Evening Star Newspaper, November 23, 1936, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY November 23, 1936 —_— e —— THEODORE W. NOYES...__.....Editer The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Businuss Office: i3 o Suropesn Ofice' 14 Regent 8. London, Bxia Rate by Carrier Within the City. t Final Stsr Sunday Star each month. be sent by mail or telephone Na- fl;gn Final and Sunday Sta: he 1 mo., 85¢ mo., ! mo.. 40c Aul Other States and Canada. fly and Sundey..l yr. $12.00: i1y only o ¥ ay only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the for republication of .IY. news dispatches mdm to it o not otherwise cLuu in this Daper and also the local news published herein. I rights of publication of special dispatches erein 0_reserved. Unsolved Housing Problem One of three suggestions to the Busi- ness Advisory Council of the Depart- ment of Commerce by the President in his letter published Friday was a study of the “problem of improving living con- ditions of low income groups through low-cost housing and slum clearance.” Perhaps Mr. Roper’s committee can add something to the store of knowledge already accumulated during the depres- sjon concerning low-cost housing and the lack of it. But whether it does or not, the President is already plainly committed to an attack on this part of the housing problem in the next Con- gress. “We who believe in better housing have not been defeated,” he told an East Side audience in New York during the campaign. “I am confident that the next Congress will start us on our way with & sound housing policy.” This “sound housing policy” is presumably enunciated in the Wagner-Ellenbogen bill, which was passed by the Senate last June, but never came to a vote in the House. The Federation of Labor conven- tion in Tampa has just declared that the bill “can and must be passed this com- ing Winter.” Last week Mayor La Guardia told the mayors assembled here that the bill should be passed and a large-scale low-cost housing program tnitiated. Provision of residential housing is, of course, far behind normal pre-depression years, when the average rate of con- struction was about 400,000 dwelling units a year. As against about 200,000 new dwelling units built in 1930, fewer than 50,000 were built in 1932 and 1933. And in spite of the marked revival this year, the year'’s construction may not exceed 250,000 new dwelling units. The Federal Government, through the Home Loan Bank system, the H. O. L. C. and the Federal Housing Administration, has done much to save horhes for finan- cially distressed owners and to encourage new home construction and home re- pairs. But the efforts of these agencies have been aimed more at helping the people of moderate, if not high, incomes. Low-cost housing for the low-income groups is the chief objective of the ‘Wagner-Ellenbogen bill. And in three and a half years of experimentation in low-cost housing by the P. W. A. and other agencies, nothing substantial has been accomplished in this fleld. The P. W. A, meeting numerous unforeseen difficulties and laboring under a short- age of funds, has been able to complete only one of fifty-one projects in low-cost housing construction and slum elimina- tion. Three others are nearing comple- tion and the remainder are in various stages of planning or construction. The unsolved problem in low-cost housing is still the problem of furnish- ing housing to low income groups at rents they can afford to pay. P. W. A. did not solve that problem in its com- pleted project at Atlanta, which has accommodated a higher income group of tenants than the slum dwellers who were replaced. Its other projects will not solve the problem. As the President himself stated at a press conference last May, while the P. W. A. provided excellent dwellings, they are not, essentially, low- cost housing. Low-cost housing presum- ably means housing for those who earn less than a thousand dollars a.year. The Wagner.bill attempts an answer by establishing a Federal Housing Au- thority, empowered to lend and grant funds to local’ agencies and given the authority to engage in “demonstration” projects. The original bill would have appropriated $800,000,000 for such pur- poses. The bill which passed the Senate last June appropriated $10,000,000, au- thorizing additional expenditures of $150,000,000 in the succeeding three years. If approved by the administration, the passage of the bill next session might be taken for granted. But it would be ‘wise to emphasize “low-cost” housing and to limit the income group that can bene- fit therefrom. The fundamental objec- tion to the Wagner bill, of course, is that once the Government undertakes the provision of housing, through grants of loans, it becomes difficult to discrim- inate in the selection of beneficiaries, and governmental responsibility becomes practically unlimited. Even dictators have to advance in years and face a rising generation that demands emphatically to know what it {s all about. Patent Office Centenary. The centenary of the United States Patent Office, celebrated today, is an occasion about which the whole people ean be enthusiastic. Representing as it does the Nation's traditional policy for the protection of the fruits of human genius, the institution is exempt from the blight of partisan prejudice. It con- stitutes & perfect exampie of the prac- tical ideal of government in the service p demonstrates in the most notable degree the highest principles of democratic civilization. Something of basic equity is involved in the proposition that thought, in com- mon with material property, merits in- surance against misuse. The elemental doctrine traces back into remote an- tiquity. Perhaps it was in times anterior to the invention of writing that men first began t» recognize the right of an inno- vator to a reward for his foresight. During the period when America was being settled by its earliest white col- onists the patent law was firmly estab- lished in British jurisprudence. It came to the New World with the Pilgrims, and it was remembered by the framers of the Constitution in 1787—the eighth stipulation of section eight of article one empowers Congress “to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive rights to their respective writings and discoveries.” The premier license granted was dated July 81, 1790; bore the signatures of both Washington and Jefferson, was issued to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont, and con- cerned the homely business of making soap. But the romance of the Patent Office is being retold elsewhere. All that need be stressed in this place and this time is the essential fact of its vast construc- tive influence upon the cultural evolu- tion of the people. Summed up in the briefest form, it amounts to & common endowment. Brains have been reason- ably safe under the Star-Spangled Banner. The conscience of the Nation has been organized to provide their de- fense. In return, they have contributed to peace, prosperity and progress. A long line of commissioners of patents and thousands of examiners and clerks are entitled to a generous share of the credit. The centenary commemoration is im- portant because it furnishes an oppor- tunity for expression of gratitude to all concerned. Americans in Spain. Because of increasing danger to life in Madrid the State Department has acted wisely in directing the United States charge d'affaires, Third Secre- tary Wendelin, to consider immediately the desirability of closing the embassy and proceeding, with his staff, to a safer place, along with the American nation- als who have taken refuge at the em- bassy since the battle for Madrid assumed a menacing phase. Consul General Perkins at Barcelona also has the department’s authorization to aban- don his post and to request American naval vessels now within access of the east coast to evacuate him, his staff and other American citizens. With Gen. Franco’s threat to destroy the port as a means of cutting off the government's supplies, Americans in Barcelona find themselves in almost as much peril as the residents of beleaguered Madrid. Prompt word from Messrs. Wendelin and Perkins is awaited, indicating to what extent they regard it necessary to exercisg the discretionary authority now given them. Early evacuation of both Madrid and Barcelona by Americans would seem to be desirable, While Gen. Pranco is understood to have given orders that the premises of foreign gov- ernments shall be respected by insurgent forces, “incidents,” accidental or other- wise, are easily within the realm of possibilities amid the turmoil into which all Spain has been plunged. Should, in consequence of some mishap, American citizens be injured or killed, or Amer- ican official property violated, the United States might automatically find itself embroiled with one of the Spanish fight- ing factions, if not with some foreign government that any day may inter- vene in the Fascist-Communist tug of war. This country is not influenced to any extent whatever by political con- siderations. It is concerned exclusively with the safety of American lives and avoidance of developments which might cause international complications. The United States diplomatic and consular staff in Spain, especially “‘career” members of the foreign service, have given a splendid account of them- selves throughout the revolution. They have stuck gallantly to their posts under trying and dangerous conditions. They now seek safety elsewhere. They can do so without subjecting themselves to the slightest suspicion of scuttling. Each and all have conducted themselves in a manner that brings new credit to the service with which they are identified. There is no possible question as to whether the District of Columbia will hold a splendid inaugural demonstration. It always does. Permanent Trade Program. Becretary of State Hull has crowned himself with achievement in reopening world trade channels through reciprocal trade agreements; his program in the emergency proved the proper remedy, now it remains in order to make per- manent the gains realized to convert the transitory structure of executive agreements into a permanent edifice in American foreign policy based on treaties. The executive agreement is an ex- tremely useful device for attainment of immediate objectives quickly in interna- tional relations when, because of the vagaries of politics, treaties, with the re- quirement that they receive the “advice and consent” of the Senate, might run into insurmountable obstacles either in the Foreign Relations Committee or in the Senate itself. The Constitution gives the President almost exclusive control of foreign relations, but delegates to the Senate certain confirmational functions with respect to treaties and appointment of officials which clearly reveal the in- tention of the Nation's founders to per- mit the Senate to share power over the bases of American foreign policy. Now that the emergency in international trade is well on the way to elimination, it is time to begin thinking about estab- lishing the new policy, which has been 80 successful, on a permanent basis, and making tariff bargaining s corner stone of foreign policy. 8Such a step could be taken no better .than by replacement of the executive agreements with permanent treaties. This could be carried out easily by sub- mission of the fourteen agreements al- ready concluded to the Senate for ap- proval. This would give effect to one of the chief principles of our con- stitutional structure, namely, that the President controls foreign affairs under a check from the Senate. ‘That the present is an appropriate moment in which to take such a step is apparent from two points of view. Firstly, the overwhelming Democratic strength in the upper chamber, which makes mustering of a two-thirds ma- jority easier than it has been at many other times. Secondly, the possibility of an unfavorable Supreme Court deci- sion if the suit now pending in Customs Court gets that far. If such occurs it may be necessary for the President to submit the agreements to the Senate anyway for approval as treaties, and the danger of failure under the influence of an unfavorable court decision is a real one. Would it not be better to grasp the present favorable opportunity to establish the permanent basis for the program rather than to jeopardize its ultimate success by waiting? The trade agreements act of 1934, under which the agreements have been concluded, is due to expire next June, and the question of renewal will arise before that time. —_— eat—————— ‘The new Ambassador to Russia, Mr. Joseph E. Davies, is a man whose per- sonal fortune is so comfortable that he might live carefree if he chose. Yet the post to which he has been assigned will call for as much hard work and vigilance as any that American diplomacy has to offer. Wealth frequently enhances a man's opportunities for hard work. —_———————— Russia has fears that a pact between Germany and Japan against communism will endanger relations between Stalin and the Mikado. The dove of peace must rival the versatility of the poll parrot in learning to speak many languages. ——r—————— Photographs are yet being taken which show eminent Republicans still smiling, although the print accompanying the picture does not always trouble to show what about. Greenbelt is a beautifully planned suburb and landscape gardeners are almost unanimously agreed that the country ought to have as many similar enterprises as it can afford. Bootleg bombing planes will serve the purpose of small time war promoters, but will handicap the pilots and the innocent bystanders more than the mili- tant politicians. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Attainment. Don’ stan’ ‘round a-waitin’ An’ a-wishin’ foh a prize. De trouble bout dis dreamin’ Is de way it shets yoh eyes. Don’ tell whut you is wantin’, Like you been deservin’ it, But jine de crowd an’ hustle For what you gwinter git. Dis world is movin’ rapid, An’ when de sun is riz, Don’ spen’ yoh time a-thinkin’ How superior you is. De might-haves and de ought-to-bes Dey doesn’ count a bit. ‘You'’s got to keep a-reachin’ Foh what you gwinter git. Growing Impatient. “You must call on your constituents to help you save the country.” 3 “That’s what I did,” replied Senator Sorghum. “One of 'em said I had been on that job for a good while, and if I hadn’t got it saved yet, it was time to look into the matter.” Opinions. “Every man is entitled to his opinion.” “Yes,” replied Miss Cayenne. “But some opinions are like malaria—excus- able, perhaps, under the circumstances, but nothing to be proud of.” Music of the Day. In days of old such songs we heard As “Listen to the Mocking Bird.” Light melodies their magic lent To grace some tender sentiment, And when they sought a lively key They warbled “Dixle” with great glee, Alas! Their tastes were very slow Back in the days of long ago. But now such jazzy rhymes they sing That grandma to her chair will cling And say, in accents far from bland, She hopes she does not understand! Some day when fashion brings once more The custom of those days of yore, She may revive the simple charm Of songs that pleased and meant no harm. Affection Vanished. “Your boy Josh is fond of music.” “He used to be,” said Farmer Corn- tossel. “But since he joined the village jazz band he seems to have lost all re- spect for it.” Familiarity. “Wasn't that a stranger you .boys were playing poker with last night?” “He was a stranger to us” replied Broneo Bob, sadly, “but not to the game.” The Difference. ‘The pessimist says things are wrong, And loiters as he seeks to blame, 3 Andkupmwuhnl.junm' b “Safety first is no good,” said i’ncle Eben, “when a man dodges his share of THE POLITICAL MILL BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. Benator Pat Harrison's recent declars- tion that the administration’s corporate surplus tax had widely increased the purchasing power of the Nation must be construed as praise of the policy in- ‘volved rather than praise of the measure as & raiser of revenue. Obviously if the tax law, which has been bitterly assailed in some quarters as a destroyer of thrift on the part of corporations, is resulting in the distribution of corporate earnings on a scale of great magnitude, the Gov- ernment is not going to derive as much revenue from its operation as had been expected. Direct revenue, that is. On the other hand the dividends which are paid to stockholders because of the law will be taxable and revenue will accrue therefrom in the income tax collections. Furthermore, increases in salaries and wages, which Harrison attributes to the operation of the law, will mean more revenue. For the recipients will have higher income taxes to pay, and the money which goes into the purchase of more automobiles, tobacco and whatnot will increase the internal revenue. * ko . An increase in the purchasing power of the people means more business, and more business means better times, as well as greater revenue for the Govern- ment. These things work in chains, the links connecting. It looks as though the cycle, which operated for less purchasing power, less business and for hard times, has finally been definitely set in re- verse. Credit for this will be given by many to the policies of the Roosevelt administration, including its huge spend- ing program. Others will declare that the country, having come down to rock bottom, found it necessary to re- plenish all kinds of stores. You can take your choice of explanations. The important fact is that the cycle which means recovery and prosperity appar- ently is in motion. * K * Harrison, as chairman of the Senate PFinance Committee and as a leader of the Democrats in the Senate, com- mands attention when he speaks. He took occasion on his return to Wash- ington last week to declare that the time has come for Government ex- penditures to be materially reduced. He went further, declaring that any new proposals for expenditures of Govern- ment money would be carefully scanned and supported, if at all, with distaste. Harrison undoubtedly is expressing the view of many of the more conservative Democrats in the Congress. Many of them viewed with considerable alarm the vast and constantly rising appropriations and expenditures of Government money. There have been indications that the more advanced New Dealers, who seemed to think that the resources of the Gov- ernment and the Nation were inex- haustible, will meet with determined re- sistance if they continue to come for- ward with proposals for spending money at the approaching session of Congress. One of these New Dealers with very big ideas was Dr. Tugwell, head of the Resettlement Administration and Under- secretary of Agriculture. Mr. Tugwell is taking himself out of the administration to go into private business. There have been signs that the operations of the Resettlement Administration were about to be curtailed. As a matter of fact, one of the agencies of the Government which Senator Harrison mentioned as needing the pruning knife was the Resettlement Administration. * x % % In the discussion of cabinet changes there has, at times, been mention of the Navy Department, over which Secretary Swanson has charge. The former Vir- ginia Senator has been at the head of the department since President Roose- velt took command. It is now under- stood that Swanson will remain at his cabinet post as long as he desires. The President, it is said, does not intend to dislodge him. At one time there was talk in inner circles of the possibility of the retirement of the Virginian and the appointment of another, Rear Admiral Cary T. Grayson, U. 8. N, retired, to succeed him. Admiral Grayson has been a close personal friend of the President. He is at present active head of the Amer= ican Red Cross, as its national chair- man. If at any time Secretary Swan- son should relinquish his post in the cabinet, it might still go to Grayson. * X ok x Judson C. Welliver, at one time “lit- erary secretary” at the White House, has written an interesting letter to the New York Times, saying that in 1921 the late President Harding wished to include in his message to Congress a proposal that the Constitution be amended so as to permit only a single presidential term of six years. Mr. Welliver was at the White House during the Harding administra- tion and was close to the President. He argued against the proposed recom- mendrtion, at the start of the Harding administration, and was backed up in his stand by Mrs. Harding. The pro- posal was stricken from the message, although Welliver said that he believed Harding would have made it later, since he firmly believed in the change. It would be interesting, indeed, if Presi- dent Roosevelt should advance such a recommendation., He has served one term and has been elected to another. There is as much’ speculation even now as to what is to happen in 1940, at the end of President Roosevelt's second term. Will he undertake to upset the precedent which has come down from George W and which limits a Presi- dent to two terms? * o x % Other men have thought of a third term, notably President Grant. .Two of President Roosevelt’s more recent predecessorS, Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge, might have made bids for what in reality would have been third terms, but declared against it. Theodore Roosevelt, after having served nearly all of President McKinley's sec- ond term in the White House, announced following his own election in 1904 that he would not be a candidate to succeed himself. This declaration later arose to trouble him. Calvin Coolidge, who be- came President on the death of Presi- dent Harding and served almost three years of the Harding term, might well have been renominated at the close of his own elective term. But he issued a choose to run. It is quite possible that President Roosevelt’s admirers may, be- fore the close of his second term, agitate for a third term for the President. If they do, the President will be faced with the need of making a definite | statement. Of course, he may make his tion clear even earlier. He has been muher of precedents, which .leads even at this early date, to |* speculate as to his attitude in the matter. Misnomer. ) Prom the Seranton Times. - This may be Indian Summer, but it must have been named in honor of the blanket Indians. The Lone-Livers. ‘Two blue jays were as many as the feeder platform would hold at once. It was interesting to watch how their four com got a toehold and a chance at a bite of grain. ‘These bold, handsome birds are almost as large as pigeons, but more stream- lined, in keeping with the age. Feeding station’, dispiayed in many s yard, seem to tantalizs these birds, Although not particularly fond of seeds and grains, nevertheless they will eat at them, particularly to relish the discomfiture of smaller birds which they keep out of the trays. This would indicate that there is a mean streak in these fine birds, and there is, of course, as every one knows who has ever watched them. Yet the streak is not carried to the point of vindicativeness, % x % ‘This permits the human friend of the wild birds to rejoice in the bold free movements of the jays, as they flash their blues and grays in the morning sun. A feeder placed about 5 feet high on the trunk of a tree is ideal for attracting these fellows. Even if the tray is not large enough to hold more than two at a time, the others will manage to get in, and this is how they do it: As soon as the tray is filled with the two fortunate ones, a third will launch himself pell mell at the feeder. Birds, of course, “have eyes in the back of their heads.” It is as easy, and as necessary, too, for = bird to see behind him as in fronf of him. Often his very life depends upon this ability. In the present case, when the birds on the feeder see and feel another bear- ing down on them, they evidently think it the course of wisdom to loosen their hold on the perch. ‘This permits the intruder to get his toehold. No sooner is he busy with the grain than two more launch themselves. * X * % So the scene proceeds, with each pair of birds eating a few grain, snatching a few seeds, then giving over their places to two more. . The constant flutter of wings in the air is a wonderful sight in the sun- shine. These birds arrive at this time of year about 7 a.m., having been preceded by about 20 minutes by a pair of cardi- nals, and by about 10 minutes by a few English sparrows. Blue jays do not stay very long, but while they are present there is always something doing every minute of the time. If there is more than one feeder, usually the jays take one for their own, and leave the others for the smaller birds. This is one of the reasons why a multiplicity of feeding stations is better than just one. Place at different points in the yard, they will provide a share for all, at the same time giving the birds s chance to fly from one to the other. This exercise is natural for them, and therefore hugely enjoyed. Birds like to fly, just as fish like to swim. Even while they are eating they evi- dently find a little flying, between bites, just the thing. * ok % % Keeping in trim for instant flight is an essential in bird life. Even while engaged in eating they must ever keep before them, in their curious small minds, the chances for losing their lives. They have been persecuted since the world began, and Kindness to the birds is just a strange interlude in the centuries. They must find out the difference between a trap and a feeding utation, each time one is put out, and can do it only by personal investigation. ‘Then, when they discover food is free, without harm to them, they may settle down to eat without fear of the device itself, but must keep always in mind the possibility of enemies coming on them too quickly for flight. ‘That is why they are forever flying up into the shrubbery, when no enemy offers, as far as human sight can see. The birds are keeping in trim. x ok x % ‘Their perpetual enemy, the cat, creeps out into the yard, eyes glistening. That is why the feeder should be placed at some little height, and pref- erably with a background of shrubs thick enough so that the cat cannot get into them easily. Of course, many of the birds will feed on the ground beneath the station, but the first fluttter of wings from above will send the entire group winging away. Thus all the flyers at & station pro- tect all the others. If one fails to see an enemy, some of his comrades is sure to be vigilant. It is a case of “All for one and one for all.” ‘There is another motto, Chinese this time, which the birds have applied for all the centuries since they left the ground. It is: “Of the 28 ways of getting out of trouble, the best is to run away.” . Plight is the ever-ready refuge of birds large and small, birds fierce and timid, birds bold and retiring. * % x % Even the jaunty blue jays will fly up and away at the first alarm, so it is no wonder that tiny sparrows and the like do the same. About once every so often, depending upon obscure factors, and some not so obscure, birds at feeding stations all fly together into the air. Mostly they will fly into the shrub- bery, and perch there for some time before venturing back to feed. Sometimes the entire band will fly around the yard, then proceed to some distant point, where they will alight in a tree, and make the air merry with their chirping. Occasionally the entire group will dis- appear, seemingly for good. Maybe as much as half an hour will go by before the first bird is seen skimming across the yard. After one has observed them for some weeks the return of this first bird shows at once that the others are on way. He is & sort of scout, looking the ground over again. Soon they return in twos and threes, taking up their old perches on the feeder platforms, with many spread out be- neath, working the ground over for seeds tossed out from above. Blue jays would be nuisances at feed- ers if they really cared for the grain and seed mixtures used. Mostly they do not, but just sample it and shortly fly away. This is well; the real fun at feeding stations comes from the smaller birds—including the English sparrows. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Along with their gratification that the country so overwhelmingly approved Rooseveltian policy toward big busi- ness, together with the rest of the ad- ministration’s recerd, New Dealers re- joice that commercial and financial leaders are wholeheartedly evincing their desire to team up with the President in promotion of his fundamental ideals. ‘Washington is pleased to detect cumula- tive indication that the economic royal- ists are now in step and likely to continue to be. Last week's addresses before the New York State Chamber of Commerce by President Angell of Yale and Chair- man Aldrich of the Chase National Bank Board are regarded symptomatic of the revised capitalist concept in the fleld of social responsibility. The Angell- Aldrich utterances more or less echoed sentiments expressed by President Sibley of the United States Chamber of Com- merce. Business on its part undoubtedly looks fur conservative moves by Presi- dent Roosevelt. It welcomes as early straws the eclipse of Dr. Tugwell, ap- pointment of an industrial leader, Charles A. Edison, as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and Senator Pat Harrison's statement that Congress intends to re- duce emergency expenditures as rapidly as possible and “scrutinize carefully and grant grudgingly” any extension of Gov- ernment activities. *x % ‘Washington notes with surprise, not unmixed with irritation, recent charges before the Presbyterian Ministers’ Asso- ciation here that “feeling is prevalent in Germany that the United States’ atti- tude toward the Nasl government is not friendly” and that “the principal reason for this feeling is that the American Ambassador to Germany (Dr. Willlam E. Dodd) has openly denounced the gov- ernment and continues to be very un- sympathetic toward it.” Prof. Charles C. Tansill of American University is quoted as having made the statements in question. Informed quarters assert there is no warrant whatever for accus- ing Dr. Dodd of “openly denouncing” the government to which he is accredited, although it’s not impossible he may be unsympathetic toward it, like other people who believe in the democratic principle. At any rate, no one con- nected with the Roosevelt administra- tion has found any cause to complain of Ambassador Dodd’s attitude and activities in Berlin. Dr. Tansill recently visited Germany as guest-lecturer of the Carl Schurz Society and the Nazi government. He told the Presbyterian system of restricted permits. It has pro- tected the forests against erosion and at times brought more than $2,000,000 a vear into the Federal Treasury. In 1931 the Massachusetts Horticultural Society gave Dr. Coville its medal of honor for “eminent service in horticulture.” trophy contains more than half a pound of coin gold. A lake in Alaska and a dozen-odd plants extant throughout the United States now bear Dr. Coville'’s name. While a Cornell undergraduate he won the senior medal for the best all-around intercollegiate athlete in New York State. * ¥ % x Two Republican representatives who will be missing from the new Congress are Charles F. Risk of Rhode Island, whose victory in a 1935 Midsummer by- election filled the G. O. P. with delusive hope that the New Deal sun had set, and Verner W. Main of Michigan, who won a famous Townsend plan victory in a by-election last December. Mr. Risk was beaten by a Democrat on Novem- ber 3. Mr. Main failed of renomination, but will be succeeded by another Repub- lican. Graphic facts and figures about the complexion of the incoming lower branch—just who succeeds who, etc.—is contained in the unofficial list of mem- bers just compiled under the direction of South Trimble, clerk of the House. Among its lugubrious G. O. P. informa- tion is that Maine, North Dakota and New Hampshire are now the only States with solid Republican House groups, although Vermont with a single Repre- sentative at large is also exclusively elephantine. * ok k% Contrary to popular belief, there is no acting President of the United States when the Chief Executive is out of the country. It isn’t often that the second and third in command of the admin- istration—respectively, the Vice Presi- dent and the Secretary of State—are away at the same time as the President, as they now are. But the Constitution makes no provision for deputizing the chief magistrate’s authority under any circumstances except in case of his disability. Because of modern methods of communication” like wireless, the transoceanic telephone and aircraft, never left the White House. The rank- ing New Dealer on the job is Secretary of the Morgenthau, who holds portfolio No. 2 in the cabinet. * % k% George Washington’s autograph still has substantial commercial value. A $300 vely the size and disposition of the Japanese fleet. If there’s to be a conference for reconsideration of fortifications in the Far East, Japan’s deal with Hitler is to influence the United States’ Attitude toward defenses on the other d‘dmw( 3 1036 | The | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How many States have teachers’ oath laws?—M. B. N. A. Twenty-one States and the Dis- trict of Columbia require candidates for teaching positions to swear an oath of allegiance to the Government. Q. Do hens ever take cold?—S. T. A. They catch cold just as humans do. Excessive moisture in the poultry house and drafts are often causes, Q. Do the Japanese use bhuttons or hooks and eyes on their native cos- tumes?—T. B. A. No buttons, pins or hooks and eyes are used in fastening any of their clothes, Q. Is there any time of year that the ratio of male to female births is exceptionally high?—S. C. A. The number of male births always exceeds female births, and a recent sur- vey shows that the ratio of boys to girls in the United States is exception- ally high in April, May and June, Q. How did the word gas originate?— H W A. It was proposed by the Belgian chemist, Jan Baptista van Helmont in 1625 and adopted shortly thereafter. It was coined from the Greek, khaos, Q. What is the name of the well known archer in New York who makes his own bows and arrows and also sells them?— W. P, A. L. E. Stemmler of Queens Village, N. Y, is an expert bow and arrow manufacturer, Q. What kind of fruit is the mirabelle? —C. H. A. It is a species of tiny plum grown in France. It is used for jam, taris and mirabelle liqueuy. Q. Please give some information about Gypsv Rose Lee, dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies—H. W. A. Miss Lee was born in Seattle and christened Rose Louise Hovick. Her father was a newspaper man. As a child she and her sister toured in vaude- ville on the Pantages and Keith- Orpheum Circ}uts. Subsequently her sister married and Gypsy Rose played in night clubs and burlesque. She lives at ‘Witchwood Manor on the Hudson near Newburgh, N. Y., with her mother and is unmarried. Q. Where is the Roman Cathohic church named Mary, Mother of Man- kind?>—G. N. A. This chapel for Indians is located at St. Michael's Mission, Ariz. This is the first Romap Catholic church to bear this name. Q. What is an Atlantosaurus?—E. G. A. This is the largest dinosaurian rep- tile of which any remains have been preserved. The femur is more than 8 feet in length. The size of the bone indicates a length for the animal of nearly 100 feet and a height of 30 feet. The remains were obtained in the Jurassic strata of Colorado. Q. What proportion of arrests made is of persons under 21 years of age?—G. F. A. Out of every 100 individuals ar= rested in the first nine months of the year 17 were under 21 years of age. Q. Where did D. H. Lawrence die and where is he buried?>—F. J. N. A. David Herbert Lawrence, the author, died at Vence, France. It was his wish that he be buried in Taos, N. Mex His remains were cremated in Marseille before being transported to this country. They now are contained in a small chapel near San Cristobal, N. Mex., overlooking the valley of Taos. The chapel was erected in his memory by his widow, Frieda Lawrence, and is open to the public. Q. How many of the hotels in Amer= ica belong to chains?—M. 8. D. A. Approximately 700 of the 29,000 hotels in this country are grouped in chains. Q. When did Harry K. Thaw shoot and kill Stanford White?—D. P. A. On June 25, 1906. Q. What is avulsion?—L. F. A. It is the sudden transfer by natural forces of a portion of one person's land to the soil of another. The term is also applied to the result of a sudden change in the course of a boundary river. Q. How many organizations are rep- resented by the Mobilization for Human Needs?—C. M. A. Thirty-five national welfare and character-building agencies sponsor the 1936 Mobilization for Human Needs. Q. What was the Devil's Parliament?— P HP A. This was the name given to an English Parliament convened by Henry VI, which met at Coventry in 1459 and unjustly attainted the Duke of York and his adherents of high treason. Q. What became of Louis Piquett, the Chicago lawyer who was an adviser to Dillinger and other criminals?—H. G. A. He has been disbarred as an attor- ney and is serving time in a Federal penitentiary. Q. When was the first election in the United States?—C. R. A. The first election in America was that of delegates to the Virginla As- sembly in 1619, 12 years after Jamestown was founded. The second was that of John Winthrop to be Governor of Massachusetts in 1631. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Soul Dusk. Sometimes when firelight with dusk is blending, Casting long, flickering shadows on the walls, While thru the windows, as the day s ending, One sunbeam falls. I hear you sing, in tones that never falter, Tender and passionate, our twilight hymn— And my eyes, lifted up to sorrow's altar, ‘With tears are dim. For you are far away. And in the even wmnmmmgflendmm no more. And to my grieving heart it seems that Heaven ) Has closed its door. (¥ »