Evening Star Newspaper, December 16, 1935, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY ... THEODORE W. NOYES.. St st s i B VTR The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office: Y o B, Buropésn Ofmice: 14 Rexent Bt. ndon. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition. Star_ ———-45c per month ===~00C per month —men-05¢ per month e aeu-BC Der cODY e Evening Even.ne and lwhen 4 Buncays ™ 'g\.rn and Sun Th | Sundays) o Bihasy ‘Stare Night "l:-l.ukl. t Final and Sunday Star....70c per month mgs’rflm Btar o ~-88¢ per montn Collection mad "ot each month. ool I s mal or telepbone. Na: tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Virginia. fly an $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ Bl 3 " boc Sinday"on mo: 408 {ly snd Sunday. - ; 1 mo., $1.00 g only—mmeetll 00 7Be Sunday only-_C. 5 $5.00; 500 Member of the Assoclated Press. The Associated Press i3 exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and local news published hel'&laln also the . All rights of publication of special atches herein are also reserved. Tyranny That Abides. One hundred and sixty-two years ago today there was staged, off the bleak coast of New England, the most pic- turesque political protest in American history—the Boston Tea Party. The anniversary of that colorful and effec- tive remonstrance against taxation with- out representation comes at an espe- cially timely moment to remind the Nation that the iniquity against which the Massachusetts colonists rebelled still finds its counterpart on this soil. The disfranchised District of Columbia is an abiding symbol of the fact that the in- justice of 1773 persists, to the detriment of half a million liberty-loving, law- abiding citizens of the Union. 1t is appropriate to draw renewed at- tention to that anomaly on this Boston Tea Party day, because once again the American people stand at the threshold of a quadrennial election for the presi- dency and the vice presidency of the United States and of a biennial election of members of Congress. Once again the hearts of the residents of the States are stirred by those emotions that never fail to stimulate the patriotic spirit of freemen as they contemplate the price- less privilege of deciding who shall pre- side over their national destinies. Once again the politically disabled inhabitants of the District of Columbia, alone among the country’s millions, are condemned to the humiliating role of helpless by- standers as their more fortunate fellow Americans proceed to avail themselves of the sacred right of self-determination. In these days of dictatorship across the seas the boon of suffrage looms more gloriously than ever as the inestimable possession of a people indissolubly wed- ded to the ideals of democracy. To deprive Washingtonians of the vote—of a voice in making the laws which they must obey and in levying the taxes which they must pay—is a violation of the fundamental principles of democracy. It is a complete negation of what has come to be known as Americanism. The na- tional campaign of 1936, in which the constitutional rights of citizens against unwarranted encroachment are destined conspicuously to be discussed and de- fended, is a peculiarly proper occasion on which to ponder over the unrighteous position which the people of the District of Columbia occupy in the American scheme of government. They seek nothing unreasonable. They want their own spokesmen with voting power in House and Senate. They ask the vote for President and Vice Presi- dent. They desire access to the Federal courts, an opportunity not denied to taxpayers of the States or even to aliens. They crave only a square deal—for relief from ignominious discrimination that is wholly unreasonable and thoroughly un- American. Taxation without representation is tyranny in 1935 every whit as much as it was in 1773. The District of Colum- bia, claiming simple justice for itself, awaits hopefully the day when it will be rendered. It cannot be that the peo- ple of the United States will permit the permanent continuance of the inde- fensible and ignoble plight in which the Federal area has its being. B — ‘While lengthy statistics are being com- piled to show that homes are happier and that employment is on the increase, & number of statesmen and philosophers are insisting that the times warrant the revival of the old reminder of Dr. Mun- yon that “there is hope.” The generous spirit of Christmas is prompting advice to hold the Townsend plan in abeyance and stick to Santa Claus. e b 4 Townsend and Talmadge. ‘With Dr. Townsend making plans for the establishment of an independent party for the 1936 campaign and Gov- ernor Talmadge throwing his hat in the ring for the Democratic nomination for President, the old adage about strange bedfellows comes to mind, in the sug- gestion that these two proponents of economic reforms might well get to- gether in an unified movement. There 15 a factor of alliteration in the situation ~Talmadge and Townsend, or Townsend and Talmadge! It would be attractive either way to those who like a tripping title for an independent ticket. And there is, furthermore, the gecgraphic copsideration in its favor, whichever way it should run. California and Georgia! ‘A tull continental span is afforded. True, there are differences between the two schools of thought. And there might be difficulty in reconciling them. But stranger bedfellows have slept together in politics in this country, and this might be .worth considering. ‘Up to the present Governor Talmadge has given no assured signs of a bolting disposition, though his utterances are earnest enough to suggest that he is so firialy set upon getting into the race that A THE he would perhaps be willing to step over the line of fealty and go out on his own if not granted recognition at the Demo- cratic convention. Dr. Townsend is already outside of the breastworks—if he was ever within them. He has some advantage over his Georgia ally, in that he has built up a national organization, whereas the Talmadge movement is still somewhat parochial. The prospect of a strong Talmadge movement at the Democratic convention is- not particularly encouraging to the red-suspendered advocate of the more abundant life. Nobody seriously looks for more than one ballot there. There may not even be a ballot. A nomination by acclamation is said to be in the cards. Whether there will be a Town- send convention is not assured, but there will probably be some sort of gathering. Six months remain before the meetings of the major parties—they must still be reckoned as such whatever the present independent ferments may portend—and thus there is time for adjustments and amalgamations or whatever may be sought by these two factors of dispu- tation. Townsend and Talmadge—Talmadge and Townsend! There may be, as Colonel Sellers used to say, millions in it, mil- lions of votes as well as millions of subsidies. o District Bridges. The elaborate plans that have been made for the community celebration Thursday night to mark the completion of the new bridge across Rock Creek at Calvert street are an expression of public rejoicing in the accomplishment of a long-needed improvement. This bridge, which has been partially opened for service for several weeks, repre- sents an accomplishment that in point of need and utility should have been effected long ago. The original bridge was recognized as inadequate almost immediately after its erection. Though the traffic over it was not heavy, it gave access to an area that was as- suredly destined to develop soon into a popular subuyrb. Every condition pointed to the early need of greater facil- ities for communication. There was then no systematic planning of transport routes. The Capital was “just growing,” Topsylike, without definite design and with no concept of the effect of the motor car in spreading habitation into then distant areas. The construction of the Taft Bridge was the first step in the direction of adequate viaduct facili- ties. and built, in striking contrast with the bridge at Calvert street, and it served well to relieve the congestion on the old structure, which, however, bearing as it did the heavy service of street car trans- port, was taxed to its limit of safety and accommodation. Recent changes in public transporta- tion facilities have virtually coincided with the completion of the new bridge at Calvert street. Though it has been only partially opened for service, it has demonstrated its value in permitting a division of traffic at a point of conges- tion. The removal of the car tracks from Connecticut avenue has further relieved the congestion from the double bridgehead outward. ‘With this new bridge about to be fully opened to use and suitably dedicated, the hope is felt that there will be no such further long delay in completing the program of necessary viaduct construc- tions in the District. There is urgent need of new structures across the Ana- costia River, the present bridges there being too small for their immediate uses and certain in the very near future to become scenes of traffic blocks, if not of actual danger. There is also the structure | across the Potomac above Georgetown which bears the name of its ancient predecessor, Chain Bridge. Plans for its replacement with a modern, com- modious and permanently substantial viaduct have been prepared, but owing to differences of judgment as to the location and type no action has been had and there is no present prospect of decision and construction. Meanwhile, one of the old decrepit and inadequate structures of long service has been re- placed with a new bridge across Rock Creek at P street, which was opened with ceremony of public approval and appre- ciation, even as the Calvert Street Bridge is about to be formally installed on Thursday. These bridge needs have been a per- ennial cause of complaint and anxiety. They have evoked persistent and devoted efforts by the community, and now, as one more unit of public accommodation has been added to the Capital’s equip- ment, there should be determined co- operation on the part of the authorities to proceed promptly to finish the pro- gram that has lagged so long. A member of the House of Lords had a motor accident which resulted in his arrest on & charge of manslaughter. He demanded a trial by a jury of his peers, and after colorful formality was acquitted by fellow Lords. The scene was impres- sive and the expense was great, but it was demonstrated that even since the departure of horse and buggy days cer- tain traditions are held in full respect. ¢“A Man in Cotton Cloth.” Students of the evolution of the art of printing are familiar with the name of Pi Sheng. He lived in the Ch'ing-li period of Chinese history, approximately nine hundred years ago and is described in the annals of that time as “a man in cotton cloth,” by which is meant “a man of the people” But an arbitrary class impediment did not restrain his genius. On the contrary, it is fair to assume that it served to provide an opportunity for the exercise of his natural talents. In any event, he achieved immortality by the invention of movable type and thus was the forerunner of Lourens Janszoon Coster of Haarlem and Johann Gutenberg of Strasbourg and Mainz. ‘The step, of course, was an obvious advance in the development of graphic reproduction. Once & single symbol had been prepared, an unlimited number of others would be indicated and the trick A Fortunately, it was well designed | of arranging and rearranging them would follow. Yet Pi Sheng is entitled to credit for his comprehension of the problem. He was the first to understand what was wanted and how it might be supplied. The original record says: “He took sticky clay and cut in it characters as thin as the edges of a cash. Each character formed, as it were, a single type. He baked them in the fire to make them hard. He had previously prepared an iron plate and he had covered this plate with a mixture of pine resin, wax and paper ashes. When he wished to print he took an iron frame and set it on the iron plate. In this he placed the type, set close together. When the frame was full the whole made one solid block of type. He then placed it near the fire to warm it. When the paste at the back was slightly melted he took a perfectly smooth board and rubbed over the sur- face, so that the block of type became as even as a whetstone. If one were to print only two or three copies, this method would be neither convenient nor quick. But for printing hundreds or thousands of copies it was divinely quick.” It certainly need not be argued that none but a man whose spirit, as Shakes- peare declared of the dyer, was imbued in what he worked in could have devised such a technique. Probably long and close acquaintance with his craft was Pi Sheng’s “mental capital” in the circum- stances. He had “gone to school” to his trade, its materials, its instruments, its formulas. Hence, he was psychologically equipped for the miracle he was to ac- complish, the victory he was to win. Just now the world is suffering from economic dislocation and literally mil- lions of workers of the cotton cloth class are idle. The tragedy of their plight is unquestioned and undenied. But pos- sibly it affords a chance for at least a few individuals to emulate the great in- ventors of the past. Enforced leisure, it may be, will be used to advantage by some modern Pi Sheng. There are a hundred flields of human enterprise in which creative progress still is needed. — et The United States Supreme Court is one of the groups of citizens assembled with the understanding that they are supposed to know precisely what they are talking about. Their discussions would make interesting radio material, but there are certain official dignities that public opinion still insists on hold- ing in respect. —_ If what the League of Nations pro- poses is an enlarged new deal, Selassie probably feels that he started in by cutting a deuce. —_————— The China Clipper suggests peaceful traffic in a world that needs potatoes rather than bombs. — e In adjusting the intellectual affairs of the country, a conference of ghost writers might help some. — The terrors of motor traffic are vividly portrayed. Even the man who is willing to get out and walk cannot feel safe. —————— Mussolini claims to control world peace and to be in a position to keep it on the bargain counter at his discretion. — e The King of Kings in proud despera- tion reminds the world that he also has his local public to consider. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Imagination. | When Winter is dreary the world seems a-weary; You long for the summertime glow. And yet when you get it you're bound to regret it, And wish you were shoveling snow. When August is distant your thoughts are persistent On roses that gracefully grow. And yet when you gather the blossoms, you'd rather Be off somewhere shoveling snow. "Round present possessions rise gloomy impressions, ‘While things we have not make a show. In Winter we gayly do gardening daily; In Summer we're shoveling snow. He Should Not Worry. “That man looks like Henry Clay,” said the observant person. “Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum; “but the dispensations of a merciful Provi- dence prevent Clay from worrying about it.” Prudence. “Do you agree with everything the college professors say?” “Yes,” .replied Miss Cayenne. “But some of the theories they sug- gest are very startling.” & “Yes. But if you don't agree with them they are likely to prolong the argu- ment and think up something still more startling.” Our Patriot Forefathers. Although their fame is never hid As banners bright are spread, We don't remember what they did Or even what they said. ' Energetic. “Busy day?” “Terribly busy. I got to the office so late that I almost missed a very impor- tant luncheon engagement. Luncheon kept me so long that I nearly forgot a golf match and when I goi through with that I barely had time to get ready for a theater party. Still, I don’t mind hav- ing to hustle. It takes activity to keep business going these days.” Undertaking Too Much. Jhe egotist who boldly brings A loud ineessant shout . Is forced sometimes to tell us things He hasn't yet found out. “If all of us got everything dat was comin’ to us,” said Uncle Eben, “de chances are dat it ‘ud only jes’ make more police news.” EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., THE POLITICAL MILL By G. Gould Lincoln, As the first of 1936—the presidential election year—approaches, nerves of the various aspirants for the G. O. P. nomi- nation, and particularly of their sup- porters, are becoming a bit jumpy. It won't be long now before the candidates must come into the open, if they are to contest for the delegations in the prefer- ential primary States. Those who are determined to play a waiting ga..:, hoping the lightning may strike them, if there is a reasonable deadlock in the convention, may endeavor to keep out of the primaries, but they will not neces- sarily endeavor to keep out of the public prints. Today the Republican National Committee is expected to select the time and place for the national conven- tion, and plans will be made for the big event. Well, after that is out of the way all the Republicans have to do is to nominate a candidate for President and go to it. * ok x ‘There is not the slightest doubt that Republican hopes have been buoyed greatly by various happenings, includ- ing the returns to date of the Literary Digest poll, showing a majority of those who have voted are ‘against the Roose- veit New Deal. It looks as though the ground was fertile for replanting Repub- lican doctrines—to them. The poll now conducted by the Digest is not a con- test between President Roosevelt and a specific Republican nominee. In fact, it does not mention the Republican party or any candidate. The real rub will come when the G. O. P. nomination has been made. Then the voters will be asked to decide between President Roose- velt and this candidate, whoever he may be. It may be that the opposition to the New Deal will be so strong that the Republican nominee will win, no mat- ter who he may be. That is the atti- tude taken by the more hard-boiled Republicans who hate the New Deal. Just the same, the Republicans generally afe not willing to take any such chance right now. They want to get the best poten- tial candidate they can. * ok ok The Democrats will get as much fun as they can out of the antics of the Republicans and their strife over presi- dential candidates. In fact, they will do all they can to stir up strife among the various factions in the Republican party struggling for control and for the nomination of their pet candidates. Charles Michelson, resourceful head of publicity for the Democratic National Committee, has already begun sticking pins in the Republicans where he thinks they will irritate the most. Mr. Michel- son, like a number of other Democrats, continues to insist that the logical can- didate for the Republicans to nominate is former President Herbert Hoover. He insists, and the other Democrats insist, this is so because they would like to see it brought about. They believe that the country still holds Mr. Hoover respon- Py | sible for the depression and for the dark | Michelson writes now | days of 1931-2. for his publicity bureau comments upon the rivalry between Gov. Landon of Kansas and Col. Prank Knox of Chi- cago, and between former President Hoover and Senator Borah of Idaho. * ok x X Michelson’s suggestion is that the Re- publican romination will be worth very little after all these rows have been fought out; that thg Republicans of the East and the Republicans of the West will never be able to get together. Speak- ing of the reported contest between Hoover and Borah, he writes: “Is the idea that Mr. Hoover wishes to eliminate a rival aspirant, who has attained rather unexpected stature as a popular Republican candidate? Is it possible that the fine old liberal wants Mr. Hoover out of the way, on the hy- pothesis that the big money end of the G. O. P. will take even a liberal Repub- lican when the alternative is the re-elec- tion of Frank'in D. Roosevelt? Natural- ly Senator Borah has a concrete idea as to which Progressive ought to be favored Perish the thought! Mr. Hoover has no personal ambitions; he only desires the restoration of the old Republican ideals, and Senator Borah cares only for the purging of his party of Wall Street dom- ination. “This being the condition of the minor- ity party, the question naturally arises: Where do they go from here? “As my Republican colleagues in the column business refuse to hazard a guess, beyond the general one that it means a dark horse has a chance, and they being in a better position to prophesy, I will not undertake to be more definite. “It might be pertinent, however, to suggest that, as under existing circum- stances the Republican nominat:on will be as valuable as a last election’s cam- paign poster, what they may do is to improve the opportunity to get rid of their most disturbing element. “There is no possibility of healing the breach between East and West. If Mr. Hoover is denied this time his insistence will plague them indefinitely. As to Borah, for a generation he has been a thorn to the stand-patters. To a large extent these two keep each other alive as sources of political irritation. It's too bad, from a Republican standpoint, that both cannot be nominated and so effect the killing of two birds with one stone.” * X % % And so the director of Democratic pub- licity attempts to stir up the Republican animals. Perhaps they really do not need stirring. But the comments by Mr. Michelson call attention to the divisions in the Republican party, divisions that must be forgotten if there is to be a Republican victory next year. They can be forgotten, despite the pessimism of Michelson over the situation. He might look back to the days of 1928 and early 1929 and see the Democratic party more widely torn over religion and the wet and dry issue than is the G. O. P. today over other issues. Yet when the time came; when the people became restive over the depression, the Democrats got together. [Even Al Smith called his dearest enemy an “old potato.” He may have been sorry later that he gave this intimate indorsement. But Mr. Smith did so, or so it was reported anyway. It would be a surprise if Mr. Hoover called Borah, if the latter were nomi- nated for President, an “old potato,” although since Borah hails from the big potato State, the comment might be more appropriate. * k% % ‘There is no more reason, however, to together in the next campaign than there was to believe the Democrats could .not get together in 1932. There must be an impelling motive beyond the mere desire to throw the Democrats out. They believe they have found it in growing dislike for Roosevelt and the New Deal; MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1935. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES A correspondent wants to know where- in lies the duty to keep up bird feeding, once it is begun in the home back yard. “You say that it becomes & duty to keep it up after beginning,” writes he, “but I do not see why. If one is kind to the birds for s few weeks or during very cold weather, why is it wrong to stop?” “This is not a sentimental proposition, but a very practical one. 1f the householder begins feeding birds in a serious way, especially by the erec- tion of one or more feeders affixed to trees or at the window sill, he attracts many which otherwise would not Winter here. If there is any reason for migration it lies in the question of food supply. Such birds as ordinarily would fly South may remain if they find what impresses them as a good, and especially steady, supply of suitable foods. Among these birds are several of the better known songsters. People who put out food consistently have them all Win- ter long, whereas those who do not feed them do not have them. This is one reason for the disputes you sometimes hear about which birds Winter in this vicinity. Those who do not see certain birds in their own yards tend to believe, and naturally enough, that nobody else sees them at this time of year. It can be understood that it must “lgt down” a songster terribly, once it has decided to say with us, to find its seem= ingly magic supply of food suddenly dis- appear as if it had never been. And it cannot find food on a belated migration. This is what one means by speaking of duty in this connection. # Feeding the birds is the best way to put the garden to use during Winter. Who that enjoys the flowers and the grass of the “outdoor living room” has not at some time or other lamented the sad state of negligence which overtakes the average yard? Even children do not like to play in yards. They prefer the streets. Almost every yard, even the big ones, takes on the appearance of the famous deserted village. But this need not be so. | A bird feeder or two and persistence in keeping the food supply running and the feathered guests will come by the score. Their happy flying about, now into the trees, then into the shrubs, then to the feeders, will give an interest and anima- tion to the old back yard which few per- sons who have not tried it would believe possible. Surely this is the one best way to use | a garden in Winter. Even the person who hitherto has accepted the songsters without much | thought will find them an altogether | unsuspected source of interest. One need | not be an ornithologist or even amateur bird lover, but simply an ordinary house- | holder, one interested in many things, most of them of more moment than birds, perhaps. Yet in time little fellows of the air, and the plain problems which they bring up in their daily life in the yard, are found to add immeasurably to life. This is something which must be experienced to be appreciated. The garden, instead of being mostly waste space for four months, becomes a E. TRACEWELL, very active spot. It no longer goes to waste at any time of year. * ko k x Thus in a very real sense the installa- tion of even one feeding station gives the garden back to the gardener. To those who have not tried it we give this advice, that they try it, but at the same time let them be fully aware that there is a duty attached to it. And problems. Squirrels in the suburban districts constitute the major problems! The householder who puts up a bird feeder shortly discovers that what he really has installed is a squirrel cafe- teria. While these fellows do not keep the birds away, by any means, they do ham=~ per their style considerably and do man- age to get the hog’s share of the mixed seeds and grains which comprise most wild-bird foods. A squirrel will take his position in the feeder and remain there, shoveling around in the seed for half an hour, or even an hour, without once getting out. Even when he finally has enough, his place may be taken by another, who en- sconces himself for a similar length of time. And so on. It is fortunate for the birds of this hereabouts. These are the active ene- mies of birds. The gray ones, which abound in the District and nearby terri- tory, are more mischevious than harmful. * X X % In studying the birds which Winter | here the gardener will ind many in- triguing names. Even the common names of flowers, as delightful as they are, scarce equal those | of the birds. Consider “chickadee,” for example. It is a word prettier to say than to look at, but delightful either way. ‘What a correspondence it has with the | little creature it describes! Those who lament the absence of chickadees from the Winter scene in their own gardens will do well to put up a small feeder. If they are fortunate and live some- where near woods they will find these feathered charmers among the first vis- itors, along with the nuthatches, with whom they “pal” and several of the woodpeckers, which seem to have a high regard for the perspicacity of their little friends. A chickadee is a bird which grows on you. The homesteader who has not had much acquaintance with them will not regard them highly at first and may be inclined to think the slate-colored juncos | superior and more beautiful birds, but after he has watched the chickadees for a time he probably will revise his esti- mates. There is something about a chickadee which wins the hearts of all. Probably it has aerial “it,” but whatever it is, this little bird has it. If a feeding station attracted none more than worth while, brings a host of birds, including the bushy-tailed “bird,” the gray squirrel, | the feeder is soon a real center of in- | terest, and small everyday problems | imdoors and the great outdoors, play ! their part in making this a better world. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Presidential candidacies and discus- sion thereof are officially taboo at the | current session of the Republican Na- tional Committee in Washington, but are uppermost in members’ minds, for all of that. Chairman Fletcher’s cohorts foregathered in a spirit of militant confi- dence. They radiate impressive hope of a victorious fight against the New Deal. Optimism is so fervid that G. O. P. leaders profess to believe that the iden- tity of their nominee is of secondary importance—that any good man can make the grade. Hence the assertion that the scramble for the nomination is lively because the party no longer looks upon it as an empty honor, but as a prize worth winning. This rose-tinted vision, coupled with prospects of a fat campaign fund, clothes the National Committee conclave with an all-per- vasive atmosphere of good cheer. R EE Unquestionably ‘the momentary fea- ture of the Republican preconvention sit- uation is the Landon boom. Without anything in the nature of a formal Lan- don-for-President organization, the Gov= ernor’s star is visibly in the ascendant, with more and more party authorities veering around to the belief that he | personifies on the whole a higher per- centage of logical eligibility than any | other aspirant. It's expected not to be long now before the Landon “movement” | will be officially launched and a still- hunt for delegates conducted by profes- sionals who know the art. Some admir- ers of the “Kansas Coolidge” feel that the weakest joint in his armor is that he has been trotted out too early in the game and can be correspondingly shot at. Indications are discernible that the Democrats look upon the Topeka man as the most formidable timber at the Republicans' command. All of the “pos- sibilities”—Landon, Hoover, Borah, Knox, Vandenberg, Dickinson, Mills, Fish, Mc- Nary and the rest of them—have listen- ing posts carefully manned in their re- spective interests during the National Committee powwow. Nomination pros- pects should be clarified after the meet= ing of the elephant’s managerial minds. * %k k *x Townsend plan talk is rampant among Republican chieftains, not in the sense of its espousal, but as & matter of won- der about the extent to which the thing will cut across and into regular party lines. In the quest for a popular issue politicians are curious as to whether any of the Republican Barkises might be willing to flirt with Townsendism. More than one candidate for Congress, yearn- ing for self-perpetuation, is expected ere long to take the $200-a-month panacea to his bosom. But it's doubted that any would-be Republican opponent of F. D. R., even though conscious of its vote- catching possibilities, would succumb to the temptation, and, rising above prin- ciple, swallow the good California doc- tor’s prescription. * K ok % President Roosevelt’s desire to increase the strength of the Naval Reserve to 150,000 men, as compared to what he calls the “much too low” present com- plement of, roundly, 30,000, has in mind the necessities of the “treaty fleet” which the United States will possess in 1942, as well as'national emergencies of the invisible future. Although the plan has these long-distance requirements in view, [EEE Alice mmn‘;elt Mn.wdmhhnmt edm Join the army of newspaper col- umnists, Beginning early in January, { | she is to write a syndicated daily dis- patch. Her “stuff” will not be confined to the Washington scene, but written from wherever she happens to be and presumably on any subject that strikes her fancy. With a national campaign coming on, “Princess Alice’s” friends sup- pose that in the immediate future she will devote herself primarily to politics. Revelation of her attitude toward “Cousin Pranklin’s” New Deal is awaited | with lively interest. The late Speaker’s widow now follows in the footsteps of her celebrated father. journalism after leaving the White House. * & x x Capt. Tamon Yamaguchi, Japanese naval attache in Washington, finds him- self a colleague here of a brother sailor- the World War did his best to capture or destroy — Rear Admiral Robert Witthoeft-Emden, German naval at- tache in the United States. Capt. Yama- guchi was a junior officer of the Japa- nese cruiser Chikuma, which was as- signed the task of running down the German commerce-raiding Emden, then at large in the Indian Ocean. Admiral Witthoeft, torpedo officer of the German cruiser, was authorized to add her name as a hyphenated appendage to his own in recognition of his service on the World War’s most famous ship. Yama- guchi and Witthoeft-Emden buried the hatchet and became warm friends after meeting for the first time in Washington. * ® X ¥ Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming, first woman Governor of a State and first woman director of the United States Mint, is now the first woman to have her head on a medal struck by the | establishment over which she presides. The medal is dated 1933, the year she became Mint director, but has just been approved in its final form. The reverse side shows a figure of Mrs. Ross seated alongside scales, a pile of bullion and a coining press. The law authorizes the striking of medals bearing the respective likenesses of the President, the Secretary of the Treasury and the director of the Mint. * ¥ k% With the cordial support of Gen. Pershing and other nationally prominent advocates of preparedness, the Civilian Military Education Fund, with head- quarters at Washington, has just em- barked upon a country-wide campaign to raise money for combating propa- ganda aimed at abolition of military training in schools and colleges, the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, citi- zens’ military training camps and other establishments for preparing American youth for national defense. Maj. Walter Bruce Howe of the District of Columbia bar, a World War veteran, is active in the movement to check the anti-pre- paredness drive. (Copyright, 1935.) The Toss-Up. From the Portland Oregonian. “Does Mother Nature decide our desti- nies by tossing a coin?” inquires the Pathfinder. She does not. She tosses us in person and lets us fall, willy-nilly, heads or tails. Negative Lesson. Prom the Kansas City Btar. A Spokane traffic expert, conducting a squad of Boy Scouts on a safety tour, was arrested for speeding. The Scouts were doubtless deeply impressed by the demon- stration of things not to do. Holes Alone Valuable. From the Louisville Courier-Journal. A land for the Mammoth Cave Park area is on & Swiss cheese basis; the holes are charged for and the lend in. & vicinity that there are few red squirrels | other than the chickadee it would be | but since it | T. R. took up | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic J. Haskin. A reader can get the answer to any~ question of fact by writing The Washing= ton Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing=- ton, D.C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Are airplanes constructed to resist catching fire from tieir engines?—N. A. A. A fire wall is used. It is a fire- resistant transverse bulkhead, so placed as to isolate the engine compartment from other parts of the structure. Q. How soon will the “covers” taken on the China Clipper reach people in the United States?>—B. T. A. They are expected to reach col- lectors the last week in December. They were sent by regular mail—steamship and train—from Manila, Guam and Honolulu. Q. What artist painted so realistic a picture of grapes that the birds pecked at them?—O. R. _A. This story is told of Zeuxis, a Gre= cian painter. Q. ,;vmc State uses the most butter? A. New York consumes more butter than any other State, 214,000,000 pounds, or about 17 pounds per capita annually. = Q. What is meant by the expression n;uc_lk{nker"?—d. G. - The term was popularized by Theo- dore Roosevelt in a public address in 1906 as applying to those individuals or Jjournals that make a practice of digging up and exposing corruption, real or imaginary. The term “muckrake” was originally an allusion to a character in Bunyan's “Pilgrim's Progress.” Q. Of the number of persons who apply for a chance to broadcast on Maj. Bowes’ amateur program, how many are chosen? —R. L. C. A. More than 15000 applications are received each week. Of these about 600 of the most promising are auditioned. Eliminations are made until only from 16 to 20 are selected for the actual broadcast. Q. Is sauerkraut served with a turkey dinner?—T. T. A. In the South it is often an accom- paniment of a turkey dinner. It seems a particularly appetizing vegetable with | this rather heavy meal, and people from other parts of the country often adopt the custom, having once become ac- quainted with it. Q. What is the —L. C. A. Tt is a poem by Ralph Waldo Emer- son, sung at the completion of the Bunker Hill Monument in 1836. It con- tains the much-quoted lines: “Here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot heard 'round the world.” “Concord Hymn"? Q. Is John MecCormack, tenor, 3 the famous in this country or abroad?— | R.8.G. which, connected both with the great | A. Mr. McCormack is on an extended | concert tour of England, Ireland, Scot- | land and Wales. Q. What caused the geysers in Yel- lowstone National Park?—P. G A. They were caused by volcanism. | There has been no active volcanic action of the explosive type in this region since the Great Ice Age. 5 Q. Was Nancy Langhorne married once before she married Viscount Astor?— A. McC. A. Viscountess Astor, who was formerly Nancy Witcher Langhorne of Mirador, Va., was married first in 1897 to Robert Gould Shaw of New York, whom she divorced in 1903. He died in 1930. In 1906 she married Viscount Astor and has since made her home in England. Q. Who wrote the play “Kismet” in which Otis Skinner starred some years ago?—I. F. W. A. Edward Knoblauch., Q. How many of our Presidents have | died in office?—M. S. W. man whom the Nipponese officer during | A. Six: Willlam Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and Warren G. Harding. Q. Are walnui hulls used as a dye material?>—E. G. A. The Forest Products Laboratory says that in earlier times stain extracted from walnut hulls was used to some extent as a dye material. With the coming of mineral dyes, however, do- mestic dyes of vegetable origin have practically disappeared from the market. Present-day lists show no dyes made from walnut hulls. Q. When a family purchases an Eng- lish estate, may it use the coat of arms of the family which sold the estate? —W. W, A. The purchase of a property does not give the purchaser the right to in- corporate the arms of the family from which the property was purchased with his own, or to adopt its coat of arms. It is frequently done, but is entirely incorrect and would not be upheld by the College of Heraldry. Q. Which was the largest and which was the smallest of the ships in which Columbus discovered the Americas? —G. J. 8. A. The Santa Maria was ¢he largest, The length on deck was 86 feet 3 inches, and tonnage, 252; the Pinta had a length on deck of 82 feet 8 inches, ton- nage, 161, while the Nina had a length on deck of 79 feet and tonnage, 171, Tonnage figures are in terms of modern weight. Q. How long did the Byzantine Empire last?—L. J. A. This Eastern or Greek Empire lasted from the separation of the Eastern and Western Empires on the death of Theodosius, in 395 A.D. until the cap- ture of Constantinople (Istanbul) by the Turks in 1453, A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Strange Medley. Love is a medley of emotion: First we know _ Joy, ecstasy and glad devotion; Then swift tears flow. It is a goad, an aspiration; We would be Godlike, divine, a revelation— And yet break free. Love fills us with tempestuous anger, Stings our pride— And suddenly its softening languor Sweeps ire aside. It is a wild, insistent outbreak! 1t is peace. Thru mm.hh and rhapsody and hearte ache It does not cease. )