Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1936, Page 8

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THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTO D. C, MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1936. _A-8 L NG _STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, DECEMBER 28 1886 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. December 28, 1936 THEODORE W. NOYES. -Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. ©Chicago Office: 435 North Michigan Ave. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition, BE (when 4 Sunaays) The Evenins and Su (when 5 Sundays) The Sunday Star.. Night Final Edition. Nieht Final and Sunday Star--_-70c per month ight Final Star __ 65¢ per month Collection madeé at the end of each month. Orders mav be sent by mail or telephone Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. {ly and Sunday...1 yr., $10.00; 1 gl]l nlfly s 1 yr, §6. 1 Bunday only. -45¢ per month ~-60c per month - 65¢ per month --b¢ per copy mo., 85¢ $ mo., 50c $4.00; 1 mo., 40c All Other States and Canada. Dafly and Sunday..1 yr. $12.00; 1 mo., $1.00 Daily only__ 1 yr. " §R.00% 1 B¢ Bunday only’ yr., $6.00; b0 0 Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise Credited in this Daper and also the local news published herein. All_rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. The Price of Peace. Diplomacy has been called the art of ruthless opportunism—practical politics, whereby advantage is taken of the other fellow’s vicissitudes or necessities. Such statecraft has come to be associated with the name of Machiavelli. It is not lack- ing in the elements of blackmail, but so many countries have resorted to it that custom has clothed the system with quasi-respectability. From inception of the Spanish civil war it has been widely suspected that Germany and Italy were not interested in the triumph of Fascism as such, but saw in the clash of rival political ideol- ogles a chance to fish in troubled waters. As long as they threatened to intervene on the insurgents’ behalf, the Fascist powers had a brow-beating bargaining point with Great Britain and France, which opposed intervention because of the danger to European peace. To date that peril has been avoided, but it sud- denly became imminent with indications that Germany was contemplating send- ing Franco 60,000 troops, which would assure rebel victory and establish Ger- man military power on Spanish soil. Realizing that such a development would require French counter measures and probably precipitate war, France, in & spirit of practical statesmanship, is seeking to purchase peace from Ger- many by offering to give back those of the Reich's war-lost African colonies now held by France under League man- date. Chiefly concerned are Togoland and the Cameroons, embracing 200,000 square miles and raw materials of . which the Germans stand in dire need. In return, besides cessation of military ald to the Spanish Fascists, Hitler would be required (1) to agree to “full and lasting settlement” of European political and economic problems; (2) to participate in controlled disarmament; (3) to renounce territorial claims within Europe, and (4) to co-operate with the rest of the world in a program of eco- gpomic rehabilitation. The Nazis' longing for restoration of @Germany’s colonial empire is undis- guised, but as their desires far outstrip the concessions France proposes, it is highly problematical whether Togoland and the Cameroons will satisfy them. Berlin covets the former German pos- sessions in Africa tenaciously held by Great Britain, If by chance Hitler were to accept the drastic French condi- tions, he would testify tangibly to his professed readiness to keep the peace. The price he would receive for doing 8o, compared to the boon it would confer upon a war-fearing Europe, would be low. Perhaps the drawback about coming %0 such terms with Germany is that she .might be encouraged to exploit future "pretexts like the Spanish tragedy as opportunities for extortion of other con- cessions, political or territorial. ' Urged by imperative economic necessities, and .in possession of an increasingly power- , ful war machine, the Nazis unquestion- ably are in mood and position to con- gfront Europe with imperious demands as the price of peace, Taking an in- telligibly realistic view of that prospect, {¥France feels it the part of common sense to attempt to buy Germany off Defore it is too late. s —_———————— .~ *Bootleg coal” is disturbing Pennsyl- ¥ania mine owners, Even if coal were intended by Divine Authority to be free, there would be no way to prevent the human element from interfering in the process of distribution. —————— Relief demands will be unlimited if the Government is required to take care of all the legitimate actors whom the movies have left out of jobs. President Roosevelt has plans for maintaining peace in the entire Western Hemisphere, which must be regarded by the agitated earth as a pretty good start. Pending District Bills. Proposed local legislation on which the Commissioners will ask the opinion of citizens in a public hearing today includes a variety of bills that for one reason or another failed of enactment in the past session of Congress. On at Jeast three of these measures there should be no doubt as to the Commis- sioners’ decision. The Sunday liquor sales bill was pro- posed by Representative Dirksen of Illi- nois, referred to & subcommittee in the House District Committee and never re- 'parted. The bill would extend the sale of hard liquor from mldnl‘ht Saturday %0 8 o'clock Sunday morning and would permit the “on sale” of liquor after 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon. Sentiment in behalf of passage of the bill is mani- festly commercial. Its effect would be to ‘weaken the regulations existing at pres- ent; to ‘encourage and to increase the sale of liquos, The bill should be and doubtless will be opposed by the Com- missioners, The Juvenile Court bill was approved in the past session of Congress by a subcommittee of the House District Com- mittee, which conducted hearings and Rroposed certain modifications. It never was placed on the House calendar be- cause of the approaching end of the session. It previously had received the approval of the Commissioners and a distinguished body of experts on Juvenile Court practice, here and in other cities. Its purpose is to make the local Juvenile Court conform with established concepts of Juvenile Court functions throughout the country. The Commissioners should piace the bill high on their list of rec- ommended measures. ‘The amendment to the gambling laws, with special reference to the “numbers racket,” was permitted to be smothered in a subcommittee of the House District Committee despite the recommendations for action by the police and the prose~ cutors. The Senate passed the legisla- tion. The amendment is needed to cope with a widespread gambling game, with its ramifications indicated by a new gangster element in Washington. Exist- ing statutes were written long before the numbers game was played, and the lack of any law drawn with the numbers game in mind has handicapped the po- lice and the prosecutors. The bill should be indorsed by the Commissioners and urged by them for early enactment. Divided They Fall. It is an old saying that a house divided against itself cannot long exist. The same thing is true of political parties. The divisions in the Republican party began more than a quarter of a century ago. The wedge was small at the start— with the senior La Follette as its cleav- ing edge. While Republicans of the West became more and more inclined to the La Follette view of public policy, there ‘were other Republicans, particularly in the East, who became more and more stubbornly attached to the doctrines of the Hales, the Aldrichs, the Cranes and the Lodges. It was inevitable that sooner or later, unless some unifying force could be applied, they would pull the house down. The present low estate of the Republican party is due in part to the fact that the followers of La Follette and other. progressives have flocked to the Democratic standard in recent elections. The job which confronts Chairman Hamilton and other leaders of the G. O. P. is to draw together what re- mains of the party and to win back the former Republicans who have deserted. It seems an Herculean task. And yet there is one solidifying factor which perhaps must be taken into account. If Senators and members of the House and other elective officers in the States are to continue to be electpd, the party whose nominees they are must continue to show signs of life. Either that or they must set up a new party or join some other. Senator La Follette of ‘Wisconsin has solved his problem, at least temporarily. He and his brother, Gov. Philip La Follette, have organized a Progressive party of their own in the Badger State. But there are other Re- publicans of the West now in office who are skating on ice which becomes thinner and thinner as the prestige of the G. O. P. wanes, : It is possible for the Western Repub- licans, if they desire, to join with the La Follettes and the Shipsteads of Wis- consin and Minnesota in the formation of a new national Progressive party, pro- vided the Progressives and the Farmer- Laborites determine that it is wise to launch such a party. It is something the Progressives have been dabbling with for a long time. Only the fact that President Roosevelt and the New Deal Democrats have stolen most of their thunder has prevented such action in the last four years. Or these Western Republicans might even decide to go the whole route and join the Democratic party. The only other alternative seems to be to stick by the G. O. P. and try to stage a comeback. . There has been some indication that the more stiffnecked conservatives of the Republican party have softened; that they are willing to go along with their more progressive brethren, If that be the case, then perhaps some ground can be found upon which these discordant ele- ments in the G. O. P. may come together, Certainly, there is little reason to believe that the progressive Republicans will cast aside demands for “liberalizing” the party—certainly not at this particular Juncture, . The progress the Republicans make in the coming session of Congress, progress toward unity of action, will be watched with interest the country over. If there 1s to be no unity of action, then what can be expected of the Republicans out- side of Congress? If there is to be no unity- of action, if there is to be only more and more discord, the days of the Republican party may be numbered. A jocose feature of print used to be a awarded to a farmer who gave his son 5 cents to go without his supper and then got up in the night and stole the nickel out of the boy's pants. In such & con- test today the prize would be claimed by the man who went on relief, even though he did not need the money, The Basques. News from Spain revives interest in s fascinating problem of anthropology and ethnography—the unanswered and per- haps unanswerable question about the origin and early history of the Basques. ‘Who are they? Whence did they come to their present homes in®the Western Pyrenees? Are they racially as well as culturally isolated from their neighbors near and far? The challenge of these interrogations is compelling, yet a mere corporal’s guard of scholars has elected to grapple with it. Other riddles appear to be preferred by the majority of arche- ologists, philologists and folklorists. But the Basques themselves do not complain, Indeed, they take pleasure in A the mystery of which they are part. They call their tribe the Eskualdunak or “those who possess the Eskualda”—s tongue which “does not belong to the Indo- European language family at all and is probably very ancient.” Some of their customs, ceremonies and games are so distinct as to be practically without parallel anywhere in the world. The- orists of a generation ago presumed that, as a people, they represent a survival of certain Upper Paleoiithic types, mostly “long-headed” and, in the imagination of some, allied with the lost Cromagnons. A curious social trait, discernible throughout the whole chronicle of his- toric times, is the Basques’ insistence upon independence. It may be that they have endured because they were endowed with an instinct to be self- sufficient. In any case, they have emerged from all manner of changes largely unchanged. They are moun- taineers and sailors by tradition, hermits by deliberate choice, occupying a “tierra apartado’—a “land spart” from both Spain and France. Their juntas con- stitute the only governmental organiza- tion they have been willing to recognize. When all the rest of Southwestern Europe has submitted to dictation, they have continued to preserve their in- tegrity undiminished. Royal edicts and the legislative procedure of the Cortes have meant nothing to them. As late as 1713 they still made treaties with foreign powers in the name of their own republican institutions. It is natural, of course, that the Basques should be artists. Their cos- tumes, for example, are picturesque. In their hills are iron, silver and gold which they mine and fabricate with rare skill. ‘Their cider is famous, and they are cele- brated for their wines. But, above everything else, they are distinguished for their manner. They carry them- selves with an air; they are proud and chivalrous; they practice a philosophy of living joyfully and gratefully. And it amuses them to be a problem unsolved and perhaps insoluble, ————— Madrid provides opportunities for sky fighters of all nations. Once renowned for the grace with which strangers were welcomed, the only general hospitality Madrid now has to offer is a free-for-all fight. —_————————— A habitual politician knows no senti- mental restraint. There is no expression of faith or idealism that he cannot distort into an argument looking ‘0 material advantage. —_— r——————— Sending troops into Spain could not be regarded even by the arbitrarily origi- nal Hitler as a convincing form of “Happy New Year” greeting. —_———————— Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Father Time. Old Father Time came prowling near. I saw him and I shed a tear. Then Father Time began to sigh Like wintry winds that sweep the sky. And such a face of woe he wore ‘That in my weeping I forebore, And in deflance of my grief In laughter light I found relief. And when Old Father Time observed That I from melancholy swerved, He quenched his tears and very soon His face was smiling at the moon. His moods, I found, with mine would go. With all his family ‘tis so. ‘Times good or bad themselves reveal, According to the way you feel, A Sign of the Times. “How do you know that statesman is losing his grip on popular favor?” “The magazines,” replied Senator Sorghum, “are putting new names into the anecdotes in which his has figured for years.” Songs and Sighs. 80 swiftly the weeks seem to hasten along, There is scarcely the space for a sigh or a song And Fate will seem kind if with care they draw nigh e ‘With enough of the song to outbalance the sigh. ‘We've seen Merry Christmas and shown how our skill Is sufficient to conquer the Wintertime chill. “Happy New Year’s” at hand, and the birthdays draw near To turn us toward memories that we hold dear And then for a change we shall see, by and by, The splendors aflame of the Fourth of July. And so, as together we journey along, Let's forget every sigh and remember the song. For, as well as glad days to the calendar known, : not at all hard to make some of our own. It is Driven From Home. “T don’t see why Charley spends his evenings at the club,” said young Mrs. ‘Torkins. “It's your fault,” replied her mother. “You will insist on buying him gor- “geous-colored smoking jackets and neck- ties and then inviting the neighbors around in the evening to see how funny he looks.” - Greatness. “What is your idea of a great author?” “A great author,” replied Miss. Cay- enne, “is one whose works you have to pretend you have read, whether they bore you or not.” ¢ Oh, pleasure may itself refute As for its gifts we call;: THE POLITICAL MILL = BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. How far is the administration going in the matter of reprisals, growing out of the recent political campaign? There has been a great deal of talk about an “era of good feeling.” Generally speak- ing, the country, which is emerging from a period of depression, would be inclined favorably to such an era of good feeling. If there are to be reprisals, however, the feeling of the_country may change, The only evidence, so far, from Democratic sources, that there are lo be reprisals, is the notice to Senator Rush D. Holt of ‘West Virginia that he is to be stripped of Senate patronage. He is to lose the right to appoint some of his constituents to jobs in the Capitol itself. He has been so notified by Senator Hayden of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Patron- age Committee. P Senator Holt is a Democrat. He had the termerity to attack the manner in which relief and relief jobs were being distributed in his State and in Penn- sylvania. It was not clubby. Certainly during a campaign year it was not clubby. He even went so far as to have a con- ference with Gov. Alf M. Landon, the Republican nominee for President, and at the conclusion of the conference to declare that Landon was a pretty good fellow, or words to that effect. This, in the opinion of the Senate Democrats, was lese majesty. He is to suffer accord- ingly. So far there has been no evi- dence that Republicans who were critical of the administration are to suffer beyond the ordinary. Disciplining of a Democratic Senator by the party in power may appear to be entirely natural. But whether it is wise or not will be revealed by subsequent events. The Democratic party as it is now constituted is composed of many and diverse elements. Whether it can hang together during the next four years remains to be seen. They rallied strongly about President Roosevelt in the last election. The presumption is, however, that the President will not again be a candidate to succeed himself in the White House. If that is correct, the next candidate for President of the Democratic party must slso be able to rally these various elements of the voting population. The Republican party, back in 1924 and 1925, undertook to discipline the late Senator Bob La Follette, the late Senator Ladd and others who were unwilling to go along with President Coolidge in that campaign. They were not very strenuous in their disciplining, however. But such as it was, it did not get them very far in the end. In that same year a Democratic Senator, Senator Burton K. Wheeler, ran for Vice Presi- dent on the ticket with Senator La Follette. Did the Democ:ats at that time undertake to discipline Sexator Wheeler? They did not. He was welcomed back into the party, and there he has re- mained, although a progressive always. * % x Senator Holt, the youngest Senator to be elected or to take a seat in the Upper House since the days of Henry Clay, is a dynamic young man. He, moreover, is a Senator of the United States, and as such has considerable power. The rules of the Upper Houss have not yet been changed materially. A single Sena- tor can cause great grief to the majority party when pet measures are up for consideration. The late Senator Huey P. Long of Louisiana is a case in point. Senator Holt may not be a Huey Long, nevertheless he has the same oppor- tunity for causing trouble. From all that has gone before, Senator Holt may yet prove a fly in the ointment. Much will depend upon how he takes the “re- prisals.” If he swallows the disciplining by the Democratic Senators, that is one thing. If he does not, it may be dis- tinctly something else. * X X X There are other indications that all may not be “beer and skittles” for the Democrats in the coming Congress. Already there are signs of disagreement among the Democrats. Not all of them see alike in the matter of appropriations for relief, not in the matter of the reorganization of the executive depart- ments and independent agencies of the Government. There is a group which earnestly believes the time is at hand to use the pruning knife. This goes both for relief and for the proposed reorgan- ization of the Government departments, Harry Hopkins, the head of the W. P. A. and the chief distributor of Federal relief, for example, has very different ideas from those held by Senator King of Utah and by Senator Byrd of Vir- ginia. The President so far has indi- cated that he, too, believes there should be a dimunition of the appro- priations for relief. The pressure for continued- big appropriations for relief doubtless will be very great. Whether the President and the Congress will be able to withstand this pressure is yet to be determined. * * X ¥ In the matter of Government reorgan- ization the President already has said that he believes much can be done to bring greater efficiency in administra- tion. At the same time he has said that he believes little can be accom- plished in the matter of economy—that is, in the matter of cutting down ap- propriations or eliminating agencies that have been created. Apparently it is his purpose to bring about consolidations in the Government service, to bring about a rearrangement of the various agencies without eliminating those now in exist- ence. This does not, however, conform to the desires of some of the Senators and Representatives who are out to use the pruning knife. * % ¥ ¥ ‘The administration may seek to estab- lish some new and perhaps permanent policy regarding relief; it may produce some new formula dealing with a situa- tion that has threatened to get out of hand, as evidenced by the strikes of W. P. A, workers and the projected march on Washington of the workers now on relief rolls. This is one of the real problems which confronts the ad- ministration. Not many persons believe that the Federal Government can con- tinue to spend money for relief on the present scale. On the other hand, many people believe that much of this relief should be turned back to the States for them to handle. * % %% Few elections take place next year. Among them, however, are the choice of mayors in some of the great municipali- ties, for example, New York and Chi- cago. New York City has a tremendous voting population—equal to that of the rest of the State, which is the most populous of the 48 States. What New York City does is always of interest to the rest of the country. The present Mayor of New York was elected on a Fusion ticket, with the Republican nomination in his pockef. He was entered in a three-cornered race, with 8 Tammany candidate and' a candidate who was recognized as having the back- ing'of Chairman James A. Farley of the Democratic National Committee. Mayor La Guardia must make up his mind whether he is to be a candidate to suc- ceed himself and also whether he is to be the of the Republican party candidate, or whether he is to run as a progressive, { President or supporting int Roosevelt, even whether he is te strive for the nomins- L - One of the happy come-backs of the past year, and especially of the holiday season, was the disc record business. Electrical recording is coming into its own, with electrical reproduction, but the same records may be played with great satisfaction on older instruments. The old phonograph is by no means dead, as many a person has found out. Hidden away in attic, or basement, or in a corner of the living room, the phono- graph was put into commission again in many homes this Christmas. Just what is responsible for this vogue is not altogether clear perhaps. Modern recordings are wonderful, and their electrical reproduction far ahead of anything ever known. But many will feel that certain psycho- logical features play an important part in this revival. For one thing, the re- corded music has no “blurb.” It does not insist that you patronize anything. It is not forever dinning into your ears how fine the piece of music is, or who wrote it. ‘You are supposed to be interested enough in music to find out such things for yourself. Every record is a subtle com- pliment. ‘Then, oo, there is the urge to play what you want when you want it. “I Want What I Want When I Want It,” an old musical comedy “hit,” might very well be taken as the theme song of this revival. Over the radio the listener must take what he finds on the air. Often much the same sort of thing is coming into the home over practically every station on the dial. Records permit, now as always, the se- lection of music to suit exactly the mood of the moment. There is in music something for every mood. That is one of its glories. From the dashing, pulse-stirring march, to the lullaby, and the waltz, every wish of the temperamental listener can be gratified. This is to know and possess music at its best. The magical bow of the master violinist would seem entirely out of place in a parade. The thrum of the ukulele would not do in church. Yet for every mood of the human mind and heart there is some music, played by some instrument or combination thereof, or sung by some voice or voices, which just suits the oc- casion. Whether we demand tears or laughter, we find some melody divinely made for the occasion. %% What a marvelous instrument was, and is, the old phonograph. If there is one secreted around the house somewhere, dust it off, put a little polish on the finish, and rub it down carefully. The chances are 100 to 1 that in a few minutes it will look almost like new. As for the mechanism, it is timeless. -Some of these old boxes are 15 to 20 years old, yet almost without exception, all stand ready at a moment’s notice to play sweet music. The reproducer, the heart of the affair, seems to be able to resist all weather and every other influence, including tempera- ture changes, which might have destroyed its usefulness. As for the sound chamber, that was so carefully constructed long ago that even the dryness of the average modern home in Winter seems to have left it without crack or mar. By the time radio appeared on the popular scene (1923) the phonograph had been worked up to a point of great ef- ficlency. The motors which hummed around inside, in most instruments, were as “fool-proof” as a mechanical thing could be made. Thelr great coll of spring was 30 well packed with graphite that it was able to withstand many years of serv- ice. A few drops of oil, now and then, might not have gone amiss, if the owner had known exactly where to put them. Mostly he did not, so he never put them anywhere. The old phonograph did not mind at all. It stands today, as of old, ever ready to play a tune for us. Of course, the older types needed attention —thank God! It is this very feature, we believe, which is bringing more and more people back to the phonograph, either in its old form or the new. One had to do something, one’s self, and that means a great deal in such a world as this, wherein one gets out of life about what one puts into it, more or less. The pro- portion is not always plain to see, but more or less it exists. Selecting a record, and brushing it off, putting it on the turntable, adjusting the needle, maybe turning the crank, all these were and are manual actions, with just the right proportion of mental energy needed for recreational purposes. The very selection of the record to play brought into being a whole chain of re- actions, based solidly upon one’s musical training and perception. One really played a part in what went on. Nobody here tellng the listener what he was about to hear, and who was fur- nishing it. There was no booster voice, no “blah,” no intrusion of personalities. Just sweet music, maybe a little sour, now and then, since recording was not perfected, but, in the main, just music, sweet music. * ¥ x x And what a marvelous thing, to take that old phonograph out of its hiding place, and find it just as capable as ever of matching our mood. ‘These old records, so0 carefully put away 50 long ago, and almost forgotten, but not quite. How every note, every breathing pause, every scratch, is just as it was long ago. These records, old style, have suffered the zero temperatures of the past three years (out our way) without other pro- tection than an unheated garage. Yet not a crack is to be seen. There is scarce a trace of dust in the grooves, so well have the paper jackets protected them. Nothing except fiber needles were ever used upon these records. One is placed upon the turntable, where it made so many rounds in the past. Hundreds of times it was played. But today it starts as of old. The listener holds his breath, just for 8 second, for fear something would be different. But no, the reproduction is perfect. The clear, sweet voice of the great so- prano comes into being again. It is here now as it was in the past. Not perfect, let it be understood, in the recording. Nothing that is human is perfect. But near enough to that divine iceal of per- fection which faulty man cherishes to himself over the centuries, near enough to bring the tears unbidden to the eves. Can the radio ever do this? One may wonder. Because this record was a per- sonal selection from many, to meet the needs of a human life. Out the darkness, into the light, comes this old instrument, with its wonderful old records. It has been dead, and now it lives again. It lives in beauty and light. If man, the imperfect, can give life to the lifeless thus, he must believe that the record of his own life can and will be played again, in & way and a time he knows not, but has faith in. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Holiday week finds at its zenith the political truce which has prevailed in Washington since November 3, but it also foreshadows the possibly early end of that “era of good feeling.” There is no lack of indications, either at the Capitol or within the administration orbit, that fireworks of more or less lurid nature are due to set in promptly with the convening of the new Congress and the advent of the second Roose- velt term. Portents of conj lonal ruction are the bitter fight over the Democratic House leadership and the widely divergent views prevalent in both branches on such vital issues as relief, neutrality, budget-balancing and power policy. There are also distinct possibili- ties of storm and stress in the un- precedentedly unwieldly Democratic ma- Jorities in House and Senate alike. Whether administrationists will be able to keep their host of followers in line for White House programs and policies on all occasions becomes more prob- lematical from day to day. The oppor- tunity and temptation to form insurgent blocs are ever present when the dom- inant party marshals the overwhelming strength which the Democrats now pos- sess, and especially when there are well- defined cleavages along moderate and radical lines. * % %% While Roosevelt pilots exert them- selves to keep the boat from rocking at the legislative end of Pennsylvania avenue, certain ripples begin to show that the President himself is destined to face conditions which before long ‘may call upon him to choose between rival pressure groups within the ad- ministrative branch. Controversy ap- pears to be revolving primarily around the anclent and basic question of whether F. D. R, now that the depres- sion emergency is & thing of the past, should steer left or right. Matters have not yet reached the point of an actual showdown between the opposing of thought, but -various developments are cropping up which point to the imminence of & clash that will require stern presidential decisions. The net result may be significant changes of personnel in a number of key positions directly or indirectly involved in the contest for supremacy between eager re- formers and middle-of-the-roaders. President Roosevelt so far gives no sign of perturbation over the subterranean rumblings. ER . John Dickinson, latest New Deal top- ranker to take flight from the Federal scene, may be heard of some day as one of the leaders of a movement to reor- ganize the Democratic party on some of its traditional lines. The former Assistant Attorney General in charge of anti-trust prosecutions was .a loyal Rooseveltian during his successive tours never “judicious progress,” rather than im- petuous methods, in the “extirpation of evils” In his book, “Hold Fast the Middle Way—An Outline of Economic Challenges and Alternatives,” Dickinson tion of the Democratic party. He reg- istered as a Republican, but he sup- ported Roosevelt in the last campaign. The Republicans did not like this. It seems, however, that La Guardia is the only candidate who might have s chance to win next year in a race against the Tammany, candidate, L takes as his keynote Goethe's definition of a liberal as one who “contents himself in this ever-imperfect world with what is good until time and circumstances favor his attaining something better.” His admirers believe that Mr. Dickinson, still in the early 40s, decidedly is future Democratic presidential timber. He has a marked flair for politics and is an effective public speaker. He will again become a resident of Pennsylvania, now catalogued as a Democratic State. *x % ¥ Washington officials, including others than the Interstate Commerce commis- sioners who voted to deprive the rail- roads of the emergency freight sur- charge advantages they've enjoyed since April, 1935, profess confidence that the carriers are unduly alarmed over the 1. C. C. decision. The opinion prevails that lower freight charges will work out to the profit of the railroads in the form of increased traffic, just as de- creased passenger fares did, and that current anxiety will prove to be just as unwarranted as the fears aroused when passenger rates were cut this year. Au- thorities predict that the railroads will now recapture much of the freight busi- ness they lost to competing trucks. % %% Attorney General Homer Cummings is about to join his fellow cabinet officers, Secretaries Ickes and Wallace, as an author. His name will appear on the title page of a volume to published in New York next month, called “Federal Justice—Chapters in the History of Justice and the Federal Executive.” Mr. Cummings’ collaborator is one of his special assistants, Carl McFarland. The book will deal with outstanding events in the annals of the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court and pre- sumably touch on certain constitutional aspects of current importance. LX) One of the results of the late Inter- American Conference is the formation of & brand-new and highly exclusive or- ganization to be known as the “Circle of American Friendship.” By resolution adopted at Buenos Aires, the circle will be composed of outstanding men in each of the 21 American republics and will meet periodically in Panama. The idea originated with Haitl. President Arias of Panama has been assigned the task of perfecting the details of organization. In creating the circle, the conference set forth that “the good neighbor policy makes obligatory more intimate and more constant association among emi- nent men of the Americas.” *x k% Current thrests of war in Europe and the Far strengthen the probability that lent Roosevelt will loud-pedal peace as the keynote of his inaugural address on January 20, provided he doesn't anticipate himself in his message 4o Congress =2xt week. The underlying argument of any proposals the President may make would be that what the American republics have just accom- plished in laying peace foundations in the Western Hemisphere can be dupli- cated everywhere if there’s a real will for a warless world. Some authorities wouldn't be surprised if F. D. R. gives the formal lead for an international new deal as far-reaching in its scope as the reform program he projected for ‘Washington revenue officials are keenly interested in the announcement that the largest and oldest bank in Bermuda has decided henceforth to refuse the C B ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any Qquestion of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau. Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D, C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Is there a newspaper published in Matanuska Valley?—G. W. 8. A. The only paper published in the Matanuska Valley in Alaska is the Mata- nuska Valley Pioneer. This paper, a weekly, was first issued in mimeographed form on January 1, 1936. On October 20 the first issue in printed form appeared. Q. How many calories should a boy of 14 eat, according to his own weight? . H A. A boy needs about 25 to 35 calories per pound of his body weight each day, depending on how active he is, Q. What official position does Stalin hold in the Russian government?— R.L.T. A. The function of Stalin has no parallel in America or in any govern- ment, for he is not a government official. He is the chief analyst of the “party line” which takes precedence of all con- crete laws and orders. Q. If a person starts to work in 1941, will he pay 1 per cent or 12 per cent into the retirement fund?—A. E. B. A. According to the provisions of the social security act, salary taxes in the calendar year 1941 will be at the rate of 1'% per cent regardless of whether the employe just began to work or whether he had been working since 1936, Q. How long has the Children’s Bureau been a part of the Government?—W., H. A. The Children’s Bureau was estab- lished by law of April 9, 1912, Q. Was George Du Maurier, author of “Peter Ibbetson,” an artist?—E. H. A. For many years he was an art contributor to Punch. He also fllus- trated many books and contributed drawings to a number of magazines, 3;‘ Yhnt is meant by a time deposit? A. This is a deposit of funds with 2 bank, under an agreement that the bank shall be entitled to the use of the funds for a definite period, or until a certain number of days have elapsed after notice has been given of an intention to with- draw the deposit. Deposits in savings banks are normslly time deposits. Q. How long have bees been bred in this country?—C. H. A. The honerbee was introduced into America more ihan 300 years ago. Q. Where is Cathay?—W. B. H. A. This is the name by which Marco Polo designated a part of Asia, probably North China. Q. Please give a good definition of occupational therapy.—E. G. R. A. Occupatienal therapy has been de- fined as the icience of organized work for invalids @ as a form of remedial treatment corsisting of various types of activities, phyical or mental, which re- lieve a patieat temporarily, or which either contribite to or hasten from disease ir injury. It is essential that occupational therapy be carried on under medical supervision and that it be consciously motivated. Q. Why is 1 certain kind of picture writing called cuneiform?—W, H. A. Cuneatic means wedge-shaped or arrow-headed, and describes the general appearance of the characters, Q. Why was Jonathan Edwards dis- missed as pastr of a church in North- ampton, Mass.i—W. R. A. He was orlained in 1727 as minister of a Northampon church and was dis- missed after 23vears because of his in- sistence that 10 unconverted persons ::n:luld be allowei to approach the Lord's . Q. When dinilg with a man does a woman give he order direct to the waiter>—W. R. A. The woman tells her escort what she prefers and he in turn gives the order to the waitr. 5 3 cQ'i.WhM: gives mmethyst its color?— A. Amethyst is a variety of quartz which has a violetblue color caused by the presence of peloxide of iron or man- ganese. Q. How can a conpany secure rights to divert water abow Niagara Falls?— F.E. K. = 0 A. A treaty betwen Canada and the United States has n signed which limits the amount o water that may be diverted from Niagda Falls in relation to the cubic feet peisecond. All of the amount has been allgted to private com- panies on the Americn side, and all but :’dvery small amount, on the Canadian e. | Q. Is there a morument to Astrid, Queen of the Belgiant?—E. H. A. One is to be erecled in Brusels. It was designed by Suzaine Silve: of New York and shows the Queen Wth her three children. ———t—. A Rhyme at Twilight Gertrude Br:?h HamiLu Winter Trees. Rugged, gnarled old fellows these Bare-boughed trees; With their forks and twists and anjes, From which dangles Here and there a yellowed leaf Held in flef By these lords of massive girth Sprung from earth. Like tall seneschals they stand At command; Lest the winds, their ancient foes, Lay them . — custodianship of funds from Ameris and Canadians who seek to evade va ous types of taxation in the Uni States. The bank will in future cept only “legitimate” accounts, and n longer maintain a hospitable ltt.ltud\ toward the movement of certain capital from the United States and Canada tq Bermuda and the Bahamas, which se in about three years ago. The amounts in some cases have run into substantial | figures. The new policy does not apply | to Americans or others who have their | permanent homes in Bermuda or live | there a large portion of each year, even though retaining United States citizen- ship. Such persons will continue to be able to avail themselves of privileges now to he withheld from outright taz- dodgers who make no secret of their " coopright, 1086)

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