Evening star. [volume], September 30, 1924, Page 6, Image 6

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6
.332 EVENING STAR
I*3 h Snadii H«nlag BiltlM.
a- WASHINGTON, D. C.
September 30, 1934
W. NOYES Editor
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Hoover on Government Ownership.
Government ownership of railways
anti other public utilities is not an is
sue between the two major, or sup
posedly major, parties in the present |
campaign, but it has been injected j
into controversial discussion by the
]>a Follette candidacy and platform,
and is troubling the minds of many
thousands of men and women who
•want to cast their votes in November
in away to serve the best interests
of their country and of all their coun
trymen. And in the absence of sharp
cleavage between the Republican and
Democratic positions on vital eco
nomic questions, Government owner
ship of utilities has come to the front
for discussion to a degree hardly war
ranted by any imminence of decisive
action.
No more thoughtful contribution to
this discussion has yet been made
than the address delivered last eve
rung by Secretary Hoover and broad
cast by radio. With characteristic
straightforwardness. Mr. Hoover
marches straight up to the crux of
the question and lays it hare, some
thing that other opponents as well as
proponents of Government ownership
have signally failed to do. If the
American people are to decide this
question rightly, he said, they should
, have the reasons set before them in
terms of sober social and economic
thought, not in vituperation and ap
peals to hate. Then he proceeded to
get down to the meat of the social and
economic problems involved.
Mr. Hoover showed that to acquire
the railroads and other public utilities
•would require, in the first place, an
addition of $40,000,000,000 to the pub
lic debt, and would add between 2,500,-
•00 and 3,000,000 employes to the Gov
ernment pay rolls. The voting
strength of this mass of officeholders,
their wives and dependents would be
Bf.ore than 25 per cent of the whole
vc ilrg strength of the Nation, and j
would be the most powerful of all or
ganized ' “blocs” using the ballot for
PcTsanal and selfish ends* What that
Would mean in the way of political
control of utilities, of wages and rates
Is nvt difficult to foresee. These or
ganized Government employes would
hc.d the balance of power in an over
whelming number of congressional
districts, and wo should have gov
ernment of bureaucracy, by bureau
•racy and for bureaucracy.
If there were any general benefits
Id be gained by such a departure from
the American conception of govern
ment Mr. Hoover might reconcile him
eelf to the idea, but instead of bene
fits the Secretary of Commerce can
see. only burdens to be borne. He has
been a good deal about the world with
. his eyes open, and has not yet found
en instance where government owner
ship has resulted in either low-cost
operation or efficient service. On the
contrary, all his experience has been
that a vastly superior service is ren
dered by privately owned and oper
ated American utilities, and if in any
cases rates arc lower under govern
ment ownership it is because deficit*
are created which must be made up
by general taxation —a robbing of
many Peters to pay a few Pauls.
Mr. Hoover calls attention to the
fact that the railroads and other utili
ties of America are rapidly becoming
public owned through the jnultlpllca
tion of holders of stocks and bonds,
and be urges as the American ideal
c this character of ownership, with Gov
ernment supervision to prevent
abuses. And ho makes the pertinent
a observation that if the American peo
ple, through their Government, are
not capable of bringing about effective
regulation they certainly are not capa
ble of efficient and economical Govern
ment ownership and operation.
V- ■ ww •
A decision on the port of Europe to
hold no more disarmament confer
e ences in America would indicate a
confidence in her ability to settle her
*g£ovn affairs, which might, on the
T~Who!e, be regarded as entirely encour
aging.
Women in Office.
A judge in Texas has decided in
1 ruling on an application for an in-
that Mrs. Miriam Ferguson.
democratic nominee for the office of
governor of the State, is qualified
finder the law for that candidacy,
•ffhe plaintiff argued that women were
made ineligible under the common law
of Texas, adopted in 1840, to hold
--•SMfce except in wholly ministerial or
•2 offices the duties of
could be exercised by a deputy.
It was contended that the common
—law was kept in force by the State
constitution of 1876, and that there is
"Nothing in the constitution or the law
the State before or since the
JKaption of the suffrage amendment
jpnsnEmit a woman to be governor.
_—3-.vcas further contended that there
as been u tonspiracy between Mrs.
liergusoTi and her husband, if she
•• ere- elected, that he should be the
; veil governor and she the figurehead
- fca office. The judge held that none
iti :hese contentions is valid, that
undfir the new laws of Texas the
■Z- aoqpppn law rule about married
('• their separate property
He Also yule^
that if there is a conspiracy it must
ibe specifically shown, and that, if it J
exists, there is an adequate remedy
to prevent her from carrying out such
a conspiracy if she is elected.
As to the contention of disqualifies- J
tion on the ground of sex, the court
holds that, in view of all the decisions
and customs of the time, women are
eligible to hold office under the com
mon law in the State, unless pro
hibited by the constitution or the
statute. There being no such specific
prohibition, Mrs. Ferguson is, in the
Judgment of the court, qualified to
stand for office.
In this decision there will be a
general assent throughout this
country. Regardless of the political
conditions and the peculiar circum
stances of Mrs. Ferguson's candidacy,
the issue in this case that has just
been decided, and which will now be
appealed to higher court, is whether
women may run for administrative
offices. This question Judge Calhoun
answers In the affirmative. It is un
doubtedly in accordance with the
spirit of the times thus to declare
women eligible.
Should there be proof of a so-called
conspiracy for the holding of the title
of the offlee by one person while
another directs the government, that
question may, as the court says, be
advanced upon evidence for specific
hearing, but not until eleettorj. In
other words, until the election of the
candidate in question It Is a moot
question which the court cannot take
into consideration.
To disqualify women from office on
the ground of sex would be contrary
to the spirit of the nineteenth amend
ment and contrary to the spirit of the
times as well, as Judge Calhoun de
clares. Women have been pronounced
by the fundamental law to bo qualified
to vote in all parts of this country.
Those who vote may bo voted for, and
may serve if the people will.
- . |
Champion!.
It may be “the thrill that comes
once In a lifetime,” but whatever the
future holds for the Capital, Washing
ton has at least scored the supreme |
triumph of a base ball major league
championship. For a generation and
a half- the local patrons and admirers
of the national game in this city have
been dreaming of this achievement.
They luive seen the Washington team
trail along season after season at the
tail end of the procession. They have
seen it rise twice, to second place.
They have grown callous to the jibe
of other Americans about Washington
being “first in war, first in peace and
last in the American League.” But
they have always hoped that some
day a team with the “W" on Its uni
forms would win the flag.
Now it has come, that coveted place
at the top. come unexpectedly, come
with pr.-tctically the same team that
trailed last year, but under new,
youthful, skillful, resourceful kader
ship.
To say that the Capital is delighted
is to put it mildly., Thousands who
have never before been really interest
ed in the fortunes of the local repre
sentatives in organized bate ball have
become enthusiasts. Those who liave
heretofore deprecated the idea of
being aroused over the performances j
of 25 or so “hired men” playing a pro
fessional game under rules and condi
tions that may at any time shift them
to another city, have caught the fever
and are shouting with the rest.
This victory of the Nationals, which
Washington -hopes is but the token of
a greater victory a few days hence, is
the result of good management. To
Stanley Harris belongs, and is univer
sally given, the credit of leading hie
team to the front and holding it there
against a heavy handicap, and through
the nerve-atraining period of one of
the hottest finishes in the history of
the game. To his capable manage
ment of the various temperaments of
his players, his encouragement at all
times, his Judicious selection of pitch
ers, his persistent spirit is now to be
attributed this remarkable achieve
ment, which Is cheered by the whole
country as never before has a cham
pionship been greeted.
One name of those in the ranks of
this pennant-winning aggregation is
on the lips of all who follow base ball
fortunes—Walter Johnson. For 18
years he has pitched for Washington,
his only major league club. He has
been recognized as one of the greatest
pitchers ever In the game. Year after
year he has toiled in the most dis
couraging conditions, pitching as well
with the tail-end team as with a pos
sible contender for the flag. Season
after season the hope has been ex
pressed by base ball followers through
out the country that some day he
might perform in a world-series con
test.
Now that hope Is to be fulfilled.
Next Saturday, weather permitting.
Washington, with Waller Johnson in
the box, will face the New York
Giants, formidable foes, versed in
world-series strategy, a great team, a
team that is hard to beat. Johnson—
“ Barney," as he is affectionately
known in the base ball world —will
have millions of people “rooting” for
him. For Washington, whatever the
chances in terms of base ball “dope.”
i is the prime favorite of the country in
this forthcoming engagement.
Each ticket threatens to leave its
head in more or less anxiety about
whut the vice presidential candidate
may decide to say or do.
The Weather Must Be Good!
The weather is now an important
tiling. Washington cannot endure the
thought of a rainy Saturday. The
people trill not stand for it. They are
ready to make any reasonable or un
reasonable oblations to Sol and to of
fer wreaths of golden rod and asters
to Auster and Zephyr us that they
may give uS balmy breezes on the
great day we have in mind. If the
South Wind and West Wind demand
a bunch of orchids they ard willing.
The Weather Bureau says it cannot
now predict fair weather for the open
ing of the World Series —spell it with
capitals! It i* said that stormy condi
tions prevail over the Atlantic States,
and that a tropical storm threatens
to Invade Florida and travel north.
Something is also said about “low
'pressure areas” * over the Atlantic
but, mogi o£ M MS. aoi. “Wk”,
f s
THE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTON, V C„ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1924.
on the subject of low-pressure areas
and such. What we want is clear
weather.
No doubt the Weather Bureau i*
with the Capital in this momentous
matter, and that the meteorologists
are as much interested in the Griffs,
the Bucks, the Senators, the Nats, the
Victor*, as other loyal Washingto
nians. Whatever can be done to rr;ake
a perfect day of Saturday will be done.
The extra stand in right field in going
up, and the clamor for tickets is the
wildest ever known. Many persons
who did not know until a week ago
whether Walter Johnson was a fourth
baseman or a movie actor are eating
hoarhound lozenges to calm their ach
ing throats. There is great popular
excitement, and the weather must be
have.
Clark Griffith.
Washington's enthusiasm for the
success of the base boll team repre
senting this city in the American
League should Include a sense of
gratitude for the persistent confidence
and able administration of Clark Grif
fith, who started his local career us
manager and then became principal
owner and president of the organiza
tion. Himself a base l»ll player of
note, ono of the greatest pitchers of
the game during his time, a manager
of other teams, he brought to Wash
ington a new quality in management.
In the first year of his leadership the '
local team, for the first time in its his- j
tory. reached second place, a perform- j
ance which was repeated the next sea
son. He believed in the possibility of
a pennant winner for Washington.
During all these years of his connec
tion with the local club he lias striven
to that end, making combinations and
investments, developing the ball park,
expanding Us facilities, trying ex
periments with players and with man
agers. With smaller resources than
some of the teams located in greater
cities, he has been under liandicap, '
but good judgment has finally pre-1
vailed over longer purses. Ho made a I
master stroke last Winter in the selec- j
tion of his present manager, to whom '
he gave full power in the handling of
the team, and to whom he now gives I
full credit for its success. To Clark *
Griffith, therefore, good sport, good ■
friend, is now to be paid the tribute 1
of Washington’s esteem, and to be!
given the congratulations of a grate- |
ful city upon his crowning achieve-1
ment.
Abundant assurance is given that
there will be enough survivors of
divorce ordeals and bichloride at
tempts to keep the musical comedy
going next Winter.
In the light of experience the
Leviathan may as well schedule her
trips with a view to making the dry
dock a regular point in her itinerary.
It is hoped that Germany will man
age to avoid wearing a bored and per
functory look when she finally comes
into the League of Nations.
Reports C,f European distresses do
not prevent tourists in quest of a
pleasant time from flocking to Deau- i
ville and Monte Carlo.
A few Philadelphians frankly admit |
that they are disappointed in Smed-1
ley Butler. They thought he was only
fooling.
Curiosity Is strong about what
China's next fight will be like when
she gets this one settled.
SHOOTIHG STABS.
BT PHILANDER JOHNSON.
A Wearj World.
Old World swinging 'round the sun
In the same old track,
Grinding days out. one by one.
And getting nothing hack.
Wouldn’t blame him much if he
Slipped a trace some day,
Romping off in careless glee
Through the Milky Way.
Old World has been toiling hard
Ten or twenty years.
Gentle prospects have been marred.
Hopes gave way to fears.
Everybody needs a rest
For a week or two.
Old World has to do his best,
With still more to do!
Old World had an awful fight;
Ran himself in debt;
Tried to get things running right
But hasn’t done it yet.
Maybe he would learn to smile
In his 'customed way.
If he’d Just lay off a while
And take a holiday.
Attempting No Novelty.
“Don't you get tired of thinking up
new speeches ”
"No,” answered Senator Sorghum.
“I never venture to think up a new
speech. I only change the phraseology
here and there.”
Encouragement for the Parmer.
The poet or the prophet gleans
A grudging, scant renown;
| But he who ralseth pork and beans
Hath honor in the town.
i Jud Tunkins says he’s too patriotic
! to object, but he feels confident that
j Aunt Hannah’s duties as a political
i speaker are goin’ to keep this year’s
pumpkin pies from bein’ what they
once was.
Acute Coemltis.
Somehow I do not feel so well—
And yet I know not why!
The things that Science has to tell
Evoke a constant sigh.
I’m full of Molecules, I’m told.
Os Atoms they ore mode.
Which grasp Electrons that unfold
A marvelous parade;
Each Atom is a Universe
With Stars and Comets, too.
Indeed, I’m feeling rather’worse
And can’t tell what to do.
With vast discoveries I’m thrilled.
As here I mutely sit;
With Cosmic Fireworks I am filled—
How can I feel quite fit?
"I ain’ got nothin* agin a man dat
wants to collect what other people
owes him,” said Uncle Ebon, “per
vided he’s jes’ as enthusiastic ’bout
Sfeto. to .owes othat BS,
FLOWERS
For the Living
Herbert Hoover
BV JULIAN STREET
One hears with the regular, old
line. standpat, hardshell politicians
of Washington. Secretary of Com
merce Herbert Hoover Is not popular,
In which connection it may be men
tioned that Secretary Hoover has to
say “No” from fifty to a hundred
times a day, and that he finds It
Ampler to say “No" In one word than
in fifty or a hundred words. He Is
a busy man with a big job—a job
that grows bigger and bigger the
longer he is In it. us any job he holds
is bound to do—and he finds it neces
sary to economize time. His offielaj
day begins at 8 a.m. when he break
fasts with a secretary at his elbow,
and ends when the conferees and the
second shift or third shift secretary
leaves his house at night.
Herbert Hoover has the unquali
fied admiration of those whose ad
miration one would most desire.
Intellectual men and women, human
men and women, able men and women
in business and the professions all
over the land, yes. and all over the
world, are his friends and followers.
He Is an idealist, but practical; anil
intellectual, but again practical, furl
his mind is an engineering mind, a
marvelously efficient instrument dc- i
voted to the service of the American
people.
Unlike some other men In Washing
ton. Hoover seeks nothing for him
self. He does not want political of
fice. he does not want glory; his
happiness lies in going quietly ahead,
puttifig every bit of energy he has
into nis job.
His energy and zeal he probably in
herited, for his father was a black
smith and his mother was a Quaker
preacher. They died when he was a 1
child, and he was reared by Quaker !
relatives on farms in his native lowa !
,-yid in Oregon, going to work at the |
age of 13.
tfince he has been Secretary over |
400 conferences have been held in j
the department with representatives j
of various industries and professions '
by means of voluntary co-operation, j
Practically all these conferences have !
been called at the request of the in- ;
dustries and professions themselves, j
Through co-operation Secretary
Hoover secured the abolition of the I
12-hour day In the steel industry. I
Through co-operation he secured;
standardization in the lumber trade j
which will effort a saving to the peo
ple of the country of perhaps |2OO.- 1
000,000 annually. He has worked for
two years on a department reorgani
zation bill, familiarizing himself with
the functions of the 129 fllvlsions
which now compose the executive!
side of the Government. The bill !
proposes a regrouping of depart- i
ments and bureaus on the basis of
purpose, putting an end to unncces- I
sary division of functions and to the '
overlapping of one department or bu
reau by any other departments and
bureaus. No such work has been at- 1
tempted since the time of Alexander
Hamilton, and the bill, if passed, w ill
relieve the President of an overload
of labor which should be deputed to
members of his cabinet, will make
the Government Infinitely more effi
cient and w!H save taxpayers fifty to
one hundred millions a year.
Now and then Hoover is attacked,
but it Is hard to find a vulnerable
point. If some one says he used re
lief funds to foment a counter revolu
tion in Russia, he has but to point to
a document hanging in his office,
signed by Soviet officials, in which he
Is thanked in the highest forms for
his non-partisan, non-political admin
istration of relief work. If the dis
gruntled attempt, according to the
custom of the country and the time,
to impugn his honesty, the attack re
bounds on the attacker. You can't
fool the people about Hoover. They
know they can trust him.
When U is charged that he is not
an orator the charge can be sustained.
He is not an orator, not a politician,
but a much rarer sort of man—a
quiet, clear-headed, industrious, hon
est and peculiarly capable public
servant to whom Is due a rising vote
of thanks from the entire nation.
'Copyright, 1924, by the Bell Syndicate, Inc.)
Tomorrow—Blair Joaia,
Wrangell Island Not
American Territory
To the Editor of The Star;
May I be permitted to question your
special correspondent’s contention
that by raising the American flag over
Wrangell Island (the correct spelling,
according to a ruling by a Govern
ment department) that remote spot
■would automatically come under the
jurisdiction of this country?
The fact of the matter is that the
United States long ago renounced all
claim to that Isle. Only Japan, among
all the nations, yet contests Russia's
right to a bit of land that is of little
or no value. Since 1881 Canada had
claimed the island, but not long ago
Charles Stewart, minister of the in
terior for Canada, informed the Do
minion parliament that Canada re
linquished its possible rights to
Wrangell. When Alan Crawford's ill
fated expedition raised the Canadian
flag on that barren isle, Tchltcherin
of Russia protested to Great Britain.
He claimed that Russian ownership
dates back to 1821, and pointed out
that in 1915 Russia formally notified
the world powers that the island was
an Integral part of the then existing
empire. In reply, the British govern
ment acknowledged Russian sov
eignty over Wrangell and explained
that Crawford’s expedition, like some
others, was a private enterprise with
out official authority or backing.
This status applies to the expedition,
participated in by your correspond
ent, which Is on its way to Wrangell.
GEORGE O. GILLINGHAM.
Dollars Come Home.
For the first time since the armi
stice thousands of American dollar
bills hoarded in German and Austrian
and Slav stockings are coming back
to their native land.
That is probably the most prom
ising symptom of European confi
dence in process of restoration which
has yet come to light, for these
American dollars, shipped on remit
tance or obtained from tourists and
then secreted in walla and closets,
were the last hope' of thousands of
people in all classes of wealth. They
were the barrier againm the wolf at
the door, the last resource against
the specter of starvation. They were
the only pieces of paper in which
central Europe any longer would
place a popular trust, at a time when
German marks and Russian rubles—•
symbols of mighty empires trow
crumbled to dust—were selling at
2-pence or a nickel per several mil
lions In the London Strand or New
York’s Broadway, and were not Sell
ing at all in their own countries.
Blank despair, the ice that has
bound and clogged the arteries of
i European commerce, is breaking up.
The homing dollars are the proof of
it. People who a year ago would
trust only the shining republic of the
West have acquired a loyal belief in
the recovery and stability of their
own countries. And that is the first
great alchemy of the Dawes plan.—
vaam r*mg' "
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE.
White House callers who perform
the miracle of inducing the President
to talk report that Mr. Coolidge con
templates election day with serene
though not boisterous confidence.
Frank W. Htearns Is authority for
the statement that nothing ever
worries “Cal.” The supreme politi
cal crisis of his career Is said to be
no exception to the rule. Mr. fool
idge has run for offlee so many times
that the suspense of a campaign is
an old story to him. Seeking the
presidency of the United States is
bigger game than aspiring to the city
attorneyship of Northampton. But
White House visitors who knew Mr,
Coolidge in early Massachusetts days
and have opportunity of observing
him now declare he Is the same im
perturbable and impenetrable person
he was then. The President looks
upon possession as nine points in the
political law. This observer made a
train journey with him on the eve of
the 1922 congressional elections.
Election prospects were under discus
sion. “The ins always have the ad
vantage over the outs” was one of
Coolidge’s most eloquent remarks.
♦* * *
Willis J. Abbot, old-time Chicago
newspaper man and now editor of
the Christian Science Monitor, is re
garded the original patentee of the
theory that the 1924 presidential elec
tion *night be thrown into Congress.
In the early Spring of this year, long
before the national conventions and
before La Follette’s third party inten
tions were known. Abbot wrote a
couple of editorials in the Monitor
foreshadowing the situation that is
now widely discussed. If the situa
tion actually materializes, he will de
serve the prophet’s crown.
** * *
President Coolidge was bom on the
Fourth of July, but the Democrats
remind the country that John W. Da
vis first saw the light of day on a
considerable anniversary himself—
that which marks the birth of
Thomas Jefferson. April 13 is the
day. People who have faith in co
incidences may be Interested in
knowing that Jefferson was the first
President to be elected in the House
of Representatives, in consequence
of the electoral college's failure to
make a choice. There's the circum
stance, too. that election day that
year, 1800. fell on the 4th day of Novem
ber, which Is election day in 1924.
♦♦ ♦ *
America's most inveterate globe
trotter. Charles R. Crane, of Chicago,
Is having his passports visaed at
Washington for his latest expedition.
The former Minister to China is head
ed for India, where he expects to
spend some time during the coming
Winter. The mystic East, Crane con
fesses. has an insatiable lure for him
La Follette’s New York Speech
Fails to Rouse Applause
“All the virtues are embodied in
me and mine, and all the vices are
embodied in the other fellows and
theirs." Thus the Minneapolis Trib
une expresses the general editorial
sentiment with regard to Senator La
Follette's Madison Square Garden ad
dress.
As tlie New Tork Times (independ
ent Democratic) puts it: “Mr. La
Follette plays over the subject loose
ly. He doesn't face the fact that the
adoption of the amendment would
make Congress supreme: not merely
make it judge of its own acts, but
give It the power to tear out the Bill
of Rights and every guarantee of the
security of the citizen. The pretense
that Congress as a Supreme Court
would ponder with unusual delibera
tion shows that Mr. La Follette hides
a rich humor under his solemn mien.”
The Portland Express (Republican)
is also amused over his attempt "to
justify his assault upon the inde
pendence of the judiciary by a quota
tion from Chief Justice Marshall,”
when “what he quotes was written
by Marshall not as a Judge, but as a
private individual," but “we see
nothing in the letter of John Mar
shall quoted hy La Follette that
would justify the belief that the
great jurist would approve what the
radical leader urges as to the Su
preme Court." His main argument,
the Chicago Daily News (independ
ent) agrees, “was essentially falla
cious." For. as the Springfield Union
(Republican) points out, ho "would
return the Government to the people,
but in such away that every pass
ing fancy, every unconsidered whim
and dvery notion of a noisy group
would take precedence over what is
the sober second thought of the whole
people." In favoring such legisla
tion the Grand Rapids Press (Inde
pendent) is sure La Follette “pro
claims himself a for more gullible
believer in the perfection of Congress
than the average American citizen,”
and “we fear the Senator, If he is
sincere, is alone in his childlike
faith,”
♦* * *
• In regard to the scandals of the
present administration, the Baltimore
Sun (In(dependent) claims 'Tie brings
a strong Indictment; but he was not
only unfair —he went beyond political
license in undertaking to make it ap
pear that in their attitude toward
these happenings the Democratic and
Republican parties ‘are alike as two
peas ip a pod.’ That Is not true, and
the assertion detracts from the force
of the Senator's argument in his own
behalf.” But the moment the.ro is an
opportunity for La Follette to profit,
explains the Fargo Tribune (inde
pendent) “he is electrified Into action
and all the Republicans and Demo
crats become crooks of the first wa
ter. That’s been his business since he
first double-crossed his political
friend In Wisconsin and became the
new Messiah.” In fact, his speech,
the Indianapolis News (independent)
believes, “made clear the object of
his candidacy, which was to oyer
throw both the old parties and bring
about a realignment of political forces
on the issue of radicalism—or of pro
gresslvism—and conservatism,” but
the Senafor “threw little light on
present conditions, and gave no good
reasons for electing him—the colossal
egotist of American politics.” As
Senator La Follette would have the
Nation see it. adds the New York
Evening Post (independent), "there
can be no true faith but the La Foi
lette faith, and La Follette is its
prophet. The ’soulless system,’ he
sayp. has its foot on the neck of the
Nation, but it is doubtful if even a
La Follette believes these things.”
But while “he pictures for his fellow
countrymen a most engaging millen
nium," the Providence Journal (inde
pendent) is convinced thht “old Doc
La Follette is merely at his old game
of brag and bluster, and he would be
an amusing political phenomenon if
he were not 80<dangerous a mischief
breeder.”
♦♦ ♦ ♦
As the Cincinnati Ttmes-Star (Re
publican) sees it the Senator’s speech
vwas as bitter, as illogical and as far
from the facts of our time in politics
and life as La Follette’s speeches al
ways are when he gets going right.”
The Senator, suggests the Topeka
Capital (Republican) “would have the
country believe that it Is a run-down
state and is becoming more and more
the victim of oppression and slavery
to the practical business interests, but
wages were never higher, Jobs for labor
were never more numerous and labor
organisations are going into the bank
ing business and the industries as they
never did before.” Profiteering must
:«toer vat ■ howr Mto Mnwaukc*
He Is as much at home In A’ladivos
tok, Peking:, Yokohama, Constanti
nople, Odessa. Cairo or Jernsalem as
he is In Washington. "Woods Hole,
Chicago or New York, In all four of
which vicinities he maintains a domi
cile. Many of the British statesmen
and diplomats who are ruling India
are Mr. Crane’s personal friends from
diplomatic days In China, Russia and
Turkey. ,
** * ♦
In light of pending events at the
League of Nations, Japan is likely to
have a harder time than ever to find
a diplomat willing to become Ambas
sador at Washington. Late news
from Toklo Is to the effect that Mr.
Hanihara's vacated post has been of
fered in vain to several notables. It
Is realized In Nippon that the immi
gration issue has severely strained
Amerlcn-Japanese relations. The Am
bassador Japan sends here would be
expected to achieve something ap
proaching a miracle, for Toklo con
fidently expects that our present em
bargo on Japanese immigrants will
some .day be lifted. Baron Matsui,
late foreign minister and a member
of the Japanese delegation at the
Paris peace conference, is mentioned
as a likely selection.
♦* * ♦
If Frederick H. Oillett is elected to
the Senate from Massachusetts and
tho CJ. o. I*. organises the next House,
there w ill be a lively scramble for the
Speakership. If the gavel passed un
der seniority rules, it would go to
Henry Allen • Cooper of Wisconsin.
La Follette Republican, who was the
Progressive candidate for the Speak
ership last year. Martin B. Madden
of Illinois is certain tty"be strongly
backed. If Chicago sends him to the
House for his eleventh successive
term. Washington gossip names
•’Nick” Longworth. now Republican
floor leader, as the most likely Re
publican Speaker*. The Democrats
will name Finis J. Garrett of Tennes
see if they have the say.
♦* ♦ ♦
AUee Pomercne, former United
States Senator from Ohio and one of
the Government’s counsel in tho oil
prosecutions, was a caller on John W.
Davis in Washington the other day.
The ’’man who might have been
i President,” or at least the Democratic
nominee for Presidnet, this year gave
the West Virginian cordial assurance
of support. Mr. Davis is deprived of
the services on the stump of two par
ticularly valiant Democratic war
riors—Senators Carter Glass of Vir
ginia and James A. Reed of Missouri.
Both have thus far been prevented by
illness from taking the active part in
the campaign that they planned
to do.
HKM.)
Journal (independent), which goes on
to say: ‘There Is no program; there
is an outburst of indignation; there
is the admonition to leave it all to La
Follette. On the tariff, what? On the
railroads, what? What about taxa
tion? Is the mere word of a man who
has been bossing Wisconsin any sort
of assurance that he can find away
of reducing the Nation's taxes? It is
hard to find in the Senator's speech
anything more than the words of Chau
tauqua audiences heard from him years
ago.” After all. the Duluth Herald
(independent) considers "it is hardly
fair to ask Mr. I.a Kollette to bo defi
nite and concrete in his proposal of
remedies, when it is so manifest that
if he were ho would immediately lose
two-thirds of his following.”
-= * * *
Although the New York World
<t>emocratic), believe*! that the La
Kollette-Wheeler campaign would set
a stiff pace for the other candidates, it
finds the speech weak, for "in the way
of ideas, in the way of issues, in the
way of program, there is nothing in
tht* speech which any conventional
politician might not have said.” Ex
cept, as the Manchester Union (inde
pendent Republican) mentions, “he was
less affirmative than a keynote orator
ordinarily is. He hedged somewhat
and got into explanations of previous
declarations.” The Lynchburg News
however, concludes "it
would be idle to pretend that the
speech was lacking in power.' It was
fashioned by a consummate master of
forensic artistry. It was skillfully de
signed by the Nation's foremost apostle
of radicalism, to appeal to the discon
tent of the unthinking, to stir class
hatred, to solidify into one, political
whole all citizens who arc dissatisfied
with constitutional government and
would promote revolutionary’ changes
in the substructure of the American
Government. In many respects it sug
gested the utterly unscrupulous prompt
ings of the conscienceless special
pleaders.”
Do Schools Waste
Time and Money?
BY JOHN CARLYLE
Mark Thomsen, former president of
the Cleveland board of education, is a
man yho has had unusual experience
in dealing with schools, school teach
ers and the law governing the taxes
for school purposes. He has Just
made some very serious charges.
There Is nothing that demands your
more intense interest than your
schools. Turn these charges over in
your mind. Do they apply to your
schools in this state? Thomsen says:
That the public is not getting as
much for money spent for education
as it Is entitled to.
That teachers are not sufficiently
well trained.
That the compulsory school age of
sixteen that obtains in some states is
crowding high schools with pupils
who are not fitted for high school
training and who would be bettor off
if employed outside.
That too much time is wasted in
long summer vacations. He urges
the opening of school plants 300 days
out of the year.
That the schools have assumed too
much of the moral training that prop
erly belongs to the home.
That there is grave danger in ex
tending the school age downward.
The kindergarten operates In some
instances as a nursery, relieving
mothers of a responsibility they ought>
to assume.
But Mr. Thomsen Is a friendly critic.
He admits that at the worst schools
give taxpayers more for their money
than any other institution.
The fact that we get a lot of value
for our money should not blind us,
however, tb the possibility of organ
izing our resources in such away as
to do and to get a great deal more.
These charges have great value.
They arc commended to the consid
eration of the board of education in
this and every community.
Wo pay a great deal more for
teachers. We have a right to expect
a great deal more.
Not many years ago elementary
teachers In large cities were paid
about SSOO a year. Today the mini
mum is nearer $1,200.
High school teachers, who used to
be paid from *1,200 to $2,000. now re
ceive all the way up to $4,000. Some
receive more. Life is short and
schoolhouses are idle too much of the
thne. Schools must bo given the bene
fit of the most adequate and intelli
gent kind of organisation.
Their contribution to civilisation is
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
SEA MWRR IN ANCIENT HISTORY. ;
Arthur MacOartney Shepard. Ut- ]
tie, Brown & Co.
The pest becomes luminous and use
ful precisely In the measure to which
It Is brought forward alive and set
down before uo in features resem
bling those that mark our own pres
ent, In problems not greatly dlfDr
ent from our own. This is the living
thread of history, constant in funda
mentals of fact and sequence. This is
the line along which general interest i
is ever fresh. where meanings are
simple and lessons clear. The. rest of
history Is for the student, curious
about far origins, and fitful growths,
and strange departures and faint
survivals, and elusive relationships,
and the abstract philosophic outlook
upon the progress of mankind. It is
one of the living chapters out of the
past that in “Sea Power in Ancient
History’’ Arthur MacCartney Shep
ard moves forward into a place be
side the question of sea power in the
present.
♦♦ ♦ *
Every book perpetrated In these
epidemic days of authorship should
be required by law to frame sound
justification for its descent upon a
defenseless public. Mr. Shepard an
ticipates this salutary reform by a
justification not only sound, but one
that offers, besides, a distinct lure
to readers, both those of the student
type and the larger class of outfarers
into all fields of general interest and
common concern.
Sea power today and sea power
among the ane.ients are, in essence,
identical. That la. they are identical
in fundamentals. So this author says,
and it is along this line that he sets
the general course of the study in
hand. His sound justification for the
story is based upon this claim, one,
that proved, gives his book aa un
questionable place of importance and
interest in the modern outlook upon
history. A large claim, though, and
upon its face a doubtful one. For
has not the world progressed mighti
ly since those ancient days? Has
not science in this long and active
Interim so multiplied the art of ma
terial progress as to change the very
face of nature itself? Not quite. That
is one of the things which science
has not done, not yet materially
changed the face of nature. And it is
this geographic stability of the good,
old earth that, clear up to the present
time, has made the fundamentals* of
sea power what they have ever been.
What they were when the first ad
venturing peoples of recorded history
sailed out into the adjacent waters
that were at once protection, oppor
tunity. menace. In proof Mr. Shepard
links that far past with our own Im
mediate present. He brings it right
up to the naval armament reduction
conference of 1921, in order to let us
see that the ancients and the moderns
are alike in purpose, that they are
one in the spirit animating their re
spective maritime activities. A dra
matic and illuminating conjunction,
this, calculated to lift the past to a
new importance, to supply the pres
ent with a vita] meaning, to project
the future in a line of logical devel
opment as against a simply erratic
and fortuitous advance.
Upon this single but vital funda
mental the author builds in adequate
detail the multitudinous changes in
method, in the means to reach a de
sired end, that have attended the
enormous strides of science, that
have followed upon the growth of
mankind in complexity of life and
toward a larger conception of the es
sential unity of all the peoples of the
earth.
To those having a mind for it there
is here, besides, a fascinating and
profitable line of comparison and con
trast set up between the mere me
chanics of the old sea craft and the
new. revealing in those primitive in
ventions the seed of what have come
to be the present marvels of con
struction whoso purpose, nation by
nation, is that sea power which early
man sought an'd seized, which he held
or lost either to the rise of great
peoples on the one hand or to their de
cay and submergence on the other.
All preliminary matter, this, to the
business of the story itself. Alto
gether essential matter, neverthe
less. For it not only gives a good
accounting of much that would other
wise be held as plainly arbitrary and
unaccountable, but it sounds a call
to keen Interest. It enmeshes ones
curiosity and whets one’s appetite
for the story itself. An old, old
story, so we thought, probably a dry
story, so wc feared. In effect, hap
pily. neither old nor dry. As new,
instead, as the still unbelievable air
ship, as succulent as the morning’s
news on the great fleets hovering
around the shores of the wide world
itself.
♦♦ ♦ ♦
Now for the story itself, about
which one needs to say little. For,, if
a man knows enough to lay a foun
dation such as this, so rooted in a
sense of the unity of man’s life and
growth, so grounded in the truth
that we of the present must have old
knowledge supplied in such stable
features and problems as most nearly
resemble those of our own time, and
if that man Is able to set that foun
dation in words and phrases and
sentences that make pictures an
moving along in a line before one—
why, that man can be counted on to
tell a high and romantic story in a
high and romantic manner. And
that Is just the way he does tell this
story, even though it be the authenti
cated record of a theme belonging to
the sober annals of an ancient
people.
** * *
So here is the story of certain
great seafaring nations of the past;
Greece and Romq the chief of these:
Phoenicia and Carthage contributing
to the main development of sea pow
er. Each of these In Its time and
place is set down. Then the causes
that led each to far© out upon the
waters fill the sea became Its prov
ince, Its means of growth. Other sea
bordering peoples laid a similar
course. Then conflict—sea wars, with
their victories and defeats—al! arc
set dow n here by name and date, and
circumstance and effect. You know
these names, some of them, for your
histories have gone over them for
you. And, while this book Is history
—owns up to it: indeed, makes the
claim straight—you will read it In
the spirit of adventure, adventure
that la true. And the tremendous
business of claiming the sea and
holding It went on. The claim mov
ing out Into trade and increasing con
tacts and growing civilization. The
holding of the sea culminating in
wars. In a further conception of sea
power, in the growth of further
means to meet this most desirable
end. in a dawning conception of the
international idea as against the
merely national ideal. And all the
time victories were being counted for
more power and defeats were being
scored on the side of decaying na
tions. The same old story that is
always the new story. Mr. Shepard
tells it with knowledge—oh, heaps of
knowledge, all run down to their
last scintilla of truth and all ar
ranged as an orderly and scholarly
man would arrange it. So, if stu
dents of the Navy or of more general
history need a book on this subject,
here it is fit to their hand and need.
For the rest of us. just the general
readers who are interested in a lot of
things, Mr. Shepard comfortably for
gets the burden of knowledge—
that is, .he forgets it to the extent
that he makes it a laborious offering
to us. He puts color in it, and action,
and high emprise, and daring, and
bits of most Interesting information
—about pirates and things—so that
the general reader • delights in the
.etorg and, gets the profit of It be-
Answers to Questions
BY FREDERIC J. MASKIN'
Q. On what basis was the zero
of Fahrenheit’s thermometer fixed;
A. W. H.
A. Fahrenheit adopted the cold<wt
temperature that he observed in the
Winter of 1709 for the zero of ..his
thermometer.
Q. What is the meaning of “Erin
go bragh ”?—J. B. K.
A. “Erin go bragh” Is the old war
cry of the Irish. It means “Ireland i
forever.”
Q. What is Harry Houdini’s cor
rect name and is he an American? —
J. C.
A. Houdinl was born on April 6.
1874, in Appleton, Wls. His name
was Harry Weiss, but has been
changed legally to Harry Houdini,
Q. When was the first English
subway built? —A. tJ.
A. It was built in lesndon from
Covent Garden to St. Martin’s
by the London County Council in
18*2.
Q. Does the peanut actually be
long to the nut family?—S. N.
A. The peanut is not a nut. It
belongs to the same family aa the
common pea and bean. The term
“nut” was applied to it on account
of its flavor, which is similar to that
of some true nuts.
Q Which vertebra is known a?
the axis?—L. A. E.
A. The second vertebra of the
spinal column is so called because it *
forms a pivot upon which the first
bone, the atlas, rotates, carrjing the
skull.
Q. What is bull baiting?—F. T. !■
A. This Was a sport once popular
in England, but declared illegal ir
1835. A bull was attacked by dog.
and sometimes the nostrils of th
bull were blown full of pepper to in
crease his fury. Another form of the
sport was to fasten the buil to a
stake by a long rope and then set
bulldogs at him, on© at a time,, which
were trained to seize the bull by the
nose. The bulldog seems to havt
bcen developed for this sport from
a short-eared mastiff called alaunt.
Q. Who coined the expression
"While there is life there is hope”?—
M. D.
A. This is attributed to Cicero, the
exact quotation being. "While the
sick man has life there is hope"
Q. What was the name of Abraham
Lincoln’s son who died while he was
President? —F. T.
A. This son’s name was William
Wallace and he died in the White
House, March 16, 1863. at the age of
12 years. Another son. Thomas (Tad;, ,
died in 186 S at the age of IS.
Q. Who applied the term "a na
tlon of shopkeepers” to the English'
A. Samuel Adams used the expres
sion. In an address delivered at the
State House, Philadelphia, August 1
«.776.
Q. Os what is air composed?—S. It
A. Nitrogen and oxygen, in the ra
tio of 78.21, respectively, are the prin
cipal constituents of the earth's at
mosphere.
Q. Did the United States Govern
ment every pay Gen. Robert E. Lee
for his home. Arlington?—E. S. S.
A- The heirs of Gen. Lee were re
imbursed for this property in the
sum of 8150.000. although the estate
was assessed at only 134.000.
Q. What are the German names of
the Leviathan, Majestic, Berengarl*
and Homeric? —R. F.
A. The Leviathan was formerly
the German ship Vaterland, with a *
tonnage of 64.100. The Majestic was
the Bismarck, with a tonnage of
56,551. The Berengarla was the Im
perator, with a tonnage of 52.022
The Homeric was the Columbus, with
a tonnage of 34,693. This ship war
under construction during the war
and was not completed until 1922.
Q. What is a sunstone?—W. S. H.
A. This is a variety of aventurine
feldspar, or oligoclase, which yields
1 when polished, internal reflections,
j emanating from crystals or flakes of •
[ iron oxide. The finest specimens,
i showing a brilliant play of color.
! come from Norway.
Q. When I marry a Canadian girl,
' will she have to come within the
j quota from Canada —js. P.
A. All Canadians are allowed to
' enter the United Slates and will ex
| perience no difficulty in doing so
I Your wife will be admitted to the
! United States upon the payment of
I the *8 head tax. Canadian-born citi
zens do not come under any quota,
but are allowed to enter the United
States at any time.
Q. Is it the leaf or the seed of the
jlmson weed that is medicinal?—R. .1
A. Both the leaves and seeds of the
Jimson have medicinal properties.
The leaves ar© collected at the time
of flowering, and. the entire plant is
cut or pulled up and the leaves
stripped and dried in the shade. The
leaves are poisonous, causing dila
tion of the pupil of the eye, and are
used principally in asthma. For the
collection of the seeds, the capsule*
should be taken from the plants
when they are quite ripe, but still
of a green color. The capsules should
then be dried for a few days, when
they will burst open and the seeds
can be readily shaken out. These
should then be carefully dried.
Q. What is the size of the new
telescope at the University of Mich
igan?—M. U. U.
A. It is a refracting telescope wi’ii
a 27-inch lens. Only three of the
kind in the United States surpass it
in size. The telescope is being as
sembled, but after a short time it Is
to be dismantled and taken to South
Africa for S or 10 years of study of
the southern sky, by university pro
fessors.
Q. Did Solomon writ© Ecclesias
tes? —M. M. O. „
A. Scholars agree that Solomon did
not write Ecclesiastes. The style of
the language used is of a later time,
and probably- the book is a compila
tion of many writers.
Q. Who started the idea of having
a mail order business? —F. G. G. 1
A. The mail order idea is credited
to Montgomery Ward, who inaugurated
the plan in 1872.
Q. 141131 is the difference between
courting, flirting and spooning?—E.. O.
A. We suggest the following defi
nitions for the three words: Coutt
ing—making love to a woman for
the purpose of marriage; flirting—
making love for mere amusement or
pleasure of conquest; spooning—in
dulging to a silly extreme in demon
strations of affection.
Q. How did the god-tree get its
name?—F. B. H.
A. The superstitious 'feneration of
the natives of the tropics for tho *fik
cofton tree gave it the name of god
tree.
(Tho Star maintains Jar the pleasure.
and profit of it* readers an informal v
service tender the directorship of Pfyd
erir J. Hat kin. The scope of tfic fpirffau
is national and international, (tad ■ -no
subject is too eletnctUary or too broad to
etUist the personal attention of a spe
cialist. Address The Star Information
Bureau-, Frederic J. Has kin. Director.
Twenty-first and C streets nonhvr-s 1 )
sides. William A. Moffett, rear ad
miral, U. S. N., thinks this a highly
worthy book, and from bis place of
knowledge and authority says so in
a foreword of out-and-out approval.