Evening Star Newspaper, December 2, 1936, Page 10

! THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. i WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY . _.__.____. December 2, 1936 THEODORE W. NOYES e e The Evening Star Newspaper Company. s ne Fenpi vania Ave 3 enind . ¢ c Burcaean'Omer 14 Rewent ¢ London. Engiand. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular E e Eveninz Star_ e Eveninz and Sun (when 4 Sundays)_ The Evenine and Sun 'when 5 Sunda - Night Final Edition. lgl inal and Sunday Sta: ight Pinal s ‘he Sunday llection ers ma tional 500 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virsinia, fly and sunday.. 1 yr. $10.00; 1 mo. 85¢ il 1y 15 00 1 450 per month -80c per month 65c per month ~70c per month -B5¢ per month .. B¢ per copy 7id of esch mont! be sent by mail or telephone Na- ly onl i 1 mo. 50c uay only i 1 mo. 40c 1 mo.. $1.00 fly and Sunday aily only..__. mo. 78¢ ay only mo. b50c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches eredited to it or not otherwise Credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. rights of publication of special dispatches s 11 ere; 0_reserved An Orgy of Armaments. At no period since the World War has there been so widespread a program of rearmament as now is manifest through- out Europe and Asia. It is a sad com- mentary on the breakdown of the na- tions’ laborious striving for collective security and disheartening proof that peoples continue to put their faith in force for preservation of peace. Almost simultaneously within the past few days Germany, Japan and Soviet Russia have disclosed plans for maintenance of tre- mendous fighting establishments. Gen- eral Goering makes bold to proclaim that Nazi armaments have already reached a point that makes Germany stronger than in 1914. The boast in- corporated a ringing appeal to Germans to take to the sword again, if necessary, whereupon it was hinted that “the final sacrifice” might be required to accom- plish the realization of German needs for more room in the sun. Throughout Goering’s belligerent observations ran the thought that the Reich must remain invincible. On the same day that these German thunderbolts were released, Russian mili- tary leaders fired the enthusiasm of the All-Soviet Congress at Moscow by nar- rating the amazing expansion of the red army. Referring to German plans to train 75,000 aviators, Stalin’s generals announced that the U. S. S. R. would retaliate by training 100,000. Then it was declared that the Soviet air fleet today is the largest in the world, with more than 7,000 available planes, or four times as many as in 1932. Hundreds of new types have a speed of 280 miles an hour and in the near future there will be machines traveling at 375 miles. Powerful as is the combined air force which the German-Japanese allies could mobilize, Soviet leaders contend that the Russians are daily becoming mere and more capable of outstripping anything that could be pitted against them. Japan chooses the same hour to an- nounce her intention of creating quickly an army equal to any force the Soviet could send East for war purposes. To that end, almost half of the 1937-38 Japanese budget is devoted to record- breaking military, as well as naval, ap- propriations. The Japanese say there are already 1,000 red planes in Asia, to- gether with fifteen divisions of infantry and 1,000 tanks. Japan pleads that it must also take into consideration the fact that the United States Army and Navy have 4,000 planes and that the Chinese possess 850. There are reports that Great Britain and France have how exchanged pledges to support each other in case either is attacked. The British have given specific assurances on that score to Belgium. This apparent restoration of the entente cordiale naturally calls for steadily ex- panding armaments on both sides of the Channel. Mussolini has let it be known that Italy will not lag behind in the world-wide orgy to pile up the ma- chinery of war. Under the circumstances, it is com- prehensible and commendable that President Roosevelt is credited with the early intention of using the authoriza- tion already given him by Congress to begin construction of two super-modern battleships for the United States Navy. They would be built, in pursuance of parity policy, to match the ships which Great Britain will lay down immediately upon expiration of the 1930 limitation treaties at the end of this year. Traditions. America, still young, gradually fis gathering traditions. To illustrate the point, “tucking the boys in” has been revived at Alfred University. President J. Nelson Norwood, it has been an- nounced, will visit student residences on the eve of the one hundred and first Founder’s day. His predecessor, William Kenyon, head of the school between 1857 and 1867, established the practice. An old candle-lantern, used in Civl War time, has been resurrected for a modern equivalent of its original purpose. Prob- ably, the “boys” will not enjoy being “checked,” but doubtless their grand- fathers also objected. The idea, however, is a good one. “Early to bed and early to rise” retains its efficiency as a rule of conduct unaffected by the passing of years. It represents an example of folk wisdom hallowed by time and justified by practical results. But even more important fs the grow- ng conviction that a cultural inheritance s worthy of protection. A few decades #go only a small minority of people possessed of large means cared anything about old books, old pictures, old furni- ture, old houses. The craze for novelty ran riot over the land, a madness for what was new and untried dominated the public mind. It was the age of so- called cubism, vers libre of the most anarchistic sort and the hideous dis- sonance of jazs. The spirit of the jungle THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON,.D. C., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1036. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. was manifest in painting, literature and music, if not elsewhere among the civil- ized activities of men. Of course, the contradiction required correction. Grad- ually perhaps, yet surely, law and order are regaining the upper hand. And it is worthy of repetition that those values never are—never can be— accidental in character. They depend upon accumulated conviction. In other words, they are traditions. Without them society would be morally and ethically bankrupt. Anything which influences them deleteriously is harmful in its effect; anything which preserves and strengthens is helpful in its service to the masses. It might be pleasant if the contrary.were true, but no amount of sophistry can alter the facts. America is constructively correlated to its sources as a democratic nation, & community free under the authority of principle. Dr. Norwood and his lantern symbolize an endowment precious beyond the power of words to tell. Duplicate Taxation. The Treasury's factual study of dupli- cate or overlapping taxation by the States and the Federal Government suggests no remedy for a condition long recognized as illogical, inequitable and perhaps wasteful. But the authoritative presentation of some of the basic facts and figures will answer a public demand for such information and doubtless will prove useful when the time comes for concerted action in pursuit of a remedy. The Treasury study reveals that in 1935 the States took $1,049,900,000 and the National Government collected $2,271,400,000 from six forms of duplicate taxation. The trend in the States is toward increasing their imposts in fields formerly reserved, in practice, for the Federal Government or developed as new sources of taxation. In 1930, for example, only nineteen of the States were taxing individual or corporation in- comes. In 1935 the number had in- creased to thirty. Six years ago there were only two States with general sales taxes, while in 1935 there were twenty- five. Twenty-three States imposed ex- cise taxes on tobacco in 1935, as against sixteen in 1930. All except two of the States collect excise liquor taxes, all but one State and the District of Columbia have enacted estate or inheritance taxes. The Federal Government has become a heavy collector of gasoline taxes, along with the States, which derive their chief revenue from gasoline and motor vehicle taxes. President Roosevelt has long urged the need for some separation of the flelds of taxation between the Federal, State and local governments. In a campaign speech in 1932 he made such a separa- tion a necessary condition to the “im- portant task of putting some kind of a limit on the total of our taxes and on the total of our Government debts.” Other individuals and organizations of tax authorities have stressed the im- i portance of a remedy, although the diffi- culties are recognized on all sides. The present picture of taxation in the United States suggests a hodge podge, with all governments seeking new or additional sources of taxation, with frequent trespass by one taxing unit on the field already occupied by another. But this condition is a relatively recent development. Until about 1910 there was little duplication in taxation between the Federal Government and the States. The Federal Government depended chiefly upon customs revenues for its money, while the States restricted their levies to those on property. The World ‘War, with its demand for revenues, was chiefly responsible for diversification in Federal taxes, although the corporation income taxes and, later, the individual income taxes preceded the war. The war revenue act of 1917 imposed a Federal estate tax, plus higher income rates and many new commodity, or nuisance, taxes. And in the spending period after 1920 and the depression period after 1929, both States and Federal Government combed all available revenue producers. In some taxes, such as the gasoline tax, the law of diminishing returns through excessive taxation in some cases has asserted itself. The proposals for remedy include intergovernmental agreement for uni- formity and reciprocal legislation; sep- aration of tax bases, under which certain taxes would be reserved for the States and others for the Federal Government; a system of Federal credits, as in the Federal death taxes, returning to the States a percentage of taxes collected, and the collection by the Federal Gov- ernment of all taxes which it can most effectively administer with apportion- ment of the yleld among the States. Each of the plans has its proponents and none of them, of course, is free from criticism. The President, for instance, has advocated the division of fields of taxation. But this would imply an agreement for limiting the tax to be taken from any single source. Other- wise, excessive, ruinous competition in tax collection would inevitably result. Perhaps the most workable suggestion has come from the Interstate Commis- sion on Conflicting Taxation, which be- lieves that each tax should be considered separately and after agreements have been reached studies should be under- taken to adjust discrepancies between tax sources assigned among taxing jurisdictions and the revenue needs of such jurisdictions. Hoover to Remain. In the face of persistent rumors that J. Edgar Hoover will leave the director- ship of the Federal Bureau of Investi- gation to accept a more lucrative indus- trial post, it is comforting to learn that Attorney General Cummings regards such talk as “nonsense.” While Mr. Hoover undoubtedly has received many attractive offers from outside organizations, events of the past have demonstrated that mo-sapn -ih public office has his job closer’ 8t or has & deeper sense of ility toward & public trust, than has the di- rector of the F. B. I. He has withstood valiantly repeated b assaults by patronage seekers, subversive interests and those who would contami- nate law enforcement with politics, at- tacks which long ago would have dis- heartened & man less sensible of his obligations toward society. Recently widely published reports of his early retirement to private life had been disquieting to those who believe in the “F. B. 1.” of law enforcement. Per- haps the circulation of such reports is a case of the wish fathering the thought. At any rate, the Attorney General brands such speculation as “a waste of time.” He is to be commended for his unwavering support of Mr. Hoover in the Government's remarkably effec- tive war on interstate crime. A spirit of kindness prevails and the wants of children are being studied. Good judgment must be exercised even 4n charity to prevent some little one from receiving a rubber doll when it would rather have a bowl of bread sand milk. ——————— The Monroe Doctrine i8 being studied by modern statesmanship. While it deals with the most delicate political rela- tionships, it is so old-fashioned as to say nothing about having anybody shot at sunrise. — —rate— No man attains favorable publicity to the extent of eliciting cheers from a section of the public without being men- tioned as a presidential possibility. It has already happened to Leader Lewis of C. 1. O. e s et ——— — ‘Wicked pinball machines will be con- fiscated and sent to other nations as an insidious means, perhaps, of undermin- ing morals and thereby weakening morale, e New magazines revive old titles with pictorial magnificence. It may be the lack of an H. C. Bunner, with a mastery of wit and versification, that prevents the revival of Puck along with the rest. ————t——————— China’s immensity is suspected of being able to absorb even the aggressive power of Japan. Uncle Remus’ fable of pugnacious Br'er Rabbit and the Tar- baby may not be without its moral. e Munitions makers are demanding a peaceful gesture, at least to the extent of & gentlemen’s agreement not to shoot up one another’s factories along the water front. wh e gl e There is sufficient restraint available to prevent A member of any proletariat from saying about his particular dictator what dictators say freely about one another. —_——re———— No man can be always wrong. As the generous Christmas spirit expands it re- minds the world that when he said “You can’t shoot Santa Claus” Al Smith was right. — The Gridiron Club will hear speeches from both Roosevelt and Landon with a touch of original variation. There will be no microphone. S Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Human Experience. A lot of chaps with wealth today Can look back on a time When fortune seemed to hide away, Though strength was in its prime, With feeling for your fellow men Your heart will surely throb If you sometimes remember when You didn't have a job. It's time to work with thought and skill To find the way to lead Those who would labor with a will To shun the hour of need. It may be helpful now and then ‘To aid, not pause to sob As you perchance remember when You didn't have & job. A Fault-Finding Life. “A statesman,” remarked Senator Sor- ghum, “has hard work preserving a pleasant disposition.” “He can't be blamed if always cheerful.” . “No. Many people regard it as neces- sary to find fault with him and con- sider it his duty to hunt up things to find fault with.” he is not ‘Taking Ne Chances. “Why did you refuse an offer to go into moving pictures?” - “I'd rather go on,” said Miss Cayenne, “imagining what a great star I might have been, rather than risk realizing what a flop I actually was.” Fashion and Babies. Some of ’em smile with gentle grace, And some appear with solemn face; But every baby that we see Seems what a baby ought to be. We vary manners and attire. Each passing fashion we admire. But babies greet us, unafraid, The creatures frank that Nature made. As older folk appear in state, Features and forms they decorate. Thank Heaven as through this life we range The styles in babies never change! Jud Tunkins says too many of us take life so seriously that we forget about the other fellow whose life is entitled to be taken seriously, too. 2 “He.who is obeyed by the ‘people,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “must learn to make the people believe that he is obeying them.” Sour. Keep on smilin’ if you are Honest in your cheer, Smiles are only vinegar If they hold a sneer. “If you makes s mistake,” said Uncle Eben, “don’t cover it up an’ run de risk of fallin’ twice in de same trap.” A b NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM MARGARET GERMOND. AMERICAN AGENT. By Melvin Purvis. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co. Publishers, in their zeal to capitalize on the sales value of a name figuring promi- nently in the outstanding news of the day, sometimes overstep the bounds of good judgment when they seek to em- phasize the sensational character of a story of important public concern “as told by one on the inside.” Most of the stories in this category, told from the inside, fall short for the reason that their authors are highly specialized in their chosen flelds and are not primarily writers. But if they were left alone their edited material would be far more nat- ural than a story made to order, Prac- tically every one who has achieved ex- traordinary success in a specific under- taking has a worth-while story to tell. And an admiring public can always be counted upon to appreciate the inside story of triumph over adversities, ob- stacles and, too often, lack of public confidence, But in offering to the public these true personal stories of happen- ings which are of vital importance to all conscientious citizens, publishers should be careful to render more free- dom to the specialists and exert less pressure upon the writers—a method which would insure a less burdened and a more exact account. One of the most important essentials of knowledge in America today is an intelligent understanding of the work- ings of the Federal Bureau of Investi- gation of the Department of Justice. Mr. Melvin Purvis, whose outstanding record in its service has won the respect and the gratitude of millions of people, is eminently qualified to give the history of the bureau, to explain the far- reaching effects of its ramifications, Lo set forth the facts concerning the vast amount of work it has accomplished, to present the inside of the sensational story of the round-up of kidnapers and gangsters and to expound upon the bu- reau's ultimate ideal of a society ade- quately safeguarded against terrorism and criminal lawlessness. Mr. Purvis has indeed an intensely in- teresting and a very important tale to tell. And he tells it in a most engag- ing style for the most part. As a whole, however, it bears unmistakable evidence of being the story that the publishers wanted him to write rather than the story he would have written of his own accord, a story written as they wanted it written and not as he would have preferred to write it. This does not mean tnat the book is any less interest- ing in a major sense, but there is some- thing intangible in the manner of its construction which gives rise to the feeling that he could have done better without advice of counsel. x x % 3 There is an amazing and thrilling reality behind the sensational cases which every so often break into the news as a result of the climax of months of labor conducted in secrecy and in mystery by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is into and behind these scenes that Mr. Purvis takes his reading audience as well as into the thick of the intensive man-hunt. He gives a brief chapter upon his early career and the sheer accident of getting a job as a special agent in that branch of service in the Department of Justice which has developed in the past few years to a phenomenal degree of effi- ciency and to an enviable position in the world’s criminal investigation organiza- tions. . No book of this character would be complete without the details of the famous man-hunts which won for the bureau and for its present chief the warm-hearted confidence and respect of the American people. Essential to an understanding of these cases, however, is a knowledge of the history of the bureau and of the rapid growth of organized crime which led to legisiative action giving sufficient power to the bureau to enable it to cope with a situation that had grown beyond the control of local and State law enforcement agencies. Mr. Purvis has included a splendid chapter on the history of the bureau, another on the growth of crime as a profession, one on the underlying causes of crime and two chapters on the subject of kidnapers and murderers. These fundamental chapters do not precede those dealing with specific cases, but are placed more or less in their rela- tion to the expansion of the bureau to meet increasing demands for its services as one gang after another struck terror to the hearts of law-abiding citizens. Specific cases given in detail include chapters on “The Kansas City Massacre,” “The Terrible Touhys, Mrs. Clara Czech, Basil Banghart, Icewagon Connors and Other Celebrities,” “The Affair at Little Bohemia,” “The Capture of Volney Davis,” “The Robinson Case,” “Pretty Boy Ployd” and several chapters clarify- ing the whole history of the career, the long hunt and the final capture of John Dillinger. The names and cases of many other famous criminals will also be found in the gallery of desperadoes, and through all of it runs the story of the patient, plodding, routine job of the heroes of the Federal Bureau of Investi- gation who lost their lives in the per- formance of duty and of those who today carry on with the same unflagging spirit and dauntless courage for which the bureau’s splendid corps of workers is noted. * ok ok * An interesting sidelight on the re- action of the American people to the extraordinary capacity and achievement of the bureau is reflected in the occa- sional bits of information which come to light 'in general conversation to the effect that certain organizations and groups of people have asked for speakers from the bureau to tell them about the work of the bureau and to ask what they can do as individuals and as groups to help in the war against crime. It is possible that the bureau is over- burdened with such requests and that to comply with all of them wduld be an impossible task. But it is a healthy sign that the people of the country are deeply interested and that they are eager to co-operate. Mr. Purvis’ book will help to a considerable degree in giving in- formation and in stimulating thoughtful consideration of the problems which Mr. J. Edgar Hoover and his corps of spe- cial agents have tackled in an inspiring effort to rid this country of the stigms which lawlessness has cast upon it. Finally Demonstrated. From the Sacramento Bee. As far as Comrade Browder’s speaking tour is concerned, it appears to have been the egg and not the hen that came first. Hopeless. Prom the San Prancisco Chronicle. A hunger striker in an Iowa jail quit on discovering he had picked up weight. l:“t“th:t be a lesson, dieters—you can’ Laws and War. the Indianapolis News. e leading naval powers are now ar- to outlaw submarine warfare, has been said, in time of war the silent. " P This is the time of year the calendars and almanacs come rolling in. Despite the fact that they differ very much, they all have one thing in common. The date: 1937, The r.ew year, yet to be, slaps the reader. directly in the face. ‘The mystic rolling of time comes home to one, then, as it perhaps does not do otherwise. Dismiss the subject as one may, there is no doubt that a year is almost gone, another one ready to begin. Fortunately one does not have to ponder the mystery long. Inside the almanac, or calendar, the reader will find standard information, the sort which holds its place with the years, having grown old with America. * % % * Almanacs, in particular, especially of the medicine variety, hold & warm place in the hearts of many. Who cannot recall, as a child, having made a collection of some particular almanac, from door to door, after the distribution? There were tables of weights and meas- ures, signs of the he goat and the twins and the lion—best bait to be used in fishing, times to paint, harvest, ete. ‘Well, they are still in these publica- tions. An unusually well gotten-up one came to desk the other day, and we spent many pleasant minutes going over it. Evidently there is some standard center of almanac culture, where the various intriguing facts used in the tables are dug up. Who, for instance, except an almanac man, would recall that President Fill- more was born on January 7, 1800? Or that the first shot of the Civil War was January 8, 1861?. That the first steam train in the United States came January 15, 1831; Benjamin Pranklin born Jan- uary 17, 1706; Gen. R. E. Lee born Jan- uary 19, 1807? The month also shows the birthdays of Lord Byron, former Emperor William and Henry M. Stanley, the explorer. ‘The month of February gives, of course, Lincoln’s birth, as well as that of George Washington. Henry W. Longfellow, the . poet, we are reminded, first saw the light of day on February 27. 1808. ‘The list is extended through the com- ing 12 months, but there are many other facts presented, too. and some near- facts, such as weather predictions for the entire year. Most of these forecasts are made on an old Indian method, whereby the near- ness of certain signs of the moon to midnight are supposed to indicate just what the weather will be at any time in the future. Position of wind, too, has something to do with it. One may smile at such predictions, but over the days they often ‘hit” it, as, no doubt, they could not help doing. It is a pretty safe guess, for instance, that May 1 to 3—in any year—will be “bright, pleasant,” as the almanac says for 1937. Similarly “clear and cold” will do for almost any December 4 to 6. * % x % ‘TFestimonial almanacs, handled, will intrigue many a person who would not, perhaps, admit to such an interest. One may have a suspicion, or more than | that, that most humans are only too will- ing to expect improvement after taking a medicine. This is, no doubt, as it should be. Hope, after all, and fortunately for all of us, springs eternal in the human breast. when well | ‘When we “take something” for “what ails us,” much to the disgust of the medical profession, without consulting its members, we yet do it as free-born Americans whose bodies as well as souls are, or at least are supposed to be, our own. ‘We are not altogether indifferent to our own welfare; we feel certain that our own views of that welfare cannot be entirely wrong; that we are closest to ourselves, and hence ought to know what is good for us and what is not. All of these “testimonials” cannot be “the bunk,” as the phrase has it; no doubt many of these persons were a bit hasty in their words of praise, eagerly taking any improvement as a sign of cure, but in the main where there is much smoke there must be some fire, let us hope of physical and mental improve- ment. % %% . ‘The names of the towns from which these letters come are as intriguing as the letters themselves. Many of them, the majority, indeed, are names of small places, probably not over 1000 inhabitants, in the main, although that could not be determined precisely except by a reference to a gazetteer in each case. Here we have Grants Pass, Oreg.; Homer, La.; Milligan, Fla.: Glenford, Ohio; Cyclone, Mo,; Yatts, Okla.; Bethel, Kans.; Bible School Park, N. Y.; Edin- burg, Ind.; Dowagiac, Mich., and Leets- dale, Pa. We find Chester, Va., and Buchanan, Ga., and Alpha, Minn. Atascadero, Calif.; Orafino, Nebr.; Falfa, Colo., and Escan- aba, Mich. Hickory, N. C, makes a hit immedi- ately. It has a good, solid sound. And shall we not like Humble, Tex.? ‘We do, and at once. To the point is Vox, Ky. It means “voice,” of course, but one may wonder how it got the name, who was the imagi- native person who selected it, and why? Was he thinking of the “voice of the people,” etc.? The name Shovel Lake, Mich., would seem a strange one, indeed, unless one kept in mind that the Indians of those regions named lakes after the general shape of the bodies of water. In this particular case it may have been white settlers who named the lake, imitating the Indian custom. Good old Hacker Valley, W. Va., comes to view. But how did Opp, Ala., get its name? You explain, because we cannot. Or Humarock, Miss.? Mill Shoals, Ill, seems easy. Polo, Mo, is another inter- esting one. We find Dongola, Ill.; Apopka, Fla., and Hicksville, Ohio. Cynical read- ers may believe the latter unduly honest, ; but it probably is no more than named after Mr. Hicks. We cannot let these names go without putting down Tujugga, Calif. There is a wonderful name for you! * % ox % We confess to an old-fashioned liking for all such booklets, and never find one but what we discover something worth while and interesting in it What we do not believe therein we | accept with a smile, and what we like we rejoice in as much as if it were printed | { on the finest of laid paper and illustrated | with the most glorious of colored plates. Not all that glitters in print is gold. Sometimes the curious delver into the printed word may find a gem of purest ray in what appears at first to be a valueless leaflet. It is true that this does not happen very often; but that is the reason it ap- pears all the better when :t does happen. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. President Roosevelt's tumultuous re- ception in South America, first at Rio de Janeiro and then at Buenos Aires, is reminiscent of the thunderoug greet- ings showered upon President Wilson in Paris, London and Rome on the eve of the Peace Conference 18 years ago this month. They were the triumphal days when the American statesman’s European prestige was at the zenith. It was in the midst of them that his great friend, the late Senator Ollie James of Kentucky, cabled Mr. Wilson a joshing message to “hwrry home, or they'll pro- claim a republic over here!” Mr. Roose- velt is not going to make Mr. Wilson’s fateful blunder of outstaying his wel- come on foreign soil. History may record that if the World War President, after casting the spell of his personality upon allied Europe, had come home and let the Paris conference develop without his dominant presence, far more lasting peace foundations might have been laid than the author of the 14 points was destined to see realized. President Roose- velt’s presence in Buenos Aires for the duration of the conference would un- doubtedly have been welcome to our Latin American neighbors, but he never had any intentions of that sort. Roose- velt policies will be submitted in Argen- tina, but the job of promoting them will be left exclusively to Secretary Hull and the rest of the American delegation. * x % % ‘Washington, politically moribund since Congress adjourned for the national conventions last June, is beginning to be itself again. Vice President Garner has returned to the Capital to keep a watch- full eye on things for the “boss.” The fight for the Democratic leadership of the House, with Representative O'Connor of New York and Representative Ray- burn of Texas in battle array, has al- ready become one of the most spectac- ular congressional contests on record. Investigations, favorite indoor sport of Capitol Hill, are also about to get under way. Senator Wheeler's Interstate Com- merce Committee inquiry into raliroad financing is scheduled to begin next week. Senator Lonergan’s Campaign Funds Investigating Committee will clear for action again at an early executive session. Senator La Follette's committee, which is probing strike breaking, labor espionage and otber infringements of civil liberties, will resume hearings late in December or early in January. On the House side preparations are in progress for intensive study of tax mat- ters by the Appropriations Committee in conjunction with the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation. From this survey may emerge a comprehensive revision of the Federal tax structure, with a view to removing inequities and plugging loopholes. * x x % Another direction in which Washing- ton will soon assume an old-time aspect is concerned with that most ancient of American political jssues—the tariff. It will bob up in consequence of the ad- ministration’s request for renewal of authority, expiring in June, to continue its reciprocal trade program. Incl tive Democrats who don't want Con- gress to surrender its historical preroga- tive as the tariff-making power. New Dealers stress the substantial improve- ment in export trade resuitant from reciprocity, especially with Canada. Em- phasis will also be placed on the su- preme desirability of promoting eco- nomic peace among the nations at this | sorely troubled stage of world affairs. * * % x Something bearing a cousinly resem- blance to “coalition government” in miniature exists in Washington through the circumstance that several important Federal posts are in the hands of Re- publicans originally appointed under G. O. P. rule or later commissioned by President Roosevelt. Conspicuous among these officials are Robert Lincoln O'Brien, chairman of the United States Tariff Commission; Brig. Gen. Frank T. Hines, administrator of veterans’ affairs; Gov. John G. Winant, chairman of the Social Security Board; Col. Charles H. March, chairman of the Federal Trade Commis- sion, and Richard N. Elliott, acting con- troller general of the United States. The dean of Republicans still flourishing in high places is Gen. Hines, who has been in office since 1923. In certain cases they retain their commissions because - of statutory provisions for bipartisan rep- resentation. in the Government agencies with which they are connected. Secre- taries Wallace and Ickes both rated as Republicans in pre-New Deal times, xxx % Little Ecuador enjoys temporary am- bassadorial rank at Washington along with the limited group of bigger coun- tries which permanently have that status here. Senor Capitan Colon Eloy Alfaro, who has been Ecuadoran Minister to the United States since 1933, is clothed with ambassadorial authority and title for the duration of the boundary negotiations between his government and Peru, now in progress in Uncle Sam’s neutral Cap- ital. Pan-American authorities here- abouts shivered this week when news came that Ecuador was threatened with a military revolution. Had it assumed serious dimensions, it would have cast an unfortunate pall over the feast of brotherly love just getting under way at Buenos Aires. Chilean recognition of Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia is a sort of rift in the lute. * ok x Representative Martin F. Smith, Dem- ocrat, of Washington plans to sponsor legislation in the incoming Congress looking to establishment of a labor tribunal for peaceable settlement of in- dustrial differences and the prevention of strikes and lockouts. His ideal is & law that would rigidly protect alike the rights of workers, employers and the public. Mr. Smith thinks the arbitra- tion act adopted by Great Britain fol- lowing its famous general strike a few years ago might serve as a mode! over here. Whatever is set up, the North- western ntative favors a Federal agency fitted with a full set of teeth to enforce its rulings. *x x New Jersey G. O. P. leaders are evi- | mother and father on road tours. 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, Frederio J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. What is the name of the summary of the daily actions of both houses of Congress?—J. B. A. The journal in which the daily business of Congress is reported is the Congressional Record. Q. How many copyrights have been ngsb;red in the Library of Congress? A. The 1935 report states that during the 65 years since the copyright work became a business of the Library of Congress, the total number of entries has been 5,766,708. Q. What city has the largest number of Christmas savings accounts per capita?—E. H. A. Washington, D. C., residents have established the largest number of ac- counts per capita in the country. Q. What town in Texas is known for its turkey trot?—W. A. A. Cuero is famous for its annual tur- key trot, when 10,000 or more turkeys raised in that vicinity are driven on foot through its streets to market. Q. How long have England and Scot- land been under one sovereign?—M. W. A. Scotland and England were separate kingdoms until 1603, when the King of Scotland, James VI, succeeded to the English throne. Thereafter, Scotland and England have been ruled jointly by one sovereign. James VI became King James I of England by right of succes- sion and not by conquest. Q. What is the wing spread of a large albatross?>—C. H. W. A. The albatross, which is the largest sea bird. attains a length of 4 feet, a | weight of 25 pounds, and a wing spread of 17 feet. Q. What is the name of the college in the South that is giving a course in humor?—W. H. A. The University of Florida at Gaines- ville has a course designed to develop a sense of humor. It is listed in the catalog as “types of humorous litera= ture.” Q. What is a Bokhara rug?>—C. F. A. Bokhara rugs are woven by tribes living in Bokhara, a district in Central Asia, north of Afghanistan. They are made of fine durable wool with a liberal mixture of goats' hair. A Bokhara rug may be recognized by its wide selvages and long fringes at the end and by its octagonal patterns on a field of rich maroon or dull crimson. Q. Where was Eugene O'Neill, Nobel Prize winner, born and where did he receive his education?—W. F. A. Eugene O'Neill was born in a Broad- way hotel in New York City on October 6, 1888. His father was James O'Neill, actor, noted for his performance in “Monte Cristo.” The playwright's first six years were spent accompanying his The next six years he attended Catholic boarding schools and in 1902 entered Betts Academy at Stamford. Following his graduation in 1906, he matriculated at Princeton, but was suspended before the end of the year because of some prank. In 1914-5 he studied at Harvard as a member of Prof. Baker's famous 47 Workshop class. Q. How many amateur photographers are there in this country?>—B. W. A. Approximately 12.000,000, and it is estimated that they take more than half a billion snapshots a year, exclusive of their moving picture footage. Q. Is there such a business as renting shirts to men?—K. H. D. A. There is a business of that kind in New York City, operated by a towel sup- ply company. There may be similar en= terprises in other cities. Q. Do men more often shake hands upon meeting than did 75 years ago? —R. E. L. A. The custom of hand-shaking Is more commonly observed today than it was in the 60s. Q. How old is Leon Trotzky and when did he first go to Russia?—T. G. A. Trotzky was born in 1879 in South Russia. At the age of 20 he was exiled to Siberia, escaping in his third year of his four-year sentence. In 1907 he went to London, thence to Vienna. Paris, Spain and the United States. He left New York for Russia in 1917, in March. Q. What proportion of the people in this country wear spectacles or eye- glasses?>—B. C. W. A. About one person out of every five. Q. How did the practice of taking straw votes or polls in political cam- paigns originate? Who started it? 8. €. V. A. There is no authentic record of the first straw vote. The practice doubtless grew out of the desire of party leaders to get a line on the prospective vote at an election, and is as old as party ore ganization. A poll made by party work- ers is in effect a straw vote. Q. Do people still buy snuff?>—H. M. W, A. In 1935 sales of the three principal snuff-manufacturing companies totaled more than $3,000,000. Q. What is the height and weight of Martinelli?—H. G. A. Giovanni Martinelll is 5 feet 8 inches in height and weighs 198 pounds. A Rhyme at Twilight . By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Winter’s Imprint. ‘The Winter stamps its impress On withered stalks ol A weight that bends them low. Yet though they may lie broken, Their roots in the warm earth Snow safely blankets under: And, oh, the ceaseless wonder When Spring gives them new birth! —_— & stepping stone to the White House for one president of Princeton and say- ing that Dr. Dodds has the stuff to make history repeat itself. He is a Pennsyl- vanian by birth, 47 years old and wholly inexperienced in politics, though he has taken an active part in surveys of State and looal t in New Jersey. (Copyright, 1936.) A\l