Evening star. [volume], June 15, 1932, Page A-8, Image 8

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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,THE EVENING STAR
With Sunday Morning Edition.
W1IHIKOTOH, D. C.
WEDNESDAY.Juno 15, 1932
VHIODOKE W. NOYES-Editor
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Something to Shout About. j
Practically all of the color and the
excitement at Chicago is furnished by
the left-wing wets, those ardent advo
cates of “repeal" whose flamboyant
banners and parades "and monster mass
meetings for the time being led some
of the moat wishful of thinkers at the
convention to suggest the possibility of
a “stampede.” when, as a matter of
fact, nothing was more Improbable.
Thelr's was the excitement that spread
through the hotel lobbies and seised
the spotlight in an effort to convince
the delegates that only one important
Issue confronts the American people
today, and that issue Is the ruthless
scrapping of the eighteenth amend
ment and all Its works.
Their demonstrations, of course, are
significant if only by contrast with the
picture four years ago at Kansas City.
But most of the uproar Is superficial.
There never was much chance that
the clamor would penetrate beyond the
tightly sealed doors of the committee j
looms, where the actual work of the
platform framers takes place. And
merely because the paraders may lose j
their heads and the mass meeting ora- j
tors grow red In the face, it does not I
follow that the responsible leaders of a '
great political party will lose thelr's '
and allow themselves to be swept off j
their feet by an artificially manufac- |
tured tidal wave.
For the tidal wave at v-mcago wuilu j
finds expression In the loud talk for i
repeal and nothing short of repeal is, |
of course, manufactured. That veteran ,
observer at conventions, Mark Sullivan, i
Is struck by the contrast between the j
atmosphere he left In Washington and j
the atmosphere he found in Chicago.
Here the Congress, at the close of a
long and painful session marked by
feverish attempts to do something that
would constructively combat the ef- |
fects of an unparalleled national calam
ity. is literally beseiged by a strange
army of ragged men whose real mis
alon has been to present, with stark
and tragic realism, a picture of what
has happened to once prosperous
America. Thousands of men are living j
In shacks of tin or wood or cloth or
straw within sight of the Capitol dome.
The atmosphere is tense, not so much
with the expectancy of what might '
happen as with the painful knowledge j
of what already has happened.
But in Chicago the traditional
Visitor from Mars would doubtless b?
led to the belief that the one thing
wrong with the United States is the
eighteenth amendment; that the source
of all iniquity, moral and economic, is j
the eighteenth amendment; that the .
cure of every ill lies in repeal of the
eighteenth amendment; that the repeal
of the eighteenth amendment would be
followed by prosperity, sobriety, tem
perance In all things and the abolition
of crime.
This wildly extravagant emphasis |
upon one thing might be explained, in j
Chicago, as the underlying causes ofi
the bonus march have been explained ;
In Washington. The crowds in Chicago
must have something tangible with
which to deal, something real and !
understandable to shout about. The
crowds cannot become enthusiastic over
schemes of the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation any more than they can
ahout themseives hoarse over the Gar
ner bill. They choose repeal of prohi
bition, just as the veterans choose the
bonus, as a means of dodging more
complex and abstract problems. The
hungry man In Chicago has probably
been led to believe that when prohibi
tion Is repealed he will have food, just
as the WTetched veteran on the Ana
costla flats has been led to believe that
v/hen the bonus is paid his troubles
will end and a new day will have
dawned.
Vice President Curtis at seventy-two
years is told that perhaps he is too old
for a Vice President. Mr. Dawes at
•i*ty-seven is suggested for the place.
•Youth will be served!”
The keynote speech might have been
aafe In going so far as to mention pro
hibition as "a subject on which much
fem&tns to be said.''
A Dot Upon the Water*.
The story told by Capt. James Wilson
of the tanker Circe Shell descriptive of
the rescue of Stanley Hausner, the
Polish aviator, discloses the extremely
narrow chance by which he was found
In time to save his life. The lockout
on the ship sighted something ahead
that looked like a drifting buoy, but
With peculiar markings on the top that
arrested his attention. The light was
waning and the visibility was low. but I
the lookout decided that the object, |
though more than a mile distant, was
an airplane. He notified the command
er, who ordered the ship's speed re
duced, closing in on the derelict. Soon
the figure of a man could be seen. A
blast from the ship's siren aroused him
and he moved and waved. A lifeboat
was ordered away and. thcugh a rough
aea was running and getting worse, the
boat was taken alongside the plane and
Hausner was helped into It. When he
was taken aboard the Circe Shell forty
live minutes had elapsed from the time
of the sighting of the plane and night
had fallen.
There was a very small margin be
tween Hauaner i rescue and hi* death.
I
| No other ship was near at hand. Had
the lookout on the Circe Shell not
spied the little dot upon the waters
just as he did In a few minutes It
would have been too dark to see it.
Had the ship passed on without finding
and rescuing him in all likelihood many
hours would have passed, perhaps
several days, before another vessel
chanced along within eye-shot of this
bit of flotsam. Hausner would probably
not have survived another day, and the
mystery of his disappearance would
never have been solved. The plane
itself might eventually have been found,
though that is not certain.
This Incident shows with what keen
vision the surface of the sea is scanned
by the lookouts on the craft that ply
the ocean. They must be alert for
everything. Everything that floats
must be noted. There Is always peril
on the surface. Although in con- i
sequence of a wide-flung patrol of the
seas in the safeguarding of navigation. '
derelicts are lessened in number,
they still drift about to endanger
ships. They cannot be seen in the
darkness and then the peril is great
er. The chances of a ship hitting
a low-lying object are, of course, rela
tively small. But occasionally disaster
occurs from this cause.
A floating airplane is but the most
minute, microscopic dot upon the sur
face of the sea. visible only a little
distance as space goes in the great
waste of waters. Yet this dot was seen
by the lookout on the Circe Shell just
barely in time, and another rescue in
midocean was recorded.
The Evacuation Problem.
Gen. Glassford. Washington's chief
of police, ts preparing a plan for the
evacuation of tile bonus marchers when I
the time comes for them to turn home- :
ward. Nobody can tell when that time
will arrive. They are apparently de
termined to stay until the last chance
of securing legislation In their favor has
passed. That will be when the Senate,
If the House should pass the bill, re
jects the measure or, If It should be
passed by both houses when the Presi
dent vetoes It, as it Is now assured
he will In that event. While a few
of the marchers have already left, re
alizing the hopelessness of the situation,
the numbers of those now here are daily
increasing as new contingents arrive.
The numbers of those now within the
District are undetermined. No record
has been kept that can be relied upon.
The estimates range from 12.000 to
18.000. To evacuate even the smaller
number will be a task of magnitude.
The District authorities cannot forc
ibly eject these men. The only legal
method of disposing of them. In case
they refuse to go upon request. Is to!
charge them with vagrancy, which j
would entail their arrest and detention 1
as prisoners. That could only be done ,
by Impounding them In camps, where |
they would have to be fed and properly
housed. There are no facilities for their
housing and there are no funds for
their maintenance. There are no public
works upon which they could be em
ployed In return for their subsistence.
Probably no American community
was ever so beset with unwanted
visitors in such numbers and in such
a spirit of determination to remain
This is in truth not a local problem,
but it is. nevertheless, a local burden
The details of Gen. Gla&sford's plan
will be awaited with great interest. If
he has found a way to get these
men out of Washington, and. what Is
more, to insure their continued prog
ress toward their homes, so that they
will not return, he will, indeed, have
rendered a great service.
It would not do merely to take these |
men to the District boundaries and.
turn them loose upon the States of'
Maryland and Virginia in the expecta- 1
tion that those States would pass them |
on along their respective routes home- I
ward, and yet that is precisely what
the States through which they have
come have in effect done. They have
in some cases facilitated the marchers
in their descent upon the Capital,
have provided trucks, have permitted
the selsure of trains, have supplied
provender, have given, indeed, with
few exceptions, all possible aid and
comfort to the thousands centering
upon Washington. If the men go back
as they have come, in squads and
companies, brigades and divisions, they
w ill presumably be expedited through
the States, lest they stop on the way
and become charges upon the public
bounty.
European nations are saying that
there is not enough interest shown in
international affairs by American poli
ticians. As Ambassador Mellon deli
cately suggested—when a momentous
national convention Is under way there
are still base ball scores to be read over
the radio.
A dignified Invocation did not go far
in stimulating enthusiasm at the open
ing of the convention. If an early show
of excitement was desired it might have
been better to call in an old-fashioned
evangelist.
Death in the House.
Yesterday, for the third time in its
history, the proceedings of the House
of Representatives were checked by the
hand of death. Representative Edward
E. Esliclt of Tennessee was stricken
while he was delivering a speech on
the bonus bill and, taken immediately
from the chamber, died a few minutes
later in one of the waiting rooms.
When his death was announced to the
House It adjourned at once in respect,
and when the fact was made known
to the Senate, it. too, closed Its session.
The flret death to occur in the
course of the proceedings of the House
of Representatives was that of Repre
sentative Thomas Tyler 'Bouldin of
Virginia, who was mortally stricken
while in the course of a speech Feb
ruary 11. 1834. The House then oc
cupied the chamber now known as
Statuary Hall in the oldest portion of
the structure. Fourteen years later,
February 24, 1848, John Quincy Adams,
who had been elected as a Representa
tive two years after he concluded his
term as President of the United States,
was seized with a mortal stroke while
sitting in his place in the House cham
ber and was removed to the Speaker’s
room, immediately adjoining, where he
died two days later. After his attack
he spoke only nine words, immediately
before his death: "This is the last of
earth; I am content.”
Mr. Eslick's death Is the first that has
occurred virtually within the chamber
of the House since the occupation of
the preeent fb*U of aaaembly. Several
members have died within the precincts
of the Capitol, the latest death there
being that of Representative Martin
Madden of Illinois, who was stricken
April 27, 1628, while lr his office.
The case of Mr. Adams is the one
that is most notable, on account of his
service as President and his subsequent
long-continued membership in the
House. He had hoped, upon his retire
ment from the presidency, to remain in
private life, but was Induced to permit
his friends in Massachusetts to present
his name for the "Braintree district"
representativeshlp. He was continued
in that place for seventeen years and
was one of the most influential and effi
cient members of the lower branch of
Congress. The place where he fell from
his chair in the old hall of the House is
now pointed out to visitors by the
guides, likewise the room in which he
passed from life.
To Lessen an Injustice.
Some of the smoke from the nip and
tuck battle among the conferees over
the form that the pay cut will take Is
seen In the contradictory statements
emanating from the conference room.
Senator Smoots positive assurance
that the furlough plan will be chosen
is as positively denied by other mem
bers of the conference, and as all are
honest men the Government employe—
who thus far has been presented with
the choice between the devil and the
deep, blue sea—Is cruelly subjected to
continued doubt.
The conferees know that a pay cut
without substantial exemptions is a
vicious blow at a large group of fahh
ful men and women already poorly paid.
They know that the furlough plan, if
conceived as an enforced lay-ofl and
not as an emergency measure designed
to save the Jobs of those who otherwise
would be discharged, is a pay cut in an
other form that In some cases would
prove Impractical. Both houses of
Congress have now refused to make the I
pay cut In any form without exemp- ]
tlons. It Is the plain duty of the con
ferees to exempt from any cut or fur- i
lough that majority of Government ]
workers who fall within the salary class j
of 12.500 and under, and to treat the I
furlough plan only as a method of i
saving jobs when shortage of approprl- 1
ations threatens dismissals. The con- j
ferees should hasten to decide on the
least injurious scheme as quickly as
possible. They certainly owe that much
to the already heavily burdened Fed
eral employe
Government, bands are advised to play j
"Home. Sweet Home." In hope of caus
ing the bonus marchers to become home- j
sick. Anything that might help in the
situation will be worth trying, but the j
men got so used to singing "We Won't I
Go Home Till It's Over" that the line i
of thought may be a habit.
8ome experience as a newspaper writer :
stands to the credit of Calvin Coolidge.
With the keen perception for which he is
noted, lie could not fail to recall that
the only man who stampeded a conven
tion was W. J. Bryan. And even if he
thought of chocsing to run, he has little
in common with Bryan.
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHILANDER J0HN80N.
History Goes on Repeating.
Wa.ing flags and singing songs
Loud complaint by thirsty throngs.
Speakers w’ith not much to say,
Then the band begins to play.
Same old bragging as of yore
Same old leaders keeping score.
Same old smiling, same old frown
In Chicago—same old town.
Same old prophecy so wise.
"Look out for some great surprise.”
If it comes, you'll hear ’em say.
Just the same old Grand Stand Play!
Illumination.
‘They say lightning never strikes
twice in the same place ”
"It isn’t true." replied Senator Sor
ghum. "It's like the political spotlight.
If you stand still it's about as likely to
find you as if you were yourself out
chasing it ”
Jud Tunkins says the boy* who used
to get into the circus by carrying water
to the elephants are aorrv to see the
Grand Old Pachyderm acting as if he
wasn't thirsty any more.
Specialists in Eloquence.
Applause for speakers was far from im
mense.
When the manager came with a
bouncer.
The speaker said "Wherefore demand
eloquence,
Since I am no radio announcer!”
Business in the Old Gulch.
"How are things going in the old
Gulch?” asked the traveling salesman,
"About as usual.” answered Cactus
Joe. "Nobody's doing any real business
except the bootlegger and the bell
hops.”
"He who ha* but a poor argument,"
said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown,
"must vociferate in order that those
who might expose its weakness may not
be heard.”
Musically Related.
Mighty melody abounded.
Politics was at its best
When the keynote boldly sounded
Prohibition played at rest.
"I don't enjey politics like I used to,”
said Uncle Eben. "Dar's gittin’ to be
too much conversation an’ not enough
music by de band.”
A Way to Dispose of
The Bonus Problem
To the Editor of The Star:
I wish to make a suggestion that
appears to me and a number of my
friends to whom I have submitted the
idea as the solution of the very dif
ficult and distressing problem now con
fronting the American people.
Suppose that Congress pass a law
granting the full payment of the bonus
to the veterans under the following
conditions, assuming that the average
amount due a veteran to be $750:
Pty 20 per cent, say, on July 1, 1932,
and 10 per cent each month there
after until tile full amount of the
bonus is paid. This would carry the
payments over the next Winter, to
March 1, 1933. and if by that time
the present Government is not able
to improve the economic condition and
reduce unemployment, I am in favor
of turning out the legislative and the
executive branch of the Government
and putting the veterans or some other
body of American citizens in charge
of the Government.
JOHN J. ENOELDRUM.
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
Sometime* It seem* as if the leaa a
person knows about a thing the more
positive he becomes in talking about it.
Hence one must always be suspicious
of the decisive speaker who makes large
use of the "tone of command" on un
important matters.
Maybe he is just trying to cover up
lack of real knowledge.
The art of bluffing may be used else
where than in a poker game.
Many persons rely on It without
exactly understanding that they do.
If they were to be told that they were
bluffing, they would deny it Indignantly,
but let us see.
Here is a fair lady who knows noth
ing at all about architecture. and would
be the first to admit It, if she was asked
point blank about the subject.
But show her a photograph of a fine
Colonial heme, and begin to tell her
something interesting about the house,
Instantly she pops up with the fol
io w'ing:
“Oh, what an ugly-looking house!
It's too tall!"
Now, as a matter of simple fact, the
house is very good-looking, if one hap
pens to know the slightest thing In the
world about the true Colonial and its
modifications to fit city situations.
This Is an old brick, made over under
the supervision of one of the city’s best
architects, a men who by no means
would have stirred a finger on the
project unless he had been convinced
that the house was basically worth
while. and that he could make it a
better property through the expenditure ■
of his intelligence and somebody rise's
money.
The result was all that he and his
client had hoped it would be, a par
ticularly fine example of old Colonial
architecture, as found in a closely
crowded city.
Yet the lady critic’s one plea was
that the house was "too high." As a
matter of fact. If the home had been
built in the center of a large field, or
park, it conceivably might have been
open to some such criticism. Its posi
tion in a crowded block, however, in
one of the older sections of the city,
squarely removed it from being subject, 1
at hast fairly, to such a remark.
Its apparent height was due, mostly,
to the fart that it had been placed
sidewise on the lot. the entrance being
on one side. What the passerby did,
of course, was look at it from the side,
from which position the width was not
subject to reproach. There was plenty
of width there
Yet the lady in question, without
once stopping to make a real Inspec
tion of the photograph, without know
ing a thing in the world about the re^
latlon of houses to their sites, spoke
forth boldly and very positively on
the fiist theme that came into her
mind.
This, of course. Is > natural proceed
ing; alas, too natural! Due to Its wide
spread dissemination many woes are
caused which otherwise would not add
their weight to the already heavy bur
den which the mind of mankind car
ries.
Ordinarily these positive speakers do
not hold their fire, or wait to see in
which direction the attack of the enemy
< for that, apparently, is what they take
the remarks of others to bei will be
directed.
All they sense, apparently, is that
something will -be expected of them. |
and this unknown demand is more
than they are willing to face In a
mild form their action is in response
to the ancient precept, that "the wicked
flee when no man pursueth, but the
righteous are bold as a lion.”
It 1s amazing the number of appli
cations this proverb has. and none
more apt than in this matter of at
tempting to attack a subject inimlcably.
rather than run the chance of being
involved In a conversation in which ona
may plainly expose themselves to the
charge of Ignorance.
One does not even receive the bene
fit of honest criticism, for the person
making the charge—as in the case of
the critical lady who did not like the
house, so she said, because It was "too
high’’—the critic is crlticlUng in words
only, not through conviction, and espe- ,
dally not through knowledge.
Conversation, the oft abused, now 1
gets another siap in the face.
In the last analysis, the thing gets
down to the necessity for holding one's
tongue, not permitting the first thought
to leap into sound.
One's first thoughts on strange sub
jects normally do not amount to much.
Every one knows that, but every one
does not speak in that faith.
It is a blessing, nothing less, which
nature has showered upon us, this abil
ity to refrain from speaking out one's
inner thoughts.
There is no compulsion in the mat
ter.
No one can tell what a person is
thinking, so long as he keeps his mouth
shut
Here is one province where expedi
ency and decency ought to rule.
To say exactly what one thinks, at
the time, is scarcely ever expedient,
and is not always the decent thing
to do.
One cannot do it in print; the libel
laws take rare of that.
But In speech many foolish and ut
terly unnecessary things are said off
hand by people who ought to know
better and who, sure enough, do know
better.
Knowing a thing and doing it. of
course, are two entirely different mat
ters. as mankind has been finding out
all these centuries.
It does seem a great deal of a shame,
however, when nature has endowed us
with such a splendid brake on thought,
tire tongue, which must be put into
action before the thought goes on dis
play, usually, that we are not able to
use this retarding quality more, but
must slide along the easiest road, saying
right out the thoughts which pop into
our heads, whether they be silly
thoughts, or idle thoughts, or mean
thoughts, or good thoughts, worthwhile
thoughts.
One may be inclihed to think, there
fore. that the man or woman who is
always making caustic criticisms about
people and facts is thinking from the
point of the tongue, not from the brain.
The very positive manner, in ordinary
conversation, is somewhat wearying on
the nerves of listeners, and no doubt
tends to "give away" the person who
knows little but wants to make that
little appear much
The real authority. In any line, al
most never adopts the so-called "tone
cf command." the rather loud, rapid,
and extremelv positive accents com
monly associated with talk to an In
ferior.
When this way of speaking is brought
into play in average conversation, on
the great grist of matters about which
human beings ordinarily talk. It Is a
dead giveaway, as it is sometimes called.
There is no need for It. Why does
this person use it?
The ranking architect, if he had criti
cisms to make of a house, would prob
ably preface it with some good point
in its favor which he had managed to
discover, along with the faults.
This instantly would show that he
hod taken a real look at the place, had
used his brain, and his eyes, too. be
cause he had not spoken out as the re
sult of one instant and fleeting glance, i
Instead of being suspicious of him. !
the observer would be prejudiced in his
favor from the very beginning. The ,
man used his head as well as his eyes, j
The fair conclusion Is that Instant 1
fault-finding criticism, whether of a
house, a book, or a man. Is the criti
cism of Ignorance, in most cases
It should be dismissed as such, and '
usually is. when the other party to the i
conversation permits the irritation
which the remark caused to wear off.
"Like water off a duck's back"—I
that is the way most conversation
should go. “Into one ear and out the |
other" — most instant rejoinders, such .
as we have discussed, deserve no better ,
fate. Even one ear is too good for 'em. |
I
CHICAGO OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE.
CHICAGO. June 15—In one respect
this Republican National Convention is
a blessing and a boon. Nobody is
talking about depression. Prohibition
is responsible. That's the whole topic
of conversation and discussion, morn
ings. noons and nights. Were a mes
senger from Mars suddenly to descend
on the embittered and embattled scene,
he would be bound to conclude that
the salvation of the republic depends
at this hour not upon normalizing the
economic situation, but exclusively upon
retention, revision or repeal of the
eighteenth amendment. If the conven
tion had been condemned to" devote
Itself to the current indoor and outdoor
sport of America, that of vailing over
tiie hard times, Chicago would have lent
a most sympathetic ear.
Natives at another cate tell us that up
to the hour tne elephant pitched hi*
tent here this week Mayor Cermak's
fellow townsmen, too. were victims of
the depression complex. The throbbing
metropolis of the Midwest, ha* been ter
ribly hit. With the passible exception
of Detroit, probabiy no big community
in the country has felt the financial
blight more keenly.
If Charley Dawes resists a 'iren call
to run for Vice President on the Hoover
ticket, the real reason will be that his
bank feels that "Hell and Maria’s" Arm
hand cannot be spared from the Chi
cago economic throttle at this critical
hour.
Vice President Curtis, should fate to
morrow decree his dethronement from
the Senate rostrum, still has a chance
to run for the Upper House from Kan
sas.
Filing time for August primary nomina
tions does not expire in the Sunflower
State until next Monday. The veteran
statesman, who began life as a jockey.
Is accustomed to homestretch finishes
and he can get under the wire yet if he
makes up his mind to aspire to his old
time Senate seat. Former Gov. Ben
Paulen has announced for the Repub
lican nomination, but so far. or at least
up to yesterday, had not filed for the
primary.
Chicago is speculating whether the
Vice President would take advantage of
his opportunity, in case he Is not re
placed as a G. O. P. standard bearer.
Mr. Curtis would, of course, start with
a handicap should he determine to fight
it out with incumbent Democratic Sen
ator McGfil in November.
Victims of the spirit of revolt against
all "ins.” of which the political season
everywhere brings daily evidence, re
ceived notable additions in Chicago this
week.
The casualties in the Republican Na
tional Committee, especially among
woman members, attract particular at
tention. The most eminent bobbed head
to fail is that of Mrs. Ellis A. Yost, dis
placed as national commltteewoman
from West Virginia after having served
In that capacity since her sex crashed
the gate 8 or 10 years ago.
Mrs. Yost's position as chairman of
the women’s dlvialon of the Republican
party failed to save her. She was cast
into the outer darkness as the result
of an ancient feud with West Vir
ginia’s national committeeman, Walter
S. Hallanan. Mrs. Yost’s friends say
that nothing but Jealousy over her in
fluential contacts at Washington and
in the Republican party led to her
banishment. It is expected she will
be retained at the head of the wom
en's division, which has been efficiently
organized under her direction.
Two other committee women who lost
their icbs at Chicago are Mrs. Na
thaniel Thayer of Massachusetts and
Mrs. Bina West Miller of Michigan,
both shining lights, like the falr-halred
West Virginian.
* * * *
Tony Oermack, the burly Democratic
mayor of the convention burg, be
lieves It pays to advertise.
All policemen in the city are wear
ing white armlets emblazoned with
this legend. "Welcome, G. O. P.. A. J.
Cermack. Mayor."
* * * *
Within the nest 36 hours Charles
G. Dawes may be called upon to make
a vital decision.
Here Is a story, authoritatively
vouched for to this observer, which
indicates how the wind may blow. In
June. 1924. when the Republican con
vention at Cleveland nominated Dawes
for Vice President, after Frank O
Louden of Illinois had refused to be
drafted. Gen. Dawes was sitting in the
ancestral home at Marietta, Ohio, with
a couple of his brothers.
They were listening In on Cleveland
by radio. Soon there came over the
wave lengths the news that Dawes
would be given second place on the
Coolidge ticket. One of his brothers
spoke up and asked, "How about it.
Charley?"
The exact reply Is not available, but
it was to the effect that If the call
earner, Dawes would feel he had no
right to turn it down.
* * * ♦
Senator Fess of Ohio, chairman of
the Republican National Committee,
who rapped the convention to order
half an hour late yesterday, was man
ifestly perturbed by its refusal to be
punctual. At anv rate, he got things
started without prayer, which Bishop
Freeman of Washington was all set to
deliver.
Proceedings were actually under wav
10 or 15 minutes before Senator Fess
suddenly recalled that the divine bless
ing had not been asked. .
Thereupon. Bishop Freeman's sono
rous voice, which does not need the
benefit of amplifiers, boomed through
the stadium.
* * * ★
What Is wrong with this convention,
which opened in a blaze of unparalleled
dullness, but will be a vastly different
kind of a show before this day is over,
is the absence of stalwart old-timers.
The congressional set. which ordi
narily bestrides a convention like the
Colossus of Rhodes, is almost totally
missing at Chicago.
It's hardly like a Republican pow
wow at all. with Senators like Jim Wat
son. Bill Borah. George Moses and Ar
thur Capper not answering "Present."
On the other hand, the cabinet set
has not for years been so conspicuously
represented.
The extreme wetg are bitterly peeved
over that clrcumstnce. They're talking
about Hoover’s "packed jury."
One of the dampest brethren thinks
the President should have done what
Cal Coolidge did in 1924 and forbid
any member of his official household
to turn up at the Cleveland convention.
* & $ *
Alice Longworth and former Repre
sentative Ruth Hanna McCormick
Simms are renewing their comradeship
at the convention. The late Speaker’s
widow Is easily the most popular woman
in Chicago.
Newspaper reporters, cameramen and
broadcasters have so far besieged
"Princess Alice’’ In vain for interviews,
movietone pictures and radio talks.
Mrs. Longworth lately was a whoop
ing cough victim, but the Chicago
breezes seem entirely to have allayed
her bark.
* * * *
President William Green of the
American Federation of Labor said at
a big convention trades union luncheon
for Secretary of Labor Doak, amid
thunderous applause:
“All of us have faith in the indus
tries of the country. We will pull
through, there is no doubt of that. I
am proud of the record of labor during
the depression.’’
* * * *
Dry political pleaders were flabber
Revive the “Home Club” |
To Reduce Expenses
To tbo Editor of Tbe Btor:
The onslaught made upon incomes
and salaries of Government clerks in
Washington and the disposition of
some stores to increase the prices of the
necessaries of life would seem to call for
an awakening among the Federal work
ers and an attempt to meet the situa
tion.
Various attempts at co-operative buy
ing on a large scale have been made In
this city, with indifferent success. When
times were reasonably good and there
was no menace to the pay of clerks they
did not see why they should bestir
themselves to save money, but now the
time has come for serious action. Co
operative buying units should be formed
on a larger scale than tried heretofore
to meet the cuts In pay and possible In
come taxes that threaten a double bur
den to the already poorly paid workers
for Uncle Sam.
Perhaps the moat ambitious plan ever
tried In this city to help the Govern
ment employes was the Home Club, or
ganized In the Department of the In
terior by Secretary Franklin K.
Lane In 1915, or perhaps a little
earlier. Seventeen hundred employes
of that department, each paying
dues of 50 cents a month, se
cured reductions in the purchase prices
of groceries and other commodities rang
ing from about 10 to 15 per cent. Aboard
of directors, with Secretary Lane at the
head, was formed of officials, who served
without pay and outside of working
hours, and In turn there were commit
tees and subcommittees from the same
source who came in contact with
sources of food and other supplies, which
enabled the members of the Home Club
to secure those supplies st wholesale
prices or less, saving their membership
fees many times over. A paid manager
attended to the business of collection
and distribution of groceries, etc. The
writer was chairman of the Committee
on Food Supply and succeeded In se
curing farm produce, canned goods,
meats, etc., at wholesale prices. The
late E J. Ayers, then chief clerk of the
Interior Department and later holding
the same position in the Department of
State, was one of the first proponents
of this Home Club and a leading direc
tor. and later was interested in the
opening of cafeterias in Government
buildings. The results were far-reach
ing and important, and Mr. Lane was
so enthusistlc about it that he endeav
ored to organize a consolidated Home
Club and co-operative buying units for
all department clerks In Washington.
Mr. C. J. Medzlkhovskl. then commer
cial attache of the Russian embassy,
took much Interest in this movement
and assured this writer that without co
operative buying the employe* of the
Russian government could not exisst
Of course, the retail merchants of the
city did not relish the situation, and
they took steps to combat the Home
Club's co-operative operation. The
Heme Club, fostered by one of the most
brilliant men ever in the Federal em
ploy and aided by the volunteer efforts
of numbers of devoted followers, went
out of business, although there are
various co-operative buying units still
In existence.
The writer recently purchased a dozen
eggs at a chain store where the prices
are supposed to be at a minimum.
There was some objection to the price,
and a clerk in the store admitted to th»
customer that he himself was buving
eggs from a farm delivery wagon for 7
cent* under the store price, and that
was at least 2 cents over the ordinary
wholesale price as shown in the daily
market reports
No one wishes to undermine the re
tail business, but th" interests ot the
public and especially those of the
mothers and fathers of families, many
of whom are about to have their source
of Income curtailed, are paramount.
It Is better that the already swollen
incomes of some merchants should
suffer a little than that the bread
winners and supporters of children and
other dependents should b“ driven to
the wall to meet their living expenses.
What is needed is for Federal employes
to organize on a grand scale on the
llnas of a big home club to buy food
and other supplies by the trainload, if
necessary, from farms and factories,
and meet the situation. In view of
the low and still falling prices of bread
grains, the price of bread ha* no excuse
for remaining at the present figure, and
it is the same with other commodities.
The remedy is organization for co
operative buting.
LINDSAY 8. PERKINS.
Advises Congress to
Read Lincoln's Words
i i
To the Editor of The Star:
I have been a pstlent at Emergency :
| Hospital for about three weeks now . |
, and it's getting very lonesome. After |
I reading The Evening Star I thought I I
would donate a few words to the mem- 1
bera of our Congress. I have never J
seen the Inside cf a high school, but |
I understand the difference of down
i hill and uphill. From my personal
i human point of view the Nation has
J done business downhill In the Iasi
i three years Englneeri In the Congress
I are struggling and working hard to
: keep the Nation's applecart from go
ing Into the ditch. Evidently Congress
needs an adequate supply of honest
words In Us vocabulary. They have
failed to study Our dear Abraham
Lincoln's speeches and works are with
in their retch. Deluded are the con
gressmen that doom the American
I people for the seasons to come. We
realise that there Is no end to knowl
edge and no end to progress. And the
works of Abraham Lincoln will be car
ried on forever. Abraham Lincoln
warned Congress and future Congresses
In hi-, repeated liberal speeches. If
we don't inherit the backbone from our
forefathers we become a weak Nation.
PETEP. DEROW.
A Plan to Redeem
The Bonus Marchers
I To the Editor of The 8t»r:
The veterans in Anacostla Park are
a symbol of a serious problem In this
country that has not been solved by
Congress, the churches, the Associated
Charities or the Community Chest. They
| are Americans and represent millions
i who cannot get work and who suffer for
the necessities of life In this country I
1 of vast wealth. Handing out doles
in the form of money, food, clothes,
etc., does not solve the problem.
| There are many million acres of
waste land in this country. Why can
i not the Government, either Federal.
| State or both, build homes for workers
I on this waste land and have the land
planted for future forests. The workers
could pay rent out of the money they
received for work- A tree crop is too
slow a crop for an individual to depend
upon for a livelihood, but It would be
an Investment for the United States or
1 any individual State to transform waste
land into magnificent forests.
A constructive Nation-wide movement
of this kind would furnish work for
people along all lines and result lh
oermanent wealth and beauty for the
United States.
BLANCHE C. HOWLETIT. I
Long Time Since Tom Marshall. |
Prom the Toledo Blade.
Possibly we rolled along too serenely
under the impression that all the coun
try needed was a good 5-cent cigar.
Roosevelt's Handicap.
Prom the Toledo Blade.
Since Clarence Darrow has declared
for Roosevelt for President we look for
an acquittal or a deadlocked jury.
gasted last night by a suggestion ten
dered to them that John D. Rockefel
ler. jr.. should be nominated for Vice
President. The proposal was hotly re
jected. “Why should we put a premium
on high treason to our cause/* was the
retort resentful. Even the prospect |
that John D.’s presence on the ticket
would have certain financial advantages
in these lean times failed to evoke en
thusiaua.
(Copyright, IMS.)
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.
This Is a special department devoted
to the handling of Inquiries. You have
at your disposal an extensive organiza
tion in Washington to serve you in any
capacity that relates to information.
Write your question, your name and
your address clearly and inclose 2 cents,
in coin or stamps, for reply. Send to
The Evening Star Information Bureau
Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing
ton, D. C.
Q. Do drivers ever fall asleep while
driving automobiles?—C. R.
A. Many accidents are caused because
tired drivers momentarily lose con
sciousness while driving. This is true
not only of men who make a business
of driving, but of those who on pleasure
trips press on beyond a safe limit with
out rest.
Q. Do many movie stars travel by
air?—F W
A The Air-Graph says that among
the recent travelers were Douglas Fair
banks. Mary Pickford, Richard Barthel
mes, Will Rogers, Ann Harding. Ever
ett Horton, Wallace Beery. Lil Dag
over, Lawrence Tlbbett. Nancy Carroll
Dolores Del Rio. Bebe Daniels. Lupe
Velex. Zasu Pitts, Victor McLaglen.
Claire Windsor. Harry Langdon. Sally
O’Neill and Marie Duncan. Only a
ahort time ago movie contracts prohib
ited stars from riding in airplanes.
Q. Has Spain any crown Jewels?—
S. B.
A. In the strict sense of the term,
Spain has no crown jewels.
W wnen Will the Olympic games
postage stamps be put on sale?—M. D
A. On June 15 in Los Angeles, Calif
The stamps are of 3 and 5 cent denomi
inatlons.
Q When is a man too old to enlist
in the Army and Navy?—E. C.
A The maximum age for enlistment
is 35 years.
Q How many miles of water front
has Massachusetts?—Z. H L.
A. The mainland of Massachusetts
has a water front of 420 miles. The
island water frontage of the Common
wealth is 250 miles.
Q Are the various concessions in
Government buildings operated by pri
vate concerns?—J. A. W.
A. They are operated by the Welfare
and Recreation Department, which is
an organisation composed of Govern
ment officials and is not profit-making
Moat of the cafeterias are operated by
this association.
Q How long did it take Lewis Car
roll to relate "Alice in Wonderland"?—
M E.
A. Almost the entire narrative was
told "at one sitting" on the afternoon 1
of June 2. 1862 The poems were later
added to the story.
Q What is a nagalka?—L. H.
A. This is the name of & Cossack
whip.
Q Was Benedict Arnold lame?—J. W
A Serious thigh wounds received at
Quebec and at Saratoga occasioned his
having a shortened left leg. He re
ferred to himself as having "become a
cripple in the service of my country.” j
Q What was t.he origin of the name
Shelter Island, Long Island, N. Y?— i
F. D
A. Shelter Island was bought in 1651
for 1.800 pounds of Muscovado sugar
by the Sylvester family. On it was ea
t-ablished a shelter and refuge for per
secuted Quakers from New England.
Q Where do the 4-H Club members
camp while in Washington?—C. C.
A. The tents are now being pitched ,
on the Department of Agriculture
grounds for the 6th annual national
4-H Club camp, to be held from June
15 to 21.
Q. Are the fossilised remains of the
Java ape man supposed to be those of
a man or a woman?—W. R
A Dr. Alex Hrdlicka of the Smith
sonian Institution says that they are
believed to be the remains of a tall,
elderly, pre-human woman.
Q Who is the author of “One Is
nearer God's heart in a garden than
any place on earth?"—E. G.
A. The poem is by Dorothy Frajttee
Gurney and is called "The Lord Planted
a Garden.'’
Q What is the value of the gold >»
a $20 gold piece? What alloy does see
coin contain?—B. C. L.
A. The value of the gold in a $20
gold piece is $20 at the time it leaves
the mint. Some of the weight is lost
by abrasion in circulation. Copper is
the alloy used in gold coins. The value
is a negligible amount, as only 5160
grains of alloy are contained in the
coin.
Q Who is the new premier of Japan?
—L. R
A. He is Admiral Viscount Makoto
Salto. He is 73 years old, and is a
Liberal.
Q When was fishing classed aa a
crime in New York?—T. E. B
A. A statute passed in New York,
1657, prohibited ride* for pleasure in
boats, carts, and wagons, and all other
amusements, fishing, running, and rov
ing in search of nuts and strawberries,
and too unrestrained and excessive
playing. The first offense was punish
able by fine of 6 guilders, with a double
sum for the second offense Por a third
transgression, the culprit was to be
summarily punished and corrected on
the body.
Q Are the British Isles and Ireland
considered part of the great European
continent?—L. M.
A. They were joined to the European
continent within the last few hundred
thousand years and have always been
considered geographically and au
thentically a part of Europe.
Q. Was William Randolph Hearst
ever elected to Congress?—J. A C ,
A He served In the Fifty-eighth and
Fifty-ninth Congresses, from 1903 to
1907. He was elected from the eleventh
New York district.
Q 8hould peonies be transplanted
in the Spring or in the Fall?—A. R.
A. Peonies may be transplanted
while thev are dormant, late In the Fall
or early In the Spring Unless peonie*
ere artificially cultivated or forced they
usually should not be expected to bloom
until 'the year following their trans
plating.
Q Is there a new picture gallery In
Vatican City?—C. 8. T.
A. A new building designed to house
scientifically many fine works of art
has recently been constructed. It will
soon be formally opened by the Pope.
Q. What is cannel coal?—D. L«.
A. It is a grade of bituminous coal
believed to have originated from mate
rials different from those ordinarily
termed bituminous coal. It is charac
terized by its high percentage of vola
tile matter and its burning readily with
a long flame Cannel coal is used in
the manufacture of illuminating gas
and as a domestic fuel for open-grate
fires It is also used for steam pro
duction, like ordinary bituminous coal.
Q. How wide is the roadway on tog
the Great Wall of China?—J. M.
A. It is 15 feet in width.
Roekfeller’s Statement
Believed Strong Wet Asset
The statement of John D Rocke- '
feller, jr., that he and his father have
become convinced that the prohibition
amendment should be resubmitted has
aroused national interest because of.
the former strictly dry stand of the
two men While some press comments
dispute the correctness of the facts in i
his statement that drinking has in
creased under prohibition, it is gen
erally conceded that such a reversal (
of opinion by a prohibitionist carries
a great dea! of weight.
'Originally a friend of the move- j
ment." says the Milwaukee Sentinel,
“he has been converted by observing
the experience of the Nation under
this costly folly. And that admission
carries much more weight than could
the utterance of any man who had
not been enlisted in the dry cause.",
His statement, as viewed by the Ann
Arbor Daily News, "deserves heed be
cause it constitutes a clear-cut delinea
tion of the attitude of many former
prohibitionists who have become 'antis'
in recen* years, not because they have
become fcr.d of liquor, but because they
Ixlieve the disadvantages of prohibi
tion offset its advantages." His letter'
"has a deep significance and is likely
to have a powerful influence,” is the
view of the New York Times.
"Not in recent years have the ad
vocates of a dry Nation received such
a heavy blow.” avers the Oklahoma
City Oklahoman, pointing cut. however:
"It is nothing but his opinion. Many
people will differ from him. Despite
his positive assertion, many still re
main unconvinced that the amount of
liquor consumed is increased by the
difficulty of obtaining it. Many citi
zens who know the country's habits
Just as well as Rockefeller knows them
firmly be’ieve that drinking has dimin
ished. It is ell a matter of opinion
and most opinions are colored by local
conditions.”
* * * *
“Mr. Rockefeller, as the public is
aware." according to the Roanoke
Times, “is not given to precipitate or
impulsive statements. He has at his
command probably the most extensive
and expert research organization in
the world. He has not come out against
the eighteenth amendment, the country
can rest assured, except after careful
and intensive study of the facts and
figures bearing on the situation. His
statement shows that. Undoubtedly
he has the requisite information about
the way prohibition has worked—or.
rather, has not worked—to blow the
league out of the water if it pushes
him too closely. The league will be
well advised to let Mr. Rockefeller
alone. It has troubles enough of its
own as it Is.”
The Davenport Democrat Is convinced
that this leading Baptist and philan
thropist “has come reluctantly to his
decision,” and feels that he offers “rea
sons enough to make an open-minded
friend of temperance change his views.”
The Escanaba Dally Press upholds the
view that “the moral and social angles
of the prohibition question are of para
mount Importance."
The Charleston (S. C ) Evening Post
holds that “the merit of the Rocke
feller renunciation of national prohi
bition because of the balance of evil
It has brought against any good it may
have accomplished lies chiefly in its
completeness.” The Evening Post con
cludes: “There is confusion and chaos
immediately an alternative to the
eighteenth amendment is proposed.
There is nothing complex about the
motion for Us repeal. That would lay
the whole problem open to free dis
cussion and to trial of various systems
by the several States.* each according '
to the persuasion of its people. The
eighteenth amendment was a colossal
error. It ought to be renounced.”
* * * *
“Americans may not b- a mercurial
people." says the Omaha World-Herald,
"but their minds are open and subject
to change with changing conditions.
They experiment'd nobly, as other peo
ples have done, in the world-wide war
against the evils of strong drink. They
have atuck to prohibition after all other
nations tha&jtesorted to it have aban
' t*
doned It as a remedy worse than the
disease The signs are rapidly multi
plying that they, too. are preparing to
admit they have marched Into a blind
alley, and to retrace their steps and
seek some other avenue of progress. It
has been a commonplace of the discus
sion that 13 States could and would
block indefinitely the repeal of the
eighteenth amendment. In another
year or two that opinion may have been
reduced to an absurdity."
The Minneapolis Journal feels that
“resubmission Is a fair and honest plat
form for both wets and drys. but there
ought to be submitted net onlv tire
question of ccntinuirg or aban-*cning
prohibition, but also a sounder alterna
tive—iT such there be." Th° Newark
Evening News observes that "the drys
are increasingly on the defensive,” and
states in detail: "Congress has cut a
chunk out of the enforcement appro
priation. the first time prohibition
didn't get ail it asked for. Th- eco
nomic argument against it is harder to
answer than the moral. The drys. even
some of thp partially recanting drys.
like Dr. Mott, ask: ‘But what will you
substitute for th° eighteenth amend
ment?' The Constitution already pro
vides fo- that All powers not delegated
to the Federal Government are retained
by the States."
* * * *
The Altoona Mirror, while conceding
that "Mr. Rockefeller's views on prohi
bition have great weight with the plat
form builders of both political parties,”
denies that there is "more drinking now
than in the davs before prohibition.”
The Topeka Dailv Capitsl asserts: "As
the drys fee it. charges that prohibition
does not wwk' fail to touch the ques
tion. No regulation of liquor ever
worked in the sense demanded by the
anti-prohibition wets The question is
not of absolute prohibition, but is one
of relativity. If the wets after 12 years
still refuse to propose a workable sub
stitute. the only explanation of their
abstinence in this respect Is that they
haven't any. never have had any and
show no present prospects of having
any in the future. If Mr. Rockefeller
has any the public would be interested
to hear It.”
"We do not accept." says the Salt
Lake Deseret News, "the facts on which
Mr. Rockefeller bases his change of
heart. He states that 'drinking gen
erally has increased, that the speakeasy
has replaced the saloon not only unit
for unit, but probably twofold, if not
threefold ’ Thcrs is little doubt thgt If
saloons had continued after the war
drinking would have Increased. The
immense growth of the cigarette h'bit
at least indicates that. But in Utah it
has definitely decreased, and that U •
true of many other parts of the coun
try. Moreover, the lessening of drink
ing has been among the class least able
to afford to drink—the poor.”
The statement by Dr. John R. Mott
also impresses the Rutland Hgrtld as
giving added force to the declaration by
Mr. Rockefeller, and that paper offers
the comment: "Even though Dr. Hott
qualifies his statement by saying that
along with resubmission should feme
some proposal for a substitute tot pro
hibition, the concurrence in principle
with the Rockefeller proposal u a new
and most significant indication of' the
breakdown of support for the die-hard
type of prohibitionist who (till refuses
to see the handwriting on the wall."
-— Ms
The Matrimonial Safr, •
from the Omaha Evenlns W’orid-;fjikW&
Annapolis grads mugt go to sea for
two years before they marry. *Aad then
they’ll be at sea permanently.
No Cut There.
Prom the Nashville Banner.
A casual acquaintance reports that
depression has taken a slice from every
thing he hag except his golf game.
Rarity.
From the Glenda1'* Nrv
English scientists have .split an atom,
a much rarer process than the splitting
of a hair.