Evening star. [volume], August 09, 1939, Page A-8, Image 8

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With Sunday Morning Edition.
THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
WEDNESDAY_August 9, 1939
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Means to an End
President Roosevelt, in asserting
that the final objective of his court
reorganization plan has been reached,
made the following remarkable state
ment: “The country is naturally con
cerned with the attainment of proper
objectives, rather than any one of
many possible methods for the ac
complishment of the end.”
Since that observation was con
tained in a prepared statement, it is
only reasonable to suppose that the
President had considered his choice
of language and meant what he said.
If that assumption is correct, the
statement is indeed a significant one
—not because it is a correct analysis
of the public's attitude but for what
it reveals of Mr. Roosevelt’s point of
view.
In effect, the President is contend
ing that, given what he considers to
be a worthy objective, the public will
support him in any means he may
use to attain it. That would be a dan
gerous brand of thinking if founded
in fact, and it is even more so when
the conclusion is demonstrably in
error.
Mr. Roosevelt should know by now
that the public is concerned with his
choice of methods in seeking objec
tives he believes to be proper. Up to
the time of the introduction of the
bill to enlarge the Supreme Court he
had enjoyed a degree of power and
prestige denied to most Presidents.
But when the people realized that his
basic purpose in that measure was to
reverse the trend of judicial rulings
by appointing men to the court who
might be expected to decide constitu
tional questions as the President
thought they ought to be decided,
thereby overruling the conservative
majority then on the bench, the
“court enlargement” feature of his
program was emphatically rejected,
principally as a result of opposition
from loyal members of his own party.
And the force of that rebuke to the
President is not minimized, as Mr.
Roosevelt seems to believe, by the
fact that the court has since adopted
a more liberal attitude toward the
Constitution, for this change in judi
cial thinking has come about through
retirements and new appointments,
the manner in which judicial out
looks always have been altered in this
country, and not through the subju
gation of the judiciary to the will of
the executive . It seems almost in
credible that Mr. Roosevelt should be
oblivious to this fact—that it was the
method by which he sought to secure
a more liberal interpretation of the
Constitution and not the objective
itself that aroused most of the oppo
sition to his bill.
lo a large extent the same thing
was true of the adverse sentiment
aroused by the President’s ill-fated
effort to “purge” his party of Demo
crats who did not think as he thought
they ought to think. A majority of
the voters simply refused to sanction
the dubious method he pursued in
that unwise adventure.
Mr. Roosevelt’s party today is torn
by the bitterest sort of internal dis
sension. And only a few months ago
he could count on its almost auto
matic support of his program. To
some degree the revolt which has
spread among the rank and file is
attributable to dissatisfaction at this
time with New Deal objectives, but
to a far greater extent it can be
traced to the President’s past refusal
to recognize the fact that the end
does not always justify the means.
And if Mr. Roosevelt continues to
concentrate his attention on objec
tives, while closing his eyes to good
as against bad methods, he wall have
little, if any, chance of regaining his
lost leadership.
Poor Judgment
Government employes, with other
citizens, should be given every oppor
tunity to contribute to the fund
which is being raised in connection
with the library at Hyde Park as a
repository for the President’s papers.
But the manner chosen to solicit
employes at the Department of Agri
culture for contributions is ill-ad
vised and raises a question of pro
priety which will tend to injure, in
stead of help, the completion of the
Hyde Park project.
The official who frankly assumed
responsibility for the letter and who
acted in good faith in suggesting the
solicitation by letters to employes,
explains that the procedure does not
differ from that followed, for in
stance, in asking funds for the sym
phony orchestra.
But there is a great deal of differ
ence. The President himself acknowl
edged it when he placed the matter
of raising the funds in the hands of
a committee and divorced himself
entirely from the money campaign.
He set an example which should be
followed, and which he no doubt
thought would be followed, by all
members of his official family. For
while the President acts as a private
citizen in donating land and money
to the Nation for the Hyde Park
library, he remains the President to
the employes who are asked, by their
superiors, to contribute and to mail
their checks to the boss’ office.
The incident reflects nothing more
serious than questionable judgment
on the part of Department of Agri
culture executives, who will doubt
less realize the dangers of confusing,
in the minds of Government em
ployes, the Hyde Park library project
with such past fund solicitations as
the “invitations” to the Jackson Day
$100-per-plate dinners, "invitations”
which conveyed to those addressed a
subtle suggestion stronger than any
appeal to appetite for food and
oratory.
Landlords and Tenants
Announcement by the judges of
the Municipal Court that they have
decided to institute several reforms
in the procedure of the Landlord and
Tenant branch is an important step
in the right direction. The judges,
it was stated, have arranged to do
away with the requirement that liti
gants must file a written answer,
plea, affidavit or other defense,
thereby making it possible for a
defendant to walk into the court
room, with or without an attorney,
and state his defense verbally.
This simplification will tend to
eliminate the formality which has
characterized cases of this kind in
the past and should insure a greater
measure of justice for those involved
in housing disputes. The change is
in line with the policy that has been
adopted in the Small Claims Court,
an experiment in simplifying the
judicial processes which has enjoyed
a marked degree of success.
There is one feature of landlord
and tenant procedure which merits
further consideration, however, and
which probably will be studied by
the judges this week. That concerns
the time at which such cases are to
be heard. In the past, only half an
hour in the mornings has been
allotted for landlord and tenant
matters. Under the changes an
nounced Saturday, the time has been
extended to one hour. But with an
average of 4.000 cases being heard
each month, even an hour each
court day hardly can afford time
for adequate consideration of the
disputes. With the adoption of in
formal procedure it is to be expected
that more litigants actually will
prosecute and defend claims, thus
demanding more time of the court.
It would seem that the only real
solution is for the judges to set land
lord and tenant matters down for
hearing in the afternoons, when the
judge sitting in those cases will not
be obliged to leave the bench at 10
or 10:30 o’clock to take over duties
in another court, as is now the
practice.
The Next Step
On the eve of adjournment the
Senate Civil Service Committee
approved a sequel to the Hatch law,
designed to prohibit active political
campaigning by State employes paid
in part from Federal funds.
No one who believes in the Hatch
law, barring Federal employes from
active participation in campaigns,
logically can oppose the supplemental
measure now advocated by Senator
Neely of West Virginia.
There probably is no legal ground
on which the National Government
could attempt to regulate the conduct
of State employes as a whole, but
Uncle Sam surely has the right to
place restrictions on the activities
of employes paid from Federal funds.
In view of the expansion of Federal
aid functions in recent y»ears, such a
ban would affect a large proportion
of the employes of the forty-eight
States.
Thousands of State workers derive
part of their compensation from
Federal funds for highways, social
security and similar joint under
takings. And, the fact that gov
ernors, mayors and other State or
local officials frequently are aspirants
for seats in Congress or other
national offices gives weight to the
Neely bill.
It cannot well be argued that a
Federal employe must refrain from
helping a national office holder to
seek re-election, while State employes
are free to get out and work for one
of their superior officers, running
for the same office.
There are many who sincerely
believe the Hatch law and the Neely
bill go too far in restricting the
political rights of citizens who work
for the Federal or State governments.
These laws should never be carried
to the extent of preventing a public
employe from expressing his indi
vidual opinion, or from exercising his
right to vote as his conscience dic
tates on election day.
In the end it will be to the advan
tage of those on Government pay
rolls if the law protects them from
being called on to assist this or that
candidate. As a corollary to the
Hatch law, however, Congress at the
next session also should consider
extending the merit system of
appointment to cover as many as
possible of the jobs heretofore
regarded as patronage appointments.
Application of civil service rules to
postmasters recently has been made
more complete. Every effort should
be made to work out a merit system
of appointment for many other
K
positions that still fall in the cate
gory of party patronage. If incum
bents of all Government jobs, except
those of a policy-making nature, are
to be barred from political activity,
they should in future be accorded
the protection of civil service rules.
Members of Congress themselves no
doubt would find their lot a hap
pier one if patronage were reduced
to a minimum. For every patronage
job open, there are apt to be two
three or a dozen aspirants. Try as
he may to recommend the most
deserving applicant, the member
faces the prospect of disappointing
all the others. Abraham Lincoln
once declared that he made several
enemies every time he appointed an
applicant to a Federal job.
The Neely bill has gone over for
consideration at the next session.
Its details should be studied carefully
to see that it does not go too far,
but, in principle, it fits in logically
with the Hatch law.
1940 Mathematics
Though the national election of
1940 is fifteen months distant, a
considerable number of citizens again
have resorted to the pastime of
political arithmetic. Supposing Pres
ident Roosevelt should decide to be
a candidate for a third term, what
would be the result in terms of popu
lar support, States carried, votes in
the Electoral College? On the other
hand, what showing would a Repub
lican rival be obliged to make in
order to defeat him? These are
questions which many people are
asking.
But there can be no definite
answers. Nobody knows specifically
how political currents are running.
In 1936 Republican aspirants in 24
States, exclusive of all Southern
States except Georgia, received 40.1
per cent of the total vote cast; in
1938 the figure rose to 51.5 per cent.
Tho PrnciHiinl mnn __
- — -- ” » » v iu uo u I v l
Governor Landon in every State ex
cept Maine and Vermont. Two years
later his party lost contests for the
seats of 23 Senators, 170 Representa
tives and 18 Governors. It also is fair
to mention that New Deal Democrats
won by only a narrow margin in
more than a few other battles—New
York, Iowa and Indiana most
notably.
Mr. Roosevelt, however, admittedly
is more popular than any of his
followers. His plurality in 1932 was,
roughly, 7,000.000; in 1936, more than
10.000.000. Friends of the President
argue that he could lose half of the
latter figure and still win. They
logically might insist that he could
achieve his goal with an advantage
of a mere hundred thousand votes,
providing that they were scattered
in the “right” places. For example,
he could have afided both Vermont
and Maine to his list in 1936 by the
alteration of about 30,000 ballots.
But Mr. Roosevelt also might go
down to defeat by reason of the
switching of a scant fraction in
1940. Supposing that the electorate
reaches 47,000,000 by election day
next year, he would require all of
the so-called “solid” South and the
"radical” West, plus a share of the
Electoral College strength of Colo
rado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa,
Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Mich
igan, Minnesota, New Hampshire,
Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Dakota, Vermont,
Wisconsin and Wyoming—187 votes—
now7 held by Republicans. Of course,
it is possible that he might sweep
every one of the “doubtful” Common
wealths. His foes think not. It
remains to be seen if they are right.
Happy Ending
This tale concerns a party of seven
who hired a motor boat and w7ent
fishing on the Chesapeake, without
a great deal of luck, a phenomenon
that amazed the skipper. In all his
umpsteen years of experience on the
bay he said he had never seen the
like of it. The day before, he had
had to shovel fish overboard to keep
his craft from sinking; he predicted
a similar result for tomorrow, but
today was one of those unfortunate
miracles that occur once a century.
During this recording, the needle
never hesitated nor slipped a groove,
which shows that practice makes
perfect.
rjveiy nuw <inu uien—uiuauy eveiy
then—some one would hook a mon
ster. During the titanic struggle that
ensued, tragedy invariably struck. In
handling such huge creatures much
skill had to be used, and it was
necessary to play them for some time
before landing, as it would have been
quite impossible to bring in these
whales without first wearing them
down. This was accomplished so
successfully that everything taken
into the boat, with one exception,
was worn down to six inches in
length and six ounces in weight.
The exception was a large clump of
oysters, which put up as good a fight
as anything else taken in that day,
if one excludes from that category
seven fishermen who were hooked
for sixteen dollars.
The hero of the party, however,
must have lived right. In collecting
his paraphernalia to take home, he
accidentally included all the unused
bait, consisting of Louisiana jumbo
shrimp. Drawing on past experience
and his imagination, on the trip back
he spent his time in concocting an
alibi, which was never used. One
look at the, shrimp was enough.
Amid delighted exclamations from
the whole family, cookbooks were
consulted and water put on to boil.
The bait was cooked and unanimous
ly voted absolutely delicious. The
fisherman was slightly dazed, but
rallied nobly. In spite of a total lack
of training in politics, some instinct
came to his aid. Nonchalantly he
remarked: “I planned it that way."
L
Anticipates Failure of
German Propaganda
Clear Thinking Held Antidote
For Efforts of Alien
Agitators
By 'William Mann.
When Senator Borah said recently,
“We are not operating under Hitler,”
he expressed a sentiment that meets
with the grim approval of all loyal
Americans, however much some may
regret the circumstances under which
the declaration was made. The sincere
and scholarly statesman made the state
ment in the heat of discussion, and
possibly regrets it now himself. One
may well ask, however, what springs
of thought, subconscious perhaps, could
have prompted a liberal like Senator
Borah to say such a thing to a liberal
like President Roosevelt. The hypothesis
that the Senator was merely taking a
not very indirect slap at the President
for asking repeal of the Neutrality Act
of 1937 we reject with more than mod
erate horror. Surely not! And yet a
man as serious as Senator Borah does
not say such things lightly.
What are the facts? Is Hitleristic
“philosophy” gaining ground in America?
It would be strange if no ground at all
were gained when one considers the large
and continuous streams of foreign radio
and gratuitous printed matter being
directed toward these shores. Under
modern “peacetime” conditions a Nation
like ours can no more prevent the en
trance of organized and subsidized ide
ologies than the Nazis can wholly pre
vent the subterranean whisperings and
handbills that annoy them so much. In
fact, we don’t even try. From this the
Nazis are prone to credit themselves with
an immoderate degree of success.
But are there really signs that Nazi
emanations are taking effect here? There
are some shadows on our horizon, not
big enough to be alarmed about, but
still too definite to ignore altogether.
The great bulk of Americans remain
pretty nearly untouched by the strenuous
Nazi short-wave radio programs which
bombard us nightly and by the pam
pmets wmcn are snippect in irom me
same source. Even the German com
munities scattered over the United States
remain, on the whole, aloof from a doc
trine that is fundamentally as un-Ger
man as it is un-American. The most
influential German language papers here
are definitely opposed to Nazi excesses.
The followers of Fritz Kuhn are rela
tively negligible in number; an exceed
ingly noisy minority which has lost the
struggle to take possession of the old
line German singing and benevolent so
cieties. Without subsidies the movement
would probably collapse altogether.
It must be remembered, however, that
there are many people who present only
nominal "sales resistance" to hysterical
or even terroristic propaganda. Most of
these won’t do any thing to help it
along, neither will they take active steps
to stop it. Many even like to know
something's going on, because it's safely
exciting; while ordinary life is pretty
humdrum. They don't object very much
to anything aggressive people do.
There is another susceptible group
which succeeds in combining an admit
tedly poor set of nerves and a perpetu
ally sour stomach with great pride in
their "blood.” These ready dupes of
racial propaganda begin with the modest
assumption that they are the most val
uable section of the population. They
spend a considerable part of their waking
time worrying about aliens, and Just
as they magnify their own importance,
they belittle the contributions of others
to the development of American life.
These are potential arm-raisers, but they
are mostly not vicious.
Worst of all is the small group of
criminally minded persons, ordinarily
submerged by the heavy hand of the
law, who have a fierce and abiding aver
sion to ordinary pursuits, and enter ex
tremist political organizations from the
reasoned view that it is a good racket.
The non-uniformed variety are Known
the world over as gangsters. The beat
ings, torturings, pogroms and mass exe
cutions required to maintain totalitarian
control over a country are the work
of this group. Of course, they are a
minority everywhere, but when armed
with official sanction a few thousands
of these brutes are enough to terrorize
a nation of many millions. It must be
remembered that most political over
turns are engineered by a minority,
though not generally of this type.
The work of this element explains a
European phenomenon which has long
puzzled many observers. How does one
account for the sudden local changes
of European mores? How is it possible,
for instance, to turn the noble land of
Goethe, Schuler and Mommsen so quick
ly into a cultural shambles? The lads
under discussion provide the answer.
They are the ones who can turn a
tolerant democratic country into an in
tolerant despotism almost overnight. Let
the new authorities provide them with
weapons, promise no police interference
and unleash them on the helpless popu
lation, and the thing is done. The re
verse change takes place when still
newer authorities order the police to take
up their normal duties. The great mass
of the population, having never left
normal activities, continue to go about
their work in the same old way.
Nazi influence can be plainly seen in
the tirades of a certain radio orator
whose sophistries and their sources have
been rather fully exposed. There are
submerged mutterings among one or
two Congressmen who have been proper
ly rebuked by their colleagues on the
floor. Proposals to establish concentra
tion camps in the United States and
to withold from aliens the benefits of
security pensions for which they have
paid would hardly be considered if we
had not learned such doings from
abroad. There are proposals to stop im
migration altogether at a time when the
European edifice is literally afire, apd
there is particular need to be humane.
Even after all due respect to our difficult
domestic situation is given, it seems
hardly likely that such a proposal would
be entertained if Hitlerism’s deadly cal
lousing effect had not first inured us to
the interminable sufferings of others.
The lawlessness of Hitlerism has a
law of its own, a sort of Gresham's law,
whereby what is bad tends to drive out
what is good in human intercourse.
Nations adjacent to a dictatorship feel
impelled to adopt similar methods, some
times not from badness of heart, but
merely in self-defense. The United
States is not adjacent, however. We
have little to fear from direct physical
Invasion. And so long as we have honest
K
)
leaders like Roosevelt and Borah to safe
guard our liberties there is no chance
that we will “operate under Hitler.” The
danger ccmes in when these two ex
cellent types of democratic statesmen
argue so heatedly over minor differences
about steering the ship of state that they
overlook the stealthy political termites
boring away at the ship's bottom.
I
THIS AND THAT
By Charles E. Tracewell.
Zinnias and marigolds are now in their
stride.
Not a very startling statement, this,
but a satisfactory one to the gardening
mind.
Here are old standby plants, which
require neither spraying nor fertilizing,
yet deliver the floral goods in any yard.
Sometimes the plant lover fails to give
credit where credit is due. He concen
trates on the things of difficult growth,
hoping that he may have something to
brag about when the time comes.
When it does, the person he wanted
to brag to is away at the seashore, or
stepping over rattlesnakes in the moun
tains.
* * * *
In the meantime, in his garden, all
the old favorites are going right ahead.
There is the althea bush, strong and
leafy, now bursting into cup-shaped
blossoms of cerise, lavender and white.
Favorites of bees and boys, these, fa
vorites of all persons sensible enough to
admire the ordinary everyday good
things of this life. So many persons do
not. They must imagine themselves
sophisticated, and demand the unusual,
when all the time the usual is quite
as good.
Old favorites, like the bleeding heart,
whose scientific name is like a caress.
Strange how the genus navies of flowers
are so common—geranium, for instance,
everybody uses it, yet many who pro
nounce it properly would be quite horri
fied to realize they are speaking impec
cable Latin.
* * * *
Commoner than the common names of
flowers are the common names, country
names, as the English call them, of the
birds. Often the common names of
our songsters are the only ones known
to even ardent bird lovers, whereas a
great many friends of flowers know the
scientific names of many of their fa
vorites.
Foxglove, let us say, is enough. Why
know that this plant has a very fine
scientific name, one which immediately
strikes home as the name of a well
knowm heart stimulant?
Many persons who speak familiarly of
the redbird and know it by no other
name, still know that Virginia snake
root is called serpentaria.
* * * *
The common names of our garden
favorites are the best loved names, after
all. They recall the very odor and color,
almost, if you are sensitive to such
things.
Roses and daisies and hollyhocks, iris
and forget-me-nots and larkspur
Canterbury bells and asters, lilacs and
poppies
Tulip and pink and lily-of-the-val
ley
How fortunate that they are so lovely
to say, to hear, to dwell on the Ups and
in the mind, to flame caressingly, colors
lighting the inner skies of the heart.
* * * *
Zinnias and marigolds
The former a common name through
usage, though in reality the name of a
German botanist with "la" added.
Herr Dr. Zinn of Gottingen, early 18th
century, never dreamed that his name
would become a floral caress or. the lips
of millions of flower lovers.
Zinnia, a pretty word, indeed, good
for a good flower, growing better all
the time.
Modern hybridizers would please, butf
not surprise, old Dr. Zinn.
He knew, evidently, that the original
stiff, ugly flower had a great deal in
it, whether he could have foreseen the
hundred or more species which have
been developed.
Many home gardeners as little realize
the possibilities of this flower. This
column, from time to time, has advocated
an all-zinnia garden. Let us continue
to insist that this would be a good thing.
Specialists offer us at least 100 species,
commercially; probably they have more
in reserve. These range from gigantic
fellows, with manifold soft petals, rang
ing through the rainbow, to tiny ones
of soft pastel shades. In other words,
there is almost every color, shade and
tint in modern zinnias, with a great
range in size, and especially in the habit
of growth, resulting in stiff flowers or
softly bending ones, as you choose. This
real array of flowers, all under one
name, is amazing to the person who has
not looked into the matter. Flower
growers have a way of slipping up on
us; they grow many new things and
even write books about them, without
once reaching into the average home
gaiden with them. How many small
yards, for instance, know the beautiful
day lilies which have been given to the
gardening world in recent years? Once
the day lily was a common thing, in
deed, from grandmother's garden, but
today you can pay as much as $3 apiece
for some of these newer forms, and get
your money's worth, too.
* * * *
Marigolds, too, have been on the re
ceiving end of much betterment.
They are not just marigolds any
longer.
Even the characteristic odor, disliked
by many, has been taken out of them.
Many of the newer colors are flaming
in their magnificence, yet carrying with
them some of the softer radiance which
art demands in the new day. It is the
same with radios and phonographs—
they must have plenty of volume, but
with softer tonal edges.
Zinnias and marigolds save any gar
den this month, when few: things are in
bloom, comparatively speaking.
Letters to the Editor
iimrrs nun nmnrvru
On Court Fight Statement.
To the Editor of The Star:
President Roosevelt's statement on the
“reform'1 of the Federal Judiciary cer
tainly must be regarded as a very re
markable document. Critics of its author
may presume to charge him with gloat
ing over a victory which he admits he j
won indirectly. "It is true,” he says, '
"that the precise method which I recom
mended was not adopted."
But history is not written in glosses. !
Mr, Roosevelt's “precise method,” if the
sober truth be told, was rejected by
Congress and by the country at large.
It called into question the integrity and
good faith of its sponsor, split his party,
gave his opposition an advantage which
assured it success in the elections of
1938, has injured the entire New Deal
and done irreparable harm to the repu
tation of all who, for temporary and
expedient purposes, were willing to com
promise the essential ideals of Amer
ican democracy.
The President, however, insists that:
“The objective, as every person in the
United States knows today, was
achieved." His reference, obviously, is
to the fact that, four vacancies in the
Supreme Court having occurred, he was
enabled to appoint four members of
the highest tribunal of the land who
favored “measures of social and eco
nomic reform” which, as he believed,
“were being impeded or defeated by
narrow interpretations of the Consti
tution.” By these changes and by these
alone, “the seventh recommendation has
been accomplished through the opinions
of the Supreme Court itself.”
Mr. Roosevelt, in effect, argues that
he was “right” in his plan to “pack”
the bench which previously had “kept
each member of our Federal system in
its proper orbit and maintained the
1 essential harmony of the whole." He
frankly aimed to render the judiciary
dependent upon the executive branch
of the Government, and he now boasts
that he has succeeded in his endeavor.
But he may be mistaken in his faith
that “the results are not even open to
dispute.” During the months to come
between the present moment and Novem
ber 5, 1940, they may be challenged
again and again.
August 8. LIBERTY LOVER.
Small Businessman
Protests Relief Costs.
To the Editor of The Star:
After reading the article in The Sun
day Star (magazine) by Stanley High,
entitled “Young Men in America,” one
cannot escape the conclusion that here,
at last, is the world's greatest optimist.
He sets forth half a dozen isolated ex
amples of young men making big for
tunes. But every generation has had
them. Edison, Ford, Mellon and others.
What of the millions who are not pos
sessed of genius? The millions on made
jobs, the W. P. A. and the dole? It may
be that Congressmen and tax collectors
think that can last forever, but the plain
fact is that every small businessman is
being choked to death by taxes to pay
these people. Here in Washington there
are many well-paid civil service employes
who ask credit of struggling small busi
nessmen, yet refuse to come around and
Letters to the Editor must
hear the name and address of
the writer, although the use of
a pseudonym for publication is
permissible. Please be brie)!
pay up for months—and even years. They
are living above their incomes, but the
small businessman must somehow' man
age to carry them and pay his taxes—
otherwise where would the Government
get the money to pay their salaries?
Some of them have to be embarrassed
into paying through their bosses, some
never pay at all. Not all are like th%t,
but it requires only a few laggards to
put the small businessman against the
wall, unless he can devise ways and
means of living without eating. Unfor
tunately, few' of them can. It requires
real genius to stay in business and not
go hungry.
And relief. How- much longer is relief
going to last? What small businessman
isn’t worried because he is afraid the
day is coming when he can no longer
pay heavy taxes? Where is relief money
coming from when two-thirds of the Na
tion is on relief and the other third is
working for the Government?
SMALL BUSINESSMAN.
August 7.
Ingersoll’s “Real Views’’
On Whisky Given.
To the Editor of The Star:
The Frederic J. Haskins column of
“Questions and Answers” recently attrib
uted to Robert G. Ingersoll a statement
purporting to be "a eulogy on whisky”
which certainly cannot be considered an
indorsement of whisky as a beverage
since it accompanied a physicians pre
scription to a sick friend.
Ingersoll was known to have made
other statements about beverage alcohol
which were not at all friendly. One was
an address to the jury in the Munn case
in Chicago in 1876, a portion of which
we hope you w’ill publish to keep the
record straight:
“I am aware that there is a prejudice
against any man engaged in the manu
facture of alcohol. I believe from the
time it issues from the coiled and poi
soned worm in the distillery until it
enters into the hell of death, dishonor
and crime, that it dishonors everybody
who touches it—from its source to where
it ends. I do not believe anybody* can
contemplate the subject without becom
ing prejudiced against the liquor crime.
All we have to do. gentlemen, is to think
of the wrecks on either side of the
stream, of the suicides, of the insanity,
of the poverty, of the Ignorance, of the
destitution, of the men of genius it has
wrecked—the men struggling with imag
inary serpents produced by the devilish
thing.” J. RAYMOND SCHMIDT,
General Superintendent National
Civic League.
August 5.
Welcomes Appeal In
Medical Association Case.
To the Editor of The Star:
The recent editorial in the Journal of
the American Medical Association,
charging that the Justice Department
sought to “undermine the confidence of
the people in the medical profession,”
is quite mistaken. The department is
trying to restore the constitutional
rights of the American people.
I am glad Judge Proctor's decision
that the A. M. A. is not in “trade” and
therefore has not violated the Sherman
anti-trust laws, will be appealed to the
Supreme Court. ALICE K. MILLARD.
Buffalo, N. Y„
August 6.
1
■■■ - ■ i *
Haskin's Answers
To Readers' Quegons
By Frederic J. Haskii
A reader can get the answeio any
question of fact by writing 71 Eve
ning Star Information Burea{Fred
ertc J Haskin, director, Wasbgton,
D. C. Please Inclose stamp ffyeply'.
Q. How many daily newsptrs are
there in the United States?—J3. H.
A. The total number of daps now
published is 2,032.
Q. Why does Edna Ferber e)tle her
biography "A Peculiar Treasure’io. J. E.
A. The allusion is to Exodu chap
ter 19, verse 6: ‘'Now, therefq if ye
will obey my voice indeed, andfeep my
covenant, then shall ye be aieculiar
treasure unto me above all pdle: for
all the earth is mine.”
Q. What bird sews its nest?-t. J. D.
A. The tailor bird incloses is nest
within a large leaf, which it pvs to
gether at the edge with its slepr bill.
The nest is made of plant d&\ fine
grass and hair sewed togetheijith bits
of silk or wool threads or ^h vege
table fiber, for which the bir^earches
most diligently.
Q. What is a perpetual boni-T. H. J.
A. It is one which cannot b^edeemed
or paid off, but the interesth which
goes on forever.
Q. How do cashew nuts^ow?—L.
B. S.
A. They grow on trees fln 20 to
40 leet high. The fruit is kidit-shaped,
about an inch in length, C has a
double shell. The nut gron on the
end of a fleshy, pear-shaped ilk called
the cashew apple, which is hey and
slightly acid. The trunk of e cashew
tree exudes a gum not Uke gum
arabic.
Q Who invented the motype?—
M. V. M.
n. me monotype was t#nted by
Tolbert Lanston. His basic tent was
secured in 1887. but the mhine was
not perfected until 1897. He v) awarded
the Cresson gold medaj by t) Franklin
Institute of Philadelphia irt896.
Q. Who was the famous freer who
traveled the Oregon Trail y wagon,
automobile and airplane?—'V. H.
A. Ezra Meeker left Oh in 1851
with his bride in a covered agon and
crossed to the West Coasfcver the
Oregon Trail. Sixty-three ars later
he made the journey by aut<nbile and
72 years later by airplane. ! was the
founder of the Oregon TraMemorial
Association.
Q. How many United Stas soldiers
remained in France after e World
War?—J. A. H.
A. According to figures capiled by
the Paris Post of the Ameria Legion,
more than 1.500 members of 1 A. E. F.
still reside in France.
Q Who discovered the api?—W.
J. H.
A. As far back as 1883 the (mal was
described to Henry Stanley bjhe Afri
can Pygmies as the O-api. Evas first
captured by Sir H. H. Johnst in 1900
and was named Okapia johnsii in his
honor
Q. When was Justice Harlan member
of the Supreme Court?—F. L.
A. John Marshall Harlan as ap
pointed justice of the Supremeourt in
1877, and served until his deatln 1911.
Q. Did Irish potatoes originatin Ire
land?^. H.
A. Potatoes first grew in SoutAmer
ica. Until Columbus discoveredcnerica
and the early explorers had 'fried the
curious plant back to the.'&f World,
potatoes were unknown in Urope> In
fact, they were not know in North
America until after the mdle of the
16th century, when thetfwere first
brought to Virginia from Pa.
Q. What is the oldest coin-mill ma
chinery in existence in the tited States?
—J. H. G.
A. The Smithsonian ijtitution at
Washington, D. C„ has o display the
48-spind!e spinning macie built by
Samuel Slater and first opated by him
on December 20. 1790. j Pawtucket
R. I.
Q. How many kinds of ies are there
in the United States that oduce wood?
—C. M.
A. There are 1.177 varies of trees
which produce wood.
Q. What is a gargoyle?^. D. C.
A. It is a decorative sj)t projecting
from a building to throw (e rain water
from the roof. The ternjs applied to
the water outlets in thecrm of lion
heads upon the cornices! Greek and
Roman buildings, but it jually refers
to the interesting Gofc examples
carved in the form of grckque compo,
site monsters leaning far jit ward from
parapets and cornices. Tjse of Notre
Dame, Paris, are probable most fa
miliar.
Q. Where is the Dutch tttlement in
Iowa?—J. L. H.
A. Both Pella, in MarioCounty, and
Orange City, in Sioux iounty, are
Dutch communities whichtve retained
many of the customs of tllold country,
Q. What is the origin of t hammock9
—H. J. M.
A. It is said to be derfc from the
fact that the bark of thetamack tree
was used by the natives of jazii to form
nets suspended from trees 'which they
slept.
Q. What is the elevationr Lake Ta
hoe on the boundary betwe California
and Nevada?—W. J. R.
A. It has an elevation ate sea level
of 6,225 feet, and an avert depth of
1,500 feet.
Q. Can nasturtiums be eat?—E. H. J.
A. The flower buds am seeds * are'
eaten in salads and are jckled and
used like capers for flavorin In 8outh
America the tubers of somtpecles are
boiled and eaten like potatk.
Q. How much is spent t political
advertising on the two tjor radio
chains?—S. E. B.
A. In 1938, $52,803 watspent for
political advertising on th( Columbia
Broadcasting System's netwo and $54
369 on the National Broaddtlng Co.'s
network.
Q. Where can I obtain aooklet on
methods to exterminate insects?— j
M. P. R. '
A. See Page A-J of tod ay’s tar.
I I