Evening Star Newspaper, March 30, 1937, Page 10

A—10 » THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY. . _____. . March 30, 1937 THEODORE W. NOYES The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 1.tn St and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 Fast 42nd St. Chicago Office: 35 North Michizan AVe, Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Begular Editton. The Evenine and Sunday Star 650 per month or 15¢ per week The Eventne Star _ 45 per month or 10c per week The Sunday Star __ B¢ per copy Night Final Edition. Nig.¢ Final and Sunday Star-. 70C per month Night Final Star_. ______ -55¢ per month Collection made at the end of each month or each week, Orders may be sent by mall or tele- vhone National 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Dally and Sunday.. 1 sr. $10.0 Daily orly _ 1 yri 86 Sinday oniy 1 yr, 34 All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday. 1 yr. $12.00: 1 mo. $1.00 Daily only_. 1 yr. $8.00; 1 mo. 75 Sunday only 1 . .00; 1 mo., Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to tte use for republication 1l news dispatches credited to it 10t otherwise credited in this Daper and al.o the locai news published herein All rights of publication of special dispatches herein a1e also reserved A Great Decision. History may write that a turning point In social legislation in this country was written yesterday in the minimum wage decision and that by that decision the Bupreme Court fortified its weakest spot, thereby strengthening its position in the face of the most dangerous attack ever leveled against its own independence and the independence of the Federal judici- ary. The decision, at least, is historic and its implications are of far-reaching importance, not only in the field of minimum wage and maximum hour legisl. n in the States, but as they affect the position of the court under the peculiar circumstances of the day. Consider the nature of that position. More than twenty-three years ago the States of Washington and Oregon en- acted minimum wage legislation for women and children and the State Su- preme Courts of Washington and Oregon subsequently upheld the law. s valid, In 1918 Congress enacted a somewhat similar law for the District of Columbia. After being sustained in the District Su- preme Court and declared invalid by the District Court of Appeals, the case reached the United States Supreme Court fourteen years ago and was invaiidated by a five-to-three decision, Justice Brandeis not participating. Cases in- volving the laws of Arizona and Arkansas similarly reached the Supreme Court and were invalidated on the strength of this ruling case—Adkins vs. Children’s Hos- pital. Then New York, and later Ohio, lenacted minimum wage legislation that took cognizance of the court’s objections to the District of Columbia law. The New York court, by a majority of one, held the New York law invalid and the Su- preme Court sustained the lower court, five-to-four. In the meantime the Ohio law, similar to the New York statute, was upheld by a three-judge Federal Circuit Court in a unanimous opinion. Such decisions, as President Roosevelt so promptly said, placed the power of minimum wage and hour regulation for women and children in a legalistic no maun’s land. The hands of the Federal Government were apparently tied by the N. R. A. decision. The hands of the States were now tied—plainly tied by those “personal economic predilections” of individual jurists whose points of view were so manifestly at variance with what & majority of the people in the States concerned wanted to do and felt, with ample judicial backing, that they could do. That position left the Supreme Court and even the Federal judiciary exposed to attack based not on legalistic reason- ing, but on hard, common sense. It was the sort of attack most difficult to de- fend, for it was aimed at the court’s weakest spot. Cleverly utilized by the proponents of the President’s court- packing plan, it was pictured as the sort of thing that would be remedied by that plan. With the assistance of Justice Roberts, Chief Justice Hughes has skillfully led the court out of an untenable and perilous position by the bold maneuver of admitting that the court was wrong in the District of Columbia decision— wrong in its reasoning, wrong in the light of its own previous and subsequent decisions. And coming out of a tight corner he has placed the court in a stronger position by emphasizing the freedom and the rights of the States to move in those directions from which progress had apparently been barred by the court itself. He has reaffirmed and re-emphasized the powers of the court as being confined to judgment as to the possible ‘“excess of legislative power” and not concerned “with the wisdom of the policy adopted.” “Times without number,” he quoted, “we have said that the Legislature is primarily the Jjudge of the necessity of such an enact- ment, that every possible presumption is in favor of its validity, and that though the court may hold views inconsistent with the wisdom of the law, it may not be annulled unless palpably in excess of legislative power.” And, seemingly, Chief Justice Hughes has affirmed not only the right of the States to enact minimum wage and maximum hour legislation for women and children, but has indirectly sug- gested the possibility of extending such regulation: “The argument that the leg- islation in question constitutes an arbi-’ trary discrimination, because it does not extend to men, is unavailing. The court has frequently held that the legislative authority, acting within its proper field, is not bound to extend its regulation in all cases which it might possibly reach.” The Chief Justice has taken away much of the propeiling force that lay back of the President’s plan. The de- P | States cision marked a great day for the court and a great day for the country. The way is open for the States to act—if they choose to act—in regulation of minimum wages and maximum hours of labor in such manner as the conscience of the people and the realities of the times may dictate. R A Welcome Visitor. In Lord Tweedsmuir, governor general of Canada, who, with Lady Tweedsmuir, has arrived for a two-day state visit at the White House, Washington heartily welcomes an old friend, as well as a distinguished British novelist, poet and statesman. The personal representative of King George VI in the Dominion government has never filled an official post in the United States, but few foreigners know the country as well as he, and none excels him in sympathetic regard for this people and their insti- tutions. John Buchan, by which name the author of “The Thirty-Nine Steps” and World War historian is more familiar to present-day Americans, prides himself in particular on his inti- mate acquaintance with the Civil War and on first-hand knowledge of its battlefields. One of Lord Tweedsmuir's cherished ambitions is said to be to write a life of Robert E. Lee. There are those who thought that Lord Tweedsmuir owed his appointment to Ottawa in 1935 in no small degree to the fact, apart from his many eminent qualities, that he is a profound and friendly student of American affairs and a devout believer in English- speaking comradeship and political and cultural ideals. His presence in Wash- ington, following closely upon the re- cent visit of Prime Minister Mackenzie King, betokens afresh the intimate ties that bind the United States and its northern neighbor. Within a few weeks both the prime minister and the gov- ernor general will be in London for the imperial conference scheduled for the coronation period. It may be drawing heavily on the imagination, as the Van- couver Sun does, to suggest that “for the first time since 1776 the United will indirectly sit in on the council of the empire.” It is, neverthe- less, evident that Canada's responsible spokesmen desire to go to London fully posted regarding those economic, po- litical and defense questions which the Dominion and the United States nowa- days view through spectacles of the same color. Canada has long ranked as the “interpreter” of the United States to the British Commonwealth of Nations. More than once. too, it has been intimated that on critical occasions involving world affairs, Dominion policy would naturally gravitate toward that of the United States, subject, of course, to those im- perial obligations which the Dominion recognizes and loyally observes. Lord and Lady Tweedsmuir will be greeted here with honors and dignities in full keeping with their exalted status as personal envoys of the British crown. The first official visit of an Ottawa gov- ernor general to Washington, in return for President Roosevelt’'s sojourn in Quebec a year ago, is destined to be a milestone in the United States’ rela- tions with Canada and one which will mark yet another advance in the entente cordiale which indissolubly unites the two North American democracies. ——e—s Righteous Indignation. “I am reflecting as best I can,” said the senior Senator from Virginia in his radio speech last night, “the indignant protest of thousands of individual citi- zens.” These citizens could not have chosen a more effective spokesman, & more efficient vehicle for the expression of their indignation. Indignation was the theme of an indignant address. And Senator Glass played it with variations ranging from his scorn of the “vision- ary incendiaries” and his seering ridicule of the “political janizaries” to his really moving plea for defense against that “threat to representative democracy” which he sees wrapped up in the court- pecking plan. If the speech was notable for the pro- fundity of its theme, it was also novel in its bid for high honors in colorful and telling epithet. Senator Glass spoke at a time when the use of pungent epithet in the field of political combat has been developed to a high state. Such trite expressions as “Tories,” “economic roy- alists,” “princes of privilege,” “defeatist lawyers” somehow lose their color along- side Senator Gla: “six proposed judicial sycophants,” “judicial subalterns” or “a lot of judicial marionettes to speak the ventriloquisms of the White House.” To be effective, however, a speech must contain more than mere indignation and colorful name-calling. Was Senator Glass’ speech effective? It was effective because of the man who made it. Sena- tor Glass has come to represent some- thing in American public life that, un- happy as the suggestion may be, is unique. He is not a liberal nor is he a conservative. He is not an “administra- tion stalwart” nor does he habitually identify himself with the opposition. By the strength of his convictions and their forceful expression he has raised himself to a position that commands respect and defies attack because of the forthright honesty with which it has been assumed. The tag he wears is labeled, “Carter Glass of Virginia.” It has a peculiar significance and a meaning all its own. Children and Firearms. . When one child kills another in play the sympathy of the community nat- urally goes out to both families. But in recent years there have been too many fatal accidents for society to continue to believe that “nothing can be done about it.” On the contrary, the time is ripe for parents in general to recognize their responsibility for the mistakes of their offspring. The logic of the problem is simple. No half-grown boy and few grown-ups, without long and careful training, are capable of handling firearms or should be permitted to handle them. In none (4} t of the cases chronicled during the past decade is there the slightest evidence to suggest that the youngsters who have slain their companions came by firearms secretly. Rather, parents commonly are familiar with the curious psychological habits of their sons in that regard. It stands to reason that if small Junior is “gun crazy” the entire household to which he belongs will be aware of it. Blame for tragic errors in the use of rifles and revolvers, then, cannot justly be attributed to the children alone. It must be shared in part—perhaps pre- dominantly—by the parents who permit the danger to exist. And the remedy lies in the education of adults to restrain juvenile interest in perilous hardware. It is all very well to argue that “the young idea must be taught how to shoot.” But the youth of the land can wait until it has sense enough not to try to shoot foolishly. A boy who would point an “empty” gun at a friend is as greatly in need of correction as one who would play such a trick with a gun not “empty.” The whole fad for firearms is wrong, and it is the duty of parents to terminate it. ———————————— Mr. Bankhead, when invited to the White House for conversation, may be assumed to have had enough remote contact with the Motion Picture Acad- emy of Arts and Sciences to make him artistically punctual in taking cues. The family circle is influential in political affairs and the talented Miss Talulah may be a help in this phase of responsi- bility. ————————— The Russia referred to in English poetry as “the bear that walks like man” may yet be spoken of by some ban- queteer as proceeding under the guidance of a brain trust. ——r——————— In debating the sit-down strike, every experienced realtor will remember diffi- culties caused by efforts to establish what has been known as “squatter’s sovereignty.” B —— Many useless letters are sent. It might be possible to change designs often enough to give the postage stamp rating among collectors as the most important | part of the communication. e As a rigid disciplinarian, Mussolini is expected to exercise control on troops who wander into the neighborhood wars and show a fighting spirit by getting into trouble on their own account. —— e The working men of this nation cannot fail to be interested in the effort of John L. Lewis to control two labor organizations at once. e A Supreme Court's popularity in the U. S. social scheme is expected to be measured by other standards than the length of its waiting list. e Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Dreams. I thought one early morning at the dreamy, drowsy hour I heard a little bird that sang with strange, melodious power. It tilted on a willow twig, then sailed across the sky More swiftly than the fleecy cloud that lightly floated by. And then it came and sang again, & tune so loud and strong That the sunbeams on the water danced in rhythm to the song— Bing! Bing! went the alarm clock as it spoiled another dream! That song was just the radiator loading up with steam! I dozed again. I thought the south wind softly hovered near, The sunshine, turned to ether, trembled in the atmosphere, And it called the world to Summer. the hours went drifting by Each blossom breathed in perfume its life story to the sky. And every leaf that fluttered in its lan- guor seemed to say: “I shall not stir again upon this listless, lazy day"— Bing! went the alarm clock. Once again it spoiled a dream! The janitor was pushing on an extra charge of steam. As Bing! Incriminating. “That was a terrible slip of the pencil my stenographer made,” said Senator Sorghum. “In the speech you printed?” “yYes. I said I was guided by Vox Populi. She had it written ‘Vox Pocket- book!"” recently had A Plea for Mendacity. Oh, better compliment a friend And charitably toast him With fibs that serve no harmful end Than tell the truth and roast him. Responsibility. “Is Bliggins a man to be trusted?” “In some respects. If he owes you ssomething and says he can't pay you, you can place absolute reliance on his word.” Enjoyment. A lot of worriment would end If all could only know It’s much more fun to help a friend Than ’tis to knock a foe, Economy. “Are you going to plant any potatoes in your garden?” “No. Ill plant only seeds. Sticking potatoes into the ground looks like such a waste of good food.” The Changing Modes. The statesman, once so gay and glad, May be betrayed by Fashion’s wile, And find, with feelings grim and sad, His last year’s speech is out of style. “Happiness,” said Uncle Eben, “is de ability to forget about de shower in admirin’ de beauty of de rainbow.” 7 THE POLITICAL MILL BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. The Supreme Court of the United States made history by another 5 to 4 decision yesterday, upholding the con- stitutionality of the state of Washing- ton’s minimum wage act for women and children. At the same time it reversed a decision of the court made long ago in the case of Adkins vs, the Children’s Hospital, which denied Congress the right to fix minimum wages for women in the District of Columbia. The de- cision in the case involving the Wash- ington state law seemed also to be a reversal of the court’s recent decision holding invalid the New York law setting up minimum wages for women and children—a decision which was reached also by a 5 to 4 decision. The change in the attitude of the court was due to a shift in the opinion of Associate Justice Roberts, In the New York case, the Associate Justice stood with Associate Justices Sutherland, Van Devanter, Mc- Reynolds and Butler. In the Washington case, he sided with Chief Justice Hughes and Associate Justices Brandeis, Stone and Cardozo. * K ok % How far the Supreme Court is willing to go, however, in granting to the federal government power to deal with minimum wages and other conditions as they affect labor, is still to be determined. No decision was handed dowr, for example, in the Wagner labor relations act, which is a federal statute. That is the decision for which the administration has been eagerly waiting before proceeding with the rest of its program as it relates to labor and industry. The law sustained yesterday by the court in its 5 to 4 decision is a state law. The decision in the Washington mini- mum wage law is regarded as a distinct victory for the new deal. New deal vic- did not stop there in the court’s ons of vesterday. The court unani- mously upheld provisions of the railway labor act, requiring railroads to engage in collective bargaining with their workmen. This, seemingly, might give some indication of the decision in the ‘Wagner labor relations act. However, the Wagner act does not apply to rail- road workers, and railroad workers are engaged in interstate commerce. The court yesterday also upheld the consti- tutionality of the revised Frazier-Lemke act authorizing a three-year moratorium on farm mortgage foreclosures. The de- cision 1n this case was unanimous. The original act was held unconstitutional two years ago by a unanimous court. * oKk oK X No sooner were the decisions of the court announced yesterday than there immediately rose wide-spread specula- tion as to what effect, if any, they would have on the fight over the President's bill to increase the membership of the Supreme Court—a measure designed to infuse “new blood,” and to obtain more liberal interpretations of the Constitu- tion. The general imipression prevailed, however, that there would be no let up in the fight, on the part of the administra- tion. Indeed, there is no secret that the President returned from his trip to Georgia confident that in the end he would succeed in putting the bill through both Senate and House. The implication, if there is any, from the decisions of the court yesterday would seem to be that the court as now constituted is not without liberal lean- ings; that when the laws are so written as to conform with the provisions of the Constitution, the court is perfectly will- ing to uphold them. Undoubtedly this argument will be advanced by those who are opposed to the President’s court bill and who charge him with an attempt to “pack” the court so as to bring about decisions which he desires. * ok ok K The opposition to the President’s court bill today took on renewed vigor as an aftermath of the fiery denunciation of the measure by Senator Carter Glass of Virginia. Speaking over a Nation- wide radio hook-up, the veteran states- man from the Old Dominion raked the proposal to increase the membership of the court from stem to stern, and poured vitriol upon the heads of those who are advancing it. The speech of Senator | QGlass had been awaited with much in- terest. His characterization of the court bill and his attack upon its pro- moters left nothing to the imagination. * ok % X A voice from the past, that of the late Speaker “Joe” Byrns of Tennessee, in op- position to packing the court, has been resurrected by opponents of the Presi- dent’s plan to flail the court bill. It was his contention that the American people would never stand for “packing” the Supreme Court. Discovery of an interview with Speaker Byrns, carried in numerous American newspapers on January 14, 1935, and of a letter written 12 days later in which he proudly alluded to the position he had taken against enlarging the Su- preme Court, shows that he, like Sena- tor Henry F. Ashurst of Arizona, chair- man of the Senate Judiciary Commit- tee, was in ignorance of the plans the President had in mind of bending the court to his will. At the time Speaker Byrns gave out his interview, the Supreme Court had under consideration the constitutionality of the Roosevelt law suspending the gold clause in contracts. He said he could not conceive of the Supreme Court holding that law unconstitutional, and it was upheld later by a five-to-four de- cision. However, he said that if the Supreme Court should rule adversely Congress could enact corrective legisla- tion. “I don't believe in enlarging the Su- preme Court to get a verdict,” said Mr. Byrns. “That may be talked about, but it will never get anywhere. If you ever start that sort of business, you set & precedent that will be very harmful. I don’t think the country would stand for I know I wouldn't.” * ok K K On January 26, 1935, Mr. Byrns wrote to a friend who had expressed anxiety over reports current in Washington that the administration might seek to in- crease the size of the Supreme Court so as to influence its decisions. He said: “My dear - 5 “I am sure you know me well enough to know in advance that I am not in favor of any proposal to increase the membership of the Supreme Court be- cause of its decision on any case pend- ing before it. I was interviewed on the subject on the very day before your let- ter was written and gave out an em- phatic statement that I would not under any circumstances favor any such pro- posal, and I have received many letters from all over the country commending my position. “A number of the Eastern papers, in- cluding The Washington Star, have had strong editorials indorsing my position. Several of the newspaper correspondents have told me that my emphatic inter- view, which was quoted verbatim in many papers, has served to allay the talk of increasing the court in the event its decisions was adverse to the gold clause. “I know of nothing which would be more detrimental to our form of gov- ernment than for our legislative body that. 1 to endeavor to influence decisions on { D. C, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1937. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘The morning bird chorus had struck up at last. Precisely at 5:30 o'clock that morning, with the weather hovering between a promise of ramn and an inclination to be sunny, the concert began. Scores of bird voices had been heard in the neighborhood, but to date they had not united in that real chorus which is the joy of every bird lover. That morning, led by the robins, the singers began in earnest, all together, 80 that their friends knew Spring had come. This music will be a daily feature all Spring and half the Summer, for all those who find great interests in the birds. For all those who do not care for them the birds mean nothing, but one thing is sure: These people will be missing something. They might as well become interested, for when they do they will find a whole new department of life at their pleas- ure, and the price is free. Birds are everywhere, and possess so many interesting and picturesque traits that it is impossible for a normal human to fail to find them, once an intellectual step has been taken in their direction. *x %X *x % One of the best steps, at this time of year, is to begin to listen for the morn- ing chorus. This indescribable sound, a blend of scores of bird voices, of many species (if one lives in the suburbs), may not be liked at first. Especially the person who has moved from city to suburban community, and puts too high a value on sleeping late, may find the chorus a real disturbance at first. It is, in truth, a veritable clamor, so great is the daily joy of the songsters at the coming of the light. Centuries and centuries these feath- ered fellows have been trying to tell mankind of the happiness of natural living, of eating pure and unprocessed foods, straight from the hands of Nature, of going to bed early and getting up early. Centuries upon centuries mankind has been agreeing with them, in theory, but actually living another way. The birds go right ahead, trying to tell . man what is what. They are at it these days, pouring out their songs together, in the morning, at the first streaks of real daylight. They proclaim what happiness it is to be alive just one more day, to see the light, to breathe the air, to hear the myriad sounds of life and to feel the stirrings of hunger. Simple things, these, but far more complex than all the man-discovered mysteries of the chemical laboratories. Simple things, but infinitely complex. x X X X Consider this morning chorus of the birds, this outpouring of song which, day by day, will begin earlier and so earlier, so that in a month or six weeks from now it will start at 4:30 a.m. STARS, MEN It will be so loud then that many sleepers will be awakened. Some will be so foolish as to proclaim it noise, and nothing more. Others, while admitting its charm, will curse it roundly for awakening them (as if they could not go back to sleep again!). Others, sensible people, will listen with delight, wondering at the vim and “zip” with which these small minstrels of the trees manage to manifest their hap- piness. Surely it is happiness. No one could read this into their songs, if it were not there. Perhaps not happiness, as human beings understand it, but sheer creature happiness, understood in every feather and fiber. That is natural happiness, and man- kind well may emulate it, for there are so many man-made unhappinesses, such as traffic, war and crime, that mankind has need of search the natural reser- voirs, if it would find antidotes. * ok oK Kk The birds were the first minstrels. No doubt it was from them, and especially from their morning choruses at day- break in Springtime, that early man learned to make sweet sounds rhyth- mically. These first and best musicians are as ready to delight us today as when the race was young. They ask no applause. We can give them none, for they would not understand our admiration. The best admiration we can give them is to listen to them. Listening to the early bird chorus is especially fascinating when the auditor knows a little about the birds and is able to tell some of the songs and cries apart, one from the other. He need not be an expert. Even if no song can be checked against any bird’s name, stillean at- tempt may be made to distinguish one voice from another, just as one might do with a chorus of human voices. * % ok K Chirp of English sparrows, true mel- ody of the song sparrows, wild warbles of the robins, the nasal shrieks of the Jays— These are only a few of the many voices which may be heard joined to- gether in the happy jumble of the chorus at dawn these days Soon to it will be added the most beautiful of songs, that of the wood thrush, whose speckled breast will be throbbing in some trees After the birds let off steam for 20 | to 30 minutes the light grows brighter, calling each to its proper business of seeking the day's sustenance. We are all creatures of the same Cause. It is no wonder that man, listening to the birds, set up a system of early morning worship. It is no stretch of word meanings to feel that the birds, before going about the busi- ness of the day, send forth songs of thanksgiving, and not just now and then, but every single day. And why not? AND ATOMS +Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY A potential major development in the story of cotton, upon which may depend the economic salvation of 3,000,000 people, has just been announced by the American Chemical Soclety. As a result of experiments extending over seven years in the chemical labora- tories of the University of North Caro- lina ways have been worked out for growing cotton entirely for the produc- tion of oil and cellulose. This work will be described in detail next month when the American Chemical Society meets at the university by Dr. Frank K. Cameron, professor of chemistry, who has directed the work. The experiments have been designed to prove the feasibility of planting cot- ton thickly and, after a comparatively short growing season, harvesting the en- tire plant and bailing it for subsequent processing. Oil would be chemically ex- tracted from the seeds and the residue would be treated to obtain cellulose. This is the raw material for rayon which is cotton’s chief rival in the textile field and is chiefly responsible for decreased cotton markets all over the world. “For some years,” says Dr. Cameron in his communication to the American Chemical Society, “it has appeared im- probable that lint cotton can continue to be produced economically in the South Atlantic states, particularly in the Caro- linas. The types produced there to ad- vantage agriculturally are not those desired by the adjacent mills. The tex- tiles for which these types are best adapted are being displaced by rayon. “It appears that a population of per- haps 3,000,000, whose very existence de- pends upon it, must find another crop to replace cotton. No such crop has been suggested. It would be enormously diffi- cult, if at all possible, to remove so large a population to new locations and return the land to forest. A hopeful sugges- tion is to modify and cheapen the grow- ing of cotton within the frame of ex- perience and the technical ability of the people now growing it, and find a use for it other than in the making of cotton textiles.” There is a rapidly growing demand, Dr. Cameron continues, for alpha- cellulose. It is now obtained from wood, such as spruce, poplar and pine. But none of these are as good cellulose pro- ducers as the cotton plant which, more- over, is an annual. He proposes to harvest the cotton crop by mowing it a few inches above the ground, recover the oil from the seeds, and obtain alpha- cellulose from the stems just as it now is obtained from wood. Thus there would be no further con- cern about the length of the fiber, the yield per acre, nor the size of the plant. The best results have been obtained with a small-sized plan. of rather spindly growth, but with a large development of seeds and lint. These characteristics have been secured, Dr. Cameron says, by crowding and starving the cotton plants. This shortens the growing period and results in a large production of bolls ripening over a period of a week instead cf the customary ripening period ex- tending to three months. The cost of obtaining cellulose from cotton, Dr. Cameron says, are not neces- sarily greater than that of getting from wood. In this case, however, there is the additional value of the oil. He con- cludes: “Some excellent pure-white samples of alpha-cellulose suitable for making rayon have been prepared from whole cotton, and a study of cellulose from whole cotton, spruce, poplar and pine showed results favorable to cotton. constitutional questions by a threat of this kind. I agree with you most heartily in your view. With best wishes, I am “Sincerely your friend, “JOE BYRNS.” On June 4 of last year Mr. Byrns died, and at the time of his death he was the Democratic Speaker of the House, believing as he did at the time he wrote the letter of the year before, A | search | ing THOMAS R. HENRY. Clear oils and waxes were extracted | from the whole cotton plant, and & pulp | suitable for making paper was prepared. If the ultimate results are what we anticipate. the cost of the investigation will be trivial.” * X ok X Super-clean dishes have been made possible through a development just re- ported by the American Chemical So- ciety. Ordinary washing, especially in dish washing machines, leaves a residue of insoluble bacteria-containing film, it was shown by experiments conducted at the Mellon Institute of Industrial Re- This can be gotten rid of, it was found. by the use of a new dish-wash- compound containing a chemical known as sodium metaphosphate. Dishes washed by the old methods and the new were placed in an incubator for two hours, at the end of which the bac- teria colonies which had developed on them were counted. These were found to be much fewer when the sodium metaphosphate was used. Moreover the dishes looked cleaner and brighter. Low Government Pay a Handicap on Society To the Editor of The Star: What has become of the McCarran bill proposing a minimum salary of fifteen hundred dollars per annum for full-time Government employes. Frankly, and without hope of personal benefit, I would like to see this bill come up because I believe it to be the first really sound and sensible move on the behalf of the Gov- ernment itself in promoting prosperity within its own household, so to speak. The Government is the Nation’s larg- est single business organization, thus it is only rightful that it should set the precedent of a good example for private industry to follow, and perhaps thereby forestail many such strikes and their consequent sufferings as have been cur- rently running rife throughout the Nation. The Government cannot ex- pect private enterprise to raise wage levels until such a time as it sees fit to exercise a similar prerogative. It is always well to practice what one would preach. The Nation should take pride in ac- cepting as its moral obligation the wel- fare of its employes by paying a scale of wages sufficient to maintain them, not in luxury, but decently. This immedi- ately brings up the question of what constitutes a decent living wage; cer- tainly it must be more than just enough to provide for mere physical wants. Furthermore, if an increase in wages is necessary, as it quite apparently is, the added expenditures to the taxpayer must be justified. It is needless to more than mention the present and ever-increasing high cost of living, especially here in the District. Judging by the concrete evi- dences of the immediate situation sur- rounding me I am forced quite definitely to the conclusion that the present rate of salaries, particularly in the lower brackets, must be by far too low. Assuming that the average Govern- ment clerk is or aspires to become & married man, then, without a doubt, the existing wage schedule and any pro- posed schedules fixing the minimum be- low fifteen hundred dollars must neces- sarily be too low. Unquestionably, the present salaries are forcing the house- wives away from their kitchens and the proper care of their children in order that they may contribute to the family larder. No married woman, especially a mother, can possibly have the time to seek outside employment, perform her household duties and take care of her children simultaneously and do justice to all of these jobs. This situation is preventing innumer- able marriages in Washington, because it requires every cent that two young people can earn to support them in- ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Wasiiington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. What is the financial cost of blinde ness in the United States?—W. W. A. Including the loss of earning power, the cost is estimated at $40,000,000 a year, Three out of four cases of blindness are preventable by present known means, Q. What has become of Charles Ponzi, who swindled Americans several years ago?—N. E. A. He served a seven-year sentence and was deported when released from prison. Q. Has synthetic milk ever been made? —W. R. A. In spite of the fact that chemists have identified 101 different substances of which milk is composed, scientists so far have not been able to make milk synthetically. Q. What are the prices of the best seats for the coronation?—T. W. A. Prices range from $250 down. Q. Who would take over the duties of the Chief Justice of the United States if his office were to become vacant? —S. B. A. In case of a vacancy in the office | of Chief Justice or of his inability to perform the duties and powers of his office, they shall devolve upon the as- tice, who is first in precedence, until such disability is removed or an- other Chief Justice is appointed or duly qualified. Q. When did Queen Marie of Rumania visit Washington?—R. M. I. A. It was the Autumn of 1926. Q. Has champagne ever been made from citrus fruit?>—E. L. A. Grapefruit champagne is a com- paratively new product of citrus wineries in Florida It has a more acid taste than champagne. Q. What is the name of the Catholic co-operative colony in Canada?—W. H. A. The experiment is being carried on y is J. McGoey at King Catholic Action. Forty are now being aided and ad- jitional applications are under con- sideration. The movement had its in= ception threge years ago, when 38 per- sons were selected from relief rolls and financed with loans. Q. What does Evacuation day cele~ brate?—G. N. A. March 17 is the date that the British were driven from South Boston, and is therefore celebrated there as Evacuation day. . Q. What is the name of the wealthy engineer who owns the castle near Tours, where Mrs. Simpson is staying, | and where is his place of business?— w.J A. Charles E. Bedaux, the efficiency engineer who owns Chateau de Conde, maintains offices in the Chrysler Build- | ing New York City. Q. Do many of the people of Wales speak Welsh?—K. M. A. The Welsh language is the fireside speech of nearly half of the population of Wales, and is used in the churches and church schools. Fifteen per cent of the population of Wales speak Welsh only. Q. Are Katharine Cornell and Ann Harding both playing in “Candida?"— L. G. A. Katharine Cornell is starring in Guthrie McClintic’'s New York revival of the play, while Ann Harding has the title role in a London production of “Candida.” Q. How many gypsies are there in Hungary?—C. J. A. There are over 6,000 in that country. Q. What is the meaning of the new word, neotrist?>—W. H A. It is defined as a person who stays young, whose mind is always progres- sive and forward-looking, no matter what his age. The word was coined by Charles Earle Funk, one of the editors of Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dic- tionary. b Q. What part of an animal is the sweetbread?—G. A. A. The pancreas or the thymus-gland of a calf or other animal is so called when used for food. Q. When did Johann Sebastian Bach live?2—A. W. A. He was born in 1685 and died in 1750. Q. When was Zeta Beta Tau founded? —A. S. A. This is the oldest national Jewish college fraternity. It was founded in 1898 and now has 34 active chapters, 8 inactive chapters and more than 5,000 members. Q. How far from the Florida line is Savannah, Ga.?>—P. W. A. Savannah is on the Savannah River, which forms the dividing line between South Carolina and Georgia, and is about 100 miles north of the Florida State line. ——or—. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton. Pasch. The Paschal moon floods all the town with light, Filling the streets with golden radiance Whose glory holds mankind as in a trance; Casements are opened to the wondrous night. The stars are dimmed. The full moon seems to smile A benediction on the city throng; And alleluias of the Easter song Are rising in the hearts of men the while. Of darkness and of sin the night is shorn; And as day breaks above the distant hill God’s luminary shines above us still— To usher in the Resurrection Morn. not to even think of two living on the salary of one. Youth will not—dare not—assume the multifold and heavy responsibilities of propagat- ing our Nation’s heritage while bur- dened with the present financial em- barrassment. The woman who would be both physicially able and mentally capable of reproducing a stalwart race perforce remains single, or if she does get married invariably no children re- sult from the marriage because of the consequent financial responsibilities in- volved. NIILO NIEMINEN. dividually,