Evening Star Newspaper, July 31, 1937, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Merning Editien, WASHINGTON, D, C. SATURDAY _____ _________ July 31, 1937 THEODORE W. NOYES New York Office: Onicago Office: 435 Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition. Bvening and Sunday Star 2 2 Y = 85c per month or 156 per week e Evening Star o * 4456 per month or 10c per week The Sunday Star ___ __ --8¢ per copy Night Final Edition. ight Final and Sunday Star. 0c per month Night Final 8t et B¢ per month Collection made at the end of each month or each week, Orders may be sent by mall or tele- phone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Vireinia. 110 East 47nd 8t. North Michigan Ave, 850 P 10¢ mo mo., i 1 mo., B 1 mo. $1.00 i1 mo. %5 1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Pt exclusively the use for republica of all new eredfied to it or not Twise © i paper and also the local news published hi U riebis of publication of special dispatches rve erein are also re e The Fate of China. Twenty-three years ago today the World War was just over the horizon. The British fleet had taken up strategic stations in the North Sea, the German Army was about to “hack its way” through Belgium, and in Russia, France, Austria and Serbia myriads of men were on the march. Certain conditions at the end of July, 1937, bear disquieting resemblance to those which encouraged the Central Powers to launch their thunderbolts in July, 1914. Germany and her allies saw a Britain enmeshed in critical controversy with Ireland; a France rocked by domestic scandal; a Russia on the perennial verge of revo- lutson. The Kaiser and his satellites were convinced that “the day” had dawned. Japan surveys the world, particularly the West, this July, and manifestly con- cludes that the progressive dismember- ment of China may now be pressed with a minimum of risk. Soviet Russia showed in the affair on the Amur that it is in no wood for war, either because of the Red army's disrupted morale or for other reasons. [Europe, on perpetual tenter- hooks lest the Spanish strife kindle a general conflagration, is concerned ex- clusively with that contingency. The United States, besides its invincible re- solve to maintain neutrality, is too deeply {mmersed in political and economic prob- lems of its own to think of intervention M China’s struggle for self-preservation. Thus, just as Germany in ‘14 discerned & “g0” signal, so Japan in '37 finds the road clear and is on its way. = Events around Peiping and Tientsin &e changing so kaleidoscopically from bour to hour that they make precarious any attempt to predict the course they wiil next take. Only one or two things seem clear, in the maze of fluctuating battle fortunes and counter claims by Nanking and Tokio. Peiping appears to have fallen completely under Japanese | domination. After desultory military clashes the ancient capital is now oc- cupied by Chinese troops under pro- Japanese command, whereby the Tokio- eontrolled “autonomous” Hopei-Chahar regime is more firmly intrenched than ever. On the outcome of fighting raging | around Tientsin probably depends the effort to convert North China into an- other Manchukuo. The present success or failure of that long-projected venture Wwill mainly turn on Chiang Kai-shek's willingness or ability to marshal erack legions for a crucial trial of strength with the island oppressor. Nanking talks bravely, but gives no sign of beating strong words into military deeds. Meantime, Japanese war spirit s fanned to fever heat as the Konoye- Hirota government, speaking in the voice of its army master, thunders the determination to have a final reckoning with China and to brook intervention in that purpose. America’s momentary preoccupation s to safeguard the lives of our several thousand nationals in the war zone. While there is no sentiment in favor of other measures, Japan makes a grave mistake if she reads into Btates’ restraint conclusive evidence of our unqualified detachment from the erisis now menacing the peace of Asia and the world, ago that Washington affirmed that *there can be no serious hostilities any- Where which will not in one way or another affect interests, rights or obli- gations of this country.” That is lan- guage which Tokio is not likely to mis- interpret at this tragic hour. e A new deal in radio will be welcomed by conservative persons if it implies certain limitations of conyentional pro- priety in the songs and dialogue, ————— Lists of Ship l’aswngrr Benator Copeland’s proposal of Fed- eral legislation requiring that the con- ductors of all passenger ships plying rivers, bays or lakes within the United Btates be required to deposit on shore before each trip lists of their passengers 15 a Jogical outcome of the Chesapeake Bay disaster of Thursday when a Balti- more-Norfolk liner burned to the water's edge, with the known persons. This was a mercifully small sacrifice of life. Had the fire occurred & few hours later the casualties would have been far greater, possibly total Yet no full list of passengers was kept on shore, and in case of the complete destruction of the vessel during the night there would have been no way to ascertain the identities of those per- 1shing. The purser of the boat did keep a memorandum of the names of those boarding the ship, but such a record would be likely to disappear with the vessel. This matter of a record of passengers, however, is not the most important fea- ture of the tragedy. Doubtless rigid thquiry will be made into the circum- stances of the fire, and it should go so death of two his | no foreign | - | concerned. the United | It was only a few days | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, n the nature of the freight carried, particularly gas-laden motor vehicles, the methods of stowage and the degree of care taken to insure against fire,. Were the ordinary pre- cautions taken to prevent laxity of con- duct on the part of passengers and of the ship’s company? Were the fire hazards sufficiently guarded against through watchfulness? Was there an undue risk in the use of a wooden vessel, capable of being burned to the edge of the water within a relatively few min- utes after the starting of the blaze? The fact that so few casualties re- sulted from this disaster does not war- rant any remission of rigor in the in- quiry or the application of precautions against repetition through the adoption of regulations respecting all such com- merce. It must be borne in mind in this connection that but for the early hour in the evening when the blaze began this Chesapeake Bay fire would have caused one of the major horrors of nfl\'igalmn in American waters. oo Another Court Attack. Senator Logan of Kentucky nounced in the Senate, following an agreement between administration leaders and the opponents of the Presi- dent’s court bill, that the Supreme Court was “out” so far as the new ju- dicial procedure bill was concerned. Senator Hiram Johnson of California replied with a “Glory be to God,” which was echoed by millions of Americans. Since that day, when the court bill was sent back to the Senate Judiciary Com- mittee, there has been a recrudescence of the demand that something be done about the Supreme Court on the part of those who stood with the President in his effort to subordinate the tribunal to the executive and legislative branches. Senator Minton of Indiana was one of the most ardent defenders of the Presi- dent’s program for the court. He has announced that he will seek to amend the new judicial procedure bill by add- ing a provision that the Supreme Court can hold an act of Congress unconstitu- tional only by a vote of two-thirds or more. Representative Dies of Texas, after a conference with the President at the White House, said that he pro- posed to offer an amendment to the new Jjudiciary bill when it reached the House also requiring a two-thirds vote to in- validate an act of Congress on consti- tutional grounds. Mr. Minton maintains that his pro- posal does not violate the agreement entered into between the administration leaders and the opposition. In any event, he was not a member of the Judiciary Committee where the agree- ment was made. His amendment, he adds, does not propose to change the personnel of the court, by either addition or subtraction, but merely has to do with procedure. Opponents of the President’s plan to change the status of the Supreme Court take an opposite view. Senator Wheeler of Montana, for example, insists that if the administration leaders undertake to place such an amendment as that pro- posed by Minton and Dies in the new court bill it will be “bad faith. Irrespective of the question whether the proposal to have the Senate include the Minton amendment in the new bill constitutes a violation of agreement, it is quite clear that if the amendment is pressed and receives considerable sup- an- | port there will be another battle royal immediate success or failure of Japan's | in the Senate. So far as the Supreme Court is concerned, the opponents of the President’s original court bill feel that no legislation should be attempted at the present session. It does not seem credible that administration leaders will lend themselves to a movement now to insert in the new bill any amendment dealing with the highest tribunal. In itself the Minton-Dies proposal is wrong. It would in effect give a minority of the court the right to say that a law is constitutional. Is this better than having a majority decide whether or not a law is constitutional? It would not at all change the situation in which a single justice of the court, by swing- { ing his vote one way or the other, could uphold or invalidate an act of Congress. ‘What the amendment proposes is to give Congress and the President a domi- nating position, so far as the court is A majority of the court would be unable to declare unconstitu- tional & law passed by both houses of | Congress and signed by the President. This is no new proposal. Fven if en- acted into law, it probably would itself be held unconstitutional. It should be so held if enacted. o The fascinations of a residence in or near Washington, D. C., are beginning to exercise an influence much greater than that which existed years ago be- fore there was a radio or an air service to jnfluence a choice of location. The Nation's Capital also has hospitalization facilities of the highest character, even while admitting with candor that a long stay for health recuperation may suggest another immediate environment as advantageous. r—on— The death of Joseph T. Robinson is still regretted. He taught his colleagues one thing well worth remembering; a Summer of hard work in Washington, D. C, needs a vigorous constitution, e America’s Cup Races. A yacht race may be “the worst show on earth” so far as the entertainment of spectators is concerned; but a large public, nevertheless, will find its interest magnetically engaged by the contest between:T. O. M. Sopwith's second chal- lenger, Endeavour II, and Harold S. Vanderbilt's third defender, Ranger, which begins today . Something more than a mere sailing competition is involved. The element of history, for example, is an especially at- tractive factor. Nearly a century, as it happens, has passed since the America's Cup first was won by Commodore John C. Stevens at the Isle of Wight meet of 1851. The trophy has been in the man- agement of the New York Yacht Club for eighty years, during which time " American skippers and crews have lost only five races out of forty-seven sailed. But nobody cares very much about vic- tory in itself. What matters is the sport of matching ships and brains and hearts in a trial of skill. Of course, not many persons will have the privilege of watching the contest “close up.” It simply is not an event susceptible to intimate examination. The arena in which it is staged is a considerable expanse of water, and the spectators necessarily are kept at a dis- tance. Yet it is good fun to study the maps and charts. read the experts’ chronicles and, this season as rarely if ever before, listen to radio reporters’ comments. The international significance of the match is one of friendly rivalry. It fol- lows that on both sides of the Atlantic there will be multitudes who will be brought together momentarily. The ex- perience s distinctively worthwhile. Nor will the result affect any Britisher or American negatively. Rather, a cer- tain fraternity of enthusiasm and a cer- tain mutual memory of pleasant co- operation are indicated in the circum- stances. e It must be remembered that China is a very large country. Japan is quick of perception, but it may be worth seeing whether anything happens when the back woods becomes aware of the pos- sibilities of modern warfare, oot There continues to be an exaggerated idea of the amount of money that can be saved to the American public by cut- ting down the pay of those whose earn- ings are already small and whose rent is systematically going up. ————— When Al Smith was younger in na- tional politics he referred to “radio” as “raddio.” He may still use the two d's if he implies the privilege of placing a dash suggesting profanity between them. ————— Search for Amelia Earhart will be continued with private funds. Govern- ment supervision of flying may as this “new deal” advances in human wisdom be regarded as an important element of national obligation. o Government employes are demanding higher salaries. The state of feeling is such that nobody cares how much any- body gets if he can make an honest show of actually earning it. o One serious admonition may be sent to Americans caught in China: Come home without delay and do not talk politics with strangers, e Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Indomitable Will To be successful, some folks say, Is to pursue a selfish way Regardless of resentnrent sore Which may arise as you explore The world that you may have with ease The things which nourish you or please. Let others roar in discontent And lash themselves as they resent Your purpose to persist unti Of what you choose you've had your fill. If this be a reminder true Of how to live and what to do, All men are failures, more or less— But the mosquito’s a success. Caution Required. “Do you think a man in your position ought to study political economy?” “Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum, “but he mustn't be too conspicuous about it. It some of my constituents were to catch me with a ponderous and erudite volume in my hands they would go home and say I was wasting my time and the Gov- ernment’s money.” Jud Tunkins says what keeps us hope- ful and going is that no matter how often a man may be wrong, he always thinks he's going to be right next time. Shrinkage. The ice man is & financier; The meltage brings a shock. You have to pay with patient cheer For lots of watered stock. Nice Distinction. “Bathing suits present a problem in propriety.” “Yes,” agreed Miss Cayenne. “It is perfectly proper to wear them, but highly improper to describe them.” Mental Feats. “Has your boy a retentive memory?” “I'll say he has,” replied Farmer Corn- tossel. “Josh knows the names of more race horses and movie actors than any- body else in the country,” Dreams. In the city, bright and gay, Comes a dream of going ‘Where the rural breezes stray And the streams are @owing. Underneath the open sky, ‘Where the stars are gleaming, For the city lights you sigh In your day um.e dreaming. Dreams forever rise anew, Hope is unabating; For each dream that has come true There's another waiting. “Rabbits’ feet ain’ special good luck foh huma said Uncle Eben, “but dey sho’ is foh a rabbit if he kin make 'em run fast enough.” e Juries. From the Williamsport Sun Michigan has a new law designed to promote justice by requiring juries of a higher degree of intelligence. Does the law contain any guarantee that lawyers will not continue to insult that intelli- gence? ——ee—. Camouflage. From the Worcester Gasette, Gas masks are said to be unexpectedly popular with small school children in Europe. The youngsters have discov- ered a safe method for making faces at the teacher. \ Thinks Americans Should Mind Their Own Business To the Editor of The Star: You call attention in your news col- umns to the fact that Congressman Dick- stein and Congressman Dies are all “het up” over a handful of Americans “goosestepping,” Nazi-saluting each oth- er and waiving swastika as well as Amer- ican flags at a camp over in New Jersey, ‘The two Congressmen have introduced a House resolution to investigate this public exhibition and assemblage at a rented camp, as if our Constitution does not guarantee free assembly and a right even to bear arms. I have no interest in any of all these foreign fights, foreign born and alien minded try to transplant here, because I think we have far more fights and prob- lems of our own than we can settle right and well, even if we devote all our time to them, as we should. But I do recall all kinds of real fist fights and even the murdering of a bishop at his altar in New York City as a result of “foreign fights” transplanted here. I also recall the emblem of a nation, Germany, with which we are at peace, being torn down and off a German ship in New York Harbor by a group of haters of the present German government. Neither Congressman then had a word to say about such alien-minded conduct and anything but “good neighbor” and American activity. Neither introduced a resolution to investigate any of those alleged internationalistic un-American activities. Let us mind our own business. Let those who want to change the German form of government go there with their force and violence and have the courage of their convictions to take the conse- quences thereof, as well as get what is coming to them. P. AMES. +—oe—. Alcohol Tax Unit Report On Withdrawals of Liquor To the Editor of The Star: ‘What will eventually happen to a na- tion that withdraws for consumption & total of 1,714.716.859 gallons of fermented liquors within one year, as was done right here in the United States during 19362 These figures were given in con- nection with the official report of the Alcohol Tax Unit of the Bureau of In- ternal Revenue and published on July 22, 1937, This report also declared that this amount exceeded the total withdrawn from warehouses in 1935 by 203,162.819 gallons. It also stated that a total of 214,971,081 gallons more were produced than in the previous year. The report further declares that at the end of June, 1937, ' in storage totaled 445, 5. s, or nearly four gallons for every man. woman and child of the 120,000,000 population in the United States. If all of the 1,714,716,859 gallons withdrawn for consumption are con- sumed, it will mean an average of more than 14 gallons per person in our be- loved country. Well may persons of concern ask: What does this mean, and where are we going? On the night that Babylon, the world’s greatest universal empire, was subjugated by the Medes and Persians, Belshazzar the King was holding a drunken feast in the royal palace with a thousand of his lords, and perhaps more women of the nobility sharing it with him. When he had reach d the height of his revelry, an unseen hand wrote those mysterious words on the wall: “Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin,” which meant, “Thou art weighed in the balances and found want- ing,” and before he could hardly recover from his astonishment the invaders marched into that palace and killed him, together with the other revelers. Can it be that America has started to retrograde, and that booze will eventu- ally spell “finis” to its greatness? W. L. BURGAN, s Government Economy and Low Taxes by Simple Rules To the Editor of The & This is & hint how economy in govern- ment and reduced taxation can be brought about. Dictum: If you want to drive a nail, don’t use a lookingglass; use a hammer If you want to cast an engine block, don't use a paper-bag machine; use the foun- dry tools and appliances, and if you want to feed and clothe the multitude, don't use a government, use industry. The function of government is to pro- tect and defend. The function of indus- try (farming, mining, manufacturing, commerce) is to feed and clothe the mul- titude. If you want to accomplish a purpose, you get or build an appliance, machine or erganization fit for that pur- pose. If you want to feed and clothe the unemployed, do the same—create a sep- arate industrial organization outside the government, for that very purpose. Industry cannot govern, protect and defend. Government cannot successfully feed and clothe the multitude. Let the Government drop all these unsuccessful side issues and do its proper work of national defense, preserving domestic tranquility and justice between organi- zation and individual, employer and em- ploye, man and man, and promote (not run) the general welfare through its constitutional duties only; then the laws of economics and of nature will look after the rest far better than a bureaucratic government of politicians can do it, and at far less expense. “The best government is that which governs least.” Why can't the United States of America have “The Best Gov- ernment?” ERNEST H. HOBBS. ——— Uncle Sam’s Pledge of Privilege to Aliens To the Editor of The Btar The barbarian me wants all aliens reg- istered, all aliens on relief deported, a heavier tax, but no vote, for those per- mitted to remain, and it made illegal to employ aliens when there are citizens unemployed. The civilized me wants justice to prevail; at least as much jus- tice as is rendered aliens in foreign countries, which treat their aliens ac- cording to the terms on which they were permitted to enter the country. Terms on which the aliens of this country were permitted to enter are that they shall be accorded the same privileges as citizens, except as to voting and holding title to property. If Uncle Sam were to break this his agreement with the aliens, he would be less just than foreign countries. Regard- less of foreign countries, I want Uncle Sam always to stand by his promises and to take the loss like a gentleman if he has made a bad bargain. Nothing less is honesty and justice. H. A. WARDWELL, s An Ideal Refuge. From the Lowell Courter-Citizen Nantucket again threatens secession. As an independent free State it would be grandly situated for incorporation of a lot of those tax-dodger personal trusts. Some Progress. Prom the New Haven Journal-Courier. Who says there ain't no progress? In 1776 the battle of Bunker Hill killed 450 Americans and in 1937 the Fourth of glwma of the highways only knocked A. D. C. SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1937. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Blessed upon the earth, wisdom of yesteryear tells us, are the feet of those who bring tidings of peace and good will. Not so blessed are they who bring tall tales of ill will and rancor. In the everyday life, there is always some one running up to tell how, in an attack upon you, he took your part. You wish he wouldn't. He had better let the matter rest. No good can come of the telling, and the resentment invariably falls upon him, the bringer of bad news, rather than upon the original. You needed no particular defense, in the first place, and if, in the second. he found it good to battle for you, why did he have to tell you about it? * oK Kk ‘There will always be praise and blame. They are two sides of the same thing. If some one praises, some one else is going to blame. It is inevitable. It is as sure as day and night; it is, indeed, the day and night of opinion. Let people have their opinions. It is their right, and they will do it, anyway. Be not too hasty to leap to some one else’s defense in his absence. Whether you do or don't, however, never tell him anything about it after- ward. * Kok Unless, of course, you don't mind bear- ing the blame. Feel pretty certain it will be put on you, in the curious’way of humanity. One may feel sure that no one really feels at ease, in recounting such a story. There is always a confused look in the eyes, a firm determination to continue, but a vague wish that one hadn't ever begun, evidently. Once started, he seems to feel, there is nothing to it but to continue, which he does manfully enough. He gives the charge against you, and you, as listener, immediately begin to feel harassed, you instantly think counter charges, and work up a defense in your own mind. He, good fellow, is far ahead of you. He is now at the defense, his own de- fense, how gallantly he came to the rescue, You, as listener, are still back fighting the foe., * o % % By the time he has finished, you have missed most of the great defense. You thank him, with gusto, but all the time you are wishing he had kept his mouth shut. “What you don't know won't hurt you——" a wise old saving that, cer- tainly with its limitations, but also its good points. Undoubtedly it was coined to cover Just such a situation as this, when the telling was unnecessary, and the recep- tion uncertain. The world is so full of misery and woe, there is no need for building it up in the mind of another by seeing to it that he hears something which other- wise he probably never would have heard. If vital to his welfare, well enough; but who shall be judge? * % ox x almost always feels that the STARS, MEN One teller of such things is a dumb-head, as the Germans put it. A good fellow, and all that, but why does he go out of the way to tell what one does not desire to hear? There is the crux, of course. No one wants to hear bad tidings ex- cept from the true source. Then, let it be noted, it is necessary. ‘The necessary is one thing, the un- necessary is another. * ox & % It all goes back to gossip and of what it consists. Pitiless retailing of gossip is what has given the thing a black eye. Good gossip is interesting, say what one will and may against ft. There is no person living who at some time or other has not engaged in sheer gossip, often with great gain to all con- cerned. No one need be afraid of honest gossip. Tt is just talk, after all. There is good talk and bad talk, fust as there are good words and bad words. Time and cir- cumstance make a great deal of differ- ence. What is good one place is not so good another; what is fit for one to hear, is unfit for another. People who pride themselves on never talking behind another person's back are rather silly: they had much better talk behind the back, in many cases, than to the face. * % ok X The truth seems to be that he who tells all is really retailing something that has been said behind a back. As long as it remains behind the back, that is where it ought to be; when it gets out at last, he who brings it is the culprit. Every one feels this way, no matter how much he thanks you, says how glad he is that you told him. He isn't glad, and he doesn't thank you in the least. All words to the con- trary are just smoke screen, deemed necessary by the curious uncivilized civ- ilization built up. It is this smoke screen the radicals are shooting at, and maybe they will bring it down, in time. It has served its purpose, perhaps, and something more substantial is needed. * ok x % In the meantime, let every tongue hesitate, before reviewing in toto the campaign of attack and defense which a friend happily missed There are very few times when such a tale is either necessary or essential. Mostly nothing is gained by such chatter, which attempts to picture a battle, with narrator in role of hero. Most people are somewhat discomfited in praising themselves. They do it in a niggardly fashion. So the bold fellow who rushes to one's defense gets none too good a photograph, although self- taken and self-delivered. Rush to the defense of friends in ab- sentia, all you wish; it is a good thing to do, and speaks well with your im- mortal soul. But, for heaven's sake, do not tell them about it afterward! Rest assured, if you do, that by a curious quirk in human nature, you will become the villain of the piece. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Another “ancient civilization” is be- ing uncovered in North America. It is that of the Hohokam, or “an- cient ones.” who reached their highest development in Southern Arizona about 1000 A.D. This civilization was quite distinct from that of the Pueblos, the Cliff Dwellers or the Mound Builders and in some respects was probably the most remarkable of all. Some of the most recent findings on the Hohokam are reported by Emil W. Haury, assistant director of the Gila Pueblo Laboratory, at Globe, Ariz, through the United States Office of In- dian Affairs. This ancient people, who may have been the ancestors of the present day Pima Indians who dwell in the same region, had two remark- able accomplishments to their credit, Mr. Haury shows. First, they were the inventors of etching—at least 500 years before the secret was discovered in Europe. Sev- eral specimens of their work have been found. They used sea shells. On such a shell a design was drawn with a stick dipped in wax or pitch. It then was immersed in an acid, probably the un- fermented juice of the giant cactus fruit, which slowly ate away the unpro- tected parts of the shell and left the design standing out. The archeological evidence indicates that they were using this method as early as 1000 A.D. but the process of etching on metal by an acid process was not discovered in Eu- rope until about 1500. The ancient ones, however, did not go the rest of the way and use their etched shells for printing. The second great accomnplishment was probably the independent discovery of rubber. Some time after 500 A.D. they began playing a peculiar form of ball game in a court with high earthen sides. One of these courts recently has been excavated on the Gila River Indian reservation. It measured about 200 feet in length and 90 feet in width. At the center a stone had been buried below the floor, and goal stones were set into the floor near each end of the court. It is similar to the stone-walled ball courts of the Maya Indians in Yucatan and Guatemala, 1,500 miles to the south. In this game, as the Mayas played it, stone rings were set vertically into the walls. well above the floor and central in relation to the length of the court. The ball, made of rubber and about the size of a base ball, was bounced off the hips of the players, grouped in two teams, in an effort to send it through the stone ring. Such a rubber ball has been found in a Hohokam ruin. Now, it is quite unlikely, Mr. Haury stresses, that “the ancient ones” impor] Tub- ber. It might have been, and probably was, obtained from the Guayule plant, a rubber-bearing shrub native to the region. Still another remarkable accomplish- ment was the construction of their elaborate system of canals. They lived In a region of extreme aridity—probably about as bad in their day as it is now. ‘They learned early that if they were to mature their crops successfully, means for artificial irrigation must be devel- oped. Canals were dug which carried water from the Gila and Salt Rivers to flelds of corn, beans, squash and cotton. This canal irrigation was well advanced by 800 A.D. The canals were dug by hand, in some cases as much as 60 feet wide and from 8 to 8 feet deep. When canal irrigation was at its height, between 1200 and 1400 A.D,, several hundred miles of such ditches were in use. Without them life in large villages would have been im- possible. They probably represent the most notable engineering development in prehistoric North America. These “ancient ones” lived in pit houses partially dug into the ground. They made elay pots both for cooiing and for storing of food and water. One reason why so little is known about them is that thev invariably cremated their dead. Other Southwestern peo- ples followed the practice of burial, often with numerous artifacts for the use of the soul in the next world. Hence these ancient graves reveal much of their way of life, while there are no such clues as to the culture and folkways of the Ho- hokam. The Hohokam seem to have lived un- molested until about 1300 A.D.. when an immigrant group of Pueblo peoples in- vaded their land. There is every indi- cation, says Mr. Haury, that this inva- sion was a peaceful one and that the two peoples lived on friendly terms in villages for about 150 years. During this period, however, the Pueblos erected some large “apartment house” dwell- ings—a type of architecture unknown to the Hohokam. The evidence of the immigrants is shown in their pottery, in the character of their houses and in the fact that they buried their dead. —o— Court Bill’s Death Writes The End of a Chapter Prom the New York Times. With the Supreme Court issue defi- nitely settled for this session, and pos- sibly for many sessions, the time has come to express the hope that a happier chapter lies ahead and that the bit- terness of a great controversy may be soon forgotten. Out of the whole hard- fought debate one point deserves to be remembered, and this deserves to be re- membered long. It is the clear and un- mistakable demonstration that no Presi- dent of the United States, however pop- ular, however convinced of the sincerity of his purposes and however certain in his own mind of the propriety of his methods, can propose to take a short cut to the achievement of his objectives by & route which threatens the inde- pendence of the judiciary, without en- countering deep and determined oppo- sition on the part of great numbers of his countrymen who rightly regard an independent judiciary as the bulwark of their freedom. It would be ungracious to turn the page of.the debate in Congress without an expression of gratitude to those Democratic Senators who have helped to shape the issue for the country. Wheeler, Bailey, Burke and Gerry; King, McCar- ran, O'Mahoney and Van Nuys—others could be added to the list—have made a fight for which we believe history will honor them. They have had the cour- age of their convictions, and the willing- ness to speak out in protest against a plan of which they disapproved on prin- ciple. Because many of them have long been identified with the progressive wing of the Democratic party, because their votes in the past have helped the Presi- dent to achieve the enactment of the whole structure of legislation which bears the name of the New Deal, they have had in this instance to face the charge of betraying the cause of liberal- ism. But they have ample reason to believe that theirs has been the longer view: that zeal for reform which tinkers with the safeguards of liberty is mis- taken, and that the cause of liberalism is best served by preserving a system of orderly government in which liberalism itself is free to function. As for the President: that he has suffered a loss of prestige, for no good cause, is undeniable. In dramatic fash- fon he has been rebuked, as on this issue he should have been, by members of his own party. But it need not and does not follow that the President’s leadership has been fatally impaired. He has made a mistake, but mistakes are made. The best way to correct them is to admit them: openly, i possible; at least by refusing to persist in them. A [ ANSWERS TO | QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN, A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing Tha Evening Star Information Burenu, Frederie J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D, C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How did the winning scors in this year's national open golf chame pionship compare with the record 283 shot last year by Tony Manero’—E. W, A. It was two shots lower, 281, and became the new record. Q. Please give the suicides who appear in the Bible—C. B A. Samson, Judges, xvi29-30; Saul, I Samuel, xxxi5; Saul's armor bearer, IT Samuel, xxxi 6; Ahithophel, IT Samuel, xvii23, and Judas Iscariot, Matthew, xxvii5. Q. How does the energy given off by radium compare with that of buming coal?—W. F. A. During its life radium gives off 1,000,000 times as much energy as burn- ing coal. A gram of radium equals 3,000 pounds of coal. Q. How long Is the alimentary canal? —W. R. A. In an adult the alimentary canal has a total length of from 25 to 30 feet, Q. How many people are employed in the National Bureau of Standards? A. The National Bureau of Standards’ personnel totals approximately 800, di- vided among 70 departments. Q. Please give some information about the ice carnival at Atlantic City, N, J.? —E. R. A. The ice show is being held in the Municipal Convention Hall, which has been transformed into a Winter sports center. A frozen lake is laid out in the center of the hall while a snow-covered mountain rises at one end. Acrobatic skating and skiing exhibitions are being given with star performers. The ene trance to the hall is arranged like a cavern with igloos as box offices and attendants dressed as Eskimos. “Tha Ice Follies of 1937, as the show is called, will continue until after Labor day. Q. What material is used for hair on the dummies in show windows? —H. K. A. Halr on the figures is sometimes made of silk floss, while silk cord, linen thread and fine metal wire in bronze, silver and blond may be used. Of course, real hair is often used. Q. How much money in wages is lost on account of accidents?>—W. H. A. Last year wages lost on account of accidents in the United States amounted to two billion dollars. Q. How deep is the ocean where the Titanic sank?—A. T. A. A little more than three miles deep. Q. What unfinished opera was come pleted by Rimski-Korsakov?—E. H. A. Alexander Borodin, the Russian composer, died before he had completed “Prince Igor.” It was finished by Rimski- Korsakov and Glazunov. Q. How fast do a hummingbird’s wings beat?—E. F. A. The wings of a hummingbird beat fifty-five times a second while it hovers in midair and seventy-five times a second in flight, Q. Are steps being taken to penalize drunken drivers?—H. B. A. A concerted movement to this end is under way among the States and cities. Some have passed stricter laws, Definition of a drunken driver and proof of his condition is of great importance. Some State courts have established definitions of drunken drivers, Q. Which affects the temperature of the stomach more, ice water or hot cof- fee?—B. 8. A. It takes the stomach the same length of time to attain body temperature after ice water or hot coffee is drunk— about twenty minutes. Q. Was Brallle, the inventor of the system for the blind, & musician?—W. H. A. Louis Braille began the study of music while he was an inmate of an institution for the blind in Paris. He became quite proficlent and was a church organist. Q. How old was Tennyson's friena whose death inspired “In Memoriam"? —A. 8. . A. Arthur Henry Hallam, poet and essayist, was only twenty-two when he died. Q. Why is cabbage so called?—W. J. A. The name cabbage is derived from the Latin caput, meaning a head. Q. Where is Randolph Field located? —M. M. C. A. This Army flying fleld is fifteen miles northeast of San Antonio, Tex, Q. Who called Lincoin the baboon in the White House?—W. M. A. After Lincoln’s inauguration, Edwin M. Stanton, who later became his Bec- retary of War, called him the baboon in the White House. Q. For whom was Vancouver, British Columbia, named?—R. H. A. Vancouver was named after Cap- tain George Vancouver, a British naval officer. How to Say It in Writing. The HANDY LETTER WRITER is an up-to-the-minute compilation of accepted standards and model forms for all kinds of correspondence. Complete sections on both business and social communications. Covers the general rules of diction, punctuation, grammar; correct styles of address; proper salutations and closings. A special section on formal communica- tlons with Government officials and dig- nitaries. Contains more than 80 sample letter forms. You will find it an in- dispensable reference. Order your copy today. Inclose TEN CENTS to eover cost and handling. Use This Order Blank The Washington Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, ‘Washington, D. C. T inclose herewith TEN CENTS in coin (carefully wrapped) for a copy of the HANDY LETTER WRITER.