Evening star. [volume], April 01, 1935, 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.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
MONDAY.April 1, 1935
THEODORE W. NOTES.. . Editor
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Closing the Bing.
While the Moscow communique
summarizing the Eden-Litvinoff-Stalin
negotiations disavows the intention of
bringing about “the isolation or en
eirclement of any states," it must be
plain to Germany by this time that
Europe is fiercely determined through
collective action to guard itself at all
points against the Nazi peril. Great
Britain and Soviet Russia are fully
agreed upon the necessity of providing
security through arrangements for
mutual assistance, as contemplated by j
the Anglo-French accord oi Feb
ruary 3.
The Moscow conversations had
security in the East primarily in mind.
To effect and maintain it, the Anglo
, Russian communique points out, the
participation of both Germany and
Poland “would be welcomed, as afford
- lng the best solution of the problem."
Between the lines of that statement is
the warning that if the Germans and
the Poles decline to take part “in the
organization of security,” they will
find themselves confronted by a group
ing of force dedicated to the accom
plishment of that purpose without
their assistance. Unmistakably the
ring is closing around would-be
trouble-breeders.
The British have revealed no liking
for commitments outside of their im
mediate sphere in Western Europe.
Among the things borne in upon Capt.
Eden by his Soviet hosts was that a
Germany, with or without Polish
help, that contrived to impose its will
In Eastern Europe could not long be
expected to suppress aggressive ambi
tions In regions closer to the English
« Channel. Thus, problems now of im
portance, more directly to the Soviet
Union and its Prench ally, to Austria,
to Czechoslovakia and to the other
, Little Entente powers, sooner or later
! would assume magnitude for Great
Britain. It can hardly be doubted that
the "exploratory” missions of Sir John
Simon and Capt. Eden in Berlin and
Moscow have gone far to convince the
British government that it cannot
afford, in its own interests, to stand
aloof from a general European security
agreement in the teeth of Hitler’s re
armament challenge and territorial
revision plans.
At Moscow during the Eden visit
there was unofficial talk about a “Far
Eastern Locarno," in which the United i
Ctnts. wAiiiil k« Mrir.J
It was occasioned by Russian fears of
a German-Japanese alliance which
some day might compel the 6oviet to
do battle simultaneously on both its
western and eastern fronts. Japan
has taken prompt occasion to scotch
the Locarno rumor, saying flatly that
Tokio contemplates neither any such
pact nor any alliance with Germany.
It is scarcely necessary for Washing
ton to disclaim American interest in
a “Far Eastern Locarno." Our ex
perience with the nine-power pact has
not been such as to generate enthusi
asm for new ventures of that nature.
European events of the next two or
three weeks will carry further the
plans for making Germany realize the
hopelessness of achieving her purposes
through reversion to pre-war mili
tarism. The Anglo-Franco-Italian
conference at Stresa on April 11 and
the League of Nations Council a few
days later are certain to bolster the
defensive structure which the allied
powers are steadily rearing against
Nazi pretensions and threats.
An appropriation of nearly five bil
lion dollars will not be grudged by
posterity if it affords the relief for
which it is intended. In the golden
future American billionaires will be
as plentiful as millionaires are now.
The War on Disease Advanced.
Described as of intense scientific
Interest because it may aid greatly
in the study of the phenomenon
of immunity, the process under
lying body resistance, a discovery is
Just announced from Ithaca, where
two workers in the laboratories of
Cornell University have succeeded in
Isolating in pure crystalline form from
white beans a substance which may
lead to a material advance in the
lighting of disease. This substance is
• hemagglutinin, which causes the
red blood cells to stick together and
thus promotes the process of im
munization.
This is not to be regarded as an
Immediate, direct advance toward the
cure of hitherto obstinate diseases.
It is merely a step in that direction,
but a most important one. It is now
hailed by pathologists as an assured
aid in the Held of controlled labora
tory methods as distinguished from
empiricism, or experimentation. If
the discovery at Ithaca is as described,
a way has been found to control the
gtudy of the chemical composition of
the natural agglutinins and thereby
to promote the curative process.
Stated briefly, the agglutination of
cells Is one of the "defense mecha
nisms’' of the animal organism. It is
a process which the body employs to
fight certain germs. Immunity to
typhoid is given as an example. In
jection of the typhoid vaccine causes
the germs of that disease to stick to
gether, and when they are thus
“bunched” it is easier for the white
blood cells, which have been styled
the policemen of the blood stream,
to attack and destroy them. If now
a laboratory-made agglutinin has
been found in crystalline form, the
process of immunization for perhaps
other diseases caused by malevolent
factors in the blood will be advanced.
Thus the importance of the dis
covery lies in the fact that it is now
possible, it would seem, to cause the
agglutination which is necessary in
order to open the way for a success
ful assault upon certain diseases.
Much work doubtless remains to be
done in the laboratories to assure re
sults, but the way seems to have been
opened for remarkable advances in
curative and defensive measures.
The Works Bill Joker.
President Roosevelt's work relief bill
has pursued a difficult and tortuous
course since it entered the halls of
Congress. When the conferees of the
Senate and House had reached a com
plete agreement on the bill and the
amendments adopted by the Senate, it
seemed that the end of discussion,
beyond a protest in the Senate against
the dropping of the silver inflation
amendment, was at hand. Not at all.
a provision that one-third of the sums
expended for public works should go
for labor on the spot. Secretary
Ickes, who has been head of the P.
W. A. and knows what he is talking
about, insists that it will be Impossible
to carry on public works projects of
real value to the community and the
Nation with any such provision In the
law, that the proportion of expendi
ture for labor immediately on the
project proposed is too high. The
cost of sites, material and transporta
tion requires a greater percentage than
could possibly be allowed under the
language of the bill as it comes from
conference. Mr. Ickes is backed up
in his position by others who are
familiar with the costs of construction.
Much of the money that goes for labor
is used in the manufacture and trans
portation of the materials.
If the conferees have written into
the bill a provision that was in
neither the House bill nor the Senate
bill, they have exceeded their authority
and the conference report would be
subject to a point of order. Some of
the Senators claim this to be the case.
The fact that the Senate placed in
the bill the so-called Russell amend
ment, fixing certain limitations on the
wages to be paid out of the funds car
ried in the bill. Is argued by others
as giving the conferees a right to open
up the whole question of what shall
be paid for labor. However, the effort
of the conferees to see that one-third
of the total allotted for a project shall
go to labor on the spot seems to go
far beyond the immediate question of
wage scales.
President Roosevelt has been ap
pealed to and the House leaders have
indicated that they will abide by his
decision in the matter. The passage
of the relief bill has been delayed so
long that every effort should be made
to have the measure in proper and
workable form when it finally goes
to the President for his approval.
A day or two more, added to the
weeks and months, will make little
material difference.
Work relief is a costly manner of
granting succor and a costly manner
of constructing public works. Robert
Moses, park commissioner of New
York City, in a statement made yes
terday, has indicated Just how costly
work relief is. He said that it costs
just twice as much as private con
struction. With four billions of dol
lars of public funds to be used in
work-relief projeects, the public will get
just one-half as much work done as
if the money was expended in the
usual way for construction projects,
if Mr. Moses states the case correctly.
That is something for the public to
think over. However, in the nature of
work relief, it is proposed to give as
much employment to as many per
sons as possible, rather than to get
the maximum amount of work done.
It would be a grave mistake, how
ever, to place a limitation on the ex
penditure of hundreds of millions of
dollars of this work relief appropria
tion, which would make it Impossible
to construct projects that are really
needed and of great value. If such
a provision remains in the law it may
mean the use of a vast amount of
money for the kind of work that was
done under the C. W. A —made work,
the sweeping up of twigs and the
cleaning of land.
By keeping out of war America may
hope to eat sauerkraut in peace with
out reverting to the clumsy practice
of calling it Liberty cabbage.
Another Tariff Treaty.
Haiti bulks very inconspicuously in
the volume of the United States’ for
eign commerce, yet the conclusion of
a reciprocal tariff treaty with the
Port au Prince government Is not
without significance. The agreement
signed with it at Washington last week
is the fourth pact concluded since Sec
retary Hull undertook his reciprocity
program. Previously, treaties had
been made with Cuba, Brazil and Bel
gium. Negotiations are being con
ducted with thirteen other countries.
As in the case of the accords which
preceded it, the treaty with Haiti Is
a model of reciprocity, with a square
deal for each contracting government
as its hallmark. It will run for a
minimum of three years and there
after Indefinitely, unless denounced by
either country on six months’ notice.
Haiti grants substantial tariff reduc
*
tions on a wide variety of America!
commodities, such as electrical ms
chinery, apparatus and appliances
radio equipment, sewing machines
fresh meat, canned goods, dried fruits
dairy products and lard. On a num'
ber of other American imports, in
cluding glass, iron and steel pipe
automobiles, trucks, automotive ac
cessories, prepared beef and pork, thi
Haitians agree not to raise rates abov
the present levels.
Hie number of items upon whicl
reductions in duty are granted by thi
United States to Haiti is not largi
because few important products im
ported from Haiti are dutiable. Duty
free admission into this country is t<
be continued for Haitian coffee, coco*
beans, sisal fiber, logwood, banana
and ginger root, and reductions an
provided In the present America!
duties on rum, fresh pineapples an*
mangoes in preserved form. The dut;
on rum is cut in half. In view o
the large proportion of Haitian im
ports already admitted into the Unite*
States duty free, our principal con
cession consists of the guarantee o
continued tariff-free entry. In on*
year imports thus admitted havi
amounted to as much as eighty-flvi
per cent of the total.
Secretary Hull is making a con
sistent record in the reciprocity field
Impending negotiations with Canadi
will constitute perhaps the acid tee
of his policy. Not only does our tradi
with the Dominion represent an im
mense and valuable volume, but all tlf
elements of tariff give-and-take ar<
present in the concessions which eaci
country seeks for its own products
Selfish interests on both sides of thi
border may be relied upon to fight t<
the bitter end for specific advantage!
to a given trade or industry, oblivion
to the general good. These are in
escanable arcomnanimpnts of Inter
national tariff bargaining, but II thi
common-sense spirit of Yankee hors<
trading is permitted to prevail, i
should not prove impossible to arrivi
at agreements that do justice broadl;
to national interests, even thougl
here ana there a local disadvantagi
may not be avoidable,
i The Hull reciprocal tariff progran
is practical exemplification of Amer
lea's "good neighbor" policy in in
ternational relations. The Secretar;
of State's persistence and patience ii
promoting it deserves the country’
cordial support.
Many economists are inclined t
suspect that in order to meet foreigi
gambling competition Uncle Sam mi,
as well have a few sweepstakes o
his own.
__
i By turning over a few pages of his
tory Secretary Ickes may be persuadei
to a philosophic attitude. Being Sec
ertary of the Interior has never beei
guaranteed as an easy job.
A shift in social responsibilitie
tends to burden the State Departmen
with most of the hard thinking am
an extraordinary amount of hari
w'ork.
In addition to her undoubted emi
nence as an airwoman, Amelia Ear
hart as a public figure has the ad
vantage of taking a most agreeabl
photograph.
SHOOTING STABS.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Diversion.
Our literary impulse we are cherish
ing with care.
We use it on the printing press. Wi
hear it in the air.
But we number ’mongst our orator
conspicuously those
Who, like the Moliere student a
LX1C ill oL HI Icilipi, vuue piuoe:
Might it not be a sweet relief in fill
blistering time
If those who can compose in prose
should also write in rhyme,
, Or like the bard who swept a harp ii
stately measures croon
J Or even sometimes introduce a bi
of jazzy tune.
; When figures are becoming so re
markablv immense
That they reach out from the presen
far into the future tense,
Let's ease the situation on a literar;
plan
By employing a few numbers tha
melodiously scan.
Art.
‘Has art a place in politics?”
“Unquestionably,” answered Senatoi
Sorghum. "N. R. A. has shown us tha
no man can expect to carve a niche ii
fame for himself if he is nothing mori
than a clumsy chiseler.”
Jud Tunkins says don’t say "I tol<
you so.” It’s a sort of prophet motivi
that's liable to get in the way.
Getting Over It.
The day of “April Fool” is past,
We’re going safe and sane It last,
In hope that all our (oily may
Be held to one brief holiday.
Polite Incarceration.
“Do you think you can keep tha
desperado in jail?”
“I don't know,” answered Cactui
Joe. “We’re doin’ our best. We havi
fired two cooks he didn't like, giver
him credit at the licker dispensarj
! and subscribed for all the magazines
But somehow we don’t seem able t<
keep him satisfied.”
Artificial Radietion.
The warmth has been surprising
In the circles of debate.
The climate needs revising
For the humble and the great.
And temperament and temperature
Can’t seem correct and neat
Till we secure a season sure
For turning off the heat.
“Drinks and automobiles don't mix,
said Uncle Eben. “What happens t<
de driver may not make so much dif
ferenee, but it Is a shame to spoil i
good machine.”
4
| THIS AND THAT |j
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
■ •• ■■■ ■ 1 .
Walking In modern city traffic,
' sharpening the mind, often helps solve
■ mental problems.
• Try It the next time thoughts re
, fuse to come promptly.
Not every one can use this remedy,
of course, but far those who can It
l pays big dividends.
It will seem to many to be a real
, way of getting something for nothing,
’ a thing we are told can never hap
pen, but which many have a sneaking
' belief is possible, after all.
, Surely a pedestrian who manages
to find good In traffic conditions is
’ something of a magadan!
Yet any one can be this modern
wizard simply by taking thought, or,
rather, not taking thought.
a * * *
The secret of the thing is not to
consciously think about the problem
[ at hand.
Suppose it is some knotty situation
, in business whose solution is not ex
actly clear to one.
Or one may have “got out on the
1 wrong aide of the bed” that morning.
Too much merrymaking earlier,
perhaps.
! Whatever may be the cause, the old
• thinking machine does not work as
readily as It might.
It may be that the victim has the
privilege of smoking a pipe and look
• ing supremely wise while he Is doing it.
1 That is one of the advantages of the
; Pipe.
, No other form of smoking will do it.
A cigar may make a man look im
portant—at least In his own opinion—
! while a cigarette may cause a girl to
: seem sophisticated, but a pipe is the
instrument which gives the illusion of
Intelligence.
Even some old fellow who perhaps
! hasn’t a thought in his head looks su
i premely intelligent while pulling away
. solemnly on a pipe.
* * * *
Even the smoker, however, may
■ reach a state in which no thoughts
. come at all.
He may fool others, but he can’t fool
himself.
'■ Then the time has arrived for a turn
; through the downtown streets.
> If. while walking, one attempts to
r solve a problem, he will find that it
eludes him.
i Not only will the solution escape,
• but an automobile may strike one.
The way to solve both these problems
at once—how not to get run over, how
1 to think of what one desires to think
• —is deliberately to keep ideas out of
. the head as much as possible.
r This may seem a strange way of
thinking, to those who have not in
1 vestigated the phenomenon in other
• fields.
Those who may have made some
study of the mind and its workings
in even the most elementary form, will
) realize that this is at once the sim
plest and surest way of starting
1 thought processes.
T * * * *
f The late Emile Coue. a much mis
understood man, knew it well.
His idea of the repetition of “Day
by day, in ev'ry way, I'm getting
. better and better,” was not something
, to be laughed at. but a very practical,
shrewd Idea right out of the mind of
’ a very shrewd, practical man.
i There is said to be no shrewaer
man alive than a French peasant.
and Coue was of, from and by the
plain people of France.
His training was such, however,
that he was able to put to good ust
in everyday life a hit of the religion
and a bit of the common aenae of his
people.
He knew that the harder one tries,
in the popular sense, to think about
something, the surer it la to escape
In many instances.
leery one has had this experience
In attempting to think of a name.
“Why, I know it as well as my
own!"
But one simply cannot remember.
Hours later, when thinking about
something else, the desired name
"pops” into the bead, as we say.
♦ * * *
Coue knew better than most that
will power, u such has its limitations.
Therefore, he attempted to substi
tute imagination, as he called it; in
stead of asking a sick person to de
clare himself well, he merely required
of him that he Imagine himself so.
Most good doctors do the same, If
no more than by a good bedside man
ner, which cheers the patient, gives
him hope, and stirs his imagination
toward thoughts of recovery. If he
wants to say, outright, that day by
day, in every way, he Is getting better
and better, who with any sense would
say him nay, or laugh at him for
his simple pains?
Well, It Is so with thought in almost
any department.
Sometimes the more we strive and
strain toward a solution of any given
problem the surer It is to escape us.
* * * *
Every one knows how it is with
sleep.
“To sleep on It” means to get rest
before deciding on a problem.
Sometimes a brilliant solution Is
given in sleep, not as a dieam, but
simply as the result of giving over
conscious Intelligence ror awhile.
No one should think any the less
of conscious “taking thought” because
now and then one can get best re
sults from just the opposite action.
Make the mind a blank, oa the
given problem, and let the master
mind of the brain take care of the
situation for a time.
This solution is as old as the hills,
but always Is new to him or her
who just finds It.
a * * *
While walking in traffic deliberately,
let that very deliberateness be enough
of conscious thought.
Look at the people, the automobiles,
the stores.
Keep an eye on the lights, put not
too much trust in four-wheel brakes,
nor fear too blindly the taxi driver
who delights in racing up to the red
light.
A walk of a few blocks, when under
taken as a relief from futile thought,
or thinking which somehow is not up
to one's usual standard, may do a
great deal of good.
And then again it may not.
One should not promise too much,
for, after all. it Is a personal experi
ment, but what helps one may help
another, in all likelihood.
Fortunate is the worker who Is not
so bound down by clerical routine that
he must deprive himself of this help
ful way to better and more abundant
thinking.
. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
i _
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE.
I
White House announcement that
President Roosevelt—“in person.” as
' they say In the movies—will supervise
the expenditure of the *4,880,000,000
work-relief fund means more than
: meets the eye. Probably the true
inwardness of the emphatic denial
that Messrs. Hopkins, Ickes. Tugwell
and company are going to direct the
distribution of the billions is that the
average member of Congress is in
clined to throw a fit at the bare sug
gestion of such a thing. The reason
is that the officials in question have
• a reputation on Capitol Hill of being
nca-politically-minded. With a natu
ral desire to bag the largest possible
’■ slices of work-relief pie for their re
spective communities. Senators and
i Representatives are not keen to do
business with New Dealers of that
type. So F. D. R. will assume full
t responsibility for doling out the
plums. It goes without saying that
although his dictum will be the last
word on all occasions, the President
will rely to a wide extent upon the
counsel of his administrative aides,
as well as on that of Admiral Peoples
and of Gen. Robert E. Wood, who will
i head the advisory board. The net of
It all is that politicians with work
relief axes to grind will at any rate
t be able to lay their troubles before
the President Instead of submitting
theta to men whom many members of
. Congress look upon as officials lacking
in political mderstandlng.
* * * a
• As the huge work-relief project ap
proaches the stage of actuality, Re
■ publican agitation over its political
effects mounts higher and higher.
The G. O. P. is filled with genuine
alarm that the dollars will be roll
ing just about the time they will
be most useful for Democratic cam
paign purposes in 1936. Republicans
do not disguise their fears that they
will be under a correspondingly heavy
. handicap in trying to depopularize the
Roosevelt administration and the New
; Deal. They envision a repetition of
i their sad experiences tn 1934, when,
, they claim, It proved utterly impos
sible in countless communities all over
the country to make any political
headway against public works projects
l and relief rolls or otherwise persuade
. the electorate to vote against “Santa
Claus."
* * * *
Democratic leaders profess to be
utterly unconcerned by the recru
descence oT Republican activities, as
manifested by the forthcoming con
vention of Midwestern groups bent
upon dethroning Eastern stand-pat
control of the elephant's destinies and
laying the ground for G. O. P. vic
tory in 1936. Democrats refuse to
view next year’s prospects through
' anything except rose-tinted spectacles.
Their argument Is that the depression
will be so thoroughly beaten and re
, covery so indubitably In sight by that
time that the country will turn In
stinctively to Roosevelt for a second
term. The Huey boat third party
bogey also leaves Rooseveltlans un
perturbed. The only effect of such a
1 development, they contend, will be
automatically to make Mr. Roosevelt
the bulwark of conservatism, who will
command the support of both Repub
licans and Democrats unwilling to
run the risk of extreme radicalism In
the White House.
* * * *
There was an Impromptu popularity
contest in the Senate restaurant the
other day while Will Rogers and Ber
nard M. Baruch happened to be there
at the same time. The Oklahoma
humorist was the luncheon guest of
Vice President Garner when Mr.
Baruch, fresh from his triumphant
appearance before the Munitions Com
» mittee, entered the restaurant with a
, group of friends. Immediately the
, presence at the humorist and the
1 financier was discovered people from
all am the mem flocked to than fat
1
exchange of handshakes, greetings
and wisecracks.
* * * *
Secretary Hull keeps plodding away
persistently and patiently at his task
of lining up the nations ready to do
reciprocal tariff business with Uncle
Sam. The treaty just signed with
Haiti is the fourth pact concluded
within a period of nine months—the
others having been effected, in the
order named, with Cuba, Brazil and
Belgium. Negotiations with 13 more
countries are pending. Discussions
with Canada will follow the conclusion
of recent hearings at the State De
partment, during which Interested
American Industries had their day in
court 8ectional groups, reluctant to
surrender advantages under existing
tariff arrangements, are making it a
little difficult to grant Canada some
of the concessions she seeks in our
market for such things as lumber,
cattle and fish, but Secretory Hull and
his aides are hopeful that the square
deal spirit will eventually prevail on
both sides of the border and permit
the two countries, which once were
the respective best customers of each
other, to strike a mutually profitable
bargain.
* * * *
Secretary Morgen thau's Internal
Revenu- sleuths aren’t the only ones
interested in shadowing the bootleg
gers. The distillery companies, it
appears, are on the job, too. The
whisky manufacturers nowadays em
ploy their own men to make the
rounds of the market, to see that
liquor dealers are handling only legiti
mate stuff.
* * * *
Gov. Harold G. Hoffman of New
Jersey is apparently first in the field
with an honest-to-goodness organisa
tion looking to the 1936 Republican
presidential nomination. The "Hoff
man-for-President Club” of Bergen
County has just filed articles of In
corporation at Hackensack, N. J.
* * * *
Representative Samuel B. Pettengill,
Democrat, of Indiana, received a clip
ping the other day from an Atlanta
newspaper, in which he was de
scribed as a Tory. “But,” the Hoosier
Representative says, "the fellow who
sent it along compares me with Pat
rick Henry, so that makes it about
even.”
(Copyright. 1838.)
Improper Conditions
At Arlington Tomb
Zb the Editor of The Star:
Reading carleton K Lewis’ com
ments on the neglected conditions of
Arlington Cemetery recently, might I
add to his suggestion that the enor
mous pUes of horse manure piled in
the cemetery entrance be removed
before May 30, tor it they keep add
ing to the pile the Tomb of the Un
known Soldier will have a background
that would not be tolerated In any
other cemetery in the country.
HENRY C. LANG.
Turkey Talk.
PTom the Pontiac (Mich.) Press.
Mustapha Kemal seeks to simplify
the Turkish language. Seems as if
‘gobble, gobble, gobble" were down to
the Irreducible minimum.
Men From Missouri.
Prom the New York Sun.
The Democratic National Commit
tee has a surplus. There must be a
lot of veteran Democrats who ask just
to look at it.
After-Tax Holiday Needed.
Prom the Louisville Courier-Journal.
March has no holiday, but most
businem men are willing to take one
after the animal tnooma tax torture.
I
The Political Mill
By O. Gould Lincoln.
When the administration tucked Its
tail between its legs and ran out on
a test of the constitutionality of the
N. R. A. In the Belcher case. It
started something. In the first place
it put itself in a ridiculous position.
In the second place it stirred the
whole lumber industry, whose code is
involved in the case brought against
William E. Belcher, Alabama lumber
manufacturer, as a violator of the
code, particularly with relation to
wages and hours of labor. Indeed, so
incensed became the lumber people
that the Code Authority h«« announc
ed through its officials that it is going
to quit. As the lumber code covers
one of the biggest Industries and a
huge number of operators and workers,
the situation has become quite serious.
J'urthermore, this hide and go seek
game which the Government has been
playing with the Supreme Court and
the constitutionality of the N. R. A.
is not helping the administration any
with the people generally. It has be
come increasingly evident that the
Government has sought to avoid a
final test on the law.
* * * *
The Supreme Court can aid and
abet the administration in its effort
to shove aside a test of the N. R. A.
law by agreeing to the request of the
Department of Justice to dismiss the
appeal brought by the Government in
the Belcher case. The Government lost
the case in the lower courts and took
an appeal to the Supreme Court. It
had to go that far or admit that the
lumber code was unconstitutional last
October when Federal Judge Grubb
decided against the Government in the
Belcher case. The disruption of the
Lumber Code Authority would have
happened then, instead of now.
But the Supreme Court does not
have to dismiss the appeal in the
Belcher case, unless it wishes to agree
to <fo what the administration urantK
it to do. The court has lull discre
tion to grant or to deny the request
of the Government in this matter.
The matter may be settled today.
The court comes back into session
after a recess, and the Government,
if it is going to ask dismissal, as the
department has announce^ will not
wait, it is believed, until the last
minute. The case has been set for
hearing April 8.
* * * *
An assault on the administration's
attitude in the Belcher case is being
made today by two members of the
Senate Finance Committee, now con
sidering the extension of the N. R. A.
for another two years. Senators Clark
of Missouri and Hastings of Delaware,
a Democrat and a Republican, are
asking the Senate to raise its voice in
protest against the administration's
unwillingness to have the constitu
tionality of the N. R. A. settled by a
decision of the highest tribunal in
the land. A resolution requesting the
Attorney General to stick to his guns
and go through with the Belcher case
before the Supreme Court was today
offered in the Senate by the two Sen
ators.
There seems a very sound reason,
from the point of view of Congress,
for a test before the Supreme Court
of the constitutionality of the N. R. A.
It has been called upon by the Presi
dent to pass another N. R. A. law, ex
tending the life of that agency and
the code system for another two years.
In the light of the bill which has been
sent to the Senate Finance Commit
tee by Donald R. Richberg, chair
man of the N. R. A, and which has
just been introduced in the Senate by
Chairman Harrison of the committee,
the constitutional questions should be
settled. II Senator Borah and other
members of the Senate are right, the
new bill is more full of holes, con
stitutionally, than the present law.
* * * *
The administration, through Mr.
Richberg, has sought to speed up the
passage of a bill to extend the
N. R. A. after June 16, when the
present law expires, by warning the
members of Congress that strikes in
many industries will be sure to ma
terialise unless something is done.
The N. R. A., however, has not
proved wholly successful as an
averter of strikes in the past. There
was, for example, the textile strike
last year, which operated on a big
scale in a big industry. The truce
reached in the coal industry by the
workers and the operators has tended
to reduce some of the alarm on Cap
itol Hill, however. Senators are not.
they say, going to be rushed into
passing an N. R. A. law until they
have had time to find out what It is
all about. The testimony be fora the
Senate committee reveals many con
tradictions on the part of persons in
Industry from the statements made
by Mr. Richberg regarding the opera
tion of the N. R. A. and its alleged
success.
* * * *
It looks as though another show
down might be coming very soon in
the administration over the matter
of spending money. The spenders—
those who wish to shovel the money
out as fast as possible—are ap
parentiy in tne saddle. Those who
are at least conservative enough to
wish to see that the Government gets
value received, to be sure that the
money designed for relief goes for
relief and to see that politics is kept
as far away as possible from the dis
bursement of the money, are perhaps
in eclipse. The question of speed in
spending is made paramount. Get
the money out, is the shout. If that
is to be the policy, the administra
tion had better watch its step. It
may put money in circulation, but
that money may find its way into
pockets that have nothing to do with
relief rolls.
* * * *
Senator Long of Louisiana is au
thority for the statement that Presi
dent Roosevelt would have headed
a third party ticket in 1932 if he had
failed to win nomination at the Demo
cratic National Convention in Chi
cago. If the President had done so—
for example, after the nomination of
A1 Smith by the Democratic conven
tion—he would scarcely have gotten
to first base. Heading a third party
is no easy matter, as the late Col.
Theodore Roosevelt could testify. Col.
Roosevelt, who bad been President and
who had a nuge personal following
when he made the effort in 1912 to
bring a new party into power, failed
completely. A third party, needed
by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932,
might easily have resulted in & Re
publican victory. If Senator Long
himself undertakes to head a third
party and »run for President in 1936,
he will probably cause a tremendous
amount of uncertainty among the
politicians and in the country. He
is scarcely likely to break into the
ranks of Republicans who voted for
Hoover nor to capture many of the
Republicans who voted for Roosevelt
in 1932 and who say they regret now
' doing so.
A Political Puzzle.
From the Worcester (Mass.) Oszette.
A question somebody ought to
answer is, How many third parties
does it take to make a third party?
Relief.
From the Lowell Evening Leader.
It ought to be dearly understood
that the work-relief plan does not
mqtemplate relief from wart.
\
I ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS r
BY FREDERIC J. H ASK IN.
A reader can oet the answer to
any question of fact by writing
The Evening Star information Bu
reau, Frederic J. H ask in, director,
Washington, D. C. Please inclose
stamp for reply.
Q. Do air passengers and opera tori
bare to obtain passport* tn foreign
countries just the same as steamship
passengers?—R. B.
A. Airplane and dirigible balloon
operators and passengers between the
United States and foreign countries
are subject to ttie same general laws
and regulations that govern steamship
and sailing vessel travel and opera
tion.
Q. How many automobiles are then
in Washington, D. C.?—O. F. H.
A. There are about 150,000 passen
ger cars tn Washington, and abov
20,000 trucks and busses.
Q. How narrow a crack can light g<
through?—C. L.
A. The narrowest slit through whicl
light can pass Is equal to two wavi
lengths of light, which is approximate
ly, one twenty-five thousandth of az
inch.
Q How long has Virginia had az
annual garden week?—E. C.
A. In 1928 the Garden Club of Vir
ginia sponsored the first Historic Gar
den week.
Q Why aren’t vacant lots in Ne«
York' City used to raise vegetables foi
the poor?—V. N.
A. Between 5 and 10 thousand plot!
on vacant lots in New York City wit
be turned over to home relief fami
lies this Spring for the raising ol
vegetables for their own use.
Q. Please publish something about
the ice caves near Flagstaff, Ariz.—
L. L.
A. There are several of these cavez
east of Flagstaff near Sunset Moun
tain. but perhaps the largest one ii
about 30 miles northwest of Flag
staff. This is known as Government
Cave. These caves are in basaltii
lava, and ice ip found in them during
the entire year. Basalt is a very pool
conductor of heat, and during th<
Wintertime ice is formed in the
caves, and it remains through the
Summer. The Government Cave
ranchen remove the ice during the
Summer for refrigerative purposes
but It forms again the followins
Winter.
Q. How many acres does the Chi
cago Art Institute cover?—R. B.
A. The institute, in Grant Park at
Adams street, facing Michigan avenue,
covers eight acres.
Q. Is Axel Munthe, the author ol
“The Story of San Michele." living;
Is his home on Capri open to the
public?—E. M.
A. Dr. Munthe is living. He recov
ered his sight through an operation
which he underwent in Zurich. Hiz
home on Capri is not open to the
public.
Q. What is the musical instrument
which can be played merely by ex
tending the hands over it?—J. V.
A. The RCA Theremin is a de
velopment of the Therminvox, an in
vention of Prof. Leon Theremin ol
the Institute Physico-Technique ol
Leningrad. It is a musical instru
ment operating entirely by electrical
circuits. It has no stops, keyboards,
or any of the other mechanical con
trivances with which musicians must
labor. The music which can be ob
tained from the device depends upon
the operator wily, and the motion ol
his hands with respect to two elec
trodes. one for controlling volume and
the other for controlling pitch.
■
Q. Did Alfred Tennyson have a
brother named Turner?—L. k.
A. Charles Tennyson Turner was
the eldest brother of Tennyson, the
English poet. He took the name of
Turner under the will of a relative.
In the lines “Midnight” he is com
memorated by iiis brother. In col
laboration with his brothers. Alfred
and Frederick, he published "Poems
by Two Brothers” in 1827.
Q. Did many German Jews go to
Palestine in 19337—P. P.
A. In 1933 11.1T4 Jewish refugees
from Germany entered Palestine,
whereas only 1M German Jew* went
there from 1920 to 1933.
Q When were baptism! pools
adopted?—6. J.
A. Apparently the baptismal pool did
; «x* «i»t until at least the fifth oentury
when it was found necessary, through
the growth of cities, to obtain facili
ties other than the rivers or streams,
which has been used up to that time
s Q. How is the acoustic quality ol
an auditorium balanced?— M. B.
t A. It Is a matter of properly ad
justing the sound absorption of the
interior so as to obtain the optimum
reverberation time—not too great, else
the Bounds will be confused with each
other, and not too small, else the
room will be too dead.
Q. What year since the World War
is looked upon as the nearest to nor
mll? What were the expenses of the
Federal Government in that year?—
G. C. W.
A. The year 1926 is usually cited as
the nearest normal of recent times
There were no relief and other ex
j traordinary expenses. The cost of oper
ating the Government was $4,225,
! 000,000. Of this approximately 80
per cent would come under the head
of compensation for services, pensions,
bonuses and the like.
Q. When were guinea pigs first used
experimentally for the advancement
■ of medical science?—J. A. B.
A. The exact time is not recorded.
: It is believed that the eminent French
chemist Antoine Lavoisier <1743
1794), was one of the first men to
use guinea pigs in this fashion. La
voisier's contribution to the advance
ment of science consisted in his re
search on biological oxidation and
respiration, which has greatly aided
both physicists and chemists.
Q. What proportion of motion pic
tures are original?—A. C.
A. Forty per cent. Plays adapted
from the classics, novels and short
| stories account for 40.5 per cent, and
| those adapted from stage plays and
I musicals constitute the remaining 19.5
per cent.
Q What is meant by accumulative
maiking in relation to students' re
ports?—J. J. G.
j A. It generally refers to marks of
! several months or semesters or years
I which have been brought together and
j form an accumulation of marks.
Q. Does alcohol contain vitamin:
; —e. w.
A. It does not.
Q Do California and Florida fur
nish England with oranges?—B. J.
A. The largest shipment ever landed
1 at Southampton was a cargo of 41,000
cases of oranges from Jaffa. Spam
and the East furnish England with
; citrus fruits.
Q. How long and wide is the White
| House?—C. S. E.
A. The White House is 165 feet
front and 80 feet deep and is built
of white freestone with Ionic pilasters,
comprehending two lofty stories with
I stone balustrade.
Judgment Suspended on Merits
Of Relief Controversy in Ohio
Newspaper observers suspend judg
ment on the merits of the charges
exchanged between Federal Relief Ad
ministrator Hopkins and Gov. Davey
of Ohio, but there is general agreement
cn the necessity for a full airing and
in the belief that the incident is liable
| to have important political repercus
; sions
Of what has happened since the
Federal administrator took over con
trol of relief in Ohio, the Columbus
Citizen says: “He has acted to abolish
60 superfluous administrative jobs at
an initial saving of $10,000 a month.
He has ordered county administrator*
to take similar action in their own
offices—to ‘get the chiselers off the
pay roll or be chiseled out yourself.’
He has ordered payment of relief al
lowances in cash instead of grocery
orders to all who desire It among the
million Ohio recipients of direct doles.
; He has suspended administrative cm
! ployes who are under fire in the pres
ent ‘shakedown’ investigation, pend
ing determination of the facts in the
case. He has, in seven days of hard,
intense work, applied himself to his
job—the job of keeping destitute
Ohioans fed. clothed and sheltered—
regardless of the politicians’ barrage
that whistles about his head."
"What the President wants,” says
the Cincinnati Times-Star. “the people
of Ohio want also. There have been
very serious charges from both aides;
light should be let In from all direc
tions. In the meantime, elemental
justice demands that the people ol
Ohio shall not condemn their Gover
nor even under a direct charge from
the White House until much fuller
information has been furnished than
Is available at the present time.”
It is believed by the Akron Beacon
Journal that "the only hope of the
charges being threshed out lies with
the grand jury and the Federal De
partment of Justice "
“The poor are the sufferers,’’ says
the Youngstown (Ohio) Vindicator,
"and President Roosevelt was right In
stating that they must not be per
mitted to become ‘the Innocent victims
of either corruption or political chi
canery.’ It should be added that from
now on the Governor should see that
politicians have a wholesome respect
for the relief administration and give
It a wide berth. The State and his own
reputation will benefit if he concen
trates on doing a good job and forgets
his political fences.”
"Particular care,” advises the Louis
ville Courier-Journal, “is Imperative
for the protection of relief funds; be
cause they are administered Jointly
with the States and because great lati
tude necessarily is allowed State ad
ministrators. It is. to say the least,
significant when a Democratic na
tional administration takes issue with
the Democratic administration of a
politically important State like Ohio.”
“The charges almost certainly will
have political repercussions in next
year's campaign,” according to the
St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press, which
offers the advice: “The suggestion has
come from a number of quarters in
the past that the American Red Cross
should be the agency to handle the
Federal relief funds. That agency
has been called upon frequently to
deal with emergency situations arising
from floods and other disastrous con
ditions. Its administration has never
been tainted with fraud. It has not
been charged with playing politics, nor
with waste and extravagance.”
The Christian Science Monitor com
mute: ‘In Ohio, tha partisan chip*
i
are evidently being allowed to fall
where they may. This is all the more
striking because Ohio is an important
pivotal State, necessary to the Roose
velt campaign next year It would
seem, therefore, that just in the crisis
1 of the works relief bill, when signs of,
i non-partisanship are particularly •
needed, the administration gives evl
' dence of its political impartiality.
I Democrats in Congress are annoyed.
1 Their party regularity is jostled. An
; unpleasant odor is abroad, and they
! would have much preferred to keep
; the lid on. Yet the country generally
: should have more confidence in the
President because he did not hesitate
to lift It."
“If the row is over who is to do
politics with the huge expenditure. It
is contemptible.” asserts the Ban
| Francisco Chronicle, and condemns
! tion of the politics of the situation is
voiced by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The need of a full investigation is
■ urged by the McKeesport (Pa.) Daily
News, the Buffalo Evening News, the
Hamilton (Ohio) Journal, the Canton
(Ohio) Repository, the Eureka (Calif.)
Humboldt Times, the Rock Island
dll.) Argus and the Lincoln (Nebr.)
State Journal.
The Moon’s Pull.
Prom the Wichita (Kans ) Eagle.
Pull of the moon shifts America as
much as 63 feet away from Europe
in a year. That would be fine except
it takes us closer to Japan.
Profitless Panning.
Prom the Wichita (Kans.) Eagle.
There is a lot of panning going on
in high circles today. But It isn't
producing much precious metal.
Persecution.
Prom the Flint (Mich.) Journal.
Now Nevada joins the other States
wanting to put a tax on bachelors. It
is wicked the way they are perse
cuting the forgotten man.
Pink Slips as a Starter.
From the Toledo Blade.
Pink slips were intended merely as
a beginning. Seems to have been ex
pected eventually to have agents of
the Government look under the bed.
Another Collection Under Way.
ITom the Hew York Bun. -
Power policies touched on at Wash
ington now and then point clearly to
formation of the world’s greatest col
lection of yardsticks.
A Rhyme at Twilight
By
Gertrude Brooke Hamilton
In Transit
|
Each evening In the crowds t saw her
face.
She brought into my mind no special
grace,
Only a random thought of eyes quite
blue
And of love I never wooed or knew.
The other day I missed her in the
throng.
Ah. well! A lost note In life’s eTtn
•oor
♦ I