard bearer was in sturdy health and fully equal to the rigors of a national contest. His strenu- ous coast-to-coast travels during the campaign removed any lingering ques- tion of his capacity and stamina. Then, after his election, there were doubts here and there about his ability to withstand the wear and tear of the White House. Now, after he has sur- vived nearly two and a half years of it, thousands of his fellow citizens will have opportunity for another close-up of F. D. R., when he crosses the country after the adjournment of Congress. They will have the persuasive testimony of their own eyes and ears to prove that he is bearing up ruggedly under the stress and strain of New Deal responsi- bilities. At the moment he reveals no evidence that he finds them irksome. * ok X X Although no respite is in sight for Congress, it is everybody's secret that members of both Houses, with few excep- tions, would welcome an early recess with inexpressible relief. ‘There's wide agreement with the qualms by Senator Copeland, when he recalls that he has “seen many operations fail because the doctors were tired.” Mem- bers of House and Senate have now been on the job uninterruptedly for more than six hectic months. Entirely apart frem the heat and its frazzling effects, nearly everybody at the Capitol is fatigued and suffering from the cumu- lative results of overwork, with many nerves correspondingly on edge. Fears are current that in its anxiety to end the agony as soon as possible Congress will rush much legislation to passage without that mature deliberation and scrutiny which it deserves, especially re- garding constitutional questions. * x % % Cornelius Van Hemert Bngert, who has Jjust been designated as American charge d'affaires in Abyssinia, is one of our foreign service experts in Oriental poli- tics and languages. Born in Vienna of Dutch parents, he became a naturalized citizen early in life and was educated in the University of California Law School and at Harvard. He entered the diplomatic career as an interpreter at the Constantinople consulate general in 1914 and was-on duty in Turkey, Syria and Palestine during most of the World War. Later he was stationed in Holland and Persia. After filling several Latin American posts, Mr. Engert served in China. and two years ago was assigned to the legation in Egypt. Mm the vantage point of Cairo he has familiar- emerged, and is at this troublous hour. Those who knew Harry L. Hopkins in student days at Grinnell College Towa say the country need have no anxiety about his moving rapidly on the $4,000,000,000 work-relief job. It has as good forecasters as weather men and | i in shirt-sleeve action at Washington this Summer assert that he has lost none of his old form as the live wire of Grinnell's quintet. Y ports drift in from Indianapolis that Gov. Paul V. McNutt, who now and | then has been variously credited with | presidential, vice presidential or sena- torial aspirations, is expected, at the | end of his term, in 1937, to seek the presi- dency of his alma mater, Indiana Uni- versity, at Bloomington. American Legion, of which he was na- tional commander in 1928-9, and be- cause of other qualities, including a pic- turesque platform appearance, McNutt has ranked as Democratic national tim- ber for post-Roosevelt days. He holds a Harvard Law School degree. * * ok x Republican regional conferences have conspicuously failed to help the G. O. P. in its quest for an inspiring presidential candidate. Within less than a year the 1936 campaign will be in full blast, but the opposition is apparently groping as helplessly as ever for an outst personality capable of offering Mr. Roosevelt a fight worthy of the name. ‘With Hoover out of the running, Sen- ator Vandenberg, Col. Frank Knox, Senator Dickinson and Gov. Landon of Kansas continue to be looked upon as the best bets, on the theory that the nomination will go to the Middle West. Easterners still mentioned, but without noteworthy emphasis or enthusiasm, are Ogden L. Mills, Representative Wads- worth, Gov. Hoffman of New Jersey and John G. Winant, former Governor of New Hampshire. Despite Senator Borah, Supreme Court Justices Stone and Roberts still have their boosters, and Borah himself gets many an orchid. * % * *x ’s naval plans, first fruit of her deal with Great Britain, coincide with Secretary Swanson’s announcement that the United States during the next year will build 18 ships—12 destroyers and six submarines—as part of the treaty-navy program. Mr. Swanson vig- orously disclaims the of “start- ing any competition,” but it is in- evitable that with disturbance of the European naval equilibrium by Ger- many's intention to possess a fleet 35 per cent as strong as the British navy this country sooner or later will have to lay down more tonnage than hitherto contemplated, if we are to maintain parity with Britain. The latter eventu- ally will build a bigger fleet because Germany’s program will compel France %ind Italy to expand. Meantime, Japan is about to adopt the heaviest naval budget in its history. The outlook for reduction of sea armaments is bleak in the extreme. * ¥ ok X It appears that unusually large num- bers of gold clause Government bonds are being retained after they are called. ‘The explanation is that many bond- holders still believe that for one reason or another redemption ultimately will take place in money of the old value. (Copyright, 1935.) Overdoing It, Prom the Nashville Tennesseean. Of course, the point is to get Boulder Dam full of water as soon as possible, but isn’t the Government going a little far with all t.hpu cloudbursts? hurries away to a friendly cellar as | public officer. | tered at all times. | feet high. | South Pacific Oceans storm waves have Particularly | on account of his prominence in the | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic ]. Haskin. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writ.ng The Washing= ton Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing- ton, D.C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q." Please describe Cuba’s Central Highway.—R. C. A. This concrete motor road is 20.66 feet wide and 705 miles long through the center of the island. It was begun in 1926 and completed in 1931 at a cost of approximately $101,125,000. There are no grade crossings. Q. Please give the name of the or- ganization which is to preserve moving pictures of the past—E. F. A. The Museum of Modern Art, New York City, will start a film library in the Fall for the purpose of preserving for students and posterity important pictures of the past. The library will be financed by funds of the Rockefeller Foundation and its officers will include: President, John Hay Whitney; vice president and general manager, John E. Abbott, and treasurer, Edward M. Warburg. Q. How many of the sequoia trees in the Mariposa Grove have fallen?— E.8.C. A. Since 1837, when the famous grove in Yosemite National Park was discov- ered, only three trees have been de- stroyed by falling. The Falling Giant crashed in 1873, the Massachusetts tree in 1927 and the Stable tree in 1934. Q. What is the most densely populated country in Europe?—L. B. A, Belgium with a ratio of 689 in- habitants to the square mile. Q. How does the number of checks given out by the Government in normal times compare with that given out since the work-relief programs began?—J. E. A. In normal times checks issued by the United States Treasury average between 35,000,000 and 40,000,000 a year. During the fiscal year which ended June 30, 1934, checks drawn on the United States Treasury numbered 104,616,644. Q. Does a man become a Senator when the votes are counted or when he takes his seat in the Senate?—T. B. A. A. When he takes his seat. In a speech made by Senator George in de- fining the right of Senator Holt to be admitted to the Senate, he said in part: “There is a distinction and a difference between the Senator-elect from the date of the beginning of his term down to the time when he actually assumes the duties of the office of Senator and after | that time. * * * The election of one to office does not make him a Until the person elected has come to the Senate, has entered the body, and has taken his place as a public | member he is not in a position, nor | does he have the power nor the re- sponsibility to cast a single vote, to register a single official act which could influence any policy of the Government.” Q. When will the new Zeppelin LZ-129 make its first flight?—L. T. A. It is expected to make its first flight from Friedrichshafen, Germany, to Lakehurst, N. J., late in October. Q. Where are the largest waves en- countered?—A. A. A. It is difficult to say where the largest waves of the ocean are encoun- Many parts of the ocean, particularly the waters around Cape Horn, are noted for their frequent storms, at which time high waves are encountered. Some of the highest waves reported have been in the North Atlantic. These have been about 50 In the South Atlantic and been reported that reach 50 feet in their fullest development. The Bay of Biscay is noteworthy for the height of its waves. Q. What interest do the new Govern- ment baby bonds pay? Are they tax exempt?—M. B. A. They will yield 29 per cent interest compounded semi-annually if held 10 years until maturity. Purchasers of the bonds may redeem them for cash at any time after 60 days from date of issue for the redemption value printed on the face of each instrument. The bonds are tax exempt to the same extent as are all Government bornds. They are subject to surtax. Q. Are candy sales decreasing since so many people are reducing?—W. H. J. A. Sales of candy and chocolate prod- ucts in 1934 amounted to 1,299,103,140 pounds, valued at $183,783,681, compared with a total of 166,776,455 pounds in 1933, valued at $162,275,660. This gives an increase in volume over 1933 of 11.3 per cent and a value increase of 15.1 per cent. Sales amounted to an average of 10 pounds of candy per capita. Q. In what years did Anton Lang take the part of Christus in the “Passion Play”?—E. B. A. Anton Lang played the Christus in the Oberammergau “Passion Play” in 1900, 1910 and 1922. On December 21, 1899, Lang was first elected Christus. There followed a period devoted to earnest study. In the Summer of 1900 Anton Lang played the role of the Christus 48 times. Following the pro- duction of the play in 1900 Lang trav- eled extensively in Europe. Later he visited the Holy Land. In 1910 the town again chose Lang to play the Christus. This choice was repeated in 1922. In that year 340,000 visitors were drawn to the Bavarian village to witness the play. On October 7, 1929, the new elections occurred and Lang was choseg to de- liver the prologue of the “Passion Play.” Q. Is Lord Byron buried in Westmin- ster Abbey?—M. G. A. He is buried in the family vault at Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, not far from Newstead Abbey. Q. Is it true that Henry George's “Progress and Poverty” was refused by publishers?—H. L. A. The manuscript of this famous work was declined by publishers, but finally D. Appleton & Co. agreed to pub- lish the book if the author would bear the cost of making the plates. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Alone when you are slttuu alone th Summer clouds going by Insldeuublmuum-eu Think of me then, my own, Just as you think of the sky And waves in the cooling breeze. Not in the money mart Nnrwhmthecmwdahfllwhlfld. But in the quieter zone ‘When you have drawn apart every one else in the world, of me then, my own.