Evening star. [volume], September 11, 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.
WEDNESDAY.September 11, 1935
THEODORE W. NOYES.Editor
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Time for a Showdown.
The fundamental difference of opin
ion on work relief between Secretary
Ickes and Harry Hopkins seems to be
this:
Secretary Ickes apparently still be
lieves there should be something to show
for the expenditure of work-relief money
besides the fact that so many men were
employed for such-and-such a time.
He has insisted that projects financed
through P. W. A. be necessary and .
socially desirable. He has made local
communities share in the undertaking
by borrowing part of the cost. He has
carefully audited expenditures. If a
healthy proportion of the cost goes Into
purchase of materials, even that spreads
employment by increasing work for the
material-supply industries.
Mr. Hopkins, on tne other hand, has
made putting men to work his all-em
bracing objective. He wants to get all
the employables off the relief rolls by
November by putting them on W. P. A.
jobs. If a fiddler is out of work, get
him a fiddle and let him fiddle at a
wage not exceeding >700 a year. If a
writer lacks a job, get him a type
writer and paper and let him write.
If a man cannot fiddle, write, paint
murals of farmers gathering in the
sheaves, make a survey or dig a ditch,
think up some other boondoggling job
and let him boondoggle, without spend
ing too much on materials. Only take
him off the rolls of the F. E. R. A. and
put him on the rolls of the W. P. A. by
November 1!
wnen me neaiucui uy tuoi-pci-umu
limitations tacitly favored boondoggling
as against what used to be known as
pump-priming Mr. Hopkins got the
upper hand in the spending of the work
relief money. He was backed by other
practical-minded and far-seeing gentle
men who realized the political advan
tages of distributing Uncle Sams bil
lions on the basis of unemployed popu
lation rather than desirability of perma
nent improvements and the willingness
of local communities to shell out part
of the cost. He has assumed greater
authority, with presumably adequate
backing, while Mr. Ickes has been shoved
farther and farther into a dark comer.
While Mr. Ickes and Mr. Hopkins
Vigorously deny the existence of any rift
between them, such denials sound like
nonsense in view of Mr. Ickes’ manifest
resentment over the fact that Mr.
Hopkins has vetoed some 1,908 of
p. W. A. projects and in view of Mr.
Hopkins’ sly digs at the relatively small
number of men employed on P. W. A.
projects as against those working on W.
P. A. projects. Mr. Ickes is to see the
President and he will doubtless ask for
a showdown—definite and final—on the
question of who is who in work relief.
Certainly It is time for a showdown,
not so much on the relatively unim
portant matter of authority between Mr.
Hopkins and Mr. Ickes, but. on where
the Hopkins program is leading. There
are now some 26,648 administrative offi
cials on the W. P. A. pay roll alone.
Fifty thousand jobholders are reported
as working on plans to put men to work.
If there is some genius who can show
that such a set-up is not leading merely
to the pouring out of other billions for
the maintenance of another fast-grow
ing bureaucracy for the creation of work
relief after the current billions of work
relief funds are spent, he should do it.
The threat of assassination has been,
from time immemorial, one of the pen
alties of arbitrary domination. It’s exe
cution has always given a memory more
powerful influence than a physlpal iden
tity could exercise.
Monarchy /or Greece.
With the reported resignation of
President Alexander Zaimls, the long
simmering Royalist movement in Greece
has apparently reached a triumphant
climax. The republic, after a fevered
existence of ten years, is on the verge
of collapse. On its ruins the monarchy
is about to rise again, with restoration
of former King George II to the throne
from which he was ignominiously ban
ished In 1923, on the eve of the nation's
decision by plebiscite to set up a repub
lican government in its stead.
Present-hour events were precipitated
by monarchist-militarist pressure long
exerted and which President Zaimis and
Premier Tsaldaris finally found it im
possible to resist. The measure of the
premier's “conversion” to the Royalist
cause was conveyed in a public state
ment in which he declared that he con
siders "democratic royalty as the natural
” regime for Greece,” and then called
upon the people to vote for it in a na
tional referendum. With Tsaldaris
bowing to the inevitable, Gen. Kondylis,
the spearhead of the monarchist cam
paign, predicts that George will be re
established on his ancestral throne "by
a crushing majority.’’
Unless the army the Royalists, i
flushed with victory, set up some form
of dictatorship, Greece now seems headed
for a constitutional monarchy and that
form of government which prevails In
Western European democracies with
Parliaments as checks on the royal
authority. From his various points of
exile in Great Britain and elsew'here in
Europe George has repeatedly said that
he would return to Athens as King only
in response to the popular will expressed
through an honest vote.
Following the complete failure of the
short-lived Venezelist rebellion last April,
the eventual victory of the Greek Royal
ists became only a matter of time. The
government promised that as soon as
conditions became sufficiently calm it
was prepared to hold a referendum on
restoration of the monarchy. The
grana old man of the Hellenes, scenting
the doom of the republic, for the crea
tion of which he was so pre-eminently
responsible, had essayed one last her
culean effort to save it and restore his once
omnipotent political authority, but the
army and navy revolt, W'hich Venizelos
instigated, was promptly suppressed, and
the patriot whom Woodrow Wilson at
Paris described as “the greatest states
man in Europe” was driven from his
native Crete into humiliating banish
ment in France. From that vantage
point he is now condemned to survey
the final wreck of his plans and dreams
as his people prepare to revert to
royalty.
Since the World War thrones have
been consistently at a discount, except
those which dictators bestride. The rule
has been for monachies to give way to
republics. By resumption of “the King
business” Greece has set a new fashion.
A council table in Geneva may create
even more serious quarrels as to pre
cedence than a dining table in political
society.
Instructed Delegations
Postmaster General James A. Farley,
chairman of the Democratic National
Committee, expects every State and Ter
ritorial delegation to the Democratic
National Convention next year to be
“instructed" for President Roosevelt. He
does not exclude Louisiana or Georgia.
Had Senator Huey P. Long lived, the
Louisiana delegates would have voted
for Long or for whomever Long des
ignated. They would not have voted
for Roosevelt—unless Long had reversed
himself. But there remains Georgia,
where Governor Talmadge, as bitter
against the Roosevelt New Deal in his
way as was Huey Long, succeeded in
being re-elected last year. Talmadge
has been mentioned as a possible leader
of Southern anti-Roosevelt and anti
New Deal sentiment next year.
Chairman Farley, however, has no
fears. He foresees a unanimous renom
ination for President Roosevelt. This
may well happen, although there are
many within the ranks of the Demo
cratic party who strongly oppose much
of the New Deal. Two factors, in all
probability, will override and prevent any
great opposition to Roosevelt's renom
ination—unless it be found in Georgia.
The first is the tremendous Democratic
organization, aided and abetted by a
powerful governmental bureaucracy. The
second is a willingness on the part of
conservative Democrats to maintain
party regularity for the benefits which
may accrue to themselves. They must
swim with the New Deal or sink with
out it; hang together or hang separately.
Mr. Farley has done more than any
other man to build up this Nation-wide
Democratic organization that seems
ready to function one hundred per cent
for the President. Farley began this
work of organization when Roosevelt
was Governor of New York. It is not
at all strange, therefore, that Mr. Farley
is to be retained as the generalissimo
of the Roosevelt forces in the 1936 cam
paign. On the other hand, his resigna
tion from his cabinet post to give full
time to running the national campaign
is to be expected. This may take place
at the time, or shortly before, the Demo
cratic National Committee meets in the
early Winter to select the time and
place for the party's national convention.
Thus will the proprieties be observed In
separating the cabinet Job and the purely
political job of national chairman. Fur
thermore, the demands of auch ardent
political purists as Senator George W.
Norris of Nebraska, one of the original
Roosevelt men, will have finally been
met when Farley gives up one of these
two offices.
Report has it that Frank C. Walker
of New York, former treasurer of the
Democratic National Committee and
now director of the National Emergency
Council, is being groomed to succeed
Mr. Farley as Postmaster General. Mr.
Farley may decide he has had enough
of cabinet life when he steps out of
office. But if President Roosevelt is re
elected, there is nothing to prevent his
restoring Mr. Farley to his cabinet as
a reward for his services. In the mean
time, it will be Mr. Farley's particular
Job to see that the Democratic organi
zation functions smoothly and that all
delegates to the national convention are
instructed for Roosevelt.
Facts About Communism.
The facts about Communism may be
taught in the public schools of the Dis
trict of Columbia, although Communism
may not be "advocated” by the teacher.
Such is the interpretation of a “rider”
appended to the last District appropria
tion bill forbidding the use of public
funds for the teaching of Communism
in the schools. The ruling has been
made for guidance of the Board of
Education by Corporation Counsel Pret
tyman and approved by the Commis
sioners.
Any other policy would be mistaken
and ineffective. It is the verdict of
history that danger to society, as to
the individual citisen, breeds in ig
norance and not in knowledge. To ba
possessed of the truth about anything
is to have power over it, but lack of
knowledge, by the same logic, is a
source of weakness and disability.
Certainly the schools of the Nation’s
Capital should be protected against
misuse by professional advocates of
alien concepts of government. And
they are so safeguarded by act of Con
gress. For that reason, If for no other,
the "rider” was unnecessary, and Mr.
Prettyman in his report reminded the
board of the efficiency of the existing
statute. The objective most to be de
sired is the sane and sensible philosophy
of untrammeled Instruction. An arbi
trary prohibition against all mention
of Communism and its doctrines would
but serve to defeat the ends which the
sponsors of the "rider” appear to have
had in mind. It undoubtedly would
prompt curiosity, stimulate inquiry,
among the pupils of the schools. Thus
it would provide an opportunity for prop
aganda clandestinely circulated from
outside.
A word might be added for the youth
of the city. Those who know the boys
and girls of Washington best have faith
in them. They are not so gullible as
some faint-hearted skeptics might sup
pose. On the contrary, they are just
about as level-headed as their elders.
Communism has no appeal to them.
They believe in private property, de
mocracy and orderly progress and have
no patience with common ownership,
class dictatorship and revolutionary
methods. Mr. Prettyman does not say
that he has consulted any of the young
sters, but it may be that he did. If so,
he can be confident that they will be
able to take care of themselves in the
event of any attempt to deliver them
over to Lenin and Trotsky, to Mussolini
and Hitler. Nor are the teachers them
selves the fanatic radicals that some
would havq us believe.
The fortune that the late E. L. Doheny
made in oil has brought him Into much
current discussion in connection with
financial suspicion. This fact cannot
efface the memories of him as a loyal
friend personally and a man of unswerv
ing philanthropic purposes.
There has been much adventurous
finance in recent affairs—enough to sug
gest that the tool dollar and the com
mon-sense dollar have attempted com
petition.
T. Roosevelt talked about "a square
deal.” It must be assumed that F. D. R.
inferentially includes the same idea
when mentioning a "New Deal.”
4
1 -
When political and military purposes
are analyzed, the Mediterranean Sea be- j
comes the goldfish bowl of the Eastern
Hemisphere.
Cats still figure in reference to N. R. A. i
Most of the old Blue Eagles appear in
rugged poetic fancy as a canary that
has been swallowed.
There is a disposition to get A1 Smith
back to the microphone and allow him
to bring up "raddio" as a new deal in
pronunciation.
One of the town annoyances Is the
man who wants to start a European
war in America without waiting for
word from home.
The human element may be controlled
to some extent in "efficient” plans, but
where man contrives an electric fan
Nature produces a hurricane.
Civilization is to some extent a struggle
with temperatures ranging from equa
torial heat to polar cold.
Mussolini postpones his war on ac
count of weather. Abyssinian Innocent
bystanders will appreciate the rain check.
Shooting Stars.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Casual Comment.
King Solomon's proverbs I read long ago.
His wit is as sharp as a tooth.
And often, in accents respectful and slow,
I'd whisper, "Well, ain't it the truth!”
The Greeks and the Romans with many
a phrase
Have dazzled my studious youth;
With reverence oft on some page I would
gaze
And murmur, “Well, ain’t It the truth!"
At expressions of wisdom we oft get
a glance;
We quickly forget them, in tooth.
It s off to the night clubs and on with
the dance
After saying, "Well, ain't it the truth!”
Avoiding Interruption.
"Do you evfr quarrel with your wife?”
"A little,” admitted Mr. Meekton; "but
never sufficiently to take her mind off
any line of thought that Henrietta con
siders really serious.”
Precious Breath.
A breathing spell 1 shall enjoy.
To hold my breath was hateful.
My loudest lung power 111 employ
To show that I am grateful.
Breakage.
"Why did you break off your engage
ment with that charming gentleman?"
"I didn’t break it off,” said Miss Cay
enne.
“Did he?"
“He Is broke. So am I. So it Just
naturally fell apart.”
“My ancestors were very wise,” said
Hi Ho the sage of Chinatown. “I am
proud of them even though, like so many
ancestors, they left behind many unpaid
taxes.”
Assassin.
The weapon tells in accents plain
The mood of an assassin's brain.
It indicates a sudden course
Apart from honor or remorse.
And as the future is unrolled.
Till all the story has been told,
With pity, still, of one well read
Whp benefits by such a deed.
“Politicians,” said Uncle Eben. “ought
to be de salt of de earth. Dey are
beginin’ to act like dey was de 'sault an*
battery." A
A»
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Murgaret Grrmond.
THE WORSHIPFUL LUCIA. By E. F.
Benson. New York: Doubleday,Doran
dc Co.
If Dame Catherine Winter-Glass had
only lived to a ripe old age instead of
embarking for the pearly gates at the
untimely age of fifty-five, the highly
respectable and ancient village of Tilling
might have sunk into the easy comfort
of its fireside lounging chairs and sur
rendered to the luxurious sense of secur
ity generated by complacent self-satis
faction. Elizabeth Mapp and her ‘‘Benjy
boy" might have honeymooned to the
end of their day, and Mrs. Emmeline
Lucas might never have realized that
her own life had been a particularly
useless affair in a world that needed so
many things to be done for it. Of course,
not one of Lucia’s old admirers will ad
mit this self-estimate of her value to
be true, for they are well acquainted
with her numerous activities and have
a profound belief in her ability for con
tinued interest in the affairs of Tilling.
But to Lucia, in a mood of restrospect
induced by the newspaper obituary, the
contributions she lias made to the wel
fare of mankind seem paltry, and the
death of Dame Catherine Winter-Glass
becomes a matter of personal signifi
cance. For Lucia is rapidly approaching
her fiftieth birthday, and if the sands
of time should run their course for her
at such an unseasonable age there are
only a few years left in which to make
up for the wasted half century. Dame
Winter-Olass had been an especially
generous philanthropist, though her
original fortune was known to have been
small. Lucia determines to become a
philanthropist and to spend the rest of
her life endowing this and that and the
other and making a name for herself
that will insure an equally glowing
obituary for herself when the final cur
tain drops.
rne nrst essential m a career or
philanthropy, however, is money. Lucia
has never engaged seriously In the busi
ness of making a few dollars produce
more dollars, but other people, even
women, have been known to make for
tunes on the stock market, so she decides
to try It. G-old mine stock seems a good
start and, upon the advice of a broker,
she buys. She subscribes to a financial
paper and watches the market. The
news spreads and Elizabeth Mapp and
her Benjy-bov follow Lucia s lead. Diva,
Georgie and nearly all of Tilling'g popu
lation fall into line and invest.
Then the fun begins. Old rivalries
break out. the joyous interchange of
gossip goes on unceasingly and the merry
tale of the complicated social life In the
small English town sparkles along like
a refreshing brook through days and
nights of excitement such as Tilling has
never experienced in its long and honor
able history.
Though the novel takes up again the
familiar characters and scenes of the
earlier Lucia series, the present story is
complete in itself and is just as brimful
of humor, common sense and entertain
ment as if its characteristic collection
of pretentious small-town individuals
were entirely new and the territory
unexplored.
* * * *
“HONOUR. COME BACK-" By Na
omi Jacob. New York: The Macmil
lan Co.
There is enough material in the elastic
subject upon which the story of Michael
Benham is based to make a powerful
novel. That it misses the mark and
sags at the points where it should show
the greatest strength is a matter that
does not altogether spoil the interest that
is naturally aroused in the affairs of
Michael in the beginning of the story,
but it lessens that interest to a consid
erable extent before it reaches the turn
ing point and begins the climb toward
Its logical climax.
The story is not a happy one. Not
any tale of the Oreat War can be. And
the wrecking of the real manhood of
young Michael Benham In the four years
of purposeless slaughter Is all too true
an indictment of the ambitious men
whose lust for conquest drenched the
world with blood. Michael is a symbol
of the souls that were murdered, rather
than an individual character incapable
of adjusting to a war-mad civUization.
Michaels soul was murdered oy ins
father, a stalwart son of England to
whom soldiery was the highest and the
only profession which a man should
adopt as a career, and to whom war was
the most glorious experience of life. Bill,
his oldest son. Inherited his father’s zest
for the service. But Michael's tempera
ment, finer sensibilities and tastes were
of a different order. He wanted to be
a fruit grower. Prom early childhood
his father belittled his character, con
demned him as a mollycoddle and hated
him furiously because he lacked military
enthusiasm. Thus cowed into inferiority,
the lad began to feel himself a coward
and later to believe himself to be one.
At fifteen he was forced by his father s
scorn to leave school and enter the
service.
The murdering of a soul is. unfortunate
ly. not as a rule completed In one opera
tion. Michael's soul was murdered many
times- during the four years of horror
through which he forced his body in an
effort to prove himself the sort of
man his father wanted him to be, while
In his mind he knew that no heroic
achievement could give him a belief in
Its glory. And this novel Is the story
of a truly brave and valiant English
led, struggling through a mental hell
worse than that which prevailed In the
trenches, and endeavoring each inch of
the way to save others from suffering
the pain which he can himself endure
but cannot witness.
Michael eventually escapes from the
tortures of his childhood and the scars
of war, but the fruit trees that bloom
for him are not those of his own estates
or even of his own country. Honor is
something to hold dear and to guard
with life itself—but who shall judge of
what material honor is made?
Naomi Jacob has a natural gift for
crisp, concise story telling. She has
gone astray and written a slow-moving
narrative, heavy in spots, but interest
ing, nevertheless, and convincing in its
interpretation of the Immature mind of
the world's youth when disaster over
whelmed and destroyed It.
Boosting the Paper Industry.
Prom theDtnville HIM Commerclal-Newr
Belgian paper-making industry is
prospering. Which is understandable in
view of the rate at which treaties are
being turned into confetti.
That Smoke Nuisance Again!
From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.
Mellon Institute says industrial smoke
seriously hampers airport operation. It
may become necessary to put the flying
fields underground.
An Answer to Prayer?
From the Watertown (N. Y.) Times.
The New Dealers are probably just
calling the setback in Rhode Island an
act of Providence.
A Correct Definition.
From the Kalamazoo Gazette.
A lobbyist is a man who goes to Wash
ington to get something or other he Is
not entitled to and ought not tottiave. •
THIS AND THAT I
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
■. . .
Fall planting, so widely advocated, has
one thing against it—one simply Is not
in the gardening mood.
Perhaps the average amateur horti
culturist is not enough of an enthusiast,
after all, to stand the strain too many
months at a stretch.
There is no doubt that the heat of
Summer wilts more than collars.
By the time Autumn is here a great
deal of the aest of the gardening year
has evaporated.
The gardening year, the outdoor gar
dening year, is over.
Hence it is but natural for many to
feel that they are done with the sport,
occupation, avocation, what you will,
until Spring.
* * * *
This is a natural thought, and, all in
all. a good one.
The great American fault is over
doing. As a nation, we run everything
into the ground, with the exception of
the automobile, which we generally run
into the telephone pole.
Gardening, as practised by the city or
suburban gardener, is protected by great
Nature herself from the national vice.
Annual enthusiasm seems to run out
with the annual flowers.
The basic love remains, but an honest
desire has come for rest, for freedom
Irom garden thought, even.
I,er. it be so.
* * * *
Yet for him or her who simply will not
give over, in a gardening sense, a great
deal remains that may be done from
now on.
Those who are in the business of sell
ing plant materials urge Fall planting,
partly for a selfish reason of their own—
that it keeps them busy at a time which
would otherwise be dull.
Also, in urging Autumn garden work,
they no doubt are right, which is more
to the point of the average gardener.
Granting that one overcomes the nat
ural urge for inertia, which comes to
many after the garden Summer, there is
much work that can and some that must
be done before Christmas.
Narcissus and iris, for instance, are
best planted during September.
Tulips and many other Spring-flower
ing bulbs go into the ground best in
October, or even November, so long as
it is before severe frost.
September is an ideal time for setting
out peonies. In putting the roots into
the ground, remember that too-deep
planting is the greatest single reason for
peonies failing to bloom.
Shallow planting, not more than 2
inches deep, is best for peonies
Iris rhizomes should be planted shal
low, likewise.
* * * *
A Nation-wide movement toward Fall
planting of roses goes ahead unchecked.
They should not be put into the
ground until dormant, however, which
means not until October or November.
Many persons especially dislike moving
roses at this time of year. They seem
to feel that a great deal of the pleasure
goes out of rose growing so.
Surely there is something in their
attitude.
Who that has planted his first rose
bushes in some lovely Spring, unwrap
ping the plants, putting them into the
still-cold soil, watching the first leaves
unfold, tending them as if they were
fragile, will ever admit that Fall plant
ing can give a like thrill?
The great wait between planting in
Fall and the first blooms in June is
___.
almost too much lor the rose enthusi
ast, at least of the amateur variety.
He will admit that the Fall-planted
bushes get a great start in the Spring,
but he believes that Spring-planted ones
soon overcome the handicap.
At any rate, he prefers Spring for
rose planting, and who can blame him?
* * * *
Newcomers to the home garden game,
of whom there are several thousands
every year In every great city, some of
them in Autumn, must particularly keep
in mind the fact that if they would
have tulips In their yard next Spring
they must plant the bulbs now.
As late as October, or even November,
will do tor the planitng of the tulip,
narcissus, grape hyacinth, crocus, hya
cinth, and all the other bright flowers
called ‘‘Dutch bulbs” but beloved the
world around.
Planting depths for all of these are
easily learned and should be adhered
to in all cases. Bulbs of the tiny grape
hyacinth will throw up leaves if planted
now, and those already in the ground
from last season will do the same. They
are making new bulbs for next year.
Tulip breeding, long an art. has been
rejuvenated in recent years. Many new
sorts are coming on the market and
many older types temporarily are in
eclipse.
One should he careful, in ordering
tulips, to know exactly what one is j
getting. Careful check should be kept j
on colors, so that if bulbs ordered and !
planted this Fall do not bloom true next ,
Spring one may buy from a different
tulip house next time. There is nothing
in gardening more disappointing than
getting tulips which do not bloom as
one anticipated.
In case we do not have a severe Fall,
and hard freezes do not come until later
in December, that month may be util
ized in putting tulip bulbs into the
ground. It is not the best month, by
any means, but it will do, in a pinch, if
the ground is workable.
* * * *
Experts advise the planting of wild
flowers, evergreens, many lilies and grass
in the Autumn, as well as the horticul
tural materials already named.
Lawn making at this season, for real j
success, depends upon these things: An
early start, good seed and a fair amount
of warmth, with adequate rains.
Hence the last week in August, and
the first two in September, are perhaps ;
the best for beginning a new lawn, or re- |
making an old one. although the excep- ;
tionallv long rains of last week were a |
little more than new grass would have j
desired.
Care must be taken, in planting wild
flowers. to get them deep enough. Dog
toothed violets, for Instance, ought to
go about 6 inches deep, not just 1 or 2
1 inches, as one might think from their
size. Failure of much material of this
sort to bloom in the Spring often is \
due to too shallow planting, rather
than the reverse.
A few of the lily bulbs are not avail
j able until cold weather sets in. These j
; should be planted as soon as received
I from shippers.
‘ As for evergreens, if planted in the
Fall they should be given a copious
watering at the time of setting out. and
the earth kept moist around their roots j
and as far down as possible for at least I
three weeks. It also is highly impor
i tant, in such cases, to make sure that
they go into the Winter well wetted
■ down.
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
Bl' FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE.
With the record of three Presidents
of the United States killed by assassina
tion the American people are filled with
traditional abhorrence of political mur
der. no matter what the incentive or
who the victim may be. Even though
his enemies were innumerable, no one In
Washington condones the crime which
cost Huey Long his life. In branding
as "un-American” the "spirit of vio
lence" in which it was committed. Presi
dent Roosevelt expressed the view
echoed through the Capital. The Louis
anan will be tremendously missed in the
Senate. The galleries particularly will
deplore his disappearance. He had come
to be far and away the most magnetic
drawing card in Congress. Advance an
nouncement that he was to perform
meant standing room only. Senator
Long was unquestionably the most
feared antagonist on either side of the
aisle. Ruthless, resolute and resource
ful. not many knew the tricks of the
parliamentary trade as well as he, and
he was seldom at a loss how to turn
a rapid-fire situation to his own advan
tage. Because of his rough and tumble
skill, few members ventured to tangle
themselves with him. Robinson of
Arkansas, Tydings of Maryland and
Glass of Virginia were always ready to
take Huey on. and he generally found
them more than a match,
* * * *
Long never gave an abler account of
himself than at the Democratic Na
tional Convention in Chicago, when he
overwhelmed the opposition to the seat
ing of his delegation. Armed with a
wealth of facts and arguments, he con
ducted his defense with the shrewdness
of a brilliant trial lawyer. When his
presentation was ended, the anti-Long
case was demolished. Remembering his
triumph on that occasion, more than
one Rooseveltlan trembled at the pros
pect of the forked lightning Long might
throw through the 1936 convention.
Hated and feared as he was. political
friend and foe are agreed that in Huey's
passing American public life loses one
of its most colorful and potent figures.
That he was growing in stature and
mass popularity was no longer denied.
Few believed that Long would have
proved a real peril to F. D. R. next year,
but that he would have been a thorn in
the Democratic side was generally con
ceded. On nearly all hands the view it
voiced that one of the principal menaces
to Roosevelt's re-election has now been
removed.
* * * *
Trustees of the Edison Electric insti
tute. which represents the bulk of the
power industry, planned to meet this
week and decide upon a course of action
with respect to the recently enacted pub
lic utility law. There are apparently
two schools of thought. Some author
ities favor seeking such changes in the
law as will make it, from the utilities
standpoint, a more workable regulatory
measure. Others think relief will come
only through the courts’ holding that
the law is unconstitutional in Its entirety.
To that end it is understood that utility
lawyers are now making a survey with
a view to discovering a situation within
the industry which would provide a
clear-cut court case,
* * * *
Against Senator Borah’s eligibility for
a presidential nomination, his record as
a prohibitionist is frequently urged.
Some of the Idahoan’s supporters ad
vance the theory that his dryness would
In fact be an asset in that section of
the country, the Midwest, which prom
ises to be the battleground next year.
Despite repeal, they clalftt that Borah’s
undeviating stand on liquor would be a
vote-getter in exactly those regions
which the Republicans will have to carry’
j If they are to beat Roosevelt. The latest t
j suggested ticket is an ideal geographical
combination of Borah for President and
Gov. Hoffman of New Jersey for Vice
President.
* * * *
Last night’s concert at the Pan-Amer- j
ican Union was the seventy-sixth of a I
series which began in 1924. The pro- j
gram included a medley of Colombian
airs dedicated by the Colombian com- j
poser, Emilio Murillo, to Franklin P. !
Adams, former counselor of the Union. ;
Mr. Adams originated the concerts, |
which have become a feature of Wash
ington artistic life and an effective j
molder of Pan-American fraternity.
Given alternately in the famous Aztec
Garden and in the Hall of the Americas,
the concerts are broadcast by short wave
to Central and South America. They
feature Latin American artists and com
positions. The Army. Navy and Marine
Bands regularly participate In the pro
grams.
y y y y
This September's Friday, the 13th. i
marks the 75th birthday anniversary of j
Gen. John J. Pershing. The veteran !
i commander of the A. E. F. is spending \
the late Summer, as usual, in Paris, in
connection with his duties as chairman
of the American Battle Monuments 1
Commission. Under his supervision eight
memorial chapels have been erected In
American military cemeteries in France,
Belgium and England, in addition to 11
monuments on the principal American
battlefields and at certain headquarters .
bases “over there.” Monuments at Brest
and Gibraltar are tributes to the achieve
ments of the Navy in World War waters, j
Gen. Pershing, thanks to his determina
tion to live quietly and dodge hero wor
shiping, remains in excellent health. In
French towns liberated by victorious
American troops “Pershing oaks” will
be planted on his birth date.
American peace advocates are liberally
represented among the 500 or 600 ardent
internationalists now gathered at Geneva
for the purpose of goading the League
of Nations into something resembling
action in the Italo-Ethiopian crisis.
Along with Senator Pope, Democrat, of
Idaho the Yankee contingent includes a
well-known member of the Wilson ad
ministration. former Assistant Secretary
of Agriculture Carl Schurz Vrooman of
Illinois.
* * * a
Col. Hanford MacNider's recent on
slaught against the New Deal revives
honorable mention of the former Amer
ican Legion national commander, As
sistant Secretary of War and Minister
to Canada as a G. O. P. presidential
possibility. The young Iowan has long
been considered White House timber by
his World War cronies and is especially
popular with his A. E. P. buddies of the
2d Division, who are dedicating a na
tional memorial in Washington this week.
Geographically and politically, Mac
Nider’s admirers believe he possesses cer
tain qualities that clothe him with a
distinct dark-horse chance in the 1936
convention. What his brother Hawkeye,
Senator Dickinson, thinks about that Is
something else again.
(Coprricbt. 1935.)
Needless Worries.
From the Worcester (M«s»> Iren In* OstettC.
According to a psychologist, 92 per cent
of our worries are needless. Which 92
per cent, please?
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
_ e
By Frederic J. Haskin.
A reader can get the answer to any
question of fact by writing The Washing
ton Evening Star Information Bureau,
Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing
ton, D.C, Please inclose stamp for reply.
Q How much cement will be Used
in building the Grand Coulee Dam?
—S. B.
A. About 10,000,000 barrels.
Q. Is it hard to learn to play kettle
drums?—N. A.
A. The Etude says that the art of
playing the tympani is not easily mas
tered. They are as difficult to play
as the violin. A person should first
be a fair pianist, then learn to play
snare drum, bass drum, traps, cymbals,
bells and the xylophone. Then he begins
on kettledrums. He must learn to tune
bv hand or pedal, to roll, leam pedal
effects, gllssandos and double rolling.
He must also have absolute pitch.
Q. How can books be printed on India
paper when writing seems to soak
through the paper?—R. D. B.
A. Printing ink is made differently
and remains to a great extent on the
surface, while writing ink is usually
fluid and sinks into so thin a paper.
Q. What is the origin of the expres
sion, “going the whole hog”?—J. W. V.
A. It is believed to have originated
in the slang use of the word hog, mean
ing a ducat in Jewish, or one shilling
in medieval English.
Q. What is the troposphere?—F. C.
A. It is that portion of the atmosphere
lying below the stratosphere or iso
thermal layer and within which the
convictive disturbances are confined. It
is also known as the convictive region,
a term first applied to it by Teisserenc
de Bort.
Q. Who Invented the vacuum cleaner?
—G. 8. F.
A. David T. Kenney of New York is
credited with installing the first pure
vacuum system in 1902 and about 1905
Dr. William Noe of San Francisco con
structed the first portable vacuum
cleaner.
Q What is the difference between a
“patent pending” and "patent applied
for"?—M. B
A. They have practically the same
meaning. Each indicates that the In
ventor has started negotiations toward
procuring a patent.
Q What is the meaning of alcazar?
—E. M.
A. This is the name applied to various
Moorish palaces in Spain. Originally
constructed as forts, they are never
theless chiefly noted for their decorative
work and arcaded courts. The alcazar
of Seville, built in the fourteenth cen
tury on the site of a Moorish citadel of
1181 and restored in 1624 and 1857, is
one of the most famous.
Q. In which of the national parks ara
the most geysers found?—S. A.
A. There are more geysers in the
Yellowstone than in all the rest of the
world together.
Q Is the apricot a native fruit of
England?—A. B.
A. It is a native fruit of the countries
east of China and Japan. Brought from
Asia Minor, it was first introduced into
England by Richard Harris, a fruiterer
to King Henry VIII in 1540.
Q When were vigilantes first organ
ized in this country?—H. P.
A. The term has been applied in this
country to any self-constituted judicial
body occasionally organized in the
Western frontier districts for the pro
tection of life and property. The first
group of prominence bearing the name
was organized in San Francisco In June.
1851, when the crimes of desperadoes
who had immigrated to the gold fields
were rapidly increasing in number.
Q. What are the Twelve Tables?—C. H.
A. They are the earliest code of Roman
law', civil and criminal and religious,
made by the decemvirs in 451-449 B.C.
The original bronze tablets on which
the laws were written are believed to
have perished in the sack of Rome by
the Gauls in 390 B.C. Copies of them
stood in the forum in the second cen
tury AD.
Q. What postmaster in the United
States has had the longest record of
service?—C. L. B.
A. Mr. Roswell Beardsley served the
longest of any postmaster in the history
of the postal service. He was appointed
postmaster at North Lansing, N. Y., June
28. 1828. and served continuously until
the day of his death, January 6, 1903.
Q Who built the Trianon In the
Park of Versailles?—H. G.
A. The Grand Trianon was built in
1685 by Louis XIV. for Mme. de Main
tenon. The Petit Trianon was built by
Louis XV in 1766 for Mme. du Barry.
Q What was accomplished by Ad
miral Byrd's second expedition to the
Antarctic?—M. M.
A. Among the accomplishments of the
expedition may be mentioned the fact
that the explorers proved by ship and
airplane that the unmapped space north
of the 75th parallel, between the 130th
and 160th meridians west, is a part of
the Pacific Ocean. They spent 800 hours
studying cosmic rays 2.000 miles farther
south than ever before. In astronomy,
thanks to the clearness of the atmos
phere. they did remarkable work on
meteors, seeing on an average one a
second. They traced the Edsel Ford
Mountain Range for hundreds of miles,
settling In the affirmative the question
whether Antarctica is a single mass.
Q. What will remove grease spots made
by hair oil on upholstered furniture?
—C. O. L.
A. They may usually be removed by
applying carbon tetrachloride.
Q. What is flame made of?—S. O.
A. A simple flame, as that of a candle,
consists of a luminous envelope sur
rounding a body of unbumed vapor and
itself surrounded by an invisible layer of
gases produced by the burning.
A Rhyme at Twilight
By
Gertrude Brooke Hamilton
Autumnal Weather
The tang of frost and scent of hall—
Then rain.
At first, like drift* of mist or dew
From skies that let no sunlight thru.
Cross-currents in the aesty air,
Then tonWnts falling everywhere;
Heavens emptying like a pan,
Sheltering trees of no avail;
We two out on the open trail—
^ In ralnl *