Evening Star Newspaper, January 8, 1937, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morfing Edition. WASHINGTON, P FRIDAY Jlnuary s, 1937 THEODOKE W. NOYES The Evening Star Newspaper Company. lig St and Pennsyivania Ave New Fork Office: 110 East 47nd St Chicago Office: 435 North Mlchu-n Ave. Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition. Evening and Sunday Siar ki 5 ber month or 15¢ per week The Biening Star 45¢c per month or lflc D'l’ week The Su day Star Ser copy Night Final Edition. Night Pinal and Sunday Star—-__ Nignt Final Star - 7h5¢ per month "Collection made at the end of each month or each week. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- ohone National Dl‘()lb 70c per month Dally and Suncay i1 mo. $) 20 aily only_ .. i 7 1 mo., unday only o sghe 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 Paper and also the local news published herein All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Judges as Investors. The president of the United Automo- bile Workers at Detroit has challenged the right of a circuit court judge of that Jurisdiction to issue an injunction upon the “sit-down" strikers at a plant of the General, Motors Corporation on the ground that he is the owner of a large block of the company stock. He declares that the disclosure of this stock holding is & “most shocking one” and that the legal counsel of the union has been directed to bring the matter to the attention of _the State Bar Association with the view of the impeachment of the judge and his disbarment from the profession. ‘The judge does not deny the accusation of stock ownership, but holds that it did not disqualify him from participating ! in the hearing of the application for an injunction nor from granting it. This raises an important question. Is a judge to be debarred from participa- tion in the hearing of any case in which he has any flnancial interest through the ownership of stock? If so, is he not debarred from the holding of any stock whatever, inasmuch as in these days of widely ramified business interests there is always possibly present in cases in- volving property and working rights a relationship, potent or remote, conceiv- ably affecting the attitude of the jurist in his hearing and disposition of cases brought before him? In this case there is a specific statute which bears upon the matter. A section of the State laws provides: “No judge of any court shall sit as such in any case or proceeding in which he is a party or in which he is interested.” Naturally a stock ownership in a corporation which is party to a suit constitutes an “in- terest.” It would seem that in such a case the sitting judge might well hold himself ineligible and decline to hear a petition, seeking the substitution of an- other for himself for the immediate hear- Ing and decision. But beyond the particular case in point the question arises whether, with such a statute on the books, a jurist can with entire safety engage of any kind of stock ownership. Must he eschew all opportunities to invest his surplus cap- tal in the securities of business corpora- tions which may become engaged in litigation? Is there a limit to his main- tenance of a personal endowment? The field of investment is wide. Attractive investments, assuring good returns, in- volve interests in very nearly every line of business and manufacture. If a judge eannot invest without running the risk of involvement in possible prejudices through his securities holdings, he either must limit his investments to a small range of financial goods or he lessens his usefulness on the bench through possible disqualification. This Michigan case draws attention to a condition which may require a more exact definition of the rights of jurists - 8s citizens and more explicit distinction between these rights and the duties and responsibilities of judicial officers. The ideal suggested by the action just taken * in challenging the right of this partic- ular judge to serve in a case in which he held a possible interest through stock ownership is that judges should make no investments of any kind, live upon their salaries alone and trust to annuities or insurance for maintenance beyond the range of those salaries and for the . benefit of their families after they have passed away. B — : There are many readers who miss the * fine points involving relative financial values of players and mathematical cal- culations as to how fast a man can run while a sphere of given density is being thrown from one point to another. There ghould be a correspondence school for fireside instruction in base ball. ———— e Much important legislation is con- templated under conditions of social un- certainty. The most the Republican ele- phant can expect from the Seventy-fifth Congress is an alibl. * Franco-Turkish Crisis. As if the Spanish conflict and its at- tendant international perils were not enough to preoccupy a disturbed and dis- tracted Europe, a new source of danger has suddenly developed in that tinder box known as the Near: East. “France and Turkey are at serious odds over & strip of territory abutting the Mediter- ranean in the far northwest of Syria, which the French hold under League mandate. The Turkish press, which, of course, only reflects the sentiments of the dictator-president, Kemal Ataturk, s already talking about “the lengths to which Turks have decided to go to defend their honor” and in the same breath discusses the possibility of war. ‘The Paris government, admitting that tension has arisen, stands firm and indi- cates it will not yield to any agitation at Istanbul or Ankara, no matter how bellicose. ‘The danger zone is r; so-called San- THE }u\'lfi.'] NG jak of Alexandretta. Turkey covets con= trol of the district, though it is wholly within the mandated area, because eighty per cent of the population is Turkish and because the port of Alexan- dretta is the outlet for an important part of Asia Minor, through a branch rail- road that runs to the sea. The present dispute dates back to 1935, when France granted Syrian demands for establish- ment of an independent republic under French protection. Turkey insisted that the Alexandretts region, which includes ancient Antioch, be made independent of Syria and pressed the issue, although proposed autonomy for the country is not due until 1939. Neither direct Franco-Turkish diplomatic negotiations nor League intervention, following pres- entation of the controversy to the Coun= cil in December, have brought about an agreement. France contends that the status quo cannot be altered except in the regular course of League procedure. Current agitations reflect Turkish dis- content with allegedly dilatory French tactics. They are supposed to have been spurred by the Anglo-Italian accord and the fear that Britain might aid Musso- lini in gaining certain advantages over Turkey in the Mediterranean or the Aegean Sea. R Toward Highway Safety. A step of major importance in the di- rection of highway safety through uni- form traffic and safety regulations has just been taken by the Interstate Commerce Commission in its promulgation of safety regulations applicable to interstate busses and trucks. The great advantage of the regulations is their uniformity and the fact that their effectiveness is not limited by the inadequacy of some of the laws in the States which have been backward in enactment of sound traffic regulations. It is not too much to hope that the traffic code for busses and trucks in interstate commerce will eveniually become the instrument for a national safety code, and the fact that some forty State legislatures are meeting this year provides an opportunity for valuable progress in that direction. The authority for the Interstate Com- merce Commission’s traffic regulations comes from the motor carrier act of 1935. The regulations just announced have been the subject of prolonged and careful study by the commission, and while they have become public now they do not become effective until July 1, 1937, al- though the special rules for the reporting of accidents will apply after next April. Last July the commission issued a booklet of proposed traffic regulations and gave it wide distribution for the purpose of obtaining criticism and com- ment. The result is represented in the regulations just made public. Some of the regulations—such, for in- stance, as speed limit—are governed by the laws of the individual State. But most of them will apply everywhere, re- gardless of State laws. There were about 26,000,000 motor vehicles at the end of 1936 using the streets and highways of the Nation and in the process creating an annual loss from deaths, injuries and damage to property exceeding $1,500,000,~ 000. The proportion of the accidents involving motor carriers subject to safety regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission is, of course, unknown. But in addition to the immediate effect of uniform and carefully enforced regula- tions on the interstate carriers them- selves, the safety regulations should have a real and beneficial influence on the situation in general. One of the objects of these regulations has been to lay adequate stress on the basic elements of safety, such as the selection of qualified drivers, sound driving rules, adequate brakes, lights and other accessories and, a very important element, the thorough and Intelligent reporting of accidents and their causes. The uniform regulations of the Inter- state Commerce Commission have done much to enable the Nation's railroads to achieve their fine record in safe trans- portation of passengers. There is room for great hope that the highway regu- lations and their. strict application and strengthening will work toward the same effect in motor vehicle transportation. A ghost writer for a popular radio comedian sued for an unpaid bill of $250,000, but dropped dead before the case was settled. If the bill had been paid without a quarrel he would prob- ably have dropped dead sooner. —_——mt————— Everybody is eager to learn. Some- times there are fears that senatorisl in- vestigations are prompted by natural curiosity as to how so much money can be made by so little apparent effort. o f Many aspiring painters have been aided by W. P. A, which doubtless re- grets that it cannot pay Andrew Mellon rates for productions. If second-hand planes continue to fig- ure in international business, the next war will be fought not only in the air, but in the junk shop. Wedding at The Hague. The people of America gladly send greeting to the people of The Nether- lands on the occasion of the marriage of Princess Juliana and Prince . Bernhard zu Lippe-Biesterfeld. A royal romance has culminated in & wedding which en- lists the good wishes of the world at large. The Dutch nativn has anticipated the nuptials of the future Queen for years. Typically a Holland woman, she is re- spected and admired throughout Europe. Wherever she has traveled her friends are legion; at home, she is popular with all classes. She resembles her mother, but more particularly carries on the tra- dition of her grandmother, beloved Quesn Emma—one of the truly great ladies of modern times. Naturally, Prince Bernhard is less widely acquainted. Until the Olympic meet at Garmisch-Partenkirchen he was simply & name in a list of German no- bles: But he has been made welcome in the country in which he now is to make his homs. His energy, cheerful- 4 STAR, ness, modesty and earnestness have won him friends on every hand. As consort of a constitutional sovereign he is ex- pected to be successful and helpful in the highest degree. The Netherlands is a happy spot on the map of the old world, and the page of history which has just been written there should be—and providentially will be— bright with a sunshine which is not dependent upon any calendar. Such is the expectation and the hope of the American public. Mr. Ely’s Retirement. The statutory retirement of Selden M. Ely has been announced by the Board of Education with many pleasant ex- pressions of regret and of appreciation of his praiseworthy accomplishments in the forty-five years of distinguished service he gave the schools. He has been not only the “highly honored and beloved school officer” described in the minutes of the board, but he has been & valuable and constructive worker in the interests of a better community. His duties as a supervisory principal of one of the larger school divisions never kept him confined to the class room or administrative office. In addi- tion to participation and leadership in community civic affairs, his work in or- ganization of the Boy Patrols, in co- operation with the police and the Amer- ican Automobile Association, hgs brought him Nation-wide and even international prominence in this highly successful effort to protect school children from the hazards of traffic. He was one of the pioneers in the development of what we now know as the “opportunity classes” in the schools for handicapped children and it was largely through his efforts that the first “open window” school in Washington, for undernour- ished and tubercular children, was estab- lished as the predecessor of the more recent health schools. Though his active career in the school system comes to an honorable close through retiremen{, the “statutory age” finds Mr. Ely enjoying good health and does not terminate his activities as a citizen and loyal, useful Washingtonian, — e e Spain retains enough interest in bull- fighting to provide for killing a bull after one fight, because he becomes more dan- gerous as he learns by experience. Actual fighting must be peculiarly distressing to a public so systematically solicitous about its safety-first programs. — e John D. Rockefeller is right in shoving his long-life limit beyond the 100-year mark. Human existence was never more interesting than at the present time, ———ee—————— It will be a triumph indeed, if Dr. Tugwell can eventually reveal the mo- lasses business as a perfectly conducted enterprise, r—ons Shooting Stars. Y PHILANDER JOHNSON. Mediation. Said January, one chill day, “Some mutual friends have we, ‘Who I believe with gentle May Will help us to agree. “For here comes February bold And March with boisterous cheer, Who as the wintry tale is told Whistles as he draws near. “And April with her gentleness Perhaps a tear will shed, Or smile to lessen the distress Of those 'mongst shadows led.” 8aid January, “We must turn To good friends, for a while, And even gentle May will learn To greet us with a smile.” Seeking Appreciation. “Are you going to educate your sons to become United States Senators?” “I am,” answered Senator Sorghum. “And also my daughters. The only way for a man to be honestly appreciated by his own family is to let it under- stand the trials he has been through in order to make am honest living.” Jud Tunkins says unemployment fis a great problem, but around his house it's just a habit. Reflections in a Restaurant. Oh, the oysters are not so inviting And the soup and the fish aren’t much, ‘The chef seems inclined to be slighting Each dish that he chances to touch. The roast isn't what you expected And the service is marked by delays. But cheer up! You've not been neg- lected— How sweetly the orchestra plays! The strains of a beautiful ballad With keenest enjoyment are heard, 8o who shall find fault with the salad Or speak with disdain of the bird? Mere food is not worth admiration, ‘While art is a thing to adore. Don’t eat, but observe with elation The dancers trip out on the floor! “To forgive an enemy,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “may fail to make him your friend. He may regard you as lacking proper respect for & would-be foeman.” A Cynical Reflection. “You don’t seem to care for the numer- ous compliments extended to this work of yours” sald the admiring friend. “No,” replied the artist, “in order to secure a firsi-class advertisement, a pic- ture has to be roasted.” Home Delivery. To Congregs once I longed to go. But now as speeches men bestow As gifts to mortals here below, I sit beside the hearth aglow And sm content because I know Il hear them on the radio! “A man is mighty unfortunate,” said Uncle Eben, - “if he's one ¢’ dem folks dat thinks dey can't show deir inde- pnd‘fi wifout actin’ sassy.” WAS HI\' S TON, Why No “Social Justice” For Domestic Seryants? To the Editor of The Star: In this wonderful new age of social justice that people talk so much about, why doesn't somebody in Washington do something for us who work in private homes? When there are' so many men and women in public life making themselves so busy fixing everything up lovely for the poor men who have to work eight long hours a day in factories, why do they not do something for us who work from 12 to 16 hours a day, and at low wages, t00? Don't they care anything at all for us, the most underprivileged of all working people? Or is it because they never even think of us as human beings, but only as machines, or maybe slaves? Why do some of the Congressmen talk so much about shorter hours and human rights for the poor working men and never a thing to help the women in domestic service who need their help so much more? Is it necessary to work in factories to get the Government in- terested in helping people? Three years ago many of us were work- ing for a couple of dollars a week, when the N’ R. A. was in force. Although we are getting some more money now, the hours are still the same, as long as the lady cares to work us, which is never less than 10 or 12, even if she is kind and considerate, though in many places it is as high as 15 and 16 hours a day. And there was never the least effort to help us under the N. R. A. And our work is so hard! It is the same thing about this social security. There is so much sympathy and help for the people who work in fac- tories, but nothing at all for us who work in homes. Yet we, too, will get old some day, and maybe sick and out of work, and probably sooner than factory peo- ple, for we work twice as many hours. ‘Why don't they do something for us, too? It is so cruelly unjust, when we need it all so much more. Isn't there any- body in the Government who really cares about social justice for the people who work in private homes? If not, then they should stop this hypocritical talk about helping the oppressed working people and this “grand new age of social consciousness and human rights!” But why doesn’'t anybody care about us? FRANCES McMILLEN, Cleveland, Ohio. r——— Higher Pay Needed for Lower-Bracket Employes To the Editor of The Star: In a recent issue of your paper I read an article concerning some agitation by United States Senators for an increase in pay for Government employes in the lower pay brackets. As I am one of the employes in the lower pay brackets, I am very much interested in the final outcome of this plan and therefore I submit for your consideration the follow- ing suggestions: A great many of the lower paid Gov- ernment employes have for many years been in the lowest pay station in a grade, although their efficiency rating has entitled them to advance in pay to the middle or higher pay station. I am in grade 3, C. A.-F, and my rate of pay is $1,680. Six years ago I was ad- vanced to this grade and tcok the posi- tion of an employe who was transferred to another branch of the Government. My pay has been the same for six years and the pay of my predecessor was $1,800. I am married and have three small chil- dren and have to rent a home. I cannot balance my budget on my present pay. 1 suggest a campaign by your paper to bring about the correction of in- justices suffered by the lower paid em- ployes in rates of pay. I believe a peti- tion for our just deserts and a living wage should be circulated throughout the Government departments for signature by the lower paid employes, such peti- tions to set fourth grades, rate of pay, employes marital status, number of de- pendents, etc., would help. Such petition to be addressed to the Congress through the President of the United States. ANDREW J. ROBERTSON. Oakton, Va. ———— “No Parking at Any Time” Signs Evoke Strong Protest To the Editor of The Star: Some high-pressure salesman must have sold Commissioner Hazen on the idea of buying “No Parking at Any Time" signs in gross lots in order to save money. Now he has a surplus and does not know where to pyt them; so, with a scratch of the head and a point of the finger, he spreads them all over the District, using no thought or consideration what- ever as to how many people it affects or what disturbance he causes in taking such a step. I am a resident of the Chastleton Hotel and I spend at least 15 minutes every evening doing my utmost to find a park- ing space, not to mention the wear and tear on my nervous system. Then, in order to add injury to insult, they put “No Parking at Any Time” signs between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets on the south side of R street. I am just won- dering if we could not persuade Com- missioner Hazen and his associates to furnish us with ¢sky hooks” on which to hang our automobiles when we return from the officc. GEORGE S. BROWN. Hospital Service Needed for 11 Folks in Capital Suburbs To the Editor of The Star: Is it an old Virginia custom to let poor people die for want of hospital care? So the doctors in this vicinity and in ‘Washington tell me. I inquired because & white woman in a neighboring cottage lay at the point of death. Doctors agreed that it was essential to get her to a hospital if her life was to be saved, but there are no free beds, nor reduced rates, for* Virginia (or nearby Maryland) pa- tients in District hospitals, and of course no hospitals at all in this locality. ‘To a Yankee this condition seems un- civilized, not to say un-Christian. Even in the Hawaiian Islands, where I have recently lived, there is hospital care for the needy poor of all races. It seems to me that the Virginians must still be living in their more or less glorious past. When are they going to wake up to the scandalous present? ELISABETH McSHERRY. McLean, Va. Hopes No One Will Now Disturb “‘Rubber Stamps’ To the Editor of The Star: Once again we have with us the world's greatest collection of rubber stamps, or assemblage of “yes men.” It is devoutly to be hoped that they may be permitted to pursue their labors in quiet and peace; that no burly war veteran be allowed to frighten them with his gruff language or threats of political re- prisals; that the suppleness of their spines be not exposed to the ruthless ravages of cold-blooded lobbyists, and that as a reward for their implicit obedience to the orders of their master on the Avenue, they be not disturbed in their usual childish amusements such as ignoring minor traffic . regulations, ine sistence of their rights to claim immue nity for their relatives and friends, etc., JOHN C. WRBSOR. D. C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1937. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, Fattest squirrels in all the land live out our way, feasting at their leisure on seeds and grains intended for Wintering And what frauds these rodents really are, after all! Here they have been played up to man- kind over the centuries as such master savers, burying nuts against s day of want, when all the time they are just wasters, if one may believe the evidence of these particular specimens. ‘There is so little intelligence in their hiding of foodstuffs that perhaps nine- tenths of it is lost before they get back to it, yet they have been held up to mankind as great examples of foresight. Consider that fine fat fellow with the white border on each side of his tail. Of a pleasing medium gray, with some brown mixed in, he was lured beneath & feeder by a handful of raw peanuts. PR .wild birds. ‘The nuts, it was believed, would keep him busy eating. P;nr surely squirrels like peanuts, it was said. They do. indeed, but rather to hide than to eat. Perhaps this fellow was so well fed on bird food, particularly the seeds of the sunflower, the cardinal's favorites, that he did not have much appetite that day. At any rate, he only ate two raw pea- nuts. ‘The remainder he started to hide. This business took him about 10 min- utes, during which time he personally conducted and hid more than 24 nuts, one at a time. These he scattered over the entire lawn. They were cached (a good word which should have an accent mark on that last “e”) at a distance of perhaps 10 feet from each other. Wriggling his little nose, his tiny ears standing more upright than ever, Old Man Squirrel dug feverishly at the grass, poked in the food and frantically gave it | & few pats to smooth it down. He repeated this process time after time, but never stopped to eat again once he had begun his time-honored labors. CRE R When the last nut was buried he climbed up the stake to the feeder plat- form and there spent the next hour eat- ing bird seed. It was impossible to believe that this fellow would ever know just where he had buried his finds, or that he would find | them in good shape if he could. These peanuts had no outer shells, being covered simply by the light tan or brown thin skin. Surely a few weeks | just beneath the surface, subjected to | rain and cold, would tend to make them somewhat different and undoubtedly in- ferior to their state 2t planting time. No squirrel, of course, could know about this. Their intelligence does not go that far. We have repeatedly offered them bits of milk chocolate, which they have hid- den in the earth with the most solemn | air, as if doing something of vast im- portance. There can be no doubt of the im- portance of this act to the squirrels. Nature and instinct combine to tell them to bury what they find beyond their immediate needs. ‘They have no way of knowing that pieces of milk chocolate would be wrecked in a few days in the earth. | Perhaps they have no taste whatever for this delicacy, but smelling it to be food of some kind, think it will come in handy in the future. ** %% It has been said that each squirrel kes eight attempts to bury a nut before actually stowing it away in the ground. That, it is said, is to throw possible observers off the scent. The squirrel described above made no attempt whatever to go through such a routine or to decelve any of his fellows, although there were half a dozen of them flirting around the yard at the time. Some one may ask why these did not get a share of the raw peanuts. The answer is simple. The original holder would not let them! Every time an intruder made bold to approach, tempted by the fine odor of the peanuts, which must have been over- powering strong to a rodent, the squirrel with the fine white borders to his tail made & vigorous ahort run at him. In time, evidently, the small pile of peanuts was looked upon as his exclusive property, which was respected even when he was away in the yard burying the nuts one by one. % ‘There was one very little fellow, also with white on his tail, who evidently was a chip off the old block. Each time the fat fellow ran out into the yard this little fellow sneaked back through the fence and snatched a nut. He was gone each time before the other returned, so that it was proble- matical whether the big fellow ever knew any other squirrel had a paw in his feast. ‘The smaller one of these two squirrels finally took up a position on the tray of a feeder within a few feet of the window. He afforded a very fine and very close view of himself for as long as we wanted to look, which was for several minutes, for it is not often that one gets a chance to observe a squirrel so still. These energetic, highly nervous ani- mals are so perpetually on the move that even when one is feeding them by hand it flirts around’ so that a “good look” is rather difficult. But this small squirrel was hunched up on the feeder, raking through the pile for the favorite sunflower seed. What a splendid, picturesque creature | the ordinary squirrel is, to be sure! The | fine, short black whiskers are never noticed except when the animal is still | and close. The harmony of coloring, the shading from dark gray to light, and into light brown and some cream and white, the touch of very light mouse- gray on the ears, and the magnificent tail, these are features fo be seen at close range to be appreciated. A squirrel is just a rat, in a sense, with a very big tail, but surely he has some- thing in his appearance which no rat ever had, something which sets him apart in the rodent scheme of things. ‘The rat has so colored man's outlook upon the rodents that he forgets how | charming one of this family really may be, until he sees a squirrel at close range. But watch out for those exceedingly sharp teeth! Unless you are skilled at handling wild creatures and utterly un- afraid, we advise doing as we do, watch- ing squirrels through a window and let- ting it go at that. They are picturesque | and interesting enough in any event and in any place. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. If deafening applause for Mr. Roose- velt'’s presidential message admonition to the Supreme Court—generally trans- lated as meaning “liberalize, or else!"— was any criterion, the new Congress is prepared to go the limit in support of any “means” the President proposes for safeguarding New Deal objectives. Time | and again, during successive thrusts in the direction of the judiciary, members burst into fervent demonstrations of approval. The President’s manner, while lacking nothing in forcefulness, was on the whole restrained. At no point did he raise his voice to an emphatic pitch except when declaring that “while the statute of N. R. A, has been outlawed, the problems have not. They are still with us.” Because Mr. Roosevelt did not specify the “means” he favors for pro- ducing greater judicial “enlightenment” within the framework of an unamended Constitution, speculation runs riot as to exactly where we go from here. Politi- cians are completely up in the air as to | whether the President has in mind legis- lation to curb the court’s power, or en- larging the bench so as to guarantee modern and progressive construction of the Constitution—or what. x ok X % It goes without saying that House and Senate reacted eagerly to Mr. Roosevelt's reminders of the legislative prerogatives of Congress. Some of their heartiest plaudits were evoked by his assertion that it was the “definite intent and ex- pectation” of the founding fathers that “a liberal interpretation in the years to come would give to the Congress the same relative powers over new national problems as they themselves gave to the Congress over the national problems of their day.” Representatives and Sena- tors, too, naturally lapped up the presi- dential bouquets about the co-operation of Congress in meeting depression emer- gencies. The emaciated battalions of Re- publicans still extant as a rule were un- moved listeners to the plea for judicial liberalism, although they joined respect- fully in the handclapping which greeted Mr. Roosevelt’s appearance and the con- clusion of his ‘address. Congress is de- stined presently to become the arena of heated discussion and division whether New Deal concepts can be realized with- out constitutional tampering, as the President holds, or whether amendment is desirable, as Senators Robinson and Asburst think. * ok % % Few contemporary presidential reports on the state of the Union were ever marked by such a lack of concrete rec- ommendations as distinguish the Presi- dent's first communication to the new Congress. Their absence confirms the understanding that Mr. Roosevelt, true to his custom, will present legisiative proposals in individual messages from time to time. He believes that the stu- dious attention of both Congress and the country can best be secured by this method, rather than by the old system of lumping together an indigestible mass of plans and programs in the annual executive encyclical. * x % % Mr. Roosevelt’'s message touches in broad outline on neutrality and mili- tarism, but he is clearly reserving for his ingugural address whatever far-reaching plans and hopes he has for bringing about a better international order. The view persists that the President con- tinues to think of pointing the way towsrd some dramatic international effort for peace and himself taking the lead in it. If he cherishes any such idea, Mr. Roosevelt must ardenty hope that Europe will keep the dogs of war chained up for at least another forte night, so that there would still be some purpesé in an appesl wkh would be a dud if the Spanish crisis meantime flares | into an Old World conflagration. * * x % Italy’s alert new Ambassador, Signor Fulvio Suvich, was sole occupant of the Senate diplomatic box while the neu- tralitv resolution was being rushed to ! passage. The Fascist diplomat must marvel, as many Amerieans do, at the unquestioning alacrity with which the | Senate enacted the measure. From sad experience, Europe is familiar with the oppositional habits of the world's great- est deliberate body when asked for advice and consent in foreign affairs. ‘The two major rebuffs suffered by the Roosevelt administration were Senate rejections of the World Court protocol and the St. Lawrence waterway treaty. Foreign Relations Chairman Pittman probably hopes that the greased-light- ning neutrality job is an omen that the Senate is going to give a different ac- count of itself in the international do- main. Many think the Supreme Court decision affirming the executive preroga - tive in that field has borne prompt fruit in the temperamental treaty-making branch of Congress. * ok ok % One of the interesting House new- comers is Representative Henry Teigan, Farmer-Labor, of Minnesota, who re- turns to the Capitol after having first known it 14 years ago, when he came | here as secretary to leather-lunged Senator Magnus Johnson. Mr. Tei | native Towan, and newspaper man bv profession, was one of the rising young factors in Northwestern politics 20 years ago as secretary of the National Non- Partisan League. He enters Congress after a term in the Minnesota State Senate. In the budding third party movement among the baker's dozen of House Farmer-Laborites and Progres- sives from Minnesota and Wisconsin, Mr. ‘Teigan, who represents a Minneapolis district, is destined to play a leading part. * kX X ¥ Among new occupations and profes- sions represented by freshmen members of the Seventy-fifth Congress is chicken hatching, with which worthy industry Representative Elmer H. Wene, Demo- crat, of New Jersey is identified. Mr. ‘Wene, who operates a baby chick hatch- ery at Vineland, is a former president of the International Baby Chick Asso- ciation. He succeeds to the Atlantic City seat 50 long held by Ike Bacharach, whom he defeated in November. Though de- prived of Bacharach’s influential repre- sentation at Washington the “Shore” has another spokesman of its own in the person of Jersey’s new Democratic Sena- tor William H. Smathers, whose home town is the resort city. * ok k¥ Prior to submission of the budget mes- sage to Congress today President Roose- velt held his usual “school” for Wash- ington correspondents. At the White House yesterday afternoon, in accord- ance with the custom established three years ago, he communed in heart-to- heart fashion with 1?;;10"',1“ n:.mhou reportorial specialty lers) and explained, amid free and easy krckling, what's what in Uncle Sam’s | va3t expense accoun iccount. (Copyright, 1937.) Task for Airplanes. Prom the Chicago Daily News. Motor cars brought good roads, but airplanes have the bigger task of abol- ishing fogs and mountain ranges. Sad Choice. Prom the Sacramento Bee. < Mivver taxis are being used in Madrid for rescue work. The refugees nppu- ently have no choice between shaken or b”'n to bits. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any questior of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. In the Matanuska Valley in Alaska how many days in a year do they have & temperature above freezing?—S. W. A. The climate of the valley runs a yearly average of 102 days without frost and as many as 130 frostless days in a year have been known. Q. How many Federal civil service em- ployes have been retired? What is their total retirement pay?—J. L. 8. A. The Civil Service Commission says that the total number of persons retired since the retirement act went into effect. in August, 1920, is 77.634. The humber of persons now on the rolls is 51900. The annuities paid at the present time are approximately four and one-half million dollars a month or fifty million dollars a year. Q. Do all dentists straighten teeth?—R. B. A. Of 70,000 practicing dentists in the United States, about 22,000 are doing teeth straightening in some form, but it is said that of this number only 6 per cent have studied orthodontia. Q. What is the postal rate for letters carried by the China Clipper?—J. W. J A. The rate of postage for mail carried on the China Clipper is 25 cents for one- half ounce to Hawaii, 50 cents to Guam undertake to | and 75 cents to the Philippines. Q. Is there a memorial to the late Senator Bronson Cutting of New Mex- ico?—J. W. R. A. A national memorial committee is planning a series of lectures in Wash- | ington om political and economical sub- Jjects to continue the ideals and work of Mr. Cutting. The pian of the lectures was described by Senator Cutting's mother as the most useful, constructive and appropriate memorial to her son. Q. How many tons of 5-foot coal are there in an acre?—H. T. A. Coal in a 1-foot vein runs about 1,000 tons to the acre. In a 5-foot vein it would run about 5,000 tons to the acre. Q. Is the new San Francisco Bridge more than 5 miles long?—A. B. A. The San Francisco-Oakland Bav Bridge is 8'« miles long from the end of the western approach to the end of the eastern approach. The bridge proper, including island crossing, is 23000 feet long or approximately 4': | miles. Q. What are the main features of th~ Costigan anti-lynching bill?>—S, G. A. The Costigan-Wagner bill provides | heavy fines, or imprisonment, or both, for officers failing to be diligent in apprehending and prosecuting lynchers, for those conspiring to kill a prisoner, and fer those who allow a prisoner to be taken from them. The State is given 30 days after a lynching in which to act against the lynchers; the United States District Court has jurisdiction. Counties in which lynchings occur may be fined $2,000 to $10.000, the money to go to the victim's family. Q. How much snow does it take to run the indoor ski-run in Madison Square Garden, New York City?—E. R. A. A huge ice-machine grinds 500 tons of snow weekly for the indoor skiing. Q. How are congressional investiga- tions started? Can the President order one?—R. E. V. A. Congressional investigations are started by a resolution of the House or Senate. The President might recom- mend, but he could not order one. Q. Who first used movies?—0. J. H. A. D. W. Griffith is credited with having introduced the close-up. “close-ups” in the Q. How many locks has the Panama Canal?—W. N. A. There are 12 locks in the Panama Canal. The locks are connected by gates which are opened as the ship is towed into the lock and closed after it has entered. Starting at the sea level channel the first, second and third gates are opened and the ship is towed into the first lock. Then the second and third gates are closed, the lock filled with water by gravity, then gate four is closed | and the water is let into the lock until it reaches the level of the third one. Gates six, seven and eight are next opened and the vessel towed into the upper lock. Gates six and seven are now closed and the water allowed to fill the third lock until the level of Gatun Lake is reached. The vessel is then let down by reversed process to sea level again. Q. What became of the Cardiff Giant? —H. J. A.In 1934 it was discovered in a ware- house at Fort Dodge, Iowa, where it had been stored for many years. A | group of business men of the city spon- | sored a last tour of the curiosity. In August of that year, the Syracuse Cham- ber of Commerce rented and exhibited the giant until it was purchased in 1935 by Gardner Cowles, jr., of Des Moines. It is now stored in the basement of Mr. Cowles’ home. Q. How many of the American soldiers were wounded in the World War, be- sides those who died?—P. C. A. The number of wounded (not mor- tal) was 193,611, Q. Which of David Graham Phillips’ novels was published posthumously? —A. R. A. “The Story of Susan Lenox.” High Test Belligerency. Prom the San Prancisco Chronicle. Foreigners having taken over the show, the time may come when a Spaniard will have to pass a civil service exam to get into his cwn war. A Rhyme at Twilight Gertrude Brl::ke Hamilton A Glowing Laugh. In the last flooding light of the sunset I saw a man stand at his door Just saying good-by to departing guests wn.h a vnve of his hand; nothing B!eept t.h“ he laughed. And the joyous Made nt lhc gold light a pulsing thing. It mlldl;od the shadows that evening That sometimes asaile one af end. of day. Heart-lightening laugh of good cheer, ‘That I carried with me. And darkest night BT still to radiate golden light.