Evening star. [volume], April 26, 1935, Page A-10, Image 10

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

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THE EVENING STAR
With Sunday Moraine Edition.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
FRIDAY.April 26. 1935
THEODORE W. NOYES.. .Editor
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are also reserved.
The Airport—Ad Infinitum.
Not a single year since 1926 has
passed without the introduction in
Congress of an airport bill of some
sort, and there have been few ses
sions of Congress that did not wit
ness extensive hearings and favorable
reports on one or more airport bills.
This year has been no exception. And
the fact that this year the House J
District Committee began consldera- !
tion or a bin to develop uraveny roint
m an airport and ended its consid
eration by reporting out a totally dif
ferent measure, leaving to a commis
sion the selection of almost any site
but Gravelly Point, is indicative of the
apparently hopeless confusion and in
ability to agree on anything pertain
ing to a local airport.
For nine years Congress has been
subjecting the matter to close ex
amination, to the hearing of witnesses,
expert and otherwise, and to the an
nual visitation of salable real estate,
which, in somebody's opinion, would
make a satisfactory airport. For nine
years the subject of a local airport has
been agitated; closed meetings, open
meetings and mass meetings have been
held. And for nine years the latest
decision of one group or another has
been heartily condemned by some
other group.
In the meantime, Hoover Field was
placed in operation in 1926 by Henry
Berliner's Potomac Flying Service,
devoted to the business of flying a few
brave souls over the Washington Mon
ument at so much a flight. In 1928
the Hoover Field was sold for a re
ported price of $300,000 to Interna- :
tional Airways, Inc., and the filling
in of low ground around the Wash
ington Airport was begun with dirt
excavated from the Department of
Commerce building operations. In
1929 bids were opened and construc
tion begun on enlargement of Wash- J
ington Airport, $600,000 having been j
reported to have been spent by the
Washington Air Terminals Corpora
tion. In 1930 the Washington Airport
and the Hoover Airport were combined
for operating purposes, and in 1931
the night airmail service was moved
from Bolling Field to Washington Air- j
port, following the placing under-1
ground of telephone and power lines.
In 1933 the Washington Airport and
Hoover Field were sold to the Na
tional Aviation Corporation of New
York for about $600,000, both sales j
being at public auction. In 1934 a
major advance was recorded by in-1
stalling traffic lights on Military road
to warn vehicles that some plane was
about to land or take off across the
road, and after a short but fervid
row, the Army demanding to know
by what authority the lights had been
placed, it was decided that nobody
had the authority to put up the lights,
but they would be allowed to remain.
Today Washington Airport is one of *
the busiest places around Washington.
Four large air lines make it their
terminal or stopping place. Planes
arrive from and depart for every part
of the country. In three days last i
week some 600 persons were flown on
air tours above Washington, And no
famous aviator ever lands at or leaves
Washington Airport _ without con
demning it as one of the worst in
the country.
Nobody knows what will have taken
place in local airports and aviation
nine years hence. But the prediction,
based on history, is that nine years
hence a committee of Congress will
report out a bill which either favors
or condemns Gravelly Point and the
bill will be immediately criticized by
those who favor or condemn Gravelly
Point. And commercial planes, larger,
speedier and more numerous, will still
be landing and taking ofT from Wash
ington Airport, on which the Govern
ment has never spent a cent.
The Railroad and the Law.
Absolved from responsibility for the
tragic grade crossing accident at
Rockville, with the holding of the bus
driver for possible prosecution for
carelessness, the Baltimore Sz Ohio
Railroad refuses to increase the safety
provisions at the point of the disaster.
Its refusal is couched in these terms:
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
contemplates no changes in the pres
ent system of protecting tHe crossing
at Rockville. It is protected with the
usual signs, bells and watchman.
This declination ignores a Maryland
statute enacted twenty-three years ago
requiring the railroad to maintain
safety gates at this crossing and
also to station a watchman at the
Intersection from six o'clock in the
morning until midnight. There are
no safety gates, and the wfitchman i
goes off duty at ten o'clock. The law
is a dead letter
This attitude of the corporation is 1
characteristic. It should lead to a
broadening of the field of responsibil
ity for casualties that may occur at
highway-track intersections which are
not provided with all that the laws
require in the way of warnings. The
train crews are not accountable, but
their employers surely are culpable
when they refuse to comply with the
terms of statutes which have not been
repealed or nullified by Judicial de
cisions.
It has been the often-repeated ex
perience of public authorities seeking
greater safety at grade crossings to
meet this indifference and opposition
on the part of transportation com
panies when measures are sought to
abate the deadly nuisance. Here is a
distinct case of defiance of the law.
Will it be tolerated, or will steps be
taken to bring about a measure of
compliance pending the abolition of
the crossing at grade, for which, it
would seem, the public is to pay the
whole cost?
The Senate and the Bonus.
The Senate Finance Committee
acted with extraordinary speed on the
soldiers’ bonus bill. However, the
bonus problem is one on which the
majority of the Senators have long
since made up their minds. There
was no particular reason for delay.
Within a few days, probably on Mon
day at the latest, the bill will be laid
before the Senate itself for action.
The Senate Committee has reported
a substitute for the Patman bill,
which passed the House. It is the so
called Harrison compromise with some
trimmings, among them a provision
that the veterans may have cash for
their bonus certificates or bonds, as
they see fit. The large vote in the
committee turning down the Patman
bill, for the payment of the bonus
with ‘'greenbacks," was both encour
aging and expected. The Senate has
repeatedly defeated the Patman bill in
the past. The committee voted in
favor of the Vinson bill, supported by
the American Legion, as a substitute
for the Patman measure, and then
vnthH ri»nnpt thp Harrisnn romnro
mise proposal Instead of the Vinson
bill.
It was not at ay surprising that
the committee should report a bonus
bill to the Senate. The important
thing is that the chairman of the
committee, Senator Harrison, should
be so Insistent that the President will
approve the bill. If this be true, it
marks a distinct step away from the
position earlier adopted by the Chiel
Executive, that tjoere should be nc
immediate payment of the soldiers
bonus, which is not due until 1945
The payment of the bonus would pul
an added burden on the credit of the
United States, which the President
and his Secretary of the Treasury
both hold would be an unwise step.
The Harrison proposal is not satis
factory to the veterans who are de
manding a cash settlement of their
bonus certificates at the full value,
barring loans, which those certificates
would have in 1945. The veterans,
however, look with considerable favor
on the suggestion that the adminis
tration is willing to ‘'compromise.'’
They do not believe that the Harri
son proposal is the ultimate step
They look to see a more favorable
compromise measure emerge even
tually. There is not the slightest
doubt that many of the Senators are
averse to having the bonus issue held
over them in their campaigns for re
election. They would like to be rid
of it, at least for 1936.
The fight for the Patman bill, and
barring that the V’inson bill, will
be continued in the Senate itself.
And if the Senate finally passes the
Harrison compromise there is still the
House to be reckoned with. Through
the aid of the Senate, the President
nas been able to stall off a bonus bill
up to this time. If the House and
Senate are finally able to agree on
some kind of a measure, then it will
be up to the President to accept and
approve the bill or to veto it. There
is no just reason for the passage of
either the Patman or the Vinson bill.
The Government at present in its huge
relief program is giving assistance to
needy veterans. Indeed, it gives pref
erence to the veterans. The Senate
should defeat any bonus cash payment
measure at this time. If the Presi
dent vetoes a bill of that kind, his
veto should be sustained.
When a State talks about setting up
an independent government even the
most superficial historian is entitled
to yawn ana say he has heard all that
before.
Agriculture regrets that the Japanese
cherry blossoms remain for such a
little while and the Japanese beetle
prepares to linger all Summer.
Audubon.
The name of John James Audubon
will be held in grateful remembrance
forever. It is synonymous with the
study, understanding and conservation
of bird life and has an institutional
memorial In the National Association
of Audubon Societies and in the bird
sanctuaries established and maintained
by the federation. It is known in the
field of science and in that of art,
enduringly associated In both with
eminent achievement and distinction.
But the celebrated naturalist him
self remains romantic and myste
rious—a legend of vast attraction to
a numerous public. The researches of
modem investigators have disclosed
facts which are almost as colorful as
the myths which they are intended to
replace. Audubon, It has been demon
strated, was not the Lost Dauphin, son
of Louis XVI and heir to the crown
of France, as many of his contempo
raries supposed. Neither was he a
native of Louisiana, as his earliest
biographers Imagined. Instead, he
first saw light of day April 26,1785, at
Les Cayes, Haiti, and was the child of
a French sea captain and a Creole
woman of Santo Domingo, born out
of wedlock and curiously endowed in
the circumstances as William the Con
queror, Leonardo da Vinci, Giovanni
Boccaccio and others similarly disad
vantaged have been. Even as an in
fant he seems to have felt the need
to “stand up to fate” and to make a
place for himself by the exercise of his
own merits and the assertion of his
own personality.
Success dl<Lnot come to him easily.
Indeed, It was only after a quarter
\
century of wandering, investigation
and toil that he had means enough
to purchase a small estate—now
Audubon Park in New York City—
and retire to relatively comfortable
security. His monumental books on
birds and quadrupeds, all magnifi
cently illustrated with plates of his
original drawings, brought him more
honor than money. He suffered the
lot of dreamers in general, paying for
1 his vision in the coin of hidden pain.
But his soul matured under the in
| fluence of his experience, and in the
end he had spiritual laurels which
never can fade, but which, rather, will
be a continuing inspiration for all
who choose to dedicate themselves
to ideal purposes.
Eventually the world will know him
better—today’s commemoration of the
one hundred and fiftieth anniversary
of his birth should have the effect of
promoting intelligent interest in him.
Yet it may be wondered if he ever
can be more deeply or sincerely ap
preciated by the nature-loving fra
ternity in whose service his genius,
his time and his energy were spent.
The need of all authority possible
for ocean airplane service has brought
a request for a Parley communication
to Congress under a special delivery
j stamp.
The temper of American youth is
! such that any college must concede
that one good foot ball coarh is worth
more than a dozen Communistic
professors.
Soil erosion is causing so much con
cern that the eminent conservation
authority, Gifford Pinchot, should
easily be tempted to revert to his
economic specialty.
The educational demands on citi
zenship are especially severe when
bankers are expected to understand
farming and farmers are expected to
understand banking.
The public has become indifferent
f /\ lnrnn fionenr ii'VaioVi Vvrt oron t a/4
by the stroke of a pen, and more alert
! to the smaller computations as they
may appear in the grocery bill.
I Local artists have recorded achieve
1 ments which make it plain that an
j Andrew Mellon art gallery will not
have to depend entirely on old mas
| terpieces.
-- ■ —■» «
A bold mentality must expect diffi
cult tasks. Whenever an especially
hard job is mentioned there immedi
ately arises the suggestion, “Give it
to Tugwell."
Lindbergh will soon be back in ac
tive aviation, which will be good tor
all flying interests. He is a man
whose reputation inspires confidence.
Foreign invaders of the American
market have not yet done anything
j to cheapen beefsteak and potatoes.
There is enough relief money to re
lieve almost anything except the sus
pense.
A watch dog of the Treasury is
j likely to have to learn to recognize
! his master's voice.
i __ ,,, __
N. R. A. has its confusions, but
draws the line at a mix-up that might
make the letters read RAN.
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Heritage of Custom.
A cannibal bold hod a lineage long
That inherited some of his ways.
Though his progeny hadn't his appe
tite strong.
His memory called for their praise.
! He often would pause for a moment
of mirth
And he sang with a voice far from
small,
j “I haven’t an enemy left upon earth—
Because I have eaten them all!”
An able descendant who toiled in the
mart
Amassing a fortune so great,
Maae omer ioiks poor wiruugu n
system so smart.
While he dined in magnificent state.
I The men that he broke by some
masterful stroke
Have answered Oblivion's call.
I He hasn't an enemy left—it's no
joke—
Because he has eaten them all.
Still a Student.
“What are you studying?’*
“A book of synonyms." said Sen
ator Sorghum. “We are evidently
approaching a state of affairs In
which a smooth politician needs a
rough vocabulary.”
Jud Tunkins says a man whose
heart Is in the right place is more to
be relied on than one with a super
abundance of brains that won't stay
anchored.
Starting Over.
Father, dear, is feeling queer.
For daughter’s a co-ed.
His boy at foot ball wins a cheer
Which dad has often led.
Some communistic teachings, too,
Occasion him distress.
And father has to start anew
A life of loneliness.
Tips and Downs.
"Of course, life must have Its ups
and downs.”
"The people rather approve of the
idea,” said Mr. Dustin Stax, "other
wise the roller coaster wouldn't have
been so successful.”
More Argument,
Somewhere doth dwell Prof. Scopes
With evolutionary hopes
Which were defeated by decree
'Way down in dear old Tennessee.
No doubt he studies now and then
The theories which rise again.
And hears the oratory vexed
While wondering what may happen
next.
“A” man dat hasn’t any troub.es,’*
said Uncle' Eben, "would have «o
little to talk about dat he wouldn’t be
good company fob nobody."
A
THIS AND THAT I 1
- i
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. 4g
--- r
WiU UUU&B piUBCU U)l III TTBBIUUK
ton seem to have Just a little some
thing extra.
Perhaps this is because one always
feels that historic hands may have
held them.
Here is an old leather volume, ex
posed In the sunshine of a real Spring
day.
A passerby turns the yellowed pages.
He finds a bookmark, a slip of an
cient paper—at page 10!
That was as far as some reader
got so long ago.
Maybe It-was the book, maybe It
was the reader, maybe It was cir
cumstance.
At any rate, the mark shows be
yond dispute that the person who
placed It there managed no more,
though the book runs to 400 pages.
* * * *
Of the taking up of many books
there Is no end, of the finishing ’em—
ah, that's quite another matter!
At one time we thought this fail
ure was one of middle or old age, but
of recent years we have discovered
a number of very young persons who
do not finish the books they begin.
With old-timers it was something
of a point of honor to complete the
reading of any book begun.
Even though the work bored one
terribly, it must be finished.
Today all that seems changed.
Youngsters pick up some book, read
a few pages, then if they fail to like
it show no compunction at all in put
ting it out of sight and mind.
* * * *
Maybe there is a new deal In book
reading, too, to suit the changing
times.
Yet some of us will continue to be
lieve that the old way was best.
It made, for one thing, for better
selection.
Whether one purchased or bor
rowed, one spent more time In pre
liminary consideration.
This is more necessary today than
ever befoie, with'-the huge drift of
books from the presses of the w-orld.
It is intensely difficult, even for a
trained mind, to' discriminate, to
make even an attempt to pick the
enduring from the ephemeral.
This comes about partly because of
the increased number of works pub
lished every year, partly because of
the undoubted merit of a greater
proportion of new bocks.
* * * *
If we stop to think of the “good
old days” of not so very long ago,
we realize instantly that something
has happened in regard to writing.
It is simply that more people are
writing. Universal education has done
its work, in this respect, at least.
An author no longer is held in awe.
Every one w-rites.
The surprising thing is that such a
large proportion of it is good writing.
This means that a reader must be
wary, indeed, if he is able to select
the enduring from the well written
of no particular lasting value.
Perhaps no two persons would agree
precisely on definitions of terms here,
but this much may be said, that there
is greater need than ever for good
| selection.
,
xuc luuiviuuni rcwurx xxiunt ur juurc >
and jury. I
He has a right to make selections c
aolely on his personal needs. t
A plain gain of this age is that more (
and more this privilege Is being ac- l
corded, without any particular discus- c
slon. 1
It Is more and more realized, with
the widening of every type of en- I c
deavor, that no one person or school i c
can be a criterion any longer. , t
Whether this Is altogether good or f
bad remains for the future, but it may *
be seen even now that It Is a lact, and j
a fact which permits the individual ] 1
i reader either to judge wisely or be 8
! submerged completely In ft perfect 1
flood of books. <
* * * * >
Submergence of the mind Is not t
what we desire. 11
Rather the mind must swim, must j <
have complete control, must not go i
out of its depth, must make straight j i
for its own shore. «
How much better oft many readers 1
would be if they would stay near (
the shore.
We may suspect that the gentleman j t
who stopped at page 10, as instanced \
above, might have saved himself the t
ignominy if he had refused to be lured (
by somebody clse's advice. i
Perhaps the book was over his head, .<
to begin with, and he knew it. <
Not every one, truly, is interested in i
microscopy! ’
* * * * i
Staying close to one's own sure
shore, whatever it may be. is a good <
way of avoiding this sort of trouble. :
The flora and fauna uf his shore will i
j be enough for the wayfarer.
There is much point, in youth, in 1
dipping into all sorts of books, but 5
after one has begun to settle down a <
bit it is just as well if the reader re- '
alizes his limitations. | ■'
As a booklover he has limitations. i
just as he has them in all other lines t
of endeavor, both intellectual and <
physical. j!
Happy is he if he rpcognizes them i
| and makes the best of them.
He then will be in a position to con
centrate on what most interests him. r
j Interest is the keynote of the best
and happiest characters,
i They are free from the harassments
; commonly met by perspiring readers -
i trying their best to keep up with the
| new books. ,
* * * *
Let no one. after a certain age. be !
ashamed of his own likes and dis- ,
j likes.
! Before that, let him suspect them. j
Afterward there will be time enough (
| to be true to his own tastes.
It is in this being true, we never ,
tire of saying, comes the greatest hap
plness of reading. He who scatters his ,
forces over books in which he can sel
dom get past page 10 will never know it. .
This joy is reserved for those aspir- .
ants to knowledge who, though they ,
may never get very far, are certainly .
on their way, in the manner of those
good scientists who select their sub- ;
jects and remain true to them for life.
Science and literature thus become j !
reconciled, and the happy reader will J
not leave behind him. as the unknown
did. a yellowed bookmark at a pathetic '
page. | |
______________________ |
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM RILE.
j Now it's a "baby” N. R. A. that ha.<
I been declared unconstitutional. A
; former Republican member of the
House of Representatives. County
Judge Homer W. Hall, at Blooming
ton. ill., has just ruled that the
I Illinois State industrial recovery act
is illegal. Hus finding involved thf
automobile cede. A firm was charged
with violating the code by selling a
used car as new and allowing a cus
tomer more for a used car in a trade
in than the "book value” fixed by the
code authority. The prosecution was
instituted on complaint of an agent o(
N. R. A. Judge Hall ruled (1) that
the transactions in question were in
trastate and consequently State mat
ters only: <2) that the State Legisla
ture has no right to delegate its au
thority to the Federal Government
and (31 that the Federal Government
has no intrastate police power. Judge
Hall served in Congress for several
terms preceding his dpfeat for re
election in the 1932 Roosevelt land
slide. His decision in the Illinois
recovery- act case attracts special at
tention because it coincides with ac
tion bv Congress that will decide the
fate of N. R. A.
* * * *
President Roosevelt is concentrat
ing intensively, and practically to the
exclusion of everything else, upon the
gigantic w'ork-relief enterprise, oi
which he will be the big boss. He
held forth at his recent press confer
ence for a solid hour—a record ses
sion—while explaining the staggering
scheme and his set-up for handling
it. One of the points F. D. R. stressed
is that it’s a S4.000.000.000 and not
a $5,000,000,000 proposition. The extra
$880,000,000 commonly mentioned rep
resents the tail-end of relief funds
and has nothing to do with the work
relief program While reeling off tne
dizzv variety of construction jobs tc
be undertaken, Mr. Roosevelt chuckled
w-hen he came to swimming pools, his
favorite plavgrounds. He also laugh
ingly explained that "political sub
divisions.” to which funds are to be
loaned, mean cities, counties and
States and not congressional districts
—a subtle suggestion that ladies and
gentlemen from Capitol Hill will have
no special status at the pie counter,
* * * *
Augustus E. Giegengack. public
printer of the United States, who pre
sides over the biggest printing shot
in the world, hopes that, now that
Uncle Sam is going In for gigantic
building operations. Congress or Presi
dent Roosevelt will recognize the de
sirability of constructing a new Gov
ernment Printing Office. The Public
Printer considers the present anti
quated building hazardous in the ex
treme. from the standpoint of the
5.000-odd men and women employed
there. He urges the early erection ol
a modernized home for the establish
ment responsible for production of the
Congressional Record and some 50,
000,000 other public documents a year
* * * *
Secretary Hull withholds confirm*
I tion of reports that Leland Harrison
former foreign service official, is tc
become American Minister to Ru
mania, but it is well understood that
the appointment is imminent. A for
mer Assistant Secretary of 8tate anc
successively Minister to Sweden and
Uruguay. Mr. Harrison left the serv
ice several years ago. after having
spent nearly a quarter of a century
in it. including duty in the State De
partment and at Tokio, Peking and
Paris. In view of the administration’!
reciprocity program, Secretary Hul
will find Mr. Harrison’s experience ol
special usefulness, because the sea
soned diplomat once served as chief ol
the International Relations Divislor
of the United States Tariff Commis
! sion. The recall of a career man indi
' cates that the foreign service has nol
i become a happy hunting ground foi
New Deal patronage seekers.
* * * *
Notre Dame University saw two ol
1U aona nationally honored on Uu
A
1 same day this week. Frank C walker
of Montana, class of '09. was reap
pointed director of the National Emer- j
gency Council and named head of the
work relief division of applications and
information, while Father Julius A.
Nieuwland. professor of organic ohrm- '
istry at Notre Dame, received the
American Chemical Society medal for 1
his achievement in preparing the i
compounds without which synthetic I
rubber would never have been made, s
The society hailed Father Nieuwland i
as a "soldier of science,” who daily t
risked his life in the laboratory in or- f
der to provide the corner stone for a <
new branch of the chemical industry. <
* * * * ■'
Prospective additions to the New (
Deal alphabet are W. R. A. (Work f
Relief Administration)' and D. A. I. <
(Division of Applications and Infor- j
mation). D. A. I. will have the first t
crack at proposed projects. Then W , j
R. A B. (Work Relief Allotment
Board) will settle their hash. There e
will probably be alphabetical designa- i
' tions for most of the 40-odd bureaus t
and agencies to be charged with work- y
I relief activities. So the Capital faces
J the ordeal of learning its way through 1
the alphabet soup all over again. t
* * * is
! i
Chairman McSwain of the House y
Military Affairs Committee opposes j
enlargement of the United States I c
Military Academy. He would give Re- 1
serve and National Guard officers j j
commissions in the Regular Army in- i
stead of graduating more cadets. I i
Gen. Summcrai!, former chief of I
staff and now president of the Mili- v
tary College of South Carolina, says s
that while he would offer second lieu- f
tenancies to R. O. T. C. graduates,
enlisted men and members of the Na- y
i ticnal Guard and Organized Reserve, i
i the difficulty would be the effect upon |
West Point graduates. Gen. Sum- ■,
merall states: "I believe our history J
ha5 vindicated the maintenance of
the Military Academy. While all of
its graduates have not demonstrated ,
adequate efficiency, there is no wav
of eliminating those who fail until
they are tried. Many of our ablest
officers did not have a high class ,
standing at the academy., I believe .
I both Justice and wisdom require that ,
all West Point graduates be commis- j,
sloned.” j .
* * * *
Guessing when Congress will ad- T
; journ is now Washington's favorite i
j indoor sport. Optimists say it will be t
j around June 15. Pessimists think Au- 1
j gust 1 more likely. A conservative 1
guess is July 1. All agree that a t
: legislative jam is a certainty. Many ' c
: authorities believe President Roosj- ! t
! velt will have to trim his “must” ; i
legislative cargo if a Midsummer ses- f
sion is to be avoided. 1
(CoDyriBht. 1035.) J
r — - ‘ J
Remedy. 1
i From the Portland Oregonian.
A physician explains that when we ,
are at a loss for words it is due to an £
insufficient blood supply in the brain. \
When embarrassed by inability to think {
of the right thing to say try standing (
on your head. (
—. t % .i ... i —
5
Busters. i
From the Kansas City Star. i
It appears that most small boys <
known as "Buster” grow up to be quiet. '
peaceable citizens. But boys afflicted '
with names like Huey and Huhgie *
sometimes grow up to be busters.
-- ■- i
Italy’s Reserves.
From the Seattle Star.
An Italian reports the discovery of j
four planets beyond Neptune and im- j
mediately named two for Mussolini and i
King Emmanuel. That assures Italy i
some surplus territory lor Its fast- t
growing population.
A
ravors a New Capitol
As Symbol of New Era
0 the Editor of The Star:
My attention ha* been attracted to
n article calling attention to the
roposal to alter the Capitol. In
Washington attending the D. A.
1. convention, I took the opportunity
f going to look at the east front of
he building to see what It Is that
longress proposes to do. I would
ke to protest against the proposed
hanges and also to protest against
saving the old building the way It is.
I am proud of the history of our
ountry and of all that we have ac
ompllahed, but no nation can afford
n spend Its time looking backward,
ven as no art can look backward and
u-vive.
The Capitol Is a nice old building
u its way, but even as a piece of
rcheology It is not a Parthenon. It
1 a hodge-podge built by several of
ur early architects and eventually
as furnished with a foolish cast-iron
ome which Is a sort of crass between
everal of the better known European
lomcs. Some of our backward-look
rig sentimentalists try to tell us that
t is all fine and has splendid "Fed
ral character," whatever that may
ie. and that the seat of our Congress
ught not to be changed in any way.
I say that Congress has changed,
hat we are in a new era and that
>e ought to signalize this fact by
earing down the whole structure and
recting cn its site a grand modem
nonument to the new age. Why
hould the legislative branch of our
Jovernment be houspd in a building
ihich is nothing but a stupid adapta
lon of the architecture of bygone
ges?
Why should not the United States
Jovernment hold a great competition
or a modem Capitol building for our
nodern Nation?
Imagine how inspiring it would
e to look down Pennsylvania avenue
nd see rising on Capitol Hill not the
onfused mass and antiquated dome
,'hirh now meets our eye, but some
plendid structure of shining chromi
im and glass mounting heavenward,
erminating in a mighty pinnacle
iominating the Nation's Capital City
nd providing a fitting symbol of the
lew age.
GERTRUDE B. WITBERG.
rime for All-American
Support of Government
-o the Editor of The Star:
A member of a G. A R. organiza
ion has referred to Representative
rames Hamilton Fish of New York as
a Benedict Arnold" because he ad
-ocated a statue to Robert E. Lee, at
Arlington. Several months ago I
teard Mr. Fish address an audience
it Richmond. Va. In the course of
lis remarks he said "I do not know
vhether I am safe in mentioning the
tame of Lincoln here." He was
isibly affected when he was inter
rupted by a storm of applause. I
hink Mr. Fish went to Richmond
aden with certain sectional ideas. I
hink he came away convinced that
ie had been talking to loyal, patriotic
\mericans and he was man enough to
neet them half wav and forget his
iwn sectional views in the interest of
fational unity.
In view of the openly stated deter
nination of the radical foieign groups
n this country to destroy this Gov
'rnmrnt, all individual property rights
tnd all religion, it is high time for
Jortherner and Southerner. Catholic
md Protestant. Gentile and Jew.
vhite and colored, to stand shoulder
o shoulder to swat the traitorous cle
nent boring within our midst or there
nay not be any country left to fight
>ver. F. G. CAMPBELL.
— • -- - - - -
Criminal Procedure in
England and America
'o the Editor of The Star:
I have observed that very frequent
ly comparisons are made between the
aexorable swiftness of justice in
Ingiand—as compared with the lei
urely and somewhat lax fashion in
■ hich it is meted out in this coun
ry. With regard to criminal appeals.
n appeal has to be lodged within 10
lays of the conviction, the Court of
Criminal Appeal sits as soon as pos
ible, generally within a week or so.
rhe appeal can be made only on a
uestion of law or of fact or partly
ne and partly the other, and a ver
llct can be upset only If it is un
easonable or not supported by the
vidence—to prevent a miscarriage of
astice.
From the Court of Criminal Appeal
further appeal can be made to the
louse of Lords—on a certificate from
he attorney general that there is a
oint of exceptional importance.
Very few appeals go to the House of
xtrds. One has just been heard
here—within three weeks of the
earing by the Court of Criminal Ap
eal. In this case the convicted
arty got of! on a misdirection to the
ary by the judge. The case was that
f a voune wife heintr chnt Heart hr
er husband. The death took place
ust before Christmas. 1934. so that
be case has gone through three courts
n lessMhan four months. If the
louse of Lords had not reversed the
erdict of the lower court the death
entence would be carried out in a
ew days.
This contrasts greatly with the
rocedure in this country.
ALEX POLLOCK.
Protests Housings in
Owner-Occupied Areas
'o the Editor of The Star:
It is very interesting to read of the
dministration going into competition
.ith property owners, erecting houses
hat will rent from $5 to $10 per room.
Vho remembers the Government tell
ng the people for the last 15 years,
Buy your home; invest your money
a a home; you can’t lose; buy a
tome; it makes better citizens”?
Veil, thousands did it; paid the mar
et price; built up nice sections of
he city—such sections as Brookland
Voodridge. This section consists of at
:ast 95 per cent owner-occupied, de
ached homes. Now' the Government
omes along and says, "We are going
o erect cheap housing for Govern
aent workers near Fourteenth street
nd Rhode Island avenue northeast.”
can only see after the experiment
he Government housing passing from
government owned and operated to
irivate business at a sacrifice price—
, loss to the taxpayers and eventually
nother slum district on our hands,
t would not be so bad if this experi
nent would be a loss to the taxpa»’rs
s a whole, but should it turn out as
have stated it would cause the Joss
f many hundreds of thousands of
ollars in depreciation to the property
wners of this section.
If it is Intended to go ahead with
uch project, it should be undertaken
a a rental section of the city, and not
a a detached, residential, owner
ecupted section. In the interest of
he taxpayers, before attempting to
xecute any housing proposition the
jovernment should investigate the
(latter from an investment standpoint,
aking into consideration the loss of
ent that 1s suffered by the property
wners from vacancies over the last
our years, together with the records
rom the Municipal Court of suits for
iossession for non-payment of rent.
Liter doing this, I believe they will
Ind that to rent on the $5 and $10
*r room basis will just add another
■urden to the taxpayers.
Is V. THACKER. *
X
1
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BE FREDERIC J. HASHES.
A reader can get the answer to |
any question of fact by writing
me wasmngion tvening star
Information Bureau, Frederic J.
Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C.
Please inclose stamp for reply.
Q. Has the New York racing sea
son opened?—H. 8.
A. It opened April 10 at the Ja
maica (Long Island) track.
Q. How many world series have
been won by the American Base Ball
League? The National?—E. S.
A. To date the American League
has won 18 world scries and the
NationalABjague has won 13.
Q. Ar? the duststorms that have
occurred lately a new thing in the
West?—C. C.
A. The Weather Bureau says that 1
the West jps always had them. Until
the last wo years they have been
local. Several years of drought, on |
top of the reckless denuding of thou- |
sands of acres of land where rainfall !
is normally relatively light, provided,
in great abundance, the first ingredient 1
of duststorms. The high winds that |
blow over the plains in Spring and
Summer brought the second ingre
dient.
Q. Is there any standard set for
railroad ties?—E, A. W.
A. All ties used in the railroad
industry Have to pass certain speci
fications set up by the Committee
on Tics of the American Railroad
Engineering Association.
Q. Is there a difference between
a nighthawk and a whippoorwill?— 1
E. W.
A. They belong to the same fam
ily, but are not the same species.
Q. Which justice of the United !
States Supreme Court has the tenth
circuit?—S. T.
A. At the present time, due to
the stress of business in the Supreme
Court and in Washington, D. C, the
Supreme Court judges do not go on
circuit, as formerly, and each circuit
may be supervised by any justice j
best able to serve, or the whole court !
may take the matter under advise
ment. Previously, after the tenth
circuit was established. Mr. Justice
Van Devanter supervised this circuit
in addition to his own.
Q What Is the Laxey wheel?
—W. F. H.
A. This wheel is in the town of
Laxey, on the Isle of Man. There are
in Laxey lead and silver mines. The
famous Laxey wheel is a gigantic
structure designed by Manx engineers
and originally used for pumping these
mines.
Q What was a letter-of-marque
ship?—G. G. W.
A. This was a ship which had re
ceived a license or extraordinary com
mission granted by a government to a
private person to fit out an armed
vessel to cruise as a privateer or cor
sair at sea and make prizes of the !
enemy's ships and merchandise. Un
der such a commission the acts so
committed were not considered piracy.
Q. Why are seed pearls so called,
and where do they come from?—G. F.
A. They are so called because they i
are tiny and apppar like seeds. They >
are the pearls found in the mussels in
rivers of Germany, Ireland, Scotland,
Russia and China.
Q. When and where were roller
skates first used?—P. M. S.
A. Wheeled skates were used on
the roads of Holland as far back as
the eighteenth century, but it was i
the invention of the four-wheeled
skate, working on rubber pads, by •
J. L. Plimpton of New York, in 1363.
that made the amusement popular.
Still greater advance was made by
thg Raymond skate with ball and
cone bearings. The wheels of rollers
were first of turned boxwood, but
the wearing of the edges was a fault
which has been surmounted by mak
ing them of a hard composition or
of steel.
Q. When were diplomatic relations
established between the Soviet Union
and the United States?—C. B. A.
A. They were established by an ex
change of notes between President
Roosevelt and Commissar LitvinofI in
Washington, November 16. 1933. The
Ambassadors are William C. Bullitt
and Alexander A. Troyanovsky.
Q. If no cotton were raised for a
year would the boll weevil survive?
—P. w. c.
A. The Bureau of Entomology sa/s
that the boll weevil is known to breed
on only one other plant besides cit
ton in the cotton belt, namely, the
shrub-althea (Hibiscus slriacus). If
no cotton were raised for a year in
the cotton belt, most of the weevils
would be eliminated.
Q. When were the first Negroes
brought to the new world?—B. H. B.
A. The first ship of Negroes brought
to the new world came in a Portu
guese boat to Santo Domingo in 1503.
The first shipment of slaves to the
United States was on a Dutch ship m
1619. The Portuguese monopolized
the slave traffic for about a half cen
tury. Spain entered the slavp trade
about 1517. England about 1553 and
France In 1624.
Q. Why is the prison called Sing
Sing and the city called Ossining?
—C. R. G.
A. Sing Sing Prison is located just
outside the city limits of Ossining.
N. Y. Ossining was formerly Sing
Sing. The name Sing Sing, by which
it was known until 1901, comes from
the Indian word meaning a stony
place. After the State prison was
located there and called Sirg Sing. '
the townsfolk desired a change of
name of the town, and chose Os
sining.
Q. How many Angora goats arc
there in this country?—H. S. D.
A. There are approximately 3.500.
000. The States in which they are
raised principally are Texas. New
Mexico. California, Oregon, Missouri
and Arizona.
Q. How long have book clubs been
in existence?—E. F.
A. The Roxburghe Club, founded
in 1812. was the earliest English book
club, properly so called. The Banna
tvne Club was originated by Scott in
1823. The Camden Society < 1838 >
began the modern method of pub
lishing by the society rather than in
dividual members. During the Co
lonial period in America there were
a number of such literary associations.
The earliest and most famous of these
was the Junto, founded by Benjamin
Franklin in 1726.
Q What is the vegetable called
udo?—H. F. ♦
A. Udo lAralia cordata! is a Japa
nese vegetable cultivated for its
blanched, edibl-1 shoots. The plants
are bushy and yield for about nine
years. They are planted three to
four feet apart and cultivated like
asparagus.
Q. What is a bonnet piece?—H. J.
A. It is a gold coin oi James V of
Scotland, so called on account of the
King's head being decorated with a
bonnet instead of a crown. James V
was the first Scottish sovereign who
placed dat s on money and the first
who diminished the size of the gold
coins by increasing their thickness.
In beauty of workmanship they ap
proach the Roman coins. These bon
net pieces are among the most valued
curiosities of the antiquary.
Q. In what kina of meter is Long
fellow's Hiawatha written?—F. C.
A. The poem is written in trochaic
dimeter, which was suggetsed by the
Finnish Kalevala.
Acclaim President's Project
To End Crossing Death Traps
Cordial approval Is given by the :
press to President Roosevelt's derision 1
i to spend S200.000.000 of Federal work
relief funds for the elimination of
grade crossings on railroad main lines.
For years there has been agitation 1
in favor of ridding the country of '
these highway death traps, but the ]
enormous cost involved has made
progress slow with local. State and ,
railroad financing. Now. the Presi- j
dent, spurred by the tragic destruc
tion of a school bus in nearby Mary-!
land, determines upon an immediate .
and wholesale tackling of the problem
and the newspapers reflect public ]
acclaim.
“The shocking accident in Mary- .
land." says the Philadelphia Evening j
Bulletin, hastened the announce- ,
ment of the definite policy to be i
pursued, and has riveted attention on |
I ho importance of removing this haz
ard of the highways, which takes an
annual toll which ought to be startling j
—1.511 were killed and 3,697 injured .
throughout the country in 1933. The
sum of S200.000.000 carried in the
preliminary allotment for expendi
ture up to July 1. 1936. will provide
for only a start at elimination. A (
plan submitted to Secretary Ickes'
some time ago called for the expendi
ture of $865,000,000 on an elimination
program, and some estimates place
the cast of total removal at several ,
billions. The Government proposes
to defray all expenses save for land. , ,
As work-relief projects, crossing re
movals have the advantage of pro- j
viding many jobs and stimulating in-1
dustry by extensive orders of primary |
materials.”
The Providence Journal comments:
“A better regulation of highway trans-1
portation in the neighborhood of rail
way crossings is imperatively needed.
The whole question of gates and sig
nals should be restudied Where it is
: at present economically impracticable
j to separate grades, the utmost care- ! j
fulness of all concerned must be in- j
sisted upon.” I,
“Criminal negligence." in the judg- (
ment of the Roanoke (Va.) World
■ News, ts responsible for most of such ;
tragedies, and the Birmingham iAla.1 j
Age-Hera!d states: “'The President has j
j referred to the ghastly Maryland j
j lesson. The country as a whole is | ,
| not likely soon to forget it. Mr. j |
j Roosevelt has outlined four basic j
principles to guide the grade crossing :
elimination program. They are that ;
the States or localities shall provide '
the land: the crassings shall be on
main line railroads; the Federal Gov
ernment will pay the cost of the
work: the work shall be completed by
July 1. 1936.”
“Every dollar spent for this work
will serve the dual purpose of giving
work to the unemployed and saving
lives,” Is is pointed out by the Asbury j
Park (N. J.) Evening Press. The J
Charlotte (N. C.) Observer observes {
as to the practical side of the Federal j
project: “Neither the Individual \
States nor the privately owned rail
roads have been in position to ac
complish this reiorm on the basis of
their own resources, and this, there-1
fore, becomes a sound program when
judged by the standard of public in- j
1 terest, than which there is no higher 1 i
C
neasurement to make of a Federal
■nterprise.”
"If any emergency is greater than
rade crossings, we have not been in
ormed." declares the Wilkes-Barre
Pa t Times-Leader. while the Lin-<
■oln <Neh.) state Journal regrets that
ome communities "are not in a posi
ion immediately to offer necessary
and."
ilatthew Arnold's Poem
Descriptive, Prophetic
ro the Editor of The Star:
The following excerpt from a poem
iy Matthew Arnold is submitted as
lescriptive of the present and pro
)hetic of the future:
for doth he know how there prevail,
3espotic on that sea.
rrade winds which cross it from eter
nity.
Vwhile hr holds somr false way, un
debarred
iy thwarting signs, and braves
rhe freshening wind and blackening
waves.
Ind then the tempest strikes him. and
between
rhe lightning: bursts is seen
Dnly a driving wreck.
\nd the pa!e master on his spar
strewn deck
With anguished face and flying hair,
Grasping the rudder hard.
Still bent to make some port, he knows
not where.
Still standing for some false, impos
sible shore.
\nd sterner comes the roar
01 sea and wind, and through the
deepening gloom
fainter and Winter wreck and helms
man loom.
tnd he. too, disappears and comes no
more.
ALEXANDER SIDNEY LANIER.
Bridge Rules,
Ycm the Indianapolis News.
New bridge rules are not of great
noment to somebody who never took
he trouble to learn the old ones.
The Old-Fashioned Man.
'rom the Nashville Tennesseean.
A reactionary this Spring is the man
i'ho still maintains it is his wife's duty
o keep his buttons sewed on.
\ Rhyme at Twilight
By
Gertrude Brooke Hamilton
Code of Life
ro hold my friend. To rout my foe.
n human contacts as I go
ro keep the law within my heart
tempered by joyous love. Apart
Tom all mankind to ponder out
:he right and wrong beyond a doubt.
!Y> go when I have drunk so deep
)f life's full cup that only sleep
lan clear the way and offer me
rhe cup of immortality.
fo give good dust back to the sod—
ind learn why I have lived from 0^1.