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Kern ?ork &rttmne lirst to Last?the Truth: News?Edi? torials?Advertisements Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations SATURDAY, PECEMHKR IS. 1920 |r>wr.f,1 and p?iM!?3*?"1 dallj bj N'rw V *rk Tribun? a New Tor* Corporation O?rte-re Re?d, Prest _,..: G Vernor Rogen, Vtce.PresI lenl Helen tgcr. ?.M. Sfvr.-ta-v. R E Maxfleld. Treasurer |rt<lre?>? Tribune Building, 154 Nassau Street, Now Telephone. Beelunan ?000. ?Tt'??sr??li'TlAN* RATKS?Hv rrtn'.l. Including ?tage. IN TU? UNITED STATES f n? S'.t One Bt Ms?. Ptwtnald. Vt-ir. Months, M"i>t!i and Bur.day.$12 00 ?'? 00 $100 One wet*. S5o. ,-? v. 10 00 5.00 .?5 - wi di. 30e. ? oi l . SOB 2 25 40 inJay ou3y, Canada. 6.00 3.25 .55 FOREIGN RATES and Sundaj.$36 00 $18.86 $2 40 onl, . IT ?10 ?T0 1 45 ini?T onlj. 9.7S 5.12 ??<> fptered at the PoetofBee it New Tork as Second Class Mali Matter. GUARANTY Yell ran nurchaie rr, rrhandli? advertised In THE R?BliNF with absolute safet^-fi?* if <il?sa'l?fsi> ?n remits i-* an> rasf THE TRIBUNE junrantees pav >onr murf, b? k upon request. No red tape. o quibbllntt. We make tjsod promptly If th? Ivertlser do;$ rot. MEMBER of the assoC3att.d fhess rhe Associated Press i< eidusleelj entitled to the , for r | of all news ,li?pat.*hf?? ?ed'teil to II or no: otherwise credited In this paper. a-- - * i ?al uews if spontaneous origin j?ub Shed I er rights of repuMlcatlon of all other matter rr;'ln ale ? ar^* reserted. Somersaulting What a difference two weeks iake! A fortnight ago the Ci^y lall had heard of no crime wave, luch was impossible under the best j f municipal administrations, with he perfect Enright at Police Head uarters. Communities less blessed light be afflicted with criminal ac ivit.es, but in New York crime wasi 'normal or sub-normal." Now has come one of the quickest if somersaults. The Mayor admits here is a crisne wave and that it 3s ' if tidal force. He' repudiates En-1 ight's manufactured statistics. He xhorts merchants and bankers to ; irm their messengers, hotel guests o double bolt their doors, and citi- i ens generally to get into the ; renches and not to travel far with-j ?ut protective convoys. Surely the ? tcrobatic Mayor does a thorough job? f recanting. But, alas,, one looks vainly through he proclamation for news that Zn-j ?ight is no longer in command; that; he detective force has been reas embled ; that competent officers have teen recalled from suburban exile; hat the Mayor admits the concil? ions that he confesses to are the nevitable consequence of Tammany iearrst government. Pressing Wilhelm Mayer von Kaufbeuren, he German Ambassador to France, .pparently is.not properly apprecia? te of the wisdom of the golf maxim Don't press!" Nor does he ade ?uately realize that there are penal ;ies for playing ahead of the ball. So at an official dinner at Paris, loting that Mr. Wallace, the Ameri an Ambassador, was present, the ?erman asked to be introduced. It lid not occur to him to remember hat Germans7 and the United States ! ?re still nominally at war and that ?plomatic etiquette requires the offl ial representatives of belligerents. vhen in neutral surroundings, to ' gnore each other. His Teutonic ex ellency thought he saw a chance to ngratiate himself and seized it. He loped to establish a useful relation hip, and forgot?formal intercourse teing impossible?that private asso iation must be mutually agreeable. >o Mr. Wallace was under the pain 'ul necessity of declining to meet his ; iverea^er fellow guest. The incident is typical of the spirit ' f Germany since hostilities ceased.j Lrrogant in days when German I irmies were butchering and ma? rauding, the German began to fawn ?rhen he lost power to destroy. He ! s as indifferent to rebuffs as he j s incapable of repentance. The ! German Ambassadoi perceived noj ?eason why he should get the smell I if blood from his- garments before j ?e pushed to enlarge his acquaint-1 tnceship. Indeed, Hans blubbers and I whines of cruel discrimination when \ le finds himself looked at askance as le intrudes into decent company. Behind his thick hide he seems hon- j ;stly to feel it is narrow and mean j not to fall joyously about his neck ? ind kiss both of his cheeks. It is a manifestation of impudence ! ind moral denseness exceeded in re-j narkableness only by the curious 'ailure on the part of some Ameri- ; ans, who should know better, to fail ; o understand what led Ambassador : Wallace to withhold his hand. The Unpunished Slackers War veteran organizations have., i?k :d the House Judiciary Com-' Dittee to report a bill extending rom three to fdx years the statute ] if limitation against the prosecu- ; ion of war .slackers. They alvo ' barga that the War Department ?as been delaying action against nore than 100,000 draft evaders and ! eserters. The Department of Jus ice, which recently approved the: ???mutation of Von Rintelen's ?en- ; enee, ;:s a? ?ax a? u?ua!. Secretary Baker, whose singular mderni for "?conscientious ob eetors" ?has often been remarked, M ; ' ?/< r allowed bis moral Indignat? ion against those who dodged duty ?> reach ?whije heat. On September latf General Crowd? r reported bat 173,911 evasions and desertion '?> '? "?' '? ?? dl posed of by i.hr. S'lir Department. So not much Is ?pected from the Secretary unless i* U quickened At a dinner given to "c*n*?den i tious objectors" on Wednesday eve? ning Dr. John Haynes Holmes is re? ported to have said: "These objectors were brave?the bravest of the brave. . . . They were faithless to America only to be more faithful to all men every? where." The "objectors" thus feelingly : eulogized at least spent?or were ? entertained?a term in a military | penitentiary. But the 173,911 on ? the War Department':* ril havt pa'.d I no penalty. They ma? have c un. to ' believe that, like Bergdoll, they will 1 never pay any penalty. They are mistaken. Another Administration ! will track them down. But their avoidance of punishment so far is a stain on the nation's war record?a j reflection on the energy and even handedness of American military policy. i : Speeding Martens In his order directing the deporta? tion of Martens, the Bolshevist "Am? bassador," Secretary Wilson of the Department of Labor isat pains to say the operation shall be at the ex? pense of American taxpayers, and that the deported shall be "treated with the utmost courtesy and given the best available accommodations in transit." The law of the United States ex? plicitly requires the immediate de? portation of all aliens found here who belong to an organization ad? vocating the forcible overthrow of the government of the United States. It is silent about making the out? ward trip one of special comfort and luxury. It is assumed that unwel? come intruders are to be treated alike, in the good old democratic way of not having respect to persons. That Martens should be the recipi? ent of distinguished consideration is apparently an idea which is Secre? tary Wilson's own. It is an adden? dum to the law scarcely in accord with its spirit. Moreover, the addendum is as con? trary to Bolshevism as to American? ism. L?nine denies that prior enjoy? ment of soft living creates a valid title for its continuance. His doc- i trine is the exact opposite. Because | the bourgeoisie in the past have truffles, he holds, is a sufficient rea- ! son why they should have only saw- ? dust bread now. As a good Bol- ? shevist, Martens should refuse the first cabin and ask for a dark place '? in the steerage. Too long has "he been corrupted by the fleshpots of j America. That Martens is a member of an i organization which advocates the overthrow of America's government and her democratic institutions is, of i course, not open to question. He favors the new czarism called the dictatorship of the proletariat?a | system whose essential is that one ? man or a small group may seize power over millions by force, and to keep it may exclude from politi? cal weight all persons who do not in advance concede the dictatorship's divine right to rule. Even the most: muddled parlor Bolshevist will admit : that Martens, both by his activities and associations, has neglected no opportunity to lay foundations for such a dictatorship here. Recently he has been quiet, but his quiescence has been due more to prudence than to desire. Every one knows what is his mission here and to what ends he has spent the treasure trans-; mitted to him from a looted Russia. There is curiosity as t<# how large a ' part of his funds has gone to sustain organs of propaganda. As usual, the Administration, when doing the iight thing, does it late. I The time to have deported Martens was immediately following his arri- ' val. The prolonged dilly-dallying that marked consideration of his case has not been to public advantage. It] has tended to cloud the fact that Bolshevism and Americanism cannot be made to mix, and has introduced into many minds a doubt concerning an issue as to which doubt has no place. Another Rent Law Victory Opponents of the rent laws have centered their hopes on the Federal courts,but now the first decision by, one of them is a victory for the laws more sweeping than any from a state court. There is, of course, an issue over i which the Federal courts have juris diction. The Federal Constitution ; forbids a state to pass laws impair? ing the obligation of contracts, and also guarantees that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law. Assuming jurisdiction, there? fore, the three Federal judges in this district, Messrs. Hough, Mayer and Augustus N. Hand, find the rent laws are not obnoxious to the Fed? eral Constitution. The judge* reject the view that the Federal Constitution imposes an absolute bar on self-protective state action. They remark: "It cannot be too often said that a constitution is not a code nor a etat ntts, and that It declares only funda? mental principie?, and Is not to bo Interpreted with the strictness of a private contract. To this doctrine we own the rulings t.hi?t even the contract claua? of tho Constitution doe? not override tho power of the r.t.?te to establish rc^ulationR" r<-u r.onnbly necessary to secure th< health, comfort or general welfare of the community that j;:, t.?) exercise the police power of tho %tntc." The State rourtu have passed pri? marily on the question whether or not the Legislature is competent to declare an emergency exists, and practically all the state decisions ai% that it is, and that hence the ' Legislature's action was justifiable. The two sets of decisions, taken to j gether, create a situation that wise | landlords, it would seem, should ac eept with all the philosophy they can command. ? .... Banning Railway Strikes Government control of railroads ? rests on the theory that the railroad business is one, as the courts phrase I it, affected with a public interest. Any one investing in railroad prop? erty does so with knowledge of this. His private ownership is qualified. He can't do exactly as he pleases with his own. He can't suspend op? erations, for an essential feature of service is continuity. In a similar way the railway em? ployees when they accept employ? ment do so with knowledge of the peculiarity of the railway business. They also cannot do exactly as they please; are also tethered by the de? mand for continuity. They also may not quit, at least not when it means interruption of service. Hence the reasonableness of forbidding, as the Foindcxter bill does, abandonment of jobs when such abandonment means a cessation of railway operation. The great threat to continuity of operation is the strike, which can i easily spread over a vast area?and I possibly over the entire country. So ! the Poindexter bill forbids general ! striking, and in lieu provides a Fed ; eral board to settle wage disputes. The system of normal balance be ! tween the power of labor and the i power of ownership which exists in j other industries has disappeared ! from the railroad industry. Owner : ship is nominal, since the govern? ment regulates charges, income, | wages, working hours and other con? ditions of labor. The companies being public agents, the unions have lost their old significance as checks on the selfishness of railroad staffs and directorates. Carrying out the principle of government control to its logical conclusion, railway em? ployees have become public em? ployees. In this capacity they are entitled to an exceptional status?to govern? ment protection in their compensa? tion and tenure. In exchange for this the Poindexter bill would abol? ish the right to strike. Individuals may stop working at any time, but any combined action to obstruct transportation would constitute a misdemeanor. Such legislation may seem a radi? cal departure from American notions of the relations of employees to the industry in which they are engaged. But that is only because so many people, fail to realize that the rela-1 tions of the railroads to the gov- j ernment have also been radically j changed. Mr. Coolidge in the Cabinet Not a sensational change in the customs of cur government but a well considered and highly construe-1 tive measure is Mr. Harding's in- . sistence that Mr. Coolidge sit in his i Cabinet, without portfolio, and bring his full ability to bear upon the bi'oad problems of the executive de? partment. The wish of the whole country ; that Mr. Coolidge sit in the Cabinet ; is a fit compliment to him. It was i one of the greatest strengths of the ? Republican ticket that it contained so stalwart a candidate for Vice- j President. Tho way, moreover, to secure a continuance of this policy '. and end for all time the naming of a Vice-President of mediocre talents is ! precisely by giving Mr. Coolidge ' room for his ability. If Mr. Har- ! ding's plan succeeds the Vice-Presi? dency will become so vital a factor ! in the national government that the ! ablest men will be glad to be named therefor and no party will dare offer' a second-rate figure for it. All such changes must have time I to develop, and prediction with re- ?. gard to them is unsafe. But Mr. Harding has shown a sensitive un? derstanding of an American system in his proposal, and it is safe to trust in his large powers of coopera? tion to make the most of Mr. Coolidge's presence. Lady Astor'3 Discouragement Lady Astor is discouraged. Though ! a feminist and a member of the British Parliament, she charges that her sex does not measure up to the : standards of men, now that the op- i portunity is theirs. Women, she j says, are still foolish in the matter ! of dress and, worst of all, they re- ! fuse to vote for feminine candidates, whereas men do not change tho ! length of their trousers, in season and out, and they never let the charge of masculinity influence their ? votes. Lady Astor should bo more pa- : tient. It is not ?so many years since woman braved the tradition of cen 'turies and entered the business world, and the franchise is new. As a class women are in much the same position to-day as were the powder box gentlemen of an older I day, when they cast aside leisure ! and entered the world of commerce .??rid business. Knee breeches and ruffles gave place to sober, long trousered garments when the need arose for .simple and practical clothes. Because much of the Industry in highly civilized countries depend? on the constant change and vacation in woman's apparel the tendency toward simplicity and standardiza- | tion is greatly hindered. But the short skirt is perhaps a harbinger. That women will ever again sweep the streets with their garments is doubtful. Standardization will some time come. The charge that women are weak in sex loyalty is perhaps true. Women are much less lenient with each other than they are with men I or than men are with each other. j They realize their weaknesses too keenly, while men, also realizing j their weaknesses, proceed on the iheory that "a man's a man for a' 1 that." When women accept human ! frailty in that spirit they will sup I port each other in politics and else ! where with faith born of not expect I ing too much. j Ten Million Revolutionists! j To the Editor of The Tribune. Sir: Your editorial argument that the i cause of socialisiri is losing ground be j cause only about 1,000,000 people voted for Eugene V. Debs is quite wrong and shows that you do not understand the situation. Those who voted for Debs this year represent only what are called "yellow" Socialists, i. e., moderate or constitu? tional Socialists, belonging to the Social I ist party group cr Extresne Right. The I Communist Socialista did not vote, as a j matter of tactics. The industrial radi | cals, including members of the I. W. W., ! likewise avoided the polls, as did the pacif3sts, non-resistants and Tolstoyans. j Add to these the unorganized radicals, like the readers of The Nation and The New Republic, who voted for Harding as a way to punish Wilson, or who did not vote at all; also the great number of alien radicals who have no vote, and you will see that your idea that radicalism is on the decline is erroneous The number of men and women in the United States who would support a social revolution is about 10,000.000: some put the figure higher. I am con? servative. There are also those stolid citizens who obey the law, no matter what it is or by whom it is made, the sheep who do as they are told, no matter who commands. The situation now in America is very much like the situation in January, 1917, in Russia. The radicals are "sup? pressed," only the "beginners" vote; you cannot tell how numerous the con I scientious objectors to capitalism are ? any more than the Czar could know his j fate in advance. However, in God's own j time we shall see what we shall see. ! Meanwhile, wise sailors will prepare for i the storm, and foods will do what fools : always do in emergencies?hide in the gravel pit with the burglar and Boss ? Mangan. J. W. F. New York, Dec. 11, 1920. Colombian Cordiality To the Editor of The Tribune. Sir: Several of yesterday morning's New York dailies, including The Trib I une, gave attention to the anti-Ameri ! can feeling In Colombia, particularly j the port of Cartagena, as expressed by various passengers arriving in New York by the United States Fruit Com? pany steamship Carrillo. Tho writer recently spent almost a year in Bogota and other Colombian cities, including Cartagena, and feels convinced that the passengers quoted in yesterday's newspaper articles here re? ferred to evidently were misinformed, or not sufficiently familiar with the circum? stances to which they referred to form an accurate and unbiased opinion. The writer is further convinced absolutely as to the error referring to the Amer? ican Consul of Cartagena having ad? vised passengers of the Carrillo of any local unfriendly feeling. The writer's familiarity and actual knowl? edge of the sentiment and feeling of the merchants of Cartagena is such ! that I urn thoroughly convinced of tho error that any merchants of Cartagena ? ever gave any evidence whatever of ? anti-American feeling, or pleasure that the United States cruiser Cleveland j had run ashore in Cartagena harbor. No one can deny that at the present timo the Colombians have a more or less strained feeling toward the United ; States as a nation, and not without cause, on account of the unfortunate Panama incident and in the absence of any final arrangement of the treaty that has now been pending between the United States and Colombia for the last fourteen years; but so far as the individual feeling of the Colombians toward citizens of this country is con? cerned, it could not be more pleasant. courteous or generous. J. W. FLANAGAN. New York, Nov. 27, 1920. Give the People Some Fun To the Editor of Tho Tribune. Sir: I noticed a few days ago in The Tribune that the Mayor has authorized the Police Department to spend 31 con? siderable amount of money to buy mo? torcycles with side cars attached to scoot up and down streets to frighten thieves and highwaymen away from prospectivo customers. When the snow is a foot deep, as it was last winter, I wonder how the I poor policemen will bo able to "joy ride." I personally think It is seltjsh for only tho police and the burglars to have all the fun, and, as a suggestion, why not let all of us have somo fun too, as we have to pay tho bills? Now, as most eery person likes to seo the fire engines and other ?ra ap? paratus shooting along, why not have tho Flro Commissioner instructed to send the apparatuses out several times during the night; then all of us can have tho fun. As wo all are used to motorcycles, they will only keep the ! crooks away while we nro sleeping, I but if the engines go out, they will keep us nil awake, so we won't need the cops on motorcycles; then the people will save $75,000 and have lots of amusement Into the bargain. THOMAS W. CUMMINGS. New York, Dec. 10, 1920. Thou Shalt Not (Frovt The l'hilnitelphin Int/uirer) It looks now oh though our Consti? tution were rapidly degenerating into a statut* of limitations, The Conning Tower I ANOTHER POEM TO PHYLLIS ! Dear Phyllis: When I write that; name j So redolent of roses musky, My eyes grow moist, my pen goes lame, My throat gets husky. I see you in a vision faint With Jenny Lind or Dolly Varden, A-clinking teacups in a quaint | Old English garden. Sweet Phyllis! Austin Dobson's pet! (Sing hey of powdered wigs and chintzes!) Your name perfumes this chan sonette? You fairy princess! 'To stretch my inmost thoughts to you, O would this heart were made of rubber. * Alas! Alack! All I can do Is sit and blubber. Chicot. Perhaps M. Carpentler knows a lot about boxing?and we hope that his knowledge and prowess will transcend Mr. Dempsey's?but he knows nothing , about tennis. "Never mind," he said, ' when he learned that the child was a ? girl, "I will make her a champion ten 1 nis player." Now, he may make her a champion woman tennis player, but ' she has no more chance of being a 1 champion tennis player than she has of being a champion boxer. She may be a champion woman boxer, but a cham ! pion tennis player?one thousand times jartiais! At the risk of having M. Carpentier resent ph sically our criticism of his slur at tennis, we hurl in his teeth that no mere fighting guy can belittle ten? nis in our hearing and go unrebuked. "A girl," says he. "I will make a ten? nis champion of her." It would be equally fair, if, regarding a son born without honor or intelligence, we should say, "Never mind, I will make him a champion pugilist." Literary Critiques IV I guess it was Nat Goodwin Some one was giving an imitation of him and he said "One of us is rotten." Anyway, it was s-omething like that. Thai's the way I feet When I read Carl Sandburg's poetry: I say to myself: "Either this is too good for me, Or I'm too good for It." I don't know. I don't know anything about poetry, but I know what I don't like. Giant Followers Hope Doyle will Make Good in New Birth.?The Sun. Larry's renascence, s. to a. The Diary of Our Own Samuel Pepys December 15?Early up, and to the ! office, where I essayed to write some j verses, but the thought in them so i tenuous I threw them away. To H. : Harrison's to tea, and found a lady ! there named Miss Lee, who, Feeing a ? rent in my coat, told me I should be ?married; but I told her there were those who disagreed with her. With Miss Zona Gale to the Playhouse, to see Mr. Ervine's "Mixed Marriage," a less good play than "Jane Clegg," but well acted, especially by Miss Wycher ly, the best acting ever I saw her do. Walked with Miss Gale to her inn, and find my worship of her not to de? crease upon meeting her. '60 home, and read "Amy's Story," in The Smart Set, by Thyra Samter Winslow, whom I never had heard of before, but who hath a great power of writing. Yet do wo grovel at the feet of British authors, and wear an apologetic air, as though there were nobody in this country to compare with the lowest of the English writers. 16?All day at niy stint, and much talking, too; and, in the evening with my wife to Mistress Bertha Case's for. dinner, and Mistress Ruth Hale comes in, too, and her husband, and much talk and comment; and heme late, my wife having so pleasant a time I could not make her leave. So home by cab, costing mc $1.70. 17?Up early, and waked our Marie, who cannot hear the alarum-clock, and then cooked breakfast, and so to the dentist's, where for an hour, and so to the office, where all day till late, at my scrivening and other pleasant duties. LOST? I'ocketbook containing own? er's name.? Return to News-Sun.? Kendallville, Ind., News-Sun. "But he who filches from mo my good name" AUTHOR! AUTnoBt Sir: In Judge for November 27 I find this clever limerick by I^a Touch? Hancock: There was oneo a girl, named O'Plynn, Whose figure was terribly thin, Ami when she essayed To drink lemonade, .She slipped through the straw, and fell in ? Now, I don't claim to be a det^tive, but isn't it just possible that I .a Touche Hancock is the pen name of that cute little jfirl from the Campus who wrote that clever littlu quatrain about the Purple Cow.' I think fingerprints of the authors should bo taken1; I am sure it would prove my point. Mob??, It takes, a? somebody has said, all sorts to make a world; including a man who paid $67.50 for two tickets to see ?lack Dcmpsoy Tuesday night and who thinks that if people are poor it is their own fault, bo why should ho con? tribu?? to a Christmas fund7 It. Is Pave King's objection that In the gambling raid Flushing and Coo gun's IU11IV have been ignored. Also Chippcwa, Minn. You may break, you may shatter, tho law if you d'sire, but the price of good liquor goes higher and higher. F. P. A HAVE YOU CHECKED OVER YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST TO SEE If' YOU'VE FORGOTTEN ANYBODY? Copyright, 1920, New York Tribuno Inc. $ _* ?. , The A rchilect's Fee His 6 Per Cent Shorvn To Be a Moderate Charge To the Editor of The Tribune. Sir: I read with amazcsnent the cross examination of the president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects by the Lockwood commit? tee. The implied attitude of the commit? tee toward the architects' in general'has been published in The World and other papers, placing the architect in a posi? tion as though he were to bo classed with the other matters that are being investigated by the committee. This arises from the lack of appreciation or knowledge of what the architect actually does, and I feel that the impression created should be corrected as soon as possible. It is stated that the architect receives 6 per cent commission, which almost anybody would infer was a perfect gold mine, and absolutely fails to bring for? ward the services rendered by the archi? tect and his force of trained men. It is only fair that a statement should be made publicly in order that the pub? lic should know that of all professions I believe the architect receives the least compensation for the amount of work that he is called upon to do and the amount of responsibility that he as? sumes. Let us look for a mompnt at the com? parison of charges or compensation of the architect as compared to the practice of the general contractor. In the first place, the architect em? ploys men who have for years studied their profession and become skilled not only in drawing, engineering, art, but in the knowledge of intricate building laws of the city. He must be a trained engineer or employ such a man, to be sure that his building is safely con. ! structed. After the plans are drawr [ he must see that the building is built in accorda3ice with its plans, consist, re ] garding any disagreements in the carry? ing forward of the project, settle dis? putes, check up the estimates and requi sitions, and continually be in a positioi by virtue of his skill and knowledge te protect the owiur against possible in justice. These men that the architec1 employs seldom receive as 3nuch as tht man who delivers milk to the various different houses in New York City. It i? true to-day that they are paid more thar they have ever been paid before, but t( my mind, in proportion to what the bricklayer gets on a job, the skilled de signer and draftsman receives much lesi than his knowledge and ability warrant In drawing the entire operation of i building tho architect must pay out o his 6 per cent the salaries of all hi draftsmen, the salaries to his buildin?. supervisor, his rentals, which are higl because he is required to occupy mud snore space on accomit of his office fore? than tho general contractor requires He must havo bookkeepers, stenogra phers, pay for supplies, and after al these expenses are paid, and if he is a all conscientious in his work?as I bo lievo the majority of architects are there is an amazingly small profit at th completion of tho average building at ? por cent. It is a fact that-, the smal building cannot bo produced for 6 pe cent, the actual cost o? production ex ceoding the commission. On tho other hand, the general con tractor has no regular rule that I kno> of, but it is the invariable? custom tha he should charge 10 per cent, and I ai told on good authority that he expect to make, by virtuo of subletting, a additional 10 per cent, or, in othe words, 20 per cent profit. This 20 pe cent profit is by no means considere exorbitant, and out of this ho pays n superintendence, as thatvtnan is paid a par?, of the cost of the building. He nays his office rent and in most cases a couple of stenographers, and perhaps one or two assistants. He receives from the .architect full worked-out plans specifications and details and instruc tions -everything, in fact, to guide him through the erection of the building. I have just completed a piece of work that amounted to about $00,000. At ?' per cent my commission would have been $3,600. The absolute cost of pro ?uction, without a cent of profit, was over $5,000, and if I had charged only ?he 6 per cent ! would have been in ;. hole for the balance. I have in mind another case of a $40.000 building on which I charged 6 | per cent, which took one and a half ears to complete. My fee was $2.400 for one and a half years' work, out of .vhich I had to pay myself, rent, office expenses, for supplies, etc. The cost of ! production was obviously far in excess of the commission received. On the other hand, it so happened that I had a gen? eral contractor, who received a commis? sion of $3,000, with an allowance of $500 in addition for firm's time and expenses. Out of this $o,500 the expenses, as ex? plained, were stenographer, bookkeeper and office rent, and the firm's time and expenses, according to his own state? ment, were $300. At the minimum their net profit on this piece of work must have been close to $2,600 over and above he cost of production. They did not nvest any money, for they received the full amount of their requisitions each month and it was financed by the owner. They did not pay for any individual superintendence, for this was charged against the cost of the building. They assumed no responsibility for the build ihg in structural strength, for this was all worked out in my office. It was up to me to see constantly that nothing but the terms of the specification were ful? filled and the owner protected. HOBART B. UPJOHN. New York, Dec. 10, 1920. The Automobile Death Toll To the Editor of The Tribune. Sir: Allow me to call your attention to a certain incorrect statement ap? pearing in this morning's Tribune, in an article captioned "Autos Kill 3,808 in Year in U. S.; 780 in New York." The number of deaths from automobiles and the automobile death rates men? tioned in the article do not refer to the entire United States, but apply only to sixty-six cities in the United States of over 100,000 population. Data on file in this office show that the death rate from automobile acci? dents for the entire United States for the year 1910 was approximately 9 per 100,000 population, and that in 1915 the rate was approximately 6 per 100, 000 population. Competent authorities have estimated that tho number of deaths caused by automobiles through? out the country last year was 9,642. H. P. STELLWAGEX. New York, Dec. 6, 1920. A Costly Entertainment (From The Providence Journal) Secretary of State Colby is off on his South American trip?a joy ride that will be of about as much benefit to the United Statva or anybody else as if Mr. Colby sang a comic song on the steps of the Capitol. The many thousands of dollars that will he, ?pent on this junket ajo to be provided, we understand, by that eccentric philan? thropist, Mr. Common People. Personally Conducted i From The Chioapo Paily New?) S>mo of tho liquor one sees hein?/ moved about the streets noes in a dis? tinctly cigzag manner. : A Plea From St. Dumtarii The Needs of the British So'Jien Blinded in ?he War | To th? Editor of The Tribune Sir: This is the season of greetta? and gifts. May I send to your readen greetings and ask them to send to OH gifts? These greetings will, I hope, give ret pleasure. They convey the grattud ? of the ?soldiers blinded in the war fo the sympathy and help which have eon to them from all parts of the v.orli They carry the news that all we hop( for from the training given ?t, S Dunstan's is being justified by the: blinded men in the very wonderf success they are making of their Ut? I do not think that any one woo l say it gets easier to be. bravely blii as the years go on. It becomes east I to do things in the dark, but the d j mand on the will to keep pace wi normal life grows greater rather tbl essens. Constant effort is extrae -iinarily exacting, and it is really sple did how the men meet this demar.d t themselves, keep up their interest everything and maintain their notai record as workers; some in oific some practicing as masseurs, some poultry farmers and others as exp< craftsmen. There are still more than five ht '.lred blind men learning in our clti rooms and workshops. Besides those actually blinded on ( i battlefields, 23,000 men were dischall I from the army with seriously camag sight, and, unfortunately, many these are finding it necessary ' 3 c* to St. Dunstan's. We are dealir.g, t with a number cf men whose he? does not enable them to make ss quick progress as others. At the sa time it becomes increasingly diffle to tind for the men who are r??acly start on their new life suitable hen We have also now to meet the e pense of moving our headquarter the offices for the organization requi: to look after nearly 2,000 men, ? also the classrooms and works-ic The house, with its beautiful grout so generously lent by Mr. Otto Ki as a hostel is no longer avails! fortunately, however, we have been i to find for our new quarters ?not house in Regent's Park? a place vl for several generations has been London home of the Marquessei Bute. The interior has been adaj for offices, and in tho gardens classrooms and workshops have b re?rected. The place is near the 1 on which the blinded soldiers 1 taken so much pleasure in rowing. both from the point of view of ft air and of opportunities for unisnF? exercise the situation is ideal. The blinded soWiors have create magnificent record; the plans for h ing them back to- normal life 1 worked out better, I think, than one dreamed \?rould bo possible think, too, there is no one who re?! what the gift of sight means, and < blindness must mean, who would wish to help on this work which Dunstan's has undertaken. I trust that any of your res who are ko generous as to respor this oppeal will forward their co butions to me at St. Dunstan's h quarters, Regent's Park, London W. 1. ARTHUR PEARSON Chairman Blinded Soldiers' and St ors' Care Committee. I-ondon, England. Dec 2, 1920. A Sinecure (From The Los ?ngeles JWm??> Isn't it about time for "Prvsiden Valera to begin to work for a ?? term? Presidenting for Ireland in old America ia fairly safe, w? 1?**