Evening Star Newspaper, June 3, 1940, Page 8

. The Foening Htar With Sunday Mornine Edition. THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor, WASHINGTO D. C. MONDAY - _June 3, 1940 ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Cn‘mglny. Main Office: 11th St and Pennsylvania Ave. q East 42nd 8t. Chitoro Office: 455 North ‘Michigkn Ave. Delivered by Carrier—City and Suburban. Resular Edition, Evening and Sunday 75¢ per mo. ot 18c per wee) The Evening Star _ 45¢ Der mo. Or 10¢ per weel The Sunday Star 2, —- 10c per copy Night Final Edition. ight Final and Sundey Star __ 85¢ per month ight Final Star s 22 80c per month Rural Tube Delivers. The Evening and Sunday Star.__.85c per month e Evening Star o 2 55c per month e Sunday Star ~10¢ per copy Collection made at the end of each month or ench week. ers may be sent by mail or tele- Phone National 5000. Entered as second-class matter Dost office, Washington. D. C. Member of the Associated Press, The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this Daper and also the local news published herein, Al' rights of publication of special dispatches herein alsc ar d P O G R Enemies Within Call them by whatever name one chooses—the fifth column, Trojan horse troopers or just plain spies and saboteurs—there are enemies within our gates that the lessons of Norway and Holland have shown must be . Terreted out and eradicated quickly and relentlessly. These enemies oper- ate covertly and in varied guises, but they are fully as dangerous to the Nation’s integrity as a frontal assault by armies in the open. Often they are aided and abetted (sometimes unwittingly) by fellow travelers and misguided sympathizers. Obviously, the exposure and pun- ishment of trained and subtle espio- nage agents and other violators of our sedition and neutrality laws constitute a job for experts. Vigilante and similar well-intentioned groups have neither the support of law nor the experience and training which are absolutely essential in investi- gating subversive activities. They can be of service in combatting alien propaganda and in putting the pub- lic on guard against un-American agitators, but they should leave the investigation and punishment of violators to authorized law enforce- ment agencies. And there is no cause for fear that our Government is not aware of the situation, nor that it will not take effective action. The Dies Committee is rendering a valu- able service by throwing the search- light of inquiry into dark and devious channels of un-Americanism; and the Federal Bureau of Investi- gation has thrown its full resources into the battle against the under- cover forces of espionage, sabotage and alien intrigue. The latest evidence of aggressive action in the counter-espionage camp Is the creation by J. Edgar Hoover, F. B. 1. director, of a new National Defense Investigation Unit within his organization. Mr. Hoover has placed in charge of this impor- tant unit Hugh H. Clegg, a quiet but determined assistant who has distin- guished himself in the F. B. I. war on kidnapers, bank robbers and other desperadoes. Mr. Clegg has been “dean” of the bureau’s National Po- | lice Academy, in which post he has won the friendship, confidence and co-operation of State and municipal police officers throughout the Nation. ‘This association should be of great value in the difficult and highly re- sponsible assignment which he now undertakes. With such a setup, there can be no need for any superagency to super- vise .. » F. B. L. in its war on vio- lators of Federal laws. The record of the G-men shows that they can be trusted to do a fearless, fair and thorough job, without need for out- side restraint. under a serious handicap in their battle against spies, however. This is the ridiculous prohibition against tapping of wires used by alien plot- ters. Certainly no sensible person would consider the tapping of a spy'’s telephone for investigative pur- poses an invasion of any constitu- tional right. An exception by Attorney General Jackson to his too-broad order against wiretap- ping would remove this handicap, and The Star can see no justification for his hesitancy. Meanwhile, Con- gress should remove all doubt as to legality of wire-tapping in such major crimes as kidnaping or espio- nage by enacting legislation approv- ing its use in cases involving human life or national security. Pay Cut Plan Senator Byrd's proposal for a ten per cent cut in the ordinary expenses of the Government would have an unfortunate effect if it operated to reduce the pay of Federal employes. In the first place, Government workers, alopg with everybody else, face an increase in taxes to pay for the defense program. Secondly, if experience is worth .in the cost of living can be expected “if this country actually goes on a war basis, and a rise in living costs .may come as a complementary devel- * opment to thg present preparedness drive. Nor should it be forgotten that ! Government employes already have - made a contribution to economy in Government at the present session »of Congress, the House Appropria- Y tlons Committee having denied all + funds for promotions allowed by the «Budget Bureau, thereby blocking % pay increases in the executive agen- ~eies during the next fiscal year except A\ They are laboring | in those limited instances where some money may be made available by retrenchment in other quarters. As the result of this policy, thousands of employes will continue to be de- prived of well-earned advancement as they have for the better part of the past decade. The necessity for economy is un- questioned, particularly in the light of the enormous expenditures for arms the country is making, but the pay roll is only about a sixth of the total annual expenditures, and Con- gress should survey all other possi- bilities for savings before looking in this direction. ——— Helping Ourselves After a great deal of indecision, a large majority of the American peo- ple, in The Star’s opinion, have defi- nitely made up their minds that this country can best serve its own inter- ests by extending every possible as- sistance, short of manpower, to the nations which are fighting a desper- ate battle to check the spread of Hitlerism. If France and Britain are conquered in the war now reaching such a critical stage, the menace of totalitarianism will move appreciably nearer to us. But if victory for the Allies can be assured our own position will be vastly improved. and there can be no valid difference of opinion on that score, it follows that our support of France and Britain should be wholehearted, that we should strive to utilize every avenue of giving assistance and not seek excuses to refrain from giving it. But our record in this respect is not an enviable one. Commission in this country has been trying to buy a number of Enfield rifles and 75-millimeter guns which have been held in storage by the Army since the first World War. The Allies are in desperate need of these | arms immediately. | they are needed by us but as the direct result of a rather mysterious which was adopted in the form of an order by the War Department last March. At the office of Assistant Secretary of War Johnson it was said that this order, transfer by this Government of surplus war material to any other power which is at war, was adopted White House. Secretary of War and the White House also disclaims any knowledge of it. But the order mountable barrier to the sale of any Government-owned war materials to the Allies. It also has been contended, notably in connection with Senator Pepper’s proposal to sell to the French and the British any surplus airplanes this Government may have, that any sale to a belligerent of military equip- |.ment owned by the United States would be a violation of international | law. In the strict sense this contention | Is correct, since the nations subscrib- ; ing to The Hague Convention, the | ized units burning up gas and oil by | United States being one of them, | agreed that neutral governments | should not sell war materials to bel- | ligerent powers. But the binding | the signatories, and Germany, one of the signers, has violated the terms of the Convention in the most fla- grant fashion. In fact, the Third Reich has profited directly and in- tentionally by violating international law while her enemies sought to respect it. The invasion of Holland and Bel- gium, for example, was a violation of international law. By ignoring the neutral status of these countries and their supposed immunity from | invasion,- Germany was able with impunity to select the time and place at which she wished to strike, know- ing full well that France and Britain would not take the initiative from her by launching an invasion af their own in violation of the law of nations. When a nation undertakes a crim- inal role in violation of solemn agreements, as Germany has done, other nations should be relieved of their obligations to the offender. By adhering to a technical and absurd concept of our duty under interna- tional law we are contributing di- rectly to the ultimate success of totalitarian aggressors. By every dictate of common sense we should desist from this course and under- take at once to give every assistance to France and Britain, for if they are defeated in this war we shall not escape the evil consequences of that result. Earl Browder, the Communist Party’s candidate for the presidency, yesterday availed himself of a cher- ished American privilege—the free- dom of speech—and he seized upon that opportunity to make preposter- ous statements which he must have known to be false. But this Nation should not concern itself primarily with the question of whether Mr. Browder dealt in facts or falsehoods. A statement made in good faith, though it be untrue in its entirety, is entitled to the same pro- tection under our constitutional tra- dition as one which is correct to the last detail. In Mr. Browder’s case, however, there exists the important distinction that he does not stand in the position of an American honestly availing himself of an American right. Al- though he enjoys American citizen- ship, both he and his party, in ac- ) If these conclusions are correct, | which forbids the sale or | in conformity with the wishes of the | | Woodring has said that he knows | | nothing whatsoever about the order, | remains in effect and is an insur- | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, tuality, are subservient agents of a foreign power which, measured by any standard, is hostile to the form of government established in the United States. On this latter score, Mr. Browder can have no illusions. Had his speeches of yesterday been delivered in Russia and directed to the Soviet regime, he would have been shot and he knows it. Spokesmen for the broadcasting companies, whose facilities he used, made it clear that they gave Mr. Browder time on the air only because they believed the Communications Act of 1934 obliged them to do so. But mere revision of the act in this respect would not reach the real evil. So long as the Communist Party and its candidates have full legal standing in this country they cannot consistently be denied privileges ac- corded other political groups. And yet it is clear that they intend to abuse these privileges, to use them to America’s detriment to the full ex- tent of their ability. Freedom of speech, as exercised by i | Mr. Browder and other individuals | building a huge electric water-power such as the Nazi Bund spokesmen, is merely an instrument to be employed in the attempted nullification of all of our liberties. is to destroy the freedom that all Americans now enjoy, and sooner or Cites Nazi Gains In Latin America Danger to America Seen in German Penetration of This Hemisphere To the Editor of The Star: While all eyes are focused on German military advances in Europe, we must not forget to give an occasional side glance down the coast of South America. For although we may momentarily for- get the economic’ penetration of our southern neighbors by the Germans, they never do. Uruguay, the scene of the first great naval battle in this second world war, might well become the bage for German operations in this hemisphere. That both Germans and Uruguayans are aware of this is shown by the reported fifth-column ac- tivities there. Within the past few weeks many Nazis have been arrested. Their houses, when searched, revealed a plenti- ful supply of arms. It was discovered that a German company, engaged in | works in the interior, as its side of a | barter Their only purpose | later it will become necessary to de- | cide whether we should continue to tolerate the misuse of our Bill of Rights as a means to that subversive end. Rumania Chur;geér Front Repercussions of Nazi military suc- cesses are to be expected among all | those small nations—particularly in Recently, the Allied Purchasing | the Balkans—which fear, but have war machine. The loudest of these agreement, had managed to smuggle in arms with the machinery it imported from the mother country. Uruguay is a country rich in the food products needed by an industrialized na- tion at war. In area it is larger than Holland, Denmark, Switzerland and Bel- gium combined. But the population is barely over 2,000,000. Its army consists of a very few men, who are by no means trained to proficiency. The navy is composed of an “old discarded battleship and three tiny coast guards (I quote a native Montevideano) which are armed with about enough shells to fire for 10 minutes.” Even the famous white- gloved police force of the capital is not | trusted at the present time. Montevideo not yet felt, the blast of the Nazi | echoes is Rumania’s replacement of | | her pro-Ally foreign minister, Gri- gore Gafencu,with the pro-German | Ion Gigurtu. But they have | | been unable to get them—not because | What the new foreign minister can do to stave off German attack, which lies in a vulnerable position. The ‘popu- lation of the country is concentrated in the city and there are no anti-aircraft | flung themselves guns to protect it. Argentina, to the south, is talking of rearmament and has recently ordered | 400 planes from us, but it has not suffi- has threatened more or less seriously | | for nearly a year, is problematical. “amendment” to the Neutrality Act | Rumania’s difficulties with the Reich are those of physical inability to serve the German war machine with the diligence Berlin desires rather | than of political antagonism toward the Reich. Being a friend of Germany and being well-liked in German quarters, | strongly influenced by foreigners, cient means to protect itself or its neigh- bors today. The sympathies of the Ar- gentine people are with England and most of their trade is with the Brit- ish Isles. Yet a strategic German base across from Buenos Aires could cut off most of this trade, resulting in curtail- ment of much of the English food supply. Uruguay has always been a country The | government was glad when the Graf Gigurtu may win a respite for King | Carol's kingdom by convincing Berlin that Rumania already is doing every- thing compatible with neutrality to deliver oil, wheat and other raw materials which the Reich's armies are consuming at a rapid rate. the 130,000-ton monthly quota of oil agreed upon last December. Actual deliveries have been little over half that figure. German pressure for more oil conflicts with a reduced productivity attributable, no doubt, to the combined effects of curtailed manpower resulting from mobiliza- tion for defense and of the reluctance of foreign-owned oil companies— British, French, Belgian and Dutch—- | to maintain production for the bene- fit of their enemy. German planes, tanks and motor- scores of thousands of gallons daily on the western front will cut deeply into Adolf Hitler’s reserves, sooner | or later requiring the Nazis to find effect of this agreement necessarily | replacement | depends upon the good faith of all | supplies. offers the most immediate source, and if she is unabe to suppy the Nazis’ increased needs Germany may feel impelled to step into Rumania and operate the wells herself. How much the Reich thereby could increase her oil acquisitions is one of the big questions to which Berlin must have the answer before acting. The Rumanians, it is believed, have laid their plans for sabotaging wells and refineries before they fall into Germany’s hands. But it is no part of King Carol’s wish to have to resort to such de- struction, and selection of Gigurtu at this juncture may be a desperate effort to mollify Hitler and convince the Reich that her best chance of §emng Rumanian oil lies in accept- ng Rumania’s co-operation and re- specting her sovereignty. Modern Viking At the time when the Nazis reached Honningsvaag, Norwegian fishing vil- lage, business was buzzing—at least for Dr. Maehre, the local dentist. Distastefully, this descendant of the Vikings gazed out the window at the super-modern, million-mark armed German trawler Malangen in the harbor. Dropping his novocaine, he wandered downtown, collected thirty fishermen, hid them in a pair of jallopy boats and maneuvered along- side the unsuspecting craft. Sud- denly the hatches were opened and all swarmed aboard the enemy vessel. “This will hurt a little,” said the doctor, as he drilled the Nazi captain through the middle of the fifth column, “but it will soon be over.” It was. The others of the crew were somewhat pained at the infringe- ment on their patent in treachery, but are not worrying about it now. So sudden was the assault that the protectors of Norwegian neutrality never even had a chance to set off that triumph of German naval inge- nuity, the scuttling bomb. Consequently, Dr. Maehre and the Malangen may still be seen cruising around in an old fjord looking for patients. This action may not be ethical, but is said to be highly practical. When he finds one he opens wide and does a neat, work- manlike job. When he runs out of supplies he skips off to Hammerfest, loads up and goes out again at his self-appointed task of filling the Nazi easualty lists. Rumania | Spee went out from its port to be scut- | tled. It knew that it could not force the Germans to abide by international | law if the ship stayed in the harbor. Nor has the Uruguayan government been too settled of late. Now would be an ideal time for an alien force to attempt to up- set it. The people themselves feel that | the country could be taken by sympa- The heart of Rumania’s present | peril is her failure to send Germany | i | thizers with foreign ideas at a moment’s notice. me thus: “If we are attacked from out- side we can expect some help from our neighbors, but if it is done from inside we can only expect invasions from those same neighbors.” In the past, the Banda Oriental suf- fered much from wars by which it sought | independence from both Argentina and Brazil. Today, friendly relations with Ar- gentina are overshadowed by the swas- tika. North, across the rolling, sparsely settled prairie which would offer no more barrier to an invader than the long, un- defended seacoast, lies Brazil. Brazil is a good neighbor of ours just now. And it should remain so. But the southern part of this immense land, the section which adjoins Uruguay, is almost completely ' German. Between 1820 and 1930, ac- cording to Carleton Beals, more than | 209923 Germans entered the country, and many, many more have gone in since then. They have willingly gone into wilds that have never reached in an ever-growing search for new markets. They grow much of the Brazilian coffee and cotton, own copper mines, nickel mines, chemical and tex- tile factories and hardware stores. There are six important branches of the Deutsche Ulberseusche Bank in various important cities. There are at least 15 important German newspapers and four powerful radio stations which broadcast a great deal of propaganda. Now that German nationalism is on the march, the Uruguayans feel that they can already see the “whites of the enemies’ eyes.” Far more than we, they consider that their fate is being settled on the battleflelds of Europe. A short while ago, their country was making great strides in progressive government. Today, social improvements are being forgotten in fears for the future. It is time some one convinced the Germans that “Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles” does not include the Americas! May 31. R. C. MOORE. Dunkerque From the New York Times. So long as the English tongue survives, the word Dunkerque will be spoken with Teverence. For in that harbor, in such a hell as never blazed on earth before, at the end of a lost battle, the rags and blemishes that have hidden the soul of democracy fell away. There, beaten but unconquered, in shining .splendor, she faced the enemy. They sent away the wounded first. Men died so that others could escape. It was not so simple a thing as courage, which the Nazis had in plenty. It was not so simple a thing as discipline, which can be hammered into men by a drill sergeant. It was not the result of careful planning, for there could have been little. It was the common man of the free countries, rising in all his glory out of mill, office, factory, mine, farm and ship, applying to war the lessons learned when he went down the shaft to bring out trapped comrades, when he hurled the lifeboat through the surf, When he endured poverty and hard work for his children’s sake. This shining thing in the souls of free men Hitler cannot command, or attain, or conquer. He has crushed it, where he could, from German hearts. It is the great tradition of democracy. 1t is the future. It is victory. R WA L Insects vs. Planners Prom the Troy Record. We learn from the newspapers that one-tenth of the cotton planted in this country is' destroyed by insects—and three-tenths by the economic planners in Washington. 4 W | more to her taste. One Uruguayan expressed it to | | taurants, I wonder. before been | MONDAY, JUNE 3, 1940. THIS AND THAT By Charles E. Tracewell. ‘The mother squirrel and her three youngsters made & pretty picture of domestic life among the animals. She was busy building a new nest, higher in the locust tree, this time. As she went up and down the tall tree, to the fringe of small maples be- low, gathering materials for the nest, the young squirrels followed her. They had been born in February. So they were really squirrels, now, having lost the straight tails and de- veloped bushy ones, as all real squirrels do. * % % % They seemed vastly interested in what their mother was doing. “What is Maw up to now?” you could almost hear them ask. Whenever she went down the locust, they went down with her, with even more agllity. It is great to be a young squirrel, in spring. Down and up they went, right behind her all the time, as she came up with | great mouthfuls of fresh young maple leaves and buds. ¥ * ok ok x These she carefully fitted into the crotch of the locust, some 50 feet up. The old nest, youngsters, was down not more than 20 feet from the ground. Too low? The mother seemed to think so. The new family, she seemed to believe, should go higher, safer from attacks. So she ceaselessly ran up and down the locust, followed all the way by the little ones. When she leaped from the trunk into the tips of the maple boughs, clinging fast, in the handsome way squirrels do, | the children were right behind her. They, too, cut loose from the locust, into space, landed surely on the very tips of the maple. They achieved the landing even better | than the old squirrel, if this were pos- sible. * x % % Sometime ago she had tried to use the old material in a nest which had been knocked down out of another tree on the other side of the yard. No sooner had the nest been dislodged, than she came across the yard, skirting | the perennial border, to see if anything could be of use to her. She carried many mouthfuls of the material, which included corn husks, but finally gave it up. Probably fresh new leaves appealed Animals may have some idea of sanitation. She probably felt, in the dim depths of her, that fresh leaves, grass and thin boughs were best, all around. That was all that was neces- sary for her to know. * X % % The three youngsters recently had the times of their young lives when a coconut cradle for the three ! filled with peanut hearts and sunflower seed was hung on the arch. This arch already was doing duty as a bird feeder. On the right, or south up- right, had been placed a small houselike affair, with roof, in which had been placed, from time to time, amounts of ground beef. Ground beef is extremely acceptable to many birds at nesting time. It not only feeds them and the fledglings, but saves the parents much time and effort in feeding the latter. None of the squirrels paid the slightest attention to the arch, until the coconut was hitched by a wire to the other up- right. * X X ¥ No sooner had the shell been put into place than the squirrels began to gather. ‘The mother discovered it. She made a leap from a tall tree to the crossbar of the arch. Closely she was followed by the young- er trio. All began to try to get into the shell. The mother was so fat that she could not make it, but the youngsters had no trouble at all. First leaping to the top of the shell, as it swung, they stuck their heads down and into the coconut. Head and fore | part of the trunk disappeared. L The animal then would come up with its food, which it would eat as it sat on the top, gently swaying in the breeze. There was, of course, much jockeying | for position. In time the entire shell was cleaned out. The incursions of the squirrels, | | however, tended to keep the birds away from the meat, whenever it was put out. | | Ground meat, beef, need not be put out more than once or twice a day, if you decide to use it at this time of year in bird feeding, as a supplement to the parental efforts at feeding fledglings Early in the morning and late in the evening, an hour before dusk, will be | sufficient. | The more the home owner watches the | squirrels, the more he will be attracted | by them. This is generally true of all the animals. The small creatures which come to suburban yards should be given every right of entry. The damage they do to flowers and the like will be small, | in the aggregate, whereas the pleasure they give will be large. Field mice, in particular, are engaging little creatures. They are almost as good as chipmunks. The latter are rare, in most suburban gardens; we do not be- lieve that there are as many of them in Rock Creek Park as there used to be. But the field mice come to many yards, especially if there is unbuilt territory left in the neighborhood, and particu- larly if bird feeding is going on. The mice come for the grain and seeds spilled around by the songsters. The house- holder should not begrudge them. but take the opportunity to study some in- teresting animals at close range. Letters to the Editor Americans Held Blind To Their Own Interests. To the Editor of The Star: A democracy is like a cake. it is good | or bad according to the material it's made of. A good dictator may perhaps drill some sense into a stupid, selfish people. A bad dictator is well able to curb the intentions of good people. but a democracy stands or falls by the tem- per of its citizens. Are we good or are we bad? As I look in the newspapers, listen to the radio, watch people in shops, in buses, in res- There seems little idea of service anywhere. do the minimum of work for the maxi- mum of pay and be on no account a sucker! Oh, we've grown so smart. We were free once, weren't we? We | fought that we might have & vote in the direction of our country, that we would have some influence upon the Nation our children would have to live in. Yet we are now so free that we refuse to have a vote in world affairs. Whatever the world to come may be like, Americans do not wish to have anything to do with it. Yet one cannot have a vote in the affairs of one’s nation and refuse a vote in the affairs of the world. For the world is larger than the nation and capable of affecting it. You cannot keep a flame alive in a flood of water, and you cannot keep a democracy in a world ruled by | brute force. Times are changing and Americans have always been proud of being up to date, yet their political thinking is 20 years out of date. They refuse to face the facts, they refuse to realize that time is pressing and soon the die will be cast. At present, in France, the future of our own citizens is being decided as well as that of the rest of the world. Where are the free people who wished to have a vote in their own future? Under the beds? H.M. May 30. Wants England to Cede West Indies to U. S. To the Editor of The Star: The time to acquire United States ownership of nearby outpost islands (since we unwisely have not done it before) is now—immediately! The menace to our Nation of the islands of Bermuda, the Bahamas, Jamaica and other strategic or nearby outposts in the possession of any foreign hands is a direct or indirect potential danger to the United States. ‘The recent incidents occurring on the island of Bermuda and the compulsion in consequence of changing the route to a longer and more perilous trip for our trans-Atlantic mail carriers and Ameri- can passengers, the occupation of an- other island of the West Indies by foreign military force, and above all the possible German threat of investment, have vital interest for the American people, These islands should be obtained from our debtor foreign nations (Great Britain and France), applying upon their defaulted war debts. This is an opportunify for England and Prance, without money payments, largely to re- deem themselves from their dishonor- ing of acknowledged debts to us. England by the ceding of the islands mentioned and others of the West Indies, a3 & part payment of debts, would make & move necemsary to England’s A The main | | feeling is to spare oneself discomfort, get as much for as little as possible, to | Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer, although the use of a pseudonym for publication is permissible. Please be brief! reinstatement in American esteem. For the protection, dignity and safety of the United States these islands must come to us, and come to us before, not after, we let down the bars for any type of further credits overseas to countries which are defaulting debtors. GEORGE S. PARKER. Salem. Mass. May 28. Criticizes Comment on Queen Wilhelmina. To the Editor of The Star: The following, quoted from Wednes- | day’s editorial column, seems unfortunate and harmful implication from a paper so careful and particular in its policy: “The flight of Queen Wilhelmina to England is said to have shaken the faith of her subjects considerably. With all due respect to this estimable monarch, it must be admitted that she is not quite the Queen Boadicea brand.” Practically united public opinion in this country favors the Allies and desires to help in every way short of war. And | yet, due to pernicious propaganda, public | opinion is led astray on certain items in | the news. The subject of the sovereigns in the invaded countries is full of dyna- | mite for good or evil. Is it not to be de- plored when this propaganda jumps into the editorial column? Despite certain unknown factors, it is a simple fact that & sovereign remaining in a completely invaded country is only a puppet of the Reich. In the case of Holland, do we wish the Netherland West and East In- dies, her gold, etc, to be under the domi- nation of the Reich? In the case of Queen Wilhelmina, her personal courage is not the issue, although reports reveal she showed it in magnificence under great personal danger. Her function as head of state was the issue and such function could not be exercised freely if she were subject to Hitler. Why a great lady, at the age of 59, who reigned very successfully for 42 years, should be ex- pected to fight personally as an Amazon is not understood. WINSLOW B. VAN DEVANTER. May 31. Protests Proposed Firearms Act. To the Editor of The Star: I wish to protest vigorously against the enactment of any such law as that sug- gested today by Attorney General Jack- son in a letter to Speaker of the House Bankhead, providing for compulsory reg- istration of all firearms now possessed, or acquired in the future, by private citi~ zens. No law has ever prevented dishon- est or subversive men—Americans or otherwise—from obtaining all the fire- arms they wanted and could pay for. ‘Therefore the proposed law would be in- effective. Possession of firearms and skill in their use should be promoted—not discour- aged—at the present time, in view of the fifth column and parachute troop tactics we may be called on to face in the future. C. L. McGUINNESS. l May 2. | drink, and forget his povert Answers To Questions By Frederic J. Haskin. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Eve= ning Star Information Bureau, Fred= eric J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. What countries reward parents for having large families?—W. P. A. New types of decoration are now bestowed officially on mothers of large families in Germany, and Italy rewards its fertile mothers with medals. Tax exemptions, family grants and other privileges are accorded fathers of large families in both Germany and Italy. Q. Is the motion picture “Submarine Patrol” taken from & book?—A. F. M. A. The motion picture was adapted from John Milholland’s story “Splinter Fleet.” Q. Was there & brand of cigarettes many years ago known as Old Judge?— A. J. B. A. Old Judge cigarettes were intro- duced on the market shortly after the close of the Civil War. Q. How long did Neville Chamberlain serve as Prime Minister of England?— E.P.L A. Mr. Chamberlain took office as Prime Minister in May, 1937, and re- signed on May 10, 1940. Q. In what year was the first military airplane made?—D. B. B. A. In 1909 the Wright brothers had delivered to the United States Army the world's first military aeroplane. Q. What animal can grow a new tail? —~G. M. G. A. This is a peculiarity of lizards. Wrhen seized by an enemy from behind, the tail breaks off at one of the joints of the backbone. The severed part continues to wriggle for some time, hold- ing the attention of the pursuer while the lizard escapes. Some species will abandon their tails even before they are seized and immediately start growing new ones. Q. Who popularized the song “Rosy, You Are My Posy”?—C. E. C. A. The late Fay Templeton made a national success of the song with the famous vaudeville team of Weber and Fields. Q. When was the first adhesive stamp used?—B. S. T. A.On May 6, 1840, Great Britain's Penny Black adhesive stamp was issued. It bore a steel-engraved reproduction of a profile likeness of Queen Victoria. Q. How large was the blue marlin caught last year by a woman in the Bahamas?—E. S. A. A new world record blue marlin weighing 730 pounds was caught by Mrs. Mary Sears at Cat Cay on June 6, 1939, Q. Does the Bible say that kings and princes should abstain from liquor?— lacMm A. Proverbs xxxi4-7 says: “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: lest they drink, and forget the law, and | pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him and re- member his misery no more. Q. When is the Kentucky mountain folk song festival?>—R. T. M. A. The festival will be observed on June 9 at the Traipsin' Woman Cabin on Mayo trail, near Ashland, Ky. Q. From what poem is the line, “As the husband is. the wife is; thou art mated with a clown"?—H. E. C. A. It is from Tennyson's “Locksley Hall.” Q. Is Hearst alTo]?English name?— o H A. According to the book “Hearst, Lord of San Simeon,” the name is as old as the Anglo-Saxon language and was originally spelled Hyrst. Q. On what occasion did former Gov. Al Smith say, “Hello, old potato,” to President Roosevelt?—E. O. B. A. The expression was used by Alfred E. Smith at the Democratic State Con- vention at which Gov. Herbert H. Leh- man was nominated. Q. Where was the first creamery?— A HT A. A Dane who traveled in Switzer- land in 1820 wrote an account of the practice of Swiss farmers of sending their cows to a central organization where most of the milk was made into cheese. Each farmer was paid in due ratio according to the yield of his cows. The increase in profit was marked and the movement spread to France. The modern creamery may be said to date from 1866, when the first distributing society was founded in Denmark. Q. What is the origin of the expression “crazy as a loon"?—C. H. A. It is derived from the uncanny, laughterlike notes of the bird known as the loon. Q. Who said, “Look up and not down, forward and not back”?—L. B. A. “To look up and not down, to leok forward and not back, to look out and not in—and to lend a hand,” is from the work entitled “Ten Times One Is Ten,” by Edward Everett Hale. —_— A Grandmother She has a face in which all seasons meet; First, in her eyes, is spring, still bright with dew, ‘Whose laughing flowers bloom all the seasons through; And in her simle is summer, warm and sweet. Her look is sutumn, with her work complete Looking upon the harvest; and all through Her face is winter, dignified and true, Full of calm sleep and wonderful retreat. Old age has brought her beauty all her own, A ripeness and a fullness of the heart, A restful strength, and faith renewed and bright. She has found peace from all that she has known, And, willingly relinquishing her part, Prepares with gladness for the closing night, BEATRICE RAW. L4