Evening Star Newspaper, July 16, 1937, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. July 16, 1937 The Evening Star Newspaper Company. NS ST A, : East 42nd St Onicago ‘Oftoe: 455 North Aichizan Ave. Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition. day Star e Erenine ;“nfisgnner’manlh or 15¢ per week The Evening 8187, er month or 10c per week The Sunday Star ___ bc per copy Night F Sunday Star.. of each week. Orders may be sent by mall or tele- Dphone National 5000. ily and Sunday. aily only _: Sunday only’ All Other States and Canada, Dally and Sunday. 4 yr. $12.00 Daily only_______ 1 yr." S8.0 Bunday enly__22Z1 1 yr. $5.00 Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press 13 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. 1 mo., Malodorous. If the abattoir projected for construc- tion and operation in Benning causes a malodorous condition as bad as that of the maneuvers incident to the proposed legislation intended to prevent its estab= lishment it will indeed be an unbearable affliction upon the public health and comfort. An amazing sequence of de- velopments has occurred that leaves the public and the District and Federal authorities who are seeking to avert an obnoxious condition in & perplexing quandary. The record of happenings is simply related. On Wednesday last a legal represent- ative of the abattoir company appeared before the House District Committee— with only seven of the twenty-one mem-= bers of the committee present—and pre- sented on behalf of the company & pro- posal that the company would abandon its project and “quit the District” on payment of $300,000 in compensation for damages. The seven members of the committee thereupon went into ex- ecutive session and voted to table the pending bill and then, to clinch the matter, laid upon the table a motion to reconsider the tabling vote, which is an effective parliamentary maneuver to prevent further action. This action by the House committee was not regarded at the time as of seri- ous moment, inasmuch as the statement given by the legal representative of the company was regarded as authoritative and binding. However, yesterday it de- veloped that the counsel for the com- pany had either unwittingly or otherwise misinformed the committee, for the pres- ident of the abattoir company announced that notwithstanding the assurances given by the counsel to the committee instructions were being issued to the contracting company to proceed at once with the building of the plant, at such speed as to have it ready for operation about October 1. The specific declaration by the com- pany's counsel that the building plans were to be abandoned, the committee's speedy decision—by the action of only one-third of its membership—to table the prohibitory measure and then to table a motion for reconsideration, fol- lowed in quick order by the announce- ment by the head of the corporation that construction would be started at once and speeded to effect completion by October 1, all this makes a wretched mess of misunderstanding, if not some- thing quite worse. Either the counsel for the corporation —who is supposed upon all such occa- sions to speak as with the voice of his principal—spoke without authority, or his pledge of discontinuance was given as the basis for the extraordinary maneuver of the one-third membership of the committee in tabling the bill and then tabling a motion to reconsider the tabling vote. If the committee was de- ceived it has its remedy in an immediate action to secure from the House of Representatives power to bring the bill to the House on the ground of deception on the part of the corporation through its legal representative. If it does not thus act, with as much speed as present difficult conditions permit, it becomes suspect of complicity in a maneuver of deceit. Thus the savor of the projected abat- toir of the near future attends the pres- ent situation. It is a decidedly malodor- ous condition of misrepresentation, ques- tionably prompt congressional compli- ance and brazen enterprise. ——————— Many {nitials are employed to indicate financial obligations to the Government of various kinds. They introduce a new algebrale system of annotation. The let- ters require explanation no less than the figures. Greenbelt Costs. Senator Byrd of Virginia deservedly is recelving wide support in his campaign to end what he, and many others, regard @s extravagance in the Resettlement Administration. The aggressive chair- man of the Senate Reorganization Com- mittee recently shattered political prece- dent by the unheard-of suggestion that a Federal agency stop spending money in his home State. After thorough study he had concluded that the cost of the resettlement homestead projects in the Shenandoah Valley already has mounted to an exorbitant total. Using official figures, which were not eonclusively disproved in “explanations” made afterward by the agencies involved, the Senator convinced many that the homesteads are costing about three times their value on the private market. Now he has turned his attention to the Resettlement Administration housing undertakings, including the one at nearby Greenbelt, predicting that when the facts are fully known the condition will approach a national scandal. Many were skeptical of the Greenbelt project from the start. Their skepticism mounted as the months went by and the date for occupancy of the homes was b deferred again and n, while esti- mates of the cost of the project increased from $5,000,000 to $16,000,000. Senator Byrd gives the skeptics further food for thought by using General Accounting ©Office figures to show that the cost of the individual housing units at Greenbelt is $16,182 and at Highstown, N. J,, a similar project, $20,163. He suggests that all members of Congress visit Greenbelt. Those who follow the suggestion should bear in mind the figures he has dis- closed and, as they walk about Wash- ington's newest and most unusual sub- urb, ponder two pertinent questions which the Senator has asked: “Who will pay rental based on such excessive costs when the actual value of the property is not more than one-third of the cost? “What emergency exists necessitating construction at Government expense of homes at $20,000 when the average for all city homes in the whole United States is $4,400?” To the Senator’s queries & third may be added: In view of the housing costs can there be any justification for further extension of governmental activity in this or other “private business” fields? — ey China’s Independence. Because of their common economic interests in China, as well as their tradi- tional anxiety for the preservation of its independence, it is natural that Great Britain and the United States should be consulting with respect to the crisis at the Great Wall and the danger of war with Japan. The urgent appeal for peace, addressed to the Washington diplomatic representatives of both coun- tries by Secretary Hull early this week, indicates the anxiety with which the American Government views the situation. The concern of the English-speaking powers does not grow exclusively out of their ancient friendship for the Chinese. It springs verhaps even more keenly from their desire and determination that Sino-Japanese differences shall not be- come the cause of another world con- flagration. Should actual war between Japan and China ensue, it would be little short of a miracle if it could be “localized.” That grim prospect explains the present zeal of British and American statesmen, even though they may not be acting in formal concert, to bring Tokio and Nanking into pacific mood before it is too late. That not a moment is to be lost is indicated by the belligerent temper of both peoples and the extensive mili- tary movements which each government has set in motion. The United States’ position regarding China, dating from John Hay's open- door policy in 1900, has been clear and steadfast. It was reaffirmed at the Washington conference of 1921-2, when, under American leadership, the nine- power pact was effected, looking to preservation of China’s political and ter- ritorial integrity. Our attitude was made manifest again, following the Manchurian adventure of 1931, when the so-called Stimson doctrine of non- recognition of situations created by force, in violation of solemn agreements, was laid down. On the eve of the Roosevelt administration’s advent to office in 1933, the President-elect, with the Far Eastern situation in mind, let it be known that the sanctity of treaties, from the American standpoint, is “the corner stone of international relations.” It is on the basis of these consistent policies and principles that our Govern- ment hopes that a peaceful solution of the Peiping crisis may yet prove discov- erable. Recent Washington arrange- ments, whereby China is to be helped through mutual gold and silver purchase transactions and by extension of R. F. C. credits to Nanking for American railway supplies, betoken the United States’ abiding sympathy with China's efforts to work out her own salvation. Our Japanese friends will hardly expect, in light of the record, that the American Nation would look with anything except lively disapproval upon attempts of Tokio militarists to turn North China into another Manchukuo, or upon any Japanese demands seeking to curb China’s mastery of her own house, ———e—— One of the problems submitted to Ein- stein was disposed of by giving equal importance to both plus and minus signs. The system is worthy of study at a time when positive conclusions are not easy to attain. D ) A Summer Shower. So great are the advantages and com- forts of modern life, in the matter of the protection of the person from the stress of weather, that when emergency arises, as in a sudden storm, the philosophy of adjustment in many cases falters. The conveniences of travel and of shelter do not suffice to meet the requirements of the multitude. Hast¢ has become so fixed a habit that patience fails to effect a solution. Take, for an example, the sharp shower of yesterday afternoon, timed with a mischievous inappropriate- ness at the very hour of the emergence of the Government workers from their offices. Everybody was eager to start homeward. Those who obeyed the impulse of expedition found insuficient transportation and were drenched in their sorties to the car and bus stops and to the taxicab stands, finding all public vehicles congested and most of them fully engaged. The more patient ones, willing to wait for the passing of the storm, remained under cover, some now and again venturing forth in the hope of a lucky find of & vacant cab. The shower was quite obviously of the sort that passes within an hour. Yet thousands got their soakings. Perhaps they had urgent need of haste. Maybe they were simply the victims of the habit of hurry. Whatever their engagements might be, they were to these persons more important than ‘the disadvantage of a wetting, perhaps the ruin of cloth- ing. Nobody can tell how many of those who thus went forth into the driving rain will suffer physically for their |3 THE EVENING STAR impatience. Those who stood under shelter while the storm rolled on and the skies were clearing may have missed some appointments, may have reached home late for dinner, but they had an advantage over their more impetuous brothers and sisters in that they arrived at their destinations dry and clean and with no risk to their health and no damage to their attire. Perhaps there is comfort in the thought that soaked garments may be cleaned and pressed and even hats that have borne the stress of rainfall may be Teshaped. Possibly those who dart out of the lee of porticos and doorways into the deluge compute their losses and bal- ance them against lost time—which may not be worth so very much in the final reckoning. The whole spectacle, how- ever, is a picture of the hurry that has been bred by the so-called improvements in transport, which, when all is said and done, sometimes leave one to wonder whether they are really as beneficent as many think they are. —eor— A Breach of Truce. Alleging a breach of the “truce” in the court bill warfare incident to the death and burial of Senator Robinson, the President writes to Senator Barkley, acting majority leader of the upper house, a letter that will not add to his repute for acumen in matters legislative. He states that the opponents of his cherished court reorganization plan have taken advantage of what “in all decency should be a period of mourning.” There- fore he feels compelled in the public in- terest, though against every inclination, to write an argument for the enactment of the pending bill, reciting afresh his objectives in its submission to Congress and urging the enactment of the legis- lation “at this session” to carry out those objectives. It there has been any breach of the truce which was declared without ac- tion and by traditional unanimity it has been committed by the President and not by those members of the Senate who have, in the least formal and casual comments, expressed themselves upon the status of the measure in the light of the lamentable passing of the beloved Senator from Arkansas. It the President acted with advice in this matter he was guided by a most un- trustworthy judgment. If he acted upon his own initiative and without advice he sadly misinterpreted the situation. The public judgment upon this unfor- tunately renewed declaration of war upon the Supreme Court is certain to be unfavorable. N Japanese soldiers are still confident that they can cause Chinese soldiers to turn in defeat. The enterprise requires demonstration and needs an incidental amount of waste to keep alive the ques- tion of assessing the expense. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNBON. Vacation Recklessness. The world is full of projects vast. Who cares? The silly season’s here at last. Each dares To treat himself just like a pet. A ride in life's canoe hell get. He may fall over and get wet— Who cares? He'll fish all day and get no bite. Who cares? The jazz band for his steps at night Prepares. He'll drink pink fluids over much And eat hot sausages and such, Or grin at the head waiter's touch— Who cares? The sleeplessness may make him ill. Who cares? At movie shows he helps to fill The chairs. The world is now a merry joke. The railroad train, 'mid roar and smoke, Will take him home sunburned and broke ‘Who cares? Source of Opinions. “What are your opinions on this sub- Ject?” 3 “I'm not sure,” replied Senator Sor- ghum. “A lot of mail has come in from my constituents that I haven't yet had time to open.” i Headwork. “Did you say my head was solid ivory?” “Mebbe I did,” replied Mr. Erastas Pinkley, “but don't you make no more reaches like you had a razor, unless you wants to get it in a museum as carved ivory.” ‘The Big Ride. This world is sather like A motor car, New climates you will strike Near or afar. ‘Whatever you may hit, Through space you glide. You've got to stick to it And take your ride. Jud Tunkins says Sunday will never be a day of complete rest for a man who has to shave and dress up so’s his family will think he is fit to go to church. The Golden Sunshine. “Does wealth bring happiness?” “I'll say it does,” replied Mr. Dustin Stax. “You ought to see the waiter smile when I give him a tip.” Uselessly Busy. The kicker has a method quaint For life’s enjoyment, And never offers a complaint Of unemployment. “When a2 man brags about bein’ a lucky crapshooter,” said Uncle Eben, “dat’s another time not to get yohse't into no argument.” Definition Heeded. Prom the Grand Island Independent. A possible difficulty in public co-opera- tion may be that some people think co- is & fight. t WASHINGTO: THE POLITICAL MILL BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. No party leader in the Senate in many & year has had greater respect or greater affection and friendship among his colleagues than the late Senator “Joe” Robinson. His death at any time would have brought real grief and a sense of loss. Coming as it did, with dramatic suddenness in the midst of an historic battle over President Roosevelt’s Supreme Court program, it has left cha- otic conditions in its wake. Senator Barkley of Kentucky is the acting leader. He was not elected by the Democratic caucus of the Senate. The caucus left to Senator Robinson the selection of an assistant and he named Barkley. His position, therefore, as leader is rather tenuous. However, the Kentucky Senator comes as near being leader of the Senate as any one, a little nearer, until the Democratic caucus meets and elects. * k%% Although Senator Robinson is still to be buried, there has been marked activ- ity among some of the Democrats who are considering the selection of his suc- cessor as leader. A group of ‘“new” Democratic Senators, who came into office last year in the Roosevelt land- slide, met yesterday afternoon. It is understood that they were meeting in favor of Senator Barkley—although Sen- ator Herring of Iowa, who acted as spokesman, said that they would wait until they heard from President Roose- velt regarding his choice for Democratic leader before making an announcement. Those old leaders of the Democracy in the Senate—Martin of Virginia, Under- wood of Alabama, Culberson of Texas and Robinson himself—if they heard that Democratic Senators were waiting for the President to pick a leader of the Senate, would rub their eyes and strain their ears wondering if they had heard aright. It remains to be seen whether the President actually will get into this fight over the Senate leadership. It has been rumored that he would prefer, him- self, Senator Barkley of Kentucky, who has taken a prominent part in the fight for the passage of the court bill. He has supported New Deal legislation and the White House at every turn. On the other hand is Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi. Harrison and his friends are really getting into this leadership race. Is President Roosevelt to turn his back on “Pat”? Harrison, by right of seniority, has the call on the leadership. But seniority has not always governed in the selection of a Demo- cratic leader. But Harrison, in addi- tion, has always been active in the Demo- cratic affairs of the Senate. He is chairman of the powerful Finance Com- mittee. Many of the Senators believe that he has the call. Harrison has been pictured to some of the newly elected Democratic Senators, and by some of them, as a conservative. These younger and more radical Demo- crats are inclined, it is said, to favor Barkley over Harrison for the simple reason that they consider the Ken- tuckian more New Dealish. It is not that Harrison has opposed the court bill. He has declared he would go along with the President on that issue. But he has not leaped into the fight and shouted himself hoarse for the enlarge- ment of the Supreme Court. * X X x Opponents of the court bill are inclined, generally speaking, to support Harrison, although they‘know that he is with the President in that contest. They are inclined also to be against Barkley. Not all of the court bill oppo- nents, however, are that way. Some of them are committed to Barkley. On the other hand, not all of the court bill sup- porters are for the Kentucky Senator. An appreciable number will vote for Harrison. If the President becomes active in this fight over the Senate leadership; if he sends his emissaries down to the Capitol, among them Postmaster General Farley, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Charles West, Under- secretary of the Interior, to campaign for Barkley against Harrison, he will stick his head into a hornet’s nest. Harrison and his friends have become active all of a sudden. The Mississippi Senator would not exactly relish having the White House line up against him. He has handled a lot of administration bills in the past for the President. He has taken the “rap” for the President on occasion in the Senate chamber. * ¥ Xk X As late as yesterday afternoon, the race between Harrison and Barkley for the leadership was said to depend upon about fifteen as yet uncommitted Sena- tors. It may be that by this time many of these Senators have aligned them- selves with one or the other candidate. The race was said, moreover, to be ex- tremely close. Administration leaders— among them Pittman of Nevada, presi- dent pro tempore of the Senate, and James Hamilton Lewis of Illinois, the Democratic whip—have spoken in favor of postponing the election of a Demo- cratic leader until next Winter. They would leave Barkley to carry on as “act- ing leader” under the authority confer- red on him by the late Senator Robinson. In effect, Barkley would be leader, and the way to his election next Winter would be greased for him by such a plan. Also, these leaders figure that it would be well to avoid, if possible, another intra-party row at this time. ‘The Harrison people are saying frankly that they cannot afford to put off the election until next Winter—if they are to elect their candidate. Nor do they intend to wait until next Winter, if they can get enough votes pledged to make them confident of winning. If there seems no hope, Harrison is not expected to permit his name to go before the caucus, and in all probability Barkley will be chosen. * ok ok X In the event of a deadlock in the party caucus between Harrison and Barkley, with a scattering vote going to other Senators, Senator “Jimmy” Byrnes of South Carolina has been mentioned as a compromise possibility. Byrnes, who used to be regarded as a spokesman for the White House not so long ago, broke with the White House over its failure to denounce the sit-down strikes and also over its failure to make real reductions in governmental expenditures. He is not the fair-haired boy at the Executive Mansion he once was. The Democrats could go further and do & lot worse than Senator Key Pittman of Nevada, however, for leader. His name has not figured in the discussion to a great extent. He is already Presi- dent pro tempore, the presiding officer elected by the Senate to serve when the Vice President is absent. He is chair- man of the Foreign Relations Commit- tee. These are both coveted posts, and he would have to give up one of them and perhaps both if he became party leader. L .The court fight and the leadership fight conceivably can become inextric- ably mixed. There is plenty of hard feeling among the Democrats over the court bill. Throw in the leadership struggle and stir with a spoon. The result is likely to be more than peppery. During the fight in the House over the Democratic ficor leader, at therbeginning { s D. C, FRIDAY, JULY 16, 1937. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Many people’s judgments are better than their observation of facts. Ask them to deduct something, or infer something, they do a not-bad job of it, but require that they see some- thing correctly, they are as likely to fall down as not. / ‘This has been proved time and again in the courts, where two directly oppos- ing accounts or descriptions are pro- verbial. One witness will declare the man had black hair, the next that he had red hair. -“One account will show one combatant striking another, the next account tend- ing to show exactly the opposite. A curious little incident along these lines demonstrated the lack of reliabil- ity in what one sees: ‘TWO persons saw & mouse creep out of an evergreen. Both spoke at once. “Look at the gray mouse!” said one. “See the brown mouse!” said another. When the cat caught it, the rodent proved to be completely black. * kX X In regard to the weather, personal observations are notoriously at sea. One person thinks the day hot, an- other chooses to regard it as “very comfortable.” Each believes he is making an accu- rate observation, but commonly fails to realize that his own personal feelings— and failings—are at the base of his observation as well as his resulting Jjudgment. If we cannot see a thing accurately, if we permit personal feelings, physical or mental, to enter into and color our seeing, it is impossible to get an honest verdict. Most of the quarreling, and all of the Mll-will in life, results from poor obser- vation, one may feel. It is impossible to believe that man is as “cussed” as he sometimes seems. Something must be the matter. Modern sociology likes to believe he 1s sick. It may be that far-flung faulty judg- ment is partly responsible. * k% x Surely no judgment can be right which is based on faulty observation. If it is half correct, it is only a mat- ter of good fortune. It might equally be wrong, and that is what happens so often. Yet circumstances compel those who observe properly and really know enough to make an aproximately correct judg- ment to hold their tongues, to permit the false estimate to gain ground. Accurate training in accurate obser- vation, therefore, is one of the essentials of education, not for children only, but especially for adults. This is one form of mental training, based on good use of the eyes, which should go on for a lifetime. Our mathematics and history and geography fade away to dim propor- tions, with only enough kept to get along in daily life, which need not be very much, but when it comes to seeing what we see as accurately as possible, and in the real colors, not the fancied ones, we often fail to realize that this is a perpetual necessity, which becomes even more 50 the older we get. ‘We are getting along, and it is now or never if we are ever to see things the way they really are and not drag along on our backs the old impedimentia of what somebody else wanted us to see, or told us to see, or demanded that we see. * ok k% As good a way as any of starting this training is to say to one's self, while looking at something: “What do I really see there?” In this way one catches one’s self in the act, and forces a closer approxima- tion to correct seeing and realization. No doubt one always sees gold as a color where gold exists, but unless it is forced on the mind at the very time of seeing, and even said aloud, one is very likely to forget that it was gold, and declare afterward that it was light buff, or even brown with a tinge of sunshine in it. When all the time it was gold, of purest ray, without admixture of any- thing else. Bird observation is a very good field for finding out just how accurately one looks at anything. A bird is not easy to see, as it hops around in the garden. Tt is small, in comparison with all out- doors, and its nervous habits make it constantly present a new face every few seconds. This demands that the watcher see ‘what he sees as quickly and as accurate- ly as possible. It is here as it is in listening to an opera. Every one knows that “Carmen,” for instance, constantly reveals new melodies to the listener, no matter how many times he hears it. All good music and all good books are so. Probably paintings, too, we are not sure about that. But undoubtedly music and liter- ature. And it is so with a bird. The first time you see a cardinal you see red, undpubtedly, but are not sure afterward just how much red. There was black somewhere, but you do not know where. It may require several years of car- dinal watching to enable one to have an approximately correct picture of this bird in the mind. It is probable that not even a profes- sional ornitholigist thinks of the car- dinal as it really is. He sees the bird as he wants to see it. We all do, in everything; the only question is, how good has been our prior seeing? * x ¥ X Bird watching is excellent training, with a carry-over to all walks of life, if it is realized that it possesses this possibility, as well as interest and hap- piness. If one can really see a bird as it is, one can see anything as it is. Perhaps this is just a little more true than a similar statement made of in- sects, people, cabbage or kings. Birds are difficult to see. If one is able to see any one bird correctly, it is possi- ble to see the next one, and from ac- curate observation of these the watcher may go on to other subjects, finally arriving at this most variable of animals and signts, man, himself and herself. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Not the least of the circumstances likely to assure Joe Robinson a place in the hall of fame is the fact that, after nearly 45 years of public life, he is be- lieved to have passed from the scene in modest economic circumstances. This observer vividly recalls a visit at Robin- son’s office eight or ten years ago, shortly after his return for another Senate term. The Arkansan was discussing the inabil- ity of Mrs. Robinson and himself to locate a desirable house in Washington that would come within their means. Even- tually they settled in the unpretentious apartment on Capitol Hill where the Democratic majority leader passed away July 14. It was on the above-mentioned occasion, the writer remembers, that Robinson remarked, in tones of undis- guised satisfaction, that his budgetary situation had just permitted him to pay off the last of the obligations he had incurred for his self-financed campaign for re-election. Though his law firm at Little Rock was supposed to enjoy a lucrative practice, Robinson’s concentra- tion on public service in Washington debarred him from deriving any substan- tial personal income from his private profession. * ok % % Opinion is now general that Repre- sentative Hatton W. Sumners’ tremen- dous attack on the Supreme Court bill has contributed, as much as anything that has so far happened, to deal that fll-starred measure its death blow. Its defeat already was all but in sight in the Senate. When ' the House Judiciary Committee chairman disclosed that the lower branch also is in revolt, the bill's doom was virtually sealed. The amaz- ing and unprecedented demonstration of approval evoked by the Texan's on- slaught, especially the defiant intimation that the scheme would never be voted out of his committee, showed that the House, as was long known under the surface, is just as violently opposed to court-packing as the Senate. Should, contrary to all expectations, the Logan- Hatch compromise now reach the other side of the Capitol, those who send it there are destined in Sumners’ scorch- ing words “not to have hide enough left to be worth bothering about.” The Dallas lawyer’s courageous speech, his colleagues are convinced, is assured imperishable congressional renown. * ok ok % Able and popular as is each of the four Democrats who rates as a possible suc- cessor to the vacated majority leader- ship, none of them—Barkley of Ken- tucky, Harrison of Mississippi, Byrnes of South Carolina or Pittman of Ne- vada—measures up to beloved Joe Rob- inson in personal power and prestige, the fruit of 24 years of Senate service. What was said of Disraeli by one of his biog- raphers applied to Robinson—“he was & master of the tedious art of managing men.” Behind the departed statesman’s bluff and sometimes gruff exterior lay a gentleness of manner and gift for con- ciliation that pulled him out of many snagged situations and invariably won adherents on controversial occasions. Robinson had created for himself an aura of authority that will not be easily acquired by anybody who takes up his burden at this grave legislative juncture of the present session, the White House and Parley were accused of working in the interests of Sam Rayburn of Texas, now leader. 'O’Connor of New York was the other leading candidate. While the President did not mix openly in the con- test, the administration was given credit for aiding Rayburn. And Vice President “Jack” Garner came back to Washing- ton early and leaped into the fray for his friend “Sam.” The Vice President 18 expected to come back to Washington next week. Whose side in the Senate fight will he take? and at a moment which finds Democratic fortunes at the parting of the ways. * o % % In State Department records of the 1930 London naval conference there is documentary evidence of the influential role played by Joe Robinson over there. He represented the Democratic Senate minority in Secretary Stimson's delega- tion, while Dave Reed and Dwight Mor- row spoke for the dominant Republicans. Relying heavily on Robinson’s talents for negotiation, Col. Stimson intrusted the Arkansan with many important con- fidential dealings, particularly with John Bull, with a view to accomplishing Uncle Sam’s conference objectives. Ramsay MacDonald, Lloyd George and other British statesmen took a special fancy to the Senator and showed him distin- guished honors in the House of Com- mons and on other occasions in London. Lady Astor was fond of introducing Robinson as “my brother Democrat.” An ardent huntsman and crack shot, the Senator made & stunning record with his rifle during the Scottish grouse season several years ago. * oK X x Robinson had an extraordinarily high sense of congressional honor and ethics. It found expression last Winter when a well-known firm of cigarette manufac- turers sought to induce members of the Senate to supply autographed indorse- ments of its brand. Some of them suc- cumbed to the blandishments in ques- tion, but when the concern’s representa- tive turned up at Robinson's office and explained his business, the Senator. in tone and manner characteristic of him when aroused. ordered the visitor off the premises in no uncertain terms, intimat- ing that if he ever dared to come back on a similar mission it would be at grave physical peril to himself. * K oK % If President Roosevelt still plans to award a Supreme Court justiceship to a member of the Senate, the appoint- ment will in all probability be bestowed upon Senator Wagner of New York. The sponsor of most of the New Deal’s labor and social legislation has long rated as ideal timber for the high bench. Like Mr. Cardozo, Wagner is a former justice of the New York State Supreme Court, having served on it from 1919 until 1926, when he resigned to run for the Senate. A native of Germany, Wagner, if named, would be the second European-born associate justice, Mr. Sutherland, born in England, being the other. * ok ok ok Whatever the fate of the court bill, Senate debate preceding its tragic inter- ruption is certain to take its place with the finest oratory that has graced he Capitol in years. Certainly not since the League of Nations fight has the Congressional Record been enriched with greater eloquence and logic than fell from the lips of Senators Wheeler, McCarran, O'Mahoney and Bailey. Their speeches are likely to be bracketed with those of the Webster-Calhgun-Clay era, which cradled Senate traditions. It is acknowledged by all concerned that opposition addresses far excelled the efforts of the two or three proponents who previously held the floor. Demo- crats have monopolized the oratory to date, but Republicans Borah, Johnson and Vandenberg are loaded with pieces certain also to take front rank in the court forensics. 3 EEaE American plaudits for the Russian polar flyers, as well as current financial and economic concessions to China, are calculated to let Japan know, in a way, how Yankee sentiment is running at this anxious period of Far Eastern devel- opments. Nothing has been done, of course, to commit our Government to taking sides either for or against the Soviet Union, China or Japan. But recent e--~ts at least suggest that Wash- | school building to the aviator. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. - - Q. Do more men or women meet with accidental deaths?—C. M. A. Men. Among 100,000 men in 1935, 110 met with accidental death while only 46 women died from accidents. Q. Who is responsible for the planting of hollyhocks along the roadways of 1llinols, which has added so much to the beauty of the landscape?—F. H. A. This work was accomplished in 1932 or 1933 as a co-operative project between the garden clubs, who collected the seeds, and the Division of Highways, which, through its maintenance patrol- men, planted the seeds. The effort was State-wide, with the concentration of effort greater in some highway districts than in others. Their number is increas- ing voluntarily every year. The holly- hock has proved to be very sturdy and,., requires no attention whatever, It simply reseeds itself wherever it is growing in locations which shelter it * from mowing operations. The showy effect of these flowers on the highways has brought out so much favorable com- ment that their seeds will be gathered this year and planted in new locations. Q. When will the next national chess tournament be held?—P. M. A. The next United States chess tournament will be held in Chicago under the auspices of the American Chess Federation August 28 and will last eleven days. Q. Please give a list of some Negro spirituals.—E. H. A. Among the most popular are: “Deep River,” “Goin’ to Shout,” “Go Down, Moses;” “I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray,” “I Know the Lord’s Laid His Hand on Me,” “Swing Low, Sweet Char- iot;” “Rise, Shine;” “Steal Away,” “Bye and Bye,” “This Little Light of Mine, " “Got a Home in That Rock,” “King Jesus Is a Lis’enin’” and “Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen.” good, Q. How many goldfish are produced annually in the United States?—S. F. A. More than 20,000,000 fish are pro- duced each year on 770 goldfish farms. Q. How fast does a freighter travel between San Francisco and Japan?— A. American freighters travel at a rate of from 10 to 13 knots an hour. Japa-+ nese freighters travel at a rate of from 17 to 21 knots an hour. The distance from San Francisco to Yokohoma, Japan, is approximately 5223 miles. Q. Do cross-eyed children see dou- ble?—N. T. A. They do not—they unconsciously suppress the image of the squinting eye. Q. How much money was spent for trailers in 1936?>—H. M. A. Over $10.000000 worth of trailers were sold last year. Q. What cities have a pneumatic-tube mail service?—H. W. A. New York City and Boston deliver mail by pneumatic tubes. Q. Was War Admiral permanently lamed in his last race?—C. 8. A. » A. War Admiral, his owner reports. shows no lameness in-the exercise now being given him. The horse is walked ¢ three hours daily. Q. How long has “Tobacco Road" been running in New York?—L. K. A. “Tobacco Road" is now in its fourth year. Q. Has Maysville, Okla., & memorial to Wiley Post?—J. L. A. The town has dedicated a new The building stands on the spot where Mr. Post made his first parachute jump. Q. Is Mary Anderson, the famous actress, living?—E. H. J. A. Mary Anderson, now Mme. de Navarro, widow of Count de Navarro, is living at her estate, Court Farm, Broad- way, Worcestershire, in England. She _ is pow 78 years old. Q. Whom did a contemporary Roman « poet speak of as “the most eloquent of all the sons of Romulus”?—C. N. A. This was said of Cigero. Q. How many regiments of Cavalry are there in the United States Army?— M. H. A. There are 14 regiments of Cavalry in the Regular Army, and one in the Philippine Scouts. Q. Is sterling silver an alloy?—F. G. A. It is defined as the alloy, in tht proportion of 925 parts of silver to T a parts of copper, legally fixed as tha standard of fineness of British silver coinage. Q. How large is Lake Lure near Ashe- ville, N. C.>—H. W. R. A. The lake covers 1,500 acres. Q. How many accredited colleges and es are there in the United ’—W. C. A. There are 655 fully accredited col- leges and universities. Last Fall there were 1,000,000 men and women enrolled in these institutlons. Q. Is it true that wood ticks can live for several years without food?—E. H. A. Adult ticks put in vials without food have been found to be alive and vigorous after more than three years. Q. Is “T escaped with the skin of my teeth” from the Bible?—L. P. A. Job, xix.20. Q. When were plant patents first {ssued?—E. J. A. Congress passed the plant patent bill on May 23, 1930. Q. Is Tibet an independent country?— B. M. 'A. it is a Chinese dependency. Q. Where was Norman Prince, founder of the Lafayette Escadrille, buried before his remains were placed in the Wash- ington Cathedral?>—F. W. A. The young aviator was buried at St. Cloud, France. . 2 Q. What is the pathological term for seasickness?—J. H. A. It is naupathia. Q. Did Homer divide the “Iliad” into 24 books?—J. H. A. It was divided arbitrarily in this manner long after Homer's time. ington is kindly disposed toward Moscow and Nanking these days. Diplomacy often moves in a mysterious way its wonders to perform. Astute authorities in Tokio, expert in gauging the inter- national winds, can hardly be blind as to how some of them are blowing on the Potomac. Copyrisht, 1987.) B «